Pointing to the Pasturelands

CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 27 June 2024

Friends in Christ, reflecting on all the discussion about older persons showing their age in the American Presidential Election debate brought to mind a short article by the late J. I. Packer. It really challenged me when I read it recently. 

Packer writes:

“When persons suffering loss of memory cannot recall where their earthly home is, we pity them; but Christians who forget that heaven is their true home, and never think positively about heaven at all, are much more to be pitied.

…speaking pastorally now, aging Christians like me need to hear a lot about heaven; for knowing what you have to look forward to, and actually looking forward to it, keeps you alive inside…

If the prospect of being with Jesus Christ, closer than ever before—all frustration, weakness, and pain having been left behind—does not thrill us constantly, our Christianity is dreadfully substandard.”

That's from ‘Why I like my pie in the sky’, chapter 17 in Pointing to the Pasturelands: Reflections on Evangelicalism, Doctrine, & Culture. It was given to me by a mentor. 

It comprises mainly short columns (and a few longer pieces) that Packer wrote for the magazine Christianity Today over three decades. I've been reading it bit by bit, and articles from 20 or 30 years ago are still fresh and insightful today. 

I keep getting food for thought and ideas for preaching, but also reflections for my soul that do me good. Packer's wide range of interests certainly puts politics in its place. 

Why not find out a bit more about it here (including a list of topics), and see if it would be the sort of book you might enjoy. In Australia, you can order it from either Koorong or The Wandering Bookseller.

Warmly in Christ,

Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney