One of the stories told at the Nurnberg war trials was that of a group of Jews who had escaped from the gas chambers and had taken refuge in a cemetery.  They lived in the pits that had been dug to serve as graves.  One night a baby was born in one of those pits with the grave digger, an old Orthodox Jew, assisting in the birth.  When the baby uttered its first cry, the grave digger exclaimed, “Great God, have You finally sent the Messiah?  Who but the Messiah would be born in a grave?”

Little did that Orthodox Jew know that the real Messiah has come and has been reborn in a grave.  Jesus died, laid in a grave for three days, and then was born again.  He has done it for us so that we may be born again to new life!

Teaching from Luther’s Small Catechism

And lead us not into temptation.   What does this mean?

God indeed tempts no one, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us, so that the devil, the world, and our flesh may not deceive us nor seduce us into disbelief, despair, and other great shame and vice; and though we be assailed by them, that still we may overcome and obtain the victory.

The cross was drawn into the original blueprint.  It was written into the script.  The moment the forbidden fruit touched the lips of Eve, the shadow of a cross appeared on the horizon.  And between that moment and the moment the man with the mallet placed the spike against the wrist of God, a master plan was fulfilled.

What does that mean?  It means Jesus planned his own sacrifice.  It means Jesus intentionally planted the tree from which his cross would be carved.  It means he willingly placed the iron ore in the heart of the earth from which the nails would be cast.  It means he voluntarily placed his Judas in the womb of a woman.  It means Christ was the one who set in motion the political machinery that would send Pilate to Jerusalem.

And it also means he didn’t have to do it – but he did! 

Excerpted from Max Lucado’s God Came Near.

Teaching from Luther’s Small Catechism:

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.  What does this mean?

We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look upon our sins, nor on their account deny our prayer; for we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray, neither have we deserved them; but that He would grant them all to us by grace; for we daily sin much and deserve nothing but punishment.  So will we also heartily forgive, and readily do good to those who sin against us.

The season of Lent begins with the memory of finitude and mortality, the symbolism of dust.  On Ash Wednesday, Christians are marked with the sign of the mark of dust.  Looking foolish, with ashes on our foreheads, we confront our own mortality in the midst of a culture which tries to deny death’s reality.  The mark of dust identifies us as foolish.  Yet the sight is also of the cross of the crucified and risen Christ, the highest wisdom of all.  And so that mark speaks of His Kingdom of Glory!

Kenneth Leech from We Preach Christ Crucified.

Teaching from Luther’s Small Catechism:

Thy kingdom come. What does this mean?

The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.

How is this done?

When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead a godly life, here in time and hereafter in eternity.

Why do we pray?  Our prayers flow from trust in our loving God!

O Lord, what can I trust in this life?

And what is my greatest comfort on earth?

It is You, O Lord, whose mercy is without limit.

Where have I ever done well without You?

And when have I ever been harmed when You were present?

I would rather be poor with You, than rich without You.

I would rather be a wanderer on earth with You,

       than to be in heaven without You.

For where You are, there is heaven.

And where You are not, there is death and hell.

You are all that I desire; therefore I will earnestly pray to You.

There is no one who can help me except You alone, O my God.

For You are my hope, You are my trust, You are my strength,   You are my comfort, and my most faithful helper in every need.

(Thomas Kempis, 1380-1471.  Quoted from his book, “The Imitation of Christ.”)

IT’S BABY BOTTLE TIME!   Take a moment to play the above video.  Pray for Today’s Choice and our support of their work lifting up life in Jesus’ name.  Next Sunday each family will have the opportunity to offer hope & help to anyone considering abortion in our community! EITHER take home a baby bottle and fill it with a check (made out to Today’s Choice) or cash, and bring it back on February 7, OR fill a VIRTUAL BOTTLE by clicking the image below.  If you would like to know more about Today’s Choice,  click “Reaching Out” on our main menu, and click “Today’s Choice.”  May we choose LIFE as we live for Jesus!  Pastor Craig

A New Year – a new beginning – finally – 2021!  I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the words:  “Come on 2021!  2020 was so awful, the only way is up from here!”  Without a doubt, the Covid virus has made this past year almost unbearable!  Yet with a vaccine on the horizon, with all we have learned about the protection of masking and sanitizing, we look forward in hope.  Maybe we are even making many physically healthful resolutions to improve other aspects of our personal lives.  Certainly we pray for a better path in the year to come!

But there’s another kind of infection that plagues our lives and world.  It’s a spiritual infection called sin that can spread and isolate and drag us down in the way God and we want to live.  The Good News is there’s a cure already available, a spiritual inoculation of sorts.  God developed this life restoring medicine by sending His Son.  What a joy to celebrate again the birth of Jesus this past Christmas.  Jesus came into this world to bring the virus of our sin into Himself, paying for the effects of this virus in His body as He suffered and died on the cross.  From Him flows the antivirus, the forgiveness, the undeserved love that surrounds and destroys the virus of our sins.  This serum flows through God’s Word, the Holy Spirit’s forgiving power in our Baptism, and the life of Christ which becomes ours as we in faith receive His body and blood.  The year ahead will be filled with so many opportunities for us to live spiritually healthful lives.  So why not include a few spiritual healthful resolutions for 2021?  Here are a few:

            I resolve to put Christ before my church and my church before my secular schedule.

            I resolve to put the spiritual before the material and the eternal before the temporal.

            I resolve to put God’s Word before the opinion of others.

            I resolve to put prayer before pleasure.

            I resolve to walk more by faith and trust, less by sight and reason.

            I resolve to live in order to give rather than to get.

            I resolve to be good rather than great.

            I resolve to put more of God and less of myself into what I do.

            I resolve to walk with Jesus, part of His mission, sharing Him in simple ways each and every day through what I say and do.

The Good News for Christians as we resolve to improve our spiritual health is that we do so by God’s power working within us.  The Holy Spirit will mold and shape us in the coming year.  Each day He offers us a “new beginning.”  We can unload the fear and burden of our sin – the guilt and sorrow and pain – knowing that Christ has already carried them for us.  In the forgiveness He has earned we can start fresh.  Our past is forgiven!  Yes, we pray the Lord to bring on the shot to keep Covid away!  But may we also pray that the Lord would provide an IV of His Spirit through Word and Sacrament so that we have a health-filled year spiritually as well!  May we trust in and live for Jesus, placing Him first in our lives!

            A blessed and Christ-filled 2021 to all!  Pastor Craig

God grant you the light

     in Christmas,

           which is faith;

the warmth

     of Christmas,

           which is love;

the radiance

     of Christmas,

           which is purity;

the righteousness

     of Christmas,

           which is justice;

the belief

     in Christmas,

           which is truth;

the all

     of Christmas, which is Christ.

–Wilda English

Have a Christ-centered Christmas!!

CROSSROADS FOOD PANTRY

We are now experiencing the surge of this second wave of Covid.   More & more people will be looking for help in feeding their families.

So, during this holiday time of “GIVING”, we are asking you to help us in making sure our shelves are stocked.

The REVERSE Advent Calendar is a fun way of doing this!!

It encourages us to “give” something (as opposed to “get” something) each day as a way to help those in need. 

Add one non-perishable food item to a box every day in December. 

After 24 days, you should have a box full of food just in time for Christmas. 

Then, on Christmas Eve, simply drop the box off at CROSSROADS Food Pantry. 

GIVING BACK TO JESUS HAS NEVER BEEN SO EASY AND SATISFYING!!

(Just click the image to enlarge!!)

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 of paramedics helping a baggage worker who had lost consciousness.

Just like our journey through life, there are scenes of sunshine as well as depressing scenes of challenge 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, with the continuing challenge of Covid, whatever the situation in our lives, 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 and those around us in our worlds!  May we tell of His wondrous deeds!  A blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours!  Pastor Craig

So many things have changed over the last 6 months since the beginning of the COVID19 pandemic…………in our personal lives, in our church, and in our Food Pantry!!

·        Families experiencing “food insecurity” and are in need of the help of our Food Pantry have DOUBLED!’

·        The amount of  food availability from the Food Bank of NJ has decreased tremendously.

·        CROSSROADS purchased a Chest Freezer, and most recently, a stand -alone Refrigerator to be able to store FRESH & FROZEN foods……in bulk……WHEN they are available.

·        Due to our new “additions” (above), the layout of the Food Pantry has changed.

In order to keep both our Volunteers and our Clients safe during this time……….

·        A COVID19 Food Pantry Policy was developed, utilizing a lot of the same restrictions needed as when you enter church.

·        A MAXIMUM of 4 Volunteers are allowed in the Food Pantry area at one time……….1 in each designated room in order to Social Distance.

·        PREPACKED BOXES of food are distributed,……….

·        A CONTACT FREE PICK-UP is now utilized.  Clients stay in their vehicle and the groceries are placed directly into their trunk.  No One is allowed into the church building.

But, despite our challenges, WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED!

·        Monetary Donations received from the church and the community over the past Holiday season have kept us worry-free in providing for those in need.

·        Crossroads Food Pantry received a Grant of $2500 from ACME Supermarkets.

·        HELP A NEIGHBOR donated $200 worth of fresh meat products from Sussex Meat Packing.

·        WEST MILFORD SHOPRITE (and Alison) is holding Food Pantry Food Drives every Saturday this month of November……………CROSSROADS is one of the receipients !  Thank you, Alison!

And so…our MISSION goes on!                      Dot Flar