Tag: Sunday devotion

Sunday Shorts – Choices

church devotions, Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Ordy 21BsJohn 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

It was the lowest point in Christ’s itinerant ministry. For three years, He had traveled up and down Galilee, gathering a great number of disciples and followers through His preaching, teaching, and healing. But now things were becoming gravely serious because He was meddling in people’s lives. Jesus was also notorious to some of the authorities, and His preaching kept hitting raw nerves. On this particular occasion, Christ called His followers’ faith into question, suggesting that some among them did not believe in His ministry and mission. And what was the outcome? The scripture states it very plainly: ‘Many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.’

Christ continues to have a way of doing that same thing to Christians in our time, too. He still confronts us today, questioning our choices, demanding firm allegiance, and challenging our ways. We all want hope in our lives and a loving Savior, but we sometimes find it difficult to accept the belief baggage and lifestyle lessons that come along with our Christian faith. And for some folks, like those in today’s scripture (John 6:60-66), this is too hard to accept and apply, so they also sadly drift away from Jesus and His Church.

The good thing about this incident is that not all of the disciples abandoned Him. It was left to that good old boy, Peter, to encourage Jesus for a change. When His Savior asks the Twelve, “Will you also go away?”, the Big Fisherman gives the sweetest answer to Christ’s ears. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Our faith journey isn’t easy and sometimes we will be discouraged or deceitful, sinful or faithless, but we shouldn’t despair. Instead, we should look at how Christianity ends. We do have a wonderful Savior and the promise of everlasting life. We have the opportunity to serve Jesus and to joyfully enter into His loving presence forever. We may feel like going away at times, but His healing words will keep drawing us back to Him to receive forgiveness and acceptance, guidance and grace. And when all is said and done, isn’t that why we placed our faith in Christ in the first place?

Point to ponder: How difficult is following Jesus for me? How can Christ help me overcome this?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we were once lost souls, whose lives had no real meaning or purpose. In Your mysterious way, You drew us towards You and helped us to give our hearts to You. Sometimes, being a Christian is very difficult and we don’t always get it right. We thank You for Your patience, forgiveness, and grace. Without them, we would perish from the Earth and have no hope. With them, we will delight in Your love forever, for You have the words of eternal life. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts – For the World

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Ordy 19BsJohn 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

The main Olympics have come to an end, but soon the Paralympics will begin. Both of these major worldwide events invite athletes from all over the globe to compete against their peers in their specialized sports. It’s a remarkable spectacle over several weeks and one that truly represents the agility, diversity, and ability of each participant. They give their all for their represented nation in the hope of winning a medal not just for themselves, but for the people they represent. The athletes are focused on their chosen events and take a great deal of pride in performing at their fastest, strongest, and best. When they succeed and climb on the podium to receive their well-deserved medals, they are elated and the crowd of watching spectators cheer and applaud them. They have given their lives to their sport, so they bask in their triumphs and celebrate their victories which have made them famous.

Jesus also gave His life, not for fame or a nation, but for the entire world. The only podium that He was given was nailed beneath His crucified feet to prolong His painful death. The only medal He received was a crown of thorns that caused Him to bleed profusely. The crowd of spectators around and below the Cross, jeered and attacked Him. His enemies were elated as He was humiliated. His foes were thankful because His death was disgraceful. And yet, despite the spite and however great the hate, Jesus gave His all and died for them. He came down from heaven and offered them the bread of eternal life; His broken body on the Cross which He freely gave for the life of the world.

After the Olympics are over, the athletes will return to their own nations to be lauded and applauded for a while. Eventually, their achievements will become a part of sporting history but within two or three generations, they will largely be forgotten. Christ, however, will still be praised for giving His life for the world until Time and History are no more. And then Jesus will be eternally praised and celebrated by those who choose to follow Him faithfully and serve Him daily with their lives. Remember, Christ gave all so that we might gain all. Hallelujah!

Point to ponder: How did Christ’s sacrifice succeed in earning me my salvation?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your victory over sin and death has blessed us with forgiveness and faith. We live in hope because You won the battle for us. We are thankful for Your sacrifice and grateful for Your Love. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts – Busy Doing Nothing

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Ordy 16BsMark 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.