June News Letter

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

You walk to the closet every morning to pick out your clothes for the day, and there it is - your suitcase, or your carry on.  Your mind goes back to the last time you used it.  You remember the fun, the family, and the adventures.  You remember being stress free for a change.  You remember how good you felt, and you remember the peace.  

Then reality comes crashing in on you, because you have to get dressed and dash out the door to make it to work on time.  The stress washes over you like a wave, and your mind is filled with the schedule for the day.  “I have to do this, and this, and this.  How am I going to get it all done?  Oh, if only I could just go back to that vacation again.”  But I can’t, or can I?  

Folks, we revisit our vacations and adventures all the time.  We set up pictures of special people and occasions.  We pull out old notes and reread them.  We hold onto special memories and burn them into our minds.  

If only there was somewhere we could go in our hearts and minds that would help us with stress, peace, and our spiritual lives.  You see, stress and peace go hand in hand with our spiritual lives.  

Well there is such a place.  Just as you noticed your suitcase in the closet, notice your Bible on the night stand or kitchen table.  Let the peace of forgiveness flood your heart and drown the cares and worries that are giving you so much stress.  In fact, don’t just remember that peace, but actually open your Bible and visit with your Savior again.  Go and walk with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as Jesus opened the Scriptures to them.  When they started their journey they were in the pits of disappointment, but after walking with Jesus they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  (Luke 24:32)  Walk with David as he fled from King Saul.  He often wrestled with stress and despair, but he knew where his help came from.  “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”  (Psalm 13:5-6)  Go to the Lord, and he will help you.  As he says in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”  

Life in this world can be tough.  Open your Bibles or come to church and remember that you are not in this alone.  God loved you so much that he sent his Son Jesus to forgive you of all your sins.  He loves you enough to help you with your stress too.  

Your Brother in Christ,

Pastor Scott Muske

St. Matthew and St. John Lutheran Churches  

989-573-8456