Short devotion: Sleeping Sheep - Mark 13:36

Mark 13:36     If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

There’s an old joke told about a Vatican priest rushing in to the Pope’s throne room in Rome and shouting, “ The Lord Jesus has returned to Earth! What will we do? What will we do?”

The Pope simply replies: “Look busy.”

I still laugh at that joke, but the older I get, I also understand the fundamental truth behind it. What if Jesus returned to Earth today, would we be ready or caught sleeping?

Because we live in a society where instant gratification and unhindered leisure are important to us, we may be caught off guard when Christ does return. We keep taking shallow short cuts with our faith and are constantly distracted from making a deeper connection to God via worship, meditation, prayer, and study. We want our theology to be thin and palatable; we want our Bibles to be read in short bytes and simple verses; and we want our worship to be convenient and passive, instead of challenging and passionate. In other words, we want a cozy, comfortable faith to soothe our spirits and anaesthetize our souls.

In John Bunyan’s amazing book, ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress,’ the hero is called ‘Christian’ and he endures a harsh journey from the City of Destruction to the Gates of Heaven. Just before he reaches the end of the journey, he has to pass through a dangerous pathway where many fellow travelers are sleeping. They are sleeping because they have taken their faith for granted and will sadly never finish the journey, or enter into God’s Kingdom. Christian has to steel himself and summon all of his faith resources in order to overcome such a subtle temptation. Only by persevering faithfully, does Christian win the battle and get into Heaven. He is alert and awake for the Lord’s Return; he is heartily welcomed and cheerfully accepted into the Lord’s Domain.

Question for personal reflection

Am I ready for the Lord’s Return or am I guilty of falling asleep and taking Him for granted?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You could re-appear any day now and yet we live as though it won’t happen in our lifetime. Forgive us for disregarding the teaching of the scriptures and the challenges of the Gospel. Keep us alert and ready, as well as eagerly awaiting Your Promised Return. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is John’s latest lectionary drawing called “Water and Spirit.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8005/7259851996_ad06a17b9f_h.jpg

Pentecost devotion: Thrown Down - Mark 13:2

Mark 13:2       "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; each one will be thrown down."

It was a shocking thing to say, but Jesus said it any way. When He declared that all the great Jerusalem buildings, including the Temple, would be thrown down, He was prophesying about an event that would occur almost forty years later. It was shocking because Jerusalem had just been through an architectural renaissance of its city. The great buildings and the new Temple were proudly admired by the Jews. Some of their national prestige had been restored by these new worship centers and edifices. Jesus was spoiling the celebrations and puncturing Jewish pride.

At His trial, Christ’s words would be used against Him and bring about His execution by both the religious and political authorities. His words would be treated as both blasphemy and treason, causing Him to be arrested, tortured, and painfully executed.

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus would say the same about our own structures, edifices, and policies. Maybe we have taken great pride in building up a Church that doesn’t have long to exist. Perhaps we are pinning our pride to a system that is ready to crumble, or a theology that will take us down a dead end. This is why it is important to focus on the Holy Spirit at this time of Pentecost. What is He saying to us? What is He working towards? What is He asking us to do?

After Jerusalem and its great buildings were torn down in AD70 by the Romans, Judaism was reformed by the rabbis at Javneh in AD93 and Christianity emerged as a new faith. Perhaps then, we should be asking ourselves this question: if our church buildings and structures were to collapse within a generation, how would our faith reform and what new ways to Christ would emerge?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are the Foundation and Corner Stone of our faith. Build our people into churches of compassion, truth, and mission. Give us the understanding to see the Way ahead and help us to embrace the Holy Spirit as He reshapes, reforms, and renews Your Church on Earth. In Your sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is John’s latest Pentecost drawing called “Spirit on Fire.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7251220410_933cbb13fa_b.jpg

Daily devotions: The Language of Heaven - Genesis 12:1

Genesis 12:1   The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”

Genesis 12v1 was the very first Bible verse that I ever had to read, pronounce, and translate in Hebrew and it got me hooked on studying the Old Testament at Glasgow University in Scotland. My professor, Robert Davidson, was an outstanding biblical scholar and when he gently spoke the verses in Hebrew, you could hear from his voice how much he loved the ancient language in his heart. As he lyrically pronounced each word and syllable, I yearned to study Hebrew. It was a new part of my faith journey into ministry and it’s something that I still cherish.

Prof. Davidson made the text come alive and created an amazing picture of Abram’s journey to Canaan with his descriptions. He was Old School, which meant that he had been a parish pastor before becoming a university professor. This also meant that his lectures, which were full of wonderful research and knowledge, were also grounded in grass roots faith. Years later, he became the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and is still regarded as one of the finest spiritual leaders that Caledonia has ever known.

God commanded Abram to leave all that was familiar to him and go to a land that he had never seen. Abram’s obedient response puts a whole chain of events into motion that still affects many of us today. Three great faiths – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – are born in that amazing moment. Abram’s blind acceptance of God’s Word not only affects his immediate family, it changes the history of the world.

Today God will call each of us to do His bidding, some of which may have life changing effects upon our lives, our families, and even our careers. The question we may have to ask of ourselves is not whether we are willing to listen to Him, but are we willing to listen and obey God?

Prayer:                        Lord God, we each believe that You have a plan for our lives, a call to our hearts, and a ministry to fulfill. Help us to be ready, willing, and able to accept Your Word, work, and way for our lives. In Christ’s Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of my latest Pentecost drawings. It’s called “Pentecost People” and is a simple depiction of the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5453/7238891276_57f5062184_b.jpg

Pentecost devotions: Journey of Joy

Today's Bible reading: Genesis 11:27-32

Genesis 11:31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

Last Sunday morning, after the worship service, we held a special ceremony to re-dedicate the church bell. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful event. We took time to remember one of our dearest elders and friends, as well as delighting in the official opening of the new site for our church bell.

The church bell goes back to the founding of our congregation and is the oldest artifact that we possess. For almost seven generations, it has been used to call the faithful to worship on Sunday mornings. It has been heard by Scots-Irish immigrants of the late nineteenth century. It proclaimed the ending of both the First and Second World Wars. It remained with us throughout the turbulent sixties and seventies, and now it has been restored in the 21^st century to a beautiful location next to the front entrance. All being well, it will outlive the present congregation and, who knows, it may one day herald the Second Coming of Christ to the Earth.

The story of the first Erin congregation is similar to the biblical account of Abram and Sarai. The Erin people also left the land of their birth and journeyed thousands of miles to settle in a place of promises. With hard work and determination, true grit and a focused faith, they carved out a living and eventually settled here in Knoxville, Tennessee. They called their new church ‘Erin,’ which is the ancient Gaelic word for Ireland. They planted a congregation and sewed seeds of faith which are still bearing fruit today. Just like the patriarchs of old, their work has been rewarded and their faithfulness has been blessed. The journey of joy continues; the mission of Christ goes on.

Questions for personal reflection

How has the faith of past generations influenced and affected me? What am I doing with that faith today in order to ensure that it will be passed on to future generations?

Prayer:            Lord God, you are the Maker of Time and the Shaper of History. You have raised up generations of faithful men and women to serve the continuing ministry and constant mission of Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for allowing us to be a part of Christ’s work on Earth. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called “Spirit-2012.” Its creation involves paper sculpting, wax crayons, and a scanner. If you would like to view a larger version, please click here: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7217562558_43d588ee31_b.jpg

(It’s also available as a t-shirt at John’s CafePress website at http://www.cafepress.com/stushietees )

Daily devotions: A Living Covenant - Genesis 9:13

Genesis 9:13 “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.” 

Like most people on Earth, I love seeing rainbows. The colors are always fantastic and the whole experience is mystical, especially when the bow arcs across a dark gray sky and then gradually disappears as the rains move on. Sometimes a double bow will appear and once I saw three bows together. That always thrills the child within me and I feel blessed to having seen something naturally beautiful. I know that there are scientific reasons why rainbows occur and it all has to do with the refraction of light against droplets of rain. Whatever the cause, I still stop to look at rainbows and experience the wonder of it all.

I also understand the covenant that God made with the Earth when the first rainbow was produced after the Great Flood. That promise was made not just with people, but the whole of life on Earth. This tells me that God greatly cares for all of Creation and not just human beings. We are just one species of many creatures on Earth and God loves them all; after all, who among us doesn’t love the things that we have created and crafted with our own hands? Don’t we also sit back, enjoy, care for all that we have made?

Next time I see a rainbow, I will delight in its short existence and thank God for such a blessing. I will also remind myself that the rainbow is not just for me, but for every living creature under its vibrant arc.

Question for personal reflection

Where do I find God’s promises being fulfilled in my life? 

Prayer:        Lord God, thank You for the wonder and beauty that rainbows evoke in our hearts and minds. We also praise You for the Promise of sustaining the Earth with Your blessings and grace. We are grateful to be living on and enjoying a planet with an amazing variety of living things. Help us to help You take care of it all. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen. 

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

 Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings. It’s called “Pentecost Power” and is a stained glass design of the Holy Spirit descending to the Earth. Symbols of flames and the rainbow permeate throughout the drawing. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7200604314_e1352d502e_b.jpg

Daily devotions: The Missing Verse - Mark 11 v 26

Mark 11:26     “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your sins.”

In some early Gospel manuscripts, Mark 11 v 26 is missing. Either the person who was copying the original scrolls forgot to add in the verse, or the verse was added at a much later date. Thousands of years later, we still don’t know what to do with it, making it a mystery that we will never be able to unravel.

Some Bible translations deal with the problem by placing the verse as a footnote. That way the verse is included in the Bible, but is not officially a part of the translated passage. The new International Version of the Bible, which I read regularly constantly, places footnotes on practically every page of Mark’s Gospel. This means that the translators have been using more than several manuscripts to write the Gospel in English. It also means that they haven’t been able to agree on which version is the most original.

Most of the time the omission doesn’t really alter the emphatic meaning of the story, event, or teaching of Christ, but in the case of Mark 11:20-26 it actually does. Verse 25 ends with Christ granting authority to His disciples to forgive sins which the Church has used over the centuries to control people. When you add in verse 26, the whole passage takes on a new meaning: if Christ’s followers refuse to forgive, then they will also be unforgiven by God. In other words, when the Church refuses to forgive, it places itself in an unforgiven category. Jesus is teaching His disciples and us that grace is not just a godly gift; it is also a religious real-life obligation placed upon Christ’s followers.

Question for Personal Reflection

If God forgives me the same way I forgive others, what does that actually mean for me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, forgiveness is an essential part of being a Christian. We are meant to forgive others because we are forgiven by You. We are also forgiven by God in the same manner that we forgive others. This is both a great mercy and a heavy responsibility. Help us to review how and who we forgive. Keep us mindful of how this forgiveness affects our everlasting relationship with You. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings. It’s called “Spirit in the City” and is an art nouveau type stained glass design of the Holy Spirit descending to Earth at Pentecost. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8168/7174563066_24c0631105_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: A Real Promise - Genesis 8:22

Genesis 8:22   (God said) “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

I am not a scientist so I have to trust what the environmentalists tell me about what’s happening to the planet. I also don’t fully understand what global warming may or may not be, so I have to depend upon them to let me know the truth. If they have a political agenda or an ecological philosophy to push, no matter what the facts present, I wouldn’t know because I am no expert in their fields. It’s all a matter of trust and faith, good will and wise conclusions.

I’m a theologian and a biblical scholar, so when I read in Genesis that God says everything will be okay on this planet so long as the Earth endures, then I trust that His promises are true. Throughout my life, I have never known of God breaking His Word, so I can readily accept that thousands of years ago, when He stated that the agricultural and weather cycles on Earth would persist, as long as the Earth endures, then it will always be the case. I realize, however, that these cycles will only continue so long as the Earth herself is sustained. If we destroy the planet by abusing the environment then those cycles, upon which all life on Earth depends, will be absolutely ruined. In other words, we don’t have to worry about God bringing the world to an end – we can manage that tragedy all on our own.

Question for personal reflection

­How can I faithfully serve God through cherishing the Earth and protecting its environment?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are the King of all Creation and we best serve You when we look after others and the world that we live in. Help us to recycle our faith through sharing it with others, as well as combining our resources with other Christians to renew and value the Earth. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s latest digital glass drawings. It’s called “The Bright Morning Star.” If you would like to view a larger version, click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7187/6997700470_2e5fe82c6e_b.jpg

Daily devotions: Two by Two? - Genesis 7: 2-3

Genesis 7:2-3              Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth.

‘The animals went into the ark, two by two; the elephant, giraffe, and kangaroo’ was part of a children’s song that I used to sing in Sunday school. I loved to do the actions and sounds of all the animals and could even picture them in my mind walking onto the ark in perfect pairs. Two of every kind of animal that ever existed – except that it wasn’t two at all – for some ‘clean’ animals it was fourteen in all, especially sheep and cattle. Fourteen birds of every kind were also included. ‘Two by two’ might sound great as a rhyme to the word kangaroo, but ‘seven by two’ doesn’t really fit in the song or as a picture in my mind’s eye.

This is a good example of a popular misconception of the Bible. We’ve become so used to singing ‘two by two’ and seeing pictures, drawings, cartoons, as well as movies depicting this image that we take it for granted and believe it to be correct. If we don’t read the Bible accurately, then we accept the popular misconception. If we don’t take time to study God’s Book, then we will take short cuts and believe what is currently acceptable.

This is why Gospel preachers are presently struggling with society. There are a lot of popular misconceptions and even some serious deceptions going on in Church World. If people take the Bible for granted, they’ll end up believing in anything and make up their own ideas about Jesus and God. Usually those ideas will be shaped around their own lifestyle choices. It’s far easier to live with a popular misconception than it is to live according to an unpopular biblical truth. It’s far simpler to make up ideas about God and think everything will be okay rather than actually reading His Word and accepting the robust challenges of the Gospel. ‘Two by two’ and ‘kangaroo’ are far easier to rhyme for children than ‘seven by two’ or fourteen, but when we become adults can we honestly continue to accept popular misconceptions about our faith?

Questions for personal reflection

What is the actual source of my Christian beliefs? Have I succumbed to popular misconceptions or surrendered to God’s True Word?

Prayer:             Lord Jesus, Your words are Gospel and God’s Word is Truth. Somehow we’ve managed to stop regularly reading the Bible and, in doing so, have diluted and even ‘dumbed down’ the standards of our Faith. Forgive us for such arrogance, ignorance, and foolishness. Help us to humbly turn to You as the source of all that is true as revealed through the Holy Words of the Gospel. In Your Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is John’s latest lectionary drawing called “True Vine.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/7140981637_f1a12a5d31_b.jpg