Daily devotions - Back to the Future - Ecclesiastes 1:9

Ecclesiastes 1:9           What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

I drank too much caffeine yesterday, so I ended up being wide awake in the wee small hours of the morning. You would think that I would know better by now, but I like my tea and my coffee, so earlier today you would have found me drawing and googling at 4:30AM.

A friend of mine sent me a link to Google maps. I had forgotten about this amazing site. After clicking on the world map and zooming in on Scotland, I was soon able to “virtually” walk down streets and places in my hometown of Glasgow. This kept me occupied for hours. Eventually, I found myself walking through the hospital grounds where my mum had been kept in a locked ward. As I stood in the street and looked directly at the door to 22B, I could still smell the antiseptic and hear the sounds beyond it. It was a weird feeling and it dredged up a few heart-rending memories that I had suppressed long ago.

For a couple of minutes, I was a child again and I was angry with God. A bitter prayer of “Why?” shot through my soul and then, just as suddenly, I realized that all that pain was in the past where it needed to rest. What happened 40 years ago, need not scar me now. What was done then, need not be experienced again. Today’s writer of Ecclesiastes may not have agreed with that statement, but rather than be pessimistically fatalistic and say that history repeats itself, I now hold on to the wonderful liberating words of God: “Behold, I make all things new!”

As I left my computer and crawled back into bed, I felt a burden from the past had been taken from my shoulders and buried forever. Caffeine may keep me awake, but Christ keeps me alive…J

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we all carry moments and memories from the past that weigh us down spiritually and sometimes depress our souls. We wish that things could have been different and we fear making the same mistakes or going through the same experiences again. Take hold of our lives; free us from the past, and make all things new. In Your Loving Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s drawing is one of John’s ‘Tribute to Vincent’ pictures. It’s called “Moonrise Van Gogh” and is based upon Van Gogh’s Field of Crows painting. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2758/4136822951_b576335e31_b.jpg

Lent Devotions: Turning Coffee into Trees - Psalm 24

Psalm 24:1      The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

There’s a new coffee shop in town called “Ja Verde.” It’s situated on the West End of Middlebrook Pike and its grand opening takes place on Saturday 27^th March. I was in there this morning having coffee with a friend and had a conversation with the manager.

“What does Ja Verde mean?” asked my friend.

“It’s a combination of Java and the Spanish word for ‘green.’”

“Why green?” I asked.

“It’s because we use our profits to plant trees. Last year we planted 10,000 trees. This year we hope to plant 12,000 trees.”

I think that is a wonderful project and worthy of support. Paul and Carly, the managers, are a young couple with global ideals. They want to make a difference in the world because they respect God’s Creation. Paul is actually a Theology graduate and believes that Christians should be conservationists and good stewards of the Earth.

Today’s verse from Psalm 24 is a timely reminder that the Earth belongs to the Lord and that includes everything within it. God allows us to live on this planetary jewel and fully expects us to take care of it. We have both the created capacity and a divine obligation to be caretaking conservationists of this beautiful world. Young people like Paul and Carly are doing their share. The challenge for us is to find opportunities where we can do something similar.

Prayer:                        Almighty God, thank You for creating this beautiful and unique planet. Help us to love the Earth and conserve its wonders through good stewardship and environmental care. Bless those who dedicate their lives and businesses for the renewal of the Earth. In Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Tree of Life: Eden in the Fall.” A larger version can be found here online: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/3951802007/sizes/l/

It is also on display at the Ja Verde Coffee Shop on Middlebrook Pike in Knoxville, about a mile west of Cedar Bluff.

If Starbucks Marketed Like Church