8-31-2016

Good Morning All!! 

        1 Peter 3:21; “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ”

       It must have been quite the event to watch.  It was the formal claiming by the explorer for the king or queen who funded them.  At first a landing party would have set foot on the land and searched to make sure it was safe.  Once it was determined to be safe, the lead explorer would take the skiff boat ashore with the flag of the nation that he was sailing for.  He would take the flag, attached to a long iron shaft and the drive the shaft into the ground.  He would then proclaim, “I claim this land in the name of King whatever!”  This was how the European kingdoms claimed land throughout the new world.

     During the great land rushes, the settlers would ride their horses, wagons or just run to the land that they wanted.  They would place flags or strips of cloth on the perimeter of the land and then claim it as their new home.  The marking the land as claimed by someone gave ownership of the land.

    This is what we can think of when we think of Baptism.   This is part of what we are doing when, during the Baptism, the pastor makes the sign of the cross on the forehead and on the heart of the person being baptized.   As he does this, the pastor says receive the sign of the holy cross both upon your forehead and upon your heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.  You are marked, claimed by Jesus as his own child.  Nothing will ever separate you from Him because he has claimed you and nothing can ever pull you from his hand.

    This is what we call the baptismal promise and that we live in God’s baptismal grace.  We only need to recall this promise; we are claimed by Christ the crucified.  Regardless of the failures of our life, that promise is always there, that promise never leaves.  The promise made to us in our Baptism is entirely dependent upon God and his mercy.  It is a promise that he makes to each one of us who are baptized.  Forgiveness of sins and our salvation to eternal life are promised mercies.  Neither depends upon us but rather depend entirely upon God.

     So we can always come back to the certainty of God’s promised mercy, the forgiveness of sins, because of the simple promise that God made to us in our Baptism.  We are God’s baptized children forever his forever saved.  So no matter what we face, no matter what comes our way, we always have God’s promise.  We can always trust in God to keep his promise made to us in our Baptism; we are marked as one redeemed by Christ the crucified.

Father of all grace, through the mercy of Baptism we are your redeemed children.  You have made us yours and keep us safe within your loving arms.  Help us to remember the wonders of your grace.   Be with those who are hurting at this time.  Remind them of the promise that you have made to them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

8-30-2016

Good Morning All!! 

         Psalm 18:30; “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”

    “Thick skinned”; it is something that we tell ourselves we have to be.  “You have to be thick skinned to be a ________.”  You can fill in the blank with a teacher, or a coach or a nurse or a secretary or whatever profession that you wish.  We all know that we face times, times of stress or attacks, when we need a thick skin in order to avoid the pain that can occur when cruel remarks or times of harsh criticism strikes.  You might be the clerk who has to listen to a customer berate you for the store not having the product they want to buy.  You might be the waiter or waitress who has to listen to the customer who is dissatisfied with the quality of the meal.  You might be the employee who receives the blame from your boss over the loss of a sale.  The list goes on and on.  There are many times when we need to be thick skinned.

    Our verse speaks of God who provides a thick skin for us.  The word shield here roughly translates to the scaly hide of a crocodile.  It was one of the better shields at this time.  It was lightweight, easy to carry and maneuver but able to resist the attacks that were launched at it.  This is how we can see God.  He protects us from the attacks of the devil.  He is able to quickly and easily respond to all the different ways that the devil will attack us.  Whether it is through causing doubts, or encouraging fear, or causing intense sorrow; the devil has many ways to attack us.  Yet we only have one defense, we only have the Word of the Lord as our shield as our thick skin.  And we know that the Word of the Lord is living and active.  We know that it will protect those whom he loves and he loves you.

    So when the battles of this life occur we need to seek out our refuge in the only sure defense that we have; we need to hide in God’s eternal love.  We will face problems in this world; God has warned us of that.  We know that they are only temporary and that the devil will not win.  We know that our victory is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus and that victory has been given to us through faith at our Baptism.  It is at our Baptism, where we are marked and claimed by God, where the down payment for God’s promise to us is made, that we begin to get to use the shield forever.  The shield is given to us to protect us from the devil and his pain.  We are given God’s great promise of love and mercy.  We have God as our shield and nothing can ever harm that.

Father, you are our rock and our fortress.  You alone give us hope.  In you we have a shield to defend us from all that the world throws at us.  You lift us up with you mercy that we might be saved by you.  Grant us peace in this life that we may ever hold fast to you.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,                   

Pastor Bret

8-29-2016

Good Morning All!! 

Exodus 14:14; “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

       It is one of my favorite professional basketball quotes.  Stacey King was talking with a sports writer and told him, “I will always remember the night that Michael Jordan and I combined for 70 points.”  It sounds impressive until you realize that Michael Jordan scored 69 of the 70 points and Stacey King contributed a whopping 1 point on the night.  The interview was given in a very light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek fashion and everyone who heard it got a good chuckle out of it.  Stacey King contributed mightily that evening.  Most people will never remember this event other than Michael Jordan scored 69 points.

     There are some who mistakenly believe this is how their salvation works.  People think that somehow, they help God in their salvation.  Oh they realize that God does most of the lifting.  They acknowledge that God does most of it but they insist that they help.  I have never understood why they find comfort in their assistance.  If we have to rely on adding to our salvation, how do you ever know if you do enough?  How can you ever know that your contribution is adequate?  The truth is that we cannot ever be certain.  The better truth is that we do not have to worry because God does all the work.  The Lord has fought for you and has won the victory.  You only have to be silent.

    We can have great comfort in that God does all the work for us.  God has claimed us as his own.  He came to save us while we were still enemies with him.  He took the whole fight upon himself in order that it would be complete, that it would be finished.  He took up the whole fight because of his love for us.  I don’t have to look at my efforts and ever wonder if they are enough.   I can sit back and give thanks for the victory that God has given me to through Jesus.  I can give thanks and cling to this victory knowing that it is complete.  No believer has to; we are given his victory as Jesus takes on our sin.

     We have no need to fight; we only need to stand firm while God carries us to the victory.  Our only task is to give thanks.  Our only task, the only thing we contribute is to trust in God’s promise to deliver us and to protect us.  We don’t have to engage in any great battle plan we only need to rest in his loving arm and trust the strength of our loving Father. 

    All our needs, all our strength rests in God’s love for us.  Our victory is assured because of Jesus’ victory over death and the grave.  His victory is our victory; his life is now our life.  Rest in his unfailing love.

Father, your love is poured out upon us and gives us the victory over sin, death and the devil.  You carry us through all our battles and struggles.  Be with those who are struggling at this time and give them the comfort of your Spirit.  Defend us by your arm.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

  

8-28-2016

Good Morning All!! 

          Romans 8: 26; “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

       I was watching the news the other day.  One of the stories was of a set of parents whose teen aged daughter had gone to school and did not come home.  They were anguished with the details.  They were pretty sure that she had run away.  They thought that she was in trouble somehow and had fled.  She may have been in the company of a man twice her age.  The pain in their eyes, in their voice and even in their posture as the stood and talked to the news reporter was evident.  They leaned on each other, wondering and suffering.

    There are times when we see this.  It often occurs when something happens that we simply cannot comprehend.  I hear it in the voice of those whose loved ones are suffering and the doctor’s prognosis is not good.  I hear it in the voice of those whose loved ones have laid suffering for years and yet are not called home.  I hear it in the voice of the person whose spouse just walked away without even a good bye or an explanation.  I hear it in the voice of children who feel unloved.  We see the pain, the suffering and the confusion.

    How do we approach this?  How do we offer comfort?  How do we receive comfort?  Many question this.  Where is our comfort?  We know that our comfort, our only comfort and hope is Jesus.  We know that Jesus is our hope far more than just offering it or providing it; Jesus is our hope.  He is our only hope but when we suffer, how do we access that hope?

    Scriptures tells us to “stay in the Word.”  We do this by prayer and by the reading/hearing God’s Word.  Yet, if we are like the parents looking for their daughter, what do we ask?  Probably the best thing to ask for is God’s peace.  We may not know where to turn but we know that we are in turmoil and what we need is for that turmoil to end.  It ends where God’s peace begins.  It begins when we see that, as God’s children, we remain his beloved family.

    The God who loves you like that will never close His ear or turn His head.  He mourns alongside you and laughs with your joy.   He seeks to enfold you and those whom you love, even when you have wandered away.  He loves you in a way beyond what we will never understand and He will answer your cries. Even as we cry, maybe without even knowing what or how to cry, God hears our spirit and our heart.  He hears your sorrow and sends you his peace.  It may be painful but it will not last forever; only God’s love lasts forever.

Father, there are so many times when I do not know what or how to pray; yet you hear me.  You send your Spirit to comfort me.  You send your Spirit to bring me peace.  It is your peace that I need and it is your peace that I desire.  Be with those who are especially troubled in their heart and in their life.  Send them your Spirit we pray.  Give to them your healing.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

8-27-2016

          John 14:16; “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”

      In our world today, there seems to be more and more open hostility toward the Christian faith than ever before.  This may or may not be true but it certainly feels that way; it sure seems that at every turn we are mocked, denounced, attacked, ridiculed and rejected.  It was a few months ago when a young man, seemingly full of himself like young men can be, told me quite emphatically that, “I don’t need your God.”  Now I am not sure what he expected; I would guess an argument of some sort; but he didn’t get one from me that day.  I looked at him and said, “Good for you” and that was the end of it.  I am not sure if he was disappointed that I didn’t argue or if he thought he had won because I walked away or if it left him confused but it ended right there. He didn’t need God so good for him.  As for me, I need God, I rely on God, and God is my source for all of my needs. 

    Our verse is one of those verses that are really interesting because we don’t really have the right word in English.  The word here is “Helper.”  In other translations it is “advocate,” “counselor,” “comforter”, “assistant.” “Intercessor” and the list goes on.  The word in Geek is Paraclete or Parakletos.  The word really means all of these and even more.  The word roughly means “the one who walks along beside and guides.”  It very accurately defines what and who the Holy Spirit is in our life.  The Holy Spirit is to lead us to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give us divine strength needed to enable us to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom. 

     I often explain life as a journey or a walk.  Because of God’s grace and mercy for me, he gives us the Holy Spirit to lean on, to look to for guidance and one who gives us a deeper understanding of our faith.  The Holy Spirit is the one who “reminds us of what Jesus said.”  He reminds us of Jesus’ promises and his words of comfort and hope.  I know I need this and I know many others who do as well.  I know families whose parents or grandparents are struggling greatly with health issues.  Some have children or siblings who are struggling with different addictions.  Some are struggling with a loss of love from their spouse or other family.  Often I hear, “I don’t know how unbelievers make it; I couldn’t do it without God.”

    The young man who I talked to probably only thinks he has things figured out or maybe he has yet to experience one of those life events which really knock us down.  Yet for those of us who need God; He is there walking with us giving us the love and support that we so desperately need.  He has promised us this.

Gracious Lord, I need you every hour.  I look and listen and often see and hear only pain and cries of sorrow.  It is only through your Spirit that we can see the hand of comfort that is yours.  Reach out to all who are hurting or struggling with the effects of a broken world.  Hold them close to your heart.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret