11-30-2020

 Good Morning All, 

               Romans 12:10; “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

      Do you remember the song “Why can’t we be Friends?”  It came out in the mid-1970’s.  It was about 3¾ minutes long and repeated the line “Why can’t we be friends?” 47 times.  Not a lot of lines to learn.  Ironically, it was sung by a group called “War”.  Yet it asked a basic question, why can’t we be friends?  Why is it difficult to get along?  It seems that it is easier to stir up hatred and dissension than it is to foster peace and harmony, but why is this?

    First and foremost, it is our sinful nature at work.  Sin wants only hatred and dissension to abound.  In doing so, it can sow the seeds of despair and try to cause us to doubt God’s love for us.  Yet God completely and thoroughly empowers us to do battle with the devil in this arena.  He calls us, as his children, to love one another in a brotherly fashion.  Yet sometimes this can be very difficult to do, our sinful nature pushes us to distrust others.  Yet God wants us to love.  So here are some ideas to think about and pray about as we ask God to strengthen our attempt to be his loving children.

    One of the first things we need to overcome is the belief that we are so different from each other.  We tend to focus on the visual and try to see how we are different; yet we are far more alike than we are different.  We all want our children and our grandchildren to succeed in life.  We all worthy about our health and the health of our loved ones.  We all mourn the death of those we love.  We are far more the same than we are different and if we focus on that truth; honoring and loving one another will be easier.

    Another obstacle for us is often fear.  We tend to fear what we do not know.  Ask anyone how they felt the first night they slept in their new home and heard the creaks and the moans.  It can be the same with our neighbor.  Until we work out the “creaks and groans” of our relationship it can be tough.  Yet that is the crux of being friends, it is usually not a difference of opinion that separates people it is usually a lack of understanding and fear keeps us from trying to understand one another.

    The greatest obstacle is our own selfishness.  We are willing to see two sides to a story unless one of the sides is mine then the other does not matter.  So here is our greatest task, to ask God to give us a willing heart and a patient spirit.  Then we need to practice what we pray for.  We need to attempt to understand and to see others for who they are, God’s beloved creatures.  We are all to be children of the heavenly Father.  So, seek to love one another with the brotherly affection.

Father of love, guide us to be brothers one to another.  Lead us by your Spirit to seek reconciliation and relationships and not anger and distrust.  We ask that you heal those who are wounded and are in broken relationships.  We especially pray for those families which are broken.  Send your healing Spirit.  In the name of Jesus, our risen Savior. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

11-29-2020

Good Morning All, 

       Ephesians 1:18; “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints”

I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day. It's gonna be a bright (bright) bright (bright) sunshiny day.

 

     Do you remember that song?  It was from the early 1970’s.  It was a song that was in contrast to some of the “darker” songs that focused on pain and broken relationships.  This was one of the lighter and more optimistic songs of the time.

     So, can you see clearly?  Too often most of us would say “no”.  The problem is that we focus on using our physical eyes.  Our physical eyes are part of our sinful body and are corrupted by sin.  We can only see what our eyes look at, we can only comprehend what our mind interprets through our foggy vision.  So how do we see clearly now?  We see with the eyes of our heart; we see by faith.

    God gives us the eyes of faith which can help us see clearly.  God’s grace gives us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of life everlasting.  That is what Easter does for us.  By Jesus walking out of the tomb, our vision is a whole lot clearer now.  We can see our future clearly.  We are God’s redeemed children, and we have in store for us an eternal existence with him.  We know how our life story ends.

    God gives us a very clear view; we see it in the risen Christ.  We know the obstacles that the devil and our sinful nature will throw at us.  We will experience some fits of doubt, fear, loss of trust, hopelessness among a few.  The devil will try all sorts of tricks, but they are just that; they are tricks and tricks are not reality.  Our reality is clear to see, our reality is our salvation through Christ.

    We may, because of a sinful and broken world, experiences some sadness.  We may suffer from divorce or a loss of health.  Our job may disappear, or our family may be torn apart.  This is always the result of sin.  Sin still causes pain and suffering in this world, but we know that sin does not control us, nor does it control our lives or our future.  Our lives and our future are in God’s loving hands.  His promise is to never abandon us, and to forgive our sins and to give us eternal life.

    We can see clearly what his promises mean to us.  The control of our life and our future is in God’s loving hands; we can see clearly now, and we can see it all with the eyes of faith which God so graciously gives to us.

Father, help to me to stay focused on your great mercy.  Guide us by your Spirit to trust our eyes of faith as we see your great love for us.  Help us to focus on your tender mercy.  Be with those whose vision is clouded by the cares of this world.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

11-28-2020

 Good Morning All, 

               Psalm 46:1; “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

      I was a watcher of “Star Trek”, the real one with Kirk, Spock, and Scotty.  It was really quite an amusing show to watch.  One thing that always amused me was that, at the start of the show, it was usually Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and then some flunky that landed on the new planet.  It never failed; the flunky never survived.  Something always killed him.  Then Kirk and the rest would spend most of the rest of the show trying to get back to the ship.  They were always met with problems but eventually they made it to the ship and were safe.  All they wanted to do was to get to the ship to be safe.  Why didn’t they just stay there?

     We spend a lot of time doing the same thing.  We spend a lot of time trying to get back to our ship where we are safe.  We are often blindsided by life.  Many times, it seems to be going well.  We feel healthy, our job is going smoothly, the family is happy happy and then, out of nowhere, BOOM!! It hits us hard.  In the blink of an eye, things change.  That ever so routine doctor’s visit turns up something not so routine.  Maybe we wake in the middle of the night with a pain in the chest that seems like someone is crushing us.  It could be anything but all at once, life changes.  It might be your job; it might be something with a family member; it could be any of a number of things; but it hits us hard.  All we want to do is get to safety, all we want to do is to get back to the ship.

    That is what the psalmist is telling us in this verse.  Our ship, the place where we are safe, is in God’s grace.  It is an immediate place of safety, like a shelter in a storm.  It gives us hope when we turn to it in faith.  The thing to remember about finding shelter in a storm, you are still wet when you go inside; you will still feel cold and maybe a shiver or two.  Yet soon the warmth will begin, and the wetness will go away.  This is much the same way that our faith works.  There is still a little residue of the pain but soon God’s warming mercy begins to cover us and soon we are resting in the comfort of his loving arms.

    What we then see is that this refuge is really a fortress.  It is a place where we will always have safety; it is a place where we will always find refuge.  It will always be our shelter.  It is the place where we can be to heal from the wounds we experience in life.  It is the place where we can be nourished back to full strength.  It is the place where we can find true and wholesome rest.  When the battles and struggles of this sinful world wage against us, God is our only refuge.  It is his mercy alone that saves us.

Wondrous Father, in you alone do we have safe haven.  In you alone are we secure from the attacks of the devil.  Guide us by your Spirit to the safety of your loving arms.  Be with those who are under attack and in need of refuge.  Be with the families that are being assaulted.  Be with those who are physically and emotionally attacked.  Guard them with your holy arm.  Bring them to refuge in you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

11-27-2020

  Good Morning All, 

       Luke 24:13; “That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem”

     This is part of one of those stories that will always intrigue us.  This is part of the story that occurs that first Easter Sunday.  Two of Jesus’ followers, one named Cleopas, were walking to a small village called Emmaus.  It is about 6 or 7 miles from Jerusalem, we just aren’t sure which way.  This is a story that we can see in our mind’s eye so easily.

    Cleopas and his friend were followers of Jesus.  They even thought, no they believed, that Jesus was the Messiah.  Yet, they had just witnessed his execution by the Romans.  It was horrible.  They had watched as some had taken down the broken body and buried him.  They hid over the Sabbath, afraid that the Jewish council would come after them next.  On Sunday, they headed to Emmaus.  It could have been home, or it could have been on the way home or just a plan to leave Jerusalem.

     As they walked, they talked about the events of the past week, especially the women.  They claimed that they had seen him, alive!!  Soon they were joined by a stranger.  He had not heard anything about Jesus or the crucifixion.  Where was he hiding?  Didn’t he see the darkness or feel the earth tremble?   They told him their story; then this stranger told them his story about how everything that had happened needed to occur.  They invited this stranger to have dinner with them.  When they did, their eyes were opened, and they saw that it was Jesus with them.

    How many times are we “walking to Emmaus”?  How many times have we had our expectations, our hopes, our dreams shattered before us?  It does not take long for us to start wandering down the road to Emmaus; dejected, lonely, frightened, and sad.  As we walk wondering what happened, we do not walk alone.  We may not recognize him, we may not see him, but he is there.  Jesus walks with us even as we walk to Emmaus.  All the time he speaks to us through his Word.  He tells us that he loves us, that we are forgiven; that what is behind us is behind us, we do not need to bring it along with us anymore.  We can leave the pain of the past in the past.  Jesus reveals to us his incredible love.

    We will have those times when we walk to Emmaus.  Just know that you do not walk alone.  Listen for God’s comfort.  It may come from a family member or a friend or a member of your church, but God will speak to you and comfort you.  Trust in his everlasting mercy.  Our walk may be long and arduous, but we never walk alone or for long.  The pain and the sadness are only temporary.  God’s grace will always be there for us.  So, as you walk, listen for our Savior’s gentle voice.

Gracious Lord, on our walks to Emmaus, filled with doubt and sorrow; go with us.  Speak to our broken hearts with your tender love.  Gently lift us up and heal our pain.  Guide us as we travel down this path of life.  Keep us mindful that as you travel with us, you protect us from the devil’s assaults.  Be with those who are lost in their travel and bring them safely home.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

11-26-2020

 Good Morning All, 

        John 13:5; “After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

      A few years ago, we to our then two-year-old grandson to Story Book Land for the first time.  This is a playground/park with a “Wizard of Oz” theme.  He rode the train and the carousel.  He fed the animals and went on the slide.  He walked across the big sand lot area where the digger toys are.  As he went across, he told his mother that he had “icky feet”.  He was not very excited about the sand.  He is kind of particular about his feet.  He likes to wear socks.  He does not like to wear sandals without socks; that gives him “icky feet”.  Perhaps not the most fashion-conscious young man but he knows what he likes and what he does not like.  He does not like “icky feet.”

     Most of us do not like “icky feet.”  I know I don’t.  If I have a tiny pebble in my shoe; I must stop and take it out.  At the end of a long day, my feet are often hot and sore, and they feel “icky.”  I think I feel more tired if my feet are aching than if my feet do not hurt.  When my feet suffer, the rest of me suffers as well.  The only thing better than a soak in a warm tub of water is a good foot rub.  That would really hit the spot.

    It is interesting that when Jesus chose to serve his disciples; he chose to wash their feet.  First, the washing of the feet was the job of the lowest slave in the household.  It was the job of the new guy.  It was not pleasant.  They walked everywhere they went.  They wore sandals and no socks.  After a day’s journey, they had “icky feet.”  If you willingly wash those feet, you are doing a great act of kindness.  Yet I think Jesus chose the feet for another reason as well.  We are often most comforted when our feet are soothed.

    This is what Jesus does for us.  He washes us and soothes us.  He washes away our sin and in doing this, we have comfort and relief.  There are many things in life that cause our “icky feet.”  We may face pain and suffering but Jesus comes to heal us and to soothe our pain and our sorrow and he does it by going to the dirtiest and stinkiest place.  It may be our feet but, in reality, it is our heart that is the worst.  This is where our sinful desires grow and form and then exude themselves.  It is there that the dirty, sweaty, stinky sin begins.  Just as Jesus washes our feet; he cleanses our heart of the impurity.

    So, by the washing away of our sins, we are cleansed.  We are given renewed hope; we are given a fresh start.  We lose our “icky feet” for clean feet.  We leave our treacherous heart for a clean heart, renewed by the loving grace that God gives us.  Jesus washes our feet but more than that he washes all of our body and changes us from the sinful, self-centered being into a new creation; one that desires to do his will.  That is what we get from his washing us.  We get cleansed and healed.

Gracious Lord, in the washing and the regeneration of our spirit you make us wholly yours.  Keep us safe within your loving embrace.  Bring those who have “icky feet” to know the wonders of your redemption.  Keep them safe from harm and send your Spirit to them.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret

11-25-2020

 Good Morning All, 

        Matthew 10:38; “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

          We see it more and more.  Just about any business has it.  All the celebrities have it.  Even those have blogs or write op-ed pieces seem to have it.   They all want you to follow them.  We follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest or something called g+1.  “Follow us!!”  This is usually to get you to buy more from their store or to buy more of their albums or go to their movies or buy whatever they are selling.  The more followers they have; the more successful they are.  “Just follow us on Facebook!”  It is so easy.  All we do is click a button and just like that we are followers.

    Jesus started his ministry by calling his disciples.  He told them to “follow me.”  Then he told others this but some of them chose not to follow.  This might have been because of indifference or a failure to truly hear what Jesus was saying or it could have been that their sinfulness was so deeply entrenched that their hearts were just too hard to listen.  Yet Jesus called them, just like he called his disciples and just like he calls you and me.

    It is always kind of interesting when we read where Jesus tells us that he brings division, or he brings a sword.  We always think of Jesus as a peaceful and uniting person, but the opposite is very true.  Some people hear his call, and some people do not.  Often those who do not hear the call are angry at those who do.  They will deride, attack, and belittle those who believe.  Now if that someone is a person you barely know; you can handle it.  Yet what happens if it is your spouse or your child, a sibling, or your best friend?  That can be more painful.  This is where the division can really be hard; it can be a great cross to bear.

    So how do we handle this?  It can be really hard.  First, you keep praying.  Secondly, you do not argue.  Even if they belittle and attack you, you turn the other cheek.  It really is not easy, is it?  You keep showing them the love that God has shown you; but do not give up!  It may be a long and burdensome task, but it is worth it.  You keep following Jesus because that is the only way you will ever have peace.

    Remember that Jesus is always with you.  The battle seems hard because the devil keeps trying to lead you astray.  Keep holding onto God’s grace.  Remember his ways are far above our ways.  We keep trusting in Jesus and his promises.  Jesus lived, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven for you; he is not going to stop now.  So, we continue forward, often bearing a cross that seems too heavy.  Yet when we focus on Jesus and the salvation that awaits us, the burden will be lighter.

Heavenly Father, in your wondrous mercy we have life.  Yet there are times when the burden seems great and we struggle under the weight.  Keep us mindful that the burden is only heavy when we assume the weight rather than trusting in your grace to lead us safely home. Be with the families where there is conflict.  Heal their wounds and renew their love for one another.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

11-24-2020

 Good Morning All, 

        1 Corinthians 6: 19b-20: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

     “It’s a free country!”  “I have my rights and I will exercise them as I choose!”  We hear phrases like this often, especially in the United States.  It is all about my freedom to do as I please.  The interesting thing is that we are now seeing what happens when my freedom meets your freedom.  So how do we as Christians supposed to act?  We have freedom; Christ freed us from sin and the devil.  We are free, right?

    We need to see this carefully.  Christ has freed us.  He has freed us from the tyranny of the devil.  We are freed from the guilt of sin.  We are freed the fear of being separate from God.  We are freed.  Yet this freedom has never meant that we can choose whatever we want.  We are no longer under the reign of the devil; now we are under the reign of God.  We are God’s children.  We were bought with a great price; we were bought with the blood of Jesus.

    So now we belong to God, we are free of the devil, but our allegiance is now to God.  Our allegiance is not to our own personal freedom, our allegiance is not to our own selfish desires; that places us back in the reign of the devil.  Being in God’s kingdom means to desire the “higher things”; we desire those qualities which Jesus displayed.  We desire to serve God and fulfill his will.  We seek to live as God desires us to live.

    This can be a challenge.  There are many times when the world will do everything it can to convince us that we are wrong.  Just remember that even the devil quoted Scriptures when he tempted Jesus in the desert; it can be the same with us.  Yet the world always twists Scriptures just enough to make them wrong.  We know that God loves us and loves all people, but God hates sin because it separates us from God’s grace.

    God hates sin because it removes us from his love and from his grace.  God hates sin because it harms us; it harms our relationship with Him.  God’s hatred of sin is probably easiest understood if we think how you and I hate cancer.  We see what cancer does to the body and we see what cancer does to our relationship with the person who has it.  Cancer can destroy the body and kill the person who has it.  We lose that loved one to a disease, so we hate cancer.

    Sin is a cancer and because it is, God hates sin.  God does not hate you or anyone else, but sin will separate us from Him.  So, in order to redeem you, God had Jesus come into the world to pay your debt, to buy you back from the devil.  So, we should live our lives for Him.  We should thank and praise, serve and obey Him with complete joy. 

    Father of grace, you sent Jesus to buy us back from the devil.  Let us never forget that we are yours.  Let us never forget that by your grace, we are forever in your mercy.  Help us to live in your holy kingdom.  Keep us from seeing freedom as the desire to follow our selfish desires.  Help us to see that freedom gives us the power to live in your will.  Be with those who struggle with freedom.  Give them the wisdom to know and to do your will.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

11-23-2020

 Good Morning All, 

      1 Samuel 22:2; “And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them.”

     As I have told you before, I am a fan of movies.  The other day I was watching one of the Robin Hood movies and I tried to figure out how many different versions that I had seen.  There is the “real” one with Errol Flynn.  There was one with Sean Connery, one with Kevin Costner, and one with Russell Crowe, Disney made two, one animated and one with real actors and my favorite; “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.”  These are the ones I thought of, there are probably others. 

    The basic premise was that a group of people were suffering under a great injustice and eventually, a nobleman who lost his estate became their leader.  They “robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.”  Eventually they are vindicated when the proper king returns, and all is right with the world.  A wonderful little tale and like many wonderful little tales; it would seem that it has its origin in the Bible.  The biblical story is based on David.  He, essentially, became an outlaw as King Saul tried to kill him and kill anyone who helped David.  Thus, men who had been beaten or punished by the king turned to David and he became their leader, their commander.

    In many ways, these two stories, similar as they are, are somewhat representative of our relationship with Jesus.  You and I, as sinners, live under the rule of a cruel ruler, the devil.  The devil wants you to live in distress.  He wants you to suffer the pain of sorrow and sadness.  He wants you to feel the worry of paying the bills tomorrow or facing the doctor, alone, or trying to deal with the uncertainty of life.  He wants you in debt, so you have more to worry about.  He tempts us with tantalizing gadgets and things; that everyone else seems to have and we just “need” in order to live.  Yet above all, the devil wants you to be bitter in soul.  He wants you to go through life feeling passed over, forgotten, unlovable, leave-able; someone not worth worrying about or worth wanting.

   Into this life, Jesus comes to claim those whom the devil attacks.  He is there to comfort you in your distress.  He is there to give you hope beyond debt and above all; he is there to relieve the bitterness in your soul.  He is there to take the bitterness of loneliness, and despondency and to restore you to someone whom He completely loves.  He will never forget you, never find you unlovable, he will never leave you.  You are always someone whom Jesus finds worthy of wanting.  He wants you to be loved by Him and to live with him in eternal paradise.  He will show you the way to live in harmony with God.  He has shown us the path to eternal life.  His love for us endures forever, especially for the distressed, the indebted and those who are bitter in soul.

Gracious Lord, you came to bring us out of distress and to sweeten our bitter souls.  Continue to strengthen our faith and to lead us to that life which you give us, one to prosper us.  Be with those who feel the bitterness of life.  Show them your mercy.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

11-22-2020

 Good Morning All, 

       Genesis 18:32; “Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.”

     “If you change your mind, I’m the first in line; honey I’m still free; take a chance on me.”  Alright, I admit it, I know songs by ABBA, not a proud moment but a moment anyway.  We like the idea of change.  We like it when others change for us.  “Change the channel, please, my show is on now.”  “Let’s change seats so I can see better.”  “Instead of going out for supper, let’s cook a pizza.”  We like it when people change their mind, alter their actions, or plans to fit our desires, but what about God?  Can we change his mind?

     Our text is part of the story of Abraham praying to God that he spares the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham starts out by asking God if he would spare the city if there were 50 righteous people, then 45, then 40 all the way down to 10.  At each request, God tells him that he will not destroy the city if there were that many righteous.  In the end, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.  Yet how do we match the idea that God is perfect and immutable (changeless) and then he changes his mind?  If God does not change, why pray?  Why ask God for something if it is already decided?

    The most important part about prayer is that while it does not change God; it completely changes you.  In our story, Abraham knew, without a doubt, that these two cities did not even have 10 righteous people in them.  When you and I pray, God uses prayer to change us.  For most of us, praying helps us to identify our fears and worries.  Once we identify what we are afraid of or what we are worrying about; it tends to “shrink the problem.”  The devil loves it when we live in nebulous fear when we are just afraid.  Yet, if we put a name to that fear, such as, I am afraid of losing my job, God, through the Spirit, will send you comfort.  It might be in the form of helping you realize that there are other jobs or opportunities for you.  It might be from other friends or family members.  God works in many ways, but he works.

    The most important part of prayer is that we come to God and lay our fears, our worries, and our burdens at his feet.  Then we trust God to keep his promise to provide for us.  If we do this right from the start, we will begin to have comfort right from the start.  If we trust from the start, then even if our prayers are not answered in the fashion that we thought was best, we know that God will make all things work for good for those whom are called according to his purpose.  So, we pray, and God heals us; in his way and in his time, but he does heal us.

Father, we come before your throne of mercy seeking your blessings upon the families of the land.  Many families are under attack.  We pray for reconciliation; we pray for peace within our own lives, within the lives of those whom we love, and within the lives of all those who are hurting.  Send your Spirit of peace to your people.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret        

11-21-2020

     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.”

     Do you remember the movie “The Bad News Bears”?  It was a movie from the mid 1970’s about a grizzled old man who turns a group of misfits little league baseball players into a real team.  It was made up of castoffs from other teams and a girl (unheard of in the 70’s).  Coach Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) takes a bunch of misfits and brings them to within one run of winning the championship.  Much of the movie is spent on the turning of these misfits into a baseball team and the tactics that he uses.  He makes them a team when at first, they were not a team.

    In some ways we can see ourselves in this movie.  We are the misfits.  We are the ones who have been cast off as miserable losers.  We are not a team; we could never be a team.  We could not hold the bat correctly or throw the ball properly or even know which way to run.  No one would want us on their team.

    This is how the devil uses our situations to drive us to despair.  He wants us to be losers.  He wants us to be lost and depressed.  He wants us to think that we have no team, no hope, and no future.  He wants us to see ourselves as completely alone and cut off from everyone, especially cut off from God.

     “But God had seen my wretched state.” God knew that we would never succeed on our own.  God knows we can never achieve this by our own skill, knowledge, or wealth.  So, God made us part of his team.  Through Jesus, he made us his people.  We receive mercy and God makes us his people.  By being his people, we are thus protected from danger and we are given the tools to survive in this world.  We are no longer alone but we are part of God’s team.  It is here where we find the comfort and consolation of being one of God’s redeemed children.

    This is how God works; he takes all those nobodies; those pathetic losers that no one wants on their team and makes them winners.  We are never left out again.  We are never alone again.  God is with us all the time.  He uses his creation to feed us, clothe us and to provide for us.  He uses his creation connected with his Word to provide for our spiritual needs.  Through his grace he provides for us, his people.  He does this out of love for you.  He wants you on his team.  He puts you on his team and through this you are made a winner.  You are given eternal life with him.  You are his people.

Father of all wonders, your mercies roll over us like a river.  They are new to us each day.  You make us your people and in doing so you renew us and make us new creations.  Be with those who feel left off of the team.  Be with those who feel that no team would want them.  By your grace bring them home to live in peace and harmony with you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

11-20-2020

 Good Morning All, 

        John 10: 27; “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”.

         So, the poll question for today is how do you define church?  Some would say that it is the place where we gather to worship.  Some would say it is the people who go to this place to worship.  Some claim that the church is what’s left if the building burns down.  A structured Lutheran definition is that this is where the Gospel is rightly proclaimed, and the Sacraments are properly administered.  These are all good answers and there are probably many more.  Yet Luther had another way of saying it.

    Martin Luther was a prolific writer.  At one time, almost 25% of all printed material was written by Martin Luther.  He was a man who took advantage of the current cutting-edge technology (the printing press) and used it to his advantage.  So, his writings had to appeal to the theologian but also to the laity who read his writing.  So, in doing so, Luther would use phrases or terminology that would resonate with the reader.  It still does today almost 500 years later.  So in one of his writings, Luther wrote this “God be praised, a seven-year-old child knows what the church is: holy believers and ‘the little sheep who hear the voice of their shepherd.’”

     You are the sheep that hear the voice of the shepherd.  Shepherds had to be very patient with their sheep.  They would speak to them in calming tones.  Sheep could not be driven, they had to be led. So, the shepherd would go ahead and call them to follow him.  He would call each by name and they would follow him.  If a flock were so big that it had more than one shepherd; each shepherd would call his sheep out and they would separate from the other sheep and follow him.  The shepherd would call the sheep and then lead them to the lush green pastures.  He would call them to the still waters for them to drink.  The goal of the shepherd was to have calm and contented sheep.  They grew the best and were the least amount of trouble.

    This is what Jesus wants for us here on this earth.  He desires that we live a contented life.  He provides for us all that we need.  He wants us to hear his voice and we do this by gathering around his Word and Sacrament.  We do this best as being in the flock.  Flock as in plural not singular.  We are a part of the larger body and we receive the blessings of being in this larger flock.  It is in the flock (the Church) where we receive “the mutual conversation and the consolation that brothers and sisters offer each other” (more Luther).  So, the church, the place where we hear the Shepherd’s voice is felt and expressed by as little as one or two brothers or sisters in Christ offering us hope, comfort, peace, reconciliation or whatever we need.  That is how God reaches us, through the creation that he made.  It is for us and to be used to provide for our needs.  God calls you by name and leads you to safety.  Are you listening?

Savior of all, lead us to hear your voice. Help us to find comfort and hope in your gentle word.  Be with those who do not hear.  Be with those who struggle with listening to you who have the world drown out your voice.  Guide them by your Spirit to come home to your loving arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

11-19-2020

 Good Morning All, 

       Psalm 1:2; “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

        “Why do you make us learn this?”  Why do we have to memorize this?” “My mom says I need to practice my music lesson before I do my confirmation lesson.”  “You expect me to read the Bible every day; I don’t have time!” The list goes on.  It is always interesting teaching 12- and 13-year-olds confirmation.  They always seem to go to more work to get out of work then actually doing the work. Yet they ask a fairly good question, in your busy life, why take time for reading the Bible?

    Scriptures tells us to spend time in the study of the Bible.  In the verse that follows this one we are told that this man is like a tree that is planted by streams of water.  The image is that of a tree that never withers and is always healthy and always produces great fruit.  So, is that how you would view your life?  Do not worry, I do not think I would consider my life like that either.  Yet the groundwork is laid.  This can be our goal.

    Jesus told his disciples that the “Spirit would remind us of all that Jesus said.”  It does this by causing us to see the Bible as providing us with guidance, direction and the words of help and encouragement that we need.  Yet through study, both in depth study and devotional time, we will have those words come to mind at the time when we have need of them.  By focusing on God’s Word, when trouble strikes, they will be the first words that come to mind and that will give us comfort and hope.

    “Nothing is so powerfully effective against the devil, the world, the flesh, and all the evil thoughts as to occupy one’s self with God’s Word.  Without a doubt, you will offer up no more powerful incense or savor against the devil than to occupy yourself with God’s commandments and words.”  This is how we understand this teaching.  Only God’s Word s powerful enough to withstand the assaults of the devil. 

    So, God gives to us the power we need to withstand the devil’s attacks, but we need to utilize them.  He gives us the tools to live our life in contentment until Christ returns but we need to use them.  He gives us his Word which gives us the comfort, his body and blood to nourish our spirit, prayer to speak from our heart to our Father.  He gives us the Holy Spirit to keep us in the faith and to make us part of His holy family.  These wondrous gifts await us, but we must use them and take advantage of them.  We are saved now, and we have access to all the power we need but we must access.  We must use God’s gifts to the fullest.

Father of all mercies, you give us the tools to withstand the devil’s onslaught.  Lead us to use them fully.  Lead us to trust in your Spirit to guard and protect us.  That he may keep us in the true faith.  Be with those who are being attacked by the devil at this time.  Keep them safe and give them the sure victory.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

11-18-2020

 Good Morning All, 

      Acts 2:42; “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

     In the olden days of VCR’s, we used to watch them movies and every so often, push the pause button or even run it backwards.  When you did this, run it backwards, you could watch the guy fall on his horse instead of off his horse.  If you could push the pause button at just the right moment, you could see the water just start to touch the top of the head of the unsuspecting victim.  If you were watching a mystery, you could pause the movie and look to see if there were any clues sitting there that you might miss otherwise.

   Of course, the greatest use of this slowing down, pausing and then backing up is in watching sports today.  They take close plays, ones that at real and normal speed are almost impossible to see exactly what happened.  So, they slow it way down, they zoom in on the play, they run it backwards slowly to see exactly what happened.  They study it and look at it until they almost have it memorized.

    We scrutinize old VHS tapes and controversial sporting events, yet our Bible often just gathers dust on the shelf.  We put it up there just in case, some time, we might want to look something up that we “know” is right, but we heard it differently.  We use it to store the family documents in, maybe a pressed flower from a loved one’s funeral; that is about all that we have it for.  It is just there.

    Yet God gives us this book for a very special reason.  This is how he chooses to talk to us.  This is how he reveals himself to us.  As we read it, we see his nature unfold before us as his desire to love us and for us to love him is revealed over and over.  We see that God is by nature loving but can be provoked to anger but only for a short time.  We read about how, no matter how many times we fall short of his will; he keeps bringing us back and restoring us to our place in his kingdom.

    So, by reading God’s Word and listening to what he is saying to us, we can find comfort; we can find hope.  This is where God shows us his desire to save us and to make us his people and what that means to us.  Many try to accomplish this by guessing or postulating or simply making it up.  Yet God shows us what his plan for us is.  His plan is to prosper us by his grace and to give us comfort and hope as we face this life’s challenges and to give us the true peace that the world cannot give.  We get this through the prayerful study of God’s Word.  We get this by listening to what He speaks to us.

Wonderful and loving Father, in your mercy you took the time to record for us your message of salvation and to give it to us.  Guide us by your Spirit to love reading and studying it.  Teach us to savor the message of salvation which you speak to us.  Help us to share this message with those around us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

11-17-2020

     Good Morning All, 

      1 Peter 4:8; “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

      Do you remember the Beatles song “All You need is Love”?  It was written, primarily by John Lennon, but credited to Lennon and McCartney.  It was first sung during the first ever live global link broadcast.  It was transmitted over satellite.  It was written specifically so that the message could be understood in any language.  Many criticized the simplistic view of life.  The rejoinder was “You need a whole lot more than love!”  That is true but at the same time love is the most important element.

    Love is that which we freely give.  It does not demand that the other person change rather it accepts the person for who he is.  Love thus becomes the basis for all our relational events.  We can trust someone because we love them.  We commit to someone because we love them.  Love is acceptance at its greatest level.  Love is what God does to you.

    God shows his love for us by the fact that while we were sinners, while we were his enemies; He died for us.  In the process, he returned us back to our humanity.  Until Christ came to earth, to live, to preach, to die and to rise again; love was dying in the world.  Pagan teachings taught that love or mercy was something to be avoided.  The pagan gods only wanted to be fed and honored; there was no mention of loving others.  Yet this is exactly what Christ brought to us; he brought us love. 

    He returned us to our original created purpose and that is to love.  We are to love God, love each other and love God’s creation.  This was why we were created, yet sin takes us away from this.  Sin causes us to look inward in a selfish and self-centered method.  We are egoists with our only concern about what is in it for us.  Yet when Christ calls us into his kingdom, he restores our original humanity, our original purpose, the purpose for which we were created.  This is what God’s love does for us; it frees us to be the true us.

    Through this love which we share with those around us, we are able to live in his kingdom just as we were designed to.  We see each other as a fellow redeemed child of God; someone whom God has accepted and someone we should accept as well.  We may have to have those things which hurt our relationship with God pointed out, but we do so in love.  So, we look at each other for what we truly are; we are God’s children. 

    So, God wants us to love each other and he gives us the desire to do so.  It is sin that holds us back and keeps us from truly doing this.  It is usually the fear that causes us to stand off and not show the love that we should. It is fear is that holds us back.  Yet God gives us the power to defeat that fear and to respond to his love with love, a desire to have compassion and mercy on our neighbors just like Christ had on us.

Gracious Father, teach us to love as you loved us.  Guide us by your Spirit to forgive as you have forgiven us.  Help us to show mercy as you have shown mercy.  Keep us in your loving arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret