5-26-2025

Good Morning All,

   Proverbs 14:4; “Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.”

     So, what does this mean?  It does not, as it appears, have anything to do with any type of farm animal but that is where it starts so we will also.  If there are no oxen, there is nothing to clean up.  There is no rotten feed to throw away.  There is no manure to be pitched out.  There are no fences that need to be tended to.  So, it is telling us that if you have no oxen; you have no headaches associated with oxen.  On the other hand, you don’t make any money either.  You don’t have any of the headaches from an oxen but you also do not get any of the rewards either.

   Believe it or not, this verse is really about interpersonal relationships.  If you never have a relationship, you never feel the pain that can be associated with relationships.  You can avoid any sort of slight or affront.  You miss the hurt of rejection, but you also miss the companionship and the closeness of a relationship.  You do miss the pain, but you forfeit so much more by forfeiting the love and the fellowship that these relationships give to us.

    From the very start of the Bible, we see that God is a God of relationships.  Part of the reason that God created man was so that God and man would have a loving relationship.  God created Eve so that Adam would have companionship.  Man and woman were created to be in a loving relationship.  We even see that Jesus came to the world to reconcile man back to God; to fix our broken relationship.  

    The painful truth is that you and I are messy.  We all bring baggage, insecurities, quirks, and some frailties to a relationship.  The only way to avoid this is to never engage in a relationship but this is not God’s plan.  God’s wants his people to be a family; joined together as a loving unit.  We are to love, warts and all!  Yet God’s grace shows through in the joy we experience when we are in relationships.  The joy of the love we receive from a child, or siblings or a spouse is far beyond any discomfort we may experience along the way. 

    This is part of God’s blessing so that we do not have to go through life alone but rather we can go through life, the good and the bad, with people who love us even if they made the manger dirty; God uses them to bring us his love. This is to be a small hint to the love that God has for us. A love that is cleansing and fulfilling. God loves us with the perfect love to bring us out of the mess and the chaos. God heals us because he loves us. It is by his mercy that we can try to love, imperfect as we are. His love knows no end or limits.

 Dearest Father, you give us the gift of companionship so that we may face this world with the love and support of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We give you thanks for those around us who love us as we are.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-25-2025

Good Morning All,

   1 John 4: 7-9; ^“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.   Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”

    In the late 60’s, there was a song by Judy Collins entitled “Both Sides Now.”  This is a ballad about a person growing up and how at first you see everything through rose colored glasses, but as you get older, you see things a little more clearly.  There is a portion of the song that is rather poignant and very telling. 

 

“I've looked at love from both sides now from give and take, and still somehow.                                  It's love's illusions I recall I really don't know love at all.”

 

    This is really a very accurate description of the relationship that we have with God.  It is also why we struggle sometimes.  We really have not looked at love from God’s side.  We have always looked at love from our sides.  We see love as conditional.  We all have a point where we would say to another person; “I can’t love you anymore.”  It might take a whole lot, but we all have that point.  We tend to think that since we are this way then God must be the same way.

    We really need to look at love from God’s side.  The apostle John tells us all about the love of God; it was made manifest in Jesus.  God sent his only Son into the world to die, to die a horrific death, for people who do not deserve this kind of love.  This love is beyond our understanding.  Even though we don’t understand or comprehend it, we have it.  This is what is so great about God’s love for you; you don’t have to understand it; you only need to enjoy it.  Take it to heart with the faith that God gives to you.  You are truly loved by God; there are no strings, no conditions, absolutely no need to earn it.  God loves you beyond anything you can ever imagine. 

   It is hard, even impossible, for our limited ability; but God’s love for us is beyond anything and everything that we can ever comprehend.  This world and the devil like to try and make it an illusion but God’s love is real and for you.  There is no earning this love but this love will sustain us and carry us and comfort us in all needs and trials.  God is love; this is His nature.  His desire is to show His wondrous love to us.  Enjoy it as His gift to you.

 Dearest Father, your love for us is beyond our understanding.  Give us the faith to trust what we do not know or understand.  Help us to rely on this love and give us the courage to respond to others with this same love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-24-2025

Good Morning All,

   Matthew 22:2; “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.”

     I have a couple of weddings to officiate in the coming months.  I can’t get over how the brides and the grooms look younger and younger at each wedding but that is a different devotion.  The thing that fascinates me the most is how, during the actual wedding ceremony, everyone is scared to death, even the groomsmen and the bridesmaids.  When I perform a wedding, I always tell the bride and groom, “Focus on me, don’t look anywhere else. All that matters is that you say ‘I do’ or ‘I will’ at the right place.  After that we don’t worry about it.”  Yet at every wedding; the nerves are always there.  The tension is just below the surface. You fear someone will pass out. I haven’t lost one yet, but there were a couple of close calls.

    However, the reception is a different affair.  I always smile when the bridal party is introduced.  In our region, at the start of the reception, the entire bridal party is introduced as they walk up to the head table.  As they enter, they dance and wave their hands and really enjoy it. They laugh and everyone applauds.  It is such a contrast to the way they walked into the church a couple of hours earlier when they were so solemn and sober.  Yet the reception, the wedding feast, is a grand celebration.

    As the entire community celebrates the marriage of these two people, they also celebrate life and family.  Some only come to the reception and then they celebrate all evening.  You watch as friends and relatives who haven’t seen each other for a number of years get re-acquainted and laugh at old times and share “what’s new” at the present time.  They gather around in little circles and laugh and talk the evening away.  Then the circles will disperse, and new circles form, and the cycle begins anew.  The merriment, the joy, the fellowship involved is one of pure celebratory time.

    I think this is why heaven is compared to the wedding feast.  Heaven is a time of celebration.  Heaven is a time of joyfully speaking to each other and remembering the good and sharing the new and great. Heaven is the time of the most wonderful celebration.  We are alive in the heavenly kingdom, and we celebrate our presence there with Jesus our king and with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. 

   The wonder of this all is that our life in the church is to be a fore taste of this feast or celebration.  Our time here is part of the “not yet” of Christ’s kingdom.  We are in his kingdom just “not yet” fully glorified.  We are living in his time of grace, and we get to know a little of the heavenly celebration that is to come.  The best is yet to come!!

     Dear Father, as we wait for the wedding feast of heaven; keep giving us a taste of it through your mercy and love. Help us to remember that the best is yet to come and that we will overcome the enemy of this world by your gracious hand. Defend us and protect us.  In Jesus, name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-23-2025

Good Morning All,

      Matthew 5:5 ““Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

    Jesus is speaking to us in the Sermon on the Mount. In it, he is telling us what believers look and act like. This is more descriptive than prescriptive but even then, some of them might “chafe” a little bit. After all, who wants to be seen as weak and unable to act? At least, that is how the world usually views someone who is meek.

    When we think of meek, it is usually the smaller child in a class who is often bullied and unable to defend himself. We often see the meek as the one who is taken advantage of and used by the strong. Now we see this, and Jesus tells us to be meek, and we struggle with it. Weakness, meekness all sounds the same to us, but it really isn’t. In fact, meekness is a long way from weakness.

    The Greek word used here for meek is “praios.” This word does not mean weak but rather but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control – i.e., demonstrating power without undue harshness. The word is often used to describe a horse or an ox that listens and obeys its master’s voice and command. This is what we are to be, restrained in our actions. We are not to be harsh or cruel, but we are to be gentle and kind. Perhaps a better analogy is that we are not to be the proverbial “bull in a China Shop.” Our actions, our words, should be measured and proper for the situation.

    Meekness is tied to being a peacemaker. We are to seek to reduce the tension and not to incite it. This is what true meekness is. We have the power and strength. Jesus tells us this in Matthew 28 when he tells his disciples that, “all power on heaven and earth has been given to me.” But how do we use it? The world would have you use it for your own gain and prestige. This is what the disciples thought when James and John wanted to sit on the left and the right hand. It was about power, might and control. Meekness is about knowing who has control (God) and that He will exercise this control as is best.

    Our use of this power is best seen in our service to our neighbor, in how we demonstrate love to others. It is our capacity to see God’s hand at work and then respond as He would have us respond. We hear our Lord’s voice, one calling for compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and healing rather than responding in force of might. We are to reach out with a blend of gentleness (reserve)and strength. Meekness is not weakness but rather it is strength which is measured and controlled.

    Meekness is about service, service as God has called us to live. It is to be constrained by love and compassion and then fully lived out in that fashion. We are to fully love, fully serve, fully live a compassionate life to the benefit of our neighbor. True meekness is about directing strength in the right direction.

Gracious Father, you give us strength to live according to your will. Send your Spirit to encourage us and to lead us to trust your mighty promise. Defend us when we are weak or unsure. Keep us safe in your loving arms. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

5-22-2025

Good Morning All,

      1 Corinthians 13:12; “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

     In ancient Greek philosophy, Plato said that we never see reality only our perception of it.  It is like we are in a cave and the reality occurs behind us and all we see is the shadows on the wall before us.  There are many in the world that agree with this.  You and I don’t have to.  We know reality; it is God Incarnate in Jesus.  Yet even as we know the reality, we don’t fully grasp it.  We live in the existence of “now but not yet.”

   We know the reality that awaits us; we have eternal life assured to us.  Our future is in heaven celebrating with all believers in the marriage feast of the Lamb.  We know this is true, but we can’t see it fully.  We are saved right now.  Our salvation is secured by the blood of Jesus.  Our future in heaven is guaranteed by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.  You are saved right now.  There is no delay in this.  This is the “now” part of our phrase.

    The thing is that we are not fully glorified.  This is the “not yet.”  We are living in the time of our life where we live by God’s grace.  Right now, we are living according to God’s grace.  When the time comes, either our earthly death or Christ’s return, we will live according to God’s perfected, complete glory.  So, as we go through life, we want to remember that grace is glory begun and glory is grace that is perfected. This is also why we should be very careful about thinking we “know” what is going on. We truly do not know everything, only God knows everything, and He has chosen to not reveal everything to us. We need to always trust God and God alone. We know this and must remember this, that today we do not see anything completely clearly, we only see shadows in this imperfect time.

    So, we live in an imperfect time.  Our time will not be perfect until we receive our full measure of God’s glory.  As we wait, we see it dimly.  We really only have hints at what is to come.  We often speak of Holy Communion as a foretaste of the feast to come.  We see it as just a small, microscopic taste of the wonderful gift that, while we have received it, we haven’t opened it yet.  It is the Christmas present under the tree with your name on it and it is only the 23rd of December.  It is ours completely and totally; we have just not yet fully opened it.  Just like that present, we only dimly know what it is.  We can pick it up and feel the weight; we can shake it; we can smell it, but we can never fully know what it is until we open it.  Then we can hold it and look at it and play with it.  We can fully enjoy it.  We no longer have to wait but we can enjoy it completely and perfectly.  This is what Paul means when he says, “now I know part, then I shall know fully.”  We are now-but not yet.”  We are saved according to God’s grace, awaiting for the completion of his glory.

 Dearest Father, we only dimly see our future glory.  Yet we can celebrate your grace as we wait for the fulfillment of your glory to us.  Keep us in your peace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-21-2025

Good Morning All,

  Galatians 3:11; “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

    The righteous shall live by faith.  We have heard or said or even memorized this verse many times.  We often say this verse, but I think most of us are usually a little afraid to think that we are righteous.  We often feel this is a little pretentious.  We feel that others will look at us and see us as “too good” or “above them.”

    Here is where we need to see the definition of and the difference between being “righteous” and being “self-righteous.”  The difference is like night and day.  The Pharisees were self-righteous.  They looked at themselves and saw their own piety and greatness.  This is why Jesus spoke of the “log in your eye” when judging others.  Their log was huge.  Yet God calls us to be righteous so what does this mean?

     First, and above all, the relationship that the righteous have with God is not based on the actions of the man but on the grace of God.  Our righteousness is not our own; rather it is given to us by God through Jesus.  We know this, we trust this, we place our life on this.  It is not what we do it is what God has done/ is doing/ and will do for us that gives us our righteousness.

     Since the righteous know that their righteousness comes only from God and not from their own actions; they are humble and meek.  They know who is God and who isn’t.  They know that the LORD is the only source of their sustenance.  So, the righteous are also needy.  They need God’s mercy and grace to survive.

    The righteous know that all is from God, so they praise God for his gifts and his blessings.  They live their life in constant praise to God.  They live their life in the constant communion with God.  They hear God speak to them through His Word and then speak to God through their prayers.  This constant conversation refreshes them and gives them hope.

    Yet all this righteousness from God, this passive righteousness, does not mean a passive life.  The righteous are active in living out their faith.  They are active in living as the disciples that God has called them to be.  For some this is preaching, for some it is teaching.  Yet for most of us, it is sharing God’s love with your family, your neighbors, and your friends.  It is listening as a friend worries about a doctor’s appointment.  It is consoling a crying friend when they mourn the loss of a loved one.  For most of us, it is offering a sympathetic shoulder when the time is needed. 

   This is how you are righteous.  You are righteous because God declares you to be righteous.  This is the righteousness which God redeems us and then calls us to use in his name to bring about the reconciliation of man back to God.  You are righteous if you live by faith, trusting in God’s promise of eternal life.

Dear Father, you give us your holy righteousness.  Through the blood of Jesus, you declare us holy and righteous in your sight.  Keep us safe and keep us holy.  Lead us in your paths that we may touch those whom you place in our lives with your tender mercy.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

5-20-2025

Good Morning All,

  Psalm 147:5; “Our Lord is great, and his power is great.  There is no limit to his understanding.”

    Do you understand what this means?  How many times in your life have you heard or used that phrase?  This is a question that can be very hard to hear.  Sometimes we hear that and simply want to shout, “NO!!, I haven’t got a clue.”  Sometimes this question revolves around the implications of the answer.  If your employer asks you how you want to fill out your W-2 form, he might ask if you understand the implications of the change.  If your insurance agent is showing you some facts about your policy and any changes you want to make, he might ask if you understand what this will mean.

   Sometimes we hear this question at the doctor’s office and the understanding can be too plain.  We can hear this as a marriage sours and the pain occurs.  We can hear this when our business fails and the bank forecloses on our loan.  We can hear this if a loved one gets in trouble with the law and must face the consequences.  We hear this phrase often and usually we don’t like the answer.  Do you understand what this means?  It means that someone is going to get hurt. 

    Sometimes, it means the exact opposite.  Sometimes when we hurt, we talk to someone, a doctor, or a friend and when we finish, they respond, “I understand.”  Have you ever asked the question, “What does this mean, I don’t understand” and have someone answer, “I understand”?  I call this the Linus moment.  You remember from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” when Charlie Brown asks if anybody can explain Christmas and Linus answers, “Sure, Charlie Brown” and then he recites Luke chapter 2.  Linus understood what Christmas meant even when the rest of the world seemed to forget.  It is nice when someone understands. 

    Whether it is setting the clock on your stove or making the computer work the way it should or knowing the pain that you are feeling right now; it helps when someone can come to you and say I understand.  This is exactly what God does for us.  He understands.  He understands you and me.  He knows our heart and he knows our life.  He sees our pain and heals it.

    We live in a world that is full of pain.  Sometimes this pain is inflicted by people we know and love.  This pain may be accidental, or it may be intentional.  This pain can hurt right to the core.  Yet God truly does understand our pain and our need.  He understands our need for forgiveness.  He forgives us for our sin and then brings us into his family.  Here we can come to God with all of our pain and all of our hurt and God says, “I understand.” He continues with the ability to solve our pain.  He gives us life and hope.  God understands what we need, even before we do.  His grace is sufficient for us.

Dearest Father, even when we don’t understand; you do.  Give us the faith to trust in you.  Father, we come to you like the father who exclaimed, “I believe, help my unbelief.”  Help our unbelief that we may go forth with the confidence and faith in your mercy and love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret