6-24-2023

Good Morning All,

Romans 8: 38-39; “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

    There is always a part of me that really wonders about our sports culture sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a very strong advocate of sports.  The values and life skills which young people can learn are invaluable.  Maybe it is the adults that I wonder about.  The true meaning of sports is to test yourself against yourself, but you use an opponent and usually some form of measured competitive format to accomplish this test; but at what point does the test lose its validity?

    There was a basketball team in Texas that lost 103-0.  There was a team in Indiana that lost 107-2.  There was a high school football team which lost 96-0 and the game was done by halftime.  Another school scored 238 points in one game.  I assume it wasn’t much of a match!!  These are somewhat beyond a loss; this would constitute a total beatdown, complete defeat for the losing team.  If you are the coach, what do you say to these teams?

     If you are like me, there are days when it feels like I’ve been on the short end of an ugly game.  There are days when it feels like I am totally defeated.  A day like when it is muddy and rainy out and the big truck hits the big mud puddle just as you open your car door to get out and take your door off and splashes mud and cold water on you and into your, now doorless, vehicle.  You and your spouse are in a struggle; one that, one or both of you, do not understand or can get a handle on.  Your children look at you like you are an alien life form.  Everyone from your boss to your friends to your co-workers see you as someone to step on and then over.

    This is why the death and resurrection of Jesus is so phenomenally valuable.  When Adam and Eve walked in the Garden of Eden with God, they walked hand in hand with God.  Sin pulled our hand from God’s hand, and we have spun out of control ever since.  But when Jesus died and then was raised again, we became reconciled back to God.  God took us by the hand again and better yet; he pulled us into a walk with his loving arm around our shoulder holding us close to him.  Through this we have eternal life and the hope of the resurrection which is great for someday.  But for now, we have the promise and the hope that God, with his arm around us, is caring for us.  God, who knows what is best for us, who knows sees our pain and brings us through it.  We may not enjoy it, that is a sinful world, but we never, ever go alone.  Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dearest Father, at times it feels like the world wins, and we are totally defeated; all our efforts are worthless.   It is at these times that your wonderful grace holds itself out to us as our only hope, our only comfort.  Continue to guard us and protect us from the arrows of the devil and bring to us that peace which only you can give to us.  We ask this in the name of our precious risen Savior, amen!

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret