6-30-2019

 Good Morning All,

     Romans 6:5; ^“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”       

    Baseball is in full swing.  If you are a Twins fan or a Dodger fan or a Yankee fan, you have had a lot to cheer about so far.  It is exciting to watch and you wonder if one of the new guys will become the player that can literally carry a team to a victory almost by his sheer will.  The last player the Twins had like that was probably Kirby Puckett.  After his death, some of his teammates were relating stories of him on a sports show.  They told of a time when Kirby told his teammates, “get on and ride me for a while.” That next game he went 4 for 5 with a homerun and a couple of amazing catches in the outfield.  The Yankees have had many of these through their illustrious history; Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter.  It seems that teams will get to a point in the season where their future is going to be determined by how well one key player plays.

    It is somewhat amazing that something like professional baseball, football or basketball can come down to how well one person plays.  Take a Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, or Michael Jordan or LeBron James off the team and see what is left; oftentimes, not much.  Yet it happens over and over even in our everyday lives.  A whole factory might wait as one trucker has to deliver the parts they need to continue.  Many cars wait while one person walks across the street so they can continue on their journey.  Our future may be tied to one person and we might not even know it.

    Yet our eternal future is known and is certain and we know the man it is tied to; it is tied to Jesus.  This is the great promise that Paul makes in Romans where he speaks of the power of Baptism.  We are connected directly to Christ through the wonder, the power and the Word of Baptism.  We are united to Jesus.  Our old Adam is drowned, daily, in order that we may stand before God in righteousness.  We go where Jesus goes.  We go through the death of our sinful nature in order to rise a new creation.  We are the declared righteous children of God who sees us through the glasses of Christ’s righteousness.

    This means that just as Jesus emerged from the tomb to defeat death; we too, will emerge victorious!  How do we know we will defeat death?  Because Jesus did!  Our entire destiny is built upon that singular truth, a truth that is totally dependent upon the mercy of God and not our doing.  We never worry if it is “enough”; God declares it so through the sight of the empty tomb.  Our destiny lays in the hands of our loving Savior who desires that all may be saved by his precious blood.  We are the victors indeed!

Gracious Father, in the blood of Jesus you have declared us your children and through the powers of Baptism you have washed us clean of our sins.  Keep us ever looking to you for our hope.  Guard our hearts and strengthen our spirit that we may ever rest in your peace.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-29-2019

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 131:2; “But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me."

      Do you remember the old Calgon commercials?  It always had this mother, her hair all frazzled, about 8-10 kids running around her yelling and screaming.  She would look to the camera and say, “Calgon, take me away.”  There were variations on this theme; there was the “Calgon moment” for a while.  There are actually many ads for some sort of “time out”.  There are the coffee ads where you see someone standing on a balcony looking out over a beautiful vista or mountain scene.  Some ads even suggest a candy bar will solve the problem. 

    The ad companies know us well.  They know that most people today feel incredibly rushed and frazzled.  Do you remember when computers were going to make our lives easier?  I am still waiting.  It seems like everything is in double speed and there is twice as much to do now.  We “know” everything so much faster that we often don’t really have time to consider the ramifications of what we “know”.  So now we get the benefit of those who think they “know” telling us how to react to what they “know” we “know” now.  No wonder we are lost.

     Most of us go through life with our head spinning and we can’t figure it out one bit.  The really sad part is that this is exactly how the devil wants us to live. He wants us harried, frazzled, confused and lost.  It is in this mayhem that the devil wants us to exist, not live, but exist.  When you are here, you are always tired, often confused, feeling like you are always worn out.  The devil loves this spot for you to try and ride along because you never will.  You will only suffer from this ride.

    This is why God speaks to us in this verse.  “Calm and quiet your soul.” In other words, spend some time in God’s Word and in prayer.  God is inviting you, actually he is begging you, to take a little time and rest.  Take a little time and spend it reading his Word, really reading it.  Listen to the words and to the hope that these words offer.  Take time to pray; speak to God with an honest and true prayer.  Speak your words of thanks, your words of fear, your words of questioning.  God will use this time to give you peace, maybe not the answers you seek, but peace knowing that God is listening and is loving you today and tomorrow.  God will use this time to slow you down and to see the world a little more clearly.  Most of what the world thinks you have to “know” isn’t worth a hill of beans.  Spend time with God, rest a little while enjoying hid Word to you.

Father of mercy, we need to take time and rest yet we often fail to do so.  We become frazzled and worn out and then are easy targets for the devil and his ways.  Give us the wisdom to rest in your grace.  Give us the courage to take time to rest in your Word and to hear your words of comfort and consolation.  We need you every hour, bless Father with your love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-28-2019

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 103:14; “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
   So how well do you know the people closest to you?  Do you know their eye color, birthdate, favorite color, favorite meal, their dream vacation?  There is a lot to know about people if you think about it and what happens when what you thought you know changes?  Some people can be totally afraid of a thunderstorm only to become accustomed to it later on.  Some people can be convinced that they hate broccoli until they try it and then it changes.  There was a time when I liked a certain food.  Once, after I ate it, I became sick and was convinced that the food made me sick; I don’t eat that food anymore.  I changed so how would you know what I liked?

     The true test of knowing someone is when you respond even when you are not asked.  If you ask a friend, “What’s wrong?” and they respond, “nothing.” But you hug them anyway; that is knowing them.  When someone just shows up and starts to help, or just sits and listens; that is truly knowing someone.  Because in the ultimate sense “to know me is to love me.”  That is how the old song goes and it is true.  For those we know best we know because we love them.  That is why and how we know them by the love that we share.

    Our heavenly Father truly knows us.  Our verse speaks of God as knowing us in an intricate and implicate manner.  The psalms are full of references where the psalmist confesses that God knows him better than anyone, even himself.  This may sound like something spectacular but it goes much deeper than some form of generic knowledge.  The reason that God knows this isn’t just because he is all knowing; rather it is because he is all loving.  He knows this because he loves us.  The greatness of God is shown, not by his power but by his love; a love that allowed Jesus to die upon the cross for you.  So thus, God knows you.

     As God knows about you, what color your eyes are or how many hairs you have; he knows the content of you.  He knows your fears, he knows your pains, he knows your needs before you do.  He comes to you with his love to comfort you, to offer you hope.  God knows you because he loves you.  It is an understanding love, it is an all-encompassing comprehension of the struggles in your life and hope ad knowledge that through it all; God’s incredible love is there for us.

    God knows how many hairs you have, not for inventory, but for the loving nature that brings you back into his family.  None of us are so bruised or damaged that God does not want you back; he always has and always will.  Trust in God’s mercy to see you through.

  Dear Father, you know me.  You know my fears, you know my pain, you know my joys and sorrows.  Give me the strength to stand up I the face of life’s struggles and keep me secure in the knowledge that you are with me.  You are there to comfort and console, to guide and to counsel.  Keep me safe.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-27-2019

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 37:24; “though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

     Have you ever been in a situation where you had no idea what to do or where to go?  One time I looked out our window at saw a reddish glow.  It was about sundown.  I got into my pickup and drove toward the glow.  It ended up that I had to stop, and then climbed over a couple of fences to see it.  A neighbor was burning out a junk hole and it was slowly dying.  As I turned to go back to the pickup, I realized it was no longer dusk, it was dark.  It was cloudy so there was no moon or stars.  I was so intent on the glow that I didn’t pay that close attention to how I got there and now couldn’t figure out how to get back.  I was completely lost.  I only saw one yard light so I headed for it.  It was about a two and a half mile walk.  It was dark.  I ran into fences, I tripped into holes, I tripped over weeds; I had no clue where I was or where I was going until I walked up to the door and realized where I was.  For a while, I was completely and totally lost.

     There are times when we can know where we are and still feel that way.  It might be in the waiting room as a loved one is in surgery.  It might be when a loved one leaves in an angry fashion and doesn’t come back.  It might be when your child is ill and the doctors have no answers.  At times like this, we can feel lost and unsure of what to think or say.  Yet there are even tougher times as well.  What do you pray when a member of your family, who has struggled with life and health for a long time, goes into the hospital?  Do you pray that he comes back to your home or do you pray that God would heal him and take him to heaven?  How do we pray when our understanding sees one thing but our faith sees something else?  What do we pray when we don’t see a clear path to pray for?

    There are many times in our lives when we don’t know how to pray.  Do we pray that God strengthens a relationship or pray to let it die before it gets to serious?  How do we pray when we have no idea what to say?  These are examples of what the Holy Spirit does for us.  He prays for us.  So when you don’t know what to pray, we really only need to pray for help.  We can pray, “Father, help!”  We don’t need a page long liturgical statement; we only need “Father, help!” and He will pick us up.  God knows our needs, our worries, our struggles and how we fit into his will.  We need to trust God’s love and the grace he has for our life.

Dear Father, there are so many times when we feel intimidated when we pray.  There are so many times we don’t know what to say.  So Father, we say help!  Help our unbelief, our slowness to trust, our inability to love our neighbor.  Father help us to be your children.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-26-2019

 Good Morning All,

  Proverbs 3:5; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding."

    The pressure is on.  Have you ever watched an athlete perform under pressure?  Maybe the field goal kicker when his team is behind by 2 points with: 02 seconds left in the game?  Or how about the guy/gal trying to make two free throws with the same: 02 seconds?  Everybody is watching; everybody sees.  If you have never been in a situation like this, there is no way to explain the pressure that you feel.  You can feel every hair on your arm begin to rise; you hear every drop of sweat fall to the floor; you feel each heartbeat in your temple.  It is an adrenalin rush like nothing else. 

    One thing that is for sure is that we all feel some sort of pressure in our life.  It might be because of some job-related issue.  It may be because it isn’t raining enough or it is raining too much.  It may be that you are approaching retirement and you don’t know what you will do.  It may be the coldness in a family relationship or it may be health related.  We all face some sort of pressure in our life; it takes away our sleep, it takes away our comfort; it takes away our contentment. 

    Pressure is a two-edged sword.  On the one side, it sharpens your awareness to your surroundings.  To the athlete, this means to focus on his training and practice.  On the other hand, it can cause to cave under the weight of the event.  Sweaty palms and shallow breathing can kick in.  This is always the balance for the athlete and for us as well.

    When you begin to experience this pressure or stress in your life, you can become aware of what you are experiencing.  Sleeplessness, restlessness, depressed or any other negative emotion should trigger your awareness.  Yet instead of focusing on your own skill or talent; we need to look to God.  God is watching and fully aware of what we are experiencing.  He knows that we will cave to the pressure if left on our own.  God’s eyes are watching us all the time and he listens to our prayers.  When we experience these stresses or pressure. We need to turn to our rock and that is Jesus.

    We will always battle stress; that is part and parcel to a broken, sin-filled world.  But we don’t have to battle it all alone.  God offers to comfort us.  He uses His Word and His sacraments and he uses His church.  He uses his church to be the flesh and blood touch for us as we go through the troubles and travails of life.  We will face them just not alone.  We really don’t have to battle the weight of fear or loneliness or sadness or worry by our self; Jesus has already won those battles and offers us his grace and comfort fort this life.

Gracious Lord, as we battle with the stress of everyday life; we do not face it alone.  Give us the wisdom to see our struggles and to trust in you to give us the strength to stand up in your grace.  We ask that you especially see those who are struggling mightily and feel as though they are going to cave.  Bless them with your Spirit of peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-25-2019

Good Morning All,

John 9:8; “The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?”

   Have you ever watched the news when they show relief work done in a region where people are starving?  The people all look gaunt, even emaciated; each holding out a cup.  Into that cup is poured some type of porridge that is usually high in protein and carbohydrates.  Yet the one thing that you see is that everyone just waits, with their cup held out.  When you look at them, you can’t tell if one is a rich man and the next is a poor man.  You can’t tell if the woman is a mother, a widow or a princess.  They all stand in line, no sense of rank or entitlement, just waiting for their meager ration.  It is never a lot, only enough for the day.

    In our verse, we read about one of the more pitiful people in the Bible.  We have a blind beggar.  Imagine his living condition.  He would sit beside the road, probably dressed in rags, probably dirty from the dust of the road.  He was probably hassled by the thugs and bullies who saw him as a good target.  Some of the kids would have made fun of him because he was blind.  The Pharisees blamed him for his circumstance and offered no compassion.  What a sorrowful life this was.

    You and I are like that beggar.  We are the pitiful, blind beggar and it doesn’t matter if you go to church every Sunday and sit up front or if you don’t remember the last time you saw the inside of a church; you are a beggar.  We have no other way to view it.  We are completely at the mercy of God and his love.  The world and the devil love to taunt us, to bully us and to even look down upon us; for we are beggars.  We can only stand before God and ask for help.  Our only hope is from God, without his love we are pitiful, blind beggars. 

    The wonder of God’s love is that he has compassion on us.  We are not anything special; we are just us.  How often do you sit and think, “if only people knew what I am really like?”  Do you feel the devil knocking you down with that?  How often do you think, “If God really knows me; I don’t have a chance”.  Do you feel the dirt and the grime from the road?  Jesus died for you and me and we stand in line together, holding out the cup, looking for a day’s ration.  That is all we need; one day of God’s grace.  It will get us through until tomorrow when we will get one more day’s ration of grace. 

    That is really all we need, one day’s ration of grace.   One simple fill up and we can face the day’s struggle.  The devil and the world will still bully us, situations may leave us feeling dirty but God gives us that day’s ration of grace.  We are all beggars before God; but thanks be to God that he has compassion on us!

Gracious Father, we are humble before you.  We have nothing and we have no way to ever get anything.  All we can do is beg of you.  We beg for your forgiveness, we beg for your mercy, we beg for your grace and you supply it.  We give you thanks!!  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-24-2019

Good Morning All,

Psalm 57:1; “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
    There is one thing that most people try to be aware of in the plains of the United States and that is where to go when a tornado is around.  You either have a basement, or a strong interior wall.  Some people have actual storm cellars that are there for protection.  If you live in a development there may even be a designated building for the purpose.  It is important to know where to go when there is danger.

    This past spring, the school that my wife is at had an “armed intruder” drill.  It was in conjunction with the county sheriff; it was a learning experience for everyone.  Yet it was a very important learning time.  They were determining how to keep the students and staff safe.  It is important to for everyone involved to know what the best plan for an intrusion of some sort.

    Most people have some sort of plan for when something catastrophic occurs but it is usually only for those events that we expect.  We expect stormy weather.  We carry some form of a survival kit for winter driving.  We are supposed to have some money saved for “unexpected events.”  Some people have some form of a generator for power outages.  The problem with planning for disasters is that we always plan for the last disaster; it is impossible to plan for the next one because we can never be sure what it will be.

    That is the problem with our life; it isn’t as well scripted as we would like it to be.  When we get married; it is supposed to be forever.  But what happens when forever is only three years?  What happens when illness strikes and we no longer can move a leg or an arm properly?  What happens when our ability to earn a living is gone and we have nothing left?  What happens when the disasters we plan for don’t occur but the ones we don’t plan on do?  Where do we find shelter?  Where do we find refuge?

    Too often, we find our refuge in our own skills, knowledge and abilities.  We think we can conquer anything but what do we do when we are not that strong?  Even the strongest storm cellar only protects for a few hours; what if it is weeks or months of ravaging storms?

     God is our only true refuge.  When all of our phony “safe places” in this world fail, only God’s grace will truly protect us, even when we may struggle in holding onto that faith; God doesn’t let go.  His love is our tower of strength.  It is where our refuge place is.  He is our only source of hope and comfort.

Dearest Jesus, you are our shelter and our hope.  Give us the faith to hold onto that hope; to seek that refuge.  We pray especially that for those who are struggling at this time.  Be with them and let them know that their refuge is in you.  All this we ask in your precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-23-2019

 Good Morning All,

         Psalm 116:8; “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.”
      So, it is confession time again.  I am one of them; I am a crier.  I cry at movies, at sad stories, sad songs, at touching events.  My wife laughs at me; I don’t care.  I think it is a transference device my mind uses so when I am in an emotionally stressful time, I can function as I should; then it comes out later.  I don’t actually cry at everything just those stories or movies that strike close to home; the ones that I can see myself being involved in.  We watched a movie about a soldier who was first injured in a war incident and then the struggle about him coming home and re-adjusting to family life and society.  I have a daughter-in-law who is in the guards.  She was in Iraq once and might have to go again.  I can relate to that story.  The other day, I read a story about a couple who got married and their two-year-old son, who had cancer, was the best man.  The son died a couple of days after the wedding.  Now, I have grandchildren who are that age; I can relate to that story.

    In our verse, the psalmist is giving thanks for God rescuing him and the community from calamity.  It is a psalm of joy for removing a painful or dangerous event.  It would be a good psalm to use when a drought ends or a severe storm misses you.  It speaks to God with a joyful “thank you” for sparing me.  There are all sorts of calamities and pain out there.  This world is still ruled by sin.  The devil has many deceived by his lies and distortions.  Those who believe the lies serve as the devil’s tools to assault us.  Add this to the devil’s own whispering into our ear and we are often wandering; lost in a world of darkness, lies, and attacks.  Yet we don’t battle them alone, God knows our wanderings and he gives us the hope to persevere and the faith to stand up to them. 

    While we are on this wandering, we know that we will face tears, real tears.  We will experience pain in this world, both believers and unbelievers will experience sadness and pain.  This is the result of sin both personal and world sin.  Other people’s sins affect you and me.  Think of the drunk driver who kills a van full of kids.  Tears will flow in that event.  Enough tears to fill a bottle and God keeps each one; he keeps each one as he wipes them from our eyes.  He keeps a record of them. He does this, not as a way to keep score but he keeps it in his heart as he feels our pain and loves us.  He has no desire to hurt us.  He has no desire to see us in pain; rather his desire is to love us and for us to be his children in his kingdom.  God’s love is upon us.  He knows our pain, our tears.  He watches our wanderings and offers us comfort and hope.

Dearest Father, in our wanderings we have tears and feel alone; yet you are always with us.  Give us the comfort of your Spirit and the consolation of your mercy.  Guide us in our wanderings and comfort us in our pain.  Be especially with those who are in need of an extra grace as their tears are falling now.  Use us as your hands and arms to bring comfort and consolation to their lives.  Give us your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-22-2019

Good Morning All,

         Psalm 55:18; “He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.”

     There once was a man who had bought a puppy.  He truly loved the little pup but one day the puppy got outside and ran away.  The man searched and searched for the puppy but couldn’t find it.  He was desperate but had no luck.  Soon he thought he would never see his puppy again.

    A couple of years later, he saw a man with a dog that looked like his would.  He watched as the man kicked and beat the dog.  He went to the man and asked him why he treated the dog so poorly.  The man replied, “It’s my dog and I’ll do what I like with it.”  The first man bent down to look at the dog and saw the dog tag on the collar and immediately saw that it was the puppy that ran away.  He looked up and asked him, “How much do you want?”  “$1000”, was the reply.  So, the first man gave him all his cash, his watch and his computer and took the dog and walked away.

     In many ways, you and I are like that little dog.  We ran away from God.  We ran from the loving relationship that he had with us and we took off and never looked back.  Soon we found out that it is a cruel world out there.  This new master wasn’t kind at all.  He was incredibly cruel.  Often times we were near death but survived only to be abused again.  Our future existence was extremely bleak.

    Then one day a kind man came and bought us for a ridiculous amount of money.  The truly amazing part is that he already owned us but he bought us back anyway.  He did this just so we would know how much he loves us.  He bought us away from that horrible owner, away from the pit that our life was.  He brought us home and cleaned us up and fed us.  He did this all out of love for us.

    So now we have a new life.  A new life that is really our first life; a life living with our loving Father.  We are in his kingdom; protected by his grace and mercy from the old evil owner.  We no longer need to fear the old master for God, our heavenly Father, has defeated him for us.  We can live our life in the newness of light.  We are no longer destroyed but are now living in his presence.  This allows us to live the life that God has designed for us.  This allows us to be free from the clutches and control of the old evil master.  God has bought you back and declared you to be his redeemed child.  Live each day with the certainty of this hope.

Gracious Father, you sent Jesus to be the price to redeem us back from our sin and debt.  You have freed us from despair and the suffering under the weight of that sin.  Give us the power to love and to live the life which you have given to us.  Lead us to be the light in this dark world so that others may see your grace in our lives and in our heart.  Bring the lost into the fold.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-21-2019

Good Morning All,

         Romans 5:19; “For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.”

    I will always treasure the time I spent umpiring baseball.  Umpiring baseball is always a unique experience.  Baseball, in and of itself, is a very unique game. What most people don’t realize is that if you follow the rules to the letter, the umpire can do no wrong.  Whatever the umpire calls; that is the right call. 

    Now that is quite a statement; I know, however; that is an accurate statement.  There truly is no appeal or questioning the umpire.  Now most umpires know that they are human and know that they can miss or mistake a play.  When in doubt, most will ask the other umpires for help or advice.  That is the way you should do it; get it right.  Yet, if the umpire calls the runner “safe”; he is safe.  It doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks or says.  If the umpire calls the runner safe; he is safe.

    It is also important to note that what the umpire calls is right.  You don’t get to claim that the runner is really out but the umpire called him safe.  The runner is safe because the umpire called him safe.  The game continues and the runner is safe and if he scores; it counts.  What the umpire calls becomes the reality.

    This is how it is for us before God.  We become the righteousness of God not because we earned it but because God declared it so.  No matter how many times the devil or the world try to tell you that “you really are bad; God just missed the call”; it simply is not true.  You are righteous because God says so.  Through his omnipotent power he is the judge of everything.  When God declares you righteous because of Jesus; you are righteous.

    Nothing matters other than God judgment.  He has judged us righteous because of Jesus’ sacrifice.  Because of this we are holy; we are righteous before God; that is the “call” he makes and that is the right one.  Life goes on from there.  At that point, we are destined to be saved by his grace alone.  We are declared righteous and no matter what anyone else thinks, says, saw or claims; God has declared us truly holy and righteous.

    The beauty of this is that now we are the redeemed children of God with all the rights and privileges that the children of the king have.  We are now able to boldly come before God’s throne and call him Father.  We are able to come to him with our fears and worries and leave them with him for him to remove.  This is the wonder of God’s grace.  God declares you to be righteous and you are.  God declares you to be his and you are.  God declares you to be saved and you are.

Dear Father, your mercies are new every day.  Give us the courage and strength to trust in your declaration of righteousness.  Lead us to trust in your word.  Show us your wonderful grace that we may live eternally with you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-20-2019

Good Morning All,

      Psalm 147:3; “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”
         Have you ever had someone tell you to eat or drink something because “it’s good for what ails you?”  It is really amazing all the things they tell you to try to fix whatever is wrong with you.  I think what fascinates me the most is how the advice about what is and what isn’t good for you changes from year to year.  A few years ago, I had a heart attack.  I was put on fish oil pills, 4 a day.  They told me that the omega-3 was good for me.  Now I read where omega-3 may cause some types of cancer.  Coffee was good and then bad but now is sort of ok again.

    Who really knows where eggs are?  They jump from good to bad like some version of a tennis match.  If you add in all the "folk” remedies, it would seem that everything is both good and bad for you at the same time.  No wonder I get a headache but I am told chamomile tea will fix that.

    While some of our physical ails might be helped by a little herbal tea, the contentment of our heart and soul cannot.  When it comes to our soul and to our heart the only real healing comes from God.  The pain that exists in our heart is not easily soothed.  It takes a lot of care and a loving touch.  This we receive only through Jesus.

    We see and experience so much pain in this world.  Some seems so chaotic, such as a child that falls of a bike and dies of a brain injury.  Some seem so self-destructive we wonder why we even do them.  Some seem just plain cruel.  Yet all these actions cause a tremendous amount of pain and doubt, both of our own worth and of God’s love.  We wallow in self-pity and in pain.  Yet the biggest effect is that it erodes our relationships.  We are no longer able to trust our family and friends, our selves or God.  We see all these as enemies because of the pain which we endure.

    Despite all of our efforts, we find no comfort; we find no healing.  There is nothing in this world that is “good for what ails us.”  Our only source of comfort and hope comes from Jesus.  It is only through his redeeming sacrifice that we are truly healed.  It is through his grace that we are rescued from the pain that the devil inflicts upon us.  Through all the pain of this world we must always remember that we are God’s redeemed children and that the plight of this world will pass but God’s love will not.  Our only hope is in Christ; hold onto to that everlasting truth as it will cure what ails you.

   Dear Father in heaven, you give us healing in your Word and the soothing balm of your love.  Give us that sense of your touch in our lives.  Comfort us and give to us the assurance of your everlasting love.  Be with those who especially are struggling with health or family struggles.  Give them your comfort and move us to be your arms and loving hands.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-19-2019

Good Morning All,

   Psalm 9:10; “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

    Trust is a very important but fleeting experience.  Most people have the Reagan theory-trust but verify.  That really isn’t trust.  Trust is so crucial to some business teams and partnerships that companies send them to “trust building” seminars.  These seminars have “trust building” exercises.  One of these exercises involves one member standing tall with his arms crossed before him.  He then falls backwards; trusting one of the other members of the team to catch him before he hits the floor. 

    You have to trust one of your fellow employees.  They may catch you or look at each other and say, “I thought you had him!”  That is when you find out who your friends are.  You have to wonder about ever trusting those guys again.  I would think that falling to the floor in a heap would really test your trust of the other guy.

    Our verse today speaks of trusting the Lord and not being forsaken.  That can be easier said than done.  It might be easy if your life is going, for the most part, in the direction.  But what if it isn’t?  Think of John the Baptist.  He did everything that God asked him to do and he was imprisoned by Herod.  As he languished in the prison, he asked Jesus, “Are you the One?”  Jesus answered yes.  Yet John remained in prison and eventually was executed there.  Trusting in the Lord can be tough.

    It can be very tough when we face those monumental tasks; those struggles that have no easy answer.  When facing the declining health of a family member or our own, trust can be a scarce commodity.  When it seems that every time you turn around, you get knocked down again and again; trust can seem like just a word.  When the people who you love and thought they loved you leave you with nothing but painful memories, trust can feel almost painful.  The thing we need to remember is that in most of these situations, we aren’t really trusting God as much as we are really trusting in our own understanding. 

    We may think we have it all figured out but we really don’t.  So much happens in this world that we think we can directly influence or change.  The truth is that the world is nothing but chaos and the only order is found through God.  Anytime we look to the world for answers all we get are guesses or hunches at best.  God is our only source of truth.  God is the one who controls what happens.  Things go according to God’s will; we may not like it at the time but God’s will is always the best.  We must trust that; that has to be the basis for our faith and our hope.  Trusting in God is our only true security.

Dear Father, too often we trust our own instincts and desires only to have them fail.  Give us the courage and the faith to fully trust in your grace.  Give us the assurance that all things work for good for those whom you love.  Give extra assurance to those who are wrestling now with questions of trust.  Give them peace Lord.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-18-2019

Good Morning All,

   1 Peter 2:10; “Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

       A few friends; that is how it always starts.  Then the planning; looking for new recipes to try.  Then it has to have a theme; whatever that means.  Then, do we have any games to play?  Then it is the invitations; mailed or e-mailed.  It started as a few friends and then it grew a little or maybe a lot.  Most people go through this every so often.  We are people who like to be with others.  We are social creatures; we long for companionship.  We are built to be in community.

    God created us to be part of a community.  We can even look at God and see community.  We see the Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as a form of community.  We see three persons in one God.  God created us to be part of his community.  We were created to live in communion with Him and in community with each other.

     The problem came about when sin entered our world.  Man, then formed a very twisted view of community.  We began to see each other as competitors, stepping stones, or things to be used, abused and then disposed of.  Perhaps you have been on either or both sides of that description.  This is common for it is how the devil wants our world to exist.  For when this type of view of people exists we begin to withdraw from society.  We experience pain so we withdraw.  We experience pain so we avoid others who we see as simply wanting to use us and then dispose of us.  Soon we feel that we are all alone.

    However, Jesus came to rescue us from this sin-imposed isolation.  Jesus came to bring us back into God’s community.  Jesus came to return us to His family, to make us a people again; his people.  It can start with 2 or 3 gathered together.  That is a small community.  It is a family and the family, as God designed it, is the base unit for human community.  When a family gathers together, in faith, Jesus dwells in the midst of it.

    Even in this sinful world, where some of these communities are broken; God reaches out to us in love to rebuild or build anew the communities built upon his love and grace for us.  He wants us to build these communities upon the selfless love for others.  He wants us to build upon the selfless love which Jesus demonstrated for us. God wants to use you to build these communities.

    So, as you go forth today, thank God for making you his “people” again.  Then ask God to use you to build these communities, large or small, to bring about the kind of world that God desires.  Ask God to use you to bring a little community to a world that knows only loneliness.

Gracious Lord, you came to this world to restore the holy community of your people.  Through this you give us the comfort and hope to face the struggles that the devil throws at us.  Give to those who are struggling mightily the security of your community.  Let them feel safe and secure.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret