Thursday, April 30, 2015

4-30-2015



Good Morning All!!
            John 16:33; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
    We like to know what is going on so we can be prepared for the event.  We write up schedules so we know what is coming, what to expect.  We like to know what is waiting, what we have to be prepared for.  We look at the weather forecast and decide if we need a coat or an umbrella or gloves and a hat.  We like to be prepared for what is ahead.  This is part of the reason why Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have tribulation.”  There will be problems; expect them to happen to you.
    We will have two kinds of troubles.  The first kind is the result of a broken sinful world.  We will still get sicknesses, diseases, experience financial troubles, relationship troubles; all the same things that every other human being experiences.  We are still in the world and trouble abounds.  The second kind of trouble we will experience is the result of being a Christian.  When you confessed Jesus as Lord; you painted a bulls-eye on your back and the devil will take potshots at you throughout your entire life.  The world will ridicule, mock, denigrate, chide, malign, abuse and attempt to debase you because of your faith.  We will have problems but this verse tells us something that we have that is greater; we have peace.
    Jesus overcame the world.  He has defeated the devil and we have peace.  We have peace because we know that, no matter what the world throws at us, we are assured the victory of eternal life in Jesus and the world can never take that away.  We have that guaranteed to us and we can cling to that truth and rest completely confident that we are the victors.  We can look at the world and know that nothing can separate us from God’s love.  We can have peace because we are reconciled to God and through him we have power.
    Jesus overcame the world so that you and I could have peace.  We can take comfort and consolation in the simple truth that Jesus won the victory for us on Calvary and declared this victory to us and the entire sum of creation by walking out of the tomb as the champion.  He overcame sin, death and the power of the devil.  Jesus defeated these enemies and gave the victory to us in his unfathomable love for us.
    There will be problems but more importantly there is victory for us.  We know it; we know how this story ends.  Jesus wins and takes us with Him.  We can cling to this no matter what happens; we have the victory.  We can rest in his loving arms and live in peace, knowing that our life is secure.
Gracious Father, at times my problems look so big but it is only when I look at them and not at you.  You are my hope and my security.  You are my peace in a world that knows only unrest.  Be with those who struggle today.  Strengthen them by your Spirit that they may cling to you and know the victory that you give them.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret  

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

4-29-2015



 Good Morning All!!
           Genesis 2:15; “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
      We are approaching gardening time in our corner of paradise.  The ground is still a little cold and the nights still get a little chilly but we are getting there.  The nurseries are up and out in full force.  Great expectations and intense hope and deep desire are abounding in all gardeners young and old, novice and experienced.  Some gardens are big, like my neighbor’s; some gardens are not so big, like mine.  Some gardens are for food, like mine; some are for beauty, like my wife’s.   Yet all gardens have one thing in common, you have to work and keep them in order for them to produce.
    This was and is the primary purpose that man was created.  We are to take care of creation.  This includes the planet, the plants and animals, the people; everything that is in all creation.  Every single thing which God created; man is supposed to “keep it” to take care of it.  Sadly, sin changed man’s desire.  Our desire went from caring for the beautiful creation that God gave us to a desire to exploit, use, abuse and discard.
     We see that everywhere we look.  We see man exploiting the land and destroying it in the name of selfish gain.  We see man abuse and misuse each other for the same selfishness.  We see greed and a callous eye to those who are in need.  We see where most of the pain that humans experience is caused by their fellow man.  Man has turned his back on his fellow man, on the health of the rest of creation and on God his creator and sustainer.
    This is why Jesus had to come to this world, humble himself and redeem mankind.  He came to reclaim creation, all of creation, from sin and its destructive nature.  He came to reclaim one sinner at a time bringing God’s forgiveness and his Spirit which brings about our renewed original created desire- to take care of the creation.
     God moves us to want to care.  God moves us to see the needs of our fellow man and to desire to aid him.  We may wonder about how to aid but we desire to aid.  God’s Spirit moves us in that direction and desires that we continue in that direction.  God’s desire is that we return to wanting to “keep the garden” that is to care for his creation.  We can care for it just as Adam did.  God placed Adam in the garden and God has placed you where you are in order to care for his creation where you are.  It might be your neighbors down the street or across the road but God has given you a place in his garden and a task to perform out of love for him.
Father in heaven, you created us and sustain us.  You sent Jesus to redeem us so that we might be your people.  Keep us steadfast in our faith.  Keep us in your loving arms.  Guide us to be the caretakers of your creation, spreading your mercy throughout the entire existence.  Be with those who are in pain or suffer.  Send them your healing touch.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret       

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

4-28-2015



 Good Morning All!!
           Psalm 123:2; “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.”
     I am starting to hear it more and more with a little bit of tension in the voice; “Preacher, you better start praying for rain.”  We are dry in our region.  We had very little moisture last fall, virtually no snow this past winter and the few shower chances we have had have given precious little rain.  We planted some flowers yesterday and the ground was dry as deep as the shovel went.  We are warm and windy, not a good combination when the land is dry.  “Preacher, you better start praying for rain.”
    I never know how to take that phrase.  I do not make it rain and my prayers are of no greater value than anyone else’s either.  Yet it also points to a greater truth; we know that we live in God’s mercy.  Sometimes we might lose sight of it but we usually get shaken up at some point by something.  It might be a health scare or a sudden change in a relationship that can cause us to notice life.  Yet it often takes something in nature, a volcano, an earthquake, a drought; these all point to one thing that is very plain.  We cannot change the way the climate or the earth affects us.  We see it as overwhelming; beyond anything that we can ever deal with or change.
       The thing we need to remember is that we do not have to wait until we feel desperate in order to pray.  We do not have to wait until things are beyond our control or understanding to pray, in fact, we should pray at all times.  If we are engaged in a regular and honest prayer life, we will know who is in control of events and we will know who to trust when the issues arise.  We will look to God, our benevolent father, for the strength to face the challenges of life.  It might not rain as soon as you desire but we know that our comfort comes from God’s grace.  His mercy is with us every day; he never abandons us.
    Every day we face a choice; we can cling to God and his loving promise or we can go off and face the world on our own.  We can cling tightly to the God who is holding us in his arms or we can try and flail and throw ourself to the ground and face the world on our own terms.  We can battle and try and cope with a drought or a death on our own.  We can carry the uncertainty and the fear that can arise from not knowing what happens tomorrow or the day after that.  We can try but we will fail.
    God invites you to trust in his promise and to believe in the mercy that he has shown us over and over.  God is there for us and prayer, true and honest prayer, will help us to remember this promised blessing.  True prayer will relieve our fear and bring us the peace from knowing that, no matter what happens, we rest in God’s unchanging grace.
Father, we look to you for all our needs.  Give us the comfort of your Spirit and keep us in your loving arms.  Move me to want to cling to you.  Mold me to always see that your grace is sufficient for me.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen king we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret    

Monday, April 27, 2015

4-27-2015



Good Morning All!!
          Ecclesiastes 12:13; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”
     What to do?  When given a choice; how do you choose one way over another?  When your spouse asks you what you want for supper; how do you decide?  What factors weigh in?  Perhaps what you had for supper the last few days matters.  Perhaps what you have in the pantry or freezer plays a role in what you ask for.  Perhaps what time you are asked matters; if you get asked 30 minutes before supper; it is not much good to ask for a meal that takes all day to make.  Perhaps how you feel plays in; if you are not very hungry or if you feel famished can impact what you want for supper.  We make many choices through the day.  Choose one way to go or pay the consequences of your choice.
    Our verse takes a look at what is or should be important in our life.  The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes looks at all that was accomplished in his life and wondered about it.  He wondered what good it did to earn lots of money.  He wondered what happened when you worked hard to earn that money and then, upon your death, the one who inherits the money simply fritters it away.  What was the value of earning all that money?
    Some will tell you that you should only worry about yourself and in doing what gives you pleasure or enjoyment.  Do what feels good to you and that is how you enjoy life; yet we know what happens if we follow this course; we end up needing more and more in order to achieve this empty happiness and soon we are never happy.
    The writer has a lot to say but in the end he tells us that life apart from God is a waste of time and of a life.  He is telling us that our contentment, our sense of balance within our life, our sense of what is good and right, our sense of well-being comes from fulfilling our basic life purpose and that is to serve God by loving one another and taking care of creation.  This is where we find our true contentment and joy not because God makes us do this like some robot but because that is our true nature.  It is when we follow our true nature that we find true contentment.
    This is why so many struggle with their life; they are not seeking to live as God has designed us to liv but rather they are seeking the sinful path which is selfishness and is empty and void of value.  At the end of this life is usually someone who is disappointed and depressed at the hollowness of the life they lived. 
    So God shows us that true contentment in this lifetime comes from obeying his commandments.  If your life feels out of balance; look to see if you are living according to God’s will or your own.  This will usually tell you what the resolution to the struggles that we face.
Father, all good things come from you.  Lead us to see that our joy and contentment comes from your hand and from following your will.  Lead me in your paths. Show me your salvation.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret