Midweek Devotion - Ancient Words - Psalm 27

A short devotion based on Psalm 27 v1 to help us through this crisis.

Sunday Sermon: Something Out of Nothing - 1 Kings 17:8-16

Yesterday's sermon - "Something Out of Nothing" is now available at the following podcast link:

Church Devotions: A Productive Production - Titus 3

Titus 8:14        Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. 

Last weekend our church kids put on a wonderful show that was written by Cynthia, our Creative Expressions leader. Thirty six kids of all ages were involved and it turned out to be an amazing production. The kids acted, sang, and danced beautifully and the whole message of the performance was about working together, both for the common good and for the Lord’s work. To date, it was the best show that our Sonshine Kids have presented.

I know from experience and through watching the leaders and parents at work, it takes a lot of energy, time, and effort to make such a positive and productive show. Not all of the kids go to our church and I can’t tell you how many times yesterday that I was told to express thanks to our church for allowing so many outsiders to feel welcomed and permitted to take part in this production. The ministry and mission that these productions engender and foster do well for our community and bring glory to Christ. It’s an important part of what makes us work for Christ and His goodness.

Now that the show is over and the set has been taken down, the kids will cling to their memories, the leaders will relive the performances and the parents will remain proud of what was accomplished. And, if I may add one other alliteration: the church will continue to be chuffed and cheering on this ministry for many days to come.

So, the challenge for all of us today is this: how productive will we make our faith this week? WCWD4J – what can we do for Jesus?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for the gifts of our church kids and for the many talents that they are growing. Be with them and bless them throughout the years ahead, so that their faith may be productive throughout their lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is of a photograph that church member Kelli took during the production.

Blue Christmas Candle & Poem

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.

Unique and Inexpensive Christmas Gifts: Local Pastor’s Waterfall Prints

Rev. John Stuart of Erin Presbyterian in Knoxville, whose Psalms project has been highlighted in the Knoxville News Sentinel, has recently created two new prints that are part of his Waterfall Series.

The prints are 8x10 inches, surrounded by an 11 x 14 navy colored matte. John signs and numbers each unique print.

His work is currently being exhibited at the Bear Creek Coffee House on Middlebrook Pike, just about a mile west of the Cedar Bluff Junction.

The matted prints cost $20 each. Framed prints cost $40.

Anyone who is interested in purchasing one of these unique prints can contact John by sending an email to Traqair@aol.com.

John’s work can also be seen online at www.stushieart.wordpress.com.

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Real Rejoicing!

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Throughout the summer months, when our church choir does not meet, our Creative Expressions team encourages our church kids to present the anthem during worship on Sunday mornings. The leader of our ministry team, Cynthia, and Joe our choir director, take time out from their own busy schedules to rehearse the songs that our church kids will sing.

Sometimes the kids sing solo; on other occasions they present duets, trios, and ensembles to the Lord. They even do dance routines, taught by one of our moms, for their songs. The kids are as young as first graders and as ‘old’ as Middle Schoolers. It’s wonderful to watch them confidently and enthusiastically sing for the Lord. Their joy in church becomes a great boost to the whole congregation and we rejoice along with them. We feel truly blessed to have such dedicated leaders and creative kids.

Rejoicing is an important part of any church’s worship life. When we joyfully praise God, we do two things: firstly, we express our love to God, and secondly, we attract other people to worship Christ. It’s a wonderful way of living out our faith and sharing our beliefs.

As our church kids grow up, we hope that they will remember their joyful experiences in church, so that when they become adults they will have a solid foundation for their faith. We may never see the full extent of God’s work in their lives, but we will continue to rejoice with them, so long as we are all here.

Today, let’s look for moments of rejoicing in the Lord. Let’s seek out those precious times when we can joyfully and effectively share our faith in Christ. And as we rejoice in Jesus, let’s also pray that others will be attracted to our Savior and His church.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we rejoice in You, for You are the One Great Love and Hope in our lives. Help us to make this day a time of faithful rejoicing in our work, at our homes, and amongst our friends. In Your Most Holy Name, we cheerfully 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.

Friday Give Away: Win four tickets for the musical "Joseph"

Here’s your chance to win four tickets for the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, which is being performed at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville this weekend.

Just answer this simple question and send it in an email to traqair@aol.com. Put “Joseph Competition” in the subject line of your email. The winner with the correct answer will be drawn at 5pm this evening (Friday) and contacted with instructions by email.

The question is: What was the name of Joseph’s father?

Performances of the musical take place on Thurs 26, Fri 27 and Sat 28 at 7.30pm. Matinee performances begin at 2.00pm on Sat 28 and Sun 29. Tickets are $8.00 per adult, $5 for Seniors, students, and groups. $25 is the family maximum.

Another opportunity to win tickets will be given tomorrow with a different question.

Erin Presbyterian Church is situated at 200 Lockett Road, which is just off Kingston Pike at Bearden Hill, between the Library and Humane Center.

Popular Broadway Musical Joseph Returns to Knoxville

The Musical “Joseph” Returns to Knoxville This Week

For those who love Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber productions, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is being performed at Erin Presbyterian Church on Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun of this week. The Erin Youth Players, who have performed Honk! and Seussical the Musical over the past two summers, are now ready to bring Joseph to the Knoxville Community.

The Youth Players are made up of teenagers from all over Knox County. Cynthia House of Erin Presbyterian Church formed the Players several years ago as a means of encouraging young talented actors, singers, and dancers to work on their skills throughout the summer. It is an inter-denominational and inter-racial group, bringing together young people from all over the city.

Performances take place on Thurs 26, Fri 27 and Sat 28 at 7.30pm. Matinee performances begin at 2.00pm on Sat 28 and Sun 29. Tickets are $8.00 per adult, $5 for Seniors, students, and groups. $25 is the family maximum.

Erin Presbyterian Church is situated at 200 Lockett Road, which is just off Kingston Pike at Bearden Hill, between the Library and Humane Center.

Sunday Sermon: A Holy Helper - John 14;15-21

Yesterday, we held an elders’ retreat here at the church. We’re working on a few important ideas about how to strengthen our church’s commitment to Christ, His Kingdom, and His ministry in this part of Knoxville. It was an important start to a series of quarterly meetings which will help us seek God’s path for our congregation in the years to come.

It’s crucial that all our elders work together by discovering what God’s will is for our wee church. We have to keep focused on what God wants us to do for Him. Too many churches these days are being swayed by the culture around them. They want to fit in with society and use marketing ploys to bring people into their organization, but not necessarily the Kingdom of God.

At the moment there’s a controversy stirring in West Knoxville because an independent church has sent out fliers stating that they will give all their new visitors a $20 gas coupon for coming to their church. I don’t know what their true intent is with this gimmick, but they’re desperately trying to get people to walk through their doors using greed as their marketing tool. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the church was called The Cas Walker Memorial Church.

15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.

This is why it is important for our church elders to work on the direction that God is leading our church. If we don’t prayerfully look for God’s guidance, we’ll end up following market trends, which will lead us away from God and stop us from obeying Christ. We have to put Jesus at the center of everything we do. We don’t exist to please ourselves; Christ allows us to exist because we try to please Him.

When Jesus was speaking to His disciples in this passage from John’s Gospel, He was doing it just before He was arrested. He was trying to cram in as many lessons and as much advice as possible before He was taken, tortured and crucified. He knew that it was important to use the intensity of the situation to drive home some very important points that would become the hallmarks of the Early Christian Church. And, in this instance He said to them: if you love me, you will obey what I command.

Now, that’s normally what a mother says to an impatient child, “if you love me, you will do as I say.” Or perhaps a loving spouse may say it this way, “if you trust me, you will support me.” It’s laying down a special condition for the relationship to flourish. It’s not an ultimatum, it’s an invitation. It’s not about control, it’s about co-operation.


On this day, in the same year that our church was founded, way back in 1877, President Rutherford Hayes withdrew Federal troops from Louisiana. It was the last act of Reconstruction after the end of the Civil War. For more than twelve years after the war, the troops were in place to forcefully quell any rebellions, and to make sure that the Union did not fragment again. It took twelve years to maintain that peace and because the majority of Southerners all over the Confederate States laid down their arms, the Union remained intact.

It may not have been a perfect peace – the old prejudices wouldn’t really be removed for another 100 years, but it was a start of American people from all over the States beginning to love the Union and Constitution of the United States. The people proved that they loved America, as we still do today, by upholding the laws of this dear and precious land.

And so it was the same for Christ’s disciples, to prove that they truly loved Him, they had to keep His commands. And the same applies to our church today, which is why our elders came together to seek God’s Will and to follow Christ wherever He wants us to go.

16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-

During our conversations yesterday, our elders were asked the question: why do we want to bring people to Erin? It’s a good question because it makes us focus on what our intent, what our purpose is. Their answers were excellent: we’re here to bring people to salvation, to help them to learn more about Jesus, so that they can go out into the community and bring even more people to salvation.

Other purposes were attached to that answer: to help one another in times of trouble; to show kindness and love to each other; and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That last point raised a whole new question: what is the Holy Spirit and how do we seek its guidance?

When Jesus was talking to the disciples, He told them that God was going to give them a special Counselor, one who would be with them forever. The main role of the Holy Spirit was to give directions to the disciples throughout the rest of their lives as they went out into the entire world to preach the Gospel and teach Christ’s truth. The purpose of the Holy Spirit was to coach them day by day, situation by situation, and mission by mission so that Christ’s influence and teaching would grow in the world. And they successfully followed their coach because what started two thousand years ago with 11 disciples and dozens of others has now become a world wide church of 2 billion people.

That’s why it is very important for our church to seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in all that we set out to do. It’s very easy to let go of God and embrace the world. It’s much harder to follow Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to set the course of where we are headed. But if we want to remain true to the Gospel and loyal to Christ, then we must be open to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our midst. To do other wise, is to follow a false gospel; to seek our own way is to walk away from Christ.

It’s like the baptism vows that we all took this morning. If we want to see them fulfilled in young Aaron’s life, then Steve and Tracy are going to have to keep coming to church and allowing Aaron to eventually go to Sunday School or Enrichment. But it doesn’t just depend upon them; we’ve got to do our share by maintaining this church, recruiting teachers of faith, supplying our classes, giving our resources, sharing our time and investing parts of our lives with young Aaron. If we do not do this, then how will Aaron grow up to be a Christian, a servant of the Lord, and a loyal subject in God’s Kingdom?

So we seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit in session and throughout the entire congregation to ensure that Aaron, and all other children in our midst will grow in faith and one day, perhaps as a teenager, he will confirm the promises that his parents have made here today. If we allow the Holy Spirit to coach, direct, and lead us, then these beautiful promises will be fulfilled.

17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.

Finally, after asking the disciples to show their love by following His commands and telling them that they will be gifted with the Holy Spirit, Jesus warns them that the world will not accept this experience. The world will be blind to the presence of the Spirit and will not accept the Spirit’s existence.

This is Christ’s way of telling the disciples that even with the Holy Spirit as their special Counselor, things will not be easy. Just because the Holy Sprit is with them does not mean that trouble will not come their way. In fact, in many cases in the Early Church because Christians were filled with the Spirit, they were harassed and hunted down, persecuted and imprisoned, arrested and executed.

And this should serve as a warning to our wee church. When we seek the Spirit’s counsel and do Christ’s bidding, obstacles and stumbling blocks are going to come our way. Things will not be easy if we seek to accept Christ’s truth, preach the Gospel, and share His message with the surrounding community. It will be hard to do so, because many hearts are hardened against Christ and the world does not want to be challenged by our faith.

April 27th is a date that has seen events which has led to people standing up for their rights and fighting the world.

In 1773, the British parliament passed the Tea Act, which led to the Boston Tea party later that year, which in turn led to the War of Independence.

In 1940, the Nazi leader Himmler ordered the establishment of Auschwitz Concentration camp, which led to the Polish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto, and the Allied Nations fighting against the fascists, which in turn led to the establishment of Israel for holocaust survivors and displaced Jews around the world.

And in 1989, almost twenty years ago, and how soon we forget, the brave students of Beijing took over Tiananmen Square in China, fearlessly walking in front of military tanks, in a noble effort to bring democracy to their nation. To this date, those same students are imprisoned in terrible conditions, which is one of the reasons that I will refuse to watch this year’s Olympic Games. How can we have an international sports gala and joyfully cheer on our athletes in a land where people of different political persuasions and religions are still being oppressed, subdued, and killed?

So, what have we learned today?

If we truly love Jesus, then we will honestly obey His commands.

When we need guidance for our lives and especially the church, we need to seek the Holy Spirit’s counsel.

And when we obey Jesus and follow the Holy Spirit, we should not expect the world to welcome us with open arms. Instead we should be prepared to stand up for what we believe in and not surrender our faith to the wiles of the world.

For as Christ says: Whoever loves me will be loved by My Father, and I also will love them and show Myself to them. And after all is said and done: is that not why we want to bring people here – to be saved from the world and loved by God? Amen.

Prayer

Erin Church Growth Ideas: The Coffee Club

Years ago, when I ministered in Maybole, Scotland, I set up a weekly Bible study at the church and called it “The Coffee Club.” It started with about ten people and we gathered in the church hall. We sang some hymns, shared some prayers, and discussed different passages from the Bible. It was a wonderful group and as the years passed, it grew in size, faith, and fellowship.

Podcast version here

Isaiah 2:3 Many peoples will come and say,” Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

Recently, I’ve wanted to get back to some basic Bible teaching, so I have decided to establish a similar group over here in Knoxville, Tennessee. Like the Maybole group, we’re going to meet on Wednesday mornings, have coffee and discuss a chapter of the Bible each week. It will be similar to the Maybole Club, but with the new technology that is available, the club will be extended in several ways.

First of all, there will be a Coffee Club extra held on Wednesday nights for those who can’t make it in the mornings. Secondly, home study material will be made available to everyone on Sunday mornings, that way if they can’t be at the Wednesday meetings, they can study at home.

Thirdly, the study material will be available online via email – which means that anyone, anywhere in the world, can sign up for the studies, just by sending me an email at pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

These are exciting times for the ministry of the church, both here at Erin and throughout the world. We begin a 17 week session with the Gospel of Mark, starting next Wednesday. I’m looking forward to this new journey of faith.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the stories about Your life that are contained in the Bible. Thank You for the words of encouragement and inspiring events that mean so much to us even today. Help all of us to make and take time to study Your ways, works, and words. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Erin Church Sermon: Epiphany

Taking Our Treasures to Christ

There’s a phenomena that we call in Scotland “Scots’ Mist.” It occurs in the middle of a summer’s day when suddenly a dark cloud envelops the top of a mountain. The cloud is jet black and anyone who is unlucky enough to be on top of the mountain at that time is quickly overwhelmed in absolute darkness. An electrical storm usually ensues and the cloud remains over the mountain for a while. From the outside, it looks dark and ominous. From the inside, it’s fearful and terrifying.

I’ve only once been caught in it with a bunch of Scouts on the Campsie hills just above Glasgow. When the Scots’ mist came down, our summer’s day was turned into a winter’s night. We stopped hiking and just waited until it went away. When we started to hike again, we suddenly realized that we were on a cliff edge. If we had kept walking during the mist, we would have fallen over a hundred feet to our certain deaths.

Isaiah 60:2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

For the people of the Old Testament, the absence of light and the darkness of night were times of fear, superstition, and vulnerability. They didn’t have our instant electric bulbs and streetlamps. Whenever the oil ran out or a candle was finally snuffed, they had no light to keep out the dark. They were completely enveloped in the darkness and shadows of their own homes. And unless it was a beautiful starlit night, no one ventured outside of the protection of their own homes.

Hopelessness was imagined as a darkness of the soul. Illness and death, trouble and turmoil were regarded as dark passages of life, where no brightness of light could penetrate. Even in death, there was no hope. The Jews believed that all souls went down into the depths of the earth to a place of shadows, where eventually their spirits would wander in the darkness for all of eternity. There was little hope in life, and there was no hope in death.

In the Church of Scotland Book of Common order, there’s a great phrase that goes something like this: “we were not meant for the darkness of death, but for the light of life.” I use it as funerals, for it’s a reminder that God created us to be creatures of His everlasting light, not beings that are bound for a dungeon of eternal darkness.

In this passage from Isaiah, written at a time when the Jewish people had lost all hope of returning to the Promised Land, God declares through the prophet that the darkness which threatens to cover the whole earth will not overwhelm them. The Lord God, who has delivered and been with His people for centuries, will still remain loyal to them. He will rise above the people; He will brighten their futures, He will bring and become the Light of the World. As Isaiah writes in another passage: to the people walking in darkness, He will be their great light.”

Light becomes the symbol of hope to the people in the midst of dark and uncertain times. Light becomes the hope for a community that has lost its way. Light becomes the sign that the Lord is amongst them and that He will lead them again to the Promised Land. Light is what is needed in the hearts and souls of the people. Light frees them from the darkness of despair, tyranny, and hopelessness. Light is God’s first act of love and His final revelation.

And so, seven centuries later, when some astrologers look at the Western sky, they see a great light, a new light, a remarkable light…one which attracts them and leads them. One that captivates their hearts and souls, One that sets them on a quest, for when such a star is created in the heavens, then it can only mean one thing: that a new king, a great king, a godly king has been born on earth.

Matthew 2:2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

So this group of astrologers and mathematicians called Magi head west following the star. At some point they realize that they are near to the city of Jerusalem, so they presume that the new king who has been born must have been born at the royal palace. This must mean that they stop following the star, either because it’s too cloudy to see anything in the sky, or they feel that their calculations are slightly off course. Whatever their reason, it made them stop in Jerusalem, to seek the local king and find his newborn son.

A lot has been made about this diversion on their journey. Years ago, I preached a sermon that suggested that this was an example of how believing in astrology can take you down the wrong path. I even mentioned that those who read their horoscopes each day are doing an unchristian thing and that this incident with the wise men proved my point. If astrology was so good at predicting the future, then why do the wisemen make such a disastrous mistake?

These days I don’t see it that way at all, but the detour into Jerusalem still puzzles me. Were they predestined to make this mistake? Did God plan this detour, and if He did, what was its purpose? Did God plan to upset Herod and all Jerusalem with him by revealing that a new king outside of the palace had been born? Was this God’s way of telling Herod that his reign was coming to an end and that the real kingdom of heaven was just about to be ushered in?

The more I thought about this, the more perplexed I became. What was God up to letting a fearful tyrant like Herod know of His plans? Why was it so important for the wisemen to go to the wrong place, at the wrong time, and in front of the wrong king?

And then when I read and re-read Herod’s request to the wisemen, it all became quite clear. Look at verse 8 and see what the king says:
Matthew 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

It’s not about astrology, or mistaken calculations. It’s not about confronting Herod with an advanced warning that God’s kingdom is imminent. It’s not about upsetting the king and the people in Jerusalem that a revolution was about to occur. It’s about what Jesus actually represented: salvation through God’s grace. Herod the tyrant is actually being given an opportunity to repent of his ways, accept God’s forgiveness, and sincerely come and worship Jesus! This is an incident of amazing grace, where Christ’s vulnerability is at stake. The Lamb of God has no protection, but Herod has the opportunity to use his free will to make amends, to fix his life, to come before God, and seek forgiveness. God didn’t have to let the wisemen go to Jerusalem, but in order to give Herod the chance to be redeemed they had to turn up at his palace.

Can you imagine what would have happened if Herod had accepted that moment of grace? Christ would have been brought up in a palace where forgiveness and love, restoration and redemption were experienced. He would have been a Prince of Peace amongst His people and Christianity would have traveled along a different path. God’s grace knows no bounds. Any sinner, even one as cruel, adulterous, and as murderous as Herod could be forgiven, but the key to salvation does not lie in the gift or the giver. The key to salvation, as always, lie in the response of the one to whom it is given.

Sadly, and perhaps predictably, Herod did not grasp at this godly opportunity. Too many years of tyranny and cruelty kept him from recognizing this gift and realizing his salvation. Instead, he chose to use the moment secretly and insincerely. Rather than worship the Christ child, he simply wanted to kill him.

Mathew 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

So the wisemen travel on. They see the star again and rejoice. This time they will not lose sight of it. This time they will reach their goal. And so they come to the house where the child was and bow down to worship Him. And not only do they worship Him, they present their treasures to Him, offering gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

A lot has been said about these gifts. Because Christ is the King of Kings He deserves a gift worthy of a king. Gold was the most valuable and precious metal of that time, so they offer Christ their money.

Incense was used by priests in their temples as a means of offering a sweet perfume to God, to please Him and to ask His favor. As Christ would become known as the high priest of Melchizedek in years to come, this gift was also highly appropriate.

Myrrh was used as an ointment, not just to embalm dead bodies, but also as an instrument of healing. Christ would be known as the Healer of the Nations, so this gift was also worthy of Him.

It all happened so long ago and we delight at Christmas when we see images and receive cards that depict this wonderful scene of three wisemen offering their gifts to Christ. But how do we apply this lesson, this story in our own lives. How do we encounter and experience a moment of Epiphany, of transformation and revelation in our own faith.

We also bring our treasures to Jesus. We may not have gold coins or bars to give Him, but we do have money. When we give an offering to the church each week, we’re actually humbling ourselves before Jesus and worshiping Him. When we place our tithes and gifts in the offering plate, we’re saying to Jesus, “I want You to have this because You are my King.” We don’t do it routinely or dutifully, we give it to Him cheerfully and gladly because Christ is the head of this church and he is the King of this congregation.

We may not have perfume or incense to offer to Christ, but we are all priests in His eyes. He looks to us to please God by ministering to one another and serving the community where we live. If we work effectively, sincerely, and faithfully as Christians in our homes, our schools, and our workplaces then we become the sweetness of Christ to the world. God will favor our good works, not to bring success to ourselves, but to attract other people to His Son Jesus Christ. If we offer our lives as something beautiful to God, then we will make a positive difference in our community and in our world.

We may have myrrh to offer to Christ, but we can be healers in our homes, with our families and friends. We can learn to say sorry and seek forgiveness for our mistakes. We can repair our damaged relationships and look for peace with our partners. We can take the high road of forgiving those who hurt us and restoring those who have disappointed us, instead of carrying bitterness and resentment, hostility and hatred in our hearts.

We have all these treasures to bring to Christ, but it is up to us to give them. Are we going to be wisemen and women and offer Christ our all, or will we choose to reject this time of Epiphany and grace, and become a Herod? As always, the choice is ours and ours alone. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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 Devotional - Making an impact for Christ in the Community

Ezekiel 33:30 "As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.' (NIV)

I’ve just started to read a new book which is called “The Externally Focused Church,” written by Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson. It’s about transforming congregations from being inwardly focused to becoming externally focused on what’s happening in their communities. I’ve just read two chapters and already my mind is buzzing with excitement about how our wee church at Erin can be positively charged and effectively changed. There’s one sentence that has jumped out to me from the book: “Nearly everything that is done inside the church should prepare and equip people not only for personal growth but also for personal impact.” I’m thinking that a new mission statement for our church could be written along those lines like “Erin Church equips members to make an impact for Christ in the local community.”

The book is full of good examples of how churches across America are transforming their communities. Instead of worrying about finances, counting attendance, and perpetuating traditions, local congregations are being revived through intentionally reaching out to the people on their doorstep. Churches are becoming more aware of what their neighborhood’s needs are, and then doing everything in their power to supply them. It’s as if congregations have rediscovered the old ‘parish’ system where a church is assigned a certain geographical area to look after spiritually and benevolently.

About ten years ago, I produced a document for our church to adopt a parish system. As usual, we talked about it for a while and then set it aside in order to deal with internal issues. I’m beginning to feel that now is the right time to review, revise, and represent this to the elders and members of our congregation. If what I’m reading in this book is true, then this is the direction that our church has been looking for.

I know that some of you who read and hear this devotional belong to other congregations. I’ll try to keep you posted on what we decide here at Erin. In the meantime, you should perhaps purchase a copy of this book for yourself and your pastor. It may just give your own congregation the jump start that you need to begin a new journey of faith in your own community.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You impacted Your own community with a compelling message that was backed up with acts of compassion, healing, and support. Re-teach to us this vital lesson, and enable our churches to embrace the communities around us. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

Erin Church's Daily Devotional : Give without Sparing

Proverbs 21:26 All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing. (NIV)

Recently, we’ve had to fix a major repair over at Erin Presbyterian church. Our current building is about 55 years old, and in this part of the country, that’s almost antique! I know that Scottish churches go back centuries, but over here the extreme weather conditions and heat causes buildings to deteriorate at a much faster rate.

Anyway, we’ve got to raise about $40,000 to pay off the repair and so far we’ve brought in about $14,000. We set aside about $16,000 in our budget to cover the costs, but as usual we didn’t know what the damage was until we started to repair it.

What has amazed me is the response that people have made in the last three weeks. Some of our people who have fixed incomes sent in $130 – a dollar for each year our church has existed. Those givers don’t have a lot to spare, but they have given cheerfully. Others have contributed $400 – one percent of the repair costs – showing their commitment to the upkeep of the church over and above what they give each week. Still others have contributed higher amounts without any fanfare. They just want to see the church ‘get better’ as we grow bigger.

I am truly humbled by these responses, and I know that there are others both in our congregation and from the outside who will make donations (even some people who read these devotionals have given to the church – wow!). It is a joy to serve the Lord and to faithfully give of our resources for the enhancement of His work. Glory be to God for the bounty He has given and the blessings we receive!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, all our churches belong to You and we want them to become mission centers, safe sanctuaries, and ministry headquarters. Grant us the gift of righteousness – to give without sparing and to completely love You through the life, ministry and work of all our churches. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

130 year old and still growing strong

130 years old – and still growing strong

Despite being a part of the liberal PCUSA, Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville is still growing. Why? It’s because we preach and practice the Gospel. The denomination may be trying to appease the politically correct and losing its identity through endorsing multi-cultural beliefs, but we hold dear the basics of Presbyterian and Reformed Christianity: that Christ is our Lord; we are all sinners; and Jesus is the only Savior of the world. Other churches may go down the slippery slope of placating current trends and adopting worldly ways, but Erin’s Scots-Irish tenacity enables it to stay the course that Christ requires.

Interested? Come and join us this Sunday at 11.00am. We’re just off Kingston Pike at Lockett Road, diagonally across from the junction at Papermill Drive.

They'll be celebrating 130 years of Scots-Irish at Erin Presbyterian Church today

West Knoxville’s oldest Scots-Irish church, Erin Presbyterian, off Lockett Rd at Kingston Pike, near Papermill Drive, celebrates 130 years of preaching the Gospel today. It was chartered on Sunday September 30, 1877 and was originally situated where Kingston Pike meets Northshore Road.

‘Erin’ is the old Irish name for Ireland and means ‘the beautiful isle.’ The current pastor of the church is native Scotsman Rev. John Stuart. He has been preaching to the congregation in his Scottish brogue for the past twelve years. Today he’ll be welcoming visitors and members with two traditional Scots-Irish Gaelic greetings: ‘Ceud Mhille Failte’ (a hundred thousand welcomes) and “Erin Go Bragh” (Ireland Forever).

Everyone is welcome to attend the church at 11.00am for the worship service. During the service, young Ella Grace Levering, whose family goes back six generations to the beginning of the church, will be baptized. An anniversary reception with birthday cake will take place after worship.

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.

Knoxville's Only Celtic Christian Bothy Band playing at Dandridge Scots-Irish festival tomorrow

Glenfinnan are playing tomorrow at the Dandridge Scots-Irish festival. All the musicians and singers live in Knoxville. They've played at many festivals in and around this region. They are due to perform at 10.30AM, 4.00pm, and 6.15pm.

As usual, they'll be playing their standard Scots-Irish songs like Loch Lomond, Kelvingrove, Star of the County Down, Green Grow the Rushes, the Water is Wide, and Auld Lang Syne. At the end of their gig, they'll also play "Sweet Tennessee" - a song that they composed all about the beauty, spirit, and strength of Tennesseans.

For more information, visit their page on their church's website at

http://www.erinpresbyterian.org/mission/creative_expr/glenfinnan.html