8-31-2025

Good Morning All,

        Exodus 14:21b; “All that night the Lord pushed back the sea with a strong east wind and turned the sea into dry ground.”

    Do you remember that song by Simon and Garfunkel called “Sounds of Silence?”  It is a very plaintive song about a person who feels that he is completely isolated from anyone and everyone.  In the process of this event, he feels the cold and damp weather while seeing people who are talking but he doesn’t hear anything because they are speaking to him.  He feels lost and without hope.

    That is how the Israelites found themselves while they were in captivity in Egypt.  They were isolated from their land and were alone in a foreign land, enslaved by their cruel taskmasters.  They sat in bondage and cried to God to save them.  Even as they prayed, God seemed distant and unhearing.  The Egyptians continued to beat them and crush their spirit, crush their hope.

    There are times in our life when we probably feel the same way.  Perhaps it is waiting for the results from a doctor’s visit.  You know, one of those visits where cancer is still a possibility.  Or maybe even worse is when the doctor just scratches his head and says, “I just don’t know.”  Perhaps your boss keeps talking about “downsizing” or “re-structuring.”  Maybe it’s been more than a year of hearing, “we aren’t hiring right now.”  I visited with a young man whose family just showed him the door, gave him a suitcase, and then closed and locked the door; how far away is God there?  These are but a few examples, you can probably add some of your own.   The thing is God is never far away; we just don’t always see it clearly.

    In our verse, God was at work for the Israelites at a very dark time in their existence.  The only life that they knew was slavery.  Then, miraculously, they were freed by the Egyptian Pharaoh only to have him change his mind and then begin to chase them through the desert.  Maybe you have felt that way.  Some pain just seems to chase after us.  It seems that many of us have some form of an addiction.  It doesn’t have to be to a chemical, like drugs or alcohol, it might be a feeling or an inclination to a mood.  It might be that nagging desire to gossip or envy your neighbor.  Or it might be that constant feeling that, deep down, you don’t think you are good enough.  This can be dark times.

    Yet our verse gives us a clue into our God.  He used the very creation that is his to save his people.  The winds pushed back the sea to form dry land.  The Israelites were saved from the Egyptians and their slavery.  God does the same thing for us; he uses his creation, simple and plain, for our good.  He uses water connected with his Word to cleanse us of our sin and he uses bread and wine tied to his Word to nourish our spirit and to refresh our soul.  Yet he also uses the beauty of a flower or the freshness of a summer rain to give us comfort.  He uses the members of his church to console us as we need.  We don’t always “see” or “feel” God active in our life but he is.

Father, thank you for the blessing of today and the promise of tomorrow.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

8-30-2025

Good Morning All,

      Psalm 50:15; “Call on me in times of trouble.  I will rescue you, and you will honor me.”

    I am still trying to figure out my smartphone.  I have discovered it is smarter than me.  I keep having people tell me how your phone can do everything for you.  You just need get an “app” for it.  I heard on the radio the other day that there is an “app” that will allow your phone to help diagnose skin cancer.  All you do is take a picture of the mole or spot on your skin and with this “app” it will tell you if it is malignant or not. 

    There are apps for the weather, for the stock or commodity markets, for the news, there are apps to allow you to set your thermostat or lights in your house when you are away, or any one of literally thousands of different app that can make your smartphone do incredible things.  Some of the apps are free and some are very expensive.  Yet you need to have the app on your smartphone in order to get the benefit of the app.  You also need to learn how to use the app properly and you need to be sure that the phone you have has the necessary add-ons in order to make it work as well.  They are nice to have but they can be difficult to handle especially when the “one size fits all” app doesn’t fit your phone.  Or you need an upgrade in either your phone or your service plan.  I really get a headache about the time that Jamie (my phone guru salesperson) tries to explain this. 

    The thing about the apps is that you have to put them on your phone and you often have to pay for them.  The other thing is that when you really need them, the best you can do is guess if they will actually work.  Those are things that we do not have to do with prayer.  Prayer exists for you from the moment that you are given faith.  God has promised to hear the call of his children.  We don’t have to buy anything or even really understand how it works.  It just works!!  Prayers to God get results!!  The results may not be what we think we want but honest prayers get results.  The results aren’t always a visible effect but are often a spiritual effect.  We may not be healed of our pain but God gives us the peace to deal with it and the hope of our salvation.  Prayer affects the way you live but it also effects the way you live.  A true personal prayer life effects or changes the way you view life, the way you experience life and even the outcome of your life. 

    Prayer gives you the constant interaction with God; along with a devotional time you have the conversation time with God.  We listen to him through his Word and we speak to him through our prayers and all without an app!

Dearest Father, you encourage us to call upon you for you give us the hope and peace that we so desperately seek.  Give us the wisdom to bring all things to you that we may find in you all that we need. We ask you to wrap your arms around those who experience violence and hatred. Give them hope that they may see the wonder of your mercy.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

8-29-2025

Good Morning All,

      Romans 3:28; “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

          I remember a conversation that I had with a non-churchgoer.  She told me that she would never go to that church after all it was full of hypocrites!!  My initial reaction was to say to her, “well thank you for not being one more in there.” But the Spirit held my tongue and I just smiled.  I wanted to say something but for the life of me I couldn’t think of anything; perhaps this has happened to you as well.

    It seems that we hear comments like this often.  We hear often how the church and its members are judgmental, hypocritical, greedy, self-serving and a bunch of other things.  At times it may seem that those charges are right.  Yet from my standpoint, most of the people that I talk to in the church have faith.  They believe that Jesus died for their sins and hold onto that truth.  So, the church is made up mostly of believers.  So why does the church so often trip over its own feet and make mistakes? 

    The reason is that the church is made up of sinners; people who are fallible, who make errors, who make bad decisions, who cannot see into the future and go the wrong direction; in other words, the church is made up of people like you and me.  We are redeemed by God but we continue to sin.  There is a Latin phrase to explain this; it is “simul justus et peccator.”  This means that you are, at the exact same time, justified and still a sinner.

     We are justified by faith through God’s grace.  We don’t work to earn it.  So, when we look at the church each person is this type of person.  We are God’s children and it is through us that God chooses to work in the world.  Yet at the same time we are sinners; we say callous things, we are jealous of others’ success, we tend to look out for ourselves; we are sinners.  We are an imperfect people working in a broken creation; we are probably going to make mistakes but who we are; we are the redeemed children of God.  We will make mistakes so if we go in realizing this; that perfection here on this earth will not occur, then we can go forward trusting in God for guidance.

    We don’t need to defend the church. If someone tells you that the church is full of sinners; tell them,” Yes, that is the complete truth!!”  We are not the church because we are perfect; we are the church because we are the redeemed; we are the justified.  We are declared holy by God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice.  So, as you go forward today, know that you probably will sin.  You probably don’t want to but you probably will.  Know for certain that you are a redeemed child of God; you are justified by faith.

Dearest Father, we are weak yet you build us up and send us out as your church.  You move through this world using the weak and the feeble.  Through this you show your grace to us and to the world.  Give us the certainty to trust in your mercy to keep us close to you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

8-28-2025

Good Morning All,

      Isaiah 43:6-7; “I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not keep them.”  Bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the ends of the earth.  Bring everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

    It seems that each generation tries to make a movie that answers the age-old question about the meaning of life.  Why are we here?  One generation watched “2001: A Space Odyssey” another one watched “The Matrix”.  Both are very deep and require serious watching.  There are other movies and other stories.  Many offer some interesting views, some offer whimsical views and some offer some deep and insightful views.  But the question remains, why are we here?

    Most people, at one time or another, ask themselves this question.  Some go on long and intense personal quests to determine this.  There was a time, about when I was in college, that deep introspective meditation was supposed to “give you the answer.”  I remember a time in a psychology class when the instructor tried it.  One of the wags in class said the only thing he found was lint in his belly button.  The professor was flustered, the class erupted and we never tried it again. 

    The problem with this is that many presume that the question, “why am I here?” is a question that is subjective and dependent upon the individual.  While this may please our sinful nature, it goes against God’s plan and design.  God’s plan for you is to bring him glory in all that we do.  This includes your worship/devotional life, your family life, your interaction with your fellow believers and with those unbelievers.  Every action we take should bring God glory.  This is where we find our purpose in life, this is where we find the contentment in our life, it is where we find our peace.

    It is when we seek our own glory, our own selfish desires, our own foolishness that we scatter before God.  This is what causes us to run from God.  Yet God in his mercy calls brings us back from the four corners of the world to be his family.  It doesn’t matter what you were, what sins you committed, what caused you to run to the furthest corners of the world; God calls you back.  He calls you by name to be his own redeemed child.  That is who you are, a redeemed child of God. 

     The “why” you are here is to bring glory to God by living the life that he has given to you, to walk in the paths and do the good works which he lays out for you.  This is our purpose; to live in God’s presence bringing him glory and giving us contentment.

Dearest Father, you bring us in from the furthest corners of the world and reclaim us as your people and children.  Give us the strength to see your will is our best and only hope.  Keep us close to you so that we may be safe in your arms.  We ask that you especially call those brothers and sisters who are still at the ends of the earth, who are lost and struggling.  Bring them back to your grace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

8-27-2025

Good Morning All,

      Acts 7:56; “And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

    It is a common event.  When someone comes into a room, you rise up and greet them.  It is a sign of respect, honor, and happiness.  We show respect by rising up and stepping toward them and greeting them.  We show them honor.  By rising, we are also offering them our seat.  We also show our happiness as we rise and go and greet them as they enter.  These are a few reasons that we stand when someone comes into a room.

    Our verse is a rare one.  This is the only place in Scriptures where Jesus is described as “standing” at the right hand of God.  Usually, he is “seated” at the right hand of God.  So, what does this mean?  When Jesus is seated it is as the one who has the power and authority.  As Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, he rules.  He rules with all the power, majesty, and authority that God the Father bestows on him.  Remember, Jesus is the Word and it is by the Word that all was created and is sustained.  It is from this seat of power and authority that Jesus rules the universe.  He is the King and the king never has to stand when someone enters; the king remains seated and the person who enters comes and bows before the king.  So why does Jesus stand in our verse?

    This verse is part of the story about the stoning of Stephen.  As Stephen is dying, he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  Why?  Perhaps because the King was getting up to welcome home one of his blessed children.  Jesus stood to welcome Stephen home.  Isn’t that an amazing thought?  The King of kings and Lord of lords stands and comes and welcomes the believer home.  Think of how great of love this is, the King rises up and greets the beloved child as he comes home.

    So how does that impact you, right now?  Just think, if Jesus loves us enough to get excited when we get to heaven; think how much he loves us right now!  As He anxiously awaits our arrival, He watches over us.  He guides us, guards us, comforts us, and gives us the certainty of hope.  He wants us to succeed in this life, to make it to our eternal perfect life.  He wants us to live the life which we are designed to live, a life of love and contentment.  He offers us peace.

     We can live our life with the full knowledge that Jesus is not only waiting for us but is anxiously waiting, excited for our arrival.  This love permeates all of our life.  Jesus eagerly awaits our arrival.  His love moves through all of our life and all of our actions.  He waits for you with his love.

    Dearest Jesus, in your great love for us you are eager to greet us.  Give us the faith to trust in your mercy to sustain us, to trust in your grace to keep us strong.  Gather us around your throne and keep us safe.  Be with those who are lost and fail to see your love in their life.  Use us to bring your love to them.  In Your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

8-26-2025

Good Morning All,

        Isaiah 53:3;” He was despised and rejected by people.  He was a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering.  He was despised like one from whom people turn their faces, and we didn’t consider him to be worth anything.”

    I was listening to some news program yesterday and I heard that phrase again; you remember the phrase from the height of the 2008 economic meltdown- vulnerable.  I never remember that word being used in any business or economics class I took in college but I hear all the time now; this bank or that bank is vulnerable.  I think it is a polite way to say the bank is about to go “toes up.”

     Vulnerable is a very inclusive word.  If the star player of a team has to miss a game, it is said to be vulnerable.  If a boxer has broken ribs during a boxing match, that side is vulnerable.  If an army doesn’t have enough troops in one part of a battlefield; it is vulnerable.  People are vulnerable.

    We usually say someone is vulnerable if there is a chance that their feelings might get hurt or they might experience some emotional pain.  It is as if being exposed makes you somehow weak.  That is usually how we view vulnerable; you are weak.  Actually, we as Christians, should view being vulnerable in a different light.  For us, being vulnerable means that we have the love of Christ in our heart.

    As we look at our verse, Jesus was definitely vulnerable; he was capable of being hurt.  He came to the world to offer redemption and forgiveness.  He just laid it out there for us and how did the world respond- with rejection, with anger, with violence, with complete hatred.  Yet Jesus, in his love, endured it for us out of love.  This is what true love is about; it is loving those who are viewed as unlovable.  It might be the man who sexually assaulted his children, or the mother who drowned her children, or the alcoholic who finally killed someone in a drunken car crash.  How do we love them?  Showing any form of compassion for them would make us vulnerable; vulnerable to the righteous indignation of those who see the law and the law only.

    In God’s grace, these are offered forgiveness.  In God’s grace, we are offered forgiveness.  “Well, I’m not like them!”  Yeah, we are we rejected Jesus because we didn’t consider him worthy.  We didn’t love as he first loved us.  It is tough.  How do you love “monsters”?  You hate the sin, just as God does, but you love and forgive the sinner, just as God does.  Does this make us vulnerable?  Of course it does, but we are God’s redeemed children we have received far more mercy than we have ever deserved and we have a chance to show some mercy to those around us.  Maybe not a murderer but how about the kid that everyone makes fun of, how about the old couple who seem to have little to live on, how about the newly divorced mother or father, how about the guy who lives in the nursing home far from his family?  There are many ways to show God’s love, all make us vulnerable but all show love.

Dear Jesus, you are vulnerable, make us vulnerable as well.  Move us to love the unloved and to bring hope to the lost.  In your precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

8-25-2025

Good Morning All,

    Isaiah 66:13; “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.”

    We have either seen it or been part of it many times over.  Even now, I remember some of the times when my mother comforted me.  I vividly remember one winter day when we were going home from a relative’s house.  The sidewalk was icy so I took off running and slid down the sidewalk.  I found that I had no way to stop but I thought a soft landing in a snowbank at the end of the walk would be alright.  The problem was that the snowbank had been put there by the city plow and it was as hard as a rock.  I hit it and all the wind was knocked out of me.  I couldn’t even cry until we were already out of town.  I rode home on her lap the whole way.

    I can remember times when either my wife or I would have to comfort our sons after a fun play session ended with someone crashing and then crying.  A few times we comforted them on the way to the emergency room for stitches.  When they were very young, we would hold them, rock a little, usually stroke their head and quietly talk to them trying to calm the down.  The first few sniffles and cries were usually pretty loud and intense but eventually they would at least only whimper and then usually go to sleep. 

     I have found that my role as pastor has led me to be a “comforter.”  There are probably those who will tell you that there is a proper way to do this but I tend to hold and to hug those who are hurting and crying.  It is a lot like when my children would need to be comforted.  It seems that people don’t need to hear a lot; they just want to be held and to be reassured that the world isn’t completely crashing down on them- even as it seems so. 

    That is one of the truly great gifts that God gives us with our faith.  We still feel the pain of events, dying loved ones, health issues, breaking relationships, failures in life.  They are still there and very, very real.  Yet we have God’s comfort.  We have his presence through the Spirit in our lives to comfort us.  One of the great benefits of being comforted is that you feel some peace and you can rest.  We get that time when we rest, even if we were exhausted before, we get to rest.

    That is part of God’s great mercy for us- rest.  Too often, we are tormented by the devil and his lies; God destroys those lies and in doing so we have comfort and we have rest.  God comforts us just as a mother comforts her child.  He holds us close and whispers quietly in our ear.  We hear his words of forgiveness and of hope and we can rest assured of his presence, of his peace.  The world will try to destroy it but God’s promise is sure; we have comfort, we have peaceful rest.  So, as life throws pain and sadness at you, remember; God gives you comfort and he gives you peace to rest.

Dearest Father, there are many times when we cry to you over the pain we experience and you comfort us, you give us hope.  We come to you in pain and you give us rest.  We give you thanks for this gift and we ask you Father to use us to be those to whom others may find comfort and rest.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

8-24-2025

Good Morning All,

          Hebrews 13:5; “Be happy with what you have because God has said, “I will never abandon you or leave you.”

    I know I show my age with this but “MASH” is still one of the best shows on television.  It offered some good bits of wisdom every so often.  I was always fascinated by how the main characters evolved through the years.  Major Houlihan went from a ditzy bimbo to a highly skilled and compassionate nurse.  Hawkeye went from a gold-plated womanizer to an early version of the “equal rights” man.  I found the change in Father Mulcahy to be the most interesting.  He went from being a bumbling incompetent person to being highly compassionate and very wise.  His observations were always timely and worth hearing.  Radar seemed to grow up and went from a goofy kid to a major component of the operation of the unit.

    One of the segments that I remember best is the one where Radar’s widowed mother started dating again.  He was nervous and asked Hawkeye for his advice.  Hawkeye told him how when his widowed father started to see a woman, Hawkeye made them miserable and the woman left and now his father was still all alone.  Hawkeye offered this observation, “Loneliness is everything it is cracked up to be.”

    I don’t know why that line stays with me.  I think it has to do with the fact that man was created to be a creature of relationships.  We were created to have a very close relationship with God.  Adam and God used to walk in the garden in the cool of the morning; now that would be an experience.  Man was also created to have a loving and caring relationship with each other as well.  Sadly, sin ruined all this.

    We desire to be in a relationship but sin warps our view of this relationship.  How many times do we hear someone say something and then misread the message?  How often do we perceive something completely wrong?  We really do this when we look at our relationship with God.  The devil and our sinful self tell us that God is a “no fun” guy who only makes rules that we can’t keep in order to punish us.  The truth is that God’s will is what is best for us and will restore us to the type of life that will truly make us content.

    God is always with us even when we don’t feel it.  It is our own selfishness that causes our loneliness from God.  We turn from God not the other way around.  God continually seeks us out trying to bring us back into his flock.  We are hounded by his goodness and mercy constantly driving us back to his grace.  We only need to surrender and trust in his love for us.  When we stop fighting, we will stop being lonely.

Gracious Lord, I often feel all alone.  Yet I know that you are with me; you bring me comfort and hope.  Strengthen me with your grace that I may live in your family and in harmony with my fellow brothers and sisters.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

8-23-2025

Good Morning All,

     John 8:11; “And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

    This is the ending of one of those stories that many people know.  This is part of the woman who is “caught” in adultery and the Scribes and the Pharisees want to stone her.  Jesus comments let him who has no sin throw the first stone and eventually they all walk away.  There is one part of this story that Scriptures tells us but doesn’t explain.  Two times we are told that Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground but we aren’t told what he wrote!

    Just think of the scene that is described.  If the woman was truly “caught” in adultery; she was probably naked.  She was dragged through the streets to the temple naked.  You can imagine her fear, her shock, her shame.  She was probably cowering up against the wall, trying to cover herself and fearing for her life.  She was surrounded by a bunch of angry, judging men!

    As Jesus came to the scene, the Scribes saw a chance to embarrass Jesus so they asked him what they should do.  He didn’t answer; he wrote on the ground.  What did he write?  We don’t know but I have always wondered if Jesus, who is God, looked into each man’s heart and began to write the sins which they were guilty of.  Did he look into their hearts and see greed, envy, jealousy, anger, hatred, lust, or any one of a dozen other sins?  I have found the sequence interesting; he wrote, he told those without sin to cast the first stone, then he wrote some more.  What did he write?  What did the woman think about this as the men dropped the stones and slowly and quietly slipped away?

   Jesus looked at her and told her, “I don’t condemn you, go and sin no more.”  We place a lot of emphasis on the first part but very little on the second part.  We like the first part because it is a feel-good statement but the second makes us uncomfortable.  But look at it, why was the woman in the street naked?  She was engaged in a sinful act; if she hadn’t been doing that, she would never have been naked in the street!  When you engage in sinful activities, there are negative effects on your life.  If you hate or lust or envy, you will experience sadness, anger, anxiety, and discontentment. 

    Jesus forgives your sins but if we keep going back to them; we will never live the life which God wants you to enjoy!  Sin continually rips us from God’s love by causing us to turn from his grace and looking at our own selfish desire.  God is there with us always, offering us the forgiveness that we so desperately need but he also begs us to turn from sin, turn from the actions, thoughts and desires that cause our pain and problems to start with.  Jesus forgives our sins and offers us hope, hope for our salvation but also a hope for a better tomorrow.  He offers us a hope to live our life in accordance with his perfect will.  This is why his directive, “go and sin no more” means hope for us.

Dearest Father, through your mercy you do not condemn us.  Lead us to see that living according to your will leads us to live the life which you have designed for us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray.  Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

8-22-2025

Good Morning All,

     Ephesians 2:5; “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”   

       There is something known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”  It is what it sounds like.  It is an area where garbage, mostly plastic, floats in the Pacific Ocean.  It gathers in an area where the predominant currents are weak.  So as garbage flows on the current, it gets blown into this dead zone area and just floats there.  Eventually, it gathers together and forms something of a floating island of garbage.

    Many of us can relate to this story.  There probably have been times, maybe even now, when we feel like we are part of “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”  We feel our life is listless, not going anywhere and just plain garbage.  Maybe you have been out of a job for a couple of years; the one you have is half the salary and no benefits and it doesn’t look any better.  Maybe your health has been going downhill for a few years now.  Maybe you don’t remember the last time your spouse said, “I love you.”  Maybe you just don’t feel connected to God or anything else; your life feels like “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”  We just feel nothing; it is like we are dead.

    Life throws a lot at us.  The devil plays hardball all the time.  Any chance he gets, he wants us to be dead, to live in “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.”  The devil wants us disconnected from our loved ones but to especially feel like we are disconnected from God.  When we feel this way, we are lost in the sea that is despair and sadness.  We just float there because there is nothing to move us.  The current is away from us so we just float in this sea of garbage; we have no hope or comfort.

    Just like that garbage, we cannot move unless something moves us.  This is what Jesus did when he came to earth to die for our sins.  He moved us out of “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” and into the flowing current of his love and grace.  There was no way for us to move so God moved us.  We were dead in our sins but made alive in Jesus.  This occurs to us every day.  God makes us alive, every day, by his grace and mercy.  This is a truth, a promise; it is a certainty.  We may or may not “feel” it but God’s grace is active and alive in our lives.  He desires you to be saved, to be comforted, to live your life in his love.  He desires us to live, not in “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” but in his wonderful kingdom of grace.  We can live secure in his mercy certain of our salvation and the blessing of today and the comfort for tomorrow.

Father, too often we feel like we are in a sea of garbage with no hope.  Give us the confidence in your grace to see that we are never alone and living in the sea of garbage but are always living in your wonderful grace.  Keep us alive in this knowledge, move us by your grace to hold onto your loving truth.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

8-21-2025

Good Morning All,

       Hebrews 13:12; “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.” 

  Have you ever felt like you were on the outside looking in?  You know, when there is a group or a crowd and you don’t fit in.  It might be unintentional, like when a group of golfers begin to talk about golf and you don’t golf or when a group of farmers talk “farming” and you don’t farm.  You stand there and listen but if they talk “birdie, eagle and handicap,” what do you say? Maybe you think it is just about the alphabet when it is “FSA, CSP, CRP, PP,” do you just say “XYZ”?

    Sometimes the exclusion is intentional; there is a “members only” effect.  If you don’t have membership, you just can’t be part.  This can be a country club or a dance club or any other form of club. The thing about these clubs is that you can usually join if you pay the dues to belong.  You aren’t really excluded; you just choose not to be part of it.  Some groups are exclusive because they don’t want you to be a member.  They have something that you don’t and they don’t want you to have it.  It used to take the form of slavery or voting rights.  In many ways it still does.

    We are often on the outside looking in.  Sin puts us there.  Our verse refers to the fact that criminals were executed outside of the city walls.  This was to be a statement to those who were enemies and to keep the city clean and to move the criminals away, sort of “out of sight out of mind” idea.  Those that the city deemed “unworthy” were kept outside the gate.  People with contagious diseases, or mental illness, or who were guilty of other crimes were often left outside the gate.  Because of our sin, that is where we were.

    Yet Jesus came to us.  He came to us when we were outside the gate, when we were steeped in sin and unworthy of entering into the city.  By coming outside the gate and taking our punishment, we can now go into the city and enjoy all the benefits of living inside.  We have the safety of the walls, the companionship of the neighbors and the fresh water to drink and food to eat.  It is where we are safe.  This city is God’s kingdom.  We can live here forever.  The devil will try to draw you outside and convince you that you do not deserve the city but you should stay outside.

    Yet Jesus keeps coming back to us, even when we are outside the gates to retrieve us and bring us back inside of the gate where we are safe.  We can live in peace inside the gate; we have rest inside the gate; we have love inside the gate.  Trust in Jesus, no matter if you feel like you are outside the gate; he will bring you back- trust in Him.

Dearest Father, you sent Jesus to bring us inside your holy house, into your family.  Give us the strength to trust in you and to keep our faith alive knowing that all things work to the good for those whom you love.  Give those who feel outside the gate the comfort of knowing that you draw them in.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret