The Eric-factor

I’m just back from Edinburgh where I’ve been voting for the new Moderator.  The result isn’t on the offical Church web-site yet, so I’ll hang fire.  I have some thoughts on the whole process, which I believe is undemocratic.  But that’s for later.

On the way to and from Edinburgh I was listening to Eric Alexander preaching on Romans.  Eric has been retired from St.George’s Tron for over 10 years now, and spent much of the time immeditately after his retirement in the USA (often fulfilling the engagements of the late James Montgomery Boice, his dear friend, who died of liver cancer very soon after diagnosis).

Therefore, I suspect there are some younger folk who haven’t heard of, or who have never heard Eric preach. 

His son, Ronald, has done the Church a great service by creating a web-site of his father’s sermons.  Knowing I would have a long trip today, I downloaded some of sermons on Romans.  Eric preached through Romans three times while at the Tron, quite unapologeticially, since he believes Romans to be foundational for understanding the Christian gospel.

What is it like listening to Eric preach?  Let me put it like this.  Imagine you are watching  the X-factor.  You listen to the finalists singing some well-known number. And they are good; very good.  But then out comes the superstar whose number the amateur has been performing.  Now they sing the song.  Wow.  Same words, same tune, same backing vocals.  But most definately not the same.

I have preached Romans.  I am the amateur, the wanna-be.  Eric is it. 

It’s not that he has unique insights into the text.  He uses the same commentaries as the rest of us.  It’s not that he presents us with deeper doctrine.  Actually, his doctrine is very simple and straightforward.

What really sets Eric’s preaching apart is not his rhetoric (which is flawless) or even his voice (sonorous and captivating).  It’s his application.  Seering.  He takes the same text which we all have; the same doctrine we all believe, and he applies it with surgical precision.  It’s as if he has personal knowledge of my sin. 

Listening to Eric today in the car has reminded me of why we used to flock to St. George’s Tron.  He is to preachers what Pavarotti was to singers or Olivier to actors or Pele to footballers.  He inspires us to be the best for the Lord we all serve.