MAC KIRK

Christian realism---Patience. James 5:7-10 JI Packer is his book Knowing God says this in his chapter, “ These inward trials”: “…. Unreality in religion is an accursed thing. ….Unreality towards God is the wasting disease of much modern Christianity. We need God to make us realists about both ourselves and Him. Perhaps there is a word for us in the famous hymn in which John Newton describes the passage into the kind of realism that we have been seeking to induce, ‘ I asked the Lord, that I might grow In faith, and love, and every grace; Much more of His salvation know, And seek more earnestly His face. I hoped that in some favoured hour At once He’d answer my request, And by His love’s constraining power Subdue my sins, and give me rest. Instead of this, He made me feel The hidden evils of my heart; A...

Romans 13:11 “ You know what time it is” In an interesting phrase we are reminded of time and the presence of God in our lives. Literally, “ And also this knowing the time” Did you ever have anyone ask you, “ what time is it?” Usually I think, “ daytime” , but then I politely tell them the time. I wonder how they can not know the time. They do not have a watch or a phone to look at with the time . Time as my theology professor used to say is the measure of the motion of created objects. In God , there is no time. He is eternally now and present , past and future. One of the earliest Christians , ST Augustine ( who died in 430 AD) heard parts of this passage, specifically vs. 14 “ Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof.” As he read, he experienced this as God speaking directly to him, convicting him of his past sins, and offering him forgiveness; calling him to amend his life, and promising him the grace and power to do...

Protection, Patience & Endurance- Luke 21:18-19 “…not a hair of your head shall be lost. In your patience possess your souls.” In the next few weeks (Nov 28)we will begin a new Church year in the Season of Advent. Advent is a wonderful time in the Christian year for it gives us time to reflect and pause before we enter into the Festival of Christmas. Advent is not as penitential as Lent ( the 40 days before Easter). Even the Third Sunday of Advent is (Gaudete –Joy) represented by a rose candle, not a purple one. We drop singing the Gloria in Advent until Christmas. Advent means coming and so we must prepare ourselves for a worthy and fruitful celebration to come. The texts I have been reading this week are also about the Second Coming of Jesus as was our O.T. Malachi 3 & 4, “ For behold the day is coming, Burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble…” “ But to you who fear my Name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with heali...

Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10 “ The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Zacchaeus) , “ …he had employed methods which had destroyed his honesty. He had no vital interest in righteousness, but a great interest in revenue. He was lost , of no value..to God, of no value to man, contributing nothing .” The Great Physician , Morgan. Today there is need for a new Reformation and grasp of what it means to be in God’s kingdom. To see this we can see what is true about Zacchaeus. I am sure there are many people today that are lost in the sense of what they are doing for God and what they are doing for others. Just like Zacchaeus they are lost. We need as well to be challenged in this area of what our commitment to Christ actually means to ourselves and others. It is not a vague repetition of words at our reception into the Church or by our parents at our baptism when they hope one day we will ratify with a yes that baptismal covenant. Are we lost? To be lost is to b...

Luke 18:9-14 Worship & the Life---a Reality Check This story that Jesus tells has its point in verse 14, “ I tell you , this man went down to his justified , rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” If this is the case, then we should like to know more about the publican. We can do that too by looking at the Pharisee who is a study in contrast. The Pharisee seemed to have the right language and he had the behavior to back it up. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. (18:12) Apparently he was dressed as a Pharisee and observed the Law outwardly . These things in themselves are not bad, are they? Worship should be a place where we enter God’s presence in a formal way that is not just like any other day. We can certainly pray on our own as we should. When we come to the place where our forebears worshipped , spoke, and lived, we have a decided sense of awe. Yes, we ca...

YEAR C RUTH 1: 1-l9a/ PS 113 2 Timothy 2:3-15/ Luke 17;11-19/ The theme that runs through the lessons appointed for today's study and meditation is one of a question. We must all deal with it,. Some of us have not dealt with it very we11. And others see how we react. The questions relate tor" How do we serve Godr/love God/ in the hard times?" My theoloGy professor used to say that God does not give Christians any easier life in this life or all would see the temporary benefits and become Chrislians. NO---God is cal-1ing us in grace and love to serve Him, not because we can get something, but because of Who He is. He is worthy of our love and worship. C.S.Lewis said there are two kinds of people: those who say to Godr " Thy will be doner " and those to whom God says" A11 right then, have it your way." Do you see the difference? we talk a lot today about self esteem and how we feel. I would propose that if we do not put God first and our spiritual relat...

Luke 17:5-10 “ Lord, Increase Our Faith” In David Mc Cullough’s book, 1776 , we are reminded of George Washington’s dramatic battles for our Independence . He had never led an Army before in battle. The Continental Army experiences defeat after defeat with a long retreat across New Jersey . Washington launches a night attack during Christmas that changes history. He went across the Delaware River and surprised the British capturing prisoners, cannon, horses and arms. John Hancock said that the victory at Trenton was all the more “ extraordinary” given that it had been achieved by men ‘ broken by fatigue and ill-fortune.’ So the apostles say to Jesus, “ Increase our faith” upon hearing of the difficulty of forgiveness and the temptations that will daily assault their souls. Jesus’ reply to them is all the more remarkable for what it says in Luke 17 :6. He tells them that if their faith was like the mustard seed they would be able to uproot the mulberry tree ( a tree th...

“ Two Men, Two Roads, Two Results” Luke 16:19-31 In the last few weeks we have been working through the Gospel of Luke in the morning messages and we have discussed such things as Discipleship (“ Strive to enter through the narrow gate” 13:24), Counting the Cost as a Disciple and bearing our Cross (14:27), the Lost sheep, lost coin from Luke 15 and last Sunday the Parable of the Unjust Steward Luke 16 where we heard “ You cannot serve God and riches” 16:13 These have not been easy lessons . Today again we are focused on another story from Luke. I would think we should be careful if we call this a parable since it is more than that I believe. Parables are stories but in this story we have characters who are named. Be careful not to dismiss stories of Jesus either because in them we have the Word of the Gospel. I subtitled this message years ago when I talked about it ----“ Taking a wrong turn in life” Today we are looking at two ways of living. I am not trying to iden...

Luke 14:25-33 As someone has said ( Stanley Hauwervas) and I cannot get this out of my head , “ this is not an ethic of relativism ( belief in changeable standards: the belief that concepts such as right and wrong, goodness and badness, or truth and falsehood are not absolute but change from culture to culture and situation to situation ) that Jesus espouses . In other words Jesus is speaking to us today , you and me about His love for us in the context of commitment. The word disciple I was interested to learn is exactly that. It is “learner”. In other words we must be a student in the kingdom of God and be open to His lessons in our lives. Yesterday morning I read John 10:1-18 in the Gospel morning prayer. This reminds us of Our Shepherd, “ I came that they may have life and have it abundantly . I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The great crowd that was following Jesus were told that their allegiance to Jesus must be first...

A Sure Foundation, the Narrow Door & A Kingdom that Cannot Be Shaken-What does this mean for you and I?” Isaiah 28:14-22;Luke 13:22-30; Hebrews 12:18-19,22-29 I came across this story which helps me remember what I should and forget that which God wants me to forget about “ Discernment”: “ Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal, they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. Holmes said: ‘ Watson, look up and tell me what you see.’ Watson said: ‘ I see a fantastic panorama of countless stars.’ Holmes : ‘ And what does that tell you?’ Watson pondered for a moment: ‘ Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically , I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. ...

From The Morning Message by Rev. G. Campbell Morgan , 1906 (my great-grandfather on my mother's side) I found this helpful today: " If you are doubting, you cannot inspire faith. If you are not sure how this thing is going to turn out, no one will be persuaded. You must be a man of certainty, a man on the resurrection side of the grave, the old life behind. 2 Timothy 1:12 RV ' I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to guard that which I have committed unto Him ' " It is hard to get beyond our doubts when we see others struggle and lose hope. I know we all go thru this. We should be people who are on the resurrection side of the grave by faith. Others need to see God in us for them to know that we are certain people---people who are of faith. Have a great week and be persuaded He is able! David McMillan Pastor, 1st Presbyterian Church in America, PCA, Florala, AL

Lees’ prayer “ Gracious God, we thank you for the witness and lives of your servants Greg and Mary Lee today as they celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary. In their love they have enriched us and brought gladness to all of their friends and family; now bless and preserve them. Guide them in the continued use of your gifts. We thank you for your sustenance in temporal and spiritual needs ( especially this dinner prepared especially for tonite). May You grant a clear vision of the paths you are calling us all to walk in. Especially continue to be present with our Marines, Soldiers, Airmen & Naval personnel in our country and abroad. May we all travel with the One who is Way, the Truth, and the Life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

What Will Make Us Happy- Luke 12: 13-21 “ Patience allows others to approach us because they feel welcome. Patience is the gift we must pray for. It makes us able to accept the stranger and Christ. ” I heard this thought on a sermon from England this mid week. It is quite jarring then to hear this parable about the man concerned about his inheritance. I thought he must be quite unhappy. I suppose if we listed all the things that the Bible tells us will make us unhappy we would get close to knowing what will make us happy. ( And we may find we have started in the wrong place after all if we start with ‘ What will make us Happy’ ) This person in Luke 12 was referring to possibly Deuteronomy 21:17 which talks about inheritance. Jesus does not really trifle with that but goes straight to the problem. “ Take, heed and beware (12:15)against all covetousness…” The force of the original is “ that of taking a positive action to ward off a foe.” If we are truly to be happy in our li...

from The Morning Message by Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, c. 1906 " And none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. " John 10:29 " God is superior to the slum or the tenement, to ungodly companions or influence. God is greater than the sneer of the mocker. Live in God consciously, and thou hast found the environment that is highest and closest and strongest, the environment which is superior to all others." ---Live in God consciously is the key to this thought I think. We should keep Him before us in all the tasks of our life at each hour and minute and in our conversations with others. Have a blessed week. David McMillan+

PRAYER-Luke 11:1-13 The text this morning is one we all know. It is breath taking. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever seen something so wonderful and remarkable that you cannot get over it? I think the first time I went to sea in the merchant marine was such a time. I did the 360 turn and could not see anything but sea. That was breath taking. Another time was in Iraq in 2003 when I was with the 4th Infantry Division and we got to Saddam’s palace in Tikrit . The Marines had been there before us. But there was a perfect rose garden all around the grounds! I was stunned. And for the next 5 months while I was there I enjoyed the roses! The Lord’s prayer is such a prayer for us. It is breath-taking and it takes our breath away with its focus on God, our daily needs as well as our shortcomings and sins. Jesus reminds us in the story after the prayer of how we should keep asking for God’s gifts . “…(your father) knows how to give good gifts …” Luke 11:13 John N...

When I was in college at the US Merchant Marine Academy in New York ( Kings Point) I had the wonderful blessing of being able to travel down to Philadelphia once a month to see my grandfather . While I visited him I was also able to attend his church in Philadelphia, Chambers -Wylie Memorial Presbyterian Church ( across from the Academy of Music). I roamed his manse and found a delightful book called, The Morning Message which are a short series of thoughts for each day from the Scriptures from his father, G. Campbell Morgan. Here is today's- " He will not grow faint or be discouraged." Isaiah 42:4 Here is the thought , " Every worker with God is conscious of the presence of evil in the world. Let that consciousness always be held in connection with the glorious fact that over all, Christ is absolute Master. The Church is not fighting a conflict, the issue of which is uncertain. The victory has been won, and therefore it must be won." You can apply that on...

Troubled, anxious and distracted. These three English words describe Martha in this Sunday’s Gospel. The Greek words are as follows- troubled at its origin means tumult , outwardly. Anxious is also in Matthew 6:25 denotes inward uneasiness. Distracted is only here in the NT means literally “to draw from around” Martha’s attention instead of centering around Jesus was drawn hither and thither. There are many ways to serve. Tonight we will speak of Andrew from The Great Physician who was one who was behind the scenes yet very active. Jesus commends Mary in this short Scripture passage for having ( Luke 10:38-42) “ chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Many think that Mary did not serve. The word also is in many Greek texts and is left out of the translations yet in the original. Mary “ also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His Word.” In other words she was serving as well. Martha at other places in Scripture notably John 11:20 was the one who rushed to mee...

Holy Communion- “ The Good Samaritan” Luke 10: 25-37 The story of the good Samaritan has captivated people for years. It is even coined in our language, someone who stops and helps a stranger in need is “ a good Samaritan.” First we find that Jesus despite the lawyer’s test correctly answers that the law in the Old Testament was absolutely correct. Deuteronomy 6:5 “ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. “ Leviticus 19:18-“ you shall love your neighbor as yourself…” I pause there for just a minute. So the law is correct. We have the Gospel people of God in the Old Testament. It is there. We are told our duty there to God to love Him with all our hearts , souls and minds and our neighbors as ourselves. Some people leave out the Old Testament in their reading and thinking but Jesus did not. He revered the Law and the Prophets knowing they were the words of God and eternal life. So we should not neglect the Old T...

I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery." – Thomas Jefferson Deism, with me, is but another name for vice and depravity. I hear it is said by the Deists that I am one of their number. And indeed that some good people think I am no Christian. This thought gives me much more pain than being called a traitor. Being a Christian is a character which I prize far above all this world ...has, or can boast." — Patrick "give me liberty or give me death" Henry The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, anarchy and tyranny commence. If 'Thou shalt not covet' and 'Thou shalt not steal' were not commanments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free." — John Ad...ams, signer of the Declaration of Independence and America's second president Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that Law which is divine. F...

"He saw them, failing to be what God meant them to be, failing to be what was possible within the mystery of their own personality." from the GREAT Physician. Rev. G.Campbell MOrgan. from Sunday's evening sermon series on " The Great Physician"

I place these five grand marks of the Spirit’s presence before my readers, and confidently claim attention to them. I believe they will bear inspection. I am not afraid of their being searched, criticized, and cross-examined. 1) Repentance toward God. 2) Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 3) Holiness of heart and life. 4) Habits of real private prayer. 5) Love and reverence toward God’s Word. “These are the real proofs of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in a man’s soul. Where He is, these marks will be seen. Where He is not, these marks will be lacking.” ~ J.C. Ryle Could we add joining the visible Church? I would.

5th Sunday after Pentecost Galatians 5:1, 13-25 Our problem is not so much that we do not know what the spiritual harvest should be—i.e. love, joy , peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, but we can fall into the trap of saying does it really matter? If I am already a believer, what can you add to that? Simply put there is much to say for being a believer. That is where we must start in the Christian life. So the real question is what does it mean to be a believer is it not? If the fruit of the Spirit are evidences of the work of God’s grace in our hearts then that should be there in some way, shape , manner or form. AA Hodge who taught at Princeton seminary talks about this area in his little book, Evangelical Theology : “ You cannot take Christ for justification unless you take him for sanctification. Think of the sinner coming to Christ and saying, ‘ I do not want to be holy’ ; ‘ I do not want to be saved from sin’; ‘ I would like...

New every morning is the loveOur wakening and uprising prove;Through sleep and darkness kindly brought,Restored to life and pow'r and thought. New mercies, each returning day,Come down around us while we pray;Old fears are gone, old sins forgiven,New thoughts of God, new grace from heaven. If, in our daily lives, our mindsThink to bless all we meet and find,God's City will come down to the earth;Treasure untarnished, holy birth. Hear us, O God, in your dear love,Let our prayers rise to you above,And help us, this and every day,To live as truly as we pray. Words: John Keble, (19thC) adapted I especially like the part " to live as truly as we pray." That is worth memorizing ! and doing?! David McMillan.

One comment has been what stuck with me on Sunday from one of our members . " the men are not reading Scripture...." basically was the comment. Well, let us all agree with that. We all need more of God in our lives and less of the world and its temptations to draw us away from what is right and true. Of course I agree. I will start with myself. What I have found helpful through the years is a lectionary system where one reads something at least. If you wish my link, let me know. I also struggle like everyone else with this! Here is the point...some system is needed. And use the system for you that works!!!! If it is broken, fix it. If it is not, don 't fix it. Why? Because we all want to lead healthier and happier lives! And if listening to God is the key, then we should all do it starting with the ministers and Elders of the Churches. Psalm 119 tells it all. " Thy Word is a lantern to my feet and a light unto my path" That is either true or it is ...

Collect for the Renewal of Life O God, the King eternal, who dividest the day from the night and turnest the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep thy law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done thy will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night cometh, rejoice to give thee thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. I like this prayer.

Today's Psalm provides some wisdom for our lives in a practical way: Psalm 119: 97-120 God's law provides instruction so that we are wiser than the aged , our enemies and our teachers! That is a lot of wisdom. Through His commandments we get understanding. " I have kept my feet from every evil way that I may keep your commandments." There is something about putting God in our lives that definitely leads us into areas of wisdom and delight. He is before us in His Word and we are kept from evil. He is our Defense and our shield. His directions are a light unto our path because they are a lantern unto our feet. As our feet go , so go our path. ( makes me think of the run on Saturday around the lake...) Have a great WED! David McMillan

God is our only Hope. -----Psalm " Turn us again O Lord God of hosts, show the light of thy countenance and we shall be whole." Psalm 80:19 God is our only Hope. Some say this or that is their only hope. If only I had this or that then I would be alright. Some even say prayer is their only hope. I value prayer and God works through our prayers that we make. I do not want to detract from that, but if prayer is our only hope we are in trouble. God is the one who controls, directs and allows all things. He is our only hope. So the Psalmist prays that God would turn His people back to them , for then " we shall be whole." What have we substituted for God Himself? In this age of instant digital communication and internet we can become fastened to that and that can be our only hope. This communication can foster our spirtual lives but it cannot be our only hope. God is our only Hope. Have a great week! David McMillan+

Perhaps I should take some time to write about my travels and time in this life. I think I have had an interesting life. Who would have ever thought I would retire as an Army Chaplain after 20 years leaving a small rural parish in North Dakota? ---I could not know that. I traveled too when I grew up since I was an Army "brat." That made me hope to not travel when I got older. But somehow I fell back into the Army through the National Guard and active duty. I do miss talking to people from all over the world in our Army. I had some great experiences. And many more to come! ---I never thought I would end up back in the Presbyterian Church. I was quite happy to stay in the Reformed Episcopal one at least in the chaplaincy. Unfortunately the REC has changed and become what we never thought it would be----a high church with much of the same problems as the Episcopal Church. The Presbyterians have stayed pretty much the same although they have forgotten good worship and...

Ever buy a used car? Seems some people are happy to sell you something, whether a new job that is not as great as promised or a way of thinking that is not that thoughtful. Recently I re-learned this lesson. I was looking , but when I asked too many questions the other party got angry. HMmmmm? Questions can reveal where people are . Do not be quick to do things others wish without taking the time to think and ask questions. It may save you from problems later on. So knowing God and following His will is not that easy either. OPen door is not always wha t it appears. The advice of others is to be heeded but not always followed. In the end you live with your decision. So pray, think and above take the time to ask questions and I mean a lot of them! If the other side gets mad, then maybe you found a problem!

Ogilivie says ," Satan's strategy is to try to influence us with the false idea that this life is all there is." " We are set free to enjoy life to the fullest, knowing that everything matters because nothing ultimately matters except our relationship with Him." Philippians 1:21 " For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain." I have to say you need to read this book, " 12 Steps to Living Without Fear" Step 10.

I am drawing my comments from Lloyd Ogilivie's book, " 12 Steps to Living Without Fear" Step 10 says, " I will face my eventual physical death and claim that I am alive eternally. Therefore, I can live abundantly without panic for the rest of my time on earth." I would add thru Christ. He says that in the chapter. I like this one. One lady who he quotes who was ill says, " I'm not afraid of death anymore. In fact , panic over sickness is gone. However long I live physically matters so much less now, and I'm really free to live now and forever." This she says about facing death. " We'll discover that claiming death as a transition in living----a new beginning, and not an end---will be the start of a wonderful freedom to live more fully now and for however long we have left on this earth." " Lurking beneath our gusto for living is the grief we harbor about dying. Unfortunately, many Christians, who should have the greatest free...

Has the Church lost its relevance? If you like " USA Today" last week the paper shared several statistics about how many young people feel it is so. Their spirituality is personal and not linked to any organization. I thought the article quite slanted. I wonder who they really polled. Yes, I understand many are feeling the lack of connection and even some in my own family. I just wonder if they skewed the article towards their view point. There are many dynamic churches today where the good news is being preached and assistance is offered to many. Counseling, fellowships, true teaching are some of the evidences as well as ministries to the poor and struggling. Wherever two or three are gathered in His Name , Jesus said He was in the midst. If you gather your ideas about the relevance of the Church from a paper you may be mis-led. Of course the Church can be more in tune with the issues and needs of the day. A drive through any community will see many churches. The...

We were blessed on Palm Sunday to have children sing to us from the Palmer Home for Children from MS. Here is a link. http://palmerhome.org/mobile/PalmerHistory.html It was a great day and this home sure needs our support. So, wave a Palm and bless someone else who needs it. .in the name of the Lord. HOSANNA!

I guess it is really true that unless you have lost a loved one you really are not aware of what others feel like. Even then I would suggest we not say, " I know how you feel." Because you probably don't really. Their feelings are unknown to you. You may have some empathy because you have gone through a similiar experience. It certainly brings home the shortness of life. It brings home a lot of things really. It puts you in a fog and cloudy day. The sun does not seem to be shining even though it may be there physically. I am not sure how the loved one would want us to react, but I do not think they would want us to be moping around all, " woe is me." That is for sure. So it is good to take those good memories and sayings of the one we have lost and put them out there to ponder. I am trying to do that, slowly.