World Tartan Day in Knoxville!!

Sunday April 6th is World Tartan Day, so wherever you are in Knoxville, wear your plaids and tartans! Practically everyone in Appalachia has a Scots-Irish connection, so celebrate the day by wearing your most colorful plaids.

In Knoxville, Erin Presbyterian Church will be hosting a Kirking of the Tartans worship service. A piper, a drummer, and some kilted representatives of the Scottish Society of Knoxville will be present. They will be proudly bearing their Scottish clan banners and presenting them for a blessing by the minister.

Scottish pastor John Stuart, who is a regular Monday guest on The Voice (WQBB 1040AM 10-12noon weekdays), will be conducting the service. One of John’s ancestors, Captain John Stuart, was the first Superintendent of the Cherokee nation, and was stationed at Fort Loudon centuries ago.

During the service, Pastor Stuart will explain the story about the blessing of the Tartans, which informally began in the 17th century when the Scots were prohibited from wearing their plaids. Three centuries later, Scots preacher Peter Marshall, who was Chaplain to the Senate on Capitol Hill, revived the ceremony which is celebrated throughout the United States.

The worship service and parade begin at 11.00AM. Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy the spectacle!

Erin Church is located on Lockett Road, which is just off Kingston Pike on Bearden Hill.

Erin Church Sunday Sermon: Where Do we Grow from here?

Where Do We Grow from Here?

Ephesians 6:24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

We have come to the end of a five month journey that we began way back in June. At that time, I told you that we were on a mission to find a new path, a new direction for our church. In my heart, I felt that God was beginning to move us as a church to start thinking about how we could make an impact for Christ in our community.

When I was pondering over what our church should do, I felt led by the Spirit to take us through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians because they were also a church that knew the Lord, but needed to be pointed in the right direction. Today we complete our journey and I hope and pray that this has been something that has drawn all of us closer to Christ and ready for whatever he is asking us to do as a Presbyterian church in this part of Knoxville.

As Paul finishes his letter, he reminds the good folks at Ephesus that he is a prisoner for Christ. He is held captive, whilst the Ephesians are free. He is under house arrest or perhaps in jail. The Ephesians Christians still walk about in their own community, free to serve the Lord, free to worship together, free to do their own thing.

So apostle signs off with these beautiful words of faith: ‘Grace to all who love our lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.’ Paul is doing two things here: he’s finishing his letter with words of encouragement, prayer, and peace. He wants the Ephesian congregation to feel good about their faith, and to be strengthened by his positive words. But Paul is also doing something which is very important: when he gives the blessing to those who love Jesus with an undying love, he’s actually passing the torch of faith to the next generation.

We did something similar this morning when we recognized our young worship graduates. We showed them how pleased we were with their work and asked God to bless them as they graduate into worshipping with us throughout the service. As well thanking them for the work that they and their teachers have done, we were also setting them off on anew voyage of discovery where faith is more than Sunday School classes and Enrichment times – it’s a lifestyle choice of worshipping God and praising Christ. So, in effect were saying to these our precious young people – Grace to you who love the Lord with an undying love. In other words, become the torchbearers of faith for your generation.

Throughout the summer, I’ve talked about what previous generations of Erinites have done for God and Christ’s Kingdom and how their perseverance, sense of duty, and loyalty to Jesus has given us this church that we worship in today. It’s now our turn to continue that 130 year journey of faith and lead our church into its 14th decade. It’s our privilege to be a crossroads generation where the decisions we take and the sacrifices we make are going to enhance, expand, and increase Christ’s work in this community. The love that Erin Church has for Christ is an undying love, and one that we should all be rightly proud of undertaking, achieving, and accomplishing.


Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

The story of the church at Ephesus does not end with Paul’s letter. It continues for many centuries producing some of the greatest teachers and leaders that the church has known. Paul’s protégé Timothy, to whom Paul writes two very personal letters becomes the bishop of Ephesus. And John the Apostle, the youngest of Christ’s disciples, lives in Ephesus with Christ’s mother, Mary, where both of them die and were buried.

But there comes a time in the church’s life when their faith began to cool and their passionate allegiance to the Gospel started to dissipate. When John writes the Book of Revelation, he lists the church of Ephesus as one of the seven stars held in Christ’s hand. The church is applauded for its perseverance, but it has one fatal flaw: the congregation has forgotten its first love.

Remember, Paul talked about Ephesus having a undying love for Christ, and yet about 25 years later, in John the Apostle’s vision, Christ accuses it of having lost that love. Churches go through cycles of being passionate for Christ and then they become comfortable and cozy, institutionalized and indifferent. Congregations can rest on the laurels of the past and individual Christians can coast along with their faith until they lose that love of Jesus, which meant so much to them.

Many years ago, when I first became a Christian, I had two friends who were also named John. One of them was an ambitious civil servant, whose zeal for the Lord was wonderful. The other was an electrician who was part of a youth group that used to visit the Gospel Club that both Evelyn and I attended. I was the third member of thee group – a recovering alcoholic who was trying to straighten out his life and make a real commitment to Christ. All three of us gave our hearts to Jesus. Each one of us was zealous for the work of the Lord.

John the civil servant wanted to learn administration skills so that he could one day be the CEO of a religious charity organization. He wanted to serve the Lord in that capacity and make important decisions that would save the lives of thousands of people. John the electrician wanted to have his own business, be happily married, and serve the Lord by using his business to help people who couldn’t afford to pay for his services. As for me, I just wanted to remain sober and to tell others about Jesus.

But as the years sped by, we all lost our love of the Lord. I went to university to become a minister, but found it difficult to keep my simple faith when the theological professors and biblical lecturers tried to tear it apart. They wanted me to believe in their research and study, their conclusions and opinions, their words and ways. There were times when I wanted to give everything up and I felt as though I was in a spiritual wilderness. And then one of the saints in the Divinity faculty, my Old Testament professor, who knew I was struggling told me this: John, it’s not our grasp of God that is important; it is God’s grasp of us that is all important. You don’t need to hold on to God – you just need to let Him hold on to you.”

At the same time, civil servant John was given some great promotions, which eventually led him to becoming a chief advisor to the Prime Minister in Britain. But it cost him his faith. As he climbed the ladder of success, he used his talents to better his life and build up his esteem and renown in the British Civil service. He eventually stopped going to church, believing that he could get along with organized religion and look after his own spirituality in his own way. In other words, he lost his love of Jesus and replaced it with love of self.

And what about John the electrician? I hadn’t seen him for a while and met him at a disco party for someone’s birthday. Yes, I said disco – that shows you how long ago this all took place! I had managed to stop drinking entirely and he was quite agitated by this. In the middle of the celebration, he came up and asked me as strange question: He asked: “And how is your soul? Are you still looking after it?” I didn’t know what to say, because John was drunk. There was a sad expression on his face and emptiness in his eyes.

He worked hard as an electrician, but he married the wrong person. His wife was immature and highly strung. She reminded me of a character in David Copperfield. John couldn’t handle the strain and one dark night he went absolutely crazy, smashed all the windows of his apartment, and jumped off from the ledge of the fourteenth storey to his death. I was in total shock when I heard the news.

Losing our love of Jesus can take us down paths that lead to dead ends and empty lives. John the Apostle was warning the Ephesus Church that they were in danger of losing the reason they were established: to love Christ first and to serve Him faithfully. They were on a ledge of losing everything that Paul had established and of letting go of the Holy Spirit who founded the church. They were at a crossroads of faith. Depending on how they responded to John’s vision of Christ, they would either go onward and upward, or fall backward and downward into death.

Revelation 2:7b To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Thankfully, the Ephesian Church chose the upward path. They corrected their course and rediscovered their first love. They went through a time of revival and three hundred and fifty years later, an important Council of all the churches in Christendom gathered at Ephesus in 451AD to make a decision that Christ was both human and divine, that He was Lord of heaven and earth, and that He was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They overcame and were given that beautiful blessing of life which God promises to those churches that are faithful to Him and His precious Son.

So, where do we grow from here? Are we ready to rediscover that love of Christ which brought us to church in the first place? Are we prepared to express our undying love to Him and let the community around us see that love through our deeds? Are we set in place to commence a journey of faith and revival that will honor the Erinites of the past and prepare the way for the undying lovers of Christ in the generations to come?

I believe that we are and I know that we can do this. Where do we grow from here…to all the places and people that Christ is leading us. To Him be the glory and power. Amen!

Erin - a beautiful isle of faith for 130 years

Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic,"
O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it." (NIV)

I studied Aramaic for a year at seminary. It’s a bit like Biblical Hebrew, but not quite as lyrical or refined. It was fascinating to me to read the old language because scholars believed that Jesus Himself actually spoke Aramaic. You’ll perhaps remember Mel Gibson’s movie, “The Passion of Christ.” Throughout the movie, Jesus and His disciples speak in Aramaic. It was Gibson’s way of creating authenticity for his film.

Old languages have some wonderful single words that encapsulate a feeling, a phrase or fascinating idea. Take the name of our church, for example; we’re called Erin. In the old Irish language, the name means ‘the beautiful isle.’ It was used to describe the whole island of Ireland, especially to those who lived on other shores. And when Irish immigrants came to America, they referred to the old country endearingly as ‘Erin.’ It captivated a heartfelt connection to the people and places they had left behind.

130 years ago, those same Irish and Scots-Irish immigrants established the first church in West Knoxville and called it ‘Erin Presbyterian Church.’ In the midst of their busy lives, they wanted a place of faith where they could share friendship and faith together. ‘Erin’ was chosen as a reminder of where they had come from, but it also designated a beautiful isle of Christianity for the whole community; anyone was welcomed through its doors, and for years many Methodists worshipped alongside Presbyterians until they established their own church in the area.

Today, Erin Presbyterian is still a beautiful isle of faith in the midst of a rapidly growing community. This Sunday, we celebrate our 130th anniversary with joy and humility for we realize that God’s blessing has allowed us to preach and practice Christ’s Gospel to this community of Bearden for all of those years.

Wherever you are and wherever you worship, may your church be a ‘beautiful isle of faith’ for the people of your community. May they discover in your congregation a fellowship of faith and a sacred sanctuary, where all sorts of people find God’s blessing, healing, and loving through the power and presence of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all seek a special place in our lives where we can rest in Your love and abide in Your peace. Lead us to the beautiful isles of faith in our community, so that we may experience the holy joy and sacred gladness that You freely bestow on all who come to worship and glorify You precious name. Amen.

How the innovative worship style at a local Knoxville church influences other churches throughout the world.

Aaron's Beard

Psalm 133:2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

Audio version here

Every week, I write the prayers for our Sunday worship services. This usually takes place on Monday mornings because I like to have them done before anything else takes place during the week. It’s a good discipline for me, because the worship service is the most important congregational event in the weekly life of the church.

Over the years, the order of our worship service has changed. When I came here at first, a lot of the prayers were read and said by me on behalf of the congregation. These days, we have volunteer prayer guides and scripture readers who lead the people in the worship of God. Different people with different voices add to the variety in the service. And with the congregation reading aloud the prayers and scriptures responsively, everyone is involved in the worship. Our services are no longer spectator events; they have become participatory times of worship that helps everyone connect to God and one another.

But what’s all of this to do with Aaron’s Beard? Well, after I write the prayers and have given them to Leslie, our church administrator, I upload them to a weekly blogsite called “Aaron’s Beard.” (http://www.beardofaaron.blogspot.com/) Pastors and congregations from different places use these prayers in their own Sunday services, or perhaps read them to help them write their own worship prayers. In this week alone, church people from Toronto, Canada; Chesapeake, Virginia; Kilgore, Texas; Wilder, Idaho; London, United Kingdom; Kuching, Malaysia; Danbury, Wisconsin; Huntington Beach, California; and New Haven, Connecticut have all downloaded the weekly prayers. What began as a means of getting more people involved at Erin Presbyterian Church has become a way of helping other people worship in different states and countries throughout the world.

God’s ways are mysterious and His words are tremendous. He uses our gifts and makes positive differences in other people’s lives, even people that we do not know. Glory to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for the gift of worship and for the variety of ways that people throughout the world praise Your Name. Bless our churches this Sunday with Your Holy presence and call new people to our sanctuaries, so that we may fellowship and worship with them. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Sunday Sermon: Preparing God's People

Preparing God’s People – how has God accomplished this?

Ephesians 4:11, 12, 13 It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (NIV)

Isaiah 61:6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. (NIV)

Throughout the summer, we‘ve been exploring Paul’s ministry to the Ephesian church and the response has been amazing. God seems to be working amongst us and I have never known a more exciting time of expectancy and enthusiasm in this wee church than what we are experiencing now. As the Church year is set to begin again in September with all our programs and projects in full swing, there is a deep sense of commitment, purpose, and direction that we have not known in a long time. God has been preparing us for this moment in our church’s history and I am so glad to be a part of the revival that is going on.

Today’s message is about preparation and how Christ positions His people in different places and times, in order to accomplish His ministry and mission. He did this in the mighty seaport of Ephesus when he called Paul to minister there for a couple of years. The people were ready to do something new and beautiful for God. Paul was merely the catalyst that Christ used to get the people moving.

Six generations ago, God positioned our church in this beautiful area that we call Bearden. Whether there was an actual den of Black or Grizzly bears in this region, I do not know, but I have come to love the name. Where I grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, my brothers and I used to hike twelve miles during the summer to visit a small town called Bearsden, which even existed when the Romans of Paul’s time occupied Scotland! It is a bonnie wee place and one dear to my heart – which is why I often refer to our church as being a bonnie wee place, too.

For some mysterious reason, God positioned our church here in this area 130 years ago and the great thing is this: Bearden is undergoing renewal, expansion and growth. I’ve been amazed at how much this whole area has been transformed. It’s become a commercial Klondike as a bounty of businesses develops this area. New houses are being built all over the place, which really excites me. This means that there is a new population here just waiting to be contacted, encouraged, and supported. In fact, at the last Outreach meeting, Tracy suggested that we begin to contact the people living in the surrounding apartments that are literally on our doorstep. I think that is a fantastic idea and one that we need to follow through.

But there are also booming new businesses in this area. A couple of years ago, a hairdressing salon was built across from our parking lot. In the first week of business, the owners came to visit our church and sent us some chocolates, coffee, and mugs. It was the start of a great relationship and friendship, for those business people were none other than Mary Alice, Don, Jose and Tonio, who are now part of our church family. God prepared us to be here for them, but He also moved their hearts to reach out to us first! And think of the great ministries and missions that have been born out of that connection, especially to the school in Guatemala!

It has made me think. There are new businesses opening in our area every year. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take a welcome basket from the church wishing them every blessing for the future? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our church was known for its prayers and support to business men and women in this area? They are investing their lives in this part of our lovely city. Why shouldn’t we let them know that God has invested us here, too? God positions the church to fulfill His mission. He makes us Ephesian Christians in a sea of commerce to advance the work of the Gospel.

But as well as positioning His people, God is constantly readying His congregations for missions that matter. The Ephesians people were amongst the biggest idolaters in the Mediterranean region, yet Christ planted a church there. He was going to use the Ephesians enthusiasm for organized religion and turn it into a great gift of evangelization across the region. Many Christians in the first couple of centuries after Christ would be thankful for the faith that was expressed and sent out from Ephesus. Its bishops would be revered for generations and in the history of the church, some of the greatest thinkers and theologians emerged from Ephesus.

But what about us here at Erin? What have we done in our history that has made any impact for the Christian church in the world? Well, let me give you three current examples.

Yesterday I received this email from Samuel Lawrence in Canada:

Dear Mr. Stuart:
This past summer, I spent six-weeks in China as a volunteer English
Teacher. The program was hosted by China Christian Council, and my local
sponsor is the United Church of Canada. Our students were young
ministers, lecturers from theological seminaries and other church
workers. We had a team of four teachers--two from Canada and two from
the USA. It was an awesome experience!!!. Now, daily I am forwarding my
"Daily Devotion" to about 35 students, who came to learn English from
all over China--from Inner Mongolia to Hanan Island in the South. All my
students love receiving "Daily Devotion". It is very valuable to them
for Devotion and continuous learning of English language.

I wish to thank all the devoted writers to "Daily Devotion", it has
become a part of my global ministry.

Cheers!!
Keep on writing
Samuel Lawrence

Part of the ministry that you allow me to do here is writing daily devotionals which connect with many people in our congregation. Over 120 of them have been used by the Presbyterian Church of Canada’s daily devotion series…and now they are influencing the hearts and minds of people in China! That’s how we are an Ephesian church!

Secondly, we received a phone call this week from a young mother in Cookeville, TN. She wants to start up a MOPS group in her church and she heard that ours was one of the best in this area. That means that the ministry which young moms set up here and have continued throughout the years is having a bigger impact than we ever dreamed of. This is Erin being an Ephesian Church!

Thirdly, in October, when Evelyn and I are away for a weekend to go and visit Lynsey in Blacksburg, I’ve arranged for a missionary to come and lead the service. He has worked in Africa for decades, setting up a seminary to train pastors in Kenya. The seminary has graduated hundreds of pastors, who in turn have led thousands of churches, which in turn are full of hundreds of thousands of Africans hungry for the Gospel and sharing the Good news. What has all of this to do with Erin, I hear you ask?

The missionary is Myron Goodwin, who was baptized in this church many years ago, who grew up amongst us and when he was in Youth group, he gave his heart to the Lord! That’s what an Ephesian Christian church can do! And that’s what our wee church has been doing and will continue to do in the future.

When Christ calls us to be Ephesians servants at Erin, He wants us to be equipped in a unity of faith that will be displayed through our service to the community. But how do we equip people for Christian service at Erin?

Well, take today for instance. It’s stacked full of opportunities to be equipped in faith and to serve the Lord. We gathered for Rally Day to give everyone the opportunity to sign up for Sunday School Classes. We cater to all age groups from newborns to people in their nineties. We offer different classes with different themes. We all come in here to share worship together, teaching the faith to our kids, commissioning our teachers, and preaching the Word. We have an opportunity to cheerfully give to the Church so that we can enhance Christ’s work through the resources of the congregation.

After worship, we’re holding a Family Council to discus our current needs and to work on our future areas of growth. This afternoon, we have a funeral with the Brasher & Huber families – giving us an opportunity to offer them our support, our love, and our prayers. And tonight, our young people of Such is the Kingdom meet to practice singing for an event at Farragut Presbyterian Church in October; our youth groups meet to worship and discuss current issues, and then at the end of the evening, Glenfinnan are practicing for an all day Scottish concert that’s being held in Dandridge in September. All in one day – all for one purpose – to serve Christ within and beyond the walls of this church.

But it gets even better because wherever you go this week – to your work, place of business, to your school, to neighborhood clubs and societies – wherever you are, you are called to be ambassadors for Christ, ministers of God, and servants of the Kingdom. God has brought you here today to be equipped in faith, hope, and love, so that you can go out from this building to share the Gospel through your words, choices and deeds throughout this week until we gather here once more. We are all priests with a purpose and pastors with a passion for proclaiming the word and praising God’s name. We are all Ephesian Christians, equipped for service in the world, growing and building this church, this bonnie wee place called Erin to the glory of God and the exaltation of Christ’s Name!

One day, one glorious day, when we are all gathered in Heaven, Christ will show us what our wee church has done throughout its history. Six, sixteen or even sixty generations of Erin people will be standing together and feel proud of the faith we share, the hopes we have born, and the love we have shown…and then Jesus will show us even more people from all over the world – myriads of people who came to Christ through being treated by Christian nurses in Pakistan that we support – hundreds of children in Guatemala whose lives were touched and transformed through the missions we have financed – thousands of Chinese who have been taught the faith by students learning English using our daily devotions – and hundreds of thousands of Africans whose pastors have been trained by a missionary leader who gave his heart to the Lord as a teenager in this bonnie wee place called Erin.

And if you think that is wonderful, well to quote Al Jolson – You ain’t seen nothing yet! Glory to God and Halleujah!