From The Deacon's Bench

Crossroads can be defined as follows: a road that crosses a main road or joins two main roads a point at which a crucial decision must be made that will have far-reaching consequences As I sit down to write this, we all, as individuals and as a nation are in fact at a crossroads.   Where do we go from here?  What direction do we need to take?  Which map should we follow?  All of those questions can be applied to either definition of crossroads.  For me personally, I find that I am at a crossroads when it comes to commenting on things in politics.  At times as an ordained clergyperson, I feel that it is not my place to make "political" comments, yet I also have a responsibility to minister to the needs of all people and to encourage others to do the same.  Do I just sit quietly and offer prayers for those individuals who fled poverty, oppression and danger in their home countries, only to be used as "political pawns" and as "props" in an ideological battle?

 As I sit down to write this edition, November is ending, December is beginning, and we are in the first week of Advent, 2022.  This is truly a time of the year where the battlelines of Church vs. World are very strong. Advent is defined as a penitential season.  It is a time for prayer, quiet reflection and spiritual renewal.  It is spiritually just the opposite of what our earthly world envisions...parties, shopping for gifts, treats, getting filled with the holiday "spirits" and "good cheer". As a young child, I remember that Christmas was a time for family events, but it was not on the scale of today's celebrations.  Easter was THE holiday.  Think about it... Holiday comes from holy + day and it originally referred only to special religious days.  Easter...The Resurrection of Christ... wow .   Some will say that hey wait...Christmas...The Virgin Birth of Christ... wow .  Yes, both events were indeed WOW moments.   Somehow, the story that appears in Mathew&#