Presbyterian Devotions: Accepting Jesus - Luke 4 v 24

Luke 4:24 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.”

We live in a strange age. Our society and civilization, our culture and traditions have all been shaped, established, and blessed by Christianity. The freedoms we share have been formed by the faith we once held dear. In fact, if we were to erase Christianity from the last two thousand years of history, most of us would be serfs or slaves, ignorant and illiterate, cruelly treated and cast aside.

That’s what makes the living of these days very strange because Western society, in Europe and the Americas, is turning its back upon Christ, the true Founder of our freedoms and faith. It’s as if today’s verse from Luke could be rewritten to read: “No Savior is accepted in His world.”

Jesus lived and died almost two thousand years ago, but His Spirit still captivates most of the religious hearts and minds in other places throughout the world. Africa is a prime example of this. At the beginning of the 20^th century, 9% of the population was Christian and 36% were Islamic. A hundred years later, when we reached the year 2000, 40% of the African population was Islamic and over 44% of the population was Christian. The same thing is happening in China, where it has been estimated that by 2030 1.5 billion people will be Christians. Christ’s Church is growing at a rapid rate throughout the Earth, and yet on His home turf of Western Society people are forgetting what they really owe to His words and ways, His godliness and Gospel.

This morning our church has been closed due to the icy weather, so our people at Erin cannot collectively worship God. But for those of you who are reading this today, I want to say “Thank You” for taking time to accept Jesus into your heart and homes through the reading of God’s Word and the blessing of His Spirit.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, enable us to reconnect to Your words and ways, to find the time to rekindle our faith in order to make a recommitment to You. Help us to remember past days when we have needed You in our lives and the times that we have worshiped in our hearts and homes, as well as in our churches and cherished holy places. Thank You for being the Savior of our souls and the Lord of our lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly 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 picture is John’s latest drawing called “Moonlight over Maybole West,” featuring his first parish church. If you would like to see a larger version of the picture, please click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/4317958402/sizes/l/

Presbyterian Devotions: Bible Bumper Sticker

Lectionary Verse

Psalm 20:4 - May God give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. (NIV)

I've got my favourite bumper-sticker Bible verse on my car again. It's today's verse from Psalm 20. I printed it out in large letters and put it on the inside of my back window. Once again, when I'm stopped at traffic lights, I'm seeing people write down the verse and smiling. I guess that during these uncertain times, people find it's good to know God is with them.

That also reminds me of one of the names that we know Jesus by: "Emmanuel", which means "God is with us." I only knew one person who was called Emmanuel in my whole life. I met him in senior high. He was one of the brightest mathematicians that I have ever known. Whenever any of our grade had problems with our math homework, we would say to one another, "Let's ask Manny. He'll know the answer." And he did.

So why was he called Emmanuel? Were his parents ultra-holy? Did they believe that their son was destined for great things? No. They gave him the name when he was born and they saw him for the first time. Manny was a hunchback, so I guess his name was a prayer for God to be with him throughout his life. When you're only four feet tall in senior high and look different, the world can be a hard place. But with a name like Emmanuel, you can stand ten feet tall and know that God sees your beautiful soul and accepts you as a child of God.

After senior high, Manny used his mathematical skills and became a highly sought-after computer programmer.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, each day we ask You to be with us, but sometimes what we're asking is that You accompany us wherever we go. Help us to understand that we are meant to follow You, and that when we pray for You to be with us, we are not only needing You to be near us, but we are ready to rise up and accompany You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart, aka Stushie, is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. He writes and sometimes podcast the devotional blog page "Heaven's Highway."

Today's image is taken from John's Psalms Project Artwork, some of which is on public exhibit this month in Knoxville.

Presbyterian Devotions: A Pentecost Spirit

Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (NIV)

Almost thirty years ago, I visited a university town in Spain called Valladolid (pronounced 'baya-dolith). It was originally a castle town and had some beautiful medieval buildings, cathedrals and colleges all over it. I was there with a friend of mine who had once trained to be a priest. We were visiting his old haunts and he introduced me to a lot of good Spanish people.

One evening, we went to a school building, where many people gathered together for prayer. Handicapped persons, people in wheelchairs, and all sorts of sick people were at the meeting. We sat in a circle, and the priest, who was leading the group, began to pray. Other people followed him and then I spoke my prayer. It was in English because I didn't have enough Spanish to put a sentence together. After I prayed, the priest interpreted and re-prayed my prayer. Once he had finished, a holy hush fell upon the room, and then, suddenly, people began singing in tongues.

I had never experienced anything like this before. It was beautiful and everyone, even those who were sick or sitting in wheelchairs joined in. The sound was like a hundred songs being sung at the same time, with different melodies and rhythms, but they harmonized perfectly. Then things began to quieten down, and after another time of silence, people started to go home.

It was a profound experience and one that I have never encountered again. The only explanation I can give is that the Holy Spirit descended upon all of us, and gave us a great gift of angelic song that evening. One glorious day, I hope to sing like that again, in the heavenly halls of glory, with millions upon millions of people and angels.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit amongst us and for giving Your Church a wonderful source of comfort and counsel, guidance and love. Fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit and lead us by His presence in our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Presbyterian Devotions: Back to The Future

Lectionary verse: Psalm 25:7 Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O LORD.

Most of the psalms in the Bible are written by David, Israel’s greatest king. Usually, they have been written during his moments of great strength, faith, and creativity. It’s as if the vitality of David made him want to write some wonderful songs. And, if you think of it, most songwriters compose their best songs, lyrics, and tunes when they are between the ages of 25 – 45.

Today’s sacred poem is a bit different. I think that it’s written by an elderly David who is reflecting upon his life, his past mistakes, and deepest regrets. He’s looking back on some of his rash choices and poor decisions in his long life. And like anyone else who happens to be an elderly citizen, he wishes that things had been different and hopes that God will be merciful. You see, David is preparing for his final finals – he knows that one day soon, he will be face to face with God.

I don’t know about you, but when I look back at my own crazy past I want to give myself a good shaking down - especially when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. In my mind’s eye, I see myself saying and doing foolish and despicable things, or what David so eloquently calls ‘the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways.’ I wish that I could go back to the past and alter things, but I can’t. And if, at the end of my life, anyone asks me “would you change anything?” I would have to answer with a resounding “yes!”

David’s problem with his past causes him concern for his eternal future. He wants God to forget about the many mistakes and wicked deeds that even he, the greatest Israelite King, had committed. He’s begging God to set aside all of those sinful times that contaminated his faith, his family, and his friendships. In other words, David is looking for a mulligan, as far as his life is concerned. He wants God to bend the rules, show some mercy, and apply some grace so that he can die and rest peacefully.

You see David did not have the wonderful opportunity to cast his sins upon Christ’s Cross to be redeemed, and although he made many sacrifices in the Holy Temple each year, the king still carried the burden of a sinful past. Today, we are more fortunate because we can directly, sincerely, and humbly appeal to Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. We can go back beyond our own sinful past to centuries before we were born and hang our mistakes, our guilt, and our regrets on a tree called Calvary.

We can also come to a Table full of mercy, forgiveness, and peace, instead of an altar streaming with blood, terror, and fear. If David knew then what we know today, then his anxiety and angst, troubles and tribulation over his youthful sins and rebellious ways would have been swept away by the blood of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, when we read today’s psalm and Gospel lesson, let’s give thanks to God that we live in a merciful time, where the Good News of salvation can be given to every sinner, just like ourselves, who personally comes to Jesus, seeks His mercy, and receives God grace. We go back to the past in order to move on to the eternal future where faith sets us free from fear, hope handles all our doubts, and love cleanses our sins forever.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. He regularily writes a devotional blog called Heaven's Highway.

The illustration was drawn by John. It is called "Lenten Prayer." You can see more of John's liturgical art at his webpage Stushie's Art.