Dr Samuel T. Logan, President and Professor of Church History Emeritus at Westminster Theological Seminary, was the guest preacher at Cresheim Valley Church this morning.

He began with a poem.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

Dr Logan used the poem to explain how it is that literature, even fictional literature, can convey truth. He spoke very movingly about how this poem captured the struggle of the terminally ill, longing for a rest from their pain, but knowing that there is still a journey to be completed.

He then introduced a second poem.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Dr Logan actually preached on Luke 15. He made the point that the three parables there are simply three short stories. They, like all good literature, have a bigger purpose than mere information. They aim to grip the heart, to move us from the grumbling of the Pharisees in v1-2, to delight in our father, the 'running father' who is the subject of the third parable. Indeed the parables themselves are examples of the father's love that extends mercy and compassionate understanding to his wayward children.

A third poem which I think may have been the words to a hymn I didn't recognise drew the sermon to a close.

What made this such a powerful sermon was the way in which it matched its subject matter. The sermon gripped our hearts and showed us the love of the running father that Luke 15 speaks of. As Dr Logan pointed out, to know the truth of this isn't enough - even the devil knows this - we need to experience it and respond to it with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength.