Dear
Fellow Children of God,
On Monday, October 23, I went
fishing with my brother, James. I am a
pastor in the Lutheran Church, as is James.
In fact, James now serves as District President for the Florida-Georgia
District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
So, on their day off, in a boat, on a lake, on a beautiful day, what do
you think two pastors discussed? Of
course; we talked about church business.
Our major topic of
discussion was relationships in congregations.
We discussed talking with fellow Christians in love and respect. We talked about how church workers and
congregations deal with each other in negative ways, and in positive ways. But, perhaps the longest discussion revolved
around the wisdom of simply saying, “Thank You!”
I mentioned to James that
Kathy has shared with me that the one thing which has, for her, set good bosses
apart from those who could improve their job performance, the one thing which
sets good supervisors apart is appreciation for their workers. James followed up with a story about how his
congregation had recognized the good work of their pre-school director. She was overwhelmed. James related that she had said, “In 35 years
as a Lutheran teacher my dad never received this kind of thanks.” I could go on how we discussed failures to
appreciate others, and the blessings of doing so.
Thanks is part of the
life of a faithful Christian. First, of
course, we give thanks to God Himself. Many
of the verses in Psalms call God’s people to thankful hearts. “Give
thanks to him; bless his name! 5
For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness
to all generations. (Psalm 100:5b – 6) God’s people are called to be thankful, not in
order to earn God’s love, but because our Lord IS loving . . . eternally. Christians realize that this eternal love ultimately
points to Jesus who gives us eternal life through His sacrifice on our behalf.
God provides a list of faithful behaviors for His children through the
teachings of Paul in 1 Thesslonians 5. “16
Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks
in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Notice that verse 18 calls us to “Give Thanks in All Circumstances.” We certainly thank our Lord for the gift of
life. We thank our Heavenly Father that
He provides for us and protects us. We
thank God for His saving love. But, in
addition to thanking our Lord, it is also good to give thanks to others for
their faithful service.
The danger of publicly
thanking one person is that so many others who deserve thanks are
forgotten. But, this week I want to
recognize two faithful pastors. Pastor
Bob Besalski has been my pastor since our family moved to Gainesville, Florida,
in July 1965. He has been a faithful
shepherd to me and to my family, and an example to me as I serve. Bob is now 90, and fighting cancer. But even today he continues to encourage others, and to encourage me, and to
encourage James. Thank you, Bob! By the way, on Monday, October 23, James gave
Bob a certificate of recognition for 65 years of service since his
ordination. Wow!
I also want to say “thank
you” to another pastor, Pastor Richard Allen.
I first met Dick in 1996 when he came to Alaska to serve at Lamb of God
Lutheran Church in Wasilla. Bob Besalski
graduated from seminary in 1958. Dick
graduated in 1959. Dick had experienced a
heart attack in the year previous to coming to Alaska, and had then retired
from “full-time work.” But, Dick served
Lamb of God with attention to God’s people and faithfulness to Scripture. And the congregation grew. He later served at Anchorage Lutheran, and
Zion Lutheran Churches in Anchorage when they were without pastors. Beginning in 1999 Dick served with me at St.
John for over 15 years. Dick had a quiet
dignity, and loved God’s people. He
passed away on Sunday, October 22. I
called Dick before we left Alaska. But,
I wish I had said “thanks” to Dick even more than I did. “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
God’s plans for His Church
to bless His people. Our Lord intends
for the Christian Church to be family, to provide love and encouragement for His
children as they live in faith. A good
way to provide such encouragement is a simple “thank you.” Sometimes it takes growing old to learn these
simple lessons.
A Child of God, Thank
You, Lord! Thank You ALL God’s Faithful
Servants!!
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. On Monday, October 23,
after a morning of fishing, my brother, James, and I went to see Pastor Bob and
Elaine Besalski. Both James and I are
pastors in the Lutheran Church. James is
District President for the Florida-Georgia District of the LCMS. Bob was our pastor as we grew up.
James
presented Bob with a certificate from the September President’s Equip / All
Workers Conference. The certificate was
recognition that Bob has served as pastor since his ordination for 65
years! Here is a picture of James
presenting the certificate of recognition to Bob in his home. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ARgEca9Gd1YChagL7
P.P.S. Here are some pictures I have of Pastor Dick
Allen. https://photos.app.goo.gl/yYdfcxBrX3TvJmWVA
P.P.P.S. Even working as
Vacancy Pastor, I found time to golf and fish last week. I am supposed to be half-time! Here are some
pictures.
·
On Friday, October 20, I went fishing by myself
on the Suwannee River. I caught 3 bass
and a couple of mudfish. Some gators visited
the boat as well. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/iJDKRAdMhcpuS16QA
·
On Sunday, October 22, I fished after worship at
Rodman Reservoir. I did not catch any
fish, though I did have bites. However,
after a long week, I welcomed some time “beside still waters.” (No pictures.)
·
On Monday, October 23, I took my brother, James,
fishing on Orange Lake. We both caught 2
bass. I caught a very large
mudfish. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TmU5JfRGFJFUave26
*******
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)
No comments:
Post a Comment