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King Henry and King Jesus – Or, Why I Cry During Braveheart

[NOTE: This post was written by my good friend Josh Blount, who is a pastor at Living Faith Church in Franklin, WV. Josh and I became good friends when we were both at the Sovereign Grace Ministries Pastor’s College. Josh was once a deer sniper, but that’s another story for another time.]

Okay, I admit it: I’m one of those suckers who gets teary-eyed or a little choked up during stirring speeches. William Wallace on the battlefield at Stirling in Braveheart, pretty much the entire movie The King’s Speech…If you were to sit next to me during one of those types of films, you’d probably catch me surreptitiously dabbing my eyes. My defense is to find somebody worse than me: at least I didn’t cry during The Lion King like a friend of mine. But that’s beside the point.

One of my favorite stirring speeches is from Act 4, Scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Henry V. In this scene Henry the king is talking with his cousin Westmoreland about the prospect of battle on the following with a vastly superior French army. Westmoreland longs for more men; Henry longs for the glory of winning against the odds. In the speech Henry imagines an entire future following the battle, in which one of his soldiers celebrates the anniversaries of the day with a feast, showing his scars and boasting to his guests about the deeds he accomplished on St. Crispian’s Day (the day of the battle). Finally Henry dreams of the glory he will receive on that future day when the soldier tells his son about the fight:

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

Do you know why I love those lines that Shakespeare penned? Because they remind me of another day of remembrance that’s coming for every Christian. Think of those lines in light of this verse from Psalm 112:6: “For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever.” Or 1 Corinthians 4:5: “…[when] the Lord comes…Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

Do you serve somewhere, some way, in King Jesus’ army? Whether it’s proclaiming the gospel to little kids in children’s ministry, or leading worship in care group, or sending a note of encouragement to a struggling brother or sister, or giving a cup of water to drink to those who belong to Christ (Mark 9:41), there is a day coming when marvelously, unimaginably, by grace alone, your name will be remembered and praised on the lips of our King Jesus Christ, who is not ashamed to call us brothers (Heb. 2:11). What a day and what a feast that will be!