Thursday, March 31, 2022

3-31-2022

Good Morning All,

         Hebrews 11:8; “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

    We all love heroes. We love to watch the parades and the homecoming and the celebrations. We love to cheer for our heroes. So, who are your heroes? Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, maybe Sally Ride or Christa McAuliffe, maybe Babe Ruth or Harmon Killebrew, maybe Audie Murphy or Sergeant York, maybe your parents or grandparents, who are your heroes? One problem we have with heroes is that when the truth about them comes out, they aren’t always so heroic. Franklin Roosevelt was a womanizer; Babe Ruth was a drunken lout.

    Our verse for today is from Hebrews 11. It is often referred to as the “Hall of Faith.”  It lists many of the Old Testament characters who lived their life by faith. It is really a shame that we look at this chapter and think “Oh, if I were only like them; then all would be fine and dandy.”  We often think that because when we talk of these people of faith, we only speak of their greatness. Abraham was going to offer Isaac, his son his only son, as a sacrifice to God. Noah built the ark in spite of all of the taunting that he received. Abraham lied about his wife because he didn’t trust God. He also used a handmaiden to give him the son that God hadn’t delivered yet. As soon as Noah got off the ark, he got drunk and laid naked in his tent. Some heroes.

    Yet that is the exact point. These “great” people of the Bible weren’t that great. They were people on whom God looked with grace. One of the best verses in Genesis is 6:8 “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”  That is what this verse and the entire bible is about. You and I are not perfect; far from it. We all have skeletons in our closet that would make any type of hero worship of us flounder in a hurry. God looks upon you with his love with his grace and gives you that faith to get you through the day’s events.

    Grace finds us in God’s eye. It seeks us out and searches the depths of our depraved world to bring us hope, to bring us peace and to give us God’s undeserved love. That is what put Abraham in the “Hall of Faith” and that is what puts you there as well. None of us are perfect; we are all sinners. We all have the remnants of sin in our past that cause us to never feel worthy of God’s grace. Fortunately, we don’t have to be worthy. We are made worthy by Jesus; we are made worthy because of God’s grace poured out upon us. We, just as those listed in the “Hall of Faith,” live by faith. Yes, we are sinful beings but through God’s grace, we live in his wondrous mercy; trusting that he will take care of us and protect us until we reach our heavenly home.

Father of all mercies, through Jesus we find grace in your eyes. We are brought into your marvelous family and given the peace and strength to battle this world’s woes. Guard us by your mighty arm and give to those who struggle the most your Spirit of comfort. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   


Wednesday, March 30, 2022

3-30-2022

   Good Morning All,

     John 14:16; “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever”

   When our sons were much younger and learning to ride their bikes, it was always an interesting time for us. First, we would start with the training wheels. We used to watch out the window as they rode and rode around the driveway. More than once we laughed as they would ride over a low spot in the driveway so that the training wheels were on solid ground, but the actual bike wheel was not. More than once we would watch them pedal like crazy as the wind blew them backwards.

    Then the fateful day would come. The training wheels came off. Each went through the same thing, very excited but scared to death. So, we would get them on the bike and hold it. Then they would start pedaling and we started walking faster and faster as they went. Then we would let go and try to run beside them. We did this to catch them if they fell. We did this if, all of a sudden, a tree was in their path. We did this so they would know that we were there to keep them safe.

    Our verse for today tells us the same thing. This is one of those verses which is hard for us to translate. The word used is “helper.”   Other translations use advocate, comforter, counselor, or assistant, among others. While these are close, they miss the essence of the word. The word is actually paraclete. About the closest we can get is “the one who goes along side and comes to the aid of.”  So, the helper, the Holy Spirit, is the one who helps you learn to ride a bike. He is there to get you going, to keep you out of trouble and to make you feel safe and secure.

    God sends his Spirit to guide us, protect us and to give us the comfort that God so desires us to have. It is through the Spirit that we have faith. So, as we face so many struggles in this world, we know with complete certainty that we do not face them alone. There are many times in our life when, suddenly, things change. A new marriage, or one that crumbles; a spouse that dies; financial ruin; health failures; or any of a myriad of problems can strike. We may fear them greatly, but we can face them with the confidence that the Spirit goes with us. God grace leads us through.

    Our life is often like that first bike ride. You may be pedaling, and you may have your hands on the handlebars, but you have no control over where you are going.  As we ride that life, remember that the Comforter, or advocate or helper; the Paraclete is right there beside you to guard and protect you and, when necessary, pick you up and put you back on the bike so you can ride again. So, with the Spirit at your side, enjoy the ride!

Holy Spirit, you are our helper and our guide. You come to our aid each time we fall. Create in us that certainty of hope and that constancy of faith that we may boldly go forth in our life and let others see your grace at work in us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

3-29-2022

Good Morning All,

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

    This is the ending of the story of the woman who was caught in adultery and the Scribes, and the Pharisees wanted to stone. She was a “sinner” and should be punished. Aren’t we all? Notice what Jesus told her. “Neither do I condemn you.”  Isn’t that the most wonderful thing you can hear? Jesus saying to you, “I do not condemn you.”  All of the sin that we commit is forgiven. This is why we go to church, and this is why we have a time for confession of sins.

    We go to church, not because we have to; not because we want to give something to God. We go to church because God invites us to church and that is where we get to hear these wonderful words; “Neither do I condemn you.”  That phrase should be the sweetest music that any sinner could ever hear. “Neither do I condemn you.”  Regardless of what we have done or left undone. Whether we showed hatred to our brother or just passed by when he was hurting. No matter how selfish we were or arrogant or self-centered we were; Jesus looks to you and says, “Neither do I co0ndemn you.”  Why would you not want to hear that? Why wouldn’t you clamor to hear that? When you hear that, why don’t we shout it from the roof? There is nothing better to hear.

     This is why we have confession of sins. We are not telling God some secret he doesn’t know about. Trust me on this; HE KNOWS!!!!!!!  We confess for two reasons. First, so we recognize just how pitiful we truly are and how wondrous the gift of forgiveness is. If God can forgive me, a poor, miserable sinner; he can and will forgive you. Jesus came to redeem you and that is what you are. Above and beyond anything else, you are a redeemed child of God. 

    The second reason we confess is to get rid of those sins that we refuse to let go of. We need to let go of those sins which weigh us down and the devil uses to pull us from God. When we fail to confess a sin or two or three, the devil keeps throwing them back at us. He uses these sins to terrorize us. The devil tells us that even we know that God will not forgive that sin. Yet Jesus stands before you with his arms outstretched and he says, “Neither do I condemn you; now go and sin no more.”  In other words, quit doing the things that harm you and cling to Jesus. Stop looking at sin as “the fun stuff’ and see it for what it is; the most self-destructive thing you can do. Sin destroys relationships. It destroys families and friendships. It destroys our relationship with God. In spite of all we do to destroy this loving relationship with Jesus; in spite of doing everything we can to blow it off; Jesus says, “Neither do I condemn you.” 

 Gracious Father, we deserve only your holy wrath and judgment. Yet you do not condemn us. You sent your Son to bring us back. You sent your Son to make us whole. Give us the power to follow only you. In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, March 28, 2022

3-28-2022

 Good Morning All,

       Isaiah 43:1; “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

    This verse is a very common confirmation verse. It is also a common “favorite verse” for many people. When this verse is used for a sermon, it is common for someone to come up later and tell you that this verse was their parent’s or grandparent’s confirmation verse and that is why they chose it for theirs.

    Isn’t that the way it should be. Shouldn’t the Word of God bring back good memories of loved ones from our past? Shouldn’t the Word of God bring us hope and comfort at all levels of our life? We spend a lot of time on the “biggies.”  We look to Scriptures for salvation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life. These are the main points we look to and they are the main points. Yet we live most of our life in the smaller points. We live in the now and current. We look forward to heaven and our time of glory but right now we live in this world. We live today.

     So, God takes you and He gives you the “biggies.”  He redeems you and calls you by name. He solves all our big problems; we see this as his mercy. Mercy, in the Old Testament, meant the kind of love a mother has for a baby or a small child. But what about the little ones? How do we view the little things in life? What about the joy of true friendship? What about the love of your family? What about a Church family that loves you and cares for you? What about the comfort we get when we read God’s Word or receive His Holy Communion or take time for prayer?

     These gifts are God’s grace to us. Grace, in the Old Testament, refers to a bonus paid to an employee by his employer. It is over and above and is unearned. This is the part of our life where we often miss the “best stuff.”  God gives us these wonderful gifts which give us comfort and peace and satisfaction with our life. It is these gifts that make our life enjoyable as we go through this life. The gift of companionship gives us someone to share and enjoy life with. One of my joys is watching my grandchildren grow but without a loving wife and sons who have loving wives; this is a joy I would never know. He gives us these gifts out of love.

    You are God’s redeemed child. With this certainty, God chooses to bless those whom He loves with his grace. He loves you because you are His. Even in times of earthly struggle, we see God’s grace in action. We see it in the cup of coffee with a neighbor or in the loaf of bread given by a friend. We see it in the visits from friends or in the offer to help from those around us. We see it when family and friends come together to celebrate the joys and to mourn the sorrows. These are all God’s grace actively and aggressively at work in your life.

Dear Father, your grace rolls over us like a river. We are covered by this grace our whole life and yet we often miss it and fail to use it. Give us the wisdom to seek your comfort and trust in your grace to be sufficient for us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Sunday, March 27, 2022

3-27-2022

 Good Morning All

       Colossians 1:12; “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

        Do you ever read the ads for car dealerships? Do you ever notice the great prices they have for “qualified buyers”?  Have you ever read what it takes to be a “qualified buyer”? Usually, the buyer has to have enough money to have no need of financing a car! The same can be said for some home refinancing offers.

      The same can be said of applying for a job. You have to be “qualified candidate.”  In other words, you have to have more skills than they need and be willing to be paid far less than you are worth to get the job. Yet you have to be “qualified” or else don’t even apply! Life is packed full of you needing to be “qualified;” you have to “qualify,” by getting good grades, to pass form one grade to the next. You have to “qualify” to get into college. You may even have to “qualify” to go on date with someone. You have to qualify for much in life. You even have to qualify to get into heaven.

    Yikes!! How can I qualify to get into heaven? I can’t even qualify for a car loan; how can I possibly qualify to get into heaven? I can look at my life and see that my “qualifications” are a little weak. I haven’t murdered anyone but there have been a few people who got the “if looks could kill” stare. I have never lied in court but have enjoyed a gossip session or two. I have, a time or two, wished that I had what my neighbor has. I try to honor my parents but make sure they know “just how much I am giving up” to be with them. I have never cheated on my wife but there are many pretty women in this world. I have, on occasion, used proper “hog loading” language a time or two. There are a lot of times when I think God should have asked my opinion on the way certain events turned out. I am pretty sure my qualifications are not just weak but downright pitiful.

    Fortunately, God does not save the qualified; he qualifies those who he saves. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God qualifies us for a share of the inheritance, heaven. God makes us worthy of heaven by his grace. We get heaven because of what Jesus has done. We are brought into God’s family by Baptism; made heirs to the heavenly kingdom. We are qualified, not by our actions or self-professed righteousness, but by God’s incredible mercy showered down on us. So, we give thanks to God, for he truly qualifies us for his heavenly kingdom through his grace.

Gracious Father, through your love we are qualified to be heirs of heaven. Give us the joy of knowing that our salvation depends on you alone. Your grace is sufficient for us. Bring us the comfort of living our life in confidence of your mercy and grace. Bring us to share with others the wonders of this joy. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

 

Saturday, March 26, 2022

3-26-2022

  Good Morning All

    Exodus 20:8; “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

  MOM, DO I HAVE TO GO TO CHURCH?”  Has that question ever been asked in your house? Some of the liveliest discussions in Confirmation Class usually occur when someone asks, “How often do I have to go to church?”  It gets pretty interesting when a few say you should go all the time. Some say you have to go when there is communion. Some say you have to go at least twice a month. When they finally all have their say, they look to me for THE answer with each one expecting to have the right answer. I tell them this, “You do not have to go to church in order to be saved.”  If you ever want to make a group of 12-14 yr. old youngsters be quiet; tell them that!

    Of course, we don’t leave it there. This question opens up a whole bunch of interesting issues. Do you have to go to church? No! But why don’t you want to? Worship service or time is a gift from God. It is not something that I have to do. It’s not an example of “Ok God, I am here like you told me I had to.” It is also not a way to earn extra credit “Hey God, look; I went to all the work of being here, score me a few bonus points please.”  That is how many people view going to church but that is not how God views it.

     Worship is not about what you do for God but about what God does for you. It is in the worship service that we hear God’s Word of forgiveness spoken to us through the absolution, the readings, and the sermon and through the sacraments. God comes to you with his invitation to rest from the cares of the world, to rest from the attacks of the devil, to lay down the burden of your sin and to rest in his holy comfort. That is part of what this commandment means. Keep the Sabbath (we use Sunday) holy; that is separate from the rest of the days. Use it to recharge and refresh your spirit and your soul. Use to re-energize your life. Use it to throw off the pain of last week and start anew. Rest in God’s holy favor.

    Use it and then remember it. Throughout the week remember what you heard. Remember that your sins are forgiven. Remember that you are a redeemed child of God loved and cherished by the Creator of the universe. Remember what God has done, is doing and will do for you; remember the Sabbath. We not only remember it by honoring it; we remember it as we use it throughout our week. It is a gift from God not a requirement for us to keep. It is a chance to rest and refresh. It is a chance to be comforted by God through his Word and through his people. It is the time to hear God’s most precious message given directly to us. Remember the Sabbath Day; keep it holy.

Dearest Father, too often we try to go and go and go. We think we have no time or desire for your holy rest or to hear your precious Word. Forgive us for this. Move us to appreciate and enjoy the time when you gather us together to hear your wondrous message of grace and peace. We thank you for what you have done for us in the past, for what you are doing for us now and what you will do for us tomorrow. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Friday, March 25, 2022

3-25-2022

 Good Morning All!

         Joshua 1:9; “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  

    I got the opportunity to meet an extraordinary young lady many years ago. Her name was Karen. She was 14 yrs. old at the time and she is Down’s syndrome. She had an incredible amount of courage and faith. She very calmly told of her faith, of the certainty that God had redeemed her.

    One of the speakers at the gathering told the kids to see themselves as God’s child, before you see anything else, see that. Don’t see the names and the labels that the world lays on you; see that you are God’s redeemed child. This young lady did. She readily acknowledged that she was different from most people, but she knew God loved her and that was all that mattered. I was completely enthralled by this young gal. She had reasons to be bitter; I am sure that she had endured more than her share of cruelty. Yet she was very certain of her faith and held onto it with all she had.

    It is that kind of courage and strength that always humbles me. She was very comfortable in who she was. This came about because of her faith. I don’t know if she ever asked God why she was the way she was; I would guess her parents had at one time or another. Yet she was one of the most courageous individuals that I have ever encountered. Her faith made her courageous.

   Often times, when we think of courage, we think of the soldier who battles to protect and save his wounded comrades. We think of the fireman who risks his life to save others.  These people are courageous but so is this young girl. I suspect that for most of us real courage is just facing each day as it comes. The struggles of everyday life can be overwhelming at times. There are many times when we know we cannot handle the battles; fortunately, God gives us the courage to do battle.

     God has promised to be with us through all of our struggles, battles, and fears. He gives us the faith we need to face life with courage. His grace is freely given to us and above all, he has given his Son Jesus, in order that we may be called “a redeemed child of God.”  That, above everything else, is how we should see our self. When we are harried or hard pressed, we need to remember, we are a redeemed child of God. Sometimes life will throw a lot at us, and we will stagger under the weight but always remember you are a redeemed child of God; washed in the blood of the Lamb and claimed as God’s own. So be strong and courageous, the Lord will be with you.

Dear Father, your mercies are new to us every day. Give us the courage to face this world and all its pain and struggles and give to us that due sense of safety in your arms. Protect us from all that the devil fires at us. Especially give your Spirit to those who are in desperate need of your comfort. Move us to reach out to them with your loving kindness. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

Thursday, March 24, 2022

3-24-2022

 Good Morning All!

                 Jeremiah 23:23-24; “I am a God who is near. I am also a God who is far away,” declares the Lord. “No one can hide so that I can’t see him,” declares the Lord. “I fill heaven and earth!” declares the Lord.”

   When the phone rings in our house, the question shouted out often is, “are you near that to get it?”  Yes, no, sort of, not really; are all acceptable answers. It is amazing how this distance changes when you have expectations for the call. When one of the boys plans to call home, Sandy is usually always near to answer it. When it is election time and we are getting the election year phone call, she is usually not near. When it is something or someone we want to talk to, we are near. When we don’t, we try to be far. The thing is we can’t be both.

    In our verses for today, God tells us he is both near and far. There are a couple of ways to read this. First, God is near. He is near you all the time. Through the Holy Spirit he speaks to you, reminding you of what he said, encouraging you to have faith. God is near to you when you fear or when you cry out. I was visiting with a lady who told me about her husband having some surgery. She commented on how calm he was going into surgery. He told her that it was all in the Lord’s hands. He knew what it meant to have God near.

    Sometimes we aren’t too sure we want God near. There are times when we don’t want God to see what we are seeing, to hear what we are hearing or to know what we are thinking. We often try to hide from God. Adam tried it and failed and when we try it, we fail. God is always near even when we don’t want him there. He is there calling us back to him.

    Sometimes we really feel that God is far away. We call to him, we cry to him, we pray in earnest to him, and we just don’t seem to hear from him. We cry that he is far away. The problem with this is that He isn’t far away; we are usually looking the wrong way. We too often pray for selfish reasons for selfish things. When we don’t hear the answer, we want we assume that God is distant from us and not listening. It is at these times that instead of speaking to God, we should be listening to God.

    There are times when we are glad that God is far away. When you are far away, you see the bigger picture. God always sees the bigger picture. We only see a small part of what our life entails. God sees it all and knows it all. When he is far away, he sees and knows what is best for us. When He is near, his comforting touch will give us peace and give us hope. Pray to the God who is near to hear and pray to the God who is far so that you may have confidence in your life.

Dearest Father, you are so near to us that we know our salvation is certain and our comfort and hope is true. Guard us from feeling far from you so that we may always know the peace that you give. Help us to bring others to know that you are near to them and that they will have comfort and peace in you as well. Be especially near to those who are in pain both of body and spirit. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

3-23-2022

  Good Morning All!

             Ephesians 2:8; “God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God.”

  This is kind of directed to those avid sports fans out there. You know who you are. You dress up in the team colors. You sit in the same chair to watch the game because “they always win when I sit in this chair wearing my old team jersey.” When you watch a football game and in the closing seconds of the game, needing a field goal to win the game; do you cross your legs and cross your fingers? Do you, as a fan, do everything you can, from the comfort of your living room, do everything you can possibly do to influence the outcome of the game? Do you?

    No, you don’t. Nothing you do in your living room impacts the game one iota. Very little you do at the game in person impacts the game. When the athletes are focused in on the game, they tend to be able to ignore the distractions around them. So, the next time the team you cheer for wins a game and you think it is because of your lucky socks; I am sorry to tell you; you had nothing to do with it.

    The same is true for our salvation. You had nothing to do with it. You didn’t seek out God, you didn’t figure it out, you didn’t “find Jesus” (He was never lost); you didn’t come to your senses, you did nothing at all. You were a lost and condemned soul with absolutely no chance whatsoever of ever getting to heaven. Fortunately for you and me, God saves us as a wonderful, precious gift. He gives us salvation. It is a gift and a gift, by the very definition of the word, cannot be earned. God saves us as an act of unmitigated love. There is no comparable event in our world. God’s love for you is above and beyond anything that exists.  The salvation which God gives to you is priceless and you get it given to you.

    The really great thing about you has nothing to do with your salvation is that with it all being dependent upon God; we know it will get done right the first time.  We cannot forget to sign one of the papers, or lose the registration, or forget the appointment, or be on the phone or get lost on the way to the signing, or even just have a copy of your birth certificate instead of a certified original. We don’t need to bring anything. God takes care of it all and it does impress him that you always sit in the fourth pew on the pulpit side; you don’t get to heaven that way. It doesn’t matter how much you put in the collection plate; you don’t get to heaven that way. Of course, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been to church for thirty years or you haven’t put a dime in the collection plate; God still saves you. Our “greatness” doesn’t impress, and our weaknesses do not eliminate; God saves us out of love and not because of what you do or do not do. He also doesn’t exclude you either. God’s grace is for everyone to claim by faith. God even gives us the faith to cling to him and his promises; so, hold on tight receive that gift of salvation and trust in it forever.

Dearest Father, your gift to us is all we need. Give us the sense of peace and comfort that we have when we trust you for all our needs. Be with those who are most troubled by the cares of this world and give them your grace to see the truth and to cling to it. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

3-22-2022

  Good Morning All!

  Matthew 7: 13-14; “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate and road that lead to destruction are wide. Many enter through the wide gate. But the narrow gate and the road that lead to life are full of trouble. Only a few people find the narrow gate.”

     I admit that I am not a great world traveler.  On the occasions when we would travel, it was sometimes interesting. Usually, I can navigate most rural areas with little need for a map. As long as you don’t count the night, we had to turn a bus load of ball players around in a soybean field, I haven’t been lost at all. Now driving in the city is a different ballgame. I get a little tense and then begin to second guess my decisions.

    It is at this time that all the passengers decide to offer their very valued opinion. When our travels were pre-GPS days, we were never quite sure of where we would end up or how to get to our original planned destination. We are better now with the GPS at least we know we are lost a lot sooner and it isn’t so bad if you turn the volume down.

    It is always helpful to have your destination planned out when you are going to travel. It is helpful to have the route planned out so that you know where you are going. This is true of our faith life as well. We need guidance and direction. Most of all we need to stay on the correct path and not take any detours or think we know a quicker path.

      This is what our verses are telling us. There is only one path to heaven and that is through faith in Jesus and in his sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins. The path to heaven is only through Jesus. This is a very narrow gate indeed. There is no other path. It doesn’t matter how “good” you think you are, or how much money you donate to any cause, how many “good thoughts” you sent out; salvation comes only through Jesus. So, the door is very narrow, and the path is rough.

    Once you become a redeemed child of God, you become a target for the world. The path that we travel on will be fraught with challenges. All you have to do is watch the news and see how your faith will be attacked; how you will be attacked. The devil will seduce you with all that he can muster. The devil’s goal is to get you off of the narrow path and onto the wide path. He doesn’t worry about those on the wide path; he already has them. The devil’s focus is on those who are on the narrow path.

    These attacks can only be withstood through faith in Jesus, trusting in his mercy and holding onto the promise of salvation. We can’t fight it alone, but God has promised to give us the safety and security to withstand the devil’s attacks. We only need to trust in His Word and His promise. Faith and faith alone will keep you on the narrow path.

Dearest Jesus, the path we are on is narrow and filled with danger. Give us the strength and courage to remain on your path. Guide us by your Spirit to hold us close to you. Be with those who are especially challenged by the devil and his attacks. In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, March 21, 2022

3-21-2022

 

     Good Morning All!

        Psalm 84:5; “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.”

     There is something about traveling that seems to split people into two groups.  The first group is the “get there” group and the second group is the “see there” group.  The first group see the travel as the means to the end.  The goal is to travel from point “A” to point “B” and that is it.  These people look for the shortest route, the quickest route, or the most expedited route for their travel.  For them the journey is about the destination.

     The second group tends to travel at a less stressed pace.  While the first group will take the interstate or an airplane, the second group will take more secondary roads and stop more frequently. This group tends to stop often at the little roadside parks or monuments or the little mom and pop cafes in the smaller towns.  For these people, getting there is half of the fun.

    I have to admit I am a “group A” who wants to be a “group B.”  When I travel, it is usually for the express purpose of getting somewhere.  There is a meeting or event that I need to be at, so the travel simply accomplishes this task.  Yet every so often, I like just to go and see “what’s what.”  Sometimes I like to travel just to see what is out there.

      In our faith life, we can be in either group.  We can be a “group A” person.  With heaven in our sights, we can focus on this and travel down the path without a nod to the left or right.  We can do this by going to church diligently, studying our Bible, praying and being faithful to the sacraments.  We can live this life, enjoy this life, and enter into heaven when God calls us home.

    Or we can be a “group B” person.  We have eternal life; that’s promised.  We have the journey ahead of us, laid out by God, for us to live.  So, live it!  Enjoy the path that God gives you.  See the people along the way and then interact with them.  When the youth were at the national gathering, it was fun to watch them interact with kids from around the nation.  For a while, they have new friends.  You should as well.  God gives to us the opportunity to enjoy life as he wants us to live. 

     Enjoy the trip.  Enjoy the time that God gives you and enjoy the journey that He guides you on.  This is part of God’s blessing for your life.  God wants you to enjoy life.  The devil and the world will try to make it uncomfortable or somewhat painful, but we have God’s assurance that he is with us, protecting us from all the devil hurls at us.  You only have a short time here; enjoy it.  Enjoy your family, enjoy your friends, enjoy the wonders of God’s creation, enjoy the gifts that the Spirit brings into your life, reach out and touch the life of another person whom God has placed into your life.  Enjoy the pilgrimage; keep your strength in God.  Hold fast to the faith and never let go.  Through God’s grace, we have the blessings of this life to enjoy, whatever that means, God’s grace is there for his redeemed children.

Precious Lord, give us peace in our lives.  Give us the peace to see the blessings which you bestow upon us.  Show us the joyful moments and help us to see them as one of your gifts.  Be with those who feel no joy, heal their hearts with the assurance of your love.  In your wonderful name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Sunday, March 20, 2022

3-20-2022

      Good Morning All!

        James 4:4;” Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God.”

   There is a story about Luciano Pavarotti as a child growing up. His father introduced him to music and the young lad was so taken by the wondrous task of making music that his father enrolled him in a music academy.  There he learned from some of the most skilled and talented music teachers in the world.

    When he finished the academy, he returned home to his father. He was torn between singing the music which he loved and teaching others to love this music as much as he did. His father knew that Luciano could not do both and do both as well as he would want to do it. So his father looked at him and told him, “You can’t sit on two chairs; if you try, you’ll fall on the floor.”

     This is what our verse is talking about. It is also what Jesus was talking about when he said a man cannot serve two masters. We cannot be friends of this sinful evil world and also be faithful to God. The ways of the world lead us away from God not toward. We have to remain faithful to God or we will “fall on the floor.” 

    This leads many Christians into trouble. We tend to shy away speaking for God’s Word and truth. We tend to be silent rather than speak. In doing so, we are being a friend of the world. When we quietly watch we are accepting and supporting the world. This can be tough when it is one of our family members who live together without marriage or who profess to be gay or choose to walk away from the Church. It is very hard for we fear that if we say anything we will only drive them further away.

    It is how we give this message that makes the difference. We need to speak with love, but we need to speak. It will be tough. It requires prayer and thoughtful study and maybe some advice from a pastor or a counselor. When you have the facts and trust God to speak for you through the Spirit, you can speak comfortably and speak often. Sometimes it only has to be that you miss them. Yet we need to speak, otherwise we are trying to sit on two chairs.

     Keep talking; keep the conversation open. Try and avoid any chance to say “I told you so;” just be there to help pick up the pieces.  Always show the compassion of Jesus whenever you speak but we need to speak. This is part of making disciples of all people. The painful truth is that seeds planted today may not take root for many years; we might not even see it, but the seeds need to be planted. God encourages us to speak his words of grace to a world that knows only the lies of this world. We cannot be a silent friend of the world and be a friend of God. We need to sit on God’s chair and his chair alone.      

Dearest Father, too often we are seduced by the world led to believe that our silence is the right way to go. Give us the voice to speak your truth to a world that knows only lies. Move us to do so with the love and compassion of Jesus that we may truly touch the lives of those whom we meet. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Saturday, March 19, 2022

3-19-2022

 Good Morning All!

    Psalm 46:10; “Be still and know that I am God.”

   When I was a kid, the big ticket for party favors was the “Chinese Finger Trap.”  (If you are too young, ask your parents or grandparents.)  You would put the index finger of each hand into the end of this tube and then try to pull them back out. The secret was that you couldn’t just pull your finger out. The harder you pull, the tighter the finger trap pulls on your finger. In order to release yourself from the trap, it requires some counter intuitive thinking, and you must apply pressure to keep the finger trap pushed together so it is as loose as possible.

    I remember one time when a classmate was playing with one in class. The teacher started yelling at him to take it off. The more the teacher yelled the more stressed the student got and just kept pulling. Soon he had pulled so hard his fingers started to turn purple. The teacher had to get a pair of scissors to cut the finger trap off. It was kind of a learning lesson. Sometimes, when we pull the hardest, is when we suffer the most.

     That is what our verse is about. While this is the traditional translation, there is a better one. “Let go of your concerns! Then you will know that I am God.”  Another translation is “Stop your struggling! Know that I am God!” These are better because they more accurately describe what the Psalmist is saying. By simply being silent, it can imply that by listening to direction then we can proceed. What we really need to do is to stop fighting and stop worrying. We cannot fight the devil and his attacks on our own. If we try, it is like struggling in quicksand; you only get into more trouble.

    When the devil begins to tell us his lies and we try to fight on our own, we will lose. We need to see that our refuge, the place where we go to be safe, is God and not our own skill. So, when the devil comes and tells us we are worthless or hopeless or of no value, we need to stop our own futile struggle and turn to God for our strength.  The devil will launch every possible, and some impossible, attack, painful thought, every fear, real or imagined (mostly imagined) anything to fire at you with as much intensity as possible. When that attack comes, we are just like that student who kept pulling until his fingers were purple. We can never handle the stress that the devil applies to us. 

    We need to recognize that we need to stop struggling and receive God’s grace and mercy and trust in him to give us the comfort and strength to battle the devil’s attacks. We will only survive because of God’s grace fighting for us, because we are saved by blood of Jesus. God has told us he will fight for us; we need to stop fighting, to be silent, and know that the God of love is battling for us.

Dearest Father, all of our efforts are of no value. Our only hope is in your grace. Give us the wisdom to trust in you and in you alone. Guide us by your Spirit and guard us as we face the challenges of this life. Give those who are battling especially hard battles the peace they need to know that they are secure in you. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret