Dear
Fellow Children of God,
On Wednesday, September 7, as I was preparing in the St.
John building for Wednesday night worship, one of our ladies present told me, “There
probably won’t be many people here tonight.
They’re all at the School Board Meeting.” I guess I had not been paying
attention because I knew nothing about the meeting. But, from what I read in The Frontiersman, it
was quite a meeting.
An article from the September
7 edition of our local newspaper, the Frontiersman, reported, “In front of a standing-room only board
room, the Mat-Su School Board voted on Wednesday to revise a district guideline
to suspend transgender use of communal bathrooms and locker rooms that match
their identified gender. . . The original guideline, drafted in 2015, was in
line with the United States Department of Education’s Title IX guidance. It
allowed transgender students to use communal bathrooms and locker rooms that
match their gender identity.”
As a Christian I was taught, and I have tried somewhat imperfectly
to live, that sex and sexuality is meant for the marriage relationship between
a man and a woman, (Genesis 2:24) and that this relationship is holy (Exodus 20:14,
Matthew 5:27-28, Ephesians 5:22-33, Hebrews 13:4). I have taught this Scriptural truth as pastor
to people and students in churches where I served. I’m not sure what to think when the government
for which I pray makes laws which contradict the law of God. Of course, this is not the first time in
history, nor in our country, that governmental laws and policies contradict God’s
guidance. The laws of God are part of
His created order, and are given to us to provide healthy lives in this world,
and a healthy relationship with Him. It also
surprises me that this overturned school board policy has been in effect since 2015!
Perhaps the Christian Church in America has been
spoiled. For so long our culture shared
Christian values based on God’s sovereignty and His will as shown in the 10
commandments. I even remember Elvis
Presley reflecting such values when he sang, “Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?” Our world has changed!
This coming Sunday, September 18,
is observed in liturgical churches as the Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost. The
assigned Epistle reading for this Sunday is 1Timothy 2:1-15. On Wednesday night, September 14 our sermon
will meditate on the first 5 verses. “1 I urge, then, first of all,
that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2
for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives
in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4
who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
Our Lord calls on us to pray for “all those in authority.” I do so pray daily. Our leaders in this world have an incredibly
difficult task. They need God’s help.
God’s will for our leaders is that they govern in such a way that the
people of God are able to live in “godliness and holiness.” Also, God desires “ALL to be saved.” None are
without sin. We all need the love and the
forgiveness, and yes the guidance of our Savior, Christ Jesus.
On Sunday, September 11, I attended a presentation by
Rev. Dr. Greg Seltz, former speaker of The Lutheran Hour and current Executive
Director of The Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, as he spoke on the
challenges of our church in Today’s World. His first presentation was entitled “Christian
Confidence When World Views Collide”. We
discussed how Christians can live holy lives when the world around us may have
ungodly values. Then he read from Psalm
37. Verses 1-5 of this Psalm which God
inspired David to write reads this way. “1 Do not
fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he
will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust
in him and he will do this”
How does a Christian respond “When World Views Collide?” I will listen to God’s guidance from Psalm
37. I will “not fret.” I will seek to “Trust in the Lord and do
good.” I will trust God’s wisdom, His
forgiveness, His power and His love. I
will “Commit my way to the Lord; trust in Him.”
I will also continue to PRAY for all in authority. After all, Jesus is my Savior!
A Child of God, Seeking to ‘Trust in the Lord and Do Good’
When Our World Embraces a Different World View!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. SUNDAY SCHOOL for all ages STARTED at St. John last Sunday,
September 11, at 9:45 a.m. Again, COME
AND JOIN US! J
P.P.S. Work continues on the pavilion on the
property to the east of the St. John Church building!
In about 2000, when St. John was
involved in planning for our last building project, architect Dale Porath
included a pavilion in the master plan drawings. This pavilion remained in the memory of a
number of members and leaders at St. John.
When my dad, Robert E. Rockey,
died in 2018, he left a will and a legacy for all five of his children. My dad was a strong Christian who contributed
to God’s church in many ways. One way is
that all of his children have been leaders and contributors in our Lord’s
Church – 3 of his children have even served as church workers. His will was substantial, but my dad’s greatest
legacy was his 5 children.
When Kathy and I received money
from my dad’s will we tithed (gave 10%) to St. John. That money is designated to build the
pavilion, and hopefully also do some other projects at St. John as well.
·
On Saturday, September 10, roof sheeting and
underlayment / waterproofing was attached to the pavilion roof. https://photos.app.goo.gl/tVfvBBXTuqgeS2ux6
·
On Tuesday, September 13, the pavilion roof was
lifted by a crane onto the posts. The
roof weighed 6000 pounds. The crane
operator arrived at 8:00 a.m., and the roof was on around 9:00 a.m. Ron Svedin and friend, Don Olstad, along with
St. John member Gary Foster and helper Jeremy Marr, and the crane crew, were all
involved. Here are pictures of the roof
raising. (Look at the time stamping on these pictures – Amazing!) https://photos.app.goo.gl/SvaQDpKYsKMey5RL7
·
On Wednesday, September 14, Ron Svedin finished
putting in the 24 7” lag bolts. The
pavilion is engineered to withstand 130 mph winds! https://photos.app.goo.gl/3DMGTCH3QC86GkUDA
P.P.P.S. Former
Lutheran Hour Speaker, Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, came to present in Alaska about
how the church deals with a changing culture.
I was asked to take him fishing.
Here are some pictures.
·
On Friday, September 10, I went fishing by
myself in order to prepare for the trip with Pastor Seltz. I caught 3 spawned fish. Here are the pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/VzGypxchRU1fugsXA
·
On Monday, September 12, I took Dr. Seltz and
his daughter, Devin, fishing on the Little Susitna. It was late in the season, BUT, we had a
window of nice weather, and we caught
a couple of fish. One was not even too
spawned. Here are the pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wKP4C5LQ4FzipDSx9
P.P.P.P.S. Here is
a link to The Frontiersman article about the September 7 School Board meeting. https://www.frontiersman.com/news/mat-su-school-board-suspends-transgender-use-of-communal-bathrooms-and-locker-rooms-that-match/article_c13c60c0-2f4a-11ed-9e9e-b70a044f072f.html
*****
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.)
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
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
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