05-07-2023

Good Morning All,

       Psalm 147:3; “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

    Many older houses have some cracks in them.  They can show up because the house settles, and the foundation shifts a little.  Sometimes they can occur because of the temperature differences between inside and out.  The difference causes stress on the wall which can then cause the wall to crack.  These stresses can cause the wall to crack.  The crack is not the intent rather it is the result.  Some would call this collateral damage.

    Collateral damage occurs in our life as well.  Stress and strain which occurs elsewhere can show up in other places.  Many have experienced it.  Many have experienced from both sides.  Perhaps the stress of work can cause the problem.  Maybe it is the stress of fighting the weather both physically and emotionally.  This stress can cause us to lash out and hurt others for the stress we feel.  We lash out at our spouses, children, friends, and we cause cracks in our relationships.

    Perhaps you experience the collateral damage, those cracks.  Maybe you feel the pain of an unloving spouse, a rebellious child or a boss that makes your job painful.  These cracks hurt.  They can cause us all sorts of problems to us.  If we experience one crack in our life; we may fear a new one.  An experience as a child may continue to hurt as an adult.  If you were hurt by a parent; you may struggle with being a parent.  The cracks can affect us for a long time.  Some may try to fix the cracks; we cover them up, but they will often re-appear when those stresses to the foundation occur again.  Ultimately, the only way to fix the crack is to fix the foundation.

    We need to see what our foundation is set upon.  Jesus tells us that a house built upon the sand will not stand up in a storm.  We need to be built upon the rock which is faith in Jesus.  Yet perhaps the greatest gift we have is that even though we sin and sometimes our foundation is not that solid; God forgives us.  He heals our broken heart and binds up our wounds.  He restores our soul; he fixes our foundation.  He also fixes those cracks in our walls; those blemishes which can show in our lives. 

     We need to trust in God’s promise so that we see past the stresses.  We need to keep our hope in his unending grace.  This is our only hope.  Only by trusting in God and his mercy can we stand up to the stresses of life.  Only faith in him can heal the cracks in our lives.

Dear Father, we face the challenges of life and when we face them on our own strength we crumble and crack.  Give us the strength to stand tall by your grace and power.  Keep us held in your arms.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

05-06-2023

Good Morning All,

       Psalm 27:14; “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”   

    Think of some of the phrases that we hear that drive us crazy.  Some of mine are “I’ll get right on it.” Or “I’ll do it when I get time.”  Or “We’ll be with you with the next available operator.”  Or “You’re next on the list!”  Or “We’ll be back in 15 minutes!”  All these phrases can test on patience; they test our ability to wait.      

    We don’t wait very well.  Your computer downloads are too slow, the microwave is too slow.  The big box store needs more express checkout lines.  Everything we deal with needs to get done quicker and quicker.  Waiting is not something we do very well.  If it isn’t a fast-food restaurant it has to be fast dining; whatever that is? 

    We thrive on instant access to everything.  Do you want to know the temperature in a dozen different cities around the world? You can find out in an instant.  Do you want to find out about a favorite star or athlete?  You can do it in an instant.  You can order clothes to be delivered in a couple of days.  We desire speed; the store where I don’t have to wait is the store that I will shop at.  

    That part of our nature, the part that doesn’t like to wait, is one part that causes us to struggle in our faith life.  God’s time is not always our time.  God’s ways are not the same as our ways.  So, when we see or experience an event; we want an answer, and we want it now.  Our prayer is often “Lord, give me patience and give it to me now!”  So, when I want an answer; I expect God to deliver.

     This is part of why God tells us to wait for the Lord.  To “wait” means to trust that God will deliver on his promises.  We are expectant of something wonderful happening.  Just like the expectant mother wants joyful for the birth of her child, so we wait for the Lord.  We need to trust in God’s grace and mercy for we can take heart, we can find our confidence in that God will keep his promises.  God has kept all his promises so far and is faithful to keep them all tomorrow and forever.

    So, you and I need to learn about being patient and about waiting for God.  If we look at Scriptures, we see a lot of waiting.  Abraham was 100 when Isaac was born.  Jacob and Rebekah waited 40 years after they were married for their sons to be born.  Moses waited 40 years for the Lord to call him back.  David waited 15 years after being anointed as the next king to be the next king.  How long will you wait?  How long will you and I wait for God to answer our prayers?  It is a hard question to answer but one which we need to strive for; one we need to ask God to lead us and guide us as we go forward.  Patience results in humbly trusting God.  It is as Paul wrote endurance (patience) produces character and character produces hope and hope never fails.

Dear Father, our patience is weak, and we do not like to wait.  Mold us into the disciple who waits, who is patient and trusting.  Mold us into the disciple who knows only faith in you.  Give strength and courage to your people.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

05-05-2023

Good Morning All,

   Mark 8:37; “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

      I am a clunker kind of guy.  I will take a vehicle and run it until it dies.  It usually ends up in the trees somewhere.  There is always the plan to scrap it or sell it, but it usually just sits there.  Nobody wants them; not even my neighbor who is worse than I am, wants them.  It makes it tough to trade for a different vehicle.

    We go through things like that.  We have something that has no value, and we would like to trade for something of value but what do we have to offer?  We rarely ever get anything for it.  The only way is if someone feels sorry for us.  Maybe, somewhere in your past, you played Monopoly with a much younger child, and you traded with him a property of value for something that he had that wasn’t so good.  You may have even let him win.  Sometimes as parents we do that.

    Our verse asks the question, “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?”  This is a very loaded question.  What would you give?  Most of us think in terms of the clunker; I would trade anything for my soul but what I have is of no value.  What I have is worthless, so I guess I am just a duck out of luck.  What will I give for my soul?

    The answer is I will give my sins for my soul.  This is what we call the “happy exchange.”  Jesus gave his life to earn our redemption.  He then turns around and gives it to us.  He takes our sins, our pains, our shortcomings and shortfalls, the times when we failed God.  Jesus takes them from us and carries them on his back to the cross on Calvary.  He takes our sins and gives us his righteousness.  We get to clothe ourselves in his righteous cloak and he stands naked with our sins.  He takes the wrath, and we take the blessing.

     This really isn’t a fair deal; we come out way, way ahead.  Yet it is the deal that a loving, gracious Father gives to us.  We exchange our sins for Christ’s righteousness.  With that righteousness we have eternal life; we have a soul to live in everlasting joy and glory.  What would you give for your soul?  How about giving up on your sinful life, your sinful pride, and the belief that you can do it by yourself?  How about giving up your foolish, selfish arrogance and submitting, humbly, to God’s mercy?

     When we view it that way, we really have something to trade.  Fortunately for us, we have a loving God who takes all sorts of body types in trade.  They can be as worn out as you can imagine and yet God will gladly take them in and give you a perfect cloak of righteousness.  The only thing you have to lose is something that is worthless anyway, trade it to God.  Trust in his promise and receive his blessings; it is the best deal you can get.

Dear Father, you give to us freely the hard-earned gift of redemption.  Give us the strength to cling to that promise and to hold fast to your grace.  Protect those who are in need of your comfort and consolation.  Use us to bring this to them in Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret        

05-04-2023

Good Morning All,

   Nahum 1:3; “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

    There is an old saying among sailors about any port in a storm.  There was even a time when the great shipping nations would grant enemy ships the right to make harbor in case of a storm.  After the storm, the ship had a few hours to sail and then they were fair game.  It was often the suddenness of the storm that would cause the sailors to fear.

    A calm day could turn into a nightmare.  The seafarer soon became skilled at reading the signs of the weather.  Red sky at morning sailor take warning, red sky at night sailor delight.  This saying is very old and believed by many sailors, even today.  It didn’t take long for sailors to begin to read all the signs that would give clues to the coming weather.  They would watch the animals, the birds, and the fish, all provided behavioral patterns to which the sailors could try and determine problems ahead.

     Yet many a sailor would go out and many a sailor would find themselves in trouble.  They would seek any port in a storm to keep them safe.  Many people today have that same attitude.  They seek any and all ports of safety in a storm.

     We see this when a person faces a health scare.  As they wait for the results from the tests, they pray and then check their horoscope and then do some form of luck enhancement.  When the test comes back negative, they thank their lucky stars, dodge the bullet, and may even say a quick prayer of thanks.  Yet if the results are not negative; what comfort do your “lucky stars” give you?  We need to know where our stronghold truly is.

    David wrote that God is my refuge and strength.  He was a guy who knew about trouble.  Even though he was the greatest king that Israel had ever known; he spent a lot of time running and hiding from people trying to kill him.  Even when he was all alone and the enemy surrounded him, he found refuge in God.  We can as well.  God offers us the assurance of our salvation and the certain promise of our salvation.  Even when all the earthly pretenders fail; God provides.

    While many think that it is acceptable to “cover all the bases” and look for comfort from any who claim to offer it; our only true source of comfort and happiness is in God.  Our salvation is guaranteed because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.  This is our port, our only port, in any storm, in any trial or tribulation; God protects us and guards us from all danger.  We will face many trials; this is part of sinful man, but God promises to guard us and protect us from all harm and evil.  We don’t even have to read the signs; simply trust our port, our stronghold for our salvation; Jesus our risen Lord.      

Dear Father, you keep us safe from all that the devil and this sinful world throw at us.  We give you thanks for your comforting spirit and your safe and loving arms.  Be with those who are in need of your comfort and give us the wisdom to reach out to those who need it most.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

05-03-2023

Good Morning All,

       Matthew 9:10; “And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.”    

    Mealtime can be one of the most important times in our day.  Some meals can be some of the most important times of your lives.  Think of the first meal you ate you’re your future spouse.  Think of the first meal you ate with your future in-laws.  Think of the meals that you have spent with your family or friends.  When you are with those whom you love, the food seems to taste better.  It seems to be made with love.

    I remember as a child we would have many meals with uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, great aunts, and uncles.  We would sit around the table, enjoy the meal, and then enjoy the time of talking and listening.  The younger ones would sit and listen to their past being told to them in very carefully crafted and honed stories.  The older members would listen to their future as the dreams of tomorrow were expressed.

    Sometimes, the best times are spent with friends around the meal table.  You share stories of children as they grow and before too long; you are sharing stories of grandchildren.  Time spent with family and friends around the meal table makes even unbearable events tolerable.  It is often around a table with food on it that friends cry together over the death of a parent or spouse.  We use the meal table for some of our most important life events.

    Jesus spends a lot of time around the meal table with people.  Some, like our verse, were among the outcasts of Jewish society.  Other times, Jesus is eating with the Pharisees and debating the meaning of the Law.  Jesus spends much of his time eating meals with the people that he interacts with.  It appears that the common event was to have him over for a meal after the Sabbath was done.  The only question was whether it was with the Jewish leaders or with the Jewish outcasts.

    Jesus spends this time in much the same way that we do.  He used this time to listen to the people but mostly to try and to teach them with a more in depth understanding of what the kingdom of heaven meant and how God was a God who loved them as dear children.  Jesus used the mealtime table to deliver his message of salvation.  This gave him a personal, intimate time with those to whom he came.  He shared with them the meal as he told them his salvation.

    Jesus comes to us in the form of a meal today.  He comes to us in his body and blood with all of its spirit refreshing and soul reviving benefits.  Jesus comes to you with his personal and intimate message of salvation.  He comes to you, and he comes to me with the message of forgiveness of sins and the hope of life eternal.

Dear Father, Come to us we pray.  Come to share with us to comfort us to give us the hope of life eternal.  Guard us with your tender hand and keep us safe in you.  Be with those who are in need of your grace the most.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

05-02-2023

Good Morning All,

Hebrews 13:2; “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” 

    There used to be a TV show called “Touched by an Angel”.  The basic premise was that an angel would visit people at certain difficult times in their lives to offer direction and help them make the right choices.  I didn’t watch the show that much, so I don’t know that much about it.  Did the people realize that an angel had visited?  Did the people just think it was a fluke event that they got lucky with, and the angels were just “there”? 

     Do angels visit us? I don’t know.  In this verse, it would seem, at least, possible.  Hospitality is a very important part of our Christian faith.  The willingness to put others in front of our own needs is a virtue which is highly valued.  As we look at other Scripture passages, we hear where Jesus tells us to give away and follow him, to carry a burden farther than required, to give more than asked to and so forth.  This is a continuation of the Jewish teaching of showing kindness to strangers. 

    The Old Testament says that you are to be kind to the “aliens in the land.” This is because it is to remind the Israelites that they too were once aliens in a hostile land and that God graciously saved them from this slavery.  This, itself, is an ongoing of God’s direction that we are to care for one another.  This is the crux of the teaching; we are to care for each other.  We are to neither be a solo person nor are we to expect others to go it alone. 

    This was especially true in the early church.  The early evangelists travelled light often not even taking any money.  They relied on the kindness of the early converts.  Even then, the early evangelist would often times get a job in order to support themselves.  Yet they would stay with a kind family that would give them a place to sleep and would feed them as well. 

     This kind of hospitality was what helped the early church grow.  The kind of hospitality that Christians showed all other people also made the early church grow.  Early Christians were the only ones who would comfort the dying and feed the starving.  The church grew as people witnessed the kindness, the hospitality of the early Christians.

    We don’t have to go up and down the streets to show hospitality.  In this impersonal world, the kind touch, the warm smile, the gentle voice can bring a sense of welcome to those around us.  We may or may not entertain angels, but we do witness to the love of Jesus.  The visual and physical efforts to show God’s love, love in action, is what the world sees long before it hears.  It is as the late George McGovern use to say,” Speak the Gospel every day; use words if you have to.”  We speak it best with our actions for they speak the loudest.

Gracious Father, when I lack attentive care for my neighbor remind me that you laid down your life for me while I was still the enemy.  Lead us, Lord from death to life.  Give to those in pain or lost in the sea of despair your guidance and hope.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

05-01-2023

Good Morning All,

Genesis 1: 13; “And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.”

   Have you ever stopped and thought about the rhythm that exists in the Bible?  It starts at the very beginning of the Bible; the rhythm flows “the evening and the morning.”  There is an ebb and flow, a comfortable movement within Scriptures.  The seasons, planting and harvest, the years, the lunar movement, and the tidal movement all show a rhythm; a steady comfortable beat; a pulse.  Our heart, our breathing shows a rhythm, a flow at ease with our very existence, is essential to our core being.

    The thing about our rhythm that is really noticeable is when we are out of rhythm or out of sync.  We all feel that certain sense of discomfort, a sense of life is amiss when the rhythm of our life is disrupted.  This is one thing that the devil and the world and our sinful nature really try to cause: a disruption in our rhythm.  Think of how the Bible describes creation before sin.  It is very good, perfect, in total sync with perfect rhythm. 

    Yet when sin entered the world; the rhythm was attacked and completely disrupted.  The perfect ebb and flow were replaced by too high of highs and too low of lows.  Comfort and peace are replaced by seeking to balance two extremes.  The emptiness which the world creates around us twists our healthy rhythm for a very unhealthy one.

    We become ruled by tyrants; tyrants whose names are too busy, too urgent, too frantic, too anxious, too fearful, too selfish.  These create unhealthy, sinful rhythms which destroy.  They destroy our relationships because we have no balance, instead of a rhythm we are simply adrift.  All the time, the rhythm of our relationship with our friends and neighbors, the rhythm with our family and the rhythm of our relationship with God are all disrupted; maybe even destroyed.

    Yet God sent Jesus into the world to restore the rhythm.  Jesus restores us to God’s family where we can enjoy God’s rhythm.  Instead of sinful man’s frenetic pace which only destroys, we have God’s rhythmic action of “thank and praise” “serve and obey.”  We can return to the rhythm of speaking to God and listening to God of praying and reading God’s Word.  We can return to the rhythm of worship and service.  All our relationships strengthen and grow by the rhythmic breathing in God’s grace and mercy and breathing out the works which he has laid out for us to do.  The rhythm of God’s love returns and flows throughout our life bringing us the comfort of His Spirit and His peace.

Lord of Creation, create in us a new rhythm of life composed of hours that sustain rather than stress, of days that deliver rather than destroy, of time that heals rather than harms.  To our overcrowded calendars let us say “Peace;” to our over-caffeinated consciences let us say “Cease;” to our suffocating selves Lord, grant us release.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret