News

This week on Friday, December 24th, we’ll hold our annual Lessons and Carols service and we hope you’ll join us. The tradition of the Lessons and Carols is a later addition to tradition, but a worthy one in which we combine scripture readings and carols that tell the story of the coming of the Son of God. It is a fitting tradition for our transition from Advent to Christmastide.

Advent has been our time of preparation and expectant longing for the feast. Christmas, as the celebration of Christ’s incarnation, is the celebration of that fulfillment. And as we transition to Christmastide, we should remember that it is a 12 day celebration. Feasting, carols, and Christmas scripture readings continue to be an appropriate expression of the season. So don’t put away your Christmas decorations on December 26! Christ’s incarnation deserves more than that.

Our Christmas celebrations will culminate in Twelfth Night and the McLains plan to hold their traditional Twelfth Night feast, to which you are invited. There will be food, drink, dancing, and plenty of merriment and the McLains would be delighted to have you. Be sure to check in with Brian or Denise if you’d like to contribute to the feast!

One of the great things about this time of year is that many Christians who do not have a positive eschatology, sing as if they do. Take Joy to the World, for instance. “Let earth receive her King,” and “He rules the world,” sound very much in line with a more reformed and positive eschatology. You’ll also find similar positive sentiments in carols such as O Holy Night, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen, and many more.

This is right and proper, and a great opportunity and reminder for us. We’ve been rightly focused lately on tyranny, mask mandates, the bloodshed of abortion, and other perversions which plague our land. And we do indeed have much work we have been called to. But during Advent and Christmastide, let us not lose sight of this simple truth: Christ already won. He’s ruling and reigning right now on His throne. He calls us to work here on earth on His behalf because of that very authority which He wields. His foes (and, therefore, our foes) are being defeated before us. The very gates of hell cannot prevail against us. And why? Because, as the Sussex Carol tells us:

On Christmas night all Christians sing To hear the news the angels bring News of great joy, news of great mirth News of our merciful King’s birth

Christ was born into this world. And by doing so, He already won. He’s the triumphant King, born in a lowly stable. And because of that, whatever ills may befall us, we serve at His pleasure, and we live in blessed hope which we display to a watching world.

This past Wednesday opened the Supreme Court deliberations in the Dobbs V. Jackson case. Thomas E. Dobbs is state health officer for Mississippi, and Jackson Women’s Health Organization is an abortion provider — in fact the only abortion clinic in the state. The question is whether states can ban abortion before fetal viability.

There are obvious implications for Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Mississippi calls the decision of both of cases “egregiously wrong.”

During the deliberations, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, “Evidence of fetal pain is not proof of life.” This is nearly saying the quiet part out loud. They see the evidence, they know it’s true, but they’re going to deny the science point blank. Haven’t we heard a lot lately about how it’s bad to deny science?

Sotomayor also tried to make the point that overturning Roe and Casey would damage the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. I suppose this means she thinks the Supreme Court infallible? But then, it shouldn’t surprise us the things people put their faith in when they place it somewhere other than Christ. But we have, for better or worse (mostly worse) this idea in our courts called “stare decisis,” which is Latin for “to stand by things decided.” You may have heard this referred to as “precedent.” And while precedent can be helpful, which we as confessional protestants can attest with our confessions, they should never have the last word. Precedent can be wrong. May the Lord open eyes and soften as these deliberations move forward.

The Advent season is here! The liturgical color for advent is purple, symbolizing the royalty of the Lord.

Advent is the beginning of the liturgical Church year, and a time of expectant and joyful waiting for Christmastide: the celebration of our Lord’s incarnation.

There are several events and items of celebration to bring to your attention. All are optional, but all are encouraged.

Advent celebrations at McLains

Each year, the McLains host advent celebrations in their home each Sunday of Advent at 6:00 PM with a time of singing, an advent liturgy, and feasting on various finger foods (which you are welcome to contribute to if you come).

Williamson County Community Chorus

The Chorus will have their annual Christmas concert on December 5th at 3:00 PM. There will be a few fun Christmas songs in the first half, and then will conclude with a beautiful and glorious Magnificat in the second half.

Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols

St. Mark will host our annual Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve at 4:00 PM at TCA. This service will include the traditional readings and carols. And, in addition, the St. Mark Men’s Choir has prepared a couple of additional pieces.

Thanksgiving week is upon us. It is, of course, always good and right to render unto our God thanks and praise, but at this time of year here in the U.S., we have, for some time, set aside the fourth Thursday of every November as a special remembrance to give thanks. It is celebrated by Christians and non- Christians alike, but we, as Christ followers, know where our thanks is due.

And how much more do we have to give thanks for than those settlers of Plymouth Colony some 400 years ago, who are credited with this tradition? I’m sure most of you know, but it does not hurt to recount, that they had a long, harrowing journey on the Mayflower, followed by a harsh and cruel winter in which 45 of the 102 perished. For perspective, our membership rolls contain just over 100.

But God, in His grace, reversed their fortunes that summer. That Autumn, the first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated as a thanks to God for the bountiful harvest. Though they were few in number, though they had been through many trials, they recognized God’s favor upon them. Their legacy continues to this day. So as we give thanks this week, remember to thank God for His favor upon you!

She said yes! In April, Sophie Goolsby will become Mrs. Brett Kernodle. We know that, “he who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord,” but it’s always a special privilege and joy to see two young people in the congregation find God’s calling for their lives together. The church is, after all, the place God calls us all together and there’s no better place to find a spouse to walk the path God calls us to than among the assembly of the saints.

And it is also now both our duty and privilege to lift them up in prayer as they prepare to embark upon their life together. As they join paths and prepare to serve the Lord as one flesh, we can pray for God’s favor and blessing upon them in all manner of ways: for Brett as she transitions to the head of a household, for Sophie as she steps into the role of his helper and confidant, and of course, for all the little details and plans and the things that go into making a wedding.

God created marriage and he delights in it when it is entered into and faithful kept by his children. God loves to give his children good gifts and this is one of them. Praise the Lord for his goodness and faithfulness!

In the last week of October, our regional presbytery, Athanasius Presbytery, held its yearly presbytery meeting which took place in Monroe, LA. Pastor Thacker attended as St. Mark’s minister and representative. The general report is that things went well and there are no major issues — always a good thing. Given that Athanasius Presbytery’s presiding minister, Pastor Rob Hadding, has accepted a call in a church in another regional presbytery, a new presiding minister was chosen: Dr. Uri Brito on Providence Church in Pensacola, Fl.

The CREC also held its triennial General Council. One of the main topics of discussion was anticipated growth of the CREC, given that there has been a notable recent increase in the number of congregations enquiring about membership. In particular, many Reformed Baptist congregations desire to enter the CREC, so that topic is being discussed. While the CREC has had Reformed Baptist congregations in the past, at present it’s been a little while since we’ve had Baptist congregations. So, the minsters are giving consideration to that dynamic in particular. We continue to pray for wisdom for the ministers and elders God has called to lead

His Church.

This coming Saturday, we’ll have the opportunity to gather with other saints in our denomination in Huntsville for an All Saint’s Celebration. All Saints’ Day is a commemoration of all the faithful saints of the church both known and unknown. It therefore seemed fitting this year to gather with the saints still living for these festivities. Here are the details:

When: Saturday, November 6th, 2-5 pm
Where: Riverside Event Venue; 100 Old River Rd, Laceys Spring, AL 35754
Who: All ages are welcome!
To Bring: Please bring a sweet or savory finger food to share (nothing requiring forks). Please LABEL your dishes! Drinks will be provided. (see link in email to add your dish to the planner)
Attire: Dressy church. Guys - if you are a jeans at church kinda guy, kick it up a notch. Ladies - Skirts, dresses - dressy pants are fine, but not as fun for dancing. (We’re not doing costumes).
Suggested Donation: $5/person or $25/family (to help cover cost of venue, caller, etc.)
Who: Trinity Reformed Church is hosting this event, but you’re all free to invite friends and family.

Next Lord’s Day, October 31, we will gather together with the saints of Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship to celebrate the great work God wrought through the Reformers and the Reformation.

October 31 is known by most of us as Halloween, which we associate with trick or treating, costumes, and the like. This actually has a path directly from the Christian holiday known as All Saint’s Day, or All Hallow’s Day. This is a day for commemorating all Christian martyrs. Halloween comes from “All Hallow’s Eve.” Some, in superstition, thought that devils roamed around on the eve of the holy day. But we now rightly make fun of these silly superstitions by dressing up in silly costumes.

Luther posted his 95 Theses on October 31st, 1517, which included much to say about and against the superstitious practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Halloween is a fitting day for such a thing and is a wonderful coinciding with our now fun holiday. As we celebrate, let us remember to thank God for breaking down the superstitious practices of the Roman church through Reformers like Martin Luther.

Please be in prayer for members of our sister congregation at Christ Church Branch Cove (Alabama): Janet Vest, her six children, and their many grandchildren as they mourn the death of Richard Vest. He sustained injuries due to a biking accident on Saturday, October 10. The result was severe spinal cord damage and a heart attack.

They initially put him on a ventilator to keep him alive but the decision was made this past Tuesday to take him off of that life support and he went to be with the Lord.

Richard served as an elder for many years at Christ Church and was a founding member of the congregation there. He was a faithful believer in Christ and his absence will be deeply felt not only by his family, but also his friends there at Branch Cove.

Pray for God’s comfort for this family and congregation.

On October 3rd, we will receive new members into the ranks of St. Mark. This is a joyous occasion as we formally recognize co-laborers for the cause of Christ and formally join with them and welcome them to our midst.

What does membership mean at St. Mark? Among other things, it means the members joining have formally asked the elders to be recognized as under their care. It is the formalization of a relationship with the local manifestation of the body of Christ. While you won’t find the words “church membership” in the Bible (though 1 Corinthians does say we are members of the body of Christ), nevertheless you’ll certainly find the principle there. In 1 Peter 5, we are told that elders are to “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you.” When one formally joins in membership at St. Mark, it is a formalization of being “among” the oversight of the elders. And in Hebrews 13 we read about being submissive to the elders who watch out for our souls.

As we all go about the work God has called us to, the local manifestation of the Christ’s body is of great benefit to us and we rejoice to receive these members.

The second Fight. Laugh. Feast. conference held in Nashville is now in the rear-view mirror. It was a great time of meeting up with Christians, both old friends and new, and had a general sense of camaraderie in our common fight for the good of the Kingdom of Christ — which work we are called to. This camaraderie was apparent even in the midst of the differences of lifestyles and cultures represented in the attendees of the conference. And this is true diversity such as can be had in the freedom Christ gives us. A diversity that stirs us into love and good works as we seek to identify ourselves by the common thing that unites brothers and sisters in Christ: and that is our new life in Christ as we put off the old man and all its evil deeds.

The theme of the conference as well, is timely as we consider the sexual confusion of our day. The Politics of Sex is a relevant way of addressing the way in which our culture has infused rebellion against the created order into every aspect of modern western society. Mainline liberals would have us believe not only do we not need to address this issue, but that even to believe it is an issue, is unloving and unkind. But the truth is that we are to be salt and light in this evil world. We cannot affirm evil while being about what we are called to. May God grant us courage.