Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Last year, in March of 2016, our group of Lutheran
pastors, educators, and workers, met at Our Redeemer Lutheran in Chugiak for
monthly encouragement and growth. After
the meeting we ate at a restaurant in Chugiak.
Following that meal I stood in the parking lot and shared with a couple
of fellow pastors some serious struggles that had recently arisen in my life
personally. First, I had been to the
doctor and was surprised to find out I had some medical issues that concerned
him. For years my doctor had told me, “You’re
boring.” In 2016 I was no longer
boring. Second, our family had a concern
and heartache because we had just been told of trouble for one of our children.
This year on March 21, 2017, our group met in Chugiak
again. We had a large gathering of
workers who worshiped and studied and shared and encouraged. After the meeting we happened to eat at the
same restaurant. As I stood in that same
parking lot I was struck by the grace of God.
Last year I had shared troubling news with fellow pastors. But, this year, things were different. The medical issues were significantly
improved. The family concern has been
dealt with in faith and in love. A year
after these troubles arose my wife and I are able to see the loving hand of
God.
So, as I walked into the March Elders’ meeting on March
23, someone asked, “How are you doing?”
When asked this question we can all just say, “Fine,” or “OK,” and move
on. I told those sitting around the
table, “Personally, I’m doing great! It’s
the rest of the world around me that seems to be falling apart.” The last thing I want to do is give the
impression that I am the only one who has things together. Far from it.
But, from last year’s perspective of troubles, troubles which I was not
sure how to handle, to this year’s blessings, I was doing well. I personally went from unsure, to thankful
for the blessings of God. Yet still,
life is full of doubt-causing trials.
Sometimes our personal concerns are such we are not sure
what we are going to do. As a pastor, as
a Christian, even as an American citizen, I look around me at the pain, the
division, the selfishness and sin, and sometimes I am overwhelmed. But, my personal blessings gave me a chance
to focus on a promise of God, as the trouble in the world around me continues. Psalm 37 is a Psalm (along with Psalm 73)
which asks the questions, “Why do evil people seem to prosper, and the
righteous suffer? How should I, as a
child of God, live with this unsettling truth of life in a sinful world?” God gives many answers to these questions,
but one of the most comforting answers is found in Psalm 37:3-5, 3 Trust
in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight
yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit
your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
Karl Marx is famous for saying, among other things, that “Religion
is the opiate of the masses.” This
formative writer of communist thinking is sharing his opinion that religion has
no truth, but simply makes people feel better.
However, in contrast to this statement of unbelief, I can personally stand
in that same parking lot one year later and tangibly see blessings that I know
God accomplished, not me.
In this season of Lent, as Christians watch Jesus make
His way to the cross, there are often opportunities to empathize with the
disciples as their whole world falls apart.
Their friend, their leader, their Savior, is facing injustice, brutality,
and a bloody death. It could seem to
them that, “Even God can’t fix this disaster!”
Yet God surprisingly and lovingly uses the suffering and death of His
own Son to pay for the failures and sins of the whole world. And then, in the resurrection which Jesus had
told His disciples would come, but they did not believe, Jesus strongly demonstrated
the victory of God over all the forces of sin and evil in this life. “4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give
you the desires of your heart.” The
problem is that when we are going through the trials and tragedies of life we
can forget, and we often do forget, the power and the love of God. We forget to trust Him. We forget to delight in Him.
I have another wonderful recent example of God working
His power and love. Confirmation Day is coming soon, on April 9th. Our 8th grade confirmation students
have all written and turned in their essays in which they share their faith in
Jesus, and I have sat down with each of them and asked them about what they
have written. A number of these students
have chosen to write about their favorite Bible verses. What surprised me is that these students have
not only seen what I hoped they would see in God’s Word, but they have often
seen something more, much more. They
have seen and understood the truth of God in ways I had not seen. To be truthful, sometimes I worry about our
students and their faith. I hope they
are not just going through the motions of attending class. But, the insight and the faith shown by these
students in their essays reveals God working in a strong and gracious way in
the lives of these 8th graders.
“4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your
heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this.”
As we walk this Lenten journey together, I pray you are
blessed to trust the Lord as you face the trials of life, and that you see the
power and mercy of God’s loving hand in your life.
A Child of God, Thankful
for Blessings I did not Expect,
Pastor Rockey
P.S. Please see the announcement below about a
special love offering being received to help Hunter and Elizabeth Richards with
their medical expenses for Kaiah’s hospitalization.
P.P.S. Please
remember that THIS SUNDAY, March 26, is our annual Shane Woods Ice Fishing
Outing.
P.P.S On
Monday, March 20, I checked out Seventeen Mile Lake for the Shane Woods Ice
Fishing outing this Sunday, March 26. I
only caught two fish, including this nice FAT 12” rainbow. I threw it back, hoping a child catches it
this coming Sunday. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipORyfMG4VQLl_Vc4q_ejxO6apkSsOu2Crjjx5SvnNn6XpEEjOz0mOzic4N-JBfyrA/photo/AF1QipNLW2Q0UuqeZzSWRP8s3kjYkKPubo9t_u0TFC00?key=LUlQQVNDUklUSS1BNDZxdERaTUR2TDllOG9KYUtn
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