Saturday, September 30, 2017

9-30-2017



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.”
    Just watch the news; that is all it takes to make you sigh, shake your head and be discouraged.  What is going on?  It seems to get more and more bizarre and more and more beyond anything believable.  We used to watch the news and think “now I have seen everything.”  Now we worry about what is coming next.  For many of us, if not most of us, it feels like things are sinning completely out of control and the pieces are beginning to fly off.  Everyone is offended by everything and waste no time in telling as many people as they can about it.  I used to think it kind of funny, but quirky, that people would stop, take a photo of their food and then tell me they were eating lunch.  Now it is not that banal.  Now it is more vindictive, hateful and cruel.
    Most people tell me, I could use a little good news; why do we only look at the bad news.  Part of it is we need to know.  We need to know what the weather is.  We need to know what our elected officials are doing.  We need to know about events that occur around the world that may impact us.  Yet, as we watch, we are bombarded by different “truths” and then counter- claims of “fake news” and most of us are lost as to what is what.  We seem to have arrived at the place that Friedrich Nietzsche called, “there is no truth only interpretations”.  In other words, there is nothing that is true and it all depends on our viewpoint, our understanding and our interpretation.  When you fall into this trap, nothing is good and there is no good news.
    However, I do have good news for you.  Jesus came to this earth to walk on it and to talk to the people he met and to bring healing.  He came to this earth in order to bring you hope, comfort and peace.  He came to give you life.  In his coming, he reveals much to us.  First, He reveals the immeasurable, incomparable love of God for you.  The Apostle Paul asks the rhetorical question in Romans, “If God is for us, who is against us?”  The clear answer is absolutely no one.  God is for you.  Jesus began the process of bringing about healing into this world with His life, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven.  It will not be complete until he returns.  So until that occurs, there will still be sin, sorrow, pain and suffering.
    We know this partly because we live it but completely because Jesus told us.  Over and over, Jesus told us that there would be troubles, tribulations, and problems in the world.  He warned us so when we see it; we remember his words and we remember his actions so we have peace.  Jesus said it will be bad but take heart; Jesus has overcome the world and offers victory to us and he offers the comfort that; we have won.  No matter how it looks; God has given us the true hope and peace.  This is our good news, forever, Jesus has won and so have you!
Gracious Father, lift our hearts and spirits that we may look only to you for our true news, our true peace.  Calm our hearts that we may know your peace and grace.  Be with those who are especially troubled about world events.  Send your Spirit that they may know your hope.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret

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