It probably comes
as no surprise to anyone that recent studies and polls indicate that Christian
faith in America, and participation in a local congregation, are
declining. Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, former
president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, quoted a number of studies in
recent devotions. On April 1, 2021, he
shared, “For the first time in eight decades, fewer than 50% of
Americans say they belong to a church, synagogue or mosque amid an ongoing
steep decline in religious attendance, according to a new biannual Gallup poll
(Mike Stunson, Lexington Herald-Leader).” Dr. Meyer quoted a
similar statistic in his devotion on April 14, “Our turbulent times are shaking basic institutions of American life,
including the church. Gallup’s report that 47% of U.S. adults belong to a
church or synagogue or mosque, down 20 points from the year 2000, has church
people talking, maybe even panicked.”
The Barna Research Group reported on March 2, “Currently, Just One in Four
Americans Is a Practicing Christian. . . In essence, the share of
practicing Christians has nearly dropped in half since 2000.” They also report that another 43%
of Americans consider themselves “non-practicing Christians." Compare these statistics to the late 1940’s when
church attendance in America was in the 70-80% range. To say the least, faith life in America is
changing.
Recently I heard a Christian leader reflecting that the old statistic by
which churches judged their effectiveness was weekly Sunday attendance. Now, he believes, it is better to look at how
many different individuals attend worship over a one month period. And, worship attendance doesn’t include those
who are active in other church growth and service activities such as Bible
studies, confirmation classes, quilting groups, youth group attendance, and
other gatherings. A number of people
attend these ministries, but aren’t always in worship on Sundays. Yet, even though this is participation in a
congregation, what does a person miss by not gathering with other Christians
for singing, or for group prayer? What
does a person miss when they aren’t hearing and growing through the absolution,
or the Scripture readings, the sermon, or the benediction in worship? What about the blessings received through
giving and receiving encouragement from other believers in Jesus in the good
times, and bad times of life?
Also, please consider. People wonder why our country seems so
divided. If over 75% of Americans
worshiped weekly in the late 1940’s, there was unity in a national belief
system of what is true, and of what is right and wrong. When less than half of the country holds
church membership today, faith no longer unites our nation. But, Jesus “came to call . . . sinners” (Mark
2:17), not nations.
There are some
ways in which we should not be surprised at such trends in our culture. In Old Testament times many in Israel turned
away from worshiping the Lord who saved them in the Exodus, and many turned
from practicing what God taught.
Therefore, the prophets are full of teachings about “the remnant,” of
those few who will continue to follow the Lord. (See for example Isaiah
10:20-21) God had to assure a despairing
Elijah that he was not the only believer left.
(1 Kings 19:9-18).
With all these trends
in mind, and with the example from Scripture, I will share with you from
personal practice of my faith, some Scripture verses which drive my life and discipleship.
First,
Jesus taught that hearing and doing the word of God makes a difference for our lives
in this world, and eternally. “24
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it
did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who
hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish
man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash." (Matthew 7:24-27) I want to stand through the storms of life,
so I will work to hear the words of Jesus and put them into practice, even though
I do need forgiveness for my times of failure.
Second,
God commanded regular worship in The Ten Commandments. "Remember the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy.” (Exodus 20:8) If God commanded
regular worship, there is a reason. The
health of my faith and the health of my life is blessed through Sabbath
keeping.
Also, I believe that I am strengthened in my relationship
of grace with my Savior when I join in person with others. The writer to the Hebrews encouraged, “23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we
profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may
spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see
the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) Regular worship helps us to hold on to the
hope of Jesus, and gives encouragement toward love and good deeds.
Finally, there may be many around me who do not worship
regularly, who take God’s word with a grain of salt, or even reject our Lord. I believe, however, that regular study of
God’s word gives me wisdom, direction, faith in Jesus, and through that faith
eternal life. Therefore, in spite of how
others live, I will follow the example of Joshua, who at the end of his life
told the people of Israel, “15 But if
serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day
whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River,
or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve
the LORD." (Joshua
24:15) I believe that following the Lord
who created me and Who saved me prepares and strengthens me to face the
challenges of life. And, I believe that
regular worship with other believers is part of God’s plan for His people.
So. . . will I see you in worship?
A Child of God, Seeking
to Stand on the Rock of Jesus’ Word When Many Are Falling Away,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are some pictures of time with our grandkids, Jake and Emma, in
FL this past week. We visited St.
Augustine, Dudley Farm State Park in Gainesville, went kayaking on the Silver
River, and visited the Florida Museum of Natural History. It was QUITE a week. https://photos.app.goo.gl/6Kxt3GAQtCoTLjhS9
P.P.S. Of course I went fishing. Here are a quite a few pictures of a Thursday
trip by myself, a Sunday fishing trip with Jake and Emma, and a Monday trip
with my brother, James. https://photos.app.goo.gl/k44TWtU6EgvRLsXTA
*****
ABOUT
THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as senior
pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly
devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God."
Since
I am no longer senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send
this message to those who asked to receive it. (Though I am now serving
again part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.) Perhaps you also know that I “killed” my
computer on November 7, 2020. In so
doing I lost, for a time at least, all my e-mail contacts. So, I was really goofed up. Many who were receiving this devotion each
week were no longer receiving it. I
tried to rebuild my distribution list, but I am not sure how accurate I have
been.
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
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
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