11-2-2026

Good Morning!

         2 Samuel 12:13; “David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

     In the early to mid-1970’s, there was a variety comedy show called “The Flip Wilson Show.”  He had many different characters that he would play in the sketches that they did.  One was when he would dress up as a woman, her name was Geraldine Jones.  She was flamboyant to say the least.  She would get into some sort of fix or trouble and her retort would always be, “the devil made me do it.”  If she was late getting home from a party, well the devil made me do it.  If she backed her car into somebody else’s, well the devil made me do it.

    It was kind of funny because for a while it was kind of a catch phrase for a lot of people.  In many ways it still is.  It is handy to say and it solves a lot of problems.  It also shows what is wrong in human society.  If something is wrong, it is not my fault.  The devil made me do it.  I had no control.  It was as if some force had taken control of my body and made me say those cruel things, made me steal those items, made me get drunk or high, after all, the devil made me do it.

    We like to blame the devil or anyone else for that matter.  It makes us the victim.  The victim is always the oppressed one who suffers at the hands of others.  The events that occur to a victim are beyond the control of the victim.  Someone who is robbed at gunpoint can do little to stop the perpetrator.  The victim is always at the mercy of circumstances and situations which are beyond his control.  He cannot stop it; he has no control; the devil made him do it.

    The problem with thinking we are the victim is that it is untrue.  The devil did not make me do it; I made a choice to sin.  I actively opted for sinning.  I decided which path to follow.  The devil may make suggestions but I choose the path.  Our answer is not what Geraldine Jones said, our answer is what David said, “I have sinned against the Lord.”  I did it, I made me do it not the devil.  My sin is my sin, I caused it, I did it.  It wasn’t someone else’s fault.  That other person didn’t make me sin, I sinned.  That other person didn’t make me do it, neither did the devil; I did it I chose to sin.  I chose because I am weak.  I chose because my sinful nature makes it impossible to choose otherwise.

    But God has mercy on us.  He says to us what Nathan said to David, “The Lord has put away your sin.”  God has taken your sin and forgives you.  This is the only way it will work.  We are too weak to fight it on our own, so God does it for us.  Now he gives us the power to say “no” to the devil.  Because of his grace the devil did not make me do it.  His grace will lead us away from sin if we follow.

Father of grace, I am before you as a broken sinner.  I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed.  But I find refuge in you and safety in your arms.  Protect and strengthen me from the devil’s attacks.  Be with those who are most vulnerable at this time.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,                                                          

Pastor Bret   

11-1-2026

Good Morning!

     John 15:4; “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

      There once was a branch on an apple tree.  It always produced the largest, sweetest apples on the tree.  The apples were always plentiful and easy to reach.  One day a group of moths landed on the branch and began speaking to the branch.  The moths told the branch how important he was.  They told him that the tree would be nothing without him.  No other branch produced as good of fruit as he did.  (Meanwhile, the moths laid their eggs on the branch where it was hooked to the tree.)

    The branch began to think that it was very important.  The moths were right, it thought.  None of the other branches produced near the fruit that this branch did.  Without him this tree would not produce much fruit at all.  (Meanwhile, the eggs had hatched and the larvae were beginning to eat through the bark.)

    So, the branch began to demand that the tree listen to what it wanted.  It wanted to choose what other branches were part of the tree.  It wanted to decide which type of apple it produced.  It demanded to produce apples when it felt like it.  It wanted to go its own way.  It began to think that it didn’t need the tree.  After all, its fruit was the best of the tree.  (Meanwhile, the larvae had burrowed most of the way through the branch.)

    Soon the branch didn’t want to be with the tree.  It even wondered if the tree could possibly survive without the branch being attached.  Then one day a storm came along.  The wind blew harder than ever.  The tree stood tall and the other branches waved in the wind.  But the branch that had the best apples snapped and fell to the ground.   No big deal thought the branch; now we will see who needs who. 

    Soon the leaves on the branch began to wilt.  The apples that were on the branch began to rot.  The branch dried up and soon was tossed in the fireplace to heat the house in the cold of winter.  Meanwhile, the tree stood tall and strong. 

    In the spring, many different branches began to produce large and sweet apples.  The tree stood tall and the apples were sweet and large on all the branches.  The tree really didn’t need the branch but the branch became ash without the tree.

    We are the branch.  God feeds and gives us the nourishment to produce fruit.  Think of all the great things that God has given you.  Think of the talents and skills you have; all are gifts from God.  Without God, we are but something to be thrown into the fire.  We need to be connected to God just as the branch needs the tree.  His love and grace are our only hope.

Dearest Father, without you we are lost.  All that we have is from you.  Through you do we produce all the fruit that we have.  All that we are, all that we receive, all that there is, is a gift from your benevolent hand.  Guard us with your Spirit.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

10-31-2026

Good Morning!

     John 11:6; “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

    “I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!”  This was the start of a song from “Alice in Wonderland.”  The White Rabbit was always running around and always lost or late getting somewhere.  Many of us have had that experience.  There are often times when we run late and feel tired and worn to a frazzle because of it.  We are late to an appointment, or late on a payment or late getting to work or school but have you ever been late on purpose?

    I remember talking to a school superintendent about a student that wanted to transfer to his school.  It seemed that the student had argued with a teacher more than was necessary.  It also seemed that the parents were on the side of the student.  The student was quite an athlete and the parents assumed that some school would want him really quickly.  The father let a message for the superintendent to call before one of the other schools did.  After the superintendent heard the phone message, he waited a few days to call the father back.  The father told him it was too late; they were already going to school “B;” the father didn’t see the superintendent’s smile over the phone.

    You may have been late but have you ever been intentionally late?  Have you ever delayed an action in order to avoid it all together?  Have you ever made a call too late to go to the dinner party you wanted to avoid?  Most of us have done it and it is probably rude to do so.  Yet we excuse ourselves by claiming we are sparing the feelings of those whom we avoid.  Yet sometimes the delay may be more painful than the truth or it may even cause further trouble.  That can be human nature but what about Jesus, why did he wait two days?

    Jesus knew Lazarus was sick, deathly sick.  He knew Lazarus would die.  Yet he waited two days before going to see him, why?  Was Jesus uncaring about Lazarus; no, because when Jesus was told Lazarus had died, he wept.  So, what was the purpose?  The purpose was so that God would be glorified.  Even though Martha and Mary had asked Jesus to come, he waited for a couple of days so that God would be glorified.

    This can give us some comfort when we feel at times that God isn’t listening.  Sometimes we pray but it seems that God isn’t listening.  God hears you and he answers you but, in his time, and in his way.  Sometimes what we ask isn’t always the best for us or according to his will.  We do not always understand God’s ways but we do know that He is a God of love and whose desire is for us to live with him in his kingdom; he has demonstrated this.  So even if he waits a couple of days, his grace is there.

Father of all grace and truth, sometimes when we come to you, we do not hear the answer we seek or in the time we seek it.  Give us the strength to wait; to wait in joyful expectation that your grace will see us through.  Be with those who are waiting and wondering now.  Comfort them and guide them.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

10-30-2026

Good Morning!

      Leviticus 19:32; “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.”

    It was a number of years ago that this verse first raised its head to me.  I was in high school and it was Thanksgiving.  Instead of the usual cousins and relatives, my parents invited over two of our neighbors.  One was an old widower whose wife I never knew even existed.  The other couple was an older childless couple.  I really didn’t have anything in common with these people other than being a neighbor a couple of generations removed.

   I figured I had football to watch.  I would eat my meal with them, say “please,” “thank you;” smile a lot and look interested like I was supposed to.  I would mind my manners but mostly bide my time.  That was the plan; but plans change.

    As we ate the Thanksgiving meal, the widower started to tell some of his life stories.  He was much more than a widower farmer.  He had been a teacher, an architect and did some construction.  He then told me something that I could not even imagined.  He helped to design and build our church.  He told of digging the basement and all the large rocks that were found and then reused in the actual walls.  He spoke of the bracing of the ceiling and asked me if I had ever walked on the “cat beam” in the ceiling.  This is a walk space that forms an attic in our church.  At that time, I had no idea it existed.

    We finished dinner; he kept talking and I kept listening.  I missed the football game but I gained so much more.  I gained knowledge, I gained insight but above all I began to understand what this verse means.  Our lives are about the relationships that we have because of God’s grace.  He places people in our lives who can enrich our lives and fill it with an appreciation of what God has done for his people in earlier times.  We can see God’s faithfulness even in the toughest of times.

    So it may be that great uncle or aunt who talks a little loud or repeats themselves often; it may be the lonely neighbor down the street; it might be anyone of a dozen people that God has place into your life that God calls us to respect.  That is really what the second table of the Ten Commandments are about; respect for others, respect for ourselves and respect for what God has given to us. 

    So, take the time to show respect for your elders, for those in your community to whom God has given the gift of long life.  God has blessed them and they deserve our respect and our honor.  Yet if you truly honor them and listen to them; they can enliven your life and enrich your knowledge and understanding of God’s riches.

God of grace, you bless our lives with many people in our midst.  Remind us of the grace that you have bestowed on others and how, through them, you bestow your grace upon us.  Guide us to receive these blessings as the enrichment of our lives.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,                  

Pastor Bret    

10-29-2026

 

Good Morning!

      Genesis 3:5; “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

     “Be all you can be” that was an advertising slogan for the army a few years ago.  It was to encourage the new enlisters to see the army as a way to accomplish their goals in life.  That is something that we encourage our children, and adults, to do.  Seek out our goals and try to accomplish them.  But this can be a dangerous time.  The young man or woman who dreams of being a professional athlete and uses steroids or other drugs to accomplish this is going the wrong way.  Sometimes a dream can go too far.

     We encourage people to “be their own man or woman” or we tell them, “you are the captain of your own life.”  We do this so people will be active agents in their lives and willing to take responsibility for their actions and willing to work for what they need and want.  There is nothing wrong with this; it is even worthwhile.  But sin puts a dark spin on this if we are not vigilant.

    When the devil tempted Eve, it wasn’t with gold or silver, or even with the sweet taste of a forbidden fruit.  The devil’s temptation was that Eve would be like God.  Eve could have even thought she might be greater than God and so the long-time battle within man’s heart began.  In a way it is interesting when we look at it, the age-old question; who sits on throne in your life, God, or you?

    Luther saw this as the crux of sin.  The First Commandment is first because it is the prime commandment.  When Luther wrote his catechism, he took a portion of the First Commandment from Exodus 20 and made it the close of the Commandments.  He did this by design.  All of the Commandments are in the First Commandment.  Who sits on the throne of your life, God, or you?  If it is God, you will honor his name and his worship.  You will honor your parents and not kill or commit adultery or lie about your neighbor.  If God is the God who occupies the throne of your life, these will be easily kept.  But when you place yourself on the throne, then selfish desires arise.  You see yourself as more important than God or your parents.  If others get in your way, get rid of them.  If you want something or someone, just take it any way you can.

    The age-old question, who sits on the throne of your life, God, or you?  God’s mercy calls you to see that God’s benevolence and love is far better than our own selfish desires.  God’s mercy calls for you to repent and see that God is truly the God of our life and through Him we have life.

God of grace, far too often we place our self on the throne of our life and when we do we destroy so many things, lives, relationships, your creation. Forgive us when we do this.  Keep us mindful that you are our king.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

10-28-2026

Good Morning!

        Genesis 1:28; “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

    It is a comment that gets made at many weddings, especially at the reception.  It is usually an uncle or great-uncle or a taunting brother-in-law.  One of them takes the bride aside and tells her, “Remember, be fruitful and multiply!”  The usual arching of the eyebrows a couple of times occurs.  Often times, the poor bride simply blushes as everyone around her giggles and laughs.  One time, the bride told the teasing brother-in-law to, “Keep up!”  That really caused a fit of laughter as the brother-in-law was embarrassed.

    Most of us know this verse, at least the “be fruitful and multiply part.”  We recognize this for what it is.  Marriage is about having babies.  It is about the continuation of the human race.  Now there may be some who choose not to have children or who may be unable to have children but by and large we see this to be about procreation.  We see this as the biological and physical portion of a marriage.  In this fashion it is true but it is also incomplete.  There is another part of marriage that is often overlooked, even by Christians, and that is the spiritual part.

    As we look at marriage, we can see that it is the fundamental building block of human society.  A man and a woman marry and form a new being, one flesh.  They then join in fellowship with others to form communities then nations.  Yet God used this basic building block to start the formation of people living in a community together.  In many ways, it is also the basic building block of the church.

    It is no small event that Jesus said, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of you.”  Two, a husband and a wife, are the basic building block of the church.  Those two are to go forth and spread the Gospel of Jesus; to multiply.  This is the spiritual part of marriage.  From here, the married couple are to be a witness to their faith for the glory of God.  “Go and make disciples;” “Preach the Gospel to all creatures.”  This is the directive to the Church but it applies to the most basic unit.  It applies to you and to me; it applies to us.

    Through the gift of marriage, we have another way of God’s glory being revealed in this world.  We see his grace in action in our lives.  The gift of marriage is a blessing to all, even those who are not married now.  It forms the unit through which society and the Church are built. 

Father of all grace, your mercies are new to us each day.  We thank you for the gift of marriage and the blessing that it gives to us.  Even though it is often hurt in this world of sin, it remains one of your great blessings.  Use those who are married to be your voice of grace as your Church grows.  Bless them with your Spirit and guard all marriages against the attacks of the devil.  Protect them in your loving arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

10-27-2026

Good Morning!

   Psalm 51:10; “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

      It is the little things in life; how often do we say this or think this?  Oh, the little things that mean so much.  I think for most of us this is very true.  A hot cup of coffee on a cold day can go a long way to a content heart.  The gentle voice of your spouse as you sit and listen to some music.  Listening to your children or grandchildren as they are sleeping.  Watching them read a book or playing a game.  The quiet times with friends can make life enjoyable and truly fun.  The little things in life are wonderful.

     Yet sometimes, it is the little things in life that cause us the most pain and problems.  The problem is that we all have those little sins in our life.  They are just little ones, nothing major.  Just small, nagging little sins.  Most of us have not really committed what we would consider “big sins.”  We have never murdered someone; we have never actually committed adultery.  We have never stolen anything of any real value but we have those nagging little sins.

     Sometimes, we don’t even think of them as sins.  We call them “peccadilloes;” or “character flaws; or “idiosyncrasies” but we never call them sins.  We have never committed murder but there are some people who we would like to move away, or some such problems beset them.  We make cruel and snide remarks but it is “just what I was told.”  We love the “good and juicy” gossip.  We still claim that we have no other gods before God but sometimes God just doesn’t fit into our busy schedule.  We have never committed adultery but a little looking and fantasizing is “natural” isn’t it?  And so, we let off a little steam when we are with our friends and complain about our spouse to them, we all need a release don’t we?

     Those little sins are so hard to let go of, aren’t they?  We like to hold them because we think they give us power and we think they don’t really matter in the greater scheme of things.  We may rationalize all of our actions, all of our little ways but the bottom line is that they are still sins.  They are sins and sins are what separate us from God.  Sin is what breaks our relationship with God.  Sin is what pollutes us and makes us unworthy of being in God’s presence.

    That is why David wrote this verse so many years ago.  As he looked at his life, he saw where he was at.  God had revealed to him the pain he was causing, to himself, to others and to how his relationship with God was broken.  David had lied, committed adultery and murder.  The pain and the agony of it came home to roost for him and he suffered for it.  Just like we suffer when we hold onto sin, whether it is sin that we are afraid to admit to or sin that we think is minor and harmless; sin destroys our relationship with God.

    Only God can restore and renew us.  He does this through the saving atonement of Jesus.  He does this through his love.  He uses the baptismal grace that he gives us for the daily washing of our sins away.  A clean heart, every day.  A right spirit, every day.  God’s gift to us because of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice.

Father, in you we have forgiveness because of Jesus.  Make us clean and right.  Give us your Spirit to guard us and protect us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret