7-31-2020

Good Morning All, 

    Genesis 3: 19a; “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground”

     We all know what sweat is.  Perspiration is what happens when it is warm or humid and the moisture forms on the body.  Sweat is the result of exertion.  It means that somewhere along the line, it was hard, arduous work.  It was a labor that caused us to groan as we did it and ache when we were done.  Part of that ache was knowing that tomorrow; it would happen again.  It was the price we paid.

    When God first placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, work wasn’t really work.  Tending was more of watching and enjoying.  He didn’t have weeds to pull or thorns to fight.  There was no need for Roundup or 2, 4D.  He didn’t need a hoe or a tiller to clean up the weedy spots.  What he ate was all around him; plentiful, tasty, and fresh.  He had it all, literally; until sin stepped in.

    From that point on human existence was changed.  Cracks began to form, problems arose.  When man sinned, creation also paid the price.  Weeds, thorns, droughts, storms and the like appeared.  Suddenly, eating became a job.  Finding food took work, often extensive work.  It took time as well sometimes meaning food was lacking for a day or two.  It became a lot of work just to eat and survive.  The painful part was that often that sweat, that aching labor would go for naught.  The painstaking planting was destroyed by animals or weather or other people who were stronger and took it away.  Life got tough in a hurry and stayed that way.

    Yet God had a plan from the beginning.  It was to send his Son into the world to sweat for you.  There is a certain symmetry when we read in Luke that as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “His sweat became like great drops of blood.”  Jesus did all the hard labor for our salvation.  Jesus did the painstakingly agonizing work of our salvation.  He received the lashes that carried the life blood from his body.  He carried the cross, laboring under its weight until he could carry it no more.  He hung on the cross with the weight of the sins of the world on his shoulders making the labor excruciating.  He died as he could sweat no more as there was nothing left to give.

   Yet in his mercy, he paid that price so you would not have to.  Through his grace, he gives the victory won, the price paid, the promised mercy delivered so that you might be healed.  He did this so the rip in the relationship with God might be healed.  He poured all the sweat that goes into making a relationship work in so that we might be restored before God.  Through his love, his sweat, we are made whole again.

Father of grace, our life is difficult and hard because of our own sin.  Yet you wonderfully restore us through the love that is Jesus.  Give us the wisdom to trust in your love and in your love alone.  Be with those who are struggling with the battles of life.  As they sweat and struggle send them your Spirit of comfort and hope.  Give to them the certainty of your love.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

7-30-2020

Good Morning All, 

          Psalm 119:11; “I have stored up your word in my heart; that I might not sin against you.”

     I watched a show on television a short time ago.  It was about survivalists.  Survivalists are people who expect some sort of calamity that will lead to a breakdown of the government and society.  The survivalists have homes or camps or compounds somewhere away from heavily populated areas where they have stored up non-perishable food and water and guns and ammo.  The survivalists are prepared to stay in these homes for years.  The television show was about “survivalist experts” who rated and ranked the ideas of the participants.  I watched this show and mused about the concern of these survivalist.

    Then I thought back to my youth when almost every community had a “civil defense center” where canned food and water and Geiger counters were stored.  This was in case there was a nuclear attack and you needed a safe place to hide.  There were also pamphlets about what to do in case of an attack.  Farmers were supposed to wait about six months and the scrape the top two inches of soil, which would have been contaminated, off and then begin to farm again.  No one ever said what to do with all that dirt.

    So, we prepare ourselves for disasters; maybe not to this level but we do prepare.  Most people who drive in real winter conditions have some form of survival gear in their vehicle.  They may have blankets, water, canned soup in their vehicle in case they get stuck in inclement weather.  Most of us have flashlights or candles in case the electricity goes out.  We need to prepare for some potential disasters in our faith life as well.  There will be times in our life when we will be vulnerable to the devil’s attacks and we need to be prepared for them.

    The best way to prepare for the devil’s lies is to always have God’s truth at hand.  We can do this by reading, studying, and meditating on God’s Word.  We can do this by prayer.  By the careful reading of God’s Word, we will store up God’s Word in our heart.  God’s Words become the first thing that comes to mind when the devil’s assaults come, and they will come.  They will come at the worst time for you.  They will come when you are grieving a death, suffering a setback at work, when a relationship is going through a rough time, when health questions arise; they will come.  The devil will try to weasel his way into your life, whispering into your ear any lie he can think of trying to cause doubt.  All it takes is doubt, like he gave to Eve, “Did God really say?” 

   By storing up God’s Word in our heart, it becomes the first thing we think of in our head. So, when the devil challenges we have God’s truth to come to the forefront.  We will remember, “Cast all your anxieties on him for he cares for you”; or “When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I” or “So do not fear for I am with you do not be dismayed for I am your God.”  Trust God.

Father give me the certainty of your Word and the confidence to trust it when the attacks occur.  Be with those who are in battle at this time.  Guard them with your Spirit and bring to mind all your promises.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

7-29-2020

  Good Morning All, 

    Ephesians 6:11; “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil”.

      Do you remember this one?

                                        Oh, I may never march in the infantry,

                                        Ride in the cavalry, shoot the artillery,

                                        I may never fly o’er the enemy.

                                        But I’m in the Lord’s army!  

    We used to sing that in Sunday School and loved it.  It had the mandatory actions that you performed for each section.  We sang it fairly well; we knew the words, and, like most kids, we liked the actions.  I do not know if we listened to the words that closely or not, but we sang them.

    The words are absolutely true; we are in the Lord’s army.  Maybe not so much because of the actions we take but more because of the actions the devil takes.  Often, people like to think that by being a Christian we are immune to the devil’s assaults.  Some like to believe that nothing bad will happen in our lives because we are Christians.  Sometimes, when a person begins to come to worship and to faith, they stop soon afterwards because life did not get any easier.       

    The truth is that your life may get harder.  The attacks by the devil will actually increase.  At first you may question this but realize that the saints who are in heaven are safe.  The devil can never touch them there.  Those in the world who are lost or are unbelievers, the devil already has; he does not need to engage them.  That leaves the true believer, you, and me, as the place where the battle rages; we are the front-line battlefield where the shelling (or scheming) is fierce.  

    This is why Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God.  You are in the battle zone; you are the target.  The devil will taunt you and attempt to beguile you with his lies.  So, we must be ready to go into battle each day.  This is where our daily repentance as we remember the blessings of our Baptism fit in.  This is where our daily devotional and prayer life come in.  This is putting on the armor in order to do battle with the devil.

    Without God’s armor, we are helpless.  Without God’s protection, we will fall early and easily.  Yet God has promised to guard and protect us.  God has promised to give us the tools and the strength to withstand the devil’s onslaught.  We only need to trust in God’s Word and hold fast to his promise.  Through this, we will ultimately be victorious.  It is by God’s grace and his benevolence that we will always come out the victor.

Gracious Father, we stand up to the devil because of your mercy and grace.  Guard us by your holy hand and strengthen us as the devil attacks.  Be with those who are especially vulnerable and in tremendous need of your protection.  Hide them in the shadow of your wings.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

7-28-2020

 Good Morning All, 

    Psalm 121: 1-2; “I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

    I love old western movies.  I love the ones when there are usually settlers trying to cross the southwestern part of the United States.  Just as they get out in the middle of nowhere; something bad happens.  Sometimes a wheel falls off or the horses run off or the chased by a band of renegades who are trying to kill them.  They usually end up in a box canyon with no way out.  They are running out of water and are usually getting ready to shoot the last bullet they have.  They all have their pistols with the one last bullet that they save for themselves rather than be captured and tortured.  It is as bleak as it can get.

    Then it happens.  You know it is coming but it is still great.  You hear it first before you see it.  You hear the bugle playing “charge!”; then you hear the rumble and the thunder of the horses’ hooves.  I have always thought how intimidating that must have been to the enemy who was either on foot or at least on the ground.  I read one time that the mounted riders would yell and “whoop” and make all kinds of noise.  All this would have struck fear in the hearts of the enemy.  The cavalry arrives!  The bad guys are driven off; the hero kisses his horse and the west is safe again.

    Yes, the movies are formulaic.  They all follow the same pattern but so do most movies series or genres.  There is tension but there is always resolution.  You can always count on the cavalry to arrive and save the day.  It works great in the movies but sometimes, in the real world, it is not that simple.  Sometimes you do not hear the bugle.

    Usually, when we find ourselves in some form of distress; we look around for help and want the cavalry to arrive.  We keep looking for some intense show of force or change.  We want God to do something dramatic; we want the cavalry to arrive in just the nick of time.  But why do we want that?  Why do we want it in just the nick of time when the cavalry arrived years ago on Calvary? 

    When Jesus died upon the cross, carrying your sins upon his back for you, God sent the dramatic thundering rescue for you.  The devil and his minions shook with fear and ran away in terror.  Their reign was over.  The yelling of the angels in heaven at Christ’s victory would have added fear in their hearts and torn them apart.  Their dark and treacherous way was now exposed to the harsh light of truth and Christ stood victorious over them and the victory was handed to us.  We do not have to wait for the cavalry; it has already arrived!  So, as we face those challenges of life; we can do so trusting that God has already delivered us.  God has already redeemed us, and God has already saved us.  He arrived long before our need arrived.  His salvation for us is secure.

Father of grace, we long for the safety of your arms.  Help us to see that the victory is already won, and it is ours.  Give us the courage to face life with the confidence of your mercy.  Guard those who feel the attacks of the devil the most and give them the certainty of your arrived mercy.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

7-27-2020

Good Morning All, 

     Habakkuk 2:4b; “but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

    What do you live by?  Some people live by sight.  They claim that they must see it.  They claim that they must have visual contact to assure that something is real or not.  If they cannot see it; it does not exist.  Yet how many things do we not see but we know they exist?  They may be small or far away or exist in total darkness; yet we know they exist.  We experience the result of the actions of these small particles.  We know electrons exist by the shock we get from them; yet we never see them.  So, living by sight might not be that great.

     Some live by touch.  They need to feel things to know that they are real.  They need the wind in their face or the spray of the rain to know it is real.  If it cannot be held or touched it is not real because reality has substance.  Yet how do they explain the pain of a heartbreak?  How do they explain sadness or happiness?  We know these exist, but we cannot touch them.

     Some people live by knowledge.  They claim that they must have complete understanding of something for it to exist for them.  If they do not understand it, they reject it.  Everything must fit into their way of thinking.  The problem with this is that it leaves no room for the fact that none of us can ever know everything.  How do we explain new ideas or objects?  We can only deny them if we follow the idea that if I do not know it then it cannot exist.  It also leaves no room for learning. 

    So how do we live?  Scriptures tell us that the righteous shall live by faith.  But what does this mean?  The easiest way to think of this is that faith means the desire to trust in God’s promise.  The righteous are those who God has declared to be holy, separate from the sinful world.  So, we live, separated from the sinful world, because we trust in God’s promise of forgiveness and salvation.  We trust God to deliver on his promises and we separate our self from the world.  This can be a challenge.  When all your friends call abortion a choice, fidelity an old-fashioned idea, or homosexuality a lifestyle, what do you do?  God calls these sins and calls us to flee from them.

    They are sins because they go against God’s will and design.  They destroy the gifts that God has given to us.  They pull us back into the pit of despair that God has pulled us out of.  There are others than the three listed and the three listed are not any worse than any others.  Sin separates us from God.  It is that simple.  Yet God brings us back into his family by forgiving our sins.  By faith, by trusting God’s promise to forgive, we remain in that family, but we must remain faithful to God’s promise and his call to righteousness and holiness.  We are to be his people in this world, a light in the darkness, hope for the hopeless and comfort for the hurting.  We live by faith because we trust in God’s promise.

Wonderful Father, your mercies are new to us each day.  Thank you for giving me the ability and the desire to trust in your promise.  Thank you for declaring me righteous in your sight.  Help me to live the life that you have laid out for me.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

7-26-2020

Good Morning All, 

        John 10:10; “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

    A few years ago, I had an interesting discussion with a young man.  We were talking about faith, God’s promise of forgiveness of sins and eternal life.  He looked at me and said, “so what?”  “I get it that heaven is great but what about this life; am I stuck here until I die?”  “What is in it for me now?”  “Right now, all I hear is rules to live by and when I die; I get heaven.”  “Get back to me in a few years when I am older, and I’ll start then.”

    Well, I was a little taken aback.  My first thought was about how kids these days (yes, my ACTUAL thought) only want instant gratification.  That is what is wrong with the world today; it is all about me and now.  They only think about now and what is in it for me now.  They never take the perspective about looking for future good.  I could have added that we never know when death may occur but what teenager does not think that they are almost immortal and that nothing bad will happen to them.  Then I started thinking about his question about now; what is in it now?

    That is when this verse came to mind.  This is part of John’s discourse on Jesus as our shepherd.  Jesus is our caretaker, protector, and defender.  We have that now.  This is part of “have life and have it abundantly.”  We have many blessings from God, because of Jesus and the atonement we receive through his death and resurrection.  We receive the gift of fellowship with our fellow believers.  This is the flesh and blood expression of God’s love for us here on earth.  We receive God’s promise of sustenance, of being provided for.  This can and should give us a sense of peace as we face struggles and trials.  God will provide.

    God gives us the comfort that we need as we face the struggles of life.  When we fear or worry or feel consumed by guilt, we can know it is the thief (the devil) who comes to destroy you.  We know that the devil’s only goal is to cause us pain and all pain comes from him.  Yet Jesus’ plan is for us to have life, right now, and to have it abundantly.  His death does more than give us eternal life; it restores us to God’s family.  It is the beginning of our life of glory with him.  Through it, we have the start of this wondrous event.  We do not have to wait until we die; we can enjoy the greatest truth ever; God’s redemption of his people is occurring in us, for us and to us. 

    So that is what we have now with so much more waiting for us tomorrow.  We have God’s promise for tomorrow, but we have his blessings for today.  The promise secure and we have abundant life.

Father of mercy, we give you thanks for the many blessings of this life.  You give us life more abundantly.  Be with those who do not know the wonders of your blessings, those who listen to the devil and his lies and miss your grace.  Bring them safely home.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

7-25-2020

Good Morning All, 

    Genesis 1:26; “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

    I was watching the TV the other day and was listening to a guy tell me I needed to get a reverse mortgage.  It sounded so easy just a couple of minutes and they would be sending me money “for the rest of my life”.  Cool beans, I could use money the rest of my life.  I am just not sure that will happen, at least from that.  I am fairly sure it would not work.  I could always try the second most common method of estate planning- the lottery.  I do not think that works either.  But something might; not sure.

   So how do we plan for the future?  For many of us a better question is how do we plan for tomorrow?  Can I pay off my VISA with my MASTERCARD and still get flier miles?  It is easy to get drawn into the web of deceit from the world.  Easy payment, easy credit; just worry about it tomorrow and live it up today.  The finances are bad enough, but it also impacts our relational life as well.  I have my needs; my kids can fit in later.  I need to go to the “Y”, go to by book club, go on my weekends to “get away from it all”; I’ll take care of me first and what is left over will be good enough for my spouse, children, family and friends.

    The tough thing is that we end up depriving those people from the provision that they need.  They need our love and our time.  We know it but the sinful nature that still lingers in us and around us keeps trying to pull us down.  We lose sight of what our real needs are and who supplies our needs.

    From the very beginning God has supplied our needs.  Read the story of creation in Genesis 1.  Notice how God lists what he creates.  Why not just say, “God did it all”?  Because we see clearly what God has done.  We read the complete listing of what God has provided for us.  He created and then gave it to us.  Even before we ask, even before the need is there, God provides for us.  We even see in this passage God’s love for us.  We are in his image.  His love is so great for us that even after we sinned, even before man sinned; God had a plan for rescue.  Even before the foundation of the earth was laid God had a plan to save you.

   So, we see, we do not really have to worry about what God will provide for us, because he will.  What we need to do is to let go of the “stuff” that we clutter our lives with.  The primary part of “dominion” is to take care of all of creation.  People are part of creation and not just a part but the special part; the part that is called “very good” we need to take particularly good care of those people that God puts into our life.  We need to care for them first, even if it means we must take second sometimes.  They are God’s gifts to us; for us to cherish and love.

Father of love and mercy, you give us the things we need to support this body and life.  Guard us with your Spirit and lead us into a contented life of love for you and those whom you give us.  Be with those who are struggling with the battles of want and greed.  Bring them safely home.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

7-24-2020

Good Morning All, 

         John 8:11; “And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

    This will probably make more sense for the adults than the kids.  This verse is from one of the more powerful stories in the Bible.  This is the ending of the woman caught in adultery.  It is powerful because of the raw and personal emotions that this story elicits from us.  Most of us can relate in one way or another to the characters in this story.  The woman was caught in adultery; so, as the Pharisees and Scribes dragged her through the streets, she was either naked or else clinging to some sheet or something for cover.  Imagine the fear, the embarrassment, the humiliation that she felt.  The Pharisees and the scribes smelled blood.  They had this woman, caught, as it were, red handed.  They had the Law of Moses clearly on their side.  They had righteous indignation on their side, and they were hoping to stick it to Jesus.  He would either contradict the Law of Moses or lose face and popularity with the people.  They were almost giddy with the thought of what was about to happen.  Then they were almost literally shot down.

    We see a unique part of the story.  Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground (John 8:8).  Nothing more is written than that, yet it is filled with a message.  Some commentators believe that Jesus looked into the heart of each man and then proceeded to write down that sin in the dirt.  Some say he wrote the word “mercy” in old Hebrew.  Whatever he wrote, it had an incredible effect.  All those men, who were ready to stone this woman; they had the rocks in their hand.  Yet they dropped the stones, turned, and walked away.  Jesus looked up at the woman and then spoke our verse.

    There are two powerful messages here.  First, Jesus did not come to the world to condemn it but to save it.  He came with God’s love and delivered redemption.  He did not condemn her, but he did warn her.  Go and sin no more, where is the love in that?  We hear that a lot.  Many people claim that if you are a Christian, you should not tell someone “don’t sin”.  Nothing can be farther from the truth.

    Why does Jesus tell her to go and sin no more?  Well sin is what got her in this spot in the first place.  It is why she was naked in the street about to be stoned.  That is part of sin that we believers need to remember; sin still causes pain.  Alcoholism still causes liver problems.  Adultery still destroys marriages.  Lying still destroys friendships.  Jealousy still wreaks havoc.  Sin still hurts.  Go and sin no more.

Father of all grace, sin is still a destructive force in our world.  It still tears down, pulls apart and causes so much pain.  As you forgive us, give us the wisdom to go and sin no more.  Be with those who continue in the destructive ways of sin.  Give them the eyes to see your truth.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

7-23-2020

Good Morning All, 

    Matthew 12:7; “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

     The mother was downstairs in the basement washing clothes.  Then she got the worried parent thought.  “It is quiet upstairs, too quiet.”  She went upstairs and found her two little girls, ages 5 and 3, making cookies for her.  Flour was everywhere, a couple of eggs were dripping off the counter.  The oldest was disappointed to see mom.  “You were supposed to wait until we were done.”

    The two boys were 6 and 4.  They watched their father as he could fix anything.  They watched as he could take apart a small engine and then put it back together and have it run.  One day they found dad’s toolbox and began to “fix” most of the things in the garage.  When dad came in, the boys looked up at him with a big grin, grease from one ear to the other and a handful of parts strewn around.  They told him they were almost done “fixin” stuff and would help him in a minute. 

    These may not be your stories, but you have some similar.  Someone thought they were helping, but well they did not.  There are two ways to respond.  First, you can blow a gasket and yell and scream.  You can punish them and leave them knowing that they WILL NOT do that again.  Or you can smile and gently help them clean up and put things back and explain how they need to be a little older.  Even as adults, we sometimes see someone try to “help” only to make it worse.

    In our verse, Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees who only see the enforcement of the law as the only answer.  They seek only “justice” which to them is you being punished for any and everything.  We see people like that every day.  They have their “rules”, and no one had better cross those rules, even if it was done in a fashion that was intended to help or to show love.  Even if the action was designed to be kind; it can go terribly wrong.

    Jesus encourages us to see that love is truly the best response.  Desire mercy not sacrifice.  Mercy means forgiveness and patience.  Justice may correct the wrong; but forgiveness heals the broken heart.  Healing is what we should be about doing.  The brokenness of this world provides all the pain and divisiveness that is more than needed.  God calls us to heal.  God calls us to show mercy.  This does not mean we are an “anything goes”; we are to correct but we are to correct with love not law.  God calls us to have mercy, especially to those who are hurting or lost or suffering.  Desire mercy and share God’s love with all.

Father of all mercy, give us the ability to give mercy to those whom we meet.  Father, there are many who are hurting and in need of mercy.  Show them to us and give us the wisdom to temper our justice with your mercy.  Let us serve you with all our heart and life.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

7-22-2020

    Mark 10:45; “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

    There is a psychological phenomenon which is called “the Stockholm Syndrome”.  It was first named after four bank employees who were held hostage in a bank hold up for six days.  At the end of the six days, these hostages started to sympathize with the robbers even to the point of asking the government to not rescue them and to let the robbers go free.  In the United States, probably the most famous example of this was Patty Hearst when she was kidnapped by a group that called themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army.  After a few weeks, she participated in a bank robbery with them.

    There are many factors which way in but there are two to look at.

    · The captive's perception of small kindnesses from the captor within a context of terror

     · Isolation from perspectives other than those of the captor

These two things represent the relationship that sinful man as with the devil.  Sinful man is so terrorized by the devil that any form of good is seen as coming from him and anything from God is seen as punishment or hatred.  The devil also seeks to separate you from God in order to isolate you from God’s thoughts and ideas.  So we live as kidnap victims who are sympathizing with our captor the devil.

    This is why we are called enemies of God.  This is why we hate God.  We are so ingrained by our true captor the devil that we miss out on God’s true mercy.  So when Christ came as the ransom for us; we resisted and in many ways we still do.  Our sinful nature always tries to reject God and flee back to the devil.  Even though we were reluctant to be saved, Christ saves us anyway.  Even though we turn on him in our time of victory, Christ continues to give the ransom for our soul.  Our salvation is given to us freely; yet we still oppose and fight against it.  We continually turn back to sin as if it were the answer.

    So God calls us back again and again.  He keeps calling to us with his words of forgiveness and his words of hope.  He keeps returning to us in order to restore us to his family.  This is our hope.  Christ’s ransom for us is ever present and always ongoing.  Our sins are continually paid for and the ransom is paid.  We need to trust in the Lord and his promises.  He gives us the certainty of hope that we need.  It is through his ransom that we are saved.

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for the blessings of today.  Your ransom for us continually renews us.  Be with those who are still trapped by the devil’s lies.  Give them the courage to walk away from him into your loving arms.  Let your grace overflow us like a river.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

7-21-2020

Good Morning All, 

    John 5:7; “The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.”

    “Brother, can you spare a dime?”  This was a song from the depression era that sort of became the anthem of the Depression.  It was a song about a guy who had it all and was successful and now is standing in a bread line or a soup line looking for any kind of help he can get.  It reflected the almost overnight drastic change which often took place in people’s lives at the time of our history.  The number of people who went from rich to flat out broke; is amazing.  There were families who were split up because parents could not afford to feed the whole family so some of the older ones were sent on their way to fend for themselves.

    How do you help all the people?  That is often a daunting question.  Whenever a church sits down and tries to be some sort of social support system, whether a food bank, or a place to sleep, or a counseling center; it can very easily be overwhelmed.  This can cause a great panic among the members of the church as they consider a project or program.  It can cause enough problem that those members may simply back away.  We do not have near enough to do any good, so why try?

    Our verse and the portion that proceeds it has always been a fascination to me.  This account told by John involves the healing of a man on the Sabbath and the reaction of the Jewish leaders.  The man in our verse was one of many people who were waiting by this pool of water that many believed brought healing.  There were five roofed colonnades where multitudes of the sick laid waiting to get into the water.  There were multitudes and Jesus healed one.  All those people and Jesus only healed one. 

     In a different portion of Scriptures, Jesus tells us that we will always have the poor.  There will always be the poor and there will always be the sick; as long as there is sin in the world, sickness and poverty, injustice and unfairness will exist.  But we should never let that stop us in living our lives as God’s redeemed children; trying to reconcile the world to God.  We will not and cannot reach everyone; a broken and sinful world will prevent that.  We are not God; we are only man, but we are God’s redeemed children and, while we may not be able to help everyone, we can help someone.  We can make a difference in someone’s life.  We cannot help everyone, but we cannot let the devil use that to stop us from helping someone.

    Every good work of the church or believer shows the glory of God and reflects upon their faith.  It does not matter how big or small; God’s Word at work in the world is a light to the world even if it is only a match.  So be a match and trust God’s Spirit to make it shine brightly.

Gracious Father, the task is so daunting that we tremble at even the thought of it.  Give us the strength and the courage to reach out to one person and be that light to them.  Help us to go forth in confidence.  Guide us towards those who are in the greatest need of your grace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

7-20-2020

Good Morning All, 

     Luke 6:37c; “forgive, and you will be forgiven”

   “Quid pro quo.”  This is a Latin phrase that gets a lot of use and misuse.  It means a transfer of goods or services where the transfer is contingent upon the other, huh?  Basically, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.  If you watch Congress work, you vote for my bill and I’ll vote for yours.  You give a little, I give a little and we all make something.  It is a way of life for many.  Our verse sounds like that but in our faith, we understand it differently.  We tend to look away from these verse that make us struggle. 

    This is always one of those “struggle” verses.  We tend to struggle with understanding them.  We teach that you are forgiven, by God, without condition.  Remember the verses, “God who is faithful and just will forgive your sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”  That sounds like unconditional love, unconditional forgiveness.  So, when we read verses like the one, we have today we struggle.  It sounds so conditional so quid pro quo.  If you forgive then God forgives yet that goes against the rest of the Bible.  We know that Scriptures interprets Scriptures; there are no errors or mistakes. But what do we have; well we have a struggle.

    Forgiveness is the core of Christianity.  God forgives us of our sin.  He wants us to then forgive others but why?  Partly because he wants us to do this; it is part of the reconciliation that God wants for us.  This reconciliation allows us to live in harmony with each other; part of God’s plan.  Forgiveness also relieves pain and suffering in our heart and soul.  Holding onto another’s sin keeps us angry, hurt, sad and lonely.  It separates us from one another.  Forgiveness frees us from that pain.

    We also see that if we refuse to forgive; it means that there are some things that cannot be forgiven.  It means that we see things that we do that cannot be forgiven by God.  We reject God’s forgiveness because we do not believe it can be forgiven.  We lack faith so we do not cling to God’s promise to forgive.  We cling to a lie that there are just some things that cannot and will not be forgiven.  When we forgive, truly forgive, we are stating that forgiveness of all sins is possible; we believe it.  We once again have faith.

    This may or may not be a conscious decision but what it does is show us how a “struggle’ verse can work.  It is not an action but faith.  We receive forgiveness because we cling to God’s promise of forgiveness.  The forgiveness is there but only if we cling to the promise, only if we believe.  Faith moves us to receive God’s forgiveness and faith moves us to forgive others, just like we are.

Father of all mercies, move us by your Spirit to forgive.  Forgiveness frees us from the pain and loneliness of this sinful world.  Give us the courage to forgive.  Give us the faith to forgive so we can boldly forgive others.  Guard us by your Spirit.  Be with those who struggle to forgive.  Grant them your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

7-19-2020

Good Morning All, 

    2 Samuel 12:13; “David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”

     In the early to mid-1970’s, there was a variety comedy show called “The Flip Wilson Show.”  He had many different characters that he would play in the sketches that they did.  One was when he would dress up as a woman, her name was Geraldine Jones.  She was flamboyant to say the least.  She would get into some sort of fix or trouble and her retort would always be, “the devil made me do it.”  If she was late getting home from a party, well the devil made me do it.  If she backed her car into somebody else’s, well the devil made me do it.

    It was kind of funny because for a while it was kind of a catch phrase for a lot of people.  In many ways it still is.  It is handy to say and it solves a lot of problems.  It also shows what is wrong in human society.  If something is wrong, it is not my fault.  The devil made me do it.  I had no control.  It was as if some force had taken control of my body and made me say those cruel things, made me steal those items, made me get drunk or high, after all, the devil made me do it.

    We like to blame the devil or anyone else for that matter.  It makes us the victim.  The victim is always the oppressed one who suffers at the hands of others.  The events that occur to a victim are beyond the control of the victim.  Someone who is robbed at gunpoint can do little to stop the perpetrator.  The victim is always at the mercy of circumstance and situations which are beyond his control.  He cannot stop it; he has no control; the devil made him do it.

    The problem with thinking we are the victim is that it is untrue.  The devil did not make me do it; I made a choice to sin.  I actively opted for sinning.  I decided which path to follow.  The devil may make suggestions, but I choose the path.  Our answer is not what Geraldine Jones said, our answer is what David said, “I have sinned against the Lord”.  I did it, I made me do it not the devil.  My sin is my sin, I caused it, I did it.  It was not someone else’s fault.  That other person did not make me sin, I sinned.  That other person did not make me do it, neither did the devil; I did it I chose to sin.  I chose because I am weak.  I chose because my sinful nature makes it impossible to choose otherwise.

    But God has mercy on us.  He says to us what Nathan said to David, “The Lord has put away your sin.”  God has taken your sin and forgives you.  This is the only way it will work.  We are too weak to fight it on our own, so God does it for us.  Now he gives us the power to say “no” to the devil.  Because of his grace the devil did not make me do it.  His grace will lead us away from sin if we follow.

Father of grace, we are before you as broken sinners.  I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed.  But I find refuge in you and safety in your arms.  Protect and strengthen me from the devil’s attacks.  Be with those who are most vulnerable at this time.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,                 

Pastor Bret   

7-18-2020

Good Morning All, 

     John 15:4; “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

      There once was a branch on an apple tree.  It always produced the largest, sweetest apples on the tree.  The apples were always plentiful and easy to reach.  One day a group of moths landed on the branch and began speaking to the branch.  The moths told the branch how important he was.  They told him that the tree would be nothing without him.  No other branch produced as good of fruit as he did.  (Meanwhile, the moths laid their eggs on the branch where it was hooked to the tree.)

    The branch began to think that it was especially important.  The moths were right, it thought.  None of the other branches produced near the fruit that this branch did.  Without him this tree would not produce much fruit at all.  (Meanwhile, the eggs had hatched, and the larvae were beginning to eat through the bark.)

    So, the branch began to demand that the tree listen to what it wanted.  It wanted to choose what other branches were part of the tree.  It wanted to decide which type of apple it produced.  It demanded to produce apples when it felt like it.  It wanted to go its own way.  It began to think that it did not need the tree.  After all, its fruit was the best of the tree.  (Meanwhile, the larvae had burrowed most of the way through the branch.)

    Soon the branch did not want to be with the tree.  It even wondered if the tree could possibly survive without the branch being attached.  Then one day a storm came along.  The wind blew harder than ever.  The tree stood tall and the other branches waved in the wind.  But the branch that had the best apples snapped and fell to the ground.   No big deal though the branch; now we will see who needs who. 

    Soon the leaves on the branch began to wilt.  The apples that were on the branch began to rot.  The branch dried up and soon was tossed in the fireplace to heat the house in the cold of winter.  Meanwhile, the tree stood tall and strong. 

    In the spring, many different branches began to produce large and sweet apples.  The tree stood tall and the apples were sweet and large on all the branches.  The tree really did not need the branch, but the branch became ash without the tree.

    We are the branch.  God feeds and gives us the nourishment to produce fruit.  Think of all the great things that God has given you.  Think of the talents and skills you have; all are gifts from God.  Without God, we are but something to be thrown into the fire.  We need to be connected to God just as the branch needs the tree.  His love and grace are our only hope.

Dearest Father, without you we are lost.  All that we have is from you.  Through you do we produce all the fruit that we have.  All that we are, all that we receive, all that exists, is a gift from your benevolent hand.  Guard us with your Spirit.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret