Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Early Monday morning, January 16, Kathy and I boarded
a plane in in Anchorage. We had arrived at
the airport early, so we had a number of hours for interacting with others, and
perhaps for “people watching.” A person
runs into all kinds of folks in an airport, and on a plane.
As we sat down to wait for check in, an Alaskan native
grandmother sat next to me. I greeted
her with a simple, “Hello.” She replied,
“Well, I can tell we are back in Alaska.
People are talking to us.” Then
she went on to share their travels of the past month, her age, their history in
Barrow, where they lived, and more, for about 15 minutes. I liked that woman! I could have sat and talked, or listened for
another couple of hours. But, they left
for their plane.
A girls’ gymnastic team arrived and waited to check in
for their flight. They re-packed, and
laughed, and took selfies, and generally had a good time. It was an interesting show.
At the gate, we sat next to a couple from Wasilla traveling
with two Boston terriers to Texas. The
dogs were friendly, and so were the people.
They had just retired and were going south for snowbird opportunities. We had much in common and had some pleasant
time to visit.
Another younger couple sat in our area. They also raised dogs. The man shared that he owned 15 dogs at the
moment, and was planning to buy two more.
They too were very friendly.
There were many other individuals and families in the
terminal. Some of them were friendly as
well. But some of the other people were busy, or self-occupied, or obviously
troubled, or even sleeping and snoring.
Both planes on which we flew were packed full of
passengers. There were no open seats. At one point in the middle of the night I
walked down the aisle. People of various ages and appearance were crammed into
the small spaces allowed for seating. Most
were sleeping in various positions. Some
watched videos. Others talked quietly. They were a ‘motley’ looking group. Walking by all these unique individuals it
struck me that . . . God loves each of
these people.
Our Lord’s words in 1
Timothy came to mind. “God our Savior, 4
. . . desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2: 3b
– 4). I thought of John 3:16. "For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.” God
sent Jesus, God sent HIS SON, for every one of these people. Jesus came for the family from Barrow, for
the gymnastic team, for the couples who shared a love of dogs, for all the
folks sitting on the plane. Jesus even
came for me with all my quirks and short-comings.
In a world of about 8 billion people we cannot begin
to know everyone. I only interacted with
a few of those on the planes we flew. But,
God knows all people, and He loves them.
That gives me guidance as I meet the different people and personalities
in our world. God loves all people, and
sent Jesus for them. I should be open to
sharing God’s love as well.
A Child of God, One of Billions Loved by God in
Jesus,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I enjoyed a
number of outdoor activities in the past week.
·
On Friday January 13, I fished for a short
period on Wolf Lake near Palmer, AK. I
started fishing after the sun had set, though there was still a prolonged time
of dusk. However, I had no bites. Nevertheless, it is always good to get out in
the outdoors and fish. J Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/S9TUxWMgHv3wLUkV8
·
On Saturday, January 14, I spent time with son,
Josh, and grandchildren, Jake, Henry, and Annie, skiing at Skeetawk ski area in
Hatcher Pass. Again, being outdoors is a
blessing, especially with family! Here
are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FngA3yRsvAGCKZ4Y7
·
On Tuesday, January 17, I fished on the Suwannee
River in Florida. The effects of winter
were evident. The lily beds were
smaller, and the water was cooler. I had a few bites, caught a few small fish,
and enjoyed time outdoors. Here are a
couple of pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/mAQUqs8BbotvRQef8
*****
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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