Dear Fellow Children of God,
Have you ever been surprised when, even after careful,
detailed planning, you encounter a catastrophe . . .or at least an unexpected
mishap?
On Tuesday morning, May 12, I was cleaning a refrigerator. I had previously spilled some water from
frozen fish in the appliance, and I wanted to clean it up. I took many precautions. I had a bucket of
warm water and Pine Sol. I also used a
bottle of spray liquid cleaner and disinfectant. I had a clean rag for wiping. I began spraying and wiping down the freezer
with the rag which I had dipped in the Pine Sol cleaner. Then I worked lower, in the refrigerator –
that’s where the juice had spilled. I sprayed
and wiped the door, and then in the body of the refrigerator itself. On the bottom was a shelf with two sliding
“crisper” drawers underneath. That is
where the fish juice had settled. The
door of the refrigerator did not open far enough for me to slide out the
drawers. However, the shelf was removable. I lifted the shelf and removed first
one, then the other drawer. I put them
in a safe place. Then I took the glass
shelf from the bracket. I had cleaned
out a place next to the refrigerator and picked up the glass and tried to very
gently prop it on the floor. I started
with the corner of the glass to then easily settle it onto the floor. However, in all those detailed, careful
preparations, something I did was a mistake.
The safety glass from the shelf . . . EXPLODED! Shards of glass flew all over the floor, into
my shoes, under the refrigerator, and throughout the space beside this
appliance. A shard of glass also flew into the tip of the index finger on my
left hand, and blood started dripping, and dripping. There was blood on the floor, in my sink, in
the refrigerator. Somehow there was
blood in the laundry basket. Upon examination, there was still a small dagger
of glass in my finger. After removing
the glass, I put the finger in my mouth and went into our house to get Kathy to
help me with a band-aid. Blood still
dripped onto the floor, on the kitchen table, and down my hand. She finally got my finger cleaned off and
applied a bandage which stopped the bleeding for a while, until the bandage
fell off and blood started dripping again.
Finally, I swept up glass, vacuumed glass, and wiped up
blood. I thought I had done everything
carefully, correctly. I had my supplies out.
I was organized, and thorough, and gentle in handling the shelving. Yet, in less than one second, in spite of my
preparation and attention to detail, the glass EXPLODED, and it took me over an
hour to clean up the mess, to clean up the chaos.
I know my accident is not a major disaster compared to a
fatal auto accident, an unplanned illness, or a mistake in judgment for a
relationship. I had just created a big
mess which caused time and effort to clean up.
However, there are times when unexpected chaos breaks it’s way into our
lives with undesired consequences.
For example, do you remember Adam and Eve in Genesis
3? Yes, God had commanded them not to
eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis
2:16-17) They knew it was wrong, but they were tempted and they gave in to that
temptation. Yet, it was only a piece of
fruit. Do you think they knew their
disobedience would bring curses on the whole world? After this sin God cursed
the serpent. The woman and the serpent now have an eternally tense
relationship. Child-bearing now includes
pain. The relationship between husbands
and wives include power struggles. The
ground is cursed. Work is now a labor
that requires the sweat of our brow.
And, because of this one deed, God kept his word, and death has entered
our world. One piece of fruit, one act
of prideful rebellion and selfishness, and chaos exists everywhere. (Genesis 3)
Because of the sin in our world, because of our rebellion
against our Creator, our whole world is cursed.
We face mishaps, like my cleaning disaster. Misfortune, suffering, and death are
constantly attacking us, even if we plan ahead.
God did not wish these consequences. They are a natural result of our
sin and the sin in our world. We can
deal with our troubles, but we cannot overcome the cause of our trouble. I was again reminded that I need a helper, a
Savior, someone to see me through the curse.
I need hope instead of despair. I
need a way toward forgiveness of my sin.
God provides that Savior, that Redeemer, in Jesus. Consider 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. “17 Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new
has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us
to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is,
in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their
trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of
reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God
making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled
to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus took on our sin so that we might be
reconciled, so that we might be forgiven, so that we might have new lives here
and eternally. The surprising GOOD NEWS
is that we are ambassadors. We get to
share this new life in Jesus with others, in the midst of the catastrophic
chaos which they face!
I pray that, in the suffering and pain and problems of
your life, you know the reconciliation and the new life we have in Jesus. I also pray you share this love, this
reconciliation with others, even in the midst of their struggles.
A Child of God, Living in an EXPLOSION of Chaos Because
of Sin - Trusting my Redeemer!
Pastor Rockey
P.S. Here are some
pictures from my accident – AFTER I cleaned up. https://photos.app.goo.gl/MRfXpKXXTfREGMCz9
P.P.S. I have finished my service this year as
assistant to Pastor Chris Kollmann at First Lutheran Church, in Gainesville,
FL. However, there were a few events
last week worth sharing.
First Lutheran Activities
·
ADULT SUNDAY BIBLE CLASSES – I concluded
the Lutheran Hour Ministries
study of Christian citizenship, “We the People.”
·
Funeral Service for Julie Schilling – The
memorial service was held on Saturday, May 9, for long-time member, Julie
Schilling. Here are a few pictures from
the reception. https://photos.app.goo.gl/yJZjBTg957GunmWu9
· STEPHEN
MINISTRY – In worship on Sunday, May 10, Mother’s Day, we also commissioned
8 new Stephen Ministers. After much training these Christian Care – Givers will
be able to provide a listening ear, a word of faith, a prayer, and the presence
of love for those going through a difficult time. If you know someone who could use a Stephen
Minister, please contact Pastor Chris Kollmann. Here is a picture of the new
class. (Patty Holloway was missing as
she was on an anniversary cruise. She is also a trained Stephen Minister.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/MMrFaJfmNjRgarML6
· Sunday
School concludes on Mothers’ Day, May 10 for the summer.
Other Activities of Faith:
I have again started my two-year
journey with my Lord. On Tuesday, May 12, I read Joshua 10 and
11. As Israel begins to conquer the
Promised Land, in a battle, God causes the sun to stand still!
You may also contact me at
907-841-4066 if you have any questions about these readings. Or send an
e-mail question to jonrock53@mtaonline.net
I have received questions and comments about the readings. It is always
good to consider our Lord’s love and guidance. I will TRY to answer, but some
things only God knows!
P.P.S. Family Fun and Fishing!
·
Fishing – Brother-in-law, Mark Reaves,
and I went fishing on the Suwannee River on May 8, one last time before Kathy
and I return home to Alaska. We caught
about a dozen bass, but released them all.
Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/H6hbHfSWSmLdMEZX8
·
Even though Kathy and I planned to celebrate
Mother’s Day / BirthDAY on May 10 with a University of Florida baseball game,
we could not go. The time for the game
was changed last minute to 10:00 a.m., and I was preaching! I was invited to play golf with Roger and
Karen Natzke, and I shot my best game this year – an 83! Here is a picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qh2Z8XSNJT4Mg1MUA
·
A Snake! As we were cleaning and shutting up our
Gainesville residence to return to Alaska, Kathy was closing the windows on the
screen porch. She reached for the window
and looked and . . . right on the bush was a small black snake. (They are very
helpful.) We took this picture. https://photos.app.goo.gl/npFZAFQW2PHmhk4m8
*******
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 currently serve as Assistant to the 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
Assistant to the 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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