Becky and are in the midst of a wonderful week of having our oldest grandchild with us for a visit.  Caleb is 12 years old and is at that great age of being conversational and engaged with little of the attitude that sometimes, or at least stereotypically, infects children two or three years older than he is. So far, the week has been full of lots of laughter, and we are loving it.

But Caleb is 12.  Along with conversational comes opinionated and, yes, occasionally argumentative.

Caleb is 12.  Among the many joys of having him here is seeing him delight in the LEGO sets that once belonged to his dad and his aunts.  And since you asked, I do think those old LEGO sets are superior to the new LEGO sets in the way they allow creativity and imagination – fewer of those one part with one use pieces. Continue reading →

Dr. Toney with a patient at Kibuye Hospital, Burundi

We don’t need to know all the details. In its very short form, the story adds just a little more to our never-quite-complete definition of love.

As Ossian Presbyterian Church, where I preach, prepares to receive a new pastor in God’s time, we have been working to remind ourselves of what “God intends for this people, in this place, at this time.” Recent sermons have focused on Christ as our unity (Philippians 2), our call to good works (Matthew 5), the Great Commandment (Mark 12), the Great Commission (Matthew 28), and, a Sunday ago, what we called the Great Conspiracy (Acts 1). The Great Conspiracy is our Spirit-empowered witness in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

That’s just the backdrop to the very short story.

As we talked about being Christ’s witness to the ends of the earth, I shared a video that some of you have seen before. If you don’t remember or never heard the story of Fides and how God used our friend Dr. John Cropsey’s skill to restore her sight, here it is and well worth the six minutes you will invest in watching it. Continue reading →

It was a good funeral, and having officiated at several hundred funerals, I think I know a good funeral when I see one.  The setting was magnificent, the music was wonderful, and the guest list was impressive.  I am talking, of course, about the past Monday’s funeral for Queen Elizabeth.

But it was not the magnificence of Westminster Abbey, the wonder of the pipe organ and the choirs, or the impressive guest list that made it so good. Yes, there were those things that seem to be a part of most funerals.  Like a favorite grandchild who must be given some part in the service, they let the Prime Minister read the Gospel lesson.  Like the favorite grandchild who has no idea what Grandma’s faith was all about, the Prime Minister, who says she is not a “practising Christian,” seemed awkward as she read the words of life.

What makes a funeral good is when the deceased is remembered well with reminders of who she was rather than funny stories about embarrassing situations involving her. In a good funeral, the grief and the sorrow of the deceased family is acknowledged and honored with no condescending lines about being free from pain or in a better place. In a good funeral the favorite grandchild who must have a part is given something to read even if, like a Prime Minister, she doesn’t believe or understand a word of it. A good funeral is always over in less than an hour and never allows an open mic for those who might wish to share just a short story. Continue reading →

I have been thinking about evangelism.  Our denomination has made evangelism one of its top strategic priorities.  We keep hearing the tagline, “Put the ‘e’ back in EPC,” meaning evangelism, I think.  Our leaders may have forgotten that there is a difference between the broad and rich term “evangelical” and the narrower term “evangelistic.”

That is not to say that evangelism is not a good thing. Evangelism is, according to the Evangelical Dictionary of the Bible, “the proclamation of the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ with a view to bringing about the reconciliation of the sinner to God the Father through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.” Sounds good to me.  Yes, evangelism is about much more than getting people – by whatever means – to ask Jesus into their hearts.

In our Reformed Tradition we talk about our “effectual call.” The God who knew us and loved us “before we were formed in the womb” (Jeremiah 1:5), calls and claims us in Christ. The Westminster Confession speaks of those who are effectually called this way: “(God) calls them by his word and Spirit out of their natural state of sin and death into grace and salvation through Jesus Christ. He enlightens their minds spiritually with a saving understanding of the things of God.  He takes away their heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh. He renews their wills and by his almighty power leads them to what is good. And so he effectually draws them to Jesus Christ. But they come to Jesus voluntarily, having been made willing by God’s grace.” Continue reading →

I have been preaching regularly of late, though I am not the regular preacher. A few years ago, as I thought about retirement, I was pretty sure I did not want to become an interim pastor, and I had lots of good reasons to steer clear of the title and the task.  With a little bit of semantical trickery and the indulgence of a kind congregation, I have been able to avoid the fate I did not want.  I am Moderator of the Session and “Transitional Coach.”  I preach two or three times a month and I am helping in preparations for a pastor search.  I hope to be out of a job by spring, Lord willing.

Don’t tell anyone, but I am enjoying it.  I like the kind congregation and the preaching and coaching is quite a bit of fun.

I am not sure it is wise to call preaching fun, however.  It is a task like no other and familiarity with it is a great danger. John Calvin called the pulpit “the throne of God, and from that throne he wants to govern our souls.” For Calvin, preaching and the sacraments were means of grace.  “Wherever the Word of God is purely preached, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults,” he wrote. Continue reading →