As a retired
pastor I can now say some things which I might not be able to say if I was
still serving in my former position.
Fellow Christians and Children of God, please care for your pastors!
Even though I am
retired and not working full-time, I still somewhat have my oars in the water
of the ship of my Lord’s church. I still
volunteer, work part-time, fill in for various pastors who are serving
faithfully, and speak with pastors often.
These servants can use your love and support right now.
Serving
as pastor is always difficult. You see,
the word “pastor” means “shepherd.” So, a pastor is called to lead, or to shepherd
God’s people. Anyone who leads any group
will incur questions about their leadership.
In many ways, being a pastor puts a target on the back of the shepherd-leader. I can assure you that pastors I know are all
trying, the best they know how, to be faithful to their Lord and Savior, and to
care for the sheep of God. They have
heard the words of Jesus to Peter, and to all pastors, in John 21. "Feed my lambs . . . Take care of my sheep. . . Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17) They are seeking to help God’s people hear,
believe, and follow The Good Shepherd.
However, the real trouble with being
a shepherd, or a pastor, is that they care for sheep. Listen to what Isaiah
says about the sheep of God. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has
turned to his own way;” (Isaiah 56:6 a) God’s people, His children, His sheep
and His lambs, have “turned to their own ways.” We have all acted in sinful
rebellion and selfishness. Yet God loved
us so much He sent His very Son to save His wandering sheep. You see, the rest of that Isaiah verse tells
us about our Lord’s Suffering Servant, our Savior. “ . . . and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah
56:6b) Jesus took our guilt, our iniquity, our punishment. He died FOR US, so
that those wandering sheep might be saved.
(See also Luke 15:1-6) And so, in
order to shepherd His wandering, rebellious sheep, God calls people to serve as
pastors. Serving as pastor to the wandering
sheep of God is not an easy job even in the best of times. And remember, pastors are lambs of our Lord
with their own struggles as well.
Unfortunately, there are more struggles for pastors right
now. Last week I wrote about the change
in our culture which is eating away at Christ’s Church and leading to a decline
in the Church’s voice, especially in western civilization. Therefore, what has always been a difficult
labor of faith and love, has now become even more difficult. Leading God’s Church can seem like a losing
battle. It can be easy to forget that Jesus
has won the war. Jesus tells Peter in
Matthew 16 about his confession of faith, “on
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”
(Matthew 16:18). On the night Jesus was
betrayed, He assured His disciples, “In
this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world." (John 16:33) (See also Romans
8:38-39, 1 John 4:4, Revelation 20:14 – 21:4, etc.) But, even though Jesus is victorious, the
fight is difficult and your pastors can be weary and struggling.
Also, in addition to the normal trials of serving as a shepherd
of God’s people, and in addition to serving in a time when our culture opposes
the work of God in the church, your pastors have now been called to faithfully
care for the sheep of God during the time of a pandemic which has turned our
culture upside down for the last year.
You have perhaps seen how pastors have now learned about online worship
and classes, and learn about serving churches where many are staying home in
response to the coronavirus. You may
realize that your pastors who already worked hard, are now being called on to
face this unprecedented challenge, and are working much harder. They wonder if they are making a difference.
I have talked to pastors and heard few of them complain. But I have heard conversations and questions about how to deal with governmental
orders concerning COVID. I have heard
conversations about how to continue to serve God’s people when you cannot be
with many of them in person. I have
heard pastors talk about how to be safe during this pandemic, and also how to
be faithful to God. Perhaps most
discouraging, I’ve heard pastors discuss what to do when the sheep of God
disagree with one another on whether or not people should wear a mask.
So, while I have not heard many pastors complain I have
observed that pastors are weary and tired.
I have seen their frustration, even discouragement, as they labor to
faithfully serve God and to serve you.
Therefore, I ask you, PLEASE CARE FOR YOUR PASTORS! Let me encourage you to do the following
things. First, please take time daily to
pray for your pastor by name, to ask God’s Spirit to strengthen your pastor and
your congregation. Please pray for any
specific challenges you know your pastor is facing.
Secondly, please let your pastor know that you appreciate
their work. Thank them. Give them a word of encouragement. You don’t know how seldom pastors hear such
thanks, and how uplifting it can be.
Please also continue to support your church with time,
talents, and financial support. Some
congregations are doing well during the pandemic, but many are struggling in
some ways.
Remember the words of the writer to the Hebrews. “17
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as
men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a
burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. 18 Pray for us.” (Hebrews 13:17-18) While “obey” is the best translation , the
root of this Greek word also has the meaning of hearing, or listening. So, “Listen” to your pastors. Pray for
them. Thank them. Encourage them. They are answering the call of The Good
Shepherd to care for His sheep and His lambs.
Pastoring the church of Jesus is never an easy job. But, it
has been more difficult recently. I am
sure your pastor would appreciate your prayers and your Christian
encouragement, as together you seek to follow and serve our Good Shepherd,
Jesus.
A Child of God,
Seeking to Encourage and Support the Pastors I Know!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Our last few days in Florida with our grandchildren, Jake and Emma,
were packed full. They had school work
and online meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.
But,
·
Friday we went to beach. https://photos.app.goo.gl/W99XDgjrJCTjeHux9
·
Saturday much of our Florida Rockey family got
together one last time at the home of my brother, Stephen, and his wife,
Lori. Stephen was harvesting honey from
many of his beehives that day. It was an
education. https://photos.app.goo.gl/unWJUEdSHYutrRJk8
·
Sunday we:
o
Worshiped at the congregation where I attended
as a youth in Florida, First Lutheran Church.
o
Visited Manatee Springs State Park in Chiefland,
FL, and saw much wildlife, including fish, turtles, snakes, and deer. Here are some pictures https://photos.app.goo.gl/fBmXG4TwteWGyysg7
·
We ate at the home of my sister and brother in
law, Martha and Mark Reaves.
·
We flew home to Alaska Monday. J
https://photos.app.goo.gl/beWYDhFo449WLUWZ7
P.P.S. Of course I went fishing in FL one last time. On Thursday, while the grandchildren were
doing schoolwork online, I fished by myself in a local lake. I caught a limit of bass and we ate them at
my sister’s house on Sunday evening.
Here are a couple of pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BaaJGUe478niCzNj7
*****
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
cell phone -
907-841-4066
Home phone -
907-746-5131
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