Devotional : A Mighty River - Psalm 46:4

Psalm 46:4    There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

            I was born and brought up in Glasgow, Scotland. At one time, there used to be over a million people living in the city. Glasgow prospered due to being situated on the banks of the River Clyde, where great ocean going steamships were built to be sent all over the world. Most Glaswegians are proud of their city and its achievements. They also love its famous river which brought economic prosperity to the whole population.

            The source of the river is at a small town called New Lanark. Four small streams converge as waterfalls (or linns, as they are known in Scotland) and the River Clyde meanders to the sea, growing deeper, wider, and larger at every mile downstream. The Falls of the Clyde are quite beautiful and well worth visiting by any tourist. Out of that small stream in a small town, a mighty river is born which has changed the industrial history of Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the world.

            Today’s Bible verse expresses a similar event, all couched in spiritual terms. From a small stream at the heart of Jerusalem, God has created three world-wide religions that have affected the entire world, even to this very day. Out of a small place, God’s work has meandered throughout history until every nation on Earth has been influenced by what has occurred in Jerusalem.

For us Christians, we are reminded that Christ’s isolated and relatively insignificant death, outside of the city walls of Jerusalem, has engendered a Faith which has over 2 billion followers and is still growing throughout the Earth. The goodness of God and the gladness of Christ’s people have spread across kingdoms and nations, civilizations and generations in an amazing process of truth and love. And until Christ returns, that river of redemption will continue to grow, that small stream of salvation will carry on affecting the lives and souls of billions of people who are as yet unborn.

Question for reflection

What is the source of my faith? How am I passing on that source to the next generation?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, You are the source of everything that is sacred, loving, and true. You have called each of us into Your Kingdom and continue to influence the lives of others around us. Help us to do whatever we can to encourage other people to come to Your Living Waters and be redeemed and forgiven, restored and welcomed into God’s Holy Dominion. In Your sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

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

Christian devotions: Bride of Christ - Acts 27

Acts 27:31       Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved."

“I don’t need to go to church in order to be a Christian.” If I had a dollar for every time I’ve read or heard something like that, I’d be thousands of dollars richer. People honestly believe that church isn’t necessary for them to be good Christians. All they need is a simple straightforward belief that Jesus loves them and that because He’s a universal cosmic good guy, He will let them into heaven – no questions asked. Church becomes irrelevant because it robs the individual of their freedom to do what they want. As long as they can go directly to Jesus, He will understand and let them away with everything and anything.

Unfortunately, that popular misconception eternally separates more people from God than anything else in modern times.

So why did the First Apostles form the Church? They, of all people in history, should have been granted exemptions because they personally knew Jesus. And yet they didn’t skip church to go and do other things. They didn’t take their faith for granted nor did they cheapen Christ’s Grace by doing what they wanted.

You see, they understood that the Church is actually the Bride of Christ. They knew that the Church was Christ’s closest companion in His ministry to the world. To be part of the Church meant being baptized into the faith, participating in communion, and worshipping together with Christ’s followers. It was not an individual spiritual pursuit or personal religious journey. Being a part of Christ’s Kingdom meant being involved with Christ’s Community of faith – the Church.

I think that this is why Paul’s statement to the Roman soldiers and sailors on the doomed ship has a deeper significance for us today. It’s not just about a ship wreck, it’s about staying on board and being together during a crisis. Without remaining on the ship and heeding God’s word, the passengers and crew would not survive the storm. The same applies to us today – without being in church and remaining with Christ’s people through these turbulent times, salvation cannot be guaranteed.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we know that salvation belongs to You alone, and yet You also established the Church to be the vehicle of Your gospel and the means of bringing people to You.  Bless Your Church on Earth with a renewed sense of purpose. Help us to dedicate our lives to Your service and glorious Kingdom. In Your Holy 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 image is one of John’s new Christmas 2010 drawings. It’s called “Church in Snow.” A larger version can be viewed online at the following link: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5023390336_1c9c7da679_b.jpg

Daily Devotions: Bad Wolf - Acts 25

Acts 25:19       Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 

I’m having a bad wolf of a day. For those of you who watch Doctor Who, you know that that means I’m having a feeling of impending doom. I don’t mean on a personal basis or at a congregational level. I just feel that our Western Church has become so progressive that it is heading for disaster. We’ve strayed too far from our traditional roots and scriptural foundations and my biggest fear is that the Holy Spirit will abandon us to our own theological deceptions and idolatrous ideologies.

“Way to go, preacher!” I can hear some of you groaning. You were looking for an upbeat spiritual nicety that would tide you over the weekend. Instead, you get the bleating heart of a pastor who feels like he’s in the wilderness and has outlived his usefulness.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not feeling sorry for myself. I’m feeling sorry for the Church and the next generation. From what I’ve read in the Book of Revelation, an apostate generation is one of the crucial signs that we’re heading into the End of Days. I can’t seem to shake this off and I feel perplexed because nobody wants to hear, read, or accept another doom and gloom message. Life is meant to be fun and church is meant to be happy. The world doesn’t need a clerical killjoy or pathetic prophet.

And yet the world needs to hear the Truth before it’s all too late. The world needs to know the Way before it loses itself. The world needs to find the Life before it starts to finally die.

Almost two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul faced his accusers who rejected his message and the fact that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. Sad to say, Paul would face the same kind of people in today’s world, but this time they would be part of the Christian church that he helped to establish.

Perhaps you can excuse these thoughts as the morbid ramblings of a person who is dealing with his own issues about his own mortality. You’re free to think that way and reject the message. But before you do that, honestly ask yourself this question: is the Church progressing or declining?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we claim to be Your Church and yet we refuse to be claimed by Your Word. We say that we are Christians, but do we truly let You in our lives? We follow our own ideas and create our own paths, expecting You to catch up with us and condone our ways. Will we leave it too late? Will we be ready for Your Return? In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently 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 image is one of John’s abstract drawings called “Crossing Over.” It depicts the passing of a soul from this world into the next. If you would like to view a larger version of the image, please click on the following link: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/75/208654420_3eab83b2de_o.jpg

Daily Devotions: Hopes and Fears - Advent 3 - Job 23 v 16

Job 23: 16 God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.

I feel sorry for Job. He was living at a time when people believed that personal pain and suffering occurred because God was angry with them. This meant that any tragedy was clouded with a terrifying fear that God was punishing the people. Any illness or sickness, any setback or obstacle was seen a sign of God’s wrath. Only repentance and sacrifice would suffice to appease God. Only humility and contrition would placate the Almighty.

Thank God then that we are New Testament people! We are no longer bound by those primeval fears. Christ has come into the world to tell us not to be afraid. Christ has given the ultimate sacrifice for all of our mistakes and sins. The threat of divine punishment is no longer to be dreaded. Instead of being terrified of God, we are attracted to Him through the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Out of the 6.5 billion people on this planet, about 5 billion live under the religious fear of God’s wrath. They are terrified of plagues and famines, wars and earthquakes, floods and disasters. They are anxious about offending God and worry over the smallest of mistakes. They constantly spend their resources on appeasing false gods and try to buy divine blessings. Christianity, however, has a real message of hope for all of these people who are plagued by superstition: Do not be afraid and be of good cheer.

In this pre-season of Christmas that we call Advent, we should constantly pray for the world to be open to Christ’s message of goodwill, forgiveness, and peace. It has the potential to save the entire world from its fears and to lovingly restore everyone to God’s favor and blessings. If only Job knew way back then what we know now, he would never have been driven to despair through his fear of God. He could have been comforted, embraced, and encouraged by God through the presence of Jesus Christ in his life.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we all carry hopes and fears in our hearts and minds. We pray that You will diminish our anxieties by graciously responding to our concerns. Guard us and guide us. Embrace us and bless us. In Your Holy Name, we confidently 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. He enjoys reading your reflections.