Teacher devotions: Sacred Seeds - Genesis 1:11

Genesis 1:11   Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 

For the first time in years, I’ve planted some seeds in a box and am hoping to grow perennial flowers that I enjoy. The plants are nasturtiums and lupines. They are both different kinds of plants. The nasturtium is a Chinese creeping plant with beautiful orange and yellow flowers. Butterflies are attracted to them and when the Fall comes, they’ll probably be covered in a host of caterpillars. The lupines are tall plants which attract honey bees. They are usually white, pink, and lavender blue. If they grow successfully, they will constantly re-seed and eventually cover a large area of my front garden.

I need to look after the seedlings in order to give them a strong chance of growing and developing into mature plants. If I neglect to water them or if a late frost gets to them, they will soon die. Every day I keep an eye on them and so far I am delighted with their progress. Hopefully, I will be able to plant them outside in a month’s time and watch them bloom all summer long.

I am constantly amazed at Creation. God’s imagination, artistry, and skill are all around me and I feel both humbled and privileged to enjoy the wonders of His natural works. I like to think that when God first created plants, flowers, and trees on this planet, He not only saw that they were good but that He was absolutely delighted and thrilled with His own work.

Within each of us, God plants seeds of faith that have the potential to bear fruit and multiply through the sharing of our beliefs, the worshipping of Christ, and our participation in His ministry in our own communities and throughout the world. God’s work never stops growing because He is actively involved in the Church’s mission. Our task is to discover where our faith can best be used to bear fruit and where our Christian beliefs can blossom among the people we love, work with, and encounter.

Question for Personal reflection

Where does my faith in Christ produce the most fruit for the future?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, thank You for creating the Church in the world and for allowing us to be participants in Your mission. Help us to rely upon You to guide our thoughts, ways, and deeds so that we may produce fruitful works that glorify You and attract other people to Your Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we 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. John is always delighted to read your comments and to receive feedback.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called “Smoky Mountain Sunset.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/6926536366_3bd793f073_b.jpg

John’s drawings can also be found on his art website which you can view at www.stushieart.com.

Teacher devotions: Missing the Point - Mark 15:31

Bible Passage: Mark 15:25-32

Key verse:      Mark 15:31     In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself !”

I cannot begin to imagine both the humiliation and hurt that Jesus must have felt as His own people hurled insults and mocked Him. Their words and curses must have felt like rocks and stones violently impacting His heart and soul. The physical pain of crucifixion must have been awful, but the mental torment and spiritual agony that He also endured must have been absolutely sickening.

Jesus had spent three years helping and healing His people. He taught them about God’s love and mercy. He preached to them about changing their ways and receiving abundant life. His message was challenging and radical, but His mission was about redemption and restoration. Unfortunately, His people missed the point, so instead of embracing Him, they executed their Christ.

Sadly, this is still going on in Christ’s churches today. Some of His own people will miss the point by making up their own ideas about who He was, and of what Jesus does in the world today. Even with so much information about Christ, His life, people, and community freely available to us today, there will still be those who will mock Him with their misconceptions and insult Jesus with their ideas. Holy Week will come and go, but they will not be one step closer to Christ because they will have missed the point of His Passion entirely.

Questions for personal reflection

How has Christ’s death affected my life? What has He done to challenge and change me?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, the point of Your Passion is at the heart of why we are Christians. You died for our sins, so we must come humbly to You to ask for mercy and forgiveness. Sometimes our pride gets in the way, or we take Your grace for granted. Help us to make this week holy in our lives by taking time to serve, honor, and glorify You for all that You accomplished on the Cross. 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 on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest Holy week drawing called “Christ Nouveau.” It’s a depiction of Christ Crucified in the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the great Scottish artist who inspired Frank Lloyd Wright. If you would like to view a larger version of the image, please click here:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5072/6897826374_c074c38fbc_b.jpg

Teacher Devotions: Holy Week - First to be Saved

Bible Passage: Mark 15:8-15

Key Verse:      Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.         Mark 15:15 

Did you realize that Barabbas was the first person that Jesus died for? Think about it. Barabbas is released by Pilate and Jesus takes his place. Barabbas is a terrorist who has probably killed his share of Romans. He led an unsuccessful revolt resulting in his capture. He was scheduled for crucifixion; instead Jesus takes his place.

I wonder if Barabbas stayed in Jerusalem and watched what happened to Jesus. The chances are that he didn’t. He probably left the region as quickly as possible, thanking his lucky stars and hiding somewhere safe. We never hear about him ever again, so he perhaps took his undeserved freedom and fled into obscurity.

Justice was denied that day in Jerusalem, but grace increased. Jesus, the peace loving, faithful prophet died in the place of a murderous religious fanatic. God’s Holy Son took the place of a wicked human being. Because we focus so much on the Cross and Resurrection, we miss this most poignant moment of the first Holy Week.

The point that I’m making is this: if Jesus could die for a person like Barabbas, then hasn’t He also died for people like us?

Question for personal reflection

Do you think that Barabbas was ever personally grateful to Christ for dying for him? Are you grateful for the same thing?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You died for each one of us, taking upon Yourself the unholiest of our sins and the vilest of our deeds. You died in place of us, so that we may be completely forgiven and eternally restored to God. How can we ever thank You? How can we show You our appreciation? We give our hearts to You, as well as our lives, to the glory of God. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and 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 drawing is one of John’s latest Holy Week images. It’s called “Cup of Salvation.” If you would like to view a larger version of the picture, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/6894799260_642eda84fe_b.jpg