On Friday,
November 26 – the day after Thanksgiving, I went fishing with my brother,
Stephen, on the Withlacoochee River in Florida.
On the day of the trip with Stephen the water was high and the river was
moving fast. In addition, my trolling
motor acted up, so we just floated quickly downstream. We cast our lines and didn’t get a lot of
bites. But, every time we did get a bite we were first a little surprised, and
then we were moving so fast we couldn’t let the fish really take the bait. I tell you about my fishing because, if a
fisherman really hopes and expects to catch a fish, you don’t want to be
surprised by the bite. On this
trip to Florida I have been fishing 8 times so far. But, the trip with Stephen was the only time this
fall I’ve been skunked.
Last Sunday was
the first Sunday in the church season of Advent. The word Advent means “coming.” It is a time that Christians remind
themselves of the coming of
Jesus. Jesus came to us that first
Christmas when the Son of God was born as a human being to be our Savior. Jesus comes to us today in His Word and
Sacraments creating faith. Jesus is
coming again to Judge this sinful world.
Advent is the time that Christians are called to prepare themselves for the comings of our Lord. The first Sunday of Advent, in liturgical
churches which follow the assigned readings, always points to Jesus’ Second Coming. So, last Sunday where I worshiped we read
from, among other places in Scripture, Luke 21.
You might want to look at these verses and listen to Jesus.
The truth is, if
a fisherman hopes or expects to catch a fish, they need to be ready for the
fish to bite. But, because there is
usually time between one bite to the next, fisherman can be distracted. Their minds can wander. And when the fish bite, not being prepared,
the fisherman can miss a nice fish and a good meal.
In
last Sunday’s lesson Jesus warns the people of His time, and He warns us, not
to be distracted. Jesus teaches in Luke
21:34-36, “34 Be careful, or your hearts
will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life,
and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come
upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the
watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and
that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
“Dissipation, drunkenness, the anxieties of life!” You and I know that we can be distracted from
God and His will. The pleasures and
temptations of this world can seem
more desirable than the holy and healthy will of God. The wisdom of this world can seem more wise than the wisdom of
God. The pain and loss of this world can cause worries and anxieties, and
steal our hope. We can be caught unprepared,
not trusting in Jesus and not living in that faith. Jesus says that, for those who are unprepared,
“that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.” That is why in the season of Advent, the
season when we remember Jesus’ coming, we are reminded to prepare.
But, Jesus also teaches
good news. He says that the troubles we face in this
world are signs, signs that are meant to remind us that our Lord is coming,
signs to remind us to prepare our hearts and lives. In Matthew 24 we hear Jesus talking about political
unrest, about natural disasters, and about persecution as signs of the
end. In Luke Jesus speaks of
environmental distress, of family problems, and of persecution as signs of the
end. Today we often view political
unrest, environmental problems, family issues, and opposition to our Christian
faith in Jesus as trials that we wish were gone. But, Jesus calls these trials signs,
reminders! They remind us that this
world, corrupted by the sin around us and by our own sin, is damaged and will
never be perfect. These signs call us
from temptation and distraction to hope and to faith in Jesus. These trials of life are not only the result
of sin in our world, but we can actually view our troubles as good news because
they call us to faith and hope in Jesus.
I
found one other surprise in last Sunday’s lesson. (Isn’t it interesting that a Christian can
read a Bible verse many times, and still find new treasures every time we read
God’s Word?!) Many call Jesus’ second
coming “Judgment Day,” and with good reason.
He does come to judge. But, in
the Luke 21 verse it seems that Jesus may have a different name for His second
coming, “Redemption Day.” “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near."
(Luke 21:28) Yes, our world is full
of sin, of pain and suffering. But,
Jesus saved us when He came that first time and lived a sinless life for us,
when He suffered and died to pay for our sin, when He rose to win eternal life
for us. In spite of our sin and the fact
that we deserve judgment, by God’s grace, Jesus delivers us and redeems us from
this life’s tribulations when we believe in Him as our Savior. When we see Judgment Day instead as “Redemption
Day,” we can joyfully “stand up and lift
up our heads” because Jesus is bringing His eternal kingdom to those assaulted
by the trials of this life. I WANT to be
ready for Redemption Day!!!
I enjoyed another
fishing trip with my brother in law, Mark Reaves on the Suwannee River on
Tuesday, November 30. It was a beautiful
fall day on the river with bright sun and just a little breeze. We saw birds and gators and I had one bite. I did not know when the bite would come, but
somehow I was ready and actually hooked and caught a nice fat largemouth bass.
We do not know when
Jesus will come. But, for those who
believe in Jesus and who live in that faith, Jesus’ second coming is Redemption
Day, even more than it is Judgment Day.
Will you be ready and believing? I WANT to
be ready for Redemption Day.
A Child of God, Desiring
to Be Ready When Jesus Comes Again on . . . Redemption Day!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Maintaining a home – UPDATE – As I mentioned
last week, our place in Florida suffered roof damage and interior water damage,
which we discovered in September. Since
being in Florida, I have spent much
time trying to deal with these issues. Finally
on Monday, November 29 our roof was permanently repaired. On Tuesday, November 30, the restoration
efforts began to the interior water damage from the leak. It may be finished in about a month, after we
return to Alaska.
P.P.S.
Kathy and I gathered with many of the
Florida Rockey family for Thanksgiving.
Here are a few pictures from our gathering. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5eHfZhyaEwCSLBuz9
P.P.P.S. As mentioned above, I did go fishing a couple
of times.
·
On Friday, November 26, my brother, Stephen, and
I fished on the Withlacoochee River. The
water was high and fast for bass fishing, and I had problems with my trolling
motor. While we had a number of bites, we floated by before any actually fish took
the bait. I have no pictures from that
day.
·
On Tuesday, November 30, my brother in law,
Mark, and I fished on the Suwannee River.
It was a beautiful fall day. We
did not get many bites. We saw 4 gators,
and caught one nice fat bass, which I returned to the river. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1BF9aR6jMUbtF9xH7
P.P.P.P.S. While Mark and I fished on November 30, Kathy
and my sister, Martha, walked through Manatee Springs State Park. They saw much wildlife, including manatees (of
which they could not get a picture), birds, fish, and deer. Here are Kathy’s pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/pbz4LDtBKJSdZZACA
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at
the end of August 2019 from serving as 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. (Though I am now serving again part-time at St. John
as assistant to the pastor.)
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
Pastor Emeritus,
St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
cell phone -
907-841-4066
Home phone -
907-746-5131
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