Dear
Fellow Children of God,
On Saturday evening, May 6, our family attended the 2023
confirmation banquet at St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer. Our grandchildren, Jackson and Emmalee, were
confirmed on Sunday, May 7. Since I knew
almost all the people present at the banquet, it was pleasant to visit after
having been out of town for over 3 months.
Among others, I spent time catching up with some out of town family for
one of the confirmation students. This family from outside heard we had just
returned that day from our time in that Florida. “WHY did you leave Florida for Alaska?” I was
asked. Actually, the banquet was not the only place I heard that question. My golf buddies in Florida asked same
thing. “Why would a person leave the warmth
for the cold?”
On the one hand, many don’t know and don’t understand the
beauty and allure which Alaska holds.
The mountains speak to me. There
are outdoor experiences in Alaska like no other state that I know. (You know, I DO enjoy fishing and hunting!) And,
I actually do enjoy the winter and the snow, at least until April. Time outdoors during winter with an ice
fishing pole in my hand, or a set of skis on my feet, or even riding a snow machine,
are activities I truly enjoy. Nevertheless,
I also understand that my wife desires the warmth of Florida during the dark,
cold, and windy months in Alaska. Kathy
and I are different in that way.
However, there is an even better reason than a change of
seasons for why we are in Alaska now – FAMILY! We do have close family and good friends in
Florida. But, our children, Joshua, Andrew,
Mary, and Timothy, along with their families, all live and work here in Alaska. In addition, in Alaska have really good
friends, almost like family, in our church and community. Kathy and I believe that the warmth of close
family is even better than the warm temperatures of a southern state. The love of people is more important than the
beauty of a place. Relationships are
more important than possessions.
God teaches us that He intends for family to be a
treasure. One of my favorite Psalms is
Psalm 127. Part of that Psalm reads this
way about family. “3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. 4 Like
arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. 5 Blessed is the
man whose quiver is full of them. . .” AND, in addition to our three sons,
we also have a daughter whom we love.
The book of Proverbs
furthers the thought about the blessing of children, and includes the joy of grandchildren. “Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of
their children.” (Proverbs 17: 6) Kathy and I not only have 4
children, all living within 50 miles of us in Palmer, but we also have 6 grandchildren who all live within five
miles of us. We love our ‘children’s
children,’ and we miss them when we are out of state.
More than that,
Confirmation Day was not just a day with temporal blessings from God. A day on which a person declares their faith
in Jesus also includes spiritual and heavenly blessings. Consider what Jesus has to say about material
possessions compared to spiritual and eternal blessings. 19
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) So, we rejoiced to be
present on this day of spiritual and eternal blessings in our grandchildren’s
lives as well.
I do know and believe that God’s blessings of people are
more precious than the things of this world.
But sometimes, like others, I can forget this truth. I can fail to live
up to my values. For example, I took
golf lessons in Florida again this year.
So, on Saturday, May 6, when I went to the driving range in Palmer where
the temperature was about 50, instead of 85, where it was cloudy and windy,
instead of sunny with a slight breeze, where the wind blew my ball across the mat
as I tried to hit it, and where the wind blew my clubs over, I will admit to forgetting
somewhat about my loved ones and to thinking about the warmth of our Florida
home. I had that thought for a moment at
least. Nevertheless, I continue to
believe what I said above, “the warmth of close family is even better than the
warm temperatures of a southern state.”
An important part of Christian faith is an attitude of
thankfulness. Christians believe that we
have sinned against God and against others.
We believe that what we deserve from our Lord for our sin is punishment
and death. Yet, in grace, God forgives
us and saves us through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. God is also with us daily through “Immanuel -
God with us,” and through His Holy Spirit.
Knowing that we deserve punishment,
yet through faith in Jesus we receive mercy
and love, that we receive forgiveness and salvation, how can we not be thankful
for these blessings of God?? In this
attitude of gratitude, I include being thankful for the people in my lives, for
friends, and for family. I can very
easily make a list of God’s blessings of love through family.
How about you? Has
God blessed you through the people in your life, through your family? Have you given thanks to the Lord for these
blessings? Do you live your values and your
thankfulness? Our Lord will help you in
living as He intends us to live.
A Child of God, THANKFUL for God’s Blessings of
Family and Friends, Especially the Blessings of Children and Grandchildren,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Here are some
pictures from 2023 St. John Confirmation festivities for Jackson, Emmalee, and
other young people at St. John. https://photos.app.goo.gl/8AaB7Q9wbKSkHPUQ6
P.P.S. We are
still digging out of being gone for 3 ½ months.
But, here are some pictures of Florida and Alaska.
·
Here are
flowers growing and blooming at our home in FL
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SKB8KavbZTTy3SmHA
·
Here are some picture from Alaska on our return. https://photos.app.goo.gl/mHEvEYm2B3nCTPZK9
*****
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.
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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