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Morning Devotion for the Season of Easter
May 6, 2024
The Invitatory
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.
Reading: Colossians 1:9-14
For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
What’s all the excitement about, you ask? In the previous verses of this letter from Paul to Colossians, he is offering thanks for “the saints and faithful brothers and sisters* in Christ in Colossae” who have expressed their faith in Christ Jesus and the love they have for all the saints. This is such a generous statement that offers encouragement and support to those who have newly made their commitment to Christ Jesus. And it comes in the form of a letter, not necessarily arriving shortly after such commitment was made. And the letter must have been read to those persons when a considerable number of them could have assembled to hear it. How many of us remember receiving such a letter and being so touched and supported by it? Receiving a letter at all these days is not the commonplace experience that it once was. It is both regrettable and sad to have lost the experience of the tactile sensation of the letter and the aural experience of words read to many, touching and affecting the emotional, enhancing the bond that joins the writer and the reader and the listeners. And to think that this is the most reliable tool (beyond irregular visits) that Paul has at his disposal to inaugurate and support new Christian communities. What conversations must have erupted from these letters! How did they think about all that he was writing to them? Who shared their questions and concerns with him?
I marvel at this today, especially because today is the…, let’s just say that it is the anniversary of my Confirmation. When told that I was eligible to be confirmed I was so very excited. Even though confirmation class was demanding - Saturday morning classes from 9:00 AM to noon from September to March. I attended every one of them and I learned a great deal about the Book of Common Prayer, the beliefs and practices of the Episcopal Church, the various parts of the Eucharist, what the words and actions meant. I was very taken in. And then to have my family and dearest friends attend this very special day meant a great deal to me. The members of my confirmation class, my family, Church School teachers, the clergy - all were present and shared this journey with me. It is because of their presence that I could make this journey. That is why this letter is so striking to me in its proclamation of support and confidence in the fruit that their faith will bear, made possible by the grace of God. I hope they were filled with joy, for I am, as I take in their journey and reflect on my very own!
Now I must confess that the first Sunday that I took communion, when at the communion rail, the enormity of the commitment that I had made hit me with full force. I believe the choir was singing, “Here O my Lord, I see thee face to face Here would I touch and handle things unseen. Here grasp with firmer hands eternal grace, and all my weariness upon thee lean….” I wondered, what have I done? Over the course of my life I have come to know “[he] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.*
A Prayer of Self-Dedication
Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people, though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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