7-20-2025

Good Morning All,

          Luke 9:62; “Jesus said to him, “Whoever starts to plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.”

     It has been a long time since I have seen any plowing done in this region.  It used to be the only way anybody farmed but most plows are just sitting in the weeds or shelter belts now.  It was always so important to start off straight.  If you didn’t start straight, you never got straight.  So, you had to pick a point out at the end of the field, keep your eyes focused on that point and never look back.  If you looked back you would lose the point you were focusing on.

    Our verse uses the plowing analogy to make a point.  If you keep looking back at the past, you will never see the future.  This applies in a couple of ways.  First, we cannot be pining or looking longingly at our past sinful life.  This means that if going to a certain place or being with certain people will likely cause us to sin then we need to avoid those places or people.  This can be especially difficult if they are family members or close friends.  Yet if we look back, we lose sight of Jesus.  Our focus must always be heavenward and not earthward.

    The second way to look at this is that we must not look back at the past with despair.  This world is full of pain and sadness.  Throughout our lives, people are going to disappoint us.  People are going to lie to us, they are going to use us, and they will abuse us.  Sometimes it will be by accident but a lot of times it will be on purpose.  The world will hurt us; this we know.  So, God encourages us to let the past be the past.  What is in the past of our lives should stay in the past.  When we keep looking back at past pain, it returns to our current life and we experience the pain all over again.

     So, Jesus tells us, “don’t look back, keep looking ahead.”  In other words, don’t look over your shoulder with desperation and pain; rather focus ahead with hope and confidence in God’s grace.  Keep looking forward, God’s grace is always leading us forward into his eternal kingdom.  Hold fast to his love and his promises; don’t let the old things drag you down.  Don’t let the old days remind you and keep you in the pain that used to be.  Live for today with hope for tomorrow.  Don’t look back; know that God’s mercy will sustain you and lift you up.  Keep looking forward to the hope and the certainty of God’s everlasting love.  Don’t look back on what will only cause you pain.  Don’t look back and let the devil chide you and cause you to suffer for his snide comments.  Keep looking forward, keep your eyes focused on Jesus.  It is his love that lets us focus on the prize of heaven.

Dear Father, in this world of pain we too often look back and experience this pain again.  Give us the wisdom and the courage to look forward and to not look back.  Help us to see that nothing good comes from revisiting the sinful past.  Guide us by your Spirit and lead us to live with you in complete communion.  Be with our brothers and sisters who are especially in need of your love at this time.  This we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

7-19-2025

Good Morning All,

      John 1:4; “He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.”

    Have you ever experienced total and complete darkness?  I have. Once, in a cave in the Black Hills when the lights were shut off and another time, we had a severe ice storm and a large area lost power.  The cave experience was contrived and lasted only a couple of minutes.  Now for sure, that was a long couple of minutes.  You couldn’t see anything around you.  It didn’t take long to become somewhat disoriented.  You had this eerie sensation that the world was moving and you couldn’t see it at all.  It was a strange experience to say the least but it was contrived, you knew it was coming so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

    The ice storm was different.  We didn’t know it was coming until it was here.  The morning after the storm, in the day light, you could see it would be a few days before power was restored.  There were broken power poles and downed wires everywhere you looked.  It was during that time that I really experienced darkness.  At night, when you went outside, you saw nothing, especially when it was cloudy.  I grew up in a time when almost every farm had a dawn to dusk night light.  Where I grew up, we had three different cooperative electrical associations within two miles of our house.  Even if one was without power, one of the other ones would still be going.  But this storm took out everything.  So, when you went out at night, it was completely dark.

    It was truly fascinating to look out and not see any of the lights that made it possible to have your bearings.  Once you were a few feet from the house, you had no clue where you were or what direction you were going.  I tried it a couple of times.  I walked 30 steps from the house and then tried to guess where I was.  As I turned on the flashlight, I was usually wrong.

    That is how our life is without Jesus as the light of our life.  For that is how the sinful world is, living in complete and total darkness.  The world has no real bearings or even the slightest idea where it is or where it is headed.  It will claim that east is west and north is south.  It will claim untruths to be accurate and the truth is “inconvenient.”  Into this mess Christ came to bring life and to be the light to the world.  His believers know the truth and can live according to that truth.  We can see the truth and we can see the failures of the world.  We might still fall for the darkness from time to time but God, in his mercy continues to shine his light upon us and keeps reclaiming us from the dark.  He continuously brings us into his marvelous light.

   Dearest Heavenly Father, you sent Jesus to be the light of the world.  He came to illuminate the darkness of the world.  Give us the strength to stay in the light and to live in the light of your grace and mercy.  Lead us to show this light to those in this world who still live in the darkness of sin.  Give us the courage to be that light.  Be with those who are especially living in the darkness and the coldness of this cruel world.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

7-18-2025

 Good Morning All,

      Psalm 139:5; “You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.”

    We often call them “bear hugs.”  This is where you sort of wrap your arms all the way around someone and pull them close to your chest.  Most of the time, we do it in a humorous fashion.  We will pick up a child and growl and they will squeal in delight.  We might come towards them with our arms open wide trying to get them in a corner and then hemming them in and then grabbing them.  They will usually squeal with delight.

     But sometimes, that hug isn’t a game; it is real.  Have you ever had a close call, like a car accident or a serious medical emergency?  When it was over, what did you do?  I know what I did, I grabbed the person and held onto them as close as I could.  There were a lot of emotions going on, the release of pent-up fear and anxiety, and a strong desire to let the other person know that I really loved them.

     Sometimes you hug like this because you want to protect and shield the other person.  Perhaps when the other person is receiving painful news and you are trying to shield them from it.  Or perhaps you do this when you have no words to say.  We let our emotions speak for us and a hug works well in this situation.

     In our verse the Psalmist is speaking about how God and his love interact with us.  God comes to us and surrounds us with his love.  It is an all-encompassing love that envelops us with a peace that will give us comfort and consolation.  It is the kind of hug that, when you receive it, you know that the other person loves you with a totality that brings a sigh of contentment.  This is what God gives us in this world.  He gives us contentment.  The world always wants us to think we need more and to take our happiness and contentment away.  The world only seeks to make us sad and miserable. 

    God comes to us and surrounds us with his mercy and holds us tight in the embrace that will never let us go.  He holds us as close to him as we have need of.  He will never let us go.  He hems us in with the grace and mercy.  He comforts us and shields us from the arrows that the devil throws.  God is our only source of comfort and hope.  Through him we have the strength to face each day and we can face it with confidence because of what his love for us does.  It shields us and protects us.  We are forever held in a bear hug by God our Father.  We cling to him and him alone. 

    Dearest Father, you embrace us with your steadfast love and mercy.  We only need to cling to you.  Give us the faith to cling only to you and to see that you are our only source of love.  Make us to show that same love to those around us and give them the same hope that you shower upon us.  Be with those who are suffering at this time.  Encompass them with your unending grace.  All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

7-17-2025

Good Morning All,

          Acts 17:27; “that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.”

          Have you ever gone into a darkened room and tried to find the light switch?  There was a room in a gymnasium at college where the light switch was at the other end of the room.  If you accessed the room from the office, the switch was by the door.  If you came in through the gym you were on the wrong side.  The room had no windows so when the door closed it was pitch dark.  So, in order to find the light, switch you would run your hand along the wall and then carefully slide your feet along the floor.  You would have to go slow just in case there was a chair or a ball or something on the floor. You would also slowly slide your hand up and down to be sure that you found the switch.

     Sometimes you would get all the way to the other door and finally realize that you were too far and have to slide back and then try to begin the process all over again.  The really frustrating thing was that you knew where the light switch was.  You knew it was on the wall about 30 inches off the floor.  It should be so easy to find but it usually took a few tries and more than a little frustration.

    Our life is a lot like that.  We can never fully see where we are going.  So many of our life experiences are really just felt out in the darkness.  When I listen to some of the high school kids and we talk about the future and what they want to do, many don’t really know and their options are such that they really don’t know.  I visited with a young girl as she was talking about what she thought she would look for in a future husband.  The more she talked the more confused she sounded; then she asked me, “How do you ever know?” 

     That is a question that can perplex us to no end.  We go through life and we make decisions everyday but how do you ever know?  We are given choices but often we don’t know the full range of consequences to those actions.  So, we feel our way along trying to find our way.

     We need to always remember that, above everything else, we are God’s redeemed children and he is with us.  He is there to offer us guidance and hope.  We may have options that we cannot see the end to but we need to always remember that God loves us and wants us to be contented and live our life in peace and in hope.  So whatever decisions we make, we can make them confident of God’s love.  His love for us is always there; he will not abandon us. 

We live our life in faith, trusting in his mercy at all times.  Some of our choices may not always be the best but no matter how dark the hall, God is always near us.  His grace never leaves his redeemed children and you are one.

Dearest Father, we look at life and often only see darkness and we feel our way along the wall.  Give us the faith to trust in your mercy and grace for our life.  Give us the strength to trust that all things work to the good for those whom you love.  Give us your peace especially those who feel that their lives are completely lost in the dark.  Show them your grace.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret

7-16-2025

Good Morning All,

      Psalm 147:3; “He is the healer of the brokenhearted.  He is the one who bandages their wounds.”

     When I was a kid, I used to watch the doctor shows on TV.  I used to like Dr. Kildare and Dr. Ben Casey.  They could always fix everything in under an hour.  That is the way to be a doctor.  Walk into a room, look at the patient and know in an instant that they have contracted some rare disease that only 15 people in the world have.  So, the fantasy of the show was a little over the top but it was nice to see good triumph.

    I guess we like to watch these types of shows because reality can be a lot less clear cut.  When the high school kids went to a national gathering a number of years ago, one of the speakers was a young lady named Jessica Stevens.  She was bitten by a tick and developed Lyme’s disease.  Then it got really ugly. She developed a very rare condition.  It's called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy" or RSD for short.  The condition causes your nerves to malfunction constantly sending pain signals to the brain which responds by releasing powerful chemicals that burn unbearably painful sores into the skin.  Any type of stimulus, sight, sound, touch, anything would cause her to feel excruciating pain.  The chemicals which her body released caused huge open ulcer sores all over her body.  She was like this for two years.  At that point she wanted to die.  Yet her mother refused to give in and told her that God would decide that and that they needed to trust God.

    Eventually, she received a radical form of treatment, she was placed into a coma for a week to “re-boot” her brain.  This happened twice and the second time it has seemed to take hold.  She is 25 now and was 18 when it started.  She credits God with guiding her doctors and keeping her safe.

    Most of us will never face what this young lady faced but we will face our own challenges.  There will be times when it will seem almost as painful as what she faced and we will be hurt and lost; maybe feeling like we want to die.  Our hearts will be broken by the pain of sin and all the world dumps on us.  Families in turmoil, jobs disappearing, health failing, or any of a number of events occurring can cause us to be brokenhearted.  God comes to us through his Word and Sacrament to bring us forgiveness and to heal us.  He fixes our broken souls and retrieves us from the desolation that sin leaves us in.  God, through Jesus, heals us and brings us back to him.  It is through his atoning sacrifice that we find the healing balm to cure our wounds.  In this healing we are made whole, righteous before God.  God is the healer of the brokenhearted; even yours.

Dearest Father, we are brokenhearted and in pain so often.  You heal us with your tender love and mercy.  By your grace, you sustain and renew us.   Give us the courage to trust in you and your amazing love.  Be with those whose hearts are broken and whose souls are lost.  Guide and protect your children with your loving kindness.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

7-15-2025

 Good Morning All,

    Psalm 106:1; “Praise the Lord!  Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

“Thank you.”  This is probably the first “manner” that we teach our children.  Just as soon as they can speak, we begin to hammer it home.  “What do you tell Grandma?”  “Thank you.”  If we don’t hear it; we ask again and then we begin with no more presents, don’t you love her, that’s not how we raised you, etc.  If we hear it then we say, “good boy.”  Maybe that is part of our problem, we have made thanks an act of the law, a requirement, rather than a heartfelt expression. 

   I can remember times when I gave a gift and heard no “thank you” but the look in their eyes and the expression on their faces said it all.  I got my thank you.  Sometimes the best “thank you” is to see someone actually use the gift that you gave them.  Saying thank you can take many forms.

   Our verse is an “oldie but a goodie” many of you may even have it memorized.  So, we want to look a little look at how this applies to our prayer life.  Most people, even unbelievers, go to God in times of crisis.  When everything is in chaos, people cry out to God; but why?  I suspect many people view God as a genie. You only get some many wishes and you want to make good use of them.  Some see God as a “last resort,” whether they see God as distant and looming or whether they really doubt God’s effectiveness and concern.  We go to God in trouble but do we go to God when things are good?

    Giving thanks to God should be an integral part of our prayer/devotional life.  This should be part of the conversation rhythm that we have with God.  We read and study his Word to hear God speak to us.  We listen to the absolution where we hear God’s forgiveness for us, we hear him call us back home.  We, in turn, speak to God with our concerns and fears for sure.  God tells us to call upon him in the day of trouble; this is part of God comforting us and giving us peace.  Yet we should also give thanks for the gifts we have and will get in this life and the next.  Thanks, should be a natural part of our prayer.

    This can help live out our prayer life, especially our thank you.  Take your prayer life and live it.  We can do this by how we live, by how we use the gifts we are given.  God gives you life and wants to have a loving relationship with you.  He wants to have a long and loving conversation with you.  He wants to talk to you and have you listen to him. He wants you to talk to him as he listens to you as well.

Dearest Father, we struggle with thank you as we are so overwhelmed by your gifts.  Even as our lives are chaotic and worrisome, your wonderful grace is always present.  Give us the faith to see this and to give you thanks and live our lives for you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

76-14-2025

Good Morning All,

      Ecclesiastes 11:4; “Whoever watches the wind will never plant. Whoever looks at the clouds will never harvest.”

   So, what does this have to do with anything?  Well, this is one of those hidden gems that get lost in the translation.  Think along this line.  Have you ever tried to plan an outside event, like a picnic or a day at the lake or maybe going to a larger city to watch a baseball game?  When you do this, especially long term, if you are afraid of it raining; you will never plan the event.  A few years ago, as we planned our 125^th celebration, we knew we would need to be able to have people eat and fellowship outside.  We were about a year out; there was no way to predict the weather.  There was no way to plan for a perfect day.  So, we picked a date and prayed for nice weather.  Fortunately, we got it.

    This proverb refers to this type of situation.  If you wait for the perfect condition to plant; you never will plant.  If you wait for the perfect condition to harvest; you never will.  In almost any facet of our life, there is no perfect time for anything.  There is no perfect time to begin exercising more.  There is no perfect time to begin a new friendship or to revive an old one.  There is no perfect time for anything we do.  This is mostly because we live in an imperfect world. 

     This proverb tells us not to wait.  There is no better time than now for whatever you need to do.  There will never be a more perfect time to call your parents or your children than right now.  There will be no better time than now to begin a devotional time.  There will never be a perfect time to change your life for the better so you just have to begin.

    Any time we look to change, we need to know from where we start.  The absolute first thing to always remember is that you are a loved, redeemed child of God.  Above everything else, this is what you are.  From this starting point, you have the perfect time to move forward.  If you have a strained or even a broken relationship from the past, this is a perfect time to begin to fix it.  It might take a while and some work but you can begin today; there will be no better time.  If you haven’t been in church for a while, there is no better time than now.  If you haven’t prayed for a while there is no better time to start than now.  There will never be a “perfect” time just a time to begin.  There is only a time to return to God’s love.  It is there and always will be all we need is to trust that this love can and does overwhelm our struggles.  This incredible love will pull us through whatever assails us. 

    God’s love can carry you through all of lives travails, start using it and trusting it today; there is no more perfect time.

Father of wonders, we often make excuses when we face our struggles and procrastinate in turning to you.  We feel we can conquer our woes and struggle until we are mired in pain and suffering.  Give us the wisdom to call upon you today and not wait until tomorrow.  Give us the strength to trust in you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret