Worship in the Crossroads 2022

Worship Crossroads IN THE

The Town of Bethlehem Recreated

Grace Lutheran Church

Grace Lutheran Church has been located in Victoria since 1952. It is a fun, loving, friendly congregation that loves the Lord, while sharing the good news of Christ with the community.

Our pastor is the Rev. Keith Aschenbeck. Our Sunday mornings begin at 8:30 a.m. with coffee, donuts and sharing. Worship service is at 9:10 a.m., followed by Sunday School and Bible class for all ages at 10:30 a.m. We welcome anyone who would like to come and visit us.

Bethlehem Village is an event that recreates the town of Bethlehem, where over 2,000 years ago, Mary and Joseph traveled in search of a place to spend the night. This event takes the entire congregation working together, praying, building buildings, painting, sewing costumes, and baking cookies. It takes many hours of preparation for this two-day event.

This year Bethlehem Village will be a drive thru event on the second weekend in December, from

6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 and from 5-8:30 p.m. Dec. 10. The event is presented at no cost. Visitors will have the opportunity to drive through the town of Bethlehem while listening to a narrative on a radio frequency explaining each stop along the way. The event concludes with a live Nativity with the appearance of the three wise men.

The story does not stop there. We are reminded of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross. We invite the whole community to come and enjoy Bethlehem Village at 9806 NE Zac Lentz Parkway Dec. 9 and 10.

Our Advent service will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 7. Our Family Night Advent service will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 14. Christmas Eve Candlelight Service is at 6 p.m. Dec. 24.

We wish each and everyone a blessed Christmas as we remember the real reason of the season: Jesus Christ our Savior.

If you have questions, please feel free to call the church office at 361-573-2232.

Who is Jesus?

This past June, I traveled to Germany to see the Passion Play in the town of Oberammergau. A performance recalling the death of Jesus has been performed in this town for almost 400 years.

It all started with a vow from the townspeople who pleaded to God for an end to the plague that was causing horrific death at the time. Since then, every 10 years a stunning reenactment of Jesus’ final days is presented by residents of this small village over several months. Thousands of people come from around the world to see the citizens of Oberammergau keep the vow of their ancestors.

This year’s performances were originally scheduled to happen in 2020, but were delayed two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so this was a long anticipated trip.

Before seeing the play and other important religious sites in the region, my grandmother and I visited relatives who live in Germany. My grandmother’s parents immigrated to the United States. We are fortunate to have kept in contact with the relatives in Germany from that side of the family.

While visiting with one of my grandmother’s first cousins, we started to have a conversation about Jesus. This distant relative of mine is a devout Baptist, and his grandfather, which is my great-greatgrandfather, was a Baptist minister in Germany. Since I am a Catholic priest and an American, I’m sure this cousin of mine wanted to know how different my views on Jesus might be.

He said there is this debate in Germany about who Jesus is. This debate revolves around the question of whether Jesus was just a “wise man” or is He, in fact, the “Son of God.”

Of course, Germany is not the only country where disputes about Jesus exist. There are people all over the world who have different ideas of Jesus, including here in our own land.

I was then asked what I believe, and I answered him, “Jesus is the Son of God.” After all, these are Jesus’ own words. They are recorded in Scripture. This is something that has been passed down throughout the ages. It is the only explanation for Jesus’ words and actions and His Resurrection.

After my statement on Jesus being the Son of God, he replied, “Your Jesus is mine too. The world goes its way, but we go ours.”

I now know that my first cousin twice removed is my “brother in Christ.”

There are many debates and points of contention between Christians. These differences can often turn people off from Christianity, usually because of the manner in which we expound on these differences and how we treat those with whom we disagree.

Perhaps, for a moment, we can put some of those things aside and answer a question that is at the heart of what makes Christmas so special. “Who is Jesus? Who is that child born in a stable in Bethlehem those many years ago?”

The answer to this simple, yet profound question is something that Christians should all be able to agree upon, and indeed most do. Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Mary. He is, in this mysterious way, both God and human. He is both the mighty creator of the universe, existing before time began and a helpless, little baby.

Christmas is a time to reflect on a gentler and perhaps more approachable image of God. Plagues and sickness might be interpreted as God’s wrath, but Christmas does not allow for a perception of God as an angry old man with a white beard sitting upon his throne in Heaven who is punishing sinful mankind. At Christmas God is presented to us in a radically new way. He is seen not as an old man, but as a newborn baby. At Christmas, we see God as humble, lowly, and even vulnerable. Instead of dealing out the punishment, God comes into the world to save us from it in the most non-threatening way.

To truly believe that Jesus is God is not something incidental. It changes everything. It has real consequences. Perhaps this is why there are forces in the world who want to make Jesus an ordinary person, or at least not too special. Instead of being the clear voice of truth, there are some who want His voice to be just one of many voices in our noisy world. Just one more opinion among many. With so many distractions in our lives, we are being conditioned not to think too much about that question of “Who is Jesus?,” or at least not be burdened with the consequences of an answer that would make us seek to change our lives. The answer could lead us to a purpose that goes beyond just the here and now. The answer can give us true peace. The world is certainly going its way, but what is our way?

For Christians, the way is clear. It means we follow Jesus. We have so many wonderful communities of faith here in the Crossroads, many places with dedicated people intentionally helping us know Jesus more and more. As we Christian believers go our way in faith to worship the newborn Christ this Christmas, also tell the world who Jesus is and the difference He makes in our lives.

May you have a most blessed Christmas!

The Rev. Kristopher Fuchs

Father Kristopher Fuchs is the pastor of St. Mary’s Church in downtown Victoria. St. Mary’s is Victoria’s first church and has her origins in 1824 through the city’s founder, Martin De Leon. St. Mary’s was canonically erected as a parish church in 1840 and is the second oldest Catholic parish in the state of Texas. Completed in 1904, the current church building, along with the neighboring Nazareth Convent, is one of Victoria’s great architectural, cultural and spiritual treasures.

Christianity’s Story Unfolds in Lessons and Carols

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory will host An Ecumenical Service of Lessons and Carols at 3 p.m.Dec. 11. The Victoria Civic Chorus will join the celebration this year. All are invited to the ecumenical services.

During the Advent celebration, nine Bible passages are read to tell the story of Christianity from the beginning – from the fall of Adam and Eve to God’s promise of a Savior and the birth of Jesus Christ. Prayers and carols reflecting the message of the lesson follow the readings.

Some of the carols may be well known and others may be

unfamiliar to the ears of the congregation. According to Dr. Glenn Hunter, director of music for the cathedral, Lessons and Carols is a tradition going back to the 19th century. Our Lady of Victory has hosted the celebration since 2016.

Last year, Christian pastors from Communities of Faith, a group that includes leaders from Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, helped present the “lessons,” and an ecumenical group of singers and musicians provided the carols. Bishop Brendan Cahill, a member of Communities of Faith, will preside again this year.

Scene’s from last year’s Lessons and Carols

Waiting for Christmas

James 1:17 NIV “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Children seem to experience the expectation of big events (such as Christmas or their birthdays) more keenly than adults. Children start hankering for Christmas before we’ve even celebrated Thanksgiving and can scarcely sleep a wink the night before Christmas.

A lot of this may be the desire for the presents they hope they will get, but some of this is perhaps also the youthful idealism and innocence which believes that Santa Claus is performing a miracle by flying and magically giving children the world over every-

thing they dream of. As adults we know better and aren’t as awestruck by the material gifts we will receive.

We also know that the deeper meaning of Christmas is about Jesus’ birth and the spiritual gifts which the incarnation brings to humanity. The message of Christmas is indeed very similar to what children believe, but on a spiritual plane. That is, that God, rather than Santa Claus, is giving something of infinite value to all His children.

The gift of Jesus is the universal gift of infinite value.

Christopher Simon

First English Lutheran Church

Matthew 1:20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

As Joseph made his way to Bethlehem with Mary, I’m sure the whole series of events swirled in his head. It must have been very overwhelming at some point. I can only imagine how anxious it must have made him feel as well.

But the words of the angel had to be a rock for him. “Do not be afraid…” God’s plan was in progress and Joseph had been assured of God’s provision. All he had to do was trust.

In this time of anxiousness and turmoil in our world, hold on to these words as well. Do not be afraid for the King of Eternity has us firmly held in the palm of his hand. As we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, it is only because we know that he will die and be raised up again to save us. That is the true gift of Christmas and the truth that grounds us during this beautiful season.

Do not be afraid. Trust. Be blessed. And Merry Christmas.

Pastor Chip Reynolds First English Lutheran Church

Celebrating God’s Promise

On the 25th day of December we as Christian people celebrate the transformation of all humanity, for Christ our savior was made incarnate. In the fullness of time, chosen in the incomprehensible depths of God’s wisdom, the Son of God took for himself our lowly human nature in order to reconcile it with the heavenly Father. Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, came to overthrow the devil, the origin of death, and to save us from our sins.

And so at the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ the angels sing in joy: Glory to God in the highest, and they proclaim peace to his people on earth as they see the heavenly Jerusalem being built. For the angels on high are so exultant at this marvelous work of God’s love and goodness.

Thus, Christmas is more than just a birthday party for Jesus, it is the celebration of God’s promise being fulfilled. It is a celebration of sinners being reconciled to God, it is a celebration of gratitude that God will take on our human frailty, and it is a celebration of love that the unity of all creation might finally be restored.

These virtues of reconciliation, gratitude, and love should be the foundation of our Christmas season. In our broken world these are the gifts that need to be given. There are many spouses that are longing to hear “I’m sorry,” there are children that are longing to hear “I love

you,” and countless parents that are longing to hear “thank you.” These are the gifts that the Holy Child is asking us to give each other for Christmas. Therefore, we rejoice at the birth of our savior with our Christmas liturgies asking God to fill us with virtue.

The Rev. Jacob Mendoza, pastor of St. Michael’s Catholic Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Cuero, invites you to join the Catholic Community of Cuero in their Christmas Masses. The Christmas Vigil Mass will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve at St. Michael’s. The children’s pageant will begin at 4:30 p.m. prior to Mass.

On Christmas Day, a Solemn Midnight Mass will be celebrated at midnight at St. Michael’s. The Mass will be by candlelight and will be celebrated ad orientem on the restored high altar, the Eucharistic Prayer will be recited in Latin, and an option to receive holy communion by intinction will be given at the communion rails.

Additionally, on Christmas Day, there will be a bi-lingual Spanish Mass celebrated at 8 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe and a 10 a.m. English Mass at St. Michael’s.

Please join us for these sacred liturgies celebrating the Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When all of the Christmas presents are opened, sometimes one will be hiding, tucked under the tree. Everyone is looking at it, curious, wondering who is that one for?

Finally, someone checks the tag and, handing it to you, announces, “It’s for you!”

This is the joy of the angels’ message on the first Christmas night. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord,” (Luke 2:11).

Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah, spoken of through the prophets of the Old Testament, was born.

The words for you were spoken to shepherds 2,000 years ago, but they

are as much for you as for them. Jesus is the Savior of the world. From His birth, to His perfect life, to His innocent death, to His glorious resurrection, all was done for you.

This Christmas season, open your Bible and read of the One who comes for you. Start Dec. 1 and read a chapter of Luke every night. On Christmas Eve, you will have read an entire account of Jesus’ life, knowing more about whose birth we celebrate.

Please join us at Zion Lutheran Church of Mission Valley on Christmas Eve, at 6 p.m., live or on Facebook. Hear again that wonderful story of Christ, the greatest gift of all, who came for you.

Peace be With You

ChristtheVictor Lutheran Church invitesyouto spendyourholidayswithus. 202 Stanly,Victoria,TexasOffice361-575-4363

• Nov.27 FirstSundayofAdvent10:00am

• Mid-WeekAdventServices: Nov.30th,Dec.7th,Dec.14th BibleStudy- 5:00pm-6:30bring sack meal Hymn sing -6:45pm WorshipService -7:00pm

• SundaysDec.4th,11th& 18th10:00am

• Dec. 15th Blue ChristmasService 7:00pm atimewhenwecan,withothers, acknowledge the“Blue”feelingswehaveatChristmastime ChristmasEve CandlelightService7:00pm ChristmasDayWorship 10:00am AllareWelcome

An In-Credible Christmas: The Journey to Hope

Faith Family Church

It’s here again! The season of beautifully decorated trees, joy-filled carols, delicious food and making memories with those we love. For many of us, this season inspires awe and excitement. But as much as it may seem so, the wonder of Christmas isn’t man-made. From the very first Christmas, God designed it to take our breath away.

Just think about the events that unfolded that first Christmas: an angelic choir populating the sky. Wise men traveling from afar to meet a child-king, guided only by a star. And of course, this king, humbly born in a stable, because there was no room for Him in the inn.

You might hear the story and appreciate the majestic nature of it all. But you also might wonder, “Is this really true?” The gospel writer Luke understood this thought process. He knew from experience that the miraculous birth of Jesus would be hard for many to believe, so he included much detail in his account.

If you’re like Luke, and me in my younger years, have questions about the reality of Christmas, that’s OK. But I encourage you—this holiday season, don’t stop at cynicism. Seek the answers to your heart’s questions.

One of the best places to seek them is Luke 1, where Luke inspires answers to some common questions people have about Christmas and what it should mean to their lives.

The first is, “What really happened?” In verse 1, he says, “Many have undertaken to draw up an

account of the things that have been fulfilled among us…” Here, “the things” he’s referring to are the 353 messianic prophecies Jesus fulfilled. Both the Bible and history confirm the facts—Jesus is the Messiah.

The second question is, “Who believes this?” Luke 1:2 says, “… they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses…” The facts Luke shared came from firsthand, credible sources.

The third question is, “Has my inquiry inspired me to receive God’s gift?” Luke 1:3 says, “With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning…” This is where you answer: what have the answers to questions one and two led me to believe?

The fourth question is, “Have I inquired to discover information or to become a disciple?” Luke 1:3 finishes with, “I too decided…” This is where we make a choice. Will we build faith into our lives for the long haul?

The last question is, “Is my faith a fairy tale, or is it true?” Luke 1:4 says, “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” When we can confidently answer that our faith is true, we know we’ve arrived at a place of genuine hope.

Friends, God’s not afraid of your questions. So, this Christmas, seek the answers your heart is searching for. When you do, you’ll embrace the season with confidence that Jesus—our Hope—is the reason for every season.