Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Last week I wrote about the
practice of personal devotions, and said I would mention this topic again. One of the devotions I regularly read is
written by Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer. Dale is
not only former speaker for The Lutheran Hour, and former president of
Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, but also a personal friend. Dale has been writing this short devotion for
years. These short e-mails impress me as
timely, thoughtful, and Scriptural. They
often raise ideas and questions in my mind about living my faith in Jesus. One of the recent “Meyer Minutes” was the
beginning of a series of similar thoughts I received from different
sources.
First, on January 18, 2023, Dr.
Meyer wrote the following about the COVID epidemic and worship attendance:
“’American’s Theological
Beliefs Changed to Suit Post-Pandemic Practice.’” That title caught my eye and
suggests to me what congregations need to be doing. Lifeway Research surveyed
changes in Christian beliefs since the pandemic. Here are two quotations that
lead Lifeway’s report. “After months of quarantines and social distancing,
however, Americans increasingly believe worshiping apart from a church is as
good as attending church services.” “Additionally, most Americans (56%) don’t
believe every Christian has an obligation to join a local church. Fewer than 2
in 5 (36%) say this is something all Christians should do.”
To be sure, there are biblical
reasons for regular in-person attendance, but here’s a practical,
make-a-difference-in-society-reason from another article. ‘Faith community is
the foundation of societal good. It builds strong families, cultivates better
mental and physical health, and provides for the welfare of communities and of
the vulnerable in ways that no other entity does. Some argue that secular
institutions can help provide this—antidotes to loneliness, or answers to the
human search for purpose. Thus far, however, no secular institution has
replicated what the church community does at scale.’ (Erick Andersen, National
Review)
How can we make whatever
little difference we can make in today’s American society? One Bible class
member asked that question, and I answered, ‘In my opinion, we first need
to evangelize the members of our church.’”
The next day,
January 19, I read the following from “The Christian Post.” “A
study from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that deaths by drugs,
alcohol and suicide—known as "deaths of despair"—dramatically
increased among middle-aged white Americans in the late 20th century due to
lower participation in organized religion that was preceded by a repeal of blue
laws that prohibited commercial activities on Sunday. "We know of no other cultural
phenomenon involving such large, widespread changes in participation
prior to the initial rise in U.S. mortality, nor do we know of any other
phenomenon that matches the seemingly idiosyncratic patterns observed for
mortality: seen for both men and women, but not in other countries, and in both
rural and urban settings, but driven primarily by middle-aged, less educated
white individuals," the researchers explained.” I’m sure you obviously see the correlation to
the previous day’s message.
Then, on January 27, while reading the book, “Keeping
the Sabbath Wholly,” as I teach a class over the computer on Worship, I read
the following from author, Dr. Marva Dawn. “Why
is it that we pay great attention to the commandments not to murder and steal
(and think those terrible sins), but don’t recognize the significance of our
failure to obey the commandment to observe the Sabbath day?” (Keeping the
Sabbath Wholly, page 43)
Having heard similar thoughts again and again caught
my attention. How important is Sabbath
observance in your life? Your Christian
family? A number of Bible verses speak
to me.
In regular worship we respond
to God’s love in Jesus, and receive His mercy and grace. “14 Therefore, since we have a
great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who
is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been
tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with
confidence, so that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews
4:14-16)
Do you know the
encouragement of Hebrews 10? “23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for
he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another
on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more
as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)
Regular worship is a way to hold onto our hope in Jesus, and a way to hold on
to our faithful Lord. In regular worship
we encourage one another in this faith and hope.
Do you know the practice of Jesus Himself? “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought
up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.” (Luke 4:16). Jesus, the Son of God, God Himself had the
custom of weekly worship.
I do encourage you to spend time daily with our Lord
in His word and through prayer. This
regular exercise of faith will bless you in your relationship with Jesus. God’s plan to strengthen our faith, and our
relationship with other believers, is regular weekly worship. This practice is intended to be a blessing,
not a burden.
How are you doing in your relationship with Jesus? Is regular worship blessing your faith and
your life? In spite of current trends and ideas, would you benefit from
worshipping regularly with other Christians?
A Child of God, Committed to Come Weekly to God’s
Throne of Grace, Encouraging and Being Encouraged by Fellow Believers,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. If you would
like to receive The Meyer Minute, you can send an e-mail to meyerd@csl.edu.
P.P.S. I went
fishing 3 times in the last week. One
trip produced fish in the freezer.
·
On Saturday, February 4, I fished on the
Suwannee River. It was windy and cool, and the water continues to be the LOWEST
I have ever seen it. I only caught small
bass, and a number of mudfish / bowfin.
Here are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/MHM9JYQXBVcLSrHSA
·
On Monday, February 6, I fished first at Newnan’s
Lake for Crappie. I had no bites, and
saw none of the other 10 boats around me catch a fish. So, I drove to nearby Rodman Reservoir. It took a while to get my first bite, and catch
my first fish of the day, but I ended up with four nice bass in the freezer. I also saw a pair of manatees. Here are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Wk1cKVUHPJkHP1Vq8
·
On Tuesday, February 7, I fished with
brother-in-law, Mark Reaves, at Orange Lake.
We had some bites, but the only fish we caught was a small bass which we
released. We did see eagles and many
other Florida birds, and I finally wore out the battery for my trolling motor
after about 200 trips. I took no
pictures.
*****
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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