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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!

Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah

Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.
The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah

I said to the Lord: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.
O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.
Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted. Selah

“As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;
Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

I know that the Lord will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

One of the things that constantly surrounds us in our postmodern culture is the syncretistic and dualistic zeitgeist of our age. Just this past week I came across this idea, yet again, that anyone acting as if they know the truth, the absolute truth, is being arrogant and hotheaded and is generally a menace to society. While it is very well and good to be humble and admit what we don’t know for sure, there are a few things we know that we cannot bend on. Indeed, we who follow Christ proclaim, paraphrasing John 14:6, that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one may come to the father except through Him. Such a bold and unwavering proclamation is not usually well received. Sinful men do not like these absolutes. “There are many ways to God, who’s to say yours is more valid,” or so the questions of that ilk go. But the question to ask is, “and how do you know there are many ways to God? Are you really so sure, absolutely sure, that we Christians are wrong about this?”

History testifies to the sinful condition of man. History testifies to Christ’s death and resurrection. Yet we are told that to testify to such things, and the power of Christ’s death on the cross is an offense. Our gathering here this morning to proclaim Christ’s life, death, and victory is deemed dangerous absolutism. Not to put too fine a point on it, but they are right about it being dangerous to their worldview. And that’s why should be of good cheer. Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33). And that is an absolute truth worth celebrating. Thanks be to God!

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
 — Romans 12:1

Last week during Sunday School, Pastor Thacker reminded us that our worship still follows the patterns of sacrifice in Leviticus. But it is no longer a bloody sacrifice of animals, but a living sacrifice of ourselves. In the Old Covenant, the only way to draw near to God, being unclean as we are, was to do so with a substitute that pointed to the future once for all substitute, the true Lamb of God. Many now believe that sacrifices are over. Done away with. No more. But in reality, the Christian life is one that is lived as sacrifice. The difference of course is that we have been made clean by the ultimate sacrifice. But made clean unto what? Made clean that we may draw near to God.

God desires us, he desires the sacrifice of our lives. Because we were unclean and sinful, we could not offer ourselves to Him. You may recall in the old covenant that a blemished sacrifice was unacceptable (Deut. 17:1). God only accepts clean and unblemished sacrifices. Just so with us. And the good news is, we are made clean by Christ’s sacrifice. And Paul calls us to imitate Christ. Today (and every day, of course) offer up your praise, and your whole being, as an acceptable sacrifice to God, made possible by the sacrifice of the one whom we imitate!

A new podcast has been making the rounds: The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. The podcast is ongoing, releasing weekly, so it is not yet known where it will land, but the first four episodes have been interesting. There will be plenty you can disagree with from the producer’s point of view, and there’s much about J.K. Rowling and her worldview to disagree with, even if you’re a fan of her books. But what is fascinating is how a beloved author and feminist icon became anathema to the liberal cancel machine. What is the cause of this consternation? Rowling has dared to say publicly that there is such a thing as biological sex and voiced concerns about women’s rights and safety being eroded in light of today’s gender confusion. How quickly the left turn on one of “their own.”

When the truth is inconvenient and offensive, then those bearing witness to the truth are put out from society. This is why, though we may try to live peaceably with our fellow man, that we sometimes find that very difficult to do. On the issue of gender, we find ourselves in alignment with Rowling and so we too may face negative push back from the world. Romans 12:2 reminds us, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” As we wash away the filth of the world today before the throne of God, let us remember these things, that we indeed be not conformed to the world, but instead are about the truth God.

This past week was a study in contrasts. On Tuesday, we feasted on the riches God has granted us, consuming pancakes and rich maple syrup that generally adorns such food. We also celebrated the talent of our brothers and sisters and children. On Wednesday we entered into the Lenten season, marked by the Ash Wednesday service. This service is solemn and includes an extended time of repentance. We are also told during this service, “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is a sober reminder that our time in this life is limited. Ecclesiastes 3:20 says, “All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.”

It is good and right to remember these contrasts. We hold both that God is good and lavishes His gifts of abundance on us as He sees fit, and that the curse of sin and death is still upon humankind. Sin brings death as God told Adam in Genesis 2:17.

Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” But it doesn’t stop there, verse 28 goes on, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” That is why Lent must culminate with Easter. Christ died to bear our sins and give us the hope of life to come. So throughout this season, direct your faith forward to Easter and the Resurrection of our Lord, who has secured for you life eternal.

Doug Wilson recently posted about Ukraine winter needs (remember, winter lasts a while over there) in more detail than we can go into here. His post, Ukraine Winter is recommended.

We have the joy and privilege today of bearing witness to the baptism of one of our convent children, Cohen James Bryant. Baptism is a sign and seal of the promises of Christ to his people. In the sacrament of baptism, Christ claims the one being baptized as His own. As Cohen’s parents bring him to be baptized into Christ, we’ll look at this cute little baby, and we’ll smile, and we’ll laugh, and we’ll overflow with joy. Rightly so for this is the gift God has given to little ones: bringing joy into our lives. And seeing God’s proclamation of peace and His promise upon Cohen’s life is a joy and blessing.

Our privilege now is to watch Cohen grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord as his parents train him up in the faith. And it is both our duty and our privilege to stand alongside the Bryants to encourage them, aid them, offer counsel when needed, and be involved in their lives. Give thanks and rejoice in this gift — for it is a gift, not a burden.

God grows his Church in many ways, and this is one: aithful parents raising (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) faithful children. As Solomon says in Psalm 127, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” So today, we rejoice with the Bryants. Thanks be to God!

In the midst of our struggles with the powers of darkness, God will offer us victories and sign-posts on the way. When Roe v. Wade was overturned in June of 2022, we were filled with joy at what God had done for us. The push back from the enemies of life at this victory seemed to come in the form of multiple arrests under the guise of enforcing the FACE act.

This past week, God offered us another victory, and, hopefully, good legal precedent in the jury’s acquittal of Mark Houck. Like Paul Vaughn, Mark was arrested by the FBI, in front of his family, guns drawn and pointed at his head. The accusation was that, by shoving someone near an abortion facility, he was in violation of the FACE act by interfering with a volunteer abortion patient escort. He and his family were about 100 feet from the abortion facility and across the street. And Mr. Houck was attempting to stem harassment of his son.

These are, of course, all intimidation tactics to try to silence and stop pro-life protesters. But with Mr. Houck’s acquittal, perhaps we pro-life believers can take heart and all the more courage as we continue to wage this battle. And it’s all certainly good news for Paul who awaits a court date of January 16, 2024.

Of course, our battle isn’t really with flesh and blood, and that is why your prayers continue to be important. Let us continue to wage the war for life, and be encouraged at what the Lord is doing.

Wednesday at the prayer meeting, Pastor Thacker read Psalm 109, which was challenging in an unexpected way. The language used in this Psalm may shock us. But the Psalms should inform our worldview and prayer life. In an era of soft Christianity, the Psalms can do much for our backbone. Here’s David praying against his (and God’s) enemies in Psalm 109:

When he is judged, let him be found guilty,
And let his prayer become sin.
Let his days be few,
And let another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless,
And his wife a widow.
Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg;
Let them seek their bread also from their desolate places.
Let the creditor seize all that he has,
And let strangers plunder his labor.

What is your reaction to these words? Do you recoil against such language? Are similar words readily on your lips regarding God’s enemies; your enemies? As I prayed Wednesday for a situation where Christ’s enemies seek harm, I was searching for words that did not readily come, even after reading Psalm 109. So the challenge before us is this: spend time in the Psalms and be bold to pray the words God has given us. And when we pray as God has demonstrated to us and shape our lives after this pattern, we will find abundant blessing and strength of faith!