4-7-2026

Good Morning!

     Luke 19:42; “(Jesus said) “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”

     “If I had only known.”  How many times have you said that?  How many times have you heard that said? “Oh, if I would have only known that my mom was going to die, I would have visited her more.”  “If I had only known that this was the last time I would talk to him, I would have said something different.”  If I had only known.

    We place a lot of value on knowing something.  We think that if we know what is going to happen that somehow, we will be better prepared and that we will make better decisions.  This sounds really good in theory but not so good in practice.  Because we rarely know what is going on and we are even less likely to have a good plan in place.  Even if we see all the “signs” we are still unprepared for what will happen.

    In our verse, Jesus is lamenting over Jerusalem, and all the Jews, because they have missed the signs.  All that Jesus did while he walked the earth pointed to the fact that he was the promised Messiah.  Yet they didn’t see the signs but even now, as Jesus waits to be arrested and crucified, if the Jews would have repented, Jesus would have forgiven them.  If they only would have known and realized who Jesus really was, they would have been saved and they would have had peace.  But they didn’t know and these things were hidden from their eyes.  They failed to see because they didn’t have faith. 

     There are many times that we fail to have peace because we do not see the truth.  Too often, we want to create our own truth.  Instead of receiving the Gospel’s life changing joy, we seek to change the Gospel so that it “fits” us.  We take God’s truth and then twist it’s meaning to fit our own personal needs and agenda.  Soon, we have tried to “fix” or “improve” the sweetness of the Gospel that its truth is hidden from our eyes and we begin to call sin, “alternate choices” or “enlightened knowledge” or some other pet name. 

    Yet we only have true peace when we see that God’s pure truth is active in our lives.  God’s love for us is real as is the love that God wants us to have for all others.  Yet sin separates us from God and it blinds us to his most gracious and wonderful love.  So, we need to see God’s truth and repent of our sins.  We need to turn away from selfishness and self-centeredness and be humble before him.  We need to listen to God’s Word and to know it as true.  When we do this, we see what God reveals to us, his love and mercy.  So, trust in God’s Word; it is never too late to repent and receive the comfort of our forgiveness and salvation.

Gracious Father, in your wonderful mercy we have life.  Keep our eyes open to the truth of your wonderful grace.  Keep us steadfast in your loving arms.  Be with those who are struggling and do not see you.  Help them to see that it is never too late to hear your voice and come into your marvelous light.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

4-6-2026

Good Morning!

     1 Corinthians 13:13; “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

     Love seems to always be the answer.  The Beatles sang that, “All you need is love.”  The Andrews Sisters sang “I wanna be loved;” Elvis wanted to someone to “love me tender.”  The Righteous Brothers lost that loving feeling.  We speak an awful lot about love, in and out of our faith.  Out of our faith, the word can mean about anything from people to pizza we “love it” but what about our faith and what does Paul mean when he says the greatest of these is love?  How can love be greater than hope or faith?

   As Paul addresses this statement, we can read it in two ways; one way is temporal and one way is eternal.  The temporal understanding is about our earthly relationships.  Faith is something that you have.  You have faith; it benefits you and you only.  Each one of us has to have faith, on our own, to hold onto the promise that God makes to us.  Faith sustains me and helps me to grow closer to God through Christ. 

   Hope is what keeps you going through the toughest of times.  No matter how difficult the trek or dark the night, you have hope because of the promise that there will be a better day.  Someday, God will rescue you from this sin filled world.  Jesus will return and restore creation to its perfect state and you with it.

    Love is the greatest because you have to share love.  Love only exists when it is freely given away.  You cannot hold onto your love; if you do, it fails to accomplish its task.  You can hold onto your faith; you can hold the hope that God gives you but you have to give love away.  Love helps to build others up; it can help to lift them from the depths of sadness and despair.  Love builds the family of God here on earth like nothing else we can do.  In the temporal world, love is the greatest because love brings about peace for all.

   In the eternal sense, love is the greatest because love is everlasting.  Love is the only thing we will take into our eternal life with Christ.  We will no longer need faith because we will be living and seeing Jesus.  Faith is being certain of what we do not see; we will see Jesus face to face.  We will talk with him and listen to him and share his banquet feast with him; we won’t need faith.

   We also will not have to hope for the promise because the promise has been fulfilled.  We won’t have to hope for it to come because it is present.  All we will take with us and, like the Beatles sing, all we need is love.  We will live in God’s eternal joyous kingdom, loving all and being loved by all, especially Jesus. 

    So, love is the greatest because it is the peace in this life and the everlasting truth in the next.  All we really do need is love.

Gracious Father, you give us three great gifts: faith, hope, and love.  Help us to cherish them and to experience them and to live them.  Strengthen our faith, build up our hope, and let us love one another as you have loved us.  Be with those who do not experience love.  Move us to love them with a willing heart and spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

4-5-2026

 Good Morning All,

     Matthew 28:6; “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.”

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

I once knew an Irish man who was bulletproof. His name was Rick O’Shea.

What are you if you drive a Subaru in reverse? Ur a Bus

How do you carve wood? A whittle at a time!

    I am sure you are shaking your head by now but at least with a little chuckle. We are engaging in a centuries old practice called “Risus Paschalis.” It translates to “Easter Laughter.” The practice was for the priest to start the Easter service by telling jokes; jokes that would encourage a strong loud belly laugh. The idea stems from a belief that Easter, in its reversal of death and the devil as God outwits them. “Surely Satan laughed with glee when Jesus died there on that tree. But three days more there was a change in the score as Jesus burst out of death’s door.”

    Satan was completed outwitted and defeated at his own game. It provides us with something of a divine irony, a holy reversal that makes the powers of evil look foolish. So, we laugh, we laugh at Satan and his foolish folly of thinking he could kill God not having a clue that this was God’s plan all along to redeem his people. Justice had to be served and the debt of sin had to be paid but the devil never thought the sacrifice would be Jesus and when Jesus emerged from the tomb all the devil planned on, wanted and worked for went completely awry. One of the made for television movies about the life of Jesus ended with Jesus sitting up in the tomb, looking at his hands, and then bursting out in laughter. What a wonderful picture!

    That same victory is ours! We too, can laugh at death and the devil. They no longer have the upper hand. We have been granted by our loving Father eternal life in His Name. We possess it right now. It is a “now but not yet” gift. Like the child who is holding his Christmas present in his hands but he has to wait his turn to open it. He is shaking with excitement because he knows it will be so great, but just not yet.  His joy knows no end.

    So, this Easter, don’t just observe, don’t just participate, but rather celebrate. Celebrate the wondrous gift given to us by the death and RESURRECTION of Jesus. Our sins are atoned for and the tomb is but a path to eternal life. And we, like that child with a present, or when we hear a funny joke can laugh at the devil and be giddy with excitement when we remember Christ did al this for us. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Gracious Father, you have shown us a love that knows no end! Keep us ever in joyful knowledge of your salvation, given to us through your son Jesus. May we always look to you and know your peace. May we in joy and love celebrate this wonderful day all our lives. Keep us safe in your loving arms. Be with those who struggle that they too may know your mercy. In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray. Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-4-2026

Good Morning!

     Matthew 13: 45-46“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

    We have all seen or read the story about the person who went to a garage sale and bought a painting for $5 then he takes it home and finds out is a rare painting worth millions of dollars.  Every time I read one of those stories, I think I want to go to garage sales.  Or maybe you remember the story of the guy who inherited his grandfather’s old, broken-down lake cabin only to find a bunch of gold coins in the attic.  Or maybe yours is the story of the guy who finds a rare book at a flea market and buys it before anyone else finds it.

    All these stories involve finding something of great value but there is more than a little luck involved.  In our verses for today, everyone knew the value but the merchant sold everything to possess it.  So instead of finding a hidden treasure, this one is known to everyone and he has to outbid everyone else to buy it.  So, we misread the verses.  We often times misread these verses.

    Too many of us read this and think that “I am the merchant.”  I give everything up for this one treasure.  It can cause us to question the value of the gift.  If I have nothing to give up, then this decision is easy but what if I have a lot that I value and now have to sell it all to obtain the pearl?  Or what if I don’t have enough to buy the pearl even if I sell all that I have?  Now where am I?  No, you are not the merchant; you are he pearl.

    “The kingdom of God is like a merchant;” God is the merchant; he is the one seeking fine pearls.  He found one of great value, you, and sold all that he had (His only Son) to buy you back.  You are the treasure; you are the one whom God seeks after.  You are the fine pearl.

    We would never have enough money to buy any form of salvation, even if we were to sell our own body and life.  We don’t have enough.  Only God can afford that price and it was a terrific price- the life of Jesus.  Yet God willingly sold all that he had in order to buy you back because he loves you; you have great value.  The world may try to devalue you or to undervalue you but God never does, you are a fine pearl in his eyes.  You have great value.

    The fine pearls were lost but God sought them out and then paid dearly for them; God is the merchant and you and I are the pearls.  We are treasured by God.  We are highly prized by God.  We are loved by God with a love that knows no measure and knows no bounds.  It is a love that can and does sustain us.  We always need to remember that a pearl is always valuable; it is precious and wonderful and so are you.  God’s mercy is active and alive in your life so trust in his grace and peace to guide you and his hope will guard you.  Trust in God for he seeks you and finds you and he redeems you because he loves you.

Father, you seek me out every day, even when I try to hide.  Through your mercy, I am healed.  Protect me with your mighty hand.  We beg that you continue to seek the lost pearls that all may come to know your grace.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-3-2026

Good Morning!

          Luke 9:2; “and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

     I love to watch old movies about the Medieval Era.  I like the stories about knights and jousting and rescuing ladies in distress.  My favorites are the tales of King Arthur and his court.  The tales of Sir Lancelot, or Sir Galahad or Lady Guinevere; I can watch over and over.  It doesn’t matter if it is the fanciful Errol Flynn ones or the darker newer ones.  I like knights and swords and suits of armor.  They are fascinating to me.

     In our verse, we read where Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the kingdom of God.  While most of us tend to think of the kingdom of God as a place; it is actually an action.  The kingdom of God is the active presence of Jesus in the earth and in our lives.  The kingdom of God is God at work, restoring the creation back to its pristine condition.  It is the steady movement forward to recreating that which is corrupt into what is pure and holy.  It is God saving you and me and fixing what is broken.

    This is good news for us and for all of creation.  It is news that will lift the veil of despair and lift the hearts of the downtrodden.  It is the Word of God changing lives of men and women who hear it and cling to that good news with its promise of hope.  This is a message which needs to be proclaimed throughout the land.  This good news should be taken to all the downcast and the suffering.  God has chosen you and me to fill this role; we are God’s knights.

    God gives to us the armor we need to fight this battle.  He gives us the Spirit to lead us, to encourage us and to sustain us.  God invigorates us with his Word and Sacrament to refresh our soul and to lift up our spirits. Even when the battle is fierce and the warfare long; God is our everlasting and ever-present hope and shield.  He equips us to go out and to spread the good news even when the devil tries to block us.  The devil will never win against the kingdom of God; it will always fail.

    Even when we are struck and knocked down, God is there to pick us up and to make us whole with his tender love and mercy.  We may be struck but we will never be mortally wounded by the devil.  He cannot get us.  God has promised to provide for us so no matter how bleak it may seem to us God is for us.  God is always there for us no matter how it looks; he is using us to proclaim his kingdom and it is the force which cannot be stopped.

    So, rise, Sir Knight, for you are part of God’s great kingdom, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and crowned as an heir of his kingdom.  Go with speed and strength for it is God’s work which we do.  God is with you every step of the journey.

Father of all grace, we give you thanks for the promise of salvation and the gracious gift of faith.  Enable us to hold fast to your Word.  Be with those who are lost and hurting.  Be with those who suffer the pain of guilt and fear.  Use us as your hands to proclaim your words of hope and salvation.  Use us to proclaim your kingdom.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-2-2026

Good Morning!

      John 11:39; “Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.”

      This is part of the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  It is the final act that Jesus performs that causes the Jewish Council to decide, once and for all, that Jesus must die.  It is significant that Lazarus was dead for four days.  It was a Jewish belief that the spirit hung around the body for three days, after the third day you were completely and officially dead.  The fact that this occurred in a warm climate without embalming techniques explains the odor.  It doesn’t take long for the decaying process to set in and for the stench to become very noticeable.

    The odor that would have come from the tomb would have been pretty powerful.  It would have also reminded Mary and Martha that their brother was really dead and gone.  The people around the tomb would have recoiled and some may have even gagged at the smell.  The smell of death is very overpowering.  It can cause you to be sick at the smell’ sort of like our sin before God.

     The stench of the world to Jesus would have been overpowering in many ways; yet he stayed and ministered to the people.  He did this out of his great love.  His love was so great that it overcame the stench of our sin and make no mistake about it sin stinks.  It stinks even to us.  We see the cruelty of man to his fellow man. We see how cheaply we view life; we see how much we seek our own selfishness over the needs of others.  Our greed and arrogance raise a stink to God. 

    Our sin what separates us from God.  It is the stench that keeps us away.   Our sin also separates us from our neighbors as well.   This is what we must repent for and get rid of in order to have a more pleasant life.  When we fail to repent, we continue to live in the stench of the tomb.  We stay in the arms of death.  Yet Jesus enters our life, our tomb, and calls us out of the arms of death and away from the stench of sin.  He calls us away from the pain of sin and brings us to life and light. 

    We can leave the pain, the sadness, the stench of sin behind.  It does not have to control you.  God gives us the power to walk away from sin; God enables us to leave sin behind.  The stench and the odor can be left in the grave while we walk out in new life.  God’s grace never fails.  It can lift you out of the sadness that sin is.  It can lift you to life.

Gracious God, your mercy rolls over us like a river.  Each breath we take is a new experience in your grace.  Guide us by your Spirit that we may remain out of the stench of the grave and live the life that you have called us to.  Direct us with your love.  Be with those who feel they are pulled back to the grave.  Cleanse them of the stench of sin and bring them before your glorious throne of mercy that they may rest in the arms of your love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

4-1-2026

Good Morning!

              Romans 12:10; “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

        “Women and children first!”  That used to be the standard way that any crisis would be handled.  If a ship was sinking, it was “women and children” into the lifeboats first.  If you were evacuating a building that was on fire you would evacuate “women and children” first.  It was a bit of chivalry, men protecting the weaker ones.  It was a bit of chauvinism; get the weaker and more emotional ones away so the men can figure out what to do.  Whatever it was and however you view it, the idea of self-sacrifice was expected.

    If a man was found to be safe while “women and children” were still in danger, he would be viewed as a coward and something “less than a man.”  It would be a legacy hard to live down.  Of course, after the women and children were safe it was “every man for himself,” so much for chivalry.  Self-survival kicked in fairly quickly.

    Yet one of Scriptures most enduring teachings is the one where we are to put others ahead of ourselves.  We are to deny ourselves; we are to take a servant’s form; we are to put others first.  We are to play second fiddle in life.  This teaching causes many to chafe.  We don’t like the idea of putting ourselves in second place; yet we are supposed to.  Part of this comes from the very nature of sinful man and places us back where we are supposed to be; one of God’s children.

    It is our sinful nature to want to be first.  It is our sinful nature to want to satisfy our own desires and lusts ahead of others.  It also goes against God’s design.  God’s design is to have us live as his children; take care of creation and to take care of each other.  If we are to take care of each, we have to place the needs of others ahead of our wants and even some of our needs.  This is the highest form of faithfulness that we can exhibit.  It is even higher than always going to church.  Seeing to the needs of others demonstrates our faith far better than every hymn sung.  Helping to reconcile each person we meet back to God and to their fellow man is one of the primary tasks that Jesus gives to his Church.  Love one another or they will know of the love that we have for each other. 

    It takes some conscious effort to put others first but this is our calling.  God calls us to love others as we love ourselves.  We can’t do that if we think we need four items to the other person’s one item.  We need to see their needs as our needs.  We need to remember that all of us are facing our own battles with the devil; some may be less obvious than others.  We need to remember that God uses us as his hands and feet and voice here on earth.  Trust God and enjoy playing second fiddle; God gives us great joy when we do.

Father, enable me to love those around me and to show them your great love through me.  Guide me by your Spirit that I may be patient and humble, kind, and thoughtful.  Be with those who feel trampled on and left out.  Guide me to them that through me your grace may abound.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret