1-7-2021

  Good Morning All, 

      1 Timothy 2: 1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

    Considering the events of yesterday and this past summer where evil seems to be winning.  It seems that violence is becoming the way to “solve” any problem.  It feels that Satan is laughing with delight.  It might feel that way, it might appear that way, but it is not that way. The devil has lost, and the victory belongs to Jesus.  Of this truth, we can have total confidence.  Yet these are trying times, so what do we do?

    The Apostle Paul speaks to this in our verses.  What should we do, what can we do?  Most of us are far removed from the actual sites of violence, but we are still impacted.  So, what do we do?  First and foremost, we pray.  We pray for our leaders and all people.  We pray for justice and freedom.  We pray for compassion and mercy.  We pray for peace and comfort.  When everything is shaking, we cling to Jesus our rock and safe place.  Prayer is always our constant action.  Prayer reminds us that true peace comes from God.  True love comes from God.  True wisdom comes from God.  So, we ask God, we plead with God for our leaders, our country and ourselves that we may walk according to His will.

    So, we pray for Washington, DC and for Minneapolis.  We pray for Portland and Kenosha, we pray for Louisville and Nashville, we pray for all our communities.  We pray for the Sioux Falls and the Aberdeens of this nation.  We pray for the Northvilles and the Warners and all those who are elected to lead them.  We pray for us to be good citizens and that we all seek to end suffering and pain, injustice, and oppression.  We pray that God will continue to have mercy on this land and give us peace.

    Do not be disheartened, God is still in control and we are still in His hands.  God is still our loving God and Father and our salvation is still secure in Jesus.  This does not change.  Place your hope in Jesus not in the princes of the land but pray for those princes so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.   

Gracious God and Father, though Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to bring us Your heavenly peace, violence and conflict still rage among Your children on earth. We ask that you end the violence and hatred.  Rebuke those who incite violence and hatred that peace may occur.  Bring a restoration of calm and security and heal the wounds that have been inflicted. Preserve the peace so that what has been laid waste and made desolate can again be planted and built up. Open Your fatherly heart and bountiful hand to help all in need. Grant that we all may live together in unity and peace and let all hatred and ill will be remembered no more. Give us that peace which the world cannot give, and grant us grace that, delivered from all conflict and strife, we may live in harmony and safety, and finally, having gained the eternal rest of the saints in glory, may praise and bless, worship and glorify You forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-6-2021

 Good Morning All, 

         Romans 7:19;” For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

Every so often, Facebook brings up “memory” photos.  A few days ago, it brought up a photo we took of our oldest grandson as he was learning to walk.  He could stand up in the middle of the room any time he wanted.  You could see in his eyes that he wanted to walk but he did not go anywhere.  After a few seconds, he would look down at his feet as if he were thinking, “Feet do your stuff.”  It was fun to watch this. His mind knew what to do but the message to his feet was not getting through as effectively as it should.

   This is what Paul is telling us in our verse.  He knows what is good and proper to do; he just cannot get his body to do it.  He also knows what is wrong and should not be done; he just cannot stop sinning.  Paul is speaking of that tension that occurs within a Christian.  We are at the exact same time sinners and saints.  You can either say a “sainted sinner” or a “sinful saint” we are one in the same.

    This can really cause stress and tension for the Christian.  Many people, perhaps you, think that a Christian should be perfect, as in without sin.  So, when we sin, we feel we are not saved.  Paul tells us that this is not even close to right.  Paul re-tells what Jesus spoke of in the Gospels.  The desire of your heart shows your faith.  If you desire to do what is good and right, if you place the needs of others ahead of your own, if you trust God for your care and future, you have faith.  If you desire only selfishness, self-centered desires, and trust only your own thoughts, plans and wishes; then you may not have faith.

    Notice it is not that we slip and fall back into a sinful mode; it is the desire to sin and be only concerned about yourself.  If you sin and then feel remorse or guilt or the desire to correct it if you can; you are of faith.  You know what is good but sometimes you just do not do it.  Even when you know it is wrong, sometimes you still do it, just like Paul.

    The essential part of this is that you do not cause your salvation.  This is always a gift from God.  Even your faith, the desire to trust in God’s promise, is given by the Spirit.  Yet our sinful nature still sneaks back in once in a while.  Yet God is a God of mercy; his love for you will never die.  This is important for us; we will fall into sin, sometimes big by our measures, yet God continues to love us and to treasure us.  Our salvation is God’s greatest gift for us.  Our trust in that promise is all we need.  God gives us the tools we need to face the challenges of today.  This is part of his grace for us.  All we have depends on him and not on us.  God’s grace overcomes all of our failures.

Gracious Lord, all my efforts fall short.  Without your mercy, I am lost.  Keep me safe in your loving arms.  Guard and protect me from all evil.  Be with those who are struggling today with the trials of this world.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret       

1-5-2021

 Good Morning All, 

     Romans 8:31; “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

    They used to call them “ringers”.  The term was derived from horseshoe pitchers who rarely missed.  Every time they tossed a horseshoe, it was expected to be a ringer.  The term developed into meaning someone who could not be beaten.  So, if you go to the local pickup basketball game at the “Y” on a Saturday morning and bring in your cousin LeBron; he might be a “ringer.”  If you go to the company softball game and bring along Aaron Judge; he would probably be a “ringer”.

    It can come in handy to have a “ringer” on your team.  Having a ringer can tip the balance between winning and losing.  It can actually tip the balance so that the game is not even close.  A ringer will do that; he can so change the course and outcome of the game that sometimes your opponent will not even compete. 

    That is what we have in our relationship with God.  God is our “ringer.” With God fighting for us, who can possibly stand against us?  That is the question that Paul asks leaving out the obvious answer, no one can stand up against God.  You cannot, I cannot, and the devil cannot.  Hopefully, you and I do not want to stand against God.  But the devil, he will try to stand up to God.  He loses every time, but he still tries.  Ultimately the devil knows he cannot stand up to God, but he tries with an act of false bravado.  The devil does this so that he can try and convince you that he can stand up to God; that somehow, he is God’s equal.  He is not even close.

    The only way the devil can win is to try and convince you to play the game without God on your side.  The devil will play you in a little “one on one” and you will lose.  That is the only way the devil can win.  He will whisper in your ear all sorts of lies.  They might attack you when you are weak.  He will tell you that you are worthless, no one cares for you, all the trouble in your life you deserve it.  He will try and cause you to worry and fret over little things and try to draw you away from God.

    He might try and butter you up telling you how wonderful you are, how fantastic you are, how you do not need God.  See, there is no end to the lies he will tell you; playing off whatever emotion that you are feeling, he will go after it with a vengeance.  Yet the devil will never win as long as you trust in God and his promises.  God is for you, who can be against you?  God’s love and grace have been poured out upon you, who can top that?  God sent his Son to pay the price for our sin to redeem you, does it get any better?  God is for you; that is all that matters.

Gracious Father, as we face the trials of this life, we do not face them alone.  You are always with us and are always protecting us.  You are our champion.  With you we have certain victory. Give us the certainty of this truth.  Guard us with your Word and protect us with your arm.  Be with those who are battling at this time and feel like they are losing.  Give them the confidence to hold onto your promise forever.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret        

1-4-2021

 Good Morning All, 

     Romans 8:1; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

  I still like to watch the old Perry Mason shows.  We get them on FETV.  I always wondered why the prosecuting attorney did not just give up every time he saw Perry Mason on the other side.  Just save yourself the grief and give up, you are going to lose Mr. Burger.  Perry Mason’s clients face no condemnation in their trials.

   We have no condemnation of our sins before God.  He has placed them all upon the back of Jesus.  Through our Baptism, those sins remain in the tomb, left there as we became new creations.  So, we have God’s promise to a wonderful life, so why is it so often that we do not feel wonderful?  Why do we feel sad or lost or guilty so often?  We have no condemnation so why do we struggle so?

     We struggle, not with condemnation, but with self-condemnation.  It hisses in our ears and weighs on our shoulder.  It pulls us down with its insidious attacks.  You are unworthy.  You are not as good as they think you are.  You are a poor husband (or wife).  You are a poor son (or daughter).  You are a bad parent.  Those are just for starters.  Our own guilt drives us, and self-condemnation drives our guilt.  We have no condemnation from God, but we often fail to accept it.  We let the devil whisper to us that we are unworthy, and the self-condemnation begins.  It often ends with a poor night’s sleep, gloomy outlooks, sadness and an empty hole in our heart and soul.  The devil is very good at this.

    He launches these negative and destructive thoughts and feelings in order to make us weak and to separate us from God.  Just like the hyena tries to separate the weaker gazelle from the herd, the devil seeks his prey.  He is very good at this as it is his only real weapon against us.  Guilt and doubt are all he has to attack you with.  So how do we face this attack and fight back?

    First and foremost, we do not fight him alone.  If we do, we will lose.  We need to make sure that we are “in the herd,” that we are close to God.  This is why God gave us his Spirit to keep us close.  He gives us the tools to fight the devil by staying close to our Heavenly Father.  He gives us his Word to hear his words of forgiveness.  He gives us his body and blood in the bread and the wine so that we can taste and savor his forgiveness.  He gives us prayer to speak to him with our worries and fears.  He gives us his Spirit to comfort us and he gives us our fellow redeemed brothers and sister to give us consolation.

   When we stay close to God, by using the tools he gives us, it is more difficult for the devil to win.  He will still attack, and we will still have bouts of self-condemnation, but these bouts do not have to control our lives.  God’s grace will pull us through; we need to trust this.

Gracious Lord, when I forget your love, remind me that because of the cross and because you are my Savior, I am not condemned. Help me keep my eyes and thoughts on you. And to accept Your Word as truth so my confidence stays strong in you. In Jesus' precious name, amen.      

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-3-2021

 Good Morning All, 

        Genesis 3:9; “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

    When you were a child, did you ever play games like “Marco Polo” or “Hide and Seek”?

They are fun little games for children especially if you have a handful and different ages.  Marco Polo is a game that works well in a swimming pool if you have a bunch of swimmers.  This helps to limit how far the players can get away from the player who is doing the hunting or seeking.  Kid games often involve looking for or seeking after someone or something.

    This is partly true because we spend a lot of time looking or seeking for someone or something.  Most look for a spouse, look for a job, look for a better price for what we sell, looking for a better price for what we buy; we spend a lot of time looking.  We also spending a lot of time looking for happiness, success, enjoyment, maybe even peace and quiet.  One of the problems is that we often look for these in the wrong places.  We look for them in other people, in ourselves, in poor relationships, in drugs and alcohol, in phony man-made ideas and notions.

     The thing is that as we look in all the wrong places and as we do this, we turn our back to God.  We go looking in the wrong places, we find the wrong answers and we go from seeking to not finding.   Once we have been burned a time or two, we find ourselves confused and we stop looking.  We have the blindfold on, we see nothing.  There is no hope left for us as we are completely lost, hiding from God perhaps without even knowing it.  We are lost but we are being sought out.

    God seeks us out all the time.  He uses the preaching of his Gospel to call out to you, “Where are you?”  He reaches for us with his Spirit renewing in our hearts and in our souls the cry of “Come home.”  He constantly is calling us back to him; to be renewed and restored.  Even as we continue to stumble and sin; he picks us up and calls for us to “come back home.”  His call is one of forgiveness and one of hope.

    The devil and the world will try to lead us away; to get us to hide from God, to turn from him.  At times we will succumb; at times, the trials of this life will beat us down, but God continues to call to us “Where are you?”  “I come to bring you hope, I come to bring you life.”  “I come to bring you peace and comfort.”  He calls us continually, renewing his desire to return us to his home. 

     God calls to us to come home and be safe, to come home and live in his gracious kingdom.  His call to us through the Gospel is one of redemption, one of reconciliation.  It is this call that gives us the certainty of our salvation.

Gracious Father, we spend much of our time trying to hide from you.  We spend our time running from you.  Yet you continually call us back by your grace.  Give us the confidence to trust in your promise of hope.  Call loudly to those who are especially hurting and may not see your gracious hand in their life.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-2-2021

 Good Morning All, 

    Psalm 145:18; “The Lord is near to everyone who prays to him, to every faithful person who prays to him”.

    I remember watching Sesame Street with my sons many years ago.  I used to like the part where the two monsters taught the concept of near and far.  There was some catchy music, and the monsters would show up near to the camera or far from the camera.  Sometimes the monster would be right in front of the camera saying “near” fairly loudly then soon he would be far away from the camera and you would barely hear “far”. 

    They learned the concept of near and far.  The problem with learning this concept is that as soon we understand near and far; many things seem to be far.  We seem to be far from our friends or far from being done or far from getting enough rest or far from being satisfied.  It seems like near is more about nearly lost, nearly broke, nearly empty or near exhaustion.  All too often, this is how we feel.  When we feel this way, it gives the devil a platform.  He stands near to us and whispers in our ear how far away God is.  In our sinful state, we listen.  In our time of being lost or wandering, we feel that God is far, far away.  We still see him as God, but he is the great God who is far above the world far away from us.

    This is because our sinful nature does not want to see God as being near; our sinful nature does not desire to have a loving relationship with God.  It only seeks to hold God in contempt.  As we do this we move far from God or so we think.

    But God is always near to us.  He is always calling to us.  He always wants to be in a loving relationship with us.  Even when we look at our world, at our life and we think God is far away; we may even be angry or hurt that God does not care but he does, always has always will.  So how do we stop feeling so far from God?  How do we fix it?

    God gives us the tools to deal with this life.  One of the tools is prayer.  Prayer is a great gift of God to us.  It is half of that “holy conversation” that God engages in with us.  It is our part of the conversation.  God speaks to us through his Word and we speak back through prayer.  This conversation, this relationship is built up for us by God’s grace.  Prayer is never a “what” it is always a “who”.  Prayer is about talking with God and staying in close contact with Him.  The amazing thing is not that God gets nearer to us but that we recognize his presence in our lives, and we rely on that nearness to give us hope to give us strength.  Our continuance in our prayer life, connected with our listening to God speak to us through His Word will keep us near to God and we will experience his love, his mercy, and his grace.  He is always near and with prayer; we will realize it.

Father of all mercies, your mercies are new to us each day and roll over us like a river.  Keep us aware of your nearness and the love which you have for us.  Guard us by your Spirit.  We especially ask that you send your Spirit with your Word to those who feel that you are so far away.  Comfort them with the assurance that you are near.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-1-2021

Good Morning All, 

           Hebrews 13:8; “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

    2020 is officially in the books, it is history, all over, done, kaput, finished; I really wish this is true.  It is now 2021, it must be better, right?  I guess it depends on what you mean.  Despite the covid and the quarantines and lockdowns and whatever, the US economy is in pretty good shape.  Spending was up in the third quarter.  I have heard anecdotally that some of our local businesses had some of their best quarters this year.  USDA says net farm income was up this year so overall, was it that bad?

    It would appear that 2020 was like all other years, there were some winners and there were some losers.  There were some highlights and some low lights.  Loved ones died, new babies were born, and life went on ebbing and flowing as it always does.

    I do not mean to make light of the pain and suffering which so many experienced in the past year.  Even the days ahead appear to be daunting with little respite in the offing and with that the new year begins.  Will it be better, worse, about the same, it is anybody’s guess.  You can change your impression of the way things are going by changing the place where you get your evening news.  It seems the news has become like the weather reports, if you do not like the one you hear keep looking until you find the one you like.  The current truth in the news seems to be there is no truth, just make it up as you go.  Whichever way the popularity wind blows is the direction you go; no wonder trust in our institutions is at an all-time low.

    Graciously, God has given to us, his redeemed children, a shining light of hope.  In this world of twisted darkness, Jesus shines through.  His merciful goodness, revealed to us on the cross, in His Word and in His sacraments are the steady anchor we need.  The good news is that the world can turn over on its head, but Jesus never changes.  His love for you does not depend on someone else’s opinion, it does not depend current fads or popularity; it relies on the unquenchable love which was poured out upon us at the cross by Jesus.  The one truth, the one great truth that we can cling to is that God’s mercy, through Jesus is ours, and that was true yesterday, it is true today and it will be true tomorrow.  We can rely on this fact.  We can rest because of this great truth; we can have peace because of God’s holy promise.

    So however last year went, however this year goes, whichever way this broken creation wobbles, God’s love for your never changes.  God’s love for you never has an ending point.  God’s love for you is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret