4-30-2019

Good Morning All,

   Jeremiah 30:18; ““Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings; the city shall be rebuilt on its mound, and the palace shall stand where it used to be."

    I am fascinated by people who restore old cars, trucks, tractors or anything like that.  They can spend years removing the rust and the years of neglect that the vehicle had as it was sitting in someone’s trees.  Or you watch those people who take old houses and restore them to their original beauty.  The time and the effort and the cost of these restorations can be phenomenal.

     It takes a lot of patience to restore something to its original shape, luster and quality.  The love and care displayed by the one doing the restoration is apparent.  Even if it takes a lifetime to accomplish; the labor of love is obvious.

    This is what God is doing to us.  He is restoring us back to being ‘human”; back to what we were designed to be before sin corrupted us.  When God created man, He created us to live in his presence with thanksgiving and praise; we were to take care of creation and we were to take care of each other.  That pretty much sums up what it means to be human. 

     God began to restore mankind immediately after man’s fall into sin.  This process began with the promise of a Savior.  The chosen people of God believed in the promise of a Savior and their redemption.  Then Jesus came and began the new testament or covenant.  Here we cling, not to the promise of a Savior, but to the promise of God that our sins are forgiven because of that Savior.  The restoration of mankind and all creation will be complete when Christ returns.  But until that day comes; Jesus gave the task of continuing the message of salvation and repentance to the church.

    Just as Christ was reconciling the world to himself; he calls upon his church to do this ministry of reconciliation.  Just as He has restored us, we are to be the agents through which God continues this task here on earth.  First and foremost, we are to rejoice.  Our eternal destiny is set, decided by the blood of Jesus on the cross given to us as a gift from our loving Father in heaven.  We are to aim for restoration.  This is a life-long process.  God has restored us and gives to us the task of restoring our relationships with others and of witnessing to others our restored relationship with God.  This isn’t done in a day or for a day; it takes a lifetime of love to continue this process.

    Through it all, God’s spirit resides in us and with us.  He is there to strengthen us, to encourage us, to remind us of what Jesus said, to guide us, to gather us, and to enlighten us.  It is through God’s Spirit that we are able to do this life-long restoration project.  It is through his peace that we are able to have peace with others. 

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for the gift of redemption through Jesus.  Guard us and guide us as we go about the restoring which you have called us to do.  Move us by your Spirit to comfort each other and to live in peace.  All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-29-2019

Good Morning All,

       Revelation 19:9; “Then the angel said to me, “Write this: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the lamb’s wedding banquet.’” He also told me, “These are God’s true words.”

     Oh to be invited to a party!  We all love parties.  We love the atmosphere, we love the conversations, we love the people and we especially love the food.  We usually enjoy the food the most because we didn’t, buy it, cook it, or have anything to do with it but eat it.

     Despite what we may think, Americans did not invent the party.  Parties go back as far as mankind does.  Our parties and festivities pale in comparison.  Often times parties would last days at a time with the host even providing sleeping quarters and a change of clothes for the guests.  Wedding parties could last up to a week.  So when the Bible makes references to parties or celebrations, the original reader had a greater understanding than we may.

    This verse is found toward the end of Revelation and everything is coming to the culmination of time.  The time when those who are faithful to God’s Word receive their eternal inheritance.  When those who suffered because of their faith now share in the great celebration; the wedding feast of God.  This is the feast described throughout Scriptures in various ways.  Isaiah spoke of fine wine and choice meats; food rich in marrow.  This is the feast which we sing of in our hymnody.  This is our eternal existence with Christ; one which is a celebration of God’s eternal benevolent rule.

    This verse can actually be read God inviting us to look forward to a greater day ahead.  They are longing for a little good news and God gives them a lot of good news.  The hearing of this good news is free and we are to come and savor it, we are to luxuriate in it.  The good news of your salvation is the greatest celebration that you can ever have and you receive it freely.

      Just like the finest wines and meats are very expensive so was the cost of your salvation.  Yet someone else paid for it and someone else gave it to you so you can enjoy it, so you can have the benefit of it.  So, we see that our salvation and the news of our salvation and the hearing of the news of our salvation are a celebration that lasts forever. 

      We no longer need to worry about struggles and the trials of this world.  These are dealt with by our Lord.  These trials can never defeat us.  God stands triumphant over any and all things that the world and the devil can throw at us.  We have reason to celebrate and to enjoy the wonderful news of our salvation of our hope.  God invites us to enjoy and to celebrate this wonderful joyous event.  Come and drink buy with no money the finest wines and milk.  You are invited to the great feast of God.  Savor the honey and the meats.  Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Dear Father, You feed us with the finest foods and drinks.  You bless us with your Spirit but above all we have the gift of salvation from your gracious hand.  For this we give you our praise and thanksgiving.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

4-28-2019

Good Morning All,

       Acts 1:11; “They asked, “Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking at the sky? Jesus, who was taken from you to heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

    “I shall return.”  As many of you know this was the phrase uttered by Gen. MacArthur as he was leaving the Philippines.  The Japanese Imperial Army was conquering the islands and the general had to evacuate or be captured.  As he left, he made this now famous statement.  His opponents saw it as false bravado; his supporters saw it as an attempt to bolster the morale of the troops and native Philippines.

     Many of the people left behind actually did find some comfort in his statement.  Even through the darkest days of the occupation by the Japanese, it gave them hope.  The people left behind kept hope because they believed that the general would keep his promise so they struggled and battled as best they could.  They believed that eventually he would return and bring with him the necessary army to drive out the Japanese.  These islanders faced many hardships while he was gone but eventually they were liberated.  The general returned to the islands.

    Jesus made the promise to us to return.  He told his disciples that as he was going to prepare a place for them.  He went back to His Heavenly Father to prepare a place and then to return to us.  The angels told the disciples that Jesus would return just as he left; in visible form.    We wait for the return of Jesus.  It is what we cling to even in the darkest hours; it is the hope that we hold onto.

    We look forward to Christ’s return; it is what we hope for.  Until he returns we wait in a world which is still full of pain, still full of sorrow.  The world is still infected by sin and as a result we still have some dark times ahead.  We may face health troubles, or job troubles or relationship troubles or a myriad of other events.  Yet we know that the time will soon come when Jesus returns and rescues us from this tyranny.  He will return to destroy all the evil which the devil does.  When Jesus returns, he will restore creation back to its perfect “very good” form.

    When Jesus returns as king, the creation will be restored.  The rift between heaven and earth will be fixed.  The King of Kings and Lord of Lords will once again walk in the cool of the morning with man.  This is his promise; I will come again and take you to myself.  We will be liberated from the tyranny of the devil forever.  In those days and at that time we will see Jesus face to face and celebrate with him and with all those who have gone before us in faith.  We will enjoy true peace and true joy.  We will celebrate the joyous feast forever when Jesus returns.  Jesus promised to return and to take you to him.  This is a promise we can rely on.

Dear Father, you sent Jesus to pay for our sins and He promised to return to bring us to him.  Give to us the certainty of this hope, whatever befalls us keep us strong and certain of your grace.  Come Lord, Jesus, come.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

4-27-2019

Good Morning All,

    Revelation 21: 3-4; “I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “God lives with humans! God will make his home with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There won’t be any more death. There won’t be any grief, crying, or pain, because the first things have disappeared.”

    We all like it when the story ends the way it should.  The nice guy marries the nice girl.  The bad guys are punished.  The guy who has to overcome insurmountable odds wins in the end.  The cowboy kisses his horse and rides off into the sunset.  There is something about these stories which have a sense of completion for us.  Even if you watch a movie or read a novel and early on you can see on the story is going to end, we keep watching or reading because we want to see the story end the way it should.  We want the story to end the way it should.  We don’t like lose ends; we don’t want any unfinished business.  It should end with no loose ends but in a neat and tidy finish.  We get that also with the Bible.

    The last two or three chapters of Revelation fix what gets broken in the first two or three chapters in Genesis.  We can really see this if we think of heaven, not as a place, but as an existence.  Heaven is living in the visual, physical presence of God.  Adam and Eve lived in heaven when they lived in the Garden of Eden.  They would walk with God in the cool of the morning and be in complete and total communion with him.  However, sin ripped that in two and heaven and earth were separated.  Creation, which was perfect, now became chaotic and frustrated by man’s sin. 

     Yet with Jesus’ death and resurrection, the change begins.  The sinful realm and reign is still here but so is God’s reign of grace.  We are saved from our sins but not yet perfected.  We are getting closer with each passing moment but until this happens; God is giving those who do not believe time to repent and he is giving us time to reach out to them so that the Spirit will be seen by them through us.  So, we wait for Jesus to return.  We wait and watch eagerly for that time.

     Because when that time comes, all will be perfected.  When Jesus returns, heaven will again be on earth.  All of creation will be restored.  The chaos and the frustration will be gone.  We will once again be able to walk with God in the cool of the morning.  We too, will be perfected.  Just as the world went out of control when man sinned, so it will be returned to control when Jesus returns.  Just as man destroyed our existence with God with our sin, God restores our existence with God and makes us whole with Him once again.

     This is the ending we look forward to; the restoration of creation, the return to the life in an Eden like existence.  We will live perfectly in the presence of God in complete joy and peace; with all the other believers.  Heaven and earth are united again in perfect union.   

Gracious Father, we wait with eager anticipation for the completion of this age.  Give to us the courage and faith to sustain us until Jesus does return.  Keep us in your hands and guard and protect us by your mighty arm.  Bring peace and comfort to those who do not know it.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-26-2019

 Good Morning All,

    John 14: 13-14; “I will do anything you ask the Father in my name so that the Father will be given glory because of the Son.  If you ask me to do something, I will do it.”

    When you were younger, did you use to imagine about the world?  Did you ask or get asked, “If you could be anything in the world; what would you be?”  How about, “If you could go anywhere; where would you go?”  Most of us had some wonderful dreams and wishes.  Some were fanciful; some were heroic.  So where did you want to go or what did you want to be?  Was it some exotic faraway place?  Did you want to be an astronaut or a famous doctor?  Did you dream of your successful business?  What did you dream?

    In the Bible, many people dreamed to.  Isaac and Rebekah dreamed of a child, so did Hannah and Elizabeth.  Samuel dreamed of a godly king.  Ruth dreamed of a husband.  Many people dreamed of something that they longed for.  They hoped for something; they held the desire in their heart.  Yet these had one more element; they prayed for God’s help and answer.

     Maybe praying to be an astronaut might have been a stretch (but then maybe not); yet we do not often pray for God’s help.  We may think we are unworthy, we may think that what we pray for is not important to God.  Maybe we doubt that God can or wants to answer our prayers.  Whatever the reason, we often miss out on one of God’s greatest blessings.  Yet when we pray in a faithful fashion, God promises to hear and to answer our prayers.  We hear that over and over in the Bible; Matthew, Luke, John are just a few that repeatedly tells us to ask or to call upon his name.  So, do we?

    Look at our verse, anything you ask.  God wants to bless you far more than you can ever imagine.  He wants you to call upon his name and trust that he will answer.  He wants you to be at peace, he wants you to be content and to live in hope; yet we continue to falter and we continue to miss out on his grace.  Too often we look too short, and fall even shorter.  Yet God continues to invite you to call upon his name and to ask of him.

    The promise of answered prayers; the promise to work in us and through us.  God’s love for us exceeds anything we can ever imagine or dream.  Yet we limit ourselves because we limit our faith.  We have God’s promise to answer our prayers beyond anything we could ever dream or imagine and we turn away from it.  Trust God, have faith in his promise to you.  Receive his blessings for your life.
Dear Father, your mercies are new every day.  Forgive us when we fail to call upon your name.  Forgive us when we fail to trust in you fully.  Give us the faith to trust you.  Give us the holy desire to seek your blessings.  Keep us close to you send your spirit of comfort to those who are in the most need of your comfort.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

4-25-2019

Good Morning All,

    Luke 15: 18-19; “I’ll go at once to my father, and I’ll say to him, “Father, I’ve sinned against heaven and you.  I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Make me one of your hired men.”

    Have you ever felt sorry for doing something?  Did it help or did you feel just as bad?  We often realize that we have done something wrong and then we feel bad.  We have a hard time getting over it and often we don’t.  We continue to feel guilty with little, if any, sense of relieve or respite.

     Which brings up a question, if feeling sorry for your sins doesn’t make you feel better; then what does?  Many will tell you that repentance means to feel sorry for your sins.  That is only a small part of the story.  This is also why, when we feel sorry for our sins, that we still feel empty of forgiveness and still burdened by sin.

    It is always interesting to me that the younger son in the parable of The Prodigal Son eventually realizes that the cause of his problem is life is his sin.  He didn’t blame others; he knew that his pain was caused by his sin.  So, he decides to return to his father and ask for forgiveness but expected to be a servant from now on because he had squandered what his father had given him.

    Yet here is where the remarkable part of God’s love is revealed to us.  In the parable, the father (God) is looking for the son to return every day.  When the son comes to his senses and returns, the love of the father is revealed.  The father doesn’t wait for the apology, or confession, before he forgives the son.  The son is forgiven when the father begins to look for him on the road.  In other words, he is forgiven by the father before the son realizes, recognizes or confesses his sin.

    When you come to God in confession, your sins are already forgiven.  They were forgiven long before you realized that is what you should do.  The major part of repentance is when you realize you are going in the wrong direction and the suffering state in which you now exist is the result of your sin.  It is not your parent’s fault or your spouse’s or society’s; it is your fault, your own most grievous fault.  We do not deserve to be forgiven but the love of the Father is greater than anything we have ever experienced.  Return to the Father for He has already forgiven you and He desires that you may be made whole again and part of His eternal kingdom.

Dear Father, to you alone belong the glory.  We come to you as a broken people; we are broken by sin and its guilt.  Yet through all of our failures, you forgive us because of your love for us.  We pray for those in our community who have watched loved ones return to you.  Be with them and give them your comforting Spirit.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-24-2019

Good Morning All,

    Psalm 103:4; “who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”

    I was watching a movie the other night.  It was a war movie in which one scene was shot during a rain soaked period of time.  Everything was wet and slippery.  The mud was everywhere and walking was tough and driving was even more difficult.  The enemy was about to attack so as they tried to move all the equipment.  Of course, as the enemy is coming, one of the jeeps gets stuck and it takes a heroic effort to save the day.  

    It seems that rescuing the hero at the last minute is a common theme in many movies.  Sometimes the villain dies while the hero gets saved.  The scene is frequent and the result is often the same.  This seems to occur because in many ways; we recognize that we need to be rescued in our own lives.

    Man has long known that he was in desperate shape.  We see this from his earliest fears.  We recognize it by our earliest refusal to care about others.  Our only thought was to self-survival and no thought to others; hence Cain and Abel.  This is partial why we tend to show hatred to others; it is the fear that we need to be rescued and that there isn’t enough help to go around.  It is this need to be rescued that causes us to build walls around ourselves to protect ourselves and to feel a little bit secure.  We separate ourselves from others in an attempt to feel safe and secure in a slippery pit.

    Martin Luther King once commented, “People often hate each other because they fear each other, they fear each other because they don’t each other, they don’t know each other because they cannot communicate, they cannot communicate because they are separated.” This seems to be an accurate description of our human existence.  We fear so we hate.

    There is no way for us to solve this crisis.  On our own, we can only fail.  We soon see that relying on our own skills, our own power, on our own self sense of right and wrong; we soon fall into the pit of destruction.  That slippery slope just leads down, pulling us in to the quagmire of total despair.  Our hope is lost, the light is gone and we sink slowly out of sight.

    Yet God, in his mercy, pulls us from the miry bogs.  He brings us from the pit of complete despair.  God pulls us out through the blood of Jesus.  He sets our feet upon a rock.  So, we can face the world with confidence and hope.  There is nothing that the world can throw at us that God cannot or will not pull us through.  The trials of this life are just that; trials.  Through them we can see God’s hand protecting us and giving to us the blessed certainty of life eternal.

  Dear Father, you pull us from the pit and give to us the certainty of hope.  Within you is our salvation.  Keep us safe within your arms and guard us with your tender mercy.  Keep us aware that all things work for good for those whom you love according to your purposes.  Bless us with your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-23-2019

 Good Morning All,

   Matthew 17:5; “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

    In front of a small rural church, the minister used to list the sermon titles for the next two weeks.  He had them listed like this:

                                              Jan. 20th- Jesus walks on the water

                                              Jan. 27^th- Searching for Jesus

    I don’t think this is exactly the message he meant to convey but he did.  Many people are, or at least claim to be, searching for Jesus.  They claim to be looking and listening for Jesus.  They profess to pray to him and to believe in him and yet do they?

    Many people search for Jesus but are really searching for a way or method to obtain the things of this world which they want.  They are like teenagers with Dad’s credit card.  All you have to do is swipe it in the machine and just like that you get what you want.  It couldn’t be easier.  They have no idea as to the cost or to the process of how this works.  They simply demand and get.

    There is the story of two friends who rarely attended church.  One of them got a very aggressive form of cancer.  So, these two friends sat down each day and read the Bible.  Yet when the one who got cancer died; the second friend decided that there was no God because he didn’t heal his friend.  This man had a vision of God and it was that God was to do what the man demanded.  He was searching for a God who would cover his expenses and fulfill his demands.

    Our verse is from the story of the Transfiguration.  Peter had just asked about making tents for everyone.  The voice of God told the disciples to listen to Jesus.  We should listen to Jesus; do whatever Jesus tells us.  It isn’t that hard.  Jesus tells us to repent and to believe.  We are to believe in his promise and assurance that our sins are forgiven and that we will share in eternal life with him.  That is pretty much it.  He encourages us to take advantage of the blessings which he bestows on us: prayer, Communion, the gathering with fellow believers to name a few.  Yet he calls upon us to repent and to believe.  Listen to him.  Trust in his words of hope and promise.  He will never forsake you.  Do whatever he asks of you; live your life in his hope and comfort.  Then all that you seek will be given to you.

Dear Father, too often we do not do as you ask; we go our own way and fall and fail.  Forgive us our sins and cleanse us and bring us back to you.  Guard us from all evil and give your holy comfort to those in need of your care.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-22-2019

Good Morning All,

   Isaiah 55:6; “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.”

    Have you ever seen any of the children’s book series “Where’s Waldo?”  It is a series of books where the main character Waldo dresses in red and white stripes.  He is hiding in a picture and you have to find him.  It is not as easy as it sounds.  The artist uses combination of colors and hues to give the illusion of Waldo when it isn’t really him.  You can spend hours on a book trying to find Waldo in the different areas of the picture.

    Looking for something has been part of the human experience for a long time.  The Greek cynic Diogenes carried a lantern and searched for an honest man.  Peter, Paul and Mary asked the musical question, “Where have all the flowers Gone?”  Whether it was the truth, true love or just a really good cheeseburger; people have searched for something that they couldn’t find.

    There are many times in our lives when we feel like we can’t find God.  We look around and see troubles in the world, in our nation even in our lives and we feel like we are looking for Waldo.  We see violence throughout the world.  We see hatred.  We see part of the world with more money, food and power than it could ever need or use while another part lives on pennies a day with little food and no way to control their own destiny.  We look at our nation and see a people divided on virtually every issue that exists.  We look at our own lives and see pain and problems.  We see job troubles, relationships, even our own inner peace.

    One of our biggest problems is the same as when we look for Waldo, we are easily misled and we end up looking in all the wrong places.  We look to drugs and alcohol; we look to crackpot self-help gurus; we look to our own strength and wisdom.  All these lead us down the wrong path; toward the path of destruction.  We tend to look to anything besides God. 

     The wondrous thing is that even though we look away from God; he never looks away from us.  He remains in our midst; offering us the peace and the hope to survive this world.  He is always there to lead through the difficult times; never abandoning us but always there to offer us comfort and hope.

     He does this through the creation which he has made.  He does this through the Church which he formed.  He does this through you and me whom he has redeemed.   God is always in our midst so we never have to fear.  We are never alone, even when facing our darkest fears; god is there to comfort us.  He is in our midst and we have nothing to fear.

Dear Father, you graciously live in our midst and protect us from all the devil’s ways.  Keep us safe and cause us to see that our comfort is in you alone.  Guide me that I may seek your grace, your peace, your hope and your truth.  In the precious name of the Risen Jesus we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-21-2019

Good Morning All,

   Luke 24: 5-6; “And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,"

    I get asked the question often; where do I find Jesus?  This particular questioner went on he had read books by great thinkers or philosophers.  He had listened to all the self-help gurus; watched all the talk shows and listening to the talking heads as they ponder and pontificate the musings of the day.  Yet at the end of the day, this questioner had nothing.  He had neither comfort nor peace.  He was empty; void of any type of true substance.  Each day was a “nothing” type of day completely void of any type of contentment or fullness.

    Where do I find Jesus?  Where do I find meaning to life; where do I find the comfort at the end of the day that lets me sleep; where do I find peace; tell me where?  The very simple truth is that we find Jesus exactly where he told us he would be.  He is in his Word and in his sacraments for you.  He is not in the tomb; he is not to be found among the dead.  He is not found in the tired and worn out musings of man because God used a plan that man simply cannot understand.  God’s plan was built upon the purest form of love to exist anywhere.  God’s plan was to offer a part of himself as the perfect sacrifice to pay for the sins of all men.  Your sins are paid for; the debt which you could never pay by your own righteous deeds is paid for by Jesus.  He tells us that over and over in his Scriptures; “I come to die that you might live.”  Yet Jesus’ death was only part of the good news that day.  While Jesus’ death declares us holy before God; his resurrection opens the door of the grave so that we may have eternal life with Jesus in the new creation which was begun at Jesus’ birth.

    Remember what he told you; you are a redeemed, baptized child of God.  Because of Jesus resurrection he is victorious over death.  Death is no longer the undisputed champion; Jesus is and he has given that victory to you.  Now you possess the victory over death.  Now death to a believer is simply a sleep or a nap.  It is not the end; it is not the defining moment.  It is but a passage we experience.  But because Jesus lives; we live also.

    Remember what he told you; This victory will never be taken from you; you may possess it forever.  Your name was added to the eternal roll of heaven’s Book of Life at your Baptism.  This is a promise that God makes to you every minute of every day.  You belong to Jesus.

    Remember what he told you; he will never leave you alone.  The devil may scowl, tempt, scare and try to intimidate you but the victory is yours.  Salvation is yours; life eternal is yours.  Jesus lives and so do you!!  Alleluia!

Glorious Jesus!  The victory you have won you have now given to us that we might know the perfect love that only you can offer.  Lift up our hearts in joyous celebration.  Lift up our eyes to focus on you and you alone.  Take us to be with you; come Lord Jesus, come.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-20-2019

 Good Morning All,

     1 Samuel 17:45; “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord  of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

    This is part of a verse from the story of David and Goliath.  There is a lot about this story that intrigues me.  One of those things is the tremendous detail that the writer of Samuel goes to in describing Goliath.  Goliath was nine feet tall, his chest plate armor alone weighed 125 pounds and the head of his spear weighed 15 pounds.  The shaft of the spear was big enough to use as the main frame of a weaver’s frame.  This was one big, mean, ugly dude.  He struck terror into the hearts of the entire Israelite army, king and all the people.  He had challenged the Israelites to send out their best soldier.  That best soldier and Goliath would fight; one on one and the winner of that battle would be the winner of the war.  If the Israelite won the Philistines would be the slaves and if Goliath won then the Israelite would be the slaves.

     For forty days, Goliath mocked the Israelites and their God.  For forty days, his challenge went unanswered.  On the forty first day, David, a little shrimp of a kid, came out to do battle with Goliath and killed him with a stone and cut off Goliath’s head with Goliath’s own sword.  This is quite a story.

     This is one of those stories that many people know but always seem to fixate on the wrong part of the story.  Many people will latch onto the idea that someone was nine feet tall.  Once they read that, the entire Bible is dismissed.  Now if it matters to you, there are some older translations that have Goliath about seven-foot-tall and there are some commentaries that suggest that the way we convert the ancient measurements to our known measurements of today is off; to me it doesn’t matter because that is not the purpose of this story.  The really important part is that Goliath was a big, mean, nasty thing to meet in the dark.

    We all face “Goliaths” in our life.  It might be changes at our workplace; it might be the prospect of getting married and moving away from Mom and Dad to a new place with this somewhat new person.  It might be the health of our parents or siblings or spouse or even our own health.  For most of us the biggest Goliath we face is our own mortality.  Someday, I will die and for many people nine feet isn’t tall enough for that Goliath.  These are just a few things in our lives that strike terror into our hearts and minds.  There are many others some of which may be your Goliath.

    David gives us a clue to our answer.  Before the battle begins, Goliath gives the “trash talk” speech about how he will leave David on the field of battle for the birds and animals to pick clean.  David responds with a statement of faith.  “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.”   We will face many Goliaths but God has promised to deliver them into our hand.  God has promised to guard and save us.  Not matter what comes our way, we rest securely at the foot of the cross looking at the empty tomb.  God has already delivered us up from the bondage of sin and the guilt and pain that sin causes us.  So, as we face our “Goliaths”, we can do so with the same confidence that David did and be certain that God will deliver us as well.  Faith that God would deliver him the victory over Goliath is what carried the day for David.  That same faith will carry you through as well.

Dear Father, we face many “Goliaths” in our life and on our own we would fail.  Yet you sent Jesus to do battle with all the Goliaths we face and defeated them and then gave that victory to us.  Remind us of this truth as we cling only to you.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

4-19-2019

Good Morning All,

      Psalm 23:4; “Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, because you are with me, I fear no harm.  Your rod and your staff give me courage.”

    Did you ever watch a scary movie or read a scary book when you were a child?  How did it go?  I remember the first couple of times I watched a scary movie; it was a Vincent Price one and I didn’t turn the lights off for two nights.  Every noise made me jump.  It is funny how the night makes our fears alive.  Here, in the wintertime, a forced air furnace house will creak and crack each time the furnace kicks on.  During the daytime, we hardly notice, but at night; it sounds like footsteps in the hall: it could be an axe murderer!!

     The night always brings about our greatest fears.  The sounds we hear but we don’t know what made them; we can’t see them and make us wonder what is out there.  This is part of the reason why the Bible always equates God with light and the devil with darkness.  It is an analogy which we readily understand.  We can get lost in the dark, very easily, and the darkness heightens our sense of loneliness.  It is at night that we often struggle the most.

     It is at night that the “worries” strike with a vengeance.  How do we pay all these bills?  Why is my child suddenly struggling in school?  How do we fix the car right now?  What will I do if we don’t get any more moisture this year than last?  Why doesn’t my spouse love me like they used to?  My health, my parents’ health, my spouses’ health just isn’t what it should be.  When the “worries” start, especially at night, the devil and our old sinful nature loves to attack. 

     One thing about the devil, he knows no mercy nor does he ever show any.  He sticks the knife in, twists it about, pours salt on the wound and then he starts all over again.  This is what the Psalmist was experiencing when he wrote our verse.  He knew fear, fear of being killed.  He had enemies all around him.  It was a scary situation.  He was outnumbered and facing suffering.  But he knew where to go for help; he knew God.

     God is here to rescue you as well.  He comes to you in his Word and he listens to you in your prayers.  The Spirit will cause us to remember all the things which Jesus said to us.  This is part of the reason why reading the Bible regularly is so helpful.  The Holy Spirit uses those special passages to bring us comfort and to remind us of where our hope comes from.  God encourages us to pray so that we can express our fears and our desires.  So, when we face those nights or days filled with the “worries” take a few minutes and yearn for God in the night.  Look to him for your comfort and hope; don’t look to yourself or any other worldly support.  Any other support will only fail.  Only God, whose love and mercy exceeds our every need can keep us safe and give us peace.

Dear Father, we yearn for your Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us peace.  Keep us secure in your arms and give to us your peaceful rest which only you can deliver.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret