Monday, July 31, 2023

7-31-2023

Good Morning All,

     Jeremiah 33:3; “Call to me, and I will answer you.   I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know.”

    “Listen, do you want to know a secret?”  That is the opening line of a Beatle’s song.  It is also the source of many of our thoughts and desires, especially secrets about us.  Do you ever wonder about your future?  Do you ever wonder about times in your life when you made a major decision and wonder how your life would have been different?  What if the line would have been busy when you first tried to call your future spouse for the first time?  What if your job interviews would have been in a different order?  What if the rain would have come a little earlier?  What if you would have trusted your instincts and bought the land your neighbor tried to sell you a long time ago?

    What about all the prayers that you thought went unanswered or at least not answered as you wanted?  What about the times when you prayed for something and someone else got it?  Did you pray to get a job that went to a friend?  Did you pray for a child only to watch all your friends having children?  We sit and sometimes think God just doesn’t listen or care.  Yet he clearly tells us something different.  He promises to tell us great and mysterious things.

   The thing is that we need to listen to what God is telling us.  Too often, our prayers are more a shopping list or a “honey-do” list.  We go to God with this logic, “These are what I need and want you to do; preferably right now!” Or we come to God with the attitude “well, I’ve tried everything else; I guess I’ll ask God.”  Neither of these are a very faithful or faith-based way to pray.  God desires that we come to Him with an open heart and a willing spirit. God calls us to come to him in faith and he will answer.  We place our trust in His gracious providence knowing that in Him we have hope.  We pray according to his will and trust that his will is the best for us.  Sometimes what we want is not what is best for us.  Sometimes what God has in store for us is greater than anything we could even imagine.  God answers our prayers and always acts in our best interest.

    With this certainty, we can come before him and boldly ask for what we need and even what we want; we know that God’s answer will be what is best for us.  This trust in God’s faithful answer will show us things which we do not know and cannot even imagine.  God answers our prayers because He loves us, and He has promised to do so, and He is faithful to His promise.

Dearest Father, too often we look at the prayers that we want answered, that we miss all the ones that you have answered.  Forgive us for missing the love and health of family and friends, the beauty of creation, and the wondrous gift of our salvation.  You answer all our prayers and give us peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Sunday, July 30, 2023

7-30-2023

Good Morning All,

           Hosea 14:4; “I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.”  

    When my nephews were little and needed some discipline, they would have to sit on “the bad chair.”  Nobody wanted to sit on the bad chair.  It sat in the corner of the kitchen and didn’t look any different than any other chair.  If you moved it to the table, it was ok but as long as it sat in the corner, it was “the bad chair.”  The first time I encountered “the bad chair” was quite by accident.  We were visiting them, and we were gathered around the kitchen, and I went and sat on the “bad chair;” I didn’t know any better.  I just got sat down when my little nephew’s eyes got huge and he shouted, “Uncle Bret’s sitting on the bad chair!!”  I thought the chair was broken so I jumped up, not sure of what I had done; everyone else laughed.  The power of sitting on that chair was firmly ensconced in that young boy’s mind.  Nobody ever wanted to sit on that chair.

    This was just the place for a rambunctious child to sit and think about what he had done and why it was wrong.  After the set amount of time, he was allowed to go back to playing again.  Sometimes, mom or dad was pretty angry when someone was placed on the chair but as the time went by the anger faded and all was well again. 

    This is what God is telling us here.  We call it many things; mistakes, over rambunctious, errors in judgment, slip ups, whatever; the truth is we sin.  We violate God’s law and go against His holy will.  We do this even as we profess to know better.  So, we sit on the “bad chair.”  The thing about the “bad chair” is that we always miss out on the good things.  For the child placed there by his parents, the fun of playtime or even a special treat goes by as he sits and misses out on the enjoyment of life.  The same is true for us.  When we sit in sin, in apostasy, we miss out on God’s blessings; not because God withholds them, we just missing out on being spiritually connected to God.  When we are on the “bad chair,” we see the sad side of life and fail to see God’s blessings because sin has clouded our eyes and vision. 

   Yet God continually heals us.  Through the mercy we have in Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, God renews us, restores us, and heals our ruptured soul of sin.  God heals us with his love and because of his love, He is not angry with us.  He restores us to His holy family and gives us the hope of salvation and comfort in this life through His Spirit.  You are healed because you are loved.

 Dearest Father, your mercies are new to us each day and they roll over us like a river.  We praise you for your healing touch and for bringing us into your wonderful kingdom.  We pray that all may know this peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Saturday, July 29, 2023

7-29-2023

Good Morning All,

             John 3:17; “God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.”

    If you are a baseball fan, do you know who Wally Pipp was?  He led the American League in home runs two years in a row.  He was the first Yankee to do so.  Most people really don’t know him.  He was a great baseball player, but he is most famous for having a headache.  One day he told his manager that he didn’t feel up to playing so his manager let him sit out and tried a new kid, a guy by the name of Lou Gehrig.  Wally never played another game for the Yankees.  He was good but not as good as those around him.

    The Bible has some “Wally Pipp” verses.  These are verses that are really good and speak to us.  The problem is that they are next to some super verses.  Our verse for today is probably the classic “Wally Pipp” verse.  We all know John 3:16 but what about John 3:17?

    This is a verse for those of you who believe they are saved but feel guilty about it.  I hear it often.  Faithful Christians feel guilty.  They feel guilty for God’s blessings.  They feel guilty for what they have when they see others have not.  They even feel guilty for being forgiven.  This is why churches that push the idea that you must do something to be saved are so popular; it makes sense to us.  It gives us a feeling of some control in our lives.  It feeds into our own sinful desire for personal value and worth, like we create it.

    First and foremost, know that guilt is always, ALWAYS, the tool of the devil.  Jesus did not come to the world to condemn it but to save it.  He came to remove guilt.  He came to free us from this pain.  Guilt, by definition, is to feel remorse for doing something wrong; the feeling that we need to “pay” for the wrong.  For you and me, the debt is already paid.  Jesus died to pay for your sins.  Our condemnation has been paid; we need not feel the guilt associated with condemnation.

    Rather than guilt we can experience the joy that God has given to us.  So, when the devil tries to make you feel guilty, remember that Christ’s blood bore the price for your sin and the guilt which you feel.  We don’t need to feel guilty; so, don’t let the devil remove the grace that God has for you.  Jesus came to save, to bring you into his family and into his wonderful kingdom where we can live in joy and peace.  It is here that we can find peace and rest, true peace, and true rest. This is the rest that allows us to “fear no evil, for You are with me.” This is no small pleasure; this is what it is all about.

Dearest Father, the devil loves to make me feel guilty.  Keep me in your precious loving arms and give me the assurance of your love to help me remove the guilt which blocks my joyous life in service in your kingdom.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Friday, July 28, 2023

7-28-2023

Good Morning All,

           1 Kings 8:28; “Nevertheless, my Lord God, please pay attention to my prayer for mercy.  Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you today.”

    Have you ever played the game “20 Questions”?  Someone thinks of something and then the other player has to guess it by asking questions?  It can be a challenge, especially if you don’t ask the right question.  When you watch the old Perry Mason shows, we see how carefully he would word his questions to lead the witness to give the right answer.  Even when someone asks me a question, I’ll often ask them, “Why do you want to know?”  The goal of this question is to get to the question behind the question.   Why are you asking this question?

   Sometimes when we pray, we don’t get what we pray for.  This can lead to a frustrating situation.  We often cry to God and ask, “Why?”  This is the wrong question.  We should ask the question, “What?”  What do you want for me Lord?  This is what we should ask; we should ask for direction not an explanation.  We do this by first trusting God to do what is best for us.  No matter what else happens in our life; we are always a redeemed child of God, blessed by him and carried by his promises.  Nothing can or will change it.  So, as we face prayers that seem to be unanswered, we need to remember that our desires do not form us, but God’s mercy forms us.  We may need to let go of one desire as God may have a different one in store.

    We need to ask God for guidance and support; then we need to turn to our brothers and sisters in Christ and listen to them for their comfort, their wisdom and their direction.  God uses Christians to speak his Word to us.  Then we may need to step back a little and see what else God is telling us.  Sometimes our focus is so narrow that we miss all God’s beauty around us.

    We then need to look at God’s gifts and see the new dreams that he has in store for us.  It may be time for a change in your life; perhaps major perhaps not so major but we know that, through faith, God is guiding us along.  He has promised that all things work for the good of those whom he loves.

    Look forward to what God is promising.  He promises us plans that will make us prosper.  He has plans that will give us eternal life.  He has a love for you to give you what we need and what is best for us.  Trust God to hear your prayer and answer you.  His love for you endures forever.

Dearest Jesus, we come to you in prayer and often ask “why?”  Give us the wisdom and faith to ask “what?” what can I do to serve you? Give us the strength of heart to follow your direction. Lead us to share with those around us who are hurting and lost to hear your Good News and to find peace in your Name.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Thursday, July 27, 2023

7-27-2023

Good Morning All,

            Proverbs 14:4; “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

     So, what does this mean?  It does not, as it appears, have anything to do with any type of farm animal but that is where it starts so we will also.  If there are no oxen, there is nothing to clean up.  There is no rotten feed to throw away.  There is no manure to be pitched out.  There are no fences that need to be tended to.  So, it tells us that if you have no oxen, you have no headaches associated with oxen.  On the other hand, you don’t make any money either.  You don’t have any of the headaches of an oxen, but you also do not get any of the rewards either.

   Believe it or not, this verse is really about interpersonal relationships.  If you never have a relationship, you never feel the pain that can be associated with relationships.  You can avoid any sort of slight or affront.  You miss the hurt of rejection, but you also miss the companionship and the closeness of a relationship.  You do miss the pain, but you forfeit so much more by forfeiting the love and the fellowship that these relationships give to us.

    From the very start of the Bible, we see that God is a God of relationships.  Part of the reason that God created man was so that God and man would have a loving relationship.  God created Eve so that Adam would have companionship.  Man and woman were created to be in a loving relationship.  We even see that Jesus came to the world to reconcile man back to God; to fix our broken relationship.  

    The painful truth is that you and I are messy.  We all bring baggage, insecurities, quirks, and some frailties to a relationship.  The only way to avoid this is to never engage in a relationship but this is not God’s plan.  God’s wants his people to be a family; joined together as a loving unit.  Yet God’s grace shows through in the joy we experience when we are in relationships.  The joy of the love we receive from a child, or siblings or a spouse is far beyond any discomfort we may experience along the way.  This is part of God’s blessing so that we do not have to go through life alone but rather we can go through life, the good and the bad, with people who love us even if they made the manger dirty; God uses them to bring us his love. Remember, God loved you and still loves you even in your dirtiest moments. He does not give up or throw you away. God’s love endures and from it, we have peace.

Dearest Father, you give us the gift of companionship so that we may face this world with the love and support of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We give you thanks for those around us who love us as we are.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

7-26-2023

Good Morning All,

          1 John 4: 7-9; Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.   Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”

    In the late 60’s, there was a song by Judy Collins entitled “Both Sides Now.”  This is a ballad about a person growing up and how at first you see everything through rose colored glasses, but as you get older, you see things a little more clearly.  There is a portion of the song that is rather poignant and very telling.

 

 I've looked at love from both sides now from give and take, and still somehow.  It's love's illusions I recall I really don't know love at all.”

 

    This is really a very accurate description of the relationship that we have with God.  It is also why we struggle sometimes.  We really have not looked at love from God’s side.  We have always looked at love from our sides.  We see love as conditional.  We all have a point where we would say to another person; “I can’t love you anymore.”  It might take a whole lot, but we all have that point.  We tend to think that since we are this way then God must be the same way.

    We really need to look at love from God’s side.  The apostle John tells us all about the love of God; it was made manifest in Jesus.  God sent his only Son into the world to die, to die a horrific death, for people who do not deserve this kind of love.  This love is beyond our understanding.  Even though we don’t understand or comprehend it, we have it.  This is what is so great about God’s love for you; you don’t have to understand it; you only need to enjoy it.  Take it to heart with the faith that God gives to you.  You are truly loved by God; there are no strings, no conditions, absolutely no need to earn it.  God loves you beyond anything you can ever imagine. 

   It is hard for our limited ability; but God’s love for us is beyond anything and everything that we can ever comprehend.  This world and the devil like to try and make it an illusion but God’s love is real and for you.  There is no earning this love, but this love will sustain us and carry us and comfort us in all needs and trials.  God is love; this is His nature.  His desire is to show His wondrous love to us.  Enjoy it as His gift to you.

 Dearest Father, your love for us is beyond our understanding.  Give us the faith to trust what we do not know or understand.  Help us to rely on this love and give us the courage to respond to others with this same love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

7-25-2023

Good Morning All,

           Matthew 22:2; “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.”

     I have a couple of weddings to officiate in the near future.  I can’t get over how the brides and the grooms look younger and younger at each wedding but that is a different devotion.  The thing that fascinates me the most is how, during the actual wedding ceremony, everyone is scared to death.  When I perform a wedding, I always tell the bride and groom, “Focus on me, don’t look anywhere else. All that matters is that you say ‘I do’ or ‘I will’ at the right place.  After that we don’t worry about it.”  Yet at every wedding the nerves are always there.  The tension is just below the surface.

    However, the reception is a different affair.  I always smile when the bridal party is introduced.  In our region, at the start of the reception, the entire bridal party is introduced as they walk up to the head table.  As they enter, they dance and wave their hands and really enjoy it. They laugh and everyone applauds.  It is such a contrast to the way they walked into the church a couple of hours earlier where they were so solemn and sober.  Yet the reception, the wedding feast, is a grand celebration.

    As the entire community celebrates the marriage of these two people, they also celebrate life and family.  Some only come to the reception and then they celebrate all evening.  You watch as friends and relatives who haven’t seen each other for a number of years get re-acquainted and laugh at old times and share “what’s new” at the present time.  They gather around in little circles and laugh and talk the evening away.  Then the circles will disperse, and new circles form and the cycle begins anew.  The merriment, the joy, the fellowship involved is one of pure celebratory time.

    I think this is why heaven is compared to the wedding feast.  Heaven is a time of celebration.  Heaven is a time of joyfully speaking to each other and remembering the good and sharing the new and great. Heaven is the time of the most wonderful celebration.  We are alive in the heavenly kingdom, and we celebrate our presence there with Jesus our king and with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

   The wonder of this all is that our life in the church is to be a fore taste of this feast or celebration.  Our time here is part of the “not yet” of Christ’s kingdom.  We are in his kingdom just “not yet” fully glorified.  We are living in his time of grace, and we get to know a little of the heavenly celebration that is to come.  The best is yet to come!!

     Dear Father, as we wait for the wedding feast of heaven; keep giving us a taste of it through your mercy and love.  Lead us to always seek your grace and to trust in your love for us, that we may know your peace.    In Jesus, name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Monday, July 24, 2023

7-24-2023

Good Morning All,

         1 Corinthians 13:12; “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

    In ancient Greek philosophy, Plato said that we never see reality only our perception of it.  It is like we are in a cave and the reality occurs behind us and all we see is the shadows on the wall before us.  There are many in the world that agree with this.  You and I don’t have to.  We know reality; it is God Incarnate in Jesus.  Yet even as we know the reality; we don’t fully grasp it.  We live in the existence of “now but not yet.”

   We know the reality that awaits us; we have eternal life assured to us.  Our future is in heaven celebrating with all believers in the marriage feast of the Lamb.  We know this is true, but we can’t see it fully.  We are saved; right now.  Our salvation is secured by the blood of Jesus.  Our future in heaven is guaranteed by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.  You are saved right now.  There is no delay in this.  This is the “now” part of our phrase.

    The thing is that we are not fully glorified.  This is the “not yet.”  We are living in the time of our life where we live by God’s grace.  Right now, we are living according to God’s grace.  When the time comes, either our earthly death or Christ’s return, we will live according to God’s perfected, complete glory.  So, as we go through life, we want to remember that grace is glory begun and glory is grace that is perfected.

    So, we live in an imperfect time.  Our time will not be perfect until we receive our full measure of God’s glory.  As we wait, we see it dimly.  We really only have hints at what is to come.  We often speak of Holy Communion as a foretaste of the feast to come.  We see it as just a small, microscopic taste of the wonderful gift that, while we have received it, we haven’t opened it yet.  It is the Christmas present that you hold in your hands, but it is not your turn to open a present, so you wait.  It is yours; just not yet.  No one will take it away, you just haven’t opened it yet.  Just like that present, we only dimly know what it is.  We can pick it up and feel the weight; we can shake it; we can smell it, but we can never fully know what it is until we open it.  Then we can hold it and look at it and play with it.  We can fully enjoy it.  We no longer have to wait but we can enjoy it completely and perfectly.  This is what Paul means when he says, “now I know part, then I shall know fully.”  We are now-but not yet.”  We are saved according to God’s grace, waiting for the completion of his glory.

Dearest Father, we only dimly see our future glory.  Yet we can celebrate your grace as we wait for the fulfillment of your glory to us.  Keep us in your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Sunday, July 23, 2023

7-23-2023

Good Morning All,

           Philippians 3:20;” But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

    There is a story about an older couple who had spent their entire life working with the poor people of a foreign land.  After 40 years of tireless and anonymous work, they returned to the United States.  As luck would have it, they were on the same ship as a famous Hollywood couple.  As the ship docked, all the media went running up to the Hollywood couple, leaving the older couple to shuffle off the ship.  As they went, the husband turned to his wife and apologized for not making more of their lives.  “I never took you to any place exciting; we never did anything to be noted for.  If we had, maybe everyone would be excited when we got home.”  As he walked with his head down and dejected, his wife turned to him and said, “We aren’t home yet.”

    We are not home yet.  Heaven is our home.  It is where our welcome, our celebration waits.  This is why we do not worry about worldly accolades.  Jesus tells us that those who seek worldly fame already have their glory.  Our glory waits for us in heaven.  As we toil here on earth, doing the tasks that the Lord has given us; we can do them with joy knowing that the Father is glorified by them.  We don’t seek the awards from man; we only receive the love of the Father. 

    So, as we serve the Lord and look around, we don’t need to be jealous of others, envious of their notoriety.  We know that what we do is what the Lord wants us to do and while we do these tasks; we are witnessing to our faith in Jesus as our Savior.  We can take great joy in seeing that all those who we speak to we can speak of the love of Jesus.  This can be to hundreds of people or to your grandchild while reading a bedtime story.  This can be over the radio or through the internet or it can be over a cup of coffee with the neighbors.  There is never a time when witnessing the eternal love of Jesus is trivial or unimportant.  Every soul is to be reached; everybody is to hear the story that their sins are forgiven.  For in the end ours is not the accolades or the wonderful retirement here on this earth; our citizenship is in heaven.  Our hope, our future is assured by and with our Savior. It is through Him that we will have glory.

    It was once written that grace is glory started and glory is grace completed. We live in grace, which is glory begun. But the day will come when that grace, that amazing grace, will be fulfilled and the glory of Jesus will complete in our heavenly home with Jesus. Then we are truly home.

 Dearest Father, remind us that our hope is in you and our citizenship is in heaven.  Keep us from jealousy or envy for those around us.  Keep us safe in your saving arms.  In Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Saturday, July 22, 2023

7-22-2023

 Good Morning All,

    Galatians 3:11; “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

    The righteous shall live by faith.  We have heard or said or even memorized this verse many times.  We often say this verse, but I think most of us are usually a little afraid to think that we are righteous.  We often feel this is a little pretentious.  We feel that others will look at us and see us as “too good” or “above them.”

    Here is where we need to see the definition of and the difference between being “righteous” and being “self-righteous.”  The difference is night and day.  The Pharisees were self-righteous.  They looked at themselves and saw their own piety and greatness.  This is why Jesus spoke of the “log in your eye” when judging others.  Their log was huge.  Yet God calls us to be righteous so what does this mean?

     First, and above all, the relationship that the righteous have with God is not based on the actions of the man but on the grace of God.  Our righteousness is not our own; rather it is given to us by God through Jesus.  We know this, we trust this, we place our life on this.  It is not what we do it is what God has done/ is doing/ and will do for us that gives us our righteousness.

     Since the righteous know that their righteousness comes only from God and not from their own actions; they are humble and meek.  They know who is God and who isn’t.  They know that the LORD is the only source of their sustenance.  So, the righteous are also needy.  They need God’s mercy and grace to survive.

    The righteous know that all is from God, so they praise God for his gifts and his blessings.  They live their life in constant praise to God.  They live their life in the constant communion with God.  They hear God speak to them through His Word and then speak to God through their prayers.  This constant conversation refreshes them and gives them hope.

    Yet all this righteousness from God, this passive righteousness, does not mean a passive life.  The righteous are active in living out their faith.  They are active in living as the disciples that God has called them to be.  For some this is preaching, for some it is teaching.  Yet for most of us, it is sharing God’s love with your family, your neighbors, and your friends.  It is listening as a friend worries and fears about a doctor’s appointment.  It is consoling a crying friend when they mourn the loss of a loved one.  For most of us, it is offering a sympathetic shoulder when the time is needed. 

   This is how you are righteous.  You are righteous because God declares you to be righteous.  This is the righteousness which God redeems us and then calls us to use in his name to bring about the reconciliation of man back to God.  You are righteous if you live by faith, trusting in God’s promise of eternal life.

Dear Father, you give to us your holy righteousness.  Through the blood of Jesus, you declare us holy and righteous in your sight.  Keep us safe and keep us holy.  Lead us in your paths that we may touch those whom you place in our lives with your tender mercy.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

Friday, July 21, 2023

7-21-2023

Good Morning All,

    Psalm 147:5; “Our Lord is great, and his power is great.  There is no limit to his understanding.”

    Do you understand what this means?  How many times in your life have you heard or used that phrase?  This is a question that can be very hard to hear.  Sometimes we hear that and simply want to shout, “NO!!, I haven’t got a clue.”  Sometimes this question revolves around the implications of the answer.  If your employer asks you how you want to fill out your W-2 form, he might ask if you understand the implications of the change.  If your insurance agent is showing you some facts about your policy and any changes you want to make, he might ask if you understand what this will mean.

   Sometimes we hear this question at the doctor’s office and the understanding can be too plain.  We can hear this as a marriage sours and the pain occurs.  We can hear this when our business fails, and the bank forecloses on our loan.  We can hear this if a loved one gets in trouble with the law and must face the consequences.  We hear this phrase often and usually we don’t like the answer.  Do you understand what this means?  It means that someone is going to get hurt. 

    Sometimes, it means the exact opposite.  Sometimes when we hurt, we talk to someone, a doctor, or a friend and when we finish, they respond, “I understand.”  Have you ever asked the question, “What does this mean, I don’t understand” and have someone answer, “I understand”?  I call this the Linus moment.  You remember from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” when Charlie Brown asks if anybody can explain Christmas and Linus answers, “Sure, Charlie Brown” and then he recites Luke chapter 2.  Linus understood what Christmas meant even when the rest of the world seemed to forget.  It is nice when someone understands. 

    Whether it is figuring out your new cell phone or making the computer work the way it should or knowing the pain that you are feeling right now; it helps when someone can come to you and say I understand.  This is exactly what God does for us.  He understands.  He understands you and me.  He knows our heart and he knows our life.  He sees our pain and heals it.

    We live in a world that is full of pain.  Sometimes this pain is inflicted by people we know and love.  This pain is inflicted may be accidental or it may be intentional.  This pain can hurt right to the core.  Yet God truly does understand our pain and our need.  He understands our need for forgiveness.  He forgives us of our sin and then brings us into his family.  Here we can come to God with all of our pain and all of our hurt and God says, “I understand.” He continues with the ability to solve our pain.  He gives us life and hope.  God understands what we need, even before we do.  His grace is sufficient for us.

Dearest Father, even when we don’t understand; you do.  Give us the faith to trust in you.  Father, we come to you like the father who exclaimed, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  Help our unbelief that we may go forth with the confidence and faith in your mercy and love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

 

Thursday, July 20, 2023

7-20-2023

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 these next few 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.  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 into 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 is part of God's plan for you; to enjoy the life that He gives you.  So be happy with God's blessings!

    This is to draw us back to our original purpose. We were created to be caretakers. We were to care for the Garden and for creation. This includes our fellow man. We are to look outwards and to see the needs of others. Yet sin causes us to look inward with a selfish desire that looks only to our own desires, greed, and selfishness.  Sin always points inward. It is always about why I am “above the Law.” Sin is always about me putting me on the throne of creation rather than God. This puts God’s creation out of balance and as we all have seen, when sinful man is in charge pain soon follows. Hatred, prejudice, oppression, and injustice are just a few of the results.

    Yet there is some hope. Jesus has empowered us by the Holy Spirit to begin to reclaim our role as caretaker. We will not do this perfectly, not until Jesus returns. But we can make a difference. We can speak of God’s love; we can demonstrate this love to others by how we care for them. And as we do these actions of love, our hearts will be filled with the love of God which will comfort us, sustain us, and give us peace. God’s grace is for you to forgive your sins and to give you hope as you love your neighbor as you are loved.

Lord Jesus, we are too often unhappy because we do not place our trust in you.  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.  In your name we pray, Amen!

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

7-19-2023

Good Morning All,

Galatians 3:28; “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ.”

   Why is it that we always seem to look for the differences at first?  Why do we seek those things which we use to divide and separate?  It often starts out innocently enough: it is how we identify individuals.  We see Suzy as the short, blonde girl and Billy as the tall red head.  But all too soon we take those differences and use them to hold others down or try to push them back; all in an effort to get to the front.  So, we take those differences, and we begin to categorize people.  This group is greedy; this group is lazy, this group is selfish, this group is made up of criminals.  (I didn’t list who, but you probably filled in the blanks).  Instead of looking at what we have in common and trying to build on that, we build walls to keep some back from us or out of our sight or away from us.

       Yet when God looks at people He sees one thing, a sinful creature.  Before God we are all the same.  There is no difference; we are all sinners deserving eternal punishment.  But by God’s grace, God sees only righteousness and holiness when He looks at His redeemed children.  All God sees is Christ’s atoning sacrifice.  He sees us as one in Christ, holy and undefiled.  We are not male or female, tall or short, fat, or skinny, black, brown, white, yellow, purple or orange; we are the redeemed children of God.  That is how God sees us and that is how we should see our fellow believer.  We are all the same.  We are forgiven sinners who live by God’s grace and mercy.  We need to tear down the walls we build and see what God sees, forgiven creatures.

    This is what God wants from His people. We are to look to each other and see only fellow broken sinners who need and receive God’s grace and forgiveness.  Luther noted that “before God, we are all but beggars.” We are all in the same condition and that is deserving punishment for our sins. Yet, we all stand in the same manner before God, forgiven by the blood of Christ.  We are all the same, regardless of race or gender or nationality or whatever we choose to separate us and divide us.  Christ came to reunite us to God but also to each other. We were created to see each other as our brother. We are recreated to, once again, see each as a brother or sister and not as a competitor or force to be feared. We are to see each other, through the eyes of faith, given to us b our Savior, so we can see that each of us are united to each other through Jesus.

 Father in heaven, too often we let our sinful nature lead us into prejudice and suspicion.  Forgive us for our sin.  Guide us Lord to remove the walls and the barriers which we build between us and our fellow believers.  Cause us to see them as our brothers in Christ and to feel their pain and to share in their joy to your glory here on earth.  In Jesus’ precious Name we pray, Amen!

 God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret