Dear Fellow Children of God,
I hope I am always growing and learning as a child of
God. I believe I am currently learning
lessons from nature, from the Creative love and grace of our Heavenly
Father. I have come to believe that, as
our world has moved away from farming (or even fishing or hunting), we have
lost one of the ways to see God’s hand in our lives. As I work on my garden I have been struck
again by 3 lessons.
First, weeds constantly attack my fruits and
vegetable plants! It seems that I remove
weeds one day, and the next day they are back, sometimes with a vengeance. In my strawberry patch the grass and the
dandelions grow right next to my strawberry plants. Chickweed attacks my vegetable garden! I have been consistent in removing the weeds
from all my gardens. Yet, with their
constant appearing they seem to tell me that they are more stubborn than I
am. Imagine! Jesus says in the parable of the sower, “7 Other
seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. . . 22
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the
cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it
proves unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:7, 22) What weeds of pride, or selfishness,
or lust, or greed, grow in your life? How do ‘the cares of the world and
deceitfulness of riches’ seek to choke the love of God from your heart?
Martin Luther writes in his Small Catechism about our
constant battle with sin when he writes about baptism,
“What does such baptizing
with water indicate?
It indicates that the Old
Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with
all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to
live before God in righteousness and purity forever.
Where is this written?
St. Paul writes in Romans,
chapter six: “We were therefore
buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new
life.” (Romans 6:4)
One of my life lessons this Spring is that, not only do I
need to pull the weeds from my garden daily, I also need to attend to the
temptations to sin which seek to choke faith each day. I am thankful the Lord
is with me through His Word in Scripture, and through my baptism to help in
this daily battle. He forgives my sin
and creates faith so I may face this daily trial-with Him!
However, I believe that I may have been even more
impressed this year by the beauty and the intricate design of God’s creation as
I have noticed the flowers around me.
For years I have taken pictures of our yard and gardens. I started in May this year with pictures of
Kathy’s daffodils and tulips along the front of our house. But then the columbine started to bloom. They may be my new favorite flower! I am amazed by the 5 ‘horns’ and petals and
the multi-colored nature of these flowers.
And wonderfully, they volunteer in our front flower bed each year. We planted flowers in pots on our front and
back porch. Yet, the flowers which bloom
naturally in the woods and trails have also caught my eye. We walked the Gold Mint Trail in Hatcher Pass
on a beautiful day, June 20, 2026. After
seeing a chocolate lily, I started taking pictures of the many colors along the
trail. Then I started looking around my
yard. It is like a rainbow with
geometric designs. I am amazed at the
detail and the beauty our Lord created!
Then I thought about Jesus’ teaching in The Sermon on the
Mount. 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today
is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith?” (Matt.
6:28-30) Another lesson I am learning from the plants and flowers is that, if
the love of God for us is like our Lord’s clothing of the lilies of the field,
we are loved in a wonderfully lavish way by our Creator!
All of this has taught me one more lesson about the grace
of God. He knows the weeds and the sin
in my life, YET He still cares for us!
He knows my sin and calls me to forgiveness and eternal life in
Jesus. “For our sake he made him to
be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God.” (2 Corinthians 5: 21) He loved
us in creation: “Consider the lilies!”
Then, in spite of our waywardness, our Heavenly Father loves us even
more in His Son! (See also, Isaiah 1:18,
and 40:1-8 , and Jeremiah 31:31-34, Matthew 9:13, Romans 5:6-8, Romans 6:23, 1
John 4:7-11, etc.) Consider the
flowers!
Such are the lessons of provision and grace which our
Heavenly Father teaches in the beauty of His Creation around us. I pray you too are growing in faith in God’s
love for you as you see the beauty He created!
A Child of God, Amazed by the Beauty of our World, and by
the Grace of God for Us!
Pastor Rockey
P.S. I am now serving as Vacancy pastor at Anchorage
Lutheran Church in Anchorage.
·
Bible class –
o On
Sunday, June 21, at the request of those in class on June 7, we began a
short study “angels.” We had 15 people
in class. We will conclude the study on Sunday,
June 28.
o Beginning
in July, we will begin studying the book of Ephesians with a “Lifelight” Bible
Study. There are still some lesson books available.
·
Lay Ministry Classes? – I am discussing
with our Lay Worship Leaders about teaching Lay Ministry Classes on the
Sacraments, Worship, and Preaching – AFTER worship on Sundays. Tentatively, these classes would begin on July
12. However, others, in addition to
our Lay Worship Leaders, may attend if they wish.
·
250th Anniversary Worship –
Worship on Sunday, July 5, will give us an opportunity to thank the Lord for
His blessings for our country, and to pray for our leaders.
Other Activities of Faith:
I am again taking a two-year
journey with my Lord, by reading through the Scriptures using the “Today’s
Light Devotional Bible.” On Wednesday, June 24, I read 1 Samuel 18 and
19, the beginning of Saul’s resentment and jealousy of David.
You are welcome to join in
this journey of reading God’s Word. 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!
·
Yard and Garden –
o Here
are some pictures of the flowers which have impressed me this year. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xciwzVNp1CDpZEaw9
o GARDEN
- My garden is starting to look good. We
ate a salad with spinach from the garden on June 19. https://photos.app.goo.gl/3a6LygEQ4FdXW5cv7
·
Family – Mary and Brandon are married,
and the many family and friends who visited have now returned home.
o Martha
and Alexis Barfield did decorate Mary and Brandon’s truck on Thursday, June 18.
Their decorated truck was left for them in airport parking. 😊 https://photos.app.goo.gl/cmJkusbBo7HhuLKD9
o My
sister, Martha, and husband, Mark, joined Kathy and me for a trip up Hatcher
Pass and a walk along the Gold Mint Trail in Hatcher Pass on Saturday, June 20.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5Zpp5S4qTKdu4Btr9
o I
took Mark fishing on Long Lake on the Glenn Highway. We had 3 (maybe) small bites, but caught no
fish. Last year this was a “no fail”
lake. Not this year. Nevertheless, the scenery was beautiful and my
dog, Mat, enjoyed a boat ride! https://photos.app.goo.gl/8T8UQ1ML2YnRAjib9
o On
Father’s Day, June 21, Mark and Martha and Kathy and I were joined by Andy and
his children, Jackson and Kendall, and by Andy’s high school friend, our
‘adopted’ son, David Bower and his wife Brittany and children Eleanor and
Ellis. Here is a picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/adGuqstXWLYmAbhm8
*******
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 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. (I finished for now serving as Assistant to the Pastor for
First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL. I am now serving Anchorage Lutheran
Church as Vacancy 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
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)
