Works Without Faith?

A few weeks ago, I read an email from a man named Daniel that was sent to the PCUSA gmail account (note "Send your ideas for topics of discussion" in the sidebar). Ever since, I've been struggling to answer it. Today, I finally had that light bulb moment. Ah-hah! I don't have to answer it! It's a "topic for discussion," so let's discuss! I'll paraphrase the email:

Is believing in God, believing in the spiritual brotherhood of mankind and being willing to do the will of the Father in heaven enough? Are the doors of the Presbyterian Church open to that thinking?

I responded, unofficially and all that:
1) I believe that some in the PCUSA believe as you describe.
2) I believe that there's room in the church for those who believe such.
3) But when we join the denomination, we profess faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and acceptance of his Lordship in all of life. In fact, that's really the sole criterion for membership. So I believe that the official position - should one choose to take a hardliner stance - would be: No, belief in God is not enough; to be Presbyterian is to be Christian, and to be Christian is to profess faith in Christ.

Daniel replied (again, paraphrased): Most or many or some Christian denominations may well take the same stance. Many of the above mentioned may also lack attendance of youth????? Seems that if it was God's will it would be fine with Christ, seeing how he does His work and is His son. One may have to ask the Holy Spirit.

So, what do you think?

My thoughts:

1. I've not heard that it's faith in Jesus that's linked to declining membership in mainline denominations. Declining membership trends don't seem to be affecting evangelical Christian denominations, and if anything (in my experience) they talk about Jesus more than their mainline cousins.
   
2. What's the point? Is the point simply to live as the Bible teaches us, doing all the right things? Or is belief also necessary? If a denomination gains members, but they are members who do not believe, is that a reasonable gain? Is the denomination richer or poorer, in spirit as well as in numbers?
   

I do believe that there's room in the church for those who doubt, and even for those who do not believe. In fact, I think participation with the church might be even more important for them than for those whose faith is unshakably solid. But I am not comfortable removing the Lordship of Christ from the equation.

Sunday Devotions: A Real Treasure

Matthew 13:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

It’s almost Halloween and the stores are full of costumes. I like the pirate ones that come out every year. They’re not as scary as some ugly ones which glorify gore and violence. Pirates are like your lovable rogues who say “ooooh” and “aaaargh” a lot. They might have once been the scourge of the seven seas, but these days pirates are funny and outrageous.

Ever since I read “Treasure Island” by the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson, I’ve been fascinated with pirates. And then when I saw Robert Newton play Long John Silver on the silver screen, that clinched it for me. I dearly loved his acting – it was way over the top.

In the movies and books, pirates are motivated by two things: plunder and treasure. They’re either battling it out with galleons filled with Spanish doubloons or looking for a deserted isle to bury their sought after treasure. I guess that we have R L Stevenson to thank for that! And all pirates are totally committed to protecting their treasure. It means everything to them and they will risk their lives trying to keep it.

But what’s all of this got to do with today’s verse? Well, it seems Jesus wanted us think of the kingdom of heaven as a great treasure that we discover in our lives, which has to be protected. It’s a gift from God that we should cherish and not take for granted. Far too often people think that the Kingdom of Heaven is a ‘given’ in their lives, something that will be bestowed upon them no matter who they are or what they’ve done. But it isn’t – the Kingdom of Heaven is a priceless treasure and unless we look after it, we can lose it.

Jesus wants all of us to find this treasure in our lives. He’s given us clues in the Holy Scriptures and Gospel teachings about how to find it. We have to dig it out for ourselves and discover His Truth, His Way, and His Life. If we think for a moment that we can make up our own truth, go our own way, and live our own life and then receive the Kingdom of Heaven, we haven’t been listening to Him or reading His clues properly.

To receive this treasure, we’ve got to give Christ our hearts. To enjoy His Kingdom, we’ve got to submit to His will and become His servants. Any other way is false and only ends up shipwrecking souls.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant us the priceless gift of Your Kingdom in our lives. Help us to look beyond our own thinking in order to take that leap of faith, that time of transformation which will lead us to Your treasure. Give us the courage to talk to our families and friends, so that they will also receive this eternal and exclusive gift. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the writer of the daily devotional Heaven's Highway, which is also podcasted at www.stushie.libsyn.com.

Sunday Devotions: The Biggest Sinner in the World

Who is the biggest sinner in the world? The honest answer may shock us.

Podcast version here

1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-of whom I am the worst.

Here’s a question that we never seem to ask ourselves: who is the worst sinner in the world? We could probably make a list of movie stars, dictators, politicians, and religious leaders and compare our answers, but the true answer would be totally missing: me.

We are only truly aware of the sins that we commit, the mistakes we have made, and the regrets we carry in our hearts. No one else knows the full sum of sins that we commit except ourselves; therefore when we ask who the biggest sinner is in the world, the honest answer is “me.”

Paul understood this simple truth, which is why he writes that he is the worst sinner in the world. He can see before him the past mistakes he made as a Pharisee; he can recognize his pride, anger, and self-righteousness that led him to persecute Christians; he carries the burden of his guilty past within his heart. He knows that he is the biggest sinner in the world and no matter how saintly we revere Paul, he would never take that merit upon himself.

Once we understand that we are each the biggest sinners in our own worlds, we need the biggest Savior in the Universe to forgive and restore us. We cannot do it on our own because we have no clout with God. We each need someone to stand before God to intercede on our behalf. God will not listen or excuse us. We cannot negotiate with God. Only Jesus can stand in the gap and declare us to be His sanctified and forgiven followers. It’s His merits that extinguish our demerits. It’s His obedience that cancels out our rebellion. It’s His sacred holiness that erases our sinful hopelessness.

We go from being the biggest sinners in the Universe to becoming the greatest heirs of God. We are given grace and mercy instead of punishment and wrath. We are granted everlasting life instead of eternal misery.

This is why the Church is commissioned to go out into the world. This is why every Christian is a missionary. Like Paul, we rejoice in our salvation and want to help others receive that joyful experience. We live in the love of Christ and the grace of God. We seek to share these bountiful blessings with the whole world.

So, if you ever hear the question: “who is the biggest sinner in the world?”, then answer “me.” And follow it up by letting people know who the Greatest Savior is in the universe. One day, they’ll want to experience the same.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, none of us are perfect, holy, or sinless. We all make mistakes and commit sins. We all are ashamed of things in the past and fearful of doing things wrong in the future. Grant us Your mercy and grace when we fail and fall. Help us to come to You constantly with our confessions, regrets, and disappointments. Cleanse us of the past and lead us towards our eternal future. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Stushie is the writer of the 4 Minute Presbyterian Devotional and Christians podcast site "Heaven's Highway."

Sunday Devotions: Key Keeper

Matthew 16:19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

I’m forever losing my keys, especially when I’m in a hurry to go anywhere. You’ll see me scrambling about each morning, going around the house, searching for my keys to get to work. I’ve usually left beside my home computer, but that’s upstairs in the house, so I look everywhere downstairs first.

I go through the same act when I leave the office to go home. My keys are not where I thought I left them last. I check under books, papers, and magazines. I look in the drawers and next to my office computer. That’s when it hits me; my keys are still in the lock of my office door!

I’m glad that Jesus gave Peter the keys of the kingdom and not to someone like me. Peter’s dedication and devotion to Christ would not allow him to lose the authority of the church that Christ was establishing there and then. Some people think that the birthday of the church begins at Pentecost, but I think it started here, when Jesus transferred some of His authority to let Peter and the rest of the apostles ‘bind or let loose’ things on earth, which really means to permit or prohibit words and deeds that we say or do as human beings. It’s not so much that these things are the keys to our salvation, but they are the basic elements in holding the worldwide church together.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to understand that the keys of the kingdom are an important part of our lives. Grant us the gift of discernment to know what is permissible among us and what is prohibitive. Where we go wrong and walk outside the bounds of Your kingdom, forgive us and redirect us back on to Your path which leads us to heaven. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: Holding On

The PC(USA) is holding its General Assembly in San Jose this week and I'm worried about the cultural decisions it may make. Why do we think that 21st century Christianity is any better than 1st century Christianity?

Podcast version here

I worry about the Church. Not my local congregation, but the denomination we are identified with. The PC(USA) is having its bi-ennial General Assembly this week, and I’m worried about the whole process.

Sometimes I think that I’m an old dinosaur for holding on to traditional beliefs. I feel as though I’m on a different journey than most of my peers and denominational colleagues. It can be very lonely, isolating, and draining on my soul. I just want to do the right thing, and I wish that the Church would do the same.

I struggle with many of the cultural issues and theological tangents that the denomination has become obsessed with. Everybody has their own agenda. Everybody wants their own way. Everybody desires to reshape the Church into something new, something emergent, or something progressive.

But what’s wrong with the old ways? Are they broken? What’s wrong with believing that the spiritual truths of the 1st Christian century are worth holding on to in the 21st century? Are we so sure that our cultural ways are right and that the first Christians are outdated, archaic, and wrong?

2 Thessalonians 2: 15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

I like what Paul has to say to the Thessalonian church: ‘Stand firm and hold on to the teachings we passed on to you.’ I understand that. I get that. I’m with him all the way. If we lose our grip of what we initially believed, then we’ve lost our faith, our purpose, and our Lord. If we allow the times to shape the Church, then we’ve set aside the Lord of Time. Christianity is not easy to believe; Christ is not an easy Teacher to follow, nor is He a soft King to serve. Our beliefs are meant to challenge our society, and our faith is meant to keep the message alive. Committees and councils, assemblies and organizations won’t do that for us.

It takes focus and determination, resolve and dedication, as well as commitment and humility to be real Christians. The disciples in the 1st century knew that; do 21st century Christians know it too?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Head of the Church, its Master and Leader, its Sovereign and King. If ever we needed You before, we sure do need You now. Guide us and goad us; lift us and lead us; push us and pull us until we do what You truly want, and not what we falsely desire. 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

Sunday Devotions: Christian Candy

I feel so guilty. I ate a whole giant bar of chocolate the other night. I should have left some for my family, but I wanted all of it for myself. I even felt a bit nauseated before I finished it off, but I knew that if I left a couple of chocolate squares in the fridge, they would be gone in the morning. So I gorged down the whole bar.

Podcast version here.

Hello, my name is John Stuart, and I’m a chocoholic.

Greed makes us all do selfish things. Take the people in Christ’s time for instance. He healed their sickness, cured their lame people, and fixed their broken bodies. He was a cure-all for each of their ailments, so when He talked about going to the other villages, they did not want Him to leave. They wanted to keep Jesus for themselves. They didn’t want to share His power with anyone. If other villages wanted a healer, they could get their own. Jesus belonged to them.

But Christ wouldn’t grant them their wishes. He had more to do with His ministry than remain home as an on demand country healer. He had to take God’s message out into the wider world. His mission was not local; it was international.

Sometimes we keep Christ all to ourselves because of the strength, confidence and guidance that He gives us. These are great personal blessings, but we’re not meant to feed on them alone. We belong to a missionary faith, so each of us has a personal calling to share the Good News and tell others about Christ. Christianity has never been a private, personal belief system that caters to our individual needs. We’re meant to share it with others by inviting them to church, praying for those in trouble, and reaching out to those in need.

Hello, my name is John Stuart and I’m a Christian. Let me tell you about Jesus, my Lord and Savior…

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we love You for loving us, guiding us, and strengthening our faith. Help us to share our experiences and beliefs with our families and friends, our neighbors and colleagues. Give us the courage to fulfill the moments of faith-sharing opportunities that You provide for us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie writes the Presbyterian daily devotional "Heaven's Highway."

Nothing But the Truth

Podcast version here

Romans 6: 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

This week, our church hosted a special performance by the Word Players of Knoxville. They put on their production of “A Woman Called Truth.” It was a remarkable play, which told the story of a slave woman from the North East, who fought against her captors to win freedom for herself, her son, and her family.

I was really impressed by the whole cast, who portrayed her story in a wonderful and engaging way. I was also struck by how relevant Sojourner Truth’s life still is for what we experience today. People may not be sold as slaves any longer, but the old prejudices and racism still persist. Just recently, a major politician, who should have known better, made an unintentional racial slur against a presidential candidate. It was unintended, but it was still racist, and what makes it even more repugnant, is that many people don’t see the racism in the remark. But that’s how the scourge of racism works – subtly and under the radar – until it becomes acceptable to the general public.

Sin operates in a similar fashion, especially in the areas of obsession and addiction. Habitual sin diminishes our faith moment by moment, event by event, sin by sin, until it becomes a major problem. The ex-Governor of New York was seduced by his own addiction, but instead of seeking help, he let it overcome him until it has ruined his career, his marriage, and possibly his life.

Sin, racism, and even slavery are insidious. They start off small and then grow like a cancer until they take over poor souls and an ignorant populace, transforming sinners and society into something soulless. That’s why Paul emphasizes the Cross in so much of his letters. It is the one safe haven for all sinners. It is the one place and time where we can be truly set free. It is the most pivotal event in human history where we, who have been enslaved by obsession and sin, insecurity and insensitivity, rancor and racism, can be liberated by our Deliverer Christ Jesus for all of eternity. Instead of hanging on to our hang ups, we can let go and let God transform us through Christ and His Cross.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, liberate us from our fears and sins, our prejudices and pride, our mistakes and misconceptions. Open our hearts and souls to Your words and ways. Keep us from following self-satisfying paths that lead to self-destruction. Help us to latch on to Your leadership and grant us Your godly counsel in all that we seek to accomplish this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the pastor at Erin Presbyterian in Knoxville, TN. He is also the writer of the daily devotional Heaven's Highway.

Sunday Devotions: Finding God In Disasters

Sometimes the Old Testament gives us the impression that we worship a churlish, vindictive God who seeks to smite and destroy His people at the first sign of rebellion. It’s hard for us to comprehend living under such a divine tyrant, especially as we relate to God through the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus. I am so glad to be able to freely worship and adore God through Christ’s eyes; through Moses’ eyes, God must have seemed fierce and terrible.

Podcast version here

Bible Verse
Numbers 14:34 ‘For forty years--one year for each of the forty days you explored the land--you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.'

Our forty days of Lent began on a sad note. We learned that many people lost their homes and more than fifty lost their lives in the thunderous tornadoes that whipped through the South. Looking at the devastation on the news, I can only wonder what the people are feeling. Some are thankful to God for having their lives saved; others are distraught and angry with Him about losing loved ones, their homes, and livelihood. As usual, that same old question, which got the Israelites into so much trouble, will be voiced: Where is God during moments of disaster? Why doesn’t He protect people from such calamities?

Yesterday, I was listening to a report that partially answered those questions. Within hours of the devastations across the South, fire crews, police, and paramedics were quickly working with victims. The Red Cross had already mobilized its first responder teams. And then, tagged at the end of the report, came this news: people in church vans had turned up with food and hot drinks, blankets and supplies. God, through the grace of Jesus Christ, was already at work amongst the people. His love was being given to those who needed to be embraced.

We may never understand why natural disasters hurt, injure, and kill so many people, but at least we still live in a world where Christians compassionately respond to those most in need. And that’s where we both see and experience the caring Kingdom of God in our broken world.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray for those whose lives have been devastated by the recent spate of terrifying tornadoes. We pray for all of the families who are affected, and we ask that You surround them with caring, compassionate people. Help us to do what we can by offering support, supplies, and money to bring aid and comfort to the victims. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the writer of the daily devotional and religious news blog at Heaven's Highway

Sunday Devotional: Boxer

Audio version here

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

A couple of years ago, the WWJD movement swept Christian circles. I can remember seeing many young people wearing bracelets with those initials on them. It all had to do with the much loved book, “In His Steps” written by Charles M. Sheldon. The book was all about a church being transformed by an event that caused the congregation to ask themselves “What Would Jesus Do?” in every situation.

Like most movements, this one has had its day, and people have moved on to something else. Sheldon’s book can still be purchased online, but how many people are reading and applying it?

Sheldon wrote a much better book called “Broken Earthenware,” which is sadly out of print. It tells the story of a fierce thief called Boxer, who is dramatically converted one night during a burglary. Instead of remaining a thief, Boxer becomes an itinerant preacher, who is slain by the Spirit and washed in the blood of Jesus. Instead of bullying the people in his community like some sort of Bill Sykes, he changes the thieves and vagabonds, drunks and prostitutes in his part of London. He gets them to build a church and the book tells of his struggles with faith. In the end, his young son becomes a pastor and continues the work of Christ.

It’s a great book based on a true story. I owe my ministry, marriage, and children to Boxer’s conversion. Why? Well, you see Boxer’s son was known as Pastor Howard and when he was in his late eighties, he came to the 428 Gospel club in Glasgow, Scotland and preached a message about his father, which reduced everyone to tears, including my own wife Evelyn, who gave her heart to Christ when Pastor Howard gave the call. Boxer’s legacy of faith continues in the love of the Lord that both our children have in their hearts. God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

It is my fervent hope and prayer that you have also given your heart to Jesus in a personal way. All it takes is surrendering yourself to God’s love, looking for His forgiveness, and receiving His blessing through Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Son.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the people in the past whose lives and faith have touched our own. Thank You for the Spirit of conversion that transforms even the wickedest of people into becoming Your most devoted servants. Give us the courage to surrender our hearts to You today, and help us to place our lives into Your hands, both now and forever. Amen.

Stushie writes the daily devotional Heaven's Highway, which is now podcast on Stushie's Stuff and listed on ITunes.

Sunday Devotional - Beware the Golden Compass

Audio version here

There’s a new movie coming out just before Christmas called “The Golden Compass.” It’s a fantasy movie based on a best selling trilogy by the author, Philip Pullman. It’s the usual good vs. bad story, with the heroes winning the day. The only trouble with the book is this: the Church is perceived as being bad, whilst being a free spirit - without being encumbered by God – is the ultimate good.

In the first book, the clergy are portrayed as being kidnappers of children, who want to enslave their spirits to serve the Authority, which is God. The whole series is about rebelling against the Church and ultimately killing the Authority, in order to achieve true freedom. There’s a subtle message of atheism being glorified and religion being diminished in the book. Philip Pullman is aiming the series at children because he wants to mess up their relationship with God and lead them into the lonely wilderness of atheism and chaos.

You may decide to take your kids to the movie or read the books for yourselves. That is your own free choice. But don’t do it without evaluating your relationship with God and Christ’s Church first. If your faith is ambivalent and your notion of the Church is flimsy, you may put your beliefs on the line and end up disregarding God’s sovereignty. You may also be putting your kids in harm’s way and leaving them with more doubts about God, Christ, and the Church.

Whatever you decide, remember that Pullman has his own agenda, which certainly isn’t God’s. He wants God dead in the hearts and minds of people, so that we can live in a free-spirited world where anything goes. We had that once before, in the centuries preceding Christ. Human sacrifices, paganism, and dark forces ruled the hearts and minds of men during those times: are we sure that we want to regress back into those days, or do we instead choose to remember that God rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of Christ?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant us the rare gift of discernment in our lives, so that we will make better choices. Help us to know what to do about this movie and these books. Keep us from being persuaded by the hidden messages that we may encounter. Help us to deepen our faith in You by remembering that the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas are times when we honor and glorify You. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie writes the daily devotional "Heaven's Highway," as well as illustrating the political cartoon site "Pushing the Envelope."

Sunday Devotional - Picking Blackberries in Scotland

Audio version here

2 Corinthians 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. (NIV)

Years ago, I used to go bramble picking with my brothers, usually during the Fall. I think that you call brambles ‘blackberries’ over here. They look like dark colored raspberries and they grow wild in Scotland. They have a bitter sweet taste to them, but you can make a delicious jelly with them, which our mum used to do when we brought them home.

To get to the biggest and sweetest brambles, you have to be willing to fight your way through some really nasty thorns. In order to pick the brambles off the thorns, you cannot use gloves. Inevitably, my brothers and I would all come home with painful thorns stuck in the palm of our hands. So as well as making jelly and sewing our ripped clothes, mum had to be our nurse by removing the thorns with tweezers. In the end it was worth all of the discomfort, trouble, and pain. The jelly she made was delicious, especially on buttered slices of toast.

Paul writes about a ‘thorn in the flesh’ that he experienced in his life. As a preacher, he could easily have become conceited by the amount of power and esteem he was given by his listeners. But God gave him some sort of impediment, which caused him a great deal of discomfort. He does not mention what this thorn was precisely, but it was enough of a problem for Paul to ask God to remove it. God, however, says “no” to Paul’s prayer and so he has to learn to live with it.

Sometimes as Christians, we think that we’re entitled to live our lives free from worries, stress, or attack. We think that just because we follow Christ then our lives should be free from trouble. The advocates of the heretical prosperity Gospel have caused Christians throughout the world to believe that God is a great genie in the sky that supplies all of our wants and removes all of our burdens. But this is not the case. God gives us the ability to cope with our problems and to adapt our lives accordingly. He never promises to remove them, otherwise saints like Paul would never have had to live with their thorns in the flesh.

If you’re carrying a burden in your heart or mind, and it seems like a thorn in your flesh which is always troubling you, take it to God. He may not remove it from you, but He will give you his strength to enable you to cope.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we all have thorns in our sides and troubles in our lives. Sometimes we just want them to go away, so that we can live our lives peace and prosperity. Remind us that we have faith in You to help us through those times when we struggle. Grant us the courage to face our fears and enable to cope with the pressures we experience. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie writes the daily devotional Heaven's Highway

Sunday Devotional - Saving

Titus 3:4, 5a But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. (NIV)

The most enduring moment in the movie, “Saving Private Ryan” comes at the very end. Ryan, now an old man, is visiting the graves of American troops in France. As he stands before the crosses of his rescuers, he bursts into tears and asks his family, “Have I been a good man?” He wants to know if he has lived a life worthy of being rescued; he needs to know that those who died to save him did not die in vain.

I guess the same question could be asked of ourselves, for we also have been rescued and we owe our faithful lives to the death of one man. Jesus died for our sins and we know that none of us are worthy of this grace. We may accomplish great things in our lives, we may do good things and fulfill lofty ambitions, but none of it counts against Christ’s sacrifice. We cannot do anything to make things even with Jesus. We cannot work our way out of needing His salvation. In the end, we will always owe more to Christ than we can ever possibly give. At the final moment of our lives, it will not be our goodness that will rescue us from oblivion; it will be Christ’s mercy and grace that will pull us through death to eternal life.

This is what being saved means. This is why we hope. This is why we have faith in Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, our lives are made eternal in the precious moment that we give them to You. Our souls are saved forever when we acknowledge You as the Savior of the World and the Lord of our lives. Help us to share this Good News, so that others may not worry about death, but instead they may also glorify Your goodness and experience Your mercy. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie writes the weekday devotional "Heaven's Highway" and also illustrates the political cartoon site "Pushing the Envelope."

Sunday devotional - One Stormy Night

Luke 11:42 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. NIV

Many years ago, when I was a preacher in Scotland, two young women appeared at the manse door on a stormy winter's night. Both were slightly inebriated and had come to make a special request. One of them was a single mum, who doted on her five-year-old daughter. She wanted her only child baptized and was wondering if I would do it. Suddenly she burst into tears and couldn't say another word.

Her friend then continued the conversation. "Minister," she said, "she came here five years ago when the baby was born, but the last minister wouldn't christen her daughter. He told her the church didn't baptize that kind of child here."

I was shocked, but not surprised. My predecessor had a stern reputation for upholding church law and neglecting compassion. I told them I would be delighted to baptize the wee girl and asked if her mum would come to church on Sundays. The young mother stopped weeping, and her whole face brightened. For the first time in years, she felt accepted.

She came to church with her daughter the following Sunday. She soon became a member of the congregation and her daughter was baptized. She became a Sunday School teacher and brought her child up as a Christian. Her whole life changed because she was no longer burdened with shame. Before I left to minister in the United States, she thanked me for helping her and for accepting her daughter.

We have good rules, well thought out regulations, important teachings and holy traditions in our churches, but when we use them to oppress individuals and neglect to show compassion, we're no better than the Pharisees whom Jesus condemned. Justice and love of God are key elements of our faith. We should never forget to practice those things first, instead of hiding behind doctrine and dogma.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide us today when we come across other people who need help. Enable us to listen to their requests and empower us with enough love and compassion, mercy and grace to fully support and care for them. In doing so, may we bring them closer to You, their Savior and Lord. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Stushie is the writer of weekday devotionals on the Heaven's Highway site.

Grassroots Grace

Psalm 129: 6 May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow (NIV)

Have you ever seen grass grow on a roof? I have many times, especially back in Scotland. In the bleak countryside, you come across old derelict cottages, abandoned decades ago, which once housed a shepherd or a crofter and his family. There's usually no front door and all the glass windows are gone. Stone has fallen upon stone, and the harsh Scottish winters have weathered what was once a pretty cottage with a garden.

And then summer comes around. Wild flowers spring up all over the place - pink and white foxgloves, golden dandelions, beautiful bluebells and scarlet poppies. The place is transformed and there is even grass on the roof, edging its way around the slate tiles. The place has been abandoned by people, but the glorious Spirit of our Creator abounds. What was once forsaken, derelict, and lifeless has become an abundant theater of wildlife and beauty, diversity and color.

This happens to churches, too. A congregation can appear dead and dull, insignificant and abandoned, and then suddenly the Spirit of God touches the place, so that hearts and minds, lives and people become transformed, renewed and re-strengthened. New people enter the doors; new ministries are born; a new hope spreads through the entire congregation. Prayers are answered and lives are healed. Friends are reconnected to God, and once weary souls are refreshed and saved. All of them beautiful flowers in God's garden, which we call church.

This is what we should all pray for our churches today of all days - a creative showering of the Holy Spirit in worship and fellowship, ministry and mission, meaning and purpose.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the King of all Creation and we are blessed by Your mercy and grace. Transform our lives and renew our faith. Heal our past and strengthen our churches. Guide us and lead us on a new journey of faith that is exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

Stushie writes the daily devotional Heaven's Highway that you can link to from this page

Sunday Devotion - Love One Another - Foggetaboutit!

John 13:31, 34
When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. NIV

Here’s a question: why does Jesus wait until Judas leaves before He starts to talk about loving one another? Surely if He had said this before Judas left, it would have changed the whole betrayal episode? Judas may have questioned his own motives about whether or not he really loved Jesus, causing him to reject the idea of betrayal. But somehow Jesus chooses to talk about love after Judas was gone. Is there something we should learn from this?

Church people can be the most loving people on earth. At the same time, church people can be the most hateful people on earth. There’s a fine line at times between loving one another and loathing each other. I’ve been in parish ministry for over 21 years, on both sides of the Atlantic, and do you know what? People are the same on either side of the pond. They can love you or leave you, hate you or help you.

I’ve seen people walk away from one another in church or refuse to help because they end up on the same ministry team. I’ve been asked not to pair certain people as greeters at the church door because they can’t stand one another. I’ve also watched some people at meetings aggravate one another simply because of an unresolved issue which has gone on for decades. Or then there’s the political fallout each time a presidential election comes along. Every congregation has their feuding families. Every church has their competing and contentious personalities.

Maybe that’s why Jesus waited until Judas left before speaking about loving one another. Perhaps He had had enough of Judas and knew that his heart couldn’t be changed. Judas had a reputation for seeing the worst in other people – remember the woman with the perfume – and he also was accused of dipping into the cash flow for his own purposes. People like that are hard to please, hard to live with and, above all, hard to change. So maybe Jesus wasn’t about to do Judas any favors.

Love one another? Foggetaboutit! It’s hard enough getting people just to live with one another at times….

Prayer: Lord Jesus, why didn’t You make it easier for Judas to turn away from his betrayal of You? Why didn’t You stop him in his tracks and keep him from becoming a traitor? And why did You ask us to love one another? You know how hard that is, especially in church, never mind the world!

O Lord, help us to love one another, even if it kills us to do so. Amen.

Stushie writes the Heaven's Highway daily devotional and loves to blogachute to waste time. You haven't tried it? Shame on you - that's what Fridays are for!

Sunday Devotional - Body Talk

The resurrection of Christ – the bodily resurrection of Jesus – is central to our faith. If Christ’s body hadn’t been resurrected by God, then only His Spirit would have been raised. That happened to Samuel way back in the Old Testament when King Saul got the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28) to raise his spirit from the land of shadows. If it was just Christ’s spirit alone that had been raised, then God would not have been doing anything new.

But the Gospels make it clear that it was Christ’s body that was raised from death. And this sets Christ apart from any other human being in history. This is what makes Him uniquely our Lord and Savior. This is what puts Him above all the other historic religious leaders – Christ was raised from the dead – body and all. This is also what the first Christians believed, causing them to be persecuted and martyred for the faith.

Easter is a beautiful time of year, not just because it is full of new life all around us in creation, but because a human body that was mutilated, maimed, and murdered was raised to life again. This is what we mean when we say “I believe in the resurrection of the body,” and this is what Christ Himself means when He says to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." (John 20:27)

If we say and believe otherwise, then we’re calling Christ and the Gospel writers liars. Maybe in our Presbyteries, we need to ask ministerial candidates a new, but essentially an old question: do you believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we can get trapped into thinking that our own thinking is more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and superior to the first Gospel writers. We forget that they were heavily influenced by people who had first-hand experiences of all that You expressed. Guide us with Your sacred words. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Easter Schmeester

(12.24AM EST - Sun April 1)


John 13:34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (NIV)

This week someone called the church office to ask about what we are doing for Easter. “My grand-kids are coming into town, and I was wondering if you have an Easter egg hunt?” No question about a sunrise service or special Easter music. No enquiry about whether the Gospel is preached or if Christ is glorified during the worship. Just a plain and simple question: are you having an Easter egg hunt?

You’ve got to love the naivety of the world, right now. It’s all about what we can get from church, not how much we can give. I can just imagine the first century Christians shaking their heads in despair as they are being led into the Coliseum to be mauled and eaten alive by lions. They gave their lives for Christ, not egg hunts. Our culture is really sick and narcissistic to the ultimate degree. Our generation has become biblically illiterate and spiritually foolish. The more we pander to ourselves, the less we care about Christ.

The challenge for us this Easter is to do something Lentish – let’s give up ourselves for Christ. Let’s not succumb to the cultural niceties. Instead, let’s retake Easter for Christ before the world turns it into another commercial festive occasion where bunny rabbits and candy filled eggs mean more to us, rather than a Savior dying on the Cross, and the Christ being resurrected.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You command us to love one another, just as You have loved us. We tend to get the first part right, without remembering the second part at all. Your love was so great that You gave up Your life, Your time, and Your health for us. Remind us this Easter of the cost of Your love, and keep us from innocently or unintentionally cheapening Your sacrifice. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.





Stushie writes the daily devotional blog Heaven's Highway; the weekly current religious newsblog Stushie's Stuff; and the Celtic Sunday worship prayers at Aaron's Beard