10-16-2020

Good Morning All, 

          Ecclesiastes 12:13; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man”

     What to do?  When given a choice; how do you choose one way over another?  When your spouse asks you what you want for supper; how do you decide?  What factors weigh in?  Perhaps what you had for supper the last few days matters.  Perhaps what you have in the pantry or freezer plays a role in what you ask for.  Perhaps what time you are asked matters; if you get asked 30 minutes before supper; it is not much good to ask for a meal that takes all day to make.  Perhaps how you feel plays in; if you are not very hungry or if you feel famished can impact what you want for supper.  We make many choices through the day.  Choose one way to go or pay the consequences of your choice.

    Our verse takes a look at what is or should be important in our life.  The writer of the Book of Ecclesiastes looks at all that was accomplished in his life and wondered about it.  He wondered what good it did to earn lots of money.  He wondered what happened when you worked hard to earn that money and then, upon your death, the one who inherits the money simply fritters it away.  What was the value of earning all that money?

    Some will tell you that you should only worry about yourself and in doing what gives you pleasure or enjoyment.  Do what feels good to you and that is how you enjoy life; yet we know what happens if we follow this course; we end up needing more and more in order to achieve this empty happiness and soon we are never happy.

    The writer has a lot to say but, in the end, he tells us that life apart from God is a waste of time and of a life.  He is telling us that our contentment, our sense of balance within our life, our sense of what is good and right, our sense of well-being comes from fulfilling our basic life purpose and that is to serve God by loving one another and taking care of creation.  This is where we find our true contentment and joy not because God makes us do this like some robot but because that is our true nature.  It is when we follow our true nature that we find true contentment.

    This is why so many struggle with their life; they are not seeking to live as God has designed us to liv but rather they are seeking the sinful path which is selfishness and is empty and void of value.  At the end of this life is usually someone who is disappointed and depressed at the hollowness of the life they lived. 

    So, God shows us that true contentment in this lifetime comes from obeying his commandments.  If your life feels out of balance; look to see if you are living according to God’s will or your own.  This will usually tell you what the resolution to the struggles that we face.

Father, all good things come from you.  Lead us to see that our joy and contentment comes from your hand and from following your will.  Lead me in your paths. Show me your salvation.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

10-15-2020

 Good Morning All, 

       Romans 3:28; “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

    I have been watching the major league baseball playoffs.  I am kind of cheering for Tampa Bay but not with any great thought or heart.  One of the things I love about baseball is that it easily connects you to past games and past players.  I remember Kirk Gibson’s homerun in 1988 or Carlton Fisk’s homerun in 1975.  I remember the game 7 of the 1991 world series, probably the best game I have watched.  It took 10 innings for the Twins to beat Atlanta.  Jack Morris pitched all 10 innings for the Twins and John Smoltz started for the Braves and the umpire behind home plate was a guy named Don Denkinger.  The irony in this is that Don Denkinger was also involved in one of the worst plays in the world series history.  He was the first base umpire in the 1985 series who called the batter safe at first base when every replayed showed the batter out by a step to a step and a half.  That play is often looked at as changing the winds of fortune and gave the series win to Kansas City over St. Louis.

    This was long before replays and reviews.  This was when the game was played the way the umpire called it on the field.  If he called you out; you were out.  If he called you safe; you were safe.  There could be 50,000 people in the stands and a dozen TV cameras that showed different but what he called was right.  The runner was called safe and later he scored the tying run and it counted.  There was no little mark that said “it didn’t really count” nor did St. Louis win because “we all know better”.  Kansas City won the World Series in 1985 and that will not change.  The umpire declared the batter safe and that was it.

    We are declared safe by God.  Everyone knows I sin; they know you sin.  Yet you and I are declared holy by God.  We are righteous to stand in His presence, to come before Him with our prayers and to seek His comfort in our time of need.  We did not beat the throw but because of His mercy; you and I are safe, declared righteous by God.  Yet the devil and our sinful self tries to confuse us.  We keep hearing the whispers in our ear “just wait until everyone sees the replay; you will get tossed out.”  Yet there is no replay, there is no video review; what God declares is final and He has declared us holy.  We are holy because someone else paid our debt and rather than our sinful rags of clothes, we wear Jesus’ robe of righteousness.

    So, we can and should celebrate and give thanks for this wonderful gift.  We should tell our neighbors and our friends about the way to be safe.  The way to be declared righteous in God’s eye, we should tell them about Jesus.  We should tell them of the peace that we have because we are safe.  We should tell them of the comfort we have because we are safe.  We should tell them of the rest that we have because we are safe, safe in the arms of our loving Savior.  We are safe with Jesus and nothing else matters.

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for our safety.  You have made us part of your holy family because of your great love.  Guide us by Your Spirit to ever walk in Your grace.  Keep us safe and be with those who struggle with fear, worry and anxiety.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

10-14-2020

 Good Morning All, 

            John 16:33; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

    We like to know what is going on so we can be prepared for the event.  We write up schedules, so we know what is coming, what to expect.  We like to know what is waiting, what we must be prepared for.  We look at the weather forecast and decide if we need a coat or an umbrella or gloves and a hat.  We like to be prepared for what is ahead.  This is part of the reason why Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have tribulation.”  There will be problems; expect them to happen to you.

    We will have two kinds of troubles.  The first kind is the result of a broken sinful world.  We will still get sicknesses, diseases, experience financial troubles, relationship troubles; all the same things that every other human being experiences.  We are still in the world and trouble abounds.  The second kind of trouble we will experience is the result of being a Christian.  When you confessed Jesus as Lord; you painted a bullseye on your back and the devil will take potshots at you throughout your entire life.  The world will ridicule, mock, denigrate, chide, malign, abuse and attempt to debase you because of your faith.  We will have problems, but this verse tells us something that we have that is greater; we have peace.

    Jesus overcame the world.  He has defeated the devil and we have peace.  We have peace because we know that no matter what the world throws at us, we are assured the victory of eternal life in Jesus and the world can never take that away.  We have that guaranteed to us and we can cling to that truth and rest completely confident that we are the victors.  We can look at the world and know that nothing can separate us from God’s love.  We can have peace because we are reconciled to God and through him, we have power.

    Jesus overcame the world so that you and I could have peace.  We can take comfort and consolation in the simple truth that Jesus won the victory for us on Calvary and declared this victory to us and the entire sum of creation by walking out of the tomb as the champion.  He overcame sin, death, and the power of the devil.  Jesus defeated these enemies and gave the victory to us in his unfathomable love for us.

    There will be problems but more importantly there is victory for us.  We know it; we know how this story ends.  Jesus wins and takes us with Him.  We can cling to this no matter what happens; we have the victory.  We can rest in his loving arms and live in peace, knowing that our life is secure.

Gracious Father, at times my problems look so big, but it is only when I look at them and not at you.  You are my hope and my security.  You are my peace in a world that knows only unrest.  Be with those who struggle today.  Strengthen them by your Spirit that they may cling to you and know the victory that you give them.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

10-13-2020

 Good Morning All, 

                   Zechariah 13:1; “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.”

      I sat and listened as the speaker was telling about his journey of faith.  It had been a rocky journey.  He had divorced his wife of 15 years and abandoned his children.  He left a good paying job and wasn’t working at the time.  He had turned to alcohol to dull some of his pain and was living on hand outs.  This was the shape he was in when he began to talk to one of the volunteers at the shelter he was staying at.  The volunteer steered him to a pastor who steered him to a counselor who began the process of healing this man. 

     Two years before the man’s divorce, he was in a car accident.  He was not seriously hurt but a child in the other vehicle died.  The investigation claimed it was not his fault, but he could not shake the guilt.  It kept him awake at night; it caused him to lose concentration at work, so his performance suffered.  He withdrew from his wife, his children, and his family.  He quit his job; he quit his marriage and he wanted to quit life.  He told his counselor that he was just a dirty person.  The stain of his actions could not be washed away.  He felt he deserved to wander alone for what he had done.  The counselor opened his Bible and started looking at verses like the one we use today.  God opens a fountain to cleanse his people.  John speaks of God cleansing us from all unrighteousness.  Eventually, the Spirit worked in this man’s heart and he began to heal.  He was healed because he was cleansed by the blood of Jesus. 

     There are many of us who always feel dirty.  We look at our life and some of the things we have done, and we wonder if we could ever be clean.  Maybe we were a little too wild and carefree.  Perhaps you caused pain to someone.  Perhaps you stole from your parents or another loved one.  Maybe you were the class bully; maybe you have something in your past that is just painful to remember and the guilt remains, so the stain remains and you feel dirty and full of uncleanness.    

     Yet we are cleansed.  We are cleansed because God saw our uncleanness and sent Jesus into this brokenness to heal us.  He uses Baptism to remind us that we are clean.  We are washed and purified.  In Baptism we die to sin; our sins are drowned, and we are raised to new life in the resurrection of Jesus.  In the resurrection, we look forward to our new life in Christ, forever forgiven and cleansed from all our unrighteousness.  We are cleansed of the stain of sin.  We are named, claimed, washed, and redeemed by his love.  In his mercy, we are cleansed.

Father of all cleansing, when I feel dirty and unclean, you send your Spirit to go forth in the washing of my Baptism and I remember your words; I remember you claimed me as your own.  Help me to see your love, help me to cling to your truth.  Help me to cling to the certainty of your love.  Move the hearts of those who feel so dirty and unloved.  Bring your healing and your peace into their life.  Guard your children this day.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret    

10-12-2020

 Good Morning All, 

          Romans 8:34; “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

       When I visit some of the members in our congregation who no longer have a partner, whether through death, divorce, or whatever manner, they often speak of the loneliness that they face.  They acknowledge that the daytime is tolerable, and the evening can drag out some but the thing they dread is facing situations alone.  If they go out to eat, they go alone.  If they have an appointment, they face it alone.  When they have a decision to make, they make it alone.  Oh, they can ask a friend or a relative, but it is not the same.  The friend would usually just support the decision made or stand back when an event occurred.  Every event in their life is faced alone.  Any type of concern or worry is entirely theirs and theirs alone.  They get up and go out into the world alone and it can be very daunting.

     Most of us do not like to do things alone.   We do not like to enter unknown rooms by ourselves; we do not like to begin totally new ventures by ourselves.  We like companionship.  Humans are social creatures.  This goes back to our very creation where God spoke that “it is not good for man to be alone.”  It can be very painful.  Being alone can feed into our greatest fear; that we are truly alone, separated from God.

    This is part of the reason that Jesus came into this world.  He came that you and I would not have to be alone.  He came to open the path of reconciliation between man and God, between you and God.  He came so that we could approach God’s holy throne with all confidence and hope.  He tore the curtain in the temple to open the path and to reveal that nothing stands in our way.  We are free to come into his presence.

    Yet, Jesus does so much more.  He not only opens the door for us, but he enters in with us and for us.  He speaks for us; he pleads for us; he intercedes to the Father for us.  He goes with us to the Father’s throne to plead our cause.  He goes with us to plead for mercy, to ask for strength, to seek comfort and hope.  Jesus goes with us every step of the way.  He speaks what needs to be said.  He speaks on our behalf even when we are not sure of what to say.  He speaks the words that we need in order that we might be healed and made whole again. 

    We never have to face this time alone; Jesus is always present for us.  First, He clears the path for us so that our journey is made possible to the Father’s throne where we can plead our fears and God has promised to listen to us.  Secondly, He does not send us down this path alone, but He attends to us as we journey.  He picks us up and holds us as he guides us on our way home.

Father of all love and grace, in you we have hope.  We give thanks that Jesus has opened the path to your grace and leads us home.  When we do not know what to pray, Jesus prays for us, interceding for us.  There are so many times that we do not know what to say; yet you hear us and answer us.  You sustain us with your love and for this we praise your name.  In the name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

10-11-2020

Good Morning All, 

          1 Thessalonians 5:11; “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

       I remember back to my track and field days.  I was a thrower; I threw the shot put and the discus.  Rarely, very, very rarely, did I run.  The thing I remember was that our coach always wanted us to stand around the inside of the track when we were not participating in our event.  He wanted us to cheer on and encourage the runners as they ran.  We were there to tell them to keep going, keep running, they were gaining on the runner ahead of them.  We were to tell them their time as they ran and encourage them to keep running, to keep striving for the victory line.  I always wondered about this, was it valuable or not.  I had the runners tell me that it helped.  The words of encouragement lifted them a little.  It didn’t always make them run faster, but it made them feel better as there were people cheering them and supporting them as they ran.  They said they didn’t feel so alone in the struggle to continue to run the distance.

    Encouragement is one of the greatest things we, as Christians, can provide for each other.  It is one of the most basic elements of our life together.  It costs us nothing and yet provides so much.  To hear from another Christian a word of support or encouragement lifts the spirit of the one who is under duress.  It might be someone who is battling an illness or some struggle within a relationship.  It might be an attack for bring a Christian and finding yourself ostracized from a job or a career.  One may even be held accountable in a court of law because of your faith.  It may even reach a point such as exists in foreign lands where death because of your faith is a strong possibility.  Any event, from mild to extreme, can cause one to suffer and to experience pain in some measure.  God tells us to encourage one another.  Offer prayers for those who are in need of encouragement; personally, if possible.  Offer them words of support and encouragement as often as possible and give them physical aid if you are able.

    The devil uses these attacks in an attempt to separate you from God.  The devil seeks to lead you astray.  The devil seeks to make you think that you are alone and abandoned by your family, your friends, your church and above all by God.  It is one of the devil’s best tools.  The devil loves to lie to you and to lead you away from God’s loving embrace.  This is why God encourages us to encourage one another.  There is strength in numbers and there is strength in unity.  If we stand together, all of us, we are mightier than the devil because of Jesus’ victory over him.  We must remain safely in God’s protective arms shielded by his mercy and grace.  God gives his Church strength in the unity of faith and the power of the Spirit.  When you see someone falling behind or suffering from attacks; encourage them with God’s good grace and lift them up so they may continue steadfast and faithful in God’s mercy.

Father, help me to encourage my brothers and sisters.  Lead me to those who need me and lead those to me who I need.  Lead us to lift each other up in prayer, in hope, in action and in deed.  Lead us to care for those who are under attack from the world.  Guide us to encourage them to continue to stay close to you.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

10-10-2020

       Good Morning All, 

            John 15:4; “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

    We live in a very impersonal world.  It seems like we are simply a number.  We are just one of a thousand, or million or billion; it really doesn’t matter, we are just a blob in the crowd.  We often are not even a face in the crowd; we are simply a blob. Think of when you are walking in a mall; do you really see each person well enough that you could identify them later?  There might be the one exception; there might be someone who is exceptionally tall or is dressed in a fashion that is unforgettable but for the most part we can look at a crowd and not see a single person.  When we look at a crowd and see nothing, we assume that this is how we are seen as well. 

     We often see our faith in the same manner.  We tend to think that God looks at the world and simply sees a blob of humanity.  We assume that all of our prayers are simply a buzz that God hears like what we hear in a crowded room.  We tend to think that we are just a faceless and shapeless blob in the midst of a bunch of other faceless and shapeless blobs.  This allows us to tend to view our devotional time, our prayer life, and our willingness to trust God to simply be one of a thousand, or million or billion.

     Yet in our verse, Jesus speaks to his disciples, and thus to us, and told them that the branch, singular, must abide in the vine.  We need to see our relationship with Jesus as singular.  Our relationship can be experienced in a stronger fashion if we see that we are in a personal relationship with Jesus and not just as a blob relationship.

    I remember talking to a guy who spent his devotional/prayer time at a kitchen table.  He would always pour 2 cups of coffee or 2 glasses of iced tea and set one in front of himself and one in front of a chair across from him.  His goal was to visualize Jesus as sitting at the table with him.  Now he did not do this to lessen God but to personalize God.  He saw this as part of the personal invitation that Jesus extends to each of us.  He saw it as God being willing to enter his house and his life.  He saw this as a way to bring about a more personal understanding of his relationship with God.  He can see himself as a branch connected to the vine.  He sees himself as a person, loved and claimed by God, abiding in God’s loving arms.

    This idea, or something similar, may help you to see your relationship with Jesus in a more real and concrete and not as “one of the masses.”  By seeing it as personal, it might help you to cling to your faith in a stronger fashion and with greater certainty.  You are the branch connected directly to Jesus.

Loving Father, open my eyes to the certainty of your love.  Open my eyes to see you as wanting to talk to me and to listen to me.  Open my heart to loving you in truth and in purpose.  Open my heart to your amazing love and peace.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret