Monday, January 23, 2012

Halftime devotions: Coffee House Christians - Matthew 21:23

Today’s Bible readings are Isaiah 43:1-7 and Matthew 21:23-27

Matthew 21:23            Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?" 

I went to my usual coffee shop last Sunday morning before church. My wife Evelyn and I get up early to go there, meet a few acquaintances, and quietly prepare ourselves for the busy-ness of Sunday school and worship. We’ve been doing it for a while and it helps us to relax before we get to the church building.

Last Sunday, however, part of our coffee ritual was disturbed because one of the coffee house regulars handed me a sheet with his personal belief statement on it. He knows that I am a pastor, so he felt it was important for him to let me know why he doesn’t go to church. At the top of his statement are these words: ‘Jesus did not intend and never wanted to be worshipped; He wanted to be followed.’

What followed on from that bold statement was a justification of not going to worship or of being a part of church. It was the usual anti-religious argument that I have often heard time and time again on both sides of the Atlantic. Inwardly, my initial reaction is usually ‘if you feel that way about church worship, then why do you feel so guilty about staying away from it?’ Outwardly, I told my coffee house friend that I would read his remarks and write him a reply. I hope to have that ready for next Sunday morning.

My main response will be something like this: Jesus may not have wished to be worshipped, but on the Sabbath, He was always found to be at the local synagogue or Temple worshipping, glorifying, and honoring God. If weekly worship was good enough for Jesus, then why isn’t it good enough for us?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we worship You because You have saved us and restored us to God forever. We glorify You because You conquered sin and vanquished the power of death. We will always praise Your Holy Name, each day on Earth and throughout eternity. In You, we live, serve, and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment about today’s message, then please send an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest drawing called “Spirit of Pentecost.” It’s an artistic depiction of the Holy Spirit descending to Earth on the First Christian Pentecost. You can view a larger version at the following link:

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