Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Last Sunday, October 8, we
studied Acts 1 in the Adult Bible Class at First Lutheran Church where I am
serving as Vacancy Pastor,. We went spent
time to consider verses 6 and 7 of Acts chapter 1. 6 So when they had come together,
they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7
He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father
has fixed by his own authority.’” Think of Jesus’ response to questions
about the end times. Why did he respond
that way? My materials suggested that
the question of Jesus’ disciples was distracting them from the task at hand. “. . .
you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
end of the earth." (Acts 1:8b)
Little did I know that while we were in Bible class Hamas was bombing and
invading Israel. Hamas forces attacked
people in their homes, killed civilians, raped people, and took hostages. Then the next day I received a text from a
neighbor asking what I thought. She
asked me in a way which seemed to be asking, “Is this a final battle? Is this
the beginning of the end?” My response to my friend was to share some words of
Jesus from Matthew 24 we had discussed in Bible Class. “5
For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead
many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See
that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there
will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are
but the beginning of the birth pains.
. . . 36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not
even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. . . 44 Therefore
you also must be ready, for the Son
of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matthew 24:5-8, 36, 44)
My personal reaction to this invasion is sadness,
revulsion, and anger. But, notice I did
not say that my reaction is total surprise.
While this attack was unexpected, it has only been a year and a half
since Russia invaded the Ukraine, and caused similar devastation. Here in America we have seen shootings in
schools, in malls and theaters. I could
go on. Unfortunately, history is full of
examples of ‘man’s inhumanity to man.’
I am sad, for one thing, because these violent acts of
aggression steal what little peace we have in this world. But this world defines peace more as a lack
of conflict, than the presence of calm and assurance. This coming Sunday in churches which use the
common lectionary we will read from Philippians 4. In those verses we will hear God call us. “6do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) In a
world with so many reasons for worry, God gives assurance of His love, He gives
peace in Jesus! Our Lord gives peace in Jesus who loved us so much He died to
forgive our sins. God gives assurance of
His love, He gives peace in Jesus, who rose again to offer eternal life in
heaven. For our worry, God gives His peace!
My reaction to the invasion of Israel is first,
therefore, I am saddened to see another act of hatred and violence. Second, this recent attack just confirms in
my mind and heart that we live in a world of sin, and we are hopeless to
overcome this sin on our own. Sunday’s
attack is another one of those birth pangs reminding me that Jesus is coming
again as Judge over the sin of this world.
Because I don’t know WHEN He is coming, I ALWAYS need to be ready. But, finally and thankfully, this attack
confirms to me that we need a Savior from our sin against God and one another.
Thankfully, our Heavenly Father has sent His Son, Jesus, who is our Savior, who
forgives and saves us from ourselves.
We Christians are not only called to claim this peace of
Jesus for ourselves. Our Lord calls us to share Jesus and His peace with
others. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God.” (Matthew. 5:9) So in this time of upheaval, of wars and rumors of
war, we are personally reminded to “be
ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” In this
time of unrest, we can offer Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
A Child of God, Finding
Peace Through Jesus, Even in a World of Sin and Violence,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Kathy has been reading
stories at the First Lutheran Open Arms Child Development Center on Thursdays. Here are two pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/s2wEbEKTGFBmbLiX6
P.P.S. I participated in the installation of Rev.
Patrick Galliger as pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Lecanto, FL, on Sunday
afternoon, October 8. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZKuJ3WCvYNBL7ymc6
P.P.P.S. I made time to go fishing twice this past
week. They were good trips.
·
On Friday, October 6, neighbor and friend,
Debbie Menoher, went fishing with me at Orange Lake. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Bvxxx6nZTds2Rb7n6
·
On Monday, October 9, I went fishing in a local
lake. It was a good day. I caught a limit of bass. Here are a few pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/VHs4xC1BTPK6guiH9
*******
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired
at the end of August 2019 from serving as full-time 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. (Currently I am serving as Vacancy Pastor for
First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL.)
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
Vacancy Pastor, First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL
Pastor
Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK
“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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