Today's Bible reading: Genesis 11:27-32
Genesis 11:31 Terah
took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai,
the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to
go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
Last
Sunday morning, after the worship service, we held a special ceremony to
re-dedicate the church bell. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful event. We
took time to remember one of our dearest elders and friends, as well as delighting
in the official opening of the new site for our church bell.
The
church bell goes back to the founding of our congregation and is the oldest artifact
that we possess. For almost seven generations, it has been used to call the
faithful to worship on Sunday mornings. It has been heard by Scots-Irish
immigrants of the late nineteenth century. It proclaimed the ending of both the
First and Second World Wars. It remained with us throughout the turbulent
sixties and seventies, and now it has been restored in the 21st
century to a beautiful location next to the front entrance. All being well, it will
outlive the present congregation and, who knows, it may one day herald the
Second Coming of Christ to the Earth.
The
story of the first Erin congregation is similar to the biblical account of
Abram and Sarai. The Erin people also left the land of their birth and
journeyed thousands of miles to settle in a place of promises. With hard work
and determination, true grit and a focused faith, they carved out a living and
eventually settled here in Knoxville, Tennessee. They called their new church ‘Erin,’
which is the ancient Gaelic word for Ireland. They planted a congregation and
sewed seeds of faith which are still bearing fruit today. Just like the
patriarchs of old, their work has been rewarded and their faithfulness has been
blessed. The journey of joy continues; the mission of Christ goes on.
Questions for personal reflection
How has the
faith of past generations influenced and affected me? What am I doing with that
faith today in order to ensure that it will be passed on to future generations?
Prayer: Lord God, you are the Maker of Time
and the Shaper of History. You have raised up generations of faithful men and
women to serve the continuing ministry and constant mission of Your Son Jesus
Christ. Thank You for allowing us to be a part of Christ’s work on Earth. 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 comment on today’s
message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called “Spirit-2012.” Its
creation involves paper sculpting, wax crayons, and a scanner. If you would
like to view a larger version, please click here: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7217562558_43d588ee31_b.jpg
(It’s
also available as a t-shirt at John’s CafePress website at http://www.cafepress.com/stushietees
)
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