Dear Fellow Children of God,
I am currently experiencing some loss, or even
grief. For 15 years I have written a
devotion for the “Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman,” the local newspaper for our part
of Alaska. In 2011 I was asked by
Frontiersman editor, Heather Resz, to write. For years the Frontiersman had the
tradition of religious articles from local people. So, I shared in the Frontiersman the weekly
devotion which I was already sending to members of St. John Lutheran Church in
Palmer. What a privilege it has been to
share my thoughts as a Christian pastor with the larger audience in my
area. I am truly grateful for the
opportunity to share Jesus!
The reason I considered the opportunity to write in the
Frontiersman for the last 15 years such an blessing is that our Lord promises
to work through His Word (and Sacraments) to make disciples. God works through
His word to create saving faith in Jesus.
Paul was inspired by the Spirit to write, “17 So faith
comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
(See also John 20:30-21, 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and 1 Peter 1:23.) When people believe that Jesus lived
and died and rose for them, God saves them through that faith. My goal for my devotions has been to share
the good news of Jesus found in Scripture, and for people to hear, to consider,
and for faith in Jesus to begin or to be strengthened. My real goal has been
for the Word of God which I share to break through the barriers of our hard
hearts, and through the barriers of this world, and to bring the Good News of
God’s love in Jesus to others.
However, all newspapers are undergoing changes as the
internet has provided instant access to local news, and to news from around the
world. At one time Kathy and I received
home delivery of the Frontiersman, and the Anchorage Daily News, and the
Anchorage Times to our home in Palmer.
That no longer happens in today’s world.
So, last week we learned that the non-profit, on-line,
Mat-Su Sentinel had purchased the Frontiersman.
In many ways I know that this is good news for the future of our local
news. We know Amy Buschatz who is the
driving force behind this source of local information. We truly appreciate the
insightful reporting she has done at the Sentinel. As The Frontiersman has been purchased, other
changes are naturally being made. All
news from the Frontiersman / Sentinel will now be delivered on-line. In addition, they will no longer run opinion
pages. So, my weekly devotion, and all
other devotions and opinion pieces, will no longer run in local news.
Therefore, in many ways I feel like I have lost a friend,
or friends with this change. I was
always amazed when people, many who were not members of St. John Lutheran,
would nevertheless read these devotions and share with me, or with Kathy, their
response to these words of faith. So,
perhaps I have even lost a “congregation.”
Yet, the paradox is true that ‘change is a constant’ in this
world.
Nevertheless, there is re-assurance in Scripture for my
feeling of loss. Jesus shared about the
spreading of his word in parables of planting. (See Matthew 13 and Mark 4.)
After Jesus tells the Parable of “The Wheat and the Tares (weeds)”, He
explains. "The one who sows the
good seed is the Son of Man. 38
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds
are the sons of the evil one.” (Matthew
13:37 b - 38) The truth is that, even when churches and pastors speak scripture
in a faithful manner, the one really planting the seed of God’s word is the
Lord Himself! Our Lord inspired St. Paul
to share the same truth in 1 Corinthians 3.
“6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives
the growth. (1 Corinthians
3:6-7) GOD is the planter. But He does
use His people in this work. What a
privilege!
God speaks to Isaiah and affirms the power of His word,
even in the Old Testament. “10
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but
water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and
bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my
mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I
purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah
55:10-11) The Word of God is sure and
powerful! Maybe that is similar to what Jesus
states to Peter, after Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of
the Living God.” 18 And I
tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) The defensive gates of hell cannot stand up
to the powerful truth of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Savior of the
world!
All this is also reason for how I have patterned my work
as pastor, for my Lord. Before I preach
on Sunday mornings I pray, “Lord, let this sermon be YOUR Word, not my
words.” As a pastor I have sought to
teach people from the Bible, from the word of our Lord Himself, more than I
would teach from theological books, even though many such books are helpful in
sharing the truth of our Lord. I truly
believe that God does work faith and salvation through His word.
I have had the privilege of being a tool by which the
seed of God’s word has been planted in our community through The Frontiersman
for the last 15 years. That opportunity
is over. But, our Lord continues to sow
His word and to accomplish His will!
And, I will continue to send my devotions by email, and
to post them on my blog, and to share them on Facebook. Because, “God so loved the world, that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but
have eternal life.” (John 3:16) That
is the Good News about Jesus, the Gospel found in God’s Word!
A Child of God, Grieving a Loss - Trusting the Lord to
Work Saving Faith in Jesus Through His Word!
Pastor Rockey
P.S. My newspaper deadline no longer exists. I will now try to send and post these devotions
on Wednesdays.
P.P.S. I am now serving as Vacancy pastor at
Anchorage Lutheran Church in Anchorage.
·
SUNDAY ADULT BIBLE CLASS – I will start an Adult
Bible Class at Anchorage Lutheran on Sunday, June 7 at 9:00 a.m. downstairs in
the Fellowship Hall.
o On
June 7
§ we
will look at the assigned Bible readings for that day, the Second Sunday of
Pentecost.
§ We
will also discuss what people would like to study in future weeks and months.
o There
will be no class on Sunday, June 14, as I celebrate my daughter’s wedding on
Saturday, June 13.
o Beginning
on Sunday, June 21, we will begin a regular course of Bible Study.
·
Vacation Bible School – Emerald Crossing,
will be held at Anchorage Lutheran beginning Monday, June 8, from 9:00 a.m. –
12:00 noon. Call Matthew Murphy or the
Church office for more information at 907-232-5323.
Other
Activities of Faith:
·
I have again started my two-year journey with my
Lord. On Wednesday, June 3, I read the last chapter of Judges, chapter
21. A sobering, convicting statement
of the truth concludes this book. “Everyone
did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25 ESV) When we follow OUR wisdom instead of the
wisdom of God, we will always get into trouble.
☹
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! (no fishing this week)!
·
Fishing
– We are still getting
ourselves situated after returning to Alaska.
I have not yet put my boats in the water . . . SOON! However, at the Alaska Workers Conference
many of us went halibut fishing. I was
on the boat with friend, Fred Vasilie.
Here are some pictures from some of the trips. https://photos.app.goo.gl/k86inHQseXFhX9Nk7
·
Yard and Garden –
o Kathy’s
tulips are starting to bloom. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xkSX3TXTj3hBw6Av7
o I
started working on my vegetable garden.
My 20 year old rototiller had carbuerator problems. I purchased a “new” one on FB
marketplace. After I figured it out it
seems to have done the job! https://photos.app.goo.gl/2Kr2gGCk9RPUzvq2A
o On
Monday, June 1, I worked all day to get my vegetables planted. Amazingly, we had LOTS of volunteer spinach
from last year’s crop. I dug up 72 of those
plants and planted them instead of spinach seeds. 😊
Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DLHD42C5DCPocPKCA
*******
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 entitle, “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 these weekly devotions, “Journeys Through Life as a Child of God.” And, 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. (I have been serving as part-time
vacancy pastor in various congregations.
I have finished for now serving as Assistant to Pastor Chris Kollmann at
First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida.
I am currently serving Anchorage Lutheran Church as Vacancy Pastor.
So, if
somewhere along the line you stopped receiving these devotions and wondered
why, perhaps you understand. If you
would like to receive them, please just ask and I will put you on my
distribution list. Also, if you are now
receiving these devotions and do not want to receive them, please let me know
and I will remove your name from my 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 and Savior, Jesus!
*******
Jonathan
Rockey
Child of God
Husband,
Father, Son, Grandfather
Vacancy
Pastor, Anchorage Lutheran Church, Anchorage, 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)
