Poetry: Last Advent

Last Advent

There will come a time
When all of this sweet illusion
Will fade away like a dream.
Worlds will collide,
Stars will fall down,
And the sky will roll back,
Revealing reality.

Time will be no more.

Eternity will have penetrated
The cosmos;
Human chaos will end,
And belief will be finalized
Just as people realize
History is over.

Faith will be no more.

A beginning for some;
An ending for many more,
Who could have experienced
The greatest blessing
In the universe,
If they had a little more time
And a little more faith.

The sands of time have gone;
The need for faith is over.

Christ has come again!

Daily Devotions: No Breaks for Believers

Acts 18:17       Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

There’s a good discussion on the internet about why do bad things happen to faithful people. After all, if people believe in God, shouldn’t they get some sort of waver on suffering? Atheists especially love to use this as a means to philosophically demean religious people and validate their own non-deist views. I guess that they just use the typical human method of discriminating against those who are different. We all are guilty of that, religious and non-religious alike.

But why doesn’t God protect His people? Surely they above all others should have a guarantee of security? Maybe that’s why the symbol of our faith is actually a Cross and not a Shield. We are all subject to the same level playing field. If a gigantic meteor was to hit the Earth tomorrow, we’d all be wiped out – Christian, Jew, Moslem, Hindu, Agnostic or Atheist. In fact, extinction would affect every living being on this planet.

Today brings no guarantees about tomorrow, but for the Christian the micro-second that life on Earth ends, Eternity with God begins. Atheists won’t know what they’re missing, but that’s their decision.

So party on, believers! Life with Jesus never ends.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are the Only Guarantee in Life and we thank You for the gift of Eternity. Others may freely and willfully choose to reject what You offer, but we gladly celebrate Your everlasting goodness. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully 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.

4 Minute Devotions: Holocaustic or Holistic?

Do we use faith as a weapon of fear and hostility, or as an instrument of compassion and reconciliation?

Podcast version here

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

I grew up at a time when the world was constantly threatened with a nuclear holocaust. I don’t know where or when I learned about the US-Soviet arms race, but I can remember worrying about a nuclear war even during the best of my younger days.

It was a terrible fear to live under. It tainted every aspect of life. As a teenager, I wanted to try anything and everything before the world was wiped out and blown to smithereens. I didn’t care about what I did or who I hurt, because the world didn’t care about hurting me.

And then things changed. Several movies on the TV and the big screen made us all aware of our madness. “Threads,” “War Games,” and even “The Martian Chronicles” showed us all the futility of nuclear deterrents and Cold War antagonism. A shift in the philosophies of Western and Soviet leaders brought about concord and pacts were made to avoid the holocaust that I and billions of other people on earth dreaded.

Christian fatalists, who used today’s verse with glee as a means to get people fearfully saved before the impending holocaust, were disregarded as a new hope blossomed throughout the world. Books like “The Late Great Planet Earth” and songs like “I Wish We’d All Been Ready” were set aside. Instead of fear being used as a method to convert people to Christ, peace and love, along with redemption and reconciliation, were offered as a means of getting to know Jesus.

Perhaps you’re anxious about your family and friends, and worry about their salvation. Maybe you come across as being fearful instead of faithful, crushing instead of Christian, or hellish instead of heavenly. Think about how Jesus loved and embraced sinners in order to gain their trust. Think about how He employed compassion and reconciliation in order to open hearts and minds. Think about these Christ-like things and then apply them. Don’t be hostile or holocaustic with your faith; instead, become helpful and holistic.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, save us from using fear to bring others to faith. Instead, allow us to be compassionate and loving, gracious and generous in order to attract people to You and Your Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.