Crossing Community Church

Faithfulness matters. And you can see the power of faithful parents and grandparents in the lives of children in the testimony of Heather Adler. Her story is rich with the influence of not only her parents but of grandparents and others of her extended family. Consider the legacy you are leaving to others who are coming behind you after you hear Heather's story!

There is a lot of room for disagreement these days -- politics, COVID, racism -- to name a few things. And the church is not exempt from disagreement!! How do we love each other when we are in such disagreement with each other? Our differences are an opportunity to exhibit God's love!

We are so familiar with so many of the biblical stories that we read them without considering what is behind the story and between the lines. A great example of that is when we read of Jesus selecting His disciples. We seem to think the men he selected somehow were in complete agreement on values, politics and even the Jewish faith. But that is far from true. Consider Peter, a devout orthodox Jew, opinionated as he was, having to get along with Matthew, a tax collector, despised by largely the entire Jewish community. Our churches are no different. Full of people with various beliefs and convictions. How did Jesus bring his disciples into unity. How does He bring our churches into unity?

David was anointed king of Israel long before he ever sat on the throne. It was years before that ever happened. What was he doing in all those years? Waiting.  When we wait, God uses that time of waiting to make us and shape us. Think of it as God is making a tool and he is taking his time to craft us for his purpose. 

There is a lot of unrest in our nation right now and many of us have very strong opinions about what is happening in our streets and why it's happening. This week Pastor Tim speaks to us about how we are citizens of heaven passing through this world. We don't have to agree with each other but we do have to live in harmony with each other. Our opinions should never get in the way of Gospel or discredit our testimony before others. 

Many people struggle with the knowledge that life is lacking something. They do "right things" trying to feel better about themselves, but there is no amount of good things we can do to lift the weight of our guilt and shame. The only way to accomplish that is through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul writes in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are found in Christ! 

This morning Janice Buckley shares how God used various life events to bring her into a loving relationship with her Heavenly Father. From the loss of her father to random church information left on her door, she speaks of the patience of God as she was finding her way into His family. 

When you consider all the stars of the universe, the depths of the oceans, the majesty of creation and yet there is man. God in all His glory went beyond our imagination when He gave up His own Son for our benefit. That declares His great love for you and I!

Sprinkled or dunked?

As a baby or later in life?

Is there anything supernatural that happens?

There can be lots of questions about baptism. This week, Pastor Tim provides answers to some of the more common questions and issues surrounding this ancient practice. 

NOTE: Due to a technical problem in the service, the sound quality is not as good as we usually hope for. Sorry for that!

If the church does not speak into the issues that divide our nation we are leaving a void that the world cannot sufficiently fill. The world can only pass another law, usher in another government, march in another city -- all of those can never bring the lasting transformation that Jesus brings. And that is why we must have a biblically-based conviction on these matters and share them when we can. We must consider what others are living through and allow their experience to influence our understanding of the world beyond ourselves and most importantly, what does the Bible say about all of it.