Easter Sunday devotion - Mark 16:1-8

Easter Sunday

Gospel Reading: Mark 16:1-8

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. (NIV)

            And so Holy Week ends where it had begun – with women carrying perfume to cleanse and anoint the body of Jesus. Throughout this whole week, most of the men have failed Christ but the women have remained loyal, devoted, and courageous. They loved Him dearly and so they wanted to allow Him some dignity in His death, of which the Roman soldiers and religious leaders had mercilessly robbed Him.

            Quietly and faithfully, the women approach the tomb together. They are probably still weeping and supporting each other physically. They know that this is the right thing to do. The ministry and gifts of women are going to supersede the power and brutality of men. They come out of duty, as well as compassion. They come because they are women called by God to serve His Son.

            And then this beautiful moment in the whole of history occurs. The women are told that Jesus is not there, but that He has actually risen from the dead. They are utterly surprised and naturally fearful. They do not understand what has happened, but they have become the first people on Earth to receive this wonderful news. The ministry of Christ continues in the hands of those who loved Him best. Their lives are never the same again and our world is changed forevermore.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Point to ponder

How have women sustained, shared, and advanced the ministry of Christ in my life, across history, and around the world?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we praise You for this special and most glorious day. We thank You for the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life that come through Your grace. And we are also grateful for the love, devotion, and ministry of women in Your Church and throughout the world. In your Holy Name, we joyfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Easter drawings called “Easter 2018.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Easter.

Holy Saturday devotion - Matthew 27:57-66

Holy Saturday – Low Saturday

Gospel reading: Matthew 27:57-66

Matthew 27:57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. (NIV)

            In the Gospels, rich people are sometimes cast as greedy villains who are insensitive to the poverty and suffering around them. This makes us tend to think that Christ’s message was strictly limited to an underprivileged socio-economic class, but nothing is further from the truth. The Gospel that Jesus preached was for everyone and the message that He proclaimed wasn’t exclusive to one group alone.

            Take, for instance, Joseph of Arimathea. We are told that he is a rich person who had become a disciple of Christ. He obviously had a good reputation because he was able to arrange an urgent meeting with Pilate, in order to obtain the dead body of Christ. This would have made him a marked man in the Governor’s eyes, as well as a radical among the religious authorities, but this did not stop Joseph from making his request. He was a true follower of Christ, so he used his influence and resources to ensure that Jesus received a decent burial, instead of letting his body be cast aside and thrown on the local dung heap.

            Joseph’s commitment and courage show that rich people can actually be effective disciples and great influencers in the work of Christ. The prosperous Arimathean respectfully took Christ’s battered body and laid it sacredly in a tomb. He wanted Christ to have an honorable end to His ministry. What Joseph didn’t know, of course, was that he was playing a remarkable part in the glorious resurrection event that was still to come, so just as some of Christ’s friends had been devoted to Jesus, here we also have a rich man doing all that he could for the Teacher he loved and served.

Point to ponder

How can I use my influence and resources to advance Christ’s ministry?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have called all different sorts of people to Your ministry of salvation and message of love. We are thankful for the privilege of serving You with our time, talents, and treasures, in order to advance Your work and glorify Your Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s Holy Saturday drawings called “Starfall.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Starfall.

Good Friday devotion - John 18:1 - 19:42

Good Friday

Gospel reading: John 18:1 - 19:42

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (NIV)

            All things, they say, come to an end, which includes our own lives. At some point in the future, we will personally encounter death for the first and last time. It may occur at home or in a hospital, surrounded by loved ones or on our own. It could strike us unexpectedly, making us momentarily confused. It may come as the result of an accident, severe injury, or serious illness. Whatever the case, the death rate on Earth is still 100% and none of us will escape this final experience.

            What we will escape is the hold that death can lay on us. When Jesus died on the Cross and said “It is finished,” He meant that everything possible had been done to pay the price of sin, as well as the ransom demanded by death. From that sacred moment, which is actually the epicenter of where sin and death, along with time and space collide, Jesus fulfilled all that was necessary to overcome that one fatal human experience. His death redeemed our souls, for all that He finished was the final part of God’s plan to forgive and restore us forever.

            This is why we call today ‘Good Friday,’ for what can be better than being totally forgiven for all of our mistakes in our lives and then, beyond death, to be welcomed and received into God’s everlasting love?

Point to ponder

How did Christ show His love for me on the Cross?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we will always be thankful to You for dying on the Cross. You finished everything that God required and commenced a new hope for all who believe and follow You. We are unworthy of such wonderful love, but we are also truly grateful for such a gracious gift. In Your Holy Name, we sincerely pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s Good Friday drawings called “Epicenter.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Epicenter.

Maundy Thursday devotion - John 13:31-35

Holy Thursday – Maundy Thursday

Gospel Reading:  John 13:1-17, 31-35

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)

            It was typical of Jesus. On the night in which He was betrayed, which is something that usually derives from hate, Jesus spoke about love. He could have been angry and vented His wrath on Judas. He could have made the rest of the disciples feel uncomfortable and unworthy of His presence, but instead, Jesus chose to emphasize love. It was a remarkable teaching moment in the lives of the disciples who stayed with Him in the Upper Room. It was a lesson that we are meant to keep on learning, practicing, and fulfilling.

            In each of our lives, there are people that we don’t like. They’ve upset us in the past, broken their promises, or they’ve shown hostility to us. We don’t like them because they make us feel vulnerable and their displeasure toward us is hard to endure. However, Christ loves those people no less than He loves us, so in His eyes and through His grace, they are redeemable, acceptable, and even loveable. This is why Christ asked His disciples to love one another before everything soon fell apart, causing them to blame each other and allow fear to override their feelings. Loving one another, under those circumstances, would be very difficult to accomplish.

            Perhaps this week, we could pray for those we dislike and ask God to help us to love them. Maybe God will also give us an opportunity to heal any past wounds or restore a broken relationship. If so, then Christ’s loving words can be applied by ourselves in order to mend our conflicts.

Point to ponder

Am I willing to reach out this week to someone I dislike?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, even in the midst of a painful act of betrayal, You still displayed God’s love. Encourage us to embrace this important lesson and enable us to overcome our personal feelings of dislike in order to truly love one another. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Celtic Communion.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Communion.

Holy Wednesday devotion - John 13:21-32

Holy Wednesday

Gospel Reading: John 13:21-32.

John 13:24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” (NIV)

            It was a shocking moment which disturbed all of the disciples. Jesus had just pronounced that one of the Twelve was going to betray Him. No one knew what to say or do which is very surprising. Did this mean that each of them suspected one another?

            This part of the betrayal reveals to us the human traits of all the disciples and not just Judas Iscariot. Each one of them is potentially a betrayer of Christ; all of them are astonished about what Jesus declares, and each of them feels the need to find out who the traitor actually is. This is why Peter surreptitiously asks the other disciple to discover who Jesus is talking about. Like the others, the Big Fisherman wants to know the identity of the culprit, so he can feel reassured that it is not himself.

            When we are totally honest about ourselves, we recognize that we betray Jesus each day with our ill-chosen words, broken promises, or sinful deeds. We claim Christ to be the Lord of our lives, but the way we express or display our faith to others, reveals a different story. This is what makes Holy Week so important. It’s not just a remembrance of the past; it’s a personal reflective time when we see ourselves as the different characters around Jesus in the story.

Point to ponder

Who am I in these Holy Week stories?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us completely and are totally aware of our sinful potential. We confess to failing to meet Your standards of discipleship, devotion, and service. Enable us to see our weaknesses and help us to overcome them. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s Holy Week drawings called “Cup of Salvation.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Cup.

Holy Tuesday devotion - John 12:20-36

Holy Tuesday

Gospel Reading: John 12:20-36

John 12:21 The Greeks came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.” (NIV)

            On Easter Sunday, many churches will be fuller than usual. Family and friends will come with regular members to church services to experience the joy that this holy day still brings. Our sanctuaries will be full of folks who are looking to be accepted, blessed, and loved by God. They will be seeking the assurance of the Gospel story and wanting to find Jesus in their lives again. They will expect churchgoers to be filled with the gladness of God and the jubilation of the Holy Spirit. They will look to us to see Jesus in our praise and prayers, our songs and sermons.

            Some of them will be struggling with personal issues and carrying heavy burdens. Others will feel anxious about their lives and be worried about the future. Still others may feel coerced into coming to church or out of place when they sit in the pews. Whatever the case, they are all expecting something meaningful, something different, something holy to happen during the worship service. In other words, they not only want to see Jesus is our lives, they want to know what He is all about.

            Our role on Sunday is to make these folks feel welcome. How we greet them at the door, or speak to them in the pew, or talk to them after worship, will affect how they experience Christ. If we truly want them to ‘see’ Jesus, then how we accept and respect them will be very important. In fact, this acceptance is not just something that we are willing to display at Easter, it’s an important facet of our faith which needs to be shown each week in church and each day of our lives.

Point to ponder

How do others actually see Jesus in me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to be welcoming to the folks who will be at church this Sunday. We thank You for their willingness to come among us. Enable us to be authentic and caring, joyful and sincere. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “A New Earth.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: New Earth.

Holy Monday Devotion - John 12:1-11

Holy Monday

Gospel reading can be found at this link: John 12:1-11.

John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (NIV)

            It was a pure act of unselfish love and devotion. Mary poured some beautiful and expensive perfume on Christ’s body to ease His stress and bring some peace to His life. It was like using the essential oils that many folks use today to make them feel better, calmer, and healthier. Mary had sensed Christ’s deep feelings empathically, so she wanted to heal the Healer and serve her Lord.

            Some folks like Judas didn’t get it. All they saw was the cost of the perfume and not the act of priceless love. They even condemned Mary for wasting such an expensive pint of nard. It could easily have been sold and the money used to look after the poor. They didn’t want to recognize the sacrifice that Mary made to look after Jesus. They were focused on their own self-righteousness instead of seeing something beautiful being done for God.

            Holy Week takes us through a whole group of different emotions. We will come across anger and despair, fear and anxiety, courage and betrayal. But Holy Week begins at the very point where it will end, with a woman’s devotion and an act of dedication which will overcome any criticism, falsehood, or obstruction. In other words, love will win.

Point to ponder

How can I show my love to Jesus this week?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for this holiest of all weeks in the year. We ask that You lead us through each day on a journey of faith, hope, and love. Open our minds to the powerful message of salvation and enable us to embrace the forgiveness and grace You offer. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s Holy Week drawings called “Her Holy Tears.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Tears.