Church bulletin covers and other art by artist Stushie. Unique crayon and digital worship art
Bulletin covers, worship screen images, and coloring pages for Ordinary 30 B – also Proper 25 and Pentecost 22 – Psalm 34 and Mark 10:46-52 (Healing the Blind Man). Reformation art also included.
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Psalm 34
Gospel: Mark 10:46-52
Reformation Day art
Psalm 104:24 How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (NIV)
Every summer, our family used to stay for a week’s vacation in the town of Ayr, which is on the west coast of Scotland. We would spend each day on the sandy beach with crowds of other families who traveled down from Glasgow during the July Fair holidays. Sometimes, however, it was too cold to go to the beach, so we walked to a park at the far end of the town called Belleisle. It was a long walk but when we reached the park, we went to our favorite place – a little zoo that had lots of different rabbits, guinea pigs, and ducks from all over the world.
We fed the animals with tufts of grass and plant leaves that we found near the cages. The rabbits and guinea pigs rapidly ate what we offered and looked for some more, so my siblings and I scoured the edges of the path to find more green grass and leaves. We always came away from the park delighted because we had stood so close to the animals and enjoyed having them pull the food from our small hands as we fed them.
Nearly six decades later, when I think about those halcyon days, it makes me wonder if this is why God created so many different kinds of animals on our planet. Instead of killing them for sport perhaps we’re meant to look after the animal kingdom and live alongside it, to delight in God’s works of creation and live peaceably with nature. We seem to be so intent on destroying things these days that I fear we’re actually dooming ourselves to extinction. So many species are lost in the animal kingdom each year because of human expansion and destruction.
If I remember the scriptures properly, God gives Adam and Eve the gift of dominion over other creatures, but not domination. In other words, we’re meant to be good stewards and work with nature rather than being greedy conquerors who ruin and destroy life on this unique planet. I hope and pray that it’s not too late for us to repent of our harmful ways and make the Earth a peaceable kingdom once more, as our Creator intended.
Point to ponder: How do I appreciate and support life on Earth?
Prayer: Loving Creator, this world should astound us, and the beauty of Your works should delight us. Forgive us for taking life on Earth for granted and being so destructive as a species. Open our eyes to the uniqueness of our planet and help us to become good stewards of this beautiful world. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Today’s image is one of John’s crayon drawings called “Fall Break.”
King David thinks about building a temple for God – Narrative lectionary Year 3 Week 7.
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Ordinary 29B bulletin cover art and coloring pages for the Gospel, Prophecy, and Psalm passages: Isaiah 53, Psalm 104:1-9 and Mark 10:35-45.
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Psalm 104
Isaiah 53
Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
It’s a question that we all ask at some time in our lives: “How can I overcome death and obtain everlasting life?”
When I was eighteen, I overdosed on tranquilizers and almost died. I was saved by three friends, to whom I will forever be indebted. I spent three days in hospital to get my stomach cleaned out to check if my organs were still working. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I could have permanently damaged my kidneys and other vital organs, which would have meant that I would have unavoidably died days later. Thankfully, and providentially, that did not happen. My life had been spared by the quick action of my friends and the medical emergency team at the hospital.
Through being so close to death, it made me think about Life. I was faithless at the time, so if I had died, I could have been lost to everyone forever. I did not know this because I held a childlike belief of God in my heart. However, when I later turned to the scriptures to learn more about God, I was startled by some of the forthright views of Christ because sometimes His words stung me.
I no longer dabble with death or take my life for granted. My attempted suicide has given me a different perspective from most people. Life is something to be cherished, but it is also a gift of God that shouldn’t be wasted or squandered. The purpose of life is to give it back to God. Everything that we accomplish, all of our achievements, and every resource that we own, are nothing compared to the riches of God’s grace and everlasting love. That’s why Jesus asked the young man in this much told story to give up his wealth and esteem – for when he is old and dying, the young man is going to have to give them up anyway.
Health and wealth won’t last forever, but faith and love do. If we want life – a real abundant and everlasting life – then we are also invited to surrender ourselves to God through Jesus Christ.
Point to ponder: What is the purpose of my life and how can Christ make it more abundant?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, each day You challenge us to give up our lives and place them in Your hands. In other words, You’re asking us to have faith in You by surrendering ourselves to Your Church and Kingdom. Help us to do this willingly so we may realize that our lives are gifts from the Lord, which we will eventually give back to God. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Today’s image is one of John’s crayon drawings called “Cosmic Surfer.”
Psalm 22:2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. (NIV)
We’ve all been there at some point in our lives – crying out to God for help, but receiving no response. Usually, the prayer is about our health or the well-being of a loved one. Instead of getting the answer we want, nothing changes, leaving us feeling bewildered, abandoned, even forsaken by God. It makes us question God’s existence, as well as asking what’s the point of having faith if God won’t do what we want?
The Bible doesn’t shy away from those hard questions. Psalm 22 is a prime example of someone who is feeling forlorn and forgotten by God. The writer is feeling vulnerable and lost, finite and frail, so he is looking to God for strength and deliverance, renewal and restoration. It’s a painful psalm to read because it’s written by a tormented soul and even though it ends with some sort of resolution, the sorrows expressed appear to be unanswered and relentless.
Jesus quoted the beginning of this psalm when He was brutally nailed to the Cross. In His final moments of life, He truly identified with the pain, loss, and suffering which all human beings experience. He could have chosen to run away before He was arrested to save His life. He could have called down legions of angels from Heaven to rescue Him from death and destroy His enemies. Instead, He chose to accept a painful end to His life, so that He truly became one of us, as well as the prophesied “Man of Sorrows” described in Isaiah 53.
Perhaps you are going through a hard time and praying for someone you love. Maybe you feel as though your prayers are unanswered and that God doesn’t care about your plight. It’s an awful feeling and heavy burden to bear. I’ve been there, too, but what got me through it was an understanding that Jesus knew exactly what I was facing and had felt the same kind of pain. In other words, He walked beside me to help me endure. I hope and pray He will do the same for you.
Point to ponder: What painful prayers and burdens am I currently experiencing?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, today we appeal to Your humanity and not Your divinity. Today, we pray for You to walk alongside us as we journey through a path of pain and loss. Help us to endure and enable us to overcome. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Narrative lectionary art – Year 3 – Week 6 – Hannah praying. 1 Samuel 1 & 2.
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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.
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Ordinary 28B bulletin covers and coloring sheets – Gospel and Psalms. (Psalm 22:1-11 and Mark 10:17-31).
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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.
Stushie Art 