It has been a busy month. Over the past 29 days I have preached or lectured 28 times. It has been a privilege to share God’s word in such diverse places as First Presbyterian (Jackson, Mississippi), Brora Free Church (Sutherland), Back Free Church (Isle of Lewis) and my own congregations of St Peters and St Andrews. It has also been fascinating to see the diversity of people involved – from medical students in Jackson through to the elderly in Dundee. At the risk of arousing the ire of those who think that unless you have met everyone and know everything it is impossible to make any observation, I would like to share some of the lessons I have learned during this busy period.

Brora is my old congregation of which I have very happy memories. It is a small congregation in a small rural Highland community. To be honest it was very sad revisiting the place. The cause has declined and, as in all small places, when one revisits you are always told the sad news – the young people killed in a car crash, the closing down of the local mill, those who have been diagnosed with cancer, those who no longer attend church and the various family break ups and relationship hassles. Yet in the midst of all this bad news it was a privilege to be able to go and tell the Good news. The people were warm, open and receptive to the Good News.

Jackson is like a second home to me. There are many American myths but the one about Southern Hospitality is absolutely true. In 1997 I experienced a spiritual renewal thanks to the loving and tender care of the people in Trinity Presbyterian. This time I was asked back to preach at First Pres. If I am allowed to be honest (without hurting peoples feelings) then I have to say that I looked forward to this with some apprehension. First Presbyterian is a centre of good preaching – it’s senior minister, Ligon Duncan, is an excellent preacher and expositor of the Word and his assistant, Derek Thomas, is also one of the best preachers I have heard. First Pres is also a large and important church and can attract some of the best preachers from all over the world. I am way out of their league and would not consider myself to be a conference preacher. Therefore it was with some degree of nervousness that I approached the pulpit. This, as my wife will tell you, is usually disastrous. If I am nervous I tend to use humour and am sometimes less than careful in some of my expressions. In my own culture that can have a negative effect – in one as different as First Pres it could have been catastrophic. Yet amazingly I found that this was another time of renewal for me. I enjoyed preaching to a variety of groups and people – the compulsory (for students) chapel at Belhaven was a real challenge and joy as were the sessions at First Pres. Contrary to rumour I did not find the people to be stiff or formal. I don’t think I will ever forget Homer Lees enthusiasm, or the Pentecostal lady who thanked me for an ‘unpresbyterian’ sermon; or the woman who had just lost her husband expressing gratitude for the prayer on suffering from the psalms. The people were warm, open and receptive to the Good News.

Back on home ground in Dundee and St Andrews it was again a privilege to share Gods Word with my own people. East, West home is best. I do not think a week goes by without my being grateful to the Lord for the wonderful opportunities that we have here in Dundee and for the way that he has and continues to bless us. What astounds me, (and it shouldn’t), is that in the midst of a declining church culture in a declining secular culture it is still true that the best way to bring the Word to people is to preach it and live it. Despite all the internal problems, the sorrows and the frustrations caused by the fact that we are still sinners living in a sinful world, there is a joy and an anticipation about St Peters which is almost tangible. And the people here are also warm, open and receptive to the gospel.

But what about Lewis? The Blessed Isle. I had never preached there. ‘It is too conservative and traditional for you’ they said. ‘You won’t like it’ they said, ‘and they won’t like you’. Well I don’t know about the latter but the former was not true. I loved it. There was an enthusiasm for the Word, the Gaelic singing was spine chilling and it was wonderful to see the impact that Iain D Campbell and his congregation are having on that community. And guess what? The people were warm, open and receptive to the gospel.

All the above may sound as though I have been living in an ideal world. Far from it. Each of the places mentioned above are fallen places with imperfect churches populated by sinners in whom the process of sanctification still has a long way to run. And that is precisely why they love to hear the gospel. It is Good News addressed to precisely their situation. It’s not difficult to feed a starving man.

All this self-indulgent personal reflection may seem as though I am suggesting that my earlier comment on my own preaching ability (or lack of it) has somehow been revised. Not really. What has been renewed and encouraged is my belief that preaching can be exegetical and theological as well as relevant, contemporary and connected. I have also had another assumption challenged. Some argue that there are styles of preaching which go down well in one context but not in another. There is some truth in that but my fear is that it sometimes goes too far. I am personally convinced that providing one takes into account local issues, local circumstances and avoids airs and graces then it is possible to preach in widely different cultures and contexts. If a preacher adopts an ecclesiastical style then there may be more difficulty – especially in a culture where that style is not known. But if a man is faithful to himself and to the Word then providing he has the basic gifts required he can preach anywhere. Even when he is the most ordinary of preachers.

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