Psalm 37:7 Memorial Service Michael Toogood

Text Psalm 37:37 Date 15/07/23 Place The Swiss Church, Endell Street, Covent Garden

I would like to preach this afternoon on a text. It is found in Psalm 37 verse 37. It says

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

In his Lectures on Sacred Rhetoric the Presbyterian R L Dabney gives it as a general rule for preachers not to eulogise people who have died. However, he does say that there are a few of God's servants whose sanctity is so universally approved even by those who are without, and on whom the Redeemer has so manifestly set his divine image, that it may be the pastor's duty to urge their example upon the church.

I think that is the case with Michael Toogood. Hence the text

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

I thought it might be good first to explain how I came to know Michael and his work. I became pastor at Childs Hill Baptist Church near Golders Green in 1983 around the time when the London Inreach Project was in its infancy. We were then still in the Baptist Union but we soon left and went on to leave the London Baptist Association too. That year the LBA president was inviting churches to give to work in Holloway Road, where there was a woman pastor and Purley, Surrey, in what was always known as the stockbroker belt. I had no enthusiasm for those projects but when I heard about the London Inreach Project I immediately saw that this was a far more worthy work for the church to give to and recommended to the church that we support it and so we did. As it turned out, one of our then deacons, Jeremy Skelton, had been at the very first LIP public meeting representing the church. I was subsequently recruited to the LIP committee, I think originally to edit the newsletter. I was then chairman for some time if I remember rightly.

I am a Welshman and I think it is fair to say that Michael was my idea of a prototypical Englishman. I'm not sure where you stand on nominative determinism, the hypothesis that people tend towards the sort of activity their name would suggest. You know, there's a Scots chef called Tom Kitchin and a Midlands weather presenter called Sara Blizzard. I heard Michael's name before I ever met him and it has to be said that it influenced my expectations. The name Michael can be parsed as “like God” and Toogood speaks for itself. Now the thing is that I was not disappointed.

I will never forget Michael coming to our church for the first time on deputation and particularly that “before and after” set of slides depicting the way he and Pam had transformed that grotty first basement flat that they first lived in. I remember thinking “This is the sort of thing Francis Schaeffer talks about but here it is in practice”.

I never knew Michael personally but I know about how he lived and I have read his short autobiography. In fact I read it again this week to refresh my mind. I don't find myself agreeing with every decision and action he made, of course, but he has been an inspiration. Many years ago, at the end of 1998, when I was the editor of the now defunct Grace Magazine I tried to write an encouraging article. It was called Reasons to be cheerful. It talked about the work of GBM and especially of Keith Underhill, Brian Ellis and Andrew Swanson. And then in a final paragraph I wrote

To take one more example, consider the fact that 20 years ago the Soho area was as bad as ever it was but with no permanent evangelical testimony there. Now, though small and struggling, Immanuel Community Church is there, is known and is maintaining a regular witness to the residents and tourists in that needy area.

I noted that it was a former Grace editor, Keith Davies, who, with others had the vision for the project and that “it is especially through Michael Toogood's valiant efforts that not only was a church planted in Soho but another in Covent Garden, under Mike Mellor.”

Michael and the work was a reason to be cheerful then and it is now too.

*

Psalm 37 then. It is Of David but there is no detail about when he wrote it or why. It was written at a time when David was very aware of the wickedness all about him. People were advancing wicked schemes and, as he says (12-14) a time when The wicked were plotting against the righteous and gnash(ing) their teeth at them, drawing the sword and bending the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.

The psalm is a teaching psalm. It teaches us what to do and what not to do at such times and is full of wonderful promises to the faithful as well as warnings for the wicked.

There are four particular places where David exhorts his hearers about what to do.

1-5 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; ... Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD,... Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him ....

7/8 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret

27a Turn from evil and do good; 34a Hope in the LORD and keep his way

Verse 37 comes then in the final section where David calls on us to (34a) Hope in the LORD and keep his way. The promise, 34b, is He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

Verses 35, 36 are the counterpart to verses 25, 26. In 25, 26 he says that he was now old but had never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. In 35, 36 David again speaks from experience. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a luxuriant native tree, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. He speaks from experience but this is the truth. The wicked soon pass away.

After the 1662 ejection, many of those persecuted at that time made it a habit to note the providential deaths of some of their most bitter enemies. Michael Watts tells us how a wealthy Lincolnshire man named Radley who attempted to harm a congregation of General Baptists became bankrupt and died in London of the plague,  his widow and orphaned children being forced to cast themselves on the mercy of these very same people.

Philip Henry noted the death of arch persecutor, Montgomeryshire magistrate David Maurice, thrown from his horse and drowned in the River Tanat on the Welsh border. Thomas Robinson, MP for Helston, Cornwall, died after being gored by a bull the very day he planned to prosecute dissenters.

Such occurrences seem to be relatively rare but they are reminders that God is in control and that he will one day judge all who rebel against him. What a fearful judgement awaits sinners.

The contrast is in verses 37, 38 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked. This consideration must affect how we think and live, relieving anxiety, strengthening faith.

Just focusing on verse 37 today and thinking of Michael I want to say three things

1. Michael Toogood – an example of a man who lived a blameless and upright life

David speaks about the blameless … the upright. He has in mind people like Michael Toogood. Now we all know that no-one is perfect. The better you knew Michael I guess the easier it would be to identify where his sins lay. However, he was a blameless and upright man. That is to say he lived a holy life and it is notable because he lived in a time and place where it was not a common thing.

When people think a person is very good they will sometimes say “he's a saint”. Well, Michael was a saint – not in that generalised way but in truth, he was one of God's holy ones.

What stands out for me is his commitment to the work of God and the sacrifices he made in order to do the work he did. Further, he was obviously a man full of compassion.

He attempts some self-assessment in his autobiography (pp 63, 64)

Given my background it's no surprise that the work ethic is part and parcel of who I am. I suspect its root lies lies in my upbringing and lifestyle within my family home. Work dominated almost everything. It was the source of our income and provision for the family. Since our well being depended on the work being done, day in, day out, my parents just got on with it.

The second influence was the studio where I was employed as a graphic designer and typographer. My working day normally stretched between 9 am and 5.30 p.m. What impressed itself on me from the beginning was that someone had to pay for every minute I was there ....

My work ethic became something of a joke among the Soho team and church members, although I can hardly believe it. Apparently I used to tap my foot when someone was late, kept us waiting or when I felt time was being wasted. Throughout the Soho years I maintained a pattern of working every day Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, and each evening until 9:00 pm. On Monday evenings I relaxed by walking the streets, peering into shop windows and looking at paintings, mainly in Mayfair.

I kept as much of Saturday free as possible, helping Pam with the family shopping ... then walking around the city, guidebook in hand, in the afternoon ....

Commitment is not something we see enough of these days, perhaps. There is even to some extent a fear of commitment. Michael was committed to the work in central London, devoted might be a more accurate word. It is striking that he did not assume a two week holiday would be appropriate but thought it through and came to see it was necessary. If it hadn't have been he wouldn't have taken it.

Commitment always incurs sacrifice and because Michael spent so many years in Soho, it involved great sacrifices. As most of you will know, he contracted TB at one point, a disease we thought had gone forever. It was all part of the sacrifice that he (and of course Pam too) made.

Of course, commitment and sacrifice alone would not have been enough. There was undoubtedly a compassion that drove Michael to be willing to do some of the less desirable things that he did as he sought to serve God.

So we begin there, Michael Toogood – an example of a man who lived a blameless and upright life. Yes, we live in an age where much wickedness exists but here is a tangible example of uprightness, of blamelessness.

2. Michael Toogood - an invitation to consider and observe his life

What David invites us to do is to Consider the blameless, to observe the upright. Now we were able to do that while Michael was alive to some extent and we are able to do it now to a lesser extent. Obviously, as the years go by less and less people will know about Michael's witness but it is right to continue to consider his blamelessness and to observe his uprightness. I think we can do this in two or three ways.

Firstly, I think the autobiography should be kept in print. More than that, at some point a further biography less subjective ought probably to be produced. It will be a good thing if his life is told for a future generation who never knew him.

Then there is the continuing work in central London. The aim was to establish a church in Soho, in the heart of the city and that has been done. The church is weak and small, however, and we all ought to do what we can to see it strengthened and built up.

More than that, it is important that the spirit and approach that Michael pioneered continue. What he did cannot be replicated and does not need to be. He cannot be cloned either and no-one would want that but it would be good if there were people like Michael in the days to come. Pioneers who can see the need and who will be willing to think through a strategy and then make the commitment and the sacrifices necessary to serve God and to reach out to those who have not yet heard.

The description on page 134 is priceless.

I remember the morning I decided that my visiting should embrace all and anyone living or working in Soho. Practically, this meant taking a street or block of flats and visiting them systematically. This policy should also include the notorious alleys! Immediately opposite our Brewer Street home, Green's Court linked with Peter's Street. It was narrow and grubby but tame compared with Walker's Court which ran parallel to it. An Italian Deli, a shoe repair shop, a coffee bar and a club/brothel were all situated there. The brothel was my first venture into the seedy world of the sex industry.

With a club of sorts trading downstairs, the action seemed to be on the first floor. A highly made-up bleach blonde woman in her 60s sat behind a table at the top of the first flight of stairs. I had seen her bustling around the area before. In the 1950s she would have been known as the 'Madame' who sifted the male customers. Apparently not all male customers were acceptable to the working girls! I explained who I was and why I was visiting all the premises in the Court. She waved me into the waiting room. The room was small and made smaller still by a curtain which separated the waiting customers from those being entertained. The girl was already busy on the other side of the curtain! A few minutes later the customer appeared, embarrassed at finding someone waiting on the other side of the curtain but he went quickly down the stairs and out into the street.

Then the girl appeared, not wearing a great deal. She was actually attractive, in her early 30s, dark haired and probably Italian. I explained who I was and why I was there, showing her the family photograph as evidence. She had probably heard many stories like mine before! With customers arriving, time was short. Why was she doing this? I noticed the gold ring on her wedding finger. She said she was working for the money - about £400 a day, lived a train journey away and was in Soho for about eight hours. Her husband was in agreement with what she was doing. It was time to go. I left some gospel literature behind.

Once again, some would find fault with my visiting such places and people, but Jesus did and counted such rejects among his friends and followers. I soon recognised that my visiting like this was not ideal but it was the best we could do at that time.

3. Michael Toogood - a reminder that those who seek peace have a future in the world to come

Then we must not miss finally the closing part of the verse. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace. It could be simply peace awaits such people but probably David is saying that the blameless and upright are also those who seek peace. Of course, peace is one of the things that Michael now has but there is a whole lot more that he has now inherited and there is more to come. Now we know he has received all these good things by the merits of his Saviour, Jesus Christ. However, the trajectory that began here on earth, a blameless and upright life is the one that leads to future glory. There is no reason to believe that there is any future for those who do not seek holiness. Without holiness no-one will see the Lord. We are confident about Michael, however, that now he is in heaven. He has been given the crown of righteousness.

I intended to read from page 139 where he gives all praise to his Saviour and speaks of his conversion but that was read earlier.

We have said goodbye to him in the way that we say goodbye to people who set off on a journey in the car or on a train or plane. We've watched as the vehicle disappeared into the distance but we knew that at the other end of the journey they'd be received by others. And that's what has happened. We've said goodbye but Michael has been received into eternal dwellings by God's holy angels, where he will remain until the Lord Jesus comes again and the great resurrection day is here.

His blameless and upright testimony should be an encouragement to those of us who remain to keep pressing on to the glorious future that lies ahead for all who trust in Christ and live for him.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.