Street Meeting - John 1:29

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (NIV)

When I read the Gospel passage for today (John 1:19-34), it made me wonder what I would say if I saw Jesus walking down the street coming toward me. Would I fall on my knees and joyfully weep? Would I run away to hide? Or would I see him as John did – the Savior of the world who takes away my sins? I hope it would be the latter because, above everything else, Christ’s ability to forgive my sins – as well as that of the entire world – is crucially important to who I am, what I believe, and all that I hope to do.

Christians like me are imperfect and often fail to meet God’s standards. As the Apostle Paul once wrote, ‘I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing.’ (Romans 7:19) In my opinion, this means that we don’t fulfill everything God expects of us, so it leaves a credible gap between what we say we believe and what we actually do about it. For some folks outside of the church, this gives them the ideal opportunity to tar Christ’s followers as hypocrites – which we all honestly are – but that should not stop or hinder us from trying to be Christians. We know that we will constantly make mistakes, but we also have the potential to do some things that are right, positive, and faithful. And when we fail, Christ has the power and grace to forgive us completely, so we may gladly start again.

So, if you or I walk down the street today, and come face-to-face with Jesus, how will we respond?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us totally and are completely aware of all our faults. We are sinful creatures and imperfect followers. Despite these failures, You are still willing to allow us forgiveness for all our sins and the total restoration of our relationship with God. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and gratefully 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 Maundy Thursday drawings called ‘Window of Opportunity.’ If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Window.

Stone Monuments - John 1:17

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (NIV)

            Sometimes I wonder why other Christians get so upset over the placing of the Ten Commandments in public places. I know that those ten sacred laws are important to our faith tradition and have helped many people lead good lives throughout the centuries. However, the Gospels often remind us – as in today’s verse – that the legalism of the Old Testament was replaced with the compassion of Jesus and that we are meant to be living monuments of Christ’s grace and truth. Setting up a stone monument is an easy thing to do and may make us feel proud about how we witnessed for God, but being living monuments and witnessing with Christ’s mercy and love are much harder, more complicated, and very difficult to practice.

            Grace gets me through each day, especially when I’ve said or done something wrong. It makes me think critically about myself and what sort of witness I’m displaying to others. My faith is a living embodiment of who Christ is wherever I go – I’m not stuck in the ground, gathering weeds, or fading away like a stone monument. I’m a Christian human being who tries to love God, my neighbor, and even my enemies. A rock cannot do any of that, but a dedicated person can.

            So today, let’s all try to witness effectively, faithfully, compassionately, and lovingly to the people we encounter in our homes, neighborhood, and community. Because, just like ourselves, there are a lot of people around us who need the grace of God and the truth of Christ’s love in their lives.

Point to ponder

How do I display my faith in Jesus? Who is He asking me to help today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for bringing us the grace of God and showing us the truth about life. Help us to see Your work in our community and follow a path that allows us to be living monuments of our faith. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org. You can also email John with your feedback to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Communion banner drawings called ‘Bread & Wine.’ If you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Communion.