12-31-2021

 Good Morning All,

       Isaiah 55:9; “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

     Do you ever watch the TV commercials that show someone or something walking through a maze? We always get to watch from above and look down on the maze. It looks so easy from above; you can see every corner and every straight path. When we look down from the top, we can give all kinds of advice and point out which path to take and which is a dead end.

     When you are in the maze, it seems to be almost impossible.  We look and everything looks the same; whether I go left or right there does not seem to be much difference. I cannot tell what is beyond the next wall. Even if I am going through the maze with someone else; we still cannot see over or around the walls. It can be really frustrating.

     Our life is very much like a maze. We can only see right in front of us and a little behind us. Yet even where we have been is more about memory than vision. Yet as we go forward, we wonder about other directions or other choices. As we experience life, we do not see ahead. So we travel in one of two ways; either by fear or by faith. 

     The world will want you to travel by fear. The world wants you to always wonder, to always question and to always doubt. The world wants you to always ask questions like why? Why does this happen to me? Why do all the good things go to them and not to me? Why do I always get the short end of the deal? These and dozens of other questions will haunt us and allow the devil to play cruel attacks on us. Each time we go down a path; the devil torments us and makes us walk with fear and great in trepidation. This is how most people walk through the maze of their life.

     God comes to you and me with a different plan. God sets above all and aids us, guides us, and blesses us as we go through our maze. We have to trust God when he tells us that all things work for good for those who love Him.  We may never see where we all are heading but we have to trust God and his promises.  This can be tough when it seems like all our choices are losing choices. The thing we need to always remember is that we are God’s redeemed children always and forever. We may not see how we are getting through our life, but we will make it through this life to eternal life with Jesus. This is God’s promise to us to be with us, to comfort us and to give us hope and to show us his mercy. We must have faith that God will continue to guard us, to protect us, and to always give us hope.

Dear Father, too often we do not see the answer, so we fail to trust your steadfast love. Give us the courage to live the life which you give to us. Give us the comfort in knowing that all occurs under your watchful eye and that your grace for your children never dies. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-30-2021

 Good Morning All,

          Romans 3:24; “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”    

     The sign says, “FREE TAKE ONE!” or maybe “FREE FOR THE TAKING!”  What do you do? Do you take one? Now I realize that if the sign was on a box of puppies, you might think twice but what if it were something you or one of your family members could really use; would you take a free one?  Suppose you were at a garage sale and there was a snowsuit there that would fit your child or grandchild; would you take it for free?

    Many people might balk. First you might look around and see who is watching but why? It says it is free. Are we afraid someone will see us take something free? Will they think we are poor? Will they think we are cheap? Do we “hear” their remarks, “drives a nice car but is too cheap to buy their kid a snowsuit;” even when no one is there? Second, we might not really trust the sign. What if some joker took the sign off of a box of marbles and put it on the snowsuit? That would be embarrassing. Third, do we tell ourselves that we do not really need it even though it is only January?

    Strange as it sounds, these are the same reasons that many people refuse the gift of God’s free grace. There are those who have too much pride. Their pride may not let them take the gift. They look around to see who is watching; they worry about what people will say. Maybe they think it is a trick. There is no way it is free; it has to cost something. They may even try to pay for it or even claim that they actually did pay something for it.

    Worst of all there are some who think they do not need it. They think they have no need for this wondrous free gift of forgiveness of sins. They buy into the “I’m ok and you’re ok” there is nothing wrong with anyone. When we think that we are good enough without any help, we tend to not seek out help.

    God comes to us in his Word and Sacrament offering to us the free gift of His true love. God, the Creator-Redeemer rescues his created creatures, through the death and resurrection of His Son then freely gives that righteousness to us. It is a gift that we must not be too proud to take, we must not worry about how others view it and above all we need to see that we are truly in need of this salvation and that this is the only way we will receive it. It will always be a gift; free for the getting. It is God’s gracious, loving gift to us.

Dear Father, we give you thanks for the gift of our salvation. Forgive us when we reject this wondrous gift out of our foolish pride. Keep us mindful of the love that you have for us and strengthen our faith to trust in you. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-29-2021

  Good Morning All!

Ephesians 2:4-5; “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”

    Have you ever found yourself keeping a mental tally of when you were a good person or a bad person? For example, if I went to one of my son’s ballgames; I was good. When I yelled at the ref; I was bad. I bring flowers home for my wife; I am good. If they were for her birthday and it was a couple of days ago; I am bad. If I say “hi” to a friend in the store; I am good. If I walked right past him because I was preoccupied; I am bad. If I get to work early; I am good. If I do not get my tasks done on time; I am bad.

    We could go on and on. Some of the list can get somewhat whimsical but sometimes it can hit a nerve as well.  Some things just irritate or hurt a little too much; especially if I find myself always scoring “bad.”  I try hard but I just cannot seem to score in the “good” zone. So, at the end of the day, when I tally up the total; I am a bad husband, a bad father, a bad son, a bad neighbor; well, you get the point. At the end of the day, it can be pretty depressing.

    Maybe you have stretches of times like that as well.  Sometimes things just seem to be going against us. It always seems that just as trouble enters our lives; more and more comes our way.  We do not get a drop of trouble; we get a flood of trouble. We look at our lives and all we see on our score card is “bad,” so we assume that God hates us and is getting even. At least that is what the devil wants us to think. The devil likes it when we look at our score card and see we are way behind. He likes it when we look at life and think that God is evening things out against us. He likes it when we think “I am just too bad to be loved by anyone including God.”  Once we are thinking this, the guilt and the pain just pile on.

     Sin and the guilt of sin can be very cruel. They will take events in our lives and turn them into thoughts that we are not good enough to be loved by anyone, especially God. This is one of the most painful things to think and it is also the most wrong. The devil is trying to deceive you; do not let him.

     God loves you very dearly. Even when we were sinners, he loved us enough to send Jesus to die for us to make us whole again. We have a hard time comprehending the love that God has for us.  We only have imperfect images to try and convey his perfect love. God does not look at your score card; he looks at us through Christ as his redeemed children. So, at the end of the day, throw the score card away; God has. We may struggle at being a good parent, spouse, child, neighbor or whatever but God’s love does not depend on us. God’s love depends on God and that love goes beyond anything we can ever envision. So, live in the comfort of God’s grace and mercy. We do not deserve it but, thanks be to God, we have it.

Dear Father, your mercies roll over us like a flood and we are amazed by them each day. Give us the peace in our hearts and minds that you have forgiven us and that you hold us near to you. Watch over, bless us, and protect us with your great love. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

12-28-2021

 Good Morning All!

         Acts 1:1; “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,”

    Are you a starter? Do you have a lot of projects started? Do you like to start projects and then get someone else to finish them? It is kind of interesting that some of the world’s greatest masterpieces are unfinished.  Franz Shubert has the “Unfinished Symphony”; Charles Dickens has “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”; these are just two of the lists of unfinished projects.  Of course, these projects went uncompleted by accident not by design.  Our verse speaks of a project that is unfinished by design.

    The Book of Acts is the second book of the bible that speaks of Jesus beginning. The Book of Mark starts with “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”  Now Acts starts with “with all that Jesus began to do and teach.”  Both speak of Jesus beginning his ministry. We see where Jesus is starting but we never see where He finishes it. As you look through the Bible, you never see or read of Jesus finishing his ministry. He finishes the sacrifice on the cross “It is finished” yet in three days he rises again and keeps on ministering to his disciples.

     The Gospel of Jesus began and what Jesus began to do and to teach, yet neither of these ends. We see a start, but we do not see an end.  The Bible ends, doesn’t it? Why doesn’t it tell us that the Gospel of Jesus and what he did and taught ever got finished? It almost sounds like it is not finished.  That is because it is not.

    What Jesus began doing, he continues to do through the Church by the Holy Spirit. The message of the Bible is not some past event or ancient history; it is the start of your life story, and it is the start of my life story.  It is in the Bible where God tells us of his love for us; it is where God shows us his love for us by the offering up of his son. The Bible is where God brings us into His story, the story of restoring, reclaiming, and redeeming his creation, of reclaiming you and me. The message of the Bible is today, and it is tomorrow.  It is God’s life refreshing message of hope and salvation. It is God telling you that you matter; you are his redeemed child. Jesus began this ministry and will not finish it until he returns again. 

      This means that we, as Christians, live in a state of “already but not yet.”  We are already saved; our name is already in the Book of life, but we are not there yet.  Jesus has begun this good work in you and will see it completed in his day and time.  Our life with him has just started and our time to serve with him has just started. It has only begun. The old has passed away and the new is here just not all of it. We live in the time of grace. We live in the time of God’s grace not yet perfected, not yet completed. We are given the time and the task of continuing the ministry of Jesus until he returns. Jesus has begun this work, continues it through us until He finishes it when He returns. God’s story of salvation continues through you and through me. It is our hope and our salvation.

Dear Father, you choose to wait for the completion of Jesus’ ministry. Move us to use this time to brig others into your kingdom. Let them see in us the wonders of your love and grace. Keep us strong by living in the message of hope that you give us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen         

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

12-27-2021

         Good Morning All!

           Matthew 28:51; “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” 

    “I’m kind of a big deal you know!”  It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. A couple of years ago I was listening to my great nieces and nephews play at Christmas time. They are mostly quite young. One of them wanted to play the way he wanted and a different one wanted to do something else. The first one wondered why the second one got to decide what they were going to do. The response, “Well, I’m kind of a big deal you know!” 

    When you are “kind of a big deal,” you tend to think that the world revolves around you. When the one who says this is two or so, it is funny. When the one that says this is 22 or 32, it is more troublesome. Yet as we look at the events of our lives or the people of our lives there are times when it was “kind of a big deal” to us. When I finally convinced the girl of my dreams that I would try and be a good spouse and she agreed, it was kind of a big deal. When each of our boys was born, it was kind of a big deal. When each grandchild came into this world, it was a big deal. Marriages, births, and deaths are kind of big deals in our lives.  So are health issues, job changes, graduations, empty nests, retirement, and the like are kind of big deals. 

    Our verse is from Matthew’s account of Jesus’ death. The moment he died, the curtain torn in two from top to bottom and the earth shook and the rocks split. That would have been kind of a big deal. Not only did this happen but graves opened up and many saints were seen.  The death of Jesus was kind of a big deal. It changed mankind’s direction. For those of us who are the redeemed children of God, this event brought an end to the devil’s tyranny. This event took us out of the spiral of sin and lifted us into Christ’s resurrection. This event paid our debt, a debt that we could never pay and put us righteous before God.

     The Temple curtain tore, top to bottom, shoeing that God had destroyed the veil between us and opening up the path for us to come to him directly as a loving child comes to his loving father.  The earth shook and the rocks split; even creation knew that this was a big deal. Christ took on mankind’s sin and paid for it all. More importantly, Jesus took on your sins and mine. We are part of this great blessing, this wonderful gift from God; it is kind of a big deal. We have the promise of the Creator-Redeemer God that we will have eternal life with him. This promise is renewed each day to us. It is given so that we may not despair or live in fear but rather live in hope with the sure knowledge of our salvation. That is kind of a big deal.

Dear Father, your mercies are new to us every day. We give you thanks for the blessings of this life especially for giving us the hope of salvation in Jesus. Be with those who are in most need of your grace. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-26-2021

 Good Morning All!

      Ephesians 2:14; “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility”

     Some of you remember the Berlin Wall. It was the dividing wall between East and West Berlin with the east being under the control of the Soviet and the west being under the influence of the western democracies. For many years, it was the symbol of the Cold War. It divided a city, even families into to very separate entities. That wall stood for years until it was finally torn down, brick by brick, literally destroyed by the people on each side of the wall yearning for an end of the divisions and longing for the reconciliation of the families, the friends and neighborhoods, the whole city become one again.

      It is very easy to build walls in our own lives as well. It can be a very natural defense strategy. If I build a wall around me than nothing can get to me, and I cannot be hurt or called upon to worry about someone else.  If I build a wall, I can avoid any chance of involvement.  We use the walls to divide our time, our loyalties, our passions, our trust, or dreams and our hopes. It seems easier somehow when we wall off portions of our lives; we think it cleaner that way.

     We build walls in our faith life as well. We build great big walls. We build walls so thick and so high; we do not even remember what is on the other side.  We build walls to keep God out. When we build walls to keep God out, we let the devil tell us what God is like. Since we do not see God or truly know God, we listen to the devil tell us that God is vengeful, angry and full of hatred.  The devil tells us that if we even try to even touch that wall, we will be struck down.  The devil will tell you the best thing to do is to build the wall thicker and higher making the distance between you and God even farther causing you to be even more hostile toward.

     So, God did the only thing that would work.  He intervened in our life. God broke down the wall between us. Jesus was born to destroy the wall. Jesus died to destroy that wall then rose again to open the door of salvation. There is no wall between us; God has put it to an end. We can see God for what he truly is. He is a God who loves us and loves his creation. If the devil was right, why didn’t God just totally destroy everything and start over?  He kept it because he loves it; he loves us. We still face our challenges, but God is there to comfort us, defend us and to give us hope.  The devil will continue to tell us to rebuild the wall and at times we do, but God continues to destroy it until the day when we finally receive the ultimate act of God’s love; when we reach heaven to live in eternity with him.

Gracious Lord, you have destroyed the walls that separate us from your love. Forgive as we try to rebuild them. Shower your wondrous love upon us. Give us strength to face the day, comfort those in need of your love and bring peace to the hearts that are restless. In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-25-2021

 Good Morning All!

      Luke 2:11; “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

    Merry Christmas to you all!! This is a common greeting this time of year. But do we really understand what we are saying. Most tend to think that “merry” means happy or filled with gaiety. That in order for me to have a merry Christmas means that I am all smiles with a jovial laugh and not a care in the world.  I have to admit, I don’t think I know anyone like that.  Most people I know have some sort of struggle or battle.

    I have parents who worry about what their children will learn in college. Not “book things” but “life things” things that will tear and erode their faith. I have others who worry about their parents and their deteriorating health and maybe changes that must be made but will face strong headwinds.  I know others who are looking at (but not forward to) retirement. They have no idea what they will do; their job and work has defined them for 45 years and soon it will be over. I know of an empty nester couple who struggle to find anything in common with each other and they question their marriage. I know an elderly person who watches as the people his age are dying and he suffers greatly and wonders why he lives. I know a younger couple who desperately want to be parents, but it is not working out. So Merry Christmas, but how?

    The old English used here really refers to peace not happiness. Merry Christmas is really about telling someone “may you have peace with God.” That is what Christmas is truly about. It is about God coming to earth. It is about God experiencing the toil and tumult of life, overcoming this struggle, and then giving that victory to us. It is about God filling that void in our life that left us felling empty, unwanted, unloved, broken, and lost. It is about a loving God whose desire to have a fatherly relationship with us, moved him to sacrifice his son to achieve it. Not matter the tumult, we have peace with God. We know the wonder of his love, the majesty of his grace and the soothing balm of his mercy.

    Merry Christmas does not have to be a seasonal response, rather it should be a lifelong assurance of God’s mercy not leaving us in a situation where we have no hope but rather, He has drawn us to himself that we may always remember that our future our destiny lies in Jesus and in his resurrection. The promise thar awaits us is one of eternal life. So merry Christmas, even in the worst of times, we have peace with God, and we can trust our God to send his healing to us and to keep us in his grace.

    Jesus came to take away our sins and to replace it with hope. A hope that we will live eternally with God. Knowing this simple truth, we can have peace with God, the presence of God in our lives giving us the comfort and healing we need to face tomorrow. Merry Christmas and may you know God’s peace today and forever.

Gracious Father, you give us the peace that the world does not understand. It is the peace that your presence in us guides us to keep focused on Jesus and life eternal. Guard our hearts and keep us strong. Heal the broken and restore the fallen. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-24-2021

 Good Morning All!

     Matthew 1:1; “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

    Tonight, our Sunday School will have their Christmas program. Moms and teachers are worried about the lines and the songs. Grandparents cannot wait to see the little ones all dressed up. Most of us remember some of our times in the program. You may remember some of your lines from years and years ago. Maybe you had the “preposition verse” (up from...out of…into…unto) or that guy’s name that no one can quite get (Cyrenius or Quirinius or??)  Perhaps you had to say “swaddling cloths” when you were missing your two front teeth; we all have memories.  But I am pretty confident that very few, if any, had lines from the first chapter of Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus.  It rarely makes the show.

    Why is this genealogy, or any of the genealogies in the Bible, important? Most of us skip over those chapters with names we have not heard of or can pronounce and what is it with all that “begatting” anyway? The main trouble we have is that we see genealogies differently than God does. We look at them as a source of power, or strength or ownership. We want to inherit something of value, and we want to stake our claim early on. This belonged to my grandfather so now it belongs to me. We use them to justify our right of domain or “lordship,” but God uses them differently. Instead of looking back in order to establish a lineage of power and control; God looks forward as a source of faithful grace.

    God always starts at the beginning. Remember how he told Moses and many in the Old Testament, “I am the God of your Father Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”  This is not to show ownership but faithfulness. The God who provided for your parents and grandparents is the same God who provides for you. The promise that God made to your ancestors is the same promise He makes to you. The same God who protected the Israelites from Pharoah is the same God who protects you from the arrows of the devil. The same Jesus who freed Peter from the prison is the same Jesus who frees us from the prison of sin. God looks forward, to the future, promising to be faithful to the promise of salvation and grace, mercy and hope that has been made throughout the generations.

    When we look at the Bible and we see how God was faithful to the people of the Bible, we can take comfort in the truth that He is just as faithful today, to us, as He was to them. That is part of the reason it is good to look at Scripture and see that the people listed were not perfect people. They were sinners like you and me. Yet the same story resonates throughout; a loving and faithful God who redeems, restores, and revives His people out of love for them.

   We may never use the genealogy in the Christmas program, but it does reveal a great truth. Our God is faithful and loving and we can cling to this truth, today, tomorrow, and forever.

Merciful Father, your mercies are new unto us every morning; your faithfulness endures forever. Help us to always remember your love and mercy. Keep us safe in all the challenges of life that we may rest in you. Be with those who are embattled and struggling this day. Send them your peace. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-23-2021

Good Morning All!

     John 14:27; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

     One of life’s ironies, if you ask people what they truly want in this world most would probably answer, peace. Yet we go at such a frenetic pace, we struggle to keep going and tomorrow will be no better. It will involve the same usual hectic pace. This pace will usually end up with us becoming stressed out about something.

   It might be our boss or coworker. Why does the boss give you an hour’s worth of work fifteen minutes before it is time to go home and want it the first thing in the morning? Why does he expect you to put in 20 hours of overtime one week but then show some skewed graph about the “average” overtime is only 4.75 hours in a week? It might be the people around you as you drive in the parking lot. Apparently, they got their driver’s license free with the purchase of a happy meal.  Maybe it is your family or family-in-law.  What do they mean that they decided to move the family get together up a week and they want you to bring the ham and roast beef? How many are planning on staying at our house?  Why does your neighbor have loud parties every weekend?

    There are many things which drive us crazy and cause us to have no peace. Some are outside of us, but they usually go away. It is the inward things which really cause us to have no peace. We are like the young rich man who, when told by Jesus that to be perfect he must sell everything, we go away sad; we go away without peace. The young man was not perfect, that is complete or whole, because he sought out his happiness and peace from sources other than God. We too, seek out peace and comfort in sources other than God.

     I read an article where they surveyed 1000 women and 23% said if they could do it over, they would choose a different spouse. I do not know how accurate that is, but it does indicate that they are not happy or (more likely) they think they could be happier. Someone else would have done a better job. The real danger of that is no person makes us happy or gives us peace. This only comes from God and knowing that we are saved by God, we are loved by God, and we are sustained by God.  It is when we seek peace in money or looks or fame or in drugs and alcohol; the world and our sinful nature pulls us down and pulls us away from true peace.

    God’s gift to us is his peace. This is what the heavenly host sang about on the first Christmas; “Peace on earth.”   This does not mean that suddenly everyone stopped fighting with their neighbor; it means that God gives us inner peace. We can have peace with ourselves because God gives it to us. The boss will still be who he is, and the other drivers will be who they are, but we can have true peace knowing that our salvation is secure, and that God wants us to have his peace here on earth.

Dear Father, we long for your peace and you generously give it. Yet there are times when we seek our peace form other sources and we become troubled and lost. Keep us in your arms and guide by your Word. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-22-2021

 Good Morning All!

      Ephesians 2:22; “In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” 

    One of the mysteries of literature is that some of the greatest stories ever written were written by men while they were in prison. Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn did the bulk of their writing while in prison. Even John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress. Then there is Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Some of the most powerful messages ever given, some of the most important classics were written while in prison.

    Some of the greatest works of literature, with all the passion and intensity, with all the hope and desire expressed so poignantly. The strength of these works makes them among the finest literature ever written.

    Some of the greatest books of the Bible were written while the writer was in jail. The apostle Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, Philemon, Titus and 1 and 2 Timothy while imprisoned in Rome. John was basically in prison on the island of Patmos when he wrote The Book of Revelation.  The thing about that that is truly amazing is that some of Paul’s most powerful words of hope are written while he was imprisoned. This adds a wondrous effect when we read some of Paul’s writing of the joy that he feels as he suffers for Christ. Remember, he did really suffer; prison was not some country club it was dark, dank, and filthy with poor food, poor water, and poorer sanitation. Yet he rejoiced, not at the situation he was currently in, but in the certainty that he was redeemed.

    All that hope and joy written while you are in prison; the later ones as he knew his execution was approaching. Yet all he had was joy and peace knowing that God was taking care of him. We should experience that same comfort and joy. For just as Paul was sue of God’s love; sure of his salvation and sure of God’s comfort and companionship has he faced his struggle and ordeal.

    We too face ordeals and struggles. Yet we can be confident that God is truly with us and that he will never abandon us. God has built you into his body, into his Church. You are not only part of it; you are an integral part of it. God uses you to build his church and you are built together, with the Spirit, and with other Christians. This is a point that we sometimes miss. A building is strong because all the parts are integrally connected to each other. Each part of the building gets strength from the support of the rest of the building.

   This is one way that God uses his Church here on earth. It is a haven and a refuge for his children. He built that church with the blood of his Son and builds up to give us a place where we can gather together to battle the trials and tribulations that exist.  It was belonging to this Church that gave Paul his strength and courage. He was built into the Church, together with all believers. While he struggled, the believers prayed for him, comforted him as best they could with the Word of God which they shared with him. It is the same for us. We may never be in a literal prison, but the devil will try to convince you that you are and should be in one. It is only by clinging to the promise that God has made to you and makes to you every day that we can withstand what the devil throws.  Trust in God’s Word to you for you are built into his dwelling by the Spirit.

Dearest Father, you encompass us with your mercy, and you do not forget us. We are always in your arms under your tender care. Give us the courage to be built together that we may all stand firm against the devil and his arrows. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret             

12-21-2021

 Good Morning All!

      Romans 5:6; “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” 

   The man’s name was Tom Johnson. He was a young man of 30. His eyes showed a hardness that a life of bad choices could give. It was serious this time. He had tried to rob a 7-11. He kept blaming the clerk. “All he had to do was give me the money; nobody likes a hero.”  The young clerk had pushed the alarm button and Tom, startled, shot him. The young man had died on the operating table; he left a wife and two small children.

   Tom had turned to run and right then two police cruisers pulled up and blocked his escape. He tried to run but he did not get far.  He was taken downtown and placed in a cell. He knew the routine; he had done it since he was 15. Most people who knew Tom knew he was only trouble. He already had a history of being in the jail. He had other convictions, and all this added up to a long stretch ahead of him. He would talk to his “lawyer” tomorrow. Some poor public defender whose law degree still had wet ink on it would be his attorney.  It did not matter to Tom.  The whole thing was rigged against him.  It was not his fault; it never was.

    As he walked into the courtroom, he saw the judge and kind of recognized him.  “Must have had him before,” thought Tom.  His “lawyer” moaned under his breath, “Oh, no.”  Tom looked at him. “That is Judge Johansen,” said the lawyer.  He looked at Tom and said, “You’re screwed; he’ll throw the book at you…then the gavel, the table and the court reporter!”  Tom was worried. He should have been. The trial was short. The verdict was swift. He was found guilty of murder, murder while committing a felony, attempted robbery, resisting arrest and jaywalking.

    The judge looked at him and sentenced him to death and never batted an eye. Tom hung his head and as the bailiff went to take him out of the courtroom; the judge stopped them. Everyone turned to look at the judge. He had removed his robe and was coming down from the bench. He came up to the young man and the bailiff. He told the bailiff to release the young man. The judge then told the bailiff, “take me instead and let him go.”  No one said a word. The judge looked at the young man and told him, “you are free, I’ll pay the debt, I’ll take the punishment.”  With that the judge was escorted to the cell and was executed 2 months later.

     That is a story you will never hear on the news. CNN will never have that for the lead story. Yet that is exactly what Jesus did for us. We are far worse than Tom. Our sins rise before God with a stench that cannot be described. Yet God stepped down from his holy bench and through Jesus took our punishment and set us free.  Notice Tom did not say thank you or even promise to change.  He did absolutely nothing to earn this act of mercy. Neither have we; yet God forgives us anyway because He loves us. This is a love that we cannot even fathom. Someone dying for me and not demanding anything out of me first is beyond our understanding.

     We do not know about Tom and how his story ends but what about you?  God promises us salvation and gives us freedom. Do you believe this? Has this changed your life? God reaches down and grabs you up into a huge hug. You can fight or you can, by faith, hug back. Go ahead and hug back. Your Father has embraced you with all of his love; embrace it back and savor its goodness and blessing.

Dear Father, you sent Jesus to die for us even when we were completely unworthy and undeserving. Give me the power to hug you back and to be your child, safe in your arms today and always. In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

12-20-2021

 Good Morning All!

   Isaiah 43:4a; “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, “

    Are you a better shopper than I am? It never fails as soon as I finally decide it is time to buy something the next week it is on sale for less. It does not matter whether it is a computer or a piece of furniture or an article of clothing; if I buy it today you might as well just wait a week and then you can buy it cheaper. That is why I never look at prices after I buy something, it only causes me anguish.

     Yet there is a difference between cost and value. Something that you use every day can cost a lot more than something that you use once or twice a year but still be of great value to you. A livestock producer who feeds his cattle everyday can pay a large price for the tractor that he uses every day. The clothes that you use every day can be of better quality and higher prices because if the way that we use them. The value of an object is dependent upon the one who owns the object.

     There are some objects that I own that I could never put a price on. I have a pocket watch which was given to my grandfather as a confirmation gift. It is over 100 years old. I do not think you could pay me enough for it, but I look forward to giving it to one of my grandchildren someday. Its value is not in the watch itself it is in what the watch means. It is a connection to my grandfather and the value of it is immeasurable.

     I have the Bible that I was given when I was a child. It is a King James Thompson Chain Reference. I do not use it much anymore; I tend to use newer translations which are more accurate and some of the pages are falling out. Yet it contains all the markings from when I was confirmed. All the verses that we learned and studied are marked as a silent message of words spoken a long time ago. It also contains some precious mementos, handmade bookmarks, a love letter from my wife, some things which are so valuable you can never place a price on them.

    This is how God looks upon us. We are precious in his eyes. We have value to God. We have such value that God was willing to pay an awful price, the death of his only son, to possess us. We are precious in God’s eyes even if we do not feel that we are precious in anyone else’s eyes. In your darkest moments, never forget the value that God places on you. We know that anything of value we always protect; God does the same for us. God loves us with all that he has so that we may be his. We are precious in his sight; Jesus loves all the children of the world.

     So, we can take comfort in this. We can find solace in this. We can find wonders untold in this. We are precious in God’s eyes. He has redeemed us and called us his own. We truly have nothing to fear or really worry about. God is our refuge and strength. He will defend against all that will assail us. You are precious in the eyes of God.

Dear Father in heaven, your mercies are new to us each day and they roll over us like a river. Grant us the comfort of your hand. Guard us with your benevolent heart and give us the peace to trust in you fully. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-19-2021

  Good Morning All!

          Jonah 1:3; “But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish.”

    I have always liked to read the book of Jonah. It is only four chapters, but we get introduced to some intriguing characters and events. The book ends with one of the most interesting endings. It asks a question and gives no answer. It is as if God wants you to answer it. But here we have something different. The prophet, the author of the book, is given a command by God. Everywhere else in the Old Testament; the prophets answer the call of God. Some are less than excited but they do as God instructs. But not Jonah; he hightails it and runs as far as he can.

    We know the rest of the story. Jonah ran. God stopped him with a big fish. After that it was history. Jonah did go to Nineveh. He preached; they repented; he hated it and was mad at God for it.

    This is an interesting verse because I think most people at one moment or another try to run from God. It may not be a full fledge run to Tarshish, but it might be hiding in the closet. It might be that we are just trying to avoid God which is really sad. God is the One that we should never run from.

    We run because we are afraid. Think when you tried to run or hide from your parents, or a teacher or maybe even the police.  We run because we fear punishment. We run because we fear the consequences. We run because the devil and our sinful nature tell us to. We run, for all the wrong reasons, away from God. We run because the devil tells us that God will not and cannot love us. We are deceived by those lies and we run. We run to Tarshish or Timbuktu or to a closet. We listen to the lies.

    Yet God comes after us. He never stops finding us. Sometimes this is very scary, but it should be comforting. The devil is the one who brings us pain; God brings us comfort. But we run because of our fear when it is God who calms our fear. We need to stand and have faith. God gives us the forgiveness of sins. It is already done, done on the cross on Calvary. We do not need to run; God wants us to be his children and to give us the comfort and consolation of his incredible grace.

     Do not be like Jonah, who sought to run from God. Rather we need to cling to his promise, cling to his guarantee of forgiveness.  Instead of running to Tarshish, we should run to God.

    Dearest Father, too often we run from you instead of to you. Forgive us when we try and run. Keep us in your saving arms and defend us from the evil of the devil and his ways. Give your comfort to those who need it the most. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

12-18-2021

 Good Morning All!

       1 Samuel 7:12; “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us."

    Have you ever watched some of the “underdog’ movies like “Rocky” or “Dodgeball” or even “The Karate Kid”? In these movies, and dozens more like it, we have the wise old guy who tutors and then gives advice to the young upstart who is taking on the world. We could even add “Star Wars” to this list. Sometimes our hero comes in already beaten up and in need of help and sometimes our hero does not even know he is the hero until the old guy explains it to him.

    The thing about these movies is that the old guy has the answers for the new guy. It might be a trick or an insight or a way to deal with your opponent or it might be an insight into the new guy himself.  Part of the plot twist is that somewhere along the line the new upstart guy either loses confidence or the girl or a skirmish along the way. Just when it seems hopeless, the old wise guy whispers the secret to all, and the good guy wins in the end.

    In the end, the new upstart guy pays homage to the old wise guy in some way, shape, or form and the wise old guy smiles back. In many ways this is what is going on in our verse. Samuel is telling the young upstart Israelites that the reason for their success is God and his benevolent hand. In the passages right before this verse, the Israelites defeated a superior Philistine army. They did it because God caused it to happen. That is how we win as well; God causes it to happen.

    God caused Israel to win because he loved them not because they deserved it. They did not deserve it. God causes us to win because he loves us not because we deserve it; we do not. This is God’s mercy and grace at work. We benefit because, so far, God has helped us. This makes it seem somewhat conditional; it really isn’t.  It really is about God’s faithfulness to us. This is about God keeping his promises to us.

    God has made promises to us and has kept each one of them. Right up until this moment, God has kept every promise that he has made to you. Can you say that you have kept every promise you have made? I know that I cannot. I have broken many promises throughout my life and usually they were made to my closest family members, my wife, my sons, my parents, and sisters. Sometimes we make such cavalier promises that we never even realize we break them. “Call me if you need something;” then they call and oops I am busy. God is never busy. God is always there for us. God is always speaking to us with his words of comfort, hope and forgiveness.

    Right up until now God has helped us. It is when we refuse to see the help and accept the help that we begin to howl. We complain that God is not helping; he is not listening, but the truth is we are the ones who are not listening; God is always speaking. God offers us his love in Jesus for us to hold on to. Right up until now God has saved you, redeemed you and preserved you. He will continue this same promise forever.

Dearest Lord Jesus, you have redeemed us with your blood and righteousness. Keep us as your dear ones and hold us safely in your arms. Make us to see the comfort and hope which you give each day through your precious Words of forgiveness and salvation. In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret        

12-17-2021

 Good Morning All!

Exodus 6:7; “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” 

    We are having a wedding at Trinity a couple of weeks ago. Of the “extra” duties that I get to do; weddings are my second favorite. My absolute favorite thing is doing a Baptism. There is nothing quite like it. Yet weddings are a close second; when people choose to involve you in their special times and events it is very exciting and rewarding. So, as I was reading this passage this morning, I was struck by how much it sounds like a wedding.

    The wedding is: I take you to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer… until death us do part…I pledge my faithfulness. Doesn’t that sound a lot like what God is saying here? You see that one of the most important parts of the Bible that we do not often talk about is that of forming relationships.

     When God created everything, man was to live in a perfect relationship with everything. God would walk with man in the cool of the morning, a perfect relationship. Man and woman loved each other completely and perfectly.  Even man’s relationship was perfect with no thorns or thistles to cause a man’s labor to be hard. This all blew up when man sinned. We walked away from God and the perfect relationship. Soon, creation was no longer in a perfect relationship with man either as thorns and thistles and labor that was long and hard.  Plus, the anger and the failure of man’s relationship to man and woman erupted quickly.

    So, God did what only God could do. He formed a new relationship with man. He did it with his grace. Notice that it was God who took man to be his people not the other way around. God came and rescued his people and then made them his own. He formed the relationship to bring us back to him.

    God does that with us as well. He rebuilds this relationship every day with his forgiveness. He rebuilds this relationship out of his love and for the sake of Jesus. He rebuilds this relationship for us; to heal us, to restore us and to make us whole. We move into the “there- but not yet” We are in his kingdom, the kingdom of grace (church) waiting to move into the kingdom of glory (heaven). While we are “there- but not yet” we live in his gracious love guiding us and leading us while we face the travails and trials of this world.

    God takes you as you are, but he doesn’t leave you that way.  He cleans us up and feeds us with his body and blood and gives you hope. He gives you hope for tomorrow and comfort for today. He is a God of love who desires that you return to being the child that he created you to be.

 Dearest Father, through Jesus, you make us your own and we are your people. Lead us in the path of your grace and righteousness and keep us yours until life eternal. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

 God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-16-2021

       Good Morning All!

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

    Do you remember that little ditty you use to say in nursery class or for your grandmother? “Here is the church and here is the steeple; open up the door and look at all the people!”  You would fold your hands together, and then you put your two index fingers up as the steeple. Next you would rotate your hands and wrists to wiggle your fingers to be the people. It is so easy to make a church when you are 3 or 4; why is it so difficult when you are 30 or 40?

    There has to be a need and then, and only then, can a church be planted.  Of course, after that comes the articles of incorporation, which need to be passed by the congregation, then accepted by the state, then approved by the district and synod. Then we are a church!!

     Unfortunately, this is how many people view it. It is all mechanical in nature; it is all about the physical or visual effect. It is about numbers; about how big or how many or how often events in the church occur. Some go so far as to be everything to everyone and to have everything go on at the church. Unfortunately, this makes the church just one big social club. This is not the true church at all.

    The true church, which is the body of Christ, has nothing to do with a building or even a human plan. It has everything to do with the Spirit of God and how the Spirit expresses himself in the world through the physical hands of believers. That is kind of a wordy statement so let us look at it a little by looking at our verse. Notice what the believers do; they pray, they celebrate fellowship with the breaking of bread (communion) and studying the teachings of the apostles.

    The true Church is God’s people at work but what is our work? First it is studying the Word of God and praying. This is the holy conversation we have with God. We listen (the Word) then we speak (prayer). This interaction keeps us actively engaged with God. Yet that is only part, we need to meet in fellowship and the breaking of bread in order to stay connected to our fellow Christians.  This is how we get the support of the Holy Spirit; this is how the Word becomes flesh now. The Spirit moves our Christian brothers and sisters to admonish, comfort, console and uplift us. By being filled with the Spirit, God will move us to serve him.

    All of this is not meant to completely demean church plans, committees, or programs.  It is meant to ask a question; why do we do it? We should do them because we have prayerfully considered the needs around us and how God wants to use us to meet these needs. Above all we need to pray, pray first, for all those in need.  They we pray that God will lead us to the way we should help those in pain. We do not do programs to make us look good but to respond to God’s grace. Above all, pray for each other, pray for those in need.  Pray with some of your friends during the week if you can. Try and meet to pray and study God’s Word; to engage in this holy conversation. It can be in your home, at coffee one day, in a break room but try to pray with each other in fellowship together.

Dearest Father, build your Church through us. Use us to be your hands and your voice in a world that so desperately needs to hear you. Keep us close to you through your Word drawing us to prayer to you. This we ask in Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen         

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret