Pastor Rockey & Pastor Allen: Fishermen and Fishers of Men
Thoughts from the Pastor
Pastor Rockey prepares his Thoughts from the Pastor approximately weekly. The most recent is provided below and earlier posts can be opened by clicking on a date.
Archived Thoughts:
2/8/08 2/14/08 2/21/08 2/26/08 3/4/08 3/13/08 3/19/08 3/27/08 4/2/08 4/9/08 4/16/08 5/2/08 5/9/08 5/20/08 5/27/08 6/1/08 6/13/08 6/21/08 6/28/08 7/5/08 7/11/08 7/16/08 8/8/08 8/12/08 8/20/08 8/28/08 9/1/08 9/9/08 9/18/08 9/27/08 10/2/08 10/9/08 10/16/08 10/20/08 10/30/08 11/6/08 11/16/08 11/21/08 11/25/08 12/2/08 12/21/08 12/23/08 12/31/08
1/6/09 1/13/09 1/29/09 2/18/09 2/24/09 3/3/09 3/10/09 3/17/09 3/24/09 4/1/09 4/7/09 4/14/09 4/21/09 4/29/09 5/05/09 5/19/09 6/6/096/10/09 6/17/09 6/23/097/1/097/7/09 7/20/09 8/8/09 8/11/09 8/19/09 8/25/09 9/02/09 9/09/09 9/14/09 10/2/09 10/7/09 10/14/09 10/21/09 10/23/09 10/28/09 11/3/09 11/10/09 11/19/09 12/1/09 12/8/09 12/16/09 12/23/09 12/28/09
1/6/2010 1/13/10 1/20/10 1/27/10 2/9/10 2/23/10 3/2/10
3/8/10
Dear Fellow Children of God,
How has your “wilderness time” been this Lent? Have you faced struggle? Disappointment? Sorrow? Are you waiting for God’s deliverance?
Have you ever considered the lesson God gives us in the “wilderness theme” of Scripture? Consider the number 40 and its connection with the wilderness, and suffering.
- The Israelites wandered in the wilderness 40 years.
- Jesus was tempted 40 days.
- (Noah was in the ark with his family for rain of 40 days and 40 nights.)
Life does not always go as we would wish. On our way to The Promised Land of heaven we face many struggles. But we keep living. We keep putting one foot in front of another. We keep seeking to serve God in spite of our weakness, and in spite of our failure and our sin.
Lent is intended to be a time of 40 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter (not counting Sundays) to remind us that life is a wilderness. We are in a pilgrimage. We are in a time of struggle because of our sin. But, God has The Promised Land waiting for us because His Son, our Savior Jesus, went through this wilderness for us. He faced struggle and temptation, disappointment and sorrow. He suffered and died for our sins.
As I spend time in the wilderness of Lent (and life), Psalm 130 speaks loudly to me.
- Listen how the Psalmist starts in the deepest depths of struggle in the wilderness of life. (vv. 1-2)
- Listen also how, as the Psalmist remembers the forgiveness and love and salvation of God, he is able to wait for God in his struggle. (vv. 3-6)
- Ultimately, as the Psalmist waits, there is deliverance. (vv. 7-8)
Psalm 130: A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more
than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.
May God strengthen you as you wait for Him in your wilderness times.
A Child of God, in the wilderness waiting for God,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. How many times is a ski trip cancelled because of too MUCH snow? Today the High School and Middle School Youth were supposed to go skiing at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood. However, a large snow fall last night caused 2 avalanches on the Seward Highway closing the road. Hmmmm. No Skiing today!
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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me their e-mail address.
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MID WEEK LENTEN WORSHIP SERVICES are being held on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at St. John For 2010 Lenten Worship is focusing on the theme, “Surprising Stories of Jesus’ Forgiveness.” After seeing Jesus forgive people in his time, we consider how God’s forgiveness through Jesus also reaches us. And we ask the question, “Once we are forgiven, how do we live as God’s children?” Here is the schedule for our Mid Week Lenten Worship in 2010.
Ash Wednesday - Prodigal son Luke 15
Feburary 24 Paralytic – Mark 2
March 3 Doubt – Father – Mark 9
March 10 Zacchaeus Luke 19
March 17 Woman of the City, Luke 7:36 ff
March 24 Peter John 21
MID WEEK LENTEN FELLOWSHIP MEALS are offered this Wednesday and every Wednesday through March 24. You do not need to bring food, or contribute to come and eat. All Meals are signed up for. However, if you want to help with one of the meals you may help others already committed to serving a meal.
THE MEN’S RETREAT still has a couple of openings. Speak to Pastor Rockey, Herman Griese, or Bill Allen if you’d like to attend.
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER ARE FAST APPROACHING. (Easter is April 4 this year.) There are or soon will be signup clip boards available for the following worship and service opportunities.
- Passover Meal Helping.
- Passover Meal Attendance
- Easter Breakfast helpers – men.
- Easter Breakfast food donations
- Easter Lilies.
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