Dear
Fellow Children of God,
On Monday, December 12, I had previously arranged for an
ice-fishing trip with some friends and church members. But, you saw the snow! Even though we have a man who plows our driveway,
I still spent over 5 hours on Monday shoveling sidewalks, porches, and a path
for my truck. I had heard the weather forecast
that snow was coming. But, the amount of
snowfall was a surprise. The deep snow
caused a change in plans for others in addition to my fishing trip, such as our
schools, my Kiwanis Club, and our men’s Bible Class. Again, the unexpected amount of snow caused a
change in plans. But, some surprises are
relatively minor.
Another surprise occurred the day after Thanksgiving for
a pastor friend of mine. He was driving his car when he hit a patch of black
ice. My friend ended up in the hospital
because of an accident. He underwent
surgery and ended up in the ICU recovering from multiple injuries, including a
broken neck. This pastor is now in a
rehabilitation hospital. He had plans
for leading worship, for celebrating the Advent and Christmas season at his
church, and for serving God’s people. But
now he is working to hopefully regain strength and health. His unexpected accident changed his life in
more serious ways than the small changes of my fishing trip and the meetings.
Sometimes we call these surprises “disasters.”
Unfortunately, we don’t know when trouble is coming, but it
is not really a surprise. Our lives are full of pain, trouble, and distress. We live in a world where the people in this
life have rebelled against our Creator and Lord. Such sin has consequences. Garrison Keillor, in his radio show, “The
Prairie Home Companion,” used to talk about Norweigan Bachelor Farmers. He said these characters in his stories,
“expected the worst, but hope for the best.”
Perhaps Keillor was saying that we aren’t really surprised when life
brings trouble. The fact that we may not
know when such trouble is coming, but it is expected, is a rather depressing
truth.
I ask you to direct your attention to an unexpected turn
in life, which started as trouble, but which turned out as good news for those
involved. The Gospel Lesson assigned for
this coming Sunday, the Fourth Sunday in Advent, is from Matthew 1:18-25. This section of Scripture begins the story of
a young couple about to begin married life.
That couple was Joseph and Mary.
We read in Matthew 1:18, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came
together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” In a culture and time when people outwardly sought
to follow the law and guidance of our Heavenly Father, guidance which says that
sexual activity is to be kept between a husband and wife in the committed
relationship of marriage, Mary’s pregnancy was a disaster. Joseph and Mary were not yet officially
married, and the child did not belong to Joseph.
But, there was another
surprise. “20 . . . an angel of the Lord appeared to him
[Joseph] in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21) The surprise is that God had his
hand in this unexpected pregnancy for the good of all people. In fact, Matthew goes on, “22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the
prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." In other words, God was in this
trouble, and God’s presence ultimately brought grace and peace, love and forgiveness,
and eternal life. God’s gifts did not
come easily. Joseph and Mary faced the
shame of the unexpected pregnancy. They
fled to Egypt to escape Herod. Raising
Jesus had its adventures. Ultimately, this Savior was crucified! But
then He rose from the dead. God was in
all of these trials acting in love to save the people of this world.
Do you see God’s surprises for good in your struggles? On Monday I fell while shoveling snow. I hit
my back against a step. As I lay in pain
in the snow I thought of my friend and his broken neck. But when I rolled over, I was fine. Perhaps there was not as much force in a fall
as with an automobile accident. But, I
was also thankful that God takes care of fools like me.
On Wednesday, December 7, I saw another example of God’s
hand bringing good into a sinful world.
A church family has been working to adopt a young girl, whom they have
cared for as foster parents since her very early days. But, working through the state bureaucracy
was slow, and frustrating, and left many questions. However, Pastor Schultz, Kathy, and I were
present as the judge announced that the adoption was final. There was applause, and there were tears of
joy. (After conducting the adoption hearing in a very official way, the judge
later shared that his family had also adopted.)
I have been through other adoptions attempts with God’s people. A number
of those attempts did not necessarily go as well as this one did. I was, unfortunately, ready for the worst,
like one of those farmers. But, I had
been praying for months for the best, for God’s grace. And God was there!
Are you going through struggles, perhaps through unexpected
troubles? Can you see the hand of God
possibly working even in your difficulties?
Through Jesus, we have “God With Us” in our trials and adventures. His love is present even when we cannot see
it. May the surprise of God’s presence and His love bring you peace and joy
this Christmas.
A Child of God, Thankful, Through the Adventures of Winter, for the Surprises
of God's Love!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. St. John
prepares for Jesus’ Christmas coming with Wednesday evening Advent meals and
worship services. This Wednesday,
December 14, THE SCHEDULE IS
DIFFERENT. The worship service and meal will take place together at
6:30 p.m. We will be able to imagine
being in Bethlehem at the “Bethlehem Bed and Board,” as we eat and
worship. Come and join others in preparing
to receive the Christmas gift of Jesus.
P.P.S. The St.
John Sunday School Christmas program was held in late worship on December
11. I have some pictures if you would
like to see them.
P.P.P.S. St. John member, Laurie Buist, posted, “It's official! God has paved the way- all the way through. We love [our daughter]!! She came to us at four days old and at 16 months she finally shares our name." I ask that you give thanks with the Buist family for the love and grace of God.
P.P.P.P.S. Our family enjoyed our yearly tradition of
cutting a Christmas tree on Sunday, December 11. Here are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/qKf7fQ3VsfUXhLG16
P.P.P.P.P.S. Here
are some pictures of a beautiful sunrise on Saturday, December 10, before the
snow. God is good. https://photos.app.goo.gl/3aikFvrJUw9A99wx6
P.P.P.P.P.S. Here are some pictures of our recent
snowfall. J https://photos.app.goo.gl/oJy3LCTMmiuXhAyj6
*****
*****
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
“1 John 3:1 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)
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