Dear
Fellow Children of God,
As I read through my Bible on Wednesday, March 6, God’s
Word spoke and said, “For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your
God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." (Leviticus. 11:45) Now, for those
who are somewhat familiar with the Bible, it is not surprising to hear this
phrase. God calls His people to holy
living often. In Leviticus 19:2 the
same phrase is repeated. “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” In
The Sermon on the Mount Jesus echoes that same command. “You therefore must be
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew
5:48)
Because
we hear this call from our Lord so often, perhaps we do not grasp all that He
is saying when we read these words. There
is a sense in which God’s call to holy living speaks of purpose. God sets aside the Jews as people who had a
purpose which made them different. This
difference of living for the purpose of God is reflected in the dietary laws of
Israel, in the Sabbath, in their dress, and in their festivals. Living as people of God, living for God, is a
witness to all who do not know the Lord, or who do not know His power and love
and mercy. Throughout all of Scripture,
even though Israel was called to this ‘set apart living,’ God nevertheless loves
everyone and wants all people to hear of His glory and wisdom and grace. Therefore, God’s people are ‘set apart.’
Jesus
reflects this different, set apart living, in His words in The Sermon on the
Mount. You see, there is also a sense
that this purposeful living is also shown in lives of righteousness. When children of God know what is pleasing to
our Lord, and what is loving to our neighbors, when we live that way, we not
only witness to God, but then our lives bless others. That is also why Jesus teaches in Matthew 5, “
. . . let your light shine before others, so that they may see
your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Since God’s law is fulfilled through loving our Lord and
loving others, there is also a way in which Jesus’ new command in John 13 is another
repetition of those words I read on March 6th. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I
have loved you, you also are to love one another.” (John 13:34 and 15:12) We live holy, set apart, lives when we love
others, especially when we love them in the self-giving, sacrificial way in
which Jesus loved us.
But, going back to the words on read on Wednesday, “ . .
. be holy, for I am holy," we can indeed hear this call from God so
often that we overlook the gravity of what God is saying. When was the last time that your purpose in
living for God, when your righteousness, your love, came close to that shown by
our Heavenly Father, or shown by our Savior, Jesus? I fail at living with set apart, righteous
actions many times daily! Never mind
that my heart and mind are corrupted through sinful desires. My actions toward others are often selfish
instead of showing sacrificial love. I even
worry that my deeds are not always good, and that instead of pointing others to
our loving God, I can at times drive them away from Him. Have you ever heard anyone say, “If that’s
what a Christian is like, I want nothing to do with God?!”
Thankfully, God knows our sin and failure, and He takes
care of us through Jesus. We deserve
punishment for our waywardness, but in Jesus God washes away our sin. “. . . the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses
us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7) I also
truly appreciate the word picture from Revelation 7 “ . . . They have washed
their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Revelation
7:14) What a wonderful gift! God calls us to BE holy, and then He MAKES us
holy . . . in the cross and empty tomb of JESUS!
I
spent time in my devotion on March 6 and read those words. “ . . . be holy,
for I am holy." Then it caught
me that God’s call deep and it is above and beyond my best efforts. However, as the Spirit reminded me about the
rest of God’s Word, I realized again that God takes care of my failure, my short
comings, and my rebellion. When I
realize God’s call to holy living, when I realize my failure, and then I hear
of the grace of God in Jesus, IT CHANGES MY HEART! I may not be perfect, but I want to keep repenting
of my sin and keep seeking to pursue this call from God. “ . . . be holy, for I am holy."
You
see, God has set each of us aside for a purpose, just as He did to Israel. And, even in my failure, my Lord is good and
gracious. I pray that others may see the
light of Jesus shine through me and through my life as God’s child!
A
Child of God, Called to Holy Living And Made Holy in Jesus, In Spite of My Sin!
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S.
NEWS CONCERNING FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH - Gainesville.
CONREGATIONAL
MEETING CONCERNING DEFERRED VICAR First Lutheran
Church voted in a congregational meeting on Sunday, March 3, to request
seminary student, Timothy Handrick, as deferred vicar for First Lutheran. We will find out in a couple of weeks if this
request is granted.
MID-WEEK
LENTEN WORSHIP CONTINUES each Wednesday with worship services at 6:30
p.m. These
services are held at 6:30 each Wednesday in Lent, until March 20. A Lenten
meal is held each Wednesday evening at 5:00 p.m. The Theme of our
Lenten worship is “The Blessings of Suffering.”
HOLY
WEEK SCHEDULE – Here
is the Holy Week Schedule for First Lutheran in 2024.
· Palm Sunday
Worship
– We celebrate Palm Sunday on March 24.
Included in worship will be singing from our Open Arms pre-school
children, and a baptism of Lucy Sykes! There
may also be an adult member reception! Come
and join us at 10:00 a.m.
· Maundy Thursday Noon
worship with Communion gives us a chance to “Do this
in Remembrance of Jesus”, who instituted the Lord’s Supper on this day
o PASSOVER MEAL – We will celebrate
a PASSOVER MEAL of lamb, green salad, charoseth (apple and raisin relish), unleavened
bread, and wine or grape juice at 6:00 p.m. (This time gives
people a chance to arrive from work.) There is a ceremony with this meal which
helps us understand Jesus’ Passion and Easter victory. The Recommended Donation is $15.00 for adults
and $5.00 for children. PLEASE
SIGN UP IN THE NARTHEX AT CHURCH!
o 7:30 Maundy
Thursday Evening Worship – This service, following the Passover Meal,
should carry extra meaning. In addition,
2 confirmation student, Ryland and Kennon Brown will receive their first
communion.
·
Good Friday Worship
o We remember Jesus’
ultimate sacrifice with a noon service.
o We also remember
the events of Good Friday with a worship service at 7:00 p.m.
·
Easter Sunday Celebration!
o 8:30 a.m. Easter
Worship -
First Lutheran celebrates Easter on Sunday, March 31, first of all at 8:30 on Easter
morning.
o EASTER BREAKFAST – will take place
after early worship, probably around 9:30 or 9:45 a.m.
o An EASTER
EGG HUNT will be offered for children on Easter morning at 10:00 a.m.
o 11:00 Easter
Worship gives a second chance to celebrate Jesus’ Easter victory for
us.
BASIC
TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE / NEW MEMBER CLASSS –A new membership class began February
11th, after worship in the Besalski Fellowship
Hall. But, we have only just begun. There is still time to join the
class. This is also a good way to refresh you knowledge of God’s
Word. PLEASE NOTE, JUST BECAUSE A PERSON ATTENDS THE
CLASS DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE COMMITTED TO JOINING FIRST LUTHERAN.
If you are interested in learning and growing, we would love to have you join
us.
(Because of the Congregational Meeting and
Pastor Rockey’s travel, the next class will be March 17!)
A
STUDY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS continues on Sunday mornings at 8:45 a.m. in the
Besalski Fellowship Hall. We are studying Acts 11 and 12. In Acts 11 we learn of the church in Antioch,
where disciples of Jesus were first called Christians.
WE
CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN 2024 and 2025 using the Today’s
Light Devotional Bible. As of March 6 we
had read through Leviticus 11.
SUNDAY
SCHOOL IS HELD EACH SUNDAY DURING WORSHIP. PLEASE bring your children
and grandchildren!
P.P.S.
PICTURES – AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
I
went FISHING
THREE times this past week.
· On Saturday, March
2, I fished on a guided fishing trip with guide, Ken Walker, on Rodman
Reservoir. My brother, Steve, and First
Lutheran member, Thomas Dudeck also joined me.
I learned some new fishing methods and . . . we caught some big
fish! Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/RxVh7Yg1dt9gR3bz8
· On Sunday, March 3,
after worship, I went fishing at Orange Lake.
I had 2 bites and caught 1 fish until the thunder started. Here is a picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Fn3StuzLgkReMtiq7
· On Monday, March
4, I tried a new location. I went to the
mouth of the Suwannee River and fished upstream in the brackish water. It was a warm day, and the fish were biting
somewhat. I caught 6 smaller fish, and
kept 5 for a future fish fry. Here are
some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/hpVwscHKc6UjcF9w5
CRUISE
– On Saturday, March 9, my Alaska family, and some Florida family, will get on
a cruise to the Western Caribbean. We
have planned this trip for over a year.
I am looking forward to family time.
I expect I will have more pictures to share. (My daughter, Mary, arrived on Tuesday
evening. The rest arrive from Alaska on
Friday.)
*******
ABOUT
THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as full-time
senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a
weekly devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the
Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue writing these
devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's
changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child
of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it
right to only send this message to those who asked to receive it.
(Currently I am serving as Vacancy Pastor for First Lutheran Church in
Gainesville, FL.)
So, if you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you
understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish
to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my
distribution list. My e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our
Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan
Rockey
Child
of God
Husband,
Father, Son, Grandfather
Vacancy
Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL
Pastor
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK
How
great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
No comments:
Post a Comment