Dear Fellow Children of God,
Christians celebrate January 6 as Epiphany each year. In Western Christian traditions, Epiphany is
the day of the Magi and the star of Bethlehem.
Epiphany is the 12th day of Christmas. In Eastern and Orthodox traditions, January 6
is actually celebrated as Christmas Day.
But, on January 7, Christmas is over for most people. On January 7, Christmas may have been
celebrated weeks ago and the joy and excitement could now even be forgotten.
In Alaska, January is a dark time. Yes, the darkness of the season in these
northern climes revolves around the Winter Solstice, December 21. But somehow, the darkness doesn’t seem to be
as noticeable in the days leading up to Christmas, as it does in the long days
after the celebration of this holy festival.
The darkness of January can seem to drag on and on. When my wife goes to work as a nurse, she
leaves for her job in the dark, and returns home in the dark. No wonder there can be a lessening in the
energy of people during this time of darkness.
It can even seem easier and natural to hibernate, to go to bed early or
sleep late, because of the dark outside.
The words of John 1 about Jesus are especially
appropriate this time of year. John’s Gospel
is written later than Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
John wrote his Gospel in a different style than the other 3 “synoptic”
gospels. John doesn’t begin his writing
with the birth of Jesus, as Matthew and Luke do. He does not begin with the
ministry of Jesus, as Mark does. John
begins the account of Jesus in His Gospel “in the beginning”, the very
beginning – Creation. John shares
ultimate, important truth about Who Jesus is, and what He does in the God-inspired
words of the first 5 verses of the Gospel. Listen to how John begins to tell us about Jesus.
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him
all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him
was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the
darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” First, the Gospel of John begins with the
same 3 words as does the first book of Scripture, the book of Genesis. “In the beginning.” Jesus, who is
our Savior, is the Son of God, God Himself, who was part of creating the universe.
However, considering the
conversation above about darkness, did you hear what John tells us about Jesus,
the Son of God, the Savior of the world?
4 In him was
life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it.”
Do
you see how these words can help with the January darkness of Alaska, the
darkness of our world?
Even when there is a lot of sunlight, we live in a dark
world. The darkness of our world comes
from hiding from THE Light of the world. God is the Light of the World. (See Psalm 27:1, John 8:12) The darkness of our world comes when people
live in the selfishness, greed, hatred, in rebellion and sin, which is part of
all of our lives. Perhaps the darkness
of this world has been especially evident to you in the events and trials of
the last few months. I have personally
seen and recognized the darkness of sin and rebellion.
But, in our dark world, God shares with us His truth: “The
light shines in the darkness.” Into a world of sin comes Jesus, the only begotten
Son of God who is with God, who is God. During
His life in this world Jesus lived a life of righteousness. He lived “in truth and in grace.” (John 1:14)
Jesus offers His righteousness to us. You
see, “The light shines in the darkness.”
In a world where our own failings, our own disobedience, and
our own broken relationships can harm our lives, Jesus brings forgiveness and
reconciliation through His suffering and death.
He brings forgiveness and reconciliation as we believe in Him and live
in His forgiveness. Again, “The
light shines in the darkness.”
Into a world of death, whether by illness, or war, or
accident, or COVID, or old age, Jesus brings life. He is The Life who brings the light of
men. (John 1:4) Jesus brings purpose to this life through the
opportunity to serve the Lord who made us and saved us. Jesus brings the sure promise of eternal life
where we live with God, because Jesus not only died, but He also rose. YES! “The light shines in the darkness.”
Last year my wife and I spent most of January in the
lower 48. Our schedule this year has
changed, in part because of COVID. So, I
am now experiencing and remembering the darkness of these days. I do plan to get out fishing and skiing in
order to spend time in the little light we have. But, in these times when there is little
sunlight, it is a good opportunity to remember the truth of Jesus for our dark world. God promises about Jesus, “The
light shines in the darkness.”
A Child of God, Seeking in These Dark Days to Live in the
Light of Jesus!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. My wife and I were surprised by a number of openly Christian
Christmas movies we watched for free this year on Amazon Prime. You may want to watch
·
The Least of These – A Christmas Story: The Least of
These: A Christmas Story (2018) - IMDb
·
A Christmas Snow - A Christmas Snow
(2010) - IMDb
·
“The Perfect Gift.” The IMDB description is as
follows: “A spoiled schoolgirl, her
overworked executive mother, and a disillusioned young minister each receives
an uplifting message about friendship, commitment, and the truest meaning of
Christmas from a friendly, but mysterious drifter.” This movie deals with the struggle of God’s
church in our world to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. Here is a link to the movie site. The Perfect Gift
(2009) - IMDb
P.P.S. Our family
had our big Christmas celebration on Sunday January 3, the first day we were
all able to get together during the holiday.
Here are some Rockey Christmas celebration pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/rJ45xxMH8PbrigE86
P.P.P.S. Then, on
Monday, January 4, Kathy and I took down Christmas decorations. Therefore, I
did NOT go fishing this past week.
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I am now retired from serving as
senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church 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 WAS 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.
HOWEVER,
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 these messages. 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.
Perhaps you ALSO know, or perhaps not,
that I “killed” my computer on November 7.
In so doing I lost, for a time at least, all my e-mail contacts. So, many who were receiving this devotion
each week were no longer receiving it.
I have received my computer back, but
lost data from April 2019 to the present.
I have tried to rebuild my distribution list, but am not sure how
accurate I have been. But this may be
inaccurate.
So, If you had stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
If you are receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive them,
please let me know, and I’ll gladly take your name off my distribution list.
When I retired many asked me to
continue writing these devotions. So I
have continued. 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
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
cell phone - 907-841-4066
Home phone - 907-746-5131
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