10-6-2018

Good Morning All,

        Matthew 17:5; “He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

    We were discussing in a Bible Study session about what makes a church different from other organizations.  What is it about a church that makes it different from other charitable organizations?  We looked at many aspects.  We looked at the use of Scriptures, the use of Sacraments, the centrality of God and the focus on Jesus.

    As I was going home, I tried to remember what one of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen, said about the community of the church.  I hunted until I found what I was looking for.  In his book “The Spiritual Life” he writes:

 It is the practice of listening.  In our wordy world we usually spend our time together talking.  We feel most comfortable in sharing experiences, discussing interesting subjects, or arguing about current issues…But often we find words function more as walls than as gates, more as ways to keep distance than come close.  Often-even against our own desires-we find ourselves competing with each other…The discipline of community helps us to be silent together.  This disciplined silence is not an embarrassing silence, but a silence in which together we pay attention to the Lord who calls us together.  In this way we come to know each other not as a people who cling anxiously to our self-constructed identity, but as people who are love by the same God in a unique way.

    We are a people who listen; who practice and desire a silence so we can listen to Jesus.  Rather than talk louder and louder like the world; we seek silence to listen closely to what God has to say to us.  In the corporate setting (communal worship), we hear it in the hymns, the readings, the sermon, the prayers and in the fellowship.  In our personal time, we hear it in the reading of God’s Word.  The difficult part is to hear in silence.  It is said that nature abhors a vacuum, but it seems we desire stimulation.  In our silence, we can see and even experience our fears, worries and sorrow.  We use stimulation to change our focus.  Yet in our silence, when we see our pain; we can also see our hope.  Jesus said come unto me and I will give you rest; listen to Him.  Jesus said God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him; listen to Him.  Jesus says I will not abandon you; listen to Him.

    The devil wants the noise in our life so we are distracted from the source of our comfort and hope.  Yet Jesus invites us into a comforting quiet to listen to His wonderful words of love and mercy.  Listen to Him.

Gracious Father, still my heart and my world that I may listen to your love, your promise, your comfort and your hope.  Guide me to savor the time when I hear only You.  Keep me safe from all the devil’s noise.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

10-5-2018

 Good Morning All,

        Matthew 6:20; “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

    We have just returned from Rapid City for a pastor’s conference.  Rapid City is in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  This is the place where gold is lore.  Men would pack up, sometimes with their families, and try and stake a claim and try to strike it rich.  This is the thing that many see as part of the American dream; man strikes it rich through good luck and hard work.  Even though these stories of men panning for gold are legendary and part of our lore; successes were few and far between.  Most of the time, this dream ended in total failure; sometimes catastrophically. 

    Most came with little more than the clothes that they wore.  As the small amount of money they had was spent; they would have to go to work for someone in order to fund their dream.  They often ended up as little more than serfs for the local supply stores.  Sometimes, if the husband was killed, his wife and family would have to try to go back to where they came from.  Sometimes, if the wife couldn’t afford to leave she would often end up “working” in one of the local saloons.  The effect of “gold fever” was many times a destroyed life.

    We may not have “gold fever” but we many times place far too much emphasis on material items.  We measure our value by stuff.  What is always fascinating is that few ever have enough stuff.  No matter how much one has, there is someone who has more and we want to have more as well.  This “fever” can, and often does, cause pain in families and distress in relationships.  It may not end with the tragedies of the gold rush days but with as much pain and sadness.  When we place our hope in stuff, when our treasures are here on earth; we are seldom satisfied or content.

    Jesus gives us a treasure that no amount of money can buy.  He makes us wealthy beyond any human measure.  He gives to us eternal salvation; he gives the hope to face today because of the certainty of tomorrow.  He comforts us with his Holy Spirit.  His Word nourishes us and gives to us the rest that we need.

   So, if you find yourself in the downward spiral of wanting “more, more, more”; remember you will never be fully satisfied, you will never be completely content.  You will always crave more and worry about what you have; you will have no rest and even less peace.  Realize that it is the world that tells you it is all about the toys you have.  God tells you it is about the relationships you have; first with Him and then your brothers and sisters.  That is the measure for which we should strive.  We should look to how much we love and not how much we have.  God’s gift to us is the certainty of our eternity.  God’s gift is the gift of life.  It is the answer to the “fever” that greed can cause.

Father, grant to me the wisdom to trust in your promise.  Help me to see that the world’s fever is only an illness.  Show me that your healing grace is all that will satisfy life.  Be with those who are spiraling out of control.  Bring them safely home, in Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

10-4-2018

     Good Morning All,

                  Luke 10: 40; “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”

     Nose counters; they can be some of the best servers in a group.  You know at least one of them, probably a whole lot of them.  They are the ones, at any gathering, who worry that there is enough.  Is there enough food?  Well cook some more potatoes and there is a spare ham in the freezer just in case.  Is there enough to drink? Make some more coffee and juice.  Spread the nuts and mints around so it looks like there is more there.  Do we have enough chairs?  Is it too hot in here? No?; is it too cold in here?  They worry and fidget the whole time the party is going on.  You wonder how they can even enjoy them.

     We all know people like that; people who let the distractions get in the way of enjoying the festivities.  They are so busy trying to do something, trying to be sure everything is perfect and up to someone else’s unknown standard that they miss out on what is going on.  They don’t visit with their friends.  They don’t hear the music.  They don’t listen to the speaker.  They are too busy doing stuff.

    Martha was a “nose counter” and at the worst possible time!  She was more worried about hors d’oeuvres and what to serve for drinks than to sit and listen to Jesus.  Rather than hear the loving words of her Savior, she was worried about potato salad.  She let the insignificant overwhelm the important.

    How often do we do that?  Usually, all the time.  If we sat down and really thought about it, most of our worries, most of the things that keep us sleepless at night, are really not that important.  The only thing that they really do is to keep us from listening to Jesus.  We let all the distractions of this life keep us from hearing the wonderful words of God’s love.  We let things that really have no long-lasting significance determine our contentment.  We worry about finding places to park or what to eat or where to eat pile up in front of us.  We lose sight of God looking at all the mistakes or missteps rather than seeing God’s grace ever present in our lives.

    Sometimes, like Martha, we need to be told to “choose the good portion” like Mary did.  For us the “good portion” is found in God’s Word, taking comfort in its saving message.  It is found in prayer, speaking to God with our hearts open to him.  It is found in the consolation of our Christian brothers and sisters.  That is the good portion for us, resting in the comfort of our relationship with Jesus.  We find our comfort and our hope in his loving arms; stay there and rest securely.

Father of all mercy, too often I find myself lost in the problems of this world and losing focus on what is the good portion.  I see my working as more important than your love.  Keep me mindful that it is your everlasting grace that keeps me safe and saved.  Be with those who are overwhelmed by the cares of this world.  Bring them to know the good portion which is your love.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret