6-13-2026

Good Morning!

              Matthew 17:5; “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

      One of the professors that I had in college had an interesting method of teaching.  While he lectured, he would stop and say a name or place or event twice.  If he said it twice, you made a note of it as something to make sure you knew what it meant or why it was important.  If he would stop, say the name twice and then spell it; you knew it must be important.  Yet if he stopped, say it twice, and then spell it out while writing it on the board; well, you knew that it was going to be on the test and you had better know exactly what it was that he wanted you to write about it.  When he would write it on the board, it was the equivalent of him saying, “Pay attention and don’t forget this; this is important!”

    Our verse is the equivalent of God telling you, “Pay attention and don’t forget this; this is important!”   Just in case there was any confusion as to who was speaking and if what he as saying was important; God the Father makes it totally clear.  “This is my beloved Son…listen to him!”  It doesn’t get much clearer than this.  It was clear to the disciples who heard it; they fell on their faces terrified of what they had just heard.  Yet when they looked up, they only saw Jesus.

    That is what we need to do; look up and only see Jesus.  We can look to what he says, what he does and what he wants of us and for us as God’s truth.  We can rest assured of his promises of grace and hope.  We can know with full confidence that he is doing what he said he would do.  He is at the throne of God interceding for us, praying to the Father on our behalf.  He is ruling from his throne at the right hand of God, putting all powers under his feet so that every knee will bow before him.  He is expanding his kingdom so that all those who call upon his name will be saved.  With all this power at work for us, we cannot lose.

    Yet even greater than this power is the love which Christ has for us.  His steadfast love and mercy never fail us.  He continues to walk with us and to guide us by the Spirit.  We are never left to face the assaults and attacks of the devil on our own.  We can always find our comfort in his words of grace.  We can always go to him with our cries and our fears and he will hear us.  He is our rock and our fortress.

   After all this there waits for us the reward of life eternal with him in the restores creation.  It waits for us with its promise of a perfect and restored creation for us and for all who believe.  It is fast approaching, and with it, the end of pain and sorrow, of suffering and death; these will be gone.  Our hope is secure.  “Listen to Him.”

Father in heaven, open our ears that we may listen to your Son and to know him as the true Savior.  Strengthen our faith and empower our hearts that we might cling to you.  Be with those who do not hear that they may come to know your grace, mercy, and truth.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

6-12-2026

Good Morning!

    John 10:29; “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

    A young child was walking with his father down a slippery path.    His father looked down at him and told him to hold onto the father’s hand.  The young child looked up and said, “No Dad, you hold my hand in case I fall; I might lose my grip.  You should take hold of my hand because you won’t let go.” 

    This is why it is so wonderful that we are held in the Father’s hand; he won’t let go and no one can steal us out of his hand.  God holds onto me and not the other way around.  How many times have you tried to get a child to take your hand and then, when something more interesting comes along, they let go and walk away?  Or how many times have you tried to hold their hand only to have them pull away because they thought they didn’t need your hand?  Have you ever had a child let go of your hand and run away in fear?  A child holding on isn’t a very strong hold but when the parent holds on it is much stronger.

    So even during those times of our lives when we thought we knew all the answers and didn’t really need God; he continued to hold us in his hand and protects us.  Even if we rebel, he holds onto us calling us back to his gracious truth.  He holds us as a parent holds onto the wandering child.

     Yet, perhaps even more comforting, God continues to hold us when we let go because we are afraid.  Many of us have been, or are, at a place where we know only fear.  We feel like we are standing on the edge of a deep gorge and it is slippery and maybe even windy.  It seems like it is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to keep standing.  We can feel like we are ready to fall at any second and we stand in fear.  We may be struggling with the issues of our parents as they get older.  We may be struggling with issues of our children who fail to see a need for the church or faith.  Maybe we are struggling to try to hold onto our faith as it is daily attacked.  There are many issues and events in this world that cause us to fear slipping and falling down and if we were on our own, we would.  But we are not alone.

   God is holding you in his hand and he has promised to not let go.  It is not our strength or courage that keeps us safe but it is entirely God’s love for us.  So, if you feel like you just can’t make it one more step; let God carry you, he has been all along.  Trust in his grace and mercy to care for you to protect you and to keep you safe. 

Father of all love, too often I let go.  I fail to trust in your mercy and I let go.  Thank you for not letting go of me.  Thank you for keeping me safe from the devil’s attacks.  Help me to find comfort in your loving arms.  Give me the peace that the world cannot give or understand.  Help my brothers and sisters who are struggling at this time.  Let your mercy pour over them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret            

 

6-11-2026

Good Morning!

       1 John 4:8; “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

      It is generally assumed that, when it comes to men and women, there is a vast difference in the traits that each look for in a spouse.  So, it came somewhat as a surprise that of the top twenty traits that we look for in a spouse, seventeen of them were the same.  Some were at different levels by a line or two but otherwise, they were pretty much identical.  Women listed their top three traits as warm, reliable and fair while men listed reliable, warm, and fair.  The only differences were that women wanted their men to be lenient, flexible, and generous while men wanted their women to be even-tempered, creative, and practical.  Beyond this we tend to look for similar traits.

    This really shouldn’t surprise us as most studies show that, deep down, we want a spouse who is similar to us in our values, dreams, beliefs, and expectations.  This almost always is the way it goes.  Sometimes we think a couple is very different but when the core traits are studied, they tend to be as similar as any other happy couple.  We look for the right traits.

    Yet what is the greatest trait that we see in God.  Some would say it is his power and majesty; that the most important trait of God is his sovereignty.  God is God and there is none other and that is what matters.  Some say that it is the fact that God is eternal.  He always was and always will be.  Some will claim that this fact can give us comfort that God will always be so; nothing will ever change.  Some claim that it is God’s holy righteousness that is the most important trait.  Everything will be “right” at some point in time.     

    Scriptures tell us a different story.  Scriptures so us that the most important trait of God is love.  God is by nature a loving God.  It is this nature that moved God to send Jesus to be our Savior.  It is his loving nature that causes God to redeem us and not wipe us out and start over.  It is this loving nature that moves God to have compassion on us.  It is the loving God who holds us close to his heart and who leans his ear towards us.  It is God’s love that causes him to continually reach out to us as a loving father calling us back into his holy family. 

   It is God’s loving nature that moves him to send us his spirit of comfort when we are in need of his comfort.  It is God’s loving nature that moves him to never abandon you.  Abandoning you may be the right thing to do; it may be the just thing to do; but God does the loving thing and he redeems and saves you to be his child.  It is God’s loving nature that moves him to let nothing separate you from his love. 

Father of all love, you sent Jesus to die for me.  There is no greater love.  Guard me by your Spirit that I may always remember your grace and mercy.  Move me to show this same type of love to those around me, especially those who need it the most.  Help me to see that those who need it may not always return it.  Bring all to the knowledge of your saving Gospel.  Give those who are hurting and lost in their journey of life the comfort of your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

6-10-2026

Good Morning!

             1 Peter 3:21; “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

       It must have been quite the event to watch.  It was the formal claiming by the explorer for the king or queen who funded them.  At first a landing party would have set foot on the land and searched to make sure it was safe.  Once it was determined to be safe, the lead explorer would take the skiff boat ashore with the flag of the nation that he was sailing for.  He would take the flag, attached to a long iron shaft and the drive the shaft into the ground.  He would then proclaim, “I claim this land in the name of King whatever!”  This was how the European kingdoms claimed land throughout the new world.

     During the great land rushes, the settlers would ride their horses, wagons or just run to the land that they wanted.  They would place flags or strips of cloth on the perimeter of the land and then claim it as their new home.  The marking of the land as claimed by someone gave ownership of the land.

    This is what we can think of when we think of Baptism.   This is part of what we are doing when, during the Baptism, the pastor makes the sign of the cross on the forehead and on the heart of the person being baptized.   As he does this, the pastor says receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.  You are marked, claimed by Jesus as his own child.  Nothing will ever separate you from Him because he has claimed you and nothing can ever pull you from his hand.

    This is what we call the baptismal promise and that we live in God’s baptismal grace.  We only need to recall this promise; we are claimed by Christ the crucified.  Regardless of the failures of our life, that promise is always there, that promise never leaves.  The promise made to us in our Baptism is entirely dependent upon God and his mercy.  It is a promise that he makes to each one of us who is baptized.  Forgiveness of sins and our salvation to eternal life are promised mercies.  Neither depends upon us but rather depend entirely upon God.

     So, we can always come back to the certainty of God’s promised mercy, the forgiveness of sins, because of the simple promise that God made to us in our Baptism.  We are God’s baptized children forever his forever saved.  So, no matter what we face, no matter what comes our way, we always have God’s promise.  We can always trust in God to keep his promise made to us in our Baptism; we are marked as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.

Father of all grace, through the mercy of Baptism we are your redeemed children.  You have made us yours and keep us safe within your loving arms.  Help us to remember the wonders of your grace.  Keep us secure in the knowledge of our salvation.  Be with those who are hurting at this time.  Remind them of the promise that you have made to them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

6-9-2026

Good Morning!

    Ephesians 4:31; “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”

      A man was camping in the woods in the Black Hills.  As he went to go through the stream, he was bitten by a rattlesnake.  They rushed him to the hospital where the anti-venom was administered.  As he was leaving the hospital, he asked the doctor if the bite was truly deadly.  The doctor told him, “No, the bite is not deadly it is the venom that the bite leaves.  That is what really kills you.” 

    That is true in our life as well.  It is never the “bite” that really does the harm.  In our life it is never the cruel word that is said about us that kills us.  It is not the slight against us.  It is not the cruel action against us.  It is not the way that others mistreat us.  These things do not kill us.  They hurt us; they hurt us a lot but they do not kill us.

    What will kill you is the “venom” that these acts leave in us.  The bitterness, the anger, and the hatred that we feel toward others is what kills us.  It is the residual that we carry in our heart that truly destroys us and it destroys us from within and not from without.  It is the anger that we cling to; it is the bitterness that we keep hold of that causes us to suffer and die. 

     This is why Jesus tells us over and over, throughout the entire of Scriptures not to hold onto the hurt that others cause us.  This is part of why he tells us to forgive those who sin against us.  As long as we hold onto the pain they caused us, the bitterness and the “venom” grows within us and poisons us to death.  This poison separates us from God’s family as we stand on the outside looking in.  As we hold onto the wrath we feel, the devil leads us down the path that leads to sin which leads to our death.  The bitterness we hold onto and allow to fester and to consume us eventually will destroy us.

    So, Jesus tells us to let it go.  Let go of the bitterness and the anger.  Throw the pain away and cling to God’s hope.  It may take some time.  It might take many times of throwing away the anger and the bitterness before it is finally all gone but we must keep throwing it away.  As long as the venom is in us, as long as the bitterness remains, we are susceptible to the revenge mode that the devil tries to entice us into.  Sin remains crouching at our door.  Jealousy, pettiness, greed, and the like all grow from the poison of resentment and bitterness.  As long as these remain festering in our system, we are separating ourselves from God.  So let the bitterness go; let the anger subside and grab onto the incredible promise of God’s mercy actively growing in our lives to be the beacon we desire.  Focus on the good things; focus on God’s grace.

Father of all grace and truth, lead us to release from our body the poison of anger, resentment, bitterness, and malice.  Guide us by your Spirit to walk the path of your righteousness.  Lead into all truth and in all truth into all mercy.  Move us to show the same mercy to others that you have shown to us.  Free those who are holding onto their bitterness.  Release them that they may know your peace.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

6-8-2026

Good Morning!

    2 Corinthians 7:10; “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

        Frank Sinatra sang it; Elvis Presley sang it; Paul Anka sang it; and there are many more but they are the “biggies.”  Paul Anka actually adapted the song from a French song and wrote it especially for Frank Sinatra.  It is titled “My Way.”  The song is about exactly what it says, a man tells of living his life and doing this his way.  It has a line that I always like; “regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again too few to mention.”  This is the basic goal of this singer; to have no regrets in the life that he lived.  Do you live a life of no regrets or do you “have a few”?

     Regret can lead to a despair that can cause us to feel that God’s grace is not sufficient.  We look and think that our life could have been so much better “if only.”  “If only” I had bought that land or not bought that land.  “If only” I would have taken that job or married the “other one;” if only life was different.  We often want it to be different because we believe it would have been better; no one wants a different life that would have been worse.  Yet when we live with regrets; the regrets always assume that life could have been, would have been and should have been far better than our life truly is.

    Our verse is telling us that godly grief (regret) for sins we commit leads us to a repentance where we leave the sin behind and look forward to living in God’s grace.  This type of regret is the type that causes our conscience to see the wrong we have done, to see the pain that we inflict.  This should produce the penitent heart which releases the sin and strives to live a more godly life.  It is the worldly grief (regret) that leads to doubt and pain.  It is the worldly grief that leads to the regret that causes us to think that our life should have been better, that God somehow shortchanged us.

    Once we start down that path, there is only pain to come about.  This is a situation that will only cause us to hurt as we question God, his grace, and the sufficiency of that grace.  The Apostle Paul is telling us to stay away from this line of thinking; it will only hurt.

    Rather, we are encouraged to look at the blessings that God bestows on us every day.  He gives us life and breath and above all; he gives us the forgiveness of sins and the hope of life eternal.  He blesses our life because of his mercy in all of our life regardless of the situation that we find ourselves in.  God’s love for us does not depend on the choices you make; God’s love depends upon God and his nature.  We have no need to have the worldly regrets because different options would not make God love us more than He already does.  There is no greater love than that of God, so regrets we really have none.

Father of all grace, lead us to have no regrets.  Lead us to see that your incredible grace for us is beyond anything that we can comprehend.  Lead us to rejoice in your mercy.  Be with those who feel that they regret so much of life.  Help them to see the grace in their life and know that they are safe within your wondrous loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

6-7-2026

Good Morning!

    Jeremiah 2:13; “My people have done two things wrong.  They have abandoned me, the fountain of life-giving water.  They have also dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that can’t hold water.”

    I remember reading a sign at a repair shop.  It said that labor was $50 per hour, $60 per hour if you watched them fix, $75 per hour if you offered advice and $125 per hour if you tried to fix it first.  This repairman had tried to repair too many of someone else’s “fixes.”  Why do we insist on fixing things on our own?  Usually, we think we can do as good a job, or better, then the man who is trained in this task.  We may want to save a little money or time but in the end we do neither.

    Our verse speaks to people trying to fix their own problems.  In this verse God is speaking to his prophet Jeremiah and telling him what his people (Israel) had done wrong.  First, they left the true God then they made their own false gods and lost everything.  So, what made them do this? The same reason we do it; sin causes us to do things that always end badly.

    What leads us to abandon God?  Sometimes it is fear.  We look at the world and the events as they occur and we wonder how God can possibly resolve the problem at hand.  Often when we look at the size of our problems instead of the size of our God; we tend to see fear.  When we look at the size of the wave instead of the size of the master’s hand, fear can rule our hearts.  Fear can cause us to seek our own strength, to dig our own wells (cisterns), that is to seek our own path and soon we find that our path is disastrous.   

    Sometimes it is the lack of patience.  We think that God doesn’t move fast enough.  So, we think we can fix it fast and better than God is willing to provide.  So, we follow our own path, dig our own cisterns, rather than trust the true God to provide for us the true life-giving water. 

    Sometimes it is because we think that our way is better and faster.  This might come from the idea that someone is “ahead” of us.  We might be jealous of those around us.  Our selfish greed leads us down a path that only hurts us.  Instead of the life-giving water, we have dug a worthless cistern that only holds our false beliefs.  This cistern will always fail; it will crumble when the stresses of struggles arrive.  Only when we rely on God’s strength and love can we withstand the assaults of the devil. 

    God gives us the power to withstand the devil’s attacks.  He strengthens us so that the battles of this world will not defeat us.  Yet we must have faith in him and his grace.  We cannot go after our own selfish or foolish path.  We cannot dig our own cistern and expect to find God’s life-giving water.  This wonderful gift only comes from God the true source of all that is good.

Gracious God, you are our only source of hope.  Keep us from straying or looking to our selfishness as our guide.  Keep us firm in your gracious and loving arms.  Be with those who have found that the cisterns they have dug and now are empty of hope may hear your words of comfort and forgiveness.  Redeem them by your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret