5-31-2024

Good Morning All,

          2 Timothy 1:5; “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

   Who did you hear it from?  Who was the first person you remember who taught you about Jesus?  Most would probably say a grandmother or grandfather or mom or dad or a favorite Sunday School teacher or maybe even an aunt or an uncle; most learned at an early age.  For some it was much later, your spouse or a friend or co-worker might fit the bill, but we all have one thing in common; someone told us about Jesus.  It is one thing that makes faith so precious and valuable; your faith has been handed down from one generation to the next.  If you could do it; you could trace your faith back to the original 12 apostles and then to Jesus because that is how we get it.

    “Faith comes by hearing,” Paul tells us and if we hear someone talk and it is usually a family member or very close friend the first time.  This is the way it works; this is the way God designed it.  From the earliest times, God designed that faith would be handed down from one to another.  After the Exodus, God told the people of Israel to be ready when your children ask about the ceremony of the Passover and to tell the children what God did for them and how he saved them.  Early on the directive was to teach the children and teach them at an early age.  At Mount Sinai God directed them to “impress them upon your children’s heart;” that means to pass the faith onto the next generation.  Give it to them like the precious gift that it is.

    Our verse refers to Timothy as Paul was writing to him for the last time.  Paul commented on Timothy’s faith and how that faith had dwelled and been passed down to him from his mother and grandmother.  The one who Paul viewed as his adopted son in Christ came to faith because of his mother and grandmother; just the same as many of us.

     This is how God designed the passing of faith; by the quiet and gentle teaching of one to another.  There is no earth-shattering event just a simple growing in the faith.  We all know that our children watch us like hawks. They observe our choices and decisions and compare them to what we say we believe. Children do as we do, not as we say. When we choose according to life, following God’s precepts, we demonstrate authentic faith to our family. We prove our love for God, our ability to hear His voice, and our desire to cling to Him by choosing to follow His direction. One way that our family chose to do this was by praying for our neighbors. Often, we would go door to door with our small group and ask our neighbors if we could pray with them. This action proved our belief system more to our children than a thousand Sunday school lessons. It was faith in action, in practice; faith made real. 

    So, live a faithful life; let your children see your faith in practice; prayer, Bible reading, worshipping together all make great and proper impressions.

Father, thank you for those loved ones in my life who passed the faith to me.  Give me the wisdom to pass my faith onto the next ones.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

 

5-30-2024

Good Morning All,

               Isaiah 53:7; “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”

      I remember watching an old gangster movie.  There was a turf war between three rival gang families.  During the middle of this gang war, one of the members of one of the families turned over and became a member of a different family gang.  The first family met and decided that they could not allow this to happen, so they decided to have the man killed.  If they let one man defect, then who knows how many more would try.  They could not allow this, so they decided to make an example of the defector.  “It was nothing personal” the head of the gang even kind of liked him but, “this was business.”

    “Nothing personal, just business;” how often have we heard or used that phrase in our conversations?  It is designed to put distance between the people involved.  If we can distance ourselves from the consequences of our actions, it makes it easier to continue on in a guilt free manner.  After all, what we do for the sake of business is just that; it is business, it is never personal even if that business is murdering a former friend.  We may not go to that extreme, but we may not think twice about sabotaging a co-worker’s reputation or undermining a neighbor’s chance at expanding his business.

     We like to have things as business and not personal but when it comes to the death of Jesus, it is extremely personal.  He was betrayed with a kiss on the cheek, up close and personal.  He was abandoned by his closest and best friends at the time of his greatest need.  He was beaten with fists and rods and with a whip; his attackers were close enough that his blood splattered on them in an up close and personal manner.  The nails were driven in his hands by someone else’s hands.  It was all personal; driven by anger, jealousy, and hatred.

    It was personal; Jesus’ death was very personal.  It occurred because Jesus personally loves you.  He loves you enough to have taken up the odious task of dying for you.  He loves you enough to have taken the greatest step anyone can take; he died for you.  He died for the sins which you committed that have taken you away from God’s perfect garden.  By his death, he has restored you to the rightful place in his kingdom.  By his death, he personally saved you.  It wasn’t business or an obligation; it was a greater love than we can ever fathom.

Gracious Father, your mercies are new to us every day.  Because of your great love for me, because you personally chose me to be your child, you sent Jesus to die for me and to bring me salvation.  In your grace, you give me hope.  Keep me strong in my faith that I may ever hold fast to you.  Keep me strong in my allegiance to you that I may ever serve you in your kingdom everlasting.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-29-2024

Good Morning All,

          Ecclesiastes 3:1; “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

“Some days are diamonds some days are stones    
Sometimes the hard times won't leave me alone
  Sometimes a cold wind blows a chill in my bones
 Some days are diamonds some days are stones.”

This is the chorus to a song by John Denver entitled “Some Days are Diamonds, and some Days are Stone.”  It was a song that was more of a lament about the breakup of a relationship between a man and a woman and how the singer suffered from it.  Some days were good, but some days weren’t so good.

    For many of us, this doesn’t describe a relationship meltdown; it is our life.  Someone who lives with chronic pain can tell you about this very easily.  Someone who has or deals with someone who has some form of condition like being bipolar or schizophrenic or early forms of dementia can tell you that “he has some good days and some bad days” or “some days are diamonds, and some days are stone.”

    This can also occur when we experience some great upheaval in our life as well.  The sudden death of a spouse or a loved one, the loss of a job, a divorce, even a shattered dream can cause us pain.  Some days we can function quite well but some days we just want to stay home, in bed with the lights off and just cry.  Some days are diamonds, and some days are stone.  There are god days and bad.  There are wonderful times and horrible times.  The birth of a child or grandchild, a marriage, a job promotion, we often see these as wonderful events “diamond days” you could call them.  Yet we have those other days as well, a health report that ends with “there is nothing more we can do” or a knock on the door and a man in a uniform telling you “I am sorry to tell you that there has been an accident, and no one survived…”  or “I’m sorry, I don’t love you anymore.”  These days are definitely “stone days.”

    What we need to remember is that God told us this would happen.  That is what the first part of the third chapter of Ecclesiastes is about.  There is a time for everything under the sun.  There will be times that are very painful for us.  There will be times of brokenness in our lives; so, he encourages us to be ready for them; but how?

   We need to know who is in control and that no matter what; our salvation is secure, and God’s comfort is always there for us.  We need to know that while God may allow the pain to run deep; it will never run wide.  Our pain will never darken God’s love for us.  Our struggles will never cause God to turn his back on us.  We can focus on God’s love to help ease the pain.  God places a wall on our suffering; we can give thanks that it exists.

Gracious Father, at times I am at my wit’s end.  At times I am broken and downcast.  On the days of stone let me know your love, let me know your mercy and on my days of diamond remind me to sing your loud praises with joy in my heart.  For you are our God and we are your people.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

5-28-2024

Good Morning All,

          Ruth 4:15; “He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

     The story told in the Book of Ruth is a very unique story.  It starts with a man, his wife and their two sons moving to a new country.  While they are there, the husband dies.  Yet the two sons each got married so life went on.  But then it gets tragic; both sons die.  So, it is the woman, her name is Naomi, is left in a strange land with her widowed daughters-in-law.  This is not a really good way to be.  Women had very few ways to earn a living.  They were wives and mothers, or they were beggars or prostitutes.  Once in a while they might be heralded as a prophetess or a priestess, but this was very rare.  Most women faced a brutal life outside of a marriage, especially in a foreign land.

     So, Naomi decided to pack up and go home to Bethlehem but even that was not a great option.  She had been gone so long she wasn’t even sure she had any relatives who might consider taking her in.  So, she tried to get her two daughters-in-law to go back to their family as she had nothing to offer them.  One went back but one, named Ruth, went back with her.  Yet as she travelled; she was despondent and sad; what fate faced them when they returned?  Naomi was so sure that nothing good awaited them that she told anyone who asked to call her “Mara” because her life was bitter.  Yet God acted.  A redeemer, a man named Boaz took her back and then he married Ruth.  This provided for Naomi, and she no longer had a life of pain and struggle ahead of her.  She had, as our verse says, “a restorer of life and a nourisher in your old age.”

    Have you ever experienced a time in your life that seemed beyond hope?  Maybe you feel that way right now.  It may seem like there is nothing left for you; it may seem that all things of value are gone.  The people you loved, the job you adored, the health that you enjoyed are now all seemingly long gone.  The thing we have to do is to hang on.  We need to hang on to our faith and to trust in God’s mercy.  Even in our darkest hour God has sent us a redeemer to buy us back and to rescue us from our sorrow.

   Jesus came for that reason; to rescue us from all of our sorrow and our despair.  God can be and should be trusted to reach down and to lift you out of the pit of despair and from the deep waters of hopelessness. He knows your pain and knows your sorrow.  He is able to lift your burdens and to carry your heart.  He will restore you; he will nourish you and he will provide for you and all your needs.

Father, you are our only source of hope.  In you do we find our redemption through Jesus.  Lift us from the well of sorrows.  Pull us from the deep waters of despair and lift our hearts and our spirits so that we may know your joy.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

5-27-2024

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 18:30; “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”

    “Thick skinned;” it is something that we tell ourselves we have to be.  “You have to be thick skinned to be a ________.”  You can fill in the blank with a teacher, or a coach or a nurse or a secretary or whatever profession that you wish.  We all know that we face times, times of stress or attacks, when we need a thick skin in order to avoid the pain that can occur when cruel remarks or times of harsh criticism strikes.  You might be the clerk who has to listen to a customer berate you for the store not having the product they want to buy.  You might be the waiter or waitress who has to listen to the customer who is dissatisfied with the quality of the meal.  You might be the employee who receives the blame from your boss over the loss of a sale.  The list goes on and on.  There are many times when we need to be thick skinned.

    Our verse speaks of God who provides a thick skin for us.  The word shield here roughly translates to the scaly hide of a crocodile.  It was one of the better shields at this time.  It was lightweight, easy to carry and maneuver but able to resist the attacks that were launched at it.  This is how we can see God.  He protects us from the attacks of the devil.  He is able to quickly and easily respond to all the different ways that the devil will attack us.  Whether it is through causing doubts, or encouraging fear, or causing intense sorrow; the devil has many ways to attack us.  Yet we only have one defense, we only have the Word of the Lord as our shield as our thick skin.  And we know that the Word of the Lord is living and active.  We know that it will protect those whom he loves, and he loves you.

    So, when the battles of this life occur, we need to seek out our refuge in the only sure defense that we have; we need to hide in God’s eternal love.  We will face problems in this world; God has warned us of that.  We know that they are only temporary and that the devil will not win.  We know that our victory is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus and that victory has been given to us through faith at our Baptism.  It is at our Baptism, where we are marked and claimed by God, where the down payment for God’s promise to us is made, that we begin to get to use the shield forever.  The shield is given to us to protect us from the devil and his pain.  We are given God’s great promise of love and mercy.  We have God as our shield, and nothing can ever harm that.

Father, you are our rock and our fortress.  You alone give us hope.  In you we have a shield to defend us from all that the world throws at us.  You lift us up with your mercy that we might be saved by you.  Grant us peace in this life that we may ever hold fast to you.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-26-2024

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 32:5; “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

      A small group of preteen boys were huddled and engaged in an intense discussion.  One of them had thrown a baseball and broke a window.  Some wanted to just run away; some advised telling the owner and offering to fix the window.  The discussion was pretty intense but had a common theme- fear.  The ones who voted to just run away were afraid of getting in trouble for breaking the window.  The ones who voted to tell the owner were afraid of greater punishment for not telling.  Their logic was that, eventually, they would get caught and be punished more severely for lying and trying to hide the truth. 

    So, when you approach a confession of sins; do you do so from an attitude of fear?  Do you speak the confession of sins because you are afraid that God will find out later and then really punish you?  Many do; many think that confession of sins to God is telling God, “I know you don’t know this, but this is what I have done.”  This is a human view of confession; it is not how God views it.  God views it as a way to relief pain; we should as well.

    The first thing we need to know is that God knows everything.  When you confess your sins to Him, you are not telling him something that he doesn’t already know.  Confession is not about informing God or giving him so new information.  Confession is not about making God fee; better; confession is about relieving our guilt and brightening our soul.

    Confession is about ridding the guilt of our sin and laying it at God’s altar.  You may even think of it as carrying out the garbage.  When you feel that you have some sins that are just too great to confess or that you feel are just unforgiveable, you simply are keeping garbage that you do not need.  This excess garbage is used by the devil to cause you guilt; guilt about sins that God has already forgiven.  So, confession can be seen as you and I going to God and saying, “Dear Father, I am tired of carrying this garbage around.  It stinks and it weighs me down; please take it from me.”  The wondrous love of God means he will take it and throw it away for us.

   So, we do not need to view confession with fear; rather we can approach it as God defines it; as a way to free ourselves from pain and sorrow.  It is a way to relieve our heart of guilt and to give our souls peaceful rest.

Gracious Father, you cleanse me of my sin, and I am whiter than snow.  With your great mercy, I have peace in this life and the hope of life eternal with you.  Keep me safe in your loving arms.  Strengthen me so that I do not fall for the devil’s lies.  Be with those who are struggling against his lies at this time.  Free them from his voice.  Give your Spirit to them so that they may clearly hear your voice.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

5-25-2024

Good Morning All,

               Mark 1:15; “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

       The kingdom of God; what do we mean by that?  Some will tell you that it refers to heaven; it refers to the place where God will perfectly rule.  Some see it as a future place and a future event.  Some read this and think that this phrase refers to Jesus himself.  Hence the reference to being “at hand” as in “I’m standing right here!”  These are a couple of ways to look at it but there is another way to view it.

    The kingdom of God really can be viewed as God, through Jesus, actively restoring all of creation to its perfect state.  Think of it as a wave moving through a pond or a lake.  It begins and moves through the whole pond.  The kingdom of God begins with Jesus entering into the world and going about village to village, person to person, bringing healing to those with whom he has contact with.  We see it in each event of Jesus’ life here on earth.  He brings healing, he brings compassion, he brings about the cares for the physical as well as spiritual needs of the person.  In short, we see God in Christ has come to reestablish his rule over creation, and his desire to restore everything that is broken or twisted or amiss or dying.  All of the different manifestations of creation’s brokenness give rise to the Savior’s compassion.

    This occurs now, not just at some future event.  Jesus comes to give us healing now.  He comes to free you from the past.  He comes to heal your brokenness.  So, whether you are a young person that society has declared unworthy and unfit because of past events and choices; Jesus will pull you from this brokenness and give you hope for a better today.  If you are a not so young person who has a lifetime of struggles and failures; Jesus wants to heal you and for you to change for today.  We are not defined by the past; God defines us with a future and there is no amount of the past that cannot be overcome.

    Never underestimate how much God wants to begin your healing right now.  You are his beloved child.  Just as an earthly father would want his child to be healed today from any illness or affliction so our heavenly Father seeks the same truth.  God, through Jesus, comes to you seeking to bring you healing.  He seeks to help you address all of your needs.  He does this through the use of created things around you to bring you hope.  He has given this task to his church.  This is the task of the church; to bring about healing and hope to the world that is lost and broken, and it does it one person at a time; attempting to heal one wound at a time.  The kingdom of God is at hand; grab hold and let it begin the healing.

Father, your love moves you to give us healing.  Be with those who are suffering at the hands of the world and are left to feel rejected and reviled.  Use us to be your hands and voice to bring about the wonderful message of hope that is your holy Gospel.  Direct us by your Spirit to those in need and help us to draw them to you.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-24-2024

 Good Morning All,

       Galatians 6:2; “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

    “Can I help you?”  That is a question that gets asked in many different settings.  We hear it when we walk into a retail store, and we start to look at a particular piece of merchandise.  We might hear it if we walk into a room or an area of a building where we are not supposed to be.  Usually, the person asking will direct you to the appropriate area.  I hear it a lot when I am in a hospital or in a nursing home and trying to find a specific room number for a patient.  The nurses and the nurses’ aides are really very helpful.  Eventually, I find everyone I am looking for.  “Can I help you?” is also the question which Paul tells us as Christians to ask, especially of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are to make ourselves available and useful to one another.

    As we look at this, the “law of Christ” is that we love one another (John 13:34).  Paul is telling us that when we bear each other’s burdens, when we come to the aid and comfort of a brother or sister in Christ, we are showing that we love one another.  Yet we often struggle with this task.  We find it difficult, “I don’t know what to do!” is the phrase that is most often muttered; sometimes as an excuse but often times as an honest plea for direction because at some point in time, our theology has to be our biography.  We must live the faith we profess.  One way to think of this is in the poem entitled “Sharing” by an author unknown.

 

    There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my bread with you, and sometimes share a sorrow, too—as on our way we go.

    There isn’t much that I can do, but I can sit an hour with you, and I can share a joke with you and sometimes share reverses, too—as on our way we go.

    There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my flowers with you, and I can share my books with you and sometimes share your burdens, too—as on our way we go.

    There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my songs with you, and I can share my mirth with you, and sometimes come and laugh with you—as on our way we go.

    There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my hopes with you, and I can share my fears with you, and sometimes shed a tear with you—as on our way we go.

    There isn’t much that I can do, but I can share my friends with you, and I can share my life with you, and oftentimes share a prayer with you—as on our way we go.

 

Father in heaven, help me to see that sharing burdens with my brothers and sisters brings about healing and hope.  Guide me when I feel weak or afraid to offer a simple glass of water or a simple piece of bread.  Help me to see that the greatest gift I give is my time and my heart.  Lead me to bear my brother and my sister up so that they may know your holy peace.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-23-2024

Good Morning All,

        Ephesians 4:32; “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

     It is the call throughout the Bible; we are to forgive.  We are to forgive one another even as God has forgiven us.  This is our goal; we aim for it, we desire it, we seek it and yet we struggle with it more than almost anything else.  It is the sinful nature in us that we battle every day.  It is that sinful nature that we need to drown every day through repentance and absolution.

    Forgiveness must take place every day.  First, we need to come before God asking for the forgiveness of the sins we commit.  We need to do this in order to see our need for this forgiveness and for the fact that we are freely forgiven by God.  We are then to see that there are others who seek and need our forgiveness, and this includes forgiving ourselves.  This forgiveness needs to occur each time the thought to “un-forgive” in our life.  Every time we recall the hurt and we think that forgiveness may not be what we want give.  We may want to hold onto the anger and the pain.  Yet we need to struggle with this and ask God to continue to turn our heart so that we can forgive and release the pain and sin.

    In order to do this, we may have to leave a toxic or poisonous relationship.  If we find ourselves being dragged back down by the attitudes or actions of others, we may have to walk away, at least until we have healed some.  We may have to avoid those who want to keep us living in the pain and the sorrow.  We need to forgive but we may need to walk away, at least until we can leave the toxic portion behind us.

    We also need to remember that forgiveness can be more of a process than an event.  We may have to revisit it more than once.  We may even find that it occurs in increments.  For us, forgiveness may be a long and slow process, but it is a process that we must choose if we are to be healed and healing is the goal.

    The thing we need to always remember is that forgiveness is about healing.  It is about healing the pain that we either experience or cause.  Forgiveness is not about giving or taking but it is about being healed.  It is about healing the brokenness in the relationships that we have.  Forgiveness from God heals our relationship with God.  Forgiveness heals the rupture inside of us.  Forgiveness heals the rupture in our relationships with others.  Forgiveness brings about the healing that can restore us to the life which God created us to live.  Forgiveness provides the balm for our wounded souls.

Father of mercy, lead us to forgive.  Lead us to follow the path of healing and restoration.  Lead us by your Spirit to seek out the love that you give to us.  Lead us to live in peace.  Lead us to live in the joy of your mercy.  Heal us that we may be yours.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

5-22-2024

Good Morning All,

        Galatians 4:5; “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

     There was a young man who was troubled about his past.  He had been adopted at a very young age and had no recollection about his “real” parents.  He loved his adoptive family but felt there was a hole in his life as part of it was missing.  All he knew was that his mother had given him up at a very young age because she was unable to care for the young man and his brother.  He knew he was loved but always wondered about his past.

    Yet one day while in a weekly Bible Study, they looked at Galatians and about receiving “adoptions as sons.”  Suddenly he saw his life and faith in a new light.  “I was adopted by my parents and given a new family.  In the same way, I have become a member of God’s family and given a new identity, God’s identity.”

    Adoption is a fascinating event.  It is, at one level, very personal and emotional.  Yet it is also very much a legal event.  Adoptions have to be formalized in a courtroom with a judge present.  So, while adoption is a very subjective event with all the warmth and emotional actions; it is also very objective in the way it works.  Adoption is a bridge between the personal and the legal.  It takes a legal action and morphs into a very personal, new relationship between the parent and the child.

    All believers receive the adoption of sons.  We receive this in a very personal way; we receive it at Baptism.  Here we are received, one at a time by name, into God’s family and we receive this adoption because the only natural son, Jesus, gave up his life for us.  As a result, God makes us his sons, by adoption.  We are his beloved children in a very legal sense.  We have the full rights of sonship; we are co-heirs with Jesus in God’s kingdom.  We are co-heirs to eternal life and to the holy kingdom which will last forever.  We are the beloved sons and daughters in God’s family.

    Yet it is also very personal.  God chose you.  God chose you from before the foundations of creation were set.  God chose you to love and to declare a child of his own.  We not only have all the legal rights of a family member; we also have familial rights.  We can come to our Father with our fears and our worries, our cries and our sorrows and God has promised to listen to us as a loving father listens to his dear children.  He has promised to comfort us and to hold us close in his loving arms.  We are safe in his protective care.  We are loved by our Father.

Gracious Father, you claim us as your children through the waters of Baptism.  We are marked as your dear children.  Our names are written in the palms of your hands.  Guard us by your Spirit as we are made part of your holy family.  Give us the certainty of your grace.  Lead us to live full and peaceful lives in your kingdom. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

5-21-2024

Good Morning All,

  Habakkuk 3:18; “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”                                                                                                           

       “Is everybody happy?” was the catchphrase of a depression-era singer named Ted Lewis.  He would ask it and then answer “yessir.”  This banter seemed to resonate with many of the people who listened to his songs or watched his shows.  His band was one of the few that remained together during that era. 

    Is everybody happy?  Given that we are in a far better economic condition than The Great Depression, we should be.  Yet when you listen to people; they don’t like their job, they don’t like the way they look, they don’t like the way their life is turning out.  The amazing thing is that often, if one phase of our life turns better and we should be happy, we simply focus on a different element in our life that we are unhappy with.  So, many spend a lot of time unhappy.

    The word happy comes from the same root word as happening which thus implies that happiness is something that happens to you.  It is an event and can be very circumstantial.  You can be happy when you make your last car payment, or your friends come over for the Super Bowl.  Yet this becomes problematic; how do we respond when the car needs repairs or the friends go home?  Happiness can be fleeting but God gives to us something far better than happiness; God gives us joy.

    While temporary happiness depends on the circumstances, true joy can defy the circumstance.  Happiness is a feeling whereas true joy is an attitude.  True joy, true Godly joy, is that deep seated, deeply held, deeply settled confidence that God is in control of every situation, every event, every occurrence in my life.  True joy comes from the knowledge that a loving, caring Father in heaven is looking out for us and protecting us from the devil’s harm.

    This does not mean that the life of a Christian is an easy lot.  In the Gospels, God promises his children four things in this world.  We will have his peace, his power, his purpose but we will have earthly troubles.  Yet we can find joy in the fact that God’s peace, power, and purpose have defeated the world and its troubles.  It is by living in joy that we show the world and our neighbors what faith in God’s promises brings into our life.  We have the fruits of the Spirit love, JOY, peace, etc.  It is no fluke that joy is listed this high in the list second only to love and serving as a bridge or connector to love and peace.  It is tough to have true peace if we have no joy and everything is impossible without love.

    We need to see that true joy is found, not in having or possessing but rather in being or existing in God’s grace as God’s children.  True joy comes from the knowledge that, despite whatever the world throws at us; we are the victors through Jesus.  This is our joy; God has reconciled us to himself, and we have true hope in him-life eternal.      

Father of all joy; guide me to walk in your joy and peace.  Guide me to live in the certainty of your love.  Grant me the peace to know the true joy that you want me to have.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-20-2024

Good Morning All,

                 Luke 11:3; “Give us each day our daily bread.”

     Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987) is most known for his painting of “pop art” in the 1960s. He is known for paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, dollar bills, and many other iconic images. The Campbell’s Soup Can is one of those iconic images. For a movement of art that appeared to be anything, but art, Warhol and pop art has remained influential.  It caused quite a stir in the art world.  Many questioned how something so mundane, and “pedestrian” could be considered art.

     Yet this picture went on to be very famous.  This unassuming painting of a Campbell’s Soup Can blurs the line of art and the world. Warhol painted many soup cans from Tomato to Onion to a scene of 100 Campbell’s cans.  Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Can is one of the greatest and most famous pieces of art in the history of modern pop art.

     “Lord, teach us to pray,” the disciples ask. It is such a simple request and Jesus offers simplicity in his answer. The prayer he gives to his disciples is unassuming and straightforward. There is no question that this is a prayer indeed. But how did the disciples not know how to pray? Before we hear Jesus’ answer to the disciples, we might listen and hear overtones of other prayers.  We could overhear disciples praying like the Pharisees, we could consider the temple rituals of the Sadducees, or even the total ignorance of the pagan world may come to mind. In contrast to these people and these prayers, Jesus offers a simple act of prayer; we call it The Lord’s Prayer.

    This prayer is near and dear to the Christian community. Yet at times it seems too simple to be a real act of prayer. Praying for daily bread might seem trite to some.  Particularly in a world where our basic needs are typically met. Praying short petitions seems rote and disingenuous in contrast to long prayers and meditations of the heart. This prayer, however, calls us into a world where the simple has beauty, and where the mundane has divine significance. Jesus leaves little to wonder, but much to appreciate when he teaches his disciples about prayer.

    A simple soup can.  It reminds us not just to pray for our own daily food from the gracious hand of our heavenly Father but to recognize the fullness of the kingdom of God. We pray these words because God promises to hear our prayers. But we also live these words.  Our lives become this prayer in action as Jesus calls us into a sacrificial love for neighbor that is simple and unassuming.  Drive around the city.  Watch as this prayer reminds you that giving to the poor and needy is part of the kingdom.  Dismissing the simple things, or even not asking for them in prayer, is like dismissing Warhol’s simple artwork. There is more to the kingdom of God. For this reason, Jesus teaches us to pray, and by praying to seek his kingdom, this simple and unassuming kingdom present in our world.

Gracious God, lead us to always pray for our needs and for the needs of others.  Lead us to see your love in all of our life.  Guide us to see that nothing is too small for your care and love.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-19-2024

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 Christians are familiar with the 10 Commandments and how they speak of how we are to act or interact with each other, with our own body, even with respect to how we view and act toward God.  Many see these as a list of duties to perform and that, somehow, if and when we are able, God will see the way we keep these commands and reward us greatly.  We often hear these folks speak of their struggles and how God “convicts” them of their sin.  Others see the commandments and then amend the statements so that keeping them is easier.  If we re-interpret them so that they are in tune with modern ways, well then, I can keep them better.  Some think the commands are just suggestions or guidelines and not much more.

    Scriptures reveals why we have the 10 Commandments.  God gave us the law so we would know that we were sinners (Romans 3:20).  We can look at the law and clearly see one very stark and bold truth; I have failed to keep them, and I continue to fail to keep them.  There is no way that I can possibly keep them well enough so that God is impressed; I can’t even keep them, so my neighbor is impressed.  I definitely need someone to keep them for me or else I am sunk.

    God could have come into this world to condemn the world, but He didn’t.  He came to free this world from a law that we could never keep.  We are free, not because of anything we have done or attempted to do and certainly not because we’ve changed the law to make it easier.  We are released only because of what God has decided to do for us through the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God speaks a new Word to you.  He speaks forgiveness to you.  He speaks mercy to you.  He tells you that you are free, that He loves you, that He really does forgive what you have done in your life.  He forgives and releases you even if you have trouble releasing and forgiving yourself.

    God chose to love you.  God chose to forgive you.  We can hold onto this great truth.  I cannot keep the law; the 10 Commandments glare with my failures.  Yet the empty cross and the empty tomb show me God’s love has triumphed over my failures.  Because of his love, I cling to him for my salvation and go out and try to live the loving, serving life that God has laid out for me.  My goal is to love others just as I am loved by God.  I will never achieve this level, but every step helps bring healing into this world.

Father, your love for me is overwhelming.  Your love overcomes all my failures, and you lift me up to be your child.  Strengthen my desire to serve you.  Guide me on the path so that I may share the love that you give to me with others.  Lead me in the joyful celebration of your incredible mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-18-2024

Good Morning All,

               Luke 18:13; “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

     When you preach a sermon, you include and incorporate two parts of church doctrine: the Law and the Gospel.  We use the law to show the fact that we are sinners and in need of a Savior.  We use the Gospel to offer the comfort that God gives to us because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  The goal is to afflict the comfortable and give comfort to the afflicted.  The goal is to make the person who feels he has no sin; thus, no need for a Savior to realize that he definitely needs to be redeemed and saved from sin.  The person who feels totally weighed down and despondent because of their sin; they need the Gospel.  They need to know that God has forgiven them.

    The interesting thing is that when one thinks he has no sin; it can be tough to get them to see they truly are sinners.  Many will simply think, “I am not that bad” or “I am not as bad as the other guy” or “It isn’t a sin anymore; it is different now.”  It can take a lot to convince someone of their sin; the world and the devil will tell them that everything is fine and dandy.  We preach and preach; we witness and witness but sometimes they just don’t listen.

    The ones that you really aim for are those who are afflicted.  Like our verse, this person feels the entire weight of the law on their shoulders.  These are the people who will tell you that the reason they don’t go to church is because they are beyond help.  They may speak in a joking manner, but you can see it in their eyes, and you can hear it in their voice; you can even hear it in their breathing, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  The sad thing is that the devil is telling them the exact opposite of what he tells the proud sinner.  To the one who feels the weight on his back the devil tells them how bad they are; how hopeless life is; how no one will ever want them around when the full story comes out.  The devil adds guilt and misery with a dose of pain and sorrow.

    There are many parts of the job of being a pastor that are really amazing to experience but for me the absolute best part is when you can look into the eye and tell them these simple words, “In the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ; I forgive you all of your sins.”  There are no better words to speak; there is no greater truth to share.  God is merciful; God is loving; God has heard your cry of pain even before you sighed that first sigh or cried that first tear.  God forgives your sins and in doing so has given you the power to tell the devil to go away and leave me alone.  The devil cannot harm you; he cannot control you.  You are God’s beloved and redeemed child, and you are safe.

    There is no sin too bad, too horrible, too heinous that God does not forgive.  God frees you from the past so that you will have a glorious future.  God is merciful to me, a sinner.

Father, your mercies are new every day.  Renew in me the knowledge of your grace and favor.  Keep safe from the devil’s lies ad free me from the guilt of sin.  Help those who are especially burdened at this time.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-17-2024

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.”

      For many people, working with or spending time with someone who is different than you are is a difficult task.  We see it when immigrants try to settle into a neighborhood.  Our first reaction is often “there goes the neighborhood.”  In the sporting news a while back, there was a lot of talk about a professional basketball player who was fined for criticizing a referee.  The referee was one of the very few women to referee professional basketball.  They are trying to decide if it is a sexist comment, a racist comment or if it is just a ballplayer complaining about a foul that was called. 

    We look for lots of ways to place people into categories.  We use age, sex, skin color, wealth, height, weight, level of education, national origin, and religion, just to name a few.  We can pigeonhole and divide a whole roomful of people into a whole lot of groups, sub- groups, and sub-sub-groups.  We can have balding, overweight, myopic, left handers in this corner.  We can have poor, skinny, old men who worship trees in that corner.  We tend to look for the differences that we can use to divide and separate us.  Even if we have nothing in our history that causes us to think we are right.

    But God has intervened in Christ.  He has reconciled us to Himself, breaking down “the dividing wall of hostility.”  He has opened the path to rapprochement.  He has taught us and shows us the beauty of atonement of being “at-one-ment” with God.  God is at one with us because of Christ.  Our alienation is removed.  We are at one with our heavenly Father, we are united with God.  This is what Jesus brought about by his death and resurrection; we have unity with God.  We are one with God through faith in Christ.  We are no longer separated; the division is healed.  We are reconciled.  Our God, Immanuel, comes to be with us, to dwell with us, to make his home with us and in us.

    Now that we are reconciled with God, the path is clear for us to be reconciled with one another.  Paul points this out in the next verse after ours, in verse 15 Paul writes, “His purpose was to create in Himself one man out of the two (Jew and Gentile), thus making peace.  There is no distinction in God’s eye, we are all the same.  Through faith in Christ, we are one.

   So those differences should be celebrated as part of the joy of diversity.  They are ways to bring new thoughts and ideas to old problems.  We are reconciled to God so we can be reconciled to one another.  We are free to see our diversity not as a source of division but rather as a source of delight.

Heavenly Father, you reconciled us to you so that we would have the path to reconcile with one another.  Give us the strength to heal the wounds between our brothers.  Help us to provide the balm to the wounds that exist.  Guide us by your Spirit to bring about hope in this broken world.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

5-16-2024

Good Morning All,

                 Luke 24: 5-6a; “And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.”

    While the battle of Waterloo was fought between Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington in 1815, the people of England waited for news of the outcome. Messages were sent by means of flag signals. One of the stations was the tower of the Winchester Cathedral. Late in the day, a signal was flashed from the tower that spelled out “Wellington defeated . . .” and then a thick fog covered the tower so that nothing else was seen. The message spread throughout the city that Wellington had lost the battle. There was gloom and despair. Suddenly the cloud of fog lifted, and the remainder of the message could be read— “Wellington defeated the enemy!” Sorrow immediately turned to joy, defeat to victory, despair to rejoicing.

     What a difference the whole message makes.  When you stop halfway through it, we see only sorrow and pain.  The same is true of our faith life.  Too often, we stop at half of the message.  Too often we focus on “Jesus died.”  We see it all over, “Jesus died for you.”  That is our message.  We use it to comfort those who are hurting.  We tell them that Jesus died for you and then we wonder why they don’t get a lot of comfort from that fact; Jesus died for you.  Perhaps it is a sense of guilt.  We spend a lot of time looking at the suffering, the pain, and the death of Jesus.  It is hard to be a joyful Christian when you focus on “Jesus died.”

    But just like the story of Wellington, don’t stop in the middle.  Use the whole message.  “Jesus died and rose for you.”   Yes, it is true that Jesus died but that was only the beginning of the event in which death, the devil and sin was defeated.  Jesus died; his body ceased to function, but it knew no decay or corruption; it was waiting for the final step.  It was waiting for Christ to rise up victorious.  In his victory over death, he gives us victory as well.  Our enemies of sin, death and the devil are defeated as well.  We have the victory; we have begun the healing.  We have God’s incredible love giving us all that we need.

    The devil and sin will continue to snarl and attack.  They will continue to cause us guilt and pain, but they will not be victorious.  We know that we are more than conquerors!  We have God’s promise of life eternal.  We have his promise of comfort.  We have his promise for reconciliation, and we can use this to reach out to our brothers and sisters.  God gives us the chance to heal the splits and chasms that exist between our neighbors and us.  It is his total message of good news; “Jesus died and rose again” that gives us the victory.

Father, we give you thanks for the victory that we have through Jesus.  We give you thanks that we can live a life full of joy because of your great love and mercy.  Guide us to share this message with those around us, especially those who are in most need of your freeing message of grace.  Lead us to be shining lights in this world.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret