5-31-2026

Good Morning!

                Psalm 121: 1-2; “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

      I watched a movie about a group of people who were traveling through a jungle.  Along the way, they were attacked by natives.  They would run a little and then hide.  They would run a little more and then hide a little more.  They went this way and that way and they kept saying over and over how they were lost.  About halfway through the movie, they decided that one of them would try and go look for help.  They drew straws and the short straw guy took off for help.  The rest of the movie was waiting for him to get help before the natives found them and killed them.  I could never figure out how that guy knew which to go for help.  He didn’t have a compass or a map.  He just took off and found help.  I guess that is why he was the star of the movie.

    So how do you know where to look for help?  In my western movies, the cavalry always comes over the hill at just the last second.  Of course, everything works out in the movies but what about real life?  Where do you look for help?  There are many times when we are like the guy who just took off and went looking for help.  In the movie it worked, in the real world, not so much.  If we were to take off like that, we would soon be very lost or worse, caught by our enemies. 

    Yet some look for help from the strangest places.  It is interesting how many people will believe anything that appears on the internet.  If you go to a bookstore, or maybe Amazon.com, you can find thousands of self-help books.  Unfortunately, they don’t work so well; maybe that is why there are thousands of them.  Where do you look for help?  Some try to use drugs or alcohol to “bring enlightenment.”  Yet this always leads to pain and sorrow.  It is never a good place to look for help’ so where do we look?

    The psalmist tells us to look to God, the One who made heaven and earth.  That is to be your standard.  Is the help that I am seeking coming from the maker of heaven and earth?  If the answer is “yes;” then go forward.  If the answer is “no;” then you might want to think again.  It is only the true God who can ever provide any hope or help. It is only through Him that we have salvation; anything else is a false hope, a false direction and will lead to your destruction.  So, look to God for your help; look to God for your salvation.

Father of all goodness, we look to you as our only hope and you give us comfort and hope.  In you alone do we find peace.  Guard and protect us from all harm and danger.  Find those who are searching on their own and finding nothing.  Bring them safely back into your loving kingdom.  Lead them to the quiet still waters of your mercy.  Give them the consolation which they seek. Protect our service men and women, especially those in harm’s way. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

5-30-2026

Good Morning!

       2 Corinthians 7:6; “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”

        It is always interesting to listen to people who have just been through a struggle in their life.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a health scare, family struggles, or even death.  Most of them are very thankful to me for “being there.”  “I don’t think I could have made it without you.”  “You were such a great help.”  “Your words were comforting.”  These are phrases that can go right to a preacher’s head.  Except that deep down, they are really terrifying.  Because if you think that these people really need you, you begin to weigh down a lot.  This is where our verse comes in and helps.

    It is important to remember that it is God who gives the comfort.  In our verse, Paul mentions that God’s comfort takes the form of Titus.  Yet it could have been Silas, or Timothy, or Luke or anyone else because God would have seen to the comforting of Paul.  The same is true today.  God may use me to deliver his comfort but he could and would use anyone to bring the comfort and the consolation to his people.  God speaks so that you may be comforted.  Who God uses as the physical hands, arms and mouth is up to him.  This has a couple of implications for us.

    When we are Paul, when we need to be comforted or encouraged; God will send someone.  It might be your pastor or a family member or a neighbor or a good friend; but God will send them.  So be prepared to receive those saints into your life.  Hear God through them.  Be comforted by their presence, their words, and their prayers.  Listen as you can hear God’s Words of comfort.  This is how God works in our lives.  He uses the church (all believers) to bring us comfort and hope.  This is part of “bear one another’s burdens.”

    Yet sometimes, you are Titus.  You are the one who brings comfort.  It can take many forms.  It might be a short visit.  It might be to take them to the doctor.  It might be to watch the children as they do something else.  It might be a meal shared.  It takes many forms because each of us has a different skill, talent, and comfort level.  You may not feel comfortable speaking but you can listen.  You really only have to be there for them.  Most of the time, people just need someone to listen to them and to be there with them.  They need someone to pray for them and to pray with them.  When God calls you to do this, be like Titus knowing that God will go with you and aid you in your task.

Father of all comfort, we come before you praying for all those who are downcast.  Lift their spirits up that they may see your wondrous love at work in their lives.  Too often we look down at the pain instead of up to you in glory.  Keep us safe from all harm.  Move us to serve as Titus when our brothers and sisters need us.  Lead us to receive like Paul when our hearts are heavy.  Lead us to bear one another’s burdens.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-29-26

Good Morning!

               Numbers 11:31; “Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.”

      I was talking to a friend the other day.  He is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.  He will do anything to help you out.  Yet he is one of those guys who never seem to catch a break in life.  He farms, but not the best land around.  It seems he gets hailed on a lot of the time.  His equipment isn’t the newest around.  His wife isn’t the healthiest person so she visits the doctor quite often.  He works hard but doesn’t seem to get ahead.  Yet despite all this, he is content.  He will tell you about the beauty of a sunrise or the miracle of the birth of a new calf.  His faith is strong.  He will tell you that God is bigger than any problem he has so he can sleep knowing things are under control.

    So, do you think that God is bigger than any problem that you have?  It is a more difficult thing to think about.  If you and your spouse are struggling to find the love for each other and it feels like your partner has thrown in the towel, is God bigger than that?  If your health or the health of a loved one is beginning to wane, is God bigger than that?  As we watch the news and see all the hatred and distrust, is God really bigger than that?

    Our verse is about a time in Israel’s history when many questioned God’s ability and judgment.  They questioned why God brought them out of Egypt just to die in the desert.  They had all witnessed the miraculous rescue from Pharaoh’s army and now they questioned God.  So, God gave them a sign or maybe even a sign and a half.  Within the Hebrew tradition, a “day’s journey” was about 15-20 miles.  So, the camp is surrounded by quail, there for the picking, over an area that is over 700 square miles and over those 700 square miles the quail are three feet deep.  In a few verses after this, we are told that everyone who gathered picked up 10 homers of quail.  A homer is about the size of a fifty-gallon barrel. 

    The people of Israel questioned whether God could feed them, so God fed them in an amazing fashion.  God was far bigger than their problems and he is bigger than any of our problems as well.  We may not see it, feel it, or even fully believe it; but God is bigger than any problem that we have.  So, he gives us the power and the courage to face the battles head on; knowing that God will not let these battles destroy us or his love for us.  God is bigger.  His love for you spans farther than the east is from the west.  God is bigger. His comfort for you, his grace for you is beyond any measure.  God is bigger and he is bigger so that you may have life.  He is bigger so we have hope.  So, we face the challenges knowing that, when all is said and done, God is faithful to us and to his promises.  His grace will never fail.

Father, we give you thanks for the grace you give to us.  You are our rock and our place of refuge.  Be with those who are battling at this time.  Give them hope for a better day and comfort in their struggle now.  Guard and protect them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

5-28-2026

Good Morning!

       Colossians 1:22; “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him”

    What would happen if you fell down and broke your arm? For most of us, we would go to the hospital. We would go to the x-ray and then after they found the break, we would go to the doctor and have him put us in a splint or put a cast on it. We would take our time and then let it heal until it was strong enough to use again. You would take the time to heal.

    We would never think about leaving a broken arm or a broken leg unattended to. We would never think that it doesn’t matter. We would never leave it broken so every time we bumped it, we would feel the pain all over again. Every little twist or bump, whether intentional or accidental, would cause us pain and maybe even cause us to remember how we broke our arm or leg. We would not let it go untreated; we would do what it takes to make it heal. So why don’t we try to heal our relationships as well?

    Jesus came into this world to bring an end to the wall of separation that existed between man and God. By offering his body as a sacrifice, he reconciled us back to God. Because of his sacrifice, we can stand before God whole, holy and blameless. We are before him as his dear children. The brokenness of the sin which separated us from God has been healed. It is by his grace and mercy that we can come to him in all boldness and approach his throne as children approach their parents.

    Since God has healed our pain and our brokenness; since he has made us whole; He gives us the power to heal the brokenness in our relationships with our brothers and sisters. Just as he heals us to stand before him in a loving relationship; he empowers us to heal the relationships with those around us. The brokenness, all the pain that occurs because we fail to heal the break, can be healed. This is done best by focusing on the forgiveness that is ours through Jesus. Since we are forgiven, we need to look at all of our relationships through the lens of our forgiveness. Since we are forgiven and are forgiven so much; we have the power in our hands to forgive those around us, we just need to have the desire in our heart.

   We have been given the power to change the desire of our heart from selfishness to loving. We have been given the opportunity to desire the love of God to pour through us. This is what God desires for us, to live our life in the fellowship of each other. God desire is for all of us to live in peace together. By forgiving our sins, he enables us to forgive our brother.

Father of all goodness, your mercies are new to us each day. They roll over us like a river. Through your gift of redemption, you have brought us back to be your children. Enable, empower, and encourage us to rebuild the relationships with our brothers and sisters. Be with those who are struggling at this time. Be with those who are broken and distraught. Heal them with your Spirit. In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,           

Pastor Bret

5-27-2026

Good Morning!

     Romans 7:18; “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

        After every visit to my doctor, I try to exercise and lose weight. I know what I have to do: watch what I eat cut down on sugars and fats, exercise more and drink more water. Yet I really like “Special K Bars.”  Now I know that one bar is at least 2 hours on the tread mill, but I follow all the classic denials. I can try to justify the action; for example, I can eat them on the weekend as a reward for not eating them during the week. I can try to offset the action; for example, I will spend more time on the tread mill for each one. The final one is to hide the fact that I eat them and then deny, deny, deny that I ever ate them. I know what is right, but it is hard to do what I should.

    The technical name for this is called “cognitive dissonance.”  It is when we hold two contradictory thoughts at the same time. As a Christian I know I should forgive you but the sinful nature in me wants to punch you. So, I struggle. I have a friction in my heart and in my mind. I know what God’s desire and what God’s law says. I know I should keep it because of God’s great love for me and why would we hurt someone who loves us? Yet I desire revenge, I lust, I am greedy, I gossip, I judge the actions of others harshly, I really don’t want to give someone else what I worked hard for. Both are at work, the devil on the left shoulder and the angel on the right.

    Theologians call this existence “simul justus et peccator.”  We are, at the exact same time, justified saints and we are sinners. The sinful nature still rears its ugly head in our life. Sometimes, we can fend it off and sometimes we can’t. We will always fight it. We will battle it until we die or until Christ returns. The struggle will always be there.

    The unbeliever doesn’t have this trouble. The unbeliever doesn’t think about what their faith says to them. The unbeliever only worries about self-preservation and his own self-interest. It is only the believer who struggles because we know what is right, we even desire to do what is right but there are times when we fail. So, we struggle, we battle and we win some and lose some but through it all we are forgiven by God because of Jesus.

    We all have this battle; you are not alone in your battle. Yet while this struggle occurs in all believers; Christ continues to forgive us and to renew us. His Spirit continues to remind us of what is right, what is proper and what is according to God’s will. His desire is that we do his will because that is how the world was designed to run smoothly and peacefully. Through it all God is with us. His love and forgiveness will always be with us to give us power to withstand and to pick us up when we fail.

Father of all mercy, your Spirit guides me and shows me what is right, yet I often fail. Give me the strength to withstand the temptations of this world. Lead me to overcome this world’s deceits. Lead me to know your truth. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

5-26-2026

Good Morning!

     Hebrews 11:17; “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.”

      “By faith” that is the theme of this great chapter in Hebrews; some call it the “Hall of Faith.”  It lists many of the “greats” who we all look to as inspiration in the Bible. We look to these people as the greats, the stalwarts of faith. Yet if we look at them truly closely, we see that they are really human, just like us.

     Abraham led a life that was filled with questioning doubts at times. Even though he had God’s promises, Abraham often struggled with God’s truth. Along the way there were many times when Abraham doubted God’s assurances. He hid his wife Sarah twice by calling her his sister rather than his wife. He thought he was getting too old to have a child with his wife Sarah, so they “borrowed” Sarah’s slave girl and used her to produce a child. Abraham would hear God’s promises but would sometimes wonder.

    We do that much of the time; don’t we? We have heard God’s promises to us, yet we wonder sometimes how it can ever work out. We may wonder what God can possibly have in store for us when our spouse turns cold or our children turn angry and belligerent. We wonder what good comes from our health going bad or our memory failing. We wonder sometimes what it all means. Sometimes it means that God is showing us faith.

      Sometimes we claim faith, but do we have true faith? We have the security of our job, the security of our wealth, the security of our family, so we are safe and secure. Yet what happens if these are slowly stripped away? What do we truly rely on then? We may find that we place too much of our trust in the wrong things and sometimes, God strips those away so we can find our true faith. Sometimes, he removes the crutches that we rely on to show us that our true hope is not found in them. Sometimes he slowly removes them to show us the truth. Sometimes, this process can be incredibly painful. It might be physical pain or emotional or spiritual, but it is pain.

    So, God peels away the false hopes and reveals to us the only true hope that we have and that is God’s own grace. That is what Abraham was left with when he held the knife over Isaac. God had promised to use Abraham’s son to build a great nation and yet God wanted him to sacrifice him. We can only imagine what went through Abraham’s mind at that time, but we know that whatever it was; it settled on faith and trusting God. There are times in our life just like that and we too can only trust in God’s faithful promise to be with us, to guard us and to defend us through it all.

Gracious Lord, all we have is you. You are our only hope; our only stay. Strengthen us that we might not be moved from this certainty. Be with those who are struggling with the challenges of life and lead them to focus their eyes and their hope only on you. In your precious name, O Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

5-25-2026

Good Morning!

     Psalm 23:6; “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

      It is interesting to watch how a true shepherd works with his flock.  The shepherd is up in front of the flock.  He is looking for good grass and fresh still water for the sheep to eat and drink.  He keeps an eye out for predators.  He calls the flock to follow him.  He calls each sheep by name and they respond to him.  They follow him to the fresh water and grass.  They follow him to the safe place to rest; usually.  There are always a few stragglers.  So how does the shepherd lead the flock and keep the stragglers and the wanderers from getting lost?  He uses sheep dogs.

     These are very highly trained animals, and they serve a very important purpose.  They keep the sheep in the flock.  They keep them moving along.  They keep them from losing sight of the flock and being lost.  The sheep dogs literally hound the sheep to keep them in the sight of the shepherd so that they are always safe and can hear the voice of the shepherd and be in the fresh grass and water and rest in the safe place.

    We often read this verse as some sort of a lazy day stroll.  “Goodness and mercy shall follow me” sounds like a carefree meandering.  Yet when we look at the original language, “follow” actually means to chase or pursue; almost to the point of hunting.  So rather than see this as a leisurely strolling, we should read this more like goodness and mercy are chasing us or hounding us.  We can see that goodness and mercy are Jesus’ sheep dogs.  They keep us up to the flock. They don’t let us get lost or distracted and if we do; they bring us back.  They chase us back to the flock and under the care of the shepherd.

   God uses his goodness, his grace, and his mercy to remind us of his great love for us.  He uses his love to remind us that he cares for us.  He calls us by our name, our own name, in gentleness to live in the safety of his precious, blood bought flock.  Even as we stray, he continues to call us, and he moves us forward with his goodness and mercy to bring us home.  He restores us with his blessed bread and wine.  He uses his Word to comfort us and to give us hope.  It is in this hope, this certainty of our salvation, that he brings us peace; the safe resting place under his watchful eye and protective arm.  We are his flock, brought in by the loving grace that he bestows upon us through our baptism. 

    So, as you graze in the glorious pasture of God’s immeasurable peace.  Rely on his wonderful love to sustain you.  Remember that his sheep dogs, goodness and mercy, will always be there to return you to the flock to remind you of his great loving kindness for you.  Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Gracious Father, you keep me in your flock by your grace and mercy.  Hold us close to you.  Keep us safe in your loving arms.  Be with those who have strayed and bring them safely home.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret