Saturday, April 30, 2022

4-30-2022

 Good Morning All!

             James 1:14-15; “Everyone is tempted by his own desires as they lure him away and trap him. Then desire becomes pregnant and gives birth to sin. When sin grows up, it gives birth to death”

    I can remember them well. All those sayings that my mother used to say to me. “One day your face will stick like that.”  “Don’t come running to me when you fall off and break your leg.”  There are others but the one that she used to say, that turned out to be completely accurate was the one about “Don’t pick on that scab or it will leave a scar.”  That one was right; I have the scars to prove it, more than a few.

    It would always occur the same way. I would be running or riding my bike on the gravel, and I would slip or slide and then slide along the gravel for a ways.  It might be a knee or an elbow, but it was a good scrape. The area that was scabbing over was an inch or two in size. Mom would always warn, “Don’t pick at it” but I couldn’t help it. I would start by lifting the edges and soon just pull the whole thing off. After a while, a scar replaced a scab.

     Our life is often like that. It seems sometimes that there are just some things that are really hard to resist. It might be like eating potato chips; it is really hard to eat just one. Yet when we look at sinful temptations, it is really far more serious. Maybe that temptation is to gossip or to be envious of our neighbor. Maybe we look and lust after someone that we shouldn’t. These temptations are so difficult, and they are so difficult because these temptations come from our own sinful desires. This is why it is so hard to avoid temptation is that it originates in our own heart, and it knows us well.

    Then once it starts, it grows into full-fledged sin which leads to our death. We cannot overcome this by our self. This is why it was necessary for Jesus to come and die for us. This is why we can only fight this battle with Jesus doing the battle. We can only win because of God’s grace. We have to rely on our faith to deal with our temptations. It is our only recourse. We need to listen to God and to flee from temptation. That may mean avoiding certain people or certain places or looking at certain things. This means we need to truly listen to God and to trust in him to deliver us from temptation. Our hope and our salvation depend entirely on God’s strength and upon his grace. Without his mercy, our temptations grow into sin and then death. It is by his love that we are able to overcome the devil and his deceit. Trust in God’s love to cover our sin.

Father of all mercy, on our own we fall short. Be with us and protect us from the temptations that can overcome us. Lead us by your grace to resist the devil and his ways. Be especially with those who are suffering from the devil’s ceaseless attacks and give them all of your Spirit to protect them from all harm and danger. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Friday, April 29, 2022

4-29-2022

 Good Morning All!

         Proverbs 25:7;” because it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put down in front of a prince whom your eyes have seen.”

  In the sports world there are some seats that everyone clamors to get. Most sports fans would love to have seats on the fifty-yard line at the Super Bowl. Most sports fans would love to have ringside seats at Madison Square Garden when the heavyweight boxing title is on the line. Perhaps you want to be center court for the NCAA final four games. Maybe at the center net at Wimbledon. Those are some of the most coveted seats in sports. I would imagine that many people try and get to sit there using whatever pretense they can. I would imagine that the ushers have heard every excuse under the sun but still have to tell the guy, “sorry but you have to leave this is not your seat.”

    There is probably nothing more humiliating to a sports fan than to be escorted away from a seat. Everyone watches and knows exactly what is going on. While the “offender” is walked up the aisle, the onlookers all stare for a moment and shake their head. It is the walk of shame for sports fans everywhere. The only thing worse than being escorted to a poorer seat is being escorted out of the building; that is really bad.

    In our verse, we hear about being asked to leave. In our lives we often look at ourselves and think we pretty good and we think we deserve those good seats. But then we hear God’s Word and realize that we really aren’t good but in fact we are very sinful. We not only do not deserve the good seats; we actually deserve to be thrown out. We really don’t deserve to even be in the building.

    But God calls us back. Through Jesus, God calls us and says come up here to the good seats. Come up here and listen to my words of forgiveness, my words of consolation and my words of hope. Come up here and share in this meal that will refresh your soul. Come up here and sit and tell me about your life, your struggles, and dreams. Come up here and rest in my lap and be secure in all that you face. We have hope.

    The world will attack and look down on you, but God will love you fully and protect you from the devil and his attacks. God, in his mercy, gives us hope; he gives us the good seat. We are seated at his table sharing in the rewards of his love and his grace because of Jesus. Enjoy the seats, they are a gift from your ever-loving heavenly Father.

Father of all grace, your mercies roll over us like a river. Give us the strength to cling to you. Give us the certainty of hope in your wonderful grace. Guide us through the path of this life and give us the love to help those as we meet. Father, some are feeling like they are being led from the building, from your grace. Give them the comfort of your forgiveness and shelter them in your arms. In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

4-28-2022

 

Good Morning All!

    2 Corinthians 1:20; “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

    “Yes!”  There is probably no more exciting or sought-after word in the English language. Most of the greatest events in our lives revolve around “yes” When you asked that special someone out for that first date; when you asked her to marry you, these times were punctuated by “yes.”  Even other, lesser events are surrounded by “yes.” Did you get the job? Did you get the house? Did you win the game? Did you pass the test? Did you get into the school you wanted? Will you be home this weekend? All make us happy when the answer is yes.

    We spend most of our life looking forward to hearing “yes” from our loved ones. It is funny that one of the first phrases our children learn is “no-no.”  Yet we say no in order to protect them. We tell them “no” to touching a hot stove. We tell them “no” to playing with sharp objects. We tell them “no” because we love them and want them to stay safe. That is the same reason God told Adam and Eve “no” when eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God knew that eating that fruit would only bring pain to Adam, but Adam didn’t trust God and Adam have visions of being equal to or greater than God. So, with that Adam turned from God and lost his perfect world and went into a world where only pain and anguish existed.

    Our only hope is God. G. looked at us, sinful, wretched being and said “Yes.”  “Yes” I love you; “Yes” I want you; “Yes” I will save you and redeem you to be my own. In Jesus, we see all of God’s “yesses” for us. We see his love, his comfort, his compassion for us. We see all of God’s everlasting kindness for us in Jesus. So, we hear “Yes” from God.  But what about those times when we can’t hear a “yes”?

    There are many times when we think that we don’t hear a “yes” from God. Whether it is a marriage that breaks, or a family that crumbles, a job that disappears, health that fails or even death of a loved one; it can be hard to hear God’s “Yes.”  The thing is, God still tells us “Yes” we just don’t want to hear it. It is usually our sinful nature or the sinful nature of the world that causes us the pain. Sometimes, it can’t be fixed in this world. So, we cry and ask why, we really need to trust in God because he has shown us his “yes;” we see it in the empty cross and the open tomb.  God’s “Yes” to us is shown by his grace for us, by the comfort that he sends to us. It may take a time or two for it to take hold, but he keeps sending it to us. We continue to receive grace upon grace. So, when we don’t hear God’s “Yes”; we need to turn off the other noise and listen closely.  God speaks his “Yes” to us and gives us peace for today and hope for tomorrow.

Dearest Father, you shout “Yes” to us through your Son Jesus. Give us the strength and the faith to trust your “Yes” even when sin causes us to miss it. Speak it loudly to those who need it most. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-27-2022

    Good Morning All!

Matthew 10:30; “But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.”

   So how well do you know the people closest to you? Do you know their eye color, birthdate, favorite color, favorite meal, their dream vacation? There is a lot to know about people if you think about it and what happens when what you thought you know changes? Some people can be totally afraid of a thunderstorm only to become accustomed to it later on.  Some people can be convinced that they hate broccoli until they try it and then it changes. There was a time when I liked a certain food. Once, after I ate it, I became sick and was convinced that the food made me sick; I don’t eat that food anymore. I changed so how would you know what I liked?

     The true test of knowing someone is when you respond even when you are not asked. If you ask a friend, “What’s wrong?” and they respond, “nothing.” But you hug them anyway; that is knowing them. When someone just shows up and starts to help, or just sits and listens; that is truly knowing someone. Because in the ultimate sense “to know me is to love me.”  That is how the old song goes and it is true. For those we know best we know because we love them. That is why and how we know them by the love that we share.

    Our heavenly Father truly knows us. Our verse speaks of God as knowing how many hairs we have on our head. This may sound like something spectacular, but it goes much deeper than some form of generic knowledge. The reason that God knows this isn’t just because he is all knowing; rather it is because he is all loving. He knows this because he loves us. The greatness of God is shown, not by his power but by his love; a love that allowed Jesus to die upon the cross for you. So thus, God knows you.

     As God knows about you, what color your eyes are or how many hairs you have; he knows the content of you. He knows your fears, he knows your pains, he knows your needs before you do. He comes to you with his love to comfort you, to offer you hope. God knows you because he loves you. It is an understanding love; it is an all-encompassing comprehension of the struggles in your life and hope ad knowledge that through it all; God’s incredible love is there for us.

    God knows how many hairs you have, not for inventory, but for the loving nature that brings you back into his family. None of us are so bruised or damaged that God does not want you back; he always has and always will. Trust in God’s mercy to see you through.

  Dear Father, you know me. You know my fears, you know my pain, you know my joys and sorrows. Give me the strength to stand up I the face of life’s struggles and keep me secure in the knowledge that you are with me. You are there to comfort and console, to guide and to counsel. Keep me safe. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

4-26-2022

 Good Morning All!

           John 15:13; “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”

    As two of my sons are now coaching their sons in baseball, we have discussions on the rules and on strategy. We began to argue/debate the value of the sacrifice bunt in baseball. One thought it was still a good play, one thought it was a waste of a batter. One thought that it all depended on the situation; that was my vote too. I told them of a game that I umpired where the team sacrificed their number 3 batter and then the other team walked the number 4 batter. Now most coaches have the number 3 and 4 batters be their best hitters, so it seemed a little drastic to give up that much hitting. That is one form of sacrifice.

    Another form is what they tell the common folk to do when something happens like an oil embargo or a natural disaster that disrupts things. We all have to pull together and sacrifice a little for the good of all. We each give up a little so the overall whole benefits. This way the common good, or the good for some oppressed group is uplifted and addressed. There is some discussion about this but that is for a different time.

    Another form of sacrifice is when one does something heroic and dies saving others. This is what most people think if when they think of sacrifice. This is what most people think of when they hear this verse read. It is used at funerals for servicemen almost universally.  That is why so many people think this verse doesn’t apply to them. Most people don’t plan on dying for someone else.  This verse actually means much more.

    This verse also speaks to submitting to one another. To lay down your life means to lay aside the selfish desires out of love for someone else. We lay down our life for our children when we make sure they ha e proper clothes or braces rather than going on that European vacation. We lay down our life when we watch our children play baseball rather than go play golf. These are some of the easier forms of laying your life down; most people do this without a second thought.

    Yet Jesus calls us to be more. He calls us to sacrifice our lives, our own selfish wants, and desires, in order to help others, even if those others hate us. Now that is a challenge. Yet that is what we are to do. We do this because the material things of this world are always secondary to the needs of our fellow man. God gives us the gifts and wants us to share them with those around us. Jesus laid down his life for us and now wants us to lay down ours for others.

Dear Father, we struggle to lay down our lives. We are often tempted to keep and hold onto the things of this world. Give us the strength to reach out to our brothers and give them the comfort and the hope which they so desperately need. Guide us by your Spirit to trust in your providing and in your mercy. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, April 25, 2022

4-25-2022

Good Morning All!

              Romans 8:26;” Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

     Have you ever been in a situation where you had no idea what to do or where to go? One time I looked out our window at saw a reddish glow. It was about sundown. I got into my pickup and drove toward the glow. It ended up that I had to stop, and then climbed over a couple of fences to see it. A neighbor was burning out a junk hole and it was slowly dying. As I turned to go back to the pickup, I realized it was no longer dusk, it was dark. It was cloudy so there was no moon or stars. I was so intent on the glow that I didn’t pay that close attention to how I got there and now couldn’t figure out how to get back. I was completely lost. I only saw one yard light, so I headed for it. It was about a two-and-a-half-mile walk. It was dark. I ran into fences, I tripped into holes, I tripped over weeds; I had no clue where I was or where I was going until I walked up to the door and realized where I was. For a while, I was completely and totally lost.

     There are times when we can know where we are and still feel that way. It might be in the waiting room as a loved one is in surgery. It might be when a loved one leaves in an angry fashion and doesn’t come back. It might be when your child is ill, and the doctors have no answers. At times like this, we can feel lost and unsure of what to think or say. Yet there are even tougher times as well. What do you pray when a member of your family, who has struggled with life and health for a long time, goes into the hospital? Do you pray that he comes back to your home, or do you pray that God would heal him and take him to heaven? How do we pray when our understanding sees one thing, but our faith sees something else? What do we pray when we don’t see a clear path to pray for?

    There are many times in our lives when we don’t know how to pray. Do we pray that God strengthens a relationship or pray to let it die before it gets too serious? How do we pray when we have no idea what to say? These are examples of what the Holy Spirit does for us. He prays for us. So when you don’t know what to pray, we really only need to pray for help.  We can pray, “Father, help!”  We don’t need a page long liturgical statement; we only need “Father, help!”  God knows our needs, our worries, our struggles and how we fit into his will. We need to trust God’s love and the grace he has for our life.

Dear Father, there are so many times when we feel intimidated when we pray. There are so many times we don’t know what to say. So Father, we say help!  Help our unbelief, our slowness to trust, our inability to love our neighbor. Father helps us to be your children. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Sunday, April 24, 2022

4-24-2022

        Good Morning All!

         Matthew 14:29-30; “He said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

    “Pay attention” “Keep focused on what you are doing” We hear that often. When kids first start playing sports that involve a ball, the first thing you tell them is to always watch the ball. Every so often one or two get plunked because they are looking at the concession stand or the swing set; they either learn or quit. You have to keep focused on what is going on or else trouble occurs.

    We hear it especially now as many areas are or have placed restrictions on texting while driving. Even if you are only going 30 miles per hour, you are travelling at a rate of 44 feet per second.  A quick glance down, even for 3 or 4 seconds means you travel about 150 feet. That’s a long way. It is important to keep your eye on the road as you drive, anything can appear in 150 feet.

    It is also true in our faith life; pay attention. Peter walked on water until he looked at the wind and the waves. He looked from the Savior and all of a sudden, the things around him looked insurmountable. The same is true for us. When you or I look at the struggles of this world; they can look insurmountable to us. In many ways they are. You and I cannot do battle with the devil by our self and win. Just as Peter could not walk on the water by himself, neither can you or I fight the devil alone. When we do, the devil will always attempt to deceive us, and he is the best at it.

    The devil will tell you that you are all alone, there is no one who cares, there is no one who wants to care, there is no one who wants to help. These are the wind and the waves that the devil throws at us. It is about doubt and that is the devil’s best weapon. Introduce a little doubt, it only takes a seed, and then we begin to see the waves and the wind, and we stop looking at Jesus. That is what faith truly is; it is looking at Jesus as the source of strength in our life. Jesus is stronger than any wave we face.

    “Focus your eyes upon Jesus” is how the writer of Hebrews puts it. Keep your heart, your soul, and all you have focused upon Jesus. It isn’t a lot of rhetoric or guess work, it is trusting in God to keep his promises just like he always has. Faith is not a feeling; it is trusting in an objective truth which we have seen. God has revealed the truth to us through his Word. Trust in it and we will be saved; the waves and the wind will not win.

Dearest Jesus, when the wind and the waves attack, give us the courage to look to you as our source of strength. Lead us according to your will that we may conquer the fears and keep our heart focused on you. In Your precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

 

Saturday, April 23, 2022

4-23-2022

Good Morning All!

     Proverbs 27:19; “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.”  

    I think one of the most amazing sights that I have ever witnessed is the sight of a crystal-clear mountain lake.  The one that, when it is perfectly calm, could serve as a mirror. Sometimes the reflection is so precise that it looks like an inverted landscape. With no ripple of water, you can see the most intricate detail of the trees and the rocks. The water looks like glass. It is so smooth that you cannot even imagine anything any smoother. If a deer walks by on the shore, you can watch its reflection move as well. I sometimes wonder if a clear mountain lake was the first mirror that people ever used.

    We often hear about our heart in Scriptures. The ironic thing is that while the world will tell you to “trust your heart” or “follow your heart;” Scriptures doesn’t. In the Bible we hear about the heart being the source of “evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. (Matt.15:19)” The reason for this is that we view the heart as the source of our “feelings” or our desires. Feelings and desires are not a good source for our source of direction in our life.  This is especially true when we realize that our sinful nature makes our feelings untrustworthy.

    This is why Scriptures speaks of a new creation or a new heart. The old sinful heart must be cleansed, by Baptism, and then inhabited by the Holy Spirit. This is part of the “create in me a clean heart; O, God” taking the heart and removing the sinful nature, making it clean again. With this pure heart we can live a full life for god.

    But it doesn’t take long for the sinful nature to raise its ugly head; jealousy, anger, lust, and slander are just a few emotions or feelings which once again lead us down the path of destruction. Then once again God forgives us and cleanses us from unrighteousness. This process occurs and re-occurs throughout our life. This is why it is important that we don’t rely on our “feelings” when it comes to faith. Faith is a certainty; it is knowledge and not emotion. It is the definitive assurance of our salvation because of God’s intervention into our lives. There is no guess work; there is no “feeling” to trust; we have the certain guarantee of our salvation written in the blood of Jesus.

   So, as we go through life, we need to look into our heart and measure our desires. Are they ones of malice and lust or are they ones of peace, gentleness, and true love? While these don’t measure our faith, they do reflect our nature and our desire. Our desire is to cling to God through faith. That is what it means to be saved. True faith causes a desire to change. It may be difficult, and we may fall once and a while, but we desire to change and to live according to God’s will. That is the reflection we want to see.

Gracious Lord, too often when we look at our heart, we see our sinful desires. Forgive us and give us the strength to grow in our faith that we may trust in you alone. Create in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me. In Your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Friday, April 22, 2022

4-22-2022

        Good Morning All!

                  1 Peter 3:12a; “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer”.

    The pressure is on. Have you ever watched an athlete perform under pressure? Maybe the field goal kicker when his team is behind by 2 points with: 02 seconds left in the game?  Or how about the guy/gal trying to make two free throws with the same: 02 seconds? Everybody is watching; everybody sees. If you have never been in a situation like this, there is no way to explain the pressure that you feel. You can feel every hair on your arm begin to rise; you hear every drop of sweat fall to the floor; you feel each heartbeat in your temple. It is an adrenalin rush like nothing else.

    One thing that is for sure is that we all feel some sort of pressure in our life. It might be because of some job-related issue. It may be because it isn’t raining enough. It may be that you are approaching retirement and you don’t know what you will do. It may be the coldness in a family relationship, or it may be health related. We all face some sort of pressure in our life; it takes away our sleep, it takes away our comfort; it takes away our contentment.

    Pressure is a two-edged sword. On the one side it sharpens your awareness to your surroundings. To the athlete, this means to focus on his training and practice. On the other hand, it can cause to cave under the weight of the event. Sweaty palms and shallow breathing can kick in. This is always the balance for the athlete and for us as well.

    When you begin to experience this pressure or stress in your life, you can become aware of what you are experiencing. Sleeplessness, restlessness, depressed or any other negative emotion should trigger your awareness. Yet instead of focusing on your own skill or talent; we need to look to God. God is watching and fully aware of what we are experiencing. He knows that we will cave to the pressure if left on our own. God’s eyes are watching us all the time and he listens to our prayers. When we experience these stresses or pressure. We need to turn to our rock and that is Jesus.

    We will always battle stress; that is part and parcel to a broken, sin-filled world.  But we don’t have to battle it all alone. God offers to comfort us. He uses His Word and His sacraments, and he uses His church. He uses his church to be the flesh and blood touch for us as we go through the troubles and travails of life. We will face them just not alone. We really don’t have to battle the weight of fear or loneliness or sadness or worry by our self; Jesus has already won those battles and offers us his grace and comfort fort this life.

Gracious Lord, as we battle with the stress of everyday life; we do not face it alone. Give us the wisdom to see our struggles and to trust in you to give us the strength to stand up in your grace. We ask that you especially see those who are struggling mightily and feel as though they are going to cave. Bless them with your Spirit of peace. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Thursday, April 21, 2022

4-21-2022

Good Morning All!

             Mark 10:46; “And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside”

   Have you ever watched the news when they show relief work done in a region where people are starving? The people all look gaunt, even emaciated; each holding out a cup. Into that cup is poured some type of porridge that is usually high in protein and carbohydrates. Yet the one thing that you see is that everyone just waits, with their cup held out. When you look at them, you can’t tell if one is a rich man and the next is a poor man. You can’t tell if the woman is a mother, a widow, or a princess. They all stand in line, no sense of rank or entitlement, just waiting for their meager ration. It is never a lot, only enough for the day.

    In our verse, we read about one of the more pitiful people in the Bible. We have a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. Imagine his living condition. He would sit beside the road, probably dressed in rags, probably dirty from the dust of the road. He was probably hassled by the thugs and bullies who saw him as a good target. Some of the kids would have made fun of him because he was blind. The Pharisees blamed him for his circumstance and offered no compassion. What a sorrowful life this was.

    You and I are Bartimaeus. We are the pitiful, blind beggar and it doesn’t matter if you go to church every Sunday and sit up front or if you don’t remember the last time, you saw the inside of a church; you are a beggar. We have no other way to view it. We are completely at the mercy of God and his love. The world and the devil love to taunt us, to bully us and to even look down upon us; for we are beggars. We can only stand before God and ask for help. Our only hope is from God, without his love we are pitiful, blind beggars.

    The wonder of God’s love is that he has compassion on us. We are not anything special; we are just us. How often do you sit and think, “if only people knew what I am really like?”  Do you feel the devil knocking you down with that? How often do you think, “If God really knows me; I don’t have a chance.”  Do you feel the dirt and the grime from the road? Jesus died for you and me and we stand in line together, holding out the cup, looking for a day’s ration. That is all we need; one day of God’s grace. It will get us through until tomorrow when we will get one more day’s ration of grace.

    That is really all we need, one day’s ration of grace. One simple fill up and we can face the day’s struggle. The devil and the world will still bully us, situations may leave us feeling dirty, but God gives us that day’s ration of grace. We are all beggars before God; but thanks be to God that he has compassion on us!

Gracious Father, we are humble before you. We have nothing and we have no way to ever get anything. All we can do is beg of you. We beg for your forgiveness, we beg for your mercy, we beg for your grace, and you supply it. We give you thanks!!  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

4-20-2022

Good Morning All!

         Genesis 18:14a: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

   Over the last few years, we have watched our grandchildren doing some of the “learning’ things. Whether it is climbing stairs or using a knife and fork or going to school that first day, it is fascinating to watch how they manipulate and incorporate their world. I remember watching our oldest tackles steps. It was a little hairy, but he figured it out. He would place a foot down and try to find the step. He didn’t find it, so he climbed back up, looked at the step, then tried again. Eventually he figured it out. It was hard for him at first but eventually it became easy for him. He went through the same process when learning to walk. He would stand in the middle of the room and just stare at his feet, almost as if he was trying to will them to move; eventually they did. 

     Soon enough, he will be attempting to learn to talk, then to read then it will be math and English and whatever else there will be. Some of this will come easy but some will come a little harder. That is how life works. Sometimes learning is a hard thing to do.  There are some things that we can only learn “the hard way.” While learning can be tough; experiencing life can be even harder. Sometimes, there are things so hard, we can’t do them.

     I have watched some people as they make some incredibly hard decisions on their lives.  When the doctor tells them that they have done all the can for their loved one. He is only alive because of the ventilator; how do you decide? Sometimes, a loved one may never understand or accept the consequences of what he does; it might be time for “tough love” but how do you know when to push back? You are trying to deal with the emotions of a family where all want something different; how do you keep them talking to each other? Sometimes the hardest things we face seem to have no good answer.

    Living in a sinful and corrupted creation causes us incredible amount of pain and anguish. One of the devil’s favorite tools to deceive us with is doubt and he uses it whenever and wherever he can. He will try to make you doubt every decision you make. He will try and make you doubt everything you are told. He will try and make you to doubt everyone that you know. Through this doubt, he attempts to isolate you and then torment you with those increasing doubts. He tries to make it hard for our decisions. He does this by causing us to doubt God’s love.

  While we face many troubles, there is nothing too hard for God. We can only struggle with our decisions but if we make them in faith; we must trust God. His will for us is to love us. We are always his dear, redeemed children. So as life throws us the most difficult decisions, we know that through them all; God loves us and wants us to know this love is real.  His grace will carry us through.

Gracious Father, in your mercy nothing is hard for you. All of our needs are met by you. As we face the difficult times, give us your Spirit of comfort and peace.  Lead us in the path that you choose. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

4-19-2022

 Good Morning All!

    Jeremiah 16:19; “The Lord is my strength and my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.”

    There is one thing that most people try to be aware of in the plains of the United States and that is where to go when a tornado is around. You either have a basement, or a strong interior wall. Some people have actual storm cellars that are there for protection. If you live in a development, there may even be a designated building for the purpose. It is important to know where to go when there is danger.

    Schools may have an “armed intruder” drill. It was in conjunction with the county sheriff; it was a learning experience for everyone. They may have a fire drill in conjunction with the local fire department. Yet it was a very important learning time. They were determining how to keep the students and staff safe. It is important to for everyone involved to know what the best plan for an intrusion of some sort.

    Most people have some sort of plan for when something catastrophic occurs, but it is usually only for those events that we expect. We expect stormy weather. We carry some form of a survival kit for winter driving. We are supposed to have some money saved for “unexpected events.”  Some people have some form of a generator for power outages. The problem with planning for disasters is that we always plan for the last disaster; it is impossible to plan for the next one because we can never be sure what it will be.

    That is the problem with our life; it isn’t as well scripted as we would like it to be. When we get married; it is supposed to be forever. But what happens when forever is only three years? What happens when illness strikes, and we no longer can move a leg or an arm properly? What happens when our ability to earn a living is gone and we have nothing left? What happens when the disasters we plan for don’t occur but the ones we don’t plan on do? Where do we find shelter? Where do we find refuge?

    Too often, we find our refuge in our own skills, knowledge, and abilities. We think we can conquer anything but what do we do when we are not that strong? Even the strongest storm cellar only protects for a few hours; what if it is weeks or months of ravaging storms?

     God is our only true refuge. When all of our phony “safe places” in this world fail, only God’s grace will truly protect us, even when we may struggle in holding onto that faith; God doesn’t let go. His love is our tower of strength. It is where our refuge place is. He is our only source of hope and comfort.

Dearest Jesus, you are our shelter and our hope. Give us the faith to hold onto that hope; to seek that refuge. We pray especially that for those who are struggling at this time. Be with them and let them know that their refuge is in you. All this we ask in your precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, April 18, 2022

4-18-2022

 Good Morning All!

     Psalm 56:8; “You have kept a record of my wanderings. Put my tears in your bottle. They are already in your book.”

    So, I guess it is confession time again. I am one of them; I am a crier. I cry at movies, at sad stories, sad songs, at touching events. My wife laughs at me; I don’t care. I don’t actually cry at everything just those stories or movies that strike close to home; the ones that I can see myself being involved in. We watched a movie about a soldier who was first injured in a war incident and then the struggle about him coming home and re-adjusting to family life and society. I have a daughter-in-law who was in the guards. She was in Iraq once and might have to go again. I can relate to that story. The other day, I read a story about a couple who got married and their two-year-old son, who had cancer, was the best man. The son died a couple of days after the wedding. Now, I have grandchildren, I can relate to that story.

    In our verse, David writes about his life and about ours. First David writes of a “record of my wanderings.”  This was written at a time when David wasn’t king and was wandering in the enemy land of Gath. For us, we are wandering as well and in an enemy land. This world is still ruled by sin. The devil has many deceived by his lies and distortions. Those who believe the lies serve as the devil’s tools to assault us. Add this to the devil’s own whispering into our ear and we are often wandering; lost in a world of darkness, lies, and attacks. Yet we don’t battle them alone, God knows our wanderings and he gives us the hope to persevere and the faith to stand up to them.

    While we are on this wandering, we know that we will face tears, real tears. We will experience pain in this world, both believers and unbelievers will experience sadness and pain. This is the result of sin both personal and world sin. Other people’s sin affects you and me. Think of the drunk driver who kills a van full of kids. Tears will flow in that event. Enough tears to fill a bottle and God keeps each one; he keeps each one as he wipes them from our eyes. He keeps a record of them. He does this, not as a way to keep score but he keeps it in his heart as he feels our pain and loves us. He has no desire to hurt us. He has no desire to see us in pain; rather his desire is to love us and for us to be his children in his kingdom. God’s love is upon us. He knows our pain, our tears. He watches our wanderings and offers us comfort and hope.

Dearest Father, in our wanderings we have tears and feel alone; yet you are always with us. Give us the comfort of your Spirit and the consolation of your mercy. Guide us in our wanderings and comfort us in our pain. Be especially with those who are in need of an extra grace as their tears are falling now.  Use us as your hands and arms to bring comfort and consolation to their lives. Give us your peace. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

 

Sunday, April 17, 2022

4-17-2022

 Good Morning All,

      Matthew 28:6; “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay."

    Early Sunday morning, before dawn, the women headed out. They had the spices, the had the perfumes, they would have had some clothes and water to wash and cleanse the body of Jesus. Along the way, someone thought about how big the stone was. How do we move it? But the question suddenly became moot for the stone was moved away. Worried, they look inside the tomb and see two angels. “Don’t be afraid!” the angels say. And just like that, everything changed.

    The resurrection of Jesus is the greatest event in the history of mankind, and no one saw it. We saw and continue to see the aftereffects, we see the ramifications, we see the responses, but no one saw the event. But it happened, the women knew it, the disciples knew it, the Roman guards knew it and we know it. Jesus’ resurrection happened and everything changed.

    We no longer are slaves to our sins. We no longer have to live in fear of the devil or even death. Neither can hold us now. They can try to scare us and cause to think they are still in charge, but they are not; Jesus has won the victory. His resurrection removed what power death had over us for now, we too, possess eternal life. We are like the child who is holding their unopened Christmas present. The child has it, it is just not opened yet. But that does not detract from the excitement of the present. It is ours! No one will take it from us! It belongs to us and when we open it, it will be fantastic! It will be the greatest present ever received.

   With this sure and glorious promise of eternal life in our hands, we no longer need to fear evil. This was part of the message to the women by the angels so long ago. Part of it was, “don’t be afraid of us” but the other part was, “don’t live in fear, live in confidence, live in hope, live in the certainty that God has redeemed you and brought you home.

   So, don’t be afraid. The devil is toothless against Christ and Christ has claimed you as one of his! Don’t fear the terrors of the night which can keep us awake; trust in Jesus’ all availing sacrifice and his resurrection to prevail for us. Christ is risen And you have eternal life in his name. Christ is risen and you now are beloved children of God, precious in his sight. Christ is risen and all barriers between you and God are gone! We can approach the heavenly Father with boldness and comfort. Christ is risen and hope springs forth and renews us and gives us peace. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Let us go forth in the hope of the Lord.

Father of all eternity, in giving us your son you gave us life. We give you thanks, praise, and all honor for this blessed gift. Keep us in your grace that we may walk humbly before you and that our hearts may be filled with your joy. Shine the light of your Gospel that all may come to know your peace. Bless your people with your mercy and let us walk in peace, comfort, and hope. In the precious name of our risen savior, Jesus, amen!

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret