Belonging to God - Mark 12:7-8

Mark 12:7-8 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So, they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.”

            The greed of the tenants in Christ’s parable (Mark 12:1-12) causes them to lose their rationality and humanity. They want to possess the cultivated land for themselves, so they conspire to rid their community of any outsiders. Their selfish attitude makes them narrow-minded and eventually defeats their purpose. Instead of owning a fertile vineyard, they end up destroying their own inheritance; instead of being successful, they meet a miserable and justifiable end.

            When Jesus first told the story, He aimed it at His religious contemporaries. They were so focused on their own power and control, they forgot that the land and the people belonged to God. They thought it was both their religious and patriotic duty to keep themselves isolated and pure from any outsiders, but God had other plans – plans that would expand His compassion and grace way beyond any physical or spiritual borders that were being imposed. In His own way, Jesus was warning His oppositional contemporaries that their attempts to maintain their elitism and isolation was doomed to failure. God had moved on from their narrow views; Jesus had come to save the entire world, not just one nation.

            When I read passages like this, it reminds me that the world belongs to God. The whole planet is His vineyard and we are merely tenants who are charged with its upkeep and sustainability. If we think that we can carve out our own place and be disconnected from the rest of the Earth, we are deluding ourselves and sustaining a lost cause. The whole world belongs to God, not just some of it, so our true and utmost allegiance must belong to Him, too. If we fail to recognize this, then we will end up like the selfish tenants – left with absolutely nothing.

Point to ponder

Do I honestly put God first in my life? If not, what is obstructing me and how can I remedy that?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we call You the Savior of the World and the King of all Creation. Constantly remind us that this world belongs to You and that we are only tenants here, whose lives are meant to serve You and Your purposes, and not our own. 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 Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM – you will be made very welcome 😊

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

Free devotions: White Noise - Matthew 13:9

Matthew 13:9  “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Have you ever heard of the term “white noise?” It’s used by broadcasters to blank out unwanted sounds on radio, television, and satellite programs. On its own, it sounds like a lot of static, but when it’s applied to a recording, the white noise gets rid of irritating sounds and unwanted frequencies.

We use “white noise” when we want to block out other sounds too. If workers are drilling in the street outside our homes or offices, we may increase the volume of our televisions or radios to cancel out the drilling noise. Or if we’re in a building where we can hear people talking in the next room, we might put a fan on to cancel out the sound of their voices. That would be white noise too.

There’s a lot of white noise in the world and in people’s hearts and spirits. The white noise that we’ve created with our lives has cancelled out Christ’s Voice. We make important choices without even consulting Him. We worship without even focusing on Him. We express our faith without even reading, knowing, or applying His Words. We’ve cancelled out Christ with all of the distractions in our lives. He still speaks His challenging words to us, but we’re either not hearing Him at all or we’ve distorted His words to suit our own ideas, opinions, and culture.

We’re afraid to listen to Christ’s Truth because He will radically change our ideas.

We’re afraid to follow His Way because we want to keep things going our way.

We’re reluctant to accept His Life because our lives will no longer be our own.

So instead of listening to Christ or hearing the Gospel, we create white noise to block out His irritating words and uncompromising demands. We want Jesus to be meek and mild – meek enough to mold Him our way and mild enough not to meddle in our lives.

The challenge that we face today and everyday is this: how can we block out the world’s white noise and really listen to Jesus?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we have failed to follow You completely. We are guilty of setting You aside and blocking You from tampering in our lives and changing our ways. We want You to go along with us and listen to everything we have to say. We forget that You are the Lord and we are only Your servants. Help us to refocus our hearts and minds so that we will actually listen to You. In Your Holy Name, we urgently pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s latest 2011 Nativity drawings called
“Light of the World.” It features a silhouetted Joseph and Mary walking in the outskirts of Bethlehem beneath the Natal Star. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7015/6469850593_46b13aa547_b.jpg

Christian Screensaver: Jordan Joy

Baptism of the Lord

4 Minute Devotions: Faithful Love

Is God a Great Santa in the sky who laughs and lovingly indulges everything that we do? Or is there more to faith, love, and life?

Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

Ever since the Beatles came out with the song, “All You Need is Love,” our church and society seem to have adopted that creed. It’s as if we’re meant to excuse everything under the sun that we do or don’t do, and cover it all under the umbrella of love.

Don’t get me wrong, love is the greatest of all things, but we’re talking about real love here, not the indulgent, narcissistic love that our society idolizes. This text is about the total love that involves faith and loyalty, and in this case, it is the faithful love that we give to God.

Sometimes I worry about my own generation and how casually we treat God. Maybe it’s nothing to some folk, but as a pastor with people under my spiritual care, it’s a very big deal to me. If I couldn’t care less about where people ended up eternally, then the way we narcissistically approach the throne of God’s grace wouldn’t bother me one bit. But because I do care, I express my concerns in my preaching, my writing, and even my blogging.

Maybe I’m a dogmatic dinosaur who has outlived my need to be here. Or perhaps I’m a joyless Jeremiah or preacher-prophet who is destined to cry out in the wilderness of the world. Whatever the case may be, my approach to faith is not to follow the popular or well traveled path; I follow God first and lean on Christ when I fail. I guess it could be called ‘old-time religion’ and, as the song boldly declares, ‘if it was good for Paul and Silas, then it’s good enough for me.’

We’re all heading into a New Year and we will soon make new resolutions. How about we all take on an old one: to love God with all of our heart, strength, body, and soul? Perhaps then we would be able to show the world that faithful love Christians keep talking about. Perhaps then we would put God first and realize that life, as Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church so simply stated it, is not about us. It’s all about God.

Prayer: Lord God, sometimes we take You for granted and we believe that anything we say, do, or write will be indulged by You. Forgive us for being so vain and for putting ourselves, our needs, wants, and desires, at the center of our lives. Re-teach us that the universe does not spin around us, and that we are all creatures created by You. In Christ’s Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Divine Separation

How could God let go of Jesus all of those Christmases ago?

Psalm 113:5, 6 Who is like the LORD our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?

Podcast version here

I find Christmas absolutely amazing. And it’s not just because of the great music, the beautiful lights, or the glorious glitter. I find it amazing because it’s a celebration about the Lord of All Creation stooping down to our level, to leave His Holy Son amongst us. The whole event is a commemoration of an amazing sacrifice by God.

What God did way back then, would be like me taking my daughters, when they were babies, and leaving them on the dirty streets of Calcutta. I couldn’t ever do it because my fatherly love would not want to abandon them and I would feel the need to protect them. And that’s precisely what makes Christmas so wonderful to me, when I realize how much love God truly has for the whole world that He was willing to let go of Jesus.

Years ago, when I first came to live in the United States, my eldest daughter Lynsey went to her first overnight camp. We were just in Knoxville about ten days and felt totally cut off from our families back in Scotland. We were on our own and it just didn’t seem right that our eldest would be spending time away from us so soon. Lynsey felt the same separation anxiety and just after midnight I had to go and bring her home.

We were emotionally exhausted and weary as we journeyed home. I didn’t know it, but I was driving on the wrong side of the road. Suddenly, I saw headlights in front of me and heard the blaring of a car horn. Seconds later, we were involved in a head on collision. Thankfully, no one was injured but Lynsey and I were both emotional wrecks.

These days, Lynsey is a graduate student living hundred of miles from home. We may be separated geographically, but we are very close. It makes me wonder if that’s the kind of relationship that God maintained with Jesus throughout His life. God may have let Christ go to Earth that First Christmas, but They still carried each other in their hearts.

As I stated before, Christmas is amazing. And each year, I like to believe that God and Jesus stoop down to look at the Earth and celebrate this grand season with us.

Prayer: Lord God, most of us cannot comprehend what it took You to let go of Your Holy Son and leave Him to the mercies of the world. Even though You loved Him dearly, You never protected Him from what the world and people like ourselves eventually did to Him. That level of love and sacrifice is amazing to us and we are truly thankful for Your sacrifice which brought us salvation. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: God is Our Future

The economic crisis and stock market meltdown makes us all feel uneasy. Where is God in these uncertain times?

Podcast version here

Psalm 46:5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Economically, people are hurting all over the world. The stock markets are fluctuating wildly; businesses are closing down; unemployment is at an all time high for decades. There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of hope going around and some of us are wondering what we should be thankful for this year.

Spiritually, people are also hurting around the world. When uncertainty creeps into our society, God becomes a scapegoat for our frustrations and fears, our anxieties and anger. How can He allow all of this suffering to continue? Why doesn’t God do something about it? With all of His power, He could straighten things out and let us all lead healthy, wealthy, and successful lives.

But then we would just become puppets and wouldn’t know freedom. We wouldn’t experience triumph over hardship, or even learn from our mistakes. Each day would be the same and eventually, in my opinion, all of our feelings – good or bad – would shut off entirely.

So what does God do about uncertain times? How does He help us overcome our present troubles?

God abides within us, giving us guidance and encouragement, as well as granting us mercy and grace. It may seem trite to some people, but for those who maintain a strong spiritual connection to God, it is a wonderful blessing. Our future is in God’s hands; in fact, God is our future. As Christians, we look forward to an amazing day when we will be with God. Jesus, our Savior, has given us an everlasting opportunity to enter God’s Kingdom here on earth. Stock markets may rise and fall; jobs may come and go; but the love of God endures forever.

Prayer: Lord God, everything seems to be changing in our world, and at times we are fearfully anxious. Help us to cling to Your promises and allow us the holy experience of Your comforting presence in our hearts, minds, and souls. We pray this in the Name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord forever. Amen.

Sunday Sermon: High School Antics

Lectionary reading: Matthew 22:34-46

35,36 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

When I was a boy, our family lived a hundred yards away from some amazing tennis courts and soccer fields. They belonged to the local elementary school and after 4pm, the iron gates at the entrance to them were locked. A bold sign next to the gate solemnly declared in frightening capital letters: “TRESPASSING PROHIBITED.” Beneath those fierce words, another terrifying phrase was written: “Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted.” The notice was dutifully signed: H. Bain, Director of Education.

To a young boy like me, those words acted as a prohibition and a great temptation at the same time. I didn’t know then what “prosecuted” meant, but I had seen enough war movies to know that it probably involved a wall, a blindfold, and a firing squad. I was terrified of the consequences and yet those pristine soccer fields were so appealing. Every day, after 4pm as I walked alongside the tall iron fence, the soccer fields called me be name. I was itching to do what I shouldn’t do, just like my heroes Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. There had to be some way of getting to play soccer, or as we called it in Scotland, football.

I couldn’t break the law, and if I did, I imagined that I would become a fugitive running away from home, carrying my ball, and shouting in my defense, “It was the Devil that made me do it!” The Law was not to be made fun of either, and for an eight year old soccer loving boy, it was agony. I didn’t know what to do, so day after day, I was despondent.

Salvation came from unexpected quarters. My elementary school teacher was giving my class a history lesson on Mary, Queen of Scots and someone asked her why Mary wasn’t given the title “Queen of Scotland.” Our teacher then told us that the Scottish Kings and Queens were rulers of the people, not the land. Scotland belonged to the people and there was no law of trespass, unlike the English.

The effect that history lesson had on me was as liberating as the American Constitution. At 4pm, the great iron gates to the soccer pitches were locked as usual. Five minutes later, after the gatekeeper had gone, a street-load of historically-educated schoolboys climbed the gates and played soccer until the sun went down. We were not trespassers because no such law existed in Scotland. And the bold sign no longer terrified us – in fact, we used it as a goal post next to the iron gates.

When Jesus was interrogated by the Pharisees, they were trying to get Him to highlight their own attitude towards religion. They were tyrannical purists and self-righteous hypocrites who gleefully enjoyed other people failing. And whenever anyone failed, the Pharisees would be amongst the first to pick up stones to slaughter the offenders. Whether it was for picking up a woman on a Friday night, or picking up sticks on a Saturday morning, the consequences were the same: death by stoning.

Jesus knew this and understood that these unforgiving religious devotees were just waiting for Him to fall. If he said the wrong thing or made the wrong move, they would annihilate Him on the very first chance that he gave them. So when the religious lawyers demanded of Him an answer to their very slick questions, Jesus had to be careful, or at least if it was anyone else other than Jesus, they would need to be.

As usual, Jesus used the moment to drive a home lesson to both the Pharisees and His followers.

Without hesitation -37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

This would have sounded like music to everyone’s ears. Jesus was repeating the Great Shema, which every Jewish person knew since childhood. It comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad – it’s part of a prayer that is usually spoken first thing in the morning and said last thing at night by every Jew, even to this very day.

Thus by answering the question this way, Jesus was connecting to everyone around Him. It was a satisfying answer for His critics and followers alike. If there was anything that united Jewish factions and itinerant Galilean preachers like Jesus, it was this saying. His audience was very receptive to His words. But were they prepared for what happened next?

You see Jesus was not just a teacher of religious commandments; He called upon His listeners to practice them. It was very easy to focus faithfully upon God and feel smug about it. But how do people practically express their love of God; how do they show the world that they truly love God with all of their heart, soul, and mind?

Is it just a simple question of emotionally loving God from the inside? Does it only involve an inward spiritual connection of the soul to the Great Heavenly Spirit? Is it just an intellectual pursuit of only meditating on the scriptures of the past and memorizing them? To the Pharisees of His day, it meant precisely those things – as long as they were recognized as being divinely separated by God, revered for their long public prayers, and admired for their ability to quote the scriptures, then everything was alright in their legalistic, holier-than-thou, elitist existence. But woe betide the religious Teacher who came along to upset their divine Disneyland of a dream. And that’s precisely what Jesus did with His following remarks.

You know I love being a Presbyterian preacher in the Bible Belt. It’s full of some wonderful Christians and people who are truly in love with God. I have never seen so many people eager to do good works, to feed the poor, to help the homeless, to support the needy, and offer Christ’s love to the lonely and the outcast.

But I have also seen the dark side of our faith here, too. I’ve seen and heard Bible bashing Christians taunt our teenagers and harassing them about hell. I’ve listened to callous, insensitive and heartless people use the scriptures as a weapon to bludgeon other people and condemn them as reprobates. And before I get too smug, too self-righteous, too holy for my own good, I’ve been just as guilty at times.

Jesus never meant us to become 21st century Pharisees; He wanted His own people, as well as us, to become every century servants of God. That’s why He added this extra bit to the question He was asked. That’s why He didn’t stop with only one command about loving God.

Jesus continued:

39 And the second is like the first: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

To Jesus, you cannot love God without loving your neighbor. You cannot be an isolated Jew or an alienated Christian. Christ and community go hand in hand. We cannot just joyfully worship Jesus in here and let the world outside go to hell. If we’re involved with God, we need to be involved in the world. After all, Jesus showed us how much He loved God by dying for the world.

Jesus fully practiced what He preached – He loved God completely by completely giving His life for us. And God loved us so completely that He allowed Jesus to complete the plan of redemption and salvation for us.

There are no high school antics, or religious entrapment, or philosophical disagreements here. Jesus was telling His followers and the Pharisees that to totally love God, we have to love the folks beside us. And if the Church hadn’t screwed up that simple message over two thousand years, there would have been no Crusades, no religious wars, no bigotry, no schisms, no slavery, no segregation, and no self-righteousness that has unfortunately cursed, tainted, and damaged the witness of Christ in and to the world.

Until we learn to love God by loving our neighbors as ourselves, we will always be Pharisees and not followers. Until we practice Christ’s words, instead of just memorizing them, we will be a divided church in the world. And until we use our hearts, souls, and minds in the service of God for our community, like an almighty spiritual Manhattan project, we will fail to convince our neighbors at home and abroad that Christ is the Prince of Peace, the Healer of the Nations, and the Savior of the World.

Sadly, if we fail to love God and our neighbors, all that the Church will accomplish is the setting up of signs that will say to the entire planet: Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted. We will have forgotten that Christ is the King of all the people – as Psalm 24 initially states: the earth belongs to the Lord and all of its people – there is no law of trespass where Christians truly love God and all of their neighbors.

Let us pray:

O Lord, You words challenge our cozy theologies and comfortable beliefs. You confront our rigid religiosity and concrete Christianity. Help us to learn how to truly love God by loving our neighbors. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: A Gift of God's Kindness

Infant baptism is a beautiful way of encountering God’s holiness in church. Babies not only have a right to life, they also have a right to be sanctified.

Podcast version here

Romans 2:4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

One of the greatest gifts that God gives to Presbyterian pastors is the joy of baptizing a child. I absolutely love cradling babies in my arms, sprinkling them with water, and declaring them to be in God’s Kingdom. It’s a beautiful ceremony and a wonderful blessing to the baby.

I have been privileged to have baptized hundreds of babies. When I was a parish minister in Scotland, I baptized many babies whose parents had hardly any connection to the church. My attitude was, and still is, that the baby is completely innocent and should welcomed by the community of faith, no matter who their parents are or what they are like. Once that wee innocent baby is baptized, no one can ever take that blessing from him or her. It’s with them throughout their lives and I firmly believe some good, at a later stage, will come from the baptism.

It’s the work of the Holy Spirit that seals the baptism. Nothing I do or say makes the ceremony sacred. The outward signs of water and word are religiously performed; the Holy Spirit is invoked to bless the water and the child – only when that happens, outwardly and inwardly does a true baptism take place. Heaven and earth meet when the innocence of the child encounters the holiness of God. It’s a wonderful moment and a sanctified time.

The riches of God’s kindness are bestowed upon the baby and parents. It is not a time of judgment, but a memorable moment of God’s love. It’s a modern equivalent of Christ saying, “Let the little ones come to me.”

I wish that more babies in our community were baptized and that the grace of God was bestowed upon them in this remarkable and miraculous way. These precious little ones not only have the right to life, they also have the right to be sanctified. I will do my utmost to baptize as many as I possibly can before I am called to glory.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the sacrament of baptism and for the many babies and children who receive this blessing in our churches. Help us to reach out to other families in our community and offer them this precious gift. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Jesus Never Existed

People believe many things about Jesus that are just not true. The Christ of their deluded minds never existed.

Podcast version here

John 2:25 He did not need man's testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man.

Jesus did not exist.

Let me qualify that statement: the huggy-touchy, airy-fairy, freely feely, open-minded, peace happy hippy Jesus never existed. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve come across Christians in the world and on the internet who believe that Christ was a totally tolerant freedom worshipper Who completely accepted everyone’s ideas about God and inclusively embraced their individual opinions. They obviously have only scanned the Gospels and have never truly read, believed, or accepted what Jesus actually thought, said, and did.

I feel sorry for those who shape Christ into their own kind of savior and make Him into a happy collage of their own misunderstanding. Instead of being challenged and changed by Jesus, they toy with and turn Him into a tolerable figment of their own imagination. They want Jesus to be always joyful and never judgmental. They want Christ to be carefree and never constrictive. They want Him to be the Prince of peace and harmony, but never the Absolute Monarch of heaven and earth. They want fiction, not facts. They want grandiose tales and not the Gospel truth.

It’s time to stand up to them because they’re leading the church astray and heading down a path that leads to death. Jesus does not need their untrue testimony because He knows what is in man: arrogance and self-deception, delusion and narcissism, pride and hedonism.

As I wrote before, this modern-conceptualized Jesus did not exist. It’s time to step back from the abyss of heresy, hearsay, and unbelief. It’s time to truly read the Gospels and let God reveal to the Church His Holy Son once again.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sadly there are many people who think they are Christians because they worship a Christ of their own making. They are deluded and dangerous; heretical and harmful; rebellious and wrong. Keep us true to Your ways and words. Protect us from their misguidance and malevolence. In Your Holy Name, we faithfully pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Blog Action Day

Today is Blog Action Day around the world and this year's theme is Poverty. Bloggers from many nations are highlighting this serious issue and offering solutions.

Podcast version here

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Today is Blog Action Day around the world. Thousands of bloggers are posting articles about poverty and making suggestions about how we can rid this scourge in the world. It’s an amazing network that has been established and any profits from the whole venture will go to KIVA, the international organization that helps small businesses in developing countries by giving loans through contributions that people in richer countries have given.

It’s a wonderful system and to date, I have helped seven different small businesses in Tanzania, Samoa, Peru, and Cambodia through the contributions I have made. It doesn’t involve government or political leaders. It’s about ordinary people helping other ordinary people across the world. Red tape and bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and most of the loans are paid back within a year to the lenders, who can then lend their money to someone else.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving and if you would like to participate in this great opportunity to directly help the lives of others, then visit the website at kiva.org. Registration is easy and contributions can be made via the secure Paypal system.

Poverty is a man-made disease, but if we pool our resources together, even in simple ways like Kiva offers, then it can be overcome. Some one once said that if you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day; but if you teach him how to fish, he can eat for life. There’s one more part I would add to that: he can eat for life if you give him access to the fish pond.

Kiva is doing that by giving people access to the business loans that they need to work in their community. And I firmly believe that the Lord takes great delight in what they are achieving amongst the poor. For once, it’s all about everyone’s need, instead of inhumane greed.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You once said that “You will always have the poor with you; do for them whatever you can.” Thank You for the great work of KIVA, its philosophy and practical ideas that are positively changing lives all around the world. Help each of us to seriously consider giving from we have, to those who can use those resources effectively. In Your Holy Name, we pray for an end to poverty. 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.

4 Minute Devotions: Dealing with Death

Years ago, I saw a person actually die. He was a stranger to me, but both he and his daughter taught me an important faith lesson.

Podcast version here

Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

It was the first time that I saw someone actually die and he was a stranger to me. I had just started as a part-time chaplain to a local hospital and received a call very early one Saturday morning.

“Can you come and help a patient’s family member?” a nurse asked. “She’s all on her own and has asked for a minister to be with her. Her dad is dying”

It took me about fifteen minutes to get ready. I was at the hospital within half an hour. A young woman was in a side room sitting next to her father’s bed. He was an old man that I had never seen in my life before. He looked tired and weary. She looked exhausted and frail.

“Thank you for coming, “she quietly said.” I just needed someone to be here. I didn’t want to do this on my own.”

We talked for a couple of minutes and I read some scripture. Time passed so slowly. Her father was breathing intermittently and the young woman clasped his hand. She told her dad that she loved him and once or twice she tenderly stroked his hair.

And then the moment came. His face slightly changed color and the breathing stopped. It was very peaceful. The young woman quietly sobbed. I read from Psalm 23 and said a soft, comforting prayer. She graciously thanked me for being there and then the nursing staff arrived to take care of the body. The young woman thanked me once more and allowed me to quietly leave. I never saw her again and to this day I do not know their names. But the woman and her father taught me a lesson: death does not need to be feared and dying can be very peaceful.

That’s why I’m still a minister today and it’s also why I preach the Good News. Jesus has defeated death and His great victory vanquishes all of our fears. Christ not only saw the gates of death; He took them apart forever. We may pass away but once on earth, but death no longer imprisons us, for Jesus has won our eternal freedom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of our souls and the Deliverer from death. You grant us an everlasting opportunity to be reunited with our loved ones in the holy realms of God. We can never repay the immortal debt that we owe to You, but we will praise Your Name forever. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Taking Stock

The financial markets are free falling. This reminds of what is stated on our dollar bills: In God We Trust.

Podcast version here

Psalm 98:2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.

In the midst of all this financial turmoil in the market and across the world, it is perhaps time to remind ourselves that our salvation does not come from money, and that our security is not established by the number of stocks that we own. If we look at any dollar bill, we will read the plain words “In God We Trust.” It was put on our currency to remind us that money is just a means to buy and sell things, but it is not what we as human beings need to trust. After all, as the old saying goes, “You can’t take your money with you.”

I guess a lot of people are on the verge of panicking right now. They’re seeing their lifetime savings, pensions, and 401Ks being depleted as the market plummets. It’s a harsh reminder that our security cannot be guaranteed by what we possess. Our salvation belongs to God and our lives are His alone.

Sometimes we get ensnared by what we have, instead of recognizing who we truly are. Human beings were created long before money, currency, stocks and shares appeared on the scene. We were not made to be possessed by our possessions; rather we were created to enjoy God’s creation. If we place too much value on our financial worth, we lose our spirituality. It’s no accident that the Bible states that ‘the love of money is the root of all evil.’ If we become obsessed with what the markets are doing, we are in danger of losing our grasp of God. Money may make the world go around, but the Lord God sustains the entire universe.

It’s time to let go of our fears and let God increase our faith. It’s time to place our trust in Him and not the banks, the markets, or the stock exchange. Things may be difficult for a while, but they are not disastrous. God has created enough resilience and creativity within all of us to overcome these troubles.

Prayer: Father God, help us to let go of our losses and hold on to the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. Teach us to trust in You and keep us from equating our lives to the things we possess. Enable us to put Jesus at the center of our lives and help us to value ourselves through the strength of our relationship with Him. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Shaky Ground

Religulous the movie paints a picture of Christians being weak minded and simple. Bible stories often excite us as children, but when we become adults we realize that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. The wise man who built his house upon the rock deserves a second look.

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Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

It was one of the first kids’ choruses that I ever learned as a child: The wise man built his house upon the rock. I can remember learning all of the actions and eagerly anticipating the end when all of the Sunday school kids were allowed to make an almighty noise as the foolish man’s house came tumbling down. It was a great way to teach one of Christ’s most popular stories and I still occasionally teach it to the children in our church.

I thought I knew the story really well, but when I looked at the passage as an adult, I realized there was more to meet the eye. Jesus is talking about obedience, not faith. He is not talking about believing in Him, He’s telling people to do what He says. That’s a big difference and it’s something that a lot of people have difficulty with.

In these turbulent days, when the institutionalized church is trying to become more culturally acceptable and universally palatable, our denominations are losing their foundations. Instead of following Christ and fulfilling His words, we are more into pursuing the world and validating our own opinions. We seek to be liked by the world, instead of being faithful to Christ. We diminish our beliefs in order to be accepted. We no longer have a sure foundation; we’re standing on shaky ground and will end up collapsing in a heap of our own undoing.

The parable, which we tend to set aside as a good children’s story, is one of those “in your face” moments that Jesus often uses to challenge us. The message is quite clear: we either walk His talk or we can say goodbye to God’s Kingdom. I don’t know about you, but rather than listen to the voices of modern, multi-cultural, progressive, one world universalists, I would rather hear the clear and truthful voice of Christ across the centuries. It might seem outdated and paltry to some people, but it’s eternal and priceless to me.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when the world says, “Jump!” Christians don’t ask “how high?” When You say, “Follow Me,” we reply “Yes, Lord.” Keep us from capitulating and casting aside our allegiance to You. Help us to accept and apply Your words, even although it may cost us popularity, privileges, and profits. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: King Egbert

Passing faith onto our children is a special privilege. Kids’ sermons on Sunday morning’s are the perfect vehicles for enriching their spiritual lives.

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Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign and rulers make laws that are just;

I love talking to our church kids on Sunday mornings. It’s a privilege to share faith with them. I love the answers that they give to my questions, especially when they put me on the spot.

Many years ago, I invented a character called King Egbert, who is always doing silly things. His wife Matilda usually has to fix things for him and bail him out of the trouble he causes. I draw cartoons of the character and produce coloring-in sheets for the children. They seem to like the stories and look forward to the talks. I always relate the story to a Bible message and we usually sing a short song about the story at the end.

There’s a lot of wisdom in the Book of Proverbs and this morning’s verse reminds us of the sovereignty of God. Our leaders may be appointed by the people, but God is in control of the whole earth. We may go through bad economic crises or natural disasters, during and after which our leaders will try to steer our people in the best possible course. We look to them for leadership, but at the same time we pray to God for help. Those simple prayers reflect our faith in the sovereignty of God. He is our King and He is in control.

Prayer: Lord God, we call You the High King of Heaven which means that we place our lives totally under Your control. In good times and bad times, You constantly watch over our lives. You help us through both joyful and painful moments throughout our days on earth. Thank You for being our King and the Sovereign of the Universe. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

PS King Egbert is on the internet. You can see some pictures of King Egbert at http://www.kingegbert.blogspot.com/

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

4 Minute Devotions: The Biggest Sinner in the World

Who is the biggest sinner in the world? The honest answer may shock us.

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1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.

Here’s a question that we never seem to ask ourselves: who is the worst sinner in the world? We could probably make a list of movie stars, dictators, politicians, and religious leaders and compare our answers, but the true answer would be totally missing: me.

We are only truly aware of the sins that we commit, the mistakes we have made, and the regrets we carry in our hearts. No one else knows the full sum of sins that we commit except ourselves; therefore when we ask who the biggest sinner is in the world, the honest answer is “me.”

Paul understood this simple truth, which is why he writes that he is the worst sinner in the world. He can see before him the past mistakes he made as a Pharisee; he can recognize his pride, anger, and self-righteousness that led him to persecute Christians; he carries the burden of his guilty past within his heart. He knows that he is the biggest sinner in the world and no matter how saintly we revere Paul, he would never take that merit upon himself.

Once we understand that we are each the biggest sinners in our own worlds, we need the biggest Savior in the Universe to forgive and restore us. We cannot do it on our own because we have no clout with God. We each need someone to stand before God to intercede on our behalf. God will not listen or excuse us. We cannot negotiate with God. Only Jesus can stand in the gap and declare us to be His sanctified and forgiven followers. It’s His merits that extinguish our demerits. It’s His obedience that cancels out our rebellion. It’s His sacred holiness that erases our sinful hopelessness.

We go from being the biggest sinners in the Universe to becoming the greatest heirs of God. We are given grace and mercy instead of punishment and wrath. We are granted everlasting life instead of eternal misery.

This is why the Church is commissioned to go out into the world. This is why every Christian is a missionary. Like Paul, we rejoice in our salvation and want to help others receive that joyful experience. We live in the love of Christ and the grace of God. We seek to share these bountiful blessings with the whole world.

So, if you ever hear the question: “who is the biggest sinner in the world?”, then answer “me.” And follow it up by letting people know who the Greatest Savior is in the universe. One day, they’ll want to experience the same.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, none of us are perfect, holy, or sinless. We all make mistakes and commit sins. We all are ashamed of things in the past and fearful of doing things wrong in the future. Grant us Your mercy and grace when we fail and fall. Help us to come to You constantly with our confessions, regrets, and disappointments. Cleanse us of the past and lead us towards our eternal future. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Answers

Isaiah 58:9a Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Yesterday, I wrote about my bewildered reflections about what was occurring at the PFR (Presbyterians for Renewal) conference. I was dismayed by the anxiety and perplexity that other pastors were facing in the midst of the current denominational crisis. Today, I feel as though God has answered some of my questions and I feel more in tune with what Christ is doing here.

The PC(USA) is largely a Progressive church and for Biblically Conservative pastors like myself, it has placed us in a minority position. It gets harder each year to try to maintain the traditional standards and biblical values in a denomination that feels its calling is to reflect the culture rather than Christ. As we drift away from New Testament teachings and Reformed doctrine, our identity changes. In my opinion, we become more of what the world wants, and less of what God wills.

This dilemma is nothing new and the Church has had to deal with this in every denomination, as well as every generation. Unfortunately, the Gospel of Christ is being watered down and His message is being treated as just one more ancient holy teaching in the midst of all other religions. In other words, the Good News is no longer godly, and Jesus is just another jolly guru.

So the PFR has been set up to help BC pastors come together as a means of support, strategy, and celebration. It gives us an opportunity to voice our faith, as well as our fears. It allows us to embrace and encourage one another, so that we can return to our churches renewed, re-strengthened, and reinvigorated in the Lord.

For me, I’ve found a whole group of people across the East, who love the Lord and seek to bring others to Christ. For our churches, we have been given a new hope, path, and vision for the future. We may be in the minority in the denomination, but instead of feeling like voices crying in the wilderness, the challenge is to become the yeast in the bread, or the mustard seed of faith that our denomination needs to do the will of God, instead of what the world wants.

As Isaiah stated so long ago, when we cry to the Lord for help, He will answer us and He will show us where He is in the midst of our churches, communities, and denominations.

Prayer: Lord God, the world seems to be trying to shape Christ’s Bride, the Church, into what it wants. Enable us to recognize that the Church belongs to Him and that He will keep it beautiful, faithful, and unblemished to glorify His ministry and to honor Your Everlasting Name. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

4 Minute Devotions: Honor Killings

We're hearing more about "honor" killings these days, even in our own nation. Sadly, it's an act of fanaticism that has its roots in the Bible.

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Deuteronomy 13:9 You must certainly put him to death. Your hand must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people.

They call it “honor killing,” although there’s nothing honorable about it. Young girls in the Middle East who get caught in the wrong company, or young men who convert to another religion, are cast out by family members and sometimes killed. It’s a horrible way of expressing faith and sadly, it’s one that has its roots in the Bible.

People get fanatical about their faith in God and take it to the extreme, so that nothing stands between them and their devotion to their Deity. Their love becomes an irrational zeal and they become obsessed with serving God perfectly, purely, and persistently. If a family member ‘dishonors’ the family faith, they can be tortured, raped, imprisoned, and killed. It’s a horrible aspect of how faith can destroy believers. It’s a wicked way of serving God.

People expect Christians to be holy and perfect, instead of ordinary and sinful. We have no honor, save that of Christ alone. He is the Sacred One who does everything right. He is the Holy Son of God, who serves His Father faithfully, purely, and perfectly. The grace of Jesus allows us to be restored to God through Christ’s good and godly works. There’s nothing that we can do to shield us from God’s wrath. We can only stand behind Jesus and ask Him to make things right for us. His Death completely paid the price of our sins. In our faith, if ever there was an ‘honor killing,’ it took place at Calvary when Jesus went to the Cross on our behalf.

I wish that those other faiths in the world could put an end to these dishonorable killings, but this will only happen if we keep spreading the Gospel through our churches and in our communities. Christ can release them from the burden of their fanaticism. We need to lovingly bring His message of grace and honor to the world.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, there is a lot of injustice and wickedness in the world that is done in the name of religion. Help us, through Your grace, to present a loving witness to the world, so that other people may be attracted to Your words and ways. Grant us opportunities to confront fanaticism with peace, hope, and love. In Your Honorable Name, we pray. Amen.

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

4 Minute Devotions: Clearing Out

The older I get, the more I begin to realize that I am no longer carrying faith on my own: I’m giving it away.

Psalm 71: 18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

I am a terrible hoarder. I keep things in my two studies that I will never use ever again. I’ve got pens that have dried up; pieces of paper with messages written long ago; notebooks full of half-baked ideas; cassette tapes that I will never listen to again; and old computers that will become antiques in a few years.

I need to start downsizing my clutter and get rid of these things. I need to create more space in order to think creatively, instead of being surrounded with things that I will never use. But each time I go to throw things out, I find an emotional attachment, an unexplored idea, a potential use, or a guilty feeling about letting it go. Clutter clings to me and I am possessed by my worthless possessions.

Spiritually, I sometimes feel the same. I fill my timetable with many plans, projects, and meetings. My head is full of interesting ideas, valuable visions, and innovative applications. Too much stuff and too many thoughts. Too much pressure and hardly any peace. I’m living the curse of the modern man – so many things to do; so little time left to do it in.

I need to de-clutter my soul and make more room, more time, and more space for God in my heart. I need to give away my faith more often, in order to grow with God. I need to use Time as a tool for getting the best out of life and giving my best to God. Like the psalmist, I want to grow old and gray, knowing the comforting presence of God, and telling His story to the next generation.

It’s not going to be easy letting go of all of my physical and spiritual clutter, but I have to start now or I will leave it too late. Today, I’ll let go of me and let God get a hold of me.

Prayer: Lord God, we keep filling the great gaps of our lives with things that are trivial and events that are unimportant. We set You aside to get what we want done and try to play catch up with You later on. We deplete our spirits and diminish our relationship with You, but when things go badly or if we do something wrong, we expect You to be there and rescue us. Lord, forgive us for taking You for granted. Help us today to specialize in You. Enable us to clear out the clutter in our hearts and minds; set our spirits free. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

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

4 Minute Devotions: Holy Heights

I suffer from acrophobia – a fear of heights. Perhaps if I was a tall person, it might not be so bad. I get dizzy and unbalanced whenever I am up high. Standing on a ledge or a rooftop is very hard for me to do, although if I’m on a ladder, no matter how high it is, I’m okay. Go figure that one out, because I can’t.

I can remember being with a party of children walking up Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest mountain. There is a path that reaches up to the summit. Halfway up the mountain, I happened to look down. That was a big mistake. All of a sudden I found myself rooted to the spot, clinging to the side of the path. The kids thought I was just joking, but the leader of the group knew differently. I was relieved when she decided to cancel the climb due to the ‘inclement weather.’ I think she had seen how white my face had become and realized that I was never going to make it to the top.

Revelation 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.

When the apostle John writes about the Church at Ephesus falling from a great height, he’s talking about the status that the congregation had in the Mediterranean community. It had been established by Paul, so its theological pedigree was second to none. But pride had tarnished the church. The Ephesians were in love with their own achievements and had forgotten about their initial loyalty to Jesus. They admired their own successes, instead of truly glorifying Christ for the blessings He had bestowed upon them. It must have been hard for them to accept this piece of divine criticism, but it was necessary to bring them back down to earth in order to fulfill what Jesus needed them to do.

So, what’s the lesson for today? Whatever we accomplish in our lives originates in the riches of God’s grace. When we are blessed, let’s take time to thank Jesus and honor Him as the provider of our successes.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your Life changed the history of the world in such a way that we all owe our existence to You. Anything that we accomplish with our lives is a direct consequence of Your affect on our entire planet. Remind us of Your importance to all that we are and all that we shall ever be. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's message, leave a comment or send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org

4 Minute Devotions: In God's Name

Religious fanaticism needs to be confronted and denounced no matter where it originates or operates. Christ is the Prince of Peace and we, as Christians, have a holy calling and distinct obligation to seek reconciliation and promote His peaceable Kingdom throughout the world.

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Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Yesterday, I read an article about a Muslim cleric in Britain who is calling for Sharia laws to be upheld by British courts. He preaches vehemently and insists that thieves, male or female, should have their hands cut off, and that unmarried couples who have sex should be publicly flogged.

Meanwhile, over here in Oklahoma, a Baptist Church is giving away a semi-automatic assault rifle as a door prize at a YOUTH Conference.

What on earth is going on? And why isn’t God doing something about these fanatics?

We live in troubled times. I know that I can be ornery and stubborn when it comes to faith matters, but I would never dream of calling for punishing amputations or giving teenagers a machine gun. These people, pastors, and clerics are crazy and no matter how zealous they are for Allah or the Second Amendment, this is not faith as Jesus would have described it; this is religious fanaticism at its worst and we should all denounce it as an evil under the sun.

No wonder so many people get turned off by religion these days. If worshipping God turns us into limb-hacking, gun-toting devotees, then we should avoid it at all costs. Human history is littered with enough corpses attributed to religious fanaticism. We don’t need another Holy War, genocidal jihad, or holocaustic crusade to glorify God. I’m sure He’s just as sick as we are with those who use His Name to maim or murder infidels and sinners. After all, the world painfully tortured and unjustly killed His Son on a cross – no more blood needs to be shed to reconcile, redeem, and restore humanity to God’s holiness.

The challenge for us today is to stand up to these belligerent bullies and misguided maniacs by promoting the peace of Christ in our lives. After all, if the world does not see the Jesus within us through our outward acts of mercy and grace, then fanaticism will contaminate our communities and put this planet in peril for generations to come.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to find the high ground and empower us to effectively confront religious fanaticism without ourselves becoming vitriolic vigilantes or malicious messengers. Keep us on Your path to peace and reconciliation, without becoming appeasers or enablers to those who would forcefully oppress us with their fanaticisms. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

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