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Let’s face it. In an age of blockbusters and action movies and captivating podcasts and even “miracles” and “visions” in various branches of the church, we all, on the inside, crave the exciting and sensationalistic versions of stuff. But then we come to worship and hear the bible being read and the singing of hymns and even the chanting of psalms, and think to ourselves, “This is not very exciting. Wish it were more juiced up!” We crave the outlandish. But what saith the scriptures? Well, the scriptures say we all sound like the rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day before he ended up in Hades (Luke 16.19ff). He wanted Father Abraham to send poor Lazarus to warn his five brothers. When Abraham replied “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them,” he complained and said not good enough. He wanted the sensationalistic presentation: someone from the dead! Then they would repent. But Abraham wasn’t having any of it: “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”

Think about that: the Word heard is more convincing than a raised dead person saying the same thing! This means you have the best representation of the truths of God in the reading and hearing of God’s word in the worship service! Better and more convincing than a dead guy trying to convince you to believe or repent or worship! And when you are witnessing to unbelievers, Father Abraham says don’t crave the sensationalistic tricks and lures; more convincing is the bible in your hands, the recitation of God’s word from your memory.

For the last forty or fifty years, Christians have fallen into the practice of not naming the name of Jesus when they speak out in the public square. Can you remember a politician or even a leading Christian ever saying, “Jesus hates homosexuality.” We know this because in Matthew 19 Jesus quotes from Genesis 1 and 2 where he says “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’” Jesus is absolutely clear. But Christians cop out using the name of the King, and instead refer to ambiguous and less specific terms like “The Moral Majority” or “Traditional Values” or “historical practice” or “biological science,” or use bumper stickers that say “God Bless America,” (not “Jesus Bless America”) etc. But nowadays the majority is not moral by biblical standards, and traditional values are two married men and two children in a family. Why do Christians shy away from using their Lord’s specific name? Because it puts a target on them of naming a historical person who taught clearly and took clear positions and who said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” That’s exclusive, and it bothers people and puts them on edge; it says they are wrong to worship Buddha or Allah or themselves or pleasure or wealth, etc. But we must not shy away from naming the name of Jesus, because that is the Gospel: Jesus is Lord. To not mention his name as the foundation for all our thinking and living is to withhold the very salvation of man!

Jesus said “Let the little children come to me,” and he held them and blessed them. The mothers bringing the children thought that was important: that Jesus the man/Messiah/teacher, hold their children, pray over them and bless them bodily. Even little nursing infants! And Jesus agreed, sending the disciples off to the side for stopping the mothers. Should we learn something from this with regard to our passing the faith on to our children? As husbands and fathers, no doubt; our wives tend to be nurturers right out of the box. But men aren’t as attuned to following Jesus’ example, and so we need to work at it. What can we learn? Well, let the little children come to us! Children need to, actually want to, sit on daddy’s lap on the couch, at the dinner table, even during the sermon during worship. Dad’s should be careful to hold their kid’s hands during the day, while walking to the car or into the restaurant, sitting on the couch during family worship, or while praying before meals. How about reading stories to them before bed with them nestled around you? How about holding your little ones while they fall asleep on your lap, snuggling them, or lying next to them on the bed telling them stories as they drift off? Father’s should hug their daughters often to assure them that he cares for them and to give them male attention, which they surely desire as they get older. You want them getting that attention from dad and not inappropriately from some young man! Not to mention rassling with the boys from time to time! The point is, there are a million ways to give your children the blessing of love demonstrated bodily!

Pastor Meyers made the point two weeks ago in his sermon to the congregation that nowhere in the scriptures do we find that spirituality is a personal, separatistic, individualistic pursuit. He made the point that holiness is a corporate pursuit, even for the individual. Even hearing the word requires a public gathering, as somebody else is reading the bible to be heard by us or the congregation. Holiness is pursued in the midst of the congregation, as the rituals were all public: sacrifices, baptisms, readings, processions, feasts, paying of vows, etc. There were always others around, even if it was just Levites and priests assisting. This strikes our modern ears as “abnormal,” having been taught from a young age to pursue true spirituality by individually reading the bible, quiet times, getting away with God, praying in our closets, taking walks with God, listening to Him speak to us, etc. We discipline our bodies to remove the “flesh” component as much as possible so that we are in the Spirit as much as possible. In short order, that is Greek Gnosticism. The Scriptures instead teach we grow and mature in the corporate body; hence, all the public worshipping and feasting and singing. And that fits completely with God’s Trinitarian character, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit spend eternity laughing, feasting, talking, serving, and fellowshipping together. Through our creation, they brought us into that corporate fellowship. As we spend time with other images of God, keeping all our eyes on the Fathers, Son, and Spirit, little wonder then that we reflect the Three to one another. That’s spirituality!

As mentioned last week, the “Ordinary” of Ordinary Time does not mean “mundane,” but is the term used because such Sundays are designated according to their ordinal numbers: First Sunday, Second Sunday, etc. Yet, without any major events or festivals between now and Reformation, there is a certain sense in which we have entered an “ordinary routine” of the liturgical year and cycle. This is not meant to imply that the life lived in Christ by the Spirit is commonplace. Far from it, and yet there is something to be said for the rhythm of life that a regular routine provides. Most of life is not marked by great feasts. We do not live in a constant party, which would be exhausting and diminish the times for celebration, but in the usual day-to-day of rising from sleep, working, eating, drinking, talking, playing, and lying down to sleep. We go to sleep, we “die” each night, only for the Lord to “resurrect” us each morning, to raise us to the life to be lived in Him by faith. That is hardly mundane, and yet it is our common experience, to which we barely give any thought, as we readily and rightly give ourselves to the daily duties the Lord sets our hands to do. Ordinary Time is a significant portion of our lives in which we live out the realities of Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and the giving of the Spirit. It is ordinary, gloriously ordinary.

Over the past three Sundays there have been three different liturgical colors used: red, white, and green. Red was the color used for Pentecost, symbolizing fire as referenced in the “divided tongues as of fire” and the Holy Spirit resting on the apostles. As we read of in Acts 2:3-4. White was used for Trinity Sunday, symbolizing purity and completeness, a fitting color for the One God in Three Persons. This Sunday we enter Ordinary Time, which is represented by green for a season of growth. This does not mean that we are not to be growing as believers throughout the other seasons of the year, but we do begin an extended period where we do not note any particular events related to the coming or ministry of Christ or the work of the Holy Spirit. However, we should not understand ordinary to mean “mundane.” Rather, the reason for the appellation “Ordinary Time” is on account of the fact that the Sundays are not named but designated according to their ordinal numbers: First Sunday, Second Sunday, etc. Of course, it is probably challenging for us not to think of “ordinary” as meaning any other than “non-exciting,” especially since we will only see green between now and the end of October, when red makes another appearance for Reformation Sunday. But as those living on this side of the resurrection and ascension of Christ, as those who have been given the Holy Spirit, there is hardly anything commonplace about the life to which we are called. To be continued.

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, and since it follows Pentecost Sunday, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Apostles for the sake of the world, we might have a tendency to think that before Pentecost the Trinity was somehow incomplete. But that’s not the mindset we should have. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were complete in eternity, each fully God and each fully their own person.

Trinity Sunday is a day to reflect upon and consider the fullness of God’s work, and it acts as a summation of the past liturgical year before we enter into what is known as “Ordinary Time.” Until the beginning of Advent, we will mark time as Sundays after Pentecost, denoting the mission of the church to go to all the nations empowered by the Holy Spirit. This season can also be denoted as “Sundays of/after Trinity,” which is a more recent development, but emphasizes the whole of salvation as encompassed in the Triune God, even as is the focus of today. We alternate between these designations year after year.

The Gospel for this Sunday is taken from John 3, where we find that the salvation of men and the redemption of the world is not only accomplished by Jesus, but also by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, each having their distinct roles. Maybe that’s an obvious statement, but it also helps us not to lose sight of the Trinitarian nature of salvation, and further directs us to the Trinitarian life to which we we’re called as the church in a faithful response to what God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have promised and done.

It is a privilege to receive into membership those God brings into our midst. Today, we receive the Pittman family, who have been attending both worship and many other events for a few months. And as we receive them today, Clementine and Hatcher will also be receiving the sign and seal of baptism in Christ our Lord. Many of you have no doubt been delighted by the cuteness and cheerfulness of these precious little children. And, while of course we called these little ones our brother and sister in the Lord before, now we recognize them as particular members of our body.

I’m sure you’ve often heard it at baptisms, but it always bears repeating this should remind us to look to our own baptism, remembering that this is not a work that we do, it is not a thing we say to God, it is a sign and seal that God gives to us. God speaks in the water, and he says, you are mine, for you I have died, for you I have risen again, that you may have eternal life. The Heidelberg Catechism 69 says: “How is it signified and sealed to you in Holy Baptism, that you have part in the one sacrifice of Christ on the cross? Thus: that Christ instituted this outward washing with water and joined therewith this promise: that I am washed with His blood and Spirit from the pollution of my soul, that is, from all my sins, as certainly as I am washed outwardly with water, whereby commonly the filthiness of the body is taken away.” Extend the right hand of fellowship to our brothers and sisters, newly covenanted with us for the furtherance of Christ’s cause, and the edification of our fellowship.

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
– Psalm 37:1-2

Politics in our time can be a ready source for discouragement. Whether you’ve noted some stirrings of presidential campaigning, or taken stock of other political landscapes locally or nationally, the present outlook and near future can seem rather bleak. Perhaps you have concerns for the further loss of freedoms, or perhaps a politician in your district is standing up for the evil of abortion, gender confusion, child mutilation, or any number of modern-day iniquities.

These are the issues of our day, and they are certainly worthy of our attention as we seek to be salt and light. However, the key question to ask yourself in light of Psalm 37 — and certainly one that convicts me — is, are you fretting because of evildoers accumulating political power? Are you even envious of their position in this world? Look at how the iniquitous prosper! Do we not sometimes wish that was us? It’s so easy for us in our flesh to dwell and fret on that. But David here reminds us of the reality of the situation: their ways do not please God and they will be cut down and wither. Put the lens of the psalms on so that you may see clearly. And when you do, you see their prosperity is fleeting. The psalms reveal the reality of God’s universe: if you delight in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart!

One of the things we’ve seen happening over the last many years, is the transition of much of the western church from the role of blessing, light, and example to the nations, to that of follower of the example of the nations. While we at St. Mark may think, “that’s not us,” we do well to consider where we can shore up both our thinking and practice here, that we fall not into this role-reversal.

Galatians 3:8–9 tells us: “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” And verse 29: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” As we connect that with the commissioning we rehears every Lord’s Day to disciple the nations, we understand that we, the church, are the continuing means by which the nations will be blessed as Abraham’s seed. All authority has been given to our Lord, and our calling is to go and make disciples and teach them to observe all that has been commanded to us by God. This, then, is our calling, not to become a molded only by the culture around us, but to be the mold for the culture around us. Wherever Christ is not, we must shine His light brighter. Light has a cleansing effect, and as we live our daily lives, let us consider how we can shine the cleansing light of Jesus to those around us. May God grant strength and wisdom to do so.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. – Psalm 118:1

While this Psalm calls us to worship, there is also some conviction here to consider. “He is good.” Do we believe that? As we go through life and we consider the trials and tribulations we often endure — as we consider things like the tragedy at The Covenant School, do we really believe that He is good? The perspective of the psalmist here should inform us. Do we take the perspective that the psalmist takes here? God is good. His mercy endures forever.

Perhaps this week brought trials, perhaps the upcoming week will. Verse 4 says, “Let those who fear the Lord now say, ‘His mercy endures forever.’” As we face this life, we are called on to praise God, to acknowledge His goodness, and to take delight in His mercy. In the following verses we learn that the psalmist called on the Lord in distress, when surrounded by the nations, but the Lord answered. Verse 6: “the Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

So as we look over the prayer list this week, as we consider some of the hard things going on around us, let us remember the goodness of the Lord — the very Lord who was raised from the dead, as we celebrated this past Easter Sunday and as we celebrate again today. The Lord is on our side, call on Him and He will answer. Put your trust in the Lord!

Death could not hold him!

The Apostle Peter, in his sermon in Acts 2, uses that exact sentence structure when he says “it was not possible that he should be held by it [death]” (New King James). This great victory was accomplished for us, paying the penalty for our sins, by him who knew no sin — the spotless Lamb of God. Because of His death and Resurrection, we have been made alive in Christ, and death will not hold us either.

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:20–22, fleshes out the doctrine of the resurrection further: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” And he then goes on to tie Christ’s resurrection with his rule and reign, which is happening right now. 15:25–26 “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”

That is why, during this season of Eastertide, we focus on that victory, and we celebrate Christ’s rule and reign as he actively defeats His enemies. We rejoice that death has no power over us, and, will ultimately be defeated.

This day, hear it proclaimed: Christ is risen! And let your refrain be hearty: He is risen indeed!