Cross 

Words 

Montbly Newslettel" OfCI"OSS Ev. Lutheean Church 
	September 2010 	Volmne 10, Issue 9 
How can I be happy if I don't take sides? 
"Blessed are the peacemakers." 
Matthew 5:9 

Who really wants to be a peacemaker anyway? A 
peacemaker in a marriage is usually the one who 
has to swallow his or her pride. Who wants to say, 
"You're right, and I'm wrong," to keep the peace in 
a marriage? A peacemaker amongst neighbors is the 
one who has to rake more, shovel more, and put up 
with more. Who really wants to do that to keep the 
peace between neighbors? To be a peacemaker can 
be a headache! 
And yet, Jesus attaches the blessing of happiness to 
those who are peacemakers. Jesus can say that from 
his own experience. He was happy to bring peace to 
this world. After all, he is the Prince of Peace. This 

title rightfully describes Jesus because he made 
peace between God and all the people of the world. 
Talk about a headache! It wasn't easy. He had to 
resist temptation, he had to resist the urge to strike 
back, he had to put others first, he had to go the 
extra mile, he had to suffer, and ultimately he had to 
die. But all of his sacrifices were necessary to 
establish peace between pis Father and the world. 
Jesus was a successful peacemaker, and he was 
happy to do it. And you can be happy that he did it 
too! 
To be a peacemaker is not easy. It wasn't for Jesus, 
and it won't be for you either. It isn't easy to be the 
peacemaker between quarreling siblings. It isn't 
easy to be the peacemaker between angry 
neighbors. It isn't easy to be the peacemaker in a 
contentious marriage, It isn't easy to be the 
peacemaker when grudges are involved. It isn't easy 
to be the peacemaker when that involves saying, 
"I'm sorry." But Jesus never said it was going to be 
easy. He did say, though, that he will bless your 
peacemaking efforts, Just take one glance at all of 
the blessings attached to Jesus' peacemaking- 
forgiveness, joy, and peace just to name a few. 
How can I be happy if I don't take sides? That's the 
point. True happiness comes when you do take a 
side-Gad's side. To be a peacemaker is. to be a 
reflection of Jesus. To be a peacemaker is to take to 
. the world the peace that Jesus has brought to you. 
And there is no greater joy than that! 

BAPTISM - A Rebirth 
"Are you a born-again Christian?" When asked 
that question, I invariably answer, "Yes, when I was 
baptized as a baby." The retort is predictable and 
emphatic: "No, no. I mean when did you decide to 
accept Jesus as your Savior? Or haven't you been born 
again?" 
Listen to our loving Savior: "1 tell you the truth, 
no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born 
of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but 
the Spirit gives birth to spirit" (John 3:5,6). What a 
tremendous picture to emphasize pure grace! Jesus uses 
the picture of being born again to remind us that in our 
baptism a miracle was performed in our hearts. And 
what happened was entirely from God. Think of physical 
birth. We had no part in the process of conception. We 
didn't feed ourselves in our mothers' wombs. Nor did 
we thumb through the calendar to pick just the right 
months and days to celebrate as our birthdays for the rest 
of our lives. We had no part in the process of our 
creation. It happened to us. 
What is true of physical birth is also true of our 
spiritual birth. It happened to us without our decision or 
activity. We who were dead in our transgressions and 
sins at birth have found new life in Jesus. Scripture 
declares, "Because of his great love for us, God, who is 
rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we 
were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have 
been saved" (Ephesians 2:4,5). God made us alive 
through the special washing of Baptism. "He saved us 
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the 
Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously 
through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been 
justified by his grace, we might become heirs having 
the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7). Please note the 
last part of this verse. In that washing of rebirth, God has 
declared us innocent. Our innocence is an accomplished 
CROSS LIGHTS 
Cross LIGHTS will meet this month, on the first 
Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm. All the women 
of the congregation are invited to attend. 
Back to school 
Little Johnny had fmished his summer vacation and gone 
back to school. Two days later his teacher phoned his 
mother to 
tell her that he was misbehaving. 
"Wait a minute," she said. "I had Johnny with me for 
three months and I never called you once when he 
misbehaved." 

fact in Christ Jesus, sealed to us through this precious 
washing of rebirth. 
Yes, dear believer, you are born again in Christ. 
This rebirth is not a decision you arrived at. It is not a 
choice you made. Jesus clearly tells us, "You did not 
choose me, but 1 chose you and appointed you to go 
and bear fruit=fruit that will last" (John 15:16). Only 
as a result of the Spirit's work through the means of 
grace can a believer now say yes to Jesus. Rejoice that 
God has come and created this new life of faith in your 
heart. 
God's Goals for Your Roles 
by Pastor Mark Jeske 
Good Mothers Work Hard 
Want to infuriate a stay-at-home mother of young 
children? Ask her when she's going back to work and 
you're likely to hear, ''Back? I never stopped!" 
Perhaps some women's dream of a great life is 
easy wealth, days of shopping and travel, unlimited 
chocolate, and plenty of servants. Well, maybe God will 
give you that life. But there is a terrible risk to wealth. You 
can get so materialistic that you lose your sense of need for 
a Savior and your gratitude for the Savior you have. 
Hard work is good for the soul. It teaches us to 
think like servants, doing things for others. It gives a sweet 
satisfaction of accomplishment that no amount of 
shopping can match. 
Proverbs 31:17-18 celebrates the kind of wife and 
mother that we all would love to have in our homes: She 
sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for 
her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her 
lamp does not go out at night. To all the women who 
work hard to make their homes wonderful places, we bow 
in appreciation. Thank you. 
MARTIN LUTHER COLLEGE AUXILIARY & 
FOOD SHELF 
A free will door collection will be taken on Sept 
5111 and Sept 12th for the MLC Auxiliary. The auxiliary 
supports our synod's college of ministry by funding 
special projects that are outside the regular budget of the 
school. 
Also, during the month of September, we will be 
collecting food items for the MLC Food Shelf, which 
provides assistance to married MLC students & their 
families. Food items can be left in the receptacle in the 
church entryway or placed on the food shelf outside the 
Sunday School rooms in the church basement.