Saturday, December 31, 2016

12-31-2016



Good Morning All,
                Psalm 68:35; “God, the God of Israel, is awe-inspiring in his holy place.  He gives strength and power to his people.  Thanks be to God!"
    I had a neighbor who has an automotive/fix-it shop.  His wife was our mail carrier.  She drove a little pickup that had over 300, 000 miles on it.  I think it helped that he was a mechanic.  It seemed about every other week or so, he would have this little pickup up on the hoist and he was changing oil or replacing u-joints, or bushing, or brakes.  He was always fixing or replacing something.  Maintenance is always important to keep the vehicle running right.
    We used to notice this when we would go to farm sales where the sales were somewhat distressed.  That is the farmer didn’t want to sell but couldn’t afford to keep farming.  You could see that often the maintenance of the equipment was not what it should have been.  You knew how it worked.  Maintenance takes money, when money is tight often maintenance is pushed down the list.  Yet it never takes long for this lack of maintenance costs more in the long run.  It often shortens the lifespan of the equipment plus you end up spending more on repairs as well.
    Our faith life is a lot like taking care of a car or other equipment.  You need to do the maintenance in order for it to work properly.  You need to do the maintenance so that the equipment works when you need it the most.  This is true of our faith life as well.  Now this doesn’t mean that we have to work on our salvation; that is already settled by God’s mercy.  Because of this mercy, God gives us the grace to face our daily struggles.  He gives us His Spirit to help us as we deal with our daily struggles.  He gives us the gift of His Words of forgiveness, his sacraments, and the gift of prayer and of His written Word.  We also have the gift of His Church, the body of believers, who are there to comfort and console us.  These gifts are all there for us to face the daily grind of our life here on earth.
    But we must use them and often.  This is how we maintain our faith.  We need to regularly attend worship services.  This is where we hear God’s Words of forgiveness and grace spoken to us.  We can hear the precious joy of God’s pronouncement of his unwavering love for us.  We need to share in Holy Communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  This nourishing of the spirit and soul will strengthen the bond of fellowship with our fellow believers.  We need to spend time in the study of God’s Word and in prayer.  This is the rhythm of our devotional life that can serve as a major part of our maintenance program.  God gives us the tools and the desire to follow through with them.  So do your maintenance every day!
   Gracious Father, you give strength and power to us as we face the daily struggles of this life.  Guard us by your Spirit and move us to maintain our faith in you.  Move us to search your Word, to partake in your sacrament, and to trust wholly in you.  Be with those who have let their maintenance lag.  Help them to return to the safety of your loving arms.  This we ask in the precious name of Jesus, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret       

Friday, December 30, 2016

12-30-2016



Good Morning All,
            John 10:27; “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
          Have you ever committed the social faux pas of speaking to people you do not know?  I try to avoid it but still do it.  I’ll see someone in the store or at a restaurant and think “I know them”  I’ll go up and talk to them and, at first, they are polite and visit back until it becomes clear that neither of us have a clue who the other one is.  I was at a Campbell’s Supply Store one time and asked a young man in a red shirt where fencing tools were.  He told me in a perturbed voice that he didn’t work there.  Just the other day, while waiting in line at a store, I heard a man laugh and I thought “that’s Bill, I haven’t talked to him for a long time.” I tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Bill, how are you?”  I’ll never know; it wasn’t Bill. 
    I’ve learned to say “I’m sorry” or “you sound exactly like him” or “you look exactly like him” and then scurry away as quickly as I can.  I am sure there are a lot of people who have just stood there and shook their head and wondered what planet I came from.  It happens, to me anyway.
    Fortunately, Jesus knows you; he knows your voice.  He knows your voice when you cry in pain or you sigh in sorrow.  He knows your voice when it trembles in fear.  He knows your voice when it thunders in joy.  He knows your voice; he knows you.  He knows before you speak what is in your heart and he comes to you with hope and comfort.  He knows you; he knows the road you walk, the challenges you face.  He knows you and will never abandon you.
    We are often tempted and sometimes try to follow other voices.  The world tells us these new voices are wiser and more compatible to the world as it is today.  But when it matters, when you cry out, those new, untested, unworthy voices do not know your voice.  They offer no answers; they offer no hope.  They are deaf to your cries, uncaring to your pain.  Yet we know that God shows us his love for us through Jesus.  The Jesus who died for you and rose again with the promise to never abandon you knows you; he knows your voice.  He hears your cries and he has compassion on you.  His love covers your pain and is balm for your soul. 
     This is what we receive because of Christmas.  We have a living breathing God who has experienced our life, our pain, our struggles.  He is a God who knows us and laid down his life so that you and I can live.  He laid down his life so that you and I would know hope.  By calling on his name, by us knowing his voice, we can hear his words of comfort and his words of hope.  Jesus came to bring us back into his family.  Jesus knows you; know Jesus that you might have the hope of his resurrection and his salvation.
Father of all mercy, you nurture us with your love and grace.  Hear us as we cry to you and give us the ear of faith to hear your voice and to know your comfort.  Keep us in your loving arms and give us the courage to face the challenges of this life knowing that this temporal life is a short time and your eternal grace is forever.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret

Thursday, December 29, 2016

12-29-2016



 
      Good Morning All,
           Galatians 5: 22-23; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
    On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me five gold rings”.  Today (Dec. 29th) is the fifth day of Christmas.  The twelve days of Christmas represent the length of the Christmas season in the church calendar year.  It starts on Dec. 25th and ends on Jan. 5th.  These twelve days represent the length of the Christmas season in the church.  It is the shortest season.  During this time frame there was traditionally much celebrating, feasting and gift giving.  We mostly associate this with England, probably because of the Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and because of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”.  Yet the celebration is quite common throughout much of the world.
   The whole idea was to celebrate the coming of Jesus and the gift of salvation which he brings us.  There was much merriment and good old fashion partying.  It was common to give a gift every day of the twelve days to someone that you loved.  The gifts depended on how rich you were.  The working poor would often give gifts of food or a small trinket.  It was truly the thought that counted because you only gave to those whom you loved.  So if a young lad gave gifts to a young gal, everyone was excited.
    There are many who wish this country would go back to this style of celebrating.  We tend to overspend, overeat, and overdo everything.  This is why most of us are grateful when Christmas is over.  We get the overload and then just want to decompress from all the noise, excitement, clamor and disruptions to our lives.  This is a sad commentary on us because the Christmas season often brings out the best in many of us.  It is this time of the year that we display the fruits of the Spirit the best.  This is the time of the year that we are most generous, we visit the lonely and the shut-ins maybe caroling to them.  We have food drives and gift drives for those who are underprivileged.  In general, we strive to be our best.
    Yet most of us spend all of December trying to get a year’s worth of “goodwill’ in in just one month.  The spirit of Christmas should intertwine our entire life.  It is through Christmas, the incarnation of God in the form of a man, that we have salvation.  We should celebrate this every single day.  This event has changed our life forever; we should live Christmas every single day because we are living in God’s family every single day.  Just knowing this should bring about joy.
    So take some time and think about spreading out your Christmas cheer.  Go caroling in June.  Have a food drive in September.  Live the spirit of Christmas, the fruits of the Spirit, every day.
Gracious God, by the incarnation of Jesus you bring salvation to us.  Guard us by your Spirit and guide us to live this life of joy that we have.  Be with those who feel they are left behind and are leftovers.  Send your Spirit of comfort to them.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

12-28-2016



Good Morning All,
                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 have imagined.  He had 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 that 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 is 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