Commendably, the Rev. Dr. James Innes Packer Preaches the Memorial Service, 5 Aug 2011, in Vancouver for the Rev. Dr. John Stott, Due for Burial 8 Aug 2011 from All Souls, London
This sermon was preached as a memorial service for the late Rev. Dr. John R. W. Stott (April 27, 1921 - July 27, 2011). The Rev. Canon Dr. James I. Packer preached. A scholarly Anglican, Dr. Packer, who knew Dr. Stott for years, offered his sage insights. As an aside, a digression, even the New York Times eulogized Dr. Stott as an honorable Evangelical Anglican rather than an “Evangelical Blowhard” [read: American evangelical] See. http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2011/07/nyts-kristoff-on-rev-mr-john-stott.html
Part 1 of 3 from Dr. Packer’s sermon:
The biblical text: Hebrews 13:7-8. Over 3 parts, the sermon is almost 34 minutes.
The youtube post is dated 5 Aug 2011. It was posted by the Anglican Network Church of the Good Shepherd, Vancouver, BC, Canada. This parish is in the Anglican Network in Canada, a split-off from the liberal Anglican Church of Canada.
Two quick take-ways from Part 1.
A side note, in the Anglican tradition, Dr. Packer is vested as an Anglican in cassock, surplice and stole with a clerical collar…standard vestments for centuries. As such, we are reminded of our Anglican heritage. Architecturally, the pulpit is to the left, again, a consciousness of our great past when order and decency was prescribed for worship and music. Dr. Packer speaks with careful measure and thought—no enthusiasm. No crudity or enthusiasms like American blowhards. We are thankful for deliberative, cautious and common sense exposition. While insignificant to most, given American enthusiasm, these minor side notes represent long bridges to the wider matters of Anglicanism with deep taproots deep in history and common sense.
On a different and superior note than the above, important as it is, Dr. Packer offers a worthy exegetical and expository on the biblical text…a commendable interplay between the biblical text and Dr. Stott’s life. May this style and approach never be forgotten. Faithful Anglican Churchmen are a Bible-people. Our thoughts are registered at: http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2011/08/getting-oriented-to-bible-reading-and.html. Some excellent comments are offered by Dr. Packer on the intransigency of liberalism, pride and obstinacy of unbelief in the mainline churches. We are long acquainted with it. In context, as Dr. Packer informs us, Dr. Stott stood as a faithful witness in the liberal Anglican context. As such, Dr. Stott reminded us of our great Bible heritage. An Anglican heritage…of standing in theological storms like Cranmer, Ridley, Hooper, Rogers, Bilney, Coverdale and others.
Part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI-peagzTeo&NR=1
Dr. Stott advocated for serious worship that was not sloppy or casual. Little might Dr. Stott have known in modern America with the moderns. Dr. Stott lived a life of quiet discipline. Dr. Stott was constant in Bible study, prayer, self-discipline, love, patience, and the extension of encouragement to others. Dr. Stott spent 25 years in the pastorate at All Souls, Langham, resulting in well-trained parishioners as well as salutary influences in the Church of England. We are not sure to what degree Dr. Stott advocated old Prayer Book Churchmanship, but this is an aside, albeit a warranted aside. Dr. Packer calls Dr. Stott an “unconsecrated Bishop” with world-wide influence in the Anglican communion as well as the wider, non-Confessional, Revivalist and non-liturgical evangelical world [Ed. “American” sense of evangelical, e.g. Billy Graham, Anabaptists, Christianity Today] .
Dr. Stott influenced, by turns, GAFCON 2008, an international gathering of Anglican Bishops, and the coming to life of Confessional Anglicanism. The fruits of GAFCON remain to be seen. We do notice an uptick of interest in the Protestant and Reformation Articles, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. Dr. Stott had an “enlarged vision of the Church.” Dr. Packer calls auditors to “pick up the torch” and “carry on” what John began. We concur.
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