Daily Devotions: Christians First

Podcast version here

Acts 12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.

Over the holidays, I watched a television program on the History channel called “The First Christians.” It was all about the origins of our faith and how Christ’s devoted followers suffered for their beliefs. It was such an interesting program that I’m in the process of developing a five week series on the subject for our church’s Monday Night Bible Study.

I’m always amazed at how much pain, suffering and injustice that the First Christians experienced and endured. They truly believed in Christ and most were willing to give up their lives for Him. When I think about how much we modern-day Christians take for granted about our faith, it makes me wonder if Christianity would ever have overtaken the Roman Empire if we had been given the opportunity. We tend to get upset over non-issues of faith which does nothing for our witness to the world. The First Christians, however, seemed to understand what was important and they staked their lives on those crucial matters of faith.

As we head into 2008, perhaps instead of making New Year’s resolutions that never last, we should work on those essential parts of our faith that are everlasting. We should make more time to study God’s Word and the history of Christianity. We should put more of our lives into worshipping God and serving Christ. We should prioritize our faith and seek God’s guidance for the life changing decisions that we may make during this coming year. If we set out to put God’s Kingdom first in our hearts, then we will find our lives being transformed and made more meaningful by God’s Spirit within us.

Perhaps then we will have a faith worth living and dying for. Perhaps then we will encounter and experience that incredible joy and strength that the First Christians discovered in devoting their lives to Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we want to be good Christians, with a faith that empowers our lives. Help us to make this New Year a special crossroads in our lives, when we can be reborn and rededicate our hearts to You. In Your Holy Name, we fervently pray. Amen.

Weekend Screensaver: Psalm 11

Now that the holidays are almost over, I can get back to designing holy posters, using the Book of Psalms as my inspiration.




Part of my digital stained glass art project. "Flee like a bird to the mountain of the Lord."

Podcast: Bhutto's Legacy

Bullets and bombs may have killed Benazir Bhutto, but her faith in freedom and democracy will live on in the hearts of the people of Pakistan.

Podcast version here

Bhutto's Legacy

The suicidal satanic atheist who assassinated Benazir Bhutto yesterday cursed his nation’s journey towards freedom and democracy. The evil beasts that he represents, for I would not call those callous cowards who kill women ‘men,’ are probably gloating in their secret hideouts of shame, indecency, and inhumanity. I call them satanic atheists because they worship wickedness and hate God. They slaughter leaders like Benazir because they are afraid of letting hope captivate the hearts of the people, and want to retain control through fear, insecurity, and murderous mayhem.

Despicable despots like Bin Laden and his satanic associates seek to enslave the free world with their warped ideals and heretical beliefs. Their allegiance is to an Allah that does not exist, and offends the very goodness of God amongst the Islamic people. They are atheistic scum, schooled in the ways of terror and torture, fanaticism and faithlessness. Life is neither sacred nor holy to them; freedom and democracy are devilishly denied by their cowardly acts of cruelty, violence, and assassination.

The world knows better than to give in to their filth and lack of faith. In Pakistan, there are many moderate Muslims who will serve their Allah truly and triumphantly. And throughout the world, there are billions of people who are disgusted, enraged, and mobilized to stand together for justice, freedom, faith, and democracy, which will one day encircle the earth and pave its way all over this planet.

The creed of satanic atheism which states that “when wickedness persists and no one resists, evil triumphs” is a hollow threat to noble humanity. Bullets and bombs may have killed Benazir Bhutto, but her spirit lives and will not die in the hearts of her people. Freedom will be resurrected amongst the ashes of these cowardly assassins. Liberty will not be lost to those who truly value life. The pages of history will proclaim the noble name of Bhutto in the highest halls of glory and honor. Her killers will become dust beneath the feet of her people as they march towards the freedom that will be their honorable choice and glorious destiny.

Prayer: Almighty God, who gave us both life and liberty, we bring before You the nation of Pakistan. We pray for Your mercy and grace to be extended over its people and we solemnly ask that You will protect them from the evil that seeks to destabilize the nation. Raise up just and courageous leaders who will guide the Pakistani people to the light of liberty. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.

Movie review: Sweeney Todd

If Johnny Depp doesn’t get the Oscar for his electrifying performance as Sweeny Todd, then it will confirm one thing: that the movie star academy has a vendetta against him. He was both mesmerizing and menacing in Tim Burton’s gruesome and gory adaptation of Sondheim’s musical. Depp’s singing was also superb. If he based his character Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean” on Keith Richards, then he must have pitched his singing voice to reflect David Bowie’s skills.

The whole movie was incredible. As usual, Burton skillfully mixed the macabre with the wonderfully weird. The whole cinematic atmosphere was like “Sin City” meets “Oliver!” and it worked beautifully. Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Lovett was the perfect partner to Depp’s Todd. She oozed malice in a gorgeous way. The seaside scene from the musical, in the midst of all the blood and gore, was a hilarious relief. Both Depp and Carter were like Frankenstein creations. Their make up made them look like menacing mannequins, brought to life by the evil of the times.

Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall were so ugly in the movie that the audience cheered when their throats were splayed open and a fountain of blood gushed forth. Tim Burton definitely did not hold back on the special effects. The slitting of throats was so severe that I had to look away from the screen several times.

In the end the movie leaves you with that “wow” experience. You know that you’ve been to a great theatrical and cinematic experience. If Sweeney misses out on snapping up most of the Oscars, then Hollywood needs to have its own critical throat cut. “Sweeney Todd” is more than just a movie: it’s destined to become a cultural classic.

Although I wouldn’t heartily recommend this movie to every Christian, I think that it has practical applications that could be discussed by mature Christians. Evil does not triumph and the sickness of vengeful souls is never healed. Murder is not glorified and violence is not excused or justified. Love and loneliness are shown to be powerful feelings that can corrupt the human soul. If ever there was a movie made about the empty road to perdition, this is it.

Erin Church: Blue Christmas Candle

Christmas can be a painful and lonely time for some people. At our candlelight service, we light a Blue Christmas candle for those who are grieving, hurting, or ill during the festive season. This prayer poem is recited as the blue candle is lit. It's a very meaningful and emotional time for some members in the congregation.

Blue Christmas Prayer

There’s no room at Christmas for sadness,
There’s no place for hearts that are blue.
All the world wants to hear
Is a word full of cheer,
Not a sigh, not a tear, not from you.

There’s no room at Christmas for loneliness,
There’s no place for your emptiness and grief.
All the world wants is peace,
Mistletoe and Christmas trees,
Not a heartache that mars its beliefs.

There’s no room at Christmas for sickness,
There’s no place or time to be ill.
All the world wants is health,
Prosperity and wealth,
Not a pain that can spoil its goodwill.

There’s no room at Christmas for Jesus,
There’s no place for His family, too,
All the world would not share,
No one seems to really care,
A stable will just have to do.

Silence……..

Yes, there’s room at Christmas for sadness,
There’s a place in God’s heart for you.
For He knows pain and loss,
Which He felt on the Cross,
So this candle is lit here for you…
*For Christ knows what it’s like to be blue.

* light a blue candle

Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville holds its annual Candlelight service on Christmas Eve at 6.30pm. The church is located on Lockett Road, just off Kingston Pike, across from Papermill Road. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Erin Church: Sunday Sermon: Mary's Boy Child

Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

When my mom suddenly died seventeen years ago, our whole family was shocked. She was only 57 years old. Years of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day finally caught up with her and she took a massive heart attack, which killed her instantly. My dad had just stepped out to go to the library, which was just a five minute walk from our house. He was gone for 20 minutes, choosing books for my mom to read. When he arrived back, he found her slumped to the floor and there was nothing he could do. He called the emergency services and when the paramedics arrived, they just confirmed what he already knew. She was gone.

The effect on our family was a mixture of shock and relief. We were shocked because of the suddenness of her death, but we were relieved that her years of physical pain and mental torment were over. Mom was in a better place, surrounded by loved ones and angels. Her days were over and our lives had to go on.

All my brothers and sisters had their own families and partners to look after, except for my youngest sister Jane. She was fifteen years old when our mother died. She was the only one of six children who was still living in our family home. She missed mom terribly, but the rest of us didn’t realize that. We all reckoned that Jane was old enough to take care of herself. We didn’t know that she felt a great emptiness in her life. We didn’t understand that she had suffered a great loss.

Just after she turned sixteen, Jane dropped a bombshell on our whole family. She announced that she was pregnant. She wasn’t going to marry the father and she would look after the child on her own. She would be a young unmarried mother and she was determined to keep the baby. Having an abortion or putting the baby up for adoption was not something that she was willing to go through. She was pregnant, she wanted the baby, she wanted to love the child unconditionally and fill the emptiness of her heart with the baby in her womb.

My brothers and sisters all wondered how our Dad would react. We could picture some sort of Victorian melodrama occurring with Jane carrying her child in her arms and being forced out into a snowstorm for bringing shame upon our whole family. But my Dad stepped up to the plate and handled the situation beautifully. He accepted Jane’s situation lovingly and never once criticized her for her. He welcomed his grand-daughter Daytona and was proud to hold her in his arms on the day she born. It never crossed his mind to abandon his youngest daughter Jane. And, because of that paternal acceptance, Jane, despite being so young, became a marvelous mother.

Why am I telling you all of this? It’s because I find a parallel with my dad’s response to Jane’s situation and Joseph’s treatment of Mary.

Mary was just a teenager, betrothed but not fully married, who was expecting a baby. She was a child having a child and in her culture it was a recipe for disaster. People still belonged to the Stone Age in Mary’s time – in other words, a young girl in Mary’s condition could be stoned to death for bringing shame to her betrothed husband, and all the families involved. The whole community would be enraged by such a disgrace. She would either become an outcast, destined to live her life as a prostitute on the margins of society, or, she would be cut to pieces, bashed and crushed to death with rock and stones. The outlook for Mary and Mary’s boy child was not wonderful. Whatever happened to her and the baby all depended upon Joseph’s response to the situation.

His initial reaction was to send her away quietly and not bring attention to her situation. Either he was trying to avoid public humiliation or there was something else more powerful than the avoidance of shame. I think that Joseph truly loved Mary and despite receiving bad news about her pregnancy, he did not want any harm to come to her. He may not have been the father of the child she was carrying, but he still loved Mary sufficiently to protect her from the religious zealots who would probably want to kill her. Theological bigots and spiritual fanatics would have demanded that Mary’s impurity be purged from their midst. They would not have listened to any story about angels or the promised messiah. All that they would have seen was a pregnant teenager who sullied the community’s reputation and totally disrespected the laws of God.

Sixty one years ago today in 1946, one year after the end of World War II, the University of Tennessee issued a statement on behalf of their basketball team. They were due to play Duquesne University, but they refused to do so. Why? Because Duquesne had informed UT that they might use a black player in their game. Instead of recognizing that times has changed and that during the war, people of every color across the United States had fought together to rid the world of a fascist monster, our beloved University allowed the bigots and racists to dictate the sports policy of our basketball team. The game was never played because racism had sadly won the day. No one was willing to show acceptance and adopt an attitude of gratitude for the freedom that had been won for all the people in the world. Thankfully today, when our UT basketball team plays there are people of all colors on the team and amongst the crowd. Racists may still exist, but their voices are not adhered to anymore.

Joseph’s love for Mary caused him to do what was morally right rather than being religiously right. He wanted to make sure that Mary and her child would be given a chance to survive. He did not want to cause any fuss or shame; he was disturbed by the situation, but he was perturbed.

And then God did a beautiful thing that shows us how much He loved Joseph. He sent an angel to Joseph in a special dream, who told him not to be afraid and confirmed all that Mary had told him. God loved Joseph so deeply that he didn’t want him to be disturbed by the situation. God took time to reach Joseph in a unique and individual way, where no one could distract or dissuade Joseph – in his dreams. Think about it folks – the most isolated time that we all experience is when we sleep. We are at our most personal time when we dream. I cannot dream for you and you cannot dream for me. We dream alone – it’s that sacred time when our souls are in a holy state where time, space, and matter cannot touch us.

God isolates Joseph in his dreams and helps him to confront his worries. The boy child that Mary is carrying must have a protector. If Mary is cast out, who will keep her and the child safe? And how will Joseph be able to live with himself if he is the agent of their abandonment. This dream, this wonderful, miraculous dream is a life changing moment for Joseph and much more besides. The entire history of the whole world rests upon Joseph accepting guardianship over Mary’s Boy Child.

Way back in 1776, six months into the War of Independence, Thomas Paine wrote those powerfully inspiring words: “these are the times that try men’s souls.” On this very day, Thomas Paine’s words were printed as a pamphlet and distributed throughout the Thirteen Colonies of the newly formed United States. After reading it, General Washington ordered that the pamphlet be read to all of the army under his command. It was a glorious success in rallying the troops. They were in the midst of a dire situation. They need something to give them a reason, a purpose, a vision of why they were fighting.

Close you eyes and listen to the words of the first paragraph. Picture yourself as either a trooper in Washington’s Army fighting for independence, or as a woman struggling to keep her family safe during the uncertainty of war.

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us – that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right not only to tax but “to bind us in all cases whatsoever,” and if being bound in that manner is not slavery, then there is no such thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious, for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”

Those words inspired thousands of men to re-enlist in the Continental army and to keep the struggle for independence alive. The new fledged United States would be protected by the individual commitment of patriots all across the country and keep the war going until freedom, which Thomas Paine called a “celestial article” was won.

Joseph’s soul underwent the same kind of trials and tribulation. He either had to enlist into God’s service and become Mary’s protector, or he could freely choose to abandon her completely. Before he decides this, the angel in his dream tells Joseph that the child will be called Jesus which means Savior, Deliverer and Liberator all rolled into one. The stakes are now higher than before. Joseph will no longer be just looking after Mary and her boy child: the whole nation of Israel now depended upon his acceptance of this crucial role.

Now why didn’t God just take over everything, cast Joseph aside and surround Mary and Jesus with thousands of angels to protect them? Why is God giving Joseph the opportunity to do something that He could easily do with His Almighty power? This is where God works in mysterious and poetical ways. It all goes back to the Garden of Eden. Eve causes humankind to fall into sin by firstly yielding to temptation. When Mary accepts God’s child Jesus in her womb, Eve’s sin is eradicated and God redeems woman-kind. Adam’s sin was not so much that he accepted the forbidden fruit from Eve in the garden, but that he failed to protect her from the serpent and morally abandoned her. When Joseph accepts the role of protecting Mary and Jesus, Adam’s sin of forsaking his wife is eradicated and God redeems man-kind. It’s what I call gender redemption. I guess God would call it the balancing of history, and the reconciling of human-kind.

Christmas is less than two days away and when we gather with our friends and families, we will remember Mary’s Boy Child with all of the love and adoration that we can muster. But let’s also take time to remember Christ’s earthly parents and how their decisions to accept God’s will changed the world and changed our lives. Their devotion to one another and their dedication to bring God’s child into the world; their courage in the face of humiliation and shame; their faith in God’s word and His promises are great examples of how simple, lowly people can aspire to overcoming their circumstances, and applying noble characteristics of duty and responsibility, devotion and respectability that make all the difference to their dire situation and to the lives of all those around them.

We thank God for the blessings of our salvation through Jesus Christ, but we are also grateful to Mary and Joseph for accepting the roles as parents to the Boy Child who would restore everlasting hope to the entire world. In Christ’s Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee

Weekend Screensaver: Frostie's feeling frosty

Even with a Partick Thistle woolen scarf, Frostie's still feeling cold in Scotland

Stushie's Stuff - 4-minute podcast devotions for busy Christians

Too busy to read your Bible each day? Need a daily shot of spiritual caffeine to get you through the week? Then the "Stushie's Stuff" weekday podcast may be just what you're looking for.

Scottish pastor, John Stuart of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, TN writes the daily blog called "Heaven's Highway." He's now producing it as a podcast. If you like listening to a genuine Scottish accent and are seeking a faith-journey cappuccino, download his 4-minute thought for the day onto your PC or Ipod. It includes a Bible verse, short commentary, and special prayer.

The RSS feed for the podcast can be found at www.stushie.libsyn.com/rss

BTW, "Stushie" is an old Scottish word which means "to cause a riot or an uproar."

Gift Giving: Out with the Old and in with the New

Podcast version here

Yesterday, I had lunch with two young men who both want to serve the Lord. One of them is a pastor who is in-between churches at the moment. The other is a person who survived a horrific accident three years ago. They both are gifted people and their common desire is to do something that will make a difference in the lives of others. In other words, they want their own lives to have a special meaning and divine purpose.

As I listened to them yesterday, I was touched by their eagerness to serve God. It reminded me of my own journey of faith that started over thirty years ago. I had just managed to overcome alcoholism and was beginning to experience my zeal for the Lord and His work. I wanted to change the world because I was so thankful that the Lord had changed me. I wanted to bring everyone into the Kingdom because I desired that everybody should experience the joy of serving God. It was a beautiful time in my Christian life and I’ve tried to keep that flame of faith burning within me. I see it as a gift from God.

Deuteronomy 16:17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.

1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

When I read these two verses of scripture from Deuteronomy and 1 Peter this morning, I was struck by how different they are. In the Old Testament, the emphasis is placed upon bringing gifts to the altar for God; in the New Testament, gifts are to be taken out into the world in order to share His grace with others. It may be too simplistic for some people, but for me this confirms Christ’s work of salvation. He made the ultimate sacrifice, so there is nothing that we can bring to God that will be worthy of His Son. However, we can use our gifts as a means of sharing the Gospel to the world, so that others may receive the blessings and riches of Christ’s grace.

I know that God has a plan for each of the two young men that I shared lunch with yesterday. He has given them different gifts and experiences that He will shape into future ministries and missions. The gifts have already been given; the blessings are ready to be shared. I am both excited and in awe of what God is doing in their lives. I look forward to the sharing of Christ’s grace that is yet to come.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for being the greatest Gift of God and to the world. Without Your Presence in our lives, we would wander aimlessly through life and end up making no difference. By Your sacrifice, You have given each of us a holy opportunity to share Your grace and to encourage others to come into Your Kingdom. Bless us today with situations and circumstances that we can use to glorify Your Name and to spread Your gifts of faith, hope, and love. Amen.

Knoxville Sunrise: Morning Glory

Taken from the back of the house...

Humble Pie

Many people talk and write about putting Christ back into the word “Christmas,” but perhaps we should all put the word “Christ” back into the word “Christian” first.

Podcast version here

There’s a lot of talk these days about freedom and faith, and how these two noble human qualities are supposed to interact. Coming into work this morning, I was listening to a radio talk show. The host was encouraging his audience to talk about the separation issues between Church and State. As usual, each side was berating the other: Christians claimed to be persecuted by local, State and Federal laws; Federalists were claiming that Christians were interfering in school and county policies.

Galatians 5: 13 You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.

No one, however, wanted to talk about the freedom that Christians called to express – the freedom to serve one another. Some Christians believe that their religious freedom gives them the right to do what they want, but that’s not who we are supposed to be. Faith in Christ frees us from serving sin, Satan, and our selfish desires. We are freed from the bondage of boundaries, banality and belligerence, in order to effectively and compassionately help the broken and needy people in our communities.

When we use our faith to freely do what we want, we are showing a side of Christianity that Christ would not recognize. If we use our faith to get our own way and denounce others, then we are forgetting how to love the very same world that Christ died for. Christians can look like spoiled religious brats when they insist upon preserving their rights above all others. The world can’t see Christ because of the amount of self-serving Christians who stand in the way.

Many people talk and write about putting Christ back into the word “Christmas,” but perhaps we should all put the word “Christ” back into the word “Christian” first. A little more humility and a lot less hurt feelings would go a long way in enhancing our faith to the world.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive us for seeking to get our own way in the world. We forget that we represent You and not ourselves. Help us in our struggle with humility and teach us the value of serving You by serving others. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Choosing to Serve

Making coffee and sweeping up leaves can also be used to glorify and serve the Lord.

Podcast version here

We don’t have a custodian on duty at our church on Sunday mornings. This means that I make the coffee because I’m one of the first to arrive at the church. I also get to sweep up the leaves at the front door, which usually collect in between Sunday school and worship. Some church members and I usually have a pleasant laugh together when they catch me sweeping the leaves. Yesterday, they were asking me if I had been promoted! It is all in good fun and it just enhances the friendship and fellowship at the church.

Psalm 84:10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

I love this verse from the psalms because it reminds all of us that the position of humility in God’s service is far more precious than fame or fortune. Whatever we do for the church, we do so because we love God and we want to minister to others, so that they will be attracted into serving God, too.

As we draw near to Christmas, we are all humbled and touched by the simplicity of Christ’s entrance into the world. He didn’t come to earth surrounded by thousands of angels and glorified by rulers from all over the world. He wasn’t born into a family esteemed by riches and made prosperous by power. His first abode was a wooden shack, usually reserved for animals. His life was endangered almost immediately by King Herod, and his family became refugees for a while. Rather than being recognized as the King of kings and Lord of lords, he was just a mere baby, unprotected and vulnerable, with no power or authority.

That’s why serving the Lord at church should never be something that we undertake in order to fulfill our ambitions, or build up our esteem. We serve the Lord because we are His servants. He calls and expects us to do His will. He wants us to fulfill His ministries and missions, as opposed to our own dreams and desires.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we proclaim You as our King. Help us to recognize and accept that we serve You, so that You will be honored and glorified. Give us the heart of a humble servant and encourage us to attract others to serve You faithfully, too. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Music Memories

How a music teacher’s negative attitude in High School discouraged a lot of students. Why faith is a complete turn-off to the world if God is always presented as being judgmental.

When I was in High School, I used to enjoy music and looked forward to learning how to decode all of the notes and symbols on paper. Then one year a new principal of music took over the department and she turned out to be the most obnoxious teacher in the whole school. She had a sour attitude towards most of her students and even though we tried hard to please her with our efforts, it was never enough. Thus, instead of carrying on with music, most students like myself gave it up as soon as we could. If only her demeanor had been different, it may have produced a lot more musicians and singers in our school.

I remember one day that I was hurrying to get to my after school work. In order to save time, I changed out of my school uniform into my working clothes. Just before I left the school building, I met the music principal. She berated me for twenty minutes about not honoring the school by being out of uniform. I tried to explain, but she wouldn’t listen to me. All she was interested in was teaching me a lesson that had no relevance to my life. I was late for work and had some of my precious pay docked. To this day, I have been unable to remember a single music lesson that she ever gave; all that I recall is her ugly attitude.

Verse of the Day: Job 34::9 For he says, 'It profits a man nothing when he tries to please God.'

Sadly, for some people, God seems to be the same. Churches and preachers present a judgmental and vindictive God who wants to destroy sinners by their billions and wreak havoc in their lives. How can people be in love with a God that absolutely terrifies them? How can they cheerfully serve a deity who wants to eliminate them? If God is presented as being critical of people all of the time, then no wonder that the world is tuning out. Divine judgment is a serious issue, but there also has to be a generous helping of grace applied for the Gospel to be effective and attractive.

Christ came into the world to encourage, comfort, and unite us by His love. He gave up His life because God loves this world. And Jesus was raised from the dead because God wants that love to continue for ever. Isn’t that the message of the Gospel? Isn’t that the hope we all have faith in? Isn’t that the lesson we all yearn to learn?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we can never applaud You sufficiently for the work of salvation that You wrought for our world. We are truly grateful for the wonder of Your Life, the power of Your Sacrifice, and the glory of Your Resurrection. We are attracted to You because You embrace, comfort, and guide us. Help us to encourage others around us to do the same, by presenting to them the grace of Your Gospel. In Your Precious Name, we pray. Amen.

Devotional : Mysterious Island

Podcast version here

How a Jules Verne story captivated the heart of a five year old and helped him to acknowledge Christ as the complete revelation of the mysteries about God.

One of the best movies that I ever saw as a child was called “Mysterious Island.” It was a marvelous adaptation of a book that Jules Verne, the great French science fiction writer, wrote. Verne wrote it as a conclusion of his story of Captain Nemo and his submarine the “Nautilus.” Most people remember that cantankerous character from “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”

In “Mysterious Island,” Nemo sacrifices himself and his submarine to save a motley crew of survivors, who have been marooned on the island, after crashing a military balloon. The island is full of giant monsters and intriguing mysteries. When I saw it for the first time as a five year old, it captivated me completely. It’s one of the few movies that I watch as a re-run on television. It also helps that the special effects were created by Ray Harryhausen, the greatest “stop and go” clay animator in movie history.

Ephesians 1:9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ.

Most of us find mysteries attractive. Whether it’s the plot in a whodunit play or a sequence of numbers in Sudoku, we just love the element of surprise and the satisfaction of a completed solution. When Paul writes about “mystery” to the Ephesians, he’s expressing it in spiritual terms because “mystery religions” were predominant throughout the Mediterranean. People were constantly anxious about life and fearful about death. These “mystery religions” of the Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, and Persians promised their adherents and devotees secret messages, signs, and rituals that would expedite their journey to heaven after death. As long as they knew the right words, performed the prescribed ceremonies, and spent their resources at the temple, everlasting life was guaranteed.

But then Christ appeared and, as Paul writes, God made known to us these mysteries through Jesus. The old cultic religions and secret rites were no longer effective or required. All that was necessary for everlasting life was to believe in Jesus. He would guarantee the Way to heaven, the truth about God, and show people the path to eternal life. There was no need to be anxious anymore; there was no need for any other religious beliefs.

Today, we live in anxious times that try the souls of people everywhere. Paul’s message is as relevant now as it ever has been. The mysteries of God are fully made known to us through Jesus Christ. When we accept Him and reject the world, we are given a true and everlasting hope that we can cling to, throughout this life, and into the next.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have many questions and anxieties, worries and concerns. We experience problems and wrestle with suffering. At times, we can be overwhelmed by fear and perplexed by life itself. During those moments of doubts and worry, grant us faith and assurance. Let us know that our dependence upon You will become our path to eternal life and everlasting love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

The Invisible Man

Claude Rains was one of Hollywood's best actors. His spine chilling role as the original Invisible Man has remained unequalled.
As Christians, we believe in an invisible Christ, so how can we convince the world that Jesus exists?

Podcast version here

1 Peter 1:8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.

I love old movies, especially the black and white ones. The storylines have a lot of depth to them and the actors are incredible. What passes for movie entertainment these days is just an excuse for extroverts to do something outrageous. There’s no real acting, just gross stupidity.

Anyway, one of the best Hollywood actors in my opinion was Claude Rains. You’ll maybe remember him as Captain Renault in “Casablanca,” or King Herod in “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” or even Prince John in “The Adventures of Robin Hood.” He usually played the baddie in movies, but the three roles that I liked most are when Claude played Caesar in “Caesar and Cleopatra”, Job Skeffington in Mr. Skeffington, and, my all time favorite, as the Invisible Man.

If you’ve ever seen the original “Invisible Man,” you’ll know that most of the time you hear Claude Rain’s voice. It’s absolutely creepy and can still send shivers down my spine. He plays a scientist who discovers a formula for making himself invisible, but the side effect is that it drives him insane. He wants to rule the world and becomes a monster in the process. It’s like “Phantom of the Opera” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” all rolled into one. The ending is marvelous, but I won’t spoil it for you!

When the apostle Peter writes about Christ being invisible, he is writing to a new generation of Christians who have never seen Jesus. He knows that his own time is running out and that he is amongst some of the last survivors who knew Jesus personally. His mission is to help this new wave of Christians understand that although they cannot see Jesus, they can feel His presence joyfully in their hearts. He refers to this as a glorious and inexpressible joy.

Peter’s words are also meant for us today. None of us have ever seen the Lord, but we feel His Presence within our souls. The world may not understand what this is like and refuse to believe us, but we know what we feel, and we place our faith on the certainty of that feeling being real.

We may not be able to convince everyone that Christ exists because some are always going to say that “seeing is believing.” But perhaps more people would accept His invisible presence if they could see His Holy influence over our lives. That is our mission; that is our ministry to a faithless world – to show it that Christ exists because our lives exhibit Christian faith, hope, and love.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for entering into our lives and for touching our hearts with Your Spirit. Help us to be vessels of Your love to our community and grant us the ability to let people truly see You through who we are and what we do in Your Name. Amen.

Daily Devotions: Comforter

What do we mean when we comfort one another as Christians? Why do we call the Holy Spirit "Comforter?" And how did the Holy Spirit "comfort" the New Life Church in Colorado Springs?

Podcast version here

2 Corinthians 1:3,4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

It’s funny how different words mean different things in Britain and America. Take, for instance, the word “Comforter.” Over here, it means a heavy blanket or quilt; back in Britain a ‘comforter’ is a heavy woolen scarf. When I first came over here and I heard people talking about buying comforters for their beds, I pictured a long plaid scarf being wrapped around the bed several times. I guess people over here thought I was just as funny when I talked about putting my comforter around my neck during wintry days!

The word “Comforter” in the Bible is also used to describe the Holy Spirit, but this does not refer to keeping warm in winter; the word actually means “Advocate.” The Holy Spirit defends us when we are attacked and intercedes for us when we are being persecuted. The recent shooting in the Colorado Church emphasized this. The security guard who shot and stopped the killer said that she asked the Holy Spirit to help her. I never thought of the Holy Spirit working that way, but I guess that in this situation the Spirit advocated powerfully on behalf of God’s people.

When Paul mentions the word “comfort” to the Corinthians, he’s not talking about tea and sympathy. Paul is telling those young Christians that whenever Christ’s followers suffer, there is an outpouring of strength to the community of faith. And that’s exactly what comfort means – “with fortitude.” So when we are called to comfort our loved ones, our church friends, and our neighbors, we do so with the strength of the Lord inside of us.

Today, you may find yourself in a position to support and help someone else who is going through trying circumstances. Be there for them and allow God’s strength to come through you. Your presence and compassionate support may enable those people to endure and overcome their heartbreak and troubles.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know how tough life can be and You also endured much pain, suffering, and injustice. We pray that we may become the vessels of Your comfort to those around us who need help, support, and love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Drive By Devotions

Seeking guidance from the Spirit of God can affect the outcome of our plans and goals. Sometimes we have daft notions that go nowhere because we don't put God first.

Podcast version here

Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

I love this verse. It reminds me that when I’ve used up all of my own strength, energy, and patience, I need to come to the Lord for renewal. Far too often, I try to do things my way and end up becoming frustrated when I cannot produce the results that I want. Instead of submitting to the Lord and giving myself over to be influenced by the Spirit, I wish that the Lord would do what I desire.

For example, many years ago when I was pastor in Dunure, Scotland, I dreamed up the idea of opening the church at 7.00am on a Monday morning, so that commuters could stop and pray before they went to work. The church was on the main road and scores of drivers passed by at that time in the morning.

I envisioned that many drivers would stop and take time to be in the Lord’s House. I got to the church real early, put the lights on and had a tape playing devotional hymns and choruses quietly in the background. I sat in one of the choir seats, read my Bible and prayed for the church. It was quiet and peaceful, and every now and then, I would hear a car passing by.

I think that I did this for about four months. In all of that time, only two people stopped by. Nobody really wanted to take or make the time to be there. I guess they could say their prayers from the comfort of their own cars as the drove by the church. I wanted it to be successful, but God was teaching me a lesson. No matter how hard I wanted it to happen, without His Spirit, it would never work. Instead of relying upon God’s Spirit, I was trying to make God support my ministry. It made me realize that it wasn’t my ministry at all. It belonged to God – what I had to do was to discover where His Spirit was leading.

I still have some daft notions at times, but I usually petition the Spirit first for direction. This ministry belongs to God – I am merely a servant of His Kingdom. The power and the glory, success and honor all belong to God. My role is to submit to the Spirit and seek God’s will.

Perhaps like me, you’re wrestling with God and want Him to make something successful for You. There’s no harm in asking, but ascertain whether it is something for Your sake or the Spirit’s. Knowing that will make all the difference in the world as to whether or not it will be accomplished. As the old preacher once said, “Sometimes we have to let go, in order to let God.”

Prayer: Holy Spirit, we all want to make a difference in the world and do something special with our lives. Grant us patience and endurance, discernment and understanding of what You want us to do with our lives. Open our heart and minds, souls and spirits to Your holy bidding. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Endurance + Encouragement = Unity

A time of exile for the Jews and a prophet named Liberator.
Churches in the Mediterranean encouraged by Paul.
A Knoxville Church called Erin, which is the Charlie Brown of its community
And how the Battle of the Atlantic is an example of rugged endurance.

Endurance + Encouragement = Unity

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--


A long time ago, in a place far away, a whole community was taken from its land and transplanted into a foreign nation. In those days, traveling ten miles away was considered to be a great trek, so to find themselves thousands of miles from home was considered to be the beginning of the end for the people of that tragic Jewish community.

For generations they had lived in a Promised Land, serving a God who protected them. For centuries, this faithful community had believed itself to be invincible, just like their god, so when they were finally defeated and led into away into the bitterness of exile, they were absolutely devastated.

How could this happen to God’s chosen people? How could God allow our enemies to defeat us? How will we ever be able to survive? And how can we sing our songs of faith in a strange and hostile land?

In the midst of all of their confusion, anxiety, and despair, God did not abandon them. Instead, He came with them and inspired one of his faithful prophets, a man called Isaiah, whose name means “Liberator.”
In order to endure as a faithful community, Isaiah would have to preach and teach a new message from God – a message of encouragement and hope, of deliverance and dedication, of freedom and faith.

If the people paid attention to what Isaiah prophesied, then their hope of salvation would one day be accomplished. God would raise up someone from among them who would be full of wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Each of these divine gifts would be essential for the community to survive and continue throughout the generations.

This Chosen One would be given wisdom and understanding, which is often called the gift of discernment in the Bible. He would know the right thing to say and do, as well as being aware of the right time to take action on behalf of God’s people. In other words, he would have a gift of true leadership – of favoring God’s intentions and encouraging the people to build up their faith to overcome their fears.

This Chosen Servant would also be given the gifts of counsel and power, which is often interpreted as authority. As he encouraged the people to remain faithful to God, he would also exercise his sovereign and divine right to rule over the hearts and minds of the people. His authority came directly from God, and so to oppose or diminish the Chosen One’s teaching or commands, would be to directly oppose God.

And this Anointed Servant would also have complete knowledge and fear of God: in other words, he would revere God and submit fully to His commands and demands. He would not sway to the right or the left of God’s truth. He would set his face like flint and keep a true and absolutely straight course for the sake of honoring God and the saving of His people.

When Isaiah prophesied these things to the captive Jewish community, he was inspiring them to hold on to the promises of God. If they persevered in believing God’s Word to be true, if they kept hold of their faith, if they endured and maintained their reliability of their God, then they would encourage one another with their faithfulness and worship, devotion and dedication. In other words, so long as they let their faith define their community, and not their geographical location, they would remain united; they would stay inspired; they would survive.

Thankfully, the people held on dearly to everything that Isaiah the Liberator preached. And even after they returned to their homeland, they still believed that this Chosen Servant, this Anointed One, this Messiah was yet to come. Their belief became our salvation. Their hope became our faith. Their Messiah became our Christ…and all because those Jews endured in the midst of hard times, encouraged one another in faith, and became the united people of God. As Christians, we owe everything to Christ, but we should also hallow and remember the enduring faith of those Jewish exiles from more than 2500 years ago. Without their devotion, we would not be here.

Now let’s fast forward seven hundred years. God’s people are once again scattered all over the place and so He raises up another Jewish prophet called Paul. Paul’s mission is to establish the Christian faith all over the Mediterranean, beginning in the small Jewish communities and then expanding the ministry to people from all over the world.

Paul’s people face the same dilemma as Isaiah’s – they are small fish in a humongous pond. They believe in One God and in Jesus Christ, His Holy Son. They are energized by the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit; but they are also surrounded by thousands of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods and goddesses. How can they compete with centuries of idolatry? How can they survive against the mighty Roman Empire?

Paul’s response is similar to that of Isaiah, only this time, it is directed to the people of God. The Chosen One has already appeared and ascended into heaven. Christ’s faithful followers are now going to become the messengers of His ministry and the servants of His mission. They need to be empowered and encouraged, inspired and united in order to endure. And so Paul writes this special prayer for the Christians in Rome:

Romans 15:5-6 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul first of all states that it is God who gives endurance and encouragement to the faith community. In other words, the source, the sustenance and the sustainability of this Christian community rests upon the favor and will of the Lord alone. Charismatic preachers like Paul and powerful teachers like Timothy may come and go; it is the presence of the Lord that decides if a faith community shall endure.

Secondly, Paul asks God to shower the church in Rome with a blessing of unity as they follow Jesus. In other words, Paul’s not just asking for everyone to get along and be happy together. He’s asking the Lord to encourage, enable, and empower the church in Rome to be truly united in Christ, so that their mission and purpose may be effective. The Mormons say that a family that prays together stays together. Paul beat them to it: he is stating in this blessing that a church family united in Christ, endures for everlasting life.

Thirdly, the whole purpose of being united in the Lord, of being a faithful community and a devoted church family is to bring glory to God and to worship Him forever.

Sixty six years ago, just two days after Pearl Harbor, when this nation thought that things could not get any worse, Adolph Hitler declared war on the United States and ordered that all US ships crossing the Atlantic be torpedoed. He wanted to keep US supplies, ammunition, and troops from reaching Britain. He knew that if America and Britain managed to strengthen their alliance, then the Nazis would lose the war in Europe. During the first six months of the war, Nazi U-boats destroyed 348 Allied ships. In response, the Allies only managed to destroy two submarines. Allied commanders were reluctant to take so many losses, but they endured for the sake of the mission. Even although it took three years to win the Battle of the Atlantic, the unified front of the British, American and Canadian forces brought salvation and liberation to Europe.

But how does all of this affect us here in the 21st century? What has this to do with our salvation and deliverance, liberty and faith? Why is it so important that our folk in this wee church hear and receive this message?

Well, first of all, we’re a small fish in a large pond. We could get swallowed alive by all the big, successful churches around us. We could very easily say that we can’t compete against the Baptists, or football fans, or the way in which society is headed. We could just give up the ghost and put the lights out before we close the doors. But that’s not what God wants…and remember, it’s His presence that keeps us in existence.

Secondly, we’re a really diverse church. We’ve people from all over the United States and from all over the world in our congregation. We come from different backgrounds and cultures, different generations and families – and that has always been a part of our calling as a church, ever since we were established in 1877. God brings people here to be united in Christ, not because we are the same, but because we each have been called to serve the same Savior, the same mission, the same ministry.

And thirdly, this message of endurance and encouragement needs to be taken up by our church, by our presbytery, and by our denomination. We’re letting Satan divide us, instead of allowing Christ to unite us.

Today in 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was first shown on TV. It’s become an seasonal classic that has stood the test of time. I watched it once again a couple of nights ago, and once again its message tugged my heart. Charlie Brown tries his best to get a great Christmas tree for his school friends and neighbors, but his efforts, although sincere, end up in failure. He presents a miserable tree to his peers and they castigate him for it. He tries to do the right thing, and the world just picks on him.

And then, a remarkable thing happens. The children decorate the tree with all the stuff that Snoopy has used to decorate his kennel and the tree is transformed. Instead of being divided, all the children are united. Instead of being dejected and rejected, Charlie Brown is lauded and applauded.

Folks, we are the Charlie Brown of Christendom in this community. I would love for us all to be Snoopy, but he belongs to the Pentecostalists. We are trying our best and beginning to make the right moves in our ministries and missions, so that we will make an impact in this community for years to come. We all come here because we’re looking for God in our lives. But we’re also here because we’re looking for God to give us something to do with our lives.

And this is where Paul’s final words of this passage become our blessing for today: he writes

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If ever there was a verse that we could adopt as our motto for 2008, it should be this one. So let’s claim it for our church today and use it as a church benediction throughout the coming year: May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Weekend Screensaver: O Christmas Tree

Screensaver for Christmas...



...an abstract Christmas card wannabee

Daily Devotions: Children of Light

In the midst of a dark and fearful world, Christ's message is a light of hope for all of us. As Christians, we are called to be children of Christ's Light in our community.

Podcast version here

Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.

Recent events have displayed a lot of darkness and fear in the world, but it’s not any different from Paul’s time. The technology may be far more advanced, but the same anxiety that pervaded much of the ancient world is still with us today. No matter how far we travel or how much progress we make as a species, we are still fragile and frail, fearful and finite.

I see a society where a lot of people are struggling with who they are and what their purpose is in life. Some of them are broken by injustice; others are wrestling with relationships; and still others are fighting illnesses. All of us depend upon each other at times. We are not islands of isolation; we are all connected as human creatures who struggle with life’s problems.

This is where I believe that the Christian message, above all other faiths and spiritual traditions, has the most hope for people who are helpless and hopeless. Jesus Christ has come into our dark world to show us the light that leads to God. We are no longer left scrambling in the darkness trying to get through each day. He stands beside us, bidding us to follow Him, and asking us to trust Him. We are not alone on a planet that is swirling through space. We are placed on earth because God has a purpose for our lives and through Jesus we can effectively change the world that we live in.

Paul’s calls us to be “children of the light.” In his world, total darkness at nighttime was very common. People didn’t have electric switches, lights or power to use at night time. Lamps and candles were precious possessions and were not to be used frivolously. They were kept for emergencies and treated as essential items. When the Gospel was first being preached, people knew exactly what Paul was talking about when he called his people “children of the light.” Christians lit up the world with their love of one another, their compassion for the community, and their courage in the face of death. They had nothing to fear because the darkness could not overshadow them.

Let’s continue that ministry of Christ in our own lives and our own wee world. Let us all seek to be “children of light” to all that we meet today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You truly are the Light of the world and we feel privileged to be Your servants. Empower us this day with hearts of love and compassion, so that we may reflect and express Your influence over our lives. May we become children of Your light to those around us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Feedback Question: How can we be children of light to our communities?

John Stuart is the Scottish pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee

Omaha Shooting

The shooting of innocent bystanders at the Omaha shopping mall has once again shocked our nation. It makes us all ask the question: where was God in the midst of this and how can we trust in His Sovereignty?


Podcast version here

Hosea 6:1 "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.

The shootings and slayings in the Omaha shopping mall have once again shocked our nation. Another deluded young man has selfishly and cowardly taken the lives of innocent people, in order to make someone pay for his dissatisfaction with life. Instead of dealing with his problems, he chose to end his life. Instead of facing up to his deficiencies, he chose to kill people unconnected to his burdens. It was insane and satanic, evil and unholy. Whatever infamy he thought he would achieve, the memory of his callous execution of bystanders will obscure any notoriety he hoped to accomplish.

In the midst of all this pain and anger, how do we come to the Lord for help and healing? At this time of year, when peace and goodwill are supposed to be experienced amongst us, how can we remain confident in God’s Sovereignty? The Nebraskan families of those who were slain will be absolutely shattered and their lives will never be the same. Man’s inhumanity to man has reared its ugly head again – where is the faith, hope, and love of God in such a terrible situation?

No doubt the TV newshounds, cable show hosts and bloggers will offer their many opinions as to what caused this carnage. They will discuss the trigger points along the way of the young man’s life and ask the futile question of how this could all have been avoided. They will all play parlor games of second guessing what went wrong, and the victims’ families will be paraded before the cameras for high ratings and public exhibition. We will be inundated with images of Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Omaha for days on end. And then, when the media frenzy is over, the families will still be heartbroken, lives will be ruined, and communities around the nation will be fearful.

Despite the pain, we will still turn to the LORD, expecting Him to heal us, bind us, comfort us, and strengthen us. We may never find the answer to our agonizing question of “Why?” Our Creator, however, has endowed the human spirit with a mysterious capacity of carrying on, despite the crosses that we bear. In the end of the hallmark of hope which is imprinted on our souls will prevail. Killers kill people, but their bullets cannot confine us to be defined by their deluded concept of humanity. In God, we trust; in Christ, we have hope; and with the Spirit, we persevere.

Prayer: Lord God, our hearts bleed for the people of Omaha and for all the victims of this cruel and savage tragedy. We cannot comprehend the pain and heart break of those who have been impacted by this evil. We pray that You will surround them with professional caregivers and therapists, counselors and clergy who will support, love, and guide them through this agonizing journey. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Bible Screensaver: Psalm 8

This is one of my all time favorite psalms. It gives me the opportunity to combine art, astronomy, and faith all in one.

Does Anyone Remember "The Whirlybirds?"

I love helicopters. Ever since the days of the “Whirlybirds” television series way back in the early sixties, I have been fascinated with this type of aircraft. I used to spend hours pouring over old black and white photographs of helicopters, learning names like Sikorsky and Chinook and voicing them as if they were sacred incantations. Even today, whenever I hear the rumbling of the rotary blades in the sky, I have to stop what I’m doing and look up. Evelyn thinks I’m crazy, especially when I unexpectedly run out of the house just to look at them. One day, I’ll muster enough courage to go up in a helicopter and enjoy the scenery below.

However, what seems marvelous to me about helicopters isn’t shared by the rest of my family. In fact, when I’m busy watching helicopters traverse across the sky, people around me don’t bother to look. After all, it’s just a helicopter – what’s so special about that? Fifty years ago, they were not common where I came from, but these days we see Army, Rescue, Police, TV and Radio helicopters all over the place, so what’s the big deal? I guess for me, it’s about reliving the wonder of childhood and a boyish fascination with Whirlybirds. It lets me know that the child within me is still there.

Verse of the Day

Zechariah 8:6 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?" declares the LORD Almighty.

When Zechariah speaks about the wonders that God will perform by returning His people to Jerusalem, it will seem incredible to the Jews, but not to God. The people will be astounded and amazed that God still cares for them, but to God it will be His usual way of fulfilling His promises. The exiled Jews will declare their deliverance as a miracle; the Lord will see it as keeping His word.

The lesson that we can all learn from this is that God’s Word remains true throughout the ages. He still performs marvelous deeds and miraculous works in the world, which are extraordinary to us but just normal to Him. God doesn’t see Himself as a performer of miracles; He identifies Himself as a keeper of His Word. If we honestly try to live our lives in godly way, then we don’t have to be powerful or mighty, dynamic and energetic. All that we have to do to be godly is to keep our word.

Prayer: Father God, throughout the centuries You have remained true to Your word. You have sustained our planet and this universe simply by the power of Your will. We live because You allow us time. We exist because You care for Your creation. These things are marvelous in our eyes, but simple, normal acts of love in Yours. We bless and praise You, Almighty God. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Bible Screeensaver: Psalm 7

The Lord is not OK with it, Fred

Fred Thompson's remarks yesterday about him being OK with the Lord and the Lord is OK with him, shows either disrespect to God or ignorance about the Christian faith.

Matthew 26:40 Then Jesus returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

Our congregation, like any other in existence, has more church members than weekly worship attenders. Over any given 13 week period, I think we have at least sixty percent of our members and their families attend at least one Sunday. It’s really sad, but it is a trend that is happening around the nation. People are turning worship into an extra-curriculum exercise or leisure pursuit. They won’t dare miss an episode of one of their favorite TV shows, but worshiping God is something that they can give and take as they please.

I’ve tried hard to impress upon people how important worshiping God actually is, but to no avail. In our free-spirited society, even church members take God for granted and only use Him in emergencies. They don’t believe that they’re harming themselves or that God cares about something as unimportant as going to church on Sunday. I don’t know where they’ve gotten that idea; it’s certainly not in the Bible. Jesus and his disciples gathered at the synagogue every Sabbath, and even after His glorious Resurrection and Ascension, Christ’s apostles gathered at the temple for weekly worship. Anyone who thinks that we can glibly turn up when we feel like it and expect God to be pleased, is being careless with their faith. Even Fred Thompson, one of the Republican candidates for President, stated yesterday that he was the religious conservative’s choice…and then went on to say that he didn’t go to church! Who’s he kidding?

To truly worship God means to turn up when we don’t feel like it. When we treat worship as a respectful obligation to God, just as Jesus did, then we can truly begin to call ourselves Christians. Otherwise, we’re just dabbling in the faith and have no real relationship with God at all.

To highly independent people, this will read like religiosity, forcing them to submit their lives to God’s rules instead of their own. And they’re absolutely right, because the word “worship” in the Bible means to bow down painfully before God in a position that is totally uncomfortable. In other words, it’s a humiliating experience when we realize that we are made for God’s commands, and are not creatures of our own comfort.

It’s time that the Church stopped softening the message to appease the feelings of those who take God for granted. Jesus wouldn’t have put up with any of that empty spiritual nonsense, so why should we?

In the midst of all our busy weekly lives, can’t we at least keep watch with Christ for just one hour?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, shake us and move us, challenge us and change us. We falsely think that You fully accept our ideas and opinions about worship. We fool ourselves into believing that we’re OK with You and You’re OK with us. Keep us from deluding our hearts and deceiving our minds. Get us back into church on a regular basis to worship and glorify You, especially on those Sundays when we’re too busy or don’t feel like it. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church Devotions: Keeping It All for God

Do we have to share everything with others? Aren't there some things we should keep for ourselves and God?

Podcast version here

Matthew 25:9 "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

It’s strange, but you would think that in this situation, the girls with oil in their lamps would share it with the others. After all, it’s a Christian story, and isn’t Christianity all about sharing our resources with other people? Jesus usually criticized selfish people and urged his followers to give what they could to the needy. So why doesn’t He end this story with: ‘and the five selfish maids were not invited to the bridegroom’s party for not sharing their oil.’ After all, that’s the way the world would end it, right?

This means, as usual, that there must be something deeper going on. The parable is not about sharing, it’s about being prepared and showing respect. The five clever maidens were ready for any inconvenience. They wanted to make sure that they could honor and escort the bridegroom when he eventually arrived. They weren’t thinking about themselves. They were concentrating on what the groom needed to make his wedding party a great success. The five wise girls had already committed their resources to him; if they shared their precious oil with the foolish maidens, then the bridegroom would have been dishonored by all. By keeping the oil to themselves, they were at least ensuring that fifty percent of the bridal party would properly honor the groom.

I guess we all feel sorry for the five foolish maidens because we identify so readily with them. Most of us are last minute shoppers at Christmas and get by each day by doing just enough. It always amazes me on Sunday mornings when a lot of people arrive just a couple of minutes before the worship is due to start. One minute the sanctuary looks half empty; the very next it is three quarters full.

The point Jesus was making with this story is something that we all should seriously consider: leaving our faith commitment to the last minute may be fatal to our souls. Our lives are meant to be used for enjoying God and worshiping His Son. If we take them for granted, then we may unexpectedly run out of time one day, with no earthly chance of making things right with God.

That’s why making and taking time to read the Bible, reading or listening to these devotions, and to ponder about what God is telling us is so important. We can get sidetracked too easily. We can leave holy things to the last minute much too often, that we unintentionally end up disregarding, dishonoring, and disrespecting God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are often too busy for our own good and end up sapping our resources and energy on things that are unimportant, trivial, and meaningless. Help us to reset our ways and enable us to honor You with our love, devotion, and faith. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Bible Screensaver: Psalm 006

Continuing my series of psalm inspired stained glass designs

Psalm 6




The Lord has heard my weeping

The Day is Almost Here

There was a lot of talk this week about finding the solutions to Middle East peace. Our president tried to get various Arab groups together, along with the Israelis, to sit down and hammer out some sort of agreement that would ostensibly bring peace after 60 years of hostilities.

Forgive me for being cynical, but this has more to do with the President’s legacy rather than a strict desire to bring about peace in the Middle East. For three thousand years, Israelis and Arabs have been fighting each other, so what’s going to make anything different now? My main concern is at what cost will this great peace happen? And I’m not talking about the price of oil, or the cost of war. I’m talking about the cost of Human rights on both sides.

How can we get people and leaders to agree on peace when on the one side unmarried women are being flogged for sitting in a car with a man; a teacher is sent to prison for calling a teddy bear Mohammed; and on the other side, prisoners have been held in captivity in Guantanamo Bay for over six years, and possibly water boarded on a regular basis, trying to get information on a terrorist organization that has radically changed since 2001.

It may just be me, but I’m not seeing the potential for beating swords into plows or spears into pruning hooks here. All I’m noticing is a bunch of political leaders getting together for photo opportunities to take back home to their palaces and mansions, and pat themselves on the back that they tried to broker peace in their time. If they were all really serious about bringing peace to the Middle east, the whole area should be demilitarized with tanks being turned into bulldozers and missiles turned into medical supplies.

It kind of reminds me of when John Lennon and Yoko Ono brought out their Happy Xmas: War is over single at this time of year in 1971. Everybody was singing it thinking it was a jolly little song, sentimentally calling the world to seek peace at Christmas. Most of the population who sang Happy Xmas: War is over didn’t realize it was highly satirical and that John and Yoko were actually describing the hypocrisy of people at Christmas, who use this time of year to make themselves feel good by trying to maintain peace. Forget about the rest of the year, the song is actually saying, so long as we have peace for Christmas, we can all feel good about ourselves.

That’s why I’m very cynical about this latest round of peace talks at the Whitehouse and in other places around the world. It’s all for show and has no substance to it. It’s filibustering on a global scale. If the masses of people see their leaders trying to do something about peace, then maybe they’ll think their politicians are actually better than they really are.

As Christians, we worship the Prince of Peace, and we wait that special Day when Christ will return to establish His authority over the whole earth. That will be a time when Christ’s absolute rule is absolutely ruling the whole earth. There will be no more war because Christ will not allow it. We will not be able to choose to fight, rebel and argue because Jesus will not permit it amongst His people. His word will be absolute and His sovereignty will be complete. Peace will reign because division, schism, hostility, and war will be no more. It will be a day of reckoning for those leaders who publicly call for peace, but whose hearts glorify the scandal of war.

Romans 13:11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

We have begun the time of Advent in the Church year, and many people incorrectly think that we are looking ahead to Christmas Day and of Christ being born into the world. But how can we look ahead to something that has already occurred more than two thousand years ago? Christ has already been born. It all happened a long time ago. Advent is not about Christmas and how prepared we are for this busy season: Advent is all about preparing our hearts and souls for that time when Jesus will return to earth. It could happen before Christmas. It could happen next week. It could happen before this sermon ends – which may or not be a long time, depending upon how I feel.

What I’m saying is this: we all get so engrossed with preparing for Christmas that we forget to be ready to meet Jesus. All the lights and the tinsel, the decorations and the gifts, the food and the feasts are not important. And if we become obsessed with getting things ready and perfect for the family coming home this Christmas, but put Christ out of our minds and do nothing to be ready for Him, then we’ve lost our faith somewhere in the process.

It’s like the day after Thanksgiving, we all want to buy, buy, buy! We’ve just spent a whole day thanking God for the things that we need, and then we’re up early at 4am for things to satisfy our greed! Within 24 hours, we’ve ditched God altogether and replaced Him with a shopping card, Christmas list, and check book.

And I’m just as bad. I get caught up in the hustle and bustle as well. In fact, I was sitting in the West Town mall with a bunch of carrier bags at 6am in the morning waiting for Evelyn and Lynsey to finish their shopping. I was their designated driver and beast of burden. So I’m sitting right next to the place where all the kids get photos taken with Santa, which is decorated with gorgeous Christmas trees and beautiful giant sized characters from the Nutcracker ballet. This is where all the families gather with their kids to meet Santa Claus…and ten feet from where the kids are being photographed is a Victoria’s Secret Superstore with almost naked mannequins in lingerie. This is what we’ve let Christmas become – a time to spoil our kids rotten and to indulge in our sexual fantasies.

It’s not Christmas that we have to reclaim. It’s Advent. Instead of saying that there are only 23 shopping days to Christmas, we as Christians should be expressing what Paul has written: The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

As each day passes, we’re all one day nearer to the time when Christ will return, but are we honestly one day better prepared for that possibility? If Jesus came to earth right now, would we be prepared – or would we be fiddling about with our Blackberries and cell phones, our text messages and emails, our Tivos and DVRs? We’ve already been given a text message and God has already recorded what is going to happen. It’s all in the Bible, but we’ve stopped reading it.

I read somewhere that Woody Allen, whose middle name is Stuart by the way, celebrated his 72nd birthday this weekend. He’s made many off the wall movies, which you either like or hate. The first movie that I can remember seeing with Woody Allen was one called “Sleeper.” It’s highly irreverent and the tagline for the movie is A love story about two people who hate each other – 200 years in the future.

It’s about a person who awakes from cryostasis and is used by revolutionaries to overthrow an oppressive government. I think it’s very funny and very clever. It’s also about someone from the past being resurrected in order to save the future of humankind. It’s a Messianic movie, although most people miss that when they view it.

The Church of Christ has been sleeping for decades and has allowed Christmas to spin out of control. We’ve become oppressed by capitalism and commercialism which is coming home to bite us. We all get into a frenzy trying to find the perfect gift for everyone. We put ourselves into terrible debt in order to keep up with our neighbors. We feel as though Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas if we didn’t give our kids everything that they want. We’re being led like lambs to slaughter on the altar of excessive expenses and being sold into the slavery of sophisticated shopping in order to make us feel good.

Advent is not a feel good time. It’s a season of realizing that we are not perfect. It’s a time to understand that we all have faults. It’s a month of perceiving that we need Jesus in our lives because our lives are meaningless without Him. The adventure of Advent is to wait for the Lord and to expect His Coming. If we dreaded the return of Christ as much as we dread our credit card bills in January, then we would probably be better prepared for His arrival. But because we take so much for granted in this life and are fuelled by our need to possess, we disown Christ in our lives and precariously place ourselves on the margins of salvation.


25 years ago today, the world’s best selling album by a singer was released. It was called “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. I can still remember the frenzy of excitement in Britain and around the world as people lined up for hours to purchase this vinyl album. Millions of people throughout the nations had been teased into buying the album because of a great video of the title song. Jackson’s singing and dancing in the video was electrifying. The use of werewolves and zombies in the video, as well as using the voice of great Vincent Price on the album was an amazing commercial coup for Jackson. Everyone that I knew, relatives and friends, neighbors and working colleagues purchased the album. People couldn’t wait to get their hands on a copy after seeing and hearing the video. Millions upon millions of people were enticed into record and music stores all over the world, just hoping to get a copy of “Thriller.” It was one of the best marketing ploys that the world has ever seen.

The Christian Church has the best message for the hope of humankind in all of history. We have been given the good news that all our past mistakes can be forgiven and forgotten by God. We are eternal beings, who will not be extinguished by death, but rather will be granted everlasting life through Jesus Christ. This is the best news in existence this very day, and yet we are slumbering and sleeping through it.

What will it take for us to market the message of Christ throughout Advent? What will it take for us to invite our families and friends to church on Sundays to hear this message, so that when Christ returns they will be ready. If Jesus were to return to day, I guess we would all be ready, for we are here worshiping the Lord; but what of our loved ones who are elsewhere this morning? What of the dear friends we love? What of the brothers and sisters, the parents and children, the grandparents and grandchildren in our lives? If Christ were to arrive today, would we be taken and they left behind?

Advent is the time when the Church awakes from its slumber and takes the message of Christ seriously. It’s not about the baby Jesus; it’s not about Santa Claus; it’s not about feasting and partying, the giving of gifts and the buying of goods. It’s about being ready for Christ’s return. It’s about being a Church that cares about the salvation of the souls of the people we love. We may be ready, but are they? If we don’t bring them in, they are lost to sin. What’s the most perfect gift we can give to our loved ones: salvation – but it’s not wrapped up in pretty bows and colored paper. It’s a covering of blood of a crucified Christ, who becomes our eternal Savior and welcomes us to His Kingdom…but we can’t win it, unless we’re in it. Sin can’t be repaired unless we’re prepared for Jesus. It’s called Advent, not Christmas. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee

Weekend Bible Screensaver: Psalm 005

Continuing my psalm series of encaustic digital screensavers



"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice."