Dear
Fellow Children of God,
What do you think of when you hear the term “Holy
Week?” As a person raised in the church,
I understandably think of the period of time from Palm Sunday to Easter
Sunday. More on that later.
However, to a group of friends whom I have grown to know
over the last 30 years, “holy week” (small letters) has a different
meaning. For this group of fishing
friends, “holy week” is the third week in July on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. This group of guys, who love to fish, migrate
from the lower 48 to the Kenai because the sockeye, or red salmon, start
hitting the peak of their run for the year, usually around this time. And if you are a fisherperson, I know a
number of them, catching a 6-10 pound red salmon on a fly rod is a thrill. The official count by the Alaska Department
of Fish and Game for 2023 is that 2,351,020 red salmon returned to just the
Kenai River. We have had a similar count
for a number of years.
So, if you are an avid fisherperson, and if you are on the
river at just the right time, you may have the opportunity to fight a fish
every 2 or 3 or 4 casts. But the key is
“IF.” Sometimes fewer fish return.
Sometimes the fish come late, or early.
Sometimes a person can cast into the river for hours and have few hits,
or even none.
Nevertheless, the last half of July, the fisher-PEOPLE
return to the Kenai Peninsula almost like committed worshipers. The FISH have their own schedule. But, my friends have arrived every year for
almost 40 years, full of faith and full of hope that the salmon will
return. When I think of the term “holy
week,” I now also think of my fishing friends and our salmon fishing. You may ask, “Jonathan, you are a
PASTOR! What does fishing have to do
with Jesus’ church?” (Well . . . don’t get me going!)
But, I do have a question for YOU. If you have a passion, whether fishing, or
sports, or sewing, or family, or reading, or something else, do you give the
same attention to the events of Jesus’ last week before His crucifixion that
you have for your hobbies and interests?
Jesus is the Son of God whom our Heavenly Father, as early
as Genesis 3:15, promised to send to save His children from their sin. Jesus was born miraculously, through the
Virgin Mary. He lived a holy life of
obedience and love, fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament about the
Messiah. As the Son of God, Jesus
performed miracles which called people to faith, to trusting the Lord with
their lives. All history before Jesus
pointed to Him as the fulfillment of our Lord’s promises. All history since says that the events of Holy
Week, the events of Palm Sunday, of Jesus disputing with the religious leaders
in the temple, of Jesus’ foot-washing and instituting of the Lord’s Supper on Maundy
Thursday, the events of Jesus’ arrest and His sham trial, His beating and
whipping, and His crucifixion, these events are the most important events in
the history of the world. On the
cross, Jesus, the Son of God and the promised Messiah, cried out as He bowed
His head, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)
All the promises of God’s love and forgiveness and salvation were
completed, were finished, during the original Holy Week.
Perhaps you know that I am an avid fisherman. I look forward to each fishing outing,
whether on the river, or the ice, or the lake, or the ocean. I relish the opportunity to enjoy our
Heavenly Father’s Creation. I enjoy the
challenge to fill a freezer. So, do
Jesus’ followers look forward just as passionately to observing Holy Week, the
most important week in history? Will
you be in worship on Sunday to wave your palms?
Will you celebrate the Lord’s Supper this year on the night Jesus
instituted this gift of grace? Will you
watch with others on Good Friday, moved by the love of Jesus which led Him to
die for our sins, and the sins of the whole world? Are you looking forward
to remembering God’s love as you observe Holy Week this year???
When the Kenai River “holy week fishing” is really good, I
can delight in filling my freezer by catching fish. But, this coming week we observe Jesus’ last
week of life, the week when he cried, “It is finished.” Are YOU looking forward to the celebration of
Holy Week 2024? Will you observe these
most important events in history?
A
Child of God, Rejoicing in the Opportunity to Observe Holy Week – The Most
Important Week in HISTORY!
Pastor
Jonathan
P.S.
NEWS CONCERNING FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH - Gainesville.
MID-WEEK
LENTEN WORSHIP CONCLUDES THIS Wednesday, March 20 with worship
services at 6:30 p.m. These services have been held at 6:30 each
Wednesday in Lent, for the last 6 weeks. 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!
Come and join us at 10:00 a.m.
· Maundy Thursday
o 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 Good Friday
Noon - We remember Jesus’ ultimate
sacrifice with a noon service.
o Good Friday
Evening - 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.
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 12, and will begin chapter
13 this coming Sunday.
WE
CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN 2024 and 2025 using the Today’s
Light Devotional Bible. As of March 20
we read about the spies going into The Promised Land, in Numbers 13.
SUNDAY
SCHOOL IS HELD EACH SUNDAY DURING WORSHIP. PLEASE bring your children
and grandchildren!
P.P.S.
PICTURES – AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
ROCKEY
FAMILY CARIBBEAN CRUISE – I have added more pictures to the album of photos
from our family Cruise, March 9-16. Here
is the link to the photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/wnT66W7QXUAZS37E9
BIGGER ROCKEY GATHERING – On Saturday, March 16, after our cruise, more family joined
us at the home of Stephen and Lori Rockey in Wildwood. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/oyxR7MR1SjxTuUaA7
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
· I WENT FISHING ONCE, Sunday afternoon, March 17, on Rodman
Reservoir. In about 2 hours I had 3
bites and caught one 14” bass. Here is a
picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/kDdEosSthY2VtMaN7
· I went golfing on Monday, March 18 (previous plans fell
through). This guy was sunning himself
in swamp on the golf course. https://photos.app.goo.gl/agS8VFy7iVBPhj3P8
*******
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)
