Epiphany 3C – Jesus teaches in the synagogue and Psalm 19.
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Psalm 19
Author: Stushie
I'm originally from Scotland and have been a Presbyterian pastor for over thirty years. I live in Knoxville, TN. I enjoy art as a means of therapy, but also as a creative way to strengthen my spiritual connection to God.
Sabbath Psalms – The Lost Ring
Sabbath Psalms – The Lost Ring
Psalm 36: 7 O Lord, your unfailing love is priceless! All of humanity finds refuge in the shadow of your wings.
My wife Evelyn once lost her engagement ring. She had put some hand cream on her fingers and the ring must have slipped off. She left a message on my cell phone to let me know. It saddened both of us to think that something so significant could be lost.
We bought the engagement ring with my last tax rebate before I went to college to study to become a minister in the Church of Scotland. I can remember shopping for it in Glasgow’s Argyle Arcade where most couples in the city bought their rings. It was an exciting time for us and eventually we found the one clustered diamond ring that Evelyn liked, after wandering from store to store. It cost us every penny that we owned at the time, and through the years it had become priceless to us. Thankfully, a couple of days later, Evelyn found the ring on the carpet next to her exercise bike. That was a moment of relief and jubilation for both of us.
When the author of Psalm 36 writes about God’s unfailing love, he calls it ‘priceless.’ He cannot buy God’s love, nor can he compare it to anything else in the whole universe. It is the most valuable gift the psalmist has ever been given, so he just wants to sing out loud his praises to God.
As Christians, we also consider this to be true, for how can we ever put a price on what Jesus has done to offer us complete and everlasting salvation? Don’t we similarly value Christ’s atonement for our sins as priceless?
Point to ponder: What is the greatest gift God has ever given to me through Christ?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are priceless to each and every one of Your followers. We can never repay the debt that we owe You for pardoning our sins, redeeming our souls, and restoring us to God. Thank You for such wonderful, amazing, and priceless love. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Narrative Lectionary art – Luke 4
Jesus teaching in the synagogue art – Narrative lectionary Year 3
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Epiphany 2 art – Water into Wine
The first miracle of Jesus at the Wedding in Cana – turning water into wine. John 2:1-11.
For church bulletin covers, visual worship screens, social media and blog posts, and coloring pages.
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Narrative Lectionary Art – John the Baptist
Narrative lectionary art – John the Baptist Bulletin cover and coloring page for John the Baptist – this week’s Narrative lectionary character. There is also a greyscale image for those without a color copier.
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For those looking for Christ’s baptism, find images at this link: Baptism of the Lord
Baptism of the Lord art
Baptism of the Lord art and coloring pages
Baptism of the Lord Sunday images for bulletin covers, worship screens, social media, and children’s classes.
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Communion art
First Sunday Communion art Some churches celebrate Communion on a monthly basis, and it usually takes place on the first Sunday of each month. Here are some recent Communion drawings and coloring pages which can be used throughout the year.
Bookmark this post to find it again. Paid subscribers and donors may copy and download various sizes for use on bulletins, worship screens, social media, and with children’s programs.
Sabbath Psalms – Lead Kindly Light
Psalm 43:3 Send me your light and your faithful care, let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. (NIV)
During the mid-1980’s a lot of people got interested in the reports of near-death experiences that seriously injured and gravely ill patients were having all over the world. Some critical event happened in each of their lives that made them feel they were finally dying. They felt as though they were floating above the surgeons, doctors, and nurses who were frantically trying to save their lives in an emergency room. As their spirits floated away, they were drawn to a pure white light, which attracted their souls away from their bodies into another realm.
Some of these NDEs, as they came to be known, said they met Jesus in the midst of the beautiful light, and He told them that their time to be with Him had not yet come. All of a sudden, their free spirits rushed back into their bodies, just as a defibrillator, or an adrenaline shot was being used by the health care professionals to resuscitate them.
Documentaries were made about the people who survived death, and they seemed to be changed. They no longer had a morbid fear or fascination with death. To them, it was only a short journey to a better and brighter place. I came across one such person in Scotland, and after she expressed what she had similarly experienced, it also explained to me her change of character and rediscovered devotion to the Lord.
As we go through life, we face many challenges and sometimes we are fearful of what death will bring. This is where faith endures at its best. This is the time when our relationship to God and union with Christ will at last be sealed forever. We will go on enjoying and experiencing this life as much as we can on Earth, but ultimately every journey, no matter how long, successful, or powerful it has become, will end in death. The difference for the Christian will be that directly after death, we will find that sacred abode of light and at last see Jesus face-to-face.
Ponder: How does my faith in Jesus prepare for and lead me into the future?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Light of the World, but You are also our Light to the Next World. Guide us each and every day, so that when our human journey ends, may we experience our eternal one begin at the twinkling of an eye, through the power of Your compassion, mercy, and love. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Short devotion – Unity and Peace
Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV)
I can remember an old minister once preaching a sermon in which he said something like: “Twelve percent of the general population go to church on Sundays. Twenty percent of the general population would like to attend church on Sundays, but they don’t go because of the twelve percent who are already there.” His words stung the congregation because he was preaching the truth which was very hard to accept. The church members believed that they were God’s chosen people and followed the Lord faithfully. What they didn’t understand was that their zeal for the Lord and uncompromising ways actually turned a lot of people off from joining them on Sundays to worship Jesus.
It saddens me that decades later, the old minister’s words are still very true. In recent years, the witness of Christ’s church has been damaged by aggressive pastors and congregations who puritanically seek to forcibly impose their beliefs on the entire population. School boards are rife with tyrannical menaces who threaten teachers and other parents with their book bans and religious demands. Local politicians and their parties hypocritically pass bills in the name of God which Jesus would never support, especially when those policies marginalize and dehumanize other people with different beliefs, ideas, origins, and lifestyle choices.
I think it is important to remember that when Paul wrote his revered letters to young Christian churches, he was dealing with similar problems and divisions. This is why he emphasized the need to promote the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace – church people were meant to be peacemakers and not peace breakers. Outsiders were supposed to be made welcome, attracted to the church, and not targeted by it for being different, alien, or foreign. The House of God was – and still is – big enough for everyone; the question we need to face is this: are our hearts and minds, as well as our faith, big enough to accept that?
Point to ponder: Does my faith attract other people to Christ? If not, what do I need to change about me?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we call ourselves Christians because we want to be identified with You, Your teaching and truth, as well as Your ministries and missions. Help us not to get in the way of Your work; instead, change us to truly become people of Your Way. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Narrative Lectionary – Boy Jesus in Temple art
Boy Jesus in temple art and coloring page for Narrative lectionary.
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Stushie Art 