Remembering Eric Alexander (1932—2023)

Mez McConnell

Late last week I received an email informing me of the death of Eric Alexander. It was swiftly followed by a request to write a few words about him.

What was Eric like as a man? What was/is his wife’s name? I have no idea. What about children? No clue, sorry. How many times did you meet Eric? I never met him, even though in recent years I tried to get in a room with him (by that time he was advanced in years, and his physical life was waning). Of course, I could find the answers to all of my questions with a simple search on the internet. It  wouldn’t take me more than 10 minutes.

Why, then am I writing these words about a man I never met, or knew at all? The simple reason is that Eric was a man who was a great balm to my soul, and a great encouragement to my heart and mind, as I discovered his sermons online. During the first Covid lockdown in the UK, I became quite ill and I had to be isolated for many weeks. As the time ran on, I became increasingly more frustrated and could feel myself slipping into the abyss of depression. That is, until I stumbled upon a sermon series on Mark’s gospel by Eric.

I quickly became addicted to his preaching. This was followed by an almost evangelical zeal to make him known to anybody and everybody with whom I came into contact. He was just too good a preacher to be forgotten by the next generation.

Eric Alexander, Christian, father, husband, pastor, and preacher has gone home to The Lord. There will be tears, of course, from those who knew and loved him well. There will be those who cherish fond memories of the man. There will be gladness and joy for a life faithfully lived in the service of his saviour.

And in a small housing scheme in the east of Edinburgh, there will be a man he never met who is thankful to God for his legacy of glorious, expository preaching. In fact, there are people in Scotland’s housing schemes right now who will be listening to one of his sermons. I am even listening to him right now (on Genesis) as I write this.

Well done, good and faithful servant. You have gone home to your master. You finished the race. You kept the faith. Even dead, you now live. And I’ll still get to hear that distinctive Scottish brogue as I listen to your preaching from time to time until my own homecoming.

All glory to God

Mez

For a catalogue of Eric’s sermons, visit monergism.com

Mez McConnell

Mez McConnell is senior pastor of Niddrie Community Church, Edinburgh. He is the director of 20Schemes, a church-planting and revitalisation initiative in Scotland. He has written several books including The Creaking on the Stairs: Finding Faith in God Through Childhood Abuse (Christian Focus) and Is There Anybody Out There?: A Journey from Despair to Hope (Christian Focus) and most recently The Least, The Last and The Lost (Evangelical Press).