This week I
visited with a good friend from high school, along with his mom. In many ways, during my high school years, his
mom was like another mother to me. As we
sat reminiscing we remembered, among other things, a friend named LeRoy. LeRoy was a big African American who played
offensive line on the football team. We
were friends. My friend’s mother
remember LeRoy visiting her home. I
remembered LeRoy at my home. My mom
liked LeRoy, but my dog barked at him.
LeRoy was a good friend, though unfortunately I am not sure where he is
today.
I share that
memory because of the sorry state of race relations in our country today, and also
because February is Black History Month.
Some might think that race relations are a political issue, and that this
topic should not be part of a Christian devotion. I am sure that some people believe I should
not be writing about or discussing this issue, that I should leave it to the
politicians. But, the truth is that race
relations are a faith issue, because as I have written previously, Christians
are taught, “Love your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27)
When
Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, He was referencing the racial
tension of His time between Jews and Samaritans. When Peter visited the Roman centurion, Cornelius,
bringing the good news of Jesus’ saving love, Peter shared the following truth
of God. “34 . . . I now
realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men
from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” (Acts 10:34-35) When
John wrote of his revelation in the 7th chapter of his book, he
revealed, “9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one
could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the
throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding
palm branches in their hands.” Did you hear that? Those before the throne of God are “from every nation, tribe, people and
language.” According to Jesus, according
to Peter and John, God loves ALL
people, and God loves all peoples!
In my devotions
from December 8 I read a story from Dr. William Willimon, a Methodist pastor
and world renown teacher of preaching at Duke University. Willimon tells the story of a young man who found
himself seated next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an airplane flight. The young man was a civil rights activist
who, because of his activism, was estranged from his dad. He asked Dr. King, “What can I do to raise
the consciousness of my father. . .?” The
account follows, “Dr. King put his hand on the angry young man’s hand and said,
‘Your father is doing the best he can.
He has not had many of your educational opportunities, opportunities
which your father has provided for you.
As a Christian you must be patient with him and love him.” (For All the Saints, Volume III, page
55) Perhaps you are surprised, as I was
surprised when I read this, at the patience, at the mercy, and at the trust in
God to work, which Dr. King encourages. Sadly,
this does not sound like the attitudes which we hear about and read about in
these times.
Racism is not new
to America today. This sin has existed
since the beginning of time. Jesus dealt
with racism. Peter taught about God’s
love in Jesus in the face of racism in his time. One of the beauties of John’s revelation is
that we learn that, in heaven, all races praise God together. Christians are to love all people, because
all are children of our Heavenly Father.
To look down on another person because of their ethnicity, or their
color, is a sin against God’s call to “Love
your neighbor as yourself.”
LeRoy is not my
only black, or African American friend.
Over the years I served in one way or another in 3 primarily African
American congregations and I have friends for whom I care in those
churches. St. John congregation worked
in Russia during the 90’s, and we learned to care for those with whom we shared
the Gospel. St. John has also worked in
the native Alaskan village of Eek the last 4 years. Caring about people from all these settings, I
find great comfort to know that, because of God’s saving love in Jesus, heaven
is full of people “from
every nation, tribe, people and language.”
I pray that the people of our nation could live in
love for one another with a view of the reality of God’s children in heaven.
A Child of God, Sad
at the Racial Divisions of Today, Praying God’s Children Know and Share the Love
of God for All People,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I went fishing twice this week.
·
February 12 bass fishing with my brother-in-law,
Mark Reaves, on the Suwannee River. We
caught quite a few fish, and kept 4 bass. https://photos.app.goo.gl/fnq2NuHb3bJj5WCh7
·
On February 15 I went fishing in a local lake. However, as has been the case for the last
couple of weeks, the temperature was cold (32 degrees earlier in the morning),
and the wind was blowing. Other
fishermen with whom I talked had not had any bites. I did take this picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/bK91oi66B9r7rHCx9
P.S. July 4, 1976, was not only the Bi-Centennial
birthday of our country, but also fell on a Sunday. I was serving as a summer
vicar (intern) at St. Philips Lutheran Church in Chattanooga, TN. As a ‘wet behind the ears student pastor’, I
had preached in worship, and I had also chosen the hymns for that day. But, during the offering, Ruth Millender, the
wonderfully faithful organist, started playing a tune I did not recognize. All but one family in this church was African
American. They all stood up and sang
from memory, “Lift Every Voice and Sing, Let Earth and Heaven Ring . . .” This hymn is now hymn 964 in the Lutheran
Service Book and we sang the hymn at First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL,
this past Sunday. Though I had never
heard the tune or the words, this is also known as the black national anthem
and was written by James Weldon Johnson, a civil rights activitist from the
early 20th century, and an accomplished writer and poet.
Johnson
also wrote a poem which I read in my devotions on Sunday, February 13. This poem is a prayer for God to help a
pastor do a good job of leading his church, and a prayer for a Christian death. I was moved by the words and prayer from
Johnson. Perhaps you would like to read
this poem below.
“And now, O Lord, this man of God,
Who breaks the bread of life this
morning –
Shadow him in the hollow of thy
hand,
And keep him out of the gunshot of
the devil
Take him Lord – this morning –
Wash him with hyssop inside and out,
Hang him up and drain him dry of
sin.
Pin his ear to the wisdom post,
And make his words sledge hammers of
truth –
Beating on the iron heart of sin.
Lord God, this morning –
Put his eye to the telescope of
eternity,
And let him look upon the paper
walls of time.
Lord, turpentine his imagination,
Put perpetual motion in his arms,
Fill him full of the dynamite of thy
power,
Anoint him all over with the oil of
thy salvation,
And set his tongue on fire.
And now, O Lord –
When I’ve done drunk my last cup of
sorrow –
When I’m done traveling up the rough
side of the mountain –
O – Mary’s Baby –
When I start down the steep and
slippery steps of death –
When this old world begins to rock
beneath my feet –
Lower me to my dusty grave in peace
To wait for that great gittin’ up
morning –
Amen.
(“God’s Trombones by James Weldon Johnson, in
For All the Saints, Volume 3, page 407)
*****
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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