Renowned Church of Scotland minister Eric Alexander died on 13 January 2023, leaving a legacy as one of the most gifted preachers of his time.
The Revd Alexander ministered from 1959 to 1997 at St David’s Knightswood, Glasgow; Loudoun East, Newmilns; and then at St George’s-Tron, Glasgow. A regular Keswick Convention speaker, he was also a pianist and hymnwriter. His deep expository ministry was increasingly appreciated for its expositional depth, Christ-centredness and evangelical passion.
Eric was seen as modelling for many aspiring preachers all that a God-honouring preacher should be. In a written tribute, David Robertson describes Eric as ‘a prince in Israel’. ‘He did [the teaching of the word of God] in such a weighty and serious manner that so many times we felt ushered into the presence of God,’ he writes. ‘It was not just his oratorical skills. He had such a deep and resounding voice that he could have read the back of a cornflakes packet and we would have thought it was weighty!
‘It was the substance of what he taught and the “anointing” – the “unction” from the Holy Spirit that he had. When he said ‘Let us worship God’… you knew that was precisely what you were going to do!
‘We give thanks to the Lord for the gift of his servant, we pray for the family, we weep for the church, and we look forward to being in glory when we won’t need to hear Mr Alexander ushering us into the presence of God to worship Him – because we will already be there!
‘He had this enormous gift of being able to make you feel that you were the most important person in the room when he spoke to you – he gave you his full undivided attention.’
• Listen to Eric Alexander’s sermons at: www.ericalexander.co.uk/sermons.php
