Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Last week I wrote about the trouble and the mess in which
our world finds itself. Yet, in the
middle of our serious problems, caused by sin and evil, there is still good. I
experienced that good this past weekend.
I found faith, hope, and love in a Christian family gathering.
I traveled to Alaska to conduct the graveside service,
and memorial service, for Katie McLeod.
Katie was once a member of St. John Lutheran in Palmer in the 1950’s and
60’s. Her nephew, Mike Sweeney, and
niece, Karen Sweeney Johnson, are still members of St. John, as are other family
members. Katie and family moved from
Palmer to Soldotna in 1968. But when I was first pastor at St. John, and when Katie
would come to visit, the long-time lady members of St. John gathered around her
like a mother hen. Early on in Alaska, I
became friends with Kathy Foster, Katie’s daughter, and I have gone fishing
many times with her son, Fred Vasilie. I
have been visiting Katie in Soldotna in a nursing home when I travel to the
Kenai Peninsula to conduct worship. Katie’s
faith was such that Jesus shone brightly through her life, and her words, even
up to the end. So when Katie’s family
asked me to conduct her services, I was honored to do so.
Let me say that, to serve as a pastor, to be asked into
the private, personal, moments of the lives of God’s people, and to seek to
bring Jesus into those moments, is one of the great privileges and joys I found in serving. Let me also say that, not only is our world
full of trouble, but trouble and conflict even haunts the church of God. Nevertheless, once in a while we receive a
glimpse of how Christian faith, hope, and love make a difference in this life.
I will also share another observation. Families, somewhat surprisingly, do not
always get along at weddings. There is a
lot of pressure to make the wedding day special. Family members can disagree on how the
ceremony and celebration should go, and that can create tension, sometimes at a
high level. But, in the trial and loss
of a funeral or memorial service even adversaries often pull together. I remember such an event at the visitation
for my own father-in-law, James Tobin, in April of 1980. A husband and wife who had not spoken in
years, were so moved by the death of their friend that they reconciled. Amazing!
So, when people pull together in a time of loss, and when
faith in Jesus is present and obvious, the gathering of people at a funeral can
be a time of real love. In Katie’s memorial
message I asked the 100-150 people gathered, “How many of you had Katie tell
you, ‘I love you.’?” EVERYONE raised their hands, and it was
not all family, nor even church members. I told them, “You love Katie because
Katie loved you. And Katie loved you because Jesus loved Katie!”
In 1 Corinthians 13, God moved St. Paul to write about
love. “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It
does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. . . 13 And
now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is
love.” (I Corinthians 13:4-8a,
13) The Corinthian church was in need of
love. They were in deep conflict. They
had formed competing groups, who disagreed.
Sexual immorality and law-suits were dividing the congregation. They disagreed about what a person can eat,
about how to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, about the roles of men and women, about
spiritual gifts, and even about the resurrection of Jesus. So, Paul calls them
to faith, to hope, and to love, especially
love.
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 3-5, as I gathered
with Katie’s blood family, her church family, and her friends, I saw people who
were, first of all, thankful for having known this lady of faith. They knew that Jesus and His forgiving and
saving love were at the center of Katie’s life, and Jesus’ love, therefore, permeated
the gatherings. If there had been any disagreements
among those gathered, I saw instead only people hugging one another, and
speaking in love of Katie, and acting in supporting love for one another. I was
blessed to be present.
Our world is full of trouble, and things are getting
worse, fast. However, Jesus still makes
a difference, a big difference. When we
have Jesus, we have faith in the Lord who is greater and more loving than we
are. When we have Jesus, we have hope
for eternity, in spite of the depressing trials in our lives today. And, when we have Jesus we have sacrificial,
eternal love, shown amazingly to us, love which changes our lives so that we
can love others. “. . . now these three remain: faith,
hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13)
A Child of God, Thankful that ‘The Greatest of These
is Love,”
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. I returned to
Alaska from Florida on Thursday, March 2, 2023, to conduct the graveside
service and the Memorial service for Katie McLeod. Katie is a family friend and faithful child
of God. I returned south on Sunday and
Monday, March 5 and 6. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/P6QKdTe1EBQAvk3QA
P.P.S. On Tuesday, March 7, Kathy and I took a day trip to
Tallulah River Gorge and Falls. We were
visiting Unicoi State Park in Helen, Georgia, with my sister, Martha Reaves,
and her husband, Mark, and with my brother, Steve Rockey, and his wife,
Lori. Anyway, here are pictures of Kathy’s
and my trip to the Tallulah Gorge and Falls.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Lsky51baXjT925W87
P.P.P.S. I did go
fishing on the Suwannee River on Wednesday, March 1, before leaving for Alaska
on Thursday, March 2. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/qXhZf1gFShSNpaNx7
*****
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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