“For you were called to freedom, brothers (and sisters).  Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”  Galatians 5:13

The 250^th anniversary of our country is just ahead.  What an opportunity to count the blessings of the USA and our citizenship!  This summer we don’t have to leave our borders to vacation in the created beauty of America.  We are blessed with freedoms and liberties that many throughout our world are denied.  We Americans have every reason to sing about how God has “shed His grace” on us all for these man years!

It’s important for us to remember our many blessings because we can so easily take them for granted or use them selfishly.  What we do with what we have is a reflection of the kind of people we are.  God doesn’t give us all of these good things just to serve our own needs and wants.  We are to use them for the good of others.

God in His Word reminds us that we are called to freedom.  Jesus lived for us, died in our place, rose again from the dead, and sends His Holy Spirit so that through faith we are freed from guilt, sin and death.  We are freed from self-serving life to serve our families, our neighbors, our community in the name of Jesus.  May we who have been freed from sin and death be the servants of others, blessed to be Christ’s blessing!  Have a wonderful 4^th of July! 

Love in Jesus, Pastor Craig

What an opportunity we have this Sunday:  Faith in Action!!  Faith is not just something we believe in our minds or feel in our hearts; it is something we live out each day.   James 2:26 says:  “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”  Now don’t get me wrong, faith is a gift from God, received through Spirit-filled Baptism and God’s Word.  Ephesians 2:8-10 says:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

         Yet, while faith in Jesus is a gift, it connects us to a love that always takes loving action as Jesus did!  Good works always follow faith!  Yes, God has prepared all kinds of good deeds for us so that our faith in Jesus is seen.  As Christians, we are called to live out our faith, to be Jesus’  hands and feet in a world that needs His love. Putting faith into action means Jesus empowering us to serve, give, forgive, and love others, even when it’s inconvenient or challenging.  This Sunday is a God prepared opportunity for us to carry Jesus into our community, living out our faith!  Remember, we have a brief worship at 9:30am in the church, going out to our projects by 10:15am.  After serving our community, we gather for pizza back at the church.  So, in the words of John 3:18, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”   Your fellow “little child,”    Pastor Craig

“Whom Are We Seeking?!”

With the confusion and alarm of the empty tomb, all Mary Magdalene can do is weep!  Her first take on the empty tomb did not bring comfort.  It could only mean that a grave robber, for his own profit, had hastily taken the body of Jesus.  Her blurry, tear-reddened eyes are blind to Jesus.  She assumed that he could only be the gardener.

She entered the territory of death with no hope of finding a resurrected Jesus.  She knew that the jaws of death, once closed, do not relinquish their prey.  She came hoping only to do that which she was unable to do Good Friday at sundown: anoint the body of Jesus to lessen the stench of death.

Only as Jesus calls her by name does she recognize Him.  Only then does her grief turn to joy.  She held onto Him and would not let Him go until Jesus encouraged her that she must.  He has come for all and had to complete His mission by the ascension so the Holy Spirit would bring Jesus’ presence at once to all who believe.  Our loving God has brought Jesus from the dead, who, by His own blood, has purchased and won Mary and of us to be His own and receive the profit of His work.

We don’t seek Him in an ancient burial ground with a thief’s profit in mind.  With gifted faith in our hearts we seek Him exactly where He has promised to be, this Easter and the whole year through – in His Word and in His Supper.  In the midst of death we have life – now and forever!  Alleluia, Christ is risen…!!

Pastor Craig

          Adam and Eve took the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil into their hands after listening to the deception of the crafty serpent. Since that time, the devil has attempted to hold humanity in his clutches like a strong man. No mere human being can escape the thralls of this bondage—that is, until one stronger than the strong man comes, binds him, and plunders his possessions. By the “finger of God” (Luke 11:20), Christ has bound the devil in order to bring us into His loving care. Jesus overcame the devil’s temptation in the desert and cast out demons, and He was faithful to go all the way the cross to defeat the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. Though the devil still “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” his days are numbered; thus, we humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God” that protects His church until Christ’s return (1 Peter 5:6–11).

          Join us Wednesday, March 4th as the Lord reaches His hand out to us through His Word and the fellowship we share.  A Soup Lunch is at 12 p.m. with our devotion at 1 p.m.  A repeat devotion will be at 7 p.m. for those unable to make it during the day.  Lord, take our hands and lead us!!  Pastor Craig

Each state in the United States has at least one or more nicknames by which it is commonly known.  I come from Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, the birthplace of the Laker’s basketball team (after all, how many Lakes does LA have?).  Ohio is known as the “Buckeye State” (if you look it up you’ll find it’s a tree with a neat nut that many feel brings good luck).  Connecticut is known as the “Land of Steady Habits”, based on the state’s reputation for hardworking residents.

Steady habits can either make or break us, right?  We all have habits we would love to leave behind and relegate to the rear-view mirror of life.  A sedentary life stye, overeating and drinking, smoking, a negative mindset, and so on.  As a New year begins, those bad habits that break us are formed into resolutions that we hope will place them behind us in the year now past.

Steady habits, though, can be an important formative element for our lives, especially as faith in Jesus is at the center.  Many years back we had a Rally Day theme that revolved around Holy Habits, with learning stations that each represented one.  In the Word, Prayer, Songs of Praise, and Sharing Jesus marked the encouraging activities that sent everyone away with intentionality to continue those Christ-centered habits that help to form Christ-centered living!

The writer to the Hebrews especially reminds us of a Holy Habit foundational to our Christian lives.  One of the best habits a person can cultivate is faithfully joining God’s people to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, the One who left His home to make His home in us.  He has saved us, dying on the cross for our sins and rising again to be received by each of us through the gift of faith.  Even in the early church people would forgo gathering with God’s people because of the busy-ness (business) of life.  Being a disciple calls for discipline in the best sense of the term.  This New Year, 2026, invites us to cultivate steady, holy habits for life, among which regular worship of God with His people is at the top of the list.

May the Holy Spirit give us joy in filling 2026 with Holy Habits and fruit-filled living for Jesus’ sake!  A blessed New Year to all!  Pastor Craig

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.”  John 14:27

The Savior of the world is born.  The heavens open and angel choirs exclaim, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace” (Luke 2:14)  His birth was just the beginning of that peace, though.  Jesus would live the perfect life for us and then work our peace on the cross.  Jesus words from the Gospel of John above come with the cross looming on the horizon.  What a wonderful gift He gives His disciples!  He came into the world to give peace.  His suffering, death and resurrection established peace between God and us!  It cost Jesus His life; it gained for us a peace that’s free!

How are you celebrating Christmas?  Oh, the delicious meals and delightful friends and doting families, right?  Maybe gift exchanges or out singing carols?  How about attending church, hopefully right on top of our Christmas experience?  You know, it’s possible to celebrate Christmas but miss its real significance!  “God and sinners reconciled” sing the angels in the Christmas hymn “Hark The Herald ….”  That’s what Christmas is about.  Peace reigns between God and His people again.  What comfort and joy we have as we know that Jesus is “Born to raise the sons (and daughters) of earth, Born to give them second birth.”  That’s why Jesus comes.  Peace right now!  Because of the rebirth of baptism, we belong to the family of our heavenly Father, with the joy of heaven to come!

I look forward to worshiping with you this Christmas in our Father’s House.  If you plan to worship at Holy Faith, remember the Christmas Eve candlelight services are one hour earlier this year:  4:00 and 7:00 p.m.  Christmas morning family worship is at 11:00 a.m.  May we join the angels in giving “Glory to the newborn King!”  A blessed Christmas to all!!  Pastor Craig

A woman was obviously afraid of her flight to St. Paul.  As she sat waiting for takeoff, she looked across the aisle out the window at a beautiful sunset.  Then she turned her head to the left and looked out the window next to her seat, only to see a depressing scene to the left of gathering storm clouds.

Just like our journey through life, there are scenes of sunshine as well as depressing scenes of darkness all around.  The destination doesn’t depend upon which scene we look at.  Our journey will still end with the joy of eternal life with Jesus.  But along the way we can either dwell on the gloomy picture.  Or we can focus on the things that bring joy and sunshine to our lives.

Especially in our relationships – such as within the family and the church – we can become either grateful or resentful, depending on our point of focus.  We all have annoying habits and faults.  And at the same time there is so much positive brought into our lives by these same persons.  Why not appreciate and dwell on the benefits instead of looking for the faults?

From our perspective there are storms and sunshine, good and bad times, happy and sad situations in each of our lives.  But from God’s perspective He has a loving plan being worked through it all for us.  We have reason to be grateful all the time!  Because of His undeserved love for us – His amazing grace seen in the saving work of Jesus – there is healing in the midst of sickness, forgiveness to light the burden of guilt, provision when finances seem at their worst, eternal life even when surrounded by death.  That’s why Paul, with the crucified and risen Christ as the center of his troubled and turbulent life, was empowered to say, “We know that all things work together for good to those that love Him.” (Romans 8:28)

During this time of Thanksgiving, whatever the situation, we live our gratitude to God!  “We give thanks because His name is near!”  He has sent His Son to Bethlehem, the cross and through the grave in resurrection for each of us!  He is now so near to us in Baptism that He has become one in relationship with our lives.  He’s in control!  May we reflect our thanks for Him by carrying His strength and peace into our lives of relationship with each other!

I look forward to being with you Thanksgiving Eve at 7:00 p.m.  Remember to bring your favorite pie for the fellowship after!!  Pastor Craig

October 21, 2025

Dear Family of Holy Faith,

 How often I hear the words, “I love you,” as I part from someone I’ve met at the store or somewhere else.  It’s a good thing!  Yet I do have a concern.  Sometimes I feel a little awkward as I hear this and do not even know the person very well.  I’m afraid that our quick use of that important phrase can cheapen its meaning.  Words can be cheap.  What gives them real impact is action.  True love is not simply words.  Not just a passing comment, true love moves to action for the one loved! 

While our earthly love is far from perfect, God loves us and He shows it!  As one pastor wonderfully put it, “God couldn’t stand the thought of heaven without you!”  For that reason He acted!  He sent His Son, Jesus, to bring us back to Him through death and resurrection, so that we will live with Him forever.  What comfort the gift of this truth is as we say “I’ll see you soon” to our dying loved ones, instead of final goodbyes.  What peace we can have struggling with our mortality in this world of sickness and challenge.  We have a God who demonstrates His love for us throughout our lives by guarding our faith, giving us what we need for life, and, at the last, sending His angels to bring us home safely to heaven, to be with Him!

In response to God’s perfect love, with strength from the Holy Spirit, we are able to not only say but live those words, “Lord, I love You.”  He pours blessings into our lives each-and-every day, gifts that become our thank you to Him as we use them to serve Him at our church, Holy Faith.  We bless each other as we work together to share Jesus’ love with our community.  The Apostle John wrote, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:17).  Yes, our “I love you’s” are truly sincere because they flow from Christ and take loving action in Him.

That’s why I know you will want to take action and be part of our celebrations this Sunday, October 26th!  It’s not only Reformation Sunday (wear Holy Spirit red) but Consecration Sunday at Holy Faith. We gather to let our praise flow back to God because of His love and blessing in our lives.  Together we express the truth that we love God and each other by attending the two special events of this day: first, the Sunday morning worship service at 10:00 a.m. and, second, the Celebration Luncheon immediately following worship.  Sunday School will take place so bring the kids.  Our Consecration Sunday Speaker will be Pastor Clancy, one of our own whom we dearly love. 

Since we will be serving a luncheon, we need to take reservations for each person who will be present.  If you have not made plans to attend these two events, please do so.  Our goal is to have every member and friend of the church present.  If you did not make a reservation last Sunday, please let us know you will be present for the two events by calling the office (973-697-6060) and letting us know.

Please make whatever sacrifice is necessary in order to be present on Consecration Sunday, October 26th.  May we not only say to our Lord that we love Him but live that love in action as we commit to Him!

I love you in Christ,

Pastor Craig