Dear
Fellow Children of God,
What
causes you to doubt God’s love? What
causes you to doubt there is even a God who is the Loving Lord of all?
Last
Sunday the assigned Gospel Reading for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost was
John 6:35-51. In this reading Jesus
declares, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry,
and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) From the perspective of a Christian
believer in the 21st century, we can understand that assertion of
Jesus, in part at least. After all,
Jesus gives life because He is The Creator. (John 1:3) After all, Jesus gives
life through forgiveness won in His agony and death on the cross, and won in His
rising from the dead. In addition, for
many Christians, we hear Jesus’ words on the night He was betrayed as He
taught, “Take and eat. This is my
body.” We know in this sacrament, Jesus is “The Bread of Life!” In many
ways, as Christian believers, we can start to understand that Jesus is the
bread of life. Life is fuller in this
world because of Him. Eternal life comes
from Him. We want Jesus.
But,
Jesus’ words in John 6 also led to misunderstanding, to doubt, and to rejection
by the religious leaders of His day. Jesus
had further explained, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will
but to do the will of him who sent me,” (John 6:38) Listen to the reaction
of those leaders. "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" (John
6:42). These people did not understand
Jesus, and they doubted that Jesus could be the bread of life. “How can someone we know say ‘He came down
from heaven!!” So, sadly, lack of understanding led to doubt and rejection.
I
have recently encountered a number of situations where people question God’s
teaching, or His wisdom, because they cannot understand, because life doesn’t
make sense.
Two
people I know questioned the wisdom, or the love, or even the existence of God
because of the evil around us. “How can there
be so much evil in the world with so many problems?” Others I know questioned God’s and law and
His guidance. “How can God know what is
right for our world, today?” These
questions led to doubt for those who asked them.
But,
in the last few weeks I have known of two tragedies which took lives. Children of God were involved, and died! “HOW can there be a loving God if such
tragedies happen?!” Actually, I once
read a quote from an evangelism book which put this mystery into a kind of
poetry. In the play “JB” (think Job),
Archibald MacLeish writes the verse
“If God is good, He is not God.
If God is God, He is not good”
This
is the question which the book of Job examines, “Why is there evil in the
world?” Such question have and continue to cause people to doubt God’s love and
goodness.
So,
I have a few suggestions which might help when the trials of life cause us to
doubt, or might possibly even lead us to reject God. First, asking “WHY” did this happen? or “WHY
is there evil?” is actually the wrong question.
Scripture is plain in sharing that the Lord created a good and righteous
world, and that Satan is the source of evil, and pain, and death. Our sin has, unfortunately, also contributed
to the troubles in our world. A better
question is “How can I face the evils of life as a Child of God with the love
and help of my Creator and Savior?”
Second,
God wants us to know that when trials come, He has not abandoned us. Psalm 46:1 teaches us, “God is our refuge
and strength, a very present help in trouble.” In other words, in times of
trouble, when we really need God, He has not left us, He is really there for us.
He is “a very present help IN TIMES OF TROUBLE!!” We may not understand how God is working, but
He promises that in trouble He is VERY present to help us. Or, as God assures us in Romans 8, “neither
death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come,
nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all
creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Finally,
I encourage you to take comfort in the fact that God understands our pain and
loss. St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer
recently lost a faithful young member, Luke Peltier. This 20 year old child of
God was tragically killed in an automobile accident. I personally do not understand why this
happened! (But that is not the right question.)
I wonder where God’s love and wisdom is, though I do trust that “God is
love.” (1 John 4:8) I trust that He is wisdom.” (Proverbs 9) But, please consider with me the most well-known
verse in Scripture, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.” If anyone knows what it is like to lose a son, it is God
Himself. “He gave His only
begotten Son.” He understands our
struggle with trouble, with loss, our trouble with pain, and our trouble with
death. Actually, in 2018 Luke wrote His
Confirmation Essay on John 3:16. Imagine! I might not understand life or God. But He loves us so much He gives His Son so
that we might have life. God understands
when we hurt!
So,
“What causes you to doubt God’s love?
What causes you to doubt there is even a God who is the Loving Lord of
all?” Please know that God understands our pain. He has defeated Satan and overcome evil and conquered
death in the life and the death AND the resurrection of Jesus. THAT is ‘Why’ God gave His Son. He is there in our times of questioning. Jesus was right when He taught, “I am the
bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in
me will never be thirsty.”
A
Child of God, Full of Questions – BUT, Trusting GOD for the Answers – in Jesus!
Pastor
Rockey
P.S. I am in Alaska for 6 weeks. But I can still share some news of happenings
at First Lutheran Church in Gainesville, where I am still vacancy pastor.
P.P.S. NEWS AND MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES AT
First Lutheran Church – Gainesville!
FIRST
LUTHERAN VOTED TO CALL PASTOR JAY WINTERS on Sunday,, July 28, in a
congregational meeting after worship. We are awaiting word from Pastor Winters
as He seeks God’s guidance as to where he should serve.
PLEASE
CONTINUE TO KEEP THIS PROCESS IN YOUR PRAYERS.
WHILE
I AM IN ALASKA
·
Pastor
Stephen Lane will lead worship and Bible Class on Sundays, August 4 and 11, and
September 1 and 8.
·
Pastor
Doug Bock will lead worship and Bible Class on Sundays, August 18 and 25.
WE
CONTINUE TO STUDY THE BOOK OF ACTS on Sunday mornings at 8:45 a.m. in the
Besalski Fellowship Hall. Pastors Lane
and Bock will continue teaching.
WE
CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN 2024 and 2025 using the Today’s
Light Devotional Bible. We are currently
reading about Elijah and Elisha in the book of 2 Kings 18-20 about King
Hezekiah.
Feel free to contact Pastor Rockey at 907-841-4066 if
you have any questions about these readings.
Or send an e-mail question to jonrock53@mtaonline.net
FIRST
LUTHERAN HAS BEGUN A ROOF FUND, and an AIR CONDITIONER FUND. In an announcement
at the May 19 Voters’ Meeting we learned that to put a new roof on the
sanctuary, the office building, the fellowship hall, the preschool, and the
student housing will cost about $200,000.00
The roofs are still in good shape.
But we have had leaks, and it has been about 20 years since the roof was
last replaced. First Lutheran leaders
want to act before the roofs fail.
In addition, we learned at the June
Mission and Ministry Council meeting that our Air Conditioners are old and will
need replacing.
Please consider how God may lead you
toward these needs in the future.
Here are some pictures.
P.P.S.
PICTURES – AND OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
·
Kathy and I
are enjoying family time in Alaska. Our 4 children and their families, including our 6
grandchildren, all live close to us here.
Here are some pictures from a family gathering on Saturday, August
10. https://photos.app.goo.gl/oRk8Us8va7yHR9US7
·
I went trout
fishing on a local lake with family and church friend, Kym Miller. I
caught 4 trout on dry flies, and 4 on eggs/bait. I had bites on lures (Panther Martin) but did
not hook any fish. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5tTici174CfjKUPM7
·
On
Wednesday, August 14, friend Fred Vasilie is taking me halibut fishing along with St. John member Gerry Zellar, and Pastor Tony
Schultz and Pastor Scott Shields. (Can 3
pastors get along in one boat?) Picture
next week.
·
Also . . . I have now seen 4 different doctors and been to the veterinarian
twice. Kathy has also seen the dentist,
and the eye doctor, and is having secondary cataract surgery on Tuesday, August
20 (Our 47th anniversary).
Things are hopping in the Rockey household!
*******
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. (However, I am currently 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
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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