Dear Fellow Children of God,
I attended a wonderful worship service on Sunday, March
26, the 5th Sunday in Lent.
While attending First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida, the
assigned readings (Ezekiel 37:1-4, Romans 8:1-11, John 11:1-45) were
powerful. The hymns and the music hit
home and spoke to my heart. The
children’s message by First Lutheran member Patti Bolser taught the story well,
and brought laughter to the children, and the rest of the congregation. And, Pastor John Glover’s sermon brought
power and hope from God based on the account in John 11 about Lazarus. As a pastor I pray that when I preach my
sermon goes well. But, when the whole service speaks God’s love so plainly, it
is rare. I left worship last Sunday
especially uplifted in my Christian faith!
In Pastor Glover’s sermon on John
11, the account of raising Lazarus, he pointed to the words both Martha and
Mary spoke to Jesus. Jesus had known
that Lazarus was ill, but did not return to Bethany and heal His friend. Jesus told His disciples, "This illness does not lead to
death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified
through it." Later
Jesus informed His disciples, 14 . . . "Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad
that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." (John 11:4, 14-15) So, when their
brother Lazarus died, the words of his sisters, Mary and Martha, were
understandable. In verse 21, Martha
tells Jesus, "Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died.” (Jn. 11:21 ESV) Those are the exact same words spoken by
Martha’s sister, Mary, in verse 32.
It is possible
to read regret into the words of these women.
As the friends of the family pointed out, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept
this man from dying?" (John 11:37)
However, Pastor Glover suggested that we could also hear anger in the
words of these women. I agree with
Pastor Glover. In fact, I also hear them
accusing Jesus. It is possible that
the women were saying to Jesus, “Jesus, you say that you care. But the lack of your presence does not show
your love.” Anger is a normal part of
grief, and we see that anger in the words of these friends of Jesus. They spoke truthfully concerning what was in
their heart.
Pastor Glover
pointed to another surprising truth that, along with these sisters, Jesus also
was angry! He showed His anger with His
tears. God is angry at how sin brings suffering
and death into the world and assaults His children. That is why Jesus came to this world, to take
on sin, to die, and to rise. He came to
overcome sin, and to bring God’s love, and life.
Pastor
Glover’s assertion also goes with something else which I was hearing in this
reading, something the ladies missed in their grief. Martha and Mary accused Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my
brother would not have died.” However,
they missed that, in a very real way, Jesus was there. Jesus stayed away physically during Lazarus’
illness. But Jesus knew what was
happening to Lazarus. He also knew the
miracle which He would soon perform, the miracle of calling His dead friend out
of the grave. Jesus knew His purpose of
remaining away from Bethany, and His purpose in raising Lazarus. Jesus’ purpose was to glorify His Heavenly
Father, and to grow faith in His followers. But, in truth and in love, Jesus
was present in Martha and Mary’s time of need.
How often, when we face the pain, the suffering, and the
losses of life, do we wonder, “Where was Jesus?
Why wasn’t He here when I needed Him?”
Perhaps, Jesus, the man, wondered the same thing as He suffered on the
cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46) But, the writer to the
Hebrews assures those who meditate on His writing, “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’" (Hebrews 13:5)
Consider that God also inspired David to write in Psalm 46, “God is our refuge and
strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) In other
words, even when we feel forsaken, as Martha and Mary did, God is with us. When we really need our Lord, even in times
of trouble, He is really present.
We live in a world of sin, our sin, and the sin of those
around us as well. The sin and rebellion
against God in this world wreaks havoc on our lives, and brings pain, and
suffering, and death. Like Martha and
Mary, we may be led to ask “Where were you, Lord, when I really needed
you.” Thankfully, Jesus knows what
happens in our lives, and He is present.
As Pastor Glover says, “In the midst of the worst of
times, Jesus is angry along with us at the sin and the pain and death which sin
brings into our lives.” But, even though
we may wonder where He is during these horrible trials, Jesus is with us through
our losses and trials. He is with us in
His power, in His love, and in His compassion.
Thank you, Lord!
A Child of God, Thankful That in the Trials of
Life, Jesus is With Me!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. This past
week I fished, golfed, and helped my brother, David, move his trailer and
prepare it for sale. I don’t have
pictures of the golf games. I didn’t
take pictures worth sharing of our work day at David’s trailer. But, guess what? I do have pictures of a few
fishing trips.
·
On Wednesday, March 22, I went fishing at Orange
Lake. I caught 3 bass and kept two. Here
are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/i2jQ5mTAtME34sGr6
·
On Thursday, March 23, I went fishing on the
Suwannee River with my brother-in-law, Mark Reaves. We caught 3 small bass, but released them all
because they were small. However, as the
weather warms, we did see 9 gators. Here
are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Hq9CQBa857aCCdi19
·
On Sunday afternoon, after worship and lunch
with friends, I went fishing at a favorite local lake. I caught 4 small bass. But since they were all only about 12” long,
I released them. However, it is always a
joy to be outdoors. Here are some
pictures of a fish I released, a gator, and a beautiful sunset. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9tu5AV7fU2snKT6v5
·
On Tuesday, March 28, I went fishing on Orange
Lake. I caught 6 bass and kept 4. I also caught a small bream. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/nih7iPBSRFn7hHGq5
*****
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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