Short Devotion: History

 Acts 20:35 (Paul said) “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (NIV)

 

History is hard work which is why some people choose to ignore it. It reveals to us the truth about who we are, warts and all, in the hope that each succeeding generation will become a better version of its predecessors. The mistakes, calamities, and tragedies of the past may shame or even annoy us, but no matter what we feel about history, it’s hard work to accept the truth that it forever displays.

 

For instance, in Canada, the people are reeling from a recent discovery of a mass grave where over 200 bodies of indigenous children were found. They had been forcefully taken from their homes and tribes and placed in residential schools in order to ‘civilize’ them. For decades, survivors of the abuse that had been going on told their horrifying stories, but no one wanted to listen to their ‘outrageous’ tales because most of those schools were run by Christian denominations.

 

But history has a way of revealing the truth, so when these bodies were discovered, Canadians realized that the horrors and tragedies that those young children endured were true, so the whole nation, which tries to portray a people who are tolerant and accepting, was shocked. The ugliness of the past can no longer be hidden; the shame that has fallen on the church needs to be addressed. There can be no healing without a hearing; there can be no resolution without reparation; there can be no conclusion without contrition.

 

We also have a tragic and horrifying past to consider and confess with regard to indigenous people and those who were enslaved. History will keep burdening us with the truth if we ignore or vainly try to cancel it. Those who were once weak, powerless, and brutally silenced are now finding their strength and their voices. What they have to express is a hard truth about ourselves; what they have to reveal, we cannot continue to ignore.

 

As Christians, we are called to help the weak and the poor; we are meant to cheerfully give rather than selfishly take; we are supposed to be people of the Truth, no matter how inconvenient or unflattering that it may be; we are meant to seek and represent the Kingdom of God above all else; we are meant to apply grace to encourage goodness and adopt humility in order to heal. It is not an easy task, but it never has been – our symbol is a painful cross, not a pillowed cushion. If we want to build a better future, we need to repair the past.

 

Q: What parts of our history need to be revealed, received, and re-addressed?

 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to honestly look at our history and see clearly what needs to be confessed and healed. Give us the courage to face our ugliness and grant us the humility to correct our faults. In Your Holy Name, we pray, and by Your Holy Words, we seek to live. Amen.

 

Pastor John

Preaching the Word - Mark 1:38

Mark 1:38       Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”(NIV)

            I would love to have heard Jesus preaching in any of the synagogues that He visited during His lifetime. What we have in the Gospels is only the tip of a whole mountain of messages that Christ must have preached to His people all over Galilee. We know that He always attended worship each week, so in the preceding days, Jesus must have prepared what He was going to say. I would also have liked to watch Him do that and pick up a few new methods of how to fully prepare a sermon. He didn’t have the books or devices that I have to help me research the scriptures for a Sunday message, but I’m certain that His illustrations and interpretations of God’s Word must have been amazing and life-changing for His listeners.

            The purpose of preaching is to help people understand the salvation history of God. It’s not about being entertained or charmed by the charisma of the preacher; it’s about being confronted with God’s Word and becoming connected to God’s Spirit. This makes preaching a controversial form of communication instead of it being a comfortable expression of faith. I know many preachers who, like myself, often struggle with the Bible passages that are preached on Sundays. They don’t want to offend anyone or disappoint someone, but in the end, preachers need to preach what God places in their hearts.

            I think this is also why some of Christ’s major conflicts took place in the synagogues where He preached. His message was both traditional and radical, authoritative and demanding. Perhaps if I had been in one of those synagogues where Jesus preached, I may have been offended, too. I know this much, He certainly would have challenged me, as He still does today.

Point to ponder

Have I ever heard a sermon that changed my life?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, Your Word is always alive and relevant, as well as challenging and resourceful. Open our hearts and minds to receiving, embracing, and applying the messages that You give to us through preaching today. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s iconic drawings of Jesus called ‘Christ Icon.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Icon.

If you enjoyed this devotion, you can read more in John's devotional e-books like "The Light of Love" which has forty-two devotions inspired by the Gospel of John. You can find the book at this link: 

"The Light of Love."

A Wonderful Gift - Matthew 20:34

Matthew 20:34           Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him. (NIV)

            I love reading about the healing miracles of Jesus. What usually affects me is not what He does, but why He does it. In this passage, (Matthew 20:29-34) two blind men cry out to Jesus for mercy and healing. He hears their request and He restores their sight. Why? Because He had compassion on them.

            Compassion is a wonderful gift that Jesus has given to His followers and church. Compassion means that we align ourselves with those who are suffering and seek ways to relieve their pain, illness, or circumstances. The major role of the Church is to be a compassionate reconciler and healer to the world. Compassion is a major hallmark of our Christian faith – if we ever lose that, we will no longer be the Church in God’s world.

            Jesus could have walked by the two blind men and carried on with His mission. Instead, He listened to their plea for help and as He did, His heart melted with compassion. At that moment in time, He had the power to remedy their blindness, so He stopped what He was doing and healed them of all that was harming and debilitating them. They were powerless to do anything but cry out; He was powerful enough to help and cure them.  As Christians, we are called to do the same – to be heart-led followers of Christ and not heartless folks in our community.

Point to ponder

What is compassion and how do I show it to others?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we call You ‘Lord,’ because we seek to serve You. We are meant to emulate Your ways and share Your compassion to the world. Help us to empower the powerless and to support the weak. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest church bulletin drawings for Epiphany 6A. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Ep6A.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at this link: www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Seeking Peace - Genesis 8:11

Genesis 8:11    When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. 

            It has become a universal symbol of peace throughout the world. Images of a dove with an olive branch in its mouth are still used by the United Nations and other international peace organizations. Most people know that it represents a human yearning for peace throughout the world, but some folks forget that it was first described in the Noah story from Genesis. In other words, it’s not just a universal symbol for peace, it’s a God-given sign of restoration.

            As the waters from the Great Flood receded, Noah needed to know that dry land was emerging, so that he could safely take his family ashore. The immense rains had fallen for forty days and it would take 110 more days before the Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat. This means that Noah, his family, and most of the animals spent almost half a year on the Ark before they could return to the land. The storms were over, but the long wait for the flood to recede must have seemed like an eternity to each living being on board.

            When the dove came back to Noah with an olive branch, he knew in his heart that God’s wrath was over and that peace between God and man was now possible. From that biblical moment in time, the dove has represented God’s presence and the olive branch is a peace offering. Today, on the United Nations flag, our planetary globe is cupped in a half circle of olive leaves, symbolizing the future hope that one day we will live in peace.

Points to ponder

Where do we currently need peace in the world? How often am I willing to pray for peace?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace, so we earnestly ask You to send forth Your Holy Spirit to those parts of our world where war and violence are sadly taking place. Allow Your Church to act as peacemaker throughout the nations and give us the ability to embrace peace in our homes, communities, and nation. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s Celtic Cross drawing called Siochain – the Gaelic word for peace. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Cross.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. The church website can be viewed here: www.erinpresbyterian.org.

Devotion on Grace: The Gift of Grace - Matthew 20:15

Matthew 20:15        Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?

            Today’s Gospel passage (Matthew 20:1-16) has nothing to do with workers’ rights, shrewd employers, or salary compensation; it’s all about the grace of God and how He freely and independently chooses to bestow it upon anyone that He selects. Grace belongs to God, so when He blesses someone that we think doesn't deserve it, then we need to ask ourselves this question: who does deserve God’s grace?

            Of course, the honest answer to that question is no one deserves God’s grace, otherwise it would simply be a meritorious award or an honorary gift. We all for short of the standards that God expects of us; we all sin on a daily basis, so if God simply gave His grace to those who deserved it, no one would experience or know of God’s grace ever again.

            It’s because God is gracious that we can begin again each day with a clean slate. It’s because of God’s grace that we can turn away from our sin and turn toward His love. It’s because of God’s grace that we can live our lives not under the fear of judgment and wrath, but with the joy and gladness that only grace can bring. As the old hymn emphatically states, grace is absolutely amazing!

            Perhaps you still feel guilty about something you did in the past, or some wrong that you committed which hurt someone else. Maybe you regret something that you said or did which disappointed God and still makes you feel ashamed. Perhaps you believe that you cannot be forgiven, so all you deserve is God’s wrath and eternal punishment for a horrible sin in your life. To tell you the truth, every Christian feels that way; every church person knows that reality; every follower of Jesus has experienced those kind of faults and failures.

            However, because God is gracious and because He wants to give grace, we can all be forgiven and restored, pardoned and accepted of anything and everything that we have ever said or done. There are no limits to God’s grace when we come to Him humbly and sincerely seeking His pardon. When we acknowledge our sinfulness before Him in prayer, He gives to us His grace through Jesus Christ, His Son and our Savior.

Questions for personal reflection

What is the biggest regret in my life? Am I willing to confess it to God, in order to receive His grace?

Prayer:           Lord Jesus, You are the instrument of God’s grace and the channel of His mercy. We know that we do not deserve such a wonderful and amazing gift. We thank You for sacrificing Yourself so that we may be given God’s amazing and absolute grace in our sinful lives. In Your Holy Name, we thankfully pray. Amen.

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

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Nativity drawing for kids. It’s called “Babushka Nativity.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Nativity.

Gospel Devotion: Weeping Savior - Luke 19:41

Luke 19:41 As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.

There is no doubt that Jesus loved His own people. He wanted them to receive Him gladly, not to boost His reputation or esteem, but so that they could be showered with God’s blessings of forgiveness and everlasting love. He wept over Jerusalem because He knew that He would be rejected and arrested, tortured and crucified. He wasn’t weeping for Himself; Jesus was weeping for His people. In all of their wonderful history, God’s chosen people would make the greatest mistake of their spiritual lives. Instead of recognizing the Messiah, they would rail against Him. Instead of accepting the Anointed One, they would kill Him.

This week, a report from the Pew Center has revealed that Protestant Christianity is in decline and that atheism/secularism is increasing across American society. Almost one third of our young people have no belief in God at all, which means that our society will go through some major changes in the decades to come. People will miss out on the Gospel message and a whole generation will potentially no longer have a strong connection to Christ. Perhaps at that time, Jesus will be weeping again not just for Jerusalem, but for a whole world that will culturally crucify Him once more. The vital question for the Church at that time could be: will it be a time to lament of the past, or will it become a brand new mission field? Only those churches that presently preach, teach, and live out a strong connection and personal commitment to Christ may only be around to answer that question.

Questions for personal reflection

How committed to Christ am I? What am I doing now to strongly pass on my Christian faith to the next generation?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You love Your people and You delight in Your Bride, the Church. You know the issues that we face today and the drifting away of our young people from our churches. Help us to deepen our relationship with You, so that the next generation may see an authentic and realistic Christianity that will draw them closer to You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is presently 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 Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest autumn drawings. It’s called “Smoky Mountain Morning” and features the fall colored misty mornings that take place in the Smokies at this time of year. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/8065671923_a367e2217c_b.jpg