WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.281 --> 00:00:02.864
(choral music)
2
00:02:54.238 --> 00:02:56.405
(silence)
3
00:02:57.871 --> 00:03:01.871
(hushed coughing and footsteps)
4
00:03:26.252 --> 00:03:27.085
Good morning.
5
00:03:27.085 --> 00:03:27.920
I'd like to welcome you
6
00:03:27.920 --> 00:03:30.980
to Duke Chapel on this fourth Sunday of Easter.
7
00:03:30.980 --> 00:03:32.720
Our guest choir today is the
8
00:03:32.720 --> 00:03:36.570
University Chorale from UNC at Greensboro.
9
00:03:36.570 --> 00:03:38.000
We're grateful for them
10
00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.420
to providing the music in this service
11
00:03:40.420 --> 00:03:42.880
and for their very special contribution
12
00:03:42.880 --> 00:03:45.430
to our service of worship today.
13
00:03:45.430 --> 00:03:46.810
I'd like to call your attention
14
00:03:46.810 --> 00:03:49.310
to a couple of announcements in your bulletin.
15
00:03:49.310 --> 00:03:52.390
First, a new endowment has been established
16
00:03:52.390 --> 00:03:55.730
to honor Brenda Brodie, Duke's First Lady,
17
00:03:55.730 --> 00:03:59.120 line:15%
and a long-term member of the congregation at Duke Chapel.
18
00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:03.500 line:15%
The details of that endowment are listed in your bulletin.
19
00:04:03.500 --> 00:04:06.320 line:15%
We'd also like to invite you to join in singing
20
00:04:06.320 --> 00:04:08.710
with the Duke Chapel summer choir.
21
00:04:08.710 --> 00:04:12.480
There are no auditions required and attendance is flexible.
22
00:04:12.480 --> 00:04:13.940
It's a wonderful opportunity
23
00:04:13.940 --> 00:04:15.790
for those of you who've wanted to sing
24
00:04:15.790 --> 00:04:17.880
but can't make the contribution
25
00:04:17.880 --> 00:04:19.370
for the ongoing commitment
26
00:04:19.370 --> 00:04:21.430
to be a part of our regular choir.
27
00:04:21.430 --> 00:04:24.490
So, we hope you will consider that this summer.
28
00:04:24.490 --> 00:04:26.830
Now, let us continue our worship together
29
00:04:26.830 --> 00:04:28.280
as we stand for the greeting.
30
00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:38.584
Christ is risen.
31
00:04:38.584 --> 00:04:40.820
The Lord is risen indeed.
32
00:04:40.820 --> 00:04:43.970
Glory and honor, dominion and power
33
00:04:43.970 --> 00:04:47.050
be to God forever and ever.
34
00:04:47.050 --> 00:04:50.300
Christ is risen, amen.
35
00:04:51.633 --> 00:04:54.133
(organ plays)
36
00:05:28.233 --> 00:05:30.135
(all sing "Come Christians, Join To Sing")
37
00:05:30.135 --> 00:05:34.539
♪ Come, Christians, join to sing, ♪
38
00:05:34.539 --> 00:05:39.472
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
39
00:05:39.472 --> 00:05:43.931
♪ Loud praise to Christ our King. ♪
40
00:05:43.931 --> 00:05:48.568
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
41
00:05:48.568 --> 00:05:53.325
♪ Let all, with heart and voice ♪
42
00:05:53.325 --> 00:05:58.228
♪ Before his throne rejoice. ♪
43
00:05:58.228 --> 00:06:03.041
♪ Praise is his gracious choice. ♪
44
00:06:03.041 --> 00:06:08.041
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
45
00:06:10.732 --> 00:06:15.468
♪ Come, lift your hearts on high. ♪
46
00:06:15.468 --> 00:06:20.285
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
47
00:06:20.285 --> 00:06:24.739
♪ Let praises fill the sky. ♪
48
00:06:24.739 --> 00:06:29.618
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
49
00:06:29.618 --> 00:06:34.201
♪ He is our guide and friend. ♪
50
00:06:34.201 --> 00:06:38.780
♪ To us he'll condescend. ♪
51
00:06:38.780 --> 00:06:43.722
♪ His love shall never end. ♪
52
00:06:43.722 --> 00:06:46.555
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
53
00:06:49.212 --> 00:06:52.045
(organ interlude)
54
00:07:05.412 --> 00:07:09.611
♪ Praise yet the Lord again. ♪
55
00:07:09.611 --> 00:07:14.421
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
56
00:07:14.421 --> 00:07:19.222
♪ Life shall not end the strain. ♪
57
00:07:19.222 --> 00:07:24.073
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
58
00:07:24.073 --> 00:07:28.946
♪ On heaven's blissful shore ♪
59
00:07:28.946 --> 00:07:33.946
♪ His goodness we'll adore, ♪
60
00:07:34.022 --> 00:07:39.022
♪ Singing forevermore. ♪
61
00:07:39.232 --> 00:07:42.065
♪ Alleluia! Amen! ♪
62
00:07:49.430 --> 00:07:50.403
Let us pray.
63
00:07:53.260 --> 00:07:58.170
Oh gracious Lord, you have formed us in our mother's womb
64
00:07:58.170 --> 00:08:01.973
to be Your children and to live worshipful lives.
65
00:08:03.150 --> 00:08:06.970
Please accept our songs and prayers,
66
00:08:06.970 --> 00:08:10.130
our preaching and our gifts
67
00:08:10.130 --> 00:08:15.003
as genuine praise and worship for You whom we adore.
68
00:08:16.530 --> 00:08:21.473
Transform us into worshipful people by what we do this hour.
69
00:08:22.380 --> 00:08:25.563
In the name of the blessed Trinity, amen.
70
00:08:26.400 --> 00:08:27.567 line:15%
You may be seated.
71
00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:37.443 line:15%
Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.
72
00:08:39.070 --> 00:08:41.950
Oh living God, bring us forth
73
00:08:41.950 --> 00:08:45.010
from death to life so that,
74
00:08:45.010 --> 00:08:48.950
as the old scriptures are read and the word is proclaimed,
75
00:08:48.950 --> 00:08:52.190
we may be brought to a sure and living faith
76
00:08:52.190 --> 00:08:54.003
in your lordship, amen.
77
00:08:56.430 --> 00:08:59.970
This reading is taken from the second chapter of Acts,
78
00:08:59.970 --> 00:09:02.563
starting with its 42nd verse.
79
00:09:03.837 --> 00:09:05.277
"They devoted themselves
80
00:09:05.277 --> 00:09:07.877
"to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship,
81
00:09:07.877 --> 00:09:10.513
"to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
82
00:09:11.437 --> 00:09:13.121
"Awe came upon everyone
83
00:09:13.121 --> 00:09:17.773
"because many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles.
84
00:09:18.637 --> 00:09:21.377
"All who believed were together
85
00:09:21.377 --> 00:09:24.417
"and had all things in common.
86
00:09:24.417 --> 00:09:26.947
"They would sell their possessions and goods
87
00:09:26.947 --> 00:09:31.193
"and distribute the proceeds to all as any had need.
88
00:09:32.067 --> 00:09:36.581
"Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple,
89
00:09:36.581 --> 00:09:40.137
"they broke bread at home and ate their food
90
00:09:40.137 --> 00:09:42.437
"with glad and generous hearts,
91
00:09:42.437 --> 00:09:45.803
"praising God and having the good will of the people.
92
00:09:46.757 --> 00:09:50.517
"And day by day, the Lord added to their number
93
00:09:50.517 --> 00:09:52.327
"those who were to be saved."
94
00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:55.638
This is the word of the Lord.
95
00:09:55.638 --> 00:09:57.338
Thanks be to God.
96
00:10:14.438 --> 00:10:16.020
Would you please stand for the Psalter reading
97
00:10:16.020 --> 00:10:19.483
found on page 754 in the back of your hymn book.
98
00:10:26.477 --> 00:10:27.797
"The Lord is my shepherd.
99
00:10:27.797 --> 00:10:30.042
"I shall not want.
100
00:10:30.042 --> 00:10:31.685
"The Lord makes me lie down
101
00:10:31.685 --> 00:10:33.527
"in green pastures.
102
00:10:33.527 --> 00:10:38.527
"Leads me beside still waters, restores my soul.
103
00:10:38.770 --> 00:10:40.837
"He leads me in right paths
104
00:10:40.837 --> 00:10:43.284
"for the sake of the Lord's name.
105
00:10:43.284 --> 00:10:45.807
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
106
00:10:45.807 --> 00:10:48.308
"I fear no evil.
107
00:10:48.308 --> 00:10:50.057
"For You are with me.
108
00:10:50.057 --> 00:10:53.447
"Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
109
00:10:53.447 --> 00:10:55.267
"You prepare a table before me
110
00:10:55.267 --> 00:10:58.134
"in the presence of my enemies.
111
00:10:58.134 --> 00:11:00.489
"You anoint my head with oil.
112
00:11:00.489 --> 00:11:02.727
"My cup overflows.
113
00:11:02.727 --> 00:11:05.487
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
114
00:11:05.487 --> 00:11:08.325
"all the days of my life.
115
00:11:08.325 --> 00:11:09.617
"And I shall dwell
116
00:11:09.617 --> 00:11:12.867
"in the house of the Lord for all time.
117
00:11:13.916 --> 00:11:16.416
(organ plays)
118
00:11:22.702 --> 00:11:25.035
(all sing)
119
00:12:15.700 --> 00:12:18.910
This reading is from the first letter of Peter,
120
00:12:18.910 --> 00:12:21.863
Chapter 2, beginning with the 19th verse.
121
00:12:23.137 --> 00:12:25.367
"For it is a credit to you if,
122
00:12:25.367 --> 00:12:27.167
"being aware of God,
123
00:12:27.167 --> 00:12:30.223
"you endure pain while suffering unjustly.
124
00:12:31.257 --> 00:12:34.757
"If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong,
125
00:12:34.757 --> 00:12:35.863
"what credit is that?
126
00:12:38.007 --> 00:12:42.127
"But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it,
127
00:12:42.127 --> 00:12:44.597
"you have God's approval,
128
00:12:44.597 --> 00:12:46.847
"for to this you have been called,
129
00:12:46.847 --> 00:12:49.777
"because Christ also suffered for you,
130
00:12:49.777 --> 00:12:51.647
"leaving you an example
131
00:12:51.647 --> 00:12:54.063
"so that you should follow in his steps.
132
00:12:54.907 --> 00:12:59.163 line:15%
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
133
00:13:00.247 --> 00:13:04.627 line:15%
"When he was abused, he did not return abuse.
134
00:13:04.627 --> 00:13:08.317 line:15%
"When he suffered, he did not threaten.
135
00:13:08.317 --> 00:13:11.883 line:15%
"But he entrusted Himself to the one who judges justly.
136
00:13:12.987 --> 00:13:17.717
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,
137
00:13:17.717 --> 00:13:22.717
"so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness.
138
00:13:22.857 --> 00:13:25.423
"By his wounds, you have been healed.
139
00:13:26.357 --> 00:13:28.967
"For you were going astray like sheep,
140
00:13:28.967 --> 00:13:31.257
"but now you have returned to the shepherd
141
00:13:31.257 --> 00:13:33.347
"and guardian of your souls."
142
00:13:34.230 --> 00:13:35.683
This is the word of the Lord.
143
00:13:36.686 --> 00:13:39.436
[Congregation]- Thanks be to God.
144
00:13:46.046 --> 00:13:48.546
(organ plays)
145
00:13:57.900 --> 00:13:59.461
(choir sings)
146
00:13:59.461 --> 00:14:02.803
♪ Alleluia. ♪
147
00:14:02.803 --> 00:14:05.891
♪ Alleluia. ♪
148
00:14:05.891 --> 00:14:09.156
♪ Alleluia. ♪
149
00:14:09.156 --> 00:14:12.856
♪ Alleluia. ♪
150
00:14:12.856 --> 00:14:16.935
♪ Alleluia. ♪
151
00:14:16.935 --> 00:14:20.869
♪ Alleluia. ♪
152
00:14:20.869 --> 00:14:24.693
♪ Alleluia. ♪
153
00:14:24.693 --> 00:14:28.407
♪ Alleluia. ♪
154
00:14:28.407 --> 00:14:32.023
♪ Alleluia. ♪
155
00:14:32.023 --> 00:14:35.768
♪ Alleluia. ♪
156
00:14:35.768 --> 00:14:40.065
♪ Alleluia. ♪
157
00:14:40.065 --> 00:14:44.675
♪ Alleluia. ♪
158
00:14:44.675 --> 00:14:49.020
♪ Alleluia. ♪
159
00:14:49.020 --> 00:14:53.130
♪ Alleluia. ♪
160
00:14:53.130 --> 00:14:57.260
♪ Alleluia. ♪
161
00:14:57.260 --> 00:15:01.202
♪ Alleluia. ♪
162
00:15:01.202 --> 00:15:05.368
♪ Alleluia. ♪
163
00:15:05.368 --> 00:15:09.741
♪ Alleluia. ♪
164
00:15:09.741 --> 00:15:13.804
♪ Alleluia. ♪
165
00:15:13.804 --> 00:15:18.804
♪ Alleluia. ♪
166
00:15:18.934 --> 00:15:23.081
♪ Alleluia. ♪
167
00:15:23.081 --> 00:15:27.415
♪ Alleluia. ♪
168
00:15:27.415 --> 00:15:31.708
♪ Alleluia. ♪
169
00:15:31.708 --> 00:15:35.960
♪ Alleluia. ♪
170
00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:40.418
♪ Alleluia. ♪
171
00:15:40.418 --> 00:15:44.460
♪ Alleluia. ♪
172
00:15:44.460 --> 00:15:48.916
♪ Alleluia. ♪
173
00:15:48.916 --> 00:15:53.916
♪ Alleluia. ♪
174
00:15:54.328 --> 00:15:58.497
♪ Alleluia. ♪
175
00:15:58.497 --> 00:16:02.862
♪ Alleluia. ♪
176
00:16:02.862 --> 00:16:07.300
♪ Alleluia. ♪
177
00:16:07.300 --> 00:16:12.300
♪ Alleluia. ♪
178
00:16:12.688 --> 00:16:17.688
♪ Alleluia. ♪
179
00:16:17.732 --> 00:16:22.732
♪ Alleluia. ♪
180
00:16:26.048 --> 00:16:31.048
♪ Alleluia. ♪
181
00:16:31.993 --> 00:16:36.993
♪ Alleluia. ♪
182
00:16:37.625 --> 00:16:42.625
♪ Alleluia. ♪
183
00:16:43.300 --> 00:16:47.488
♪ Alleluia. ♪
184
00:16:47.488 --> 00:16:52.004
♪ Alleluia. ♪
185
00:16:52.004 --> 00:16:56.819
♪ Alleluia. ♪
186
00:16:56.819 --> 00:17:01.052
♪ Alleluia. ♪
187
00:17:01.052 --> 00:17:05.821
♪ Alleluia. ♪
188
00:17:05.821 --> 00:17:10.514
♪ Alleluia. ♪
189
00:17:10.514 --> 00:17:14.263
♪ Alleluia. ♪
190
00:17:14.263 --> 00:17:17.737
♪ Alleluia. ♪
191
00:17:17.737 --> 00:17:21.674
♪ Alleluia. ♪
192
00:17:21.674 --> 00:17:25.474
♪ Alleluia. ♪
193
00:17:25.474 --> 00:17:29.477
♪ Alleluia. ♪
194
00:17:29.477 --> 00:17:33.392
♪ Alleluia. ♪
195
00:17:33.392 --> 00:17:37.195
♪ Alleluia. ♪
196
00:17:37.195 --> 00:17:40.218
♪ Alleluia. ♪
197
00:17:40.218 --> 00:17:42.870
♪ Alleluia. ♪
198
00:17:42.870 --> 00:17:45.543
♪ Alleluia. ♪
199
00:17:45.543 --> 00:17:48.559
♪ Alleluia. ♪
200
00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:51.684
♪ Alleluia. ♪
201
00:17:51.684 --> 00:17:55.387
♪ Alleluia. ♪
202
00:17:55.387 --> 00:17:59.603
♪ Alleluia. ♪
203
00:17:59.603 --> 00:18:03.613
♪ Alleluia. ♪
204
00:18:03.613 --> 00:18:08.405
♪ Alleluia. ♪
205
00:18:08.405 --> 00:18:13.405
♪ Alleluia. ♪
206
00:18:14.244 --> 00:18:16.577
♪ Alleluia. ♪
207
00:18:26.972 --> 00:18:29.305
♪ Alleluia. ♪
208
00:18:37.388 --> 00:18:39.721
♪ Alleluia. ♪
209
00:18:47.561 --> 00:18:49.894
♪ Alleluia. ♪
210
00:19:01.617 --> 00:19:03.950
♪ Alleluia. ♪
211
00:19:31.730 --> 00:19:32.650
This reading is taken
212
00:19:32.650 --> 00:19:35.490
from the Gospel according to Saint John,
213
00:19:35.490 --> 00:19:38.403
the 10th chapter, starting with the 1st verse.
214
00:19:40.037 --> 00:19:42.721
"'Very truly I tell you,
215
00:19:42.721 --> 00:19:46.507
"'anyone who does not enter the sheep fold by the gate,
216
00:19:46.507 --> 00:19:48.417 line:15%
"'but climbs in by another way,
217
00:19:48.417 --> 00:19:50.073 line:15%
"'is a thief and a bandit.
218
00:19:51.127 --> 00:19:52.437 line:15%
"'The one who enters by the gate
219
00:19:52.437 --> 00:19:54.063 line:15%
"'is the shepherd of the sheep.
220
00:19:55.207 --> 00:19:57.167 line:15%
"'The gatekeeper opens the gate for him,
221
00:19:57.167 --> 00:19:59.683 line:15%
"'and the sheep hear his voice.
222
00:20:00.601 --> 00:20:04.163
"'He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
223
00:20:05.067 --> 00:20:07.227
"'When he has brought out all of his own,
224
00:20:07.227 --> 00:20:08.657
"'he goes ahead of them,
225
00:20:08.657 --> 00:20:12.833
"'and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
226
00:20:13.703 --> 00:20:15.500
"'They will not follow a stranger,
227
00:20:15.500 --> 00:20:17.898
"'but they will run from him,
228
00:20:17.898 --> 00:20:21.067
"'because they do not know the voice of strangers.'
229
00:20:21.067 --> 00:20:23.927
"Jesus used this figure of speech with them,
230
00:20:23.927 --> 00:20:26.727
"but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
231
00:20:27.677 --> 00:20:30.355
"So again, Jesus said to them,
232
00:20:30.355 --> 00:20:33.593
"'Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
233
00:20:34.571 --> 00:20:38.180
"'All who came before me are thieves and bandits.
234
00:20:38.180 --> 00:20:40.843
"'But the sheep did not listen to them.
235
00:20:40.843 --> 00:20:41.763
"'I am the gate.
236
00:20:42.613 --> 00:20:44.727
"'Whoever enters by me will be saved
237
00:20:44.727 --> 00:20:47.417
"'and will come in and go out
238
00:20:47.417 --> 00:20:49.033
"'and will find pasture.
239
00:20:50.187 --> 00:20:54.077
"'The Thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
240
00:20:54.077 --> 00:20:56.809
"'I came that they may have life,
241
00:20:56.809 --> 00:20:58.510
"'and have it abundantly.'"
242
00:20:59.490 --> 00:21:00.940
This is the word of the Lord.
243
00:21:01.878 --> 00:21:03.463
Thanks be to God.
244
00:21:15.427 --> 00:21:18.517
"After Jesus' death and resurrection,
245
00:21:18.517 --> 00:21:22.557
"he appeared to the disciples and spent 40 days with them,
246
00:21:22.557 --> 00:21:25.217 line:15%
"speaking about the kingdom of God,
247
00:21:25.217 --> 00:21:29.407 line:15%
"promising they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
248
00:21:29.407 --> 00:21:32.367 line:15%
"Shortly after Jesus ascended into Heaven,
249
00:21:32.367 --> 00:21:35.287 line:15%
"the Holy Spirit descended upon the believers,
250
00:21:35.287 --> 00:21:38.047
"about 120 in all,
251
00:21:38.047 --> 00:21:43.047
"touching each one with a tongue as of fire.
252
00:21:43.387 --> 00:21:44.977
"They were endowed with power
253
00:21:44.977 --> 00:21:48.587
"and the ability to speak unknown languages.
254
00:21:48.587 --> 00:21:52.287
"Those who saw them, Jews from every land,
255
00:21:52.287 --> 00:21:55.987
"heard them speaking about God's power and God's deeds,
256
00:21:55.987 --> 00:22:00.937
"each in their own language, and they were amazed.
257
00:22:00.937 --> 00:22:03.117
"Some wondered what it meant,
258
00:22:03.117 --> 00:22:07.117
"while others thought they must be drunk.
259
00:22:07.117 --> 00:22:10.197
"Peter, standing with the 11 apostles,
260
00:22:10.197 --> 00:22:12.537
"witnessed to the crowd that had gathered
261
00:22:12.537 --> 00:22:16.694
"about all they had experienced through Jesus.
262
00:22:16.694 --> 00:22:18.167
"He told them that Jesus
263
00:22:18.167 --> 00:22:21.217
"was the Messiah they had waited for,
264
00:22:21.217 --> 00:22:22.837
"who, though being put to death,
265
00:22:22.837 --> 00:22:25.747
"had risen again from the dead,
266
00:22:25.747 --> 00:22:28.117
"that they had seen the resurrected Lord
267
00:22:28.117 --> 00:22:32.788
"and received the gift of his power through the Holy Spirit.
268
00:22:32.788 --> 00:22:35.877
"And after hearing him that day,
269
00:22:35.877 --> 00:22:40.068
"about 3,000 people were saved,
270
00:22:40.068 --> 00:22:42.026
repenting of their sins,
271
00:22:42.026 --> 00:22:47.026
"and being baptized with water and the Spirit."
272
00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:50.700
3,000 people saved.
273
00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:54.058
The body of believers grew, in one afternoon,
274
00:22:54.058 --> 00:22:59.058
from 120 to 3,120.
275
00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:01.960
An amazing accomplishment.
276
00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:04.960
Yet, in this age of televangelism,
277
00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:09.330
perhaps we've lost our ability to be amazed.
278
00:23:09.330 --> 00:23:12.650
After all, TV evangelists claim to save this many
279
00:23:12.650 --> 00:23:15.200
and more on a regular basis.
280
00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:18.240
Billy Graham revivals have been known to pack in
281
00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:20.210
over 100,000 people,
282
00:23:20.210 --> 00:23:24.080
so what is 3,000 compared to that?
283
00:23:24.080 --> 00:23:26.950
Besides, what does it mean to be saved?
284
00:23:26.950 --> 00:23:28.270
We've all known people who've
285
00:23:28.270 --> 00:23:31.350
had a mountaintop religious experience
286
00:23:31.350 --> 00:23:35.650
but soon lost their enthusiasm for religion.
287
00:23:35.650 --> 00:23:38.400
Contemporary religious life is plagued
288
00:23:38.400 --> 00:23:43.400
by momentary enthusiasm and superficiality.
289
00:23:43.440 --> 00:23:46.080
In fact, in contemporary parlance,
290
00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:50.980
enthusiastic, which literally means, "filled with God,"
291
00:23:50.980 --> 00:23:55.190
is a virtual synonym for a short-term high
292
00:23:55.190 --> 00:23:59.468
that doesn't translate into long-term commitment.
293
00:23:59.468 --> 00:24:01.910
We've grown suspicious of people
294
00:24:01.910 --> 00:24:06.390
who get drunk every Friday and get saved every Sunday.
295
00:24:06.390 --> 00:24:09.770
We've grown jaded about religious experience.
296
00:24:09.770 --> 00:24:13.410
So when Luke says 3,000 people were saved,
297
00:24:13.410 --> 00:24:17.630
we aren't as impressed as earlier readers might have been.
298
00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:22.140
But lest we dwell on the mountaintop experience too long,
299
00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:25.600
Luke quickly moves us back to everyday life,
300
00:24:25.600 --> 00:24:28.417
to the, "So what?
301
00:24:28.417 --> 00:24:33.257
"What difference does it make that they were saved?"
302
00:24:33.257 --> 00:24:38.257
This is where our scripture text from Acts begins today.
303
00:24:38.820 --> 00:24:40.160
Listen to Luke's answer
304
00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:45.160
to that ever-important question, "So what?"
305
00:24:45.317 --> 00:24:46.797
"They devoted themselves
306
00:24:46.797 --> 00:24:50.117
"to the apostles' teaching and fellowship,
307
00:24:50.117 --> 00:24:54.530
"to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
308
00:24:54.530 --> 00:24:56.920
In one brief sentence,
309
00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:59.650
Luke lays out the basic outline
310
00:24:59.650 --> 00:25:03.477
of the practices of the early Christian church.
311
00:25:03.477 --> 00:25:04.717
"They devoted themselves
312
00:25:04.717 --> 00:25:07.927
"to the apostles' teaching and fellowship,
313
00:25:07.927 --> 00:25:12.592
"to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
314
00:25:12.592 --> 00:25:15.890
Luke doesn't dwell upon the mystical experiences
315
00:25:15.890 --> 00:25:17.710
of these first believers,
316
00:25:17.710 --> 00:25:19.980
but immediately shifts to a description
317
00:25:19.980 --> 00:25:23.170
of the embodiment of the Pentecostal spirit
318
00:25:23.170 --> 00:25:25.650
in the community of believers.
319
00:25:25.650 --> 00:25:30.530
What difference did it make in how they lived?
320
00:25:30.530 --> 00:25:31.363
First of all,
321
00:25:31.363 --> 00:25:33.150
Luke tells us that they devoted themselves
322
00:25:33.150 --> 00:25:35.420
to the apostles' teaching.
323
00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:38.826
They immediately set about the task of learning
324
00:25:38.826 --> 00:25:43.818
what it means to be a believer in Jesus as the Christ.
325
00:25:43.818 --> 00:25:45.450
We may be certain that they heard
326
00:25:45.450 --> 00:25:49.750
many details about Jesus' life and teachings,
327
00:25:49.750 --> 00:25:51.400
his death and resurrection,
328
00:25:51.400 --> 00:25:54.280
his reappearances to the apostles,
329
00:25:54.280 --> 00:25:58.720
and his instruction to those who were eyewitnesses.
330
00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:02.030
We may be certain that they studied the Hebrew scriptures
331
00:26:02.030 --> 00:26:04.840
to understand them anew in the light
332
00:26:04.840 --> 00:26:07.290
of the coming of the Messiah.
333
00:26:07.290 --> 00:26:09.530
They learned from the apostles what it meant
334
00:26:09.530 --> 00:26:12.270
to be a believer in Jesus Christ,
335
00:26:12.270 --> 00:26:17.270
what it meant to live as a Christian in the world.
336
00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:20.480
You and I don't have the benefit of oral, direct,
337
00:26:20.480 --> 00:26:22.120
firsthand conversation
338
00:26:22.120 --> 00:26:25.550
with those who were witnesses to Christ,
339
00:26:25.550 --> 00:26:28.320
but we have the next best thing.
340
00:26:28.320 --> 00:26:31.130
We are inheritors of the written record
341
00:26:31.130 --> 00:26:35.110
of the life and teachings of Jesus, the apostles,
342
00:26:35.110 --> 00:26:37.875
and the prophets before them.
343
00:26:37.875 --> 00:26:42.322
One of the most important practices for us, as the Church,
344
00:26:42.322 --> 00:26:44.880
and especially for those new in the faith,
345
00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:46.570
is to devote ourselves
346
00:26:46.570 --> 00:26:49.238
to the study of the apostles' teaching,
347
00:26:49.238 --> 00:26:51.470
and the living word of God contained
348
00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:54.200
in the Old and New Testaments.
349
00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:55.670
When we study the word,
350
00:26:55.670 --> 00:27:00.548
we open ourselves to God's living presence among us.
351
00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:04.840
Recently, a friend of mine had a baby
352
00:27:04.840 --> 00:27:08.331
about three and a half months early.
353
00:27:08.331 --> 00:27:09.550
She told me one night
354
00:27:09.550 --> 00:27:12.800
that she was at the end of her strength,
355
00:27:12.800 --> 00:27:17.080
totally consumed by anxiety and fear.
356
00:27:17.080 --> 00:27:19.520
She prayed for courage and strength,
357
00:27:19.520 --> 00:27:24.420
and for some sign from God that would give her peace
358
00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:28.228
and help her accept whatever was to come.
359
00:27:28.228 --> 00:27:31.540
She told me she felt compelled to open her Bible.
360
00:27:31.540 --> 00:27:32.373
She said,
361
00:27:32.373 --> 00:27:34.357
"You know, I really don't believe
362
00:27:34.357 --> 00:27:36.687
"in that kind of mystical thing,
363
00:27:36.687 --> 00:27:38.597
"but when I opened my Bible,
364
00:27:38.597 --> 00:27:40.447
"the first thing I saw was
365
00:27:40.447 --> 00:27:43.527
"that verse from Philippians that said,
366
00:27:43.527 --> 00:27:48.527
"'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,'
367
00:27:50.045 --> 00:27:52.667
"And I knew it was gonna be okay,
368
00:27:52.667 --> 00:27:57.457
"that I could handle whatever would happen."
369
00:27:57.457 --> 00:28:02.400
Whenever we devote ourselves to learn from the scriptures,
370
00:28:02.400 --> 00:28:05.620
we open ourselves to receive whatever it is
371
00:28:05.620 --> 00:28:07.900
that God would give us,
372
00:28:07.900 --> 00:28:12.560
whether a word of comfort, a call to repentance,
373
00:28:12.560 --> 00:28:15.320
the assurance of forgiveness,
374
00:28:15.320 --> 00:28:18.570
a challenge to greater faithfulness,
375
00:28:18.570 --> 00:28:22.450
a nudge toward a decision.
376
00:28:22.450 --> 00:28:27.100
God meets us in the scriptures at the point of our need,
377
00:28:27.100 --> 00:28:30.140
comforting us, moving us,
378
00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:33.190
shaping us as beloved children,
379
00:28:33.190 --> 00:28:36.383
as disciples of Christ.
380
00:28:36.383 --> 00:28:39.590
It is important for us to study the scriptures on our own,
381
00:28:39.590 --> 00:28:42.780
that God might speak to each one of us,
382
00:28:42.780 --> 00:28:45.550
but it is also important that we devote ourselves
383
00:28:45.550 --> 00:28:47.520
to the scriptures together,
384
00:28:47.520 --> 00:28:49.810
as a community of faith,
385
00:28:49.810 --> 00:28:52.710
for it is the collective memories and traditions
386
00:28:52.710 --> 00:28:55.070
that come to us through scripture
387
00:28:55.070 --> 00:29:00.070
which constitute and shape us as a community of faith.
388
00:29:00.240 --> 00:29:02.190
Through scripture we're held accountable
389
00:29:02.190 --> 00:29:06.940
to a particular belief and a particular behavior,
390
00:29:06.940 --> 00:29:09.470
and without it we are at risk of losing
391
00:29:09.470 --> 00:29:14.351
our identity as the body of Christ in the world.
392
00:29:14.351 --> 00:29:16.260
Like the early believers,
393
00:29:16.260 --> 00:29:21.020
we study scripture to learn what it means to be the Church,
394
00:29:21.020 --> 00:29:23.950
and thus we are united through scripture
395
00:29:23.950 --> 00:29:27.020
with those first Christians who devoted themselves
396
00:29:27.020 --> 00:29:30.601
to the apostles' teaching.
397
00:29:30.601 --> 00:29:33.150
Another manifestation of the Pentecost spirit
398
00:29:33.150 --> 00:29:37.420
in that early Church was the fellowship they shared.
399
00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:40.587
Luke goes on, in our text, to describe that,
400
00:29:40.587 --> 00:29:43.435
"All who believed were together
401
00:29:43.435 --> 00:29:46.067
"and had all things in common.
402
00:29:46.067 --> 00:29:48.980
"They would sell their possessions and goods
403
00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:53.242
"and distribute the proceeds to all who had need."
404
00:29:53.242 --> 00:29:54.820
The fellowship Luke described
405
00:29:54.820 --> 00:29:56.880
involved a complete transformation
406
00:29:56.880 --> 00:30:00.440
of their social and material arrangements.
407
00:30:00.440 --> 00:30:03.100
If you'll remember, early in the story,
408
00:30:03.100 --> 00:30:05.320
Luke told us that the crowd gathered
409
00:30:05.320 --> 00:30:06.840
at the Pentecost gathering,
410
00:30:06.840 --> 00:30:09.010
when the 3,000 were saved,
411
00:30:09.010 --> 00:30:13.191
contained people from every nation on Earth.
412
00:30:13.191 --> 00:30:17.200
To unify so diverse an assembly of people
413
00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:18.717
with a common faith
414
00:30:18.717 --> 00:30:23.717
and a common commitment was truly amazing.
415
00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:28.040
The recent "60 Minutes" report on race relations at Duke,
416
00:30:28.040 --> 00:30:30.720
though one-sided, admittedly,
417
00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:32.770
did highlight the problems we've had
418
00:30:32.770 --> 00:30:35.450
in achieving multi-cultural understanding
419
00:30:35.450 --> 00:30:38.910
even in our enlightened age.
420
00:30:38.910 --> 00:30:43.000
We know how difficult it can be to find common ground
421
00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:45.676
among diverse people.
422
00:30:45.676 --> 00:30:47.970
But the early Christian community didn't settle
423
00:30:47.970 --> 00:30:51.310
for a few areas of common ground.
424
00:30:51.310 --> 00:30:53.840
They had all things in common,
425
00:30:53.840 --> 00:30:57.773
giving to any as they had need.
426
00:30:57.773 --> 00:31:01.970
This radical understanding of social and material fellowship
427
00:31:01.970 --> 00:31:04.880
is particularly challenging for us,
428
00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:08.360
since we live in a world that values individualism
429
00:31:08.360 --> 00:31:12.458 line:15%
and material accumulation above all else.
430
00:31:12.458 --> 00:31:16.960 line:15%
We cling to our separateness and our possessions so tightly
431
00:31:16.960 --> 00:31:18.900 line:15%
for fear that if we let them go,
432
00:31:18.900 --> 00:31:23.261 line:15%
we will be in some way diminished.
433
00:31:23.261 --> 00:31:26.790 line:15%
But something dramatic happened to these early believers,
434
00:31:26.790 --> 00:31:28.200 line:15%
something that lead them
435
00:31:28.200 --> 00:31:31.807
beyond the conventional relationships based on the
436
00:31:31.807 --> 00:31:35.550
"I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine" philosophy,
437
00:31:35.550 --> 00:31:39.440
to a radical fellowship of sacrificial giving.
438
00:31:39.440 --> 00:31:42.500
Because they experienced the awesome gift
439
00:31:42.500 --> 00:31:44.600
of Christ self-giving,
440
00:31:44.600 --> 00:31:49.600
they were empowered to be self-giving to one another.
441
00:31:49.780 --> 00:31:53.150
We too are called to be a fellowship
442
00:31:53.150 --> 00:31:56.911
of radical self-giving people.
443
00:31:56.911 --> 00:32:00.750
Too often we participate in worship as strangers,
444
00:32:00.750 --> 00:32:03.640
having no concern for one another,
445
00:32:03.640 --> 00:32:08.475
rather than as brothers and sisters unified in Christ.
446
00:32:08.475 --> 00:32:11.100
Providing opportunities for radical fellowship
447
00:32:11.100 --> 00:32:14.560
is a particular challenge for us at Duke Chapel
448
00:32:14.560 --> 00:32:18.271
because this is such a transient community.
449
00:32:18.271 --> 00:32:22.600
Worship in Duke Chapel is truly a blessed experience,
450
00:32:22.600 --> 00:32:27.600
but it's not a substitute for intimate Christian fellowship.
451
00:32:27.970 --> 00:32:30.330
That's the reason we encourage those of you
452
00:32:30.330 --> 00:32:34.010
who consider the chapel your primary place of worship
453
00:32:34.010 --> 00:32:36.580
to affiliate with the congregation here,
454
00:32:36.580 --> 00:32:38.990
to join the choir, the mission committee,
455
00:32:38.990 --> 00:32:41.440
the altar guild, the young adult fellowship,
456
00:32:41.440 --> 00:32:44.781
a Bible study, to usher.
457
00:32:44.781 --> 00:32:47.810
It's the reason that we encourage the young adults,
458
00:32:47.810 --> 00:32:50.790
the students who come to chapel to worship here,
459
00:32:50.790 --> 00:32:54.540
to also be a part of religious life groups.
460
00:32:54.540 --> 00:32:57.670
All of us need to be members of a close,
461
00:32:57.670 --> 00:33:00.020
intimate Christian fellowship
462
00:33:00.020 --> 00:33:03.710
where we are cared for and challenged to grow
463
00:33:03.710 --> 00:33:05.560
as people of faith,
464
00:33:05.560 --> 00:33:09.120
where we can share in one another's pain and joy,
465
00:33:09.120 --> 00:33:12.313
need and resources.
466
00:33:12.313 --> 00:33:15.500
With our culture's emphasis on individualism,
467
00:33:15.500 --> 00:33:19.730
we're at great risk of privatizing faith,
468
00:33:19.730 --> 00:33:23.640
but the Holy Spirit was not given to individuals alone.
469
00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:27.790
It was poured out on the gathered community of believers
470
00:33:27.790 --> 00:33:31.400
who were then led into an even closer, more intimate,
471
00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:36.400
radical fellowship as the early Christian Church.
472
00:33:36.460 --> 00:33:39.520
Whenever we are given a spiritual gift,
473
00:33:39.520 --> 00:33:44.520
it is always to call us into greater service to one another.
474
00:33:45.080 --> 00:33:49.738
And I would argue that we cannot be the Church alone,
475
00:33:49.738 --> 00:33:52.390
and that we cannot be Christians alone,
476
00:33:52.390 --> 00:33:56.450
for to be Christian is to be called into sacrificial living,
477
00:33:56.450 --> 00:34:01.410
and that allows must be embodied in community.
478
00:34:02.510 --> 00:34:04.090
So like the early Church,
479
00:34:04.090 --> 00:34:09.016
we are called to share in radical Christian fellowship.
480
00:34:10.330 --> 00:34:12.770
One of the ways they strengthened their fellowship
481
00:34:12.770 --> 00:34:15.200
was in the breaking of bread.
482
00:34:15.200 --> 00:34:17.570
Now, Luke doesn't tell us whether they understood this
483
00:34:17.570 --> 00:34:20.090
as a sacramental act or not,
484
00:34:20.090 --> 00:34:22.310
but he does say they broke bread at home
485
00:34:22.310 --> 00:34:26.860
and they ate their food with glad and generous hearts.
486
00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:30.400
Something happens when you break bread with another person,
487
00:34:30.400 --> 00:34:32.170
even a stranger.
488
00:34:32.170 --> 00:34:35.060
Barriers are lowered and defenses are dropped.
489
00:34:35.060 --> 00:34:36.430
You leave with a greater sense
490
00:34:36.430 --> 00:34:40.205
of familiarity and acceptance.
491
00:34:40.205 --> 00:34:44.258
Think about the people you choose to break bread with.
492
00:34:44.258 --> 00:34:49.258
Who do you invite into your home to share a meal with you?
493
00:34:49.580 --> 00:34:51.460
Usually the people we dine with are
494
00:34:51.460 --> 00:34:54.090
those we feel most comfortable with,
495
00:34:54.090 --> 00:34:57.551
those with whom we can be ourselves.
496
00:34:57.551 --> 00:34:58.820
In breaking bread together,
497
00:34:58.820 --> 00:35:03.820
the first believers became brothers and sisters in Christ.
498
00:35:04.140 --> 00:35:06.120
Racial, social, economic,
499
00:35:06.120 --> 00:35:08.850
and gender barriers were overcome,
500
00:35:08.850 --> 00:35:13.701
and a sense of equality and mutual love were established.
501
00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:17.990
At a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C.,
502
00:35:17.990 --> 00:35:19.780
some Duke students shared a meal
503
00:35:19.780 --> 00:35:23.981
with several homeless men and woman over Spring break.
504
00:35:23.981 --> 00:35:25.677
After the meal, they commented,
505
00:35:25.677 --> 00:35:30.299
"You know, they're not that different from us."
506
00:35:30.299 --> 00:35:32.150
And in Honduras,
507
00:35:32.150 --> 00:35:34.850
students shared many meals with the villagers
508
00:35:34.850 --> 00:35:38.032
while they served there over their Spring break,
509
00:35:38.032 --> 00:35:39.880
and they were amazed at how festive
510
00:35:39.880 --> 00:35:44.250
and joyous a meal of beans and tortillas could be.
511
00:35:44.250 --> 00:35:46.740
Those communities taught them something
512
00:35:46.740 --> 00:35:50.743
about what it means to be in fellowship.
513
00:35:50.743 --> 00:35:54.560
Christ calls us to break bread with one another,
514
00:35:54.560 --> 00:35:58.040
remembering that as he was broken for us,
515
00:35:58.040 --> 00:36:02.500
so he also calls us to be broken for one another.
516
00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:05.670
He calls us to a shared table fellowship,
517
00:36:05.670 --> 00:36:08.990
where all feast with glad hearts
518
00:36:08.990 --> 00:36:13.241
at the banquet of God's love.
519
00:36:13.241 --> 00:36:16.220
The last characteristic that Luke said was embodied
520
00:36:16.220 --> 00:36:18.430
in the early Christian community
521
00:36:18.430 --> 00:36:20.900
was a devotion to prayer.
522
00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:21.850
He goes on to say
523
00:36:21.850 --> 00:36:24.810
that they spent much time together in the temple,
524
00:36:24.810 --> 00:36:27.350
and we can assume that even with the newness
525
00:36:27.350 --> 00:36:29.340
of the Christian experience,
526
00:36:29.340 --> 00:36:31.830
they continued to honor the Jewish traditions,
527
00:36:31.830 --> 00:36:36.005
they continued to be devout Jewish people.
528
00:36:36.005 --> 00:36:38.770
But we can also assume that they prayed together
529
00:36:38.770 --> 00:36:41.847
as a community of believers in Christ,
530
00:36:41.847 --> 00:36:44.240
and that their fellowship was strengthened
531
00:36:44.240 --> 00:36:46.930
through the experience of prayer.
532
00:36:46.930 --> 00:36:50.520
Like scripture, fellowship, and breaking bread,
533
00:36:50.520 --> 00:36:54.960
prayer is essential to an embodied Christian faith.
534
00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:57.510
In prayer, the community of faith is linked
535
00:36:57.510 --> 00:37:01.980
through the Holy Spirit with Christ and with one another.
536
00:37:01.980 --> 00:37:04.270
It is a mystical reality
537
00:37:04.270 --> 00:37:07.940
that whenever two or three are gathered in Christ's name,
538
00:37:07.940 --> 00:37:12.940
Christ is also there in the midst of them.
539
00:37:13.020 --> 00:37:14.510
All of us should pray alone
540
00:37:14.510 --> 00:37:17.480
to strengthen our relationship with Christ,
541
00:37:17.480 --> 00:37:21.410
but there is special power, special strength,
542
00:37:21.410 --> 00:37:24.660
whenever we join our hearts, our wills,
543
00:37:24.660 --> 00:37:29.538
and our voices in prayer with other common believers.
544
00:37:29.538 --> 00:37:33.300
First of all, through prayer God works within us,
545
00:37:33.300 --> 00:37:37.400
to change us, to move us to greater service and love,
546
00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:39.990
to unify us.
547
00:37:39.990 --> 00:37:44.310
Through prayer, we also unite our wills and our hopes
548
00:37:44.310 --> 00:37:47.860
as we petition to God for a common purpose,
549
00:37:47.860 --> 00:37:49.360
for peace in the community,
550
00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:53.440
for the healing of one of our members.
551
00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:54.280
And through prayer,
552
00:37:54.280 --> 00:37:58.230
our hearts become one with Christ's heart,
553
00:37:58.230 --> 00:38:03.230
as we share one another's burdens and joys.
554
00:38:03.780 --> 00:38:05.940
I have two very dear friends
555
00:38:05.940 --> 00:38:09.871
who had different outcomes from prayer.
556
00:38:09.871 --> 00:38:12.310
Anne's sister was told by her doctors
557
00:38:12.310 --> 00:38:15.030
that she had incurable cancer,
558
00:38:15.030 --> 00:38:18.490
but Anne's church prayed for her sister's recovery,
559
00:38:18.490 --> 00:38:22.730
and she's now in her fifth year of being cancer-free.
560
00:38:22.730 --> 00:38:25.940
Coincidence or miracle?
561
00:38:25.940 --> 00:38:29.748
I believe it was an answer to prayer.
562
00:38:29.748 --> 00:38:33.000
My other friend, Mary, also had cancer.
563
00:38:33.000 --> 00:38:34.740
Her cancer would have been curable
564
00:38:34.740 --> 00:38:37.730
had it been caught and properly diagnosed
565
00:38:37.730 --> 00:38:41.840
when it showed up three years previously on her mammogram.
566
00:38:41.840 --> 00:38:45.040
But because it was not caught and not diagnosed,
567
00:38:45.040 --> 00:38:47.400
the cancer had spread.
568
00:38:47.400 --> 00:38:51.290
Mary's church also prayed for her recovery,
569
00:38:51.290 --> 00:38:54.786
but Mary died a few months ago.
570
00:38:54.786 --> 00:38:57.690
But instead of dying with anger and bitterness,
571
00:38:57.690 --> 00:38:59.640
as was her right,
572
00:38:59.640 --> 00:39:04.640
she died with great peace, even joy.
573
00:39:04.760 --> 00:39:09.490
Was that unrealistic or grace?
574
00:39:09.490 --> 00:39:14.290
I believe it was an answer to prayer.
575
00:39:14.290 --> 00:39:17.730 line:15%
We don't know why some prayers are answered as we want
576
00:39:17.730 --> 00:39:19.730 line:15%
and others are not,
577
00:39:19.730 --> 00:39:24.730 line:15%
but we do know that prayer changes things, mainly us.
578
00:39:25.610 --> 00:39:29.100 line:15%
The community of faith is sustained through prayer,
579
00:39:29.100 --> 00:39:33.430 line:15%
and it is one of the Spirit's abiding gifts to us.
580
00:39:33.430 --> 00:39:38.430
It is a gift we should partake of often.
581
00:39:38.610 --> 00:39:42.301
3,000 people were saved.
582
00:39:42.301 --> 00:39:45.175
So what difference did it make?
583
00:39:45.175 --> 00:39:48.800
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching,
584
00:39:48.800 --> 00:39:53.800
the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers,
585
00:39:54.300 --> 00:39:58.450
with glad and generous hearts, praising God,
586
00:39:58.450 --> 00:40:03.450
and every day, others were added to their numbers.
587
00:40:03.700 --> 00:40:07.160
They embodied the Pentecost spirit,
588
00:40:07.160 --> 00:40:09.510
and they became the Church,
589
00:40:09.510 --> 00:40:14.006
the visible body of Christ in the world.
590
00:40:14.006 --> 00:40:17.280
Occasionally we too are privileged to share
591
00:40:17.280 --> 00:40:20.880
one of those mountaintop religious experiences
592
00:40:20.880 --> 00:40:23.810
when we know without a doubt that we've been touched
593
00:40:23.810 --> 00:40:26.330
by the Spirit of God,
594
00:40:26.330 --> 00:40:30.170
but whether or not we've had a Pentecost experience,
595
00:40:30.170 --> 00:40:34.030
Luke reminds us that the embodied Spirit calls us
596
00:40:34.030 --> 00:40:36.340
into the community of faith,
597
00:40:36.340 --> 00:40:38.370
where our life as Christian brothers
598
00:40:38.370 --> 00:40:43.166
and sisters is nurtured and sustained.
599
00:40:43.166 --> 00:40:45.090
Like the early Church,
600
00:40:45.090 --> 00:40:46.870
let us devote ourselves
601
00:40:46.870 --> 00:40:50.290
to the apostles' teaching and scripture,
602
00:40:50.290 --> 00:40:55.290
to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers,
603
00:40:56.620 --> 00:40:59.890
for these are the things that are necessary for us,
604
00:40:59.890 --> 00:41:03.410
as they were for them, to become the faithful,
605
00:41:03.410 --> 00:41:07.553
embodied Church of Christ in the world.
606
00:41:07.553 --> 00:41:10.310
Let us devote ourselves to all these things
607
00:41:10.310 --> 00:41:12.620
with glad and generous hearts,
608
00:41:12.620 --> 00:41:17.620
praising God, knowing God is with us.
609
00:41:18.140 --> 00:41:21.495
Thanks be to God.
610
00:41:24.999 --> 00:41:27.499
(organ plays)
611
00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:07.302
(all sing "I'll Praise My Maker While I've Breath)
612
00:42:07.302 --> 00:42:12.302
♪ I'll praise my Maker while I've breath; ♪
613
00:42:14.090 --> 00:42:19.090
♪ And when my voice is lost in death, ♪
614
00:42:20.970 --> 00:42:25.970
♪ Praise shall employ my nobler powers. ♪
615
00:42:29.258 --> 00:42:34.258
♪ My days of praise shall ne'er be past, ♪
616
00:42:36.083 --> 00:42:41.083
♪ While life, and thought, and being last, ♪
617
00:42:43.110 --> 00:42:46.610
♪ Or immortality endures. ♪
618
00:42:54.038 --> 00:42:59.038
♪ Happy are they whose hopes rely ♪
619
00:43:00.873 --> 00:43:05.873
♪ On Israel's God, who made the sky ♪
620
00:43:07.479 --> 00:43:12.479
♪ And earth and seas, with all their train; ♪
621
00:43:16.037 --> 00:43:21.037
♪ Whose truth for ever stands secure, ♪
622
00:43:22.412 --> 00:43:27.412
♪ Who saves th'oppressed and feeds the poor, ♪
623
00:43:29.514 --> 00:43:34.347
♪ For none shall find God's promise vain. ♪
624
00:43:39.651 --> 00:43:44.651
♪ The Lord pours eyesight on the blind; ♪
625
00:43:46.291 --> 00:43:51.291
♪ The Lord supports the fainting mind ♪
626
00:43:53.379 --> 00:43:58.379
♪ And sends the laboring conscience peace. ♪
627
00:44:01.504 --> 00:44:06.504
♪ God helps the stranger in distress, ♪
628
00:44:08.578 --> 00:44:13.578
♪ The widow and the fatherless, ♪
629
00:44:15.596 --> 00:44:20.346
♪ And grants the prisoner sweet release. ♪
630
00:44:26.263 --> 00:44:31.263
♪ I'll praise my God who lends me breath; ♪
631
00:44:32.991 --> 00:44:37.991
♪ And when my voice is lost in death, ♪
632
00:44:40.173 --> 00:44:45.173
♪ Praise shall employ my nobler powers. ♪
633
00:44:48.531 --> 00:44:53.531
♪ My days of praise shall ne'er be past, ♪
634
00:44:55.743 --> 00:45:00.743
♪ While life, and thought, and being last, ♪
635
00:45:02.465 --> 00:45:05.965
♪ Or immortality endures. ♪
636
00:45:22.110 --> 00:45:23.818
The Lord be with you.
637
00:45:23.818 --> 00:45:25.040
And also with you.
638
00:45:25.040 --> 00:45:26.053
Let us pray.
639
00:45:36.640 --> 00:45:38.990
Oh, gracious God,
640
00:45:38.990 --> 00:45:40.120
we have not loved you
641
00:45:40.120 --> 00:45:44.083
with our whole heart, soul, mind or strength.
642
00:45:45.590 --> 00:45:49.593
We have not loved our neighbors or our enemies.
643
00:45:50.770 --> 00:45:54.463
We have not loved our friends or family with your love.
644
00:45:55.680 --> 00:45:57.513
We have not loved ourselves.
645
00:45:59.020 --> 00:46:02.063
Forgive us and transform us.
646
00:46:03.730 --> 00:46:08.563
Breathe on us your peace and heal us from our sin.
647
00:46:10.140 --> 00:46:13.963
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
648
00:46:16.550 --> 00:46:19.173
Jesus, we come here to seek your face,
649
00:46:20.760 --> 00:46:23.683
to hear your voice speak good news to us,
650
00:46:25.470 --> 00:46:28.763
to come near enough to you that we can touch your side,
651
00:46:29.870 --> 00:46:32.523
to feel the wounds of your hands and feet.
652
00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:37.263
We have come here to feast on you,
653
00:46:38.170 --> 00:46:40.210
to experience your sustaining grace
654
00:46:40.210 --> 00:46:44.823
as we eat the bread and drink the wine which are you.
655
00:46:46.860 --> 00:46:50.400
We have come to wash your feet with precious oil
656
00:46:50.400 --> 00:46:52.323
and dry them with our hair,
657
00:46:53.270 --> 00:46:56.513
to carry your cross, to find a home for you,
658
00:46:58.350 --> 00:47:00.443
to offer you our bread to eat,
659
00:47:01.760 --> 00:47:03.483
to welcome you at our table.
660
00:47:06.190 --> 00:47:08.330
We have come here to this sanctuary
661
00:47:08.330 --> 00:47:11.010
to be friends with you again.
662
00:47:11.010 --> 00:47:12.493
Oh, Lord, befriend us.
663
00:47:14.600 --> 00:47:16.765
Lord, in your mercy--
664
00:47:16.765 --> 00:47:18.753
[Minister And Congregation] Hear our prayer.
665
00:47:21.560 --> 00:47:24.053
We pray for all our government leaders,
666
00:47:24.930 --> 00:47:27.020
for the Clintons and Gores,
667
00:47:27.020 --> 00:47:30.253
for all those in Washington and in our state House.
668
00:47:32.000 --> 00:47:34.763
Keep them true to their professed faith,
669
00:47:35.850 --> 00:47:37.620
that they would lead us in ways
670
00:47:37.620 --> 00:47:40.173
of compassion and self-sacrifice,
671
00:47:41.210 --> 00:47:43.503
lead us in the ways of your peace.
672
00:47:46.090 --> 00:47:49.193
Draw all those in power to the poor,
673
00:47:50.320 --> 00:47:54.253
to the widows and orphans, to those in prison,
674
00:47:55.480 --> 00:47:57.170
to those who, this very hour,
675
00:47:57.170 --> 00:47:59.493
are searching for food and shelter.
676
00:48:01.960 --> 00:48:06.410
Teach each one in power of their own poverty,
677
00:48:06.410 --> 00:48:09.193
sin, and need for you.
678
00:48:11.050 --> 00:48:14.740
Give each one in authority over us the desire
679
00:48:14.740 --> 00:48:17.123
to be humble disciples of Christ.
680
00:48:18.630 --> 00:48:20.919
Lord, in your mercy--
681
00:48:20.919 --> 00:48:22.983
[Minister And Congregation] Hear our prayer.
682
00:48:25.320 --> 00:48:27.420
We pray for all those seniors
683
00:48:27.420 --> 00:48:29.793
and graduate students leaving Duke this month.
684
00:48:31.060 --> 00:48:34.460
Remind them of their high calling to live as saints
685
00:48:35.340 --> 00:48:37.393
and those who imitate Christ.
686
00:48:39.380 --> 00:48:41.983
Draw them to places of greatest need,
687
00:48:42.930 --> 00:48:46.083
where they can discover you on the faces of the poor,
688
00:48:47.660 --> 00:48:49.360
where they can help build your kingdom
689
00:48:49.360 --> 00:48:53.810
with hope and healing, light, truth, beauty,
690
00:48:55.780 --> 00:48:57.463
and the gospel of your love.
691
00:48:59.850 --> 00:49:03.293
Draw them into places of genuine fellowship and worship.
692
00:49:04.450 --> 00:49:07.810
Draw them into deep intimacy with you
693
00:49:07.810 --> 00:49:12.520
and the saints who have gone before us.
694
00:49:12.520 --> 00:49:15.470
Enable them to sell their possessions
695
00:49:15.470 --> 00:49:17.983
and give to anyone who has need.
696
00:49:20.160 --> 00:49:21.190
Oh, Holy Spirit,
697
00:49:21.190 --> 00:49:23.070
you have gifted each one of us
698
00:49:23.070 --> 00:49:24.723
for the building of your Church.
699
00:49:25.620 --> 00:49:29.663
Give us vocations which spring from our spiritual gifts.
700
00:49:32.380 --> 00:49:34.870
We pray for all the parents of seniors,
701
00:49:34.870 --> 00:49:38.303
that they could set their children free to follow you,
702
00:49:39.320 --> 00:49:42.873
trusting you and the Church with their sons and daughters.
703
00:49:45.580 --> 00:49:49.358
I pray for all those who teach here at Duke and everywhere,
704
00:49:49.358 --> 00:49:52.856
that you would keep them true to their baptism,
705
00:49:52.856 --> 00:49:57.053
joining their students in this precious pilgrimage of faith,
706
00:49:58.370 --> 00:50:01.593
and modeling for their students lives of humbles service,
707
00:50:02.560 --> 00:50:04.423
genuine fellowship and love,
708
00:50:05.700 --> 00:50:07.883
radical devotion to your ways.
709
00:50:09.620 --> 00:50:12.123
Keep their teaching in service to the church.
710
00:50:13.910 --> 00:50:15.931
Lord, in your mercy--
711
00:50:15.931 --> 00:50:17.403
[Minister And Congregation] Hear our prayer.
712
00:50:20.110 --> 00:50:24.093
Draw us all to Bosnia and Somalia,
713
00:50:25.560 --> 00:50:27.653
to the West Bank and North Ireland,
714
00:50:29.120 --> 00:50:33.253
to Lumberton and Honduras, Miami and Washington,
715
00:50:34.610 --> 00:50:35.880
to the neighborhoods of Durham
716
00:50:35.880 --> 00:50:38.773
where there is the greatest violence and hunger,
717
00:50:40.600 --> 00:50:43.423
to the apartments filled with abuse or illness,
718
00:50:44.940 --> 00:50:47.833
so we might be your resurrected body in the world,
719
00:50:48.840 --> 00:50:52.903
and those who suffer might draw us to your cross.
720
00:50:54.760 --> 00:50:56.856
Lord, in your mercy--
721
00:50:56.856 --> 00:50:58.567
[Minister And Congregation] Hear our prayer.
722
00:51:01.990 --> 00:51:05.903
We always pray in hope and faith,
723
00:51:06.940 --> 00:51:11.130
and we pray this prayer in the name of the blessed Trinity,
724
00:51:11.130 --> 00:51:13.733
World without end, amen.
725
00:51:18.510 --> 00:51:22.310
God has enabled us to live this abundant life
726
00:51:22.310 --> 00:51:23.823
as thankful people.
727
00:51:24.850 --> 00:51:28.410
From our abundance and from our poverty,
728
00:51:28.410 --> 00:51:30.373
let us offer the Lord our gifts.
729
00:51:54.017 --> 00:51:57.850
(organ plays and choir sings)
730
00:54:44.357 --> 00:54:46.857
(organ plays)
731
00:55:33.930 --> 00:55:36.180
(all sing)
732
00:56:33.260 --> 00:56:34.840
Oh Lord, we give you thanks
733
00:56:34.840 --> 00:56:37.543
for the privilege of loving you and serving you.
734
00:56:38.830 --> 00:56:41.530
Guide us in the use of these gifts,
735
00:56:41.530 --> 00:56:45.913
that we might build your kingdom with faith and compassion.
736
00:56:47.210 --> 00:56:51.300
For everything in our lives which is true and good
737
00:56:51.300 --> 00:56:52.780
and which reminds us of you,
738
00:56:52.780 --> 00:56:54.083
we give you thanks.
739
00:56:55.180 --> 00:56:57.719
Make of us thankful people,
740
00:56:57.719 --> 00:57:02.400
with the prayer your Son taught us always on our lips,
741
00:57:02.400 --> 00:57:03.517
as we say--
742
00:57:04.400 --> 00:57:07.150
[Minister And Congregation] Our father who art in Heaven,
743
00:57:07.150 --> 00:57:09.250
hallowed be thy name.
744
00:57:09.250 --> 00:57:11.200
They kingdom come,
745
00:57:11.200 --> 00:57:14.653
thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
746
00:57:15.540 --> 00:57:18.550
Give us this day our daily bread,
747
00:57:18.550 --> 00:57:21.160
and forgive us our trespasses,
748
00:57:21.160 --> 00:57:24.293
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
749
00:57:25.130 --> 00:57:27.810
And lead us not into temptation,
750
00:57:27.810 --> 00:57:30.180
but deliver us from evil,
751
00:57:30.180 --> 00:57:33.380
for thine is the kingdom and the power
752
00:57:33.380 --> 00:57:36.333
and the glory forever, amen.
753
00:57:38.060 --> 00:57:39.420
Please remain standing
754
00:57:39.420 --> 00:57:41.977
and let us sing together our closing hymn,
755
00:57:41.977 --> 00:57:44.523
"Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation."
756
00:57:46.711 --> 00:57:49.211
(organ plays)
757
00:58:28.051 --> 00:58:30.184
(all sing "Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation)
758
00:58:30.184 --> 00:58:35.184
♪ Christ is made the sure foundation, ♪
759
00:58:37.626 --> 00:58:42.626
♪ Christ the head and cornerstone, ♪
760
00:58:45.200 --> 00:58:50.200
♪ Chosen of the Lord and precious, ♪
761
00:58:51.899 --> 00:58:56.899
♪ Binding all the church in one. ♪
762
00:58:59.065 --> 00:59:04.065
♪ Holy Zion's help forever, ♪
763
00:59:06.083 --> 00:59:11.083
♪ And her confidence alone. ♪
764
00:59:15.870 --> 00:59:20.870
♪ To this temple, where we call thee, ♪
765
00:59:23.187 --> 00:59:28.187
♪ Come, O Lord of Hosts, today. ♪
766
00:59:30.291 --> 00:59:35.291
♪ With thy faithful loving-kindness ♪
767
00:59:37.152 --> 00:59:42.152
♪ Hear thy people as they pray, ♪
768
00:59:44.425 --> 00:59:49.425
♪ And thy fullest benediction ♪
769
00:59:51.122 --> 00:59:56.122
♪ Shed within its walls alway. ♪
770
01:00:00.346 --> 01:00:05.346
♪ Here vouchsafe to all thy servants ♪
771
01:00:08.020 --> 01:00:13.020
♪ What they ask of thee to gain, ♪
772
01:00:15.833 --> 01:00:20.833
♪ What they gain from thee forever ♪
773
01:00:22.540 --> 01:00:27.540
♪ With the blessed to retain, ♪
774
01:00:29.810 --> 01:00:34.810
♪ And hereafter in thy glory ♪
775
01:00:37.009 --> 01:00:42.009
♪ Evermore with thee to reign. ♪
776
01:00:46.397 --> 01:00:51.397
♪ Laud and honor to the Father, ♪
777
01:00:53.473 --> 01:00:58.473
♪ Laud and honor to the Son, ♪
778
01:01:01.098 --> 01:01:06.098
♪ Laud and honor to the Spirit, ♪
779
01:01:08.357 --> 01:01:13.357
♪ Ever three and ever one; ♪
780
01:01:16.105 --> 01:01:17.828
♪ One in might ♪