Justice devotion: His Last Miracle - Luke 22:51

Luke 22:51    But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him. (NIV)

            It was His last miracle. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of His disciples tried to defend Christ with a sword and ended up cutting off the ear of one of the High Priest’s guards. It was a valiant effort, but a wasteful one. It was also something that Jesus did not condone.

            Instead of calling upon His disciples to attack the mob, Jesus sternly called for an end to the violence. He was not going to be party to any defense of His person; He was not going to start a protest, a rout, or a rebellion. In order to show how committed He was to being a peacemaker, Jesus healed the guard immediately. He didn’t want anyone else to suffer, not even His enemies.

            As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers in our communities, as well as across the world. This is very difficult to do because, like most human beings, we get angry and feel justified about diminishing our opponents or destroying our enemies. It’s very easy for us, and even for me as a pastor, to get caught up in foolish quarrels and trivial arguments which do nothing to promote Christ’s teaching, God’s love, or the Spirit’s way. We want to feel strong by humiliating our foes; we want to be crusaders for religious causes, both of which, Jesus would not condone.

            Christ’s last healing miracle was how He personally practiced His radical teaching of loving our enemies and forgiving those who hurt us. He not only showed His disciples how to practice their faith, but He also beautifully exemplified His teaching to His foes, especially the guard who was the injured victim of the disciples’ religious zeal. This is an important lesson about peacemaking for all of us who call ourselves ‘Christian’.

Questions for personal reflection

How has the practicing of my faith hurt other people? What would Christ have me do to remedy this?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, Your Life constantly challenges us. Every moment and every incident in the Gospels has been recorded to teach us about how our Christian faith should be lived. Forgive us, Lord, when we neglect Your lessons; help us to become better witnesses of Your peace and love. 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 or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com. John is always interested in your thoughts. And, if you ever find yourself in Knoxville on a Sunday morning, the people at Erin will make you feel welcome and will be delighted to worship with you.

Today’s image is John’s latest stained glass drawings. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Glass.

Church devotion: Rebuilding the Church - Psalm 102:16

Psalm 102:16           For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in His glory. (NIV)

            There’s a lot of rebuilding that needs to be done in many churches, including our own. The conflicts that we've all been involved in over the last three decades have taken their toll. Worship wars, culture wars, marriage wars, and atonement wars have diminished the life, work, and mission of the Church as Christ’s Bride on Earth. We are meant to be healers in a broken world; sadly, we have become so disjointed, disfigured, and disunited that we are broken, too.

            We need to ask God to rebuild us, one day at a time, and one person at a time. It will not be an easy process because it will require focus, energy, discipline, and commitment. There’s no other way to rebuild congregations or churches. There’s no magic wand, instant success, or easy button to do it. However, it is not insurmountable or unachievable. It can be done and it will be done among those churches who humbly yield to God and sincerely say, “Thy Will be done.”

            Five hundred years ago, the Christian Church faced a similar challenge. The early Reformers like Jan Hus, Martin Luther, and John Calvin knew that the people and priests had to get back to a form of basic New Testament Christianity. It was an uphill struggle – Jan Hus was burned at the stake; Martin Luther was declared an outlaw and hunted down; John Calvin faced death threats on a regular basis. They were successful in growing a new movement and a new church because their message was true to the Gospel. They accomplished much because they remained true to Christ.

            Today, let’s seriously think about reforming our ways and rebuilding the church. Instead of throwing stones at one another, let’s pick up those stones and rebuild our sacred places. Let’s call upon God to give us the grit and determination, as well as the resolve and focus to grow in His goodness, to advance Christ’s Kingdom, and to walk with the Spirit. We can do this. We can embrace this. We can rebuild.

Questions for personal reflection

What must I do to rebuild my commitment to Christ? How can I help others to do the same?

Prayers:         Lord Jesus, we are all a part of Your Church, Your Work, and Your Mission. In recent times, we have wandered away from Your Truth, forgotten Your Way, and have set aside Your Life. Forgive us for tearing down what You have built. Enable us to reform and allow us to rebuild. 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 or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com. John is always interested in your thoughts. And, if you ever find yourself in Knoxville on a Sunday morning, the people at Erin will make you feel welcome and will be delighted to worship with you.

Today’s image is John’s latest Pentecost drawing. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on this link: Pentecost.

Church devotion: A Derailed Psalm - Psalm 101:1

Psalm 101:1  I will sing of your love and justice; to you, Lord, I will sing praise.

            Psalm 101 starts off so well. The writer declares his intent to sing of noble ideals like love and justice, as well as praising God. Sounds like a great idea and a wonderful way to express his faith; unfortunately, the rest of the psalm does not live up to the initial opening statement.

            Very soon, the psalmist goes into a self-righteous mode and quickly begins to condemn those who do not follow God’s ways. At one point he further declares that:

v5 - Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate.

            We are all guilty of this and have experienced it on numerous occasions, from those with deeply entrenched views, as well from those who call themselves tolerant people. Sadly, we all currently see this all-too-human trait in the many forms of moral iconoclasm where opposing groups on abortion, sexuality, war, politics, or poverty tear down each other’s beliefs and standards, in the forlorn hope that the last person standing will win the day.

            As I read the rest of Psalm 101, I wish that the writer had just written a spiritual haiku, for his first words speak so well of what faithful folks like us should aspire toward. The world is full of wounded people and in need of a merciful holy healing, but if faithful people are wounding one another, then how can God’s message be effectively witnessed to, in our communities? I honestly think that if we get rid of our agendas and instead subscribe to the love, mercy, and truth of Christ, then we will have a substantial message to proclaim; otherwise we will fall like the wounded around us, and be of no use to anyone.

Questions for personal reflection

How can I support God’s work of love and justice? Where is God working in my congregation and community today?

Prayer:          Lord Jesus, we all have sinned and fall short of God’s standards and we know that we are unworthy of Your mercy. However, we do know that You love us and command us to love one another. Help us to see where You are working among us, in our congregation, our community, and our country. Enable us to become better servants of Your healing ministry. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

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

Today’s attached image is one of John’s latest bulletin covers for churches for last Sunday. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Easter7B.