Teacher Devotions: Stomp!

Psalm 67: 3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

I went to see “Stomp!” last night at the Tennessee Theater in Knoxville. It was absolutely incredible. The performers and dancers were fantastic and their rhythmic use of paper bags, brooms, and metal chairs was totally amazing. I came away from the theater completely astounded and ever since then, I’ve been tapping and slapping rhythms all over my house, my car, and my office.

I often wish that church could be like that on Sunday mornings. I’ve tried over the years to encourage more participation in worship by our church people. I feel that the more they put into praising God, the more that they will get out of it. I think way back in the days of the psalmist, worship must have been more celebratory and theatrical than it is now. I sometimes wonder what the original psalmists would have thought about our neat and tidy hymn and prayer sandwich services. They were more into an all day event with trumpets and harps, tambourines and horns. They certainly wouldn’t have been anxious to get out after an hour in order to get to the restaurants before the bigger churches finished their worship!

The old Hebrew word for praise is ‘yadah,’ which actually means to hold out your hands and lift them up to God. What I saw at “Stomp!” last night was yadah in action. I definitely think that if more modern worshippers were to allow themselves to praise God by lifting up their hands and exalting the Lord’s Name, they would feel freer and closer to God. Who knows, maybe this Sunday “Stomp!” will come into our sanctuary and the Spirit will lead our people in pure and powerful praise.

Prayer: Lord God, over the centuries You must have seen some amazing, diverse, and incredible worship services from different cultures, nations, and denominations. Your Spirit astounds us from time to time with energy, vitality, and presence. Help us to be more open to praising You in freer and more faithful ways. In Christ’s Name, we 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.

Teacher Devotions: Sacred Memory

Psalm 44: 1 We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago.

Podcast version here

Modern technology is absolutely amazing. For the last fifteen minutes, I’ve been watching the Scottish Health Secretary deliver her statement about the swine flu to the Scottish parliament. I couldn’t believe that I was watching it live on CNN, but that’s the beauty of the internet. Things that are happening now across the Atlantic Ocean can be heard and seen live on a computer over here. The world gets smaller each and everyday.

I loved listening to the real Scottish voices again. My own accent has changed over the years – I’ve softened it and slowed it down. My fellow Americans can’t detect the changes, but folks from the Auld Country can spot it a mile off. They can definitely hear an East Tennessee twang mixed with a Scottish burr.

Today’s psalm is all about communication, too, but not the live internet version. It’s all about how sacred memory is passed on from generation to generation. Tribal stories and folklore faith were transmitted across the centuries in order to convey a dependence upon God in times of trouble, crisis, and war. The prayers of the people, the psalms of their poets, and the utterances of their prophets and priests kept them connected to the One, True, and Living God. Their sense of belonging to God was sustained by their commitment, devotion, and loyalty. Today, we are the benefactors of their faithfulness and we continue carrying the torch of faith by retaining and sharing those sacred memories of long ago.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for the faithfulness of countless numbers of people who have received and passed on their faith to us. Help us to continue this wonderful way of communicating faith to our families, our friends, and our community. In Christ’s Name, we lovingly 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.

teacher Devotions: Spiritually Mobile

Psalm 21:6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

A new study from the Pew Research Council was released yesterday. It highlights the fact that many people move from one church to another several times throughout their lives. A large number of the adult worshiping population are no longer attending churches or denominations from their childhood. As they have matured and their children’s needs have grown, people have move from one worship center to another. As one commentator has stated, “We have become mobile and self-centered.”

Non-Christian religions, too, are showing the effects of a "salad bar approach" to faith, said Nathan Katz of Florida International University. He said many Americans shuttle between Zen centers, yoga classes and Kabbalah studies.

There seems to be a great spiritual restlessness affecting people today. It’s like a form of spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder, where people get too easily distracted and don’t give themselves enough time, focus, and familiarity with faith. Christianity is just another religious ware to be consumed instantly and discard easily if it doesn’t fit our expectations.

But faith was never meant to be an instant pill to cure all of our problems and make us feel better. True faith requires perseverance, commitment, and dedication for it to have any lasting effect over our lives. If we church hop from one place to another, we never really develop a faith community or worship family that we can depend upon when things go wrong in our lives. We become independent and isolated, cut off and alone from the power of the people of God.

I wish and pray that more people would get over their restless spiritual tendencies and stick with the program that Christ laid out. I personally and fully believe that Jesus has the answer to all of our questions about life, meaning, and purpose. I also personally know that He can be relied upon when things get tough and problematic in our lives. The eternal blessings that Christ has to offer us can become our greatest joy, but only if we truly, completely, and determinedly allow His presence into our hearts and minds, our days and lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, release us from spiritual restlessness and enable us to turn our lives over to You. Show us the value of faithfulness and help us to be more intentional about practicing, worshipping, and applying our faith. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly 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.

Teacher Devotions: Earth Day

Isaiah 54:5 For your Maker is your husband--the LORD Almighty is his name--the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the Earth.

Today is Earth Day and all around the world various people are celebrating this new tradition by bringing attention to the plight of the planet. Some protest and environmental groups will be petitioning their governments to reduce carbon emissions and end global warming. Others will be celebrating the diversity of customs and costumes around the world.

I like the idea of Earth Day and I think that Isaiah gets it right when he reminded his people long ago that the Lord is the God of all the Earth. This means that we are just tenants and not owners of the globe. Kingdoms and governments may think they possess their own parts of the world, but God is the Sovereign of the whole planet. Everything belongs to Him.

I’ve started to boldly capitalize the letter ‘E’ in the word Earth. That reminds me that this planet is a precious jewel in God’s eyes and that we as human stewards should do our utmost to look after it. Respecting the environment, recycling our waste, and reflecting upon the wonders of this Earth is a good place to start. Life on Earth may be the most precious gift in the entire universe. It’s time that we chose to really respect that amazing gift of grace which our God has created.

Prayer: God who made the Earth, the air, the sky, the sea; Who gave the world its birth, please care for me. In Jesus’ Name. 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.

Teacher Devotions: Basic Christianity

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Last night, I went down to my favorite fishing hole at Concord Park. I sat on the rocks for about an hour, reading one of my favorite books. It’s called “Basic Christianity” and it was written by John Stott. I read it years ago when I was in Scotland after a friend suggested it to me. John Stott is a great English preacher and he writes with a wonderful clarity.

I was reading a chapter about Jesus and the claims He made about Himself. As John Stott puts it, we can’t know much about Christianity until we learn about Christ. This makes what Christ had to say about Himself as very important to our faith. We cannot pick and choose what we like about Jesus and disregard the rest.

One of the claims that Christ made, which got Him into a lot of bother, was the ability to forgive sins. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic before He sets out to physically heal the sick man. It caused a great deal of consternation amongst the witnesses because they thought that who else but God can forgive sins? Some of them wanted to stone Jesus to death for blasphemy. They didn’t care about the sick man; they only wanted to purge the community of Christ’s sinful mistake.

I guess we would be much the same. If a preacher were to come into our town proclaiming that he had the power to forgive all of our sins, we’d probably tar and feather that person and kick him out of town.

John Stott says that Jesus claimed this divine power for Himself and that we have to deal with this issue. If Christ is truly the Son of God, then He can indeed forgive our sins. But if He does forgive our sins, then don’t we owe Him all of our faith, allegiance, and loyalty? In other words, you can’t go halfway and make a compromise with Christ. It’s either all or nothing.

In these confusing days when we are bombarded with New Age philosophies and other world religions, it’s hard to make a total commitment to Christ. It’s like putting all of our eggs in one basket, whilst so many people in the world want to keep their options open. But as Stott writes throughout the book, either Jesus is both everything He says He is, and His claims are unchangeable, or Christ has made false claims about Himself and Christianity is untenable.

For me, I think both Christ and Stott have it completely right. Jesus is God’s Son and the Savior of the world; so when I need forgiveness, I confidently come and pray to Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Son of the Living God, the Savior of the World, and the Lord of our lives. You alone have the power to forgive our sins and restore us to God. We rejoice in Your Sovereignty and Authority. We praise You both now and forevermore. 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.

teacher Devotions: IHS Controversy

I Corinthians 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.

There seems to be a growing political and religious controversy brewing over whether or not the Whitehouse asked for the Christian letters “IHS” to be covered over when the President made a speech at Georgetown University. I personally hope that wasn’t the case because it would offend some Christian people. The controversy however, has become a great teaching tool about those mysterious letters which are usually adorned in every church sanctuary. Through this incident, I hope more people will seek to find out what the letters actually mean.

When I was growing up, I thought that the letters stood for “In His Service.” It seemed perfectly natural to me for that to be the case because we are all meant to serve Christ in the church. At other times, I’ve heard people who were displeased with the minister’s preaching to take the letters to mean, “It’s His Sermon,” but it’s certainly not mine!

No matter what we think, the letters originate in the Roman Church for they actually represent three Latin words – Iesus = Jesus; Hominum = Of Men; and Salvator = Savior. So the three mysterious letters abbreviate an ancient title of Christ – Jesus, the Savior of Mankind. I hope that many people who hear or read about Tuesday’s incident at Georgetown take time to research what the letters mean. It may remind them of who Jesus actually is and hopefully it will bring them closer to Him.

As Paul points out in his letter to the Corinthians, this is of first importance to our faith: that Christ died for our sins. This is what makes Jesus our Savior, and this is what attracts us to becoming Christians in the first place.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of Humanity, the Sacred One who died for all of our sins. You have saved us from the wrath of God and restored to His everlasting love and favor. We rejoice in Your Sovereignty over sin and salvation of humankind. We praise Your Name for ever and ever. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment upon today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Teacher Devotions: Peer Pressure

(It's getting harder to preach the Gospel these days - even in the Church, of all places!)

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved.”

Podcast version here

I’m having a tough time relating to my peers. It’s always been hard because I didn’t go to an American seminary, so I’ve no class fellowship to identify or connect with. I also was brought up in old-school Presbyterianism, so my Scottish Calvinist background doesn’t help me get close to my progressive Presbyterian associates.

At times, I feel like a fish out of water and I wonder if my family and I would have been better staying in Scotland. And then I remember that I am called by God to be here, so there must be a reason that I am constantly crying in the wilderness and feeling out of place.

I’m a Gospel preacher by trade. I owe everything to Jesus and because of that I’m not willing to give up on His ways, His teaching, or His Lordship. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not perfect by any means, but I believe that Christ is. And I fervently believe that everything which the Old & New Testament reveal about Christ is completely true, unchangeable, and unarguable.

There’s a lot of pressure put on Christian people to give up part of their beliefs by equating Christ with Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, or even Krishna. Religious people are all part of one theological soup that tastes of God. The Gospels are just another batch of sacred documents which tell us tales about a great teacher called Jesus. Other religious documents from all over the world are supposed to be just as insightful, instructive, and important about showing us how to find God.

I’ve even got peers, who are Presbyterian pastors, who don’t believe in the Resurrection, nor do they think the Gospels are trustworthy. They follow their own path and sadly they take other people with them down a dead end.

When Peter the fisherman stands up fearlessly in front of the Sanhedrin and boldly declares that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved,” I believe him. He’s just a fisherman from Galilee, putting his life on the line, and courageously preaching the Gospel. He’s out of place in Jerusalem. He’s crying out for Christ in a theological wilderness. He’s declaring the divine truth and does not care what his peers, elders, and leaders believe. Peter has given his life, heart, and soul to Christ. He can do nothing else but preach the Gospel.

I choose to be like Peter because I want to serve the Lord. I will always preach the Gospel because I truly love Jesus. And whether my pastoral peers like it or not, I will keep the New Testament Christ in my heart because I know of no other Name through whom humanity can be saved.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we live in troubled times and the Church is causing a lot of trouble for herself by mincing Your words and devaluing Your truth. Help us to get back on the right track. Grant us the courage to remain loyal to You and to the Gospels that reveal Your ways, Your words, and Your holy works. In Your sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment upon today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org. Please feel free to forward this message to your friends.

Teacher Devotions - The Real Bible Bashers

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”

Podcast version here

I find it incredible that some people will blindly accept what contemporary writers have to say about the Gospels, rather than believing the words in the Bible. It seems quite arrogant to me that biblical scholars, living 2000 years after the New Testament events took place, call into question what people wrote thirty to fifty years after Christ ascended. It’s almost as if some people are willing to believe what they read now, because it is current and modern, rather than believe what was written then, just because it has become out-dated and old fashioned.

Modern biblical scholarship has nothing to add to what has already been written for two thousand years. Faith in the Good Book is just as important as faith in Christ. Some people think that that kind of thinking is absurd, narrow-minded, and totally out of step in the real world. But to me, the bottom line is this: how many books on modern biblical scholarship are going to outlive the Bible? In a hundred years time, will the names of biblical scholars be revered, or will we still be teaching the names of Christ’s disciples to our children. I think that the answer is obvious.

I thank God for allowing us to have the scriptures in our lives today. I praise Him that after 2000 years, the New Testament is still read by many people. I exalt God that the Gospel and Christ’s teachings, ministry, and mission are still influential in today’s world. There is a wonderful enduring power in the Word of God. It has been challenged in every generation since the scriptures were written, and yet it still remains intact today.

It’s sad that some people are being led astray because they put more faith in what modern people have to say about the Bible, rather than seeking God in His holy words. If only they would put the same effort, energy, and emphasis into reading, revering, and reflecting upon the Bible, they would then discover a greater meaning for their lives than any ivory-towered academic could ever help them to achieve.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have knowledge of Your preaching, teaching, and healing miracles simply because we were given the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Without their writings, we could never have known You. Thank You for the special gift of the Gospels, New Testament, and Old Testament which continue to inspire, influence, and encourage us. In Your Holy Name, we 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.

Teacher Devotions - Good Friday - Dying Faith

Luke 23:44-46 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

A lot of the divisions that we have in our churches today usually involve issues about how we live our lives as Christians. For some people, complete loyalty to the word of God is essential. For others, treating everyone as a child of God is of paramount importance. We battle each other constantly about how we interpret the scriptures by what we preach and practice. In other words, both groups use the Gospels as a means of showing us all how to live.

But in today’s scripture, we are not taught how to live. Instead, Jesus teaches us how to die. After enduring agony, suffering, and shame for hours, Jesus is ready to die. Mustering all of His remaining strength, He cries out loudly for everyone to hear: “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit.” He completely surrenders Himself to God and unequivocally declares His faith in His Father. He does not mumble or mutter those words. He declares them openly, publicly, and loudly.

It is a complete validation of His life. He has lived it according to His Father’s will. Jesus now yields to death, but does not give Himself over to darkness or oblivion. He places His spirit into God’s hands. He confidently gives Himself over to God with His last dying breath.

One day, there will be an unavoidable moment in our own lives when we will take our last breath. It may be at home, in a hospital, or at a hospice. It could be unexpected, unintended, or accidental. Whatever the case or circumstances, Jesus has shown us how to die.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we don’t like thinking about death or dying. We live our lives fully, doing our best to survive each day by trying to be healthy and happy. But one day, death will come. Help us to be spiritually prepared for that expected or unexpected moment. Come to us at that mysterious time and enable us to surrender our spirit into Your hands. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

teacher Devotions - Maundy Thursday - Traitors Anonymous

Psalm 55: 20-21 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant. His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.

Every Maundy Thursday, I end up asking myself the same question: why did Jesus choose Judas to be one of his disciples? Couldn’t Christ, with all of His divine knowledge, have chosen a better person? After all, Judas was a weasel, who robbed from the ministry funds, disparaged other people, and whose name “Iscariot” – the dagger – aptly fits someone who will stab you in the back.

Jesus must have known what kind of unsavory character Judas was and yet He still picked him to be one of the Twelve. We know about how Jesus called the fishermen Peter and Andrew, James and John; we’ve heard about Matthew being called as he was gathering taxes for the Romans; we can read about Philip bringing Nathanael to Jesus in the Gospel of John; but what we don’t know is how Jesus called Judas personally, and what, where, when, and why were the circumstances.

It’s a puzzle and maybe because Judas turned out to be such a despicable traitor, his calling story wasn’t worth mentioning in the Gospels. But whatever happened, Jesus still called Judas to be one of the most important small religious groups ever to be established in the history of the world.

I don’t think that Jesus chose Judas because He needed someone to betray Him in order to be crucified. There had to be some sort of zeal, faith, and sincerity that Christ initially saw in Judas. He allowed him to be part of His ministry team for three years, so whatever Judas did before the last week of Christ’s life, it must have been valuable to Jesus.

In this country, when we think of traitors, the name “Benedict Arnold” usually springs to mind. We remember his deceit and disloyalty, his betrayal of Washington’s confidence and embarrassment to the cause for Independence. But we should also remember that before his treacherous act, Benedict Arnold was successful commander in Washington’s Army. He was a valued officer in the Continental Army.

So could Judas have been a worthy team member of Christ’s exclusive group? Was he a great teacher or preacher? Was Judas an organizer and administrator? Was he, in fact, dependable up until the last few weeks of Christ’s life? You would think that if Judas was such a low-down, lying and cheating, irredeemable rogue and scurrilous reprobate, Jesus would have thrown him off the team. After all, Christ wasn’t afraid to confront sinners with their sins, whether they were outsiders or a part of His entourage.

So what is happening here? Why does the Holy Son of God, anointed to become Savior of the world, healer of the nations, and King of all creation bother with such a louse as Judas? I think the answer can be summed up in one important word: grace. If Jesus could show such grace to an unworthy, unloving, disloyal traitor like Judas, then Christ can also show such grace to sinners like you and me.

Let’s be honest folks, the only reason that we feel sorry for Judas is because he represents every one of us. We all have betrayed Jesus in our lives. We all have done shameful things; we all are greedy and selfish, unfaithful and disloyal. In fact, if we were all to read these stories in the Gospel and replace the name “Judas” for our own, we know that we are quite capable of doing the same despicable things.

Hello. My name is John Stuart and I belong to a group called ‘Traitors Anonymous.’

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all are guilty of betraying You at times. Sometimes we are embarrassed to say that we are Christians. Sometimes we fail to speak out when we see things that are immoral or wrong. Sometimes we neglect to pray, read our bible, or even worship You each day. Forgive our treacherous hearts and allow us the healing power of Your grace. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Teacher Devotions: Only One

1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.

I was partly listening to an interesting conversation on local radio this morning. It was all to do with a Methodist minister who has decided to become a Muslim. She doesn’t have any problem with this, and feels that the two faiths can be simultaneously followed by the one person. It just makes me wonder what she is looking for, and why she couldn’t find all that she spiritually needed in Christ alone.

People can sincerely believe anything that they want to in this life, but that doesn’t mean that they are right. I know many people who devote themselves to all kinds of different beliefs, but I honestly think that they are totally wrong. The Methodist minister who is now a Muslim is trying to make both those faiths fit together, but in reality they are poles apart. Jesus is The Christ, the One, Truly Anointed, Messenger, Prophet, and Son of God. There is no other Savior than Him. Christianity was founded on this absolute principle of faith; so to suggest that Jesus can share half of our devotion with someone or something else is just so wrong. The First Christians would never have diminished their beliefs in this fashion. I think that the Methodist Muslim minister is absolutely mistaken. She is idolizing her own self-made religion.

As we head into Holy Week, we all need to focus upon the passion and suffering of Jesus. He alone went to the Cross; He alone died for our sins; and He alone is truly resurrected from the grave. In other words, Christ did everything on His own. Our salvation comes from Him; our hopes lie with Him; and our immortality abides with Him. To quote from one of my favorite movies, ‘Highlander,’ – “There can be only One.”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came into world two thousand years ago to show the true way of finding God. Over the centuries, billions of people have accepted you as their Lord and Savior. Today, we count ourselves truly blessed to be amongst that amazing number. Help us to keep You in our hearts as we commemorate Holy Week and celebrate Easter. In Your Holy Name, we 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.

Teacher Devotions: A Great Savior

Hosea 14:4 I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.

Podcast Version here:

Sometimes when I make mean mistakes or selfishly sin, I think that God is deeply disappointed and angry with me. I find it difficult to approach Him with the right contrition and sincerity, so I end up wondering if I will be forgiven. I don’t feel worthy enough to be saved or good enough to be pardoned, and sometimes a darkness overwhelms my soul. It’s a frightening thing to fear God and to think that He will harshly judge me.

And then, just as I need it most, the Spirit leads me to a biblical verse which turns out to be a wonderful promise of God’s grace in action. Even as a pastor, I need to hear God speak to my soul. And He does today through these wonderful words of Hosea. It’s as if God is saying to me: “I will heal your waywardness and love you freely, for my anger has turned away from you.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the movie, ‘Amazing Grace.’ It’s all about William Wilberforce, the great anti-slave trade opponent who gave his life seeking to abolish slavery throughout Britain and her colonies. In one scene from the movie, Wilberforce is seen talking to John Newton, the slave trader turned preacher. Newton is agonizing over his sinful past and despairingly expresses his deep regrets. At one moment, he is almost overwhelmed with his past wickedness. Then he boldly declares: “I know two things – I am a great sinner and that Christ is a Great Savior.”

We all carry burdens of past mistakes and each of us have moments when we feel our guilt before God. But His grace through Jesus Christ is so almighty and complete, that all our sins can be forgiven, our past burdens can be relieved, and our future hopes can be restored. We just need to come to Christ in prayer to receive these wonderful blessings.

Prayer: Father God, we know that we offend, disappoint, and anger You with our sinful ways and selfish choices. We confess to doing stupid things and making serious mistakes. We seek Your mercy and forgiveness through Christ’s sacrifice and grace. In His Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor at 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.