1-31-2024

 Good Morning All,       

            Jeremiah 2:13; “My people have done two things wrong.  They have abandoned me, the fountain of life-giving water.  They have also dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that can’t hold water.”

    I remember reading a sign at a repair shop.  It said that labor was $50 per hour, $60 per hour if you watched them fix, $75 per hour if you offered advice and $125 per hour if you tried to fix it first.  This repairman had tried to repair too many of someone else’s “fixes”.  Why do we insist on fixing things on our own?  Usually, we think we can do as good a job, or better, then the man who is trained in this task.  We may want to save a little money or time but in the end we do neither.

    Our verse speaks to people trying to fix their own problems.  In this verse God is speaking to his prophet Jeremiah and telling him what his people (Israel) had done wrong.  First, they left the true God then they made their own false gods and lost everything.  So, what made them do this? The same reason we do it; sin causes us to do things that always end badly.

    What leads us to abandon God?  Sometimes it is fear.  We look at the world and the events as they occur, and we wonder how God can possibly resolve the problem at hand.  Often when we look at the size of our problems instead of the size of our God; we tend to see fear.  When we look at the size of the wave instead of the size of the master’s hand, fear can rule our hearts.  Fear can cause us to seek our own strength, to dig our own wells (cisterns), that is to seek our own path and soon we find that our path is disastrous.   

    Sometimes it is the lack of patience.  We think that God doesn’t move fast enough.  So, we think we can fix it fast and better than God is willing to provide.  So, we follow our own path, dig our own cisterns, rather than trust the true God to provide for us the true life-giving water. 

    Sometimes it is because we think that our way is better and faster.  This might come from the idea that someone is “ahead” of us.  We might be jealous of those around us.  Our selfish greed leads us down a path that only hurts us.  Instead of the life-giving water, we have dug a worthless cistern that only holds our false beliefs.  This cistern will always fail; it will crumble when the stresses of struggles arrive.  Only when we rely on God’s strength and love can we withstand the assaults of the devil. 

    God gives us the power to withstand the devil’s attacks.  He strengthens us so that the battles of this world will not defeat us.  Yet we must have faith in him and his grace.  We cannot go after our own selfish or foolish path.  We cannot dig our own cistern and expect to find God’s life-giving water.  This wonderful gift only comes from God the true source of all that is good.

Gracious God, you are our only source of hope.  Keep us from straying or looking to our selfishness as our guide.  Keep us firm in your gracious and loving arms.  Be with those who have found that the cisterns they have dug and now are empty of hope may hear your words of comfort and forgiveness.  Redeem them by your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

    

1-30-2024

Good Morning All,       

          1 John 3:1a; “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”

     How often do we tell someone in our family that we love them?  For most people it is probably daily.  For some it is probably multiple times a day.  Maybe it is as the kids head out the door to school or when you or your spouse head off to work.  Hopefully, you hear it at least as often as you say it.  You may be one of those who say it without uttering a word.  For some it is easier to show it than to say it.  For some it is so common that they don’t often think about it; it becomes just something to say.

    It becomes so easy for us to make something like “I love you” just something we say.  Maybe we say it to get something we want from the other person or maybe we don’t know what else to say so we simply blurt it out.  Maybe we regret saying it or maybe later on we regret not saying it.  Maybe we want to say it but just can’t make our self say it.  Maybe our response to “I love you” is “ditto.”  We feel it, we desire it, but to express it is kind of hard at times.

    This is the great thing about God; he never has any difficulty expressing his love for us.  When Luther ends his discussion of the Apostle’s Creed in the Large Catechism; he does it like this.  “For in all three articles God himself revealed and opened to us the most profound depths of his fatherly heart and his pure, unutterable love.  For this very purpose he created us, so that he might redeem us and make us holy, and moreover, having granted and bestowed upon us everything in heaven and on earth, he has also given us his Son and his Holy Spirit, through whom he brings us to himself.  For as explained above, we could never come to recognize the Father’s favor and grace were it not for the Lord Christ, who is the mirror of the Father’s heart…But neither could we have anything of Christ, had it not been revealed by the Holy Spirit.”

   If you have ever experienced a time when you felt unloved, know that you were/are/and will be always loved by God.  If you have ever felt abandoned and completely alone, God was there with you at all times, holding you in his loving fatherly arms.  He holds you with an unutterable love.  No matter how daunting or painful the challenge we face; God’s love, real love, is holding us tightly to his chest where we can feel the warmth of his love and we can hear the pulse, the beat, of his love for us.  This love is never expressed in any form other than true and pure love.  God, whose love for you is genuine and sincere every day, holds you close, cradling you in his loving arms.  There is no greater love than God’s love for you and there is no challenge that will ever take you from his love.     

Most loving Father, there are many today who feel only pain and sorrow.  Comfort them Father with your gentle Spirt.  Help them to know your peace.  Help them to know the hope that is in Christ Jesus.  Use us to give them the comfort that they need.  Lead us to share your love.  All this we ask in the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-29-2024

Good Morning All,       

          Ephesians 2:14; “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.”

       In 1965, Simon and Garfunkel released a song entitled, “I am a Rock.”  Unlike the Chevy pickup commercials, this was not an enjoyable experience.  It spoke of pain and loneliness.  The second verse goes like this:    I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. I am a rock; I am an island.

    Maybe this is you.  Maybe you have built walls.  You may have built them in an effort to stop being hurt, to stop feeling the pain.  Maybe you opened your heart and your soul to someone, and they crushed you.  Perhaps they rejected you, were disloyal to you, betrayed you or caused you pain in another fashion.  Pain can be one of the greatest driving forces in human existence.  We seek to avoid it at all costs even to the point of building walls around us.

    That is often how we deal with this kind of emotional pain; we build walls.  We build them between our spouses, family, friends, rivals, or anyone else who can hurt us.  We build these walls in a false hope that we can protect ourselves from pain.

    The problem with this thought is that the only thing we usually accomplish by building walls is to hold in the pain rather than keep it out.  By keeping the pain in, we self-inflict even more pain and suffering.  The stronger the walls; the more effective they are in holding in all the pain and suffering.  The more we suffer, the more we build walls; walls that separate us from those whom we love and who love us.  This is what sin does to us; it convinces us to build walls.  Sin convinces us that being all alone is better than having a loving relationship with those around us.

    Yet we know that Jesus came to bring about healing.  He came to heal all of our brokenness.  He came to break down the walls.  The first and greatest wall that he destroyed was the one that separated us from God’s love.  He destroyed this wall and brought us back into his loving kingdom.  He gives us the power to destroy the walls that we have between us and those around us.  His forgiveness makes us his children.  What others say or do; how others react towards us does not define us.  The events of our lives do not define us, God’s grace defines who we are; we are his children, loved by him and cherished by him.  This is what we can cling to.  We don’t need the walls; God grace will protect us.

Father, at times we struggle with the pain of broken and harmed relationships.  This world only gives us pain but in you we have comfort, in you we find hope.  Help us to break the walls and to heal the fellowship that we have with our brothers and sisters.  Be with those who are suffering at this time.  Send them your healing Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

1-28-2024

Good Morning All,       

              Psalm 42:8; “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

     “Here’s a story of a man named Brady…”  “Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…”   “Love is all around no need to fake it…” “Baby, if you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me…”  Does that ever happen to you?  I can be sitting at my desk working on a lesson or a sermon and all of a sudden, a tune or a song will pop into my head.  It might be just about any song.  Amazingly, they can actually and accurately match my mood at the time.  If I am especially chipper, one of the TV themes will pop in.  If I am more melancholy, it might be more of a plaintive ballad.  When I watch the news and see the violence and destruction, I hear more of the 60’s war protest songs.  It is fascinating because sometimes I end up stopping what I am trying to do because I am distracted from what I am doing by the song.

    Music has that kind of power or effect on us.  This is why music is important in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.  Much of what we use from the Old Testament is actually music.  The Psalms were the ancient hymn book.  We have the Song of Moses.  We have the laments and the songs of great joy.     In the New Testament we have the Song of Simeon, Mary’s “Magnificat” and the songs of the angels.  Music plays a huge part in Scriptures.

    There is a very good reason for this and that is because music has the capacity to reach more of our emotional reactions than simple speaking.  The sounds and the resonance tend to make our joys more joyful and our cries of lament and sadness even deeper.  Music also stays with us longer.  That is why most of us can remember things better if we put it to music.  It is the rhythm and the tonal expressions that make it easier to remember.  Music can also be very soothing to us.  It can excite us or soothe us all depending upon the volume, pitch, timbre, and all the other elements tied together.

    This is part of the reason why the psalmist notes that “at night his song is with me.”  It is to evoke within us the resonance of memories deep within us.  Think of the soothing lullaby that gently calms you and gives you rest.  That is how God’s Word works for us.  It soothes us, it calms us; it is the only true source of hope that we have.  So, we want to always be able to recall it and to remember it.

    So, take some of your favorite verses and try to place them to a tune that you know.  Or try to find a couple of hymns that will do the same thing.  Find something that God will use to remind you of his tremendous love and grace.  When you find them, you might be surprised how often they pop into your head at just the right time.  God desire is for you.  His love for you knows no limits.

Father, your words of grace are indeed music to our ears.  You sing the joy of our salvation.  Help us to sing your praises.  Be with those who are in need of your soothing sounds.  Bring them the peace that only you can.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-27-2024

Good Morning All,       

             Matthew 18:3; “and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

     “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, the hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see.”  

This was a line by Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed greatest.  “I am the greatest.”  This was his claim.  It has always been a debate as to whether he was this big of an ego or that great of a showman.  His fights were always sellouts with about half the people hoping he would win and about half hoping he would get knocked out in the first round.  He promoted himself as “the Greatest;” to many he was but he was controversial. 

    Our verse is part of this type of dialogue.  The disciples ask Jesus a question.  “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  They were hoping to be told that they were or at least be told how to achieve that greatness.  They were hoping to be the rulers of the new Israel having positions of power.  After all, this is greatness, isn’t it? 

    Not in the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus uses a child as the example of greatness.  Not because children have some innate wisdom or knowledge.  It is not because they have an innocent faith or are inclined toward having faith.  Actually, the reason Jesus chose a child is because a child is completely dependent upon their parents.  Imagine a very young child, perhaps even a newborn child; this child is totally dependent upon his parents to feed, clothe, protect and care for.  This is how Jesus defines greatness in the kingdom of heaven.  The greatest is the one who is in the most need of God’s grace.  The greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who knows that they are completely and totally dependent upon God for their needs to be met. 

    It is somewhat ironic in that many people seek or desire to be around someone that they think is great.  In the kingdom of heaven, greatness is measured in terms of need.  Greatness is measured as those who know that their only hope is to cling to the cross of Christ.  Those who know that to let go of the cross, to stop trusting in God’s grace for us because of Jesus, is complete folly and failure.  To be great is to know that you have nothing; to know that you are completely dependent upon God for everything.  To know that all we can hope for comes from God’s mercy.

   Whatever healing we need, whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual, or relational, comes from God.  Greatness is to hold onto the cross knowing that this alone is how we overcome the sadness and despair of this world.  Our only comfort is God’s mercy.  So, kneel at the cross and humble yourself, know you need God to survive and to live, and cling to God’s mercy.

Father, in you we find all of our hope.  In you we have complete salvation.  Lead us to be humble, to know that all we have is from you.  Guide us by your Spirit to cling only to you and not to our deeds or skills.  In you alone we have hope.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

1-26-2024

Good Morning All,       

         Isaiah 46:4; “even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you.  I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

“When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings, bottle of wine?
If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door?
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four?”

This was a song by the Beatles in the mid-1960’s.  The lead singer is Paul McCartney who is now 81. 

    This song speaks to the fear that many of us have as we age.  Will we still matter?  Will we have any relevance to anyone anymore?  It really hits us as we see such an emphasis on youth and “new” ideas.  As I took my classes through the seminary, I was older than about half of my instructors.  When I was on the campus, I just felt old; most of the residential students didn’t look old enough to shave and they all have bachelor’s degrees.  I really began to understand the thoughts expressed by some of our shut-ins who question their value and if anybody out there cares.

    As we age, we wonder if our spouses still love us, if our family only tolerates us, if society just humors us.  We can tend to feel like no one cares or worries about us.  We can feel like we are just fading away, becoming unseen and unheard.   This is what the devil and the world want us to believe; the devil wants you to feel irrelevant.

   Yet here in our verse we see where God addresses this fear.  God tells us clearly and plainly that we never become irrelevant.  We never cease to be of value and importance to him.  Regardless of hair color, quality, or quantity; we are God’s redeemed and beloved children.  God still feeds us; he continues to nourish our faith and to strengthen us.  God will never abandon you.  You will never be invisible or unimportant to God.  You will always matter.  As long as you have breath in this life, God will be there for you.  Then when that last breath is taken, God is still there with an even greater event; eternal life with him in joy forever. 

Gracious Father, your love for us never fades or dies.  We rely on you for all of our wants and needs and you satisfy our longings.  Keep us strong in the certainty of your grace and peace.  Be with those who feel lost and abandoned.  Send them your Spirit of comfort and consolation.  Bring them to know your wonderful love and to rest securely in your loving arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-25-2024

Good Morning All,       

           Psalm 121: 1-2; “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

      I was watching a movie the other day and it was about a group of people who were traveling through a jungle.  Along the way, they were attacked by natives.  They would run a little and then hide.  They would run a little more and then hide a little more.  They went this way and that way, and they kept saying over and over how they were lost.  About halfway through the movie, they decided that one of them would try and go look for help.  They drew straws and the short straw guy took off for help.  The rest of the movie was waiting for him to get help before the natives found them and killed them.  I could never figure out how that guy knew which to go for help.  He didn’t have a compass or a map.  He just took off and found help.  I guess that is why he was the star of the movie.

    So how do you know where to look for help?  In my western movies, the cavalry always comes over the hill at just the last second.  Of course, everything works out in the movies but what about real life?  Where do you look for help?  There are many times when we are like the guy who just took off and went looking for help.  In the movie it worked, in the real world, not so much.  If we were to take off like that, we would soon be very lost or worse, caught by our enemies. 

    Yet some look for help from the strangest places.  It is interesting how many people will believe anything that appears on the internet.  If you go to a bookstore, or maybe Amazon.com, you can find thousands of self-help books.  Unfortunately, they don’t work so well; maybe that is why there are thousands of them.  Where do you look for help?  Some try to use drugs or alcohol to “bring enlightenment.”  Yet this always leads to pain and sorrow.  It is never a good place to look for help’ so where do we look?

    The psalmist tells us to look to God, the One who made heaven and earth.  That is to be your standard.  Is the help that I am seeking coming from the maker of heaven and earth?  If the answer is “yes;” then go forward.  If the answer is “no;” then you might want to think again.  It is only the true God who can ever provide any hope or help. It is only through Him that we have salvation; anything else is a false hope, a false direction and will lead to your destruction.  So, look to God for your help; look to God for your salvation.

Father of all goodness, we look to you as our only hope and you give us comfort and hope.  In you alone we find peace.  Guard and protect us from all harm and danger.  Find those who are searching on their own and finding nothing.  Bring them safely back into your loving kingdom.  Lead them to the quiet still waters of your mercy.  Give to them the consolation which they seek.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

1-24-2024

Good Morning All,

       2 Corinthians 7:6; “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus.”

        It is always interesting to listen to people who have just been through a struggle in their life.  It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a health scare, family struggles, or even death.  Most of them are very thankful to me for “being there.”  “I don’t think I could have made it without you.”  “You were such a great help.”  “Your words were comforting.”  These are phrases that can go right to a preacher’s head.  Except that deep down, they are really terrifying.  Because if you think that these people really need you, you begin to weigh down a lot.  This is where our verse comes in and helps.

    It is important to remember that it is God who gives the comfort.  In our verse, Paul mentions that God’s comfort takes the form of Titus.  Yet it could have been Silas, or Timothy, or Luke or anyone else because God would have seen to the comforting of Paul.  The same is true today.  God may use me to deliver his comfort, but he could and would use anyone to bring the comfort and the consolation to his people.  God speaks so that you may be comforted.  Who God uses as the physical hands, arms and mouth is up to him.  This has a couple of implications for us.

    When we are Paul, when we need to be comforted or encouraged; God will send someone.  It might be your pastor or a family member or a neighbor or a good friend; but God will send them.  So be prepared to receive those saints into your life.  Hear God through them.  Be comforted by their presence, their words, and their prayers.  Listen as you can hear God’s Words of comfort.  This is how god works in our lives.  He uses the church (all believers) to bring us comfort and hope.  This is part of “bear one another’s burdens.”

    Yet sometimes, you are Titus.  You are the one who brings comfort.  It can take many forms.  It might be a short visit.  It might be to take them to the doctor.  It might be to watch the children as they do something else.  It might be a meal shared.  It takes many forms because each of us has a different skill, talent, and comfort level.  You may not feel comfortable speaking, but you can listen.  You really only have to be there for them.  Most of the time, people just need someone to listen to them and to be there with them.  They need someone to pray for them and to pray with them.  When God calls you to do this, be like Titus knowing that God will go with you and aid you in your task.

Father of all comfort, we come before you praying for all those who are downcast.  Lift their spirits up so that they may see your wondrous love at work in their lives.  Too often we look down at the pain instead of up to you in glory.  Keep us safe from all harm.  Move us to serve as Titus when our brothers and sisters need us.  Lead us to receive like Paul when our hearts are heavy.  Lead us to bear one another’s burdens.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-23-2024

Good Morning All,

           Numbers 11:31; “Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.”

      I was talking to a friend the other day.  He is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.  He would do anything to help you out.  Yet he is one of those guys who never seem to catch a break in life.  He farms, but not the best land around.  It seems he gets hailed on a lot of the time.  His equipment isn’t the newest around.  His wife isn’t the healthiest person, so she visits the doctor quite often.  He works hard but doesn’t seem to get ahead.  Yet despite all this, he is content.  He will tell you of the beauty of a sunrise or the miracle of the birth of a new calf.  His faith is strong.  He will tell you that God is bigger than any problem he has so he can sleep knowing things are under control.

    So, do you think that God is bigger than any problem that you have?  It is a more difficult thing to think about.  If you and your spouse are struggling to find the love for each other and it feels like your partner has thrown in the towel, is God bigger than that?  If your health or the health of a loved one is beginning to wane, is God bigger than that?  As we watch the news and see all the hatred and distrust, is God really bigger than that?

    Our verse is about a time in Israel’s history when many questioned God’s ability and judgment.  They questioned why God brought them out of Egypt just to die in the desert.  They had all witnessed the miraculous rescue from Pharaoh’s army and now they questioned God.  So, God gave them a sign or maybe even a sign and a half.  Within the Hebrew tradition, a “day’s journey” was about 15-20 miles.  So, the camp is surrounded by quail, there for the picking, over an area that is over 700 square miles and over those 700 square miles the quail are three feet deep.  In a few verses after this, we are told that everyone who gathered picked up 10 homers of quail.  A homer is about the size of a fifty-gallon barrel. 

    The people of Israel questioned whether God could feed them, so God fed them in an amazing fashion.  God was far bigger than their problems and he is bigger than any of our problems as well.  We may not see it, feel it, or even fully believe it; but God is bigger than any problem that we have.  So, he gives us the power and the courage to face the battles head on; knowing that God will not let these battles destroy us or his love for us.  God is bigger.  His love for you spans farther than the east is from the west.  God is bigger. His comfort for you, his grace for you is beyond any measure.  God is bigger and he is bigger so that you may have life.  He is bigger so we have hope.  So, we face the challenges knowing that, when all is said and done, God is faithful to us and to his promises.  His grace will never fail.

Father, we give you thanks for the grace you give to us.  You are our rock and our place of refuge.  Be with those who are battling at this time.  Give them hope for a better day and comfort in their struggle now.  Guard and protect them.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

1-22-2024

Good Morning All,

         Colossians 1:22; “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”

    What would happen if you fell down and broke your arm?  For most of us, we would go to the hospital.  We would go for an x-ray and then after they found the break, we would go to the doctor and have him put us in a splint or put a cast on it.  We would take our time and then let it heal until it was strong enough to use again.  You would take the time to heal.

    We would never think about leaving a broken arm or a broken leg unattended to.  We would never think that it doesn’t matter.  We would never leave it broken so every time we bumped it, we would feel the pain all over again.  Every little twist or bump, whether intentional or accidental, would cause us pain and maybe even cause us to remember how we broke our arm or leg.  We would not let it go untreated; we would do what it takes to make it heal.  So why don’t we try to heal our relationships as well?

    Jesus came into this world to bring an end to the wall of separation that existed between man and God.  By offering his body as a sacrifice, he reconciled us back to God.  Because of his sacrifice, we can stand before God whole, holy, and blameless.  We are before him as his dear children.  The brokenness of the sin which separated us from God has been healed.  It is by his grace and mercy that we can come to him in all boldness and approach his throne as children approach their parents.

    Since God has healed our pain and our brokenness; since he has made us whole; He gives us the power to heal the brokenness in our relationships with our brothers and sisters.  Just as he heals us to stand before him in a loving relationship; he empowers us to heal the relationships with those around us.  The brokenness, all the pain that occurs because we fail to heal the break, can be healed.  This is done best by focusing on the forgiveness that is ours through Jesus.  Since we are forgiven, we need to look at all of our relationships through the lens of our forgiveness.  Since we are forgiven and are forgiven so much; we have the power in our hands to forgive those around us, we just need to have the desire in our heart. 

   We have been given the power to change the desire of our heart from selfishness to loving.  We have been given the opportunity to desire the love of God to pour through us.  This is what God desires for us, to live our life in the fellowship of each other.  God desire is for all of us to live in peace together.   By forgiving our sins, he enables us to forgive our brother.

Father of all goodness, your mercies are new to us each day.  They roll over us like a river.  Through your gift of redemption, you have brought us back to be your children.  Enable, empower, and encourage us to rebuild the relationships with our brothers and sisters.  Be with those who are struggling at this time.  Be with those who are broken and distraught.  Heal them with your Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,         

Pastor Bret

1-21-2024

 Good Morning All,

    Romans 7:18; “For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.”

        After every visit to my doctor, I try to exercise and lose weight.  I know what I have to do: watch what I eat, cut down on sugars and fats, exercise more and drink more water.  Yet I really like “Special K Bars.”  Now I know that one bar is at least 2 hours on the treadmill, but I follow all the classic denials.  I can try to justify the action; for example, I can eat them on the weekend as a reward for not eating them during the week.  I can try to offset the action; for example, I will spend more time on the tread mill for each one.  The final one is to hide the fact that I eat them and then deny, deny, deny that I ever ate them.  I know what is right, but it is hard to do what I should.

    The technical name for this is called “cognitive dissonance.”  It is when we hold two contradictory thoughts at the same time.  As a Christian I know I should forgive you but the sinful nature in me wants to punch you.  So, I struggle.  I have a friction in my heart and in my mind.  I know what God’s desire and what God’s law says.  I know I should keep it because of God’s great love for me and why would we hurt someone who loves us?  Yet I desire revenge, I lust, I am greedy, I gossip, I judge the actions of others harshly, I really don’t want to give someone else what I worked hard for.  Both are at work, the devil on the left shoulder and the angel on the right.

    Theologians call this existence “simul justus et peccator.”  We are, at the exact same time, justified saints and we are sinners.  The sinful nature still rears its ugly head in our life.  Sometimes, we can fend it off and sometimes we can’t.  We will always fight it.  We will battle it until we die or until Christ returns.  The struggle will always be there.

    The unbeliever doesn’t have this trouble.  The unbeliever doesn’t think about what their faith says to them.  The unbeliever only worries about self-preservation and his own self-interest.  It is only the believer who struggles because we know what is right, we even desire to do what is right but there are times when we fail.  So, we struggle, we battle, and we win some and lose some but through it all we are forgiven by God because of Jesus.

    We all have this battle; you are not alone in your battle.  Yet while this struggle occurs in all believers; Christ continues to forgive us and to renew us.  His Spirit continues to remind us of what is right, what is proper and what is according to God’s will.  His desire is that we do his will because that is how the world was designed to run smoothly and peacefully.  Through it all God is with us.  His love and forgiveness will always be with us to give us power to withstand and to pick us up when we fail.

Father of all mercy, your Spirit guides me and shows me what is right, yet I often fail.  Give me the strength to withstand the temptations of this world.  Lead me to overcome this world’s deceits.  Lead me to know your truth.  In the precious name of Jesus, I pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

1-20-2024

Good Morning All,

        Exodus 20:16; “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

         The South Dakota District of the LC-MS sponsors a television program called “Main Street Living.”  In order to help keep the costs down, the pastors of the district volunteer to preach.  It works out to about once a year.  It is an interesting process.  The recording crew will adjust the lighting and then the shutter opening on the cameras.  They do all this so that the preacher will look as good as possible.  They eliminate shadows or dark spots; they try to eliminate too much light that makes you look pale and washed out.  If, as you are preaching, you misspeak or make a mistake; they just edit it out and the broadcast can go on flawlessly.  If only we could do that in real life.

    When Martin Luther wrote his explanation to this commandment, he added the phrase “put the best construction on everything.”  In other words, try to see the best in another person.  This becomes essential when we are looking at forgiving others.  When we try to see the best in others, forgiveness comes easier than when we look for the worst in a person.  When we look for the best, we are looking through the eyes of love.  When we look for the worst, we are looking through the eyes of selfishness.

    One example that can happen easily would be if you called your favorite pastor at 10:30 in the morning and got him out of bed.  What would you think?  Would you think that he must have stayed up late with a member who was in a crisis, or would you think “that lazy bum?”  How we view things, how we think events occur serve a huge part of our reaction and response.  So, if your spouse promised to do something for you and he forgot, how do you respond?  Do we think, “my spouse is so busy that it slipped their mind” or is it more like, “they would forget their head if it wasn’t attached?”  Because, if we go the negative route, we make it more difficult for us to forgive because we see it as a deliberate, or at least a careless, attack on us.  When we put the best view on it, it becomes easier to forgive because we look at it with love.  This is true of spouses, children, siblings, parents or whoever you deal with. 

    God encourages us to see the best in everyone.  He empowers us to do this by forgiving us. 

His love covers our sins and reminds us to forgive others.  By seeing things in the best light possible, forgiveness can be made a little easier.  God gives us ways to work through the struggles of life.  We need to use them in order to live a life that is both pleasing to him and beneficial to us.

Father of all goodness and righteousness, we look to you for our salvation and our hope.  Guide us by your hand to see others in their best light.  Let us listen to them with an open heart.  Help us to love as you love.  Protect us from the pain that the world would have us live in. Help us to forgive as you forgive and to live in peace with our brothers.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-19-2024

Good Morning All,

          Hebrews 11:17; “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son.”

      “By faith” that is the theme of this great chapter in Hebrews; some call it the “Hall of Faith.”  It lists many of the “greats” who we all look to as inspiration in the Bible.  We look to these people as the greats, the stalwarts of faith.  Yet if we look at them truly closely, we see that they are really human, just like us.

     Abraham led a life that was filled with questioning doubts at times.  Even though he had God’s promises, Abraham often struggled with God’s truth.  Along the way there were many times when Abraham doubted God’s assurances.  He hid his wife Sarah twice by calling her his sister rather than his wife.  He thought he was getting too old to have a child with his wife Sarah, so they “borrowed” Sarah’s slave girl and used her to produce a child.  Abraham would hear God’s promises but would sometimes wonder.

    We do that much of the time; don’t we?  We have heard God’s promises to us, yet we wonder sometimes how it can ever work out.  We may wonder what God can possibly have in store for us when our spouse turns cold, or our children turn angry and belligerent.  We wonder what good comes from our health going bad or our memory failing.  We wonder sometimes what it all means.  Sometimes it means that God is showing us faith.

      Sometimes we claim faith, but do we have true faith?  We have the security of our job, the security of our wealth, the security of our family so we are safe and secure.  Yet what happens if these are slowly stripped away?  What do we truly rely on then?  We may find that we place too much of our trust in the wrong things and sometimes, God strips those away so we can find our true faith.  Sometimes, he removes the crutches that we rely on to show us that our true hope is not found in them.  Sometimes he slowly removes them to show us the truth.  Sometimes, this process can be incredibly painful.  It might be physical pain or emotional or spiritual, but it is pain.

    So, God peels away the false hopes and reveals to us the only true hope that we have and that is God’s own grace.  That is what Abraham was left with when he held the knife over Isaac.  God had promised to use Abraham’s son to build a great nation and yet God wanted him to sacrifice him.  We can only imagine what went through Abraham’s mind at that time, but we know that whatever it was; it settled on faith and trusting God.  There are times in our life just like that and we too can only trust in God’s faithful promise to be with us, to guard us and to defend us through it all.

Gracious Lord, all we have is you.  You are our only hope; our only stay.  Strengthen us that we might not be moved from this certainty.  Be with those who are struggling with the challenges of life and lead them to focus their eyes and their hope only on you.  In your precious name, O Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

1-18-2024

Good Morning All,

          John 13:27; “Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”

      In 1973, the movie “The Exorcist” was released. It was a horror film about the demonic possession of a young girl. There were all sorts of events. The young girl floated over her bed, she spoke in different tongues or languages. When the priest came into her room, she projectile vomited all over him. The bed shook, the house shook, people dying everywhere. That is what most of us think of when we hear the phrase “Satan entered into him.” Yet that is probably not anywhere near the norm. We would really take notice if any of these events, or anything close to these events, were to occur. I am pretty sure I would remember seeing someone levitating over their bed.

    Many think that Judas must have looked different when this happened. Surely, he had the demonic sneer that we see in the movies to let us know that evil is afoot. Yet, apparently, that is not so. The disciples just assumed that he had a task to fulfill, and he was doing it. Remember, Jesus would send his disciples off on tasks at other times, why would they think any different now. No, Judas did not look any different, but his heart was now led by the devil.

     Why did Judas betray Jesus? From a spiritual and biblical view, it was part of the plan of salvation. Remember Jesus said “the Son of Man must be handed over to the chief priests…” But on a human level, why? Was it greed? Perhaps, but Judas later threw the money back. Did he have some other plan? Perhaps, he thought he could cause a riot among the people to free Jesus, rid the Romans, and restore the nation of Israel. Or, perhaps, some other sinful desire led to the betrayal.

    That is what it really means, when “Satan enters the heart” it is about following your sinful desires. When you misuse God’s Name, Satan has entered your heart. When you despise or neglect God’s Word, Satan has entered your heart. When you despise your parents, wish some harm would come to another person, lie about them, covet their belongings, Satan has entered your heart. When a couple decides to live together rather than marry, Satan has entered their heart. Satan entering your heart is about you sinning and your sins are as great as Judas’ sins.

    But God beheld our wretched state and sent His Son to be the substitute for our debt. Jesus bore the weight of every sin on his back so that we would not have to bear them, for we cannot. In Jesus, there is forgiveness, so repent, tell Satan to “go away” and cling to the Savior as he shields us and keeps us safe in his loving arms. Beware, Satan seeks those whom he may devour; trust Jesus to keep you safe.

Gracious Father, far too often we fall into Satan’s trap. Forgive us and cleanse us. Keep us safe in your loving arms, strengthen our faith that we may always seek our shelter in You. Be with those who are especially under attack from the devil. Shield them with your might. In the precious Name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-17-2024

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 23:6; “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

      It is interesting to watch how a true shepherd works with his flock.  The shepherd is up in front of the flock.  He is looking for good grass and fresh still water for the sheep to eat and drink.  He keeps an eye out for predators.  He calls the flock to follow him.  He calls each sheep by name, and they respond to him.  They follow him to the fresh water and grass.  They follow him to the safe place to rest; usually.  There are always a few stragglers.  So how does the shepherd lead the flock and keep the stragglers and the wanderers from getting lost?  He uses sheep dogs.

     These are very highly trained animals, and they serve a very important purpose.  They keep the sheep in the flock.  They keep them moving along.  They keep them from losing sight of the flock and being lost.  The sheep dogs literally hound the sheep to keep them in the sight of the shepherd so that they are always safe and can hear the voice of the shepherd and be in the fresh grass and water and rest in the safe place.

    We often read this verse as some sort of a lazy day stroll.  “Goodness and mercy shall follow me” sounds like a carefree meandering.  Yet when we look at the original language, “follow” actually means to chase or pursue, almost to the point of hunting.  So rather than see this as a leisurely strolling, we should read this more like goodness and mercy are chasing us or hounding us.  We can see that goodness and mercy are Jesus’ sheep dogs.  They keep us up to the flock. They don’t let us get lost or distracted and if we do, they bring us back.  They chase us back to the flock and under the care of the shepherd.

   God uses his goodness, his grace, and his mercy to remind us of his great love for us.  He uses his love to remind us that he cares for us.  He calls us by our name, our own name, in gentleness to live in the safety of his precious, blood bought flock.  Even as we stray, he continues to call us, and he moves us forward with his goodness and mercy to bring us home.  He restores us with his blessed bread and wine.  He uses his Word to comfort us and to give us hope.  It is in this hope, this certainty of our salvation, that he brings us peace, the safe resting place under his watchful eye and protective arm.  We are his flock, brought in by the loving grace that he bestows upon us through our baptism. 

    So, as you graze in the glorious pasture of God’s immeasurable peace.  Rely on his wonderful love to sustain you.  Remember that his sheep dogs, goodness, and mercy, will always be there to return you to the flock to remind you of his great loving kindness for you.  Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Gracious Father, you keep me in your flock by your grace and mercy.  Hold us close to you.  Keep us safe in your loving arms.  Be with those who have strayed and bring them safely home.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

1-16-2024

Good Morning All,

                 Luke 18:1; “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”

      Are you a household that has two types of dishes?  Do you have the “every day” bowls, plates and silverware and then have the “good dishes”?  Perhaps it is even China with real silverware.  It might be handed down from your mother or grandmother.  It might be special to you.  It may have even caused some discomfort in the family as someone got it and someone else did not.  Do you use it sparingly?  Perhaps for Christmas, a special anniversary or birthday, it may be a special guest who you want to impress.        

    In our verse, Jesus uses a story to try and teach his disciples.  The basic idea of the story is to pray and not faint away.  So, what does that mean to us?  What is Jesus telling us?   The message here is pretty clear.  First and foremost, prayer is not a luxury in the life of a Christian.  It is not the fine China in the house that we take out and use when we want to impress someone.  Prayer is the everyday stuff.  Prayer is the day in and day out dishes that we use.  We need to see that prayer is not a meaningless function or something that we try to fit into our busy schedule.  Prayer is, and should be, far more than that.  When Jesus says, “ought always to pray” He means we ought to be in prayer at all times.

    Yet he does not want us to avoid our everyday activities either.  What he is talking about is that our soul has an intimate contact with God.  We keep his Word in our heart and on our mind.  Our first thought is to look to his grace to defend us and to comfort us.  In this mode, we never lose conscious fellowship and communion with God.  When we stay in this communal state or desire is to trust God.  Our desire is to rely on him from the start and not from the middle.

   This type of prayer is the type of prayer in which it is completely and intricately connected to God’s Word.  The two combined and never can really be separated.  It is by keeping this combination first and foremost in our mind that we keep focused on God’s grace.  We remember our inability to accomplish on our own and can thus rely fully on God.  By fully relying on God, we will not faint away at those times of intense emotions or reactions to events. 

    The thing to remember is that there will be times when we fail.  Fear will creep in and control us for a while.  Yet God does not give up on us so we should not give up on God.  Continue to strive for the prayer life that God has designed for us.  It is designed to give us hope.  When we cling to it, we have the comfort and the peace that we desire.

Father of all mercy, in you we have our hope secured.  Keep us mindful and focused on this truth.  Keep us in prayerful communication with you so that we may not faint away.  Keep us courageous at all times that we may stand strong in this life.  Be with those who are struggling and in need of your grace.  Strengthen them by your tender mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,                                     

Pastor Bret