Dear Friends and Fellow
Children of God,
Last weekend Kathy and I used a Christmas gift we
received in 2018. Our daughter, Mary, gave
us tickets on the Alaska Railroad to Seward, for September 13 and 14. So, on Friday morning, in the rain, we rode
down to Seward on the train. But,
Saturday was an exceptionally beautiful day.
We walked around town in the warmth and the sun. We visited some shops, ate some seafood, talked
to a few fishermen, and generally took it easy.
I even bought a fishing lure. J Saturday evening, we enjoyed a ride on the
train through the beauty of the Alaskan fall, returning home around 10:00 p.m.
As our trip concluded, the conductor came on the
microphone and said some of the things conductors and flight attendants are
supposed to say at the end of a trip. “We
know that you had other options for travel.
Thank you for choosing us.” But, then our conductor gave a little personal
commentary. He stated a conviction he
had come to, and he made a request. The
conductor continued, “Our country seems to be heading in the wrong
direction. We are not as kind to one
another as we once were as a nation. I
have made a decision, and I ask you to consider doing the same. Would you please consider treating one
another the way you would like to be treated?
We would all be better for it.”
Christians recognize this request from the conductor as
what we call “The Golden Rule.” In the
sermon on the Mount Jesus teaches His followers. “So in everything, do to others what you would
have them do to you,” (Matthew
7:12) There is wisdom in these words of Jesus.
Imagine if people in our world actually thought about others before
acting. Imagine if we did not act in
selfishness, or greed, or with a mean spirit.
There would be no more crime, no more racism, no more abuse. If people treated each other the way they
wish to be treated themselves, our country, our world, and our homes would much
more be places of love and peace.
As I write this devotion
I confess to you that I have been the recipient of such kindness. I have been trying to get down to our cabin in
Sterling since July. But work and travel
and fires have kept me away. One reason
I wanted to visit the cabin was to get in some fishing. However, I also have had some work to do on our
cabin. The cabin was moved onto our
property in May. But, I have never yet put
up the skirting around the bottom of the cabin. The skirting is insulated, so
it helps keep the cabin warm in the winter.
I have dealt with the electric, with the gas or the propane, and with
some decorating and supplies. I have also
painted the cabin. But, I never got the
time to do this pretty big job of measuring and cutting the skirting to fit the
cabin’s new location.
So, I left home on
Tuesday morning for our cabin, and on the way I called Wayne Mize. Wayne is a member of Star of the North
Lutheran Church in Kenai. We’ve known
each other for 20-25 years. Wayne lives
near our cabin, and is a little more ‘handy’ than I am. He has already given me some advice. That’s why, on the way down to the cabin Tuesday
afternoon I called Wayne to let him know I was driving down, and that I would be
working on the skirting. I needed a few
supplies for the job, so I went to the store.
When I returned from the buying supplies, who was already at my cabin,
but Wayne! We worked in the rain on
Tuesday evening and, in spite of a few challenges, we got the skirting up
around the front of the cabin. And, as I
was washing dishes on Wednesday morning, Wayne showed up again around 8:00 a.m.! His knowledge and advice, his help and his
extra tools, helped us finish the skirting around 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday
afternoon. Now, I did not ask Wayne to
show up. I did not specifically ask him
to help. But, I guess you could say that
Wayne knew the job I was facing and he followed the teachings of Jesus. “So in
everything, do to others what you would have them do to you,”
Wayne is not the only
one who has helped me on these projects, either. Harvey Kolberg stopped by in June and helped
me with the appliances. Pastor George
Rakos has visited and given me helpful advice.
Pastor Tony Schultz offered to come down in September and help me
paint. (But I had already done the
painting in June.) It is such a blessing
to have friends who offer to help, even when they are not asked. Our world would
be a much better place if we all followed the wisdom of God.
However, while it
would be good if everyone acted in kindness, thinking of others, we know that this
is not the case. In fact, even
Christians who know Jesus’ teaching, still fail to act in faith and love. Even when we want to follow Jesus, we can and
do fail. We all struggle with our sinful
nature. That is why our world is in such
a mess.
So, God’s even
greater wisdom is vital. Paul wrote to
the believers in Corinth, “22 Jews
demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ
crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to
those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and
the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-25)
For a world that is truly “a mess”, God’s greatest wisdom
is the cross of Christ! Jesus was not
just kind, He sacrificed His life to pay for the sin and evil in our world, to
bring love and salvation from God. When
we have failed to act in kindness, we can and do have a new start in the
forgiveness of Jesus won on the cross.
When others do not treat us with love or civility, we can act as Jesus
did; we can pick up our cross and love even those who have not loved us. This wisdom of the cross not only makes the
world a better place to live, it saves us from ourselves!
It was a pleasant surprise to hear the train conductor
share the teachings of Jesus at the end of our trip. I’m not even sure if he knew that He was
sharing the wisdom of God. But, we all
need God’s wisdom, especially the wisdom of the cross.
A Child of God, Thankful for the Wisdom of Jesus’ Cross
in our Messy Lives,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are some
pictures from the cabin.
·
This picture is some decorating I did. We received many thoughtful gifts at my
retirement. I was able to hang some
artwork, including the cutouts of salmon, trout, char, and grayling. (Thank you
Grieses and Hecks for the fish! J
) https://photos.app.goo.gl/QTK5iVAsXX5cSXgp8
·
These are the four sides if the cabin with the
skirting up. I still have some trim to
do and steps to install. https://photos.app.goo.gl/A5VsKsBgrivSHjR9A
******
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION – I am now retired as senior pastor
of St. John Lutheran in Palmer, AK. This
devotion was previously titled, “Thoughts from the Pastor.” However, with life’s changes I will now call
it, “Journeys
Through Life as a Child of God.” I am only sending this message to those who
have asked to receive it. If you know
someone else who desires to receive this message have them e-mail me at jonrock53@mtaonline.net. You can also view this message on my Facebook
page.
******
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