9-30-2024

Good Morning All,

   Isaiah 30:21; “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

    A recent study stated the average person makes over 5000 decisions a day.  No wonder you are tired at the end of the day!  You made the decision to get up and what time.  You decided what to eat for breakfast or not eat it at all.  You decided what to wear, when to read this email, whether you watch TV or read the newspaper, whether to go out or stay in, the list goes on.  As you can see most of our decisions aren’t that important, or so we think.

    It is estimated that 40% of the food purchased in the United States is thrown away.  We buy it and don’t like it, we buy too much, we forget we bought it; all decisions which we made.  Some decisions don’t seem that important at the time but can have a big impact down the road.  A cutting remark or a kind word that was left unsaid can cause much pain.  On the other hand, a word of kindness or cheer can lift the day of the person who hears it.

    We often read the Bible or listen to sermons which exhort us to show God’s love to all.  Too often, we have the grandiose visions of working in a soup kitchen or something that we maybe don’t have the time to do.  We think that to do God’s Will requires so much that we only see our failure, our inability to do it.  The devil wants you to believe that, but God tells us something different.

    Jesus told his disciples that He would send “The Comforter” or the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit would “bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”  The Holy Spirit is that voice that you hear saying “This is the way, walk in it.”  This is the right thing to say or do.  It is the Spirit whispering in your ear what to say and do.  Too often we ignore or miss what the Spirit says to us and in doing so we fail to walk in the path of good works which God has created for us to do.  Too often, we think that they are insignificant events, and we never hear the Spirit.

     These are all those little decisions that we think are unimportant but can be the Spirit speaking to us.  So next time, be sure to say thank you to the gal at the checkout counter or to the guy working in the produce aisle.  Say thank you to the nurse or dental assistant.  Speak a kind word to the waitress.  Most of all speak a word of love to your family members.  When the Spirit whispers in your ear to go this way; go that way.

     Doing God’s Will might be working in a soup kitchen, but it is also showing kindness to strangers or even people we know.  Showing them kindness, not because we want something out of them, but because we want to do something for them; something which God wants us to do as His witnesses.

Gracious Father, too often we fail to listen to your Word or to act according to what we hear.  Forgive us in our slowness to love as You have loved us and walking in the paths which You have laid out for us.  Give us the courage and wisdom to hear your Word and to act as Your Will moves us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-29-2024

Good Morning All,

       Luke 5: 31-32; “And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

    So, when you read articles in the newspaper or on the internet about health issues and you read where 1 person out of 50 or 100 will be affected, do you think you are the 1 or are you part of the rest?  Most of us usually think we are in “the rest.”  We tend to see ourselves as just fine.  But sometimes that doesn’t happen; sometimes we don’t even know we are sick.

     That was sort of the case in our verses.  During Jesus’ ministry here on earth, he spent his time with the tax collectors, the sick and the lame, the outcasts of the community.  He came to these people for a couple of reasons.  First, they were in desperate need of His saving grace.  Many had been ostracized from their own communities which were made up of their relatives.  They were shunned and shamed and viewed as “throw-aways.”  Even the religious leaders, the ones whom God had called to bring his love to the world and to be a blessing to that world, treated them with contempt, in many ways worse than the rest of the people.

     The other reason was because these outcasts knew that their relationship with God was not good.  They saw themselves as sinners in need of help and forgiveness.  So, when Jesus preached to them; the Holy Spirit moved them to receive the Gospel.  They shared the joy of knowing Jesus as their Savior with everyone, including Jesus.

     However, the Scribes and the Pharisees saw it much differently.  They were always displaying their outward holiness and, if you wanted their acceptance, you had to do the same.  This meant not doing anything which made you “unclean” or unfit to go into the Temple.  They thought they were healthy in their religion, but God sees to the heart and in them He saw only corruption.  They needed a doctor but wouldn’t admit it.

     When it comes to sin, it is not 1 out of 50 who are affected; it is 50 out of 50.  We are all sinners in need of Jesus’ healing touch.  We are all in the same boat.  We are all the lame, the blind, the leper, all the same before God.  Just as Luther wrote,” we are all beggars before God.”  We all need his salvation; I do, you do, everyone does.  We are all in this together.  God, in His mercy, showers us with His forgiveness, sending His healing touch for our soul.  He wants us to then turn around and help provide that healing touch for our neighbor’s physical and emotional pains.  God calls all of us to repentance and the unburdening of our souls to Him.  So, visit the Physician (Jesus), especially, if you think you don’t need to and then listen to His Words of forgiveness.  It will heal your soul.

    Dear Father of all mercies, your holy grace rains down on us like a flood.  You cleanse us with the blood of Jesus to bring us back to you.  Father we are sick at all times, and we turn to you our heavenly Physician to heal us and to make us whole.  For this we give you eternal praise.  You speak and we are healed.  You move with your Spirit, and we are alive.  Lead us to bring the broken and twisted people to you for your healing touch.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret            

9-28-2024

Good Morning All,

      John 1:14; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    Have you ever met someone famous, someone that you were in awe of?  How did you do?  Were you tongue tied, did you stumble and stammer, did you hide or run away?  These are often the responses, especially if the meeting is unexpected.  All of a sudden there they are and now what do you do?  We get that way around famous or even people who we view as powerful.  That might just be the president of the company that you work for or maybe a Lt. Colonel when you are a buck private.  In any event, we tend to tremble and stammer our way through.  These people often seem unapproachable to us, as if they live on a different plane or socio-status level.  We feel unworthy and ill at ease when they are around.

    The Bible has some of the same stories.  In almost every case of an angel visiting a human, they start ever visit with the phrase,” Fear not!” I supposed that helped but an angel showing up would tend to frighten anyone and cause them to fall to the floor in terror.  Seeing god is even more fearsome.  No one who sees God will live.  Even when Moses was on Mount Sinai, God shielded Moses’ eyes when God passed by so Moses only saw God’s backside as he passed.  You couldn’t even be in God’s presence.  When the Ark of the Covenant was being moved, it started to fall; a man caught it and died right there on the spot for touching the Ark.  The Altar of God was hidden by a thick cloth curtain that was only entered by the high priest once a year.

    Yet God changed all that.  God wanted to return man back to the walks in the cool of the morning like God and Adam had before the fall into sin.  In order for this to happen, we have to be sinless. So, God sent Jesus, in the nature and being of a man, to take our place and pay our debt so we could walk with God in the cool of the morning and have that sacred conversation like Adam did.  Jesus became flesh and lived among us.  We saw his face, his hair, and his dirty feet from walking; all this we saw, and it was God whom we saw.  God became approachable and still is today.

    We can come to him anytime of any day or night with our fears and our joys, our sorrows and our laughter, our burdens, and our delights.  God is our Father who loves us and calls his own. The invitation is always present; we are always welcome in our Father’s house. It is our refuge and “safe spot.” It is where we find peace.

Father, we come to you Abba, seeking your mercy which already overwhelms us.  Keep us safe in your protective arms as we behold your glory through the grace we receive.  Guard us this day so that we may go forth in your name.  In the Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

9-27-2024

Good Morning All,

       Philippians 2:11; “and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

     Kaiser Kurios vs. Christos Kurios.  It doesn’t look like it is that different.  You might even look at it and say, “It is Greek to me” (it is).  Yet in that small difference is all the difference in the world.  That difference is why the early Christians were martyred.  That difference was why so many were tortured by the Romans at different times and places in the early years of the Church.  All that the Roman officials wanted was for everyone to say “Kaiser Kurios” and all was fine.  The early Christians refused, and some paid a high price.  The Romans wanted everyone to confess that Caesar is Lord.  That is all the people had to do.  The people could keep their old religion and religious practices as long as it was confessed that Caesar was the highest and greatest Lord.  That is why when we read the Bible, we see cities like Ephesus or Corinth with be hundreds of temples to different gods with different religions; some we probably have never heard of.  All the practitioners had to do was say Caesar is Lord- Kaiser Kurios and everything was fine.

    The Early Christians wouldn’t say that.  To them, Caesar wasn’t the Lord, but Christ is the Lord.  When asked, their response was always “Christos Kurios.”  The Romans saw this as treason and dealt with it in a very harsh manner; no dictatorship can afford for the people to confess anything but the official government line.  Look at North Korea, China, Iran, Syria; take your pick, no deviance from the official line is allowed.  Because the early Christians refused to submit, they paid a heavy price, some the ultimate price.  Christos Kurios.

     What about us?  Do we confess Christos Kurios no matter the cost?  Most of us have never had our life, the life of a loved one or even any sort of physical harm threatened against us for claiming to be a Christian, but do we always confess Christos Kurios?  It can be tough; when you are in a conversation with a group of people who say that we were lucky to get some rain or that the fates were with us, for us to say Christos Kurios.  When no one else is witnessing their faith, it can be easy to hide in the background.  If it is just me, I’ll just be quiet.  I don’t want to make a scene or give them any fodder to poke fun at me with after all I just want to fit in.  Yet by our silence, we are not confessing Christos Kurios; Christ is the Lord. 

     We need to remember that without Christ as our Lord, we have no hope.  We have no future.  While we may come up short once in a while, we need to continue to pray for God’s strength and courage to confess Jesus’ name before men.  We need to trust the Spirit to move within our heart and life in order to confess Christos Kurios.  Trust in the Spirit; trust in God for his mercy and his courage.  It is how the church grows, and souls are saved; by the confession of faith: Christos Kurios, Christ is the Lord over all things.

 Dear Father, forgive us when we are slow to confess that Jesus is the Lord most high in our life.  Give us the courage to witness and to speak with the confidence of the faith which you give us.  Keep us in that faith which places our hope in Jesus that we may be saved unto life eternal.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

9-26-2024

Good Morning All,

     John 18:38; “Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

     Our verse today is part of the exchange between Pilate and Jesus during Jesus’ “trial” right before he was crucified.  Pilate was a politician who was wise in the dealings of governmental politics.  He had seen the backstabbing, the feigned friendships, and allegiances.  This was probably a big part of why he was in Jerusalem and not in Rome.  He probably was in Jerusalem because someone had bribed or married into the right family. 

    You can almost hear the plaintive request of Pilate.  Jesus had just told him that He had come to “bear witness to the truth.”  You can almost see a somewhat defeated Pilate, knowing that it was jealousy that drove the Scribes and the Pharisees to try and have Jesus crucified.  The Scribes and Pharisees had played their trump ace against Pilate; they challenged his allegiance to Rome if he let Jesus go.  Pilate had played this game before, the truth; that objective distant fact, had nothing to do with this.  This, to Pilate, was politics.  Truth belonged to the team that won, and the winners got to define truth.  It had happened so often that Pilate possibly was really asking Jesus an honest, truthful question; “What is truth?”

    We can, and do, ask that same question today.  It seems like you can’t believe anyone.  It seems that every “fact,” even facts and truths discovered by “scientists,” are and should be questioned.  It seems that every “fact” is paid for by someone who has a stake in the outcome of the debate.  It is not an objective truth that is sought in studies and research but rather a “truth” that fits what I already believe and want to happen.

     What is truth?  One thing is for sure, man does not it possess on his own.  As we watch the political season unfold and we think it is worse than ever; it really isn’t any different than it was 2000 years ago or 5000 years ago or 50 years ago.  All that has changed is the faces and the arguments but the basic human tendency to make the “truth” what I want it to be is as old as sin itself.  Adam and Eve wanted the “truth” to be that they were equal to God. 

     So, what do we do?  Do we hide under a rock and not be part of the society that we live in?  God wants us to be active in this world in order to be a light to this world to be his agents in reconciling man back to God and to each other.  So, what do we do?  Fortunately, Jesus warned his disciples, that’s us, when he tells us to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt. 10:16).  Men will lie and try to twist the truth.  So, when men talk; listen as wisely and as craftily as a serpent but when we act or speak let our message be as innocent as doves.   Make sure that the “truths” we are told match up to Scriptures.  This means to know your Scriptures because just as the devil can quote Scriptures, so can deceitful man. Above all remember that truth is not a what but a who.  Jesus is truth.  He is always the right answer, showing us His truth which he wants us to live by.  Faithful to his Word and loving to his people; a difficult position to be in; but on the right side of truth in our life and our faith.          

 Dear Father in heaven, all truth comes from you.  Give us a discerning heart and the wisdom and courage to use it.  Make us instruments of your truth and lead us to bring truth and reconciliation to all men.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-25-2024

Good Morning All,

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

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

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

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

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

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

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-24-2024

Good Morning All,

      Deuteronomy 8:18; “But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.”

     “and so confirms his covenant;’ now there’s a phrase you don’t hear too often.  We don’t use the idea of a covenant anymore.  We might be tempted to replace it with the concept of a contract but even that falls short.  In the ancient world “covenant” was the holiest, most solemn, and most indissoluble compact conceivable.  To break a covenant was to bring about your own death and destruction.  Most of our contracts today have some form of “escape clause” in them.  But a covenant is much higher, more sacred, and never able to be broken.

    In the ancient world, there were two basic types of covenants.  The first was one between equals like when two kings make a peace treaty and a covenant to maintain it.  This is where the daughter marrying the king comes in.  This is why Solomon had so many wives; it was part of the covenant.  The second type is far more important to us.  It is the type when a lower person like a prince or even lower would make a covenant with the king.  This type of covenant kept the lower guy safe but at the will of the king.  This covenant would often have the lower ranked person walk through the halves of sacrificed animals toward the king as a sign of “this is what will happen to me if I don’t keep my part of the deal.”  All the burden lies on the lower person, none of the responsibility lies with the king.

    The second type of covenant is the one which we have with God.  The only thing is God is the lower ranked member.  The covenant which God made with Abram was one where the entire burden is on God not on Abram.  (You can read this in Gen. 15: 7-21.)  This shows us that the motive for God to make this kind of covenant was purely his love and mercy which he feels and shows to us.  It is not fear but love for you and for me.  This is why God showers us with all his blessing.  He loves us, protects us and desires to show us his love.

     Note that the covenants God made with man were ultimately made to fulfill His gracious purpose to redeem man from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. The final covenant which God made with man was the new covenant which is Christ Jesus.  This is what Jesus meant when he told the disciples that the Lord’s Supper was the “new covenant.”   This relies on nothing at all from man but everything entirely from God.  We only have to trust it and then we trust it with the faith which God gives us.

     Yet today, too often, we fail to see that God is indeed keeping his covenant with his people.  He always shows us a way through our trials and adversities.  He always grants us the grace to meet those challenges.  God never said that adversity would not happen; he only promised to keep us safe through it.  That is part of the covenant as well. God goes with us all the way.

Father of all good gifts, we praise you for the river of grace which flows over us with such depth that we cannot ever measure it.  We are not worthy, yet you continue to send us these great gifts.  Keep us mindful of your blessings and use us to be a blessing to those around us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

9-23-2024

Good Morning All,

  1 Cor. 4:1; “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

     There are some types of people who really can drive us nuts.  One type of person is the guy at work or on a board who thinks that he is the smartest guy there.  This guy has a very bloated opinion of himself and his value.  The only thing worse than trying to work with that one guy is trying to work with 2 or 3 of them.  That is where Paul finds himself when he writes this first letter to the Corinthians.   

    Paul spends the three chapters before this condemning the divisions within the Church at Corinth.  Some of the members thought that what they said was what was to go.  And the phrase members (with an “s”) is important.  There was the equivalent of political parties lobbying for control within the church.  So, Paul uses a different tactic in chapter 4.  He calls himself a servant of Christ.  That sounds pretty good.  We should be regarded as servants of Christ.  That sounds nice enough, even gives us a little sense of pride in our place in life.  Unfortunately, if we read it that way, we miss the whole point that Paul makes.

    Here is a case where our English misses the real point.  Paul actually calls himself an “under oarsman.”  This was the galley slave who rode on the big Roman warships.  There were three levels of oarsmen.  The bottom level was where the under oarsmen would be lashed to their rowing stations.  You can only imagine the conditions here.  Little ventilation, there were no bathroom breaks for the slaves and the food and water would have been suspect.  So, all the human waste, the vomit, etc. would have washed down from the top two decks onto these “under oarsmen.”  It was the bottom on the power scale, and Paul calls himself one of these.

    Here Paul is clearly pointing out to the Corinthians that what they bring to the table when it comes to their salvation is complete garbage.  All our righteousness is from God.  All that we have or possess is a gift from God.  The Good News of our salvation through Christ is given to us and Christ, in his mercy and grace, has raised us from this under oarsman to be a steward.  A steward was the most trusted household slave.  He took care of the family business while the owner was away.  He was entrusted with the power to make deals, to buy and to sell just like the owner.  We went from totally nothing to being the most trusted servants of Christ given the mysteries of God, the Gospel, and the sacraments, which the world sees as foolish, but we know to be true.  We don’t fully understand how these mysteries work but we know that they do. 

    So, Paul tells us, “see that you do not inflate your own worth but look to Christ Jesus as your only hope of salvation, trusting in his promise and blessed with his mysteries to have, to hold and to share with others in faith.  We are cleansed by the blood of Christ to be his stewards entrusted to do his work until he returns.

 Father in heaven, keep us humble as we look at the blessings which we receive from you.  Lead us to see that it is your great love that sustains us and not our knowledge, skill, or wisdom.  Lead us to share those great mysteries of faith with all that we meet.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-22-2024

Good Morning All,

  John 1:29; “The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

    “Look out!!;” “look where you are going.;” “are you even looking?”  Some very common phrases which we use and hear every day.  There is a greater emphasis on “looking” then there used to be.  We had the recent tragedy where the young man, supposedly, caused an accident which killed a man because he was “texting” while he was driving.  Of course, us old fogeys lament about these crazy kids while we read the paper or drink our coffee or put on our make up or whatever we do while we are driving.  We don’t look as well as we should. 

     I can look all over my office and never find the book that I want.  I can look all over the basement for a tool that I was using.  I can look all over for the place where someone lives.  I can look a lot and never see what it is I am looking for.  There are lots of reasons for this.  I have a cluttered office.  I am not sure where the tool I want is anyway.  Who really asks for directions?

     In our verse, John the Baptist knew who he was looking for.  He was looking for the Messiah, the Anointed One.  With a whole crowd of people around him, John pointed and yelled “Look (Behold), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  That probably got everyone’s attention.  Many thought John the Baptist was the Messiah, but John makes it very clear, “Look, the Lamb of God.”

    We can almost sense the second part of this line.  John starts with “Look, the Lamb of God;” he could have finished with “Don’t look away or anywhere else!!”  When you have the Savior in your sight, don’t look away.  The Book of Hebrews tells us to “Focus your eyes upon Jesus...” always have the Savior in your line of sight to be sure of where you are going.

     But it is really easy to lose sight of Jesus; we do it a lot.  Perhaps our lives are too cluttered with “stuff;” the worries and the challenges, the temptations and the desires of this world can cause us to not see what we are looking for.  Maybe it has been so long since you looked that you forgot where to look and now you don’t want to ask for help.  All these and more, the devil wants to toss in your line of sight so that it is difficult to see Jesus.  We all know the saying,” out of sight, out of mind;” the devil wants that to occur in your life.  He wants Jesus out of your sight so that he can lead you astray.  This is part of the reason that attending worship service is so valuable; Jesus uses this time to help correct your vision and to help us to remember to look to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, more importantly, he takes away your sin and mine and gives to us the blessing of salvation through it.  So, look to Jesus, whether in times of trouble or times of success; keep Him as your one true focus.

Father of all mercies, your grace flows over us like a raging river.  We can never see the height or depth of your love.  Forgive us when we look elsewhere for our hope.  Keep us in your sight and hold us close to you so that we may always see you clearly and look to you, the fount of all our hope, for all our good gifts and blessings.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

9-21-2024

Good Morning All,

     Jeremiah 17:14; “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.”

    A few weeks ago, I was listening to a radio program where the host was interviewing a recovering addict.  That is how he referred to himself as “recovering;” he said,” The beast is never far away.”  As I listened, in my cynical judgmental fashion, I thought he really has a way with words.  Yet I kept listening and his story got more intriguing.  He had tried to defeat his addiction many times and many times he failed. None of them lasted longer than 9 months before he was back using cocaine.

    The interviewer asked him how he finally won.  The man’s answer was refreshing.  He told her that he didn’t win but that Jesus won for him.  He told her that until he accepted Jesus as his personal savior (not exactly a Lutheran phrase but it was his phrase) his battle with the beast was always won by the beast but Jesus is stronger than the beast. Then he ended the interview with an observation that intrigued me and really flustered the gal interviewing him.  He said, “we are all addicts; we all have destructive beasts within us which we can never defeat on our own.  As long as we battle them by our power we will lose, we need something else to win; for me it is Jesus Christ.”

     We are all addicts; Paul said we are all sinners.  Yet I really like how he phrased the idea that we are all “addicts.”  We all have those sins which just seem so hard to shake.  We maybe aren’t addicted to drugs or even to many other sins but there is always one or two which seem to really pull us down.  The early Church used to speak of the seven deadly sins, wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony, as the fallen human tendency toward sin.  If we look at this list; it pretty much gets to all our issues. 

     There are a lot of things that can be said about this list but one thing I hope we all take away from this is that we are ALL in this list.  You might be one sin, and I might be at another, but we are all sinners and thus we should not judge others for where we think they sit in the list.  I may think that one person is greedy, or another is lustful yet if I am envious of my neighbor; I am no different than they are. 

    So, what do we do?  First, we see life as Jeremiah does, “Heal me, O lord, and I shall be healed, save me and I will be saved.”  Jesus is our only true salvation and our only way to defeat our addictions, our sins.  So, we struggle on as recovering addicts, fighting the beast within, our sinful nature.  When we can, we should, with God’s love as our motive, help our fellow believer fight his addiction as well.  With Christ, we are all in this together, offering each other comfort, hope, and consolation because of Christ’s free gift to us.  We are all recovering addicts, and we need each other’s prayers and support.

Divine God, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life. Amen.   (A prayer of St. Francis.)

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

9-20-2024

Good Morning All,

   Gen 12:7; “Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. “

    So, do you build altars to the Lord in places where you experience a blessing from God?  I would wager probably not.  But it is an interesting concept.  We find this happening often in the Old Testament, especially in Genesis.  It was to serve as a reminder of God’s mercy or grace being shown to his children on that spot.  This way, it was a marked place so that whenever Abram or his family passed by this spot, they would remember God’s mercy. 

    The State of South Dakota, and other states, put up signs where traffic fatalities occur in order to remind us to be watchful, safe drivers.  It reminds us of the dangers on the road and that, as the driver, you are to be alert at all times.  We see them erect monuments and memorials at places where there is great loss of life, like the World Trade Center or the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  We mark places of tragedy but why don’t we mark a place where we experience God’s grace?  If a storm, like last night, destroys a house but no one inside is harmed; why isn’t that a time to mark God’s grace?  Buildings can be rebuilt; personal belongings can be replaced but we cannot restore life; why isn’t that marked as a place of God’s mercy?

     God mercies are so great that we often miss how great they are.  Too often we only see that the hat is gone; we don’t see the little boy standing there in front of us.  So, we complain that our knees ache when we get out of bed.  But we can get out of bed; we have a bed to get out of; we have a voice to complain about our knees; we have someone who will listen to us complain about our knees.  We can eat breakfast; we have a home to live in.  Why don’t we build an altar to the Lord?  It could remind us of the mercy that God has shown to us. 

     Part of the reason is because the devil and our sinful nature don’t want us to.  We are less likely to be separated from God when we recognize his mercy.  If we were to build an altar every time God shows us mercy; that’s all we would get done.  Even in times of storms and destruction, God is there to protect us.  Things can be replaced; God’s love is present even when we don’t see it.

    We don’t really have to build altars to the Lord, but we do need to remember all the great mercies that we receive every single day.  We need to see his grace and not the missing hat.  We need to be a thankful people who recognize God's blessings.  Then we need to be a loving people who share those blessings with those around us.

Gracious Father, your mercies flow over us like a raging river.  We are inundated by the love that you give us.  Lead us to be a thankful people who see your mercies.  Lead us to be a loving people so that we will share these mercies with those who are in need of your mercy.  As you have showered us, lead us to shower others with your abundant mercy.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

9-19-2024

Good Morning All,

   1 Peter 5: 7; “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

     The fishing verse: this is how we help the Sunday School and confirmation class try to remember this verse.  Cast all your anxieties.  When we think of casting it is usually along the line of the way a fly fisherman casts his lightweight fly onto the stream trying to trick the trout into biting it or maybe the bass fisherman who casts into the lake to catch a bass or two.  The only problem with this image is that, at least on TV, it is easy. But the image that the Bible wants us to see is a little different.

     There are a few ways to look at this.  First, we can see it as casting as in casting those big fishing nets which the fishermen who do it for a job use.  In Jesus’ day, that was back breaking work.  The nets were heavy and casting and pulling them in all night took all the energy one could muster.  Another way is to think of gathering up your possessions in a bag and then throwing the bag over your mule or donkey and having the donkey carry the load. 

    The idea is that the burdens of our life; we do not have to carry them all by ourselves. God is there to carry the load for us all because He loves.  Sometimes we think a little too simplistically about this.  We think that nothing in our life will ever cause us pain because we have cast our troubles to God.  Then when we face the pain of death of a loved one, illness, job loss, relationship failures, etc.; we blame God.

     However, God shows his love and care for us in some ways that, if we trust in Him, to face the challenges of life.  We will face these challenges, but we do not have to fear or be anxious about them.  First, God gives us the courage to face our trials head on and not try and run away.  We know that God is with us and will see us through.  Second, he gives us some wisdom or understanding about the challenge.  He will help us to see that through this trial, God is molding us and shaping us into the disciple that He wants us to be and that he is drawing us into a closer relationship with Him.  The third thing God does for us is to give us strength to face our challenges.  Some of you have faced incredible challenges these past couple of years, the death of loved ones, health concerns for you or a loved one, fickle weather, financial ups and downs just to name a few.  Yet God has given you the strength to continue on, usually day by day to start, but to continue on your journey.

     Finally, and most importantly, God gives us the faith to trust in Him to take care of it all especially the parts that we just cannot handle.  God sends his Spirit of comfort arriving in the hands of those around us who love us and are God’s hands at those times when we need a hand to hold or a shoulder to lean on or cry on.  God cares for you so don’t carry the burden all by yourself, cast your anxieties on him for he cares for you.

 Father of grace, your loving kindness lifts us up every day.  You guard us through your love to protect us as your dear children.  When I feel pain or fear, send your Spirit to me so that I may know comfort and rest.  When those around me feel pain and distress, use me as your hands to comfort them with your love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

9-18-2024

Good Morning All,

     Isaiah 64:8; “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

    Many years ago, before satellite TV when you used to have two or three channels, we used to watch a lot of PBS.  On Saturdays they used to show most of the craft and how-to shows.  There was one that I watched a few times called “The Potter’s Wheel.”  The host of the show used to make pottery out of clay by throwing the lump of clay on this spinning potter’s wheel and then, using a lot of water, he would mold and shape whatever the project of the day was.  It might be a bowl or a vase or a set of coffee cups; you never really knew what it was going to be. 

    Then one show, they showed his shop where he stored the finished products.  He had thousands of bowls and vases and coffee cup sets.  Some of those items were over ten years old.  I always thought that if I were a bowl I would be that bowl; the one that was ten or twelve years-old sitting way in the back in the dark collecting dust.  Not really useful, just sitting there collecting dust.

    Sometimes in our faith walk we feel that way.  We watch as others in the church can sing in ways that have to be the way angels sound.  We listen to the organist make the organ sound like a symphony.  We just feel like that bowl that sits there and collects dust.  We feel useless and of no value.  But that is only the devil whispering in your ear.

    The truth is that God gives all his children gifts and talents; those gifts and talents are just different from other talents.  He shapes us into the vessels that he needs and wants us to be.  Some can sing like angels or speak with ease or play a musical instrument with all the skill of the greatest musicians.  For some the talents and applying them to service to God is easy but for some of us we need to look a little harder.  We only need to realize that God wants us to do works which give glory to him and serve the needs of our neighbors. 

     Maybe you like to sew, there are organizations that remake clothes for veterans who have lost limbs in the war and need their clothes altered.  Maybe you like to fish and hunt; there are dozens of boys and girls who need time with a loving Christian to share that hobby.  Maybe you are a pretty good mechanic; there are families who can’t afford to always take their car to the shop and could use a little help now and then.  Maybe your talent is having experienced what the next person is going through and you can offer comfort and support and even a little guidance. You can offer to babysit, or go to visit shut ins.  You can mow lawns.  You can plant a bigger garden and give the produce to someone in need.  You can mentor someone who is trying to get started and needs some advice. 

    In all these things, and many more, we are the clay that God molds and shapes into the bowls and vases that he knows that he needs.  We just need to stop listening to the whispers of the devil and instead listen to the call of the Spirit and answer as Isaiah did,” Here am I, send me.”

 Father of grace, you mold and shape us into the disciples that you need and want us to be.  Help us to look and to see the works which you have laid out for us and give us the courage to follow that path.  In Jesus precious name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret             

9-17-2024

Good Morning All,

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

    Peace is a unique experience.  It has been the longing of man since Cain killed Abel.  Much of our popular entertainment will have “peace” as a theme somewhere in the story line.  Sometimes it is easy to see such as the Beatles and “Give Peace a Chance” or Peter, Paul, and Mary with “Blowin’ in the Wind.”  Sometimes it is forceful like in Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” (an attack on Nazism).  Sometimes it is a little more subtle.  One of the most powerful anti-war movie/TV shows during the Vietnam War was a movie about the Korean War called M*A*S*H.  We all claim to want peace just like we all claim to be tolerant; it has to be on our terms.

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

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

     This year is an election year, the rhetoric and the poison has reached incredible levels fed by incredible sums of money and people who make fortunes by stirring up the pot. In the middle of all this, God calls us to be peacemakers.  Peacemaking is not a passive act.  It requires us to get our hands dirty.  It requires interrupting injustice without resorting to injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer.  It involves neither fight nor flight but the careful, Spirit-led, arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice.  It forces us to see the face of the oppressed in our own faces, and the hands of the oppressors in our own hands.  Remember this when confronted by those who advocate policies or lifestyles which oppose God’s Will but also remember it when they ask what our motive is.  We see this when we stand against abortion and homosexuality, but do we see it when God’s calls upon his people to be compassionate to the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the aliens in our lands?  God wants all to be saved and calls us to show compassion to all that we meet even those who are “wrong.”

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

Gracious Father, too often we are slow to be peacemakers.  We seek retribution instead of reconciliation.  We seek to make gains and not give grace.  Forgive us for our failures.  Use us and give us the courage to be your voice for those who have no voice, your hands for those who need your comfort.  Send your mighty Spirit to move us, as your kingdom of priests, to ever praise your name.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

9-16-2024

Good Morning All,

   Deuteronomy 7:21; “You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”

    Any of you who were, or are athletes, or have watched a movie or two about sports contests know all about the pep speech.  Sometimes it is before the start of the game; if you remember the movies” Hoosiers” where the coach (Gene Hackman) takes the tape measure and shows the players that the big city gym and basketball court is the same as theirs back home trying to calm the nerves.  If you want a good pep speech, the one Al Pacino gives in “Any given Sunday” when he talks about how football and life is about inches and fighting for that inch.  Of course, the classic is “Win one for the Gipper” by Knute Rockne’s half time speech of the 1928 Army-Notre Dame Game. 

    This verse is part of a pep speech that Moses is giving to the Israelites as they are leaving the wilderness and entering the land of Canaan to conquer it.  The Lord you God is in your midst there is no need to dread them.  The Israelites had no need to fear their enemies as God had promised them success.  The Hittites, the Amorites, the Jebusites, and the others were not going to be a match for the Israelites even though these other nations appeared to be stronger.

      What about us?  Do we need a pep speech?  Do we fear our enemies?  You might think that you fear no enemies; no country would dare attack this country; perhaps that is true but what about your personal enemies.  Instead of the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites, are our enemies named fear, anxiety, and doubt?  Do we sit in dread of some calamity that looms on the horizon?  Do we fear the next visit to the doctor?  Do you wonder if those people in your lives are questioning whether or not you are worth the effort to love anymore?  Perhaps you feel like a burden to everyone because you can’t do everything like you used to.  We all have lots of enemies in our lives trying to cause you dread, trying to cause you to lose sleep, trying to separate you from the Good Shepherd’s flock. 

    We have no reason to dread for the Lord our God is a great and awesome God.  God’s love for you is so powerful that he sent Jesus to die for you in order that you and I will be reconciled back to God.  That intimate conversation between God and man which took place in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the morning, which was broken by sin, is repaired by Christ’s death and resurrection.  God the Father, working through God the Son, with God the Spirit as the active agent is in our midst giving us the speech, “nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus”, or “This is eternal life that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You sent” or “I can do all things through Him (Jesus) who strengthens me” and the list goes on.  God gives us these to give us hope when we need it, comfort when we need it and strength when we need it.  We have nothing to dread for God is in our midst.   

Father of all mercies, your grace rolls over us like a mighty river.  We thank you for your everlasting love which knows no measure and has no bounds.  Keep us safe in your hands and protect us from all evil and give us that sense of peace which comes only from you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret