(handbells ringing) (handbells chiming) (handbells ringing) (footsteps approaching) 

- Good morning, and welcome to this service of worship on the third Sunday in the season of Advent. We have been lead in worship by the bellringers of the Henderson Baptist Church Bell Choir, and Mr. Phillip Young is their leader. And they are here for their annual visit to Duke Chapel. We are happy to have all of you here with us during this service, and call your attention to the many activities at the chapel between now and Christmas. Now let us stand for the greeting. Behold, God is my strength and my song, and is become my salvation. 

Congregation: O God, glory to You. (muffled congregation recitation) 

- Let us worship God. (jubilant organ music) 

Congregation: ♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪ ♪ And ransom captive Israel ♪ ♪ That mourns in lonely exile here ♪ ♪ Until the Son of God appear ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high ♪ ♪ And order all things far and nigh ♪ ♪ To us the path of knowledge show ♪ ♪ And cause us in her ways to go ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ O come, o come Thou Lord of might ♪ ♪ Who to thy tribes on Sinai's height ♪ ♪ In ancient times did give the law ♪ ♪ In cloud, and majesty and awe ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ O come, Thou root of Jesse's tree ♪ ♪ An ensign of thy people be ♪ ♪ Before thee rulers silent fall ♪ ♪ All peoples on thy mercy call ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ O come, Thou Key of David, come ♪ ♪ And open wide our heavenly home ♪ ♪ The captives from their prison free ♪ ♪ And conquer death's deep misery ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ O come, Thou Dayspring come and cheer ♪ ♪ Our spirits by thy justice here ♪ ♪ Disperse the gloomy clouds of night ♪ ♪ And death's dark shadows, put to flight ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ ♪ O come, desire of nations, bind ♪ ♪ All peoples in one heart and mind ♪ ♪ From dust, Thou brought us forth to life ♪ ♪ Deliver us from earthly strife ♪ ♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ ♪ Emmanuel ♪ ♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪ 

- Let us join together in the opening prayer on page 201 (congregant coughs loudly) 

Everyone: Merciful God, You sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation. Give us grace to heed their warnings, and forsake our sins, that we may celebrate aright, the commemoration of the Nativity, and may await with joy the coming and glory of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. One God, forever and ever, Amen. 

- You may be seated. 

- Let us pray together, the Prayer for Illumination. 

Everyone: Open our hearts and minds, O God, by the power of your Holy Spirit. So the as the word is read and proclaimed, we might be changed by your Advent among us, Amen. 

- The reading from the Old Testament comes from the prophet, Zephaniah, the third chapter starting with the 14th verse. Sing aloud, O daughter Zion. Shout, O Israel. Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, He has turned away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. You shall fear disaster no more. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem, Do not fear, O Zion, Do let not your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will renew you in his love. He will exult over you with loud singing, as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time, I will bring you home. At the time, when I gather you, for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord. This is the word of the Lord. 

Congregation: Thanks be to God. 

- This reading is from Paul's letter to the Philippians, chapter four, beginning with the 4th verse. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, Whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned, and received, and heard, and seen in Me. And the God of Peace will be with you. This is the word of the Lord. 

Congregation: Thanks be to God. (handbells ringing) ("I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In") 

- Today's gospel comes from the third chapter of Luke. In the High Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. "Every valley shall be filled, and mountain and hill "shall be brought low. "The crooked shall be made straight. "The rough ways shall be made smooth, "and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." John said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized, "You brood of vipers. "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Bear fruits that befit repentance. "Do not begin to say to yourselves, "'We have Abraham as our father.' "For I tell you, God is able from these stones "to raise up children to Abraham. "Even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees. "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit "shall be cut down and thrown into the fire." And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?" John answered them, "He who has two coats, "let him share with him who has none. "And he who has food, let him do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and he said to them, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more "than is appointed you." Soldiers also asked him, "What should we do?" And he said to them, "Rob no one by violence "or false accusation. "Be content with your wages." As the people were in expectation, and all questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water, "but he who is mightier than I is coming, "the thong of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie. "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. "His winnowing fork is in his hand "to clear his threshing floor, "to gather the wheat into his grainery. "But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people. This is the word of the Lord. 

Everyone: Thanks be to God. 

- Who is your favorite preacher? Who would you rather hear on a Sunday morning more than anybody else? I think of Carlyle Marney, great, big, bass-voiced, Baptist prophet of God. I first heard Carlyle Marney when I was in college. His sermons were thick, incomprehensible, tough to understand, but powerful. However, I also like Fred Craddock, from Emory who preached here many times. High-pitched voice, walled, peering out over the pulpit. Fred just takes a Biblical text, and starts poking at it, enticing the congregation toward it. Just listening to this little man preach, and then whap! End of the sermon, we've been had by the text. I loved to hear Fred preach. But for penitential seasons of the year, like Advent, give me Elizabeth Achtemeier. She's preaching here during Holy Week. She comes into the pulpit, grandmother-type figure. She grabs hold of a Biblical text and starts prodding at the congregation with a Bible, at times flailing away at the congregation. I remember one Sunday during Lent, she preached in this chapel. We had to crawl out of the chapel, just with the weight of that Bible bearing down on our shoulders. Who is your favorite preacher? Harry Emerson Fosdick? James Cleland, who graced this pulpit many years? Billy Graham? I suppose if we had to isolate what there was about a preacher, that makes that preacher memorable, I think we would all say, in some way or another, that that preacher somehow preaches good news. Preaches good news. That's what the word gospel means. The word gospel means good news. Not that a preacher's good news always sounds like good news right at the beginning. Oh no, I remember Marney. I heard him preach the same sermon three times in a four month period. But nobody complained, no. His sermons were so difficult, complex. You had to chew on them again and again. In a funny way, that was what was good about his good news. It reminded you that God is big, and the gospel is something big and important. Good preachers somehow, in some way or another, preach good news, which may make it all the more strange to hear who Jesus' favorite preacher was. If we asked Jesus this morning, "Jesus, who is your favorite preacher?" He would have answered without hesitation. John the Baptist. John the Baptist was Jesus' favorite preacher. In fact, all the gospels begin by telling the story of John the Baptist. It's as if the gospels say, you can't get to Jesus, you can't understand the preaching of Jesus until you first understand the preaching of John. Jesus' words did not arise out of nothing. They had antecedents, and their antecedents were the preaching of John. Jesus learned to preach good news by first hearing John preach it. Mark calls John the beginning of the gospel, the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ. Luke says the John and Jesus were first cousins. The evangelist John begins his gospel, there was a man sent from God, his name was John. And when Jesus began preaching, he sounded so much like John that a lot of people thought they were hearing John. Herod Antipas, who had put John into prison to shut him up, and eventually beheaded him. When he heard Jesus preach, he said, "Oh no. "It's John again." When people heard Jesus preach, they'd nudge one another in the pews and they said, haven't we heard this sermon somewhere before? Well you know how young preachers often emulate those older preachers whom they admire. Jesus sounded so much like John, a lot of people thought when he preached, they were hearing John. You know John's sermon. Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand. That's the way Jesus began his first sermon. Repent, the kingdom of God is here. Later Jesus would say, there's never been anybody born of woman, who is as great as John the Baptist. And did we not agree that one of the things that makes a preacher great, is that somehow that preacher preaches good news. The gospel means good news. So my question. Why didn't John's preaching sound more like good news? Does this sound like good news to you? He said to the multitudes, "You brood of vipers! "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "I tell you God is able from these stones, "to raise up children to Abraham. "Even now, the ax is laid to the root of the tree. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit "is thrown into the fire." Aristotle said that when you begin a speech, you should begin with ethos, making contact with your listeners, perhaps flattering your listeners, letting your listeners know that you're on their side, that you can relate to them. Obviously John the Baptist did not study preaching with Aristotle. When people came to John and said, "Well what should we do, preacher?" He told them, "He who has two coats, "let him share with one who has none." In fact, John told them, if they thought that he was rough on them, they ought to wait until his graduate student got hold of them. "I baptize you with water, there is one coming after me "who will baptize you with fire. "His winnowing fork is in his hand "to clean off the threshing floor. "The wheat he will separate from the chaff. "The chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. "Repent!" Fire, winnowing forks, chaff. Does that sound like good news to you? Well it did to Luke. Luke says, "With this and many other exhortations, "John preached good news "to the people." Good news? Repent! Fire! When John preached, well he didn't preach. He raved, he hurled grenades. Words cast like stones before a congregation. No respecter of social class. When people appeared before John in their Sunday finery with their minks and their fake furs, he said, rip that off, give it to the poor. When General Dummkopf appeared sitting on the front row, he didn't care. He attacked the military, even though they were the Roman Occupation Forces. He attacked the Pentagon, the White House, Wall Street. He looked at all of those substantial, important, heavy-weight people and told them they were just like chaff. Just trash, thrown by the wind into unquenchable fire. And others who trotted out to the desert to hear him, they asked, "What should we do?" He said, "Strip down, give away what you've got. "Repent. "Be baptized, go under the water. "Be cleaned, come forth fresh. "Repent, be baptized!" Now I ask you, why would people keep coming out to the desert to hear that? Why would great multitudes of people come out to hear that kind of preaching? Why would Luke say, "With this and many other exhortations, "he preached good news." These images, strong, earthy images that John used. Well you know preachers use images a lot to try to convey a message. I use images. The butterfly emerging from the cocoon, the return of the robin in the spring. He ain't heavy, he's my brother. Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree. What are the images that John used? An ax hacking away at the root of the tree. God turning away from all of the good church-going people and raising up children out of the stones in the muddy Jordan river. He said that Messiah was coming and he had a winnowing fork in his hand to separate the good wheat from the chaff. Why would people have gone out to the wilderness to hear that? What's good news about that? The neurosurgeon walks in and says, "Well I've got good news, "it's been a very successful operation. "We were able to remove the tumor from your husband's brain. "Although there are complications, "he will not be able to walk or talk ever again. "Still, it was a good operation." Good news. They trotted out to the desert to hear this weird preacher named John preach good news. And when they came out, he confronted them with an ax, and a winnowing fork, and a Messiah who was coming to just burn away the chaff. Now why would people have come out to hear that? I'll tell you. Because John dared to speak of change. He preached a message that everybody wanted to hear, that nobody wanted to hear. His sermon was simple. God is coming, and you can change. You can change! That's what the word repentance means. Change, the word in the Greek, metanoia, where we get our word from the Greek, metamorphosis. You can change. Get out and be metanoiaed, be repented. You can change. Where there is wilderness, the ax is laid to the root of the tree, so that a highway can be made. Chaff is burned away, so that the bread can be made from the good wheat. Where there is nothing, God raises up a people out of the stones in the Jordan river. Where there is nothing but this old ore coming out of the ground, and the refiner's fire. It becomes pure gold. You can change. All of John's images were images of change. And when Herod heard John preach, he hated it. He hated it so much, he wanted to kill him for preaching like that. 'Cause Herod didn't want to hear about change. But people at the top, people in power, never want to hear about change. They're where they are because of the status quo, and so they spend the rest of their lives protecting things as they are, protecting the status quo. So when Herod heard him, it sounded like bad news, not good news. But there were others, multitudes who came out to hear John. Multitudes, I think that's Luke's way of saying that the majority of us in our better moments are not content with the status quo, and things as they are. So to the multitudes, when John preached, his sermons sounded like good news, because he spoke of change. You can change. A friend of mine is in the Pastoral Counseling Movement. Been counseling for 20 years, told me that in 20 years of counseling people with their problems, he's learned one thing. And that is that people never change. Oh he said in counseling, we work some behavioral modifications, some minor tinkering, but people don't fundamentally change. Yesterday on NPR, they were interviewing prisoners at the Atlanta Federal Prison. Sentenced there under the maximum penalty laws for drug possession, interviewed a man 27 years old. He is sentenced to jail for 20 years with no parole for possessing two ounces of crack cocaine. And when the reporter asked him, "Why do you think "you're serving a longer sentence than people serve "for convicted murderer, or something like that?" He said, "I think one of the reasons is "Americans have just lost faith "that anybody, "a criminal, can change." So when asked to comment on the state of affairs, we glance over the morning paper, we say, Oh nothing new there. See nothing new under the sun. We contort the voice into a whine. When we look back over our lives, we say Oh well I would have, or maybe if I had been allowed to, I could have, A whine- People don't change. Change is painful. The good news, you can change, can sound like bad news. 'Cause to change means that I have to let go of the present. I have to admit that there may be a force loose in this world more powerful even than my habits, and my personality, and my psychological, sociological, economic determined life. That can be painful. It's good news. It's bad news. But there are occasions when we hear a word, something which radically reorients us. Before there can be change, there has first got to be a promise of change. There's got to be an announcement of change. And that's what John preached. He spoke to the religious establishment. He spoke to the culturally refined. He spoke to the soldiers. He spoke to the common people on the bottom, and the people up on the top and said, "God has arrived. "God has intruded into our arrangements. "You can change." He told them that Messiah was coming, and now everything was up for grabs. That's good news. Jesus' sermons began with John's sermons. Repent, turn around, change, you can! God is coming! And that is the most frightening news you'll ever hear, and the very best news. You can change. When God's Messiah is born among us, steps into history, knocks at your door, calls you by name. You can change. He's got an ax in his hand. He's got a winnowing fork. Fire, the world begins to shift. For you, this is good news. It was the first day of class, and I was tense. I had this sick feeling right here in my stomach, first day of class. It was a sick feeling, right here in my stomach. I don't know if any of you have ever had it. It's called Algebra. It comes in two varieties, Algebra 1, Algebra 2. This was Algebra 2. And the teacher came in. Well it looked like the same teacher that I had last year. She gave out the books. It looked like the same books we had last year. Nothing in them but Algebra. So I thought that I'd get this over with. I'd go on up to her desk, and I said, "Look, "I'm bad in Algebra. "I did bad in Algebra 1, I probably shouldn't even be here. "I just can't do math." She looked at me and said, "Wait a minute. "You haven't done math with me. "I'm different, I do it all totally different. "Go back to your seat, this is all new." And I said, "But last year I did so poorly." And she said, "What, I like to get people like that. "I like to get people fresh, "unprejudiced by previous information. "That way we can start out fresh, this is all new. "Relax, go back to your seat, it's all new." I went back to my seat. I could breathe. It was just like sort of being born. It was starting over. I could change. I think that's why we love Christmas. Even the most fossilized of us, we love Christmas, because Christmas is about a baby, and a baby is about newness and freshness. It's about change. And we gaze at the manger at Bethlehem, and we see the whole world starting over. We see all of humanity going back to square one. We can change. It's good news. But let's admit it, it can also sound like bad news. Fred Craddock tells a story, a young preacher, he went to visit an old woman, been in the hospital with a serious illness. He went in there, she was lying back on the pillow, mouth open, gasping for breath. He went in, he sat beside the bed, he held her hand. He tried to talk. And then he said to her, "Let's have prayer before I go. "What would you like me to pray for?" She leaned over very weakly, she said, "Well, I want you to pray that I'll be made well. "I want you to pray that God will heal me. "That's what I want you to pray." Well, young preacher sort of gulped, and he knew it wasn't to be. But he went ahead, for politeness' sake, and he prayed, "Oh Lord, we pray that you will stand "beside this sick servant of Thine, "and teach her patience during her time of illness, "and help her to bear up under the weight "that she has on her shoulders now. "We pray for your sustaining care, "et cetera, et cetera. "Amen." Right as he said, "Amen", he looked over and her eyes opened on the pillow. On her elbows, she lifted up. She sat up in bed. To the astonished young preacher, "She threw her legs over the side of the bed "and she stood up. "She stood tall, and she said, "'You know, I feel better. "'I feel great! "I'm well.'" She walked out of the hospital room. He watched her just prance down to the nurse's station, all the way saying, "Look, I'm cured, I'm well!" The young preacher staggered out the door, down the steps, out of the hospital. He walked out to the parking lot. Before grasping to open the door of his car, he looked up into the Heavens, and he said, "Don't you ever do that to me again." (congregation laughs) (jubilant organ music) 

Congregation: ♪ Wash, O God, our sons and daughters ♪ ♪ Where your cleansing waters flow ♪ ♪ Number them among your people ♪ ♪ Bless as Christ blessed long ago ♪ ♪ Weave them garments bright and sparkling ♪ ♪ Compass them with love and light ♪ ♪ Fill, anoint them, send your Spirit ♪ ♪ Holy dove and heart's delight ♪ ♪ We who bring them long for nurture ♪ ♪ By your milk may we be fed ♪ ♪ Let us join your feast, partaking ♪ ♪ Cup of blessing, living bread ♪ ♪ God, renew us, guide our footsteps ♪ ♪ Free from sin and all its snares ♪ ♪ One with Christ in living, dying ♪ ♪ By your Spirit, children, heirs ♪ ♪ Oh how deep your holy wisdom ♪ ♪ Unimagined, all your ways ♪ ♪ To your name be glory, honor ♪ ♪ With our lives we worship, praise ♪ ♪ We your people stand before You ♪ ♪ Water washed and Spirit born ♪ ♪ By your grace, our lives we offer ♪ ♪ Recreate us, God transform ♪ (jubilant organ music) 

Assistant Dean: The Lord be with you. 

Congregation: And also with you. 

- Let us pray, you may be seated. O God, we are anxious and ashamed. Too often we are shaped by our fears, not by faith. We have said and done things unworthy of our calling. Our thoughts have been so dominated by the past and the future, that we have failed to live fully in your present. Our lives are filled with discontent, worry, and self-protective pursuits. We have not trusted you, or let you set us on fire with the good news. Forgive us. Change us. Inspire our caring and doing, so we may bear fruit as your forgiven and forgiving children. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Because you are in our midst, you tell us, "Do not fear, let not your hands grow weak." Help us to accept and trust your love, your power, your promises. Where there is fear, give us the promise of hope. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is hatred, give us the promise of understanding acceptance. In your mercy, come, O come Emmanuel. Where there is addiction, give us the promise of freedom. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there are broken relationships, give us the promise of reconciliation. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is grief at the loss of loved ones, give us the promise of eternal life. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is selfishness, give us the promise of self-giving. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is poverty, give us the promise of plenty. In your mercy, come O come, Emmanuel. Where there is illness, give us the promise of healing. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is loneliness, give us the promise of community. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is injustice, give us the promise of justice. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. Where there is war and enmity, give us the promise of peace. In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel. God of grace, you have offered us the good news of your coming with power into the world, but we haven't expected very much from you, or from ourselves. Surprise us once again, as your coming radically reorients our lives, and our world. In the name of the Messiah, who brings good news, Amen. (congregant coughs) Let everyone who has two coats, share with a person who has none. And let everyone who has food, do likewise. Thus we will know the joy of sharing, and appreciate more fully what God has entrusted to us. (handbells tinkling) (jubilant organ music) (congregant coughs) 

Congregation: ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ 

- Let us pray. We praise you with our offerings, gracious God, and honor you with our gifts. Keep us from accepting more than our share of the world's resources, or from thinking that we have achieved all our successes by our own efforts. Take control of our lives and ways that will draw us nearer to You. Yet, increase our sense of responsibility towards your other children. Take these gifts and multiply them to bring about great changes and great healing in our world. Amen. Let us pray together, the prayer that Jesus taught us. 

Everyone: Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is Thy kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen. 

- The reign of God is drawing near. This is the good news. Let us go forth into the world as an expectant people, rejoicing in the power of God. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace, Amen. (handbells chiming) (horns heralding) 

Congregation: ♪ Of the Father's love begotten ♪ ♪ Ere the world's began to be ♪ ♪ He is Alpha and Omega ♪ ♪ He the source, the ending He ♪ ♪ Of the things that are and have been ♪ ♪ And that future years shall see ♪ ♪ Evermore and evermore ♪ ♪ O ye heights of Heaven adore Him ♪ ♪ Angel hosts, His praises sing ♪ ♪ All dominions, bow before Him ♪ ♪ And extol our Lord and King ♪ ♪ Let no tongue on Earth be silent ♪ ♪ Every voice in concert ring ♪ ♪ Evermore and evermore ♪ ♪ Christ, to Thee, with God the Father ♪ ♪ And with Holy Ghost, to Thee ♪ ♪ Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving ♪ ♪ And unwearied praises be ♪ ♪ Honor, glory, and dominion ♪ ♪ And eternal victory ♪ ♪ Evermore and evermore ♪ (handbells chiming) (jubilant organ music) (congregants talking) (joyful organ music)