I’ve spend today watching Ted Lasso with eldest daughter.
Wow.
I don’t watch very much series television, but the show resonates on so many levels.
Marcus Mumford is responsible for the music.
The song Forever featured on Episode 5.
So love with your eyes
Love with your mind
Love with you
Dare I stay forever
Historical evangelical revivalism used service elements to prepare people to hear a preached message that proclaimed the Gospel.
Bringing that format, and those elements into week by week worship brings the same pressure to bear on the sermon every week to proclaim the Gospel, otherwise the worship would be missing that essential element.
This article from Ad Fontes explains how the elements of a worship service proclaim, present, and nourish people in the Gospel in a way that enables the preaching element to faithfully focus on the text succumbing to the need to import elements of Gospel theology that aren’t present in the text or its relevant application.
From the article:
a good liturgy can alleviate the “gospel-centred” burden from our preaching. Now, that’s not to say that you remove Gospel proclamation from your preaching and focus instead on difficult textual details. The Reformers would be the first to say that preaching must be preaching of the Gospel. But, in practice, being “gospel-centred” often means cramming in a short, basic Gospel summary (usually incorporating justification by faith alone) somewhere into our sermons, hoping to both convert unbelievers and remind believers to Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing. Yet this often means we violate our key evangelical commitment to expository preaching, because we are tacking something onto the text which it simply doesn’t talk about. Being “gospel-centred” often equates to being exegetically lax.
But if our liturgy always delivers The Main Thing – in its overall shape, in the confession and absolution, in a weekly Lord’s Supper – then the burden to cram a Gospel summary into our sermon on Genesis 38 is removed. You know that someone who’s just walked in the door and never heard the name of Jesus before will hear the basic Christian message during the service, whatever you say from the pulpit. And so you’re free to better engage that week’s passage on its own terms, and to uniquely proclaim the Gospel that week in those terms, which is precisely what expository preaching is all about.
EMU Music have provided a lock-down recording of I Will Trust You In The Darkness a twenty-year-old (!!) song by Rob Smith.
It’s very timely, and a sweet reminder of the lyrical quality and melodic nature of Smith’s songs.
The lyrics
1
I will trust You in the darkness
I will serve You in my pain
I will worship in the wilderness
And will follow to the end
For You are the suffering shepherd
And You know Your sheep by name
So I will trust You in the darkness once again
2
I’ll believe Your word of comfort
When the light of life grows dim
I will heed Your voice at midnight
When the tempests rage within
I will cling to Christ my Saviour
Who has borne my sorrow’s sting
And I will trust You in the darkness once again
3
I will praise Your name in winter
When the skies are cold and grey
I will feed upon Your promises
And will cry to You each day
I will lean upon Your Spirit
And Your word will I obey
Yes I will trust You in the darkness come what may
4
I will trust You in the darkness
On Your faithfulness depend
As I long for Your appearing
And the day that never ends
I will glory in the gospel
And Your word of truth defend
Yes I will trust You in the darkness once again
Yes I will trust You in the darkness, O my friend
Words and Music: Rob Smith
© 2001 Rob Smith | emumusic.com
Westminster Larger Catechism – Lord’s Day 31
Q & A 122
Q What is the sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man?
A The sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man is, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to do to others: What we would have them to do to us.
Q & A 123
Q Which is the fifth commandment?
A The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
Q & A 124
Q Who are meant by father and mother in the fifth commandment?
A By father and mother, in the fifth commandment, are meant, not only natural parents, but all superiors in age and gifts; and especially such as, by God’s ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth.
Q & A 125
Q Why are superiors styled father and mother?
A Superiors are styled father and mother, both to teach them in all duties toward their inferiors, like natural parents, to express love and tenderness to them, according to their several relations; and to work inferiors to a greater willingness and cheerfulness in performing their duties to their superiors, as to their parents.
Q & A 126
Q What is the general scope of the fifth commandment?
A The general scope of the fifth commandment is, the performance of those duties which we mutually owe in our several relations, as inferiors, superiors, or equals.
Q & A 127
Q What is the honor that inferiors owe to their superiors?
A The honor which inferiors owe to their superiors is, all due reverence in heart, word, and behavior; prayer and thanksgiving for them; imitation of their virtues and graces; willing obedience to their lawful commands and counsels; due submission to their corrections; fidelity to, defense and maintenance of their persons and authority, according to their several ranks, and the nature of their places; bearing with their infirmities, and covering them in love, that so they may be an honor to them and to their government.
Q & A 128
Q What are the sins of inferiors against their superiors?
A The sins of inferiors against their superiors are, all neglect of the duties required toward them; envying at, contempt of, and rebellion against, their persons and places, in their lawful counsels, commands, and corrections; cursing, mocking, and all such refractory and scandalous carriage, as proves a shame and dishonor to them and their government.
Q & A 129
Q What is required of superiors towards their inferiors?
A It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God, and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors; to instruct, counsel, and admonish them; countenancing, commending, and rewarding such as do well; and discountenancing, reproving, and chastising such as do ill; protecting, and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body: and by grave, wise, holy, and exemplary carriage, to procure glory to God, honor to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God has put upon them.
Q & A 130
Q What are the sins of superiors?
A The sins of superiors are, besides the neglect of the duties required of them, an inordinate seeking of themselves, their own glory, ease, profit, or pleasure; commanding things unlawful, or not in the power of inferiors to perform; counseling, encouraging, or favoring them in that which is evil; dissuading, discouraging, or discountenancing them in that which is good; correcting them unduly; careless exposing, or leaving them to wrong, temptation, and danger; provoking them to wrath; or any way dishonoring themselves, or lessening their authority, by an unjust, indiscreet, rigorous, or remiss behavior.
Q & A 131
Q What are the duties of equals?
A The duties of equals are, to regard the dignity and worth of each other, in giving honor to go one before another; and to rejoice in each other’s gifts and advancement, as their own.
Q & A 132
Q What are the sins of equals?
A The sins of equals are, besides the neglect of the duties required, the undervaluing of the worth, envying the gifts, grieving at the advancement of prosperity one of another; and usurping preeminence one over another.
Q & A 133
Q What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment, the more to enforce it?
A The reason annexed to the fifth commandment, in these words, “that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you”, is an express promise of long life and prosperity, as far as it shall serve for God’s glory and their own good, to all such as keep this commandment.
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