Behind again. It was my great joy to look again at the hymn in Philippians 2, this time the exaltation of Christ. There is a style of preaching that quotes hymn after hymn. It is not a model I normally follow but this time there seemed to be so many hymns worth quoting on these subjects. So we had references to
- The head that once was crowned with thorns
- Jesus, name above all names
- Jesus! the Name high over all
- Thou art the everlasting Word
- At the name of Jesus
There was also a reference to Daniel Neal's history of the Puritans where he says
“The puritans always excepted against bowing at the name of Jesus; it appeared to them very superstitious, as if worship was to be paid to a name, or to the name of Jesus, more than to that of Christ or Immanuel. Nevertheless it was enjoined by the eighteenth canon, and in compliance with that injunction, our last translators inserted it into their text, … as it now stands; however no penalty was annexed to the neglect of this ceremony, nor did any suffer for it, till Bishop Laud was at the head of the church, who pressed it equally with the rest, and caused above twenty ministers to be fined, censured and put by their livings for not bowing at the name of Jesus, or for preaching against it.”
I closed with a reference to the film Gladiator where the Crowe character is asked his name.
A good time of prayer too, though numbers were slightly down perhaps. We also watched a DVD about Caring for Life the Leeds based charity.
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