12-27-2024

Good Morning All,

    Colossians 1:27; “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” 

    There isn’t much in this life like a good mystery.  Whether you read one or watch one, a really good mystery can be very entertaining.  A really good one gives you subtle clues as you watch or read the story.  As each character develops the intricacies and the nuances which shape and mold him into the story pulls you in deeper and deeper.  When I was in college, there were a couple of guys who belonged to a mystery book club.  They got a new book every 8 weeks or so.  Each book didn’t have the solution; it came separately at the same time as the next new book.

     There are many mysteries in this life.  We like to think that most things we can explain but there are many which we simply cannot.  Some people revel in these mysteries, simply enjoying the existence of events which cannot be explained or truly understood.  We are the beneficiaries of one of these, the greatest mystery that baffles man, God’s love for us.

     Why would the Creator suffer and die for one of his creatures?  What do we get for this love?  How do the blessings of the sacraments work in us?  These are a few of the “mysteries of God.” Our verse speaks of another mystery; that Christ dwells in you.  How does this happen?  We can’t really explain it, but we certainly get the benefit of it.  Because Christ dwells in us, we will be glorified as he is.  We will rise to life eternal.  We, too, will dwell with the glory of God. 

    This is our hope, the hope of glory.  The certainty of living with Christ for eternity.  With Christ in us, we are new creations.  With Christ in us, we receive the blessings of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  We receive the gifts of love, compassion, peace, hope as well as others.  With Christ in us, we receive comfort, consolation, and hope.

    The world does not even begin to understand this or accept it.  This is folly to the world; it doesn’t make any sense.  It is a mystery which can never be understood or explained.  It can only be believed.  It can only be held onto.  God gives us the faith to cling to that hope; the desire to hold on to God’s promise of forgiveness and of eternal life.  It is a mystery, but we hold to it for all our security.

    Life is full of mystery.  The ones which are gifts from God; mysteries that we are the stewards of, are the greatest mysteries of all.  God’s gifts, which we never merit, are given freely to us.  How can we explain this, we can’t.  We can only live with the certainty of God’s promise to us and the certainty of his love for us, for you. 

Father in heaven, the mystery of your love will never be understood.  We thank you and praise you for your blessings and grace.  Keep us close and guard us from all that would harm us.  In Jesus precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret             

12-26-2024

Good Morning All,

    Proverbs 10:28; “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”

     When I was in college, we had a psychology class where the instructor asked everyone to think of what they would do if you knew you had exactly 24 hours to live.  If you knew that you only have 24 hours to live, you still have all your current abilities and faculties, but you only have 24 hours to live; how would you spend them?  There were only about 10-12 in the class, so we had a pretty interesting discussion.  Most said that they would spend the time calling and talking to friends, especially those who were far away or those who they felt estranged from.  A couple of guys answered that they would get drunk and not even be sober or awake when they died.  One guy said that he would get in his car and drive.  No place in particular just drive and see what he could see 24 hours.  Some answered that they would go home and read the Bible and pray. It was an interesting mixture of answers. 

    This is a question that Jesus asked many people while he was here on earth, and he asks us that today as well.  Deep down, where do you place your hope and your confidence?  Do you trust yourself?  Do you trust your parents or your spouse to solve everything?  Do you plan on hiding or running away when trials and troubles hit?  Where is your hope, your ultimate security; where is your faith placed?  Is it in the true God or is it somewhere else?

     This is part of the reason that God will allow or even send tests and trials into our lives.  It isn’t so God can see what we are made of.  It is so you and I can see what we are made of.  When I have trouble, where do I go?  Whom do I seek out?  Do I turn to God or something else which is the false gods of my life?

    Our verse gives us a clue as to the right answer.  The hope of the righteous brings joy.  Who are the righteous?  They are those who God has forgiven and declared holy.  They are the redeemed in Christ for whom a place in heaven has been waiting since the foundation of time.  They are God’s chosen children who, by faith, cling tightly to God’s promises of hope and salvation.  When they die and are called to account, they will enter into the kingdom of glory with joy and celebration.

   Yet the wicked will perish.  The wicked aren’t necessary mean or bad people; they are people who have placed their faith in some other god.  They see this god as money or fame or drugs or greed or whatever. So where do you place your ultimate security?  Is it in the saving grace of Jesus and his gift of redemption?  Or do you place it somewhere else?  Grab hold of the faith that God gives you and you will see joy.

Father of grace and mercy, your blessings are new to us every day and they roll over us like a river.  Keep us secure in the knowledge of our salvation.  Keep us secure in the certainty of our hope.  Strengthen us with your Spirit of wisdom and hold us in your hands.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

12-25-2024

Good Morning All,

     John 1:14; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

    “The Word.” God’s Word is beyond anything we can even comprehend. It was by God’s spoken word that all things came to be. God said, and it happened. The light came to be, the dry land separated from the water came to be, plants, animals, humans, everything that is, came to be because God spoke. God speaks and mountains shake and go into the sea. God speaks and the great fish answer, the lion and the bear go silent. God speaks and stars begin to shine or cease to shine. God’s Word is powerful.

    Man’s word, not so great. Think of Chip Diller in Animal House trying to stop the stampede at the homecoming parade at the end of the film. (He ends up smashed into the asphalt.) Man’s word, if any good at all, only lasts as long as that man does for, like the psalmist says, “When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” So much for his word. I can remember numerous times where one person promised someone else something but when the first man died, so did the promise, whether it was a pickup, a watch, or a piece of land; when the man dies so does the promise, so does his word.

    Yet God’s powerful Word takes on human frailty. God becomes man so that man might become God! God assumes a human nature to bring about man’s participation in the divine nature; God became a child, the Word became flesh, so that we might become children of God. How can we even begin to comprehend this? The God who creates, sustains, and keeps all of creation becomes a baby, frail and tiny. The eternal, omnipotent God takes on our flesh, our weaknesses and carries them all his earthly life.

    The eternal God takes off his robe of majesty and takes on beggars’ clothes in order for us to take on his robe of righteousness. God’s Word became flesh, and he lived among us. In the rot and stench of a broken and sinful creation, God lives and breathes among us, in order to bring us up to Him that we may live to all eternity in His joyous kingdom. God became like you and me so we could become like Him. Now that is a Christmas present!! No batteries, no assembly required, no breaking, no wearing out, it always fits, and it never goes out of style. God, in the flesh, lived in our midst and we saw the glory of God, we saw what creation is supposed to be like. No death, no pain, no diseases, only peace and rest in His Name.

    That same Word comes to you today. He comes to you to give you the joy that the world never knows, the peace that the world cannot understand and a hope that shines brightly in the darkness of our fears. The Word, powerful and mighty, became frail flesh so that you might be called sons of God and so we are!! Merry Christmas to all of you!!

Father of mercy, we give you thanks for sending Jesus to make us your own. That we may know of our eternal salvation in His name. Help us to always remember your great love. Help us in times of sorrow or struggle to know that peace is always in your Name. Defend us, encourage us, and give us peace. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-24-2024

Good Morning All,

     1 Thessalonians 1:4; “For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.”

    Do you remember being a kid in school, out at recess, while the much dreaded choosing of sides occurred?  It might have been kickball or tag or whatever; you never wanted to be picked last.  The really strange thing is that we never really get over it.

    If a group of friends begin to decide to do something, we hope to be included.  Maybe many of your friends are beginning to settle down and get married and you don’t even go on many dates; will anybody pick you?  You begin the long process of looking for a job; everyone else has a job but you are still looking, will anyone hire you?  Even if we are in the middle of all the excitement, we wonder if it will end and we will be alone.

     For all our claims of individuality and personal self-reliance, we are very much a social creature.  In the end, one of our deepest fears is being alone.  Some people get married to someone who doesn’t love them just so they aren’t alone.  Middle school and high school kids will run with the wrong crowd just so they aren’t alone.  We fear being alone and the devil will play on that fear all he can.  When it is late at night and you can’t sleep, the devil often tries to make you think that the troubles you face, you face all alone.

    One of my favorite TV shows is still MASH.  During one show when Radar is worried about his widowed mother dating again’ Hawkeye tells him to let her have her fun.  “Loneliness is everything it is cracked up to be.”  It really is.  Sin causes this loneliness.  Sin broke our relationship with God and caused us to turn our backs to God and go our own way.  We think we are tough but deep down we are alone and the devil and the cares of the world circle around us like the vultures that they are.  Soon they hope to pick our bones clean.

    Into this mess of a life, Jesus came and because of Jesus; God chose you.  You are not left standing at the wall; you are not the odd one out.  You are chosen; called by the Holy Spirit through the Gospel and sealed as God’s child in Baptism; a time when you are individually claimed by God to be his child. God specifically and especially chose you.  Since he chose you, he is always with you, and you are never alone.  Even when it feels like there isn’t anyone even close to you, God is there with you and for you. 

    We never face trials alone; we never face the terrors of the devil alone.  God is there with us.  We also don’t have to face the trials of this life alone.  God works through his church through his redeemed children.  When you face the trials of this life, God uses his church to give you comfort and hope.  God uses his other redeemed children to support you and console you.  You never need to be alone; God and his family are there.

Gracious Lord, we give you thanks that you have chosen us.  Give us that due sense of your presence, your comfort, and your peace.  Guard us and protect us and lead us to be of comfort to those around us who are most in need.  In your precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-23-2024

Good Morning All,

     Hebrews 12:15; “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.” 

    Have you ever done one of those really stupid things?  Have you ever sent an email to the wrong person, like the one where you criticize someone and send it to that someone?  It might start off as a way to let off steam, you meant to send it to a friend for advice but instead of “forward” you hit “reply” and now is there hanging with all its problems.  Perhaps you said something that was wrong to say or just heard wrong.  Either way, it is out there now; now what do we do?

    Maybe you were the one on the other end of the events.  How do you respond?  It is easy to get very upset and very offended.  Our self-righteous indignation can hit on all cylinders and rev right out of control in a hurry.  We move along the path of looking out for us sure of the properness of our high road action. 

      In either case, whether you are the “wronger” or the “wrongee,” we need to be careful to follow this verse and not allow the “root of bitterness” to spring up.  This is a great place for the devil to attack the church.  A moment of not thinking by one person can cause bitterness to take root.  And root it takes, it goes deep and disturbs the other plants; it takes moisture, nutrients and reduces the production of the desired plant.  This sin does the same in our life and in our church.  When bitterness takes root, the effectiveness of the church is reduced and the enjoyment of living in God’s family.  Both situations are ripe for the devil to disrupt and attack.

     So, what do we do?  First, we recognize that this is a sin; a sin that should be repented but also a sin to be forgiven.  Whichever side you are on, forgiveness is always the key.  True forgiveness is what will always drive away the root of bitterness.  True forgiveness is what makes the church function properly.  Too often, we won’t admit what we did was a sin or else we won’t forgive and let it go.  We save it up and trot it out later when it will serve our selfishness the best.  At times like this, we try to deny others God’s grace.

    God calls us to love each other but we are sinners, and we will fail each other once and a while.  Don’t let bitterness take root.  Don’t hold onto things that happened 30 or 40 years ago.  Don’t hold onto things that happened 30 or 40 minutes ago.  Let them go, repent when you should and forgive when you should and b quick to do both.  God forgives us and calls on us to forgive each other.  This is what true love is- forgiving one another.  This is what drives away the root of bitterness.  It is the sweet taste of forgiveness.

Dear Father in heaven, too often we are slow to repent and even slower to forgive.  Guide us away from our pride and our arrogance.  Lead us to see that a life of love begins and ends with forgiveness.  This is the unity to which we are called.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-22-2024

Good Morning All,

     Matthew 7: 7-8; “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

   We all like guarantees.  We like money back guarantees; we like long-term warranties; we like to be sure that what we are promised will be delivered.  We like them so much that sometimes we will pay extra for more warranty.  We love an ironclad guarantee insuring that we get what we paid for.

    In our verses for today, we get a guarantee.  We get this guarantee, not for something we bought but for something that we are given.  Notice how we are told six different ways that God answers prayer.  This is God’s promise to us.

    Prayer comes with the threefold elements of one of God’s gifts.  It comes with God’s command.  God tells us to pray to him.  We pray because God tells us to, and he tells us to because we need it.  It is a vital part of our spiritual life.  It keeps us in constant contact with our Savior as we do battle with the devil on a daily basis.  God knows that we need this vital act to sustain us and hold us closer to Him.

    Prayer also comes with a promise.  God has promised to hear and to answer our prayers.  That is what our verses are about today.  We are to pray with fervor, with confidence, with an audacity of boldness like no other.  In other places in Scripture, we are told that we do not receive because we do not ask.  What a bold promise this is.  Yet all too often we fail to trust it!  Too often we look at prayer as something to do when all else has been done.  Too often our attitude is, “I have done all I can all that is left is to pray.”  Prayer should be our first choice not our last.

    God tells us that we need to be in constant prayerful contact with Him at all times.  Prayer is talking to God, and we hear what God has to say to us through the Scripture.  We have the Holy Spirit to help us remember or recall those passages and to guide us in faith through our life.  We see this when the trials of life come to us.  Those who have a strong prayer life tend to face these challenges with more strength.  This is because we know where our strength comes from; it comes from God.  We know that a God much more powerful than we are. A God which sent his son to die for us is at work for us because He loves us. 

     This is the blessing of prayer.  God acts and answers our prayer.  He answers because He loves us.  He answers because He knows our needs and has promised to meet all of our daily needs.  God gives us this gift and all too often, we fail to grasp it and use.  We fail to trust in God’s promise.  Turn to God every day.  Pray often, try, and set aside some time when you can do it.  God blesses us and we can experience these blessings more and more.

Dear Father, too often we fail to come to you with our cares and concerns.  Give us strength to trust in your Word and to ask of you that we may receive.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

12-21-2024

Good Morning All,

     John 15:16; “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

    Sometimes this is a verse that we can struggle with.  Most of us like to think we play a role in what we do.  We like to think that our input has value.  When we go to the doctor, we like to think that what we want matters.  When we go to the store, we like to think that our opinion matters.  We like to think that what we do, think, or say is important in the greater scheme of things.

    One of the difficult things for us to accept is that we don’t play a role in our salvation or conversion.  We like to think that there is something we must do to help.  Yet we should really take comfort in the fact that our salvation does not depend on us; that way we can’t mess it up.  Deep down, we all know that if our salvation was in any way dependent on what we had to do, we would fail miserably.

     Yet God takes care of all of it; all we need to do is receive the faith that He gives to us to grab onto the promise of our salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and the hope of life eternal with Him.  God gives us the desire to hold onto that promise.  God gives us the inclination to want to believe.  God gives it all to us wrapped up in the blessing of faith through the Holy Spirit.

     Often after this is clear to us, we ask the question; now what?  We don’t experience any earth-shattering changes.  We don’t sing any better than we did before.  We don’t suddenly become the greatest speaker, thinker, or theologian in the world.  We don’t even experience a healthier life.  Now what?

      We need to remember that just as God has chosen us, He has also chosen what gifts to give to you.  We all have gifts or talents.  God gives us the skills and the opportunities to produce the fruit (good works) that he has for us to do.  Too often we think that if we can’t sing or preach or teach that we can’t do anything in the church.  There is nothing that is farther from the truth.  Everything you do can be used to serve the Lord.  If you are a hunter, you can give to the sportsman against hunger.  If you are a handyman, you can help fix or weatherproof a neighbor’s house.  You can give someone a ride; you can help watch the children of the young (and frazzled) mother down the street.  You can volunteer to read at a local pre-school.

     God gives us lots of opportunities to produce the fruit that he wants from us; all we have to do is trust his will and go forth and do whatever He gives you.  God’s peace will go with you as you share his love with all those around.  So, as you go about this coming week, look for times when you can produce the fruit that God wants us to.

Dear Father, we give you thanks for choosing us.  Give us the courage and wisdom to produce the fruit which you desire for us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret