4-18-2019

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 37:18; “The Lord knows the daily struggles of innocent people.  Their inheritance will last forever.”

     Do you ever watch the TV commercials that show someone or something walking through a maze?  We always get to watch from above and look down on the maze.  It looks so easy from above; you can see every corner and every straight path.  When we look down from the top, we can give all kinds of advice and point out which path to take and which is a dead end.

     When you are in the maze, it seems to be almost impossible.  We look and everything looks the same; whether I go left or right there doesn’t seem to be much difference.  I can’t tell what is beyond the next wall.  Even if I am going through the maze with someone else; we still can’t see over or around the walls.  It can be really frustrating.

     Our life is very much like a maze.  We can only see right in front of us and a little behind us.  Yet, even what we have experienced is more about memory than vision.  Yet as we go forward, we wonder about other directions or other choices.  As we experience life, we do not see ahead.  So, we travel in one of two ways; either by fear or by faith. 

     The world will want you to travel by fear.  The world wants you to always wonder, to always question and to always doubt.  The world wants you to always ask questions like why? Why does this happen to me?  Why do all the good things go to them and not to me?  Why do I always get the short end of the deal?  These and dozens of other questions will haunt us and allow the devil to play cruel attacks on us.  Each time we go down a path; the devil torments us and makes us walk with fear and great in trepidation.  This is how most people walk through the maze of their life.

     God comes to you and me with a different plan.  God sets above all and aids us, guides us and blesses us as we go through our maze.  We must trust God when he tells us that all things work for good for those who love Him.  We may never see where we all heading but we must trust God and his promises.  This can be tough when it seems like all our choices are losing choices.  The thing we need to always remember is that we are God’s redeemed children always and forever.  We may not see how we are getting through our life but we will make it through this life to eternal life with Jesus.  This is God’s promise to us to be with us, to comfort us and to give us hope and to show us his mercy.  We must have faith that God will continue to guard us, to protect us, and to always give us hope.

Dear Father, too often we don’t see the answer so we fail to trust your steadfast love.  Give us the courage to live the life which you give to us. Give us the comfort in knowing that all occurs under your watchful eye and that your grace for your children never dies.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-17-2019

  Good Morning All,

     Romans 6:23; “The payment for sin is death, but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life found in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

     The sign says, “FREE TAKE ONE!” or maybe “FREE FOR THE TAKING!”  What do you do?  Do you take one?  Now I realize that if the sign was on a box of puppies you might think twice but what if it was something you or one of your family members could really use; would you take a free one?  Suppose you were at a garage sale and there was a snowsuit there that would fit your child or grandchild; would you take it for free?

    Many people might balk.  First you might look around and see who is watching but why?  It says it’s free.  Are we afraid someone will see us take something free?  Will they think we are poor?  Will they think we are cheap?  Do we “hear” their remarks, “drives a nice car but is too cheap to buy their kid a snowsuit”; even when no one is there?  Second, we might not really trust the sign.  What if some joker took the sign off of a box of marbles and put it on the snowsuit?  That would be embarrassing.  Third, do we tell ourselves that we don’t really need it even though it is only January and there is a lot of snow and cold to come?

    Strange as it sounds, these are the same reasons that many people refuse the gift of God’s free grace.  There are those who have too much pride.  Their pride may not let them take the gift.  They look around to see who is watching; they worry about what people will say.  Maybe they think it is a trick.  There is no way it is free; it has to cost something.  They may even try to pay for it or even claim that they actually did pay something for it.

    Worst of all there are some who think they don’t need it.  They think they have no need for this wondrous free gift of forgiveness of sins.  They buy into the “I’m ok and you’re ok” there’s nothing wrong with any one.  When we think that we are good enough without any help, we tend to not seek out help.

    God comes to us in his Word and Sacrament offering to us the free gift of His true love.  God, the Creator-Redeemer rescues his created creatures, through the death and resurrection of His Son then freely gives that righteousness to us.  It is a gift that must not be too proud to take, we must not worry about how others view it and above all we need to see that we are truly in need of this salvation and that this is the only way we will receive it.  It will always be a gift; free for the getting.  It is God’s gracious, loving gift to us.

Dear Father, we give you thanks for the gift of our salvation.  Forgive us when we reject this wondrous gift out of our foolish pride.  Keep us mindful of the love that you have for us and strengthen our faith to trust in you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.           

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-16-2019

Good Morning All,

      Revelation 3:8; “I know what you have done. See, I have opened a door in front of you that no one can shut.  You only have a little strength, but you paid attention to my word and have not denied my name"

    The place you want is three doors down.  The door was locked so we came back later.  The door was stuck so I couldn’t get in.  The door was open so we went in and made ourselves at home.  We use the word “door” often in our language.  We emphasize its importance.  When our children are young, we teach them that if the door is closed they should knock and ask to go in.  We have doors that are solid while others we can see through.  Doors serve to protect us, to invite us, to keep us warm or to keep us hidden.  Doors are very important in our lives.

    When the Angel spoke these words to John, he was drawing John into the very glory and presence of God.  The door is the door to eternal life.  God has opened it to us, believers, because of all that Jesus has done.  It wasn’t our doing, we have little strength, not enough to open the door but it is open to those who remain faithful to God.    

     By Jesus’ resurrection, he opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.  He ushered in the start of the new era, the time of grace when we live not under the law but under his love and mercy.  There is only one way into this kingdom and that is through Jesus; he is the door.  He is the door to God’s heavenly kingdom.

    In opening the door, Jesus invites us into the kingdom.  He calls us daily by his Word to come to him.  He invites us with his gentle call of peace and hope; he beckons us to come in, to enter.

    By opening the door that no one can shut, he protects us from the devil.  The devil cannot enter the door of Jesus nor shut anyone out.  His sin and refusal of Jesus keeps him locked out and we are protected from him and all his attacks.  We are free to enter in and out of the door in safety.  He protects us at every turn from the devil’s arrows of despair. 

     The devil continually seeks to harm us and destroy us.  Jesus continually protects us from the devil’s harm.  We are safe and secure behind this door; the door which leads into the heavenly kingdom.  The door for us is open and so we can and will follow the path that Jesus took.  That path is the path of the resurrection of the glorified perfect body.  That path is to eternal bliss and glory with him.  Jesus opens the door to a whole renewed world to us.  The world where we are restored to God’s wonderful kingdom; the world of God’s everlasting mercy awaits us.  Jesus is our door to this kingdom.  By his resurrection we enter into it to share in his kingdom forever.

Father of all mercy, your blessings overflows us with your great love.  By your grace, you lead us into your eternal kingdom.  Keep us safe from the devil’s attacks.  Be with those who suffer in any way and give to them your holy comfort.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret        

4-15-2019

Good Morning All,

      1 Thessalonians 5:9; “It was not God’s intention that we experience his anger but that we obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

     Why did Jesus come to earth?  Why did he leave his holy temple in heaven to come down to live with lowly man?  God could have just snapped his fingers and everything would have been changed, so why did he come to earth?

     The easiest answer is that he came to die for our sins.  This is the correct answer but it leaves us hanging a little.  Jesus’ coming to earth in human form is part of the great story of the Bible.  Many people see the Bible as a collection of stories, some connected some not; some important some not; some of great value and some not.  The Bible is really one long narrative telling us what God is doing in our lives.

     When we read the Bible, we can read it and look for different themes or threads of the story to follow.  One of those themes is the theme of restoration.  We can read from the fall of man into sin in Genesis 3 about how God is going to restore man and his creation.  Adam and Eve have to leave the Garden of Eden; they have to work hard, suffer pain and loss, live chaotic lives and then die.  This is not how God designed it but it is how man chose to go.  The introduction of sin causes all our problems. 

      In order to fix this, God chooses to restore man to his rightful existence.  God sent Jesus in order to restore us to be children of God.  Think of who Adam and Eve were, who were their parents?  They had no human parents; they were children of God living in the perfect Garden in holy communion and companionship with God.  We were to participate, in an active way, with God in the caring for the created world.  Yet when we sinned, we broke this relationship, we broke away from God.

     Jesus came so that we can experience his life and death and resurrection.  These are real events which give witness to God’s incredible mercy and his unbelievable grace.  Jesus came to bring you back into the family of God.  You are declared a child of God and we are given a promise to cling to and then we are given the faith to cling to it.  This faith doesn’t remove our struggles but it does give us hope.  A hope that tells us that this struggle we call life isn’t all there is to the story. 

     All that the story is about is our restoration, our becoming children of God in order to receive the gift of eternal life.  So, we wait for the promise to be perfected or completed at which time our perfection will be restored and we can walk with God and converse with God without pain or sorrow.  Why did Jesus come to earth?  He did so in order that you might have eternal life; the eternal life with him in his holy kingdom.

Dear Father in heaven, through your mercy you have made us your children.  We rejoice in the certainty of this gift.  Help us to see that your will for us is alive and active and moves us every day to live according to your will and purposes for us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

4-14-2019

Good Morning All,

              Psalm 139: 13; “You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother.”

   So, what are you made of?  If the old nursery rhyme is to be trusted;

                                 Snips and snails and puppy-dog tails;
                                 That's what little boys are made of.
                                 Sugar and spice and everything nice;
                                 That's what little girls are made of.

Yet how do you view you?  Many people see themselves in terms of their usefulness, or reputation, or intellect.  All too often we allow the world to continually trivialize people to the menial status of producers, consumers, performers and “experiencers”.  When you lose these statuses; the world can push us down and see us as worthless.  It can cause us to look at our self as weak, worthless, with no value at all.  What are we worth if we do not produce or perform or consume or experience? 

    This is what happens when we look through the eyes of the world and not through the eyes of faith which God gives to us.  We need to remember what the Psalmist says.  God alone created us with all the care and compassion that a loving father will have.  We are an eternal, irreproducible, eternal child of God.  Created by Him, redeemed by Him, kept safe by Him; valued and treasured by Him.  We have tremendous value that the world will never see but God does.  The world judges us in many fashions.  It sees us as lazy or greedy; selfish or foolish; fat or narcissistic; self-absorbed or clueless; it doesn’t matter how the world sees us for we do not belong to the world.  We belong to God.

     So, don’t look at yourself through the narrow prism of the world; see yourself as God does; his loved child.  For since we are redeemed by God, we are his; claimed through Baptism.  We are more than our goals or dreams and aspirations.  We are more than our foibles and failures.  We are the redeemed children of God; blessed by Him, cared for by Him, sustained and preserved by Him, brought to eternal life by Him.  When we look at our self we should see the Spirit of God within us.  The most important part of us is often overlooked by us and always overlooked by the world; God’s Spirit living in us giving us hope as we face each challenge of each day.  Whether it is a crisis of health, wealth, relational or just of or own personal confidence God is there to see us through.  He sees us through all we will ever deal with or experience.  We are fearfully and wonderfully made by God and redeemed by his grace.

Dear Father in heaven, too often we look at our self and see nothing of value but you chose us, you saved us and now you hold us as your own.  Give us to the strength to hold to you with all boldness and confidence.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

4-13-2019

Good Morning All,

              James 1:22; “Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.”

    I am rapidly approaching that stage of life.  I turn 60 in a few weeks and I have decided that is when I can be a full blown official curmudgeon.  I hold my tongue, as best I can as often as I can, but I think there will be a little more direct honesty in the future.  I pray it will work out; we will see.

    For example, we had a Bible study for a group of High school kids who are going to the national youth gathering.  A group of students came in about 10 minutes late and sat in a corner by themselves whispering and talking to each other and never once added anything to the Bible study.  This lack of participation took over the rest of the group.  Soon, there was no interaction, no discussion; nothing.  We got done about 10 minutes early, when no one talks things can go fast.  So, as I was chatting with a couple of the other kids, I mentioned that we were done.  One of the late comers asked if they could leave.  I told him yes but what I wanted to say to him was, “leave? Son, you were never here.”

    The truth is I see this often.  People come to church or even a Bible Study but that is all they do, they come and then they leave.  They are thinking about the ballgame or dinner or a nap or getting home to get some work done.  They are present but they aren’t there.  This is a real danger for us; just being there isn’t enough.  Christianity requires participation; it is not a spectator sport.  You have to get in and get dirty.  You have to get involved.  Faith comes by hearing not just being present while something is read.  A tree is known by the fruit it produces not that it was near a nice garden.  In other words, do what God’s Word says.

    The Word of God in the hearts of men changes lives.  It engenders a desire to help someone who has need.  Not because we seek fame or fortune or some other form of validation but because that someone needed help.  It engenders a desire to hear God’s Word and to listen closely as it speaks to our lives.  It fills us with hope and gives to us peace and comfort.  It is not shallow or occasional.  True faith leads to the desire to trust God’s will for us and to follow God’s will.

    Genuine faith leads to genuine change.  So, if you think there is something missing in your worship or your Bible Study; maybe it is you.  Perhaps, a need to repent, honestly, and to seek God’s grace is a start.  Listening closely to what is said during those times needs to be practiced.  God speaks to comfort and encourage his people.  His love is poured upon us.  Yet if we do not grasp them by faith; we miss the point.  We miss the blessing and we fool ourselves.

Father, your mercies are new to me each morning and yet I often ignore them or fail to see them.  Forgive my failures.  Renew in me your Spirit and encourage me to walk more closely with you.  Defend me from the devil, especially when he tries to draw me from your Word.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

4-12-2019

Good Morning All,

              Acts 3:20; “Then times will come when the Lord will refresh you. He will send you Jesus, whom he has appointed to be the Christ”

    I thoroughly enjoy a good joke or even a bad joke.  I really like the ones that make you groan when you hear them.  Many years ago, one of my younger cousins used to tell jokes.  She would drone on and on and when she got done she would either forget the punch line, use the wrong punch line or she left out huge portions of the joke which made it funny.  A few years ago, I listened to her son tell jokes; he did the exact same thing.  It was fitting and hilarious.  I love humor; it is one of God’s gifts that refresh me.

    Yesterday, while reading the news on the internet, I ran across a joke that made me giggle and laugh.  It was long and drawn out and the sort of hit from the side kind of funny.  As I read it and giggled; I felt a lot better.  I think God used that joke to refresh me.  

    God truly does refresh us and our souls.  He does it for his redeemed children.  Your restoring may not be humor; it may be a visit from an old friend.  On the TV show “MASH” there was an episode when Major Burns goes a little off the edge; Radar calls Major Burns mother and has her talk to him.  His logic was, “Sometimes, you just need to talk to your mother.”  Sometimes it is just a day or so of relaxing and turning stuff off; the TV, the internet, the cell phones; turn them off and just let your mind clear.  Read a little Scripture and hear what God has to say to you.  Maybe you need to spend a quiet evening with your family.  Maybe you go for walk or a leisurely drive; listen to your body, listen to your heart and let God use his Word and his creation to restore your soul.

    I know that some of you don’t feel the restoring right now.  We go through events which can be very painful and causes us to feel despondent.  An illness that won’t go away, finance troubles that feel like we just keep losing ground, relationships that are strained, a death that was not even thought possible; all can cause us to feel pain and sorrow.  The very sad and very real truth is that these events are part of living in a sinful world.  We will experience them but we do not experience them alone and we do not have to see them as the end only a portion of life.  Through these events God wants to draw you closer to him.  As he does, he restores your soul and refreshes your spirit.

    This is part of what we talk about when we call Holy Communion a restoring or refreshing sacrament.  This is part of what we talk about when we hear the comfort and the consolation of the Gospel.  This is part of what we talk about when we say that God works through his Church and his creation to support this body and life.  God seeks to restore your soul.  So, if you have experienced this restoration recently; give thanks.  If you are still waiting remember that it is on the way.  God will restore your soul.

Dear Father, we give you thanks for the gift of restoring our souls.  For those who are in need we ask that you send your Spirit of comfort and restore them to the joyful life which the coming of Jesus gives to us.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. amen       

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret