Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
So, do you fellow Alaskans roll out of bed as easily in
January as you do in June? Maybe I’m
getting older. Maybe I’m getting lazier.
(I hope not!) But, I think that this
year especially I have found it a little easier to open my eyes in the morning,
and to see the dark, and to then stay in bed “just for a few more minutes.” That is not my normal reaction to morning. I have often fled sleeping so that I would
not miss some opportunity to work or play.
My mother used to say that I “fought sleep.” My wife, Kathy, says that I get along on much
less sleep than she does, and she sometimes worries that I don’t get enough
sleep to be healthy. But, this year I’ve
just found it a little easier to “hibernate.”
I am convinced that light plays a big difference in our
energy level and activity level.
Alaskans know that light also affects our mood. In the summer, when the sunlight hits my
closed eyelids very early in the morning, I often get up before any alarm. But, in the winter, when it’s time to get up,
but there are still stars in the dark sky, it always seems easier to sleep. This
year just more so.
Actually, the effect of light and darkness has been one
of the reasons I like to get outdoors in the winter. If you can rise and go to work in the dark,
and if you can then leave work and come home in the dark, those hours of light
can be a precious, energy-giving time.
So, on my days off I make sure I go fishing, or skiing, or simply get
outside. Light gives energy and life,
perhaps even more so when the world around us is dark.
Do you know that one of the names given to Jesus is
“Morning Star?” The light of that star
which shines in darkness has perhaps more meaning to Alaskans who understand
times of physical darkness.
In Peter's second epistle, as Peter is sharing his
experience at the Transfiguration and re-affirming that Jesus is indeed the
long-awaited Messiah, promised in the Old Testament, he writes to his
congregation, “And we have the word of the prophets
made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light
shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19) Jesus is The Morning Star.
In the last chapter of the Bible, as Jesus appears to
John in a Revelation, promising that He is indeed coming again, Jesus assures
John, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the
churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning
Star." Jesus calls himself, “The Morning Star.”
But, it is not just a lack of sunlight that brings
darkness to our world. The sinful nature
which lurks within each of us brings disappointment, sorrow, pain and
death. The inability of our elected
officials to be able to act in a way that is good for all people brings
darkness. The scourge of substance abuse
that ruins lives and families, and which often causes death, brings
darkness. The forces within that tear
apart families and households, bring darkness.
The emptiness and grief of missing a loved one who has died, bring
darkness.
But, in the dark sky of a sinful world we have the
“Morning Star.” We have the promise of
God’s love and favor, even when our world is full of hatred and fighting. We have the assurance of God’s forgiveness,
even when we have failed to live in obedience and love. We have the sure hope of eternal life for all
who believe in Jesus, because the Morning Star died and rose. Jesus is that Morning Star whose light even
shines through the darkness of deepest night.
There are many hymns which offer prayers, and praise God,
because Jesus brings the light of the righteousness and love of God into our
dark world. Perhaps you know the
traditional hymn “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright,” (Lutheran Service Book
395) or the Epiphany hymn, “Brightest
and Best of the Stars of the Morning” (Lutheran Service Book 400) But, I believe that a new hymn best speaks a
prayer that is on my heart. Perhaps your
heart echos the words of the hymn, “I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light.” (Lutheran
Service Book 411)
I want to walk as a
child of the light, I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars
to give light to the world. The star of my life is Jesus.
Refrain
In Him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the
Light of the city of God. I want to follow Jesus.
Yes, in our dark world of sin, this hymn speaks well the
prayer of my heart. “I want to walk as a
child of the light, I want to follow Jesus.”
A Child of God, Desiring to Walk in the Light of Jesus,
the Morning Star,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I went ice fishing for the first time in 2019 this
past Monday. I went to a favorite,
non-stocked lake, but did not even have a bite.
Yet, the sun was out. Temperatures
were in the high 20’s. There was no
wind. It was peaceful to sit on the ice
and consider the love of God in my life.
Here is a photo of my companions.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/pqxaxwyW7KqtkVnc8
P.P.S. My wife is
a GREAT cook. After a meal of salmon
on Friday evening, Kathy made quiche for
Monday evening with the leftover salmon.
Take a look! https://photos.app.goo.gl/Tj9SEHt93hC3YWr49
******
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am
sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and
friends whose e-mails I have. (I am regularly adding new names of friends
and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first
time.) However, if you do not want to receive this e-mail, please let me
know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.
******
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