Sunday Devotions: Hoots Mon! - Psalm 61

Psalm 60:4      I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. 

Things didn’t go according to plan at a wedding in Scotland yesterday. A tame owl had been specially trained to carry the wedding rings and land on a perch beside the outside altar. It was supposed to be a wonderfully synchronized event. However, the piper began playing just as the owl was signaled to fly. A scared lapwing shot out of the bushes and the owl chased its prey up into a tree. The lapwing escaped but the owl remained perched on a branch. The wedding rings were still attached to its legs!

As one of my Scottish friends wrote: what a hoot! Eventually the owl was coaxed down from the tree and the ceremony continued. If Robert Burns had been around, I guess he could have penned the immortal lines: “the best laid schemes of owls and pipers gang aft agley.”

When the psalmist wrote about taking refuge in the shelter of God’s wings, he wasn’t literally saying that God had wings. He was using a metaphor to describe his absolute confidence in God’s protection. In the midst of his personal troubles and crisis, he had the utmost faith in God’s guidance and deliverance. Even if all of the psalmist’s plans went haywire, he would be still be assured of God’s grace and love.

To me, this is what makes faith so important –it gives us a hope in God that He will not abandon us, and a love from God that can never be extinguished.

Prayer:                        Lord God, thank You for allowing us to take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. Thank You for granting us unlimited grace and everlasting love. In the midst of our problems and worries, we constantly rely upon Your Presence and Guidance. In Jesus’ 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 drawing of Dunure Castle in the West of Scotland parish where he used to minister. You can view a larger version of the drawing at the following link: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4718989531_b55884b457_b.jpg

Sunday Lectionary Devotions: 4th Sunday in Lent - Lent 4 - March 14

Psalm 32:7              You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Do you ever get that feeling that you want to run away from all of your responsibilities and go hide somewhere? I did that when I was twelve. Things in my home were unbearable, so I decided to run away.

I had just read the book, "My Side of the Mountain" written by Jean Craighead George, which is all about a young boy, Sam Gribley, who walks away from his home and ends up in the Catskill mountains. He endures blizzards, hunters, and loneliness, but his fierce will to survive and independent spirit overcomes them all. He even befriends a falcon and a weasel in the process.

I really enjoyed the book and I thought I could run away just like Sam, and survive off the land. I headed out to the Campsie Hills above Glasgow, Scotland and when I reached an isolated area, I built myself a shack made out of trees and branches, ferns and mud. I thought it was wonderful and the best thing I had ever built. But then it started to rain, and pretty soon I was soaked through to the skin. I shivered for about thirty minutes and then decided to go back home. All I could think about was having a hot bath and a hot meal. So much for my adventure!

When David writes about God being his hiding place, he's talking about a spiritual haven and a place to retreat within himself. Nowadays, we would probably call it 'having a quiet time with God'. In midst of our busy schedules and especially the pandemonium that leads up to Christmas, we all need hiding places and quiet times with the Lord. By taking time to read these scriptures, devotionals and prayers, we are making steps in the right direction.

So, find for yourself a hiding place to be with God today. In those precious moments, you will rediscover His protection and love, His comfort and strength.

Personal Prayer:    Almighty God, You know everything about me. You know all my insecurities and fears, my anxieties and troubles. Help me to hide within You, to rediscover my dependence upon You and to experience renewal in my heart and soul. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

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

Today's image is one of John's uniquely created impressionistic art pieces. It's called "Midnight Tulips" and depicts a field of Spring tulips beside a Dutch Windmill beneath a playful moon. A larger version can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/traqair57/4428287307/sizes/l/

Sunday Devotion: Dunkeld

Lectionary verse - Psalm 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Several summers ago, I took a group of church people to tour Scotland. It was a wonderful experience and I personally delighted in showing everyone the wonders and beauty of the auld country.

In the middle of the tour, we visited a small town, right in the heart of Scotland, called Dunkeld. The scenery was breathtaking and all the tourists loved the buildings, bridges and beautiful gardens in and around the town. We stayed there for two days, but just before we left the town, I took the group to a secret spot behind the Birnham hotel, where we were staying.

We walked for about 500 yards and came to the riverside. There, next to the water banks, stood four ancient oak trees, about 900 years old. They were massive and the girth of one of the trunks took half of our party to ring. It was wonderful to experience one of Scotland's hidden treasures.

For nine hundred years, those trees had been planted by the water. They were mentioned in Shakespeare's Scottish play "MacBeth" in the lines "when Birnham wood comes to Dunisane hill." They had survived the most turbulent years of Scottish history, and they still thrive and bear fruit every year.

Today's verse tells us about the prosperity and strength of those who rely upon the Lord. It's a lesson for all of us to experience, for no matter what we go through - pain, sorrow, or trouble - if we remain true to the Lord, He will enable us to endure, overcome, and prosper.

Personal Prayer:    Lord God, Your strength carries me throughout life and Your will sustains me. Enable me to remain focused upon Your ways, so that I may spiritually thrive and faithfully prosper in Your kingdom on earth. Refresh my soul with the Living Water of Jesus Christ and strengthen my soul through the riches of His grace. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the writer of the devotional blog "Heaven's Highway," as well as being the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Devotion: John 15:16 - A Good Choice

John 15:16  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. (NIV)

 I can remember when I was young playing for my street soccer team in Scotland. Before a game, the two best players lined everyone else up on the sidewalk and began to alternatively choose players. Each time a selection was made, you could see the fear and anxiety in everyone’s face. Inwardly, we were all thinking, “Choose me next!” At the same time, we were also praying, “Don’t leave me till the end!” It was a mark of shame and a dent in a young boy’s pride to be chosen last. I know that to be true, because I experienced it several times.

                Thank goodness that Christ does not choose people sequentially. He chooses us because we have gifts and talents, qualities and characteristics that are unique and much needed for His ministry on earth. Wherever we are and whatever we do, Christ always gives us opportunities to make an impact with our faith. He expects us to bear fruit with our lives, especially when we are around other people in our homes, our churches, or our work places. Today, He has chosen you and I to fulfill His work in our community. His blessing and favor are upon us. Now let’s go out and show Jesus that His choice was the right one.

 Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank You for choosing me. I am not worthy of Your Holiness, but I am delighted to be blessed by Your choice. Guide me and help me to bear witness to Your Love. Let me share Your grace with all whom You have chosen for me to meet this day. In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. he writes the daily devotional "Heaven's Highway" blog.

Sunday Devotions: Prayer Warrior

Today's Lectionary Psalm 145:4 - One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. (NIV)

My great-aunt Cissie was a prayer warrior. Her family had belonged to a Temperance Society in Scotland called the Rechabites. They were named after the devoted Kenite clan mentioned in Jeremiah, chapter 35. She was born before World War I and dedicated her life to the Lord as a teenager. For decades she prayed for her whole extended family, daily asking God to raise up a minister amongst them.

I knew her as a gentle old lady, and when I became a minister in the mid-1980s, her seventy-year-old prayer had been answered. Her immediate family told her the good news, and because God had fulfilled her hopes, they expected her to stop praying for a pastor. But she continued each day, and when asked why, she simply said, "After John's generation comes and goes, the people will still need ministers." She kept praying into her nineties before the Lord took her home.

We need to do the same; after all, who is going to minister to our people when we are gone? If we commend God's works to those in the generation being born, telling them of His mighty acts, and if we pray for their pastors, they will achieve far more with their faith than we have ever done.

Prayer: Lord God, raise up pastors among us who will lead our people in faith, hope, and love. Let the women and men who minister to Your Church throughout this 21st century be strong, dedicated, and compassionate. May they accomplish great things, bringing glory, honour, and blessing to Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. In His Name, we pray. Amen.

Sunday Devotions: True Confessions

Lectionary Verse: Matthew 18: 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

It’s called ‘church discipline’ and it’s usually only employed these days against misbehaving pastors. I wonder what would happen to the members of our congregations, if they knew that being Presbyterian means that the local Session has the power to question and rebuke them over their selfish actions and sinful lifestyle choices? There would probably be a riot in the pews and a couple of lawsuits thrown in for good measure. People would be offended and go join another denomination, unbeknowingly subjecting themselves to whatever ecclesiastical hierarchy or spiritual oversight that church practiced.

Way back in 19th century Scotland, a seat was set in front of the congregation where Saturday night rabble-rousers, drunken good ol’ boys, and brazen hussies were brought before the congregation to repent of their public sins. Usually, one of the elders read out a list of names and if the ‘sinners’ were present, they had to come down to the front, be publicly rebuked, prayed over by the minister, and sent back into the community of the faithful. Going to church on Sundays was sometimes like a public hanging; there was more glee in seeing neighbors properly chastised than in joyfully worshiping the Lord.

Those days are over – thank goodness – instead we offer prayers of confession and silent moments to ask God for mercy, forgiveness, and restoration. We are left to inwardly get things right with God by telling Him quietly about our mistakes and regrets, our selfish choices and unfaithful moments. Church then, becomes a safe sanctuary where we can come to the mercy seat of Christ and seek His pardon. It’s no longer a public execution of our wayward spirits; it’s an act of individual repentance within our hearts.

Perhaps, as a denomination, we should confess our self-righteous divisions and self-inflicted wounds to Christ each Sunday, asking for His mercy, grace, and healing. After all, if this prayer process is good enough for individual souls each week, surely it must be thousands of times as effective if we confess our parts in causing what hurts the PCUSA, and seek in turn what Christ offers to heal us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all are guilty of offending You and dividing the Church. We allow our pride to pander to our prejudices, and we permit our hard-heartedness to hinder our hearing. Forgive us for being fractious and foolish, arrogant and offensive. Teach us to tolerate one another and to celebrate our kaleidoscopic Christianity. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Sunday Devotions: Clay People

My mother’s name was McClay, and I used to think that the name “McClay” meant “son of the earth.” It made me feel as though I came from some very common stock, of pitcher people from long ago, who made jars of clay for my Scottish ancestors. Because my father’s family were all Stuarts, who were once Scottish kings and queens, I tended to be a wee bit snooty regarding my heritage when I was much younger. I would rather have royal blue blood running through my veins than to be taken from old grey clay, any day.

Podcast version here

But when I researched the name McClay I discovered it had nothing to do with clay pots or working with mud. You see McClay is an anglicized form of the old Gaelic name “Mac An Leigh,” which means “son of the Healer.” My mother’s heritage didn’t come from clay workers; they were instead the ancient shamans, medicine men, and pagan healers of the old Gaelic tribes. Perhaps instead of royal blood in my veins, I’ve got pastoral blood from my mother’s side.

Job 33:6 I am just like you before God; I too have been taken from clay.

No matter what my heritage may actually be, or how fanciful I think it is, I am humbled by this one thought: that we are all created equal by God and, as far as the Bible is concerned, we are all made from dust and clay. In God’s eyes, it matters not how noble or powerful, wealthy or esteemed, famous or infamous that we are in the world; as far as He is concerned, we are all His creatures, whose purpose is to praise God and enjoy Him forever.

We are all sons and daughters of clay, yet we are also destined to become sons and daughters of God through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Son. By placing our faith in Christ, we are not left to sink into the miry clay of darkness and oblivion; instead we are given the sacred opportunity of rising out of the mud, of being cleansed by Christ’s blood, and being led into the everlasting, holy, and joyful presence of God. Then, in my opinion, we all become the equivalent of immortal McClays – sons and daughters of the Healer of the world. My mother would just love that.

Prayer: Lord God, we all have different heritages and ancestry, backgrounds and cultures. And yet we have the same source of life, which comes from You alone. Thank You for allowing us to share this wonderful creation that is all around us. And we praise You for the glorious opportunity of experiencing this forever, through the noble sacrifice and royal blood of Your Son and our King, Jesus Christ. In His Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the writer of the Heaven's Highway daily devotional blog.