Dear Fellow Children of God,
On Wednesday morning, October 9,
the assigned readings from my devotional bible were from Esther 3 and 4. In these verses, the Persian king, Ahasuerus, is led by his ‘prime minister,’
Haman, to issue a terrifyingly dark edict of death. Haman was proudly arrogant, wanting others to
bow down to him because of his position.
However, for some reason not mentioned in the book of Esther, Mordecai
the Jew refused to bow to Haman. Of
course, Jewish people knew the command of God, "You shall have no other gods
before me.” (Exodus 20:3) Mordecai refused an act of seeming worship
toward this ruler, refused an act of seeming worship toward someone other than
the Lord. Early Christians faced similar
persecution under the Roman Empire.
However, Mordecai’s attempt at righteous living infuriated Haman. Haman convinced the king to issue the ‘edict of
death,’ a command to kill all the Jewish people in the Persian kingdom on the
twelfth day of the twelfth month. Persia stretched from India to Ethiopia.
(Esther 1:1)
Therefore, Mordecai went to Queen Esther for help with this mortal threat. Esther had been chosen queen in what is
sometimes describes as a ‘royal beauty contest.’ However, unknown to Haman, Mordecai had also
served as Esther’s adoptive father.
Haman did not realize that in his edict of death he had even targeted
the Queen of Persia!
Mordecai’s request for help caused a problem for Queen Esther, though. Entering the king’s presence without being
called was an offense punishable by death.
So, should Esther put her life on the line to possibly save her people,
the Jews? (Does that sound to you like
what Jesus Himself did for us?)
Mordecai’s response to Esther’s concern was a straight-forward dose of
reality. “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time
as this?" (Esther 4:14) In
other words Mordecai suggests to Esther that perhaps this danger was an
opportunity to serve. Perhaps the Lord
created Esther to face this peril in order to help her people. In other words Mordecai is saying, “Don’t
worry about the danger. Just do what you
can to help others, and trust the Lord to act.”
For the second week in a row, I
am writing my devotion in the shadow of a hurricane. Hurricane Milton is barreling down on Florida
bringing wind and rains, spawning floods and tornados. We will not be directly hit in Gainesville,
but we will still feel the effects of the storm. Those south of us will be hit with the brunt of a major destructive
hurricane.
What can we do in the face of this peril?
No matter how much we worry, we
won’t change the path of the storm. Nevertheless,
there are some things we can do. As a
child of God I can act responsibly, so that I don’t unnecessarily put myself in
harms way. After all, if someone is
helping me, I will have trouble helping others.
We can pray, and we have been
praying, not only for those in the path of Milton, but also for the hundreds of
thousands still suffering the devastations of Helene.
But Mordecai’s words in Esther,
God’s word in Scripture, may also apply to us.
“. . . who knows whether you have not come . . . for such a time as
this?" In these times of approaching destruction there
will be people who need help. We can donate
to relief efforts. We can help our
neighbors. We can volunteer our time and
talents. Many I know in Gainesville are
housing people who have evacuated from the south west of Florida. Church
members are calling others to check on their welfare. My brother-in-law is helping in relief
efforts in Valdosta, Georgia. And . . . the
people of First Lutheran are praying. We are petitioning the grace and love of our
loving Lord for all those in the path of this current storm, and for those
recovering from the last one. In other
words, we don’t know what the storm will bring.
But we know that we can help.
Paul taught that God can and
does accomplish good in all situations. “And we know that for those who love
God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to
his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) This
promise of God does not say that all things ARE good. But, it does say that God WORKS good in all
things. After all, even in the death of
God’s Son, even in the death of the one who is God Himself, our Lord worked the
forgiveness and salvation of a sinful world.
If God worked good even in the death of Jesus, He can and does work good
even in the tragedies of life. He is
LORD!
In addition, Jesus taught the royal law of God found in Leviticus 19, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Mark 12:31) In times of trouble we have
the opportunity to live as children of God. We have the opportunity to love our
neighbors, to make a difference. “. . .
who knows whether you have not come . . . for such a time as this?"
When you face times of peril, disaster, and destruction, how will you live as a child of God and help
those in need?
A Child of God, Seeking to Face
the Perils of Life as an Opportunity to Share the Love of Jesus!
Pastor Rockey
P.S. If you want to help
those recovering from Helene, here are some options.
·
Pastor Phil Kuehnert lives in Virginia. He sent me this message: “Today I received
this from Dr. Bill Harmon, president of the Southeastern District of the
LCMS. https://www.facebook.com/pbharmon/posts/pfbid0iQe5PoKkYwLr6aaFguwhtpGVzgBUifoQBpJuvrvCcyQPQtNsu6v3ohhmtYrYGCvbl”
·
We received this message from President James Rockey
of the Florida Georgia District. “Your District Office is here to help; please do not
hesitate to contact us with questions or help you may need. Contact Jay
Wendland, FLGA District Disaster Response Coordinator, directly at jwendland@flgadistrict.org. Remember—we love because he first loved
us. 1 John 4:19 – Helping the hurting amid disaster. Please
remember to pray fervently for all those who will and have been affected by
this major hurricane so that God will provide for them and that they will be
drawn to our only hope in Christ.”
·
Here is some information from the Lutheran
Church Missouri Synod on helping. https://files.lcms.org/file/preview/hurricane-helene-bulletin-insert?_gl=1*95x76q*_ga*OTAyMzM1MTQ3LjE3MjM5MzM0NjQ.*_ga_Z0184DBP2L*MTcyNzk5ODI5OS4zLjEuMTcyNzk5ODMzMy4wLjAuMA.
P.P.S. I am serving again as vacancy pastor at First
Lutheran Church in Gainesville, Florida, until they receive a permanent
full-time pastor.
NEWS AND
MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES AT First Lutheran Church – Gainesville!
·
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS IN FULL SWING until
May. Children begin in worship at 10:00 a.m.. Early in the service, after
the Children’s Message, children leave for a lesson, for a craft, and a
snack. Parents, Grandparents, Uncles and Aunts, Neighbors, PLEASE
bring your children to Sunday School.
THANK YOU Sunday School Teachers and
staff!
·
WE CONTINUE TO STUDY THE BOOK OF ACTS on
Sunday mornings at 8:45 a.m. in the Besalski Fellowship Hall. If you want
to read ahead, this coming Sunday we will continue in Acts 27 and 28 - the last
chapter of Acts. Come study with us about the early church as we seek to
be God’s people in today’s world.
Our next study will be the Messianic prophecies in Isaiah.
·
COLLEGE STUDENTS AND YOUNG ADULTS are now
meeting on Tuesday nights in the student house at 7:00 p.m. Come and join
us!
·
WE CONTINUE TO READ THROUGH THE SCRIPTURE IN
2024 and 2025 using the Today’s Light Devotional Bible. On Wednesday,
October 9, we read Esther 3 and 4.
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 I have
recently received questions and comments. It is always good to consider
our Lord’s love and guidance. I will TRY to answer, but some things only God
knows!
·
FIRST LUTHERAN HAS BEGUN A “RAISE THE ROOF
FUND,” for roof replacement and air-conditioning repairs. The roofs are
still in relatively 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, our Air Conditioners are
old and need replacing. So the Congregation has begun a “Raise the Roof”
campaign. Our goal to accomplish these combined repairs is $500,000!
Please
consider how God may lead you toward these needs in the future. (While serving
in Gainesville, I will be donating from each of my checks.)
·
FIRST LUTHERAN IS BACK IN THE CALL PROCESS. We
have sought nominations and names of pastors who would serve the Lord and His
people well at First Lutheran in Gainesville. The Florida-Georgia
District has sent information on the candidates. We received 21 names and have made contact with 20 of those pastors. The Call Committee will meet again next
Tuesday evening.
PLEASE
CONTINUE TO KEEP THE FIRST LUTHERAN CALL PROCESS IN YOUR PRAYERS.
P.P.P.S. PICTURES – AND OTHER ITEMS OF
INTEREST –
·
Here are fishing pictures from Saturday, October
5. (The weather is STILL getting in the
way of fishing and golfing.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/kpueKb85YALXRNN66
·
Kathy and I leave on Thursday, October 17 to fly
to Germany. I have the privilege of
serving Wittenberg English Ministry October 22-31. This is a ministry to English speaking travelers
in Wittenberg, the town where Martin Luther served during the Reformation.
Luther nailed
The 95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg on October 31,
1517. I have the opportunity and
privilege of leading worship and preaching in this historic city, including
leading worship on October 31. Our
daughter, Mary will join us on October 26.
After some other travel, we will return on November 7.
We will share with
you from our travels.
*******
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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