Narrative lectionary art – Year 3 – Week 6 – Hannah praying. 1 Samuel 1 & 2.
Annual subscribers and donors can copy and download various sizes for use.
Blue Advent Candles art
Some churches use blue candles for Advent instead of purple ones, so I’ve redrawn this year’s Advent series. Also, I’ve added a Blue Christmas Candle for the Longest Night services.
Annual paid subscribers and donors can copy and download various sizes for use.
Ordinary 28B art
Ordinary 28B bulletin covers and coloring sheets – Gospel and Psalms. (Psalm 22:1-11 and Mark 10:17-31).
Annual paid subscribers and donors can download and copy various sizes for use. See menu for subscription or donation details.
Sunday Shorts – Church Kids
Mark 10:14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (NIV)
I like to see children at worship services on Sunday mornings. Their presence gives hope to the older generations in the congregation. Over the years, I spent a lot of time getting to know the names of the children at church and enjoyed sharing my Bible artwork with them. On Sunday mornings, I used to produce a coloring page for the church kids which they seemed to enjoy. I felt it was an effective way of teaching the faith to them and as a means of encouraging them to create their own art.
Years ago, I decided to set up an art site which other churches could use for their own congregations and children’s classes on Sundays. Hundreds of churches all over the world use my artwork each week which means that thousands of kids are being taught the faith with the drawings that the Spirit inspires me to create. If you want to see some of my drawings, you can visit the website at this link: https://stushieart.com/.
Children were important to Jesus, too. Today’s Gospel story from Mark 10 recalls a moment when the disciples tried to stop some mothers and their children approaching Jesus. They knew He was tired and needed to rest, so instead of taking the mums and kids to where Jesus was relaxing, they turned them away. When Jesus saw what was happening, He was not pleased and so He rebuked the disciples for being so uncaring. Christ welcomed the children because He loved them, for to Him they epitomized the best qualities of the Kingdom of Heaven. It was a lesson that the disciples never forgot and one which Christian congregations should still practice today by welcoming all children in their churches.
Point to ponder: How are children welcomed in the congregation I attend?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, remind us of the importance of children in our midst, at church, in school, and within our community. Help us to value them and share our faith by welcoming their families and accepting them unconditionally in our lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Sabbath Psalms – Sacred Sanctuaries
Psalm 26:8 Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells. (NIV)
We all get attached to the sacred buildings where we worship. Within the bricks and walls, stones and stained-glass windows, we create a womb-like sanctuary where we feel the presence of God when we pray silently, or as we praise God with others around us. In the midst of a world which is always in a hurry and sometimes hostile, it’s therapeutic and refreshing to find a place of peace and acceptance, faith and love.
Over many years, I’ve worshiped and served in different churches with varied ministries and missions, programs and projects that displayed their congregational focus and how the people practiced their faith. No matter how different the churches were denominationally or spiritually, I always felt being in a place of peace where God’s presence was experienced, whether it was in a small country church or a grand Gothic cathedral. They were, and still are, special places to me, where Heaven and Earth seem to meet, where the Eternal One abides with mortal ones.
I think that the psalmist of old understood this, too, which is why he preferred God’s company and sacred house, rather than sitting around with dishonest and deceitful people. In the midst of a culture that was destroying itself with greed and corruption, the writer of Psalm 26 took solace in being with God, away from the maddening crowd. I think this is something important that we still need today – a place of quiet in a noisy world, a sanctuary of hope in chaotic times.
Perhaps you are undergoing a lot of pressure in your life right now. Maybe you are in a situation that burdens you, or in the midst of circumstances that threaten to overwhelm you. Perhaps you have been too strong or self-sufficient too long, and now feel stretched, exhausted, and vulnerable. Maybe you don’t know what to do or where to go. Can I suggest that you find a nearby church sanctuary where you can bring your heartfelt pleas and personal prayers to God? Like me, you probably need somewhere to lay down your burdens and just be embraced by the Living and Loving God. A local church building or even a large cathedral may be just what you’re looking for. Try it and see.
Point to ponder: Where can I go to find God’s peaceful presence in my life?
Prayer: Lord God, Whose presence abides on our planet and Whose blessing can be found in many holy places on Earth, we seek Your peace and love to help us endure and overcome our problems and troubles. Guide us to a sacred place where we can quietly pray; lead us to special sanctuary where we can experience Your loving presence and praise Your Holy Name. Amen.
John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Advent Candles art – 2024 series
Advent Candles art and coloring pages – 2024 series.
Annual subscribers and donors can copy and download various sizes.
The traditional progression of candles is Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. You can add those words into the images at the bottom or simply name them Advent 1, 2, 3, 4 and Christ Candle.
Narrative Lectionary art: Moses and Golden Calf
Narrative Lectionary Year 3: Week 5 – Moses and Golden Calf art and coloring page.
Annual Subscribers and donors can copy and download various sizes for use.
Ordinary 27B Bulletin art and coloring
Ordinary 27B bulletin art and coloring pages.
Annual subscribers and donors can copy and download various sizes for use.
Bulletin covers for World Communion Sunday can be found at this link: WCS.
Gospel: Mark 9 – Jesus welcomes the children.
Psalms 26 & 8. Subscribers and donors can copy & download for use.
Psalm 26
Alternate: Psalm 8
Hurricane Helene Prayer
Almighty God, Whose Spirit hovers over the waters of chaos, and Whose Son stilled the stormy sea, we humbly come before You, crying out for the sake of our people whose lives and properties have been devastated by the recent hurricane. The damage and destruction is unbelievable; the vulnerability and fears of our brothers and sisters is unimaginable. Small towns and villages have been wrecked and washed away by unrelenting torrents; roads, paths, bridges, and trails have been obliterated. We are staggered and stunned by the scenes we have watched; we feel helpless and hopeless for the mountain folks who have lost everything.
Gracious Lord, we pray for the first responders and rescuers, for the linesmen and companies that are beginning the long process of repair and renewal. It will take years to accomplish and billions of dollars to pay for the damage and rebuilding. Grant us the patience, resolve, and resources to do all that we can to restore our devastated communities.
We pray for the families who have lost loved ones. We ask that you surround and support them with people who will care for, help, and sustain them. For those whose grief will always be with them, we pray for comfort; for those whose losses will never be regained, we pray for peace and love. For those congregations whose churches have been destroyed or whose fellowship has been broken, we pray for Your Spirit to be dear and near to them. And to those of us on this side of the damage and destruction, with little impact of the hurricane, grant us charitable hearts to financially support the places and people who have both urgent and long-term needs. Hear us now as we silently pray for those who cannot pray for themselves.
In Christ’s Name, we make these heartfelt and sincere prayers. Amen.
Sabbath Psalms – The World We Live In
Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Some days I worry about climate change and what kind of impact it will have on my grandchildren. Each year, our little planet is getting warmer, glaciers are retreating, and sea levels are rising. The weather is erratic, and I’ve never seen so many floods and torrential downpours in my thirty years of living in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee. Some people say it’s just cyclical and eventually the climate will right itself. I don’t know about that; it seems like wishful thinking instead of finding a solution which will help my grandchildren.
Today’s highlighted verse reminds me that God is the Maker of this beautiful planet, so perhaps I should address God, asking for guidance and answers. If human beings are messing up what God created, then why doesn’t God intervene and set things right? As an artist, I take great pride in what I draw or paint and I would hate it if someone vandalized or broke the work of my hands. This makes me wonder if God steps back from Creation to allow human beings to see how destructive we can be, in the hope that we would recognize our mistakes and start to apply our knowledge, wisdom, and skills to repair what we have broken and to cherish what God has made.
The psalmist wrote that our help is in the name of the Lord which tells me that we need to cry to God in order to rely on God to remedy the climate crisis we are in. I think this is why more churches are focusing on environmental health as well as spiritual growth; it’s almost as if the Maker of heaven is encouraging us to be caretakers of the world we live in. I hope so, for the sake of my grandchildren and their grandchildren.
Point to ponder: What do I do in my life to care for the environment?
Prayer: Lord God, You created this unique planetary jewel that spins around the Sun as it moves through space. There’s nowhere else like it in our Solar System, so please help us recognize how fragile this world is by giving us the courage to repair the damage we have selfishly and sinfully caused. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Stushie Art 