Sunday Sermon: Touching God

John 20:19-29 Jesus Confronts Thomas

It was just an ordinary day back in Maybole, Scotland. I had been making house calls in the village of Dunure, which was about 9 miles away from the manse. I was heading home and thinking about what Evelyn might be making for my dinner. The sun was shining and the sea looked beautiful as I coasted my way back home.

When I got to the manse, I expected Lynsey and Lauren to come out to meet me, but they didn’t. I walked through the back door and met Evelyn in the kitchen. I could see in her eyes that something was wrong.

“John, I’ve got some bad news,” she said quietly. “Your Mom is dead.”

I was stunned. I knew that my mom was ill and had been for years, but this was sudden and completely unexpected. I obviously couldn’t take it in, so I think Evelyn told me again. I was quiet and couldn’t think of anything to say. Within thirty minutes, I was ready to head up to Glasgow to be with my family, to be with my Dad.

All this happened about seventeen years ago, but it was so much of a shock to my system that I can’t really remember what happened over the next couple of weeks. I can recall being with my Dad down at the police station to be with him when a detective inspector interviewed him. Because my mother’s death was so sudden and happened when she was alone, my Dad had to be questioned. The whole interview was surrealistic and it suddenly dawned on me that they were interviewing my Dad to rule out murder. It was an awful feeling and it seemed so unfair at the time because my Dad was still shocked by mom’s death.

He had left her on her own to go and select some library books. When he returned twenty minutes later, he found her slumped over in her chair. She was gone and there was absolutely nothing he could do. The coroner who did the autopsy said that she died instantly from a massive heart attack, so even if Dad had been there, he never could have saved her. She was only 57 years old.

As I said before, my memory of the whole event, funeral, and family gathering after it is all fuzzy. I can hardly remember any of it, and even today it all seems so unreal.

Sudden death can do that to people. John House, who is a great psychologist in our congregation, has probably had to deal with this on many occasions. Today, in this passage from John’s Gospel, we see something similar happening to Thomas. He has been emotionally stunned by Christ’s death. He has been totally shocked by how fast things happened during the week in Jerusalem. One day, Christ and His disciples are being welcomed into the Holy City and within less than a week, Jesus is arrested, tortured, put on trial, humiliated, and crucified.

Thomas, who ran away with the rest of the disciples, cannot cope with what has happened. All his hopes and dreams of being a major player in Christ’s triumphant ministry have been shattered and destroyed. He has nothing left spiritually or emotionally. He is empty and insecure, totally depressed and fearful for his life. This has been the greatest shock to his system that Thomas has ever experienced, and he just wants to get away from everyone and everything. He just wants to forget about the last three years he has followed Jesus. He just wants to get his life back in order. He just wants to go home.

But he can’t go home because people will recognize him, and he may get arrested by the authorities. So for a couple of days, Thomas is on the lam. He must have hid outside of Jerusalem and got lost in the Passover crowds who were returning home. He was lonely and frightened, possibly angry and sick within himself. He must have felt abandoned and hunted at the same time.

Eventually, the other disciples find Thomas. He must have been surprised to see them happy and delighted. He thought that they should have been dejected and depressed, panic stricken and anxious. Instead, they are delirious with delight and full of joy.

But when they explain to Thomas that Christ is not dead, that he has risen, it’s all too much for the disciple. He can’t believe what he is hearing, so he thinks that they are all crazy with grief and totally insane. But they keep insisting that Christ is alive until Thomas finally shouts out:

"Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

Today is the 76th anniversary of Amelia Earhart’s solo flight across the Atlantic. She was the first woman to do this, in a time when men were getting all the credit for being heroes of the sky. When she was given the opportunity to do this, the usual Doubting Thomases said that it couldn’t be done. To fly solo across the Atlantic required intellect and skill, focus and determination, energy and strength. A mere woman could not endure such a flight, and anyone who decided to attempt this must be a lunatic.

But Amelia proved her critics wrong. She even flew through a terrifying mid-Atlantic storm, which surrounded her with dark clouds that almost petrified her.

"When daylight came,” she later said, “I could see on my wings traces of the ice which had gathered—droplets of water and very small frozen particles. Probably, if I had been able to see what was happening on the outside during the night, I would have had heart failure then and there; but, as I could not see, I carried on.”

Even in the midst of fearful circumstances, she never doubted her ability to complete the journey. When she was interviewed after her achievement, she stated that "The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward."

When Thomas refused to believe the others, there was nothing on earth that they could do to convince him of the truth. I imagine that all week long, he was in a sultry, sour mood because the rest of the disciples wouldn’t stop talking about Christ’s resurrection. It must have almost driven him crazy, but there was nowhere else he could go. His fears were more than paper tigers; they were causing him sleepless nights and moments of high anxiety. He was in a crazy situation, amongst crazy people, and he couldn’t escape. He was so emotionally paralyzed with shock and fear that he could not decide what to do.

And then Christ came back into Thomas’ life, just as suddenly as he had left him. One moment, all the disciples were in the Upper Room praying together on their own; the very next moment, Christ was in the center of the room.

Now if Thomas had been initially shocked by Christ arrest and crucifixion, this supernatural appearance must have almost caused him heart failure. Jesus was standing before him, just as the others had said. And before Thomas could drop to his knees and ask for mercy, Jesus called to him and said, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

I can picture Thomas with his mouth wide open and his eyes as large as the moon. For the second time in a week, he cannot believe what is happening. Slowly, he reaches out his fingers to touch the nail prints in Christ’s hands and even to touch the wound in His side. All of a sudden, it is too much for Thomas, and he falls to his knees, crying out, “My Lord and my God!”

This is the most important passage from the Gospels about the resurrection for our people today. And I’ll tell you why.

In recent years, there has been interest in the so called Gospel of Thomas, which many people falsely believe has secrets about Jesus that the Church wants to be kept hidden. This Gospel was written by a group of people called the Gnostics, who believed that Jesus wasn’t crucified because God had taken Him up to heaven and that it was a ghostly image or a specter, or what we would call a hologram that seemed to be crucified on the Cross. In other words, Christ’s physical body was never there, so He didn’t suffer any physical torment, excruciating pain, or death itself.

This has led many people to believe that the resurrection of Christ was only a spiritual one. This Gnostic garbage was prevalent in North Africa during the 4th – 7th centuries AD. So when Muhammad started to write down the Koran, he was influenced by the false teachings of Gnosticism, so that to this day the Muslims believe that Christ never actually suffered on the Cross. And, as Mark Twain delighted in saying, “Bunkum! Absolute bunkum!”

And this is further compounded by the fact that even in the PCUSA, we have misguided pastors who do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus, but insist that the Gospel of Thomas should be researched, studied, and read in church in order to bring us closer to the real Historical Jesus who, as one of these pastors recently said, died and His body has decomposed and turned to dust in a forgotten cave somewhere in Palestine.

When Thomas touches Christ, he is touching a real body that has been miraculously resurrected by God. This whole passage refutes any belief in a spiritual resurrection of Christ. And I would say to you, and anyone in the world, that if you do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, then you are not a Christian. You can be a modern Gnostic, you can be Muslim, or you can be a skeptic, but what you cannot be is a Christian.

And where do I get this conclusion from? It comes none other from Jesus Christ Himself, who finally says to Thomas: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Those words are meant for us, two thousand years in the future. We have not seen the resurrected Christ and yet we believe in Him. We have not yet touched Him, and yet we believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. It’s what makes us Christians in the first place, and distinguishes us from other religions. Jesus is our Risen Lord and He is also the God of all creation. He is no paper tiger, or spiritual phantom. Christ is no figment of the true Gospel writers or an apparition of a bunch of hysterical disciples. Jesus is the Resurrected Christ, whose wounded, dead body was raised by the power of Almighty God, whom we worship, adore, and serve, both now and forevermore. Amen.

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

Sunday Sermon: What Must I Believe? John 3:16-18

I cannot imagine Evelyn and I ever giving up our children for anything in the whole world. At the moment, both our daughters are in New York City for the weekend and will be returning home later today. They’ve both grown up in Knoxville and this church, and through the attention, love, and care that they have received from Erin Church, they are now beginning to discover who they are and what God wants them to become. They might roast their parents’ hearts from time to time, but we would never give them up or sacrifice them for anything in the entire world. And I’m certain that every parent in this sanctuary would heartily agree when it comes to their own sons and daughters. We all love our children dearly and we would all give up our lives for them.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

But God works in mysterious ways. He deeply loved Jesus His Only Son and God was well pleased with His life, ministry, and mission. And yet, when it comes to making a final choice between saving His Son from the agonizing death on the Cross and saving the world from sin, God chooses the world. Instead of rescuing Jesus who loves Him completely, God chooses to save the world that totally disrespects Him. Rather than shield Jesus from the shame of Calvary, God sacrifices His Son for a shameful world.

That’s absolutely crazy and if there was an inter-galactic Social Service department, God would be up on charges of child abuse and possibly murder. It’s just not natural, so I guess it must be the divine way that God deals with things. None of us would do it, but God does: which leaves us asking this question: WHY? What so good, so unique, so unusual about humankind that causes the God of all Creation to sacrifice His Son. Why does the Most Supreme Being in the Universe leave His Son on a Cross to die? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t we be the ones sacrificing everything in order to placate, appease, and please God?

Way back in 1972, on Feb 17, on the very same day that President Nixon flew out from Washington to China, the British parliament voted to join the European Union. It didn’t have much of an affect over here, but throughout the British Commonwealth, it was a major decision. You see Britain was at one time at the heart of the British Empire and all its territories like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand exported a lot of their produce to the United Kingdom. When the British Parliament decided to join the EU, it was sacrificing the productivity and economies of Commonwealth countries all over the globe, in order to sustain itself. When I was a child, I can remember eating Canadian bacon and New Zealand Lamb, but when Britain became part of the European Union, they couldn’t be found in the supermarkets or grocery stores. The Mother Country sacrificed its Commonwealth children in order to sustain itself.

When God sacrificed Jesus, He wasn’t sustaining Himself. He was sustaining the world, as wicked and as wayward as it was. In the Good Old Testament days, when God got fed up with sin and sinners, all He had to do was stretch out His arm and smite them. God even tried to destroy the whole world once, flooding it completely, whilst only allowing eight to survive His wrath.

But this time, God fulfilled the plan of salvation by sacrificing His One and Only Son. It’s almost as if He’s stretching His own faith to its absolute limit. After all, is there anything worse than the death of a dear child?

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Let me give you an example of this:

One of the saddest prayers that I have ever heard was voiced by a mother in her seventies, whose fifty year old son had just died of cancer. It occurred in the church sanctuary, during a special mid-week prayer time. The church was open in the morning, to allow people to come in and quietly talk to God. In the background, a tape was played, which included some favorite hymns and contemporary choruses. I happened to be in the sanctuary at the time, doing my own prayers and devotions.

One of the songs on the tape was an upbeat version of Psalm 63. Its repeated refrain was “because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” In the middle of this song, the aged mother made a heart felt cry: “How can your love be better than life, Lord, when You have taken my son away from me?”

It was one of those holy moments when the reality of life confronts the reality of God. The woman’s heart was bleeding with grief, and her faith was being sorely tried. Each time the tape played the song’s refrain, she would ask that disturbing question. When the tape finished, the mother got up silently and left the church sorrowfully. I wanted to reach out and help, but something stopped me. It wasn’t the right time, and neither was it my place to answer a question directed to God.

The following Easter, our church held a Good Friday service. Usually during Holy Week, we held a Maundy Thursday service, but I thought it would be good if we tried something different. When I preached about the Cross that night and talked about God losing His Son to death, and feeling the grief of that separation, it was as if a light went on for the grieving mother. For the first time, since her son’s death, she could relate to God. He shared her heartbreak and knew the emptiness, hurt, and grief that she bore. God’s love was indeed better than life, not because it was holier or more perfect; God’s love was better than life because it was grounded in the reality of pain and suffering, loss and loneliness, sadness and grief.

Some of us may be carrying a grief that continues to hurt us and separates us from God. Perhaps if we remember that God understands our wounds because He experienced the same, it will draw us closer to Him, instead of keeping us at a distance.

That’s why God sacrifices His Only Son. He doesn’t want to deal with us at a distance. He doesn’t want us to be separated from Him forever. God loves the world and its entire people, but because we are so prone to be sinful and faithless, deceitful and proud, we end up putting ourselves against God, instead of being for God. And no matter what the circumstances, our background, our culture, our country or tradition, we can’t justify our sins before the Holy, Sacred, Perfect and Supreme Being in the Universe. That would be the equivalent of a flea standing before a wooly mammoth and blaming it for having so much hair, causing the flea to bite. We cannot stand before God and expect Him to hear what we have to say. It doesn’t work that way. The Only Way that we can get God to listen is through Jesus: He is our Advocate; He is Our Savior; He is the One who restores us to God’s favor and love.

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

And this brings us to the last point from this passage. Whoever believes in Jesus is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already – why? Because he has not believed in the name of God’s One and Only Son.

A lot of people miss this part of what Christ says to Nicodemus because they don’t want any judgment or condemnation to be a part of Christ’s ministry. They like the ‘love one another’ stuff and look to be accepted by Christ totally. They don’t want to make any exclusive commitment to Jesus as their only Savior and Lord. They also want Him to fully accept their lifestyle choices. And heaven forbid, if any of Christ’s followers ask them to change their ways.

An example of this occurred the other day when NBA star Charles Barkley was asked about his reasons for supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama, instead of Hillary Clinton or any of the Republican candidates.

"I've got great respect for Sen. McCain, great respect, but I don't like the way Republicans have taken this country," said Barkley. "Every time I hear the word 'conservative,' it makes me sick to my stomach, because they're really just fake Christians, as I call them. That's all they are."

"I think they want to be judge and jury," Barkley said. "Like, I'm for gay marriage. It's none of my business if gay people want to get married. I'm pro-choice. And I think these Christians, first of all, they're not supposed to judge other people. But they're the most hypocritical judge of people we have in the country. And it bugs the hell out of me. They act like they're Christians. They're not forgiving at all."

Yes, Christians of all persuasions can be judgmental and unforgiving at times, but when the true word of God is preached and the Gospel gives us an either/or, the world condemns us as being judgmental, unfeeling, and unchristian. But we forget that when it came down to the basics, Christ could be as conservative as anyone. After all, how would you interpret what He says to Nicodemus: whoever believes is not condemned, but whosever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s Only Son – tell me honestly folks: is that a liberal, progressive statement or basically a religious conservative one?

Charles Barkley may have trouble with conservative Christians being judgmental; but I put it to you, he would also have the same trouble with Jesus being forthright about what we must believe.

In the end, we must all make our own choices about what we must or cannot believe, but realize this: at the end, based upon those beliefs, Jesus will decide where we will go. After all, He sacrificed His life so that we could be given a choice. Without Him, we would not even have that opportunity.

In Christ’s Name, Amen.

Erin Church: Sunday Sermon: Mary's Boy Child

Matthew 1:20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

When my mom suddenly died seventeen years ago, our whole family was shocked. She was only 57 years old. Years of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day finally caught up with her and she took a massive heart attack, which killed her instantly. My dad had just stepped out to go to the library, which was just a five minute walk from our house. He was gone for 20 minutes, choosing books for my mom to read. When he arrived back, he found her slumped to the floor and there was nothing he could do. He called the emergency services and when the paramedics arrived, they just confirmed what he already knew. She was gone.

The effect on our family was a mixture of shock and relief. We were shocked because of the suddenness of her death, but we were relieved that her years of physical pain and mental torment were over. Mom was in a better place, surrounded by loved ones and angels. Her days were over and our lives had to go on.

All my brothers and sisters had their own families and partners to look after, except for my youngest sister Jane. She was fifteen years old when our mother died. She was the only one of six children who was still living in our family home. She missed mom terribly, but the rest of us didn’t realize that. We all reckoned that Jane was old enough to take care of herself. We didn’t know that she felt a great emptiness in her life. We didn’t understand that she had suffered a great loss.

Just after she turned sixteen, Jane dropped a bombshell on our whole family. She announced that she was pregnant. She wasn’t going to marry the father and she would look after the child on her own. She would be a young unmarried mother and she was determined to keep the baby. Having an abortion or putting the baby up for adoption was not something that she was willing to go through. She was pregnant, she wanted the baby, she wanted to love the child unconditionally and fill the emptiness of her heart with the baby in her womb.

My brothers and sisters all wondered how our Dad would react. We could picture some sort of Victorian melodrama occurring with Jane carrying her child in her arms and being forced out into a snowstorm for bringing shame upon our whole family. But my Dad stepped up to the plate and handled the situation beautifully. He accepted Jane’s situation lovingly and never once criticized her for her. He welcomed his grand-daughter Daytona and was proud to hold her in his arms on the day she born. It never crossed his mind to abandon his youngest daughter Jane. And, because of that paternal acceptance, Jane, despite being so young, became a marvelous mother.

Why am I telling you all of this? It’s because I find a parallel with my dad’s response to Jane’s situation and Joseph’s treatment of Mary.

Mary was just a teenager, betrothed but not fully married, who was expecting a baby. She was a child having a child and in her culture it was a recipe for disaster. People still belonged to the Stone Age in Mary’s time – in other words, a young girl in Mary’s condition could be stoned to death for bringing shame to her betrothed husband, and all the families involved. The whole community would be enraged by such a disgrace. She would either become an outcast, destined to live her life as a prostitute on the margins of society, or, she would be cut to pieces, bashed and crushed to death with rock and stones. The outlook for Mary and Mary’s boy child was not wonderful. Whatever happened to her and the baby all depended upon Joseph’s response to the situation.

His initial reaction was to send her away quietly and not bring attention to her situation. Either he was trying to avoid public humiliation or there was something else more powerful than the avoidance of shame. I think that Joseph truly loved Mary and despite receiving bad news about her pregnancy, he did not want any harm to come to her. He may not have been the father of the child she was carrying, but he still loved Mary sufficiently to protect her from the religious zealots who would probably want to kill her. Theological bigots and spiritual fanatics would have demanded that Mary’s impurity be purged from their midst. They would not have listened to any story about angels or the promised messiah. All that they would have seen was a pregnant teenager who sullied the community’s reputation and totally disrespected the laws of God.

Sixty one years ago today in 1946, one year after the end of World War II, the University of Tennessee issued a statement on behalf of their basketball team. They were due to play Duquesne University, but they refused to do so. Why? Because Duquesne had informed UT that they might use a black player in their game. Instead of recognizing that times has changed and that during the war, people of every color across the United States had fought together to rid the world of a fascist monster, our beloved University allowed the bigots and racists to dictate the sports policy of our basketball team. The game was never played because racism had sadly won the day. No one was willing to show acceptance and adopt an attitude of gratitude for the freedom that had been won for all the people in the world. Thankfully today, when our UT basketball team plays there are people of all colors on the team and amongst the crowd. Racists may still exist, but their voices are not adhered to anymore.

Joseph’s love for Mary caused him to do what was morally right rather than being religiously right. He wanted to make sure that Mary and her child would be given a chance to survive. He did not want to cause any fuss or shame; he was disturbed by the situation, but he was perturbed.

And then God did a beautiful thing that shows us how much He loved Joseph. He sent an angel to Joseph in a special dream, who told him not to be afraid and confirmed all that Mary had told him. God loved Joseph so deeply that he didn’t want him to be disturbed by the situation. God took time to reach Joseph in a unique and individual way, where no one could distract or dissuade Joseph – in his dreams. Think about it folks – the most isolated time that we all experience is when we sleep. We are at our most personal time when we dream. I cannot dream for you and you cannot dream for me. We dream alone – it’s that sacred time when our souls are in a holy state where time, space, and matter cannot touch us.

God isolates Joseph in his dreams and helps him to confront his worries. The boy child that Mary is carrying must have a protector. If Mary is cast out, who will keep her and the child safe? And how will Joseph be able to live with himself if he is the agent of their abandonment. This dream, this wonderful, miraculous dream is a life changing moment for Joseph and much more besides. The entire history of the whole world rests upon Joseph accepting guardianship over Mary’s Boy Child.

Way back in 1776, six months into the War of Independence, Thomas Paine wrote those powerfully inspiring words: “these are the times that try men’s souls.” On this very day, Thomas Paine’s words were printed as a pamphlet and distributed throughout the Thirteen Colonies of the newly formed United States. After reading it, General Washington ordered that the pamphlet be read to all of the army under his command. It was a glorious success in rallying the troops. They were in the midst of a dire situation. They need something to give them a reason, a purpose, a vision of why they were fighting.

Close you eyes and listen to the words of the first paragraph. Picture yourself as either a trooper in Washington’s Army fighting for independence, or as a woman struggling to keep her family safe during the uncertainty of war.

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us – that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right not only to tax but “to bind us in all cases whatsoever,” and if being bound in that manner is not slavery, then there is no such thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious, for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”

Those words inspired thousands of men to re-enlist in the Continental army and to keep the struggle for independence alive. The new fledged United States would be protected by the individual commitment of patriots all across the country and keep the war going until freedom, which Thomas Paine called a “celestial article” was won.

Joseph’s soul underwent the same kind of trials and tribulation. He either had to enlist into God’s service and become Mary’s protector, or he could freely choose to abandon her completely. Before he decides this, the angel in his dream tells Joseph that the child will be called Jesus which means Savior, Deliverer and Liberator all rolled into one. The stakes are now higher than before. Joseph will no longer be just looking after Mary and her boy child: the whole nation of Israel now depended upon his acceptance of this crucial role.

Now why didn’t God just take over everything, cast Joseph aside and surround Mary and Jesus with thousands of angels to protect them? Why is God giving Joseph the opportunity to do something that He could easily do with His Almighty power? This is where God works in mysterious and poetical ways. It all goes back to the Garden of Eden. Eve causes humankind to fall into sin by firstly yielding to temptation. When Mary accepts God’s child Jesus in her womb, Eve’s sin is eradicated and God redeems woman-kind. Adam’s sin was not so much that he accepted the forbidden fruit from Eve in the garden, but that he failed to protect her from the serpent and morally abandoned her. When Joseph accepts the role of protecting Mary and Jesus, Adam’s sin of forsaking his wife is eradicated and God redeems man-kind. It’s what I call gender redemption. I guess God would call it the balancing of history, and the reconciling of human-kind.

Christmas is less than two days away and when we gather with our friends and families, we will remember Mary’s Boy Child with all of the love and adoration that we can muster. But let’s also take time to remember Christ’s earthly parents and how their decisions to accept God’s will changed the world and changed our lives. Their devotion to one another and their dedication to bring God’s child into the world; their courage in the face of humiliation and shame; their faith in God’s word and His promises are great examples of how simple, lowly people can aspire to overcoming their circumstances, and applying noble characteristics of duty and responsibility, devotion and respectability that make all the difference to their dire situation and to the lives of all those around them.

We thank God for the blessings of our salvation through Jesus Christ, but we are also grateful to Mary and Joseph for accepting the roles as parents to the Boy Child who would restore everlasting hope to the entire world. In Christ’s Name. Amen.

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

Endurance + Encouragement = Unity

A time of exile for the Jews and a prophet named Liberator.
Churches in the Mediterranean encouraged by Paul.
A Knoxville Church called Erin, which is the Charlie Brown of its community
And how the Battle of the Atlantic is an example of rugged endurance.

Endurance + Encouragement = Unity

Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--


A long time ago, in a place far away, a whole community was taken from its land and transplanted into a foreign nation. In those days, traveling ten miles away was considered to be a great trek, so to find themselves thousands of miles from home was considered to be the beginning of the end for the people of that tragic Jewish community.

For generations they had lived in a Promised Land, serving a God who protected them. For centuries, this faithful community had believed itself to be invincible, just like their god, so when they were finally defeated and led into away into the bitterness of exile, they were absolutely devastated.

How could this happen to God’s chosen people? How could God allow our enemies to defeat us? How will we ever be able to survive? And how can we sing our songs of faith in a strange and hostile land?

In the midst of all of their confusion, anxiety, and despair, God did not abandon them. Instead, He came with them and inspired one of his faithful prophets, a man called Isaiah, whose name means “Liberator.”
In order to endure as a faithful community, Isaiah would have to preach and teach a new message from God – a message of encouragement and hope, of deliverance and dedication, of freedom and faith.

If the people paid attention to what Isaiah prophesied, then their hope of salvation would one day be accomplished. God would raise up someone from among them who would be full of wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Each of these divine gifts would be essential for the community to survive and continue throughout the generations.

This Chosen One would be given wisdom and understanding, which is often called the gift of discernment in the Bible. He would know the right thing to say and do, as well as being aware of the right time to take action on behalf of God’s people. In other words, he would have a gift of true leadership – of favoring God’s intentions and encouraging the people to build up their faith to overcome their fears.

This Chosen Servant would also be given the gifts of counsel and power, which is often interpreted as authority. As he encouraged the people to remain faithful to God, he would also exercise his sovereign and divine right to rule over the hearts and minds of the people. His authority came directly from God, and so to oppose or diminish the Chosen One’s teaching or commands, would be to directly oppose God.

And this Anointed Servant would also have complete knowledge and fear of God: in other words, he would revere God and submit fully to His commands and demands. He would not sway to the right or the left of God’s truth. He would set his face like flint and keep a true and absolutely straight course for the sake of honoring God and the saving of His people.

When Isaiah prophesied these things to the captive Jewish community, he was inspiring them to hold on to the promises of God. If they persevered in believing God’s Word to be true, if they kept hold of their faith, if they endured and maintained their reliability of their God, then they would encourage one another with their faithfulness and worship, devotion and dedication. In other words, so long as they let their faith define their community, and not their geographical location, they would remain united; they would stay inspired; they would survive.

Thankfully, the people held on dearly to everything that Isaiah the Liberator preached. And even after they returned to their homeland, they still believed that this Chosen Servant, this Anointed One, this Messiah was yet to come. Their belief became our salvation. Their hope became our faith. Their Messiah became our Christ…and all because those Jews endured in the midst of hard times, encouraged one another in faith, and became the united people of God. As Christians, we owe everything to Christ, but we should also hallow and remember the enduring faith of those Jewish exiles from more than 2500 years ago. Without their devotion, we would not be here.

Now let’s fast forward seven hundred years. God’s people are once again scattered all over the place and so He raises up another Jewish prophet called Paul. Paul’s mission is to establish the Christian faith all over the Mediterranean, beginning in the small Jewish communities and then expanding the ministry to people from all over the world.

Paul’s people face the same dilemma as Isaiah’s – they are small fish in a humongous pond. They believe in One God and in Jesus Christ, His Holy Son. They are energized by the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit; but they are also surrounded by thousands of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods and goddesses. How can they compete with centuries of idolatry? How can they survive against the mighty Roman Empire?

Paul’s response is similar to that of Isaiah, only this time, it is directed to the people of God. The Chosen One has already appeared and ascended into heaven. Christ’s faithful followers are now going to become the messengers of His ministry and the servants of His mission. They need to be empowered and encouraged, inspired and united in order to endure. And so Paul writes this special prayer for the Christians in Rome:

Romans 15:5-6 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul first of all states that it is God who gives endurance and encouragement to the faith community. In other words, the source, the sustenance and the sustainability of this Christian community rests upon the favor and will of the Lord alone. Charismatic preachers like Paul and powerful teachers like Timothy may come and go; it is the presence of the Lord that decides if a faith community shall endure.

Secondly, Paul asks God to shower the church in Rome with a blessing of unity as they follow Jesus. In other words, Paul’s not just asking for everyone to get along and be happy together. He’s asking the Lord to encourage, enable, and empower the church in Rome to be truly united in Christ, so that their mission and purpose may be effective. The Mormons say that a family that prays together stays together. Paul beat them to it: he is stating in this blessing that a church family united in Christ, endures for everlasting life.

Thirdly, the whole purpose of being united in the Lord, of being a faithful community and a devoted church family is to bring glory to God and to worship Him forever.

Sixty six years ago, just two days after Pearl Harbor, when this nation thought that things could not get any worse, Adolph Hitler declared war on the United States and ordered that all US ships crossing the Atlantic be torpedoed. He wanted to keep US supplies, ammunition, and troops from reaching Britain. He knew that if America and Britain managed to strengthen their alliance, then the Nazis would lose the war in Europe. During the first six months of the war, Nazi U-boats destroyed 348 Allied ships. In response, the Allies only managed to destroy two submarines. Allied commanders were reluctant to take so many losses, but they endured for the sake of the mission. Even although it took three years to win the Battle of the Atlantic, the unified front of the British, American and Canadian forces brought salvation and liberation to Europe.

But how does all of this affect us here in the 21st century? What has this to do with our salvation and deliverance, liberty and faith? Why is it so important that our folk in this wee church hear and receive this message?

Well, first of all, we’re a small fish in a large pond. We could get swallowed alive by all the big, successful churches around us. We could very easily say that we can’t compete against the Baptists, or football fans, or the way in which society is headed. We could just give up the ghost and put the lights out before we close the doors. But that’s not what God wants…and remember, it’s His presence that keeps us in existence.

Secondly, we’re a really diverse church. We’ve people from all over the United States and from all over the world in our congregation. We come from different backgrounds and cultures, different generations and families – and that has always been a part of our calling as a church, ever since we were established in 1877. God brings people here to be united in Christ, not because we are the same, but because we each have been called to serve the same Savior, the same mission, the same ministry.

And thirdly, this message of endurance and encouragement needs to be taken up by our church, by our presbytery, and by our denomination. We’re letting Satan divide us, instead of allowing Christ to unite us.

Today in 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was first shown on TV. It’s become an seasonal classic that has stood the test of time. I watched it once again a couple of nights ago, and once again its message tugged my heart. Charlie Brown tries his best to get a great Christmas tree for his school friends and neighbors, but his efforts, although sincere, end up in failure. He presents a miserable tree to his peers and they castigate him for it. He tries to do the right thing, and the world just picks on him.

And then, a remarkable thing happens. The children decorate the tree with all the stuff that Snoopy has used to decorate his kennel and the tree is transformed. Instead of being divided, all the children are united. Instead of being dejected and rejected, Charlie Brown is lauded and applauded.

Folks, we are the Charlie Brown of Christendom in this community. I would love for us all to be Snoopy, but he belongs to the Pentecostalists. We are trying our best and beginning to make the right moves in our ministries and missions, so that we will make an impact in this community for years to come. We all come here because we’re looking for God in our lives. But we’re also here because we’re looking for God to give us something to do with our lives.

And this is where Paul’s final words of this passage become our blessing for today: he writes

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If ever there was a verse that we could adopt as our motto for 2008, it should be this one. So let’s claim it for our church today and use it as a church benediction throughout the coming year: May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Erin Church Sunday Sermon: Where Do we Grow from here?

Where Do We Grow from Here?

Ephesians 6:24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

We have come to the end of a five month journey that we began way back in June. At that time, I told you that we were on a mission to find a new path, a new direction for our church. In my heart, I felt that God was beginning to move us as a church to start thinking about how we could make an impact for Christ in our community.

When I was pondering over what our church should do, I felt led by the Spirit to take us through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians because they were also a church that knew the Lord, but needed to be pointed in the right direction. Today we complete our journey and I hope and pray that this has been something that has drawn all of us closer to Christ and ready for whatever he is asking us to do as a Presbyterian church in this part of Knoxville.

As Paul finishes his letter, he reminds the good folks at Ephesus that he is a prisoner for Christ. He is held captive, whilst the Ephesians are free. He is under house arrest or perhaps in jail. The Ephesians Christians still walk about in their own community, free to serve the Lord, free to worship together, free to do their own thing.

So apostle signs off with these beautiful words of faith: ‘Grace to all who love our lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.’ Paul is doing two things here: he’s finishing his letter with words of encouragement, prayer, and peace. He wants the Ephesian congregation to feel good about their faith, and to be strengthened by his positive words. But Paul is also doing something which is very important: when he gives the blessing to those who love Jesus with an undying love, he’s actually passing the torch of faith to the next generation.

We did something similar this morning when we recognized our young worship graduates. We showed them how pleased we were with their work and asked God to bless them as they graduate into worshipping with us throughout the service. As well thanking them for the work that they and their teachers have done, we were also setting them off on anew voyage of discovery where faith is more than Sunday School classes and Enrichment times – it’s a lifestyle choice of worshipping God and praising Christ. So, in effect were saying to these our precious young people – Grace to you who love the Lord with an undying love. In other words, become the torchbearers of faith for your generation.

Throughout the summer, I’ve talked about what previous generations of Erinites have done for God and Christ’s Kingdom and how their perseverance, sense of duty, and loyalty to Jesus has given us this church that we worship in today. It’s now our turn to continue that 130 year journey of faith and lead our church into its 14th decade. It’s our privilege to be a crossroads generation where the decisions we take and the sacrifices we make are going to enhance, expand, and increase Christ’s work in this community. The love that Erin Church has for Christ is an undying love, and one that we should all be rightly proud of undertaking, achieving, and accomplishing.


Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

The story of the church at Ephesus does not end with Paul’s letter. It continues for many centuries producing some of the greatest teachers and leaders that the church has known. Paul’s protégé Timothy, to whom Paul writes two very personal letters becomes the bishop of Ephesus. And John the Apostle, the youngest of Christ’s disciples, lives in Ephesus with Christ’s mother, Mary, where both of them die and were buried.

But there comes a time in the church’s life when their faith began to cool and their passionate allegiance to the Gospel started to dissipate. When John writes the Book of Revelation, he lists the church of Ephesus as one of the seven stars held in Christ’s hand. The church is applauded for its perseverance, but it has one fatal flaw: the congregation has forgotten its first love.

Remember, Paul talked about Ephesus having a undying love for Christ, and yet about 25 years later, in John the Apostle’s vision, Christ accuses it of having lost that love. Churches go through cycles of being passionate for Christ and then they become comfortable and cozy, institutionalized and indifferent. Congregations can rest on the laurels of the past and individual Christians can coast along with their faith until they lose that love of Jesus, which meant so much to them.

Many years ago, when I first became a Christian, I had two friends who were also named John. One of them was an ambitious civil servant, whose zeal for the Lord was wonderful. The other was an electrician who was part of a youth group that used to visit the Gospel Club that both Evelyn and I attended. I was the third member of thee group – a recovering alcoholic who was trying to straighten out his life and make a real commitment to Christ. All three of us gave our hearts to Jesus. Each one of us was zealous for the work of the Lord.

John the civil servant wanted to learn administration skills so that he could one day be the CEO of a religious charity organization. He wanted to serve the Lord in that capacity and make important decisions that would save the lives of thousands of people. John the electrician wanted to have his own business, be happily married, and serve the Lord by using his business to help people who couldn’t afford to pay for his services. As for me, I just wanted to remain sober and to tell others about Jesus.

But as the years sped by, we all lost our love of the Lord. I went to university to become a minister, but found it difficult to keep my simple faith when the theological professors and biblical lecturers tried to tear it apart. They wanted me to believe in their research and study, their conclusions and opinions, their words and ways. There were times when I wanted to give everything up and I felt as though I was in a spiritual wilderness. And then one of the saints in the Divinity faculty, my Old Testament professor, who knew I was struggling told me this: John, it’s not our grasp of God that is important; it is God’s grasp of us that is all important. You don’t need to hold on to God – you just need to let Him hold on to you.”

At the same time, civil servant John was given some great promotions, which eventually led him to becoming a chief advisor to the Prime Minister in Britain. But it cost him his faith. As he climbed the ladder of success, he used his talents to better his life and build up his esteem and renown in the British Civil service. He eventually stopped going to church, believing that he could get along with organized religion and look after his own spirituality in his own way. In other words, he lost his love of Jesus and replaced it with love of self.

And what about John the electrician? I hadn’t seen him for a while and met him at a disco party for someone’s birthday. Yes, I said disco – that shows you how long ago this all took place! I had managed to stop drinking entirely and he was quite agitated by this. In the middle of the celebration, he came up and asked me as strange question: He asked: “And how is your soul? Are you still looking after it?” I didn’t know what to say, because John was drunk. There was a sad expression on his face and emptiness in his eyes.

He worked hard as an electrician, but he married the wrong person. His wife was immature and highly strung. She reminded me of a character in David Copperfield. John couldn’t handle the strain and one dark night he went absolutely crazy, smashed all the windows of his apartment, and jumped off from the ledge of the fourteenth storey to his death. I was in total shock when I heard the news.

Losing our love of Jesus can take us down paths that lead to dead ends and empty lives. John the Apostle was warning the Ephesus Church that they were in danger of losing the reason they were established: to love Christ first and to serve Him faithfully. They were on a ledge of losing everything that Paul had established and of letting go of the Holy Spirit who founded the church. They were at a crossroads of faith. Depending on how they responded to John’s vision of Christ, they would either go onward and upward, or fall backward and downward into death.

Revelation 2:7b To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Thankfully, the Ephesian Church chose the upward path. They corrected their course and rediscovered their first love. They went through a time of revival and three hundred and fifty years later, an important Council of all the churches in Christendom gathered at Ephesus in 451AD to make a decision that Christ was both human and divine, that He was Lord of heaven and earth, and that He was the Son of God and the Savior of the world. They overcame and were given that beautiful blessing of life which God promises to those churches that are faithful to Him and His precious Son.

So, where do we grow from here? Are we ready to rediscover that love of Christ which brought us to church in the first place? Are we prepared to express our undying love to Him and let the community around us see that love through our deeds? Are we set in place to commence a journey of faith and revival that will honor the Erinites of the past and prepare the way for the undying lovers of Christ in the generations to come?

I believe that we are and I know that we can do this. Where do we grow from here…to all the places and people that Christ is leading us. To Him be the glory and power. Amen!

Erin Presbyterian Church Sunday Sermon: Fully Armed & Faithfully Trained

Ephesians 6:10-20

One of the biggest problems that the Church is facing right now is in trying to be nice and pleasing to everyone. We seem to have bought into this mentality that if we’re all nice to each other, God will reward us for being courteous and pleasant, amiable and friendly. If you take a look at most adverts for churches in the newspaper, radio, or TV, you’ll see something to effect that says: “Come and join us, we’re really friendly people.”

Somehow, we’ve managed to become social chameleons who want to fit in with everyone. If someone were to write a motto for the Christian church in America today, it would read something like this: “We love you when you like us.”

I don’t think Paul would have recognized our idea of church with that of his own. He would see us as religious friendship societies or Christian Country Clubs, who go along with the crowd in order to get along in the community. His idea of church was nothing like what we believe it to be today. Churches were not meant to be spiritual candy in the community; the Church was meant to challenge society in order to change it.

That’s why Paul calls upon the Ephesian church to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. The apostle has lived a life of stirring up passions and protests throughout his entire Christian ministry. He knows what persecution and trouble are. And he perfectly understands that the Christian Road is the one less often traveled – a road of radicalism and revolution; a path of persecution and pain; a way of wonder and war at the same time.

1948 Flag of Israel is adopted – The Church is supposed to be like what happened in the world almost sixty years ago today. A white flag with a six pointed blue star and two blue stripes was adopted by a new nation that was struggling to keep its independence. It was of course, the Flag of Israel, and to keep it flying, Israelis have had to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. They wouldn’t exist as a nation today if they just wanted to be liked. They would have been extinguished long ago if all that they had been established for was to be nice.

Now, just as the Israelis have had to fight for every year of their existence, Christianity needs to do the same. We cannot take it for granted that Christ’s message is being preached, taught, and heard in every generation or in every church. We cannot keep wanting to be liked if we wish to remain true to Christ and the Gospel at the same time. If all Jesus had wanted to be was to be nice, He never would have come into conflict with the authorities who executed Him. You don’t crucify nice people – you just simply ignore them. That’s what is happening in Europe right now. The Church has been busy trying to be nice to the population in Europe for the past fifteen years, and what is the outcome? People have stopped going to Church and practically ignore it entirely.


In Paul’s mind, Christianity was a spiritual call to arms to fight against the devil’s schemes. The devil’s ambition is to create chaos and wreak havoc across the world. He preys upon fear and disturbs the faithful. He moves against Christ’s mission wherever it is found in the world. He opposes the kingdom of God all over the universe, so whether or not we like the idea, we are in a global war where godliness opposes godlessness, where faith confronts fear, and where that which is sacred challenges superstition.

So, we’re asked to put on the full armor of God – not just some of it, but all of it. And we’re going to need every piece of armory that we can put on because the devil will be relentless in attacking our bodies and minds, hearts and spirits.


Now let’s get this straight in our hearts and minds once and for all: the devil exists. He isn’t a mythical character or a horror movie star. He isn’t something that was made up to frighten people into faith or to make bad children get to sleep. The devil exists and his biggest weapon is in making himself invisible to our society. He wants us to believe that he doesn’t exist. He wants us to think that he’s the product of a bygone age of superstitions and fear. He wants us to accept that science has managed to explain him away, and that the History channel can make a two hour special about his past. There are evil forces in existence that seek to destroy our souls and sanity, our faith and free will. As mere creatures, we are helpless against such cosmic forces; but as fully armored Christians, the Church becomes the One True Earthly Army of Christ that can confront evil and win people for God’s Kingdom. That’s why we’re called the Church Militant in the Reformed Tradition, and on this Sunday of all Sundays in the year, Reformation Sunday, we should be prepared to take on that title and take on the world.

And why to we call this day Reformation Sunday? Because this is the anniversary weekend of the day that Martin Luther in Germany pinned on a church door 95 protests against the wicked ways in which the Roman Catholic Church was presenting Christ, Christianity and the Gospel to the people. If he wanted to be nice, Martin Luther could have stayed in his bed that morning and forget all about his opposition to his Church, which had been seduced by worldly ways. Instead, Martin Luther chose to put on the full armor of God, be strong in the Lord, and confront the devil in the Church itself!

This should be a warning for all of us: when the Church woos the world, instead of being wedded to Christ, it dances to the devil’s tune. We have been dancing with the devil for so long in our society that we have lost our direction and let go of our grasp of God. In our narcissistic meandering, we have forgotten to love Christ and be loyal to Him alone. Of all cultures and generations of Christians, we are the least effective because we have let go of the truth in order to accommodate the world, the flesh, and the devil.


Paul was facing the same challenges and he knew that he had to rally the Ephesian Church to fight for their faith. Paul also recognized that the devil wouldn’t allow him to live a life of peace and prosperity. By standing out in the Empire and standing up for Christ, Paul would eventually have to lay down his own life. In fact a couple of years after writing this letter, he would be beheaded in Rome. His message would be silenced, but his ministry would continue, especially at Ephesus.

The Christians of that great, prosperous city would face persecution from the general population and the Roman authorities. Their allegiance to Christ and public declaration of Jesus being their only Lord, would cause them to be charged with treason against Caesar. Their dogged determination in continuing to spread Christ’s Gospel would lead to martyrdom and their numbers would be decimated. And yet they were willing to stand firm, to hold on to the higher ground, to maintain their faith, and to continue to pester the world with Christ’s challenges.

A couple of years after pinning his 95 protests to the church door, Martin Luther was brought before politicians and magistrates, church dignitaries and local rulers. He was told to recant of his ways, to give up his protests, and to seek the Church’s forgiveness. In an act of defiance and great faith, he boldly told this to the powerful assembly:” I will not recant. Here I stand, I can do no other.” In other words, he was not willing to be nice; he was not going to give in to worldly standards. He held fast to the true faith and protested against the DEVIL IN the Church. And that is why we celebrate the Reformation this day; that is why we are called Protestants.


Truth, righteousness, peace, and faith are part of our defensive armory defensive against the devil’s way. The devil can’t stand truth because it exposes him as a liar. He doesn’t like righteousness because it confronts his unholiness. He hates peace in the Church because all he wants is conflict and divisions, separations and schism. And he can’t stand faith in Christ because he cannot use fear as a means to destroy people’s hopes and dreams.


Two other things are given to us to enable Christians to overcome evil in the world. The first is the helmet of salvation which protects our head. It’s there for this reason: heresy in the Church begins in the mind, not the heart. There are more people damaged in God’s Kingdom by what they think about God, rather than what they experience about God. That’s why I keep asking us to be careful about what we allow ourselves to read, hear, and see in the movies, on television, or in books. It all ends up as baggage in our minds and if we are not praying throughout the day, or reading and pondering the Bible on a daily basis, or worshipping at church every week, then we are allowing ourselves to clutter up our mind with filth, greed, and pride that the devil uses to weaken our faith and let go of our grasp of God.

Remember, God gives us free will to choose to love and believe in Him. But the devil also uses free will against when we choose to fill our minds with ludicrous ideas, superstitious beliefs, and unholy thoughts. That’s why we need a helmet of salvation and not just for ourselves, but for the whole church. There are debates and discussions taking place across America in PCUSA churches about whether or not we should ask people to make a membership vow that stipulates Jesus Christ as being their personal Lord and Savior. And this is taking place in the Church!

Some pastors and elders, church members and congregations don’t want people to make this statement of faith because it’s too personal, too private, and too contentious. Of course it’s contentious. It’s always meant to be that way. When we confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we’re telling the Church and the world that we are His unworthy servants, who cannot escape God’s wrath unless we take an oath of fealty, allegiance and loyalty to Jesus Christ. Anything else is non-Christian – it’s our belief in Christ as Savior of the World and Lord of the Universe that makes us Christians!

And in the end, this is where the sword of the Spirit comes in. We’ve got to cut through the cultural pressures that try to make us nice, neutered, and non-effective to become the radical, revolutionary and Reformed Christians that we are meant to be in the Church, in our community, and throughout the world. We don’t come to Church just because it’s something nice at the end of the week: we are called to Church to be equipped by the Spirit, in order to go out into the community and make an impact for Christ, and prepare it for His return - because when He comes back it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy or Gentle Jesus, meek and Mild. He comes back to us as the Lord of all Creation and the Judge of the entire World.

Christ saves us from Himself! He is our Lord and God, which is why we need to be fully armed and faithfully trained.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, the world tempts us with its wicked ways and unholy truths. Even in the Church, we face heresy and apostasy, unbelief and superstition. Sometimes we don’t know what is the wrong way or the right way, so keep us following Your way, keep us on Your side. In Your Holy Name, we faithfully and fearlessly pray. Amen.

If God be for us, who or what can stand against us?

Sunday Sermon: Preparing God's People

Preparing God’s People – how has God accomplished this?

Ephesians 4:11, 12, 13 It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (NIV)

Isaiah 61:6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. (NIV)

Throughout the summer, we‘ve been exploring Paul’s ministry to the Ephesian church and the response has been amazing. God seems to be working amongst us and I have never known a more exciting time of expectancy and enthusiasm in this wee church than what we are experiencing now. As the Church year is set to begin again in September with all our programs and projects in full swing, there is a deep sense of commitment, purpose, and direction that we have not known in a long time. God has been preparing us for this moment in our church’s history and I am so glad to be a part of the revival that is going on.

Today’s message is about preparation and how Christ positions His people in different places and times, in order to accomplish His ministry and mission. He did this in the mighty seaport of Ephesus when he called Paul to minister there for a couple of years. The people were ready to do something new and beautiful for God. Paul was merely the catalyst that Christ used to get the people moving.

Six generations ago, God positioned our church in this beautiful area that we call Bearden. Whether there was an actual den of Black or Grizzly bears in this region, I do not know, but I have come to love the name. Where I grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, my brothers and I used to hike twelve miles during the summer to visit a small town called Bearsden, which even existed when the Romans of Paul’s time occupied Scotland! It is a bonnie wee place and one dear to my heart – which is why I often refer to our church as being a bonnie wee place, too.

For some mysterious reason, God positioned our church here in this area 130 years ago and the great thing is this: Bearden is undergoing renewal, expansion and growth. I’ve been amazed at how much this whole area has been transformed. It’s become a commercial Klondike as a bounty of businesses develops this area. New houses are being built all over the place, which really excites me. This means that there is a new population here just waiting to be contacted, encouraged, and supported. In fact, at the last Outreach meeting, Tracy suggested that we begin to contact the people living in the surrounding apartments that are literally on our doorstep. I think that is a fantastic idea and one that we need to follow through.

But there are also booming new businesses in this area. A couple of years ago, a hairdressing salon was built across from our parking lot. In the first week of business, the owners came to visit our church and sent us some chocolates, coffee, and mugs. It was the start of a great relationship and friendship, for those business people were none other than Mary Alice, Don, Jose and Tonio, who are now part of our church family. God prepared us to be here for them, but He also moved their hearts to reach out to us first! And think of the great ministries and missions that have been born out of that connection, especially to the school in Guatemala!

It has made me think. There are new businesses opening in our area every year. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take a welcome basket from the church wishing them every blessing for the future? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our church was known for its prayers and support to business men and women in this area? They are investing their lives in this part of our lovely city. Why shouldn’t we let them know that God has invested us here, too? God positions the church to fulfill His mission. He makes us Ephesian Christians in a sea of commerce to advance the work of the Gospel.

But as well as positioning His people, God is constantly readying His congregations for missions that matter. The Ephesians people were amongst the biggest idolaters in the Mediterranean region, yet Christ planted a church there. He was going to use the Ephesians enthusiasm for organized religion and turn it into a great gift of evangelization across the region. Many Christians in the first couple of centuries after Christ would be thankful for the faith that was expressed and sent out from Ephesus. Its bishops would be revered for generations and in the history of the church, some of the greatest thinkers and theologians emerged from Ephesus.

But what about us here at Erin? What have we done in our history that has made any impact for the Christian church in the world? Well, let me give you three current examples.

Yesterday I received this email from Samuel Lawrence in Canada:

Dear Mr. Stuart:
This past summer, I spent six-weeks in China as a volunteer English
Teacher. The program was hosted by China Christian Council, and my local
sponsor is the United Church of Canada. Our students were young
ministers, lecturers from theological seminaries and other church
workers. We had a team of four teachers--two from Canada and two from
the USA. It was an awesome experience!!!. Now, daily I am forwarding my
"Daily Devotion" to about 35 students, who came to learn English from
all over China--from Inner Mongolia to Hanan Island in the South. All my
students love receiving "Daily Devotion". It is very valuable to them
for Devotion and continuous learning of English language.

I wish to thank all the devoted writers to "Daily Devotion", it has
become a part of my global ministry.

Cheers!!
Keep on writing
Samuel Lawrence

Part of the ministry that you allow me to do here is writing daily devotionals which connect with many people in our congregation. Over 120 of them have been used by the Presbyterian Church of Canada’s daily devotion series…and now they are influencing the hearts and minds of people in China! That’s how we are an Ephesian church!

Secondly, we received a phone call this week from a young mother in Cookeville, TN. She wants to start up a MOPS group in her church and she heard that ours was one of the best in this area. That means that the ministry which young moms set up here and have continued throughout the years is having a bigger impact than we ever dreamed of. This is Erin being an Ephesian Church!

Thirdly, in October, when Evelyn and I are away for a weekend to go and visit Lynsey in Blacksburg, I’ve arranged for a missionary to come and lead the service. He has worked in Africa for decades, setting up a seminary to train pastors in Kenya. The seminary has graduated hundreds of pastors, who in turn have led thousands of churches, which in turn are full of hundreds of thousands of Africans hungry for the Gospel and sharing the Good news. What has all of this to do with Erin, I hear you ask?

The missionary is Myron Goodwin, who was baptized in this church many years ago, who grew up amongst us and when he was in Youth group, he gave his heart to the Lord! That’s what an Ephesian Christian church can do! And that’s what our wee church has been doing and will continue to do in the future.

When Christ calls us to be Ephesians servants at Erin, He wants us to be equipped in a unity of faith that will be displayed through our service to the community. But how do we equip people for Christian service at Erin?

Well, take today for instance. It’s stacked full of opportunities to be equipped in faith and to serve the Lord. We gathered for Rally Day to give everyone the opportunity to sign up for Sunday School Classes. We cater to all age groups from newborns to people in their nineties. We offer different classes with different themes. We all come in here to share worship together, teaching the faith to our kids, commissioning our teachers, and preaching the Word. We have an opportunity to cheerfully give to the Church so that we can enhance Christ’s work through the resources of the congregation.

After worship, we’re holding a Family Council to discus our current needs and to work on our future areas of growth. This afternoon, we have a funeral with the Brasher & Huber families – giving us an opportunity to offer them our support, our love, and our prayers. And tonight, our young people of Such is the Kingdom meet to practice singing for an event at Farragut Presbyterian Church in October; our youth groups meet to worship and discuss current issues, and then at the end of the evening, Glenfinnan are practicing for an all day Scottish concert that’s being held in Dandridge in September. All in one day – all for one purpose – to serve Christ within and beyond the walls of this church.

But it gets even better because wherever you go this week – to your work, place of business, to your school, to neighborhood clubs and societies – wherever you are, you are called to be ambassadors for Christ, ministers of God, and servants of the Kingdom. God has brought you here today to be equipped in faith, hope, and love, so that you can go out from this building to share the Gospel through your words, choices and deeds throughout this week until we gather here once more. We are all priests with a purpose and pastors with a passion for proclaiming the word and praising God’s name. We are all Ephesian Christians, equipped for service in the world, growing and building this church, this bonnie wee place called Erin to the glory of God and the exaltation of Christ’s Name!

One day, one glorious day, when we are all gathered in Heaven, Christ will show us what our wee church has done throughout its history. Six, sixteen or even sixty generations of Erin people will be standing together and feel proud of the faith we share, the hopes we have born, and the love we have shown…and then Jesus will show us even more people from all over the world – myriads of people who came to Christ through being treated by Christian nurses in Pakistan that we support – hundreds of children in Guatemala whose lives were touched and transformed through the missions we have financed – thousands of Chinese who have been taught the faith by students learning English using our daily devotions – and hundreds of thousands of Africans whose pastors have been trained by a missionary leader who gave his heart to the Lord as a teenager in this bonnie wee place called Erin.

And if you think that is wonderful, well to quote Al Jolson – You ain’t seen nothing yet! Glory to God and Halleujah!