Bulletin covers and coloring page for Ordinary 17B – John 6 and Psalm 14.
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Psalm 14
Sunday Shorts – Busy Doing Nothing
Mark 6:31 Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (NRSV)
Over many years of pastoral ministry, I saw some dedicated people who were always present for Sunday worship and church programs. They were totally immersed in the life, work, and ministries of the congregation and it seemed as though every time we opened the church doors, they were among the first to arrive. Their faith community was their family and they simply devoted themselves to serving God in their local church.
Sometimes, however, these lovely servants were too busy and stretched themselves beyond what they could do effectively for God. They did too much, said “yes” too many times, and often wouldn’t let others help them. They thought that if they temporarily gave up their work for the Lord or handed it over to someone else, the ministry or mission would suffer. Frequently, the ministry was suffering because they didn’t like to share or delegate the responsibility to some other person. However, when Covid came and forced us all to stay away from church, those people reflected on their chosen roles, soon realizing that God was working through the whole church membership, and not just them. After Covid, they fully reassessed their own service and, for the first time in years, they allowed others to work with them.
I like what Jesus suggests to His disciples in this Bible verse. They have all been very busy helping Him with His ministry. They are devoted to the Kingdom of God, but they are also sapped of their spiritual strength, so Jesus urges them all to take a break from the mission to go to a quiet place and replenish their spirits. This reveals to us how much Jesus cared for His closest followers and did not expect them to always be on duty wherever He went. By giving them time to be alone with Him, Jesus was encouraging them to do nothing for a while. The mission would always be there, and the Kingdom of God would continue, but they were only human with weaknesses and limitations. Like the writer of Psalm 23, Jesus was inviting them to find a quiet place to restore their souls.
Perhaps you need permission to let go of some of the ministries and missions in your own congregation. Maybe you’ve overextended yourself and instead of feeling the joy of serving God, it is a heavy burden to you. Let Christ encourage you to find a quiet place, to release you from your responsibilities, to enable you to reflect on how best to serve God, to replenish your weary spirit, and to refresh your tired soul. Go ahead and be busy – doing nothing.
Point to ponder: How do I serve God in my local church? Am I too busy?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us more fully than we know ourselves. We love You completely and want to serve You faithfully, but sometimes we are tired and need to rest. Help us to find a peaceful quiet place where we can be refreshed by Your Spirit and restored to God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Sabbath Psalms -Psalm 89 -Lunar Love
Psalm 89:37 It shall be established eternally, just as the moon is the sky’s constant witness in the sky. Selah.
As a kid, I always enjoyed looking up at the moon. I could see it clearly from my bedroom window and sometimes I would stay up late into the wee small hours of the morning, enjoying its shape, movement, and brilliance. Occasionally, I would recite a child’s prayer about the moon: “I see the moon and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and God bless me.”
Decades later, I’m still fascinated by the radiance of the moon. I now realize that the moon has no light of its own, but it reflects the light of the Sun to Earth. I think that’s why in this psalm it’s called the sky’s constant witness.” So long as the Sun exists and the moon is still orbiting around the Earth, it will faithfully reflect sunlight to us.
As Christians, we are meant to be faithful witnesses of Christ’s Light on Earth. Some people believe that this means we’re meant to show Christ’s love to everyone. But it’s more than just that – we’re also meant to reflect the Truth of Christ, which sometimes conflicts with what the World will tolerate. Loving the World does not mean embracing its sins or condoning society’s errors. Being the light of Christ and His faithful witness calls us to wholly reflect His Teachings and Truth, as well as His Compassion. Love without Christ is just a temporary feeling; however, love with Christ’s Truth is an everlasting faith.
Point to ponder: How do I reflect Christ in my daily life?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we try to be Your faithful witnesses in the world, but sometimes we allow ourselves to be people pleasers and acceptable appeasers, rather than messengers of Your Gospel and servants of Your Kingdom. Grant us the gift of discernment and help us to truly know what You would have us speak, do, and share with the people of this world. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Some of My Books
Over the years, I’ve written many devotional and study books to help pastors, church leaders, and teachers share their faith with others in their congregations and communities. The books can be read individually or with a small group and are full of reflections to be used as discussion starters for church meetings, classes, and fellowship groups.
I’ve listed some of those books below and if you click on the images, it will take you to the book’s page on Amazon where you can read its description. All the books can be read on any device using the free Kindle app; some of them are also published as paperbacks.
I hope you enjoy browsing the books. If you have any questions or suggestions for studies, then please leave your message in the comments section or contact me by email at stushie57@outlook.com.
God bless.
John Stuart.
Ordinary 16B art – Gospel and psalms
Ordinary 16B art for bulletins, newsletters, coloring pages, and worship screens.
Subscribers and donors may copy and download for use.
Gospel: Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Psalm 89
Psalm 23 drawings
Sunday Shorts: Listening, But Not Hearing
Mark 6:20 Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him. (NIV)
Being a Scottish preacher in American churches can be quite novel at times. For some reason, folks like to listen to my Scots accent because they find it to be quite lyrical. I used to think this was a great thing and relished each time I was asked to preach in a different pulpit. Over the years, however, I realized that my accent could sometimes get in the way of the Gospel message. People in the pews liked to listen to how I preached but didn’t absorb the sermon. Sometimes at the church door after the worship service, someone would say: “I loved your Scottish accent, but I didn’t understand what you said.”
King Herod must have felt the same with John the Baptist. The cruel king had imprisoned John for preaching against his marriage. Herod’s wife was greatly offended, so Herod had the fiery preacher arrested and thrown into a jail below his palace.
Herod, however, did not neglect John. He liked to listen to the preacher, although he didn’t fully understand what John talked about. Perhaps the prophet preached on the Kingdom of God which Herod would think rivalled his own sovereignty. Or maybe John talked about repentance for being sinful which Herod totally ignored. Whatever the case, Herod missed his opportunity to be reconciled to God. He liked listening to John, but he never truly heard a word which could have changed his life forever.
Some folks are like that, too. They know about Jesus and have perhaps listened to some of His teaching. Unfortunately, instead of fully embracing Him as their Savior and Lord, they just label Him as another historical holy man whose sermons were quaint and applicable to the past, but not relevant in today’s world. In other words, they listen but do not hear, which is why Jesus constantly told His listeners, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Point to ponder: Do I like to just listen to what Jesus had to say, or do I hear how His words challenge me to change my ways?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to be truly open to Your Gospel message and holy teachings. Challenge our lives so that we may change our ways by applying Your words in our daily lives. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
Sabbath Psalms – Belonging to God
Psalm 24:1 The Earth belongs to the LORD, including everything in it, the whole planet, and every living being.
I’d like to make a banner of this verse and super-impose it on a photograph of a hungry child in Appalachia. It would remind me that the least in our community, like those who sleep under the overpasses on the interstate, are still counted as belonging to God. I want to be challenged that the things I take for granted – my health, my home, my work, my money, and my resources – are all gifts from God. It’s very easy, in fact, too easy for me, to forget about such things, which causes me to neglect to remind myself that everyone is a child of God’s grace.
The psalmist tells us clearly that everything belongs to God – the world, the nations, and all of the people. Not one of us is a self-made person or an independent being. We might think that our actions, our deeds, our accomplishments, as well as our achievements come naturally because of our abilities; but we delude ourselves if we do not assign all of those qualities and successes to the grace of God. The source of all our blessings is the real owner of our planet. Without God, we would not exist. Without God’s power to create, we would not have life.
Without God’s constant grace, we could not maintain ourselves. As Jesus so masterly puts it, “Which one of us can add a day to our lives?” We cannot. It all boils down to the fact that we are created, sustained, and completely owned by God. And when we understand this, we begin to care for other people, joining God in the work of being mindful of the Earth and all its inhabitants.
This is why I regularly support the work of the World Central Kitchen. Wherever natural disasters, human conflict, or famine takes place, chefs from the WCK organize food for people who are displaced, persecuted, and hungry. They encourage local restaurants and food truck owners to help them prepare and distribute meals. It’s a fantastic international mission of compassion which recognizes the urgent needs and upholds the dignity of different people across the Earth. To me, they epitomize the belief that everyone is a child of God’s grace and deserves the right to food, as well as shelter and clothing.
Point to ponder: If the whole Earth belongs to God, including everyone in it, what am I doing to help God’s work of sustaining this planet?
Prayer: Lord God, You challenge us every day to be faithful, but sometimes we thoughtlessly forget to also care. In the place of helping others, we often just help ourselves. Forgive us for being neglectful; grant us the strength to see and to support those who are hungry and needy across Your world. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
Ordinary 15B art and coloring pages
Ordinary 15B Art for bulletins and coloring pages for church programs.
Gospel: John the Baptist in prison – Mark 6:14-29
Psalm 24 – The Earth is the Lord’s
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Sunday Shorts: The Grand Delusion
Mark 6:2 On the Sabbath, Jesus started teaching in the synagogue, and those who heard him were astounded.
“Where did he learn these things?” they asked. “What kind of wisdom has he been given? And what about these amazing miracles he is performing?
Over many years of being a pastor, one of the saddest things about ministry that I experienced was the number of people who took their faith for granted and attended church very infrequently. No matter how hard I tried to encourage them to be at worship on Sundays, they always had something else to do with family or friends. They simply believed that God would indulge their lack of dedication to His Son. God would just turn a blind eye and allow them to do what they wanted.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus, who knows God more personally than we could ever imagine, was always in synagogue on the Sabbath. He wouldn’t dishonor God by neglecting to worship and study on the special day set aside for glorifying His Father. He could have been exempt and gone elsewhere. He could have communicated with God in the flowered fields and hiking the hills. He could have enjoyed the company of family and friends, but instead He chose to be in God’s House with God’s people worshipping God.
There are many people who have given up on church attendance and a new generation of what’s called ‘nones’ has arisen. They believe in their own version of God, a Supreme Being who watches over them and who will receive them into His Kingdom after death. That’s the biggest lie the devil has spread and sadly, many of the nones will not realize it until it’s too late.
If weekly worship in God’s House was good enough for Jesus, then shouldn’t it be our priority, too?
Point to ponder: How often do I attend church on Sundays? What would Jesus do?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we have made up our own image of God to be an indulgent father or grandfather who lets us do what we want and whose infinite compassion will overlook our lack of faith. You never said that. You never taught it. You never lived that way, either. Teach us with Your astounding knowledge and guide us back into God’s House on a weekly basis, so that we may truly be Your followers and God’s servants. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Communion art: Summer Communion
A brightly colored Communion drawing for summer newsletters and bulletins.
Paid subscribers and donors can copy and download different sizes for use.
Stushie Art 