I LOVE teaching
Confirmation Class! That might be a
surprising statement to some. The idea
of spending prolonged time with middle school students is not what others might
consider their idea of fun. But, when
you see an important truth introduced to someone who hasn’t previously considered
this idea, that is a special moment.
When you can see the “aha moment” of recognition in the eyes of a
teenager, and hear in the answers of that young person that they are beginning
to grasp the importance of a previously unknown concept with eternal blessings,
it is special to be part of such a moment.
When I retired in
August of 2019 I did not expect to be teaching young people on a regular basis
any longer. But, after COVID turned the
world upside down, I was asked to return part time and help St. John Intentional
Interim Pastor, Craig Schultz, as he extended his ministry at the congregation. One of the ways I have helped the last two
years is teaching Saturday Confirmation.
Last
Saturday, January 15, using a text book entitled “Martin Luther and the
Catechism”, we studied about Martin Luther at the Diet of Wurms, and learned
about Luther’s legacy. One of our two memory verses was, “8 For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is
the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” Among other topics we discussed the grace of God, His
undeserved love, and we learned the gift of our Lord’s truth that we are saved from
sin, from death, and from hell by God’s GRACE through FAITH in Jesus, not by our
good works. The class discussed what to
trust in this world of competing ideas, and we learned to trust God and His
Word as found in Scripture ahead of trusting human teaching. We discussed how all believers in Jesus are “saints”,
people who are forgiven and made holy through the blood of Jesus. As we considered why Martin Luther wrote The
Small Catechism, we learned how it is our Lord’s plan that parents are
responsible for teaching Christian faith to their children. In addition, our lessons looked at the results
of the Reformation in worship and in society.
And, we learned that Martin Luther was a human, and sinful too – needing
a savior, and how Luther’s teachings have been twisted by some.
Such truth from
our Creator and Savior is life changing, giving eternal life in heaven, and giving
grace, hope, and truth for life in this world.
I shared with the parents of these students that it is a blessing to be able teach these important, eternity giving truths
to children who are open and willing to learn!
What a privilege to be part of such important moments in the
lives of these children of God.
Our world is
seriously troubled in ways which we can see more and more every day. What are YOU doing as a child of God to bring
God’s love into this sinful mess and make our world a better place to
live? As for me, among other things, I LOVE teaching Confirmation Class!
A Child of God, Finding
Joy in Sharing God’s Saving Truth and Love With Young People,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Having put the call process for a new
permanent full-time pastor on hold because of COVID in March of 2020, St. John
re-starts the call process with a meeting of The Call Committee this Saturday,
January 22. Dave Nufer is Call Committee
Chairman. Feel free to share your
thoughts with Dave or ask him any questions you have.
P.P.S. A week after the big wind storm of January 2022, we
assessed damage at our home and tried to deal with the issues we found.
·
We replaced the hardy board, concrete siding,
which had blown off the house.
·
We looked at the few pieces of shingles which
had blown off the roof and discussed dealing with this issue in the spring.
·
I discussed the downed 60 + foot spruce tree
which was on our property and blew down onto the property of our neighbor and
talked about this with my neighbors.
·
I also took Christmas lights off the tree in our
yard after they had been blown to pieces.
Here are a few
pictures.
P.P.P.S. I did have a few moments of recreation.
·
On Friday, January 14, I took my dog, Mat, for a
short fishing trip to a lake which has previously produced good catches of
trout. On this snowy, blowing day, there
were no bites. https://photos.app.goo.gl/LcCvQj4WEPLQa9fz9
·
On the Martin Luther King holiday, January 17, I
enjoyed spending time with some of my children and grandchildren.
o
In the morning until mid-afternoon, I went
skiing with my son, Josh, and his family at the Skeetawk ski area in Hatcher
Pass. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FqGyabJCfSceS6wQ7
o
Late in the afternoon, as the moon was rising, I
took my daughter, Mary, fishing at a lake about a mile from our house. While, I caught fish in that lake multiple
times last year, I believe we started too late, with the moon rising. Here are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/CKDmg2h9k8nqfHfQ9
*****
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
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