“He is Risen!” “He is Risen, Indeed!”

This is the welcome greeting that we all exchange on Easter morning. At least, you should; we all should.

Why? Because words change us; speech changes us. Speech reforms us. Not only did speech create the world out of nothing, but Speech is the very being of God, the Word of God, Jesus, the second member of the Trinity. When he spoke, he changed the world: the water into wine, the dead into life, the storm into whispers, the sinner into forgiven.

Which means that when you speak, being the image of God, you change things. And the most important thing to use your speech for is to change your brothers and sisters with the most important event in the salvation of mankind: He is Risen!

When you speak that, they are changed. They are confronted. They are pigeon-holed. They are made to face the gauntlet: “will I agree that Jesus is risen and alive, by saying, ‘He is Risen, Indeed!,’ or will I remain silent and not affirm the truth that the universe rests upon?”

Speak it to your brother and sister that they may affirm this truth, and be changed. That they may be encouraged, that they may find rest and life and peace and eternal salvation in the Personal One who overcame death.

But don’t stop saying it when you reach the church doors. Speak it to your family and friends and neighbors. They all need to hear the truth too, so that they may be changed.

“He is Risen!” “He is Risen, Indeed!”

Good Friday: Is it a cheerful event or a solemn time?

Some argue that it is to be cheerful; after all, it is “Good.” Jesus died on the cross procuring our salvation in time and history. Without his death, redemption and removal of God’s wrath doesn’t happen. How can we not rejoice? So rejoice together, remember his suffering, and leave being socially grateful and happy for his obedience.

Others say it should be a solemn observance. After all, eternal judgment was being dealt with. Our eternal pain or joy was at stake. Can we not for a small interval stop the noise and be quiet and still and meditate on this? On their side is the fact that while Jesus was on the cross, the land was dark for three hours. God forced men to take notice of his actions.

What to do? How to think?

The answer is our church leadership has chosen for the Good Friday observance to be quiet, reverential, solemn, and meditational. In wisdom they think it’s good for you and yours to slow down and grasp what has happened on your behalf; how Satan and death were conquered for all time and for Christ’s church. That’s not too much to ask; in fact it’s good for us to shut out the busyness for a little while so we can truly grasp what transpired and be more deeply thankful.

So leave your phone in the car, teach and train and remind your children no running, no talking, no visiting (you might try practicing this at home for ten minutes several times), and practice that yourself: come in and sit down and work through the liturgy mindfully. When it’s all over, keep your children in hand quietly and depart into your vehicles.

For sure, neither you nor them will like not speaking to their friends; but that silence may just give a glimpse of the depth of the love of Jesus for us his Bride.

It’s the Lenten season, and we are to be thinking about the sufferings of Jesus and be grateful for his sacrifices; even willing to pick up our own crosses and follow Him. Not sure he meant giving up Snickers, but that’s another week!

One thing we can and should and need to put off is this idea that our personal sacrifices add to or strengthen that of Christ’s. The New Testament authors are adamant that only Jesus’ sacrifice as the Lamb of God is sufficient for us men.

The Old Testament authors said the same; for instance Psalm 49, and then we’ll look at Revelation 17. Psalm 49:7–9 says “truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of his life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on and never see the pit.” See that? “Never suffice.” One man can’t die for the other and wipe out his sins; his own stand in the way. But in verse 15 there is hope: “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” The message is clear: man can’t ransom anyone, but God can, and he does, through Jesus. Romans 6:23 (you should have that one memorized!).

In Revelation 17, the Harlot/Jerusalem doesn’t believe the scriptures. She drinks the blood of the saints in hope of life. She has two cups: one full of abominations, the other the blood of the saints. She’s hoping that drinking their blood will give her life, for the life is in the blood, forbidden in the old covenant as idolatry, because the blood of goats and bulls (and even human at times) never saves. She’s drunk on the blood of saints and martyrs. So rebellious old covenant jewish leaders, the circumcision of Jews and Judaizers, hope for another way. But she gets burned with fire and disappears off the scene (17:16).

So, only the blood of Jesus covers your sins! Drink it rejoicingly in the meal!

While there is a war going on, don’t get sidetracked and miss what is really happening. And what is that? RESURRECTION!

The world in our neighborhood is going from the slumber of winter death to the awakening of spring and summer. From death to life; from brown rottenness to leafy green and purple and white and pink and yellow and…

So when you walk or drive around and see the daffodils springing up and blooming, or the Bradford

Pears and Redbuds blooming, don’t just notice the beauty. Rather, reflect on the deeper meaning: there is

life and resurrection in God’s world, and He is reminding me of this every year. It’s springtime, when

God chose to redeem/resurrect Israel out of Egypt with the Passover, setting up our Easter observance

which fulfills it all in Jesus, once and for all. Not only is the world coming back to life, but it all points to the work of Jesus and our blessings in that.

Think about verses such as Romans 4:25, “…who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our

justification.” Jesus was resurrected so you might be made right with God: so live that out by praising him for all the bloomings around you and how you enjoy favor with God the Father through Jesus’ faithfulness and obedience. Rejoice for the life of God and the life in God and tell your spouse and your kids and your friends and your neighbors how great it is to be reminded of this every year: death does not get the final word. The resurrected, life-giving Jesus does.

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

If you missed Vespers this past Wednesday, you missed some great insights into the Lord’s Prayer from Pastor Joe.

One insight is that the Lord’s Prayer is a kingdom prayer. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he gives them a kingdom perspective prayer. First, their eyes are pointed heavenward, and then even their earthly prayers are directed to kingdom ends: give us food to do our tasks and peace between each other through forgiveness and protection from evil that would suffer the kingdom with setbacks.

Another insight is that the prayer is a “corporate” prayer, not an intensely personal prayer. It’s a prayer the church body prays, collectively. “Our Father…Your kingdom…our daily bread…our debts…lead us…deliver us.”

Further, it’s an actual “prayer.” It’s a model prayer that we can and should use to pray, as well as direction on the things Jesus would have us pray for.

Additionally, it’s not a prayer designed to curry favor with the Father by heaping up all his names and attributes and empty phrases like the Gentiles. They do that to be heard by their gods, but the Father already knows what you need before you ask him. So ask humbly, in awe that the Father is so intimately involved with our lives that he enjoys hearing the prayers of his children.

In conclusion, the Vesper’s service is a place to hallow God’s name and receive daily food!

President Trump is at it again: exercising American power for the nation’s interests. Or so he says; one wonders since it appears the case has not been made very clearly. Didn’t the US destroy their nuclear capability months ago? So how is it possible that Iran is within weeks of blowing things up?

Be that as it may, Christians are often tempted to think, like Chairman Mao, that power comes out of the barrel of a gun. But that’s not true, and both Revelation 8:2–5 and 15:2–4 demonstrate it. What those passages show us, besides how worship is performed in heaven, is that the most significant thing Christians can do to change the world is to worship God and to pray.

The most significant change comes from worship and prayer? Yes! Why? Because just and lasting change in the world ultimately is God’s doing.

Both passages show worship in heaven, and then God acting, first in the trumpets warning ungodly Israel about her coming demise, and then the bowls actually carrying out the destruction of old covenant, unfaithful Jewry. In worship, God’s righteous acts are requested and then revealed. God’s just and true ways as King of the nations are seen so that the nations come to worship him (15:4).

So don’t be slothful this morning. Or next Sunday morning. Sing the Psalms and hymns that declare God’s great and amazing deeds, and that request him to move and act and free the world from oppression, sin, and greed, that his kindness might rule from sea to sea to sea. Sing and pray that the eternal gospel of fearing and glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ takes root, now and forever!

This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, where about half of the congregation had an ashen cross placed on their foreheads. That seems insignificant, but it actually packs quite a bit of punch!

For example, walking around with a cross on your head is making an actual statement to those who see you, that you are a Christian and that you not only believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, but that you follow Him and His teachings in your life. That can be quite exhilarating, seeing how little we get to witness to real pagans nowadays! It seems like everyone in Tennessee is a Christian, and most are, because they drive a Ford or Chevy truck (just kidding). But for all those who see you, you are taking a stand. You are broadcasting out loud, “Jesus lives, He is Lord, and I am one of His followers. I am living under the cross.”

Of course, the whole Bible tells us to “live under the cross,” but Jesus specifically tells us to do that in Mark 8 when he says “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (34b). Jesus is calling you to pick up a cross and carry it; meaning you are trudging along under it! You are living “under the cross” when you deny your interests and place Christ’s interests first. You are to lose your life for his sake and the gospel’s sake. That’s living “under the cross.” That’s losing your life in order to save it!

Which makes me think, maybe we ought to have Ash Wednesday service early in the morning, so that we can visibly, one day per year, live “under the cross” as we go about our daily lives. Hopefully that would strengthen our lives the rest of the year to carry the cross, as well as witnessing to those who don’t drive trucks!

With Super Bowl weekend in the rear view mirror, we should spend a moment reflecting on its impacts, on our nation, on our families, and our children.

Obviously, the half-time show was a calculated risk to not only advertise to the Hispanic potential audience in South and Latin America, but it was also a Satanically-inspired culture-pushing advertisement. According to Congressman Ogles, it was full of explicit ungodly sexual immorality, pushing everything from fornication to sodomy to transgender and beyond.

On top of that, you not only have the cheerleaders who are prominently displayed in skimpy clothing, but you have endless commercials of women dressed with low necklines to high skirtlines. Not to mention the rampant fornication and adultery of the football players themselves, along with their off-field thuggery.

What this communicated to your children, both girls and boys, is that football is all about sexual licentiousness, embraced by our American culture, at total odds to all godly Lord’s Day activities! If the goal in life is “fun,” it isn’t hard to see who has the overwhelming tug on the hearts of unbelievers and believers.

So in the coming year, take some time to think about how you want men and women portrayed to your children (and to yourselves): as objects to be used and thrown away, or as persons made in the image of God and worthy of immense respect and sacrifice? Is the purpose of man “fun,” or the glory of God and the service of fellow images of God? Is it pure sexual lives of one man and one woman following after Jesus, or destructive sexual narcissism? Meditate on Psalm 119, and make your viewing plans accordingly!

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?” — Job 38:22–23

While storehouses of snow and hail conjure up unbelievable mental pictures of God’s greatness and beauty, they also conjure up other visions as well. Notice that these storehouses are put to other uses than just beauty; they are “reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.”

What an encouragement to Job and to us! That white stuff is beautiful, and menacing, used in time of trouble and battle and war to advance God’s kingdom. Remember Yahweh’s battle with Pharaoh? “And Yahweh rained hail upon the land of Egypt…very heavy hail” — Exodus 9:23–24

Remember Joshua’s battle at Gibeon? “There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword” — Joshua 10:11

Remember the Lord crushing the Assyrians with hailstones? “…with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of Yahweh” — Isaiah 30:30–31

Remember the seventh bowl poured out on Jerusalem/Babylon? “And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds, fell from heaven on people, and they cursed God for the plague of hail” — Revelation 16:21

What a majestic and mysterious Lord you have! He uses even the weather to advance his kingdom, saving his people and destroying the wicked. Praise Him!

The Lord Jesus gave us all a great opportunity this past week to reflect on his power and majesty and mysterious ways.

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? (Job 38:22—23).

Of course, Job couldn’t answer the Lord’s questions positively, and neither can we. We haven’t been there. But we can be amazed and awed by the poetry of God’s word. Storehouses for the snow? What colossal images that creates in our minds! Storehouses of the hail? That sounds dark and ominous and foreboding as well. We all know the power of hail.

So we got to experience the beauty of God’s creation this past week, with the snow and ice and freezing temperatures. For this we ought to be grateful, thanking the Lord for his wintry world and all the inventions he has created through us to take some of the rougher edges off that wintry world. Losing power, which means losing heat and light and refrigeration and movies and phones, should lead to a gain of appreciation for all of God’s good gifts to us: snow, sleet, cold, ice on trees, fireplaces, refrigerators, heating systems, snowplows, chainsaws, utility workers, family ties and hospitality by friends and loved ones.

Beautiful snow and sleet and loss of power should also make us remember that through this storm, through this weather, through this seasonal change, Jesus is advancing his kingdom and the Great Commission. Chew on that for a little bit by the fireplace, snuggled up with family and enjoying some hot apple cider!

When Pastors engage in counseling they usually receive a lot of “flack” from counselees, like “I have a mental illness,” “I’m a victim,” or “I apologized kind of,” etc. Worse is “I’m letting go and letting God,” or “The Spirit/Jesus hasn’t changed me yet, I’m waiting on him.” That’s not only false, it is a sinful notion: the Bible is clear about Christians and the faithful putting off sin and putting on Christ. Scripture never says “wait till you feel the Spirit.”

“…as you have always obeyed…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” — Philippians 2:12–13. Yes, because God is in you, YOU must move and obey!

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another…” — Colossians 3:5, 8–9.

“…that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,…” — 1 Timothy 1:18–19. Notice Paul is holding Timothy responsible to act!

“I promise to keep your words” — Psalm 119:57.

“When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies” — Psalm 119:59.

“I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments” — Psalm 119:60

“I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end” — Psalm 119:112.

Even a few from David, an old testament saint! He takes full responsibility (notice the “I’s”)! And so should you!

The gospel reading for today (Luke 2:41-52) is a classic text among people of non-paedocommuion persuasion. They find from the story that Jesus never went up to the Passover celebration until he was twelve. Never mind the text doesn’t say that. And since Jesus didn’t eat the Passover Meal till he was twelve, then covenant children should not sit at the table till they are twelve, likewise. Covenant children don’t get to go into the “real Father’s house” until they are twelve and admitted to the Lord’s Supper. That’s the Bar Mitzvah practice; but when did that become normative for Christian practice and doctrine?

Funny how his parents thought he was with the entourage, as if running around with cousins was a normal thing to do on this trip! It’s also “funny” that at the institution of the Passover in Exodus 12, there was a lamb “for each household,” (3), and if the household was too small for a whole lamb, then two households could share a lamb, “according to the number of souls, according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb” (4). One guesses children under twelve years of age aren’t a “soul/person,” and they can’t eat yet! Funny, too, that when your children ask during the killing of the lamb and preparation for the service, “What do you mean by this service” (26-27), the answer “for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt,” even though all the children in the houses were spared, nobody but those twelve and older got to eat. And, of course, only twelve-year-olders would think to ask such a question!

Funny, too, how Paul teaches that “all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink… from the rock, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians. 10:1-4) Apparently, only children twelve and older escaped from Egypt!

The gospel text of Matthew 2:1–12 for the second Sunday in Christmas is one of those texts you just can’t read lightly, lest you miss some really important stuff. One such important detail is that Herod is a new Pharaoh who kills little boys to prevent the Promised Seed from ascending his throne, and that he is “deceived” by the wise men as was Pharaoh by the midwives.

Speaking of the Wise Men, how many were there? We all know “three,” but the text doesn’t actually say that; just the Christmas carol, thinking each man brought one gift. Are you really paying attention to the text?!

Same thing with the “star” the men follow! Most Christians think this is an actual, cosmic star in heaven, no bother that stars are about 1000 times larger than our earth (don’t trust the science here!). But if you read your bible and connect even a few dots, you know this isn’t a cosmic star but the “Shekinah Glory,” the cloud of light by day and fire by night, the portable throne room of Yahweh and Jesus that moves around leading Israel in the wilderness and that picks up Jesus at his ascension. Paul gets a visit from it on the way to Damascus, and Jesus speaks out of it just like Yahweh did to Moses. So in our gospel account the “star” leads the men to an actual house and “sits” over it; therein they find Jesus.

So this invites the question: Why does the text tell us that David picks up “five” stones when he meets Goliath? Why “five”? We all know the answer: he was a Calvinist, one stone for each point. And all it took was one stone, since Goliath was “totally depraved!” But might it have been that David was preparing to get his four brothers (2 Samuel 21.15-22)?

Stille Nacht (Silent Night) and The First Noel were the first two Christmas hymns that stopped the first World War briefly during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914. First the Germans serenaded their enemies across the trenches, and the British soldiers responded with The First Noel. Shortly thereafter white flags went up, soldiers from both sides started crawling out of the trenches and exchanging goodies from home, laughter, stories, drinks and food. Dead comrades were removed and buried without withering machine gun fire. This was only the latest example of Europe’s Christian heritage influencing even the engagement of warfare: for centuries various Christian kingdoms wouldn’t allow warfare during Christmas or Easter and other holidays, and regulated burials and ceasefires and treatment of prisoners.

Secularists, in treating this Christmas truce, reduce it to sentimental rubbish: “The truce was a brief tantalizing flash of individual humanity, in a war of bureaucracies, machines and high explosives.”

No, No, No, No! When did this happen? On Christmas Eve! What were the troops singing? Christmas hymns, not beer-drinking ditties! What brought this temporary truce? The worship of Jesus and the peace that he brought to the world in his incarnation. In fact, worship of Jesus (by two Christian armies) preceded the truce. The worship of Jesus lifted even these hardened soldier’s eyes heavenward to gaze for moment on what the angels heralded so long ago:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2.14). What a brilliant example of Jesus’ reign on earth affecting the conduct of men! May it do the same for you this coming year!

Driving around town, it is depressing to see how many decorations have NO nativity scene. But reading C.S. Lewis improved my attitude somewhat!

In his book, God in the Dock, Lewis has some very pungent observations about the keeping of “Exmas” and “Chrismas.” After dealing with all the excesses of Exmas and how it really is just empty religion—meaningless cards of birds on branches, or green trees, or men dressed up like two hundreds years before, or houses with snow; empty gifts that they have to match in value to one another, expensive gifts they wouldn’t even buy for themselves, and how the sellers push junk for purchase, and how miserable older citizens walk around in the market places in red robes; and tired from the “rush of the season,” eat and drink too much on the day and are sick for a few days afterwards, and how they honor a god they do not believe in—he finally gets around to a few of the citizens who keep “Chrismas” (the word in the article) on the same day as Exmas.

These citizens do the opposite of most of their countrymen: they rise early with shining faces and go to temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And they set out images of a fair woman with new-born Child on her knees with animals and shepherds adoring the Child. And they retell the sacred story of the birth.

Let us at St. Mark NOT do what the Exmas crowd does, but let us follow in the path of the “Chrismas” worshippers! Though fewer, in our devotion to Christ let us lead the culture with truth, goodness, and beauty, not gluttony or drunkenness or senseless emotional pictures and decorations!

Merry Christmas! Christ is the beginning of Christmas!

The lectionary readings this week paint a picture of hope. In the scriptures, God often anchors hope, which is all about the future, in the past, so that you, God’s chosen people, can live in the present.

You hope for the future because of the demonstrated faithfulness of God in the past. Lest you think this is somehow faithless—that you must have faith without the demonstrated faithfulness of God—observe how the Psalms constantly rehearse the faithfulness of the God as the bedrock of hope and faith. Or in Matthew 11, when John the Baptizer needs reassuring, Jesus shores up John’s faith with acts of faithfulness. Faith and hope are anchored in the demonstrated faithfulness of God.

We rehearse this time of Advent hope, not because we wait for God to do something, but because He already has. God sent His Son as a babe who was faithful. Now we live in an earth under His reign. We know the gates of hell cannot prevail against our advance because we are led by the one who crushed the serpent’s head.

Yes, we expectantly look forward to celebrating Jesus first coming, but we do so because we know the story. We hope in the continued victory of the reigning King of Kings, the babe from the stable, who has demonstrated His faithfulness to all people in every age. As the saying goes, Jesus is the reason for the season. With glad tidings and good cheer, anchor your hope this season in the demonstrated faithfulness of your Lord Jesus!

When reading the book of Proverbs, young men are confronted with two choices: Lady Wisdom or Lady Folly. It’s pretty clear who Solomon is angling for! But here’s a question for you: where is Husband Wisdom? Or who is Husband Wisdom? Solomon never really says, though in 8:22–31, he points to someone from the past, someone at the beginning of the Creation, a Master Workman at Yahweh’s right hand. But it’s not a question that is much of a focus in the book.

So who is Husband Wisdom? Well, that’s Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30–31), come to earth as a baby to receive his bride!

“The Word of the Father came down from heaven to teach the Way of Prudence to the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. Wisdom was born of a virgin in the dead of winter to an heir of the house of Judah. Wisdom lived and grew before God and men (Luke 2:52). Wisdom came and spoke to us in [sayings], for he is greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42). It was the will of the Father to send his beloved Wisdom to the folly of the Cross, and the joy of Wisdom to carry it (Isaiah 53:10; Hebrews 12:2). That same Wisdom rose again, first-born of the dead, and now rules and reigns forever and ever!” (Mark Brians, Theopolis).

Having secured his bride, he now loves her and matures her that he may present her, the church, to himself in splendor, that she might be holy and without blemish.

So this Advent Season rejoice that he came for you, yes, YOU, to make you part of his bride, and he did so and is doing so in all wisdom! Rejoice! For you are not a lonely one, poor and needy (Psalm 113), but a glorious Princess clothed in the splendor of his love! (Psalm 45).

St. Mark’s Advent and Christmas Guide teaches that Advent is a time to remember that we live between the two major comings of Jesus in history, “that we must live by faith in Christ as we await his return,” and that “we are given to each other in the community of the church to encourage each other…”

Psalm 122 is one of this week’s Advent readings, and does a splendid job of displaying what it means to be a community that encourages one another.

It demonstrates the communal nature of worship: “I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord,” and it is “our feet” that are standing within the gates of Jerusalem to participate in worship.

It describes Jerusalem, the worshipping community, as a body that is firmly bound together to give thanks to the Lord. It reminds us that we are under the Lord, who judges his city for their blessing, as the chief of the house of David.

It calls us, the city, the church, to pray for one another: to pray for peace and security amongst those who love the body.

Finally, it calls us to real, brotherly fellowship: “For my brothers and companion’s sake, I will say, ‘Peace be within you!’”, while at the same time exhorting us to seek each other’s good. And to do so for the glory of God!

So while our focus during Advent is the coming of the Lord, we aren’t to forget for whom he is coming: that brother or sister or child in front of you or behind you or to your side. Not only are we to pray for them, but to seek their peace and to love worshipping with them, because they, too, give thanks to the Lord!

In Genesis 1, God creates a three-tiered universe of the heavens, the land, and the waters below. The first three days he creates them, the next three days fills them, and then puts man in control of it all in Genesis 1:26: “…dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over… all the earth…” The three tiers show up all over the bible: it was seen in Psalm 8 in Pastor Joe’s sermon, and in my sermon in Revelation 12:12 and soon in 14:7.

This language of three-tiers of the universe is also in the second commandment, where God forbids us to bow down to an image of anything in “heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth” (Exodus 20:4). Stop for a second and take that in! God forbids us to bow down to images of anything! “Heaven, earth, and sea” means the whole universe!

In this holiday season, these are important words. Rather than worshipping things, or wealth, or beauty, or good times, or family, or coveting all that might go with those entities (like fake Coca-Cola Christmas scenes and all the emotions evoked by them), we are to worship the Trinity and give thanks for all that we’ve been given, and be content with that as well (1 Corinthians 4:7). We’re to be people of thanksgiving and joy, not envious or covetous of anything in the universe. We’re not to worship it or bow down to it, but rather “rejoicing in the Lord always…in everything by prayer…with thanksgiving letting our requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6–7). Or, as Paul said elsewhere, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16). What a way to enjoy the universe God has blessed us with in Jesus!

It’s that time of year of waning light, and Christians get discouraged for multitudes of reasons: not enough sunlight, poor election results, wickedness accessible on all screens, idolatry of the general culture, rampant sexual immorality blasted in every medium, failing statesmen on all levels of government, holiday debt, kids just aren’t soaking in the discipline routines, conservatives are really Democrats in “go slower” hoodies, etc. We feel bleak, and that carries over into our estimation of Christ’s kingdom and the Great Commission: things look bleak (which is called “living by sight, not by faith.”).

So here’s a great quote to help you live by faith!

“It is often casually said that we live in post-Christian times. I believe that statement to be false. Theologically, the term ‘post-Christian’ makes no sense. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, and all the letters in between. He carries constitutionally the freshness of morning dew. Christianity is of the dawn. If, at times, during given periods, we feel enshrouded by twilight, it is because another day is in the making.” — Erik Varden, “Towards Dawn”

Wow! Now that’s inspirational, because it is TRUE! If in the fullness of time all things were and are united in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:10), what are we doing moping? As Varden points out, Jesus always “is” in His reign and action and love and kingdom. We live in the “regeneration,” the new world order, where Christ sits on his glorious throne, and we are ruling with Him (Matthew 19:28).

But Jesus isn’t just sitting there! No, he’s moving the heavenly Jerusalem to imprint itself upon the earth. He is making all things new, each and every day.

Meditate on that this season, and rejoice that Jesus “is” the daily dawn!

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ…shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly…not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock… Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another…” (1 Peter 5.1-5).

Church membership really is an exercise in humility and like-mindedness.

For the elders (elder means “old guy” in both Hebrew and Greek), they have to humbly accept the sheep that God gives them, and willingly exercise oversight over those sheep; not under compulsion but as a gift, the gift of eternal souls being shepherded unto eternal life. Peter says they can’t bully the sheep into heaven, but that the elders have to be examples to the sheep. In humility they can’t push them away, but have to consider that they, too, are sheep, and must shepherd as they would want to be shepherded. That’s like-mindedness for those under your care. Peter makes it also clear the shepherding is to be done eagerly unto Christ, as it is God’s flock, without any “fleecing” of the sheep for shameful gain. Those in authority often use their power to ascribe further power or possessions for themselves; but Peter says “no” to such malarkey. The “gain” is to the sheep.

For the members, who are younger than the “old guys,” they are told to be subject to the old guys, clothing themselves with humility. So “might is not right” for youth with respect to subjection to the leaders; but a refusal to use that youthfulness and strength while listening and following the wisdom of those who have traveled the paths ahead many times over. The youth learn from the old guys how to navigate the future with holiness, watching and following their example.

People often ask, “Is there a compelling reason for church membership presented in the Bible?” Of course there is!

In the book of Numbers, God knows exactly who his sheep are, because he counts them twice: once after the Red Sea, and then just before entering the Holy Land, after the older, rebellious generation has died off. He knows who He is responsible for, and they know who to obey.

Same thing after the exile: 1 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah all have lists of those who came back.

Jesus also says that he knows his sheep, and that they know his voice. Since he appoints men in the church to lead his church and keep the keys of the kingdom

in Matthew 16, it only makes sense that they also are to know who they are responsible for, and for those cared for to know the voices of their leaders.

Hebrews 13:17 provides the clearest compelling argument for membership in a local congregation: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account…” The individuals have to know the names of the men who rule over them, as one cannot obey a nebulous or undefined leadership. Likewise, a body of elders cannot render an account to God for an undefined membership either!

So this verse (see also Hebrews 13:7 and 1 Peter 5:1–5) requires two lists of names—a list of the elders and a list of the members! We’re not talking about some impressionist painting of fuzzy sheep and shepherds on a distant hillside while working with smudgy brushes!

For some reason, the skeletons all around my neighborhood (most are bleached white, though a few are fluorescent orange and green!) never seem to make it out of the ground. They are still “buried.” Often they are surrounded by signs that read “No one leaves!” or “No one gets out!” Definitely signs of the times: we fear death, it’s scary, but we die and that’s it. In the grave and don’t leave. How sad!

But for the Christian gospel, death is a whole other thing! Why? Because Jesus incorporated death into life. Christian faith means faith in a God who makes death into a positive feature of life. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:17b-18). By being the “first Man,” Jesus established the possibility of a different stance toward suffering and death. Life after the cross, and life in light of the cross, is a life in which death never has the final word, but where death is the means and path toward new, more expansive resurrection life. “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:10-11).

Faith in the God of the future (“I am alive forevermore”), who is also revealed in the cross, enables us to die not only to all the false gods out there in the world, but even to ourselves day after day, and move to the future. Death to our selfish selves, to our sins, to our ungodly aspirations, and even wrecked situations we find ourselves in so much, means moving forward in the resurrection life of Jesus. The Christian life is one of daily death and resurrection, and because of Jesus, death has paradoxically become the key to everlasting life. Even abundant life!

That’s something you really need to share with the owners of those skeletons!

When we think about time and holidays, we are bound to think about calendars. Why? Because calendars write history, helping us to remember the great events. Days, festivals, holidays, the order of meals, rest and vacations, together with religiously observed rituals and symbols, are sources of history.

Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy notes that modern society is “completely sensational, totally forgetful, and wonderfully devoid of memory.” He said that seventy-five years ago! He hit the iPhone video MO directly on the head!

That’s why he liked calendars! They shape time by commemorating cataclysmic events that open and close epochs; and the societal creativity to mark those epochs give form to time. They give time rhythm, and that’s important for the church. ERH notes that “liturgical rhythm is expressed in terms of Sunday and weekday, Christmas and Easter, Pentecost and Advent.”

The church’s calendar defies natural time. Nature has 365 days, but the church’s 365 days express the true infinity of all time from beginning of the world to its end. The reasoning mind sees time as consisting of units, days, or years. But for Christian faith, “one year’s course inducts into the whole linear expanse of all time. So much so, that from Christmas to Easter, a whole lifetime of thirty years is remembered, and from Pentecost to Advent, the whole experience of mankind through the Old Testament and our whole era is remembered.”

For ERH it’s clear that our understanding of time is deeply rooted by Christian convictions concerning Jesus, his death and resurrection, and eschatology. So the Christian faith “gives unity to humanity’s times by giving humanity a common future…humanity lives a unified time and history only because of Jesus.”

By now you are sick of all the Halloween unDecorations, since they celebrate death and grossness and witchcraft and demons, albeit sometimes in a funny way, as in all the Minions in my neighbor’s front yard. You can’t help but chuckle—they are cute and they overcome the tragedy of death comically. But the sadness with all the skeletons is that it is a parody of the resurrection, albeit without bodies and flesh. Leave it to Satan to promise resurrection without skin and flesh and warmth and beauty! No thanks; I’ll take the true resurrection in Christ!

Which brings us back to some of Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy’s observations. He notes that in observing a national holiday, say the War of Independence, it “celebrates more than survival: Through the holiday the tragic events, the death involved in the events commemorated, are incorporated into communal life, as we look ‘with condescension’ on our conflicts because we have triumphed over them. Holidays are the mortar of society; the fruit of a holiday’s observance is the rebirth of the community.” Why? Because as we view the painful events of the past, we “see the connection of death with birth, of darkness with light, of heaven with earth.”

He further notes that “the fellowship of a normal group…is the answer to our hunger for rhythm. Without holidays, humans are deprived of the necessary rhythm of time, and suffer psychologically.”

So we, first, ought to be at regular weekly worship; that gives us the Lord’s Day rhythm, from which the rest of the week flows. Secondly, let us remember to invite our family, friends, and neighbors not only to church holiday observances, but also to our homes for coffee, drinks, and sweets, just to fellowship around the holidays. What a privilege to exhibit peace and trust in Jesus to our neighbors so joyfully!

The Hallowed Eve decorations are all up, so it would be good to think about the “holidays.” Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (ERH), a German-American Christian thinker who ended up in the Harvard Divinity school since he talked a lot about God, has some great observations about the “holidays” worthy of consideration.

ERH argued that holidays are “time-bettering days” — days that improve time by furthering communities, helping to form a group with something “common.” He said, “On a holiday, we share one time and one space although we are divided by self-interest, by age, by wealth, by occupation, by climate, by language, by race, by history; we carry on as though we were one and the same man, regardless of birth, unafraid of death…unperturbed by fear.” He noted that “even the apparent idleness of a Puritan town was productive because it was a matter of being idle together. Puritans labored “for being idle together. The gathering of the idle was primary.”

He further notes that “on holidays, a community triumphs over tragedy…” The power of a holiday consists in the ascendancy over tragedy. Holidays “…place us at the center of existence where death becomes the gate to life.” He means that …“holidays commemorate the great moments, often the great crises, of a community’s history.” (quotes from Peter J. Leithart, I Respond, Though I Shall Be Changed)

Of course, that’s exactly the Christian Church Year of holidays — remembering and celebrating, by being together as a community, the life we have in Christ, having been saved by the great tragedy of Christ on the Cross.

So during this season of holidays, take time to be “idle” with the body of Christ, relaxing and celebrating and being together in the Sunshine of Christ’s love!

“As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them…And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed…It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold” (Dan 2.34, 44b-45a).

Twice Daniel mentions to King Nebuchadnezzar that the statue he saw will be destroyed by a stone “cut out by no human hand.” Why is he told that? Why are you told that? What are you, in your bible reading, supposed to be connecting?

In the scriptures, uncut stones, stones no iron tool is used on, are “altar stones” (Ex. 20:25; Dt. 27:5–6: Josh 8:31). So this is an “altar stone” that destroys the statue in the days of the iron and clay feet (Roman oikumene/empire). Say what?

Since the “stone” grows to be a “great mountain that fills the whole earth” and a “kingdom that shall never be destroyed” (vv. 35, 44), we can surmise that this kingdom is built upon worship, since worship took place at the altar, where the sacrificial offerings were placed. Particularly the worship of the stone, the rock of God, Jesus himself, the Son of Man, who receives the kingdom later on in chapter 7. Jesus appears during the Roman iron/clay era, is worshipped, and then the Apostles expand the worship of Jesus by planting churches, places of singing, praying, fellowshipping, feasting and teaching, all “altar” associated activities in the temple, where altars are normally found. So the kingdom expands, filling the world; and it does so through the worship of the gathered body of Christ!

If you do any reading on the assassin of Charlie Kirk, it’s not long before you start reading about the markings on the bullet casings, his dark web subculture, The Groyper Army, Black Pill culture, etc. He is surely a representative of an angry, lonely, and anchor-less subculture that believes there is no future for men, mankind, or the world, and that cultures and institutions are irreformable. Hence, their focus is tearing down and destroying because that is all there is to do; there is no hope for the future. If you hate God, you love death and destruction.

This is where you come in! You are a bright light of hope for these lonely, dislocated and disillusioned people! In Jesus, you have hope, having been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” In Jesus you have joy, because “by God’s power your are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed…” You have community, being united to other believers through God’s word, worship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and fellowship where all are fed by his grace and kindness. Having your eyes fixed on Jesus the Lord of America and the world, you have purpose and peace.

That’s what Charlie’s assassin and all his friends, associates, and fellow unbelievers need, but desperately lack. This is not a conflict between left and right, liberal and conservative, generation X versus generation XX; it is a conflict between believers in Christ and believers in self or Satan or nothing at all.

So as you enjoy the life of a Christian that has hope and joy and love and family, look around and invite these unbelievers into your life and home, and especially to worship. Listen and speak the truth, with kindness and boldness, for you alone, of all the peoples on the planet, have the soul-satisfying answers!

Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of his saints. — Psalm 116:15

This past Wednesday, God called one of His saints to be a witness with his life—with his last breath. Yet, the bullet that struck Charlie Kirk had no real power because everything in creation is under the direct control and supervision of our great God. It is God who called him to this final task.

Charlie died as he lived—he was amidst discussion and debate on a public college campus surrounded by a mixed multitude of people on all sides of the debate when he was fatally struck. One would have been blind if they did not see his desire for open, honest, and respectful dialogue with all those with whom he disagreed. And further, there’s scarcely a clip of him in any medium or place where Jesus and the gospel did not fall easily from his lips. His faith poured out of him at every opportunity. Life sprang forth from his mouth—as it should from every Christ follower—and many enemies of Christ hated him for it. For those enemies, Charlie was a proxy for their real hate. This is exactly what Jesus speaks of in John 14, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

Jesus walked the path before Charlie. That’s why he was able to boldly enter the lion’s den time and again and witness for Christ against degeneracy, trans ideology, abortion, and many more evils.

Ultimately, Charlie’s light cannot be put out, for it was the light of Jesus that shone through him. He was but a vessel, and the extinguishing of his life only flames Christ’s light to brighter glory in each of us. May we be as bold in whatever station we are called, in whatever duty God has for us. This week, as you remember Charlie Kirk, proclaim the gospel boldly through your words and through your deeds as you give all praise and glory to Christ, our King!

Every chapter of the Bible is encouraging, of course, but Revelation 13 has to rank up there as one of the tops. That might sound funny, since it isn’t a psalm or a chapter from Song of Solomon or even from the book of Romans!

But several features stand out. From heaven to earth, from sky to land, Satan the Dragon is defeated by our Lord, by our brother and sisterly martyrs, by the godly Eves/Mary’s of biblical history, by our Father who gives the woman wings to fly away. In other words, Satan is no match for God and his followers. Though he was the greatest of angels, rebellion has wasted him, rendering him but a fly in the ointment of historical disappointment. He will reign over no one, will have no kingdom at all, when he is eventually thrown in the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 20). But not you! You can resist him now, extinguish his darts, and overcome him daily in union with Jesus. You, united with Jesus, rule over angels. They are but your ministering servants! You by your prayers and perseverance, keeping your eyes on Jesus, are overcomers who cannot be mastered by Satan or his angels. What a glorious position to be in; what a glorious inheritance you have now and will have forever! Is this not the hope and demonstration of Revelation 13?

Joy to the world!

The Holy Spirit is always “hovering around” when a new creation is being built in the scriptures, and that’s important for us to meditate on every once in a while.

The Spirit hovers over the creation in Genesis 1, when the world is first made. Later, with Noah on the ark, the Spirit shows up in the form of the dove (later on we see the dove imaging the Spirit at Jesus’ baptism) hovering over the new world. When Israel comes out of Egypt, the Spirit is hovering over them in the cloud as they are made a new creation, a new nation. The Spirit fills the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle upon completion, signifying that the Spirit fills Israel as his new creation. The same thing happens upon the completion of the Temple: the Spirit-Cloud fills the Temple sanctuary, bonding with Israel as his sanctuary. Gabriel promises Mary that the Spirit will “overshadow” her at the conception of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit alights on Jesus in the form of a dove at his baptism, anointing him as the Messiah. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit shows up in rushing wind with tongues of fire on the saints, symbolizing them as living temples.

Which brings us to you, your baptized children, and your baptized brethren: you all are “overshadowed” in the Holy Spirit, and we are personal temple dwellings of the Spirit, continuing the apostolic line of Pentecost! Filled with the Spirit, we live to glorify God in our bodies, because we are glorified beings as his temple!

Remember Paul’s admonition? “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19–20).

“He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD” (Psalm 107:40-43).

Pastor Joe’s sermon on this Psalm was illuminating on how it applied to Israel in the wilderness, fleeing Egypt. But a little reflection and one can see how the church today appears to be in the wilderness as well, as we are torn asunder from within and without. Our princes certainly have had contempt poured on them, and seem continual candidates for it because of their wickedness, which is unending with greed and covetousness and false worship. Yet in the midst, God blesses the church and its families.

So what should we do? Verse 43 encourages us to act wisely and attend to these things, and consider God’s steadfast love. So, let us pray for our princes and their repentance and their submission to Jesus and his law—all of it. But let us also pray for all those other leaders in our society between the rulers and families, such as local police, city leaders, business leaders (retail and commercial), media and social media leaders, charity leaders, NGO leaders, and the myriad volunteer leaders that shape our society, at this point, mostly for evil. Too often we tend to focus on the political leaders, and so continue the lie that life is mostly political. But that is to worship the state, and we don’t believe in that. We believe in worshipping the one who is above the state, who exhibits steadfast love.

Pastor Joe just finished the book of Exodus, the crowning story of the construction of a house, made up of his people, for Yahweh to dwell in as he dwells among them. This theme of “victory-housebuilding” is prominent in the scriptures, with this story of God defeating Pharaoh and his Egyptian gods and then commanding his people to build His house with the spoils of victory, coming in at “second” place in the scriptures.

What comes in “first” place? Obviously, the victory of Jesus over Satan and then the building of His house/church, with the spoils of victory, all the former slaves of Satan, now his worshippers, in whom Jesus dwells by the Spirit: Colossians 1:13: “He…delivered us from…darkness and transferred us to…his beloved Son.”

In between, look for this pattern over and over. For example, after the wicked are destroyed in the flood and God gives Noah a new world, he erects an altar for worship and plants a garden/vineyard; this is the new Eden. After Abram is delivered out of Ur, he moves to the promised land and erects altars throughout the land, marking the land as a house of God out of Canaan. When David defeats all his enemies and has rest, he desires to build the Lord a permanent house, which Solomon is tasked to do. In the meantime, David erects a tent for the Ark in Jerusalem, which he and Israel and the converted Gentiles gather around for times of worship, a foretaste of Jesus’ house in the Great Commission. In the history of Kings of Judah, several “rebuild” the temple after rest from their enemies. But “third” place is Israel rebuilding the temple from Babylon’s spoils!

So each Sunday, be grateful you are the house of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he dwells in you as part of the church, his victory spoils!

How do we best understand Jesus’ statement when he declares at the Last Supper, “This is my body, which is given for you; do this as my memorial”? His mentioning of “memorial” takes us back to the sacrifices instituted by the Lord in the Old Covenant and how the appointed animals were substitutes for men and their sins until the Messiah, the Savior, should come. So, Jesus is saying that he is that sacrifice that all the animal sacrifices pointed to.

Jesus strengthens this sacrificial tie by further stating in John 6 that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Jesus is declaring that “man could only partake of his humanity by accepting His sacrifice; that is, eat His flesh and blood and accept the sacrifice of His humanity for their sins (John 6:30–63). Man’s membership in the body of Jesus Christ, His Church, as set forth in the sacrament of the Lord’s Table, can thus be only a membership in His perfect humanity!” (Rushdoony, World History Notes, p. 49).

What Rushdoony is saying is that in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are incorporated into the humanity of Christ; we become glorified humanity, but not divine. There is no bridging of the human-divine gap by man, an affront to all pagan religions seeking to be divine or on the totem pole to divinity. As the Chalcedon Creed says, there is “no confusion of the two natures.”

The Satanic lie was that man could “be as God,” but the grace of the Gospel is to be glorified man, living in the presence of God, without sin and arrogance.

So, rejoice when you eat the Supper! By feasting on the body and blood of Jesus, you are being united to the true glorified man and so share in his glory. Through his humanity you come into the fellowship of the glorious Trinity!

Your interpretive antenna should go up every time you hear or read a repeated word or phrase in the Scriptures. Why? Because God is connecting story to story as he reveals himself to us, teaching how his great love and promises fit together.

For example, we are told in Genesis 1:2 that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” at creation. Well, guess who is hovering over Jesus at his baptism, his new “creation” as the anointed Christ? The dove, representing the Holy Spirit. In Jesus a new creation is beginning. But then you remember the dove that hovered over Noah’s waters in Genesis 9 until she found new ground and new growth, an olive branch? Noah was in a new creation. Deuteronomy 32:11 also speaks of the Lord “hovering” over the children of Israel at the time of the Exodus, teaching you that Israel was a new creation being formed by the Spirit of God. Gabriel draws on this imagery when he announces Jesus’ birth to Mary, saying that the Holy Spirit will “overshadow you, therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” The Holy Spirit brought about a new creation in Jesus! Very similar to John’s gospel language of “in the beginning was the Word, …” Jesus is the beginning of a new creation!

Are there more “hoverings” that signal a new creation? Sure, but I’ll just tell you of one more: Saul on the road to Damascus had Jesus speak to him out of a blinding light, but also had the Holy Spirit hover over him as Ananias laid hands on him to receive his sight. He was a new creation as scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. He was no longer a serpent, but now a Spirit-filled man!

Now, you think of some more!

Recent news has seen 3 prominent deaths: Ozzy Osborne, Hulk Hogan, and Dr. John MacArthur. A diverse group, but they do share some commonalities.

The first is that they were all born to Adam’s linage as sinners in the sight of God (Rom. 3:23). However far apart their earthly lives seemed, they were yet essentially the same. The second thing they share in common is they now stand before God and must give an account to the creator of the cosmos (2 Cor. 5:10).

But here commonality diverges. To our knowledge, Ozzy, whose songs often glorified the occult and the devil, did not possess faith in Christ. So when he stands before the judgment, he has nothing but his sinful deeds to present to God.

Hulk Hogan, known for his WWE career, professed Christ when young, wandered from the faith, but returned later in life. He had many scandals during the wandering, including sex tapes and racist remarks. Yet before God, he stands justified (Rom. 5). When he gives account, he points to Jesus’ work on the cross, where his sins have been atoned for (Heb. 9, Rev. 5, etc.)

Dr. MacArthur finished his race well. He never compromised and he was used by God for the proclamation of the gospel and the care of the sheep. Yet, just like Hulk Hogan, he stands before God (2 Cor. 5:8), not based on his works, but by the grace of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2). Were he still here, he would no doubt rejoice greatly in the testimony of Hulk Hogan, and lament for Ozzy.

Saints, your faith is a great gift of God. Give thanks that on your judgement day, you stand, not upon your own righteousness like Ozzy, righteousness which does not exist, but upon the righteousness and grace of your great Savior and King, Jesus Christ, just like Hulk Hogan and John MacArthur. The miracle of Jesus atonement for sins is the reason Hulk Hogan and John MacArthur can share space in the same article, and even eternity together in the presence of God. So rejoice in the mercy of Jesus!

Some Christians might be tempted to think that the details Pastor Joe covered from Exodus 37 last Sunday are unnecessary for Christians today. After all, we don’t have Levites carrying around the ark and other furniture. Yet those articles are steeped in symbolism vital to our understanding of our faith and of Jesus.

For example, the ark had two hammered cherubim on top of it, looking down at the top, which was the mercy seat, or covering, or pure gold. From each end the cherubim are guarding the mercy seat between them, which was also Yahweh’s footstool. It’s where heaven and earth meet, and Yahweh rules from there.

When you get to Solomon’s temple, there are four cherubim in the Holy of Holies: the two on the ark, and two more with their wings spread across the whole room, over the ark. But why four guardian angels? Well, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” so when John goes into heaven in Revelation 4, how many guardian angels does he see around God’s throne? That’s right: four!

But it gets better! When Mary shows up at the tomb on Resurrection morning, what she sees (John 20:11ff) is two angels, “sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.” So here’s a table/burial ledge, with angels on either end of where Jesus had lain. What’s that mean? Well, the two angels were guarding the mercy seat between them, with the tomb being a new “holy of holies.” Additionally, the mercy seat was now Jesus, the covering for our sins. Since the mercy seat is where Yahweh’s feet are set on earth, Jesus is now pictured as Yahweh in the flesh, the now resurrected ruler of the world! Heaven and earth meet in and through him!

Hopefully, our time in Revelation 11 last Sunday made things a little clearer to you. It’s a long chapter, but a great story of faithfulness and resurrection and victory. But to see it that way, we must interpret the book within itself and with the Scriptures. So let’s finish our interpretive keys started last week.

The fifth key is: Revelation is about the “tribulation times” and immediately afterwards, the last 3-3.5 years of the generation that Jesus mentions in Matthew 24, that runs from 30 to 70 AD (40 years).

Revelation picks up where Acts leaves off, and begins when the disciples see the “Abomination of Desolation” standing where he shouldn’t be (Matthew 24:15).

The sixth key is: The whole book is a worship service, a Lord’s Day, that gives you a front row seat on how worship is done in heaven. John tells you in 1:10 that he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, worshipping Jesus,

This service starts on earth, chapters 1-3.

It then goes into heaven, chapters 4-22:6

Then it is back on earth in 22:7ff, where people can wash their robes and enter the city that is the church and eat of the tree of life for healing. That’s our worship service! It starts on earth, goes into heaven, and then ends up on earth!

The seventh key is: Angels, who are Old Covenant mediators, are all over the book of Revelation and replaced as rulers by the saints in chapter 20:4ff. This tells you the book is about the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. See Matthew 13 parables and Galatians 3:19.

Since you got a little dose of Revelation last Sunday, and more today, I’m sure you’ll all revved up to read the book again and again until you’re comfortable in it! To get there, let’s review seven key interpretive “must do’s” as you read the book.

The first key is: Believe the text when it says, in chapters 1 and 22, that these “things must soon take place” and that the “time is near” and that it is a “blessing to the one who receives the book and reads and heeds it” back then. Believe Jesus when he says, “I am coming soon.”

The second key is: John sees himself in “the Tribulation” when he receives the revelation. (see 1:9) It is the same “the Tribulation” that Jesus spoke of when talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the land of Israel in Matthew 24. John was there and listening at Jesus’ feet!

The third key is: When you see the word “earth” in the book change it to “land” in your mind or when you read it aloud. (try it on 7:1-3)

The fourth key is: Understand that the terms “Sodom” and “Egypt” and particularly “Babylon the Great” or “the great city” refer to and apply to Jerusalem and the people of Israel symbolically, and not those places geographically. Why? Because the Israel and Jerusalem of John’s day resemble those places because of their false worship and their spiritual adultery. An enlightening example is in 11:7-8, where John measures the Temple where the two witnesses prophesy. But they are killed, and their bodies lie in the street of the “great city” called Sodom and Egypt. What city? Jerusalem, “where their Lord was crucified.” (to be continued)

With Iran and Israel in the news lately, there’s been a lot of hoorah on how the U.S. must support Israel, especially amongst us evangelicals. The claim is that Israel, and the Jews specifically, are God’s people, Abraham’s sons, and whoever blesses them will be blessed, etc. So you hear phrases such as “Support Israel” or “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (not that anybody is against praying for peace).

So the questions are: Who are God’s people today? And is it the Jews of today?

Let’s start with the last question. Jesus Christ was the last true Jew; all genealogies in the New Testament stop with him. Additionally, “for all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor 1); Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises in the Scriptures (see Luke 24 and Hebrews 1:1-4). Also, the Apostle Paul says that beginning in his day, “there is neither Jew nor Greek…for you all are one in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:28). How is that? Because the mystery of God was fulfilled in Christ, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body (Eph. 3). Of what body? Of the Christian body, Jew and Gentile united as “one new man in the place of the two…”(Eph 2). So there is no future for the Jews in God’s word, with regards to them being his people, after the coming of Jesus.

So who are God’s people today? Well, Peter says the church is, using language that used to describe Israel in the Old Testament as now applying only to the church: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…once you were not God’s people, but now you are God’s people” (1 Peter 2:9-12). Paul does the same in 2 Cor. 6:14-7.1, applying old covenant promises of God to the church (7:1)!

When David exclaims in Psalm 139, “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,” some might claim that it could be a “one off” and David is just showing his surly side. Maybe he had just fled from King Saul or something. But the Psalm itself brings out the continuity of loving God AND hating his enemies.

The very first verse demonstrates that David knows God is with him and all around him at all times: “Oh, Lord, you have known me and searched me.” David cannot be seen as someone trying to hide his “bad side” to the Lord. That’s impossible, he says.

Then he exclaims, “Where shall I go from your Spirit, or where shall I flee from your presence?” David can’t hide anything from the Lord.

David then proclaims in verse 14, “Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it well.” And that’s all in the context of God’s intimate creational knowledge of David, even from the womb!

So when David says “how precious to me are your thoughts (17), and then cries out, “Oh that you would slay the wicked” and “Do I not hate those who hate you…I hate them with complete hatred,” David is not exhibiting any guilt or dissonance or bipolar disorder or schizophrenia! No! Loving the Lord and his nearness is quite at home with hating those who hate the wonderful Lord who is always present and makes wonderful creatures! In fact, being so close to such a great and holy Lord SHOULD lead you to hate his enemies! How can you not side with him who is Love against those who hate him?

“Hate” has gotten a bad rap in our culture lately. If you take a principled position on an issue, that’s considered hateful towards those on the opposite. Then there are “hate crimes,” where a person may voice his position against a group that is protected against such opinions. Hate crimes are usually added infractions on top of already evil, wicked, and hateful crimes such as murder or rape.

So Christians shy away from “hate” and try to remain nice and neutral. The only problem with that is our God is one who hates! David says of God in Psalm 5 “…you hate all evildoers…the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” In Amos 5:21 the LORD declares “I hate, I despise your feasts.” Even Jesus says to his church in Rev 2:6, “…you hate the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

Should we follow suit after our God? Of course! In that most famous of Psalms, 139, David exclaims, right after declaring God’s thoughts are precious to him, “…do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?…I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” In Psalm 119:113, he says “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.” Or in Psalm 26:5, “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.” Again, even Jesus said you must hate your family, and even your own life, if you want to be his disciple (Luke 14:26).

Quite shocking, I know, but all easily understood: Christians must take positions against the evil and wicked and side with their Lord. After all, Jesus is not afraid to hate the wicked — he’ll be banishing them to hell, forever, soon enough!

So think about this, and humbly, because I would really hate it if you don’t have a biblical notion of hate. And so would Jesus. He wants you clearly on his side.

Christians often exhibit a low self-esteem when talking about their own faithfulness. They don’t want to brag about holiness, which is fine. But often they are too reluctant to give God the glory and acknowledge what they have done by the power of the Spirit working within them. They have a hard time embracing Philippians 2:12 which says “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God is at work in you…” They’ll praise the Lord but get really squeamy if you praise them for being faithful and conscientious in the salvation that was given to them.

Psalm 26:1 is a tough one: “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” We think, “David is being a little pompous here. Nobody trusts in the Lord without wavering.”

Psalm 7:8 is also tough: “…judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.” My righteousness? My integrity?

Well, yes. If you are baptized in Christ, then you have been washed of your sins and clothed with Jesus, meaning the Holy Spirit also dwells in you to lead you in the ways and teachings and faithfulness of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 6:11; Romans 6:3-4). That’s who you stand in, and from that standing you move out in obedience and trust and faithfulness in all you do. It’s that simple. It’s like Christian who was given new clothing when his burden rolled down the hill and also given God’s scroll to read and follow on his path to the Celestial City!

I think we always read passages with horror like “Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me” only to find out that these are David’s covenant friends: “I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother, as one who laments his mother” (Psalm 35:4, 14).

Or, “Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest…,” only to find out that it’s not an enemy, but it is “…my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together, within God’s house we walked in the throng.” Yet David continues, “Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive; for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart” (Psalm 55:5-6, 13b-15).

What shocks us is that a brother or sister could fall away from the Lord so much that David is asking pretty heavy judgment upon them: death and Sheol because evil has ensnared them through and through.

While it’s hard for us moderns to sit in any judgment seat, David does not shrink back, and neither should we. People fall away, dearest Christians betray Jesus and others: King Saul, Absalom, Judas, Alexander the Coppersmith.

What are you to do? Remember the cloud of witnesses that surround you, lay aside the sin which clings so closely, and run the faithful race with endurance, all the while looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). And, taking care there be no unbelieving heart in yourself that falls away from the living God, while exhorting and being exhorted yourself, such that you are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. You want to strive to be firm in Christ till the end! (Hebrews 3:12-14).

When you are reading your bible to yourself, or to your children, or listening to it, keep your eyes and ears perked to listen to repeated phrases and words.

For example, we all know from Genesis 3:15 that Jesus is going to crush the “head of the serpent.” But then throughout the scriptures, you read about all these evil people, who get crushed heads: Sisera (tent peg to the head), Abimelech (mill stone head-wound), Goliath (rock to the forehead), Absalom (tree fork head crush), and many others. But they are all consummated in Jesus’ death on the cross, where as King, he crushes the serpent on the head, putting death to death. All the while with his feet over the “place of the skull”! His actual death pictured this victory!

Another theme to listen for is “thorns.” That’s part of the curse upon Adam for not faithfully listening to God’s word. He rebelled. Guess what? Throughout the scriptures rebellious people are linked with thorns and the curse. Jotham gave a story to the rebellious who followed Abimelech after killing the sons of Gideon: they would be led by bramble/thorns to their death. Gideon had whipped 77 elders of Succoth after refusing to help him in pursuit of the enemy kings. Throughout the Proverbs the lazy are surrounded by thorns. But in the end? Jesus has a crown of thorns on his head, in his death, signifying he’s taken the curse for us!

Here’s one more: spears. King Saul is always portrayed as carrying a spear. We are told, though, in 1 Samuel 13:22, that most people are without spears. Later on, the first character with a spear is Goliath, a Philistine, who wants to kill David. David, by contrast, never uses a spear. The spear, in this section of the bible, is an oppressive power tool, and it’s linked with the wicked king Saul, acting like the kings of the nations around him, like a Philistine. So how does this “spear” motif point to Jesus? I’ll let you meditate on that!

May Day, or the International Worker’s Day, was celebrated this past week on the 1st. It’s a day in which communists and socialists commemorate the struggle and gains made by workers and the labor movement around the world. That movement holds Karl Marx as its head, and also attributes great gains to Lenin, Stalin, and Mao. Those three men did a lot for workers, putting almost 100 million in the ground, because they did not “work” the way the state wanted them to.

Marx’s ideology/atheology produced the greatest idol of all, the omnipotent state, which made morality relative under the leadership of ambitious men who became gods themselves. With morality relative, the state party could regenerate men and build the paradise to come, with its power absolute and unquestioned. Hence the “workers paradise” of 100 million dead and two billion more sent to hell.

The point of this is to remind us that ideas and false beliefs do have consequences. Either deadly, enslaving ones, or life-giving, freeing ones. Marx is to blame for what came after him, for he saw God’s invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature, yet rejected that and became foolish, refusing to honor God or give thanks to him. He exchanged the glory of God for men (Romans 1:19-23).

But thanks be to God that Christ came to set us free, to give us life and to have it abundantly (John 10:10). Through the Father’s great love, Christ’s sacrifice, and the filling of the Holy Spirit, men can love, protect, rule, provide, and give themselves for others, exercising the Dominion Mandate of Genesis 1 to the glory of God and their fellow man. They can work, not to murder and destroy and wither, but to build and worship and love and bring out the glory of nature and man who is made in God’s image. For that end let us rise and worship the Trinity!

He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

There is plenty of joy coming from Easter and the Easter season, and for good reason: our Lord lives, and his word was vindicated, giving great hope, joy, and confidence to all his followers, both then and now.

Not only did his death clear our slate of sins, but by his resurrection, we weren’t left in a “neutral” state as cleansed sinners who have no power to live faithfully. How so? Paul says in Romans 4:25 that Jesus was also “raised for our justification.” Because Jesus is alive, and we are united to him in baptism, we now have and share his resurrected life, and in him, are made right with the Father, even as he is right with the Father: “…just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life” (Romans 6:4b).

Is there more to Jesus’ resurrection? Absolutely! One more obvious point is that Jesus was resurrected as a King, as our Lord. Kings and lords not only save their citizens, but they also judge them. In fact, in Israel, the King was the top “elder” in the gate; he helped all the elders judge the people according to God’s law (see Absalom’s rebellious story).

What does that mean for us? It means that we who share his resurrected life must also live faithfully lest we come under his judgment! In our joy and celebration we can’t forget we were raised for a purpose: a faithful life lived under the watchful eye of our Judge. For the Father has fixed a day when he will judge the world by Jesus, and he gave assurance of that by raising Jesus from the dead! (Acts 17:31).

“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen” (Luke 24:5b–6a). We respond: “He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!”

The words above from Luke 24 were the first words spoken by the two angels to the women who had come to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. After telling the disciples, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene near the tomb while she is weeping. She supposes him to be the gardener, but after his speaking, recognizes him as the Lord, who then sends her to tell the disciples she has seen the Lord.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus appeared to a woman first? Why is that? The text doesn’t tell us, but we can learn something thinking about it biblically.

We could say that Jesus is the Seed of the woman. He’s crushed the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15), fulfilling his promise to the Woman, and so daughters of Eve are the first to witness it/Him. A great biblical answer, as it honors the Bride.

Another answer is to realize that the first Adam needed a helpmeet, and that the first human person he meets in the garden is Eve. Now we have the Second Adam, Jesus, in a garden, and the first human person he meets is Eve’s daughter, Mary Magdalene, who had ministered to him throughout his ministry in Galilee, (Mark 15:40–41). She had been a “helpmeet” of sorts before his death, and now, after his resurrection, she is presented to him, and she helps! She carries a message to the disciples, as well as being a witness that he is alive! As the first Eve was the glory of Adam in the garden, so Mary is the glory of Jesus as she praises him in a garden, “Rabboni,” and helps by carrying a message. Further testimony, perhaps, that Jesus is the Second Adam, and that he loves and honors his Bride!

“He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!”

In the book of Ezra, Ezra the Priest is quite appalled to hear that the exiles had intermarried with Canaanites, one of the very sins that sent them into exile in the first place. They had broken faith by taking wives of the Canaanites, so that they mixed the holy race with the peoples of the lands (Ezra 9:1-2). They vowed then to put away their wives and the children of these unlawful marriages.

The people had jeopardized the seed line of the coming Messiah, for these were the remnants of Judah (and Benjamin) involved.

But is there any present day application for the church? For us as Christian couples and our children? At least two obvious ones.

First, Paul’s admonition in 1 Corinthians 7:39 is a reflection of Ezra: “free to be married…only in the Lord.” As Christians, we can only marry Christians. Couples need to keep this in mind, as death or divorce may break up an existing marriage, and Jesus gives his word on how to rectify that, should the remaining spouse desire to do so. That’s wisdom for us, our children, other believers, and believing relatives. We need to give a sure word to those who find themselves single again.

Secondly, Christians ought not to date non-Christians. That’s strong language, but why date someone you can’t marry? That’s only setting up a very strong temptation to disobey Jesus. Yet Paul’s admonition in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 is strong! Paul directly says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.” A dating/courtship relationship with an unbeliever is an unequal yoke, and setting oneself, or our children, up for an unequal yoke: marriage to an unbeliever.

Paul is not hard to interpret here. He goes on: “what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? What portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” He strongly states the principle in verse 17: “be separate from them.” At least in marriage. In short, don’t jeopardize yourself or your faithful line.

One of the recurring themes that the apostle James returns to several times in his epistle is the sinful nature of the human tongue.

In 4:11–12, he specifically deals with brothers who speak evil of one another. This tendency to speak evil of each other has deep roots in mankind’s sinful nature. Adam spoke evil of his wife, Cain spoke evil of his brother, Miriam and Aaron spoke evil against Moses, Korah spoke evil against Moses and Aaron, Sanballat and Tobiah Slandered Nehemiah… you get the idea. James is addressing a deep-rooted sin within the body.

James says that, “He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.” (4:11b). And so in judging the law, they have ceased to be doers.

What is the summary of the law that Jesus gives? Love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. But when speaking evil of a brother, a Christian is speaking evil of this law, of Jesus’ words and Jesus’ commands — his is not loving his neighbor, his brother. And so in setting themselves up as judges of the law over and against each other, they have failed to do the law.

James goes on to say: “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (4:12). This should make believers very fearful of sitting in judgement of brothers, of speaking evil against those for whom Jesus has died.

So when you are tempted to speak evil of your brothers, remember instead that Judgement is Jesus’ job, not ours. We would be wise to keep this in mind and not attempt to usurp the role of God.

2 Timothy 3.1-9 is another one of those “last days” passages that our Christian brothers often take as applicable here and now, as if we are in the last days. But as I showed in the last Weekly Perspective, “last days” has a wide pedigree in the Bible, such as in Joel 2, Acts 2, Hebrews 1, and it is clear from Acts 2 and Hebrews 1 that Peter and Paul are talking about events in “their” day.

The same is true here in 2 Timothy 3. Paul says that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. Is he warning us, 2000 years later? Well, no he isn’t; he is warning Timothy about their day and time so that Timothy is a better pastor and won’t be caught off guard. Again, the context alerts us to the faithful reading.

Paul mentions in verse 2 that people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, etc. What does he say about such people in verse 5? Avoid them! Avoid them because they will mislead you, Timothy, and pervert your ministry! Then Paul goes on to judge these men, saying they won’t get very far, for their folly will be plain to all. How so? Because these men oppose the truth, men who are disqualified regarding their faith. Paul is speaking in the present tense about these men, warning Timothy to avoid them. In contrast to the men of verse 1-9, Paul praises Timothy for having followed his teaching, conduct, faith, patience, etc. in verses 10-11. Timothy is contrasted with the living wicked of his day who suffer shipwreck of faith.

How do we apply these passages today? Well, there are still wicked people around and they still can and do attack pastors and spoil their ministries. Present day pastors, and their flocks, should avoid them!

1 Timothy 4:1-5 is another one of those passages that Christians often get snookered by, because they don’t know the context. Paul is talking about the later times, how bad things will be, and other Christians read that and turn to you and say, “We are in the last days; this passage sounds just like what is happening today. Start looking for the rapture or the antichrist! The Spirit says so!”

But is Paul talking about our day, or future days? How do we answer that question? By reading the context! Paul does say that in later times some will depart from the faith by failing to be faithful. So he warns Timothy to mention those things to his flock. Verse 6: “If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”

Notice what Paul directs Timothy to do: tell and explain to the brothers alive in that day in Timothy’s ministry, about what the Spirit says would happen in the later times. Why? Because Timothy and Paul are living in the later times! Paul is clear that those things are happening in Timothy’s day, and he needs to warn his hearers. The warnings are not really for our day, but for Timothy’s day. Yes, our culture does look like that somewhat, which means we can learn to apply the passage today in our situation. But we aren’t living in the “later times” as they did.

So what are the “later times”? Based on the similar phrase “last days” in Joel 2, Acts 2, Hebrews 1, etc., and Jesus’ discussion of the end of the old covenant temple and worship in Matthew 24, the “later times” are referring to the days of the end of the old covenant around 66-70 AD. Days long gone for us!

Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged” is one of the most misquoted passages in the bible, and used often against Christians by unbelievers when the subject of sin or obedience or faithfulness comes up. “Don’t judge lest you be judged!” They quote it to shut down any judgment at all. “You’re being judgmental; the bible says to ‘judge not.’ You Christians are all hypocrites.”

Then the witnessing moment ends because the believer doesn’t know what to say.

But let’s look at the context; is Jesus really saying, Don’t judge at all? Not at all! In fact, in the following verses He tells you to judge. He tells you to “see” the speck in your brother’s eye, but to first make a judgment and take out the log in your own eye. Yes, Jesus is against hypocrisy. But he is not against judging correctly.

In fact, Jesus goes on to command several more instances of judging (6): don’t give to dogs what is holy, and don’t throw pearls before pigs. You have to make assessments of situations and how to act in them.

In verse 13 Jesus commands you to make a judgment about gate size, so you don’t end up in destruction: enter by the narrow gate. In verses 15ff, Jesus also mentions being aware of false prophets, and that you are to “recognize” them by their fruits. You are to judge their fruits, whether it is good or bad; He doesn’t want you to get eaten up by those ravenous wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing!

So Christians are to follow the Lord in making judgments; but we are to make sure we do so in truth and not hypocritically.

Reading the context around a particular verse makes all the difference in its interpretation, and will keep you from being misled by popular false opinions..

For instance, I Timothy 2.1-7 includes the phrases “who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” and “…Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…” Most evangelicals think this a great foundation for believing in universal salvation: “God desires all people to be saved! God is loving and caring! What God desires, He gets,” so they say. And, Jesus died for everyone!

But not all are saved, such as Lamech who boasted taking ten-fold revenge over God, King Saul, and Judas. A real dilemma appears: God is not able to save everyone, being weak, and the blood of Jesus is not strong enough to save everyone. But maybe the passage isn’t about universal salvation in the first place!

In fact the passage isn’t speaking about the salvation of all people who have ever lived. We know this by looking at the context. First of all, verse 6 mentions that Jesus was “the testimony given at the proper time.” Secondly, Paul goes on to mention that he was “appointed a preacher and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” Paul was brought on the scene at the appropriate time in biblical history to bring the Gentiles into the kingdom (cf. Ephesians 2). So the passage is not talking about universal salvation, but about God extending the Good News of the gospel to the whole world in Paul’s day, and not just to the Jews! So “all people” means not just Jews, but also Gentiles, which is everyone at that time. God desires people saved of all the nations, both of Jews and Gentiles; it doesn’t mean every soul who ever lived. Hey, that’s in line with the Great Commission!

“Male and Female”: where have you heard that phrase before? Well, in Genesis 1 when God creates man and woman, male and female, Adam and Eve. Also, in Matthew 19 when Jesus responds to the hard-hearts of the Pharisees regarding divorce, reminding them that the Creator “from the beginning made them male and female.” The Apostle Paul notes in Galatians 3 that in our baptisms we have “put on Christ” and are all Sons of God such that there is “neither slave nor free, nor male nor female, for you are all one in Christ.” Definitely a biblical phrase!

But this phrase, “Male and Female;” where have you heard that lately? From none other than President Trump when he ended federal support for transgender sports and all the other nonsense uses of transgender ideology. This past week, Health and Human Services revised their definitions: two sexes, male and female.

President Trump said his decision was based on “common sense” and “science.” Which is true because we live in God’s world. Look around, and you only see two sexes: male and female.

But when we as Christians discuss this issue with fellow believers and unbelievers (and our kids), let’s be honest and truthful and witness for Jesus Christ — it’s his Created standard! It’s God’s design for the world, and always has been.

Adam and Eve are just the type; “male and female” picture also Jesus and his bride, the church. Jesus and his love for his bride sets the standard for husbands, males, loving their wives, females (Ephesians 5:25ff). If we equivocate on this, we lose our very salvation: Jesus dying for his bride to save her. Let’s not abandon the Greatest Love Story ever told!

Finishing out our short look at Psalm 16, we find that David is not only making requests of the Lord while trusting in him, he is also celebrating his security of being in the Lord’s care: “Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.” David is glad; he is merry of heart. From his bowels to his hairline, he is in a joyful mood and acknowledging to himself what a favored position he enjoys. He is, as we say, a happy camper!

And why shouldn’t he be? For he knows that, “my flesh also dwells secure.” God’s presence with him means he is secure in his person, in his status before God and man, in his pursuits, and even in the eternal future.

We know this because he pens the phrase spoken of Jesus in Acts 2 and 13: “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” God won’t let Satan or the Serpent have him; no, the Lord will keep his embodied soul forever as one! Paul makes that point in Acts 13:34: “corruption” was being dead; but God raised Jesus from the dead, ending that “corruption.” In faith, David “sees” not death eternally, but life with Yahweh, Jesus being Yahweh in the flesh.

We know David is thinking this because of the last phrases, which all interpret each other: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The path of life is in the Lord’s presence. At the Lord’s Kingly right hand are pleasures forevermore.

This is true of you today, as you dine with Jesus, uniting yourself to him in faith as you eat the bread and drink the wine. Like David, you say repeatedly to Jesus, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you” (vs 2). In fact, every time you eat at Jesus’ table, you embody David’s faith: “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup” (vs. 5). How wonderful is that? So be glad in Jesus, and let your whole being rejoice, because in him you dwell secure (vs 9).

Continuing in Psalm 16, we find that David is not shy about where he places his trust: “The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” David is, out loud, saying he has consciously chosen to follow Yahweh. In fact, Yahweh is his food and drink, his portion and his cup. His chosen fellowship is with Yahweh himself, tasting that He is good; he is not out running after other gods. But while affirming his choice, he is also submissive and respectful: Yahweh holds me in his hands. My fate is in his hands.

Is David upset or dismissive of the Lord holding his lot? Not at all; he is quite grateful and thankful. “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Would that we would all follow David’s lead! When he surveys his life and his planting, he is happy where God has led him and placed him. It is beautiful. When was the last time you praised the Lord for where he has led you and planted you? Do you agree that your inheritance is beautiful? How can it not be, having been orchestrated by He who brings you all good (vs. 2)?

This Psalm is suffused with God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility (“I chose the Lord, and he holds my lot”), and we see that again in the next two phrases or verses, in an ABAB pattern. “I bless Yahweh who gives me counsel…I have set Yahweh always before me.” David is actively living by faith in Yahweh; he blesses him and keeps him front and center in his thoughts and actions. At the same time, he is reliant upon Yahweh for counsel and for confidence: “in the night also my heart instructs me…because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Using Hebrew poetic parallelism, we understand that the night instruction comes from Yahweh who is at his right hand. David is faithful, and Yahweh gives comfort of presence (“right hand”) and confidence in the task or battle (“I shall not be shaken”).

May you follow David’s example this week! (to be continued).

Everybody has a favorite Psalm, and for most Christians, that is Psalm 23. It does a lot of heavy lifting, for sure. Others prefer the Messianic Psalms, (2, 72, or 110). But Psalm 16 is like the 18-wheeler of Psalms: highly encouraging.

It opens with a request and a statement of faith: “Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.” That should get your faith juiced right from the beginning: I’m in God’s hand, and I am trusting Him!

The second phrase again elicits a statement of faith, as well as focusing the believer’s trust in God’s good care and love: “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’” Expressing your faith in Jesus is good to do, of course, but so also is recognizing that in Him rests all the goodness you’re going to find in life. That’s an encouraging and truthful reaffirmation of faith.

The third phrase opens the corporate vista to your eyes of faith: “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” The Christian faith and life is more inclusive and broader than just you and Jesus; it includes the church; your brothers and sisters as well. And they are the ones you look to for examples of faithfulness and delight! Have you been doing that lately? Are you delighting in the wonderful, Jesus-bearing, light-bearing, loving saints around you?

In contrast to the faithful and excellent family that surrounds you in the corporate body of Christ, you have the foolishness and wickedness of those who pursue idolatry: “The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offering of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.” This is a clear statement of differentiation, of judgment: I will not be hanging out with those people, nor considering them the excellent ones. In fact, I won’t even be mentioning them! The hymn “Who is On the Lord’s Side” comes to mind! (to be continued).

Dear St. Mark Saints,

Thank you for your prayers and support over the last two months. The Lord is hearing and answering in the hoped for direction so far. I thought I would share a small snippet as to how they are affecting me, as a means to encourage you in your walk with the Lord Jesus.

This week, just minutes before beginning a procedure that has a long list of side effects from seizures to strokes to kidney dialysis to death, and the whole kitchen sink in between (you know how those medical consent forms list EVERYTHING!), I was looking in the mirror and said, “Lord, into your hands I commit my future and life. If you want me in heaven today, I’m ready. Or later.” But then I stopped and thought, “Wait a minute; that’s a silly statement! I’ve always already been in the Lord’s hand, from my conception till now. I’m a son of the covenant; I’m a covenantal son! Jesus has lovingly shepherded and guided me to this point, and will do so forever.” So then I stopped and started thanking the Lord for always having been with me my whole life, grateful that He’s always been my Lord and Protector and Shepherd.

I share all this to encourage you this week to not only ask the Lord’s blessing for your week, but also to remember to thank Him that He’s been with you all along, holding your hand and guiding you through life’s difficulties and trials, which is why we can consider even our trials as joy inexpressible. Jesus is shaping them for our growth and maturity and dependence upon Him. What an amazing Lord we serve and are surrounded by!

As this new year begins, we’ve witnessed a lot of hope for the renewal of American culture from the incoming political class. But America can’t be renewed from within because we are a sinful, bankrupt nation that does not worship Jesus as Lord. As a culture, we refuse to mention the name of the true Lord of the world, Jesus Christ. Have you seen a bumper sticker that says “Jesus Bless America”? And we banished the Ten Commandments from the schools and halls of government institutions, and sue those who try to bring them back (Judge Moore).

America, in order to be renewed, must go through a death and resurrection. We are in the death throes, culturally, and yet resurrection is already on the scene. But the City of Man is not yet looking to the City of God in its midst, because the City of Man still believes it is alive and able to self-renew.

Where is this resurrection? Right in your midst this morning! Centered in the worship of the real and true king, Jesus. It’s in the liturgy that expresses God’s grace and salvation, not the state’s. It’s in us, the church, that believes it has died and been resurrected in union with Jesus at our baptism (Romans 6.1-4). It’s in marriage informed by God’s word where it is the happiest state for men and women. It’s in each spouse who has died to their own desires and lives for the other. It’s in parents dying to the world’s selfish ideas of happiness and believing Jesus that children are a blessing and a reward and that maturity is a blessing, not immaturity. It’s in husbands dying to themselves and instead providing for and protecting their families. It’s in Christians one-anothering each other and that spilling over and out to the unbelieving neighbors. It’s in men choosing careers where they can obey Jesus in their work rather than choosing careers for money where they have to sell their souls to the Christ-cancelling culture. It’s in Christians who understand the gospel is “Jesus is Lord” and that what motivates and binds a culture is fidelity to worshipping Jesus and trusting His word in all walks of life.

You get the point. So Onward, Christian Soldiers!

Yes, Christmas is over, at least in the West; our Eastern brothers are still celebrating! But it’s not really over, at least the import of it, because of the political nature of Christ’s birth: He was born a King, and worshipped as a King, and as we all know, Herod was not too happy with that (as neither was Pharaoh, who killed a lot of baby boys so they wouldn’t rise up and be king, either).

But at the end of his life, the political authorities were still not too happy with Jesus the King. The Jewish leaders were incensed at Pilate for writing “King of the Jews” and placing the placard on his cross. That was after Pilate also had some misgivings about Jesus being a King who could muster all the armies he wanted.

This is because the unbelieving mind always understands political rule in a particular way — as coercion and tyranny and the imposition of right-handed power. This kind of political power and rule breaks the two greatest commandments: it doesn’t love God and it doesn’t love its neighbors. But what was the life of Jesus all about, if it wasn’t loving God his Father and his neighbors as himself?

Which implicates YOU right along with Jesus, because you are in Jesus and you wear his name! As we celebrate the life of Jesus the next six months or so, we are implicating ourselves as Jesus People who follow the Way, which means we shouldn’t be surprised if we gain the attention of the political rulers/cancel crowd/fact-checkers in the same manner as Jesus did: by loving the Father and loving neighbors as ourselves. Unbelieving political rulers don’t really like that; it’s a challenge to their rule. Yes, and so was Jesus! Being a merry wine-bibber really gets under their skin! May Jesus use it and us to bring them to true worship!

(From the newsletter “friends of Theopolis”)

Angels make periodic appearances in the Old Testament, but nowhere is there as thick a cluster as at the beginning of the gospel story. Angels appear to Joseph (repeatedly). Gabriel visits Zacharias and Mary. Angelic hosts sing to shepherds near Bethlehem. It’s fitting. Angels’ natural habitat is heaven. Whenever an angel appears on earth, he brings a bit of heaven with him. He is a bit of heaven.

Christmas angels offer a glimpse of Jesus’ mission.

After Adam’s sin, earth ceases to harmonize with the music of heaven or keep in step with the dance of the angels. Adam untunes creation.

In Jesus, heaven invades earth to restore it to heavenly harmony. Jesus retunes earth to heaven.

There’s resistance. As soon as the angelic choir makes its appearance, Satan and demons mount resistance to preserve the dissonant noise.

The Advent of the Son is the beginning of the last great battle between heaven and hell, with earth as the battlefield. Heaven wins! Jesus will win, yes. But also: He has won, casting Satan from heaven.

Incarnation is invasion. Jesus comes as Captain of the Father’s hosts to conquer earth and annex it to the empire of heaven. Because we live on the other side of His definitive victory, we live Christmas every day.

As we do the will of God on earth as it is in heaven, we extend the harmony of angelic song, looking for the day when heaven and earth merge in perfect polyphony.

Merry Christmas from Theopolis!
Peter Leithart

Yes, it’s still Christmastime! So be sure and keep telling everyone you greet, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” Why? To your brothers and sisters, and even to unbelievers, you are broadcasting the biblical worldview, the worldview that will one day be true for everyone! It encourages your fellow believers that, yes, Jesus came and conquered our sinful human natures and now fills us with his Spirit that will disciple the nations in Christ. To unbelievers, you are proclaiming to them the true story of the Gospel: Jesus is Lord, and he is Lord now and always will be! You are offering them salvation in your very greeting.

How so? By greeting them with “Merry Christmas,” you are telling the story of world history, of the story of our successful war for independence from the devil, who enslaved us to death but now has had his head crushed by our Warrior.

By greeting others with “Merry Christmas,” the symbols of your speech, as well as the trees, carols, gifts, Handel’s Messiah, the colors of red and green and white, family get togethers, etc., all proclaim as markers and monuments and memorials that “thus far the Lord has helped us.”

By greeting everyone with “Merry Christmas,” you are living out the practice of the gospel, ordering your life around the life and accomplishments of Jesus. We do this that the holidays will mark and surround our lives, lives that are lived in the light of the conquering gospel.

So by these celebrations and pronouncements, you are not only living out your life in the light of Jesus’ face, but you are declaring to all unbelievers what the worldview of the entire earth will someday be: Merry Christmas, and Peace to all!

“Jesus is the Reason.” God gave his Son to take our flesh; not just our “material bodies,” but our fallen human nature — dilapidated, cursed, fractured, etc. He bore our fallen nature on the cross, rising from the dead to overcome the power of sin and judgment. In his resurrected life we have life eternal (Romans 6)!

But around this time of year, and in light of get togethers with family and friends, where the subject of churches and worship styles and denominations unavoidably come up, it will do us well to reflect on what Jesus has given us in our own denomination: the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.

What are some of Christ’s blessings to us in this regard?

Praise and worship along the lines of biblical covenantal renewal worship, structured by and filled with God’s Word. Every Sunday you worship in the heavenlies and feed upon Christ! (Hebrews 12; 1 Corinthians 10).

Pastoral approach to problems, where we try to work out our problems as brothers and sisters, and not just “sue” one another in church court!

Paedocommunion that sees your children as loved by God as His children, and therefore included as a member of his body from his/her conception, and married to Christ as part of His bride at baptism. They belong to God and are trained and encouraged as such from the very beginning as children of God.

Postmillienial perspective on the future of God’s kingdom — Jesus is reigning as the world’s Emperor, and by his power and authority he intends to see the nations discipled in His Holy Spirit before the final coming (Matthew 28).

Perspective of multiple confessional statements, which means we aren’t sectarian, pushing away other Christians who might differ, but recognizing that Christ’s kingdom embraces more than our little church or denomination. Other Christians are our brothers and sisters, so we love them and work with them.

So give thanks to Jesus for these gifts this Christmas, and keep this list in your back pocket for when you need it at all those gatherings!

“Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” That’s absolutely true. Not just for the reason that the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, took on human flesh to die in our place and bear God’s wrath on our part, but also because beyond that, Jesus ascended to heaven to rule the world—the whole world! That’s because Christmas leads to his passion, death, resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost.

So “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” Not only for yourself and family and joy in feasting and shopping and giving gifts to one another as God gave the gift of his Son for us (John 3:16), but also for all your relatives and friends and work acquaintances. They need to hear that Jesus not only saves sinners, but is ruling the world, all of it, every square inch. They need to be called by you to worship the true God, not some idolatrous substitute. They also need to understand that “Jesus is Lord,” not just some great teacher or buddy or wise guy.

This fact wasn’t lost on Herod. When he heard the question the Magi asked, “Where is he who was born king of the Jews,” he immediately saw this as a threat to his own governmental power and rulership over Israel and Rome, since he shared both roles. He probably understood Daniel 2 was being fulfilled in his day.

What was his reaction? To try to kill Jesus! By becoming a new Pharaoh, he sought to kill all the new baby boys in Israel two and under! But Just as Pharaoh failed, so did Herod. (Herod’s story is after the birth, but when Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said that Jesus would “be the son of the Most High,” “rule on the throne of his father David… and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1.30-31).)

Jesus is the Reason for the Seaon,” but also “the Ruler of the World’s Season”!

About this time every year some of your Christian friends will question your keeping of the “holidays,” maybe even referring to them as “Roman holy days,” hoping to make you feel queasy about enjoying the festivities. Or, they may say something negative about the “church calendar” or “church year” as something “man-made” or unbiblical.

So how do you respond, and cheerfully so?

Well, think biblically. Think Genesis! Start with chapter 1, where the Lord established the sun, moon, and stars to regulate seasons and times and to rule the day and night. Also, think Sabbath day, on which God rested, blessing the day and calling it holy. And then think about all the festivals God gave the Israelites, festivals of rejoicing and feasting and singing and making merry. Also think about how all those festivals started on new moons, or certain days of the month, and lasted several days or a week plus one day, all governed by the sun and moon from Genesis chapter 1.

But even better, think about and go to Leviticus 23, where the Lord summarizes all the appointed festivals he’s given Israel, establishing a “church year” or “church calendar” for his people’s worship and enjoyment. After mentioning the weekly Sabbath, we have the whole list: Passover (Easter), Feast of First Fruits, Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and finally, Feast of Booths. All were feasts except the one day of fasting for the Day of Atonement!

But your friend may quip, “those were all for Israel; we’re not Jews!”

At that point, just smile and say, “Meditate a little on 1 Peter 2:9-10, and how the Apostle Peter applies those words to the early Christian church. And then take me to Starbucks and we’ll talk some more!”

It is fitting that after a week in which we set aside time to give thanks to God for all that He has done for us, we now come to that time of the Christian Year known as Advent. This is a season of expectancy as the calendar leads us through the life of Christ and we anticipate the incarnation of Jesus at Christmastide.

Of course we approach this season of anticipation and remembrance in the light of its fulfillment having already taken place. As we rehearse and remember the life of Christ and God’s good gifts to us, we know the future. It is good and right to be reminded in this way of the already and the not yet. Christ has already come, and yet we joyfully anticipate the incarnational celebration of Christmastide.

An “already, not-yet” state fills our lives as Christ followers. Jesus is ruling and reigning. He has subdued his enemies. And yet He must rule until He has put (future) all enemies under his feet. We who are alive in Christ need not fear death, for death has been defeated. And yet Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

We still anticipate a future state of victory that is yet to be realized. The incarnation of Christ is what makes this future state of victory possible. And His incarnation makes possible the salvation of His people, which has been, is being, and will be accomplished.

As the first Advent candle is lit today, remember the hope imparted by the prophets who declared the coming of Christ. As The Lesson taken from the Old Testament today says, Christ is, “A Branch of righteousness,” and, “He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” This has happened, is happening, and will happen. So look expectantly this day to the incarnation of Christ your Savior!

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight…”

In the gospel reading today, Jesus reveals the nature of His kingdom. It is not of this world, and therefore, traditional, worldly tactics will not be employed.

The apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10, “ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”

Our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with principalities, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places. It’s easy to focus on government overreach and wars and rumors of wars. Of course, politics are not to be ignored, but we must be careful to not be distracted from even more important things.

James tells us in James 3, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom … the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

We proclaim the gospel message, “peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” And we do so through good conduct with meekness and wisdom. So when you are tempted to focus too much on the fleshly front, remember these words of Christ, and of Paul and James. You bring a message of peace. Live peaceably with all men to the extent possible on your part.

In our day and time many Christians are forgoing the weekly worship of Jesus in an established church, staying at home and reading their bibles or watching a podcast from a Christian speaker. They believe the church has failed, the Evangelical pastorate has failed, and the church won’t fight the culture war. Discipleship online is the way forward.

How do you answer this belief? Biblically and with kindness, of course! There are multiple lines of persuasion (the list below is not exhaustive!).

Stephen calls the people of Israel in the wilderness “the church” in Acts 7, even when pastored by sinful men, such as Moses and Aaron.

The church in Jesus’ day was corrupt, but Jesus never told them to stop worshipping. In fact, he would tell those he healed to go to the priest for ritual cleansing. He also told people to “do as they say, not as they do.”

Matthew 16 gives the church the keys of the kingdom even though Peter was about to deny Christ.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

Hebrews 13:17ff says to submit to your leaders who watch over your soul.

Ephesians 4:11-16 teaches us that the church is the body of Christ. You’re not connected to Christ, the head, without being in his body. Jesus has appointed some apostles, and some teachers, for the building up of the body, not just individuals.

1 Corinthians 10-11 emphasizes the importance of feeding on Christ rightly in the body. If you’re not in church, you are also not being nourished weekly with the body and blood of Christ.

Finally, we were never made to live as lone rangers. God is a Trinity and man was designed for communion with Him and with each other.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” — 1 Peter 2:21—23

The words of Jesus are instructive for us after the recent election. No matter how you voted or what you espouse in terms of political views, we dare not revile others if they revile us. Our Lord did not do that and neither should we. We should remain steadfast, kind, and worthy listeners of others. We don’t strive with muscle but with gospel persuasion.

But this should be true in other areas as well. It’s easy for faithful believers to be reviled over a whole slew of issues, whether homeschooling, modest dress in clothing and grooming standards, teaching our children respect for seniors and others, self-discipline, corporal punishment, six-day creation, the Bible as infallible truth, sexual purity before and in marriage, courtship, private charity, biblical counseling vs psychological secularism, etc. The list could go on and on. We are different from the world and we shouldn’t shrink back from that-we follow the Lord Jesus where he leads.

The world needs us to be different, for they have no answers and no hope without Christ. They are confused; we are not. Let us be the light.

So let us not revile, but let us love and lead and show the world the way forward in kindness with resolute firmness, entrusting ourselves to our Heavenly Father. He will sustain us even as he did his Son.

Pastor Joe emphasized the statement of Jesus, “if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,” when he preached to us about reformation on Reformation Sunday. That was spot on. We must anchor our lives and obedience in what is the truth as it comes from the mouth of the second person of the Trinity. “By what standard” is always a valid question when we start thinking or talking about faithfulness and ethical standards.

But the answer of the Jews to the statement of Jesus is also worth noting (John 8:33). They note that “We are the offspring of Abraham…” Not only does this tell us that they weren’t listening to Jesus, it also tells us that generation of Jews, at least historically speaking, did not learn anything from the exile into Babylon. They are still resting and trusting in their Jewish bloodline, rather than trusting in Yahweh by faith. They are still looking to their covenantal status rather than looking to Yahweh and trusting him. In fact, and in spite of their covenantal status, Yahweh threw them out of the land because of their unfaithfulness, their idolatry, their sins, and their rebellion to his Word.

Yes, it’s good to have a covenantal legacy; it’s good to come from a long line of Christian believers. But as the body is composed of individuals, so we as those individuals must wholeheartedly believe and act in accordance with faith in Christ in our own lives and generation. “We” must run the race with endurance (Hebrews 12:1) and not rest on the status or legacy from which we originate. John the Baptizer said that God could make “children of Abraham” out of the stones if he wanted to (Matt. 3:9). Undoubtedly, he can make Christians as well. But what matters is the good fruit that comes from abiding in Christ himself, and his word.

While Martin Luther may have kicked off a reformation in the 1500s with the 95 Theses, the pattern of reformation is all over scripture and all over history. God is a God who re-creates, and re-forms. Consider King Josiah of whom scripture says, “And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” (2 Kings 22:2). King Josiah enacted a reformation in the kingdom tribe of Judah on the following fronts:

1. He returned Judah to the word. Hilkiah the priest and Shaphan the scribe delivered the word of God to him and he repented of Judah’s unfaithfulness (2 Kings 22:10–13).

2. He returned Judah to the right worship of Yahweh. The people were engaged in syncretistic worship with unclean things made for Baal and Asherah having been brought into God’s house. This was liturgical sin. Josiah put these things out (2 Kings 23:4) and made sure the people observed the covenant meal (vv. 21–24).

3. He removed unfaithful priests (2 Kings 23:5). Judah could not be faithful if her minsters were unfaithful.

4. He removed the idols (2 Kings 23:6–8). God has commanded His people not to engage in the worship of him (or anything else) by means of idols. Josiah rid the land of the idols.

5. He removed the high places used to worship false gods (2 Kings 23:13–15).

On this Reformation Day, we should consider this example set for us by Josiah. We should seek to elect good leaders like Josiah, make the word of God preeminent in our lives, worship, and the public square like Josiah did, we should engage in right worship and not liturgical paganism, we should not follow unfaithful ministers (and be thankful for faithful ministers like pastors Joe and Burke), we should remove idols in our lives and in the culture, and we should remove high places that keep us from worshipping God with all our heart.

Consider this Reformation Day how you can live a reformational life — re-fashioned, re-created, re-formed by our great God. Pray for the Holy Spirit to spark once again a reformation in us and our culture!

In chapter 7 of Revelation we see the saints crying out “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And then we see the angels who surround the throne respond with a seven-fold blessing. With the full coming of the new covenant, the angels begin to respond to our liturgical leadership!

For a little while, we were lower than the angels, Psalm 8:5

Until Christ, until Faith came, the angels administered the “guardian” law as tutors for mankind, Galatians 3.23-26.

But now that Christ has come, they take their cues from us! They are ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those inheriting salvation, Hebrews 1:14. The Apostle says we are to judge angels, 1 Corinthians 6. “For two thousand years, … the church conducts the heavenly worship, united to the chief liturgist, the Lamb of God … The angels praise in response to our praise, sing in response to our song, pray as we pray, trumpet when we trumpet, and pour out plagues on God’s enemies as we commune at the Lord’s table” (PJL).

In Christ, you have been exalted to rule with him, to lead in worship even the angels! You have been exalted with Christ in his own exaltation, even as he promised the churches of Thyatira and Laodicea.

So rejoice and revel in what you have been given by your union to Jesus your Savior, and then, grasp that exaltation by faith so that you can “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). What a wonderful position to be in! What a task you have!

This past Monday and Tuesday Pastors Thacker and Shade and Elder Kernodle attended the 31st meeting of Athanasius Presbytery in Greenfield, SC. Monday evening was a time of fellowship and eating together, preceded by an outside Vesper’s service where all 60-70 attendees worshipped and sang together. Tuesday was the actual Presbytery meeting (14 churches), with several items of business:

The first was the reception of a mission church (mission church being a new church overseen by another existing church for at least a period of two years) in Fairhope, AL, which was turned down due to a lack of clarity on the issues of credobaptism and paedobaptism and the efficacy of baptism on the part of the present leadership. The consensus of Presbytery to the mission church and its sponsor was to clear up these issues and come back again in the future.

The second item of business was the receiving of two previously ordained men to be the pastors of churches in Knoxville, TN and in Newnan, GA. Drew Maney and Grant Van Brimmer both gave biography’s of their past religious lives, training and experience, as well as family details. Both were warmly welcomed.

The third items of business were mission church reports, where the Presiding Minister, Pastor Thacker, allowed each mission church to briefly address the body on their present situation, trajectory, and prayer requests. Athanasius Presbytery presently has ten mission churches who gave reports.

Our next meeting is April 2025 in Valparaiso, FL.

After conclusion of the meeting, we all enjoyed the lunch hosted by Christ the King Church of Greenville.

A famous poet once wrote: “I think that perchance I shall never see, something as beautiful as Psalm 73.” Or something like that!

But it’s true! Why? Because it expresses the constant frustration of the righteous when they see the prosperity of the wicked. That’s what we see every day in the news, on social media, any screen: the wicked’s apparent prosperity.

To Asaph, they appear to be living the “good life,” the “salt life,” the “beach life,” you name it. They have fatness of life, overflowing hearts of laughter, arrogant defiance with violence that covers them like a garment. They constantly scoff at God while questioning his knowledge of their antics. It’s so bad Asaph is tempted to think that in vain he has kept this heart and life pure and innocent. He can’t sort it all out, how this works in God’s world.

But then, he goes into the sanctuary of God (17), and he sees things as they really are; then he sees the end of the wicked. God really has set them up in slippery places; he makes them to fall to ruin, they are ruined in a minute. Diddy? Epstein? Nixon? Lennon? Hitler? Mussolini? Alexander? Rehoboam? Goliath?

From the sanctuary he realizes God is constantly with him, guiding him with counsel, receiving him in glory. God really is the strength of his heart, forever!

So where do you get this sanctuary perspective? From being in the sanctuary! From being with God’s people called out on Sunday morning by Jesus, gathered to worship Him and see Him and realize, once again, Yes, Jesus is on the throne and ruling and His eyes see all and He has us all in His hands!

Seems like Asaph is making something very clear to us: only wild horses should keep you from the Sanctuary on Sunday morning!

38 days till election day, and by all accounts it’s a frustrating election cycle. Both parties promise the moon, with the party in power trying to buy their way to victory giving out free stuff, whether forgiveness of college loans, investment of billions in your community, house loans, citizenship privileges, etc. The party out of power tries to buy your vote with goodies in the future, such as lower taxes/no taxes on tips, lower inflation, high tariffs to protect your job, deporting illegal aliens who are stealing your jobs, or the ending of regulations for businesses.

In the end, it amounts to more socialism, more statism, more greed, more elites handing you what is good for you, even if you don’t know it yet.

The candidates themselves are flawed as well. Nationally, they have serious non-Christian morality flaws, sinful views of sexuality and abortion, unbiblical views of liberty, and they all wanted or practiced draconian immoral policies of theft and confiscation during Covid! State and local candidates are just as flawed, and even professing Christians rarely or never mention the name of Jesus while legislating. Most don’t believe the faith has anything to do with ruling.

So what’s the faithful Christian to do? How do you keep from going mad, or getting anxious about the direction of the country? After all, the pundits tell us, this is the most important election since 1776! Hmmm, have I heard that before?

So how about some encouraging words from Jesus!

Proverbs 3.5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him…”

Matthew 6.33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…”

Isaiah 40.27-31: (…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength….they shall walk and not faint.”

Pastor Thacker preached on Exodus 23:10-19 last Sunday, and it is a timely passage. We are entering that Festive time of year where we have Thanksgiving, All Saints Day, Advent, Christmas, New Years Day, etc. Mixed in with all those days are usually plenty of extended family and friends get togethers. So what practical wisdom we can glean from Exodus 23 on observing the season?

First, the whole passage is about rest in some manner or other. We don’t have sabbath years in the New Covenant, but in both that section and the following weekly section, there is admonition to rest. Not only for ourselves, but for those under us or that we influence: your land, the poor, wild beasts, vineyards and orchards, work animals, the son of your servant, and the alien. They all should have some time to “be refreshed” (vs.12). So are you making sure you, and those whom you influence, will be getting some time of rest and refreshment? Do you look for opportunities to give rest and refreshment? Usually we only think of our immediate family, but some fellow Christians have applied this to their workforce, such as Chick-fil-A and Hobby Lobby!

Second, rest also means not being involved in the worship of false gods. Can you think of any false gods prevalent this time of year to watch out for?

Third, part of resting is feasting. So it would be good to make sure those working behind the scenes, wife, children, etc., have plenty of rest as well.

Fourth, we should offer the best of our hand to the Lord, just as they brought the best of the first fruits. So make sure you, your wife, your children, those visiting you, get plenty of rest Friday and Saturday night so they are rested and primed to offer their best on Sunday morning!

The very first words in recorded Biblical history were spoken by God. “Then God said, “Let there be light.”

God spoke the world into existence. God’s word carries power. God speaks, and things come into being. God rules creation by the power of His word.

Now consider that man was made in the image of God. There are many aspects to that image bearing, but one of them is certainly that we have the power and ability to affect our world by what we say. We have the ability to build up or tear down. To some extent we also speak a reality into existence.

Adam, following after God, rules over the creation by speaking the name of each animal. He also speaks the name of the first Woman, given to Him by God.

But Adam then fails to rule and exercise the power of his word. He stood by silently while the serpent spoke deceitful words. He failed to exercise the authority given to Him by God by not exercising the tongue He was given.

In the epistle reading of James 3:1–12 this morning, James warns us about the nature of the sinful tongue. The tongue can spew forth powerful poison, which stands to reason since words are very powerful. And what’s more, as no part of humanity was untouched by the fall, our tongue, our words are certainly very affected by man’s sinful nature. James says, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity… With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men… My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

The exhortation from James is clear: Do not be as the first Adam. Be sure to exercise the power of your tongue righteously. Make sure the spring of your mouth brings forth fresh water, and not bitter water.

In the sixth seal of Revelation 6, there are several “cosmic” events that modern Christians have often used mistakenly to get more zing and sensationalism out of the passage, which helps to sell books about the end times or the Antichrist, etc. These writers think these events are future “end times” because they happen on the earth (instead of on the land of Israel before 70 AD). But are they interpreting these events biblically, comparing scripture with scripture? No, they aren’t.

The sun becoming black as sackcloth, the full moon becoming like blood, the stars of the sky falling to the land like figs being shaken off the tree, the sky being rolled up like a scroll, are well-attested symbols of the fall of political/national structures in the scriptures, symbols that demonstrate God’s judgmental wrath against those political/national entities. In fact, all four of the above mentioned cosmic symbols are attested in just four verses in Isaiah: 13:1, 10 and 34:1, 4.

Isaiah 13:1, 10: “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw…For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.”

Isaiah 34:1, 4: “Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples!…all the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll, all their host shall fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.”

See also Ezekiel 32:7 regarding Egypt, and Joel 2:31 against Israel. And also see Matt 24:29, Mark 13:24-25, and Luke 21:25 where Jesus predicts what is happening in Revelation 6!

Following up on the sermon from August 25.

There are a couple of additional observations to make from Revelation 6 if it is true that the horses are the church and Jesus is the rider in the first four seals.

First, Jesus is our strong leader. Being a conqueror, he goes out to conquer with the gospel, and he is not unwilling to divide families and loyalties that stand against him. He is not afraid to lead his people, as a Lamb, out of the wicked land to where the oil and wine are found plenteous, and he is not unwilling to punish the wicked with death or bring down their rebellious lands with his strong power. He is not afraid to exercise wrath where needed. That’s the Lord, the Lamb, that we worship and adore and place our trust in. Let’s keep these images front and center.

Secondly, if the church is the horse under Jesus, then we should rejoice concerning the role that we play in the advancement of his kingdom. We are his steed of conquest! We are the means used to advance what he is doing in the world, not only back then in the early church but even today. We are all baptized into the Pentecostal church, and we are all given the Spirit at our baptism, and we are all agents of his Great Commission. Even our babies are involved; out of their mouths comes strength to still the enemy and their wicked vengeance (Psalm 8:2).

Thirdly, the four living creatures/cherubim, as each speaks, reminds us that there is a progression in history, a God-directed maturity for us as individuals and the church: from priest, to king, to prophet, to perfect man in Christ. May we always strive to move from glory to glory!

Psalm 33 is such a delightful Psalm to read and be encouraged by. Not only because it encourages you to shout for joy in the Lord, or to praise and give him thanks or to make melody to him or sing to him a new song, etc., but because it’s such a simple but powerful antidote to all the evolutionary junk we are constantly inundated with in our day! The unbelievers have an agenda, and it is to shove their godless, meaningless, and immoral beliefs down our throats, and those of your children, by ignoring the Lord and his ways.

How do they do this? In terms of the weather, they always ascribe hurricanes or tornadoes or heavy rains or flooding to “mother nature” or “forces of nature” or “climate change (as though that has a brain of itself!)” or something else. Of course, those who hate God don’t want to ascribe to him creation as his handiwork or they’ll be bound to worship him!

Psalm 33 puts us aright: “By the word of Yahweh the heavens were made; and by the breath [Spirit] of his mouth all their host… For he spoke [Word], and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.” (see Psalm 29 for God’s powerful voice).

No “mother nature” or “forces of nature;” that depersonalizes and evolutionizes the glory of the Lord. Nope: Just the Lord, our Lord!

This is how you should talk, and how you teach your children to think of the world: it is God’s creation; he made it. “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

Continuing last week’s theme..

Doug Wilson subtitled his men’s book Fidelity “What it Means to Be a One-Woman Man.” That’s a great subtitle because it puts the responsibility for faithfulness squarely on the shoulders of men, and rightly so, because men lead, and wives respond to husbands. Men look to their calling out in the land, and wives look to their husbands as his helpmeet (Genesis 2; Proverbs 31). But when men look out into the world to exercise dominion, it is not license to look at other men’s wives. That’s what his book is all about: all the sins and lusts and deviancies that must concretely and purposely be avoided by Christian men as they live and work in the world and lead their wives in purity.

Men are lookers; that’s how God made them. To look for the task, arrange to do it, and then get it done. And in doing so, they will see other women who are loose morally or are beautiful. The loose ones they should detest and thank the Lord their wives are faithful and pure; the beautiful ones they should note as beautiful, praise God they are beautiful, and say a prayer for the husband that has her or will as his wife. There is nothing wrong with noticing truth, goodness, and beauty, even in women by men other than her husband. But that woman’s total beauty is never as deep and lasting as that shared with his wife; she is his own, intimate, and covenantally beautiful woman. He is only intoxicated with her love (Proverbs 5:19). Sons and daughters should see this easily as it emanates from dad.

Pastor Thacker in his recent sermon noted the high wall erected around sexual purity, as it would cost a man roughly three years wages if he seduced a virgin. That’s a high fence around one’s future marriage relationship.

That’s because marriage, and sexual relationship within that marriage, is a wonderful blessing given by God to men and women. Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed, sharing intimacy and exposure without guilt. Being unashamed speaks to the sexual freedom and security that only the marriage bond can provide. Their nakedness was a source of joy and pleasure.

But sexual sins are deeply personal and destructive to us. Adultery leaves the victim devastated by betrayal; porn leaves men feeling gross, pathetic, and lazy; losing one’s virginity breaks the heart of the future spouse. Etc., etc.

So, Christians, guard your eyes, your thoughts, and the situations that could turn sexual. Remember Paul’s admonition to “flee.” Seek purity, married or unmarried. Seek the joy God calls you to in marital love, and remember that God judges those sexual sins severely (1 Cor. 6.9-11).

And remember, parents, to teach your children marital love, joy and fidelity. Who better than you to live out, in front of their eyes, what it means to be pure and happy and grateful for the closeness of your spouse’s body. Be honest, be open, answer all questions quickly, prepare them for purity as unto the Lord. It is the Lord they glorify with their bodies; they have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6).

As we look around, frustrated by the political shenanigans, the state of the world, the abounding of wickedness, it can be easy to get angry at the state of things. Which is why keeping James chapter 1 in the forefront of our minds is a really good idea.

James wrote his epistle to first-century Christian Jews under trials and persecution, fleeing for their lives. So James commends joy in trials, and lets them know that they are blessed to endure persecution.

And in verse 19–20 he says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” This three-fold exhortation is important to keep in mind.

1. Be swift to hear. We should be in a posture of listening to God in the tribulation of the world around us. What is He trying to teach us? Be swift to hear from brothers and sisters who may have things to teach in the midst of these times. And even being sure to hear and understand opponents.

2. Be slow to speak. This is the other side of the coin of the first exhortation. When one is speaking, it is extraordinarily difficult to listen.

3. Be slow to anger. Failure to listen, running quickly to frenzied words, can stir up fleshly, worldly anger. And James says that this does not produce the righteousness of God.

And note that the righteousness of God is often linked with deliverance of His people and keeping of covenant promises (Psalm 31, 71, etc.). So remember when tempted to anger and the wrath of man, that this cannot work the righteous deliverance of God. And so we must learn to put our trust in God and His son Jesus, our deliverer. He is faithful, and His righteousness is what we yearn for.

Recently I preached two sermons on Revelation 4 and 5, which gives the listener a view of heavenly worship as seen through the eyes of John. In that heavenly worship scene Jesus speaks with the voice of a trumpet, from the throne comes peals of thunder and rumblings, there are multiple choirs, the Ancient Ones have harps, and it all ends with the response of “Amen.”

How surprised I was the following Monday, while reading in 1 Chronicles 15-16, to see all those same elements! David, while making preparations to bring the ark into the tent he has made for it in Jerusalem, includes all those same elements as he redirects the Levites from lifting the ark up on their shoulders to lifting up Yahweh in praise. For musical instruments, David has trumpets, harps and lyres, and symbols (rumbly and thunderous). He appoints multiple Levitical choirs. And when the Levites finished singing David’s song of thanksgiving, all the people responded with “Amen”!

What I realized, after noting the correspondences, was that the very thing John saw, is the very thing David saw when God gave him the plans for the temple. Which is the very thing David sought to replicate in the temple worship environment on earth!

Two things to note: As the type of Christ, David was doing the Lord’s will on earth as he saw it in heaven. Jesus blesses that effort in “The Lord’s Prayer.” That’s your task as well.

Secondly, I bring this up to encourage you in the regular reading of God’s word, so that you, too, discover these little gems on your own!

We all showed up last Sunday for worship somewhat stunned: an assassination attempt on former President Trump? That doesn’t happen here in America (at least not very much: I personally remember JFK and President Reagan being shot)!

So, how do we think about this event? Here are some thoughts.

First, remember that Jesus is on the throne as King. So he’s moving history and the Great Commission forward with this event. We believe that by faith!

Secondly, don’t be angry about this and say or act foolishly. Your anger does not achieve the righteousness of God, James 1.19-20.

Thirdly, don’t be anxious about this event or what may follow; it is in God’s hands. Your job is to trust him and put off anxiousness, Matthew 6.25-34.

Fourthly, pray for our leaders that we, as Christians, may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way, 1 Timothy 2.1-4.

Finally, a sample prayer to use written by Al Stout, co- pastor in Pensacola:

“And now for all those in authority over us we pray that you would surround them with godly counselors and that you would use them to preserve our nation in righteousness and true honor. Grant us blessings as a people and may we lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Father, watch over and protect President Trump. Keep the forces and individuals at bay who seek to take his life. Expose all those who had a hand in [the] attempt on his life and bring them to justice. Give us grace in our next election and lead this nation to repentance over our sins of violence, murder, hatred of the created order and image of God and lusts unbounded, lest judgment fall on us terribly fierce and devastating.”

The conclusion of each letter to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 ends with a similar phrase: “To the one who conquers, I [Jesus] will…” and then you have a promise of Jesus to that church. They range from eating of the tree of life, not being hurt by the second death, being given hidden manna, authority over the nations and ruling them with a rod of iron, white garments and confession of the conqueror’s name before His father, being made a pillar in the temple of God, to sitting on the throne with Christ. All worthy gifts to those who remain faithful to Jesus during times of tribulation.

Have you ever wondered what that looks life in real time, in real life? Well, this week is the 100 year anniversary of the Flying Scotsman, Eric Liddell, winning the gold in the 400 meter race at the Olympics in Paris, France. His athletic life and running was made famous in the movie “Chariots of Fire.” If you’ve seen the movie, you know that after his fame as a runner, he went back to his birth land, China, to continue the missionary work of his parents. While being caught in the midst of a devastating civil war and WWII, he chose to stay and carry on the ministry, and was finally interned by the Japanese after they invaded China. He died in 1945 of a brain tumor, just two months before the camp was liberated.

His friend and fellow missionary Annie Buchan was with him at the end. She told the makers of Eric Liddell: The Flying Scotsman: “Suddenly he said, ‘Annie, it’s complete surrender’ and that was his last breath. He went into a coma and never recovered.” Liddell never wavered in his Christian faith. “He had been a man who was surrendering to God all his life through, and I don’t believe that it cost him much to say ‘complete surrender’ because he knew where he was going.” — BBC, July 8, 2024, article, “It’s Complete Surrender”

Certainly, he was a conqueror in Jesus Christ! Certainly he believed his Savior.

This past Thursday, one way or another, you celebrated the birth of our nation. Either you blew off fireworks or took the day off and watched patriotic movies and cooked out with the family and friends, or you did nothing and tried not to notice.

Celebrating on July 4 is often a conflicting exercise for Christians. Why? Because while we want to celebrate what our nation has done in the past and is today, we realize that is a mixed blessing. We are one of the freer nations in the world and have many rights, and it seems like the rest of the world is beating down our doors to get here one way or another. But on the other hand, which of the Ten Commandments do we not violate in spades! We worship others gods, we don’t acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, we murder our babies and throw those who protest into jail, we protect and encourage and support with tax dollars every perversion from fornication to adultery to homosexuality to trying to change whether we are male and female. On top of that, we steal and lie and bear false witness and covet what everyone else has. And we aren’t a happy people!

How then shall we think about this celebration of our beginning? By giving thanks to God for the good we’ve done, and also by repenting of the evils we have pressed in the past and are doing so now. By giving faithful witness to King Jesus, that he rules the world and will bring all wrongs to right. And finally, by remembering that God himself has ordained “nations” to exist, and uses them to advance his kingdom: “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him…” Acts 17.26-27a

How shocking! “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love” (Proverbs 5:18–19).

Can you believe Pastor Thacker read that verse, publicly, at a wedding? What boldness!

Christians and Christian pastors too often dance around the subject of sexuality, particularly in wedding sermons. What are they afraid of ? We are created sexual beings and we are commanded to be sexual in marriage: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth… to do so you have to have sexual relations to have kids in order to multiply and fill the earth! We all know that; so let’s talk about it. The scriptures certainly do.

God not only made our bodies, but gave sexual desires for those of the opposite sex. He did so to facilitate sexual relations and the enjoyment of those relations. As Doug Wilson once wrote, “Men are hard and women are soft. Men like that about women and women like that about men.”

So a good wedding sermon should address the elephant in the room and demonstrably show what a blessing that elephant is, and that the enjoyment of sexual relations in marriage is wonderful! Of course, the world gets this wrong and abuses women’s bodies in pornography all over the place. But we don’t take our cue from the world, but from the Lord: “Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vaporous life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your reward in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:9).

How shocking! But how wonderful!

In Pastor Joe’s sermon last Sunday, he dealt with Exodus 21:20-21, which is a tightly written passage without a lot of explanation that we moderns would like. Verse 20 seems forthright and Pastor Joe summarized it concisely: the principle is “no excessive brutality” by masters over slaves. Slaves are also made in the image of God, and the master is not allowed to damage that image improperly.

But verse 22 seems odd, in that the “image of God” appears not to be protected, because if the slave survives the beating a day or two, and then dies, then his life is not avenged and the master has to deal “only” with his economic loss. It’s no “life for life,” because the slave hung on for a day or two. But he dies; what about him being the image of God? It appears the slave’s life is not as valuable as an image of God, but only considered as an economic loss.

This doesn’t set well with our modern ears. How could the Lord construe it this way? A slave is just “money,” an “economic loss?” As Pastor Joe said, we are far removed from the practice of these situations. So what do we do?

We meditate! We read the passage over and over, take into its context in the ten words, look for other passages on slave-master relations, think about slavery as a practice in the bible, and what it teaches about ourselves and our responsibilities. As Ecclesiastes says, life is “vaporous” and we may never come up with a great answer. But as God required the Jews to meditate on his word, and to do so for centuries, and come up with wise understandings, so we must do the same, as the “kings” we are. We must “chew” on these passages, realizing that God in his infinite wisdom is holy and just and compassionate. He is Good: we start there.

So put on the thinking hat and chew!

There was a time when the very idea of publicly talking about certain topics was frowned upon. The censorious nature of the television gatekeepers was such that to even use certain words (such as, say, the word “virgin”) would cause major controversy. How far we’ve come.

The topics of sexuality, transgenderism, and all the plusses belonging to the LGBTQ framework are not whispered behind closed doors anymore. This month, major (and minor) corporations are openly celebrating “pride.” The rainbow brigade is taking every opportunity to cram all their pet topics down everyone’s throats with a banner they purloined from us. It is now frowned on to not talk publicly about perversions that would have made most blush ~70 years ago. How did we get here?

The church, broadly, failed to speak to these issues, considering certain topics off-limits. Of course we admit to the caveat that some times and places are not for some topics. Nevertheless, an unwillingness of a more prudish Christian culture to discuss topics frankly has been a stepping stone to our current state. The Bible speaks frankly about sexual perversions, and the good and right use of our sexuality, and so should we. We must be willing to stand as a bulwark against the encroaching hordes at the gates. And that stand includes a willingness to address these topics as appropriate and needed.

If we are not willing to talk about these things, and point out God’s intentions for His creation, you can bet the enemy will step up. If you don’t have timely conversations with your children, the ungodly are eager fill the gap.

Now is the time for courage. We must pray that God would strengthen our resolve as we face of the onslaught. We must provide the scriptural lens for the culture, declaring the evil as evil, and the good as good.

Pastor Joe noted last week that baptismal water and the Holy Spirit always go together (“…unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the KOG…”). That’s something us whole-bible, baby-baptizing people stress to other Christians! We stress it because we believe Jesus has poured out his Spirit on our children (and any person) at baptism, and that covenantally affects how we think and act toward our children: they are Christians filled with the Spirit. So does water and the Spirit go together in the Bible that much?

“And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” — Genesis 1:2

“I will sprinkle clean water on you,..I will put my Spirit within you.” — Ezekiel 36:25

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you…and overshadow you, therefore the child to be born will be called holy…” — Luke 1:35

“…and when Jesus also had been baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, like a dove…” — Luke 3:21–22.

“And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children…” — Acts 2:38–39.

“And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Phillip away…” — Acts 8:39

“…so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit….then he arose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.” — Acts 9:17–19

“And while Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word…and he commanded

them to be baptized ….” —Acts 10:44, 48

“On hearing this, they were baptized..the Holy Spirit came upon them.” — Acts 19:5–6

“He saved us…by the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3:5

When we think of Pentecost, we rightly think of the Great Commission and the unraveling of the confusion of Babel. Now the gospel can be heard and believed in every language!

But what many Christians miss about Pentecost is that the Apostles spoke in actual known languages: “…and they were bewildered, because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language” (Acts 2:6b). This was not “glossolalia,” which is a verbal utterance of unknown language/gibberish practiced by religious people all across the globe, usually in moments of ecstasy.

Paul makes this same point in 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 when discussing the usefulness of speaking in tongues versus prophesying: “There are doubtless many different languages in the world…”

So speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost was not speaking with gibberish, or even the “tongues of angels,” but in the known human languages of the day, particularly those around the Mediterranean basin.

But even as phenomenal as tongues were on Pentecost Day, it was a short-term fix until the scriptures of the New Testament were penned and translated into every known language. While the scriptures are being penned by the Apostles from 30-70 AD, the Spirit speaking through tongues and other “word” gifts was necessary in order to apply the new covenant in each local church situation, because there wasn’t a “new covenant bible” to turn to for answers of how the faith has changed because of Christ’s coming in history. Yet! But when the maturity of the scriptures came, those Spirit “word” gifts would cease: “As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease…” (1 Corinthians 13.8-10).

Today we remember, celebrate, and rejoice in Pentecost, on which we wear red to represent the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2 (one of our Lectionary readings today) tells us that when the Spirit appeared on God’s people as tongues of fire, that they spoke with other tongues in the presence of men from every nation. What should this remind us of ? Babel, of course!

Genesis 11 tells us, “But Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And Yahweh said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’” The people were of “one lip,” one confession. And that confession was not honoring to Yahweh, but was wicked and perverse. God confounded their evil intent by inhibiting their ability to have “one lip.”

And then in Acts 2, by the working of the Spirit, every man present hears the proclamation of the gospel in his own language. And so it is once again possible for everyone have “one lip,” one confession, despite the judgement of Babel. And this confession is of Christ and His work.

This is Jesus’ great commission in action, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” The Holy Spirit is what makes this commission possible by the reversal of the judgement at Babel.

As you look around you at the fiery red today, remember the reversal of Babel. Remember that our confession is possible because of the work of the Holy Spirit giving us “one lip” to confess the risen and reigning Christ!

What, is Ascension Day? Well, after Crucifixion and Resurrection Days, it’s the most important day to remember all year.

How is that? Ascension Day is the day Jesus left the visible earthly realm in the presence of his disciples and sat down to rule the universe at the right hand of the Father. See Acts 1. It’s an important day for Christians to remember. With no Ascension, there is no man in heaven. There is no man ruling in heaven. Our future with God is in peril.

If Jesus didn’t ascend into heaven, then Pentecost didn’t happen, and there is no Holy Spirit on earth, filling us, guiding us, leading us, strengthening us, helping us, interceding for us with the Father, etc.

Without the Ascension, Jesus is not at the right hand of the Father, meaning Psalm 110 didn’t happen: “Yahweh says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” The Apostle Paul must have gotten it wrong in 1 Corinthians 15:25, “for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

Without the Ascension, the resurrected Lord Jesus never ascends into heaven in Revelation 5 and takes the book from the hand of the Father. It means that Satan still rules the world and he didn’t get thrown out of heaven in Revelation 12.

Without the Ascension, there is no Jesus in heaven hearing and acting upon our prayers and the psalms we sing.

Without the Ascension, Jesus is not exercising all the authority and power given to him over heaven and earth to bring about the Great Commission.

That’s why Satan wants us to forget Ascension Day. He wants us to forget who rules the world. To that I say, “Just Don’t Do It!”

Some theological reflections on the resurrection of Jesus, as we contemplate his coming Ascension on May 9.

God made his covenant with Adam. When Adam sinned, the curse of the covenant (death) fell upon him, and upon all those in union with him (the whole human race). The covenant is reestablished through death and resurrection, so that the covenant in its new form (the New Covenant) is inextricably tied to the resurrection. Christ passes through death unto resurrection life, and as He does so He takes His people with Him. Christ was born “under the law” (Gal. 4:4), took the Old Adamic Covenant law and curse to Himself, and died under it. Christ embodied the law, so that Colossians 2:14 can say that He “cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” It was not the law which was nailed to the cross, but our Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus arose, the covenant rose with Him, for the covenant is in Him. The covenant is now the New (Resurrection) Covenant, and brings life instead of death.

— James B. Jordan, The Law of the Covenant, p.47

You’ve probably heard it said that “every Sunday is Easter,” or “Every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday,” usually to stress the ongoing blessing of Easter, so as not to limit it to one day a year. And they are correct, of course, because each week we eat the Lord’s Supper and we are confronted with the fact that He is not with us physically, but in heaven at His Father’s right hand. He is the Resurrected Lord. He is absent in body but present to us and in us by His Spirit.

But they are also correct that each Sunday is a resurrection day because as we proceed through the liturgy, every Sunday we are cleansed from our sins by the death of Christ being applied to us once again in the Confession of Sins. We confess our sins which He died and covered with His blood. Our sins killed Him, but when His blood is sprinkled upon us, it shows the Father that a sacrifice has been made, and that our sins are removed in and by His holy blood, and that we are in Christ.

To be cleansed, therefore, is to undergo a resurrection. This is the meaning of the cleansing rituals in Leviticus 11-15, and other places. You’re dead because of touching unclean animals or because you are a walking dead man with leprosy, where your skin has turned to dirt, cursed ground, symbolic of your dead and evil heart issuing forth visibly. But when sprinkled by the blood of the sacrifice, and washed by the blood and/or water, you are made alive, resurrected, and can now go live in the camp of the holy saints. You are raised to new life!

That happens to us every Sunday, as we confess our sins but also Christ’s death and His resurrection for us. As we hear His word and eat His body and blood, we are united to Him in His resurrection. His life becomes ours!

The Athanasius Presbytery Spring meeting was held last Monday and Tuesday in Birmingham at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Spring meetings are more focused on fellowship amongst the pastors, elders, and mission church planting staff (pastors, elders, or laymen putting together a church plant), with little business.

Monday evening was a dinner and social get together at Christ Church Branch Cove (Odenville), 30 minutes east of Birmingham. After dinner we had the rousing singing of three or four hymns/psalms, without accompaniment. You can’t beat 60-70 men singing loudly and vibrantly. Especially when our Council Presiding Minister, Uri Brito, leads the singing!

Tuesday morning’s breakfast and social time was followed by an ordination Presbytery exam of Gage Crowder from Trinity Reformed Church, coached and trained by our own Brian McClain. His exam was sustained.

Pastor Shade’s transfer exam followed, comprised of an introduction by Pastor Joe, a short summary by Pastor Shade of his pastoral-life excursions so far, and followed by brief questions from a few pastors. Having been already been ordained, it was mainly a “meet and greet” moment.

Uri Brito gave a report on the growth of the CREC (130 churches, worldwide) and global interest in the denomination. He noted that the CREC’s choosing to become a fully self-conscious paedo-communion denomination at the last Council meeting has sparked interest from various churches of all persuasions.

Pastor Mike Pasarilla of Christ Presbyterian Church of Knoxville was recognized for his achievements over the last thirty-three years of pastoral ministry. He retires in June.

Fall meeting is on October 7-8, to be hosted by Christ the King, Greenville, SC.

We are now in that 40 day period between the resurrection of Jesus and his ascension to the throne. Ever wonder why “40 days” and not 99 or 23 or 77? Well, you know the answer. Think biblically; not American-ly.

How many days did it rain, testing Noah and family while they relied on Yahweh for the re-birth of the globe?

How many days was Moses on the mountain, talking with God and receiving the law?

How many days did the spies take to spy out the land for conquering?

How many days was Elijah in the wilderness, being readied for his last duties?

How many days was Jesus tested by Satan in the wilderness, before beginning his ministry?

How many years was Israel in the wilderness, being prepared to conquer the Holy Land? (And how many years was Moses tending sheep before going back to Egypt?).

See a pattern? These periods of forty were not just periods of testing, but of great and various kinds of instruction for the coming task(s), for whomever it was in the days of forty.

But don’t take my word for it! “He [Jesus] presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1.3; see 1-3). The Apostles were being prepared for the task at hand: Pentecost and the explosion of Christ’s kingdom all over the Roman world! Apparently, they listened well to Jesus; see the book of Acts!

“Where is Jesus?”

Reflecting further upon the resurrection in Mark 16:1-8, who is notably absent? Jesus. In Matthew, Luke, and John’s accounts, each of them records Jesus making some form of appearance, whether to the women (Matt. 28:9), the disciples later (Luke 24:13–49; John 20:19-23) or Mary Magdalene (John 20:11–18), but not Mark. Granted, in his addendum in 16:9ff. Mark makes mention of Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene and two disciples, but these verses are not part of the resurrection account proper and were likely added by him at a later time.

So why might Mark write an account of the resurrection that doesn’t include Jesus? Why construct the narrative without the main character of an event that forever changed the course of human history? Let’s appreciate how Mark is telling the story. The young man tells the women, “He is not here. See the place where they laid Him,” providing them with word and sign, as well as a mission: “Go and tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee”. The same was true for the first recipients of Mark’s Gospel, the early church, as it is for us. We don’t see Jesus either, yet we’re called to follow Him in the way in which He’s gone ahead of us. So let us recognize our place in the story along with the women and go forth by faith after the unseen yet risen Christ, trusting the word and signs (sacraments) as we fulfill the mission we’ve been given. That’s the life of discipleship and has been since the resurrection took place.

It’s Easter! It’s Resurrection Sunday! Has Moses come to mind this morning?

He hasn’t? Well, he should! As a pre-figure/type of Jesus, we can learn a lot about what Jesus accomplished in his death and resurrection by looking at Moses. After all, Moses died the night of Passover, holed up in the pit of his house, only to rise the next morning to save the nation. In fact, the whole nation was united to his resurrection as they were baptized into him in the cloud and sea (1 Corinthians 10).

And Joseph? He died in a pit and gloriously rose to save the nation with bread!

And Samson? He died when his hair was cut off (Holy Spirit departed him), but he repented and was once again filled with the Spirit to save his nation in crushing the head of the serpent by killing all 4,000 Philistine lords in one fell swoop (pun intended).

And the three young men? They died in the fiery pit, but through their faithfulness and resurrection saved their people since Nebuchadnezzar made a decree to leave them alone, and not say anything against their God.

So we learn what Jesus’ resurrection means as their fulfillment: he died to crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3.15), gave his blood to cleanse his people, and rose to life that we all might live in him! In union with him as the resurrected savior, he died for our sins and justifies us before God; in him, we are made right and have life with the Father! “…who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom 4.25).

He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed!

The book of Lamentations is the book for Lent.

Not just for the people in Jeremiah’s day to reflect on their sins that landed them in famine, plague, destruction, and exile, but also for the church today. The church today, and individuals in the church, often place false hope and security in institutions that they believe will give them stability in hard times, rather than placing that trust in Jesus their savior.

Lamentations chapter four gives the reader false securities that God ripped out from under Judah to bring them to repentance: #1, Gold and precious stones, that represented the glory of the Temple and their priestly service (vs 1-2); #2, Stability and care of the family (3-4); #3, Trust in nobility and those with wealth and power (5-6); #4, Trust in holy men/ Nazarites (7-8); #5, Trust in abundance of food (9-10); #6, Trust in Fortress Zion (11-12); #7, Trust in the Religious Order (13-16); #8, Trust in nearby foreign powers to save (17-18); #9, Trust in their anointed King (19-20); #10, Trust in Brother Edom/Esau, their relative (21-22).

In whom do you trust? In what do you trust? In what do we as a church, a culture, a nation, trust?

If Lent is for introspection and self-examination, surely our sins of false trust and in false securities top the list. Trust in American military might, the American economy, the government social structure, the political system, the courts, the family, personal wealth and career, etc., is falsely placed. These all fall short as secure foundations. You cannot hide behind them against the Lord’s judgment.

Your trust must be in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. He alone is true security.

What is the theme of God’s story in the Bible, and of human history? Maturity. The story starts in Genesis with the creation of man. The first man, the first Adam, was immature. There’s nothing particularly wrong with being immature. Everyone starts off in need of training and knowledge.

But Adam compounded immaturity by falling into sin. This was a setback to the theme of maturity. Now Adam and the whole human race’s growth was stunted. The rest of the story then, the thread through the whole Bible, is God directly intervening in the course of human affairs to spur His people toward maturity; to rescue us from our enmity with God and our perpetual desire to remain in sin and immaturity. God the Son put on human flesh to become the once-for-all sacrifice.

And at the end of the story, which we are privy to in Revelation, man is matured in the second Adam. The perfected bride is presented to the mature second Adam.

As you consider this Lenten season, and the culmination which draws near very quickly now with the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord, consider to what end He did these things. Of course he redeemed you from your bondage to sin and death. But redeemed to what? To maturity. One of the purposes of this season is that you may reflect on those things which hinder your maturation and ask God for wisdom, guidance, and the Holy Spirit to help remove those things from your life. Remember, James tells us in 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” So ask God for wisdom and maturity, and trust Him, for He will give it to you liberally!

In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, and then encourages them to do the same to one another. What are we to make of that?

Foot washing does occur in other places in the scriptures. Abraham washes the feet of his three visitors in Genesis 18, Lot offers the same to the two angels, water is given for the feet of Abraham’s servant at Laban’s house, and Joseph gives water for foot washing in chapter 43. Jesus scolds Simon the Pharisee for not offering water in Luke 7, and a requirement for church-supported widows is that they have washed the feet of the saints, 1 Tim 5.

What’s the importance of washing feet when entering someone’s home? What is dirt/dust symbolic of ? The curse in Genesis 3. So as people come into your house, you are offering them purification from a cursed-setting to one of blessing through the door of your house. You are “escorting” them from one world to another, to a world clean of the curse, symbolically speaking.

So Jesus is escorting his disciples into his house where men enjoy cursed-free communion. In other words, he’s elevating them to his station. He is, in effect, anointing and purifying them into the same ministry he has been performing: bringing people into communion with the Father.

But Theologian Brian Moats has suggested another line of thinking as well: washing/purifying the feet of those who will soon crush Satan under their feet, (Romans 16:20) even as Jesus will soon do on the cross where he crushes the serpent’s head, Genesis 3:15 and Psalm 110:6. “The disciples’ feet are being purified for the same purpose as their Lord — to crush Satan under their feet, to take up their cross and follow Him.”

So during Lent, remember who you are: a descendant of the Apostles, who is in communion with THE head- crusher. And when you look at your own feet, reflect a little and ask yourself: how have I crushed Satan’s head today?

Let’s face it; the bumper sticker is correct: Life is Good.

We live in a stable society, we get paid regularly, the electricity is always on, and we can count on life being pretty consistent. Yes, some have illnesses and people get sick and don’t recover, but Life is Good.

So in this season of Lent, it may be hard to grasp the seriousness of sin, particularly your sins that would send Jesus to the cross. Does the Father really get upset about sin? Yes, He’s holy, but my sins are low-key and I’m not that bad of a person; I’m struggling to plumb the depths of my sins and God’s justice upon Jesus on my behalf.

Where do you turn for help? How about re-reading the book of Lamentations in one sitting? The book is about Yahweh’s wrath and destruction upon the city of Jerusalem and daughter Judah at the end of the kingly era. While the structure of the book highlights that the destruction is not total, it is monumental. It cuts deep. Society is ripped apart because of Judah and Jerusalem’s sins of faithlessness and false worship. Destroyed. Demolished. “Jerusalem sinned grievously, therefore she became filthy…her uncleanness was in her skirts; she took no thought of her end; therefore her fall is terrible; she has no comforter” (2.8-9).

Yes, the Lord takes sin seriously. He is jealous for his bride, and He will act to bring her back to himself. Because God’s people would not consider their end, he ended their future: “My eyes are spent with weeping…because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city. They cry to their mothers, “Where is bread and wine?…as their life is poured out on their mother’s bosom” (2.11-12).

Look in the mirror of Lamentations, and struggle no more. The necessity of Jesus’s death for you is real.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. But let steadfastness have its maturing effect, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
— James 1:2–4

This past weekend, Trinity Presbyterian Church in Birmingham hosted a conference, the theme of which was, “Courageous Church, Hostile World.” And as we considered the trials of the church in Acts, and compared it to the present day, one couldn’t help but think of the words of James.

James wrote his letter to the brothers and sisters undergoing quite severe persecution as they were scattered across the region fleeing the threat of death. But the thing is, the harder the enemies of Christ push against the church, the more the church can and should rejoice. James instructs joy in the face of trials and persecutions. For in the trials the church is strengthened and matured.

Maturity, in fact, is a major theme of the book of James. And the means to bring it about is not something we usually look forward to readily. And yet, as the world around us moves into a more hostile stance, the joy that we show in the face of it should convict those around us.

Remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16. Though they faced trials, hardships, and false accusations, for which they were imprisoned, yet they sang hymns as the other prisoners listened. And in the end, through their joy and maturity in the face of trials, the entire household of the jailer was baptized into the faith.

So as we begin to see the trials taking hold around us, count it joy, for God is working to mature his church. We do not know what God will work through us!

This past Wednesday, the ashes of remembrance shaped in the sign of the cross on our foreheads, provided a reminder of the dust to which we are destined to return. This is not a morbid, introspective self-examination, but a realistic call to face the reality of our condition. And in so doing, it is a natural outworking to consider our short lives, and to refocus on Christ — calling to mind the ways in which we can serve the Lord in more and more maturity and wisdom.

Last week, Pastor Shade called us to consider acts of service — instead of focusing on ourselves, focus on serving others. Our lives as Christians, should, after all, be characterized by service.

Here’s another thing to consider as an alternative to the traditional “giving something up.” We can, instead, incorporate something else of value into our lives by spending some time in the Gospels, in the life of Christ. Lent must culminate in Easter and the resurrection of our Lord, and spending additional time in the gospels of our Lord can certainly serve as a refocusing tool, calling to mind how we are to imitate Him.

Matthew gives us Christ the Priest, teaching and instructing the people. The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus as King, the king who lays down his life in service for others. Luke presents Him as the true Prophet, bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. And finally, the Gospel of John shows us the True Man who loves his brother as true friend.

As we read of Christ’s life, and consider the Lenten reminder, dust to dust, ashes to ashes, we should appreciate that much more what Christ has done for us in His rich mercy. Christ served us, and He in turn calls on us to serve Him, and those around us. Remember that we are dust, that we will return to dust. And yet, because of Christ, we will rise again. That is the reality of Christ!

Pastor Josh Anderson of Colleyville, Texas has an interesting point about the practice of Lent:

In the Scriptures, there is often a temptation to understand piety before God as fundamentally about “giving up something” or fasting. But ultimately, defining piety as what you give up (or don’t do) can be reductionistic, and runs the risk of missing the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faithfulness. It is easier to give something up than to give yourself in constant service and love to those God has put into your life. We must take care to not mistake the lesser things in the law for the greater — we are commanded by Paul to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, and the royal law of the Scriptures is the law of love and service.

I think he’s right: Lent often seems “selfish” because I give up something I decide to give up: Snicker’s bars, chocolate, game shows, coffee, dark beer, etc. Supposedly, I discipline myself for greater piety giving up those things.

But how about this instead: Jesus gave up his life for us, bearing our sins upon the cross. He walked the earth, was subject to humanity’s ills like colds, sickness, sore feet, etc., even before the cross. So rather than taking something out of our life for Lent, why don’t we add our life into that of our neighbor’s? Jesus gave himself for us; why don’t you give yourself for others like he did?

So this Lent, ask the shut-in if you can shop for them, clean out their garage, haul out the trash, or get stuff out of the attic they can’t retrieve! Or helping the single mom clean her bathroom, vacuum her car, or take her children out for some walks and picking up trash along the road?

I think you see where I’m going — giving yourself for others, looking outward, bringing the joy and cheer of giving to others! Like Jesus did for you!

In our day, the church has so personalized the gospel that all gospel presentations, all gospel tracts, focus primarily upon the individual and his/her salvation/standing before God. Rarely, if ever, is the church or the body of Christ mentioned in these presentations. And so, you wouldn’t be remiss to think the gospel really means, “Jesus saves me from the devil’s grip, or from my own sins.”

In theological terms, many of the Reformers, following Luther, made the gospel presentation a theological platform: salvation is justification by faith. If you understand justification by faith, then you can be saved.

But justification by faith isn’t new in the gospels, when Jesus shows up on the scene. Abraham, the example of faith, was justified by faith 2500 years earlier, or, going back to Adam, who believed the Lord’s promise that his wife would be blessed with children, and so named her Eve, the mother of all living. He believed in faith.

So what’s new with the gospel? Why all the angels and shekinah glories and prophetical excitement? It’s not even that God is king, as Psalm 22:28 proclaims: “For kingship belongs to Yahweh and he rules over the nations.” But this is MUCH closer to all the hubbub! Why? Because Jesus is Yahweh come in the flesh, and he is the King! Kingship now belongs to the God-man, Jesus, Son of David. Now, Jesus IS Lord! Jesus is the king. That’s what’s new in the gospels: Jesus rules over all the nations, and there is a man on the throne of all the world. By Pentecost the transformation of the world order is complete: the Spirit of Jesus has come down upon men, and a man is ruling from heaven.

So, yes, salvation is personal. And it is also political: Jesus is Lord. Not only of you, but of all the world. Joy to the world!

Theologian Peter Leithart makes an interesting observation about the prayers of Christians in his book “The Theopolitan Vision” that we should consider and apply. He notes (p. 102) that prayer is another way we “‘one-another’ one another.” We cast our anxieties, and the anxieties of our brothers and sisters, on the Lord, be they great or small, and that all those prayers are ultimately about building the heavenly city that renews the cites of men.

But, he further notes, our prayers should reach as far as God’s promises, and not just stay at the personal level. Our prayers, he maintains, should rise to the level of Kingdom prayers, such as that Jesus will reign till all his enemies are placed beneath his feet (1 Cor 15), oppressor’s teeth are broken (Ps 58.6), the installed Son quiets the raging nations (Ps 2), justice and peace among nations is established (Ps 72; Is 9), etc. When is the last time you prayed his kingdom would continue growing from a stone into a mountain that fills the earth (Daniel 2)? Or that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Isa 11.9)?

To be faithful in prayer, make your prayers political, too. Because all of life is political: Jesus is Lord! He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. That’s global redemption. That’s the city of God redeeming the city of Men!

So next time you sit down with food to give thanks, pray that he will squash the wicked elected rulers of Tennessee however he sees fit. And, next time you tuck the kiddos into bed, ask Jesus to establish justice in our counties so your children can build Christian families, practice Christ’s love and law in peace, and St. Mark and all Christian churches can worship faithfully for a 1000 years!

Often you hear Christians say “Let go and let God” in response to something someone says about working out a situation to God’s glory. Often you hear Christians say to others “Don’t be a legalist” or “that’s legalism” when they hear somebody recommend a course of action.

Or some say, “The doctrine of sanctification is understanding justification,” meaning, I don’t have to try to be faithful in the Christian life to a set of rules, etc. “I’m justified; I just have to love Jesus.”

All of these approaches center around what “works” a Christian should be doing, and are attempts to deny any kind of “salvation by works,” which is well and good. We aren’t saved by the works we do; but we are saved to do works to God’s glory! We are to imitate our faithful Savior Jesus who obeyed his Father! What say the scriptures about faithful working?

“For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision count for anything, but only faith working through love.” – Galatians 5.6

“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to do his will and to work for his good pleasure.” – Phil. 4.12b-13

“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fail.” – 2 Peter 1.10

“And whatever he did, Yahweh made it succeed.” – Genesis 39.23c

See also Genesis 18.17-19 for how God’s sovereignty and man’s faithful works are completely interrelated and interdependent!

Have you ever taken note of how the writers of the new Testament often refer to themselves as “bondservants” of Christ? Paul does so in Romans and Titus, and references it in the book of Galatians. Peter, Jude, and, James do the same. Though these are all leaders and pillars in the church, they refer to themselves as slaves (Greek: doulous) of Christ.

We often reference the freedom we have in Christ, and this is right and good. But the paradox is that we have this freedom because we are slaves to Christ, the one who brings true freedom. In John 8:31–34 we read how Jesus told the Jews they could be made free by the truth. Remember how indignant they were? In their minds, they were already free. Jesus of course, dispels that myth for them: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”

And Paul tells us in Romans 6 that we have “been set free from sin, and become slaves of God.”

This is the paradox of our faith. In service to Christ is found freedom. Isn’t that an odd thing to our modern ears? But this is how our Lord deals with us and with this sinful world. We think we’re free in sin but we’re really in bondage. Therefore Christ purchases our freedom so that we are free to serve Him for the purposes he created us for. As our Lord says:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow
me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Have you ever wondered, week after week as you sit and eat at the Lord’s Table, how you are now drinking the blood of Christ, but Israeli saints were forbidden to drink blood? Have you ever wondered why the change? And perhaps every once in a while you remember the Apostolic charge to the churches in Acts 15 to “abstain from what has been strangled, and from blood,” and think somewhat squeamishly you might be disobeying that?

The prohibition of eating blood in the old testament comes in the statement “the life of the flesh is in the blood.” Israel was forbidden from eating blood because they were not to get life from the flesh. God didn’t want them relying on the “flesh,” their own power or prowess or strength, which was under the power of sin. No, he wanted them relying on Him.

What changed? Well, the blood of Jesus is not the blood of flesh; it is the blood of the spiritual person, the blood of the person who has risen from the flesh to Spirit. Remember what Paul said in 1 Cor 15? “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” First the flesh, then the Spiritual man. In communion, you are not drinking the “life of the flesh” but the lifeblood of the Spirit. Drinking Jesus’ blood thus means precisely the opposite of drinking animal blood!

What is effected at the Supper is communion with God in Christ by the Spirit.

So drink from the chalice, all of you!

Christ is come! Advent gives way to Christmas. As you give gifts to each other tomorrow, remember the gift of Christ the King, who’s birth and life we celebrate this season.

While some may (rightly) decry a consumerism that has taken over Christmas, the giving of gifts, when done to bless others and to graciously receive blessing from others, is a right and fitting way to celebrate. God the father did not withhold his only Son from us, and we do not withhold our gifts from our loved ones.

Perhaps many of you have been burdened with the preparation of the season, the baking, the cookies, the hustle and the bustle. All good things. But now, as Christmas is upon us, I hope you’ll stop and take stock of the many blessings you have, and what Jesus has given you. We celebrate Eternity stepping into time to become fully God and fully man. The time of preparation is past and now is the time to bask in the glory of the Savior. Read the Christmas story to your family, proclaim with joy, “Thanks be to God!”

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

— Isaiah 9:6–7

It’s Advent season, where we focus on the comings of God in history, feasting on their remembrances as we look forward to the final coming of Jesus when he overcomes death and Satan, throwing them both into the eternal lake of fire.

But we still live in a sinful world, and it often appears that evil and wickedness have the have the upper hand. The wicked seem to prosper greatly, and when we reflect on it, their prosperity almost makes us stumble. They are fat, pride is their necklace, they are foolish, they scoff at the righteous, and they threaten oppression to the righteous each time their lips move.

What are we to do? How do we overcome them? How do we function in light of their strutting tongues? The answer is simple: Come to Worship! Come to the Fellowship of the Saints with the Trinity on Sunday morning! Come to where you are fitted with the glasses that help you see how the world is really ordered!

The Sanctuary of the Temple of God, of the gathered saints, clarifies everything. Just like Psalm 11, so Psalm 73 sets you aright:

“But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, UNTIL I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end”
— Psalm 73:6-17

So rejoice, Christian; Jesus is coming! The wicked will get their due: they are set in slippery places, swept away by terrors, falling to ruin. But God’s people are saved, because Jesus is Lord!

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

— Mark 1:1–8, today’s lectionary gospel reading

We are currently in the beginning of the church year, in the season of Advent — that time of great anticipation as we look forward to the festivities of Christmas. This is the time the church around the world, and even the world along with us, by and large, celebrates the incarnation of the Savior, Christ the King. You can look all your neighbors square in the eye this time of year and say, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come” and they won’t bat an eye.

And so we do indeed approach Christmas with great anticipation. Christ’s first coming into the world signifies His intent to free us from our sins, which separate us from our creator God. And that is why, during this season of preparation, we can look at John the Baptizer calling us to repentance, and we can follow that call. We can repent because we have a Savior who has paid for our sins. The babe that lay in a manger, which we prepare to celebrate, lived a sinless life and died for our sins. That gives us the confidence and boldness to repent as John calls us to do. That is one way we can prepare during this watchful season. Take inventory of your heart, of the things you say and do, and repent — lay your sins at the feet of Christ your Savior. He will relieve those burdens from you so that you can celebrate with all the more joy this Christmas season. Because as you repent of your sins, you will find renewed vigor in your celebrations. Your gift giving will be that much more sweet as you receive the gifts given freely to you and all of us. So sing with joy, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus!”

Many years ago, fellow Christians would ask, as they wrangled through ethical or obedience questions, What Would Jesus Do? WWJD?

Well, that’s not the right question, because that question leaves the answer in Jesus’ court, and leaves it theoretical. “Well, I think Jesus would do such and such. I’m not sure; one can never answer these things. And who knows; he’s God!”

No, the right question is, “What would Jesus have you do?” What has Jesus revealed in his Word about your actions in this type of situation? What would please Jesus, whose name you bear, having been baptized and claimed by him, having been bought with a price, with his blood upon the cross?

The right answer is the revealed answer. For example: Honor your father and mother. That’s the fifth commandment. The next question might be: How could you honor them in this situation? The answer: obey their commands; be kind; be respectful, be patient. All good answers from Ephesians 6.1-3 and Galatians 5, where one finds the fruits of the Spirit.

What would Jesus have you do? He would have you do unto others what you would want them to do for you. He would want you to serve others, to take the lead and minister to others in a way that you would like done to yourself. He would want you to die to yourself, and imitate him. And he would want you to do it without being asked!

Do you see how helpful the Bible is? How clear God’s word is? How direct it is? How reassuring in the midst of confusing and uncertain situations?

Thanksgiving is usually considered a time of great blessing, as it should be. But why is it a time of great blessing? And what does it mean to give thanks?

To give thanks is to “express grateful feelings or thoughts to someone else; to show gratitude to another.” It is acknowledging that someone outside of yourself has contributed something of goodness or help to you.

That’s the tough part for most people; they don’t like to acknowledge they are indebted to someone else; that someone else helped them in a situation; that someone gave them something they needed. People don’t like to admit they were dependent on someone else! Thanksgiving is just that: an admittance that someone else gave you something you needed. It’s humbling!

Which shouldn’t be a problem for Christians! As the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4.7, “What do you have that you did not receive?” Of all people, we know that all we have is a gift of God, through and through, first to last, top to bottom. That’s the kind of gracious God we know and worship. “God so loved the world that he GAVE His only begotten son…” “In the beginning God created…” and then gave it all to man!

So this Thanksgiving, take time to give thanks. To express gratitude to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, your spouse, your children, your relatives, your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers, your servants at the restaurant or store or wherever. And give thanks for everything (1 Timothy 4.4).

That should keep you busy all day this Thursday, at least, whether doing so in person, or in prayer!

People often downplay the importance of worship in our day, as if going into God’s presence is not all that important. Admittedly, while sitting with the saints around you, the visual impression of “heaven” on Sunday morning is not all that different during the service than just before the announcements. Everybody looks the same! There’s no “aura” of angels or rushing waters or thunder or lightning flashing around the sanctuary, or the all-purpose worship center that you are meeting in. So is what we are doing, sitting in our pews, all that important? Or life changing? Or world changing? Yes, it is.

And being in heaven not only gives us a right perspective on the world, but it so happens that being there means we are in the right position to change the world.

How do you know that? Because Psalm 11 tells you so!

The opening verses make it clear that David is in doubt about God’s salvation and love, and that he’s on the run from the wicked. It’s so bad he thinks the “foundations are destroyed” (vs 3). What can the righteous do, he asks.

Well, they can come into the sanctuary of God, his holy temple, and get their eyesight corrected. In the sanctuary David sees God on his throne, and he understands God’s eyes see the children of men, and that he tests them, and that He hates the wicked and the ones who love violence (vs 4-5). In fact, David is so emboldened by his heavenly vision, he asks the Lord to “rain coals on the wicked,” and give them fire and sulfur and scorching wind in their cup! He also learns that the upright shall behold His face.

Entering into the heavenly throne room on Sunday morning never sounded so good!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ. So says verse one of the book of Revelation. So what do we learn of Jesus, our husband, just in that first chapter? Many revealing things!

For instance, Jesus reveals to us in verses 4–5 that he is one person of the three-person Godhead. Jesus is the faithful witness of the one who is, who was, and who is to come, as well as the firstborn of the dead by the power of the Spirit, and raised to be ruler of the kings of the land by the call of God and the Spirit’s indwelling. So he knows a thing or two about relationships and community; things he wants us to learn and practice here on earth in his Great Commission body.

After John’s doxology in verse 6, which is certainly a model for us, we find that Jesus is revealed also as the coming one. He is Yahweh in the flesh in the clouds, and all of Israel (tribes of the land) will judge correctly at his second coming in 70 AD that he is the Messiah whom they pierced upon the cross. They will understand they rejected God’s Messiah when he comes in final judgment of the Old Covenant, the sacrificial system of the temple, and the old oikumene world of Daniel 2. They will mourn their rejection of him who crushed those kingdoms by his stone that grows into a mountain kingdom that covers the world (cf. Isaiah 2).

Let us live with one another in the body as Jesus lives as part of the community of the Godhead, and let us praise him our Lord for his dominion he possesses over us his bride and over the world as King of kings!

The Exodus text of Pastor Thacker’s sermon last week mentioned the Passover lamb, “and you shall not break any of its bones,” (cf Numbers 9:12). This is noteworthy because other sacrificial animals, such as the ascension and peace offerings, did have their bones either broken or cut up as part of the ritual. But not the Passover lamb or goat.

So when the Apostle mentions in John 19:36 that “…the scripture might be fulfilled: ‘Not one of his bones will be broken,’” John is letting the reader know Jesus is the Passover Lamb, quoting from Psalm 34:20 about the afflictions of the righteous. John identified Jesus as the Passover Lamb from Psalm 34, as we know from the Last Supper in the previous chapters: Jesus gives himself as food and drink.

The slam dunk, double witness is Paul’s testimony in 1 Cor 5 where Paul proclaims “…For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

So why tell us no bones broken? For our comfort and assurance! First, we rejoice knowing that Jesus is the Lamb of God whose blood delivers his people from sin and Satan, just as the Passover lamb’s blood covered the people in their homes, and delivered them from slavery and Pharaoh. Each time you read about the Exodus, it’s about you, too, being delivered! It’s your down payment that got paid on the cross! But secondly, John notes that Jesus’ legs weren’t broken to put him to death, like for the other two (see John 19:31, 33, 36). Jesus certainly was murdered on the cross, for sure, but his life wasn’t taken. No, he gave up his life for us, as our Savior, as our Bridegroom (19:30). Jesus was the willing Passover Lamb of God that takes away the sin of his people. So rejoice when you eat the Supper, for Jesus loves you! He purposely gave himself for you, his bride!

How many Christians today can delineate the ways in which New Covenant worship differs from the old, and why? Of course, most would say that we no longer offer bloody sacrifices, and quite right it is to say so. But there’s much here to uncover. We’ve learned this summer from Pastor Thacker’s Sunday School class the patterns of worship in the scripture, and particularly in Leviticus that inform all of worship. And now in chapter 2 of The Theopolitan Vision in Pastor Shade’s class, we’re spending some time on Biblical Worship. New Covenant worship is (or should be), patterned on the worship of scripture, but there are distinct differences. There is no longer a veil to separate us from the Lord. As we’ve heard over and over again, we are saints, and this means we have sanctuary access. The sanctuary is where we find the source of life in Christ.

You may note that in the Old Covenant, there were priests to mediate the relationship between God and the people, who had no sanctuary access. The priests represented the people before God. But in the New Covenant, our Lord Jesus has become the great high priest, and we have direct access. That’s one reason why we tend to use the nomenclature of minister or pastor. That role is related to that of priest, but not the same. These ministers of word and sacrament no longer go between us and God, but they instead minister in the name of God, leading us in the liturgy as we are lifted up into heaven itself to receive life through the means of grace. We then are equipped to bring this source of life to the world. That then, is our calling and mission: to heavenize the earth! Go therefore, all the more boldly, and give God thanks!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ. So says verse one of the book of Revelation. So what do we learn of Jesus, our husband, just in that first chapter? Many revealing things!

First, we see that our husband speaks to us, his bride, with symbols, which reach much further into our souls than just prose: “…which God gave Him to ‘signify’ to his servants the things which must soon take place.” Symbols convey meaning and depth on top of, or below, the facts.

Second, we see that Jesus ensured the symbols get promulgated by sending them through a trusted servant, John. He wanted the churches to hear what he said, because it would be a blessing to them.

Third, we are greatly comforted, even emboldened in our lives as ambassadors for Jesus, to find out that Jesus is a “faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the land.” Jesus is the model of faithfulness in trusting God our Father; he rose from the dead, ensuring us that death can no longer hold us captive by its power; and, not only is Jesus faithful and alive, but he has been enthroned by his Father as King of the rulers of the land. In other words, Jesus can do what he promises will happen in the symbols to come!

Fourth, Jesus ransomed us from our sins by shedding his blood on our behalf, becoming a sacrifice for us, and through that action has made us a kingdom of priests to his God and Father. Jesus is a king that has a people; us, the church, his bride, washed white as snow and enabled to die for others as priests and kings as he died for us.

That’s quite a revelation of who our Lord is in this first chapter, and there are still fourteen verses to look at!

Peter Leithart, in his Theopolitan Vision book, spends a few pages debunking the idea of the “invisible church,” and for good reason. The scriptures never speak of an “invisible” church; it is always presented as a visible community among the communities of men. The church always consists of real, visible, fleshy people that you can touch, talk to, exhort, rebuke, love, and worship with on the Lord’s Day. There is no “Spiritual” element of life added on top of the “natural” life; in fact, all of life and all of Creation is a gift from God! Redemption transforms and fulfills nature, and is not a detached addition to it. The church is only invisible empirically: we can’t see all of it at once!

But keeping the church “visible” is also a great help to us as Christians and members of the visible body. If the church is visible, then what we do is visible, and needs to be seen, and will be seen. If we think worship is “invisible” between Jesus and me out in the woods, then I have an excuse not to get out of bed and join God’s real and sometimes difficult, crusty people, in being served in worship and serving others in worship. If the Christian life is “invisible,” I don’t have to serve others; I can just pray for them or hope the Spirit will help them. If the Christian life is “invisible,” then I’m left to my own imaginations of what it means to be spiritual, since nobody around me is speaking to me, and the Spirit I can always dismiss or ignore in my head. If the church is invisible, I can just escape it and be on my own. But that’s a recipe for immaturity: I never grow into maturity by dying for others, as Christ died for me!

If you are looking for a great paedo-communion passage to talk with your friends about, Exodus 12 is it!

First, God invites His people to a feast — a saving feast. The Passover feast! They didn’t earn their place there; they were granted it. Invited! The whole household was (v. 3).

Second, there was a lamb or goat for the whole household; for the number of persons (Hebrew ‘souls’) in the household (v. 4). Do young children not have souls?! They are part of the household. They eat what’s on the table with everyone else. Or else they starve.

Third, they are there. God says to the Israelites, “You shall observe this rite as a statue for you and for your sons forever” (v. 24). Those sons ask, “what do you mean by this service” (v. 25)? Why are you doing this feast, daddy/mommy? And the answer includes them; “…when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses” (v. 27).

Lastly, we know all the children ate of the Messiah in the older covenant! The Apostle Paul makes that clear in 1 Cor 10.1-4. The whole congregation was baptized into the type of Christ, Moses, and all ate the same spiritual (of the Spirit) food, and all drank the same spiritual (of the Spirit) drink. How so? “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (v. 4).

Nobody earned any of these blessings; it’s all of God’s favor! God’s goodness and kindness towards sinners, inviting them all to sit down at table with Him. Just like the praise song says, “God and man at table are sat down!” Old, middle, and young!

Admittedly, this is a PTL Weekly Perspective. For what am I praising the Lord? For Pastor Thacker!

While I was gone for eight weeks I visited four Presbyterian churches. What was good to see at each was weekly communion, though at least two did not pray over the bread and the wine like Jesus did. None of them, of course, allowed the youngest children to commune, though some are moving in that direction.

What was also rewarding was each of the four churches followed the biblical pattern of worship, of Covenantal Renewal Worship. In two of the churches the service was casual, not only in dress, but also with the speech of the pastor and in using ladies and children to read the scriptures in the service. Two were liturgically like St. Mark, where the pastor wore a robe (though black).

With regard to leading worship and preaching, this is where Pastor Thacker shines. Not only does he lead the service like a man, but he takes charge and honors Christ as a man. He understands he is Christ’s representative. He reads the whole text of scripture. He is loud, not soft; he looks at you directly, not in an apologetic manner, and he preaches and applies the text to us. He teaches God’s word! Two sermons I heard were on ONE verse, and the whole verse wasn’t even dealt with. Another used a thirteen-verse passage, but focused on one phrase, never mentioning the rest of the passage!

In conclusion, remember that while St. Mark is not perfect, the Lord has blessed you with a man who knows his role, which is to honor Jesus. So keep praying for him and be thankful for him. I know I am!

Often when you hear a sermon or teaching on Romans 16:3-16, it’s called the “Greet One Another” passage and a lot of hay is made of how we should great one another in the church. You hear this sermon in church plants, encouraging everyone to greet visitors so the church will be friendly and they will return because the place is so warm and loving.

But that’s missing the forest for the trees! It’s not just a command to say hello often and nicely, but it’s a catalog of saints in various churches and a catalog of how we ought to be relating to one another — of what kind of saints we ought to be! Paul is saluting a faithful bunch of people, people that we should emulate. People he regards highly.

For example, three times Paul mentions “fellow workers in Christ Jesus,” or “fellow prisoners,” or “fellow workers in the Lord.” Paul is in a Christian body that works together; how often do you strive for that? Four times Paul mentions greeting a “beloved” saint. Paul wants greeted those who “risked their necks for my life,” a woman who was a “mother to me as well,” and twice those who “worked hard for you” or “worked hard in the Lord.” Mothering and hard work don’t go unnoticed by Paul! And there are whole churches, relatives, and friends in the Lord he wants greeted on his behalf. Finally, he instructs them to greet one another with a holy kiss! This is a warm body that exemplifies serving in the Spirit of Christ!

So the next time you greet someone in the body, think about how blessed you are to commune with such people, and strive to serve like those that Paul commends.

We have seen in Pastor Thacker’s sermons how God makes a fool of His enemy, Pharaoh. We see how Pharaoh’s schemes make less and less sense. His ramblings seem almost those of a mad-man as he defies God in the face of the plagues bringing greater and greater disaster upon the land.

God laughs at his enemies. It’s plain enough to see in the passages of scripture. And believe that God is currently in the midst of making sport of the godless even today. While we may rightly pray for the salvation of those enemies, that’s not always God’s purpose, just as it was not His purpose with Pharaoh. And as we face the godlessness of our current culture, it can be difficult to see what is really going on from our vantage point. That’s why we need the lens of Scripture. “The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming … But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.” — Psalm 37:12–13;20

Open your eyes of faith and see what Yahweh our God sees: the ramblings of madmen intent upon their own destruction. Their cries of, “believe the science,” clash with their own actions. Their war against the unborn belies their claim of care for women. God uses their own ramblings to bring them to shame. Remember that you serve the one who made all things. You are on the winning side. Laugh at God’s enemies with Him.

The signs of life abound in our congregation with the births this year both past and upcoming. And what a joy to welcome these dear ones to our midst, as the waters of baptism bear witness that they belong to Christ. This is the life of the church as we look around at our congregation and see folks from all stages of life.

In Matthew 18, as part of our Lord’s discourse on who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, He said to his disciples, “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18 points us to the truth that children are very important in the life of the church, and, indeed, in the kingdom of heaven. And, we do well to remember that we, even as adults, are likened to children all the time as “children of God.” In our infants in particular, we witness their faith in us as they look to us for their care. As we nourish their bodies, physically, we are also instructed to nourish them spiritually as they grow. And, paradoxically, what is commanded to us for the nourishing of our own faith? To become like children. And if we do not, we will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

As we receive these children in the name of Christ, we receive Christ, and we become even as little children. Thanks be to God for His good gifts and the way he points us to riches of eternal life through the children he entrusts to us!

The Church’s life is one of hope because all of her activities express and nourish hope. The word gives hope, prayer nourishes hope, singing expresses and builds hope, and baptism certainly nourishes hope as we contemplate the union with Christ that we “hope” will be but the conduit to joyful eternal life, beginning in this sin-infected life. After all, Jesus didn’t do all those things that we hear recited in the prayer from the French baptism liturgy just to let the baby die in infamy! No, that Jesus claims that baby as his own, or the adult, gives us great joy and hope for their lives. And it should! All of the church’s activities in fact create hope because they are avenues of communication with God. This makes sense because the Trinity created mankind and made us in his image that we might enjoy fellowship and eternity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are adopted into his family, and all these churchly activities are but fellowship with God in his family. And that familial fellowship is one of hope because God himself is a God of hope. “In the communion of the Trinity, the Father anoints His Son with the eternal Spirit, in hope that the Son will re-bestow the Spirit on the Father. In Jesus, we are brought into that circulation of joy, glory, love, loyalty, and hope” (Leithart, God of Hope, 84) that exemplifies the divine life. Your hope burns and shines when you keep in close communion with the God who is hope. And how do you do that? By keeping the church and her communion life close to your heart!

You must come to worship every Sunday! Not just because God commands you to in the fourth commandment and the example of the church meeting on the first day of the week, but because worship builds hope in you. When you sing praises to the Lord, when you remember His works in ages past, when you remember that He sent Jesus to cleanse you of your sins, when you pray and thank the Lord for all His blessings (along with those next to you), when you hear His word and are encouraged that He is moving and active in your world, when you sit at His table and eat and drink of him, and remember that He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and thereby unites us to the Father, then your confidence and trust is built up in the Lord. When you remember and do all these things, you are given hope for the future; because there is nothing that God hasn’t done and can’t do! If we can be reconciled to God almighty, certainly we can be reconciled to one another! What are our sins against each another compared to sinning against the Godhead who lives for eternity? Yet we have peace with both God and man! And it’s at worship that you are commissioned by the Lord to take the Good News that Jesus is Lord and tell it to everyone you meet and apply it in everything you do. Without worship, you have no hope and no expectation of blessing or happiness in the future. Worship is but the nursery of hope!

Throughout each year in the life of Israel, the blood of dead animals was spread on the furniture of the sanctuary so that the sanctuary bore the guilt and impurity of the worshipper. The priesthood, and the High Priest, ate of those purification offerings, and so bore the sins of the people in themselves. On the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, the blood of the bull for Aaron and his family, and the blood of the goat for Israel was brought into the very throne room of Yahweh and sprinkled on his feet, on the covering of the Ark. These Purification offerings brought the very sins of the people and laid them upon Yahweh; he bore the burden of her sin, of his bride. So in two ways the Priesthood (and Israel) was cleansed and revitalized; the purification offerings and the transferring of the sins of Israel that the High Priest bore to the scapegoat.

But Israel’s life with God was at a distance, since the blood of bulls and goats cannot give life. We not only need the removal of sin; we also need holiness to live with God. This all points to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who removes sin from us by bearing it upon himself, but who also rises from the dead and unites us to himself by washing us and giving us to eat of himself. Hence Paul’s encouraging words about Jesus in Romans 4.25, “who was delivered up for our trespasses AND raised for our justification/ righteousness.” In him the veil of separation is torn down and we are brought into God’s presence!

“Remember Lot’s wife.” That’s what Jesus tells his disciples to do on the day when the Son of Man is revealed (Luke 17). He’s warning his disciples to flee from the coming destruction of Jerusalem just as Lot and his family was warned to flee the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19.15ff). He warns them not to “turn back” and then mentions Lot’s wife, who “looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” The inference to the disciples is that if they look back, if they think about staying with the old covenant and the old system tied to the temple, they will become like Lot’s wife who looked back to the old life of Sodom and was reduced to a pillar of salt. But what does it mean that she became a pillar of salt? Why “salt,” and not granite or sandstone or lime? Why salt? The answer has to do with how salt is used in the scriptures: it’s a seasoning. It’s applied to the sacrifices that Yahweh will eat; if it loses its flavor, it’s “not good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet (Matthew 5.13). Paul says “let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt…” (Col. 4.6). Jesus’ instruction to them, and to us, is not look back at the old satanic life that you left when you became His slave; if you do, you’re no good to Him and the new life and new Jerusalem that you live in. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus so that you season the church and kingdom for greater taste, inviting others to “taste the Lord and see that he is good.” Don’t leave others with a bad taste in their mouth!

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!

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 Needs is recommended.

The long and short is there are needs our brothers and sisters have as they continue the work of the church in the midst of war. Needs such as power stations and winter fuel as well as sleeping bags for Mykolaiv church (CREC). Their faithfulness has been rewarded by God with significant growth. And in wartime in winter, that brings many needs, particularly with plentiful power outages. There are also needs regarding buildings and construction.

The best way to donate is through the ministry JEEP (Joint Eastern European Project). You can give online at jeeproject.net.

These faithful Christians in our denomination are going through a hellish experience on earth — and one we have a hard time fathoming when we’ve only known peacetime for many generations here. Thanks be to God that though our brothers and sisters may experience what we think of as hellish conditions now, they face an eternity of life with Christ. And while they are here, we as brothers and sisters from afar may offer what support we can. If the Lord so lays on your heart, consider giving to these dear Christians as they face difficult circumstances.

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!

As you will recall, my friend, Paul Vaughn had been scheduled for a hearing on January 10 following his arrest for his pro-life activities at an abortion clinic. As was perhaps expected, the date for the hearing was pushed. Less expected (by me, anyway) is that the hearing was pushed out by a year. The new date is January 16, 2024! So on the legal front, Paul and his family will wait in some sort of limbo for the next 12 months before it is known what reprisal there may be.

We may rightly lament the injustice and Paul’s right to a speedy trial that is not being particularly well observed, but in the providence of God, this may allow for some action in some other places. Paul was contacted by the House Judiciary Committee, asking about his availability for a phone call as they investigate the DOJ’s enforcement of the FACE act.

While Paul was actively looking to stay out of legal trouble, now that it is upon him, Paul has said, “not my will, but yours, Lord.” He asks that we pray for God’s leading and direction regarding this call and further proceedings with the House Committee.

And so, as we rightly celebrate the overturning of Roe v. Wade, let us continue to pray for the ongoing pro-life battle, and those who are on the front-lines. God has clearly provided the opportunity for Paul to testify for life, and he will surely provide for Paul and his family as they walk through this situation. And may glory be to God whatever the outcome!

Here at St. Mark, we are celebrating the miracle of new life that God brings to our midst with the safe arrival of Cohen James Bryant, and Thea June Carman.

God is so good to our congregation and our mothers and fathers for the gift of these precious little ones. We love little children, and that is why I often say we are pro-life in more ways than one. For while we oppose the taking of unborn life, we also support our mothers, pray for them, encourage them, and love them. To be fully pro-life is to love these precious little lives, to bring them to the waters of baptism, to bring them to the Lord’s table to be nourished with Christ’s body and blood, to instruct them in the ways of the faith, and to pray for them as they grow, that they may one day also be warriors for life.

As we now begin to see the lives of these little ones, and as they grow in the faith, look to them to be instructed in your own faith (even as we already do with all the little ones around us now). Remember Matthew 18: “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.’”

The holidays have come to an end, the decorations are coming down, the diets are… well, maybe not back on track, but many of us feel the urgent need to get back to some, let’s say, simpler foods. Perhaps new resolutions have been made for the year, and it may be that you’re feeling a little down, what with all the fun and excitement in the rear-view mirror.

But be encouraged! Christmastide culminated in Epiphany on January 6^th, which we celebrate today. But what is Epiphany? It is the celebration of Christ revealed to the Gentiles in the visit of the Magi. Isaiah makes reference to this in chapter 60:2–3:

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

This is the glory of the coming of Christ. For, from the Jews comes the salvation of all people, Jew and Gentile alike. And, as Paul later expounds in Romans 11 where he uses a tree to illustrate His people, we Gentiles were then grafted into that tree so that there is now neither Jew nor Greek (Gentile), for we are now one in Christ, and Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3). This is what we celebrate today. Praise be to the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ!

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. — John 3:16–17

Verse 16 is speaking first, and most fundamentally, to the love of God, and note that He loved the world in such a way that He gave. A supreme act of the giving love of God was demonstrated in the Incarnation and Crucifixion of His Son. Even as Paul declares in Romans, but God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (5:8).

Verse 17 parallels verse 16: as God gave, so He sent His Son. Was Jesus given, was He sent for Israel alone? No, the Son was given and sent for the sake of the world, for the sake of all humanity. He was sent to be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should have eternal life (3:14-15). Though deserving of judgment, the world was sent a Savior. Instead of condemnation rendered, love is lavished.

Do you want to see the measure of God’s love? Look first to the manger; see the Child wrapped in swaddling cloths, and there behold the love of God. Then look to the Man stripped of all and lifted up on the cross, and yet again behold the love of God. Behold Him and believe that, for the sake of the world, the cross was the ultimate destination of the manger.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set they people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

“This prayer directs us both toward the celebration of Christmas, now but a few days off, and toward the end of time, whose distance from us we cannot know; in all of that we pray for the present age, the thin moving edge that connects past to future. For always both the future and past emphases of Advent direct us toward our faith and mission in this world. Eschatology that has no implications for us now is pernicious escapism. History that has no implications for us now is irrelevant romanticism. Neither by escaping current responsibility, nor by retreating into a rosy past that never was, can we serve the God who has come and will come, yet is ever fully woven in the fabric of the present.” – Laurence Hully Stookey, Calendar: Christ’s Time for the Church

For the Third Sunday in Advent, we find John the Baptist in prison (Matt. 11:2-15), but the question he poses regarding the ministry of Jesus leads to the declaration of the great works that Christ is doing. These works are foretold by the prophet Isaiah (35:1-10), particularly the giving of sight to the blind (v. 35; Matt. 11:5), a miracle unique to the Messiah. The turning back of the effects of sin and the curse of sin are evidenced in the miracles that Jesus performs and are reason for true joy. The Third Sunday of Advent is sometimes called “Gaudete Sunday,” for the Latin word Gaudete, meaning “Rejoice!” The work of God is reason for rejoicing. Repentance is reason for rejoicing. The Savior has come, bringing freedom and peace. And while we wait upon the Lord, we do so with patience, looking to the example of the prophets who suffered though they spoke in the name of the Lord (James 5:10-11). John the Baptist, the last of the OT prophets, suffered for the message of repentance that he preached. The church today, as it carries the prophetic mantel can also suffer for calling sinners to repentance. Nevertheless, the church is called to remain steadfast, for therein lies the way of blessing from our compassionate and merciful Lord. So let us continue to pursue repentance in our own lives, proclaim it to others, and rejoice in the continuing works of God by His Spirit and through the church.

The emphasis of the First Sunday of Advent is one of watchfulness and God fulfilling His divine purposes, even if it might not be according to our expectations. Matthew’s Gospel took us to the late stages of Jesus’ earthly ministry, which might seem like an odd way to begin Advent, but it helps to remind us of the faithfulness to which we’re called as His servants who do not know when He will return, a helpful perspective to maintain.

This week, for the Second Sunday of Advent, we find ourselves in the third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel where he records the ministry of John the Baptist, who prepares Israel for the coming of the Messiah by preaching a message of repentance. John is clear that religious heritage is not enough nor even to simply profess repentance. Rather, true repentance is seen in the fruit that it bears; in the actions that are taken unto righteousness. According to Isaiah 11, righteousness is central to the Messiah’s ministry. It is a mark of His reign over all the earth, even as He proves to also be the hope of the Gentiles (Is. 11:10; Rom. 15:12).

Some of God’s most challenging and comforting messages came to His people in times of difficulty and distress, so let us heed the Baptist’s cry and pursue lives of repentance and righteousness befitting of those belonging to our Messiah’s kingdom.

Our church year begins today as we usher in the season of Advent. How fitting, now as we turn our attention to that expectant and watchful season, that we do so here in the U.S. on the heels of our season of Thanksgiving. While Thanksgiving is not a church calendar holiday, it is a good and right celebration when we gather with friends and family to give thanks for all our Lord has done for us. And while we are, of course, thankful for all things, especially during Advent we remember and are thankful for the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He took on flesh and blood for us, His people. As we enter Advent, the Book of Common Prayer has these words for us to use in our own prayers:

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

Recall the words of Jesus from John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” And we now walk in the light because of the incarnation of the light of the world.

When Israel, Yahweh’s bride, forgot her history, forgot her story – the story of redemption that God achieved for and through His people, especially the Exodus from Egypt – then she would inevitably forget the Lord who had redeemed her and go hoaring after false gods and idols. This story of redemption, this overarching story is made up of smaller stories all along the way. Think about how the Bible is written. It is written, primarily as narrative, as story. A helpful way for us to keep the story at the forefront of our minds, for us to remember is through the church calendar, which is a reflection of the Gospel story itself.

Consider that the Gospels themselves do not simply give information about Jesus, but, as one theologian states, “provide a narrative that we can inhabit, a story we can make our own. This is one way in which we can become the people God calls us to be. The traditional Christian year is a deep-rooted and long tested means by which that aim can be realized.” All Saints’ is especially set apart to aid our memory, to help us see our place in the story, and to consider the entire story that has already been told. That is a healthy thing, and not only because it provides perspective, but, again, because it encourages us in our faith and in our walk with Christ when we consider others whom the Lord has kept, those who faithfully ran the race until its end.

The word “saints”, which means “holy ones,” is simply a term to describe Christians. The apostle Paul in the opening of his first letter to the Corinthians, writes:

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

So the term is not referring to just a select few, or Christians who have reached a “celebrity” status within the church. No, it is a day about all believers, all the faithful since Adam and Eve. To be sure, there are some high profile names among the saints – even as Hebrews 11 indicates – but not to the exclusion of all who are in Christ. All Saints’ is a catholic celebration (catholic meaning “universal”), and it is quite appropriate, having celebrated the Reformation specifically one week, to celebrate the universal church the next. When we celebrate the Reformation, what are we doing? We are remembering Christians that have gone before us, those whom the Lord has used for the sake of His Church and Kingdom upon the earth. That is not an unbiblical thing to do. In fact, the Bible calls us to remember time and time again, and one of the things that caused problems for God’s people more often than not was when they forgot.

Today’s celebration of All Saints’ Day should be one of great encouragement to the church as a whole, and to each and every one of us as Christians who constitute the body of Christ. In the Lord’s providence, through the wisdom of our forebears who developed the liturgical calendar, we have this day of celebration, this day of remembering those who have gone before us in the faith.

The purpose is not to in any way to glorify men or to exalt the “super-Christians” of the faith. Not in the least. Rather, at the heart of All Saints’ Day is the declaration and celebration of the unity of the Church, the unity that God’s saints have in Christ, saints of the past with saints of the present. As one pastor states, “All Saints’ is a time to remember all those who have lived before us and through whom God has worked.” As we find ourselves in the present moment, it is good for us to look to the past, to consider what God has done in and through His chosen people in bygone ages, especially during times of difficulty and conflict, in order that we might be further emboldened for the future that awaits us, whatever that might entail. To be continued…

I often make the dad joke — no, not often, I do it every year at Reformation time — “my thesis is that Martin Luther really nailed it, I hope you don’t find that too indulgent of me.” This joke has lost none of its charm for me. Regardless of your protestant tradition, be it Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian (and more), we all share the Reformation in common as an inflection point in history that God used to shape the church. And this inflection point is marked by October 31st, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his Ninty-five Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. In his theses, Luther took on a believer’s life of repentance, what authority a minister has to forgive sins, indulgences, purgatory, the Roman doctrine of the treasury of merit, and more.

It was important because, as sinful and imperfect humans, we often need to be corrected and brought back to and grounded in the truth of the scripture. The Reformation was one of those times when God lit a fire that spread far and wide throughout His church and continues to have implications even today 505 years later.

It is good and right that we celebrate and mark this time in our calendars. It is also good and right that we remember that God is working among His people and continually reforming his Church. We do well to keep in mind a phrase which later came into use, and which we still use today, semper reformanda: always reforming. May God continue to grant our reform in and through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Last year, Paul Vaughn, faithful member of his church in Centerville (and long time friend of mine), participated in a peaceful, pro-life protest. Last week, the FBI deemed the timing appropriate to arrest Paul for this far past event at gun-point on his farm, surrounded by his children, and cart him off without answering any of his or his family’s questions as to the nature of the arrest. We know now that it had to do with that protest from a year ago. Paul and Bethany have 11 children in all, the oldest of whom are married with little children of their own, the youngest of whom is toddling around in a diaper.

There are many questions surrounding this arrest, but what is not in question is the Vaughn’s commitment to Christ, family, and children. Their money is where their mouth is and the powers that be have decided to persecute them for it. In 2 Timothy 3:12–13, the Apostle Paul says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” So those who despise God and his word purposing evil against us is not unexpected. Paul goes on, “But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.”

Paul is facing up to 11 years in prison for trying to peacefully stop the murder of unborn babies. Please lift up Paul and his family at this time that they may walk faithfully to that which God has called them.

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” ― C.S. Lewis

It’s easy to believe we are totally in control of our lives every action is directed by ourselves alone. We often don’t do this on purpose, we’re just so used to ordering our lives as we see fit that we forget every breath we take is because God has ordained it so. One has only to look at our prayer list to see that a lot of folks, many right in our midst, are experiencing things over which they have no control.

This is one of the reasons it’s a good to be in a daily habit of prayer. When we bring our petitions, our anguish, our anxiety, to the one who ordains all things, it reminds us who is really in control — and it’s not us. The Apostle Paul, by way of his letter to the Philippians, in chapter 4 verse 6 instructs us: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” Doing this daily, when you rise up in the morning, for instance, is a good way to fulfill this command and place our trust and hope in Christ. And as we do, we have the promises of Psalm 34:17–19:

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Praise the Lord for His goodness to us!

While the world overturns definitions and gender roles, it’s good to remember that simply following the templates God has given can be very powerful tools in shaping the culture and carrying out God’s purposes.

Men, in a general sense, are designed to take leadership roles. Each man has different giftings to be sure, but men are designed to take dominion, to cultivate, to grow, to take what was shapeless and useless and shape it into something good and useful. Young men should prepare for this by taking on smaller ideals of the role. Men already in these roles and taking on more of these leader positions, should remember to lead as a servants. They should remember to lead joyfully, remember to be eager to listen and not wield an iron fist. They should not exasperate those under them.

Women, in general, have been designed to beautify and glorify, to be an aid in taking dominion. Like men, this will look different from woman to woman, but the principle applies. Young women should focus on the simple duties and daily tasks in their purview to help with and beautify. Woman already in this position should remember that they wield much influence in the life of their husbands, children, and those around them. They should beautify their domains with smiles and love.

As we seek to influence and shape culture, let us do so by working with the designs God gave. As we do, we will find joy designed exactly and specifically for us.

We are living in a time when the way God made things to be is questioned and if you believe in the truth of the created order, you are labeled as an extremist. If a boy says, “I’m actually a girl,” or a girl says, “I’m a boy,” they can get supporting “medicine” and dangerous and life altering medical procedures to help support the delusion. And public schools are full of alphabet soup with non-sequitur pronouns galore.

As we navigate these times, it can be difficult to know how to raise our children, what information to give them and expose them to and when. There is no doubt this may look different from family to family. But regardless of any differences, one thing is certain: our children — the next generation of Christ’s church — need to be grounded firmly in the truth of the Word. They need, more than ever, to be brought faithfully to partake in covenant renewal through word and sacrament each week. They need to learn of and handle the truth so much that the lies in the world are easily identifiable as the absurdities they really are.

As we look and see the war raging all around, remember that what you do on the Lord’s Day in bringing your family to Christ, and what you do every day of every week in training and nurturing them, is one of the most effective means of warfare you have. And remember, Christ has already given you the victory! Praise be to Him!

Last Wednesday during prayer meeting, we experienced unusually quick positive feedback to an item on our docket. The prayer request was of a work opportunity before one of our members to receive a promotion and salary increase. Word was received by a family member while we prayed that the promotion went through and relayed that to us through that member’s prayer of thanksgiving.

Of course, the Lord doesn’t always provide that sort of feedback that quickly. But he does love to give good gifts to His people. And sometimes his quick response surprises and delights us. The timing is, of course, impeccable in terms of the sermon we heard just this past week that we are to be a praying people. And as we learned that the Apostle Paul even relayed prayer requests in his letter to the Colossians, so also, we relay to each other on Wednesday night and by means of our prayer list our prayer requests that we each might know what to pray for and how to be praying for each other.

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, in chapter 6, Paul instructs them to “pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Then he says a couple verses later, “Brethren, pray for us.” And then James tells us in James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” And so, brethren, as you’re able, make use of the prayer list, and pray for your brothers and sisters. It is the will of God for you!

Today, a church that St. Mark has sponsored in the CREC (our denomination), Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, will officially receive members. This is indeed a joyous thing to celebrate as they continue to represent the body of Christ on the north side of Nashville. As is good and right on such occasions, they are celebrating with a psalm sing and feast after the service and have invited us to join them. We hope to see many of you there as we enjoy fellowship with these dear brothers and sisters.

We read in 1 Timothy 3 of a rightly ordered church being a good and Godly thing, and Pilgrim Hill continues to serve the Lord and His people faithfully in taking this next step.

As the foundations of the ungodly society around us crumble, and as more liberal churches push away from the faith handed down by our fathers and the apostles, we’re seeing more interest for conservative, bible believing, liturgical churches. When the sheep aren’t fed, they look for pastures with green grass. We’re praising God for the work he’s doing at Pilgrim Hill, for work such as Richard is doing to start a faithful church over in the Cookeville area, and for other inquiries we’ve fielded of people hungry for faithful churches. God is, as always, working among his people, and we’re exited to see it unfold!

The school year has begun and it’s a good time to take stock of why education of Christian children is important. At St. Mark, many tools for the education of children are employed. Some chose home school, others choose private or classical school. Others are involved in Classical Conversations. The common theme is we all believe that education is not neutral and must be grounded in God’s word. Further, we believe parents are responsible for equipping their children. Delegation, of course, can and should be used as needed and necessary.

Sometimes educating and equipping our children can be exhausting. But take heart: God sees the work you are doing, the exhaustion that can overwhelm. In educating sons and daughters, you are engaging in very important kingdom work. Children represent the future of the church. You are training future men and future women, future husbands and future wives. The education you are giving them now has impact for all future generations. That is, in fact, one of the reasons God commands parents to raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And that is also why the job can feel exhausting and overwhelming. But God gives strength to accomplish the tasks He calls us to. And that God calls us to equip our children for the kingdom work is precisely why we do it. Give God the glory as He gives you strength to train the future!

The Mullenaxes have joined the Drapers in hosting a monthly hymn and psalm sing. This month the Mullenax hosted event is this Friday, August 19th. They live just north of Nashville so if you’re a northern dweller and have not been able to make it to the Drapers, we encourage you to make time for this event as they open their home.

Pastor Joe’s sermon last week from Colossians 3:16–17 was timely, exhorting us on the singing life of the church. The hymns and the psalms are formational to our way of thinking as they shape and mold us. Verse 16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” And that’s what we do at these events. You may come, weary from the day, the work, the challenges, and the world, but you will leave refreshed, invigorated, and instructed.

Food, drink, and lively conversation also accompany the singing of hymns and psalms — all things which draw the body of Christ closer to one another, and deepen our walk with God.

The hymn and psalm sing at the Drapers will be the following Friday, August 26th. If you are able, come to one (or both!) of these events to be encouraged, and to lift your praises to God your maker.

Pastor Uri Brito of Providence Church in Pensacola, Florida, recently released a new hymn tune with words by Charles Wesley which we are making the hymn of the month. Pastor Uri named this tune “Strawbridge” in honor of the late Gregg Strawbridge who Uri noted in a post introducing this tune was, “friend, pastor, musician, and scholar.” and that he missed his dear friend. It’s a moving tribute and one that caught our eye.

The music has a wonderful Celtic lilt and it is in a minor key which fits nicely the mood of the text. It puts us in mind of our suffering Savior and calls us to glory in His cross and to bear our burden joyfully. The 4th verse is particularly poignant, reminding us that we have been bought by Christ’s shed blood and we are sealed and confirmed as heirs of heaven.

And whether you consider yourself a good singer or not, remember, as verse 3 instructs us, that His power is shown in our weakness. So take heart today as we begin learning this wonderful hymn. God accepts your praise as you earnestly put in the effort.

As always, the practice tracks are available to members and friends in the members area of the website. May the Lord bless us all as we seek to hone our singing and bring our best before Him.

One of the things that identifies God’s people is song. That’s because we are commanded to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The Bible details many times when God’s people sang. And of course, there’s God’s hymn book right in the middle of our Bibles.

Recently in episode 558 of The Theopolis Podcast titled, “Singing the Future,” Dr. Trevor Laurence expounded on the hope found in the psalms. If you ever wonder why we sing and chant so many Psalms, why every Wednesday during prayer, Pastor Joe reads from the Psalms, this episode is highly recommended. The Psalms shape our outlook on the world and show us the world as God made it to be — as it really is. They counteract the incorrect views we get by dwelling on our human perspective, or from the godless philosophies around us. Reading the psalms is like putting on glasses to correct the blurry vision we have. Suddenly we have eyes to see.

At the hymn and psalm sings hosted by the Drapers, and now the Mullenaxes, you’ll notice quite quite a few psalms here, too. While some hymns are selected to be more familiar, the psalms are also sung that we might bring more into focus the worldview God has for us in his song book. So as you sing the psalms, let it shape what you see and show you God’s world as it really is, and give Him the glory!

On Tuesday, July 19, 47 U.S. House Republicans joined their votes with all the House Democrats in voting for a bill titled, “Respect for Marriage Act.” The name is, as you might expect, something of a misnomer because it formally overturns the, “Defense of Marriage Act” of 1996 and requires the recognition of same-sex marriages deemed legal in the state in which they were preformed.

None of the aforementioned Republicans are from TN, so there are no action items for you on the voting front. There are, however, action items for you on the prayer front. Having been granted a victory in Roe v. Wade, it could be easy to become complacent in other areas. We must recognize that this codifying into human law of that which God abhors is also an important battle to wage. One does not have to be a theonomist to recognize that you cannot avoid legislating morality on some level. The question then becomes, who’s morality will man legislate? Mankind can legislate righteously or he can legislate unrighteously. Recognizing as marriage that which is not and which God in fact says is an abomination is very much the latter.

Continue to pray for moral victory in our country. Pray that God would strike down this bill and those who would put forth such evil. Pray that the hearts of our leaders would be inclined toward our good God!

Come one, come all. The Gallants have issued their yearly invitation and you are invited! At 3:00 on Saturday, July 30th the Gallants serve us hamburgers, hotdogs and all manner of fixins for such items. If you haven’t been to one of their picnics yet, it’s a lot of fun for the kids (with an obstacle course and everything) and plenty of food, fellowship, and drinks for the adults.

One of the things that marks us saints is our love one for another, and our desire to fellowship together is one of the ways we show love for each other. And this very type of casual fellowship is sometimes missing in the lives of modern believers. Often the conception of the church in the modern western sensibilities is to show up on Sunday for an hour, maybe two and, “put in your time,” and then head out to watch some game on television or nap. But as we read throughout the Bible, and certainly throughout the book of Acts, and glimpsed in the epistles, believers form community and then live the out-workings of community. We taste and see each Lord’s Day that He is good as Jesus breaks bread with us. And this is the example He sets. As he breaks the bread of peace with us so likewise we dine with each other — not in a sacramental way, but in fellowship, sharing but a dim foretaste of the glorious fellowship that is to come.

July 4^th has come and gone, and it reminds us of our liberties and how thankful to God we should be for them. But some of those liberties seem to be up for debate. You may have heard of Coach Joe Kennedy. But then again, maybe not. Perhaps the good news of his religious liberty victory was lost amidst our (rightful) jubilation of overturning Roe v. Wade.

Joe Kennedy was a football coach at Bremerton High School in Washington State. Initially, he lead his team in prayers after games. When the public school asked him to stop because they thought it could violate religious convictions (or lack thereof) of students, he changed to praying briefly and quietly on his own instead. The school fired him and he decided to take it to court. This case went all the way to the Supreme Court where the decision was reached that his termination was wrongful and Joe Kennedy could, indeed pray after games.

This should put to rest the idea of neutrality. In apparently trying to reach religious neutrality, the school stepped all over the liberties of Coach Kennedy. Their worldview shaped what they did and what actions they took. Our values and even our ideas of liberty come from our own worldviews. The real question is, what worldview is employed in the shaping of public and private values. May we turn to Christ and the scriptures for such answers.

This past Wednesday evening at the prayer meeting, we read Psalm 85, which is very relevant to us as we consider the victory God granted in overturning Roe v. Wade. Here are verses 1-4:

Lord, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of your people; you covered all their sin. You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger. Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us!

That God is abundant in mercy has been made clear to us anew. Many in our nation are drunk on the blood they’ve shed and we justly deserve God’s wrath. God instead answered our prayers by beating back the powers of darkness. This is the way He operates. And He did promise in Matthew 16:18b, “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

In the wake of this victory, let us not forget that our call to life was not first issued in 1973. Christians have always been called to the issues of life: to care for the poor, the helpless, and the unwanted. We are to press on. Pray for and support crisis pregnancy centers, encourage those who do this work. And continue to seek to meet the needs of mothers in distress who would rather turn to abortion. We now have all new opportunities for ministry. Praise be to God!

The Supreme Court released the leaked opinion from May, overturning Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood. When the leak happened, Politico.com called it, “a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights.” To hear many on the left tell it, the court just banned abortion in all 50 states but that is untrue. This ruling is but one step in the battle, but an important one to be sure. This ruling removes the federal requirement to allow abortion. States now determine their own laws and punishments and how they deal with it — just as they already do for other instances of murder.

While some states allow for abortion, many states, including our own, have banned abortion. So this is a victory in a battle of a larger war. That is why we celebrate today! We must, of course, continue to pray and to work to shape hearts and minds that abortion might not even be thought of and that it continues to remain illegal in our state.

We can be encouraged by all that the Lord is doing. As Dr. George Grant said in response to the ruling, “Aslan is on the move!” Our good God has granted us this victory and called us to appear before him today. And that is why we lift our thunderous refrain, Thanks be to God!

As announced last week, nominations for elder and deacon were received by the session. Jeff Kernodle and Randy Sadler accepted their nominations, were examined by the session and are heartily recommended to you for election to office. The election for these officers will be held on July 17.

The installation of additional officers is a needed step considering the growth with which the Lord has blessed us. As we grow, so does the officer workload.

To that end, Jeff is recommended as a ruling elder to come alongside Joe as minister, and Abe as a ruling elder, who constitute the session. Ruling elders differ from ministers of the word and sacraments, though their duties overlap when it comes to shepherding and oversight of the congregation.

Randy is recommended as deacon to come alongside Brian and TJ. Deacons act as assistants to the session, operating under their oversight. Deacons lead in service to the church, care of the poor, and encourage and engage in hospitality (among many other things).

In this past week’s email, Pastor Joe linked to the portion of our website that describes the various officer roles. We hope you’ll take a moment to prayerfully read through those in preparation to vote for these officers on the 17th of July.

As we sing psalms and historic hymns today, both in our hymn sing and worship service, it is helpful to reflect on what many in the modern western church might consider our “odd” choice in musical style. Can we not simply “get with the times?”

Music and musical style reflects very much our view of worship and the God whom we serve. What does our music say about our worship? What does it say about God? Who is the music for? While worship music can certainly be a benefit to us and lift our spirits or console us in times of sorrow, it is primarily music for God — it is something which we offer to Him. How we feel about it apart from that line of thinking is not very relevant. And this is but one of the reasons we don’t croon modern worship lyrics.

The hymns and psalms we sing are robust, designed for congregations, connect us to the history of our faith, and have permanence to last the ages. We also emphasize singing the psalms — God’s song book. The psalms were written by those who came before us in the faith like David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and more. We worship the unchanging God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we worship robustly, and we worship as a congregation, lifting up our voices as many parts, but one voice. As you sing with your brothers and sisters today, do so as an offering of worship to God, recognizing you sing with the saints through the ages.

The shooting at Uvalde elementary school is a tragedy. We grieve with those who grieve. We mourn with those who mourn. For many of us, it is almost impossible to contemplate what fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters of those who lost their lives are facing. As we try to understand this tragedy, one of the most important things we can do is pray for them and our nation in general. Many who are not of our persuasions nor believe in prayer will tell you that prayer is a futile, even undesired effort. But as those who believe the word of God, we have a very different picture. The Psalms give us language for our grief and uncertainty. Certainly, verses from Psalm 44:13-16 come to mind as the Psalmist dwells on the reproach of a people.

While our nation looks for answers in the aftermath of a shooting, the clamor for the limitation of weapons reaches a fever pitch. But few ask the questions about what formed and shaped the thinking of the one responsible for pulling the trigger. Few want to face the fact that as society becomes more and more unmoored from the moral framework provided by the creator for His creation, the more the uptick in such serious crimes. The real solution is not one they want to hear: repent and return to Christ! He is the only solution to these problems.

Here’s an exercise in contrasts: Elizabeth Amy Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA (the liberal Lutherans) Tweeted this past week, “While the leaked court draft does not represent the Supreme Court’s ruling in its final form; nevertheless, it contradicts this church’s teaching. This church teaches that abortion and reproductive health care, including contraception, must be legal and accessible.”

This past Lord’s day, we at St. Mark had the privilege of welcoming the Godinhos into membership, and baptizing their 4 precious little children. One of those little children, Eli, had a few warning signs during pregnancy and the doctor asked them if they were considering terminating the pregnancy. Of course, as you know, they chose instead to trust and obey God instead and the Godinhos, as well as our congregation, are so much richer for it.

While the false church of the liberal Lutherans teaches that the right to murder babies must be legal and accessible, we instead follow the ways of the Lord of life and are blessed beyond measure.

Proverbs 1:15–16 seems applicable, “My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.” While they make haste to shed blood for their own comforts, we uphold the law of the Lord!

Fifteen years ago, in the spring of 2007, Pastor Rich Lusk presided over a Lord’s Day service, during which six charter families took vows and were received into membership of the newly formed St. Mark Reformed Church. In God’s providence, for various reasons having to do with jobs, moving to new areas, etc. we have one remaining family of those founders: The Goolsbys.

Of course, the Goolsbys are a great blessing to our congregation, and Abe has now been ordained as an Elder at St. Mark. And if you’ve spent any time around Abe, you know what a great blessing this also is to our congregation.

And from the vantage point of 15 years, it’s also now wonderful to see the hand of providence in placing us in the CREC; a denomination now poised to hold the course as many churches and denominations look to compromise. We have the privilege of helping to strengthen this community of churches as we stand fast in the faith together against the advances of worldliness.

It wasn’t long after the initial forming that Pastor Thacker received and accepted the call to ministry at St. Mark the same year. His commitment to liturgy, sacrament, and preaching has been a great blessing these 15 years. Praise be to God for his goodness!

This past week, as you must surely now be aware, an opinion draft leaked from the Supreme Court of these United States. The topic: The overturning of Roe v. Wade. Leaving aside questions about the integrity of the court and the trust of the clerks and aids who serve there (or even the Justices themselves?), we’ll focus instead on the response.

The internet practically exploded. On the right, shouts of joy, praise, jubilation. On the left, despair, anger, franticness, threats. And you’re a Google search away from seeing videos of Elizabeth Warren yelling and screaming, visible shaking with anger as she calls for insurrection to ensure the rights of women, as defined by her, remain secure. The accusation against those on the “right” on is that we’ve been plotting and scheming for years and slowly working against, “the will of the people” to put things in motion leading to this as if the murder of children has until now, never been a questionable “right.” Why yes, senator, we have been “plotting and scheming” to make the murder of babies illegal again.

And, make no mistake, this hasn’t happened yet. The leak was confirmed to be genuine, but it is a draft. The decision has not been handed down yet. Still, praise God, in His mercy, he might allow this to come to pass and we must pray to that end. And we need God’s mercy now more than ever.

For May, our Hymn of the Month is All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night written by Thomas Ken (set to music by Thomas Tallis). Ken lived from 1637 to 1711 and throughout that time he was a pastor, chaplain at Winchester College, chaplain to Princess (later to be queen) Mary, and bishop of Bath and Wells. He was a faithful man who stood his ground to King Charles II, refusing to provide him lodging because the king had a mistress with him. He was also imprisoned for a time for his religious beliefs.

Bishop Ken contributed to English hymnody with the Morning, Evening, and Midnight Hymns which are often still found in English hymnals.

The hymn we’re focusing on this month is an evening hymn. Psalm 4:8 says, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety,” and this hymn builds upon that theme. It orients us toward being thankful for that which God has done for us throughout the day. In the second verse, it reminds us to confess our sins from the day. And then in the third verse, we are reminded that our rest is found in the Lord. And the song goes on in that manner and spirit. It is one which should encourage and strengthen you and a tool you can use to aid in your spiritual walk and orienting your soul for sleep.

Praise God for this hymn and the message of peace and rest it brings us!

You may or may not have heard of the Twitter account “LibsOfTikTok” depending upon how “extremely online” you are or aren’t. This account, run by a previously anonymous person, would repost crazy and/or weird things liberals posted, often from the short video service TikTok (hence the name of the account). Of late, “LibsOfTikTok” has been shining a light on the liberal agenda of grooming young children by insisting on sexually explicit content in schools and other inappropriate venues.

This past week, Taylor Lorenz, “journalist” for The Washington Post, known for, among other things, her stance against “doxxing” (the publishing or private and identifying information with malicious intent), having been a victim herself, doxxed the owner of the “LibsOfTikTok” account, posting a whole lot of private and revealing information and slamming her as having a hateful agenda against LGBTQ+ people for, get this, simply reposting and amplifying their content. You see, it turns out, darkness does not like having a light shined upon it. They want to fully control the narrative and just how much of their wickedness they let out, and when and where. And you can tell a nerve was struck by how hard they lash out. Continue to pray for the exposition of wickedness in our culture.

Christ is Risen!

While we celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection every Lord’s Day, on this another glorious Easter Sunday we celebrate in a particular way Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Easter is a modern English word which derives from what English speakers used to call the month of April, which was named after the goddess of spring, Ēostre in old English. It is fitting that now, this term is almost entirely associated with the resurrection of our Lord (except for a few well meaning curmudgeons who do more than any atheist to re-associate Easter with the goddess of spring).

Of course, in submitting himself to death on the cross, and rising again from the dead, Christ conquered all the gods sinful men could devise. It is right and proper that what was once a device of pagans is now a device made to serve our Lord.

Today, lift up your praise for Christ’s glorious victory over your sin, over death, and over false gods. And as you celebrate this day, someone will, no doubt, say to you, “Christ is risen!” And having now considered Christ’s victory over pagan gods and what victory is made yours through Him, your hearty reply in light of that is one of affirmation, “He is risen indeed!”

There’s nothing quite like the joy of a wedding as God knits together two souls to form one unit. In our case, we have too the privilege of seeing the fruit of faithfulness in two of our member families as their children join together to glorify God by their union.

Psalm 127:3 tells us that, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.” And here at this cross-section of life for the Goolsbys and the Kernodles, we can see both the fulfillment in the joy of the parents in their Godly offspring, and the renewed promise to Brett and Sophie as God wills and blesses their marriage.

The vows they took yesterday should also remind those of us who are married of the vows we made to our spouses. One of the duties of faithful Christians is to model the Christian life for others. This is a call to us to make sure we are doing that with our marriages. And Brett and Sophie bless us with their joy and love which we can observe, so too we should make sure we renew our love and faithfulness to our husbands and wives and so bring honor and glory to Christ. After all, our marriage are to be a image of Christ and his bride, our mother the Church.

And now, it is both our joy and privilege to pray for and encourage Brett and Sophie in the life God has called them to!

What are the qualifications one needs to serve as a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States? The constitution does not specify any educational standard, or really, much else. The method of selection, as I’m sure you probably know by this point, is that the sitting president will nominate someone he (or in the future, she?) thinks is qualified when there is vacancy. It is then up to the members of the senate to determine their standards of qualification, and vote accordingly. A simple majority in that vote will confirm the president’s nomination.

Why are we talking about this here? Recently, President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson who has been serving as a federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. John Kennedy, a Republican senator from Louisiana, asked her a simple question, “When does life begin, in your opinion?” Her reply? “Senator, I don’t know.” Kennedy pressed and asked when the law would recognize and protect life, to which she again replied, “I don’t know.” Regardless of which side of the pro-choice/pro-life divide you’re on (all reading this I hope are pro-life), this (among other questions she couldn’t adequately answer) seems like necessary knowledge to qualify her to sit in judgement of such matters. Obviously, prayers over this process, and for her rejection, are needed.

News this past week of Justice Clarence Thomas’ hospitalization can be a bit worrisome for those of us who value, well, justice. While the court should not be a place that has much occasion for various political shenanigans to surface, nevertheless the fact is that the liberal and conservative leaning of judges has a lot of bearing on how one sees justice and how the laws of the land will be interpreted. For various reasons far too long to go into in such a short format newsletter, politically conservative judges tend to better match Christian ideals. At the moment, the Supreme court has six judges considered to be on the conservative side of the spectrum (and three of which are more obviously so than the other three), and three quite liberal judges. Thomas, being a pretty obviously conservative judge, is one we hope to hold on to during a liberal presidency. While worry is never appropriate because God is always on His throne, praying for Thomas’ healing is quite appropriate, and it is so for multiple reasons. For our purposes here, we pray for God to sustain the life of Justice Thomas so that we can continue to see God work through him and the other conservative judges for causes and values we believe to be consistent with a biblical view of the law and the world. So do be praying for God to sustain him through this time of illness.

News this past week of Justice Clarence Thomas’ hospitalization can be a bit worrisome for those of us who value, well, justice. While the court should not be a place that has much occasion for various political shenanigans to surface, nevertheless the fact is that the liberal and conservative leaning of judges has a lot of bearing on how one sees justice and how the laws of the land will be interpreted. For various reasons far too long to go into in such a short format newsletter, politically conservative judges tend to better match Christian ideals. At the moment, the Supreme court has six judges considered to be on the conservative side of the spectrum (and three of which are more obviously so than the other three), and three quite liberal judges. Thomas, being a pretty obviously conservative judge, is one we hope to hold on to during a liberal presidency. While worry is never appropriate because God is always on His throne, praying for Thomas’ healing is quite appropriate, and it is so for multiple reasons. For our purposes here, we pray for God to sustain the life of Justice Thomas so that we can continue to see God work through him and the other conservative judges for causes and values we believe to be consistent with a biblical view of the law and the world. So do be praying for God to sustain him through this time of illness.

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.

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.

Please keep Jamie Hays father, Carol Carman, in your prayers. For our newer friends and members, the Hayses were members of St. Mark for many years before moving their church membership closer to home. They, of course, remain dear and close friends.

Earlier this year Carol Carman was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but the doctors believed at the time that it was a slow growing cancer and would not become a major concern during the course of the remainder of his life. This was good news.

Last week, however, that diagnoses was revised as the doctors have discovered that the cancer is actually quite aggressive. He will now need intensive radiation lasting 38 days. This treatment is scheduled to start very soon.

Pray for wisdom for the doctors, for the effectiveness of the radiation, and that our Lord Jesus, the great healer, would see fit to intervene on his behalf that the Hayses and other friends and family might enjoy many years still of the company of their beloved friend, father, and grandfather.

And pray for the Hayses as they walk, yet again, through the valley of the shadow of death. Pray that they might rest in the comfort and love of the Lord.

Fight. Laugh. Feast. is this week, September 9–11, and St. Mark will have a strong presence at the conference through volunteers and our folks that are attending the conference. We hope it will be an encouraging and edifying time, and we also hope to bring awareness to people in the area of St. Mark who might be looking for a good, solid, reformed church. Therefore, your prayers to that end will be appreciated.

One of the things we’re keenly aware of is the chicken and egg problem regarding our growth, and facility. We are thankful to be meeting at TCA as an interim location, but we also need a more permanent solution. And while God has blessed us financially, there’s a lot of ground to cover to go before a facility could be purchased. And as we consider other, larger interim worship locations, they call come with steeper rent than we pay at TCA, which would cut down on our ability to grow the building fund.

These are things to be praying for as we consider the growth that we hope and pray God brings us (through, Fight. Laugh. Feast. and other means). And when you pray, also remember to thank God that we do, in fact, have a welcoming place to meet. Praise the Lord!

This past week severe flash flooding came to Waverly TN and the surrounding area of Humphreys County. People who track such things noted that the rainfall was measured at 17 inches in a 24 hour period. The result was devastating flooding. The death toll as of the writing of this newsletter stands at 22 and many still unaccounted for. The flooding came very fast and caught people unawares. Many were caught in their homes, where the lower levels flooded and they had to move to higher levels. Others still, in modular homes, actually floated away due to flooding where water had never been before. It was a truly devastating event and those who live in the area estimate that it will take many, many years to recover from this incident.

As our fairly near neighbor county, we invite you to pray for this community. Some in our congregation have friends in the area, and even historic familial ties. And while ties of friends and family aren’t necessary to pray for a place, it certainly makes it a more present need. Pray that God would comfort those who have lost loved ones, or property. And pray for mercy, that those still unaccounted for might be found. And pray for the rebuilding and healing of the community.

Afghanistan: You may have heard some things this week. And regardless of where you are on the political opinion side of things, we can all agree that what the people there are facing, particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ, is gut-wrenching. There are several things going on that we won’t be able to cover easily here in this one or two paragraphs, but here’s a couple things:

The Taliban are now going door-to-door taking women and children. The specifics and the rest of what’s going on are perhaps too grizzly for this newsletter. Suffice it to say that they are suffering horrendously at this Taliban resurgence.

And the Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are pursuing and killing. And with no U.S. Embassy there now, there is no good place for them to flee to.

God often uses these types of things, paradoxically, to grow the church. This is a hard thing for us to grasp, understand, or even, in our flesh, to agree with God about. We can and should pray for God’s mercy. But we should also pray for the strength of these Christians — these martyrs and potential martyrs — as they live out the gospel in a very real, gritty way.

As pressure continues to mount from both our government and employers to require people to put things in their bodies that they do not believe they should — in this case it’s vaccines — be praying for:

1) Those in our congregation whose livelihoods are either in question or directly threatened.

2) Those among our leaders who believe these authoritarian measures are good and proper: that God would change their hearts or strike down their evil intentions.

3) Those among our friends or colleagues who are cheering on the authoritarianism that God would change their hearts.

4) Much wisdom as we navigate these matters and that our Christian witness would be strong as we seek to love our neighbors, our families, our church, and so on.

5) Pastor Thacker as he serves on the CREC committee dealing with this issue as they seek to come up with a denomination-wide statement and response.

6). The peace of the church and our congregation.

Hope Russia is one of the ministries we support at St. Mark and encourage you all to pray for and support as well. One way you can pray for for one of the Hope Russia seminary students, Victor Nedorezov.

He is the father of five children and a deacon of the church in Prokopyevsk, Siberia.

Victor contracted encephalitis through a tick bite. This has left him paralyzed on his left side, and he can hardly sit or hold up his head. But unfortunately, hospital care is not an option for him right now due to the fact that the hospitals are overwhelmed, so he’s at home.

But it’s difficult to be about the work he feels the Lord has called him to in this condition. The church in Prokopyevsk has been praying and fasting for Victor and his family and is asking that the brothers and sisters throughout the rest of the church lift him and his family up in their prayers too.

The most recent report is that this past Lord’s Day, Victor was able to attend church services — which is an answer to prayer. Continue to pray that complete healing might take place.

This week, we’d like to ask for your prayers for 10 year old Susanna Ketchen, daughter of Nathan and Melissa Ketchen. Nathan was formerly the pastor of a CREC church in Colorado.

At age 7, Susanna started complaining of back pain — to the point that she could not sleep because of it. An MRI revealed a large tumor on her spinal cord and emergency surgery was preformed the morning after the MRI to remove the tumor. This was in October of 2017.

Unfortunately, they were unable to remove everything. Some small nodules remained. The Ketchens learned a year after the surgery that those nodules are still growing. Though she has been through radiation therapy (which was pretty rough and caused a lot of swelling which left her in bad shape), the tumor nodules continue to grow and they believe she’ll need another risky surgery soon.

Through careful research and a Doctor in Mexico they are comfortable with, they are currently preparing to try alternative treatments as they await the need for another surgery. The Ketchens are requesting the following specific prayers: that Susanna would be healed, that they would have no trouble getting passports renewed, that Susanna’s symptoms would not return before they get to Mexico, that they make the best decisions on Susanna’s behalf, and for comfort and trust. Please be in prayer for this family.

One of the difficult things about living in the information age is, paradoxically, the availability of information. We have in our pockets and at the ready at all times, news and information about events that either concern us not at all, or that we can have no impact on one way or the other. This provides consequences of both the positive and

negative variety.

One the one hand, we can get ourselves worked up into a frenzy about what’s happening with laws preventing one from walking their dog after 9:05 PM in Nowheresville, Anystate, USA. And make no mistake, with such a hypothetical law we would be within our rights to fight against it were it in our municipality where we had some say over it.

On the other hand, it connects us much more closely to those who have needs we can pray for across the world. And praying for and connecting with our brothers and sisters is a right and proper use of the technological wonders God enables us to afford.

One of the concerning things that instant and global news makes us aware of is that we can and should pray about for our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. As the U.S. withdraws from the area and a power vacuum is created, the Taliban has begun to swoop in and enforce their godless regime and evil plans in a manner which directly affects the church there. Pray that the church would thrive, that where necessary they would be bold for the Lord, and for mercy as they face the cruel and evil intentions and punishments of Islamic terrorists.

Continue to lift up Ashlee Holst, her husband Ryan, and the family. Brain scans revealed that Ashlee has had new strokes and that more are forming on the other side of her brain. When we pray to God, sometimes he answers with a “yes,” sometimes with, “wait,” and other times, he answers with “no.” It seems that the answer to Ryan’s and our prayers for Ashlee’s healing is, “no.” And while we can be sure that God is on His throne and in control of this situation, it is a hard providence for her family

to endure.

In accordance with Ashlee’s wishes, she is being removed from any life support measures and moved into hospice where she is expected to pass on to glory in a week or so.

The prayers we have been asked to make now are that her transition to glory be as peaceful and painless as possible, and, of course, for her husband and family as they bear that which God has given to them.

This is also a reminder to us of that which we profess on Ash Wednesday, “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” But, though it may be coming sooner than we would have expected for Ashlee, Jesus himself had these words of comfort for Martha in the face of her brother Lazarus’ death: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” As Ryan and his family face this anguish, we pray that they will live in the comfort of this truth.

Tim Stephens, the baptist pastor in Alberta, Canada who was arrested for continuing to gather with his congregation to worship God, was released from jail on July 1st. But before he was released, he wrote a letter to the Alberta Premier and MLAs from his jail cell. A Premier in Canada is roughly analogous to a state governor here in the U.S. while an MLA (member of the legislative assembly) is a representative in a provincial legislature roughly analogous to the members of the state legislative body (TN House of Representatives) in one of our U.S. States. The letter can be read at www.fairviewbaptistchurch.ca/letter-june23 and it is a commendable read. In the letter, Pastor Stephens does an admirable job of balancing the Christian’s call to obey the civil magistrate, and to obey God. Here’s a sample:

“For example, I’m commanded by Jesus, who died to make me his own, to practice hospitality. In fact, as a pastor, this must be a defining mark of my life. Hospitality is the practice of welcoming guests into your home. A practice forbidden by your government for 6 months. When forced to choose between obeying God and obeying men, the choice is clear.”

The entire letter is a recommended read, and is not all that long. But it is worth reading as a faithful man of God calls to repentance those who would insert themselves between man and what God has called man to do. May we be found as faithful.

We recently reported on a situation of severely weather damaged homes for some of our brothers and sisters in Tanzania.

To keep you apprised, Eric Pyle recently forwarded some news to Brian McLain from Mara Presbyterian Church in Tanzania. This is the church we reported on back in May who had 3 members with homes significantly damaged by rain and winds. With the agreements of the elders, the deacons were able to disburse some of the St. Mark benevolence fund, sending the money to Eric, who coordinated the transfer of those funds into monetary value usable by the folks in Tanzania.

As a point of interest, we chose to disburse $500 USD. That converts to Tsh 11,593,44.02 (Tsh being a Tanzanian Shilling).

The report forwarded to us by Pastor Manumbu of Mara Presbyterian Church expressed great gratitude for the funds, which has enabled them to commence repair work on the damaged homes.

We praise the Lord for the work he’s doing there in Tanzania and for these faithful families and churches. As we have news to share we’ll continue to keep you updated.

One of the challenges we face as Christians is faithfully balancing our calling to live at peace with all men while also discharging the other duties which God requires of us. There are times when those things come into conflict. This is true for pastor Tim Stephens who has been arrested for a second time and is likely facing massive fines and potential prison sentences. And what did this pastor do to warrant the wrath of the Calgary police? He gathered God’s people to worship on the Lord’s Day. What’s worse, the police say they were responding to many repeated calls from people in the area that the congregation Stephens pastors were meeting in violation of health restrictions. Make no mistake, this is an attack by godless scoffers on God’s people. While this type of persecution is, so far, mild by comparison to times past, we should nevertheless keep this congregation and Pastor Stephens and family in our prayers.

It’s interesting timing for the introduction by Pastor Thacker of our “Men of the Mark” ministry. The timeliness of this call, for men to stand forward and do their duty and be bold and wise men of courage as the Riders of the Mark (also known as the Rohirrim in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings) is plain. Pastor Thacker sent out a notification to the men and friends of St. Mark this past week and we hope it will offer encouraging resources for you in these challenging times. If you did not receive this first email and would like to receive it and future emails, please let Pastor Thacker know.

Our hymn of the month for June is “O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe.” Coincidingly today, one of the lectionary Psalm readings is Psalm 20, which seemed appropriate to the text of our Hymn of the Month:

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion;

This is why we need not fear the foe, mighty though he may seem to us. As the text of verse three reminds us, God’s word is true. We take comfort that the powers of hell will not prevail against us. But though they seek our overthrow, our help is in the name of the Lord, and he answers us in the day of trouble.

Be of good courage. We noted many prayer requests this past Wednesday at the prayer meeting regarding suffering, needs for comfort in the face of oncoming death, political situations where the heathen rage and the people plot vain things. Indeed, the kings of the earth take counsel against the Lord. But we serve a God who’s so mighty, he made all that you see from nothing. When serving such a God, we can take comfort. Nothing that happens to us escapes His notice. And he fights for us.

Today, we join our voices with the whole chorus of heaven, with the saints around the world, and with those who have gone before us, worshipping the one who has already won the battle. Thanks be to God!

“Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.”

— C.S. Lewis

This month the U.S. celebrates what is being called “pride month.” Pride month was declared by the U.S. President in 1999 to commemorate the Stonewall riots of 1969. The idea being if you are homosexual, bisexual, etc. you should be proud of it.

Of course God condemns this behavior throughout the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, 1 Timothy 1:9-10). Godless man, in all his “wisdom,” mocks God and the morality He has prescribed, insisting instead that they should be proud of being in outright rebellion against God’s created order.

Isn’t it interesting that pride is the term used in association with homosexuality? We know that to be prideful is a sin. It’s quite apt that pride is associated with their hardened and darkened hearts. In 2 Chronicles 26 we read of how Uzziah’s pride caused him to be struck of the Lord with leprosy. And then in Chapter 32 how the wrath of God was about to come upon all of Judah because of Hezekiah’s pride. Pride is no small matter to God.

In today’s world, all of us will almost certainly know, interact with, or work with those who have pride in their rebellion on this matter. Pray that you might know how and when to speak God’s truth to them.

As some amount of sanity begins to return in these “post-COVID” times, we are ready to resume Friar’s Forum. Since we’ve gained many fresh faces in our congregation over these last several months, an explanation of the event might be in order. Friar’s Forum was (and now will be again) a monthly meetup of men to enjoy food and drink and discuss anything and everything pertaining to the life God calls us to and the enjoyment of the bounty God has bestowed upon us. It also doesn’t have to be just the men of the St. Mark congregation, so invite a friend or two if you’d like. And in any event, we hope you’ll join us at 55 South in Brentwood on June 23 as we resume this monthly fellowship.

The next monthly hymn sing is also coming up next week and brings with it a new hymn of the month to add to our repertoire with a piece of music written in 1530 (words in 1632) called, “O Little Flock, Fear Not the Foe.” We will continue to sing and enjoy Psalm 148, of course. And as a hymn of the month, it was a great success. The writer of this newsletter has witnessed his children singing it randomly and at various times throughout the past month. When your children randomly sing the Psalms — the very word of God — well, you give thanks. We hope that’s been the case for you as well. One of the goals of the hymn of the month is to be a blessing to you. So let us sing and make music together!

Today is Pentecost Sunday and the liturgical color is red to symbolize the tongues of fire which descended upon the Apostles upon receiving the Holy Spirit. This marks the beginning of the Church’s ministry to the world. It’s significant that one of the gifts the Holy Spirit brought to Jesus’s followers was that of communication.

Generally speaking, we, of course, believe in the reformed doctrine of cessationism —simply put, that the supernatural gifts like tongues brought to the early believers by the Holy Spirit have been discontinued under ordinary circumstances. That does not mean we believe the Holy Spirit does not move and work among the church. On the contrary, the work of the Spirit is very much present with us today. And in keeping with the commissioning that the Holy Spirit enabled on this day we celebrate, we will also be commissioned — as we are each Lord’s Day — to go forth from our worship this day and communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our lives, our work, our actions, our speech, and our entire being. The Spirit working within us is what enables us to do this. And it is through the means grace, like the meal we share this day with Christ in the communion of His Body and His Blood, that the Holy Spirit works in us to fulfill our commission. And that is what we celebrate this day. So let us keep the feast!

You may recall that in previous newsletters, we mentioned the Pyle family who lost their home and possessions to a fire in the bad winter storm that swept through the country. One of the things that Eric Pyle supports and promotes is the mission work for multiple new Presbyterian church plants in Tanzania. These faithful brothers and sisters have recently left their previous denomination due to its liberal leanings and are seeking support from conservative, reformed churches. God is clearly doing a work as we received a report that a few Sundays ago one of their churches baptized 26 people!

Of course one of the ways you can help is to pray for them, for the gospel ministers involved in this work, and for the perseverance in the conservative principles God is calling them to. The deacons are also discussing ways we can help financially and you can speak with Brian for more information about that. They have several financial needs.

One of these financial needs you can be praying for is for restoration of the homes of those at Bweri Nyabange Presbyterian Church. Strong rain and winds caused significant damage to 3 family’s homes. Praise the Lord no one was hurt but they are in need of repairs. Pray for our brothers and sisters there.

This week concludes Brian’s Sunday School class based on the book, a Theological Interpretation of American History. This means, of course, that we needed to look for a new study topic for Sunday mornings. So we decided that for the next two weeks, Abe will lead our Sunday Morning Sunday School, and then on May 30th, Pastor Thacker will begin a Sunday School study into Covenant theology.

Because God relates to his people through covenant, we believe such a study brings many benefits and helpful understanding — particularly as our culture drifts further and further away from a covenantal understanding, and becomes more focused on God as having individual relationships with individual people only. And yet one of the most important aspects we see of God is that he has always had a people with whom he has established a covenant. This starts at the beginning of creation even with Adam as we see the first covenant promise given to him in Genesis.

There is much to learn and we hope you’ll make plans to join us each Sunday in June and July (tentative length of this study) as we look at how covenant shapes our understanding of scripture and how God relates to his people in history, and yes including even us, His people now.

As we renew our singing efforts today with the hymn sing and hymn of the month, we wanted to provide you with tools for continuing to learn and practice and grow in your singing and learning parts. So on the website, in a “members” area, we have both the music sheet and some practice tracks for you to download. As we move forward, we’ll try to provide these for each hymn of the month, but based on copyrights and licensing terms we may not always be able to do that. This month, we can because the licensing agreement from Crown and Covenant for Psalm 148 from the Book of Psalms for Singing permits it. However, we do ask that you keep this within our congregation and not share it with others.

All that out of the way, here is where you can get these tools:

stmarkreformed.com/members

On that members page, each month, hopefully, more resources will be posted. Hymns of the month are organized by month so just follow the links.

We hope the music and practice tracks will be a blessing to you in whatever way you and your family can use them as we put in the work to sing to the Lord and to one another both joyfully and skillfully.

Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter. We often think of Easter as that one Sunday in the year that follows Good Friday where we have flowers in the sanctuary and take pictures of ourselves in our nice clothes, and we (rightly) say to one another, “Christ is risen,” and hear (again rightly) the refrain, “He is risen indeed!” However, Easter is not over. During the rest of the Easter Season, we continue the story of God’s magnificent salvation of His people. Right now in the story, Christ has not yet ascended to the Father and we, knowing the rest of the story, look forward to His ascension and commissioning of His people with great anticipation. In the meantime, we remember the glorious days that changed everything as we recall with awe that Christ rose from the dead. This was, no doubt, a source of continued joy for Christ’s apostles, who had only just a few days ago considered Him dead and gone. And now, here was Jesus, the Lord, with them for forty days.

Of course, like every Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s presence with us, even today, in the body and blood, the divine food Christ shares with us. And Easter made this possible. Christ is, indeed, risen! Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia!

We’re excited to announce that in two weeks time, on May 2 at 9:45 AM during our Sunday School time, we’ll be resuming our monthly Sunday morning hymn sings. In the past this time has been vital to our congregation as we learn and prepare new material to add to our arsenal of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We are told in many places in scripture how vital singing is. See, for instance, Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3. In fact, Colossians 3:16 says: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Singing, and singing well, is important in the life of God’s people.

To that end, we’re introducing a new element to our hymn sing: the hymn of the month. The way it will work is this: at the end of every hymn sing, we’ll take some time to learn the hymn of the month, breaking down the various parts. And we’ll give you a good handle on how to sing it. Then we’ll also sing it at the end of Sunday School each week to keep it fresh. We’ll also provide printed copies of the music so you can take it home with you and sing and practice as individuals and families as you are able and desire to do so.

Over the coming months, we believe this will equip the congregation of St. Mark for our duties to God in worship and praise.

If you follow Jamie Soles on Facebook, you may have seen a video he shared of the RCMP (Canadian police) taking over and physically fencing off Grace Life Church — a Reformed Baptist congregation in Edmonton, Alberta Canada — to prevent access since they have been meeting “in an unsafe way.” Needless to say, this is of great concern to our Canadian brothers and sisters in Christ. Please keep this congregation (and others in Alberta) in your prayers as they seek guidance and direction from the Lord on how they should act, when they should act, what they should say, and more.

This week, we’d like to draw your attention to the ministry Hope Russia. We’ve had Founder & President of Hope Russia, Rev. Blake Purcell, speak at St. Mark more than once and the ministry is one we encourage folks to support. The last time Rev. Purcell was with us, the Drapers had him in their home, and Denise McLain was able to record a video of some of the stories he shared about the work they are doing. You can go to stmarkreformed.com/blake-purcell to be taken to that video to hear and learn more. The work and ministry is worthy of your support if you are so led. And certainly support them in your prayers as they pursue the work of making Christ known in this largely Godless country.

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen! The grave could not hold Him and because that is so, He has secured the forgiveness of our sins so that we may live forevermore with Him!

A very special thanks goes to the Sadlers for our floral arrangements this morning to help brighten up our worship area.

And we’re also happy to report that Phil and Leslie did close on their home in a timely fashion as we prayed would happen. And now comes the fun part: moving. They’re looking for volunteers to help with the moving on Saturday, April 17. We hope to have more details as that date approaches.

As some of you may know or remember, just before all the COVID craziness, we had started a men’s choir but had to drop that for a while during our time looking for a place to meet and our transition to TCA. As we look to the future, now more than ever our warfare through music is of great importance. With that in mind, we will be picking up men’s choir rehearsals again starting on April 11.

We hope you have a happy Easter with your friends and family as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ!

Today on Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry. In Bible times, palm branches were a symbol of victory and could be found on coins and important buildings. We read in 1 Kings 6:29 that Solomon carved palm trees into the walls of the temple. It was symbolism the Jews were well aware of when they spread the palm branches on the road before Jesus. We know the rest of the story: how Jesus’ triumph looked very different from what those spreading the branches pictured. Nevertheless, we celebrate the triumphal entry precisely because of Jesus’ triumph over death.

This week is known as Holy Week as we lead into the Easter celebration. We will hold our traditional Maundy Thursday Agape feast on April 1. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words “I give you a new commandment.”

We then proceed to the Good Friday Service of Darkness as we “tell the story” of Holy Week and enter into this dark period between Jesus death on the cross and His rising again from the grave that could not hold Him.

Holy Week culminates with the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior! We celebrate this every week, but we mark this time of year in the Church calendar to culminate the telling of the story. Christ is Risen!

Every now and again, we like to highlight some ministries so that you might know how to be praying, and if God lays it on your heart, where you might direct any gifts above and beyond the tithe. This week, we’d like to draw your attention to Peru Mission. They plant churches, provide Christian education to children, help at-risk children, and much more in Peru. They are a commendable ministry and you can learn more about them at perumission.org.

Ministry and mission happens both abroad and nearer to home. The church in Bristol, TN continues to wage both spiritual, and unfortunately a somewhat physical battle with the forces of evil bent on destroying unborn human life. Erica, who helps lead a lot of the protests of abortion, was attacked and thrown to the ground some time back. The lawsuit to bring justice to this situation was, unfortunately, dismissed. A case involving violence against another in their ranks, Sammy, is ongoing. Pray that justice can be brought out of the clearly corrupt court systems there in Bristol.

And to end this newsletter out on a more positive note, we’re thankful to hear that Phil and Leslie are nearing the closing of their new home purchase. Pray that the process will continue without problems and will go smoothly for them so that the closing can proceed at the end of March, as planned.

We’re thankful for the report that Jim and Misty are recovering well from COVID and are getting back into the swing of things and their normal routine. Sickness of any kind can be disruptive to life and means of income, and COVID carries it’s own set of challenges. So we’re thankful for this report.

We’re also thankful this week to have a few of the Sensings with us. Before they moved away from the area they were members of St. Mark and a big part of the life and work of the church here and we’re happy to worship with them once again this week.

Speaking of the life of the church, the Drapers will be hosting their monthly fellowship and hymn sing for March on the 26th. This event starts with food and general fellowship at 5:30. You’re welcome to bring a dish to share, or just come and enjoy the food provided. The singing begins around 7:00 with a mixture of psalms put to tune from various sources, and the great hymns of the faith from the church’s rich musical history. And occasionally, there’s also a chant pulled from the Sunday liturgy.

And just a bit of housekeeping so we can be good guests at TCA: remember to keep any food or drink in the large room we worship in, or in the foyer just outside the room. Classrooms should not have food in them and should generally be considered off-limits. This will help us keep TCA in good shape.

For the last few weeks, we have been blessed by the weekly Sunday School class, which is an overview of the way theology has shaped our history in America. The topic is a timely one, as we attempt to make sense of our modern troubles by studying our past. While we hope everyone can attend, we know that it can be difficult with the amount of driving some have to do, so we’ve been making the series available on the website in MP3 audio format. We have added a short link that will take you to a filtered view of just the audio of Brian’s Sunday School messages. Go to stmarkreformed.com/sms to see this view.

Speaking of how we got here: our brothers and sisters in Moscow, ID are in need of prayer as they face charges for hanging signs and posters deemed offensive. When you have a moment to pray, lift them up.

Please continue to pray for the Pyle family. During the recent winter storm, this family lost their home and most earthly possessions to a fire. While the funding goal has been met (and exceeded), you can visit their GoFundMe page for continued updates and prayer requests. For the ease of use and this newsletter, we’ve made stmarkreformed.com/pyles redirect to their GoFundMe page.

Last week saw a huge community effort to clear a significant amount of snow and ice from the TCA parking lot. A big thanks to all who were able to participate. It was an unexpected but welcome opportunity to serve our community and work alongside our gracious hosts at TCA and it was a blessing for them on Monday as much as it was for us on Sunday.

While our Shrove Tuesday pancakes were quite good, they were only outdone by the talent show, which was also a great success. All of those who participated brought joy, laughter, and a sense of awe at the talent God is fostering within our community. We should not take for granted what God has given us. And many thanks to Marc Hays for his annual antics as Master of Ceremonies.

As a final reminder, the baby shower for the Hollands will be held following the fellowship meal next Sunday, March 7. The theme is books and diapers. If you would like to give a book to begin James’ library, please let Carolyn Thacker know of your choice so that we don’t duplicate titles. If you would like to give diapers, please do not choose newborn size.

Snow, ice, sleet: these things can only delay us, not stop us! This Tuesday, February 23rd, we will feast on the pancakes that the snow deprived us of last week. We realize, of course, that technically, Shrove Tuesday was this past week. But, to borrow Pastor Thacker’s repurposed phrase, “the church calendar was made for man, and not man for the church calendar.” We’ll still have a grand time together as we take liberty with the church calendar.

Given the delay, there’s still time to sign up for the talent show at stmarkreformed.com/talent-show. And if you plan to bring food items or pancakes, let us know at stmarkreformed.com/pancakes.

Following this delicious feast and display of talent on Tuesday, we’ll proceed with our Service of Ashes on Wednesday February 24th at TCA. The service begins at 6:00 PM.

The Ash Wednesday Wednesday service traditionally marks the first day of Lent. While the snow and ice caused us a week’s delay, we will continue forward with this service in the same spirit of liberty with the church calendar. The service is a solemn occasion and dark clothing is appropriate to wear. During the service, ashes are placed on the foreheads of those wishing to receive them. In keeping with the solemnity of the season, this reminds us of our condition after the fall, and our need for Christ.

Some of the best fellowship takes place around tables, food, and drink. And so we hope you’ll make plans to join us next Sunday, February 21, after worship for our twice-monthly fellowship meal.

Also happening next week is our annual congregational meeting which takes place following the fellowship meal. All are encouraged to attend, but we ask that at least one member of the family
be present.

And don’t forget about Fat Tuesday on February 16 where, in time honored tradition, we will consume as many pancakes as possible in preparation for the 40 days of Lent. Accompanying the pancake feast is our annual talent show, emceed by the man, the myth, the legend, Marc Hays, which is a talent show in and of itself. Be sure to sign up to share your talents at stmarkreformed.com/talent-show. And if you plan to bring pancakes or other food items, let us know at stmarkreformed.com/pancakes.

Following all the feasting, we begin the Lenten season with our Ash Wednesday service on February 17. This is a solemn occasion and dark clothing is quite appropriate to wear. During this service, ashes will also be placed on the foreheads of those wishing to receive them. In keeping with the solemnity of the service and season, this reminds us of our condition after the fall, and our need for Christ.

Don’t forget to sign up to perform at our annual talent show, which takes place at the fast approaching date of February 16 and will be emceed by the inimitable Marc Hays (it just wouldn’t be the same without him). Sign up at stmarkreformed.com/talent-show.

And there’s no doubt that one of the stars of the show will be the pancakes. You’ll want to make sure to sign up to bring those or other food, drinks, and/or supplies at stmarkreformed.com/pancakes. Be prepared to leave the diet at the door!

We’re always so excited for the birth of covenant children among our members. We’ve been providing meals for the arrival of James Holland IV and there’s still time to help out. See the sign up sheet on the bulletin table.

And we’re also excited to shower mother and baby with gifts. Date to be announced soon for that shower. We’re wanting to gather books to begin James’ library. Please let Carolyn Thacker know of your book gift choice so we’re not duplicating titles.

And as a reminder, our annual congregational meeting is happening on Sunday, February 21 after the fellowship meal. All are encouraged to attend, but we ask that at least one member of the family
be present.

The talent show on February 16 is fast approaching. We’re excited to welcome back St. Mark alum Marc Hays to emcee the event. If you’d like to participate, go to stmarkreformed.com/talent-show, which will take you to a Google Doc where you can sign up.

Accompanying the talent show is our annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake feast. But a pancake feast wouldn’t live up to its name without the titular pancakes. Sign up to bring pancakes or other foods and supplies at stmarkreformed.com/pancakes and be prepared to live up to Shrove Tuesday’s other name: Fat Tuesday.

With the arrival James and Emily’s covenant child, James Holland IV, St. Mark will be providing some meals to help with “new baby life.” If you would like to participate, please see the sign up sheet on the bulletin table.

And at a soon to be determined date, there will be an SMRC baby shower to celebrate this young one. The shower theme will be Books and Diapers. If you would like to give a book to begin James’ library, please let Carolyn Thacker know of your choice so that we don’t duplicate titles. If you would like to give diapers, please do not choose newborn size. More information coming soon.

And don’t miss our annual congregational meeting on Sunday, February 21 after the fellowship meal.

We’re thankful to report the safe arrival of James and Emily’s covenant child, James Holland IV on Thursday, January 14, by C-section. Mother and baby are doing well.

St. Mark will be providing meals for the Holland family. If you would like to participate, please see the sign up sheet on the bulletin table.

While the date has yet to be determined, there will be an SMRC baby shower to celebrate this young one. As a heads-up, our shower theme will be Books and Diapers! If you would like to give a book to begin James’ library, please let Carolyn Thacker know of your choice so that we don’t duplicate titles. If you would like to give diapers, please do not choose newborn size. More information coming soon.

We’re very excited to announce a special musical celebration of Christ’s birth featuring choirs and musicians from Heritage Church of Centerville, TN. One of our members, TJ, was a member of Heritage before he moved to the area and joined St. Mark. Through those connections, he was able to arrange for Heritage to bring their wonderful musical talents, among which are organists, violinists, pianists, a choir, a chancel choir, a children’s choir, and much, much more, for this Christmas celebration.

We hope you will be able to join us for this special occasion of worship and celebration of our Savior’s birth.

To get a taste of the beautiful worship and celebration you’ll experience at this service, here are a couple videos of a similar service Heritage had a couple years ago:

The service will be held at 4 PM on December 23rd.

Wednesday, March 28th: Agape Feast, 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall

Friday, March 30th: Good Friday Service of Darkness, 7:00 PM

Christmas Caroling at Elmcroft of Brentwood
Sunday December 17th, 3;30 PM

Reformation Sunday, October 29th

Worship Service, 11 AM at the church.

Weather permitting, a Reformation Celebration will be hosted from 4:30-7:00 PM at the Thacker home. A bonfire, hot dogs, and s’mores will be provided. Please bring flashlights, camp chairs, chips and/or drinks to share. The bringing of pipes, cigars, and musical instruments is also encouraged.

April 13th, Maundy Thursday Agape Feast, 6 PM in the fellowship hall.

April 14th Good Friday Service of Darkness, 7 PM in the sanctuary.

This year our Lessons & Carols Service will be December 23rd, 4 PM with a fellowship meal following. We will not have a Christmas Eve Service, but will have Sunday Service Christmas Day at 11 AM. Please join us in our celebration of the Incarnation and Birth of Christ our Savior and King.

Beginning June 5th, we will read and discuss C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. We will meet together in the Fellowship Hall, at 9:45 AM. The reading schedule works out to approximately three chapters per week, making allowances for the Psalm and Hymn Sing the second Sunday of the month. We will keep to this schedule unless otherwise stated, so you can check back here for each week’s reading assignment.

June 5: Preface and chs. 1-3

June 19: chs. 4-6

June 26: chs. 7-9

July 3: chs. 10-12

July 17: chs. 13-15

July 24:chs. 16-18

July 31: chs. 19-21

August 7: chs. 22-24

August 21: chs. 25-27

August 28: chs. 28-31

We will be celebrating a Maundy Thursday Agape Feast at 6 PM, March 24th in the fellowship hall at the church. This is a worship service that takes place around tables and a meal, and culminates in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

The Good Friday Service of Darkness will be held at 7 PM, March 25th, in the sanctuary at the church. This is a solemn service of confession, scripture reading, and singing, as we meditate upon the suffering and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Please join us.

Due to the icy road conditions, the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feast is canceled.

Christmas Eve • 4:00 p.m.

St. Mark Reformed Church invites you to join us in the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior with our annual Lessons and Carols service. This service is a special time weaving Bible readings with traditional Advent and Christmas music.

With this service we enter more fully, liturgically, and experientially into the story of the coming of the Son of God in human flesh to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. The readings and songs move from promise to fulfillment, from prophecy to realization, from type and shadow to reality.

The service is at our normal location of worship
1301 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN
(Brentwood First Presbyterian Church Building)

Please join us this Sunday for the beginning of our Sunday Morning Study: “The Short Stories of Flannery O’Connor.” We are very happy to announce that Dr. Jonathan Rogers will speaking to us. He is the author of The Terrible Speed of Mercy: A Spiritual Biography of Flannery O’Connor. He will give two talks, the first at 9:45 AM, and the second at 2:00 PM following our morning worship service and fellowship meal. A book table featuring Dr. Rogers’s works will be available in the afternoon.

Please join us for our Maundy Thursday Agape Feast, 6 PM in the fellowship hall. This is a worship service that takes place around tables and a meal, and culminates in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

On Sunday, March 23rd, two new officers were elected at St. Mark. Marc Hays was elected to the office of Ruling Elder, and Brian McLain to the office of Deacon. We are very thankful for the Lord’s provision for our congregation in this regard, and are looking forward to their ordination and installation on April 6th.

As you may have noticed, things are looking a bit different around here. We’re revamping the web site to a more up-to-date and mobile-friendly design.

Please be patient as we “connect the dots” with our content. Hopefully, you won’t find anything broken, but we’re still in process.

Cultivating the Christian Family

Speaker: Douglas Wilson

Families are a gift from God, but as a living gift from God, they are not static. Families are alive; they grow. This means that husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, need to understand the nature of the journey they have undertaken. Like a good story, families have a beginning, a middle, and an end. From the point of the wedding to the fiftieth anniversary, there are many different milestones, and it is part of God’s grace to us that we may learn how to behave throughout the course of our lives together. This conference is intended to provide a measure of help to that end.

Conference Schedule:

Friday, April 12
Session #1: “Healthy Marriage, Healthy Family”, 6:30 PM

Saturday, April 13
Session #2: “How Maturity Works”, 9:00-10 AM

Break: 10:00-10:30

Session #3:”Courtship Concerns”, 10:30-11:30 AM

Musical Event: Ron Block and Friends
and Contra Dancing, 3:00-5:30 PM

Sunday, April 14
Q&A During SS, 9:45 AM

Worship, 11 AM
Sermon: “A True Culture of Life”

Fellowship Meal

Conference registration is officially closed. Please call (615) 438-3109 to see if there is any available seating.

Conference Registration Form

Maundy Thursday Agape Feast – 5:45 PM in the fellowship hall.

Good Friday Service of Darkness – 6:30 PM in the sanctuary.

April 20, 21 and 22

Audio for Download LINK

Sessions 1-4

Please join us for an evening of fellowship and fun as we examine the deep theological significance of pancakes…by eating a lot of them!

When: February 17, 2015. 6:00-8:00 PM

Where: The Fellowship Hall at the church.

Shrove Tuesday is an 800+ year old tradition in English speaking churches. It marks the end of the festive season of Epiphany and the beginning of the more somber, solemn season of Lent. To wrap up Epiphany, people would have a pancake dinner together, using eggs and syrup, which they would be giving up for Lent. It was also a time to begin confessing (“shriving” in Old English) sin and focusing on repentance.

Other national cultures produced different pre-Lenten customs (e.g., French Mardi Gras), but as an English speaking church that traces its historical roots back to through the English Reformation, a Shrove Tuesday celebration makes perfect sense for St. Mark.

Christmas Eve • 7:00 p.m.

St. Mark Reformed Church invites you to join us in the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior with our annual Lessons and Carols service. This service is a special time weaving Bible readings with traditional Advent and Christmas music.

With this service we enter more fully, liturgically, and experientially into the story of the coming of the Son of God in human flesh to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. The readings and songs move from promise to fulfillment, from prophecy to realization, from type and shadow to reality.

The service is at our normal location of worship
1301 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN
(Brentwood First Presbyterian Church Building)

Due to some technical difficulties on my usual blog, I’m posting this here instead.

We are rejoicing in the wonderful gift that Evangeline has been and is to us. It has been an unforgettable year.

Mission: Its Meaning and Manifestation

Speaker: Pastor Rich Lusk

Listen to Pastors Thacker and Lusk discuss the upcoming conference HERE

Conference Schedule

Friday, May 13, 2011 – 7:00 PM *
“Mission and the Home”

Sometimes we think the purpose of the church is to meet the Spiritual needs of the family. But what if actually it’s the other way around, and the family is called to serve the mission of the church? How do we use our family resources, our homes, our time, and our money, to further the mission of the church in the world? How do we train our children to play their part in this mission? Can we find a happy balance between protecting them from the world, while still sending them into the world? How can our families be more outward facing, embracing our communities and neighborhoods in the love and truth of the gospel?

Saturday, May 14, 2011 – 9:30 AM *
“Mission and the Marketplace”

What’s the purpose of work? Personal fulfillment? A paycheck? Status and prestige? God calls us to work for a myriad of reasons, but among them is the furthering of the Great Commission. But this doesn’t mean doing personal evangelism on company time. Instead it means learning to do business as a form of mission, using entrepreneurial skills and business resources to serve the good of others. It means learning to do our work in a way that ministers to the common good, recognizing God uses our daily work as a way of blessing the world and teaching us about our mutual dependence on one another. Work is not just work; through our work, God includes us in his global mission of renewing the world. Doing our work with excellence can become a way of loving God and neighbor.

2nd Saturday Session – 11:00 AM
“Mission and the Poor“

Why are some people poor? Why is poverty so hard to deal with? Can we safely ignore the poor? Should we feel guilty for not doing more to help the poor? And how can we really help them in a way that doesn’t just subsidize all the wrong things? Caring for the poor is a biblical priority, but one that the church in our age has a hard time embracing. What is our biblical burden, how do we carry it out, and how does this mercy work relate to the proclamation of the gospel?

Sunday, May 15, 2011 – 10:00 AM (Lord’s Day Worship)
“Mission and the Gospel”

What is God up to in the world? Where is God working and how? In what ways can we join in God’s work? The gospel not only draws us into God’s presence to receive his blessing; it also sends us out to be a blessing the world. Every Christian is called to be a missionary in some form or fashion. But when we learn to live out the mission of the gospel, we find the Christian life is never boring. If we embrace this mission fully, we’re bound to have some great stories to tell!

The Significance of Song & Singing

Speaker: James B. Jordan

In his Theses on Worship, James Jordan writes, “Praise…dictates something about our music….”

How important is music to the life of the Church? Does God give us any specifics about what to sing? What does the history of the Church teach us about music? Is style of music simply a matter of taste? If you have ever asked yourself these or similar questions, then please join us for the “Living as the Church Conference: The Significance of Song & Singing.” James Jordan will be answering questions such as these, while leading us to a deeper understanding of a biblical theology of music.

Audio from the conference is available HERE

Topics

Session #1: Friday, April 16 – 7:00-8:00 PM
Wine, Women, and Song: Being a Discourse on the Enemy’s Attempts to Destroy the Three Gifts of the New Creation

Session #2: Saturday, April 17 – 9:30-10:30 AM
The Dancing Church: Being an Exploration of the Nature of the Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation

10:30-11:00 AM Break

Session #3: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Can YOU Dig It? Being a Challenge to the Conference to Toughen Up and Sing Right

Lord’s Day Worship: Sunday, April 18 10 AM – 11:30 AM
Inhabiting the Praises of Israel: One Reason Why God Is So Often Absent from the Church Today

JAMES B. JORDAN graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Comparative Literature. After a tour in the US Air Force, Mr. Jordan attended Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson, Mississippi) and Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), graduating with a Th.M. in Systematic Theology. Mr. Jordan was awarded an honorary D.Litt. degree from the Central School of Religion (England). Since the late 1980s Mr. Jordan has been the director of Biblical Horizons, now located in Niceville, Florida. Mr. Jordan is the author of numerous books, most prominently Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World, and many scholarly monographs and short essays.