Tribute: Timothy J. Keller
In the age of social media when someone prominent dies, be it an entertainer, a Queen, or a well-known Pastor, it can seem like there is some contest for who can be the most impacted or sad in a social media post. While it just seems wrong to seek attention in light of death, I think it’s also okay to be impacted by the passing of a public figure even if you never knew them personally. As a guitar player who loves blues music, the death of B.B. King had me blue for a bit. As a lifelong NBA follower, and LA Lakers fan Kobe Bryant’s tragic death was certainly jarring. And today, May 19th, 2023, the passing of Presbyterian Pastor Timothy Keller has had me thinking all day about the impact he had on me personally. I hope with this quick tribute, I can pay respect to Tim Keller and maybe even point someone to Christ.
I have spent my entire life in the Bible belt south but only began to take Christianity seriously when I was in college. What also happened while I was in college was the emergence of Podcasts. As I got involved in ministry and Church on my college campus, I also started to explore Christian podcasts. This is when I discovered the sermons of Mr. Timothy J. Keller. Keller’s thoughtful, calm, yet powerful messages had a way of stimulating your intellect and simultaneously drawing you into the love Christ has for you. Keller came from a more reformed background than the charismatic ministry I was working in but his ability to preach Christ-centered sermons earned him respect and appreciation across many protestant denominations.
I remember an exercise our campus pastor had our leadership team do from time to time. He would ask us to name three people who had impacted our lives. We all came up with the three names quickly. He would then ask us to name three sermons that had impacted our lives. None of us could name three sermons. Honestly, most of us couldn't name one that had impacted our lives. The lesson was a good one because it helped us to understand that how we treat people on a daily basis is far more impactful than any sermon. That being said, over the years, I actually did come across sermons that impacted my life. Several of them came from Timothy Keller. I came across “The Longing For Home” sermon probably in 2012 or 2013 and have listened to it many times. If ever I am asked for sermon recommendations, I share this one. To me, this is just superb preaching. There is no shouting. It has no sense of those awful sales-pitch sermons that are all too common. It’s a sermon that draws from scripture to point to the glory of God through Christ. Keller had a beautiful way of using scripture to show us that belief in God through Christ is the most natural and necessary thing about who we are. This sermon in particular captures that better than any other that I remember.
Let us thank God for Timothy Keller and the work he did. Let us also pray for his loved ones as they grieve