6-16-2024

Good Morning All,

          Psalm 118:1; “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

       How do you start the day?  Most start with breakfast, some with exercise and some start with a prayer and devotion.  So how do you start your day?  Do you think the day through and try to plan the day or do you simply play it by ear?  Do you get up early and get going or do you need a couple cups of coffee to get going?  If you are one of those who start a little slow, how do you end the day?  Do you collapse and go to bed early?  Are you a night owl who is up until all hours of the night?  At the end of the day, do you think back on the day and see what went right and what went wrong?  Or do you simply put the day out of your mind and find a pillow with your name on it?

    Our verse gives us some direction.  In fact, the whole psalm gives us direction for our daily life of faith.  It begins and ends with the same verse.  We should begin and end each day recognizing the love that God bestows upon us.  Yet the psalmist does this with a twist; he often looks at struggles or problems.  In verse 5, he speaks of being in distress.  In verses 10 and 11, he speaks of being surrounded by enemies.  In verse 13, he speaks of being pushed.  The psalmist seems to focus on the difficulties of the day and yet he is thankful.

    How can he be thankful?  Because he knows that God has seen him through his struggles and because of God’s mercy, he has prevailed.  The pain is given a voice, which makes room for gratitude. God hears our cry, and yet holds us together, which is enough to call for praise. As we wrap our days and life in thankfulness, we too will come to know the joy of the Lord.  We have His victory!   On the cross, Jesus accomplished what we could never do for ourselves. We were dead in sin, and now we live--the only response to such a gift is to live those lives in thanksgiving. This is the day that the Lord has accomplished. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!  

  It is easy for us to focus on the struggle; to focus on the battles with our spouses, our friends, our neighbors even with our own heart.  When we focus on the struggle, we often lose sight of the fact that the victory is already won and that we are already victors.  Now we can start and end each day by focusing on the struggle or we can begin and end each day by focusing on the source of our victory.

    So how do we start each day? Will we focus on our circumstances, or on our God who reigns triumphantly over all areas of life?  To us Jesus says, ““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our troubles don’t disappear, but they are not eternal.  Our God and the victory that He gives us through Jesus is eternal.  Be thankful for God is a loving God who loves you completely.

Father, lead me to see your loving hand in all the circumstances of my life.  Even when I struggle, you keep me in your loving arms.  When I am hurting the most is when your grace is poured out greatly.  Heal me with your love and restore me with your Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-15-2024

Good Morning All,

             Hebrews 10:24-25;” And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

    We have many ways to use the word “church.”  It can be a place as in “I am going to church.” Or “The church is on Maple Street.”  It can mean an activity as in “what time is church?”  It can mean an institution as in “the church supports life ministries.” 

    But these all miss the meaning that Christ uses.  When Christ speaks of the church; he sometimes refers to it as a family, a loving and supportive family.  We are children of God, and we are brothers and sisters of Christ and of each other.  And like a family, it is good to get together with each other.  It is a time to share the joy in the family.  We recently were given a grandson and look forward to a new daughter-in-law.  The whole family shares in that joy.  When a member of the family is sick, we gather to offer comfort.  When a family member dies, we gather to mourn together and to give each other hope.  We gather at holidays and share meals and gifts but mostly laughter and love.

   Now you never have to go to a family holiday event; you are still in the family but look at what you miss.  You miss the love and joy, the camaraderie and fellowship, the common history and future are all missed when we stay away from our family.

   The same is true of our Christian family, the church.  It is here that we receive the pronouncement of forgiveness; it is here we join in the holy meal; it is here where we find comfort and consolation when we need it and a place to share in joy when we feel it.  It is where we encourage one another and stir up love and good works just like our verse states.  So today, do not neglect to meet together; remember to worship the Lord with your family.

    There may be times when we fight or disagree, many families do.  There may even be times when we pull apart and hate each other.  We can be very spoiled children.  Yet God continues to call us back, to call us to a life of reconciliation to one another.  He calls us to live a life of love and forgiveness.  He even tells us to reconcile with our brother before we bring our gifts of offering and praise to him.  God would rather that we lived as a loving family than to spend hours in phony worship.  This is because true worship is one in which we join in love and fellowship.

    So don’t neglect to meet together.  There is value there.  There is healing and rejoicing; there is love and support.  There is forgiveness and there is hope.  Together, we can face anything.

Dear Father, we are often ungrateful children who bicker and fight with each other.  Forgive us and move us to be your holy family here on earth.  Let our love for each other point to You as the source of our love through Your grace.  This we ask in the Name of our Brother Jesus, Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-14-2024

Good Morning All,

         Genesis 3:9; “But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

      When our oldest grandson was just a toddler, Grandma and I would babysit once in a while.  Grandma and I did a tag team; she watched him in the morning while I took the afternoon shift.  After a while, we played hide and go seek.  If he had enough time, he would get behind a chair or behind a bed and hide fairly well.  He wasn’t the quietest but not too terrible.  But if you were to quick count him and yell, “Ready or not; here I come!” before he was ready; he would panic.  He would either put a blanket or a pillow over his face or, if nothing was available, he would put his hands over his face and close his eyes. A couple of times, he would try and blend in with a door and press up against it as tightly as he could.

    Sometimes I wonder if we do that with God; do we stand in the middle of the living room with our hands over our eyes.  We think we are hiding from God.  Why do you think about hiding?  Do you have some past events which you feel a lot of guilt about?  Do you have current events that you wish were not occurring?  Maybe you let the conversation go a little to the gossip side of the discussion and now can’t figure out how to stop it.  Maybe you are speaking and then you felt like trying to grab those words back, but it won’t happen.  We all have those things in our life that we regret and usually repent when we see the pain that it is causing.

    But what if you are standing in the living room and you don’t feel like anyone sees you?  What if you don’t want to hide but it feels like no one sees you?  You might even feel like jumping up and down.  The effects of life have you spinning around.  Instead of you doing things, things are done to you.  Maybe your spouse had some harsh words or worse has just shut down and turns the other way.  Maybe your boss has made some comments about your skill or that he thinks he can replace you with a cheaper worker.  Maybe that persistent cough has become more.  Maybe mom or dad is really struggling with living alone and you are the only one around.  What happens when it feels like you are hiding, and you want to be seen? 

    First know that God is searching for you.  He seeks you out every minute of every day.  One of our greatest struggles in life is that we focus on the struggle.  We need to remember God’s promise to us.  We need to remember that struggles in this life don’t last forever and even if we feel like we are hidden from God, we are seen by God in plain sight.  We are not hidden, not even a little hidden from God.  His eye is upon us, and his love is poured out on us.  He never leaves us.  His love embraces us and gives us hope, even when the battles of this life seem so daunting; God’s mercy holds us up.

Father of love, you see me even if the world wants to hide me.  You see my pain and give me hope.  You see my fears and send your Spirit of comfort.  You see my sorrow and give me the certainty of your mercy.  Lift my eyes to see your incredible love.  Keep me safe in your arms.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret         

6-13-2024

Good Morning All,

                    Romans 6:22; “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.”

      In January of 1941, Franklin Roosevelt gave a speech before Congress in which he began to lay out his vision, and the country’s vision for the kind of life that all men should be able to live.  It was entitled the “Four Freedoms.”  Norman Rockwell went on to paint a series of pictures reflecting what they meant to him.  These freedoms are:  The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world.  The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world.  The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world.  The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor-- anywhere in the world.

    Freedom is something that we value.  We seek it and we yearn for it.  We are even willing to die in order to achieve it or maintain it.  Yet one of the great ironies is that so many are not really free.  They are held captive by the devil and sin.  They are held captive by the guilt and shame which the devil inflicts upon them.  They suffer from the pain of feeling inadequate and out of control.  They suffer from the anxiety that living in slavery to the devil gives them.

    Yet God has truly given us the freedom to live free from the devil’s attacks.  Through his grace, we no longer have to fear the devil or live with guilt from the sins which we have committed.  God faithfully forgives them and relieves us from the guilt of sin when we confess our sins to him.  We are empowered by God to use this freedom to live a life that is free from the anxiety and fear that the devil would have us live.  We know this because of the promise that God makes to us in our Baptism.  As we live in his baptismal grace, we can live secure in the certainty of that grace.

    So how do we deal with the times of anxiety or stress?  One way is to remember this grace by repeating it.   Try repeating it like this.  “My name is ________.  I am a redeemed, baptized child of God and God has given me the power to be free from the devil.  I am in control because of his mercy.”  This is one way to help you remember the one thing the devil wants you to forget, and that is that God loves you and will never abandon you.  You are free so live as one who is free.

Merciful Father, through Jesus we are free from the bondage of the devil.  We are free to live the life that you have given us.  You desire us to be your people living in peace and hope.  Strengthen us that we may live in your grace and in service to you.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

6-12-2024

Good Morning All,

           Hebrews 4:15; “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

    Jesus was tempted.  This is one of the more frustrating sections of Scripture.  Many of us have trouble with Jesus being tempted.  We seem to struggle with the idea that the devil tempted Jesus with ideas like greed, lust, selfishness, arrogance, etc.  We don’t really like to think of Jesus being tempted; we can be very uncomfortable with it.  We like to think that he was more God so that somehow, he was immune to the devil’s attacks.  We like to think that, in many ways, our struggles are greater.  It is harder for me to not look with lust at someone other than my spouse.  It is a weakness for me.  My desire for money is something that I must be genetically predisposed to. (sounds good anyway)

    We like to think that it is somehow more difficult for me.  This is why God should be more patient with me.  The temptations are harder for me.  The struggle is tougher for me; my battle is greater than anyone else’s.  That is why I “slip” so easily.  It is why I can’t walk away from gossip; it is why I always give the “holy stare” when someone I don’t know comes into “my” church.  It is why I can think of everyone who should be listening to this sermon (besides me).  It is why I like to stare at the beautiful people.  It is why I think my parents, teachers, bosses are clueless idiots.  My temptations must be worse.

    Yet Scriptures tells us something different.  Jesus was tempted in every way as we are except, he did not sin.  As you read that statement or the verse for today.  It can be a statement of indictment or a source of comfort.  When we realize that our temptations are not unique or tougher on us than on someone else (even Jesus), our attempts to explain away or make excuses for our sins begin to look and sound very hollow.  Hopefully, it will also lead to a true repentance for those sins and the joy that we can truly experience when we hear God’s words of forgiveness.

    This verse can truly be a source of comfort because Jesus does know how hard it is.  Jesus knows how hard the devil tries, how the devil knows our weaknesses whether it is wine, greed, anger or lust and he launches attack after attack at them.  No amount of strength on our part, no amount of personal drive will ever prevail.  We need to turn to the only one to win; we need to turn to Jesus.  We do this best by staying in his Word, reading the Bible daily and joining that with prayer.  We do this best by seeking his mercy.  Our next best way is to avoid the places or people that “lead us into temptation.”  Go to God and away from sin.  Trust in God to mercifully provide for us a way out.

Dearest Jesus, you know what I go through.  You know how difficult it is for me to avoid temptation and when I try to battle on my own; I lose.  Lead me to rely on you and you alone.  Keep me safe in the shadow of your wings.  To you alone is the glory, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

6-11-2024

Good Morning All,

                  Haggai 2:9; “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.”

    We all want it; what the Eagles called “that peaceful easy feeling.”  The only problem is that we often don’t get it.  Most of us probably feel that there is little peace in our life and in our world.  We may desire peace, we may truly want peace, but we seldom have peace.  We seldom have peace in our family; we seldom have peace in our job; we seldom have peace in our own mind and heart.  Peace is elusive and difficult to find.

    The problem is that the world tries to tell us what peace is, and we listen to it.  Much like the way the mythical mermaids would lead the sailors to crash on the rocks, so the world’s sweet and deceptive sound can lead us astray.  It can lead us to crash on the rocks.  We see possessions as being our peace; yet the more we have the more we want.  Just as an addict can never get enough; we can never feed our greed.  The world tells you that peace is found on your terms.  If someone is weaker or does not “aid” in the benefit of your welfare, then get rid of them or push them out of the way.  If someone is stronger than you, than figure out how to use them to better yourself.  Peace is often defined as victory; as being stronger, richer, and more popular than your neighbor.

    The real answer is that peace is found in God alone.  The world does not offer peace; it only offers strife and weariness.  We only have true peace when we live in God’s grace and recognize that our peace is from Him and comes to us when we see that, as our sins are forgiven so we must forgive the sins of others against us.  We will never have peace if we are seeking revenge or living in pain form past hurts.  Real peace only exists when we hear God’s Word and live according to his will.  True peace comes when we know and trust that all things work to the good of those who love God.  God has promised us salvation and comfort.  He has promised to hold us in his hand and to lead us safely home to him.

    So, in order to have peace, seek it each day.  Begin each day asking God for his peace.  Invite and invoke the Holy Spirit to give you peace in this world.  We will have this peace, not because of the world, but in spite of it.  We will have this peace because we find our hope and our true security in God’s mercy.  We will have God’s peace when we seek the mercy that he gives us and grabs hold of it knowing that his love will always sustain us.

God of all peace, into your hands we lay our hope.  Into your hands we place our desire for peace.  Because of Jesus, you give us the peace that passes all of our understanding.  We don’t know why or how, but you give us peace when we seek your love and mercy.  It is your wonderful grace that gives us what the world does not give the peace with you.  Give us the strength of faith that we may be at peace with all those around us.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret            

6-10-2024

Good Morning All,

        Deuteronomy 2:7; “For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness… You have lacked nothing.”

     I find it fascinating when I read and look at the way GPS has completely changed our lives.  You can take out your GPS unit or your smartphone and know where you are to within a few inches depending on how much you are willing to pay.  So, a fisherman out in the middle of a lake can mark the spot where he is fishing on his phone and come back tomorrow to the exact same spot.  The spray plane applicator doesn’t have to throw toilet paper out the window to mark his spot in the field. 

    I think the thing that fascinates me the most is that you can put a GPS on your phone or your spouse’s phone or your child’s smartphone and track their movement.  So, you can “see” where they are at any time.  So, you can call your children and ask them why they are where they are instead of where they are supposed to be.  If you and your spouse are wandering a mall, or a park or a forest and you are separated; you can find each other easily.  If you are lost and in need of help, your location can be pinpointed with amazing accuracy and speed and help will be on the way.

    Yet long before GPS was even thought of, God’s children had a GPS; we had God looking out for us.  Not only does God know where you are; he knows where you are going, how it will be when you get there and what the outcome of your journey will be.  God knows the entire story of your life; the who, what, where, when, why, and how.  But the God of all love and mercy is so much more than just knowing what is going on.

    God’s mercy places him in your life.  He not only knows what you are going through but he is experiencing it as well.  He knows your fears, your needs, your hopes, and your dreams.  He knows and experiences your heartache when a relationship is strained and breaking.  He knows and experiences the pain you feel as you worry about the health of a loved one.  He knows and experiences your fear as you wonder about your own health or finances.  He knows the wilderness that you are in because he is there with you every step of the way.  You never travel alone.

    Each step along the way, God has been with you providing you with what you needed.  You may have lacked your wants, but your needs have been filled at all times as God walks with you in the wilderness of your life.  Trust in his promise of never leaving you; trust in his mercy to supply you; trust in his promise of peace and hope.  He will never leave you in the wilderness alone.

Father of all mercy, you supply all my needs.  Keep me in the knowledge of your loving grace.  Keep me content in the supply that you give me.  Keep me in your loving arms that I may always know the comfort of your peace.  In the precious name of Jesus our risen Savior we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret