Cross LCMS Church & School Friends

09/04/2026

Today, Moses is remembered.

September 4th is the day the church commemorates Moses, the human author of the first five books of the Old Testament. He was born in Egypt while the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. Since they were ordered to kill all their male children, Moses’ mother placed him in a basket in the Nile River to save his life. When Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby in the basket, she decided to raise Moses as her son. When he was eighty years old, God called him to the work of leading the Israelites out of Egypt toward Canaan. After God sent the ten plagues on the people of Egypt, the Pharaoh told the Israelites to leave his country. Once the first Passover was celebrated, Moses led the people out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, where God parted the waters to allow them to escape. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, but the people didn’t obey them. After the people’s disobedience, Moses led them for forty years of wandering in the desert. Moses was not allowed to enter the land of Canaan, although God allowed him to view it from a high mountain where he then died. Because he is such an important figure in the Old Testament, Moses appears with Jesus in the New Testament at the Mount of Transfiguration.

Let us pray: "Lord God, heavenly Father, through the prophet Moses, You began the prophetic pattern of teaching Your people the true faith and demonstrating through miracles Your presence in creation to heal it of its brokenness. Grant that Your Church may see in Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the final end-times prophet whose teaching and miracles continue in Your Church through the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen.

Prayer and description quoted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 690-691.

Image: “Moses with the Ten Commandments” by Philippe de Champaigne. Public Domain.

09/02/2026

Today we remember Hannah, mother of Samuel.

Today the church commemorates Hannah.

Hannah, the childless but favored wife of Elkanah, prayed fervently to God for her womb to be opened. When the Lord answered her prayer and she bore Samuel, she sang the song below, and we join with her in this bold confession of faith in God's loving-kindness.

“My heart exults in the Lord;
my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low and he exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
against them he will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (Samuel 2:1–10)

09/01/2026

Today, we commemorate Joshua, the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, first mentioned in Exodus 17 when he was chosen by Moses to fight the Amalekites, whom he defeated in a brilliant military victory. He was placed in charge of the tent of meeting and was a member of the tribal representatives sent to survey the land of Canaan. Later, he was appointed by God to succeed Moses as Israel's commander-in-chief. Joshua eventually led the Israelites across the Jordan River into the Promised Land and directed the Israelites' capture of Jericho. He is remembered especially for his final address to the Israelites, in which he challenged them to serve God faithfully, concluding with the memorable words "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord"

(Treasury of Daily Prayer)

The "Joshua Tree" (legend has it) was named after him by Mormons because they thought the tree resembled him with his arms outstretched. It's also arguably the greatest U2 album ever!

08/29/2026

Today, the martyrdom of John the Baptist is remembered.

We remember today the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, who was beheaded by Herod Antipas (Mark 6:14-29). John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets and forerunner of the New Testament, by preparing the way for Christ. Because of his preaching of repentance to the people, he was arrested and beheaded. Upon hearing the news of his death, Jesus said that there had arisen none greater than John the Baptist. (Matthew 11:11) "In the footsteps of the prophets who had gone before him -- in anticipation of the Christ whose way he prepared -- this servant of the Lord manifested the cross by the witness of his death." (670)

Let us pray: "Almighty God, You gave Your servant John the Baptist to be the forerunner of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in both his preaching of repentance and his innocent death. Grant that we, who have died and risen with Christ in Holy Baptism, may daily repent of our sins, patiently suffer for the sake of the truth, and fearlessly bear witness to His victory over death; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 670.

Image: “Salome with the Head of John the Baptist,” by Caravaggio, Public Domain.

08/29/2026

I have a lot of regrets in my life. I've lied, cheated, let people down, and lived the hedonistic life of a stupid, selfish prodigal. There are plenty of things I wish I could go back and undo or change.

But you know what? There is one thing I have never regretted, not for a single moment in my 56 years: having children. Just the opposite. Outside of my salvation in Jesus, my children have been the Lord's greatest blessing to me.

And I suspect that if you surveyed 99.9% of parents, you'd hear much the same answer about how much life, joy, and blessing children have brought to them.

Children are indeed a gift from God. Or, as one of the psalms we prayed today in Bible in One Year puts it, "Children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward" (Ps. 127:3).

Of course they are! Go back to the opening chapter of the Bible. What was the first command God gave Adam and Eve? "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth..." (Gen. 1:28).

That means when husbands and wives hit the sheets and make some babies, God is delighted. Being fruitful and multiplying were his brainchild, after all.

Our Father entrusts sons and daughters to us so that we might love them, protect them, teach them, and bring them up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).

By his grace, they grow from babies to toddlers, from children to teenagers, and, we pray, into faithful, responsible adults who love God and serve their neighbors.

Many will one day marry, raise families of their own, and pass on that same love and faithfulness to another generation (cf. Deut. 6:6-7).

So today, as we pray Psalm 127, let us thank God for the blessed, wonderful, and, yes, often exhausting gift of children. They are not interruptions to life. They are a living gift from the Lord and Creator of life.

08/28/2026

Today, we remember St. Augustine of Hippo.

Today the church commemorates St. Augustine, church father.

Augustine (354–430) was baptized at 33 by Ambrose of Milan after a life of dissipation and wandering. Augustine was already a wildly gifted orator before his conversion, and afterward he used his brilliant speaking and writing abilities for the church. His works are still among some of the widest-read and most significant works for Christians across the centuries. This is likewise true of us as Lutherans: Martin Luther, Philipp Melanchthon, and Martin Chemnitz were not interested in disavowing all previous church history, but rather were seeking to bring contemporary teaching into line with what is found in scripture. Though the church fathers, being mortal men, are not without their errors, the example and writings of men like Augustine is still of great value to us today.

Rev. Dr. Carl Beckwith, professor of historical theology at Concordia Theological Seminary—Fort Wayne, published a piece in the CTSFW Quarterly twenty years ago on how Martin Chemnitz utilized Augustine and other church fathers in his writings on justification. It's a great read if you're interested in how Lutherans understand Augustine! Here's the link:
https://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/beckwithchemnitzchurchfathersjustification.pdf

08/27/2026

Today, the church commemorates Monica, mother of Augustine.

Monica (c. 332 – 387) was a Christian woman married to a non-believing husband who converted on his deathbed to Christianity. Augustine, her son, would not become a Christian until he was 33 years old, after a significant period as a wandering non-believer and then a Manichean.

St. Monica bore patiently and prayerfully the hardships of a spouse and a child outside of the faith. According to some legends, Monica is said to have wept nightly over Augustine while he was a wayward young man. But the prayers of the righteous Monica availed much (cf. James 5:16). The example of Monica is a great inspiration and comfort for all people who have a loved one outside of the faith: Pray fervently and pray often, for God hears your prayers.

O Lord, You strengthened Your patient servant Monica through spiritual discipline to persevere in offering her love, her prayers, and her tears for the conversion of her husband and of Augustine, their son. Deepen our devotion to bring others, even our own family, to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who with You and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever. Amen.
(Prayer from Treasury of Daily Prayer, 663.)

Image source: Michael Willman, St. Monica, c. 1660-1670.

08/26/2026

Ok folks. A very intelligent, enterprising young man has created an AI chatbot for Lutherans. I believe it's current source is the Book of Concord. I've played with it a bit and really like it.

Lutheranism.ai

Check it out!

08/24/2026

Today, the church remembers St. Bartholomew, apostle and martyr.

Bartholomew appears in all four of the Gospels, though he is called Nathanael by John. In fact, the one interaction we see between Bartholomew and Jesus occurs in John:

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael [Bartholomew] and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:43–51, ESV)

According to tradition, St. Bartholomew was martyred by being flayed alive. (If you are squeamish, we don't recommend searching online for art of St. Bartholomew—some of it is quite graphic.) He is sometimes depicted holding a knife, or represented symbolically by a knife or knives. God preserve us from such an end! We give thanks to God for the life and faith of Bartholomew, and look forward to the resurrection of the dead, when St. Bartholomew and all the faithful will be raised and restored unto everlasting life with Jesus, "Son of God" and "King of Israel."

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jusepe_de_Ribera,_The_Martyrdom_of_Saint_Bartholomew,_1634.jpg

08/20/2026

On August 20th, the church commemorates the last of the Old Testament judges, Samuel. The son of Elkanah and his wife Hannah, he lived during the eleventh century BC. His parents consecrated Samuel for sacred service when he was young, so that he was trained by Eli the priest in the tabernacle. God called Samuel to be a prophet while he was still serving Eli. Samuel anointed Saul to be Israel’s first king. Later, he anointed David to replace Saul as king after Saul forsook the Lord. “Samuel’s loyalty to God, his spiritual insight, and his ability to inspire others made him one of Israel’s great leaders.” (642)

Let us pray: “Almighty God, in Your mercy You gave Samuel courage to call Israel to repentance and to renew their dedication to the Lord. Call us to repentance as Nathan called David to repentance, so by the blood of Jesus, the Son of David, we may receive the forgiveness of all our sins; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” Amen.

Prayer quoted from and description adapted from “Treasury of Daily Prayer,” pg. 642.

Image: “St. Samuel the Prophet”. Public Domain.