1-31-2019

Good Morning All,

         1 Peter 1:24-25; “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you."

    These last few days have been brutal in our corner of paradise.  Actual air temps combined with wind chill has made going outside dangerous.  The admonishments to wear many layers, have a safety kit in your car, let people know when you are going, where you are going and when you get there.  The good news is that it is to moderate and even warm some over the next few days.  Once gain we see that nothing lasts forever.  Everything in our life comes to an end with one exception.  

    The last part of the verse- the word of the Lord remains forever- was the rallying cry or battle cry of the Reformation.  Nothing will ever destroy God’s Word.  It might get clouded up or they may try to disguise it but the word of the Lord remains forever.  Think of the things in your lifetime that lasts forever.  Most things don’t even last a couple years.  We may have a few keepsakes that are antique but the only thing that last forever is the promise from God; the word which is the good news which was preached to you. 

    We can take a lot of comfort in that saying.  No matter what we face, no matter what comes at us; nothing can shake or destroy the love of God the Father for us.  That good new; the promise of life eternal, the blessings of this life and the companionship of the Holy Spirit are all ours because God called us to be his children.  He has called us from darkness into his marvelous light.  He is there for us at all times; his promise never fails.  The word of the Lord remains forever; it remains in you and for you even when you walk away; the word of the Lord remains forever.

    For most of us, the word came when we were young, infants in our parents or sponsors arms while the minster baptized us in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  It was there through the good times and bad, the happy times and the sad.  It never mattered whether we sought it or not; it was always there the word of the Lord remains forever.  The word given to you- the word that Jesus died and rose for you so that you may be saved, reconciled back to God.  That word or promise lasts forever.  We can take comfort in the fact that it doesn’t depend on us or our skills or strength.  The word of the Lord remains forever because it is God’s Word and God is faithful and always keeps his word in his time. 

   We sing many hymns which reflect this truth; we speak many verses that honor this truth.  The word of the Lord remains forever.  This is the good news which we have; Jesus died for me that I might live.  It remains forever.

Dear Father, every earthly prop gives way and you remain to hold us and to comfort us.  Keep us as your dear children and guard us safely in your arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret             

1-30-2019

Good Morning All,

           2 Corinthians 5:19, “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. “

    A lot has been made these last few days about the no call made by the referees in the NFC championship game.  Some are wondering how they missed it while others say, “it is part of the game.” We spend a lot of time talking about calls that referees or umpires make which we see as just plain wrong.  Most sports fans can look back and list some of their all-time worst rulings by an official.  We even see it go farther than sports as we look at rulings by our court system and just scratch our head in wonder.

    Most people who watched the OJ Simpson trial still cannot figure out how he was found not guilty.  The same can be said of Casey Anthony or the police in the Rodney King case.  We all looked at these trials; we saw overwhelming proof of guilt.  We were convinced that there was no way that these people would get off.  They were guilty and the whole world knew it and yet they were found not guilty.  They were declared innocent despite all the evidence to the contrary.

    We may not like this in our sports or judicial system but we experience this type of judgment every day.  Everyday God looks at us and declares us “not guilty.”  The devil and the whole world will look at our sins and scream “how can you make that call?” “He is as guilty as they come.”  But just like our examples, when the ruling is made; that is the way it is.  If the referee says he caught it; well then he caught it.  If the judge says he is not guilty; he is not guilty.  That is the way it is.

     Fortunately, that is the way it is in our faith life as well.  Because of the work which Christ did on Calvary for us, God looks at us and declares us innocent of all charges.  You and I stand before God as saints because the merit of Jesus makes it happen.  We stand righteous before God because we are cloaked in the righteousness of Christ.  This is sometimes called “the great exchange.”  We exchange our sins for Christ’s righteousness.  God looks at us and sees the righteousness of Jesus and not our sins.  He then rules that we are “not guilty” and when the judge (God) says “not guilty” we are not guilty.

     This should be a source of great joy for us.  Imagine your mortgage or your credit card or student loans or your farm bank notes suddenly being declared “forgiven, they don’t owe anything”; how would we respond then?  Our joy should be even greater than that and the whole world should see it.  We have joy because our sins are forgiven; we are “not guilty” declared holy by God.

Gracious Lord, we given you thanks for our redemption by your blood.  We ask that you lead us to live a life of joy and thanksgiving for this promised mercy.  Move us by your Spirit to tell others of this great gift and lead them to your saving grace.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

1-29-2019

 Good Morning All,

               1 Peter 4:8; “Above all, love each other warmly, because love covers many sins.”

    To say that the forecast for our part of paradise is a little chilly is the understatement of understatements.  The weather people are calling for record lows of -35 degrees.  It can warm up by 65 degrees and the ice is still frozen.  In conditions like this, outside activities can be very dangerous.  Frostbite and hypothermia can occur within a few minutes.  Car trouble can be life threatening.  Many events, schools, businesses and even government events are cancelled.  It is a good time to stay home and stay warm.

    Physical cold can, for the most part, be dealt with.  A warm furnace, a couple of blankets, some hot tea or hot cocoa, warm slippers and you are set.  Some even long for this type of weather; it gives them an excuse to slow down and enjoy a good book or conversation with good friends.  Yet in our text, Peter isn’t talking about cold weather outside.  He is talking about cold weather on the inside; a cold and uncaring heart.  The type of heart that sinful man carries with him in his life’s existence.  Peter wants us to love and to love warmly with a genuine desire for each other.

    Scriptural love should not be thought of as the modern version of a sappy romantic love.  It is not the kind of love that is self-seeking.  It is not the kind of love that demands things in return for its existence.  “I will love you as long as you stay good-looking.”  This is not love; this is selfish, self-seeking lust.  Lust is the desire to please yourself.  Love, true love like Peter, Paul, Jesus and all of Scriptures talks about is entirely different.

    True Christian love is marked by the unselfish service to Jesus and His Word.  It is the Spirit led desire to do things for the benefit of others.  It is the desire to help someone else.  It is the compassionate response to someone else’s pain and the desire to help comfort them and to relieve them of their suffering.  Jesus is the perfect example of perfect love.  He willingly died for you and for me but he also died for those who stood and stand to jeer and mock him.  He died for them because he loves them.  He desires that, by his unselfish act, others would know eternal life.  He died to give us hope and to give us new life.

    Part of this new life is to turn from our selfish sinfulness to His marvelous love and light.  Part of it, is to love, truly love, rather than simply lust.  Love desires that the other guy is successful.  Love desires that the other kid gets a good grade.  Love desires that others pain is subdued and that true justice occurs.  True love looks upon others with a warm heart desiring peace and tranquility to abound.

Father of all mercies, give to us a loving heart.  Open our eyes to the pain of the world and embolden us to make a difference.  Comfort those who do not know of your warming love.  Guide us to them that we may share with them the truth of your love.  Be with those who are lost and alone in this cold world.  Use us to spark hope.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

1-28-2019

 Good Morning All,

         1 Thessalonians 5:17; “Pray without ceasing.”

      This summer will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.  I remember watching that and many of the other Apollo space missions.  I was totally fascinated by the whole event.  I was always fascinated by the constant communication that would go on.  You could constantly hear the astronauts communicating with each other, especially when the moon module was docking back to the spacecraft.  You heard the constant chatter of the ground crew relaying vital information to the spacecraft and the astronauts relaying information back to the ground crew.  There was constant flow of information back and forth throughout the entire mission.  Our faith walk should be the same way.

    As we are called by God to gather in His house for his divine service, we gather knowing that we will be dispersed and going back into our earthly existence.  As we leave this assembly of God’s people, we will face many of the same challenges and tribulations that we faced before the service.  If the banker wonders how you are going to pay for all this as you came into church; he will probably still be wondering when you come out.  If your boss has been difficult these past few days, he probably will be for the next few days as well.  If you are struggling with a relationship in your family, hopefully; it will be seen different after church than before, but it probably didn’t disappear instantly.  That is not how our faith works.  We will still have troubles in this world.  But we, as God’s children, get to see it differently.        

     We see it for what it is; the result of sinful man.  Plus, we know that when Christ returns that all will be renewed and restored.  But until that happens, we are in a daily battle with the devil and our old sinful nature.  This ugly duo attempts to separate you from God and to confuse you and to try and make you lose sight of God and lose your way.  In order to fight this, we must remain in constant communications with our ground crew.  We must remain in constant communication with God.

     God gives to us as, his Church and his people, the tools we need to fight this battle.  He gives us his Word where we hear our forgiveness proclaimed and we hear the promise that God makes to us.  He feeds us and nourishes us with the bread and the wine connected to the body and blood.  Then he gives us the ability to be in constant communication with him through the gift of prayer.  This is a gift that we all too often use too little and with too little confidence.  God promises to hear our prayer so we should pray more important we should live a life of prayer; one that is constantly in communication.

    Pray constantly.  Speak to God and listen to God.  Use prayer as your life line throughout the week as you battle the devil and your sinful nature.  You are outnumbered and without God on your side you will lose.  Stay close and stay connected constantly.  Pray at all times.

 Father of all grace, your mercies are new every day.  We marvel at the blessings we receive.  Lead us Lord to be in constant communion with you that we may do battle with the old evil foe and withstand his attacks.  Guard and protect us in all our ways.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-27-2019

Good Morning All,

         Revelation 22:5; “There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule as kings forever and ever.”

    One of my favorite television shows was M*A*S*H.  In one episode, one of the characters receives a mystery novel from home to read.  Well soon the whole camp wants to read it so as the person who received the book as a gift finished a page, he tore it out and passed it on to the next guy.  Soon you saw everyone in the camp with a piece of the book.  As the original reader got to the end of the book, the last page was missing.  The page that accused the murderer and offered the proof was missing.  Now everyone was in a panic.  Each person offered their guess or opinion but soon these guesses were proven wrong by someone else. In a last gasp of effort to resolve the mystery, they attempted to call the author and ask her who did it.  The problem was the author was in her late nineties and thought the war in Korea was about Sun-Yat-Sen and couldn’t remember even writing the book.

    It is kind of ironic.  I remember all those details about the show, but I don’t remember how it ended.  The name of the book was “The Rooster crows at Midnight” but I don’t remember how the show ends.  Somewhat ironic, a show about not knowing how the book ends and I don’t remember how the show ends.  It can be very frustrating when you don’t know how it ends.  It can be very frustrating when you want to know, you need to know but you don’t know how it ends. 

    I am trying to diet again, how will it end?  Probably like the last dozen or so have ended.  If you have a doctor’s appointment about a lump on your shoulder, or neck, how will it end?  Is it a lump of fat or is it a malignant tumor?  How will it end?  Grain prices are down, the weather is so-so, between the government shutdown, the trade war, overproduction, uncertainty about how the government funding mess will affect crop insurance; how will it end?

    There is a lot of uncertainty in this life but we can be certain of one thing; Jesus wins in the end.  That is really what the book of Revelation is about; it is the assurance that Jesus wins and when Jesus wins, you win!  Remember how Paul said if we were buried with Him we will have a resurrection like Him. (Rom. 5:5) We win!!  Life eternal with Jesus in the perfected creation is ours because Jesus won this victory on the cross and sealed the deal when he unsealed the tomb and walked out in newness of life.

    As a Christian, there are many things I don’t understand and probably never will.  But I do know this; the victory is ours and nothing will change that.  I might not know how a doctor’s appointment or a financial event or a relationship may end but I know Jesus guarantees us life with him in paradise.  You can look it up.

Father, keep my eyes focused on your great love and bringing about my salvation and giving me hope to know that with you I have eternal life.  Send your spirit to those who doubt so they may know of your calming grace and your peace which surpasses anything the world can give.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen!

1-26-2019

Good Morning All,

          1 Kings 18:29; “In the afternoon they continued to rant and rave until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no sound, no answer, no attention given to them.”

    This is probably one of the top five Bible verses for me.    This is from the story of Elijah, God’s great prophet and the priests of the Baal cult.  It occurs during the time of King Ahab and Jezebel the queen.  All the kings of the northern kingdom are wicked and evil and Ahab is the worst.  He has led the people to worship false idols and away from God.  The land is being decimated by a three-year drought and this challenge to see whose God is the real one.

     The challenge is to build an altar and then pray that your god will send down fire to consume the sacrifice.  The 450 Baal priests chant, dance, pray, practice ritualistic self-mutilation and so on all day.  Elijah is standing to the side heckling them.  Yet the prayers of the Baal priests go unanswered and nothing happens; that is when our verse is recorded.  There was no sound, no answer, no attention was given.  What a sad and empty feeling this leaves.

     The is Scriptures warning us about idols which we build.  This isn’t the only place where God warns about worshiping and relying on wood or stone figures for help.  Those items are lifeless images made from the ideas of man’s sinful mind.  This verse points out the greatest danger of idolatry.  It will let you down every time.  When you need the comfort, hope, or encouragement to face the day’s events, you will be met with a deafening silence.  When you cry out, you will hear no sound.  You will receive no comfort, no encouragement; you will have no hope.

    Part of the reason I like this verse is because of the next verse.  We are left with the image of the people of Israel looking at the emptiness of the religion that their evil king has led them.  Many are probably thinking, “we have prayed for three years for rain to a god that does not even exist.”  They are lost.  Elijah doesn’t mock them; he doesn’t say “I told you so” or “you deserve this”.  Rather, in an act as purely Gospel revealing as any, Elijah invites the people to come to him.  He rebuilds the altar of God, he prays and God sends down a consuming fire that burns the offering, the altar and the water poured on it to make it a greater challenge. 

    Even if you have been chasing after the false idols of this world.  Whether it is money, power, fame, drugs, alcohol you know these things will let you down; maybe they already have.  You may feel the emptiness of crying in the night and not being heard, of having no one who cared.  Yet God continues to invite you to rebuild your altar of faith, to return to the Lord and receive his promise of forgiveness, his promise of salvation, his promise of hope and peace.  God invites you back; return to his loving arms, return to experiencing the comfort of his peace.  God hears, God answers and God gives his most prized possession, his only Son as a ransom for you.  Trust his grace to sustain you.

Father of all mercies, turn me from the emptiness of this world and return to your grace.  Restore me with your loving Spirit.  Refresh me with your words of hope.  Comfort me when I suffer.  My hope is only found in you.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

1-25-2019

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 5:11; “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.”

    I was not with my wife when she babysat some of our grandchildren.  One had a birthday party so Grandma sat with the other two.  6-year-old No. 1 grandson convinced Grandma to play video games on the television. (Not Grandma’s strength or forte) They would go and go but Grandma’s guy kept dying.  Finally, apparently, with a little exasperation, he told her, “Grandma, just bubble up and you will make it.”  “Bubbling up” means to encase your character in a protective bubble so that it cannot be killed.  It is designed for weaker players who are slowing down better players.  Fortunately, Grandma kept her sense of humor about it.

    There are times when we all would like to “bubble up.”  When we hear bad news or when we experience events that cause us to fear, we might want to “bubble up.”  As strange as this sounds, there are times when this happens.  When some people experience extremely emotional strains they often assume what we call the fetal “position”.  We do this as an, almost, involuntary response.  In this action, psychologists say we go back to the safety of the womb. 

    The unbeliever finds no peace.  He is left to fend for himself.  He is left to find comfort where there is none.  He is left to speak to those who do not hear.  He is left all alone.  He has no comfort other than to hide and endure.

    We as believers have a different fate.  We may experience the same pain or sorrow that the unbeliever experiences but we have the assurances of Jesus.  His death and resurrection changes everything for us.  In all that we face, we are “bubbled up”.  We face all challenges and all uncertainties with the certainty of God’s grace poured out upon us.  It helps us to see, to look to and to focus upon Jesus and the long plan or the end game.  We will get to the reward.  We will get to the wonders that wait for us.  We will get to the perfected creation and eternal life.  We know how the story ends and it ends in complete harmony, wondrous beauty and joy beyond measure.

    Yet “bubbling up” with Jesus is not a sign of weakness as some would have you believe but rather a sign of contentment and of certainty of victory.  Jesus has overcome death, it is already done and he gives us that same victory.  This victory can never be taken from you.  You rest in God’s loving embrace and he will never abandon you.  That is our “bubble”; the most amazing gift we have ever received.  The certainty that God will not abandon his children (us) and the victory those children (us again) have been given cannot be taken from them.  Whatever we face, we face it with the guarantee of God’s grace for us. So, go ahead and “bubble up” in the warmth of God’s mercy.

Father of all mercies, you are our hope and anchor.  Guard us by your Holy Spirit.  Be with those who suffer from worry and anxiety, from hopelessness and despair.  Bring them to the knowledge of your grace and keep them safely protected in your loving arms.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-24-2019

Good Morning All,

          Philippians 2:11; “and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

    We spend a fair amount of time discussing what it means to “confess” especially with respects to our faith.  Most of us are familiar with the confession of Peter when he answers the question that Jesus asked, “who do you say that I am?”  Peter responds, “you are the Christ, the son of the living God.” This type of confession is a confession of faith.  It is a pronouncement of what one believes.  It really should have two components.

    The first is the verbal and mental portion.  I speak what I think.  This is what this means.  We think about the right way to express our faith.  “What do you believe about…?”  We should have an answer.  This is part about being ready to defend (explain) your faith as the Apostle Peter admonishes us.  It also helps to be ready when you hear something that just isn’t quite right.  There are many false teachings in the world and it can be hard to keep up with them.  It is far easier to keep studying the truth.  If we know what is true, we will know when something isn’t true.  We might not be able to clearly explain why it is wrong but we can know when something is wrong.

    The second part about confession is that it is life changing.  When we confess our faith, we are proclaiming what it is that shapes our decisions, desires and actions.  When we say, “I believe” we are saying “this is what determines and shapes who I am.  A confession carries a sense of action.  A confession is a call to action.  “Since my faith proclaims this then I will live like this.”  As Christians, we proclaim Jesus, his life, death and resurrection.  We proclaim to live as he has called us to live.  He has called us to love one another so our confession is that we will live a life as one who loves his neighbor.  That is our confession.  Because of Jesus, we are to be different.  Our desires are to be his desires.  Our future is tied directly to his future, a future of life eternal. 

    The confession depends entirely upon Jesus.  Our confession is not true because we say it is.  Our confession is true because it depends upon Jesus.  This confession is true whether someone else believes it or not.  Our faith is not something we decide; it is something that is outside of us.  It is dependent upon God and His eternal truth.  Truth is an objective element that is not dependent upon whether you believe it or not.  The truth is truth regardless of human opinion.  So our confession is not “This is true because I believe it.”  Our confession is “I believe this because it is true.”  It is true because of Jesus.  It is true because God has ordained it to be true.  We simply accept, acknowledge and confess what God tells us is truth.

Gracious Father, in you all truth resides.  Guide us by your Spirit to see you as truth.  Guide us to live as you would have us live.  Make our confession of faith true in your eyes.  Send us your healing and forgive us when we fail.  This we ask in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-23-2019

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.”

    Many years ago, the country group Alabama had a number one selling song entitled “I’m in a Hurry (and don’t know why).”  It was a song which lamented the fast pace of our society today.  “I'm in a hurry to get things done Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun.”  Is this you?  Is your life full but not fulfilling?  Is every minute of your time allotted to some event and yet, when you finally do sit down for the end of the day; does it feel empty?  Unfortunately, you are part of a mass of people who are living lives that are as empty and unfulfilling as a political promise.

    We see this manifest itself in many ways.  We see a restlessness among people as they go from job to job.  Each job begins with an excitement and an energy and enthusiasm only to wither and die away in a few months.  “The job got boring” or “there was no meaning in that job.”  Or some such comment always ends the tried and failed job.  We see it when the proverbial “mid-life crisis” hits.  It takes different forms but usually boils down to a person who is in their late 40’s to early 50’s suddenly finds their life, their job, their situation in life meaningless.  Their job seems to be repetitive doldrums, their relationships are “stuck in a rut” and they look around and say, “is this all there is?”  Some dream of running away while some actually do it.      

        Life is unfulfilling.  First, we fill it with more and more “things and stuff”, then, burdened by all the “things and stuff”, we want to walk away and toss it all.  Does that sound familiar?  I think it does more than some want to admit.  This problem is an old one, as old as Scriptures itself.  King Solomon talked about with his court of young princes and rulers.  “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” The actual meaning of this phrase is to try and catch the fog or mist of the day.

    The essence of what Solomon is telling us is that the only good way to live is to live according to the purpose for which we were created.  We were created to take care of the garden. (Gen 2:15) We were created to take care of creation and all that is in it.  We are to care for the animals, the plants, the entire planet and humanity within it.  God created us for this purpose.  When we strive to live a life like this; we find a greater peace and joy in life.  Caring for one another is the greatest manifestation of God’s love for us and our love for God.  “If you love me you will love one another” (John 13:34) That is our purpose, our fulfillment.  That is how we fear God and keep his commandments by loving and caring for each other.  If your life feels empty, it is probably because it is driven by selfish desires.  God invites you and encourages you to find your purpose in His word which is the encouragement to love one another.

Gracious Jesus, lead me to love as you love.  Break my heart when yours is broken.  Lead me to see my purpose is in showing love, compassion and concern for my neighbor.  Keep all that I think and do worthy of you.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-22-2019

Good Morning All,

     Genesis 18:14a: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

    A young mother apologized after service the other day because her baby “squawked and squealed” a little too loudly for her.  She was embarrassed and felt bad.  I told her a quiet church is a dying church.  It is fascinating for me to watch as these children grow.  Soon enough this little one will be crawling, then walking and before we know it; she will be in school.  She will learn English and math, science and civics.   

    Some of this will come easy but some will come a little harder.  That is how life works.  Sometimes learning is a hard thing to do.  There are some things that we can only learn “the hard way.” While learning can be tough; experiencing life can be even harder.  Sometimes, there are things so hard, we can’t do them.

     I have watched some people as they make some incredibly hard decisions on their lives.  When the doctor tells them that they have done all the can for their loved one.  He is only alive because of the ventilator; how do you decide?  Sometimes, a loved one may never understand or accept the consequences of what he does; it might be time for “tough love” but how do you know when to push back?  You are trying to deal with the emotions of a family where all want something different; how do you keep them talking to each other?  Sometimes the hardest things we face seem to have no good answer.

    Living in a sinful and corrupted creation causes us incredible amount of pain and anguish.  One of the devil’s favorite tools to deceive us with is doubt and he uses it whenever and wherever he can.  He will try to make you doubt every decision you make.  He will try and make you doubt everything you are told.  He will try and make you to doubt everyone that you know.  Through this doubt, he attempts to isolate you and then torment you with those increasing doubts.  He tries to make it hard for our decisions.  He does this by causing us to doubt God’s love.

  While we face many troubles, there is nothing too hard for God.  We can only struggle with our decisions but if we make them in faith; we must trust God.  We try to make our decisions in a manner that respects God’s will and Word, even when we cannot always see the clear answer.  His desire for us is to love us.  We are always his dear, redeemed children.  So as life throws us the most difficult decisions, we know that through them all; God loves us and wants us to know this love is real.  His grace will carry us through.

Gracious Father, in your mercy nothing is hard for you.  All of our needs are met by you.  As we face the difficult times, give us your Spirit of comfort and peace.  Lead us in the path that you choose.  Give us comfort to always look to you for guidance and forgiveness.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-21-2019

Good Morning All,

        1 John 3:1; “Consider this: The Father has given us his love. He loves us so much that we are actually called God’s dear children. And that’s what we are.”

    I hear the question frequently.  How are you related to (fill in the name)?  I confess, I rarely know.  Our grandparents were cousins seems to satisfy most inquiries; whether the statement is accurate or not I do not know.  I will often come home and look at the church’s genealogical records and try and figure it out.  The original was done in the mid 1970’s so some updating is required.  Yet it does lead to some interesting reading and some “I didn’t know that” moments.

    The genealogy of our church is fascinating because there were fairly large families who lived in relatively close proximity of each other.  There were about 10 families that originally came into this area and then combine that with some who were already here and some who came a few years later and the combinations begin.

    There are so many families intertwined that the tree looks more like a bush or a vine with all the weaving and twisting of the relationships.  We see two sisters that marry brothers or a brother and a sister who marry a sister and brother.  This church was built in a large part on these types of marriages.  Very few people moved very far away and some of them went on and had fairly large families.  This made the church grow.  As we went through the genealogy, we see how important family and the family structure is to our church.  We have many 6 generation families of our church going from the founding members to the youngest ones today.  Family is important.  Family is important as we are part of God’s holy family.

    That is what makes our verse today so relevant.  Family is important.  As we watch the world and our country dissolve and fail at many of our most basic needs; it is often because we no longer value family as we should.  We see family only in a biological sense and not in an emotional or supportive sense.  God is all about family.  We are God’s family.  He has made us part of his family.  Through the blood of Jesus we are called God’s dear children.  That almost sounds like we are the favorite children; we are.  We are the favorite because of the love that God has for us and this is apparent in the price he paid to redeem us from sin; he paid with the life of his Son.

    We are God’s dear children.  He invites us to call upon him at all times, in all situations every moment of every day.  He brings to us his Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us and to keep us safe in him.  We are God’s dear children; celebrate this and live in the certainty of hope that we have.

Dearest Father, your love for us is deeper than any ocean.  We are overwhelmed by your grace.  Keep us in your mercy and give us your strength as we stand in a world that knows no love.  Guide us to share your love with those around us.  Show us those who need your love and use us to bring them your grace.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-20-2019

Good Morning All,

2 Timothy 1:7; “God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.”

     Well I continue to move forward in the technology area.  I have upgraded my cell phone.  I liked my old one, I really did but the “planned obsoletion” by the manufacturer left me little choice.  I must admit I like sending the little emoji things on my texts and the group texting is working better but there really wasn’t anything wrong with the old phone.

     I know that many of you are already way ahead of me.  I am slowly coming around.  It is not that I fear technology or loathe it; I just get comfortable with what I already have.  I get in a comfort zone and I stay there.  It is not fear; it is being comfortable and there is nothing wrong with comfortable.  We often find security in things where we find comfort; hence the phrase, “comfort food”.

     This liking comfort versus engaging the new has been a constant struggle in the Church.  There are those who dive into change and doing things different and then there are those who like things the same.  Some would like a praise band playing during the service with a light show while others of us still think pg. 5 is good enough.

     The struggle with style and form will probably go on for a long time.  Yet we need to be sure that whatever we do, we do it for the Lord.  We need to preach the Gospel of Jesus with power.  It is the power of the Church and of our life.  How you preach that Gospel, is open to discussion but we must boldly preach this Gospel.  It is what we are called to do; we are called to preach the Gospel to all creatures.  Even the Apostle Paul recognized that style may vary but the Word of the Lord endures forever.  It never goes out of style or needs to be updated.  It is the living, active power of God for our salvation.

    God gives us that same power to reach out and reconcile this broken, crying world.  He gives us the power to accomplish his will.  We need not be afraid because the power of God is the same power that has moved us forward as a Church and as a people since day one.  We have nothing to fear for God is with us.  He equips us to follow the path that he has laid out for us.  For some of us it is in new and exciting ways; for some of us it is the comfortable old way.  We do not fear the devil or his attacks for God has equipped us to overtake them.

     We now can go forth with the knowledge of this power.  We can go forth with confidence in our faith and its actions.  Many tell me, “I don’t know what to say.”  You say it best, not with words but with actions.  You speak best with your heart not your mouth.  Let your heart speak with all the love that God has for you.

Dear Father, give us the courage to boldly speak and live your Word.  Move us to reach out to the hurt and the lost.  We ask that you especially be with our brothers and sisters who are facing the challenges of recent storms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-19-2019

Good Morning All,

       Psalms 17:8; “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings”

    Yesterday was an important mail day.  My wife makes a picture book of the year’s events and then has the company print it.  There are hundreds of pictures in the book.  Each year I get fewer and fewer pictures and five little ones get more and more press.  Not a complaint just an observation of how little bodies that call you Gramma or Grampa or Beepaw can really take over.  You watch again with wonder as little eyes and little hands learn new events, skills and accomplishments.

    It is truly amazing when you look into the face and into the eyes of someone who is looking at someone they love.  Their eyes widen, their face actually lightens up.  You see a smile form and the excitement grows and glows.  You can visually observe the changes in their attitude as their whole countenance is lifted.

    The Psalmist is asking for this same response from God.  The Psalmist is asking God to keep him as the apple of his eye.  The Psalmist is asking God to look upon him with favor and grace.  The Psalmist is asking God to look upon him with love, to look past and failings and to protect him from the evils of this world.  This is just what God does.

    You are the apple of God’s eye.  We know this by looking at what the Scriptures tells us.  From the very beginning, we see God is looking out for you.  He was in the Garden when Adam and Eve sinned.  He went looking for them as they hid from God; afraid for their sins.  Yet God called them and gave them the promise of a Savior, a promise that they could cling to.  He redeemed and rescued the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, just as he rescues us from the slavery of sin.  He rescues us through the redemption attained on the cross by Jesus.  If nothing else tells you that you are the apple of God’s eye; that will.  The life, death and resurrection of Jesus occurred because God wanted to reconcile you back to him, back in the shadows of his wings.  God knew we couldn’t accomplish this so He fixed it.  He placed all the sins of the world on Jesus’ back so you and I could be the apple of his eye. 

    The love of God is made known to us through the mercy we find in Jesus.  So whenever the devil or the world attacks you or tells you that you are not up to the standards of God; remember that you are the apple of God’s eye and nothing will ever change that.  Remember that love depends upon God and his grace not your behavior or goodness.  God loves us and desires to restore us to his heavenly family simply because he loves us and sees us as the apple of His eye.

    Dearest Father, your love for us is beyond our comprehension.  Your grace sustains us through all that we face.  Keep us as the apple of your eye.  Give your Spirit of hope to those who are in need of it most.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-18-2019

Good Morning All,

       Isaiah 43:4a; “Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you.”

    We recently gathered to remember and mourn the passing of one of my aunts.  We cried but we also celebrated God’s wonderful gift of redemption and eternal life and the certain hope of the resurrection.  One part in the process of grieving is to remember and share personal stories with the family and others who knew her.  This begins the process of moving that person to a different place in your heart.  You never get over the person but we remember more and more the good things, the good times, and the joy that God gave us through this person.  As a Christian, we hold onto the hope of the return of Jesus when the dead in Christ will rise first and we look to that day with anticipation.

    I relayed the story of how, for many years, I thought I was her favorite nephew.  Whenever I would visit with her she would listen intently and offer words of encouragement and support.  She would give me her undivided attention and truly hear what I said with a gentleness and a compassion.  When I shared this, I saw most of the other nieces and nephews who shook their head in agreement.  They also thought they were the “favorite”.  Fortunately for my fragile ego, I recognized the truth much earlier in my life.  She didn’t treat me like the favorite because of who I was; she treated me like that because of who she was.  When we recognize this truth, we see a truth about God that gives us hope.

    God’s love for us, his compassion, his mercy, and his everlasting generosity for us is not the result of our goodness but it is the result of who God is.  Sometimes this comes across with a subtle connotation.  We read where God’s nature is that of a loving God and that he is moved or driven to anger.  Yet this anger only lasts a short time while his love will endure forever.  Sometimes it hits us squarely between the eyes like our verse.  Since we are precious, this is the first act, God says we are precious.  We are honored because of his love and the place that he holds us in.  We are precious because has decided we are precious.  It is his nature to love us in this fashion.

    The amazing thing about this is that since it depends on God and not on us, we know it is always there.  We know that God will not change his mind about us.  He won’t “unfriend us”; more importantly he will never abandon us.  That is his promise to us in Jesus.  We are precious, we are God’s favorite because of God’s love for us.  His love that moved Him to see the wretched despair of sin in which we were drowning so He sent Jesus to pay our debt and to free us from the wages of sin which were ours to pay.  This is our God; whose love and compassion knows no bounds, freely given to you.

Father of all mercy, you love us with a love which we do not understand nor deserve.  Continue to protect us from all danger of the devil.  Be with those who have saddened hearts.  Help them to lift their eyes to see Jesus and the certainty of hope that He gives us.  Bless us with your Holy Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-17-2019

Good Morning All,

       Genesis 3:9; “The Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”

    Sometimes we play a game in our house called, “Honey, have you seen my phone?”  I usually start the game and it usually ends when we call my phone from a different phone in the house.  Now, if you would have approached me in my college years and tell me that there will be time when you will look for your phone by using a different phone; I probably would have asked you what exactly have you been inhaling.  However, I do that quite often.  I even try to make it exciting.  Will it be on my desk, or dresser, did I leave it in the car or have I found some new and exciting place to forget my phone at?

    So, I spend a fair amount of time seeking and looking.  Deep down I know that my phone isn’t trying to hide from me; it is an inanimate object but sometimes; well you just wonder how it got where it got to.  Looking for things or even for people can be a very time-consuming task.  It can also be frustrating, exhausting and sometimes painful.

    We might see this same event in our verse.  Something carelessly lost or misplaced.  Yet this isn’t an example of thoughtlessly laying something down and then being lost in the process.  This is a seeking of someone who is hurting and afraid.  In that fear, Adam assumed that God would be angry and vengeful.  What is really doing is trying to reclaim Adam into the family that he has just run away from.

    In our verse, we learn an important trait about God.  God comes to seek us out.  God knew where Adam was; Adam couldn’t hide.  Yet God went seeking him and God seeks you as well.  God does not sit back, withdrawn from the world; rather He is actively seeking us out with his grace and mercy.  This often goes missing in the world.  People think they have to go to God.  People think that they have to make a conscience decision to find God.  The truth is that God is seeking them and has been for longer than they even know. 

    God’s redemptive action in this world is alive and going strong.  God is actively seeking out all the lost and hurt.  We see this most clearly in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  Here we see God, in flesh, seeking out the hurt, the lost and the suffering in order to redeem them.  We see the same today in the activity of the Holy Spirit.  He calls, gathers, enlightens the whole Christian Church here on earth.  In all ways, God is actively seeking you to be his child.  He is constantly seeking you out with his grace, calling us out of our hiding place. 

    In his mercy, God seeks you out and invites you into his wonderful kingdom of salvation.  He seeks you out to redeem you and to give you hope and to give you comfort.

 Dearest Father, you seek out those whom you love.  You bring us into your loving arms protecting us from the devil’s attack.  Keep us, and all the faithful, safe in your house.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret