5-28-2014

Good Morning All,

        Psalm 46:1; “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

      I was a watcher of “Star Trek”, the real one with Kirk, Spock and Scotty.  It was really quite an amusing show to watch.  One thing that always amused me was that, at the start of the show, it was usually Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and then some flunky that landed on the new planet.  It never failed, the flunky never survived.  Something always killed him.  Then Kirk and the rest would spend most of the rest of the show trying to get back to the ship.  They were always met with problems but eventually they made it to the ship and were safe.  All they wanted to do was to get to the ship to be safe.  Why didn’t they just stay there?

     We actually spend a lot of time doing the same thing.  We spend a lot of time trying to get back to our ship where we are safe.  We are often blindsided by life.  Many times, it seems to be going well.  We feel healthy, our job is going smoothly, the family is happy happy and then, out of nowhere, BOOM!! It hits us hard.  In the blink of an eye, things change.  That ever so routine doctor’s visit turns up something not so routine.  Maybe we wake in the middle of the night with a pain in the chest that seems like someone is crushing us.  It could be anything but all at once, life changes.  It might be your job; it might be something with a family member; it could be any of a number of things; but it hits us hard.  All we want to do is get to safety, all we want to do is to get back to the ship.

    That is what the psalmist is telling us in this verse.  Our ship, the place where we are safe, is in God’s grace.  It is an immediate place of safety, like a shelter in a storm.  It gives us hope when we turn to it in faith.  The thing to remember about finding shelter in a storm, you are still wet when you go inside; you will still feel cold and maybe a shiver or two.  Yet soon the warmth will begin and the wetness will go away.  This is much the same way that our faith works.  There is still a little residue of the pain but soon God’s warming mercy begins to cover us and soon we are resting in the comfort of his loving arms.

    What we then see is that this refuge is really a fortress.  It is a place where we will always have safety; it is a place where we will always find refuge.  It will always be our shelter.  It is the place where we can be to heal from the wounds we experience in life.  It is the place where we can be nourished back to full strength.  It is the place where we can find true and wholesome rest.  When the battles and struggles of this sinful world wage against us, God is our only refuge.  It is his mercy alone that saves us.

Wondrous Father, in you alone do we have safe haven.  In you alone are we secure from the attacks of the devil.  Guide us by your Spirit to the safety of your loving arms.  Be with those who are under attack and in need of refuge.  Be with the families that are being assaulted.  Be with those who are physically and emotionally attacked.  Guard them with your holy arm.  Bring them to refuge in you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

                           

5-27-2014

      Good Morning All,

       Ephesians 1:18; “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints”

I can see clearly now the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way.
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a bright (bright)
bright (bright) sunshiny day. It's gonna be a bright (bright) bright (bright) sunshiny day.

     Do you remember that song?  It was from the early 1970’s.  It was a song that was in contrast to some of the “darker” songs that focused on pain and broken relationships.  This was one of the lighter and more optimistic songs of the time.

     So can you see clearly?  Too often most of us would say “no”.  The problem is that we focus on using our physical eyes.  Our physical eyes are part of our sinful body and are corrupted by sin.  We can only see what our eyes look at, we can only comprehend what our mind interprets through our foggy vision.  So how do we see clearly now?  We see with the eyes of our heart; we see by faith.

    God gives us the eyes of faith which can help us see clearly.  God’s grace gives us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of life everlasting.  That is what Easter does for us.  By Jesus walking out of the tomb, our vision is a whole lot clearer now.  We can see our future clearly.  We are God’s redeemed children and we have in store for us an eternal existence with him.  We know how our life story ends.

    God gives us a very clear view; we see it in the risen Christ.  We know the obstacles that the devil and our sinful nature will throw at us.  We will experience some fits of doubt, fear, loss of trust, hopelessness among a few.  The devil will try all sorts of tricks but they are just that; they are tricks and tricks are not reality.  Our reality is clear to see, our reality is our salvation through Christ.

    We may, because of a sinful and broken world, experiences some sadness.  We may suffer from divorce or a loss of health.  Our job may disappear or our family may be torn apart.  This is always the result of sin.  Sin still causes pain and suffering in this world but we know that sin does not control us nor does it control our lives or our future.  Our lives and our future are in God’s loving hands.  His promise is to never abandon us, and to forgive our sins and to give us eternal life.

    We can see clearly what his promises mean to us.  The control of our life and our future is in God’s loving hands; we can see clearly now and we can see it all with the eyes of faith which God so graciously gives to us.

Father, help to me to stay focused on your great mercy.  Guide us by your Spirit to trust our eyes of faith as we see your great love for us.  Help us to focus on your tender mercy.  Be with those whose vision is clouded by the cares of this world.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret     

5-26-2014

 Good Morning All,

         Psalm 77:11; “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.”   

       We spend a fair amount of time remembering things.  We remember our family member’s birthdays and anniversaries.  We mark these days with a time of looking back at prior times and prior events.  We often look back with a gladness and joy as we recall the love that we have with these people.  Today, throughout the United States, we are observing Memorial Day.  It is a day to remember.

    We take time to remember how God works in our lives.  We take time to remember that God uses his creation and his creatures to give us the blessing that we have.  Today we remember, that sometimes, very good men and women sacrifice their lives so that you and I can enjoy the blessings of freedom that we have.  So we remember, the deeds of the Lord, his wonders which we enjoy this day.

    Throughout the Bible, God tells his people to “remember.”  He tells us to remember the blessings that we have, to remember where we started (in slavery to sin), to remember where we are going (eternal life with him) and how we receive these blessings (by his grace).  So in all things, God tells us to remember; to remember that we are his people, the sheep of his hand, protected by his loving arm.  In giving us that protection, some were called to be willing to surrender all for that protection; some surrendered all in that service.

     It is often said that those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it.  It is also true that those who do not remember, are not a people, united with each other; but are rather lost and lonely souls who will never know how God’s love works in their lives.  So take time today and remember.  Attend a Memorial Day service in your community.  Say thank you to a veteran or a member of the armed forces.  If you know someone who is away on active duty, send them a card or a letter.  Visit their family and offer to help them if they have need.  Remember the price they pay as well.

    Yet do not remember just today; remember every day.  Remember what God does for you every day.  He blesses his people day in and day out.  He blesses us through his sustaining word and his gracious mercy.  His blessings are not often with thunder, lightning or earthquake rather it often comes to us in a still quiet voice.  God works through his created works to bless his people.  Remember the deeds of the Lord; remember his wonders at all times.  Today, we should especially remember those men and women who have died in service to this nation.

Gracious Lord, no greater love has a man than to lay down his life for friend.  Keep us mindful of the multitude of blessings in our life and to remember the cost that these blessings sometimes incur.  Bless those who are defending us this day.  Keep them safe and give to their families the sure confidence of your grace.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret