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The Reverend Dr. John Callahan is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Princeton Theological and Pittsburgh Theological Seminaries. He served as associate pastor in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and as pastor of the Clinton United Presbyterian Church in Saxonburg, PA. He began his ministry with Morrow Presbyterian Church on Sunday, May 4, 2008.
John served on an administrative commission of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and the Good Shepherd Clinic Board of Directors of Morrow, GA. He also served for six years on the Examinations Committee of the Presbytery, which admits pastors into membership of the Presbytery. He currently serves on the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and occasionally as a Pastor Nominations Committee Liaison for the Presbytery.
John’s wife, Tamara, is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and served as Sunday School Superintendent and Moderator of the Presbyterian Women of Morrow Church. She currently serves as the organist of the church. She and John have two children, Parker and Amanda. Parker graduated from Union Grove High School and the University of Maryland with a focus on architecture. He is earning his Masters in Architecture from the Savannah College of Arts and Design (SCAD). Amanda also graduated from Union Grove and recently graduated from Valdosta State University with a degree in organizational leadership. She shares her talent of singing in our church. She joined the Children’s Choir of Spivey Hall for five years and sang and danced for her high school through the Advanced Women’s Chorus and Union Groove.
September 2023
How would you say the following word: buffet? Mostly likely you would say “buff-FAY,” and then you might start thinking about a large spread of food. We have buffets at our Family Night Suppers, and we could visit one at an all-you-can-eat restaurant.
This is what buffet usually means. However, during my May preaching conference in Minneapolis, I came across a different pronunciation. No A sound at the end but FET, and put the emphasis on the first syllable, BUFF-fet. This pronunciation came to me while we were singing the well-known hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul,” the second verse beginning with, “Though Satan should BUFF-fet, though trials should come...” We, who were singing, were told not to think about a delicious spread of food. We were told to think about how the devil may swoop in at times and disturb our peace. We sang about disquieting trials overpowering us and turning our lives upside down.
I had to look up the word. As a verb buffet means, “knock someone over or off course” or “afflict or harm someone repeatedly or over a long period.” “Though Satan should knock us off course by smacking us to the ground and then repeating the assault over and over so that we cannot get anywhere…” Not fun at all.
Life is like that at times – it buffets us. We do nothing wrong, yet we might end up facing a problem that is hard to solve. We are going along our merry ways, and then some drama smacks against us. We don’t have the time or resources to solve it. We become so stressed that we don’t know what to do next. When we are buffeted, we are taken completely off our game and forced to experience something unpleasant and unwelcome that we never planned to experience. We wish we could be left alone.
However, when the world and sin buffet (BUFF-fet), God comes to us with a buffet (buff-FAY). God provides spiritual food to help us endure the crises. God offers spiritual nourishment to give us strength for the difficult road ahead. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5). “Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (John 6:35). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). “Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy grain and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1).
We might be knocked down, but the Lord will give us what we need to stand again. We might feel like we are being beaten mercilessly by a host of problems, but the Lord will provide the food we need to get through it all. God offers sustenance full of courage, strength, patience, and joy. When the world and sin buffet, God comes to us with a buffet. Let God feed you to overflowing with his goodness.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Dr. John
1The Hymnal for Worship and Celebration, Hymn #493, “It Is Well with My Soul.”