In this E-pistle:

A Reminder from Lois Anderson
Deep Truth

A Reminder from Lois Anderson 

We will take time to remember Lois Anderson and pray for Bill during Sunday’s service.  By now, all of us have heard the story.  The Post-Gazette carried a particularly effective piece in this morning’s paper (click here)   Earlier I asked some of you who knew Bill and Lois well to share some of your thoughts.  I received this from Audrey Sheline and offer it to you in only slightly edited form (names changed to protect the innocent!).  Thanks, Audrey. 

One of my memories of Lois and Bill concerns their presence in Beaver along about 1949.  A young man from the church was dating Lois and had made clear to his male friends that he was going to propose to her, so hands off!  Then Bill Anderson came into our lives as Assistant Pastor to Dr. Nesbitt.  Oh, my, what a breath of fresh air he was.  He was miles ahead of us in his Christian growth and he knew he had a future in Christian service.  So he wasted no time in getting acquainted with Lois Crawford!  She recognized a commonality with this person and it seemed no time 'til they were engaged, married, and off to the mission field.

I'm convinced Lois had a life with Bill that was full and overflowing – a life of service to their beloved God and His church in Africa.  God's plan is very evident — I can't even imagine what her life would have been in Beaver (boring at the least) — she had so much Christian love to share with others as she demonstrated what life in Christ means — how rewarding it can be.

I'm reminded of something they said before leaving for their first work in Africa:  "We have the easier work to do in Africa; your work here in the U.S. is much harder."  Even with such a detestable ending of this life for Lois and Zelda, I've a notion they would still make that comment.

Lois’ words echo true to me.  We have heard similar thoughts from our friends in the favelas of Brazil.  Our work as comfortable American Christians is difficult; perhaps it is too easy for us to lean on ourselves and the thank ourselves and our ways for the blessings we enjoy.  Comfort is our great affliction. 

Deep Truth

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  So reads our text for Sunday morning. 

Missy and the youth coordinator at Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church have been up to something really good lately.  Twice in recent weeks the SS Peter and Paul youth leader along with some of the kids from the church have met with out NBC kids here at Park on Tuesday afternoon, and they’ve talked about the similarities and differences between our two different branches in the family tree of the church.  One of the questions the Catholic kids put to the Presbyterian kids was, “Do you take the Bible literally?”  As Missy and I were talking before the gathering, she rightly said, “It all depends on what you mean by literal.” 

No, we don’t believe that the day will come when trees literally clap their hands in joy.  But we know that Scripture makes no mistake when it tells us that the coming of the Kingdom will cause universal rejoicing.  We understand the promise of the trees clapping their hands, if not literally so.  We understand that faithful people disagree about meaning of the days of creation and the nature of Jonah’s whale.  But we trust the absolute truth of God’s creative and redemptive story told in Genesis and by the prophets.  We don’t look for a Word full of data and facts.  We trust a Word that is full of grace and truth as it bears witness to the Word Incarnate.  Some may want to listen to Jesus only when he speaks of grace and some only when he speaks of truth.   If you listen with both ears you will always hear grace and truth. 

Do we take the Bible literally?  That depends on what you mean by literal.  We do take it to be God’s deep Truth, truer and deeper than anything else.  Absolutely so.