Dear Fellow Children of God,
On Monday evening, December 2, Kathy and I had family and
friends over for an evening meal. The
conversation got around to some possible holiday activities in the coming
weeks. As a group we all seemed to say,
“After Thanksgiving my / our schedule gets really full!” You understand that our culture begins
Christmas observance in earnest after Thanksgiving. Are you preparing for, are you getting ready
for ChristMAS?
Maybe you have parties to attend. Have you written your Christmas cards, if
you are sending cards this year? Maybe
you have presents to buy. And if you
give gifts, perhaps this will require figuring out some finances. Are you are traveling to spend some special
time with family or friends? Do you need
to buy tickets for the trip? Will you
attend any Christmas or Holiday concerts?
Or, maybe you will do some Christmas cooking, make cookies or serve a
big meal. Do you have groceries to buy?
I am doing something in today’s devotion I don’t usually
do. For some devotions I share thoughts
from the previous week’s sermon. However,
I usually do not first share in my devotion what I hear God saying to me for
the coming week, what I plan to preach about. That way folks in the congregation I am
serving get “first crack” at those thoughts of faith. Nevertheless, today I am sharing first in
this devotion important thoughts of faith I hear from my Lord, BEFORE my Sunday
sermon. This coming week’s Gospel lesson
speaks of John the Baptist. John’s
message is preparation. John calls
people to prepare for the coming of Jesus.
God sent John to prepare people, not for ChristMAS, but for the coming
of the CHRIST.
Listen to Luke 3. “2
. . . the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the
book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare
the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill
shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places
shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of
God.”’” (Luke 3:2-6)
Did you hear John’s message? “Prepare the way for . .
. THE LORD!” The preparation John
talked about did not happen through cards, or gifts, or meals. Though all these methods of celebration can
point to and can celebrate God’s love in Jesus.
According to the word of God which came to John, preparation for the
Lord happens through preparing our hearts.
God led John to call the people to “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness
of sins.” In the lives of those waiting
for God’s promised Messiah, God calls them to prepare the way for this Savior
by making a straight and smooth road to their hearts!
According to John, preparing for Jesus means repenting,
admitting we have faults and failures, guilt and sin. Preparing for Jesus means confessing the truth
that we need a Savior and turning to Jesus, and it means turning to God's
promised Messiah, turning to Christ and receiving the forgiveness only God can
give.
The ChristMAS SEASON can be a busy time of year. Are you ready for the holiday? Perhaps not.
But preparing for the celebration of Jesus’s birth, for CHRISTmas really
means preparing for Christ. What plans
do you have for worship, for confession, for turning your life again to our
Lord in preparation for His coming to you?
What plans do you have for turning your life to CHRIST’S love and
forgiveness in faith? Will the road for
Jesus to your heart be smooth and straight this year?
A Child of God, Seeking to Prepare the Way in My Heart for
My Lord This Christmas!
Pastor Rockey
P.S. I continue to
serve as vacancy pastor at First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida, until
First Lutheran receives a permanent full-time pastor.
NEWS AND MINISTRY
OPPORTUNITIES AT First Lutheran Church – Gainesville!
·
TONIGHT, DECEMBER 4, IS OUR FIRST MID-WEEK
ADVENT SERVICE OF 2024. This is the
ONLY SERVICE WHICH STARTS AT 6:00 P.M.
The Open Arms Preschool will present their Christmas Program. There is a light meal starting at 5:00 for
those who wish to start early.
·
FIRST LUTHERAN OPEN ARMS PRESCHOOL IS
CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS, IN PART, WITH A DOOR DECORATING CONTEST – THIS
SUNDAY FIRST LUTHERAN MEMBERS ARE ASKED TO COME TO OPEN ARMS AFTER WORSHIP
AND TO VOTE ON THE BEST DECORATED DOOR! 😊
Open Arms Director, Angie Burr writes: “The open arms girls
are having a Christmas decoration door contest and I need some judges from
church to [come] over to Open Arms and vote on their favorite door this
Sunday after church. I have called a few church members and asked them to vote.
I would like to see just how many members will walk over and see the school.
(The 1st place prize is $50 & 2nd $25 The staff has worked so
hard on this)
·
FIRST LUTHERAN HELD A CALL MEETING AFTER
WORSHIP LAST SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1. After
a resolution from the Call Committee, after prayer and discussion, First Lutheran voted to extend the call as full-time
pastor to Rev. Chris Kollman.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO KEEP THE FIRST LUTHERAN CALL PROCESS
IN YOUR PRAYERS.
·
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS IN FULL SWING until
May. Children begin in worship at 10:00 a.m.. Early in the service, after
the Children’s Message, children leave for a lesson, for a craft, and a
snack.
During this
Advent and Christmas Season Children’s messages in worship are learning and
singing some favorite Christmas carols.
This week we will sing “Go Tell I on the Mountain!” Also, we expect a ‘visit’ from St. Nicolas!
Parents,
Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Neighbors, PLEASE bring your children to
Sunday School. THANK YOU Sunday
School Teachers and staff!
·
In Sunday Bible Class we are now studying the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah at
8:45 a.m. in the Besalski Fellowship Hall. On December 1 we looked at Isaiah 40 and
42. This coming week we begin with
Isaiah 50, and may get to Isaiah 53. Come
and Join Us!!!!!
·
COLLEGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS meet on
Tuesday nights in the student house at 7:00 p.m. Come and join us! They
are studying “The Case for Christianity.”
On Tuesday, December 3, they finished chapter 4 of this book.
·
WE CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN
2024 and 2025 using the Today’s Light Devotional Bible. On Wednesday,
December 4, we read Proverbs 5 and 6.
Feel free to
contact Pastor Rockey at 907-841-4066 if you have any questions about these
readings. Or send an e-mail question to jonrock53@mtaonline.net I have
recently received questions and comments. It is always good to consider
our Lord’s love and guidance. I will TRY to answer, but some things only God
knows!
·
EXTRA HOLIDA SERVICES In addition to Sunday Worship, we
now have mid-week worship for the Advent and Christmas season.
o
December 4, 6:00 – Advent 1,
Preschool Children.
o
December 11, 6:30 p.m. – Advent 2
o
December 18, 6:30 p.m. – Advent 3
o
December 24, 5 and 7 p.m., Christmas Eve
Candlelight
December
25, 10 a.m. – Christmas Day
o
December 31, 6:30 p.m. – New Year’s Eve.
P.P.S. I again
went fishing 3 times since my last devotion. (I also golfed more than once. 😊)
·
On Thanksging Day, Thursday, November 28, I took
my nephew, my brother David’s grandson, fishing. Here are some pictures of my trip with my
nephew, Nathan Mehrlich. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Pf1rr11zMZZ85tG29
·
On Saturday, November 30, I had planned to fish
most of the day, but had some chores to do.
I still got out in the late afternoon and evening. I not only caught fish, but ‘ caught’ a
beautiful sunset. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZM3tnE17KyM2T8v97
·
On Sunday, December 1, I took First Lutheran
member, Keith Barnett fishing. Here are
some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DhGXUecgXYnMW9A19
*******
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. (However, I am currently 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)
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