Robert Burns print: Poetic Moonlight - Robert Burns Cottage, Alloway

For all the Burns Supper enthusiasts...



8 x10 print, surrounded by 11 x 14 matte - $20, plus $5-10 shipping & handling.

Interested? Contact me at traqair@aol.com for details.

4 Minute Devotions: Clay People

My mother’s name was McClay, and I used to think that the name “McClay” meant “son of the earth.” It made me feel as though I came from some very common stock, of pitcher people from long ago, who made jars of clay for my Scottish ancestors. Because my father’s family were all Stuarts, who were once Scottish kings and queens, I tended to be a wee bit snooty regarding my heritage when I was much younger. I would rather have royal blue blood running through my veins than to be taken from old grey clay, any day.

Podcast version here

But when I researched the name McClay I discovered it had nothing to do with clay pots or working with mud. You see McClay is an anglicized form of the old Gaelic name “Mac An Leigh,” which means “son of the Healer.” My mother’s heritage didn’t come from clay workers; they were instead the ancient shamans, medicine men, and pagan healers of the old Gaelic tribes. Perhaps instead of royal blood in my veins, I’ve got pastoral blood from my mother’s side.

Job 33:6 I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay.

No matter what my heritage may actually be, or how fanciful I think it is, I am humbled by this one thought: that we are all created equal by God and, as far as the Bible is concerned, we are all made from dust and clay. In God’s eyes, it matters not how noble or powerful, wealthy or esteemed, famous or infamous that we are in the world; as far as He is concerned, we are all His creatures, whose purpose is to praise God and enjoy Him forever.

We are all sons and daughters of clay, yet we are also destined to become sons and daughters of God through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Son. By placing our faith in Christ, we are not left to sink into the miry clay of darkness and oblivion; instead we are given the sacred opportunity of rising out of the mud, of being cleansed by Christ’s blood, and being led into the everlasting, holy, and joyful presence of God. Then, in my opinion, we all become the equivalent of immortal McClays – sons and daughters of the Healer of the world. My mother would just love that.

Prayer: Lord God, we all have different heritages and ancestry, backgrounds and cultures. And yet we have the same source of life, which comes from You alone. Thank You for allowing us to share this wonderful creation that is all around us. And we praise You for the glorious opportunity of experiencing this forever, through the noble sacrifice and royal blood of Your Son and our King, Jesus Christ. In His Name, we pray. Amen.

Choosing Names

There’s a saying in Scotland which goes like this: “That’s a rotten trick to play on a wean.” A ‘wean’ is a Scots word for child and the saying is usually applied when someone does something that is unfair, or taking advantage of someone else who is weaker. You also hear it when someone gives a trendy or peculiar name to a child. The rotten trick is sticking the child with a name that he or she will absolutely hate.

Hosea 1:9 Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

I feel sorry for Lo-Ruhamah (No mercy is given) and Lo-Ammi (Not my people). They were given names that would remind the people around them of the miserable and godless times they were living under. I can imagine both of them being taunted by other kids in the community and shunned by adults. Those two unfortunate children must have undergone their own miserable times, and even although it was instigated by God, I still think it was a rotten trick to play on Gomer’s weans. Thankfully, when things got better, God promised Hosea that their names would be changed to Ruhamah (Mercy is given) and Ammi (My People)

Children are a precious gift from the Lord and priceless as far as the Church is concerned. Remember when Jesus was talking to the disciples about the Kingdom of God? He brought a child into the midst of them and said, “Whoever would enter God’s Kingdom needs to be like a child.” In other words, a simple uncomplicated faith goes a long way towards finding salvation in Christ.

Today, let’s all become child-like in faith and remember that simple devotion from the heart is what draws us nearer to God.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for receiving us into God’s Kingdom through the power of Your mercy and grace. We want to be Your people and disciples, Your followers and servants. Enable us to trust and love You as true children of God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Unyoked

Audio version here

2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? NIV



Sometimes Paul reminds me of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament. They were the messengers of God who ‘purified’ the Jewish people by casting out foreigners from their community. Men, women and children were all thrown out of Jerusalem if they did not have “pure” blood in them. Paul does the equivalent here by insisting that unbelievers and Christians should never be partnered or yoked together. Paul wants to keep the faith pure; he doesn’t want any ‘outsiders’ influencing the church.

Over the centuries, this scripture has been used to shun outsiders and isolate the church from the popular community. It’s been emphasized by spiritual elitists who have used it to promote racism, abuse, and intolerance all over the world. Whatever Paul originally intended, his words have been used to justify lynching blacks, destroying families, killing Jews, and even promoting White supremacy. I wonder if Paul realized what his words would one day represent, would he have retracted them from this letter?

It seems to me that Jesus had a different mission from Paul. Jesus was constantly surrounded by unbelievers, sinners, and outcasts. His ministry tended to reach out to those who were unholy and He sanctified them (made them holy) with His love, mercy, and grace. There was nothing elite about Jesus; there was nothing that suggested supremacy. In fact, we are constantly reminded by Paul of all people that Christ humbled Himself to come among us. The Sinless One came to save sinners. The Perfect One came to die for the imperfect. The Holy Son of God came to make unholy people sons, daughters, and heirs of God’s Kingdom.

Today, we are all going to meet other people. When we do, let’s try to reach out with grace and love, tolerance and mercy. It’s not going to be easy, especially when we come across folk who are radically different from us, but with practice we will learn the art of tolerance, love, unity and peace. And aren’t those goals worthy of our Savior? Aren’t those qualities why the Church exists?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to get out of our spiritual comfort zones and reach out to those who are on the ‘outside’ of Your church. Grant us the courage to get along beside them to offer them help in times of trouble, cheer in times of gladness, and love in times of fear and uncertainty. Remind us that we were all unbelievers at one point in our lives and that without someone reaching out to us, we would never have known of Your acceptance, forgiveness, grace, and love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Forgive and Heal

Audio version here

Matthew 9:5 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? (NIV)

Forgiveness is an easy thing to talk about, but a hard thing to do. I’ve known people, including myself, to be shackled to the chains of unforgiveness, which can paralyze emotions, diminish relationships, and destroy love. The bane of bitterness is fed by our inability to say or hear the word “sorry.” A sad fact about life is this: forgiveness can be the key as to whether or not we lead healthy, productive, and faithful lives. What we do with forgiveness sometimes molds who we are and what we will become.

Recently, I’ve known someone to be forgiven something very serious and shown a great deal of mercy. I thought that this would bring them back into church, praising and thanking God for the clemency this person was given. Several Sundays have passed and they haven’t come to worship God. This person has taken forgiveness for granted and that saddens me. I think if I was forgiven as much, I would be first in line to get into the sanctuary on Sunday morning. Heck, I wouldn’t even wait till Sunday – on the day I was forgiven I’d be back in church!

When Jesus deals with the paralytic man, He not only cures him of being a cripple, He also heals the paralytic’s broken soul. Sometimes the lack of forgiveness and the burden of guilt can seriously affect the body. Was this man’s paralysis brought on by a relentless guilty conscience? I guess we’ll never know, but from the scripture, it seems very important to Jesus that forgiveness be given first and restoration be experienced later.

Perhaps you’re experiencing something similar. Perhaps you need forgiveness for something you intensely regret, or maybe you’ve been waiting on forgiveness for such a long, long time. Whatever the case, know that Jesus has both the power to forgive and to heal. If you sincerely come to Him with what bothers you today, He will be merciful; He will show compassion to you.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know everything about our lives. You know the hurts we carry in our hearts and the mistakes that still burn in our minds. Forgive us and heal us. Be merciful and compassionate. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Evan's Highway

Audio version here

Luke 1:76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, (NIV)

Our church began a movie study yesterday, based upon “Evan Almighty.” If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. It’s very funny and there’s a wholesome family message in the story. It kind of reminded me of two James Stewart movies, “Harvey” and “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

The premise of the movie is all about a newly-elected New York politician being called by God to build an ark in his subdivision. It sounds crazy, but then I guess when God called Noah to build his ark thousands of years ago, it seemed crazy at that time, too.

So, why are we studying this movie? Well, there’s a new church site called “ArkAlmighty.com” which ties in to the movie. Congregations can register to be a part of a good neighbors project where church members can use their gifts and skills to help others in their congregations and communities. It’s a well organized program, developed by Willow Creek ministries. Our church has signed up for it and so we began a four-week curriculum based upon good deeds and godly faith interacting. Kindness to others and the Kingdom of God are brought together in a special way that honors Christ and evangelizes at the same time.

I hope that by doing this, our church will feel more confident about reaching out to others in our community and that the people around us will feel reconnected to God through His people. It will also help us work out what our true calling is at Erin and to go in whatever direction the Lord leads us. I don’t see us building an ark anytime soon, but I do believe that we are meant to build upon the Kingdom God has already established here though the ministry and mission of Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, we all want to do Your will and to follow Your Son Jesus into the world around us. Help us to be open to the bidding of Your Spirit and to see the needs of the people in our community. Wherever we can, enable us to fulfill those needs though deeds of kindness, love , and faith. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

A Good Book

Audio version here

Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV)

I don’t know where I would be without my Bible, or to be exact, Bibles. I’ve a whole collection of them in my study. Some I’ve had for years; others were given to me; and still others have been recently purchased. Without a Bible, I wouldn’t be me. Without God’s Word in my life, I wouldn’t be a Christian.

Now that’s not to say that I’m a sanctimonious, Bible thumping, self-righteous holy roller. I do have my moments, but the Bible is more of a spiritual guide book to me, rather than a sacred sword with which I smite my enemies. I believe in its contents. I believe it speaks more about truth than any other scripture in existence today. I know that it points out my character flaws, sinful ways, and bad decisions more than anything else in the world. It keeps my feet on solid ground, and not high up on some academic theological pedestal of my own making.

The Bible also comforts me, encourages me, and inspires me. There have been thousands of times in my life when a Bible verse, passage or story has deeply connected with my life. In times of sadness, the Bible has helped me weep. In moments of joy, the Bible has shown me how to rejoice.

When Joshua needed help to lead the Israelite people, God guided him to look to the Law of Moses. Times were changing and Joshua had to take over Moses’ leadership during a difficult period of transition. God counseled Joshua to look to the law. Why? Because in the midst of all the changes and commotion, Joshua and the people needed something that was timeless, changeless, and reassuring. The Law of Moses gave them a foundation of beliefs, ideas, and teachings to keep the people together. Without the Law, the people would have divided. Without the scriptures, the community would have diminished and scattered.

The Bible keeps me connected to God and His people through the best and worst of times. I write and send these daily devotions to build up the church and strengthen an internet faith community that exists across many states, a number of nations, and over several continents. Without the Bible, we could not do this. Without the scriptures, there would be nothing to keep us together.

Prayer: Lord God, in Your infinite wisdom, You bestowed upon us sacred writings that have become a solid base for our beliefs. Whilst we do not worship the Bible, we deeply respect its power to give us strength, encouragement, and counsel in times of need, crisis, and trouble. Let Your Holy Spirit enter into our minds today and touch our hearts with Your sacred words. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.