Crossroads Community Church

04/06/2026

04/05/2026

At Christmas time it is common to see people put a sign in their year or wear a badge on their lapel that reads “Jesus is the Reason for the Season”. That quotation is to remind us to focus on the true meaning of Christmas rather than store sales, house decorations, and social events. Likewise, what can be said about the real meaning of Easter? Our focus should not be on pretty new spring clothes, chocolate candy, painted eggs or a bunny rabbit. Just like a few months ago we focused on the birth of the savior. Today we should focus on the savior’s victory over death. The meaning of Easter symbolizes the truthfulness of all that Jesus preached and taught. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, then I think the Apostle Paul best described that “what if scenario” when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15: 19 “If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone”.

Jesus predicted his resurrection. He was with his disciples in Galilee when he told them that he would be betrayed, killed and that on the third day he would arise. Today is the third day. After a weekend of doom and despair, today will be a joyful day of reunion.

He is risen! He is risen!
Tell it out with joyful voice.
He has burst his three days’ prison;
Let the whole wide earth rejoice.
Death is conquered; man is free.
Christ has won the victory.
(Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818–1895)

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. Blessings, Rev. Tom

04/04/2026

On this Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Mary the mother of Jesus, sat in her house and reflected on the previous 33-years. She gave birth to our Savior. She nursed Him. She bathed Him and changed his diapers. Mary and her husband Joseph, who was Jesus’ stepfather, raised and taught Him, and enjoyed his company along with their other children who were born after Jesus. Joseph taught Jesus how to be a carpenter, a trade that is much in demand today. Yesterday, Mary watched in horror as Jesus was put to death. The Bible does not speak about Joseph at this time; the assumption is that he is no longer living.

The last words that Jesus that spoke from the cross were, “it is finished”. That was not the cry of a whining loser who had been beaten down, it was the cry of a winner. Jesus did not have his life taken away by the Jewish leaders and the Roman soldiers. Jesus willing gave his life on the cross for the sins of man and now he was going home.

A final instruction that Jesus gave from the cross was to his friend John, where he commanded John to care for Mary as if she were his own mother and for Mary to care for John as if he was her own son. Jesus’ siblings were not yet believers which is why Jesus entrusted the care-giving of his mother to his best friend. Even in the time of his imminent death, Jesus demonstrated his love, he was the perfect son. If your parents and grandparents are still alive, call them or go and visit them, hold their hand and tell them you love them. I wish I could do that with my parents today. If your folks are deceased, perhaps you have elderly relatives, neighbors, or church members that you can shower with love today, just as Jesus showered love upon his mother in the seconds before he died.

Don’t be like the disciples who on this day cowered in a room with a thick wooden and securely locked door scared about what would happen now that their savior was dead. They had heard Jesus talk about “the rest of the story” but at this moment they rode their emotions and seemed to have forgotten. We have not forgotten; we know the rest of the story. Sunday is coming, praise God Sunday is coming.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

04/03/2026

On Good Friday we remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. For Christians, Good Friday is an important day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most momentous weekend in the history of the world. Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross an resurrection of Jesus to be the decisive turning point for all creation. Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along in the Scriptures.

So why do we call it “Good Friday” rather than “Bad Friday”? After all, it is such a bleak event when we remember the day when Jesus was the recipient of verbal abuse, beating, suffering and a painful death on the cross. What the Jewish authorities and Romans did to Jesus was horrible. Even the crowds who cried “Hosanna” just a few days ago on Palm Sunday today hollered “crucify him”.

Regardless of the events that day, the name Good Friday is appropriate because the suffering and death of Jesus, as terrible as it was, marked the dramatic coming together of God’s plan to save his people from their sins. In order for the good news of the gospel to have meaning for us, we first have to understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people. As terrible as that day was, it had to happen for us to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God against sin had to be poured out on Jesus. Jesus was the unblemished sacrificial substitute. Jesus had to die in order for forgiveness and salvation to be poured out to man. People who do not know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior are lost. It does not matter what their social status is. Being president of their Homeowners Association and the PTA does not matter one bit. The size of their 401K is meaningless. The opportunity to ask Jesus to reside in your heart is the same for everyone, which explains the meaning of the phrase “the ground at the foot of the cross is level” Good Friday marks the day when wrath and mercy met at the cross. That’s why Good Friday is so dark and so Good.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

04/02/2026

During Passion Week, it was on Thursday that Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, known as the Last Supper. The word “Maunday” is derived from the Latin word for “command.” Jesus gave a command to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another. We observe Maundy Thursday as a way to remember the Last Supper and Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of our sins. While it is good to remember the Lord’s example of humility, at the same time, we should not be ritualistic and legalistic about observing holidays unless they are truly focused on God and our relationship with Him.

After observing a special Passover supper Jesus stood up, tied a towel around his waist and poured water in a large bowl. He then commenced to wash and dry the feet of his disciples. Jesus met some resistance especially from crusty ole’ Peter. Jesus however turned this resistance into a teachable moment. Jesus taught them that a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him; and that if they (the disciples) understood this than they would be blessed when served fellow men. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet as an act of humility and service, thereby setting an example that we should love and serve one another in humility.

About 2,800 years ago, a man walked upon this earth, he was known as a country preacher; his name was Micah. He wrote in his book, chapter 6, verse 8: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God”. Dear God, help me to always walk humbly with you, and to have the servant attitude of Jesus.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

04/01/2026

Christians call today Holy Wednesday or Spy Wednesday, a day of the Holy Week that many religious denominations do not celebrate. Many churches will hold meet tonight as they do all year long. It’s a welcome break in the middle of the week to have fellowship dinner and Bible study with like-minded friends from their community.

According to the traditional interpretation of the Bible, Holy or Spy Wednesday is the day on which Jesus was in Bethany in Simon the leper’s house. As Jesus relaxed with his friends at the dinner table, a woman came up to him with a bottle of very expensive ointment, perhaps what today we would call perfume, and she poured it on his head. This caused uproar with the disciples who thought it would have been wiser to sell it and give the proceeds to support the needs of the poor. In a military tone, Jesus told the disciples to stand down by claiming what she did was beautiful because it represented preparing his body for burial.

The next event that is recorded in scripture is where we get the term “Spy Wednesday”. This is the day that is traditionally thought of as the day Judas struck a deal with the local authorities to betray Jesus for 30-pieces of silver. If we assume that the 30-pieces of silver weighed 15 troy ounces, then in today’s currency, the betrayal would be about US$300.00. I must ask myself. Have I ever received $3,000.00 in federal and state income tax refunds and failed to include an extra $300.00 in the offering plate at church? Yep, I know I have. Have I made $3,000 profit on a stock trade and failed to give that extra 10% back to God? Most likely. Then what makes Judas any worse than me? This is reflection and confessional time folks. Think about your own faithfulness in returning to God what rightfully belongs to him.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

03/31/2026

Christians call today Holy Tuesday, for it is the last Tuesday before Easter Sunday. Just like Holy Monday, not many religious denominations have a celebration for today. We cannot be certain the exact chronological order of the events recorded in the Gospels, but we can be certain that they happened. With that understanding, Holy Tuesday is believed to be the day when Jesus was called out by Israel’s Jewish leaders over subjects such as marriage in heaven, paying taxes to Caesar, and the source of His authority. On that day, Jesus commented on the widow’s financial donation, the Bible Story that we so well remember going back to our childhood Sunday School days when the widow placed two small copper coins into the offering plate. This was followed by an encounter with some God-fearing Greeks. On Holy Tuesday Jesus spoke His eight “woes” against the Pharisees and He delivered the Olivet Discourse which was His instructions concerning the end of time.

I stand amazed at the love that Jesus displayed to carry on his Earthly ministry when he knew that in a few short days it would be over. I wonder where my priorities would be if I knew that today I am healthy and strong but in a few days I would be dead. Does that same thought cause you to stop and wonder?

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

03/30/2026

It is the day after Palm Sunday, Christians call today Holy Monday although not many religious denominations have a celebration for today. But we can take a historical look back over 2,000 years ago. The first thing to keep in mind is that the Gospels were not necessarily written in chronological order. Furthermore, the Romans and the Jews had different methods for calculating the start of a day, therefore an exact sequence of events is difficult to determine. With that understanding…

According to theological and Jewish history that has been passed down throughout the years, Holy Monday is the day on which Jesus cleansed the temple of the money changers and the pigeon vendors because they had changed the purpose of the temple from being a place of worship and prayer into a marketplace and the home of the hole-in-the-wall gang. Jesus was praised by many with tears of happiness for his actions and then he left. He came upon a fig tree that should have been producing fruit that time of the year but it was void. He was hungry and the fig tree could not satisfy his physical need. Scripture records that Jesus cursed the fig tree, but figuratively he was lashing out at the nation of Israel for their unbelief. Does that make you pause and wonder about the reasons that Jesus might lash out at you today. Think about it.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

03/29/2026

Today is Palm Sunday. Jesus is nearing the end of His Earthy ministry at a place called Golgotha, “The Skull”. We often call that place “Calvary”. He had come to save the lost, and now was the time and this was the place to secure that salvation.

Palm Sunday began with Jesus and His disciples traveling over Olivet, a ridge that ran along the east side of Jerusalem, separated from the city walls by a ravine and the Kidron creek. Most commonly called, The Mount of Olives, it was the site of many events in the Bible and will be the site of a yet-future fulfillment of prophecy.

The Lord sent two disciples ahead into the village of Bethphage to find an unbroken c**t of a donkey for him to ride. The owners willing parted with their c**t. Jesus rode the c**t, using the
disciple’s coats as a saddle, into Jerusalem, where they met a large crowd. The crowd understood that Jesus was the Messiah and they thought it was time to set up the kingdom, but it is not yet time; Jesus had tried to tell them so. The crowd gave Jesus the royal treatment by spreading their coats on the road as well as palm tree branches. About 500 years earlier, the prophet Zechariah (9:9-10) prophesied this event. Unfortunately, the celebration would not last. The crowds looked for a Messiah who would rescue them politically and free them nationally, but Jesus had come to save them spiritually. Jesus understood that man’s primary need is
spiritual, not political or cultural. The coatless crowd missed the true reason for Jesus’ presence, and scripture records that Jesus cried. He was sorrowful.

It is a tragic thing to see the Savior but not recognize Him for who He is. There is coming a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. I hope that you attend a worship service today, and then enjoy quiet time with your family.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom

03/28/2026

Passion Week also referred to as Holy Week, starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday. The word passion is from the Latin pati, which means “to endure” or “to suffer.” The term “passion of Christ has taken on a technical meaning in theology, referring to the time from Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane to His death on the cross. The crucifixion of Christ is the apex of human history and the grand theme of the apostles’ teaching. It is through the passion of Christ that we are made right with God.

Christ’s suffering—His passion—was real. It is not as though He simply appeared to suffer; He actually suffered and died. When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matthew 26:39), He was in genuine anguish over His pending suffering. When He was beaten and mocked, when the crown of thorns was pressed on His head, when He was nailed to a cross at Calvary, when He hung there and struggled to breathe, when He watched tears running down His mother’s face, He was experiencing genuine, excruciating suffering to pay for our sins. He endured all that to save those who would trust in Him. We should model this passion in our worship of God and in our proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Jesus suffered for us, so should we be willing to suffer for the cause of following Him and proclaiming to nonbelievers the important message of His death, His resurrection, and His planned return.

If you do not have a church that you call home, we have a seat for you at Crossroads Community Church in Louisa, VA. See you tomorrow Facebook Followers. Rev. Tom