Celtic Devotions: Revival, not Survival - Psalm 80

Psalm 80:18 Then we will not turn away from You; revive us, and we will call on Your Name. 

Survival or revival? Emerge or resurge? Churches today have to seriously work out where they want to be in 5-10 years time, if they want to survive the first half of this new century. It’s no use keeping on for the sake of holding on. That’s just wishful thinking and more churches are closed because of good intentions or clinging to nostalgia. We live in a new age, with new ideas. We need to learn to adjust or become as dust.

Now I’m not advocating syncretism, where the Church falls to its knees and allows the current culture to totally shape it. That would be a betrayal of Christ and a march towards insignificance, which would eventually lead to irrelevance and extinction. I’m talking about revival or rebooting the Church from within its own ranks, in order to make better disciples of Christ, greater messengers of His Truth, and more practical followers of the Faith.

We cannot do this on our own. We need to invoke and implore the Holy Spirit to come among us, to release us from survival mode and put us into Revival. It would mean that every church member of every congregation would truly re-commit their lives to Christ. That should be the ambition of every church in existence. Christ’s message is timeless and has stood the test of two thousand centuries of opposition. If we truly relied upon the Word of God as our Way of Life then the Church that would emerge would be full of people who were constantly resurging their Christian faith.

Today is a good day to start. Now is the right moment to reboot our beliefs and refocus on our faith. It’s time for all of us to seriously place Christ at the center of our existence. If we honestly do this today, then we will seek new opportunities to share our revived faith with our friends, families, and even strangers. And that, after all is said and done, is why we are divinely blessed with life, love, and faith in the first place.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, revive our commitment and connection to You this day. Open our hearts to the blessing of Your Holy Spirit and allow our minds to accept Your Way, Truth, and Life. Empower and enable us to become effective, relevant, and useful disciples in our congregations and communities. 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.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest autumn drawings of the Smoky Mountains. It’s called “Fall in Leaves” and is currently on exhibit at Erin Church. You can view a larger version of the drawing at the following link:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4877571660_cc7d070bb8.jpg

25 limited edition signed prints are available from John.

Celtic Devotions: Viking Ads - Psalm 74:5-7

Psalm 74:5-7 They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. 

Have you seen the TV advert for a credit card with all of the Vikings? It’s a very funny series of commercials and more humorous than some of the regular sitcoms. I especially like the part when one of the Vikings is buying souvenirs in a ski shop and his son breaks a lot of glassware. His statement of “I’ll have these…and all of those,” (referring to the smashed items) is classic.

The Vikings, however, were not a bunch of comedians during the Dark Ages. They were the most feared terrorists in Europe. They looted villages and towns, especially all over Britain and destroyed many churches and sanctuaries. Hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of Christian monks were slaughtered and sacred places were defiled. It must have been the most harrowing of times to be living in, and today’s verses from Psalm 74 could have been written for those terrible and terrifying decades.

But the Church of Christ persevered. Each time it was destroyed, it rose up again. Eventually the Vikings themselves gave up their pagan ways and became Christians. The Light of Christ could not be extinguished and the Christian faith flourished throughout those dark times. Indeed, it was the Church that preserved not only the faith but also writing and reading, literature and libraries that would eventually bring about the rebirth of civilization.

These days, we all worry about the direction of the Church and wonder if it will die. People are abandoning institutionalized Christianity all over Western society and some doomsday prophets believe that it will not last beyond the 21^st century. I totally disagree. The Church has been through all of this before and rose to even greater heights. In my heart, I believe that the best days of Christ’s Church on Earth are yet to come, and are not behind us. I only hope that I live long enough to see the beginning of the Second Renaissance.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for the perseverance of Your Church on Earth. Despite times of ignorance and fear, destruction and devastation, Your Church has continued to flourish across the globe so that there are now more Christians on this planet than at any other time in the history of the world. Thank You for such a wonderful blessing and remind us that when it comes to death and dying, Christians believe in the power of resurrection and restoration. In Your Holy Name, we cheerfully 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.

Today’s image is John’s conception of a 21^st century Celtic Cross. A public television show in Brazil for teenagers (www.tvcultura.com.br/almanaque) will be using it as one of their logos. If you would like to view a larger version, please click the following link: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2495732553_0a941af75b_b.jpg