Thursday, October 31, 2024

10-31-2024

Good Morning All,

       Jeremiah 31:33, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. “

    Often to my wife’s consternation, I like to watch the old television shows. I like Perry Mason, Quincy M.E., MASH, Ironsides, and, lately, a lot of Emergency. That is the show about the fire department paramedics in Los Angeles.  They were always saving someone who had a heart attack, at least one per show.

    It is always fascinating to watch shows where one of the characters has a heart attack.  They always show the monitor that shows his heart rate, and it always goes flat and plays that one long tone before we see the “blip” on the screen and suddenly he is alright.  Everyone cheers because without the amazing skill of the doctor and his beautiful nurse, the patient would have died. 

    It is fascinating to think about the flat-line patient.  In the real world, which signals no heartbeat; shortly you are dead.  It takes something external to bring him back to the living.  In the earlier shows it was always a hard thwack on the chest; the later shows used electronic shock paddles, but it takes something to bring him back.

    We are the same way before God.  In our sinful state, we are dead, dead in sin.  Nothing we can do can change that.  We need an external force to move us.  That force is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross on Calvary.  That saving grace which God feely gives to us through faith makes us alive.

     Faith is an amazing thing.  It brings the Holy Spirit and produces new life in us, new life in our hearts.  Now that we have the Holy Spirit living in us; we now have spiritual impulses in this new heart.  The old has passed away; we are new creations.  This is what Jeremiah was referring to when he wrote, “I will write it on their hearts.”  We have the Spirit which will,” bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).  God’s message is written in our hearts and the Holy Spirit reminds us of that fact.  This then gives us the greatest comfort that we can have; we are God’s people.  We are God’s people chosen by him, claimed by him, loved by him, and saved by him.         

    God’s mercies, new every day, renew us and bring us new life just like that electric shock brings new life to that heart attack victim.  God gives to us new blessings everyday which he wants us to share with those around us.  In this fashion, we return to the purpose which we created, to live in God’s presence with joyful thanksgiving and with love for our neighbor.  With the new beating heart, we are no longer dead but alive in Hm.

Dear heavenly Father, we give you thanks for the blessings of this life and the promise of life eternal.  Forgive us when we fail to trust this great mercy which you shower on us.  Keep us close to you safe in your arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

10-30-2024

Good Morning All,

       Jonah 4:11, “And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left?”

   This is the somewhat haunting end to the book of Jonah.  Most of us have a very minute knowledge of Jonah.  He was the guy swallowed by a great fish.  What we don’t often realize is that Jonah is the Old Testament version of the “Prodigal Son.” Jonah wanted God to destroy Nineveh because it was a powerful enemy of Israel.  He too, wanted them dead but literally.

     Jonah was jealous to the point that he hated Nineveh and wanted God to destroy it.  He just couldn’t handle the fact that the Ninevites had repented, and God had spared them.  In the last chapter, Jonah is complaining to God about saving them and God asks this question of Jonah to which no answer is given.  “And should not I pity Nineveh?”

    Jonah hated Nineveh and all that it stood for.  As far as he was concerned, they were the worst people ever and should be wiped of the face of the earth; at least that is what he (Jonah) would do if he were God.  So, the question is who is your “Nineveh?”  Who is it that, if you were God, you would give the holy zap to and be gone with them?  There are many candidates.  On the large level, we have the terrorists and the rogue governments that are causing so much havoc in the world.  If we bring it in a little closer, maybe it is the opposing political party or its candidates and some of the incredible things they say.  If we bring it even closer, is it the guy that you work with who knows when to work when the boss sees him but slacks all the time, or the neighbor who always claims to have a little better yield, maybe it is your mother or father in law who always knows how to do it “right” and just wants to make it easier for you, maybe it is the team that you just can’t quite beat and they remind you of that.  We all have a “Nineveh.”

    But God calls us to go to Nineveh and preach the Gospel to them, can we, do it?  Jesus told his disciples to pray for your enemies.  We should too.  First, we should ask for forgiveness for our thoughts and maybe our words and deeds.  Then we should pray for them; pray that God would change their heart as He changes ours.  Then as we pray that God will do something; we need to listen as he tells us to “go do something” to reach out in love and begin to rebuild the relationship to reconcile with our neighbor.  It may take several tries, but God calls us to keep trying.

    God looked at you and at me and had pity on us for we were sinners.  He had such great pity that he sent Jesus to die for us.  As we ponder on that great blessing, we hear the question of Jonah; “and should not I pity Nineveh?” 

Dear Father in heaven, your mercies roll over us like a great river.  Forgive us that we are slow to forgive and slow to reach out to those whom we view as Nineveh.  Give us the courage, patience, and loving heart to reconcile with those who we struggle with.  Help to love those that you bless and seek out.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

10-29-2024

Good Morning All,

   Deuteronomy 11:9, “and that you may live long in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey.” 

    We are going to live in a land of milk and honey.  That is a phrase we don’t use much.  It refers to a land that is bounteous and fruitful.  So, do we live in a land that is flowing with milk and honey?

    It is always kind of funny to listen to farmers talk.  Most will always tell you that they farm the worst ground in the area.  One farmer told me that when the soil surveyor came through and surveyed the land; the surveyor told him that he would starve to death before he raised a family on this land.  Another tells the story of sending in a soil sample to a soil lab to be analyzed.  He received a letter from the lab telling him that he sent the wrong sample but that his dog has worms.  A fair number claim to farm in “No Hope Township.”  So apparently, most of us do not think we farm or live in the land flowing with milk and honey.

    A lot of this is just the humble nature of most farmers; they usually don’t brag too loudly about what they do.  Some might be self-preservation.  If you are renting good land, you don’t want everyone to know and then try to bid it away from you.  But deep down, do you live in a land flowing with milk and honey?

    This phrase has always fascinated me because when you look at the land that the children of Israel occupied; it would be hard to call it the land flowing with milk and honey.  It is mostly a desert and is about the only Middle Eastern country without any oil.  They build dams to catch the spring runoff from the mountains to have water for their gardens. How is this, the land flowing with milk and honey?

      The reason that it is the land flowing with milk and honey has nothing to do with the dirt of the land but with the owner of the land.  The children of Israel were living in the land that God was giving to them, as a gift, keeping a promise that he made to their forefathers.  It was a land flowing with milk and honey, not because it grew 250-bushel corn or 75-bushel soybeans, but because the children of Israel were living in the covenant of God’s grace.

      We too, live in a land flowing with milk and honey.  We live in God’s grace.  We are his children, righteous and redeemed before God.  We call him Father and he hears us; he embraces us with love that we cannot even begin to fathom.  We see that love in the life of Jesus; we see it in the empty tomb.  We see it in the promise of salvation that is ours.  We see it when we join in the communion of saints and the holy fellowship with our fellow believers.  We receive God’s blessings when we deserve his wrath; we receive his mercy when we deserve his judgment.  God’s love for us gives us our land flowing with milk and honey and nothing can take it away.

Dear Father, your mercies are new everyday as we live in your land flowing with milk and honey.  Forgive us when we are slow to see the wonders of your love and the greatness of your grace.  Guide us to live out our lives in such a way that we draw others to live in your land as well.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

Monday, October 28, 2024

10-28-2024

Good Morning All,

   2 Corinthians 12:9; “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

    “These are the times that try men’s souls.”  That is the opening line of a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine during the Revolutionary War.  It was written at a time of uncertainty during the war.  As you read it, you get the sense of stress that he feels.  This was written during a national emergency when our liberty hung in the balance.  How come, at the end of the day, does it feel like this is the summation of the day?

     Do you have days like that; the ones that really make you stress out?  Granted, it may not be of national importance; but it stills matters to me and it still feels awfully difficult. All of us experience those days.  The co-worker that just pushes and pushes our buttons; the child who has moved away and we worry about if they listened to anything we said.  The new in-law who has thrown a monkey wrench into everything; the spouse who doesn’t seem to care anymore.  We deal with vehicles and equipment that always seems to break down at the most inconvenient time.  We have those days that try our souls.

    One thing that I have noticed on these days is that my greatest source of stress is me.  I am the one who places the deadlines and goals in place.  I am the one who has to do it all, all at once, in the fashion that I decide.  Did you notice these past few sentences; there are a lot of “I’s” in them.  Therein is the trouble.  My focus is inward, and I am not listening to the Spirit.  When you have days like this, listen to what Jesus says to us,” My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

     We stress about a lot of things.  We worry ourselves sick about many things that never happen.  Instead of placing our confidence, our faith, in Jesus and his all-powerful grace, we trust in “good old me” and we always fall short when I count on “me.”  When we realize that we are weak, so weak that we are totally helpless, completely unable to do anything for our own salvation, we see that all our hope is in Jesus.  That is what it means when Paul writes “my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Here perfect means complete or accomplished.  When we receive Jesus as our Savior and stop trying to do it all, Christ is there, waiting patiently to give us a hug and the comfort we experience with and though His wondrous grace.

    So don’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders; trust in God and his ever-sufficient grace to give you the peace to have God’s holy rest.

 Gracious Lord, we are often anxious and stressed about many things, but none are ever important, and none ever really matter when we see that all we have, and need is from your benevolent hand.  Be with those who are experiencing the pain of stress and anxiety.  Remove this from their hearts and lives and give them the comfort and the certainty of the hope in your salvation.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Sunday, October 27, 2024

10-27-2024

Good Morning All,

   Romans 10: 9-10; “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” 

    How long does it take?  Have you ever asked that question?  How long does it take to take this test?  How long is the service going to be?  How long do I have to stay in the hospital?  How long is rehab? How long before we get paid?  We ask that question often usually because we associate the “cost” of doing something by the time we spend doing it.

    If you go into a restaurant, how long do you wait in line to get a table?  This depends on how good the food is and how much time we feel we have.  We place a premium on our time.  This is why people are often amazed at how long it takes you to accomplish some goals.  To be a doctor or a dentist takes college, med school and then internships or residencies totaling 10-15 years.  Some people spend most of their adult lives trying to find certain species of butterflies or certain types of stamps.  Some things take years to complete.

     For someone to study the Hindu or Buddhist religion, they will spend most of their life in study and contemplation at different schools of thought within the religion.  It takes years to be one of the respected scribes who study the Torah and the Talmud.  It takes a long time to be involved in these religions.  This is usually because of the in-depth intricacies involved in the study.  It takes years to be able to clearly understand the nuances of the different teachings.

     That fact is one of the facets which make our Christian faith so unique.  It is easy because it doesn’t depend on us, our knowledge or wisdom plays no role.  “If we confess with our mouth and believe with our heart, we are saved.” This is one of the reasons why I think so many people will be surprised by who is in heaven.  People, that the “religious” types viewed as suspect, will be sharing at the table of the feast with everyone else.  It is not our actions or our knowledge, but it is through our faith that we are saved and only God can see faith. 

   This is part of the reason why we should be very careful in how we judge others, especially our Christian brothers and sisters.  We do not know what is in someone else’s heart so we can only trust in God for his truth and allow them to live their life.  At times, we may have to address them if they are engaged in public sins, but we can only say what the Bible teaches and not what will happen to them.  We can say, “This action is contrary to God’s teachings” while we cannot say to someone, “You will go to hell for that.” 

    The really good news is that we, too, only need faith.  We only need the faith which God gives us through his Holy Spirit.  We don’t need degrees or letters after our name; we need Faith in our heart and a confessing mouth.

Father of all tender mercies, we give you thanks for the blessings which you shower us with daily.  We especially give you thanks for the simplicity of our faith.  Give us a free and willing spirit to surrender our lives to your will and serve you with joy everlasting in your kingdom.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Saturday, October 26, 2024

10-26-2024

 Good Morning All,

James 1: 19-20; “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires.”

    I was listening to the radio the other day and it was playing “American Pie” by Don McLean.  It was known for the meaning of all the lines and the verses, who did this refer to or what is that a reference to.  There is one line about “my hands were clenched in fists of rage.” This line refers to the anger and violence which occurred in the 60’s and early 70’s with all the riots and the anti-war protests.  It was a time when it seemed anger was the way to move forward.

   It sounds like it is that time again.  You sure hear a lot of anger when you listen to the news or any political review.  The painful reality is that we don’t talk with each other, we don’t even talk at each other; we talk around each other.  What is really painful is that we seem to take this attitude into all of our life.  Do we really have meaningful conversations with each other anymore?  Do we really listen to each other or are we too busy trying to think of a rebuttal (not reply) for what the other says?  Do we really converse anymore?

   Make a “fist of rage.”  What does it look like?  First, it is closed, tightly closed; like our willingness to listen and to love the other person.  It is shut to any words that someone else can say to us.  We don’t WANT to hear it.  Notice how it is turned in.  We turn all our attention inward; we focus on our real or imagined pain, indignation, and self-righteous arrogance.  When our hands are tightly closed, the only thing we can hold onto is ourselves.  Try to hold someone else’s hand and make a fist; you can’t do it.  When our hands are clenched in fists of rage, either literally or figuratively, our sinful nature is focused selfishly inward.  This ties into another line in the song “I saw Satan laughing with delight.”  The devil wins when we are angry because it does not produce the righteousness that God requires.

    Remember what Jesus told his disciples (you and me), “Love one another” “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  There is no place for anger in our lives; it does us no good.  Listen to what is said.  This takes not only our ears but our eyes as well.  How does he look when he says this, what tone does he use, is it from pain that he speaks?  Choose your words carefully.  Wait until he is done speaking, let it sink in for a minute or so, then respond.  Try to speak in a calm and quiet tone.  This is one of the devil’s best temptations to cause us to get angry and then to stumble into sin because of a careless word or thought.  Seek God’s help in controlling your anger, especially if you are actually in the right and the desire to defeat the other is great.  Use a gentle answer to turn away wrath. Anger only produces sin not the righteousness which God requires.

Father in heaven, all too often my fists are clenched in rage; forgive me that I am slow to listen and to forgive as you have forgiven me.  Strengthen me and give me the courage to open my hands to those around me and hold them as dearly as you hold me.  All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

Friday, October 25, 2024

10-25-2024

Good Morning All,

Joel 2:21; “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!”

    “Fear not!!”  Does that sound familiar?  That phrase gets used a lot in the Bible.  God tells his people repeatedly that they do not need to fear; that He is with them and will protect them.  He comes to them in peace; to offer them his grace.

     “Be afraid, be very, very afraid!!”  We hear that a lot today.  Men use fear to drive people in a direction that the fear mongers want you to go.  This especially revs up in an election year.  If you listen to the Republicans, if the Democrats win; it will be the end of civilization as we know it. The Democrats claim if the Republicans win, it will be the end of civilization as we know it.  Isn’t it funny how God offers us hope and man only offers us fear?

     The book of Joel is a short book, only three chapters.  We don’t know much about Joel, but he plays a big role later on.  When the first Pentecost occurs, the disciples quote Joel about the coming of the Spirit.  The other is that Joel uses the phrase “the day of the Lord” to refer to God’s final judgment of man or the end of times.  Peter, Paul, and the other epistle writers use this phrase to describe Jesus’ return as in 2 Peter 3:10 “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”

     Joel speaks of three instances of “the day of the Lord.”  The first is the immediate plague of locusts and a drought.  The second is the imminent threat of invasion and the third is the ultimate final day of the Lord.  You may or may not face locusts and drought; at times, this summer it felt like it.  We usually don’t fear too many invaders in this country; the last one on the mainland of the United States was the British Army during the War of 1812.  The first two references to “the day of the Lord,” we probably don’t worry about it too much.  However, eventually, we will face the final judgment day; we will face the day when Jesus returns as judge and king.

     The good news is that we don’t have to worry about that one either.  In fact, we should look forward to that day!  We should look forward to the day when Christ returns and death, the final enemy, is totally destroyed.  We should look forward to the day when we live in Jesus’ holy presence and see him face to face.  We don’t have to fear that day; we should be glad and rejoice!”  The Lord truly has done great things.  We are covered by Christ’s righteousness; we have nothing to fear when Christ returns.  We will join Him as He returns to claim us. 

    The really amazing thing is that we can look at our life and see three “day of the Lord” that are truly wonderful for us.  We have our birth, our re-birth (Baptism) and the day when we go to live with Christ for eternity.  All three days God blesses us and sustains us, giving us life and a hope to cling to until the final day of the Lord.  Oh, the great things He has done!!

Gracious Father, your mercies are new every day for great things you do for us.  Give us the courage to “fear not,” to live our life with the certainty of our salvation and to go forth with the bold confidence in the hope which you have given to us.  Guard us and protect us until that day shall come when we are united with you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen. 

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

Thursday, October 24, 2024

10-24-2024

Good Morning All,

     John 14:28; ““I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

    I remember watching a documentary show a number of years ago about the USS Indianapolis.  This was an amazing story.  The USS Indianapolis was the ship which delivered enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb.  Its mission was very secret.  As it was returning, it was sunk by a Japanese submarine.  The return of the ship back to port was either overlooked or not listed but the men from the ship were in the water for three and a half days before they were spotted by a plane.  There were almost 1200 men on the ship when it sunk only about three hundred survived to be rescued.  Dehydration, salt poisoning and sharks got most of the rest. 

    They interviewed one of the survivors during the show.  He stated that the worst part of the whole experience was not the three and a half days’ wait.  It was the waiting for your turn to be rescued.  Some were pulled out by plane, and some were rescued by boat.  All the time the sharks were circling and still claiming victims.  He said that was the loneliest he had ever felt.  He said it felt like a pit in his stomach that just got bigger.  For a while, he probably felt like an abandoned orphan.

     Our verse is part of the portion of John which many call “the upper room discourse.”  This is when Jesus talks to his disciples on the night that he was betrayed.  He was comforting the disciples by telling them that they would not be orphans but that He would ask the Father to send the “Comforter,” the Holy Spirit, to take care of them.  Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit; we are not orphans.

    The vast majority of us will never experience what the survivors of the USS Indianapolis did.  Yet in many ways, we do.  The devil does everything in his power to separate you from God’s love; the devil is trying to make you an orphan all alone with no one to turn to.  He wants to torment you and use your pain for his entertainment.  The devil delights in human suffering.  So, whether it is an illness or surgery that takes longer to recover from than we planned on or whether it is a relationship in our family that seems to be more pain than joy.  It may be the pain of job uncertainty, harvest uncertainty or the stresses of changes at school.  It may just be the worry of getting older but not always feeling like it is better.  We all face times when the devil seeks to torpedo us and send in the sharks. 

    Yet through it all, we are never alone; we always have the companionship of the Holy Spirit.  The actual Greek is Paraclete. We don’t have a real good word to translate to it.  It roughly means “the one who travels alongside.”  We use Helper, Advocate, and my favorite Comforter as ways to describe this title or action.  The Spirit is our Comforter because he reminds us of all that Jesus said.  The Spirit brings us to faith and then supplies, strengthens, renews, and refreshes that faith.  Jesus promised to never leave us as orphans, and we never are.  So, the next time the devil whispers to you, tell him to take a hike for you have the Holy Spirit to guard and protect you.

Dear Father in heaven, we give you thanks for the adoption as sons and for not leaving us as orphans who have to find their own way.  Father, we find all our comfort and hope in you; keep us this day from all sin and hold us close to your heart as a loving father cradles his dear child.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s peace,

Pastor Bret              

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

10-23-2024

Good Morning All,

     Proverbs 16:18; “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

   There once was a small prairie pond which was the home to a frog and two geese.  As often happens, a drought hit the land, and the pond began to dry up.  The geese were ready to leave but the frog asked them to stay because he was afraid.  They told him they would look for another pond but when they returned, they told him the next pond was over 20 miles away.  The frog fretted for he didn’t know what to do. As the geese were preparing to leave, the frog had an idea, an idea that would save him.  He told the geese to find a stick and each of them would hold an end in their mouth, he would bite the stick in the middle and hold on until they reached the next pond.  The geese found the perfect size stick and the frog closed his mouth around it and off they flew to the next pond.  As they soared higher and higher, the frog saw all the land and was impressed with his idea.  They flew over a farmer, who upon seeing this sight, scratched his head and asked,” I wonder who thought of that?”  To which the frog opened his mouth and replied,” I did” as he fell to the ground with a splat.

    Pride goes before destruction and usually with an open mouth as well.  I have been amused at the number of criminals who brag about their thievery on social media like Face Book.  Or students who complain about school being boring or not understanding the teacher on Face Book during school hours.  Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.  We see it happen all the time.  Groups work well until someone compliments them and then the individuals want credit.

    The writer of this proverb knew full well the danger of a haughty spirit.  It is the kind of spirit that believes it knows better than God.  It can tell God how to deal with certain people, certain situations and solve all problems for God.  Then the shear folly of this falls into his lap and he is left going splat. Gossip spread that, while really juicy and easy to hear, is completely wrong and hurtful to another.  Bragging about our successes while others know the real events.  All these things make us look small to others but more importantly reflect poorly on how we see the gifts which God has given to us.

     We all love to take credit for good things, that really is human nature just like we like to be where the fun is and seen by many as fun and exciting.  But the devil likes to take that and turn us away from God’s love to self-love where we see our self as the center of attention and the most important.  We fail to see that Christ is the center of it all.  The love which we receive from him and through him gives us the wisdom and knowledge and the blessings of this life.  All things we should be thankful for not bragging about.  Our boast should be for what Christ does for his people and how we are thankful to be one.

Dear Father, far too often we are busy boasting and not praising you, we are claiming our successes as our own and our failures are your will.  Forgive us that we are slow to give all honor and glory to your holy name.  Strengthen and preserve us as your people, bringing us into a more perfect walk with you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret        

Tuesday, October 22, 2024

10-22-2024

 Good Morning All,

     Joshua 24:15; “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”                        

   “Choose this day whom you will serve.”  That is pretty harsh, after all we like to check things out; take it for a test drive, look at Carfax, check the soil maps, check prices at other stores; we need time to make big decisions.  While that may seem like a reasonable approach, it can also be foolish.

    We often wonder, maybe even out loud, when we read of the death of a young person, or when a family loses more than one member due to some tragedy. I think of the young man who held onto his toddler while his wife was washed away in the hurricane. Now there is a family with a huge whole to fill.  While we look on with sadness for this family, we really need to see the incredible fragility of the human body, how easily this body can stop functioning.

    Along with all the usual comments like “be sure your family knows you love them”; “Don’t leave on an angry word”; “don’t put off calling a friend or a loved one that is far away” comes one more word of wise counsel from our verse today, “Choose this day whom you will serve.”  The importance of your faith, right now, is more critical than we ever know.

        Many people have the mistaken idea that they have time on their side.  They believe that they can wait to hear God’s call.   “I’ll worry about that when I’m older.”  “There is plenty of time for that church stuff later.”  We all like to believe that we are all going to live to a ripe old age and have time to know that our death is coming.  The truth is we never know what day death will come to us.  We need to choose today because we may not have tomorrow.

    Yet there is another reason we need to hear the call of the Holy Spirit.  In this chapter of Joshua, the Israelites are having a covenant ceremony.  In this ceremony, Joshua recalled all that the Lord God had done for the Israelites and how He had blessed them.  God gives those same blessings to His people today.  We are showered with His love; receive His comfort, a share in His eternal reward.  All this gives us hope, a hope for life everlasting.  We receive this today when we listen to the Spirit call us to faith today.  We might have 20, 30 or even 80 more years of life but why live them outside of God’s umbrella of love?  Why take on the devil all by our self when Jesus has promised to do this battle for us? 

     We run the risk of dying outside of faith and we live a life of difficulty, struggling with all the battle of this world, holding all the challenges we will face by our own hands and backs rather than turning all these over to God.  Choose today whom you will serve, trust God’s promise to give you hope today and eternal life tomorrow or maybe later today.

Father, we are slow to see your grace in our life.  We like to see our life through our eyes and on our terms rather than trusting you.  Bring us closer to you that we may proclaim you as our God this day and forevermore.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

Monday, October 21, 2024

10-21-2024

 Good Morning All,

     Luke 11:2; “And He said to them, “When you pray, say:”

   This is the start to Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer.  The disciples had watched John the Baptist teach his disciples to pray.  They had watched Jesus pray.  They wanted to learn how to pray with the same efficacy as Jesus did.  They wanted that same closeness to the Father.  So, they asked Jesus to teach them, and he taught them the Lord’s Prayer.

   We often view this as a simple prayer, one which is a good start but one which we feel we can improve on.  The truth is this is how we should pray.  We should pray this simple prayer just as if we are little children because that is what we are, God’s little children.

     Think of how little children talk.  They are just getting some command of the language.  They ask and ask questions.  They talk almost incessantly.  They are never afraid to ask for what they need and want.  Sometimes they hear,” no” but that doesn’t stop them from asking next time.  This is how we should be constantly, confidently talking to God.

    Prayer is nothing else than the lifting up of heart or mind to God.  Just like that little child runs to his or her parents or grandparents, lifting up their arms, saying pick me up and listen to me; we can come to our heavenly Father in the same fashion.  God promises to hear our prayers, bending his ear toward us to listen.  God listens closely to our weeping and pleading but also to our laughter and joy all of which we should share with our Father who art in heaven.

    Perhaps the greatest wonder is that none of this listening by God to us is dependent upon us.  Think of your child or grandchild when they were very young.  As they were learning to walk, if they fell and bumped their head; you didn’t wait until they properly articulated what happened and what they needed.  Chances are you were there comforting them before the first tear fell.  How much more so does our heavenly father respond to our cries and our pains.

   We do not disdain a child whose cry of pain or fear may be incoherent or broken or hysterical and neither does God.  God hears us not because of who we are but because of who he is.  God is our loving father who hears our prayers even before we pray them yet encourages us to pray so that we may be drawn closer to him. 

    Just as that small child is confident that their parent will hear them so too our confidence grows for as we pray in Jesus’ name, we can be sure that the Father listens to and hears our prayers just as surely as when Jesus himself prays.  This is where our helpless soul looks to our gracious friend and brother, Jesus.  So, when you pray; pray like this with all the boldness and confidence of a child, with childlike faith trusting in the promise of God to hear and to answer our prayers.

Dear Father in heaven, we give you thanks for the gift of prayer.  Forgive us when we are slow to rely on you and fail to use this great gift too infrequently.  Lead us to have faith like a child trusting in the certainty of your good grace and blessings upon us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor 

Sunday, October 20, 2024

10-20-2024

Good Morning All,

     1 John 2:9; “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”

   Imagine for a moment that you are taking a friend to a sporting contest.  It can be between two local high schools or two colleges or your favorite pro sport teams.  You cheer for team “A.”  The friend that you brought along, and paid for the ticket in, gave a ride to and bought dinner for, agrees to cheer for your team as well.  The only thing is that he is wearing a team jersey from the opposing team “B.”  Every time team “B” does something good he stands up and cheers for them.  Every time team “A” does something good, he just sits there.  When you ask him, “Whose side are you on?” and he replies with, “yours;” do you believe him?

    Most people would agree that you cannot tell me you are for team “A” if you cheer for team “B.”  You have to cheer for one team or another.  You cannot have it two different ways.  You are either cheering for team “A” or team “B.” You cannot claim to be in the light (a follower of Jesus) and then hate your brother and keep living in the dark (sinful nature).

     In this, his first epistle, the Apostle John makes it clear that when it comes to faith, you are either in or out.  You are either in the light or in the darkness.  You either confess that Jesus is your Lord, or you confess that he isn’t and something or someone (Usually our self) is lord of our life.  For many that is difficult.  Many want to have it two or more ways at the same time.  Some want a spouse but do not want to remain faithful to that spouse.  Some want their employer to always have a job and good pay and benefits for them but do not want to work hard to make the business profitable to allow this to happen.  Many want to live their life in total freedom with no sense of responsibility for their actions.

     Jesus loves us with a special self-sacrificial love.  It is a love which only gives and never expects something back in some form of a trade.  We all know people like that.  “I’ll love you if you love me first.”  “As long as you are nice to me; I’ll be nice to you.”  These are not examples of self-sacrificial love but of self-serving selfish love.  Selfish love is the kind of love the world knows.  Your concern is for, “what is in it for me?”  Jesus calls us to the light of his grace, to the light of reconciliation, in order that we might love others as Christ loves us.  Remember what Jesus endured for you on Mt. Calvary, remember what he gave up (heavenly glory) for you, remember what he does now for you (intercedes with the Father for you).  All this and more he does for you even, actually especially, when you do not show God’s love to others, and you deserve punishment.  Jesus takes that punishment for you.

    The beauty of living in the light is that you can see where you are going.  We know where we are going; we are going to heaven to live with our heavenly Father, with our brother Jesus, with our comforter the Holy Spirit and all the saints who died in faith and went before us.  The gift of the light to see the truth, to live in harmony with each other, to comfort and console, to protect and help defend each other from the attacks of the devil.  Live in the light of Christ’s righteousness and the hope of our salvation.

Dear Lord Jesus, you are the light of the world.  Shine into our hearts with your truth and the saving warmth of your grace.  Guard us this day from our foe the devil and keep us from the darkness.  Give us the strength and courage to share your amazing gift of salvation with those whom we meet.  In Your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

Saturday, October 19, 2024

10-19-2024

 Good Morning All,

     John 16:13; “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” 

    This is a small section of what Jesus is telling his disciples right before he is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was giving the disciples comfort by telling them that He would not leave them alone.  The Holy Spirit was going to come and take care of them.  In this section of John (chapters 14-16), Jesus explains a lot about what the Spirit will do for us.  One of those jobs is to” guide us into all the truth.”

    In the explanation to the Third article, we speak of the Holy Spirit calling us by the Gospel; that he leads us into faith in Jesus and keeps us there. That is how we look at it in the Small Catechism.  But in the Large Catechism, Luther uses far more colorful and descriptive language to explain it.  Here he writes “he (The Holy Spirit) first leads us into his holy community, placing us in the church’s lap, where he preaches to us and brings us to Christ.  We are placed in the church’s lap; that is the lap of the Body of Christ.

    Isn’t that a wonderful image!!  We are God’s adopted children; he chose us to be in his family.  Just like small children are placed in the lap of their parents or grandparents to listen and to learn, so do we.  I always enjoy watching small children when you talk to them.  They listen with their eyes. When you talk to them, their eyes get big and sparkly.  As these little ones get older, and they begin to understand the words; they listen intently with their wide eyes and hushed tones.  They listen this way because they feel safe in the arms of someone who loves them and protects them and gives them words of peace and comfort and truth.

    We should be that same way.  We can listen to God by reading His Word and seeing what it says to us.  The Bible is God revealing himself to us, showing us who He is.  What we find is a God of love who loves you and protects you and keeps you safe from all the harm the devil will send.  We can trust God’s words of peace, hope, and comfort.

    The sad thing is that too often we are like the child who wants to “do it myself.”  We leave that lap and go our own way only to find that the path we chose causes us pain and suffering.  Yet the Spirit gently brings us back to the lap where we can sit and speak to God and have the Sprit teach us the truth of our loving Savior.  We can rest safely and securely in that lap.  The troubles of this world will still come, the bills will still pile up, the rain will be spotty, family and friends will cause us pain, but we can count on God to keep us in His lap of grace and to keep us safe until we enter into his heavenly kingdom.

Gracious Lord, your mercies are new every day.  You guard us and guide us in this world’s path leading us home to you.  Forgive us when we leave your lap to go in our own direction.  Bring us back with your loving kindness and defend us from all that the devil throws.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret