11-16-2020

Good Morning All, 

        Galatians 4:5; “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

     There was a young man who was troubled about his past.  He had been adopted at a very young age and had no recollection about his “real” parents.  He loved his adoptive family but felt there was a hole in his life as part of it was missing.  All he knew was that his mother had given him up at a very young age because she was unable to care for the young man and his brother.  He knew he was loved but always wondered about his past.

    Yet one day while in a weekly Bible Study, they looked at Galatians and about receiving “adoptions as sons.”  Suddenly he saw his life and faith in a new light.  “I was adopted by my parents and given a new family.  In the same way, I have become a member of God’s family and given a new identity, God’s identity.”

    Adoption is a fascinating event.  It is, at one level, very personal and emotional.  Yet it is also very much a legal event.  Adoptions must be formalized in a courtroom with a judge present.  So, while adoption is a very subjective event with all the warmth and emotional actions; it is also very objective in the way it works.  Adoption is bridge between the personal and the legal.  It takes a legal action and morphs into a very personal, new relationship between the parent and the child.

    All believers receive the adoption of sons.  We receive this in a very personal way; we receive it at Baptism.  Here we are received, one at a time by name, into God’s family and we receive this adoption because the only natural son, Jesus, gave up his life for us.  As a result, God makes us his sons, by adoption.  We are his beloved children in a very legal sense.  We have the full rights of sonship; we are co-heirs with Jesus in God’s kingdom.  We are co-heirs to eternal life and to the holy kingdom which will last forever.  We are the beloved sons and daughters in God’s family.

    Yet it is also very personal.  God chose you.  God chose you from before the foundations of creation were set.  God chose you to love and to declare a child of his own.  We not only have all the legal rights of a family member; we also have the familial rights.  We can come to our Father with our fears and our worries, our cries and our sorrows and God has promised to listen to us as a loving father listens to his dear children.  He has promised to comfort us and to hold us close in his loving arms.  We are safe in his protective care.  We are loved by our Father.

Gracious Father, you claim us as your children through the waters of Baptism.  We are marked as your dear children.  Our names are written in the palms of your hands.  Guard us by your Spirit as we are made part of your holy family.  Give us the certainty of your grace.  Lead us to live full and peaceful lives in your kingdom. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-15-2020

       Good Morning All, 

        Habakkuk 3:18; “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”                                                                                                           

       “Is everybody happy?” was the catchphrase of a depression-era singer named Ted Lewis.  He would ask it and then answer “yessir.”  This banter seemed to resonate with many of the people who listened to his songs or watched his shows.  His band was one of the few that remained together during that era. 

    Is everybody happy?  Given that we are in a far better economic condition than The Great Depression, we should be.  Yet when you listen to people; they don’t like their job, they don’t like the way they look, they don’t like the way their life is turning out.  The amazing thing is that often, if one phase of our life turns better and we should be happy, we simply focus on a different element in our life that we are unhappy with.  So, many spend a lot of time unhappy.

    The word happy comes from the same root word as happening which thus implies that happiness is something that happens to you.  It is an event and can be very circumstantial.  You can be happy when you make your last car payment, or your friends come over for the Super Bowl.  Yet this becomes problematic; how do we respond when the car needs repairs or the friends go home?  Happiness can be fleeting but God gives to us something far better than happiness; God gives us joy.

    While temporary happiness depends on the circumstances, true joy can defy the circumstance.  Happiness is a feeling whereas true joy is an attitude.  True joy, true Godly joy, is that deep seated, deeply held, deeply settled confidence that God is in control of every situation, every event, every occurrence in my life.  True joy comes from the knowledge that a loving, caring Father in heaven is looking out for us and protecting us from the devil’s harm.

    This does not mean that the life of a Christian is an easy lot.  In the Gospels, God promises his children four things in this world.  We will have his peace, his power, his purpose but we will have earthly troubles.  Yet we can find joy in the fact that God’s peace, power and purpose have defeated the world and its troubles.  It is by living in joy that we show the world and our neighbors what faith in God’s promises brings into our life.  We have the fruits of the Spirit love, JOY, peace, etc.  It is no fluke that joy is listed this high in the list second only to love and serving as a bridge or connector to love and peace.  It is tough to have true peace if we have no joy and everything is impossible without love.

    We need to see that true joy is found, not in having or possessing but rather in being or existing in God’s grace as God’s children.  True joy comes from the knowledge that, despite whatever the world throws at us; we are the victors through Jesus.  This is our joy; God has reconciled us to himself and we have true hope in him-life eternal.      

Father of all joy; guide me to walk in your joy and peace.  Guide me to live in the certainty of your love.  Grant me the peace to know the true joy that you want me to have.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-14-2020

Good Morning All, 

                    Luke 11:3; “Give us each day our daily bread”

     Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987) is most known for his painting of “pop art” in the 1960s. He is known for paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, dollar bills, and many other iconic images. The Campbell’s Soup Can is one of those iconic images. For a movement of art that appeared to be anything, but art, Warhol and pop art has remained influential.  It caused quite a stir in the art world.  Many questioned how something so mundane and “pedestrian” could be considered art.

     Yet this picture went on to be very famous.  This unassuming painting of a Campbell’s Soup Can blurs the line of art and the world. Warhol painted many soup cans from Tomato to Onion to a scene of 100 Campbell’s cans.  Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Can is one of the greatest and most famous pieces of art in the history of modern pop art.

     “Lord, teach us to pray,” the disciples ask. It is such a simple request and Jesus offers simplicity in his answer. The prayer he gives to his disciples is unassuming and straightforward. There is no question that this is a prayer indeed. But how did the disciples not know how to pray? Before we hear Jesus’ answer to the disciples, we might listen and hear overtones of other prayers.  We could overhear disciples praying like the Pharisees, we could consider the temple rituals of the Sadducees, or even the total ignorance of the pagan world may come to mind. In contrast to these people and these prayers, Jesus offers a simple act of prayer; we call it The Lord’s Prayer.

    This prayer is near and dear to the Christian community. Yet at times it seems too simple to be a real act of prayer. Praying for daily bread might seem trite to some.  Particularly in a world where our basic needs are typically met. Praying short petitions seems rote and disingenuous in contrast to long prayers and meditations of the heart. This prayer, however, calls us into a world where the simple has beauty, and where the mundane has divine significance. Jesus leaves little to wonder, but much to appreciate when he teaches his disciples about prayer.

    A simple soup can.  It reminds us not just to pray for our own daily food from the gracious hand of our heavenly Father but to recognize the fullness of the kingdom of God. We pray these words because God promises to hear our prayers. But we also live these words.  Our lives become this prayer in action as Jesus calls us into a sacrificial love for neighbor that is simple and unassuming.  Drive around the city.  Watch as this prayer reminds you that giving to the poor and needy is part of the kingdom.  Dismissing the simple things, or even not asking for them in prayer, is like dismissing Warhol’s simple artwork. There is more to the kingdom of God. For this reason, Jesus teaches us to pray, and by praying to seek his kingdom, this simple and unassuming kingdom present in our world.

Gracious God lead us to always pray for our needs and for the needs of others.  Lead us to see your love in all our life.  Guide us to see that nothing is too small for your care and love.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-13-2020

Good Morning All, 

         John 3:17; “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

    Most Christians are familiar with the 10 Commandments and how they speak of how we are to act or interact with each other, with our own body, even with respect to how we view and act toward God.  Many see these as a list of duties to perform and that, somehow, if and when we are able, God will see the way we keep these commands and reward us greatly.  We often hear these folks speak of their struggles and how God “convicts” them of their sin.  Others see the commandments and then amend the statements so that keeping them is easier.  If we re-interpret them so that they are in tune with modern ways, well then, I can keep them better.  Some think the commands are just suggestions or guidelines and not much more.

    Scriptures reveals why we have the 10 Commandments.  God gave us the law so we would know that we were sinners (Romans 3:20).  We can look at the law and clearly see one very stark and bold truth; I have failed to keep them, and I continue to fail to keep them.  There is no way that I can possibly keep them well enough so that God is impressed; I can’t even keep them, so my neighbor is impressed.  I definitely need someone to keep them for me or else I am sunk.

    God could have come into this world to condemn the world, but He didn’t.  He came to free this world from a law that we could never keep.  We are free, not because of anything we have done or attempted to do and certainly not because we’ve changed the law to make it easier.  We are released only because of what God has decided to do for us through the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God speaks a new Word to you.  He speaks forgiveness to you.  He speaks mercy to you.  He tells you that you are free, that He loves you, that He really does forgive what you have done in your life.  He forgives and releases you even if you have trouble releasing and forgiving yourself.

    God chose to love you.  God chose to forgive you.  We can hold onto this great truth.  I cannot keep the law; the 10 Commandments glare with my failures.  Yet the empty cross and the empty tomb show me God’s love has triumphed over my failures.  Because of his love, I cling to him for my salvation and go out and try to live the loving, serving life that God has laid out for me.  My goal is to love others just as I am loved by God.  I will never achieve this level, but every step helps bring healing into this world.

Father, your love for me is overwhelming.  Your love overcomes all my failures and you lift me up to be your child.  Strengthen my desire to serve you.  Guide me on the path so that I may share the love that you give to me with others.  Lead me in joyful celebration of your incredible mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-12-2020

Good Morning All, 

            John 3:17; “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

    Most Christians are familiar with the 10 Commandments and how they speak of how we are to act or interact with each other, with our own body, even with respect to how we view and act toward God.  Many see these as a list of duties to perform and that, somehow, if and when we are able, God will see the way we keep these commands and reward us greatly.  We often hear these folks speak of their struggles and how God “convicts” them of their sin.  Others see the commandments and then amend the statements so that keeping them is easier.  If we re-interpret them so that they are in tune with modern ways, well; then, I can keep them better.  Some think the commands are just suggestions or guidelines and not much more.

    Scriptures reveals why we have the 10 Commandments.  God gave us the law so we would know that we were sinners (Romans 3:20).  We can look at the law and clearly see one very stark and bold truth; I have failed to keep them, and I continue to fail to keep them.  There is no way that I can possibly keep them well enough so that God is impressed; I can’t even keep them, so my neighbor is impressed.  I definitely need someone to keep them for me or else I am sunk.

    God could have come into this world to condemn the world, but He didn’t.  He came to free this world from a law that we could never keep.  We are free, not because of anything we have done or attempted to do and certainly not because we’ve changed the law to make it easier.  We are released only because of what God has decided to do for us through the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God speaks a new Word to you.  He speaks forgiveness to you.  He speaks mercy to you.  He tells you that you are free, that He loves you, that He really does forgive what you have done in your life.  He forgives and releases you even if you have trouble releasing and forgiving yourself.

    God chose to love you.  God chose to forgive you.  We can hold onto this great truth.  I cannot keep the law; the 10 Commandments glare with my failures.  Yet the empty cross and the empty tomb show me God’s love has triumphed over my failures.  Because of his love, I cling to him for my salvation and go out and try to live the loving, serving life that God has laid out for me.  My goal is to love others just as I am loved by God.  I will never achieve this level, but every step helps bring healing into this world.

Father, your love for me is overwhelming.  Your love overcomes all my failures and you lift me up to be your child.  Strengthen my desire to serve you.  Guide me on the path so that I may share the love that you give to me with others.  Lead me in joyful celebration of your incredible mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus, our Risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-11-2020

       Good Morning All, 

          Genesis 12:2; “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”

      2020; you know what that means!  The politicians are in Iowa and the race for president of the United States is under way (still continuing?) again.  The media talking heads are picking the front runners, the way out of the running guys, the ones that need to fine tune their message.  So, we will hear the people who run for president make a lot of promises.  They will promise to reduce your taxes, increase government spending on things that are important to you.  They will change the laws so that your views are considered, and you will have great prosperity.  There will many promises made and usually very few, if any, are kept.

    In our verse, we see part of the promise that God made to Abraham.  We call it the Abrahamic covenant.  It is THE promise.  God promised Abraham that he would have many descendants, he would be a great nation and that through him all the world would be blessed.  This was made to Abraham by God and is unconditional and unbreakable.  Unlike the promises of politicians, this one means every word.

    It is the promise that, because of Jesus, is our promise.  Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we are now the heirs, the heirs to this great promise; we are the heirs to this great undeserved, unbreakable covenant.  We are a great nation.  This is what Peter was talking about when he said, “once you were not a people but now you are God’s people (1 Peter 2:10).  We are God’s chosen people.  We have his blessings and his grace poured out upon us.  He took us, a lost bunch of lonely, destroyed sinners and made us his chosen, holy people.  He made us into a great nation.  We are a nation where we are freely forgiven by God and given the inheritance of life everlasting and the certainty of this eternal life with God in the perfected creation.

    We are blessed in that we have this promise to love out right now.  We have God’s promise to love us, to listen to us, to protect us.  We are his people and we are blessed by him right now with his love showered upon us.

    We are his people and we are to continue the work which Jesus started.  When Jesus came into this world, he brought healing; he brought about the reconciliation of man to God.  He began the process of restoring the broken and the wounded, making them whole again.  We are to be a blessing to the world by bringing about healing and restoring the lost and the broken, the hurt and suffering.  We are to bring God’s Word of healing to the lives and struggles of those around us.  We are his people and we are to be a blessing to those around us.

Father of all joy and peace, in you we have hope.  Through your love we have the blessings of this life which you so luxuriously shower upon us.  We are your people; guide us by your Spirit to bring about hope and healing.  Lead us to be the blessing in this world that you desire us to be.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

1-10-2020

 Good Morning All, 

          Luke 18:13; “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

     When you preach a sermon, you include and incorporate two parts of church doctrine; the Law and the Gospel.  We use the law to show the fact that we are sinners and in need of a Savior.  We use the Gospel to offer the comfort that God gives to us because of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension.  The goal is to afflict the comfortable and give comfort to the afflicted.  The goal is to make the person who feels he has no sin; thus, no need for a Savior to realize that he definitely needs to be redeemed and saved from sin.  The person who feels totally weighed down and despondent because of their sin; they need the Gospel.  They need to know that God has forgiven them.

    The interesting thing is that when one thinks he has no sin; it can be tough to get them to see they truly are sinners.  Many will simply think, “I am not that bad” or “I am not as bad as the other guy” or “It isn’t a sin anymore; it is different now”.  It can take a lot to convince someone of their sin; the world and the devil will tell them that everything is fine and dandy.  We preach and preach; we witness and witness but sometimes they just don’t listen.

    The ones that you really aim for are those who are afflicted.  Like our verse, this person feels the entire weight of the law on their shoulders.  These are the people who will tell you that the reason they don’t go to church is because they are beyond help.  They may speak in a joking manner but you can see it in their eyes and you can hear it in their voice; you can even hear it in their breathing, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”  The sad thing is that the devil is telling them the exact opposite of what he tells the proud sinner.  To the one who feels the weight on his back the devil tells them how bad they are; how hopeless life is; how no one will ever want them around when the full story comes out.  The devil adds guilt and misery with a dose of pain and sorrow.

    There are many parts of the job of being a pastor that are really amazing to experience but for me the absolute best part is when you can look into the eye and tell them these simple words, “In the stead and by the command of our Lord Jesus Christ; I forgive you all of your sins.”  There are no better words to speak; there is no greater truth to share.  God is merciful; God is loving; God has heard your cry of pain even before you sighed that first sigh or cried that first tear.  God forgives your sins and in doing so has given you the power to tell the devil to go away and leave me alone.  The devil cannot harm you; he cannot control you.  You are God’s beloved and redeemed child and you are safe.

    There is no sin too bad, too horrible, too heinous that God does not forgive.  God frees you from the past so that you will have a glorious future.  God is merciful to me, a sinner.

Father, your mercies are new every day.  Renew in me the knowledge of your grace and favor.  Keep safe from the devil’s lies ad free me from the guilt of sin.  Help those who are especially burdened at this time.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret