Trinity 22 and Homily

From Deacon Ron Reno:

Good morning, I pray all is well. We are getting closer to the season of Advent. This Sunday in the church calendar is called the Sunday next before Advent; it is the end of the green Trinity season and the start of the purple season of Advent. Advent means the season where we reflect and prepare for the coming of the Messiah and the celebration of Christmas with the birth of Jesus Christ. It will last four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It is a time time to pray for yourselves, pray for patience, pray healing changes in your lives, pray for peace in the world and pray against turmoil wherever it is, whether it is in our lives or elsewhere. After this brutal election year we need to pray for Christ in our nation, for direction and especially for healing. The world needs Jesus Christ more than ever.

We had a lovely God centered service with music last week and will be looking forward to Nick leading MP this coming Saturday. We are blessed to have such good men and women in our mission church. David (Skip) started his acolyte training last Saturday. God puts people where He needs them and David after some personal discernment has added acolyte training in his future. Pray for David in this new God centered journey.  Continue to pray for the people on Deb’s Saint Jude Intercessory list and especially for Arch Bishop Upham and our own Deacon Ted. God bless

Trinity 21 homily and more

From Deacon Ron Reno:

Good afternoon! Another amazing Fall day and wishing for many more. God willing that may occur. We all have a busy calendar ahead of us including Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be grateful for but it is hard to believe that we are less than three weeks away from the First Sunday in Advent with Christmas Day right around the corner. It is a good time for us to prepare our hearts and minds for Advent. The church calls us as our Mother to think about these things. We are blessed to live in the light of the Paschal Mystery and the offer of salvation.

We had a lovely Deacon’s liturgy with chanted Litany and sung responses last Saturday. Our choir led by Nick Behrens gets better and better as the Green season unfolds. Please continue praying for the people on the Saint Jude’s Intercessory list that Deb maintains. Pray for our members with her recent additions of Jim Roberts and Deacon Ted.

O Lord Jesu! make it possible to me by Grace,  what is impossible to me by nature. Thou knows well that I may little suffer, and that I am cast down anon with little adversity. Wherefore I beseech Thee, that trouble and adversity may hereafter for Thy Name be loved and desired of me; for truly to suffer and be vexed for Thee is very good and profitable to the health of my soul. “Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis in the year of the Lord 1486.”  May God continue to bless our mission church. Deacon Ron

Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ

From Deacon Ron Reno:

Good afternoon. Another amazing fall day with upper 70 degree temperatures; we have been blessed to enjoy the beauty of this Fall. My memory of last year was going from summer to winter with very little Fall to enjoy. Our weather has been good but we need to pray for rain; a lot of the state is in severe drought.

We had a lovely Christ the King service last Saturday with lovely music committed to that service. We also celebrated the birthday of Father Ponec. Deb Ponec brought in lovely flowers and food for our gathering after mass, in memory of our beloved Priest. Deacon Ted, Deacon Ron and others were around this man and are still in awe of his work on this earth. Father was a very unassuming, kind Priest whose love of God showed in every thing he did. He is greatly missed.

Remember to set your clocks back one hour this Saturday night. It wouldn’t affect our service this Saturday but it might for your Sunday plans.

The last two Homilies from Father Andrews:

Christus Rex (2022)                             Trinity 19 (2022)

God bless.

April Chaplain’s Meeting

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church, meeting at Westminster Presbyterian, was the setting for the April Chaplains Meeting.  Fr. Robert Ponec extended the invitation to the Chaplains of the Omaha Police Department where a business meeting, seminar, and luncheon were shared.  Chaplains as well as OPD personnel attended.  Fr. Ponec has been a chaplain for the past four years.

Palm Sunday Service

St. John the Baptist Anglican Church had a beautiful Palm Sunday service.  The altar and sanctuary was adorned with a multitude of palm arrangements.  There was a blessing of the palms, choral reading of the passion, and a day-by-day walk through Holy Week offered by Fr. Robert Ponec.