The Devil's Damage

John 17:22     I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:

 

By the end of June, we’ll all know what kind of damage has been caused by our General Assembly. The ordination issues that we are facing and the constant bickering of the opposing sides have been leading up to this crucial moment in our denomination’s history. The whole thing vexes me because the unity and effectiveness of the church is at stake. There will be no winners in this theological tussle and, in the end, the devil will be laughing.

 

Some people don’t see it coming, and that worries me. Others have got their own crises and personal issues to deal with, so they can’t take on board the church’s burdens. Still others are beginning to believe that all of these problems and events are part of the end times. I don’t blame them – sometimes I feel the same way, especially when both sides tear each other apart.

 

A broken church that cannot heal itself cannot help a broken world. And that’s the problem – at a time when the world needs us to be at one, we’re imploding and exploding simultaneously.

 

What happened to the Reformed doctrine of the priesthood of all believers? Why are we so intensely focused on standards of perfection for those who are ordained? Why aren’t we commissioning people to go out into the world to preach, teach, and heal our communities through acts of love, encouragement, and hope?

We need to be as one. We need to unite with one another through Christ. We need to act like a church that has faith for the faithless, love for the loveless, and hope for the hopeless.

 

If we get hung up on being perfect, we’ve forgotten that we are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory. There is only One who is Perfect – that’s why we call Him Savior.

 

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, instead of fighting evil in the world, we’re fighting with one another. Instead of advocating for those who are in need, we’re crusading for our own needs. Forgive us, Lord, for being disunited, distracted and disconnected. Help us to be healed and made whole again. In Your Holy Name. Amen.

 

John Stuart
Erin Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN

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A Mother's Grief

Psalm 63: 3      Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

 

One of the saddest prayers that I have ever heard was voiced by a mother in her seventies, whose fifty year old son had just died of cancer. It occurred in the church sanctuary, during a special mid-week prayer time. The church was open in the morning, to allow people to come in and quietly talk to God. In the background, a tape was played, which included some favorite hymns and contemporary choruses. I happened to be in the sanctuary at the time, doing my own prayers and devotions.

 

One of the songs on the tape was an upbeat version of Psalm 63. Its repeated refrain was “because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” In the middle of this song, the aged mother made a heart felt cry: “How can your love be better than life, Lord, when You have taken my son away from me?”

 

It was one of those holy moments when the reality of life confronts the reality of God. The woman’s heart was bleeding with grief, and her faith was being sorely tried. Each time the tape played the song’s refrain, she would ask that disturbing question. When the tape finished, the mother got up silently and left the church sorrowfully. I wanted to reach out and help, but something stopped me. It wasn’t the right time, and neither was it my place to answer a question directed to God.

 

The following Easter, our church held a Good Friday service. Usually during Holy Week, we held a Maundy Thursday service, but I thought it would be good if we tried something different. When I preached about the Cross that night and talked about God losing His Son to death, and feeling the grief of that separation, it was as if a light went on for the grieving mother. For the first time, since her son’s death, she could relate to God. He shared her heartbreak and knew the emptiness, hurt, and grief that she bore. God’s love was indeed better than life, not because it was holier or more perfect; God’s love was better than life because it was grounded in the reality of pain and suffering, loss and loneliness, sadness and grief.

 

Some of us may be carrying a grief that continues to hurt us and separates us from God. Perhaps if we remember that God understands our wounds because He experienced the same, it will draw us closer to Him, instead of keeping us at a distance.

 

Prayer:             Father God, when Jesus died on the Cross, You allowed Yourself to be hurt and wounded by the pain of separation, injustice, and suffering. During His death, You felt His loss and knew of the emptiness that grief can bring. You restored Him to life because You knew that pain and death, suffering and loss cannot be allowed to triumph in this world or the next. Help us to recognize that Your love is everlasting and that through faith in Christ, all things can be reconciled, restored, and resurrected. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Thistle Faith

Hebrews 4:2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.

 

My brothers back in Scotland are ardent Partick Thistle supporters. They’ve supported that soccer team for most of their lives. I used to go to some of the soccer matches when I was at High school, but I didn’t develop the fanaticism for the team that my siblings experienced.

 

One year, Partick Thistle managed to get to a Scottish Cup Final. My brothers were ecstatic, but I wasn’t impressed. Their team was up against Glasgow Celtic, who were world beaters at that time. Celtic had recently won the European Cup, so I told my brothers that Thistle would get slaughtered. Most of the Scottish sports newspapers were also predicting the same, but my brothers still believed their team would beat Celtic by an odd goal.

 

On the day of the Cup Final, I went hiking in the hills above Glasgow. I just couldn’t bring myself to watching the game and dealing with my brothers’ disappointment. They, of course, all went to the game, sporting their red, yellow and black Partick Thistle scarves.

 

As I predicted, it was a one-sided game. In fact, the winning team managed to score four goals in the first half. By the time the match was over, the losing side was absolutely gutted and humiliated.

 

My brothers were jubilant. Partick Thistle won the match, which has gone down in Scottish sporting history as one of the most glorious football games ever played. They still talk about it to me, and remind me that I just didn’t have enough faith in the team when it came to the game of the century.

 

The writer of Hebrews expresses a similar idea. He talks about people hearing the good news, but not combining it with faith. The gospel is worth nothing to anyone, no matter how many times they read or hear it, if they do not make that essential connection of faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Perhaps we know of some people like that in our families and amongst our friends. We need to pray that they will not only hear the Gospel, but that they will open their hearts and minds, their lives and souls to receiving the gospel. No amount of preaching at them or wishful thinking is ever going to get them into heaven. It’s only when they make a personal connection to Christ that the Gospel truly becomes priceless and invaluable. It’s only when they combine it with faith that the Gospel becomes eternally effective for their souls.

 

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, without faith, all of our church going, Bible reading and Gospel hearing is null and void. Without making that real, personal connection and commitment to You, we are doomed for all of eternity. Help us to reach out to our loved ones and express to them the danger of not combining their general beliefs about Christianity with a real and honest faith that You are their Savior, that You are their Lord. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

A New Wisdom

Job 32:9 It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.

 

I think it was during the 1960’s that the phrase ‘generation gap’ was first used. All over the world, young people were rebelling against the institutions of their day by dropping out of school, confronting the authorities, and staying away from church. For those of us who can remember, the summer of 1968 seemed to be full of riots on the streets, sit-ins on campuses, and protest marches in every large town. It was amazing to see young people challenge society in every continent under the sun. It was a time of uncertainty, but there was also an excitement about the radicalism those times produced.

 

There’s a new movement happening again, spear-headed by young people, who are casting off the old ways of doing church. They’re calling themselves the ‘emerging church’ and our denominations and religious institutions need to start listening to their voices. These young people are rejecting the hype and hypocrisy of church styles that no longer connect with their spirits. They are joining together in small groups, worshiping in their homes, and studying scripture together in online chat rooms. They are developing a simple liturgy and adopting a life style that won’t give in to societal or ecclesiastical pressure. They are the closest church movement to reflect New Testament Christianity and, as they emerge, our monolithic, classical, and tri-centennial structures will begin to crumble and fall.

 

As Elihu says to Job in this passage, “It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.” The question we must face today is this: are we preparing our churches for this emerging faith community in the days ahead, or are we still trying to uphold traditions that are dying on the vine?

 

Prayer:             Lord Jesus, sometimes we forget that You accomplished Your greatest years of ministry when You were in your early thirties. You challenged the centuries old traditions that were stifling the people and You came to fulfill God’s plan of salvation by radical means. As our old ways die and a new church emerges, grant us the wisdom to follow the path that You are plowing amongst younger disciples. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.

Testing, testing

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Morning Star

Revelation 22:16        "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (NIV)

 

Sometimes, though not very often, I get up just before sunrise to look at the sky. I enjoy the transformation of the light and colors from indigo to blue, with a mixture of grays, yellows, oranges and reds. On cloudless mornings, the stars seem to switch off one by one, until there is only one, bright morning star in the heavens.

 

It shines like a beautiful jewel, but it doesn’t twinkle. Its light is clear and bright and years ago I discovered that it’s not a star. It’s the planet Venus, reflecting the light of the Sun. To the naked eye, it looks like a bright star, but if you take time to look at it through a telescope, you’ll also discover that Venus goes through the same phases as the moon, so sometimes you see half a planet, a quarter, or even a crescent.

 

To the ancients, the morning star was a symbol of hope, and in this passage from Revelation, Christ refers to Himself as this bright star. In other words, He’s telling all of us that hope comes to us each day through His loving, merciful and benevolent presence.

 

Today, we may be facing some trouble or hardship, some crisis or concerns. Whatever they are and however fearful we may be, let’s hold on to this eternal hope that Christ has given us. He is our bright, Morning Star and He will always be with us to lead us from the darkness of our fears into the glorious brightness of faith.

 

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, when troubles assail us and we get downhearted, be the brightness that we need. When things go wrong and we are hurt, heal us and bathe us with Your loving light. When we get scared of feel as though our worries will overshadow our lives, lead us back into the rays of hope. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Divided, we Fail

John 7: 43      Thus the people were divided because of Jesus.

 

Growing up in Glasgow, Scotland, I experienced some of the prejudice and bitterness that existed between Presbyterian Protestants and Roman Catholics. One of the first songs that I learned in elementary school was all about ridiculing the Pope, and taunting his people as dirty Cats. Of course, there was a similar song that derided Protestants as Proddy Dogs. I was five years old at the time and didn’t know any better. After all, it was just a song.

 

However, when I happily came home from school one day and started singing it in my mother’s presence, she whacked me across the head. I, of course, was indignant. Obviously, because she was a Roman Catholic, she didn’t like the song. As I nursed my red ear, I assured myself that things would be different when my Protestant Dad came home from work.

 

When he arrived, I quickly told him what had happened and waited for him to dispute the issue with my mom. But my Dad just whacked me across the other side of my head and fiercely said, “We’ll have none of that bigotry in my house. Go and apologize to your mother, John!” It was a lesson that I never forgot. It was also a song that I never sang again.

 

It’s a sad fact, but religious people can be the most divisive human beings on the planet. In Christ’s time, the people who watched His miracles and actually heard His teaching were divided over their own ideas and conclusions about who He was. Instead of being united behind Him, they allowed their own misconceptions, prejudices, and petty jealousies to misinterpret His message and works. Instead of seeing His ministry as a means of uniting them, the people checked His challenges by remaining defiantly divided.

Perhaps, as we undergo a time of unrest and instability in our national church, we should ask ourselves this question: is this division caused by our prejudices, or has Christ come to challenge and change our ways?

 

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, does it hurt You when we hurt one another? Does it grieve Your heart when we are disrespectful and disunited as a church? Are we so full of ourselves, our own ideas, and opinions that we have forgotten compassion, concern, and consideration? Help us, Lord, to be united in and with You. Grant us the discernment to follow Your path, instead of seeking to make everyone else follow our ways. In Your Holy Name, we pray.

Food for Thought

Deuteronomy 12:23 But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

 

There are some things that I really miss about not being in Scotland, even after all of these years. I get homesick for the people, the places, the scenery and the songs. I long for the accents and traditions, the green hills and the rugged shores. But something that I crave more often as not, is the food: and one type of food in particular: a black pudding supper.

 

I used to love going to the fish and chip shop at the weekend to get a bottle of Irn Bru (put that in your search engine and see what happens!) and a large black pudding with a whole host of deep fried chips(called French fries over here). It was not the healthiest of meals, and probably the combination of the sugary drink and the cholesterol packed supper have contributed to more blocked arteries in Scotland than anything else, but to me it was delicious, even although the pudding itself was made out of blood. I guess that’s why God didn’t choose Scots to be His Holy people during Old Testament times. I don’t think we could have given up all that unhealthy food!

 

Today’s verse from Deuteronomy reveals to us the origins of the kosher food laws of the Jewish people. Whilst the heathens and pagans around them ate and drank what they liked, God prescribed a diet for His people which would keep them fit and healthy for their nomadic life in the wilderness. If you stop to think about it, all that walking, combined with this sacred diet, probably meant that the Hebrew children were physically stronger than the communities around them. God was not only keeping them free from eating unclean or unhealthy foods, He was also keeping them fit for the conflicts that inevitably took place.

 

Sometimes we rebel against God’s laws, thinking that we know better, or that His words are out-dated and irrelevant. But perhaps instead of casting aside God’s commandments, we should really ask ourselves what their purpose is; why are they so important to God; and how do they strengthen our community?

 

Prayer:                        Father God, sometimes we think that Your ways are culturally irrelevant, socially retarded, and politically incorrect. Help us to scrutinize and examine Your words, instead of criticizing and abandoning them. Show us a better way of living our lives and enable us to keep spiritually fit for the inevitable cultural conflicts that lie ahead. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Identifying Idols

Isaiah 42:17 But those who trust in idols, who say to images, 'You are our gods,' will be turned back in utter shame.

 

I can remember when I was at college, walking down the street with a few of my friends. We had just taken an exam and we were all carrying on. I guess we were relieved to have finished the test and just wanted to enjoy ourselves.

 

As we were laughing and cajoling, I stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street, and all of a sudden I heard a terrifying screech of brakes. A car stopped inches away from me and a rather irate, red-faced driver began to curse me out. My friends looked totally shocked, and we all quickly realized how close we came to causing an accident. We apologized to the driver, hurriedly crossed the street, and quietly walked to a local bookstore.

 

Because we had been so full of ourselves, we were distracted from what was going on around us. Because we had centered on our own amusement, we were blind to the busy traffic. We had idolized our group at that moment, and cared little for anyone else.

 

Idols are the things that distract us from God and the reality of His presence with us. In the psalmist’s time, idols were easy to spot – they were normally made out of wood or stone – and people placed them in their homes, on their rooftops, or at the center of their villages. Idols are not so easy to identify these days – they may be our televisions, computers, x-boxes, or blackberries – they may be fishing rods, guitars, golf clubs, or tennis rackets – they may be our homes, our possessions, or even our cars – the list is endless. An idol is whatever we can't possibly do without or can't possibly miss, and which, in the process, has become more important to us than focusing, worshipping, and serving God.

 

Prayer:            Lord God, sometimes we shamefully obsess and focus on things that cause us to cast You aside and forget about Your continual presence. Sometimes we allow ourselves to satisfy our desires and fill our greed without being aware that we have idolized our possessions and property, our pursuits and passions. Free us, Lord, from the chains of idolatry that bind our souls and separate us from You. Help us to seek service in Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

Gospel Truth

John 18:20 "I have spoken openly to the world," Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. NIV

 

I was sitting in as a guest on a radio program this morning and people were calling in about the Da Vinci Code. They wanted to discuss the possibility of Jesus being married. Some callers had taken what Dan Brown writes in his book as gospel, and so they were inclined to believe that Jesus was in fact the husband of Mary Magdalene.

 

But if Jesus kept this hidden, then He lied to the Sanhedrin officials, and that lie, even if it was the only one He ever told, would have disqualified Him from being perfect. And without that perfection, His sacrifice for our sins would not be complete. And if that sacrifice was not perfect or complete, then we would have no hope of being forgiven, nor could any promise of eternal life ever be fulfilled.

 

You see, this is the danger of being thrilled and fascinated with popular novels and smash hits at the box office. If we lend credibility to what they portray, then we, albeit unwittingly, unravel our faith, deny the Gospels, and reject Christ’s claims. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, “Either Jesus is all He claimed to be, or He is the greatest lunatic and most diabolical liar in the universe.”

 

These are troubled times for the Church, and yet they are also full of great opportunities. If we take time to read the Gospels, learn Christian history, and study our centuries old theology, then we will be able to answer the questions this book raises. And in the end, a well-educated church will be stronger and more able to influence society for the better.

 

Prayer:     Lord Jesus, give us a thirst to learn all that we can about You and the New Testament Church. Help us to strengthen our faith, by devoting more time to the scriptures, Christian history, and theology. Grant us the enthusiasm to share our faith with others at deeper levels. In Your Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

Side Tracking

Mark 1: 38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."

 

Jesus didn't like to be side-tracked or to lose His focus on what was important. He could have stayed with the Galilean people for the rest of His life and healed every one of their ailments. He would have been the most popular guy in the area and folks would have traveled thousands of miles to be where He was. But Christ knew that although the healing of sickness and illness was important to the crowds, it wasn't what He was primarily sent to do.

 

You and I would probably have lingered in that village and lapped up the popularity and prestige that comes with healing people. We would have been people pleasers and supplied everyone’s wants. To have the power that Christ had, would have set us up for success, fame, and fortune.

 

But Jesus had something else to accomplish. He had a serious mission, an obligation to God that would involve confronting evil, challenging lives and setting people free from sin. He had a preaching ministry that couldn't be compromised or set aside, even although it cost Him popularity and ended up bringing Him a lot of pain.

 

Sometimes our churches can be sidetracked by issues and agendas, politics and programs that are all about pleasing ourselves and pandering to our wants. When that happens, we are in danger of setting aside prophetic preaching, meaningful messages, and winning souls. We become a country club instead of a thorn in society; we become a cozy clique instead of effective influencers in our community.

 

Christ preaches through every one of us, everyday and in every situation. Where we are mistaken, we should preach confession. Where we are mistreated, we should preach forgiveness. Where we are blessed, we should preach generosity. And where we are proud, we should preach humility.

 

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us to focus on what You want with our lives, and not what we want You to do for our lives. Challenge our selfish ways and change our sinful hearts. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.