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In Matthew 22 Jesus says, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” Last week, Pastor Thacker preached to us from Mathew 25 and the takeaway is clear: be about the business of the kingdom of our Lord. This is, indeed, the primary way we show that we love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and mind. If we are not about the business that we have been called to, we fail in loving God with our whole being.

As you consider the world around you, the worries of war, the cares of rising costs and increasing inflation, the many things you have on your plate to accomplish, make sure to filter it through this lens: am I about the business God has called me to? Will this further the goal of loving the Lord with my whole being. David reminds us in Psalm 37: “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. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

So as you go about your week this week, delight in the Lord. Love Him with your whole being.

Pastor Thacker mentioned in his sermon last week that political corruption is nothing new, it’s been going on since, well, the dawn of time really. Still, it can sometimes be surprising the political shenanigans politicians get up to.

You remember how inflation was on the rise and the cost of living was soaring well before war broke out in Ukraine? Well, it turns out, according to some politicians, and particularly our politician in chief, that the war is responsible for the prices we’re seeing at the pumps and grocery stores. Who knew?

And inflation is liable to get worse before it gets better. Things could get rough. But as we have also been learning in our study of Matthew 24, while it’s good to be prepared for such things, ultimately, our calling is to be faithful with what we have. We are to continue living the lives God has called us to. And very often, when we see what looks like the smoking ruin of the world, it’s because God is removing the old to bring in something new and better. Be thinking about what ways you might be ready for the opportunities God will bring to you — to us — in this new world being built. The pain of rising cost of living is temporary. God’s ways are eternal.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, or you’ve been living under a rock, but war has broken out between Ukraine and Russia. Many have varying opinions of the leadership of Russia, the leadership of Ukraine, and whether or not the U.S. should be involved, and to what degree.

One thing that should be clear to any of us, however, is that war is a messy, bloody business and that we should pray for peace. Though at the moment it may seem pretty far away, the consequences for our brothers and sisters in both Ukraine, and Russia can be severe and devastating. In Ukraine, of course, loss of life, loss of property, the need to flee, and much more is present. In Russia, our brothers and sisters face economic ruin as Russia is sanctioned by the rest of the world. Christians in both countries have called for an end to hostilities and have asked us in other countries to pray to that end. And so we should.

We can also pray that God will provide opportunities for ministry and witness in the midst of man’s strife. There will likely be many, many opportunities for Christians in these countries to give answer for the hope that lies within them. And so we can pray that as man designs evil, that God will turn it to good.

As we prepare to enter into the Lenten season, there are a couple of calendar notes that you should mark:

On Tuesday, March 1st, we’ll hold our annual Shrove Tuesday pancake feast and talent show. As is tradition, Marc Hays will be our talent show emcee — which is a show unto itself. We hope you’ll make plans to join us!

Then on Wednesday, March 2nd, there will not be an online prayer meeting. We would encourage you instead to attend our Ash Wednesday service at 6PM at TCA to mark the start of Lent.

And on March 6th we’ll have our monthly hymn and psalm sing, which takes place during the Sunday School hour at 9:45 AM. Along with a couple of more familiar selections, we’ll spend time learning a new hymn of the month which we’ll then practice throughout the rest of the Sunday’s of the month during the Sunday School hour. Some months our hymn of the month is less familiar, some months it’s more familiar. But all months it is a great benefit to learning to sing God’s praises with greater skill. We hope to see you there.

One of the things that is abundantly clear in light of the various reports given at the congregational meeting is that God has been very good to St. Mark. God has put money in our bank account, we’re in a position to give to mission works, and we are thankful that God has continued to provide space for us to meet at TCA. And of course, our numbers continue to increase as we demonstrate our love for one another: one of the marks God said we would be known by.

But we also ask that you continue to pray for God to bring us a better location more suited to our needs as we continue to grow. We’re on the verge of out- growing the space at TCA. And as we continue to knock on doors and look for opportunities that God might have for us, God’s answer has continued to be, “wait,” or “not yet.” It can be challenging to hear that sometimes, but we continue to trust in the Lord, who has always provided for us.

You can be praying that God will bring to us just the right opportunity. And you can be praying for our building fund to increase so that we may act when He does bring us that opportunity. And as you are able and the Lord leads, give to the building fund. Finally, if you know of locations or opportunities, be sure to let the deacons know!

The yearly talent show and pancake feast is coming up on Shrove Tuesday, March 1st, and we hope you’ll make plans to be there.

Shrove Tuesday is also sometimes referred to as “Fat Tuesday.” This comes from a French term you may have heard before: Mardi Gras. Though it may be hard to believe now given the debauchery often associated with Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday is actually a Christian Holiday and marks the last day of rich feasting before entering the Lenten season. Though we as Protestants believe that feasting can never be far off in the New Covenant, there’s certainly an appropriateness to reflect on our need for a Savior and the serious and grievous nature of our sins. That’s why Lent is considered a solemn season and not a feasting season.

And, of course, it must necessarily culminate in the celebration of Easter and the resurrection of Him who freed us from our sins.

As we approach the season, we will appropriately feast on pancakes as we share fellowship and enjoy the talents God has give to us through means of the talent show. And we feast because Jesus died to set us free from the curse of sin and death. So let us keep this feast!

This past week, I happened upon a CNN headline that made drew a chuckle, accompanied by great sadness. “Christian school asks parents to sign contract that could exclude gay and transgender students.” Imagine a Christian school holding Christian moral beliefs.

The article describes a petition to get the school to lighten up on that “hatefulness.” It also talks about “unlawful discrimination.” This article is not about events in our country, but events in Australia. Yet it has reached a point where it would not be shocking to read about this in our country. The world hates God and his “unreasonable” and “hateful” rules. By extension, the world hates us when we hold to the principles of morality God gave us. We know nothing of the persecution of the past in this present moment, but we do know at least a bit about the stress navigating all this can place on us as we see the world moving back toward a more persecuting mentality toward Christ followers. Jesus told his disciples in John 16:33b, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

That’s why we worship here this morning. We are called; we are summoned. The world does not understand why we’re not cowering in fear. But it’s because we worship the one who has overcome the world!

One thing that can often be disappointing is the saber rattling and the clamoring for war and the interventionism that both the left and right wings of this nation’s political parties engage in. What’s more disappointing is the tendency to think that, as some consolation for more liberal forces being in office, that perhaps we’ll get less war and bloodshed. That is, once again, proving to be a fools hope as the current administration weighs sending our young men — and now young women — in arms to foreign countries to partake of the bloodiness of war.

While it appears that, for now, that may not happen, the threat of such violence should send us to our knees in prayer. Pastor Thacker impressed upon us last week the need to pray for God to, “put things right.” One of the things we can pray for is peace and not bloodshed. There are such things as just, defensive wars, and it’s been a very long time since the U.S. participated in one of those. And so our present calling is to pray for peace, and the quelling of those voices that tell us that war is good and right and any war we’re involved in is a just war.

Pray that God would turn our attention homeward to the logs in our own eye, rather then the specs in other nation’s eyes. And that we would turn our hearts to Him and allow Him to set our nation’s laws and agenda, and that we would make God’s laws our laws.

The past couple weeks saw a bit of a chilly draft from the north. No, not just the weather. The law-makers in Canada have passed legislation banning “conversion therapy” making it a crime to “provide or promote services intended to change or repress a person’s sexual orientation or gender expression.”

Canada not being our country may make it seem a bit far away to worry about. Indeed, we have many issues of our own to deal with state-side. But there are 2 pressing concerns for us to be praying about. 1) brothers and sisters and faithful minister who will now come under (more) government persecution for faithfully teaching a biblical sexual ethic. And 2) the Overton Window is pushed ever away from a Godly morality and toward the immoral, perverted, and sinful desires of the flesh. Sinners hate nothing so much as being told their sin, is, in fact, sin and they will suffer eternal damnation if they do not turn away from it. And as we are witnessing broadly from a culture hell-bent (I use hell appropriately here, as in from the very pit of hell) on repressing everything Godly and good, men in the throes of sin will stop at nothing to push away the conviction of their sin.

This is our time to shine. We still enjoy the freedom to preach God’s truth on this issues, and we must do so. And we must pray for faithful Christians in Canada to stand strong!

Note on your calendars that the annual congregational meeting will take place on February 13. This meeting is really just a simple “business” meeting where the deacons and elders update you on the state of affairs of the church. These items will relate to things like finances, missions giving, where and how your tithes and offerings are being used, our ongoing search for a meeting location, and things of that nature.

While it’s not a “big deal” we do love for you all to be there to hear about various things that are going on, and to be involved in the life and health of the church. It is one of the ways the leadership of the church maintains our transparency and answerability to you, the congregation.

This meeting will follow a fellowship meal so that you don’t have to face it on an empty stomach. But rather, with full and thankful hearts, we will hear of God’s goodness and mercy to us from yet another year. And God has indeed been good to us: this past year we have witnessed both significant numerical growth and a marked improvement of our financial situation. For these and for all His blessings to us we render Him thanks!

While many of your neighbors may have taken their Christmas decorations down and their Christmas cheer may be done and gone, Christmas isn’t quite over yet. There are 12 days of Christmastide, and today is the 9th day of those twelve. So there’s more to come!

Christmas traditionally culminates in a Twelfth Night festival, which, while marking the end of the Christmas feast, also marks the coming of Epiphany.

The twelve days of Christmas were first proclaimed in 567 as a festive season. And for some, Twelfth Night can often be an opportunity for even more feasting, food, and drink. As believers, we have every reason to celebrate and make merry. Christ the Savior is born! While many don’t carry on the feast past the 26th of December, for us, one day is just not enough to celebrate the incarnation of Christ the savior!

So if you’re able, keep right on celebrating our Lord! Look through the liturgy today as we continue to offer our praise to God in Christmas carols and Christmas hymns. Sing joyfully as we proclaim the Lord has come!

Peace on earth, goodwill toward men! The meaning of these familiar words can become lost over time sometimes because we’re so familiar with them. And so it is a good and right thing to meditate on them. What does it mean that a multitude of angels proclaimed to men the goodwill of God in heaven?

Perhaps you might become more confused when you read that Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” To understand however, one must understand the contexts to which each of these are speaking. Jesus, when saying he does not bring peace, is speaking those who would deny Him before men and place family and earthly situation above loyalty to Christ. On the other hand, when the angels proclaimed peace on earth, they were speaking to the nature of sin and its deleterious effect on man’s relationship with God. Because of sin, man has no peace with God. God has, in fact, condemned man to death. All deserve the wrath of God, which is most certainly not peace.

But Christ was sent by God to make peace with God on our behalf. It is this which we celebrate at Christmastide. Thanks be to God for sending his son, Jesus Christ, to live sinlessly, and sacrifice Himself for our sins! This is, indeed, true peace on earth.