4-7-2021

 Good Morning All!

       Matthew 15: 26-27: “And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”   She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 

     This is a portion of the story of the Canaanite woman and her faith.  She came to Jesus looking for a miracle for her daughter and the disciples tried to send her away.  It appears that Jesus is as well as He tells her He came for the lost sheep of Israel and she was not one of them.  She continues to pray and plead with Jesus until He relents.  Then Jesus praises her faith and heals her daughter.

    To many, this seems to be a story about how nagging will win the day.  If you just keep pestering God long enough, He will give in and give you what you want.  But that is not what is going on here.  This is a better case of playing “who am I in the parable?”  Whenever we play this game, we always want to be the good guy.  We always want to be the Good Samaritan when we read that story; we want to be the example of goodness and right faith.  But if we are honest; are we the good guys or are we the foolish guys?

    In this story we want to be the Canaanite woman who, even though seemingly rejected by Jesus, continues to plead, and beg our Lord for His mercy.  Is that really us?  Do we continue to pray and pray until God answers our prayer?  Or do we give up and begin to play the Schleprock card and say, “woe is me I never win at anything; I never get what I need, I am always the loser; my life is so rough.” 

   The unfortunate truth is that we are usually more like the disciples were in this story.  Eating a feast at the table with Jesus; spilling and wasting enough food that a poor outsider saw it as enough to live on.  Isn’t that how we are?  We receive such an abundance of blessings from God that we fail to see how great they are and then we begrudge someone else who seeks just a scrap of the blessings that we have.  Most have multiple TVs in their homes, most have multiple cell phones, and many have multiple computers.  We have multiple vehicles and spend a lot of money on entertainment.  We spend thousands of dollars on health care because we are overweight while a huge chunk of the world slowly starves to death.

    Does this mean we are bad people because we have wealth?  Not necessarily, wealth is a gift from God, but do we give thanks for that wealth like we should, or have we reached a point where we feel entitled to this prosperity?  We need to be thankful to God for all that He has given to us and we need to pray that we do not become so hung up on what we have that wealth becomes our God.  We need to see God’s hand at work in our lives and give thanks to the Lord.  Then we need to look for ways to share God’s love and blessings with those around us both near and far.

Dear Heavenly Father, too often we sit at your table and feast and do not see the great and wonderful blessings that we have.  We confess that all too often we are like the disciples who assume blessings and dismiss those who are in need.  We ask for your divine mercy.  Give us strength to follow you and to be your hands here on earth and that we show mercy to those who are in need.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

4-6-2021

  Good Morning All, 

          2 Cor. 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

     The gift of giving comfort is a remarkable gift.  Some just know how to do it; some learn it.  We usually learn it the best when we experience life as this passage describes.  We experience some pain in life and we are comforted by someone who has experienced a similar event earlier.  The person who most often gives the greatest comfort at the time of the death of a spouse is someone who has already lost a spouse.  The person who offers the greatest comfort at the time of illness is someone who has experienced that same illness.  But we can all offer comfort for we have all experienced some pain somewhere along the way and received comfort.  We have all been touched and comforted by someone who, to us at that time, was the “mask of God”.  We thought it was a neighbor or a friend, but it was God working through that person to comfort you.

    This is why God wants us to always be ready to offer comfort.  It may be in the form of a hug or a kind word; it might just be that being present without a word spoken brings that sense of comfort.  In this way, we are the “mask of God”; the people will see you, but it is God, through His Spirit in you that is reaching out to offer this person comfort.  Jesus told his disciples that the Father would “send the Comforter to them”.  This Comforter, the Holy Spirit, works through the redeemed children of God to bring comfort to each other and to this lost world which so desperately needs to be comforted.  This is how God generally works in His creation.  He uses the ordinary things to minister to the needs of His creatures.

   So, as we look back on what God has done in our lives, it should help to strengthen our faith for what God will continue to do into the future.  While God does not promise us a life without difficulties; He does promise that He will always be with us.  We should never place conditions on the comfort that we give for God places no conditions on the comfort that we receive.  We should be willing to help any and all that are in need.  God comforts us with gentle, loving hands wanting you and me to be that gentle hand to someone else.   Always remember that our ultimate comfort is knowing that someday we will be with God for eternity.

   God of all comfort, we often fall short of bringing peace and comfort to this world; forgive us when we fail.  Give us courage and confidence to be a comforter to those around us; especially those who we know and see are hurting.  Do not let us walk by but break our hearts and move us with compassion to love those who you have called your own especially the least of these my brothers.  In the Precious Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.        

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-5-2021

 Good Morning All, 

       Ephesians 6:18: “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.”

     We, as God’s redeemed children, have access to the greatest source of power that the world cannot even fathom.  We have the power of prayer.  Prayer is one of the gifts that God gave to his Church; the “royal priesthood”.  Prayer, as a gift from God, comes with three elements to it.  It comes at God’s command.  It comes with His promise and it comes with His blessing.

   God commands us to pray.  God knows that we need to be in constant contact with Him.  God knows that the devil, even though defeated, will continually poke and prod at us.  The devil will always whisper in our ears to try and cause doubt.  Prayer keeps us connected to God.  That is why we are to pray constantly; we are to be constantly connected to God.

   With this command comes a promise.  God promises to answer our prayers!!  The Creator of the universe takes the time to listen to us.  God the Father inclines his ear to us.  He leans down to listen closely to what we say, like a loving grandparent leans in close to hear every word of a grandchild.  We have that promise.

   With the promise to hear our prayers comes the blessing of answering our prayers.  These prayers are answered when we pray according to God’s will.  We are to pray to advance God’s will.  When we pray like that, God answers.  When we pray to move God’s will forward, when God’s house on earth, the church, is truly a house of prayer; heaven moves with all its potent plans as God’s people are clothed with the triumphant victory wardrobe and the world sees results.  Prayer is at the heart of the sanctified life with power to change the world.  The Word of God; in the hearts of men (and women) changes lives and that cannot be stopped.  We express this change through prayer.

    Prayer is meant to keep us connected to God.  It is our part of the “holy conversation” where we listen to God speak to us through His Word and we respond in prayer.  Prayer also changes things.  Does it change God?  Maybe, but it most certainly changes us.  As we pray, the Holy Spirit works within us to help us answer. To see the answer or to accept the answer to that prayer.

    So, we pray; we pray for all the saints now and to come.  Just as the saints that went before us prayed for us; we need to pray for those who are to come as well.  Pray and see what happens.  Set up a prayer group and agree to pray at the same time every day and share your prayers, the thanksgivings, the intercessions, and the supplications.  Prayer is our greatest source of power and we rarely use it.

Lord Jesus, just as your disciples asked you to teach them to pray; we ask that you teach us.  And yet as they fell asleep and were unable to pray; we too fall asleep.  Forgive us our frailties and our weaknesses.  Empower us to go forward praying for our needs and the needs of all the saints that Your Holy Will shall advance.  In Your holy and powerful name, we pray, Amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

4-4-2021

             Good Morning All, 

                Alleluia!!  Christ is risen!!  He is risen indeed!!  Alleluia!!

           Matthew 28:2; “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.”

     Think of the big historical events that have occurred in your lifetime.  Many of you watched as the airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers.  Perhaps you remember watching the Gulf Wars, or Reagan being shot or the Challenger explosion.  Did you watch the Berlin Wall being knocked down?  Did you watch the Iranian revolution in the late 1970’s?  Do you remember watching the moon landing?  Do you remember watching John Kennedy’s assassination and funeral?  We have watched a great amount of history and yet, the single greatest event, the event that has impacted human history the greatest, was not witnessed by any human.  No one saw Jesus walk out of the tomb.

    If you follow the story in the Matthew text, the angel came down and the guards became “like dead men”.  These guards were so terrified, they passed out and missed everything.  The women were not there yet, and the disciples came after the women had come and gone.  No one saw yet everyone knew!  Everyone knew it happened because for the next forty days, Jesus appeared to, talked to, ate with, or was touched by hundreds of His followers.  No one saw Jesus walk out of the tomb, but everyone was clearly aware that He did, and everything changed from that moment forward.

    Everything changed because Jesus lives!  Death is no longer the final ending for man.  There is more to come, more to experience, more to be because Jesus showed us the way.  Jesus conquered death; it could not keep him dead.  Death lost its complete grip on man and its final victory.  We may still experience physical death, but it is now only a door to our eternity with Jesus.  It is not our final end, it is a passage to our final end, an ending where we are healed of all pain, freed from all injustice, and now eating at the table of the feast that never ends.  Jesus changes the trajectory of our lives; we no longer have to live in fear of the evil the devil attempts to scare us with.  We no longer have to wonder what our fate in this life is; our fate is determined because Jesus lives and has promised His believers life eternal.  We have our hope in Jesus, a hope that will sustain us for our lifetime.

    Jesus’ resurrection changes everything for you.  You now can live in the peace and comfort of His loving arms.  You have his eternal and benevolent presence in your life to bring you the assurance of life eternal with Him.

Alleluia!!  Christ is risen!!  He is risen indeed.  Alleluia!!

Gracious Father, keep us safe in your loving arms.  Keep our eyes ever focused on Jesus and his resurrection that gives us life, hope and the forgiveness of sins.  Move us by Your spirit to walk in Your ways and according to Your holy will.  Help us to share with those around us who are hurting and lost to hear the wonderful news of Jesus.  Be with us, defend us and bring us to our eternal home.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-3-2021

            Good Morning All, 

      Luke 23:56; “Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.  On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.”

    It must have been a horrible Sabbath for the disciples and the followers of Jesus.  The last memory Peter had was of denying Jesus and the getting “the look”.  Mary watched as her oldest son died a horrible death and now, she is left wondering with a “sword piercing her own soul”.  They thought everything was in place and now; now what?  Most think the disciples were once again in the upper room where they celebrated the Passover and the institution of the Lord’s Supper.  That was just Thursday but felt like a lifetime ago and now; what?

   There are days and times when it feels like we are living on the Sabbath day.  Everything seems so hopeless; everything seems so empty.  Perhaps it is missing a cherished loved one that is now gone.  Perhaps it is the frustration of the continuing pandemic or the financial struggles that accompanied it.  Perhaps it is the shortage of things that still frustrate you.  Perhaps you and a friend are at odds and no longer speaking.  Perhaps your health or a family members health is declining, and the struggle is difficult.  The list just goes on and on and points to a horrible Sabbath Day.  It is supposed to be a day of rest but there is no rest; there is only an uneasy disquiet that pervades your soul, your heart, your spirit, even your whole existence.  Days like that slowly erode our hope and diminish our zest for life.

    But we know something that the disciples did not know that first Saturday after the first Good Friday.  We know that tomorrow is Easter!!  Tomorrow, all the promises of Jesus make sense!!  Tomorrow we see Christ risen from the dead, we see the empty tomb, the wound marks in His hands and side and feet.  Tomorrow we see Jesus glorified and alive and well.  We have hope because tomorrow is Easter and the promise of eternal life in God’s perfect kingdom is ours!!

    So, we still struggle with those Saturdays.  We are part of what some theologians call the “now but not yet” existence.  We have eternal life right now, we have God’s promise to eternity in His kingdom right now, we have everything right now; we just do not have it fully yet.  We possess it; it is ours, just not totally complete yet.  We hold the gift from God, but we have not opened it yet.  So, we will have Saturdays that are tough to handle but never forget and never take your eyes off of Easter.  Never look anywhere but to Easter and to the risen Savior who gives you life and gives it to you in abundance!  Saturdays occur but Easter will always win out and give to you the certainty of hope everlasting.

    Today maybe one of those Saturdays.  Today maybe one of those days that simply destroy us.  Tomorrow is Easter.  Tomorrow our hope is renewed, and our fears are relieved.  No matter what this world throws at you; hold on to Easter.  Hold onto the love of Jesus, his atoning sacrifice which brings us back into God’s holy family, hold onto his mercy and return to Him that you may know comfort, peace, joy, and hope.

Gracious Father, give us your peace that we may always know your mercy.  Keep us in the shelter of your wings.  Be with those who are experiencing the depths and sorrow and lift them up by Your Spirit.  Deliver us we pray, in the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-2-2021

 Good Morning All, 

    Col. 2:6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

     Have you ever tried to pull or dig a bush out of the ground?  We have a dying/almost dead bush that we hope to get rid of.  It is going to be a bear to get out.  The roots are deeper than the bush is tall.  We will pull and dig and probably rip up the lawn to dig it out.  It is rooted well.  It will probably come back next year.  It went down to find water and nutrients.  It did this in order to survive the dry summers and the tough falls.  It stores nutrients in the roots in order to survive the winters. 

    Scriptures tells us we are to be the same way when it comes to our faith.  We are to be like a tree planted by the waters with roots down deep trusting in God’s grace and mercy to see us though.  God’s Word and sacraments nourish us and sustain us.  Even in our lives, when we feel that we are in the greatest of droughts; God gives us the faith to pull through.  It is still a drought; it still gives us pain, but God sees us through.  When we are rooted deep in the Lord, we will survive.  The roots which we have because of faith will hold us secure.  The world may cause parts of us to be damaged, but we will survive.  Our faith is established and because of it we can live a life of thanksgiving.

     Too often we see each day as a lifetime.  What occurs in one day, we see as forever; yet it is only one day just a fraction of our life and an infinitesimal part of our eternal existence.  God looks at you and sees a child that he loves for eternity.  God laid the foundation of the earth after He prepared heaven for you.  We should give thanks for this and all of God’s blessings on us.  Most we take for granted; we do not see them as gifts to be thankful for but as something we deserve.  God’s grace leads us on.  He keeps us rooted by faith in the living waters which flow from his mercy and nourishes us with his grace.

    We are rooted in Christ, by faith, so we can live the life that God gives to us.  A life that may have its challenges and its pains but a life that is rooted in the promise of life eternal with Him in heaven.  This is part of why Jesus willingly went to the cross on Calvary.  He went to die on the cross so that we might receive new life, new hope, and new purpose. With each new challenge, we have the promise of God’s unchanging, unending grace to sustain us.  With each new threat from the devil, we have God’s protection and love.  Jesus died so that nothing would ever separate us from his love, and we can place all our worries and fears in his loving arms, and he will deliver us from the pain, worry, sorrow and fear that the world has for us.  We have life because we are rooted in His wondrous love shown to us in the cross of Jesus.

 Father of all good gifts, we know that your will is done with or without us; yet you have given us the blessings of prayer.  We ask you to send your Spirit of comfort to those who are in pain and to those who are lost.  Keep us firmly rooted in Your Word always trusting in your promise.  All this we boldly ask in the Name of Jesus, Our Lord, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-1-2021

Good Morning All,

    Matthew 26:29; “I can guarantee that I won’t drink this wine again until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

    For those many years that I coached baseball, the most difficult part was scheduling games.  There was no organized list of coaches, so you just sort of hunted.  You might know a guy who was coaching this town and maybe he knew someone in that town.  A couple of times, I called the city finance office to ask if they knew who the coach was.  The hard part is that, in small town South Dakota, this year’s coach might not have been last year’s coach.  This town might not have a team while a different team down the road has one.  Over the years, I developed my contacts and thought it was running smoothly until one of the dads wanted me to make sure and schedule the games in towns that had a restaurant open after the game.  He said he thought it would be good for the kids to have a “victory meal” (even if we lost).  I then became the coach and head maître d!

   I admit, the thought of a victory meal sounded like a good idea.  It still does and tonight (Maundy Thursday) we celebrate our victory meal.  The meal that Jesus instituted in order that we would have a taste of “the feast to come”.  It is a meal that is meant to encourage us, to nourish our faith and our spirits, to comfort our pain and to forgive our sins.

   I do not think the disciples picked up on Jesus telling them he would drink this wine with them in my Father’s kingdom.  Jesus spoke these words knowing full well that in 24 hours, he would be lying dead in a tomb.  But Jesus gave his disciples (that includes us) this victory meal because that death and that tomb were the tools, He used to give us the victory.  In his death, we receive our atonement as the blood of Abraham’s descendant was shed for God’s people. This atonement was perfect and complete, and God accepted it in full payment of our debt of sin.  Jesus displayed this victory by leaving the tomb and thus conquering death, our final enemy, forever.

    To help us to remember this, to hold onto this wonderful truth, to strengthen and encourage us, Jesus gave us the victory meal of his body and blood in the bread and the wine so that we may be people of hope.  We are a people of peace and hope that will not fail us.  Jesus knew the price he would pay, but he also knew the results when he did, and he chose to pay the price for you and for me.

    So, if you have the chance, partake in the victory meal today.  Savor the victory that truly is ours because of Jesus.  Then partake in it ever time you get the opportunity and be nourished and lavished with the greatest victory meal of all time!!

Gracious Lord, by giving us your body and your blood to eat and to drink, you nourish us with hope eternal.  Keep us ever under your wing that we may always know of your peace and comfort.  Breathe new confidence in us that we may be your willing and active servants to those in need of your care.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret