9-30-2022

Good Morning All,

             James 1: 19-:20; “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.”

    I was listening to the radio the other day and it was playing “American Pie” by Don McLean.  It was known for the meaning of all the lines and the verses, who did this refer to or what is that a reference to.  There is one line about “my hands were clenched in fists of rage.”   This line refers to the anger and violence which occurred in the 60’s and early 70’s with all the riots and the anti-war protests.  It was a time when it seemed anger was the way to move forward.

   It sounds like it is that time again.  You sure hear a lot of anger when you listen to the news or any political review.  The painful reality looks like we don’t talk with each other, we don’t even talk at each other; we talk around each other.  What is really painful is that we seem to take this attitude into all of our life.  Do we really have meaningful conversations with each other anymore?  Do we really listen to each other or are we too busy trying to think of a rebuttal (not reply) for what the other says?  Do we really converse with our co-workers, friends, spouses, children/parents?

   Make a “fist of rage.”  What does it look like?  First, it is closed, tightly closed; like our willingness to listen and to love the other person.  It is shut to any words that someone else can say to us.  We don’t WANT to hear it.  We can but we don’t want to.  Notice how it is turned in.  We turn all our attention inward; we focus on our real or imagined pain, indignation, and self-righteous arrogance.  When our hands are tightly closed, the only thing we can hold onto is our self.  Try to hold someone else’s hand and make a fist; you can’t do it.  When our hands are clenched in fists of rage, either literally or figuratively, our sinful nature focuses selfishly inward causing us to dream up all sorts of real or imagined hurts that we are suffering, and someone has to pay for the pain we feel.  This ties into another line in the song “I saw Satan laughing with delight.”  The devil wins when we are angry because it does not produce the righteousness that God requires.

    Remember what Jesus told his disciples (you and me), “Love one another” “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  There is no place for anger in our lives; it does us no good.  Listen to what is said.  This takes not only our ears but our eyes and our hearts as well.  How does he look when he says this, what tone does he use, is it from pain that he speaks?  Choose your words carefully.  Wait until he is done speaking, let it sink in for a minute or so, then respond.  Try to speak in a calm and quiet tone.  This is one of the devil’s best temptations to cause us to get angry and then to stumble into sin because of a careless word or thought.  Seek God’s help in controlling your anger, especially if you are actually in the right and the desire to defeat the other is great.  Use a gentle answer to turn away wrath. Anger only produces sin not the righteousness which God requires.

Father in heaven, all too often my fists are clenched in rage; forgive me that I am slow to listen and to forgive as you have forgiven me.  Strengthen me and give me the courage to open my hands to those around me and hold them as dearly as you hold me.  All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-29-2022

Good Morning All,

        Colossians 2:6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

    Have you ever tried to pull or dig a bush out of the ground?  We have a dying/almost dead bush that we hope to get rid of.  It is going to be a bear to get out.  The roots are deeper than the bush is tall.  We’ll pull and dig and probably rip up the lawn to dig it out.  It is rooted well.  It will probably come back next year.  It went down to find water and nutrients.  It did this in order to survive the dry summers and the tough falls.  It stores nutrients in the roots in order to survive the winters. 

    Scriptures tells us we are to be the same way when it comes to our faith.  We are to be like a tree planted by the waters with roots down deep trusting in God’s grace and mercy to see us though.  God’s Word and sacraments nourish us and sustain us.  Even in our lives, when we feel that we are in the greatest of droughts; God gives us the faith to pull through.  It is still a drought; it still gives us pain, but God sees us through.  When we are rooted deep in the Lord, we will survive.  The roots which we have because of faith will hold us secure.  The world and the devil may attack and hurl stones at us.  They may send storm after storm our way.  The world may cause parts of us to be damaged, but we will survive.  Our faith is established and because of it we can live a life of thanksgiving.  We can live a life that is content in the knowledge that our Savior Jesus has already defeated the devil and gives to us the victory.

     Too often we see each day as a lifetime.  We see the false boasting of the world as the truth, but it is never right.  What occurs in one day, we see as forever; yet it is only one day just a fraction of our life and an infinitesimal part of our eternal existence.  God looks at you and sees a child that he loves for eternity.  God laid the foundation of the earth after He prepared heaven for you.  We should give thanks for this and all of God’s blessings on us.  Most we take for granted; we don’t see them as gifts to be thankful for but as something we deserve.  God’s grace leads us on.  He keeps us rooted by faith in the living waters which flow from his mercy and nourishes us with his grace.

    We are rooted in Christ, by faith, so we can live the life that God gives to us.  We may have a life that has its challenges and its pains but a life that is rooted in the promise of life eternal with Him in heaven.  We have God’s holy and sacred promise, and nothing can ever take that away from us.

    Father of all good gifts, we know that your will is done with or without us; yet you have given us the blessings of prayer.  We ask you to send your Spirit of comfort to those who are in pain and to those who are lost.  Keep us firmly rooted in Your Word always trusting in your promise.  All this we boldly ask in the Name of Jesus, Our Lord, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-28-2022

Good Morning All,

        Matthew 15: 26-27: “And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”   She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 

    This is a portion of the story of the Canaanite woman and her faith.  She came to Jesus looking for a miracle for her daughter and the disciples tried to send her away.  It appears that Jesus is as well as He tells her He came for the lost sheep of Israel, and she was not one of them.  She continues to pray and plead with Jesus until He relents.  Then Jesus praises her faith and heals her daughter.

    To many, this seems to be a story about how nagging will win the day.  If you just keep pestering God long enough, He will give in and give you what you want.  But that is not what is going on here.  This is a better case of playing “who am I in the parable?”  Whenever we play this game, we always want to be the good guy.  We always want to be the Good Samaritan when we read that story; we want to be the example of goodness and right faith.  But if we are honest; are we the good guys or are we the foolish guys?

    In this story we want to be the Canaanite woman who, even though seemingly rejected by Jesus, continues to plead, and beg our Lord for His mercy.  Is that really us?  Do we continue to pray and pray until God answers our prayer?  Or do we give up and begin to play the Schleprock card and say, “woe is me I never win at anything; I never get what I need, I am always the loser; my life is so rough.” 

   The unfortunate truth is that we are usually more like the disciples were in this story.  Eating a feast at the table with Jesus; spilling and wasting enough food that a poor outsider saw it as enough to live off of.  Isn’t that really how we are?  We receive such an abundance of blessings from God that we fail to see how great they are and then we begrudge someone else who seeks just a scrap of the blessings that we have.  Most have multiple TVs in their homes, most have multiple cell phones, and many have multiple computers.  We spend thousands of dollars on health care because we are overweight while a huge chunk of the world slowly starves to death.

    Does this mean we are bad people because we have wealth?  Not necessarily, wealth is a gift from God, but do we give thanks for that wealth like we should, or have we reached a point where we feel entitled to this prosperity?  We need to be thankful to God for all that He has given to us, and we need to pray that we do not become so hung up on what we have that wealth becomes our God.  We need to see God’s hand at work in our lives and give thanks to the Lord.  Then we need to look for ways to share God’s love and blessings with those around us both near and far.

Dear Heavenly Father, too often we sit at your table and feast and do not see the great and wonderful blessings that we have.  We confess that all too often we are like the disciples who assume blessings and dismiss those who are in need.  We ask for your divine mercy.  Give us strength to follow you and to be your hands here on earth and that we show mercy to those who are in need.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-27-2022

 Good Morning All,

          Matthew 5:9; “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

    Peace is a unique experience.  It has been the longing of man since Cain killed Abel.  Much of our popular entertainment, whether books, music, movies or whatever, will have “peace” as a theme somewhere in the story line.  Sometimes it is easy to see such as the Beatles and “Give Peace a Chance” or Peter, Paul, and Mary with “Blowin’ in the Wind.”  Sometimes it is a little more subtle.  One of the most powerful anti-war movie/TV shows during the Vietnam War was a movie about the Korean War called MASH.  We all claim to want peace just like we all claim to be tolerant; it has to be on our terms.

     That is the trouble with man’s definition of peace.  You and I can be at peace as long as you do what I want.  Since I don’t really trust you anyway; I am always making sure that I am stronger than you and ready to “enforce peace” (can anyone say oxymoron?).  Too often, peace is just the absence of fighting, a lull in a battle that will always rage in the hearts of sinful man.

    Jesus calls us to a different reality.  He calls us to be peacemakers, true peacemakers reconciling man to man and being God’s hands in reconciling the world unto himself.  This is no easy task; we will not do it by our own will or volition but only through God’s grace will this occur.

     We have seen or experienced violence throughout our land for many years now.  In the middle of all this, God calls us to be peacemakers.  Peacemaking is not a passive act.  It requires us to get our hands dirty.  It requires interrupting injustice without resorting to injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer.  It doesn’t involve fight nor flight actions but the careful, Spirit-led, arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice.  It forces us to see the face of the oppressed in our own faces, and the hands of the oppressors in our own hands.  Remember this when confronted by those who advocate policies and lifestyles which oppose God’s Will but also remember it when they ask what our motive is.  We see this when we stand against abortion and homosexuality, but do we see it when God’s calls upon his people to be compassionate to the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the aliens in our lands?  God wants all to be saved and calls us to show compassion and love to all that we meet even those who are “wrong.”

    We are called to be faithful to Christ and his teachings.  When in the Garden, when Peter drew his sword to defend Jesus; Jesus rebuked him and healed the man whom Peter struck.  Even on the cross, Jesus prayed for his enemies as well as his family and friends.  Do we pray for our enemies or those whose views are different than ours?  Do we ask God to forgive them?  Do we forgive them?  “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God”       

Gracious Father, too often we are slow to be peacemakers.  We seek retribution instead of reconciliation. Forgive us for our failures.  Use us and give us the courage to be your voice for those who have no voice, your hands for those who need your comfort.  Move us, as your kingdom of priests, to ever praise your name.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret

9-26-2022

Good Morning All,

         John 3:17; “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

    Most people really aren’t into second place or second best.  Many will claim that second place is really just the first loser.  There is a reason we call the second-place trophy the “consolation prize;” it implies that we need to be consoled for coming in second.  Do you know who Major Gherman Titov is?  He was the second man to orbit the earth in space.  Do you know who the second man to walk in the moon was?  It was Buzz Aldrin.  We often know who the first person was, but we rarely know who the second one was.  We all know the first one, the “stars” but what about the second ones or the back-ups?  Who was Babe Ruth’s back-up?

    In many ways, our verse is like that.  Almost everyone knows the verse that precedes this one.  We call that verse “the Gospel in a nutshell.”  It is often the first verse we teach children to memorize.  It is the favored Confirmation verse.  It is a really good verse; “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son; that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  That is a great verse, but our verse today should be the second verse and really should be read as it is written; as the continuation of the thought in verse 16.  God sent his son to save us not to condemn us.

    We can find great comfort in this.  As we go on our journey through life; we will have many bumps and slips.  We will fall down and occasionally get lost.  Through it all, Jesus is seeking you.  He is looking for you and we can take comfort and consolation in that he is not looking for us to criticize us.  He is not trying to catch you with a “gotcha.”   He is not seeking you to attack you or to condemn you in your failures and shortcomings; he seeks you out in order to bring you back into his kingdom.  He comes to save you from the falls and the fears that the devil will launch against you.  He is looking for you to give you life.  He seeks you out to bring you salvation.

    So, no matter what we have done in the past; God seeks you out to bring you through forgiveness into eternal life.  God seeks to put you back on the course to salvation and just as importantly, on the path where you will have peace in this world.  God seeks to put you on the path to live this life secure in certain knowledge that you are his child, and you are loved and protected by him.  You are not on this journey by yourself; you are not left to face the trials and tribulations alone.  Jesus is with you every step of the way to bring into the perfect existence with him in eternal life.

Gracious Lord, you seek me out in order to give me life.  You came to give me salvation and you continue to give me life.  Keep me safe in my journey.  Keep me safe in the trials that I can remain strong and safe in the comfort of your loving arms.  Guide those who have fallen to safety in your mercy.  Bring all your children home.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-25-2022

 Good Morning All,

         1 John 5:4; “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

  One of the styles of music that I enjoy is the American folk music.  One of my favorite groups is “The Kingston Trio.”  They have a unique blend of humor, wit, and musical ability to blend together.  One of their songs, probably known only to their fans, is called “The Merry Minuet.”  Its name is somewhat a misnomer because while it is a minuet, it is not very merry.  Notice part of the lyrics;      

                                    They're rioting in Africa. They're starving in Spain.

                                   There's hurricanes in Florida and Texas needs rain.

The song goes on to speak of all types of ills and problems in the world including nuclear proliferation.  It was written in 1958 but all you have to do is change the names with different names and the effect is the same.  There is trouble in the world.

   We as Christians today can really relate with this emotion.  We are witnessing an incredible cultural shift. We see the denial of God and His creation.  We see a rejection of the Ten Commandments and of God-given natural law.  There is trouble everywhere and we seem to be on the losing end, and this is what the devil wants you to think.  He wants you to think that you are losing.

    That is part of the great lie that the devil tells.  It is the lie that brings death to man both a temporal and an eternal death.  It is the lie that destroys nations and civilizations.  It is the lie that causes sinful man to view decline as advancing and debasement as value.  It is the lie that denies God and it is spreading throughout the world.  Some will say it is worse than ever.  Whether it is worse or not really does not matter; it is still a lie, and we know the truth- we have overcome this world, its lies, and its ruler the devil.

    So, if you read bad news after bad news take heart, our victory is secured by Christ, and we can trust in that truth.  God’s love is victorious, and he gives that love to us through his Son Jesus by faith in him.  So, cling to Jesus and his victory in faith.  We need to stand fast, clinging to Jesus, be in the Word and be in prayer.  Truth, real truth, comes from God and him alone.  He has given us that truth in Jesus.

    So, continue to live your faith.  Everyone needs to hear the truth- from presidents, governors, and legislators to college students to the babies that rest on your knee.  One of the best ways to tell this truth is by living out our call to bring healing and hope to all we meet.  Remember how the Apostle Paul spoke in 1 Corinthians 13 “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”  

Father, as we see the world seem to crumble around us.  Keep us mindful that all things are under your care and guidance and that our salvation is secure in Jesus.  Give us the courage to be your hands and voice in this fractured world.  Guide us to bring healing and hope.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-24-2022

Good Morning All,

John 3:5; “Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

       When I used to coach the teeners in baseball, I spent much of my time teaching the kids about baseball.  I spent a lot of time just talking to them.  It might be in practice or in a game or just riding on the bus to and from the games.  When I would talk to them, there were three types of discussions.  The first one was just a general talk.  An example of this would be when I was coaching third base and just holler to the batter some encouragement.  The second type was a little more personal.  An example of this would be that I would call the batter toward me, and I would walk toward him and then place my arm around his shoulder and speak to him.  This might involve a specific direction like for him to bunt or swing at this pitch or to not swing.  The third type was very personal.  If, after the “arm around the shoulder” talk failed; I would place my hands on his helmet, one hand on each side of his head and slowly lift his head up so that I looked him in the eye, and he looked at me.  I then very slowly explained, again, what was expected of him.  In our verse for today, Jesus is holding Nicodemus by the helmet.

    Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher, who didn’t understand what Jesus was explaining to him.  This occurred primarily because Nicodemus and the other Jewish leaders had stopped listening to God and his Word.  They had corrupted the true teaching of Scriptures and twisted into a self-serving ritualistic action.  They were no longer following their “shama.” The word “shama” means “hear.”  It is the first word of the great Hebrew statement of faith in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One.”  They failed to listen closely to what God was saying, they were not listening to God and thinking “this is what God is telling me; I should follow God’s direction” rather they were thinking “I have a better way than God’s way.” So, God sent Jesus to get their attention with the preaching of the truth and sometimes Jesus did this by grabbing them by the helmet and speaking to them very directly.

    Jesus continues to speak to us.  He speaks to us with love but warns us if we twist his truth or replace his truth or corrupt his truth; he will take us by the helmet and start speaking “truly, truly I say to you.”  God’s Word will always accomplish the purpose that God intended it to do; to declare the great truth of his love given to us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  Any other use will lead us down the wrong path and into a path of destruction.  Take care to listen closely to God as he speaks to us.  Hear what he says to you; salvation only comes through Jesus our Lord.

Father, lead me in the path of your righteousness.  Keep me securely in your grace.  Guide me by your Spirit of Truth that I may live according to your will.  Be with those who are not listening to your voice and bring them home.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

 

9-23-2022

 Good Morning All,

         Psalm 6:2; “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.”

      Psalm 6 is generally viewed as the first of the seven penitential psalms.  It was written by King David.  We are not really sure what the circumstances surrounding the psalm were; it may have been associated with the rebellion of David’s son Absalom, but no one is certain.  There is one thing that most everyone agrees with and that is that David is dealing with a mental and emotional torment that is causing him to experience doubt and despair.  This is as ugly a pair of emotions to deal with as there is.  Many people experience this sense of despair and doubt. 

    I was recently talking with a young man who has made a few bad decisions over the past few months.  He is trying to crawl back up, but he is experiencing the old “two steps forward and then one back” mode of life.  He tries to get a job, but he has some things in his past that make it difficult to get a job.  He can get some day laborer work but those are few and hard to get sometimes.  He has lost a home, a vehicle, a couple of apartments and a lot of self-respect.  He experiences doubt and despair.

    I visited with parents who have seen their children get in trouble with the law and now the parents can only sit and watch as the judicial system moves forward.  They have at times experienced despair and doubt.  So have parents whose children no longer come to church.  They are unsure how to proceed so they sit and feel forlorn, filled with despair and doubt.

   People, who lose a job, lose a farm, have health issues, have family members with health issues; pretty much everyone has at one time, or another experienced this type of pain.  Sometimes it lasts just a little while and sometimes it lasts for days and days and for some it seems to last a lot longer.

     The pain of life in a sinful world can come crashing down on us at any time.  We need to always remember that doubt and despair are powerful on their own but immensely more potent when combined.  Both are the result of losing sight of God and of not hearing his Words.  God loves us and he tells us this over and over.  He showed us this love by sending Jesus to remove our sins and to destroy our past failures so that they can no longer pull us down.  God empowers us to look up and to see his love and our future with him.  It is the certainty of that promise that lets us live forward and not backwards.

    If your despair or doubts last longer than a few days; be sure to talk to someone, a friend, a pastor or some other professional.  The devil can cause a lot of pain if we let it run wildly in our heart or mind.  God loves you and he wants you to live a life that is full of peace and contentment.

Father, at times I feel lost.  Help me by keeping me focused on what I know for certain, and that is your love for me.  The love you pour over me because of Jesus washes away my fear.  Be with those who are struggling with doubt and despair.  Send them your healing.  Give them the comfort they need and the peace to give them rest.  In the name of Jesus we pray, amen 

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

9-22-2022

Good Morning All,

         Mark 5:19; “And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

     Let’s stretch our imagination a little bit.  Imagine that you went to your mailbox and in it you found a letter from your favorite restaurant has awarded you first prize in their anniversary give away.  You have won $50,000 worth of meals at this restaurant; what would you do?  I would probably start by trying to get my wife and kids and grandkids together for a meal.  Then I would try to get my wife’s mom and my sisters and my wife’s sister and their families together.  I don’t remember the last time that all my nieces and nephews were all together for a big sit-down meal.  That would be a fun meal.

     Then I would get some of our closest friends and go out for a good meal.  Then we would probably try to get hold of those people who we used to spend a lot of time with but through the years have lost touch with them.  It would be great to reconnect with them and find out what has been happening in their life. 

    We know some people who have had a tough year or two.  They have had health setbacks, and some have had job setbacks and a couple of others have lost their spouses.  They could use a pickup, and this could be fun.  It would be a chance to connect with them as meal partners.

    Who would you pick?  How would you use this prize?  Would you try to keep it all for yourself?  That would be difficult and even your favorite restaurant would get old after a while.  I think a prize this grand requires sharing; it would lose its enjoyment.  You would always have it but sharing it, especially with family and friends makes it even better.

    This is what Jesus wants us to do.  He wants us to share our good fortune.  He wants us to share the blessings that he has bestowed on us, especially the good news of salvation which we have because of his own death and resurrection.  This is something that we should be bursting with joy and excitement to do. This is the greatest news that you and I have ever received.  It is news to be shared.

    This is why Jesus told the man that he healed in our verse refused to let the man follow him but rather instructed him to go home and tell your friends.  The spread of the Gospel is an oral event.  It is an event that, truly should be, an intimate sharing among family and friends.  It is an experience that should be done with joy and comfort.  It is best when done in a setting where you have a relationship with the other person and best occurs in a family friendly setting, like a meal together. 

Gracious Lord, we thank you for the gift of life we receive from you through your sacrifice on the cross.  Lead us to joyfully share this news with those around us.  Lead us to bring the good news of salvation to all.  Lead us to be healers in this world.  In the precious name of Jesus our Risen Lord we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-21-2022

Good Morning All,

          John 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

     This verse comes from what we call the “Upper Room” discourse.  Jesus is spending the last night with his disciples before he is betrayed by Judas.  He was giving them the instructions that they would need to manage the coming days.  In the first part of chapter 13, we see Jesus as he demonstrates true humility.  In the next section he teaches about holiness.  In this verse, Jesus tells us about happiness or being blessed.  Our happiness is based on holiness and humility.  We are given Jesus’ holiness so that we can stand before God, so we can come to God in prayer in confidence. 

    We can take comfort in the fact that we do know these things.  We know that Jesus died and rose again, and he now sits in heaven protecting his church.  We can take comfort in the fact that we know how the story ends; we are victorious in Christ.  This victory is handed to us freely by our loving Savior.  This is given to us; we do nothing to earn it.  Because of this fact, we should be humble, humble before God.

    But we see that knowing what is right isn’t enough to keep us happy; we must put this knowledge in practice.  Jesus has just shown his disciples a lesson in humility, in serving others.  The world will ask,” how many people serve you?”  God asks us,” how many do you serve?’  How many do we help?  How many feet have you washed today?  While this may sound strange to the world, God gives us peace and happiness in our task.  We have no great effort to do to earn our salvation, we have no great work to do to battle the devil; Jesus has done this already for us.  Now that we are saved; we are free to enjoy his grace and to share his love with those around us. 

    This action is a response, a thank you, to God for his wondrous love that is poured out upon us at all times.  We simply say, “thank you” and we do this best by caring for God’s creation of which our fellow humans are the preeminent portion.  Yet all of God’s creation is to be treasured and held in honor and respect.  It is ours to take care of, a trust placed in our hands.  It is a way to honor God and all that he has done and continues to do for us. This is how God designed it for us; to be caretakers of each other and of the rest of creation.  This is part of God's plan for you; to enjoy the life that He gives you.  So be happy and content with God's blessings.     Lord Jesus, we are too often unhappy because we do not place our trust in you, and it causes us to lose our way.  Forgive us our weaknesses and sins.  Give us strength to follow you with all humility and holiness.  Use us as your hands to serve others that we know true happiness in your grace. Use us to bring about your healing.  In your precious name we pray, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-20-2022

Good Morning All,

            2 Corinthians 2:7; “So now forgive and comfort him. Such distress could overwhelm someone like that if he’s not forgiven and comforted.”

     “Oh, forgive me; I must have made a mistake.”  Maybe you have heard that before; I know that I have.  I have heard that when I got a phone call and the person wanted someone that I have never heard of.  I have heard this when someone took my cart in the grocery store.  I have used it in the same situations.  Most people do.  We use it as a semblance of a civil society; it represents the opposite of the “road rage mentality” that we see once in a while.  It is used to stave off an angry response.  It is easy to say and, for the most part, is easy to forgive.  We might exhale in exasperation as we either have had something broken or spilled or stepped on. 

    It seems so easy; one asks, and one responds, and life goes on.  It almost seems that it occurs with little, if any, thought.  There seems to be little, if any, emotional connection, and this is why we struggle with forgiveness.  Too often, we go through the actions of asking for forgiveness the same way whether it is for bumping into someone or we have caused real pain in a person’s life.

    Forgiveness is where Christianity differs from other religions.  It is also where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.  It is the core of our faith; it is who we are or at least claim to be.  Yet we struggle with both sides of the equation.  If someone hurts us, really hurts us; forgiveness can be the hardest thing to do.  I always counsel forgiveness what might surprise some is that I do not always counsel it right away.  If a spouse is unfaithful or abusive and causes the rupture of the marriage, forgiveness takes a while.  If a friend tells a major lie about you or does something to hurt your reputation, it can be very difficult to forgive.  We know these situations; maybe you have even experienced it.

    Forgiveness does two things.  First, it releases the control of the past upon our present and future.  If we keep looking back, especially at what hurts, we will often times miss the blessings of today.  It leaves our future in the hands of someone who hurt us.  So, we forgive, we no longer demand repayment for the injury.  Is this tough to do?  It is without a doubt the hardest thing you will ever do but God tells us to do it because there can only be healing if there is forgiveness; without forgiveness we are left with pain.

     That is what the verse tells us.  When someone sins against you, the weight of that sin remains with them.  The pain that they caused you will remain with them.  In order for them to be released from the pain, from the debt they owe, we need to forgive so that they too can heal.  It is hard; it can be incredibly hard, but God invites us to forgive in order that healing, and reconciliation can occur and that we can be whole again.

Father of love and mercy, you have given me your forgiveness in order that I might be reconciled to you.  Lead me by your Spirit to forgive as you have forgiven me.  Lead me to give the healing that you so freely give to me.  Send your powerful healing to all.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-19-2022

 Good Morning All,

            Matthew 16:5; “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees”                                                                                                                                     

     Some of you remember the Beatles.  They were/are one of the biggest bands in the history of rock and roll music.  When the band broke up some forty plus years ago, it was quite the spectacle.  There were many theories as to why the broke up; drug use, creative differences, differences in management thought and the like.  The most common reason for the breakup was believed to be because of the relationship between John Lennon and Yoko Ono.  Yoko Ono and John Lennon took a path of unique events like spiritualisms, drugs, etc.  Many of the fans of the band would call radio stations and claim that “Yoko, you’re splitting up the band!”  After years of working together, the band split up because of the influence of a single person. 

    In our verse, Jesus is warning his disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees.  The little influences which can infect the teaching of truth and the well-being of the Church, which can lead it in a way or direction that it is not supposed to go.  These little, seemingly, meaningless comments or actions can cause harm.  He is warning them about the little influences which can destroy “the group” the amazing thing is that it never takes much leaven (yeast) to work this way.

    We see the “leaven of the Pharisees” often, unfortunately, we don’t recognize it.  It occurs every time and any time that we allow sin to harm the body of Christ.  It can occur in ways that we don’t see at the time. Perhaps a person has an idea for a service project or a worship experience, but it gets voted down.  Are we hurt because our idea didn’t fly?  Were we one of those who shot the idea down because deep down we were jealous?  Do we let little comments come from our mouths which are little cuts into another person, slicing them down to size a little at a time?  Do we refuse to admit that we are wrong and simply dig our heels in?  Do we let the idea of control and power rule our thoughts?  Are we easily offended by the slightest comment or action?

    These are a few ways that the “leaven of the Pharisees” can infect the Body of Christ, causing us to battle with each other rather than place all our efforts into the service of Jesus.  The disciples fought this same leaven, as the too wondered about who was the greatest; the struggle is as old as the Bible and will continue until Christ returns; the cost of working with sinful men.  We must be on guard at all times against this leaven.  We must be careful to make sure that when we look or listen; we do so with faith, trusting in God to lead his Church.  In the explanation to the eighth commandment, we are told to “put the best construction on everything;” giving all a chance to aid the body of Christ in its growth and expansion in the task of bringing Christ message of redeeming love to all. 

Father of mercy, remove the leaven in my life.  Bring me closer to you.  Help me to see that all can work together to serve you.  We all have many gifts or talents which, when shared bring glory to you and aid to our neighbor.  Give us that unity to grow in you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

9-18-2022

Good Morning All,

             Acts 5:19; “But at night an angel from the Lord opened the doors to their cell and led them out of the prison.”

      Have you ever been on the wrong side of a locked door?  Maybe you were locked in but usually we are locked out.  Maybe you locked your keys in your car or slammed the door of your house or apartment shut just as you remembered the keys on the table.  For most of us, this is more embarrassing than anything else.  But have you ever been locked in or out on purpose?  Have you ever had someone keep you away from them by design?  Have you ever been locked in a jail cell?  Have you ever been locked in a jail cell unjustly?  This would be extremely difficult.  There was recently a story of a young man who was accused of stealing a backpack.  He was held for two years waiting for a trial; he was eventually released.  He missed his junior and senior year of high school and really never could recover and re-enter society.  He committed suicide at the age of 22.  He could never get out of “his” prison.

    Our verse is the first of three times in the Book of Acts where God opened the jail to free the apostles.  This was done to protect the apostles, to embolden the apostles, and to be a witness to the world.  Nothing could stop the kingdom of God from expanding.  Nothing can stop God when it comes to his expression of love for his people.  This love strengthened the apostles in their bold proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus.  It strengthened their faith to face all the challenges of life that was in store for them.

    Earlier, I asked if you had ever been in a jail cell.  Most will answer no.  Yet we all have been in jail; we are held prisoner by our sins.  The devil will hold us there as long as he can.  He will torment us as long as he can, and he can as long as we stay there.  But we do not have to stay; God comes and opens the doors to your cell to free you.  He opens the door that you can leave the depths of the darkness of the cell of our guilt and fear.  God opens the door so that you can be reconciled to him and be part of his family.

    There is nothing in your past that has to keep you in your prison.  God has freed you by the forgiveness of your sin.  The devil will tell you to stay in your cell, but the door is open, and God calls you out of the dark and dank into the refreshing and the light.  You do not have to stay there in that cell.  God has freed you from sin and freed you from the devil’s prison.  God opens doors so that you may freely and confidently approach his throne, seeking his mercy and grace.  God opens doors so that you may approach him as children approach their loving father.  The doors are open; don’t stay in prison!!

Father of all mercy, we give you thanks that you have freed us from the devil’s prison.  Give us the faith to walk out the open door to the freedom that you give us.  Guide us by your Spirit to know the comfort of being out of prison and living in the joy of your eternal kingdom.  In your grace, we are free indeed.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-17-2022

Good Morning All,

               1 Chronicles 16:10; “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”

    What do we seek?  Where do we place our deepest desires and our greatest hopes?  For some it is wealth; for some it is fame.  These are two obvious ones, and everyone sees them but what about us?  Most of us do not dream of becoming multi-millionaires or of having to worry if the twitter feed is going to worry about what we wore to the Academy Awards.  Yet sometimes we seek some things that may not be God pleasing.

    Perhaps we spend too much time trying to figure out ways that we can have control in a relationship instead of sharing in one or making our co-workers look bad, so we look better.  Perhaps we spend too much time trying to butter up a neighbor to try and get his land before someone else does.  There are lots of ways to seek what is not in God’s favor.

    It might be something as simple as making snide remarks about another person, always cutting them down.   We see it in many ways, and it always comes back to our pride and the desire of our sinful nature to be number one.  It is as old as sin itself, who sits on God’s throne in our life.  Is it God or do we try and take that spot? 

     One of the most interesting facets of human life is that when we engage our sinful nature; it is never satisfied.  Very few people who seek great wealth ever think they have enough.  How else do we explain such incredible greed from people who already have billions of dollars and yet try to cheat people for more?  Those who seek fame, even when it is fleeting, never have enough.  Why else do we always seem to easily attack or run down others?  If we cannot be the top dog of our circle; how can we put our self on the throne of God? 

     So, we run in circles, like a dog that chases its own tail, until we cannot even stand.  We are exhausted and have gained nothing.  When we glory in God’s holy name; when we quit trying to take God’s place in life and receive His blessings and grace, our life becomes much easier.  We trust in God to love us and to care for us.  That he will richly provide for all our bodily needs.  When we trust God, we can rejoice because He has promised to take care of us.

     Some of us may be disappointed as we look at that.  What we need and what we want can be two very different situations.  Do we need a cell phone, or a big screen TV with satellite cable or a computer?  Do we need multiple vehicles or the place at the lake?  Perhaps we do, but perhaps we don’t.  The central thing is to remember that what we do have comes from God’s blessings.  We don’t worship the blessings or think that “we did it all.”  Rather, we give thanks to God for what he has given us and what he will give us tomorrow.  When our faith is in God, when we trust that he will take care of us and deliver us; then our hearts are seeking the Lord and we can rejoice in Him.

    Gracious Lord, we are slow to see our deepest sinful desires, help us to see them and to repent of them that we may truly seek after you and that we may have that true peace which only comes from you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-16-2022

Good Morning All,

          Acts 4:34; “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold”

     There are many powerful verses or phrases in the Bible that can and should cause us to wonder and to be in awe of.  When Jesus said, “It is finished.” Or when the angel said, “He is not here; for he has risen!”  These are a couple of those verses.  “It is finished.”  The job is done, the debt is paid; the last payment on the mortgage is made.  “He is not here; for he has risen!” Forever, our life is changed.  We are entirely different creatures now.  With our debt fully paid and with Christ raised from the dead and reigning forever; our life is changed, or is it?

    Our verse for today is one of the powerful verses. “There was not a needy person among them,” can we say that?  Can we look at our church family and our neighborhood and say, “there is not a needy person among them?”  I know our response, “I do the best I can.” I know we do.  I know that to many of you this is going to sound like a plea (demand?) for money for the church, but it really isn’t.  This verse, although easily twisted into a plea for more money, is more than that.  It moves much deeper into what our life as a Christian should be.  It is about compassion.

    For many of us, giving to the church is a matter of duty or of guilty conscience or of selfish desire.  We give to get others off our back and to make it easier to sleep at night.  Some of the church’s largest donors were mafia kings and drug lords trying to appease their guilt and buy their redemption; neither worked.  This verse is not about money; it is about compassion.  The members of the church body looked around, saw needs, and met them.  In our verse, apparently the needs were physical, food, clothing, shelter and the like; so many sold some things to provide the funds.  It doesn’t say they sold everything; it says they met the needs of the people among them.  Do we meet the needs of the people among us?

   I read the story a few days ago about the third-grade boy who answered the question “What I want my teacher to know...” with the answer “that I don’t have anyone to play with.”  That is a needy person and money won’t really solve anything.  What this little boy needs is someone’s time.  Maybe this would be the best compassion to show.  You may be the parent or grandparent who ends up being talked into coaching the local t-ball or soccer club.  As hectic as that is, be sure to watch for the young ones who need your attention because it may be lacking at home.  Look around your church and your neighborhood; is there someone who always eats alone, sits alone, and goes home to an empty house?  They may prefer that, or they may be as lonely as it looks.  For us as Christians, the challenge of “there was not a needy person among them” is great.  Ask the Lord for guidance and courage to meet this need.  God be with you as you do.

Father, you give us all we need to support this body and life.  Give me the courage and the wisdom to aid my brothers and sisters and all those around me in need to come to their aid and comfort.  Bring us closer as a community that we may share your love and mercy with all.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior and King we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret