Short devotion: Boston Bombings - Acts 8:35

Acts 8:35         Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

On the day after a terrorist tragedy, it’s very difficult to talk or write about the good news. All of us were shocked by what we heard and saw on the news bulletins from Boston. It’s unbelievable to think that someone would deliberately target men, women, and children in a desperate and wicked attempt to make their message known. It was a despicable act of cowardice and there is only one eternal destination for the perpetrators of such a satanic act: hell.

The good news is that the people of Boston reacted magnificently in the midst of this painful tragedy. The first responders ran towards the injured without any fear of being caught up in a second explosion. Marathon runners who were dazed and shocked were carefully looked after by medics and passers-by. The wounded and fallen were instantly treated by skilled professionals who have worked all night long with those who are in a critical condition. And the residents of Boston – homeowners, apartment dwellers, and store keepers opened up their places to help anyone who had nowhere to stay or who had to walk for miles in order to get home.

Today, churches are open all over the city for people to congregate and pray. Even the Museum of Art has freely opened its doors so that people may come in to find a quiet place for contemplation, renewal, and peace. As human beings, we have an amazing capacity of overcoming this kind of evil through the support, kindness, and compassion that we bestow upon those who are shocked, saddened, and sorrowful in the worst of events and times.

Boston will recover its poise and its passion for life. The people of that great city have a great sense of what freedom and liberty are all about. They will not surrender to the terrorists, nor will they give up on their hopes, dreams, and ambitions. They are good people just like us; the good news is that they will survive by embracing, healing, and encouraging one another.

Questions for personal reflection

What did I initially think and feel when I heard the news about these bombings? How can I support the people of Boston today?

Prayer:            O Lord, embrace the good people of Boston with your love and strength. Be with the first responders who treated those with serious injuries and those who have been terrified by these explosions. Be with the families who are anxious about their loved ones and comfort them in the midst of their fears. Bless the police and investigators, granting them the ability to know the causes of these explosions quickly and to act appropriately. O Lord, be with all the Bostonian people. 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 traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is of a drawing that John created called “Boston Bound.” It features the Boston Skyline as seen from the bay. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6143/5948796658_990048bfef_b.jpg

Daily devotion: A Good Movie - Luke 2:17-18

Luke 2:17-18              When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Whenever I see a good movie, I like to share my delight with other people. I do it because I want them to enjoy a similar satisfying experience. My wife Evelyn and I enjoy going to the movies on a regular basis and it helps us to relate to one another. Some of our first dates, before we got married, consisted in going to the movies, so I guess we’re still sustaining that mutual interest and bond that we share together.

Faith is supposed to be like that, but because of keeping common courtesies and retaining social boundaries, we’re not so inclined to share our faith with others. We’ll readily tell people about a good book, great movie, or riveting new television series, but when it comes to relating about an ‘ah ha’ moment in church last Sunday, we’ll probably keep it to ourselves and inwardly reflect on it.

It’s a shame that we do that because all sorts of people in our world, which is such a broken place, need to hear about God’s presence still being felt in today’s church. They want to know that God still reaches into the hearts and minds of believers. They want to hear that in the midst of all the fear, anxiety, and confusion around us, God is still in control. When the shepherds went back to the hills after seeing the baby Jesus, they were singing, rejoicing, and exuberant about the Good News they had personally experienced. As they told their story to everyone they encountered, the people that they met were amazed.

Wouldn’t the world be a wonderful place, if we allowed ourselves to share our joy in the Lord?

Questions for personal reflection

What makes me delighted to be a Christian? How can I share this with other people in my life?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are God’s Gift to the world and we are joyful because You are constantly with us. Help us to joyfully share the Good News of forgiveness and salvation with others. Prevent us from keeping the blessings of the Gospel to ourselves. 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 digital glass Psalm drawings (Psalm 24). He has been tentatively invited to present and display some of his Psalmic art in Dallas, Texas this Fall. If you would like to view the Psalms art project online, please click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/sets/72157603288751629/

4 Minute Devotion - Passing It On - 2 Timothy 1:14

2 Timothy 1:14           Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

In the midst of the present theological wars, it’s very easy to become weary with Church World. We never seem to have any peace because someone or some group somewhere wants things to be different, relevant, and post-modern instead of keeping things sacred, divine, and eternal. I know that I am struggling with this and so are many in the congregation that I serve. Christianity is a hard faith to truly practice and live by in today’s society.

I also find it intriguing that when Paul is writing to Timothy, he is urging him to guard the faith. This is only about 30 years after Christ was crucified and resurrected. With a faith so freshly born and the gospel so newly written, you would think people would be more secure with what they believed. However, it seems that the New Testament Church was also divided and so, to sustain Christ’s Peace, second generation Christians like Timothy had to maintain guardianship over the essential tenets of the new faith.

I heard a pastor once preach that if no one in the present generation shared the faith or spread the gospel, then within four generations Christianity would die. I don’t know if that’s true because it’s never been truly tested, but it does lay an onus on every Christian to pass on the faith to the next generation. What makes it all the harder is that we have to do this on Christ’s terms, and not our own.

So today the challenge is this: to whom, in the next generation, have we shared our Faith?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, sometimes we forget that the Christian faith is not a private or personal matter. You called upon Your followers everywhere and in every time to go out into the world to share the Gospel. Forgive us if we have failed to live up to that challenge. Help us, in the life time that we have left, to faithfully share Your Good News with the upcoming generations. 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 one of John’s latest Psalm drawings. It depicts a verse of Psalm 102. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please visit the following link:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5292/5519117740_cf1a7fa46f_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Good News! - Acts 2

Acts 2:25         David said about him: “I saw the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

Several months ago, I wrote about two Christian women Marzieh and Maryam who were being held in an Iranian prison. They were arrested for being Christians and originally charged with sedition against the State. Maryam was very ill and in her last phone call to her family, she believed that she was dying.

Good news! Both these young women were fully acquitted of the charges and released last Saturday, May 22. They have now travelled to another country where they will remain free from the threat of re-arrest and unjust conviction.

Maryam and Marzieh thank you for all your prayers. "We are most grateful to everyone who prayed for us," Marzieh said. "I have no doubt that God heard the prayers of his people." Maryam added, "I believe our arrest, imprisonment and subsequent release were in the timing and plan of God, and it was all for his glory. But the prayers of people encouraged and sustained us throughout this ordeal." 

The faith of these two women in the face of unjust persecution has been remarkable. They truly know what it is like to stand up and be counted for their faith in Christ. Like the disciples of old, they knew what it was like to have the Lord always before them in the midst of their trials and never have their faith shaken. Praise the Lord!

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for the release of Marzieh and Maryam. Their faith has never wavered and we are in awe of their commitment to You. Thank You also for the many prayers that have been answered. May these two courageous young women continue to inspire faith, hope, and love wherever they go. 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.

Free Daily Devotions: Beyond Death - Psalm 6

Psalm 6:5 No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?

Sometimes I feel sorry for the ancient Israelites. They didn’t have any real hope in resurrection and everlasting life. They believed that when someone died, the soul went to a place of shadows and, over time, it became a mere shadow itself. Death was something to be dreaded and feared. It meant the end of everything – life, relationships, and faith.

Thankfully, we are New Testament people and the good news of the Gospel means that death does not have the final word. Christ’s victory over sin and death has opened up a door between us and God. Instead of going to the land of shadows when we die, we are welcomed into the Kingdom of Light. Rather than losing our relationships, we are restored to God.

These blessings come to us through Jesus. There is no other way. He is the conduit of God’s everlasting compassion; He is the sole channel of God’s eternal grace. When we fully give our hearts to Him and place our souls into Christ’s hands, we are assured of these wonderful gifts and death no longer has any power to diminish us or our souls. Not only will we remember and praise God from the grave, we will be restored to rejoice with Him forever.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for the giving of Your holy and precious Life, so that we may be given the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of everlasting life. Help us to claim these sacred gifts by the giving of our hearts to You. In Your Saving 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, pleases end him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.