9-30-2019

Good Morning All,

        Luke 13:5; “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

   This is one of those verses that causes people to really kind of wrinkle their nose at.  “Repent”; it makes it sound like I am some sort of bad guy; well you are.  Yet there is more to this verse than most of us read.  Most of us see this as Jesus “the kill joy God” coming into our lives and screwing up the good times we are having.  This is what the devil and our sinful nature wants us to believe.

    Of course, the devil and our sinful nature lie to us every single time.  The truth is, God is trying to get us to see that we are on the wrong path and we need to fix it.  When God created the world, it was perfect.  Man was perfect and all of creation worked in harmony with each other.  Then sin entered the world and brought disharmony and caused man to turn away from God.  So that is where we sit, with our backs turned toward God looking and going away from God and his grace.

    To this life Jesus says repent.  In other words, turn around, come back, don’t go that way it will only harm you.  Repent, turn from the sin that harms you and come back to my grace; repent.

    We need to understand that the 10 Commandments are a reflection of God’s Will.  This is God telling us how we can live the life that we were designed for before man sinned.  This is how the relationship between you and God along with you and your fellow man are designed to be.  We see that if we believe that God is our God and not some other false god pretending to be; that our relationship with our creator is better.  If we see that in our dealings with other people should be based on respect, love and honor, we see that we have a better existence.  God’s law serves to bring us back to this proper existence.  When we sin, we turn from God’s perfect design to the broken sinful one.  When this happens, we need to repent; we need to turn away from our sin and back to God’s grace.

   This is what repentance is really all about.  It is not about God taking away our fun but about returning to the proper, healthy life that we were created for.  To keep returning to sin is to keep returning to the very thing that causes us pain.  God calls us to repent; to turn away from this self-destructive behavior and return to God’s grace and favor.  We can continue to beat our self over the head and claim we like it or we can repent and turn back to God and his path for our life.

Dearest Father, too often we go our own way which causes us pain and suffering.  Too often we miss your call to repentance and only suffer more.  We give you thanks for the mercy to call us and we ask that you strengthen us to hear your call and heed it.  We ask that you be with those who are in the most pain and suffering.  Lead them to hear your call to repentance and to come home.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-29-2019

Good Morning All,

Titus 3:5; “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

    Most adult Americans are, by nurture, a cynical bunch.  This usually occurs when after being burned a time or two with buying something that just sounds “too good to be true”; we come to the realization that if it sounds too good to be true it isn’t true at all.  We hear this admonition from every consumer watchdog group that exists.  The Better Business Bureau, the Consumer Protection League, the Consumer Report; take your pick they all tell the same story.  Do not trust or believe anything that sounds too simple.

    So, the devil, the world and our sinful nature screams at us as loud as they can, “It is too good to be true; don’t buy it!!”  Yet God clearly tell us it is that simple.  If you believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died and rose from the dead to pay for your sins, you are saved.  That’s it; that’s all there is to it.  If you believe that Jesus Christ dies for you sins and rose again, you have salvation.  God has promised this!  It is not debatable or of any form of second guessing.  If you believe, you are saved.

    So why do we struggle?  Mostly this goes against everything we are talk in the human world.  Have you ever talked to an economist?  Within in five minutes he will tell you, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”  Do you listen to the Better Business Bureau or the Consumer Report?  Do not trust anything that sounds too good. That is the message of the world.  This is part of what Scriptures means when it says the wisdom of the world is folly to God.  It doesn’t make sense to the world but it is God’s desire to do this.  It makes sense to God and in the end, isn’t that who we should worry about?

     God actively and with intention chose to save us through the death of Jesus his Son.  God has chosen to give us this salvation.  God has chosen to give us the faith to trust in that salvation.  It is way too easy according to the world but it is God’s plan.  Believe with your heart and you are saved.  If you truly believe this, your life will change.  God will give you a newness because you are a new creation.  You are a redeemed child of God; over everything else, you are God’s child.  That is what the devil wants you to forget; that is what the devil wants to hide and confuse you about.  You are God’s redeemed child because he loves you and he wants you to live with him in heaven.  So, he makes it simple for us; believe in your heart that Jesus died for you and you will be saved.  It doesn’t get any better than that!  Trust in God’s promise and you will be saved.  It is not too good to be true; it simply is true!

Dearest Father, the world tries to confuse us with all of its tricks.  Give us the confidence to trust in your saving grace.  Give us wisdom to cling to the cross of Jesus as the sign of our salvation.  Give us the courage to believe in our heart that Jesus is our Savior.  Keep us in your loving arms and defend us from the lies of the devil.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen,

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

9-28-2019

Good Morning All,

       John 15:12; “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

    Many years ago, there was a pop song that had the chorus line “If you can’t be with the one you love, honey; love the one you’re with.”  This line pretty much sums up the world’s view of love.  This view is based entirely on the selfish concept of “me, me, only me”.  It gives a much- distorted view of love.  A common view of love is the one that states “I’ll love you as long as you love me and are nice to me and as long as you make me feel good.”  This way of looking at love also distorted the view of God’s law and covenant.

    During the time that Jesus ministered here on earth, the Pharisees and the Scribes had completely distorted the correct way to read God’s law that was given to Moses.  The Pharisees made the law very condemning and harsh.  They used the law to punish and attack the people.  They used it as a cruel rod of oppression.  They used the law to beat the people into submission and gave them no comfort, no peace and no hope.

    This was the way religion worked at this time.  It was about rules, really picky rules, and it was about being judged or judging someone else.  This was one of the reasons that Jesus’ message resonated with the common, everyday people at this time and not with the religious elite.  The message of Jesus offered hope.  Instead of condemning; he offered forgiveness.  He told his disciples that faith, true faith is very different from what the Pharisees taught.  True faith was shown with love.  This is what Jesus meant when he called it a “new commandment;” it was new to the way they were used to.  It was new to them but not to Jesus or God.

    This doesn’t mean that we forget the law.  The law serves as a guide to our life.  When we approach someone who is in sin, it is not so much telling them that they are wrong.  It is telling them that what they are doing is hurtful to themselves and hurtful to their relationship with God.  When Jesus told the woman, who was caught in adultery, to “go and sin no more;” this was as much about the harm she was doing to herself, her family, and all the others involved.  The pain that she felt was pretty much self-inflicted.  This is common today.

    We are often our own worst enemy.  We hold onto hate or grudges; we think that fulfilling selfish desires makes us happy and it never does.  The person who loves money never has enough and worries about it constantly.  The person who loves himself only thinks of himself and is usually lonely most of the time.  The person who expects others to make him happy rarely is because our source of happiness is not outside of us but comes from our inner peace which we have with and from God.  Our only source of true joy is love; the kind of love that is the expression of our faith in Jesus.

Father of all love, too often we fall short of your glory and on doing so we fail to love as you love us.  Strengthen us with your grace and move us by your mercy to reach out and to show your love to those around us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-27-2019

Good Morning All,

               Galatians 6:2; “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

     Do you remember the song by Bill Withers called “Lean on Me?”  It came out in the early 19070’s.  It was a song that spoke of a person needing someone to lean on; someone to help you with the burdens of life.  This was one of many songs of that style.  Simon and Garfunkel had “Bridge over Troubled Waters”, the Hollies sang “He ain’t heavy, he’s my Brother.”  All singing the same thought; we need other people.

     When God created man in His image, man was designed to do three things.  First, man was to live in God’s Presence and worship and praise God and to be God’s helper here on earth.  Second, man was to take care of God’s creation.  The third thing man was designed to do was to be a companion with his fellow man. 

     Of course, sin destroyed all of these.  Man no longer lived in God’s Presence rather man sought out his own selfish desires and destroyed whatever stood in his way whether it was another man or part of creation.  It is no accident that the next story after Adam and Eve sin that we read about Cain killing Abel.  Sin destroyed man’s relationship with man as well.

      Yet Jesus came to the world to restore it and to reconcile it back to God. We, as redeemed children of God, are restored to God’s kingdom and reign; just not completely.  We live in the time of “now but not yet.” We are now fully children of God; just not yet fully glorified.  Until that time we are here, waiting for the full restoration, we are to bring the Gospel of Jesus- the total forgiveness of sins- to the whole world.

    One of the most effective way of doing this is by helping other people.  Jesus frees us from the shackles of sin so we are free to begin to live our life the way God intended us to live.  We try and sometimes we fail but God’s grace gives us the power to get up and try again and again.  So, we struggle on in life but we know that with God’s grace our struggle is a little easier if we face it with our family and friends at our side.  They are there to be God’s voice of comfort and re-assurance, they are God’s hands to hold us tight and they are God’s shoulders for us to cry on.  Sometimes we cry and sometimes we are the shoulders but we go through it together.  We are God’s redeemed children; we are the Church, the body of Christ called to do his work here on earth and given the grace to face each day.  In the end, we have heaven; but until that day we have God’s promise and we have each other.  So, go ahead and lean on your brother or sister for tomorrow they will lean on you.   Through both, we receive our strength from Christ.

Dearest Lord Jesus, as we go through this life in a sinful world, we ask that you give us the strength to allow our brothers and sisters to lean on us as they receive the blessing of your comfort and peace.  Be with all our brothers and sisters who face incredible struggles in their lives and give them the certainty of their salvation and the comfort and love of their fellow Christians.  In your precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

9-26-2019

Good Morning All,

Psalm 62:8; “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.”

    Whenever you go to a gathering of Christians, do you ever marvel at how some people can seem to just stand up and pray for a longtime and seem to know what to say?  Their prayers just seem to flow with an endless sense of clarity and proper language.  Do you ever think, “I wish I could pray like that?”  You are most likely in the vast majority, like I am, where our prayers have more “umms” and “urrs” and really long awkward pauses.  Most of us struggle with prayer and not just public prayer but with our own private prayer as well.

     I don’t know how many times I have had someone tell me that they don’t know how to pray.  I kind of blame that on the Church.  We have many prayers which have been crafted and honed over many months to say what is “proper”.  Most of us don’t have months to think of a prayer.  If you get a phone call that someone you love has had an auto accident, you need a prayer right now.  So, we struggle with our daily prayer life because we don’t know what or how to pray.  Unfortunately, the devil loves to whisper in your ear that you can’t really pray so why try?

    Yet God has given us a way to deal with our struggling prayers.  First, he invites us to pray, at all times and in all ways.  He gives us the Lord’s Prayer to use as an example or just to use as it is.  Finally, and most importantly we have Jesus praying for us (John17:20) and we have the Holy Spirit praying for us.  These three things alone should give us confidence to pray and yet we still struggle.

    So, in order for us to have an easier time of praying, here are some ideas.  First, practice, practice, practice!!  We need to have a solid and continual prayer life.  Luther suggested that we set aside three times a day to pray.  He suggested when you get up, when you have lunch and when you go to bed.  The important part here is that you get in the habit of praying and not just waiting until you are in a stressful situation. 

     If you feel the need to, try reading some of the prayers that have been written by others.  Remember this is for you not God to be comfortable with your prayers.  God is already comfortable with your prayers; he knows your needs long before you pray them.  He calls us to prayer in order that he might give us healing and comfort.  He uses our prayers to give us relief from our pains.  He uses our prayers to help us celebrate our joys.  There is an old hymn that encourages us to “speak oft with the Lord”.  This is good advice.  Prayer is God’s gift to us; use it often.

Dearest Father, we don’t come to you in prayer as often as we should and for this we ask for your forgiveness.  Give us the wisdom to seek you out in our prayers so that we may receive your tender mercy.  Be with those who are in pain now and have nowhere to turn.  Use us to be your hands and your voice.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-25-2019

Good Morning All,

      Philippians 2:7; “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."

    Have you ever told someone or been told that you “poured your heart and soul into this project?”  We use this to phrase when we have expended a lot of energy on a project; when we spend a lot of time.  Sometimes we even expend a lot of money.  It usually describes a project that took a lot of planning, looking for just the right parts to construct what we are doing.  It might be the grandmother who made a quilt for her granddaughter and she sought out just the right pattern, just the right color scheme and just the right size.  She may have spent months, even years, assembling the quilt.  It might be the grandfather who built a toy chest for his grandson.  He may have used wood from an old barn or house where he grew up in order that the grandson would have a connection to the “home place”.

    We used this phrase to indicate that we have emptied ourselves of all our talent, effort, maybe even treasure to offer the perfect gift.  It is usually done for someone we love and desire to be remembered for the gift.  We hope that the gift is always treasured by those who have it; having it as a keepsake for many years to come even, perhaps, after we are gone.  It is to be a lasting memory for the one who receives it.

    In our verse, the Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus emptied himself for us.  He did more than just spend a little extra time on the project; he left his heavenly throne and then poured out his life blood so that you and I would have the gift of eternal life.  We have received the everlasting gift of life from Jesus.  He held nothing back; he endured every slap, every punch, every lash, every nail, every insult, every temptation, so that you may have life.

    He emptied himself for you so that you would be given the crown of life.  So why do we find it so hard to offer a small cup of water or a small piece of bread to our fellow man?  Is it because we place such small value on what Jesus did for us?  Is it because we place such a high value on what we possess?  It is hard to say; we each have our own reason and thoughts but rather than looking at how full we want to be, we should look at how needy the other are.  I saw a poster the other day that said, to the effect, if you have more than you need; build a bigger table not a higher wall.  Jesus emptied himself of everything for you; will you empty yourself a little for someone else?

    This is truly our calling.  The things of this world are temporary and do not last.  We are to use then to spread God’s kingdom, not hoard them.  Jesus emptied himself so that you may have life; that you may live as one confident of your eternal destiny.  Use your faith to strive to live the life that is emptied for others that God’s holy kingdom may be spread to all.

Gracious Lord, when you emptied yourself for me and brought me into your eternal kingdom; you gave me life!  Guide me by your Spirit to walk in your ways.  Guide me to go forth proclaiming your Good News to all.  Keep my heart focused on the heavenly eternity and not the temporary things of this world.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-24-2019

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 18:17; “He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.”

    At some point in time, every little boy (and many little girls) wants to grow up and be a fireman.  There is something about being a fireman that brings out our deepest desire to serve.  We don’t think of them often but we do when we really need them!  If our house is on fire, we want the firemen to be there to put out the fire.  We want to be rescued from the flames, we want our property saved and protected from damage, we want our neighbors to be safe so we want the firemen to come and rescue us.  Yet, what would happen if we didn’t want them to save us?

    Imagine, for a moment, that a house was on fire and there were still people inside that house.  The firemen arrive and break into the house and find the people and with the flames growing and the heat and smoke getting more intense; the people inside say, “Thank you for saving me but I will stay right here.”  If you know a fireman, ask him what he would do.  My guess is they would say fine and then pick up the people and carry them out of the house; after all, who would stay inside a burning house?  Well, actually, a lot of people do; they just don’t understand it.

    This is exactly what happens when someone claims to repent of their sins but then continues in those sins.  Jesus has rescued you from those sins; he has pulled you from the fire; why would you want to stay in the fire?  It is in the fire, it is in our sin; that we suffer; we suffer greatly.  So why do so many want to stay there?  Sometimes we are afraid to leave what we think is comfortable.  Sometimes we secretly desire to continue in that sin.  Sometimes, we just miss the point.  This is why the Apostle Paul asked the question, “Are we to continue in son so grace will abound?  By no means, how can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6)  Dying to sin means to leave it; it does not mean that God condones it.  Sin still violates God’s Law and we are to live according to God’s Law; it is still the standard.   Willfully disobeying this Law is a sign of no true repentance and is a rejection of God’s forgiveness.

   This can be tough for us to swallow.  Many like to think that Jesus loves me just as I am.  He does but he doesn’t leave you wallowing in that state of sin; he doesn’t leave you in the burning house.  He pulls you out and then gives you his Holy Spirit to empower you to live according to God’s Law, to live out your life for the purpose that God created for you.  Jesus came to rescue you from your sin.  He came to give you life.  He came to give you hope.

Gracious Father, too often I dwell in my sin and feel comfortable there.  Forgive me and cleanse my heart that I may truly follow your will.  Defend me from the lies of the devil and keep me in your grace.  Be with those who struggle with pet sins and persistent sins.  Send your Spirit to lift them up that they may be cleansed by You in order to serve You.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,                        

Pastor Bret 

9-23-2019

Good Morning All,

     Isaiah 41:13; “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the one who helps you."

    Have you ever been sound asleep, lying safely in your bed and have a dream where you are falling?  You feel your arms flailing about as you plummet downward at an ever increasing speed.  Suddenly, you sit up in bed with a start.  Your heart is racing, you are breathing hard; perhaps you might even be sweating.  It takes you a few minutes to get everything under control and then relax again and go back to sleep; why do we do this?  We know that we are lying comfortably and securely in bed.  We know we are not flying through time and space at hyper speed; yet we flail and toss only to awake with a start and an elevated heart rate, pulse rate and breathing rate.  Why do we do this?

    Most of us realize that it is in fact the power of the mind which alters our reality.  Our mind has the power to make us feel and experience just about anything and it doesn’t have to be a real event.  Your mind can have you being chased by space aliens, unicorns, dinosaurs or whatever else exists in the caverns of your imagination.  It can be so real that you can practically touch something or hear something or someone.  Yet even in all the “realness” of your dream; you never left your bed, you were never in any danger.

    This describes our faith life as well.  The devil and the world can play all sorts of tricks to make you believe that you are “falling”.  The devil will try to have you believe that you are falling away from God’s love and protection.  The devil will try to have you think that you have been abandoned along a desolate path on a cold foggy night.  The devil will try to convince you that you are lost, hungry, homeless, with no one in sight.  The devil will try to have you think that your cries, your calls, your prayers are falling on deaf ears.  And there are times when this will feel so real that sit up with a fright and a start.  Yet know this; you are never abandoned; you are never left alone.

    One of the most recurring themes of the Bible is the steadfast love of God which never leaves us.  He is always at hand; he always has us in his loving arms.  We are safe and secure in his loving arms.  The devil wants you to feel like you are falling.  God wants you to know that you are not.  You are not falling into the depths of hell or anywhere else.  When the doctor tests come; God is there.  When the wear and tear of a difficult relationship strains you; God is there.  When loved ones are called home from us; God is there.  When all seems lost; God is there because God never left.  He always had you by your hand; he always held you close.  So, rest comfortably in his loving arms, secure in the knowledge that you are held safe and secure.  Rest in his peace.

Father, your mercies are new every day.  Keep us safe in your beloved grace.  Keep our hearts and minds at peace.  Keep our eyes ever focused upon your perfect love.  Give us your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-22-2019

Good Morning All,

      2 Corinthians 5:17; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

    Who doesn’t like new stuff?  I know that we all make a big deal about the old comfy chair or the old comfy shoes or shirt.  I know we all have a favorite pair of jeans that should have been tossed years ago; but really, we like things new.  We like the smell of new things.  We like the feel of new things.  We like the idea that no one else has possessed or touched it.  We almost always are a little saddened when the first scratch, dent or tear shows up.

    Even when it comes to experiences in life, we tend to enjoy new things.  The first time you drive a car, the first time you ride on an airplane, the first time you meet someone or your first child or grandchild.  When it is all new, everything is exciting and awesome.

     We even view newness as a fresh start.  When a student starts a new year, sometimes we like to view it as a new start, a clean slate from last year’s struggles.  Perhaps a new job or moving to a new community will let us leave the failures of the last job or home and we want to wash the bad away and get a clean, new start.  The trouble with that is we usually bring our old struggles with us.  Whatever caused problems for us before are probably still with us.

    Yet this is where with God it is different.  God actually makes us new.  It isn’t just a wash job and a little paint; it is all new.  Through the atoning blood of Jesus, you are made new.  We really do get a clean slate.  Even when it is something that the world may condemn you forever for.  Perhaps you are a woman who had an abortion; perhaps you are a father who abused your children; perhaps you are a child who stole from your parents; maybe you struggle with drugs and alcohol or other addictions; maybe you think that whatever is in your past will follow you and keep you down; but it won’t.  In Jesus, you are a new creation.  God is making everything new all we have to do is to trust this to be true.  We only have to have the God given desire to believe.

    The devil will lie to you and tell you that you just can’t do it; but the empty cross and the open tomb tell us we can because Jesus did it for us.  Jesus made us new and so we are.  The struggles of the past may rear their ugly heads; some inner demons die hard; yet we know for certain that these words are true and faithful for God is making everything new.

Dear Father, you make us new each day by washing away our sins.  Give us the joy to celebrate this and the peace to take comfort in this great message.  Help us to live the life which you have laid out for us.  Give us courage to speak your truth in a world which speaks only lies.  Strengthen us as your voice; allow us to boldly call you Lord of our lives.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-21-2019

Good Morning All,

 1 Corinthians 13:12; “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

    Have you ever seen a movie that is filled in 3-D?  If you watch one, you have to wear special glasses to see the movie.  One of the “lens” is green cellophane and the other one is red cellophane.  As you watch the movie with the glasses on, the movements seem more alive.  One common theme of these movies is that the action is always toward the screen and not to the left or right.  This makes the film seem to be right in your lap.  The thing about these movies is that if you don’t watch the movie with the glasses on; the film is blurry and is almost impossible to watch.

    This is how our world works.  We live in the world and it is blurry at best.  It is so blurry that to some, lies seem like truths and truths seem just wrong.  This is why the world seems so mixed up to us; it is.  When you watch or read the news, the truth seems blurrier.

    Part of this is the mistaken idea that once you become a Christian nothing goes wrong. We want to think that there will be no more troubles or problems.  We are surprised that events in the world, in this nation, go against God’s will.  We shouldn’t be surprised.  The world is a sinful place that sees things all blurry.  

     We have been given the special glasses.  Through the faith that we have because of Jesus, we can see things that the sinful world does not.  We see God’s grace and we see the future; a future of eternal life with Christ.  Even in the pains and failures of this sinful world, we see Jesus. We will have pain; we will have tragedies.  We will see and experience things which hurt us and give us great sorrow.  We will see things that will completely baffle us and unless we see them through the glasses of faith.   It may not make sense but, through God’s mercy, the redeemed children of God will be held close to God’s heart and given salvation.  We can only be certain of this when we see things and events through faith; through those special glasses that

God gives us.                       

     So, if you are looking at the world and thinking the world is winning; take heart, be sure you are looking at it through faith and see God’s ultimate glory being revealed.  See the world through faith, it is God’s gift to us to get through this life.  We are his blessed children now and forever.  See the world through the glasses of faith.

 Dearest Father, the world we see is filled with pain for us and for those around us.  We need your grace to guide us through the sorrows that are.  Forgive us when we silently watch the evil occur and fail to speak your words of mercy.  Strengthen us to see the truth and to speak the truth.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-20-2019

 Good Morning All,

 Psalm 27:8; “You have said, “Seek my face.”  My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
   In the mid 1970’s, there was a rock band named “Chicago”.  One of their hit songs was “I’ve been Searching so Long.”  The chorus goes like this: I've been searchin So long To find an answer Now I know my life has meaning.”  There were a lot of people who used to sing along with this song.  They would sing about finding the answer that they had been searching for so long.

    Just don’t ask them what they found the answer to be; it isn’t in the song.  There are some who view this song as one of the early statements that, in life, there is no one truth.  This song teaches that there are many truths and once you find your truth your life will have meaning.  Whatever you want the truth to be, once you have decided what it is then you will be happy and your life will have meaning.  Really??

    Look around and what do we see.  We see pain and lies.  The world tells you lies to feed into your own selfishness in order to create your own truth at the elimination of God; the one Truth.  The world tells us that sex outside of marriage is ok.  Meanwhile we are destroying the health of entire generations because of the diseases that result.  We hear the world tell us that if you are no longer “happy” in your marriage; then get out.  After all you need to be “happy” (whatever that is).  The world tells us whatever you need to do to succeed, you should do.  Lying, cheating and stealing are just “good business practices”.  All of this wrecks your health, both physical and spiritual, and leaves you empty.

    Yet we know how this hole is filled.  It is filled by the grace of God.  It is filled by the cross of Christ and polished by the empty tomb.  Those things which we search for, those things which have meaning; come from God.  Good will, mercy and peace are with us and they are ours to share.  We receive these from God.  They are a gift to us, a bonus to go with our salvation.  These give us fulfillment here on earth.  These give meaning to life.  We show good will to our family and to our neighbors; placing their needs ahead of our wants.  We have peace with God and can live in peace with our neighbor.  We have mercy; so we can show mercy.  Showing mercy, forgiving our neighbor’s sin, is far easier than trying to keep track of them. 

    God gives us this because of what Jesus does.  Jesus is our Savior.  We need him desperately every day.  He comes to us as the One Eternal Truth.  He come with the love of the Father.  Through Jesus, we have peace, we have hope, we have good will, and we have mercy.  Share it with those around you today.

Dear Father, what the world claims to search for, you freely give to us through Jesus.  Give us the wisdom to see this one and only truth and the faith to cling to it.  Empower us to be the voice and the hands that deliver this to this broken world in which we live.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’ Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-19-2019

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 18:6; “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help.  From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ear."

    When I went to college, I studied psychology.  I found some of the theories and techniques somewhat interesting.  One of the “fad” theories at the time was something called “scream therapy”.  The idea was that if you were afraid or feeling apprehensive; you should just scream as loud as you could until the fear went away.  It may sound strange but for many people it really worked.  Then some “expert” in California decided you should sit around naked in a sweat lodge and try it.  That is when I gave up psychology.

      Yet, as strange as completely dressed scream therapy sounds, it does work.  There were many theories as to why but I think we can actually find the reason for it in Scriptures.  In the Scriptures, God continually tells us to “Call upon his name”.  He tells us to pray to him, to cry out to him, to plead with him and to seek him out.  Many people always ask, “Why pray to God if he already knows what is wrong?”  There are many reasons to pray to God but one of them is similar to the scream therapy.  When you identify what you are afraid of, it becomes easier to address them.

     One of the devil’s favorite tools to torment us with is fear.  Not a specific fear of something but a generic fear or unease.  Many of us have experienced this.  It doesn’t take long before that nagging doubt or fear grows and casts a long shadow over us.  It is this unease that causes us some sleepless nights.  So, God tells us to “Call upon him.”  Like our verse says, “From his temple he heard my voice.”  God hears you.  He invites us to tell him our problems.  This is a lot like confession of sins.  It is not for God’s benefit but for ours.  Just as confession helps us to bear our souls and release the sins which burden us, calling out to God helps us to identify what our fear is.  When we can identify it, we can reduce it and we can deal with it.  God uses our own prayers, our own words to help heal us.  I see this when I go on hospital visits or do some shut-in visits.  When people seem fearful and agitated, if you can get them to be as specific as they can about what it is they fear then you can begin to pray with them specifically and clearly.  They soon see that what they fear, although it can be serious, is not as great as the love that God has for them.  Once we get to that level; everything seems to get a little brighter.

    So, if you have fears or worries; pray about them.  Call upon the Lord in the day of trouble; he will hear you.  Your voice, no matter how weak or faint will reach his ears.  It will give you some peace and comfort.  It will give you hope.  God will deliver you.

Dearest Father, you invite us to bring before you our deepest fears and worries in order to give us healing and hope.  Give us the courage and the wisdom to seek out your comfort before and above everything else.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret  

9-18-2019

Good Morning All,

  Luke 15:2; “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

    One time I had a high school principal tell me that he would step between a couple of 300 pound football players who were duking it out; but he would hide if he saw a group of 7^th grade girls snarling at each other.  The strange thing was that those of us who were listening to the story all commiserated with him.  Kids can be cruel.  They seem to have a pack mentality and heaven help the one that they turn on.

    In many ways, that is what has happened in our text.  The leaders of the Jewish Church had decided who was and wasn’t a “sinner.”  If you were a “sinner” they would attack you with a vengeance.  They would banish you from the Temple and require you to be “clean enough” to enter the Temple.  Of course, this required a certain amount of money be spent (to them) before that would work.  It accomplished two things for the scribes and the Pharisees; they were wealthy and they rode roughshod on a whole nation of people so beaten down that they had given up all hope.   

    Then along comes Jesus, a respected and honored rabbi.  Some even thought he was a prophet and he had the gall to eat with these “sinners”.  We need to remember that eating together at this time is a somewhat intimate act.  You usually ate from common bowls and either dipped your hand or your bread into the bowl.  It was a sign of friendship and great hospitality.  For one to eat together was a sign of acceptance of the other person.  How could Jesus eat with those “sinners?”  You know; people of questionable moral quality, people who were forced into situations not of their choosing, people that others had beat down until they had nothing left.  You know those people; “sinners”

   You know, people whose spouses deserted them, who never seemed to catch a break, a young woman trying to raise a child on her own because of bad choices made years ago, or a young man given a label because he was curious or a young gal who went to a party and was taken advantage of; you know “sinners”; people the world just beats down to no end.  Jesus eats with them.

     Jesus sees the pain, the heart ache, the hollowness in the eyes and the emptiness of the soul.  Jesus comes to “sinners” like me and like you and he gives us hope.  He comes to us with his word of forgiveness and hope and he invites us in for a meal and a chance to heal.  He doesn’t judge what we did; he forgives and forgets and tells us to release the pain and forget about it.  He gives us a new life in him.  Jesus eats with sinners and gives them eternal life.

Dear Jesus, you come to us and make us whole.  You remove the suffering from our heart and give us hope and life. You give us new life and the grace to live each day as we continue on our journey with you. In your precious name we pray, amen  

God's Peace,

Pastor Bret