Frederick Douglass + This Sunday + 10th Gen. Gathering Wednesday!
Good morning, Immanuel. As we anticipate the weekend and the week ahead, let's take a moment to consider Romans 12:10 in the style of Frederick Douglass!
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” Romans 12:10.
Here at Immanuel, honor is a cherished part of our gospel culture. We believe gospel doctrine creates the kind of culture that normalizes the practice of dignifying our neighbors. Furthermore, gospel doctrine fosters a culture of healthy competitiveness where we seek to outdo one another in showing honor. A culture of honor is life-giving, and it is something I love about our life together here at Immanuel. However, the practice of showing honor is not new to us. I am struck by the example set by Frederick Douglass, the 19th-century African American abolitionist. In a letter he wrote to British pastor and preacher Charles Spurgeon, Douglass honors Spurgeon in numerous ways. The tone is respectful, and it’s clear that Douglass has a profound admiration for Spurgeon’s ministry. See below:
Dear Mr. Spurgeon,
“While crossing the Atlantic, last September, and looking out upon its proud dashing billows and their varied forms, and thinking of the diversity in the human family, I remarked that ‘we are many as the waves, but we are one as the sea.’ I had never heard this simile before, and thought it was original with me; but, while reading your sermon, published on the 30th June, I noticed that you said, speaking of the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm, ‘Its expressions are many as the waves, but its testimony is one as the sea.’ I am led to ask,—Is this a coincidence ; or have I, unconsciously, borrowed from you, or have you borrowed this formula from me ?
“Through the kindness of a friend, I had the privilege of listening to you a few Sundays ago. It was the realization of an ardent desire born of reading some of your sermons in America, and of what was said to me of you by my friend, Dr. H. L. Wayland, a gentleman to whom I have been much indebted for friendly sympathy and advice while battling with slavery and prejudice in America. ”
Very truly yours,
“FREDERICK DOUGLASS.”
Source: Spurgeon, Charles. "Appreciative Correspondents, 1855-1890 (Continued)." In Autobiography of Charles H. Spurgeon, Vol. IV: 1878-1892, 169-195. 1897.
Truly, the gospel creates the kind of friendships where honor abounds - even from sea to shining sea!
This Upcoming Wednesday: Tenth Generation Churchwide Gathering!
Join us this upcoming Wednesday, June 26, for a joyful Tenth Generation Churchwide Gathering. Doors open at 5 PM with fellowship and food in the courtyard. We’ll gather in the worship center at 6:30 PM for updates. Plan to stick around afterward for desserts as well! Let’s celebrate this incredible opportunity the Lord has given us together.
This Sunday At Immanuel
Sunday Morning…
SUNDAY WORSHIP: Join us for our 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. HOLY COMMUNION services as Pastor TJ continues our series in Revelation: The Light of Christ in the Life of the Church. Keep up with the sermon series on our YouTube channel here.
Seminars (Check out the latest updates)…
9 am: Studying the Bible Together, led by Dr. Tom Cox in the Cafe (continues through the summer).
9 am: No Russell Moore Seminar (summer break). Join us again in August for Last Word: The Gospel of Christ in the Book of Revelation.
9 am: No Student Seminar (summer break). Join us again in August!