Surprisingly Thankful for Two Weeks of Ceasing and Growing

Dear Fellow Children of God,



Kathy and I have finally arrived back home in Alaska.  We spent almost 4 months in Florida visiting family and friends and enjoying time to rest and recreate.  Part of this extended absence from Alaska was an intentional desire to give the church where I served as pastor for over 28 years an opportunity to figure out life apart from their long term shepherd.  But, mainly this trip was part of figuring out retirement.  I still wonder about what retirement means and what I will do now that I am not serving full-time as pastor.  Part of our plan for this life change was also more time together as husband and wife, and more time with family.  The coronavirus changed our plans about our time away.  So, our intended 3 month absence became 4 months. 



But, now we are home.  So we can visit with our children, and our grandchildren.  Kathy and I can spend time with our Alaska friends.  Maybe I’ll even spend some time walking the Alaskan trails, and fishing in Alaskan waters.  Right?  Wrong!  We returned on a plane from Orlando through Seattle on Monday, May 4.  Now we get to shelter in place, to quarantine for 14 days.  We have 2 weeks to stay home not spending time with family and friends.



During this time of quarantine we can accomplish some chores at home.  We can rest.  But, my wife says that I am a person who seems to always needs to be doing something.  She says I play as hard as I work.  I do admit that I have trouble taking it easy.  I feel a need to be active, to be productive, to be doing something.  Even as a little child I did not want to take naps, or go to sleep, afraid I would miss something.  So, 14 days at home, not visiting with family or friends, or going outside our house, seems foreign and strange.



Actually, Christians should not be unfamiliar with ceasing of activity and work.  We should be familiar with rest.  We should understand meditating on life and on our Lord.  God created our world with times and seasons.  Part of our Lord’s rhythms for life include a need for rest.  Consider what God says about rest in the third of His 10 commandments.  ⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)



According to this decree of our Lord, God intends for us to rest.  We need the recuperative time of ceasing physical, mental, and emotional work.  We need time to spend with our Lord and His people and to worship Him.  Some fear that when we stop working, we won’t be able to make a living or provide for their families.  How can we accomplish anything if we cease our labors?  The truth is that such ceasing, such resting, allows us to see how God does provide.  When people stop the busy-ness of work they get to spend time on the things that are truly important, like family and friends, faith and love.  In fact, I have even recently read and heard of people who may have struggled with teaching children at home, but who have also discovered that time together builds relationships.  People may have forgotten how good family time can be.  Faith and family relationships are much more important than much on which we often spend our time.



Unfortunately, the people of Jesus’ day became legalistic about God’s Sabbath.  The religious leaders made laws about what was and was not work to the point that Jesus had to teach them this lesson.  ²⁷  . . . "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."  (Mark 2:27-28)  The Sabbath, and the rest and worship which come with it, are a gift of God to us.

In fact, ultimately Scripture reveals that Jesus is our rest.  ²⁸ Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  (Matthew 11:28-30, See also Mark 6:31) Rest is found in Jesus because God does provide, even when we cease working.  Peace and rest are found in Jesus because, for those who hopelessly strain to fulfill our Lord’s righteous demands and earn God’s favor, Jesus forgives our sin and provides us with the righteousness He Himself has earned by His own holy life, through His death and resurrection.

So, Kathy and I get to spend a government enforced ceasing of many regular activities during two weeks of quarantine.  And we get to rest.  As followers of Jesus, Kathy and I should not be unfamiliar with this ceasing of activity and work.  I pray that our quarantine brings the joy of an extended Sabbath.  After all, we can have the opportunity to spend time and energy growing in love and in faith. 



A Child of God, Surprisingly Thankful for Two Weeks of Ceasing and Growing,

Pastor Jonathan



P.S.  Former St. John member, Karla Reda, sent me this video.  Interestingly, it has some similar thoughts to my devotion.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw5KQMXDiM4



P.P.S.  I had 2 more opportunities to fish in Florida with family before I left.  Here are some pictures of those trips.

·       On Thursday, April 30, I took my nephew, Jayden, fishing with me.  He caught his first fish.  https://photos.app.goo.gl/4S4M9tTfnneo8Ws69

·       I went fishing with my brother, Stephen, in the early morning of Saturday, May 2, at Rodman Reservoir, south of Gainesville.  We had quite a trip.  Here are some pictures.  https://photos.app.goo.gl/EWuiZSUQAx4XLXNTA

P,P.P.S.  While fishing with Stephen we had an encounter with a manatee, a gentle giant sometimes called a “sea cow.”  Here are pictures of that experience.  https://photos.app.goo.gl/1FnMCGHo5qZpGXYJ9

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ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I am now retired as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran in Palmer, AK.  My weekly devotion was previously titled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."  However, with life's changes I now call the devotion "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.  I will include them on my distribution list. You can also view this message on my Facebook page.

            A NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME WHY THEY ARE NO LONGER RECEIVING MY DEVOTIONS.  Since I’m only sending these e-mails to people who ask for them, many are no longer receiving them.  BUT, if you read this on Facebook and would like to receive these devotions by e-mail, or if you know someone who would like to receive these devotions, send me an e-mail at jonrock53@mtaonline.net, and I will add you to my distribution list.