12-07-2022

Good Morning All,

       Romans 8:37; “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” 

     Some of you who are a little too young may not know this, so you may have to ask your parents.  We are going to talk a little about a man named Vinko Bogatja.  He was very famous; he was on television every week.  Realistically, nobody knows his name, but we used to watch him, every week.

     Do you remember the show “ABC’s Wide World of Sports”?  The show started with this intro:

        Spanning the globe to bring you the constant variety of sport! The thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat! The human drama of athletic competition! This is ABC's Wide World of Sports!

Vinko Bogatja was the skier who went tumbling down the jump when they spoke of “the agony of defeat.” The neat thing about that show was that it took the lesser sports and featured them.  You saw ski jumping and skating and bobsledding and track and field sports.  Through it all we got to see wins and losses, victory, and defeat.

     If you talk to people who were/are athletes, many can remember the defeats better than they can the victories.  I think we do this because we think of what we could have or should have done to win the game.  But we celebrate the sweet taste of victory.  We savor it some in different ways from others.  Some just sit back and take it all in, some run and jump and shout for joy.  However, for both the sense of joy and euphoria is great.  The sense of accomplishment, of self-fulfillment, of satisfaction for a reward for all the hard work gives us a sense of total joy.

      The people of Paul’s time knew what it was to watch the conquerors march into a city.  They saw the satisfaction on the faces of the soldiers, the centurions, and the generals as they came through town.  They saw it and knew how it felt.  The people may have even had times when they were victorious in their life through business success.  They knew what it was to see conquerors claim their prize to be on top of the world.

    Despite all the greatness of conquering, Paul tells us we are more than that, we are more than conquerors.  We are more through Jesus.  Jesus has secured our victory and won the battle and given us the prize.  We have eternal life because of Jesus’ atoning gift. 

     The man in our story, Vinko Bogatja, never ski jumped again after the tumble that he took.  Fortunately for us, whenever we take a tumble, Jesus is there to pick us up, dust us off and place us back in the conqueror’s parade.  Despite all of our failures and frailties, we are more than conquerors because of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  We do not need to experience the agony of defeat for in all things God provides for us the needed items for our body and soul.  We truly know the thrill of victory for we are more than conquerors. 

Gracious Lord, through you we are truly more than conquerors, for we are saved by your grace and favor.  We give you thanks for our victory over sin, death and the devil and the certainty of life eternal with you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret              

12-06-2022

Good Morning All,

       Ezekiel 39:29; And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

     Most parents, especially young parents of very young children, keep a close eye on their children.  You see it in the playgrounds and parks.  The children go play and the parents let them go but keep a watchful eye on them.  They watch to see that no harm comes to the child.  They watch in order to enjoy the happiness that the child is having.  Sometimes the parent helps by pushing the swing or the merry-go-round.  Whatever it is happens under the watchful eye of the loving parent.

    Our verse is like that.  The book of Ezekiel is quite a book.  It is a long book; 48 chapters.  It contains many visions and dreams.  It is also one of the few books in the Bible that can be very accurately dated.  Usually, the dates described in the Bible are given in ranges of anywhere from a few hundred to several hundred-year span.  Yet in Ezekiel 12 out of 13 of the divine messages which Ezekiel receives are accurately dated.  The book is also written in a triad form.  It has three parts.  The first part speaks of the oracles or prophecies against Israel.  The second part speaks the oracles against the surrounding nations who destroy Israel and the third part deals with the consolation or redemption of Israel.  It is from this third part that our verse is taken. 

    While the Bible is written to reveal to us the nature of God, it also reveals something of our nature as well.  In many ways, we are like Israel.  We have been unfaithful to God.  We have sought after other gods, made allegiances, or deals with the devil for some earthly pleasure or gain.  Even though God is the faithful husband, we are the unfaithful wife.  Even though God gives us all we need and loves us deeper than any love we can imagine; we turn our backs, blame him for our problems and seek out other gods to replace Him.

    Yet through it all, God continues to love us; love us with a deep and powerful love which causes Him to send his one and only Son to die in our place.  He does this so that you and I can once again be that pure bride, that faithful wife, that loving partner.  Once again God will look to us with His face and pour out his Spirit on us.  God pours out his Spirit on us in order to do what our sinful nature cannot do and that is to remain faithful to Him.  God sends his Spirit to guide us, to lead us, to bring us to faith by his grace and to keep us in that faith.

    Even when we seem the most lost, God is there for us to protect us from all the devil throws at us; keeping his watchful eye upon us to see that no harm comes to us.  Even as our earthly battles rage, God grace sustains us with the certainty of the knowledge of our salvation, eternity with Jesus in heaven.     

 Gracious Lord, your grace and your loving face are always upon us.  Keep us safe from the tribulations of the world and give to us the consolation of our soul and the comfort of our heart, secure in the certainty of our salvation in you.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-05-2022

Good Morning All,

         Proverbs 3:5; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

    How often do we do it? When we feel sick or are going to the doctor, we say a prayer asking God to heal us but when we feel fine; it is because we exercise and eat right. When it doesn’t rain, we pray for God to send the rain but when the crops are good; it is because of our management practices and our use of the latest technologies.  We love to have God there when there is trouble, but we pat ourselves on the back when things are going well.

    Too often we use God as our “Get out of Jail Free” card. When we have troubles or fears, or life is going in a direction that we cannot handle. When the pressures of life move in, we claim to turn to God. If you a Facebook person, go through and see how many people want you to pray for them and their problems or someone says they will pray for you and your troubles. Now go through and see how many times people ask you to give thanks to God for their health or good fortune. I am pretty sure how unbalanced that will be.  We are quick to turn to God in trouble and then blame him if the results not what we want.

    We are becoming a people who view God as our personal servant. We are falling into the same trap that Adam and Eve did when the serpent tempted them with,” you will be like God.”  Our sinful nature sneaks up on us and twists our lives in knots. The trouble occurs when we assume that we are in control, and we take God’s place; we have all the weight of those decisions on our shoulders. All that weight is to drag us down, to slow us down and then to tear us down. This is the devil’s aim for you and me.

     However, God has a more excellent way. God comes into our life with all of his love for us and says, “Trust me”.  He tells us to look at all the things which he has done in the past, especially sending Jesus to die for us, in keeping his promises to us. You could trust him then, you can trust him now, and you can trust him in the future. We see this when we start looking at all the blessings which we receive every day and instead of thinking we are really special, we start seeing how we are really blessed.  When we truly trust in God with all our heart, we can focus on the true meaning of our faith; that by God’s grace we have eternal salvation waiting for us. The trials of this life are merely in passing and are there for us to use in the witness of our faith.

     The devil will make this a challenge; he hates it when we trust in God for our needs. The devil wants you to trust in your own skill, knowledge, and wisdom. But God guarantees us his blessings and his promise of salvation when we trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with your whole heart and you will experience what God wants you to receive, his peace.

Father in heaven, your mercies roll over us like a river. Keep us under your wing. Father, we are often slow to trust, and we miss the blessings of your assurance as we strive to solve the troubles of this life. Forgive us for our slowness to trust. Lead us in your path of righteousness. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-04-2022

Good Morning All,

         Malachi 3:6; “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

     I must be getting old. I detest it when stores have to rearrange things.  I finally figure out where everything is and then someone comes along and moves everything. Why do they do that? I am just getting comfortable with one operating system and now here comes a new one. It takes me two years to get my cell phone figured out; then it is time to get a new one and I have to start all over.  Why does everything have to change all the time?

    Life is filled with change. Some people love change; they love anything that is different than it was before and in many respects change can be good. That cell phone that drives me nuts also makes it easier to contact me or for me to contact someone else. I don’t have to look for a pay phone somewhere.  The version of word processor I use, along with email, makes these devotions possible. Without changes in the medical field some of us would probably not be here right now.  Without changes in agriculture, food would be a lot more expensive. Not all change is bad, but it isn’t all good either.

    If your boss keeps changing what you must do to get a raise, it can be very frustrating. If you are going to school and they change your program or even drop it in the middle of your education; that can be very disappointing. When the doctor keeps telling you that you’ll go home tomorrow and four tomorrows later you are still in the hospital; it can be very discouraging. 

    Some change can be devastating. A young man who looks down for a minute while driving his car and swerves into the oncoming lane and meets a truck head on and leaves a young wife and a couple of kids causes a change for her and the children that can be hard to overcome. A soldier who lets down her guard for a minute to talk to a child might not see the bomb in the road and her life is changed forever. Sometimes change is like a board to the back of the head. In these two examples, like hundreds of others, everything changes. Their lives change, their relationships with others change. The soldier’s family and friends may withdraw; not sure of how to cope. The young widow may be so overwhelmed that she isn’t sure which way to turn.  In the midst of wild changes in our life; God does not change.

     For the Lord does not change. From the beginning God loves us and cherishes us and desires to hold us close. That has never changed and never will. God is a steady, constant force who loves us and provides for us. He always has and always will. God isn’t some wishy- washy being that changes his mind on whim.  From before the foundation of the earth was laid, God loves you. The Psalmist calls us the “apple of his eye.” God looks upon us and loves us greater than any parent or grandparent could love a child or grandchild. The love of the Father is deeper than we can measure; it always was, it always is, and it always will be. For the Lord does not change.

Father of unchanging and unceasing love, we come before you are seeking your blessing on all your people especially those who are seeing painful change. Guard and protect them. Send your Spirit of comfort and peace that they may trust in you for all their comfort and peace. We thank you Father for those who are experiencing joyful change and that you would continue to guide them and bless them throughout their lives. This we ask in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

12-03-2022

Good Morning All,

          1 Corinthians 12:31; “But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.” 

     This verse and some others like it are called “connector verses.”  The Apostle Paul uses them a lot. He uses them to connect one thought to the next thought. We sometimes lose these verses, and it can cloud the meaning of the next section.

     One of the reasons this happens is because a change in the Bible. During the 1200’s, the Bible began to be translated into chapters and verses. The very original manuscripts, the ones that john and Peter and Paul wrote, were actually just long letters.  Some of you have actually written letters maybe even long letters but you probably never wrote in the form of chapter and verse.  While the use of chapter and verse makes it easier to read the Bible; we sometimes miss the nuances of what is actually being said.  This verse is an excellent example of this.

    Most of you are very familiar with the chapter in the Bible which follows this verse; it is 1 Corinthians 13 known to many as the “Love Chapter” (You know, love is patient, love is kind, love never ends, etc.).  It is probable that at some point in time your heard that at a wedding. It is a neat wedding reading but that really misses the point of what Paul is really saying.

    In chapter 12, Paul is addressing the Corinthians about a squabble they are having in their church. The Corinthians were claiming that certain gifts of the Spirit were higher or better than others. Of course, the gifts that I have are way better than your gifts.  This tied in with their faction fighting had a very divided. Paul writes extensively about how the body has many parts and no part is greater than the body as a whole. But then he cuts right to the heart of the problem. Instead of seeking these gifts of preaching or teaching or healing; he tells then to “earnestly desire the higher gifts.”

    Then he tells them “I will show you a more excellent way.” That way is through love. He starts chapter 13 with the equivalent of “without love, every gift is worthless.”  The greatest gift of the Spirit is the ability and the capacity to love another person. Not everyone can teach or preach or heal; but everyone is capable of sharing God’s love.  While this may sound easy, true love, true Godly love occurs even when the reciprocity of that love is not there. God gives us the ability to love others, even when they don’t love us; the same type of love which God has for us.  The same type of love which led Jesus to the cross now resides in us through the Holy Spirit. If we truly love one another, everything else will solve itself.  All the other issues will disappear because through true love, we won’t care who is in the head of the altar society; or the head of the woman’s group or who the head elder is or who is charge of the church.  For we will all know that it is Christ who is the head of the church and through him we will love those around us. It is truly a more excellent way; to love as Christ loves us.

Father of grace and mercy, we confess that we are slow to love, and we ask your forgiveness. Pour your Spirit in us that we may love as Jesus loves. Use us to show your mercy to those around us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret           

12-02-2022

Good Morning All,

      Romans 8: 25; “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

     There are a few portions of Scripture which, in a few short verses, have a tremendously powerful message:  Isaiah 52:13- Isaiah 53: 12 is one, Jeremiah 31: 31-36 is one, Matthew 28: 1-10 is one, John 3:1-21 is one, Ephesians 2:1-10 is one and Romans 8: 18-39 is one and there are others.  For me, Romans 8: 18-39 is one of my favorites; it offers us comfort to the highest level. It is as pure a “Gospel” (the teaching of forgiveness and God’s comfort) as there is. If any of you who listen to my sermons, I’ll let you in on a secret; if I ever get stumped or lose my train of thought in a sermon, we’ll end up in Romans 8:18-39.  I could have, and probably will eventually use most of that passage for devotions but for today we’ll look at verse 25.   

    Think of a time when you felt totally weak and helpless.  For most of us it is when we watch a loved one die especially if it is from a lengthy illness or debilitating disease. We are helpless to stop it; we struggle to give comfort and we don’t know what to do or even how we should pray.  Perhaps you experienced this with your own visits to a doctor as you fought your own health battles.  Perhaps you have experienced pain from the damage to a relationship with a loved one.  This can be especially difficult if the loved one is experiencing pain of their own, either emotional or physical, and the lash out at us. Suffering pain is difficult, whatever kind it is. Watching someone who is in pain, whatever kind it is, is just as difficult if not more so.

     Sometimes it isn’t even pain; it is just the feeling of helplessness when you have no answers for someone.  I recently listened to a lady who had lost 5 nieces and nephews to drug and alcohol related events; she had just gotten the news that a sixth one was in a motorcycle accident.  She asked me,” What do I do to stop this?”  I felt a level of weakness because she wanted a five-point plan to resolve the issue to her desires and I didn’t have one for her.  But we did pray. Sometimes her words were only groans and sighs, she prayed a lament of pain, but the Holy Spirit prayed with her and more importantly prayed for her speaking her pain to the Father in the language and method that was needed.

     That fact can be a great source of comfort for us.  There are times when we don’t even know what or how to pray.  We get all the way to,” Dear Father” and then we are stuck; no words, no coherent thoughts, just a numbness within us. The Spirit prays with us and for us speaking what we can’t. This is part of God’s grace for his Church, the body of believers (us). God sends his Spirit to us to pray for us and to comfort us even when the right words don’t come out; God hears our every word, our every thought, all the pain we have.  So, when you pray don’t worry about the words, whether they have a “churchy” enough quality or not.  God listens to the heart and sends comfort for the soul.

Dear Father in heaven, we pray for those who cannot pray for themselves. For your children who are experiencing pain which they fear they cannot bear. Hear them Lord, send your Spirit of Comfort and Hope that they may find peace in You. Hear us as we pray for them and move us to be the hands of that comfort. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s peace,

Pastor Bret

12-01-2022

Good Morning All,

      Mark 4:41; “And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

    Have you ever had an experience in life that left you completely flabbergasted?  So completely stunned you didn’t know how to react.  The internet is full of short videos showing small children walking through traffic and being just missed by surprised motorist.  It shows people standing by a store when a car comes careening out of control and hits the building a few feet from them.  There is the video of some kayakers on the ocean when a large humpback whale propels itself out of the water just a few feet from them.  Perhaps you were in the service and a bomb exploded close by.  I have had a few “did you see that?” moments but not any that would rise to the level of what our disciples in today’s verse saw.

     Our verse is the end of one of the more familiar stories in the Bible.  Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat when a huge storm comes up.  The disciples, for the most part, are professional fishermen; they knew this lake like most of you farmers know your own land.  They had experienced storms and weathered them out.  For this storm to put fear into them must have been a whopper of a storm. 

     They cried out to Jesus, “Teacher, don’t you care if we die?”  He stood up and told the wind and the waves to be still; when it occurred, they were filled with great fear.  You wonder what they were expecting.  Did they just want Jesus to pray or to be as afraid as they were?  Did they want and expect him to stop the wind?  If this is what they wanted, if this is what they prayed for; why were they so amazed that it happened?  And why are we?

     During this phase of the disciples’ lives, they were trying to follow Jesus based on their own understanding of who God is and who the Messiah would be.  At this time, they didn’t fully understand who Jesus really was.  It is not until after the resurrection and Pentecost when “their minds were opened” and they “received the Holy Spirit” that they understood what was going on and gave them the courage to live their lives in complete devotion to the spread of the Gospel of Jesus.  They received faith.

     We have that same faith.  We have the Spirit dwelling richly in us.  We can call to Jesus at any time; asking him to save us from whatever storm in our life we are facing.  When he does this, why are we surprised?  I think the sad truth is most Christians don’t really think prayer works.  Most Christians view prayer as a good luck charm, or some type of desperate “last chance, I’ve tried everything else” action.  Going to God should be the first thing not the last thing we do.  We shouldn’t go to God with the attitude of “Well God, I’ve done all I can do, I guess the rest is up to you.”  This is a prayer that lacks faith. 

     We need to go to God with all the confidence that a child goes to their parent for all good gifts.  God is faithful to His Word.  God has promised to hear and answer the faithful prayer; we don’t need to be surprised.

Dear Father, all too often we are slow to trust you and to take you at your word.  We place our limitations on your grace, and we end up losing your blessings in the end.  We are truly sorry for our lack of faith.  Continue to mold us into the disciples that you want us to be.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s peace,

Pastor Bret