Office Devotions: Watching Balloons - Acts 1 v 10

Acts 1: 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

Have you ever released a helium filled balloon and watched it float up into the sky? I have done this several times in my life and have been captivated by the balloon’s flight. As it climbs skyward up into the clouds, the balloon gets smaller and smaller. Eventually it is just a mere dot and then it disappears entirely. You end up with sore eyes because you try to see the balloon as long as you can without blinking. One final blink and the balloon is gone forever.

I think that’s how the disciples experienced Christ’s Ascension. They kept looking intently up into the sky because they didn’t want Him to go. So long as they could see Jesus, they knew that they weren’t alone. As He disappeared into the clouds, they must have felt anxious and isolated, fearful and alone.

Suddenly, two angels appeared beside them and gave them words of comfort. “Jesus will comeback in the same way.” In other words, Christ would return to them one day. That restored hope to the disciples. And as if that wasn’t enough, they were also given the promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They didn’t know what this would involve, but Jesus had spoken of this before, so the disciples must have felt that this repeated promise confirmed the truth about what the two angels were telling them: Jesus would come back.

Almost two thousand years later, we are still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled. The Holy Spirit has come and established the Church on Earth, but we still await that glorious day when Jesus will arrive from the sky and be among us again – this time forever.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we await Your Arrival on Earth and yearn for that Day when You will restore all things to God and Time will be no more. We pray that we will be ready to receive You and be willing to do Your Holy Bidding as Your everlasting servants in God’s Kingdom. In Your Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is one of John’s digital glass drawings called “Balloon Fest.” You can view a larger version of this online at the following link: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1161/1454659083_7548f6c333_b.jpg

Office Devotions: Happening Now - Mark 13 v 8

Mark 13:8       Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

We had an earthquake about 20 miles away from Knoxville this morning. I think it registered about 3.3 on the Richter scale, so there wasn’t really any damage although some people at the epicenter were a bit shook up with the noise. East Tennessee gets about 10 small earthquakes each year, but they are hardly noticeable to the population. I guess we forget that we live right next to the Smoky Mountains, which were created by earthquakes millions of years ago.

There’s seems to be a lot of turmoil in the world right now: the Icelandic volcano, the Chinese earthquake, and wars in various places. You can’t help but feeling that we’re on the threshold of something big, new, and mysterious. Jesus did warn us long ago that these were the signs of His imminent Arrival. Perhaps we’ve grown so used to being without His physical presence and living our lives in our own fashion that we’ve put the thought of His Second Coming to the back of our minds.

Maybe it’s the caffeine in my system right now, but I get this uneasy feeling that we should be preparing for something, after all today could be the beginning of the End.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us to use this day as a means of getting our hearts and minds, our lives and souls in touch and attached to You. Remind us that life is fleeting and that we are given the blessing of everlasting life through You alone. Show us that each day is a gift of grace and a time to prepare for Your Return. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Office Devotions: Christmas Singalong

Hosea 6:3        “Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

At this time of year, I usually tune my car radio to a station that plays Christmas music all day long for the month of December. I like the old familiar songs that I grew up with. Most mornings, you’ll find me crooning to Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and Andy Williams as I drive to church. The songs get me in a great frame of mind and even when interstate traffic is slow, I just enjoy more time to sing along with my favorite performers.

Christmas is all around me on my journey. I see festive signs, Christmas trees, and seasonal sales everywhere. I laugh at some of the billboards and smile at church notices. I watch people hurry and scurry over at the mall. I even have a child’s delight when I see bright colored Christmas lights and lawn decorations when I head back home in the evening.

I love this time of year, but I also remember that Christmas has not come, and that this is actually the sacred time of Advent, when Christians everywhere are supposed to be focused on the Second Coming of Christ. I ponder quietly and wonder if I am prepared for that amazing event. I switch off the Christmas music and turn on my heart to pray.

Will Christ come again this year?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, I think You also enjoy the bright lights, joviality, and festivity of Christmas. People everywhere appear to love this time of year for different reasons. I hope and pray that they will also quietly stop and think about You, Your Teaching, Your Life, and especially Your Return. In Your Holy Name, I pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send John an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org. He loves to receive your feedback.

Office Devotions: God's Timeline

2 Peter 3: 4     They will say, "Where is this 'coming' He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Podcast version here

Every now and then, I have to remind myself that Christ can return at any minute. I often take it for granted that the world will continue indefinitely and that the seasons will come and go, just as they usually do each year. But then I remember that I am a Christian first and a citizen of this world second. The Earth will not last forever and when Christ appears, human history will be over.

I get so caught up in my own routine and my own wee world that I forget about God’s intentions and Christ’s promises. The ultimate reality is the eternal reality and my ways, my words, and my works are just mere blips on God’s timeline. He is center of the Universe; He is the real thing.

It sounds cliché to some, but perhaps today is the Day when Christ will come back. Am I ready for such a cataclysmic event? Or will I just put it to the back of my mind and trivialize it, so that I can focus upon what’s in front of me and what’s happening now?

Within me, a quiet voice is saying: “Time marches on, John, but not forever.”

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, forgive us when we unintentionally set aside the thought of Your Return. Pardon us when we are so selfishly focused upon ourselves, that we forget about Your words, Your ways, and Your works that are still to come. Help us to remember that we serve You and await Your arrival on Earth. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.