Dear Fellow Children of God,
I was
talking to a friend, Scott Stephens, early Wednesday morning. “How are you doing, Jonathan?” Scott
asked. “Trying to wake up,” I replied. I was still a little stiff, a little drowsy,
maybe grumpy. But then, a little more
thoughtfully I added, “All in all I’m doing well.”
I do
have blessings in my life. I am blessed
through family and the love we share. I
am relatively healthy. I am active doing
tasks which have a purpose, and which I enjoy.
God’s church has provided me with a ‘second family.’ I could go on. But,
I know that not everyone shares the blessings which I have.
Yet, there
are reasons that a positive attitude in today’s world can actually be a
surprise. As I look at the world around me, I am saddened by the division, the
hatred, and the evil which seem so evident.
Whether the war in Ukraine, or the protests in Iran, or the persecution
in Nigeria, or the on-going tensions around Israel, it is disheartening to see
people hurting and killing one another.
In the United States we have division and protests around the issues of immigration
and the Supreme Court decisions. Those
on the left and those on the right often seem to not just disagree, but to actually
hate one another. In our own lives we suffer
broken dreams, personal failures, difficulties in our relationships with
others, and illness, death and loss. In spite
of my personal blessings, bad news nevertheless abounds.
Yet, as
I approached the new year, my readings in God’s Word called me to the
counter-cultural, godly attitude of thankfulness. I need to, and I want
to thank my Lord!
Nevertheless,
how can a person be thankful in the midst of so much pain and suffering? Unfortunately, we bring much of the pain, and
many of the disappointments on ourselves.
God is the Creator and Ruler of all.
He has shown us in His law the best and healthiest way for us to
live Yet, we often have different ideas
than our Lord. Or, we do not want someone else to tell us how to live. Such rebellion against our Creator leads to
the evil in our world, and to the troubles we face.
The
writers of Scripture faced similar struggles.
However, again and again God’s people gave Him thanks. Listen to Psalm 118:1, a verse repeated in
many other places. “Oh
give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures
forever!” This word of God not only
calls us to thankful hearts, but also gives us reasons to thank our Heavenly
Father.
First, in
spite of our rebellion and failure, our Heavenly Father continues to be present
for us. In spite of our sin He
mercifully still loves us. The
world may be full of suffering and pain, of evil and hatred, but . . . GOD is
GOOD! In a world where we all
deserve judgment, our Savior is constant, or steadfast in His love. In fact,
His love endures through our sin. The
steadfast of the Lord “endures FOREVER!”
In his
small catechism, among other Christian teachings, Martin Luther explains the
Apostles’ Creed. Luther teaches that God
has not only made the world. Our Lord also
provides for His creation. He guards and
protects His people. Because of our
Lord’s grace in creation Luther says it is our duty to give thanks. “For all this it is my DUTY
to THANK and praise, serve and obey Him. This is most certainly true”
However,
New Testament believers, disciples of Jesus, Christians have another reason for
giving thanks. God inspired St. Paul to
call us to hearts of thankfulness. “Give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) We not only have the
call of God’s law to be thankful. We
have God’s grace for His wayward and sinful people, “in Christ Jesus.” On His cross Jesus won forgiveness from for
our sins against our Creator and Lord. In
spite of the pain of this world, Jesus’ resurrection promises His disciples eternal
life in heaven, where “ . . . death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed
away." (Revelation 21:4) In other words, even when I have failed my
Lord, even when life hurts, God’s “. . . steadfast love endures forever!”
The past
year brought some disappointments, some trials, some sin and failure on my
part. I expect 2026 will provide
struggles as well. Yet, I find my goal
for 2026 in Psalm 118. “Oh
GIVE THANKS to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures
forever!”
“Yes, Scott, even when I am just waking up, I am
well. I am blessed, because my Lord is
with me in His steadfast love.”
A Child of God, Thankful for the STEADFAST LOVE of My
Lord in a Sinful and Painful World,
Pastor Rockey
P.S. I am now in Gainesville,
FL, serving as assistant to Pastor Chris Kollmann at First Lutheran Church.
First Lutheran Activities
·
New Roof - The excitement at First Lutheran right now is
that we have a new roof on all our buildings.
It is a good thing. The roofers
had to replace some of the deck of the roof in numerous places, including some
places in the sanctuary where we have had some leaks. On Wednesday, January 14, the new roof is
being completed. Here are a couple of
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4jGGXhwGSXeoUhfq6
·
Pastor Kollman and I will begin teaching
separate Sunday Bible classes on Sunday, February 1. He will teach a Lutheran Hour Ministry Class
on “How we Got the Bible.” I am still
looking at which book of the Bible to teach.
·
Young People Activities at FLC? If you have children in 5th
grade or older, would you be interested in some activities at First Lutheran
for them? I will be contacting families,
and we will meet in February to possibly make a plan.
·
Acolyte Class – I will teach a class for
new acolytes at the end of February. If
a child is going into 3rd grade, or is older, they are invited to
attend and to begin serving.
Other Activities of Faith:
· I
FINISHED READING THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES using the “Today’s Light Devotional Bible”
on Wednesday, December 31 I have again started my two year journey with my
Lord. On Wednesday, January 14, I read
Genesis 16-17, and read again of the Lord’s promises to Abram, and of the
covenant of circumcision.
Feel free to
join me again if you wish. You may also
contact me at 907-841-4066 if you have any questions about these
readings. Or send an e-mail question to jonrock53@mtaonline.net I have
received questions and comments about the readings. It is always good to
consider our Lord’s love and guidance. I will TRY to answer, but some things only
God knows!
P.P.S. Family Fun and
Fishing! In
the first 9 days of our stay in Florida, in addition to working at First
Lutheran, I have been fishing 3 times, and golfed 4 times! 😊
Here are some fishing pictures.
·
On Thursday, January 8, I tried out my boat for
the first time this year at Orange Lake.
Since there has been little rain, the lake was low and the weeds are a
problem. There were not many others out
fishing. And, in about 4 or 5 hours of
fishing, I did not get a bite. I did see
one gator and lots of eagles. Here are
some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/d9usTdTyxUfVs5Yj7
·
On Saturday, January 10, I went fishing on the
Suwannee River with brother-in-law, Mark Reaves. We had quite a few bites and caught fish - maybe 15-20 small bass. We saw 4 gators and enjoyed a somewhat warm
and breezy day. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TSsjfZawCdnUmCY49
·
On Sunday afternoon, January 11, after worship,
I tried out another lake, Little Orange Lake.
The water was low again, but the weeds were not as bad. However, the temperature had dropped and the
wind was blowing from the north. So, 2
lakes, no bites. ☹ Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/6m4gv4y1NQ3x7SHBA
*******
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 Assistant to the 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, Our Redeemer
Lutheran Church, Chugiak, AK
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)
