TMG
Tom’s Midweek Greeting
Crossroads Community Church
Nevada MO
December 12, 2019
Dear Church Family,
This Sunday morning we’ll worship the Lord together and consider the shepherds’ role in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. A familiar line from that story is found in Luke 2:14 —
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
At the beginning of 2019, I made a note, during my times of personal Bible reading, to watch for passages where God expresses that He is pleased with people. What pleases our Father? So often, I think, we have the feeling that God is somehow not pleased with us. However, there are many passages (if we watch for them) where He expresses His pleasure. Here are just a few that I’ve noted over the course of the past year, most of them coming from Psalms and Proverbs:
- He rescued me because He delighted in me. Psalm 18:19
- He loves righteousness. Psalm 11:7
- He loves righteousness and justice. Psalm 33:5
- The Lord loves justice. Psalm 37:28
- A just weight is His delight. Proverbs 11:1
- He is intimate with the upright. Proverbs 3:32
- The prayer of the upright is His delight. Proverbs 15:8
- He loves the one who pursues righteousness. Proverbs 15:9
- He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me: and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him…. (Jesus, in John 14:21).
- The man who fears the Lord, who is gracious and lends, will be remembered forever. Psalm 112:5
- He whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend. Proverbs 22:11
- It will be pleasant if you keep the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. Proverbs 22:17
- He will bless those who fear the Lord. Psalm 115:13
- The Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation. Psalm 149:4
- The Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 1 Samuel 12:22
- He sets apart the godly man for himself, and listens to his prayer. Psalm 4:3
- He blesses the righteous man and surrounds him with favor. Psalm 5:12
- He brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. Psalm 18:19
- Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; make haste, O Lord, to help me. Psalm 40;13
- When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7
- The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Zephaniah 3:17
And this one, about us:
- We have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 2 Corinthians 5:9
Coming Up at Crossroads:
Sunday worship, this Sunday, December 15, at 10:00 at the Y.
I hope to see you there! Our worship team has prepared a special time of worship, and our sermon series on Christmas Ornaments (this Sunday – the shepherds) continues. Come early and enjoy some fellowship!
Change of Venue for December 22nd worship.
The YMCA is re-surfacing the gym floor on December 19. As a result, we will not meet at the Y for worship on Sunday, December 22nd. Instead, we will meet at the Community Building at Marmaduke Park. Plan to join the church family there, exceptionally, on December 22 at 10 a.m.
Christmas Eve service, 6:30-7:30, at the Y.
We plan to be back at the Y for our Christmas Eve service on the 24th. Please feel free to invite family members or friends to this special time together. The service will be informal and we’ll enjoy some refreshments afterwards.
Crossroads Connections – Sunday, January 5, following worship.
Our next Crossroads Connection time of a light lunch, fellowship, news, and ministry planning will be on Sunday, January 5, immediately following worship. I hope you’ll plan to stay for a good time following worship on January 5!
Congregational Meeting – Sunday, January 12, following worship.
The two main purposes of our meeting are to vote on an open elder position, and to approve a church budget for 2020. Cris Rodriguez has been nominated by our Nominating Committee for the open elder position.
Prayer Needs:
There are many prayer needs at Crossroads at this time. Thanks for taking time to remember our church family in prayer:
- Julie Kemper is recovering from successful hip surgery. Others have been under the weather. Phill Edwards could use our prayers for healing and strength in his back.
- Some are in need of God’s provision for work needs – Heather Hall; Elena Rodriguez (internship).
- All of our students – Nevada schools and Cottey College – need strength and wisdom as they finish out the first semester of the school year.
- Transportation needs (Joe Stanfield and family).
- Physical, relational, and spiritual needs in our circles of extended family members and friends.
- A strong finish to the year in our financial giving and support of the church.
- Young Life ministry momentum going into the new year.
- For God’s Spirit to stir our hearts toward discipleship and outreach.
Thank you for being part of a unique and growing church! May the following passage from Isaiah be a help and reminder to us during these busy days:
“In repentance and rest you will be saved; in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).
See you Sunday!
–Tom
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