Charlene P. Kammerer and J. Michael Laidlaw - Remembrance for Victims of Beirut Massacre (October 28, 1983)

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	(somber organ music)	0:03
-	Be seated.	14:28
	Let us pray.	14:36
	Oh God, you made us in your own image,	14:41
	and redeemed us through Jesus your Son.	14:44
	Look now this day with compassion	14:48
	on the whole human family.	14:51
	Take away the arrogance and hatred	14:54
	which infect our hearts.	14:57
	Break down the walls that separate us.	14:59
	Unite us in bonds of love	15:03
	and through our struggle and confusion	15:06
	work to accomplish your purposes on earth,	15:10
	that in your good time,	15:14
	all nations, and races, and peoples,	15:16
	may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne,	15:20
	through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.	15:24
-	The Old Testament lesson	15:40
	is from Isaiah chapter 40 verses 21 through 31.	15:42
	Have you not known?	15:48
	Have you not heard?	15:49
	Has it not been told you from the beginning?	15:51
	Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?	15:53
	It is he who sit above the circle of the earth,	15:57
	and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;	16:01
	who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,	16:04
	and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;	16:07
	who brings Prince's to naught,	16:10
	and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.	16:13
	Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,	16:16
	scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,	16:20
	when he blows upon them, and they wither,	16:24
	and the tempest carries them off like stubble.	16:27
	"To whom then will you compare me,	16:30
	"that I should be like him?"	16:32
	Says the Holy One.	16:34
	Lift up your eyes on high and see, who created thee.	16:36
	He who brings out their host by number,	16:41
	calling them all by name, by the greatest of his might,	16:44
	and because he is strong, in power, not one is missing.	16:48
	Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel,	16:53
	"My way is hidden from the Lord,	16:58
	"and my right is disregarded by my God?"	16:59
	Have you not known?	17:04
	Have you not heard?	17:05
	The Lord is the everlasting God,	17:07
	the Creator of the ends of the earth.	17:09
	He does not faint or grow weary,	17:12
	his understanding is unsearchable.	17:15
	He gives power to the faint, and to him who have no might,	17:19
	He increase strength.	17:23
	Even youths shall faint and be weary,	17:25
	and young men shall fall exhausted;	17:29
	but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,	17:32
	they shall mount up with wings like eagles,	17:35
	they shall run and not be weary,	17:38
	they shall walk and not faint.	17:41
	Here ends the readings from the Old Testament.	17:44
-	The New Testament reading is from Revelation	17:58
	chapter 21 verses one through six.	18:02
	Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;	18:10
	for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,	18:15
	and the sea was no more.	18:21
	And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,	18:24
	coming down out of heaven from God,	18:29
	prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.	18:32
	And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,	18:37
	"Behold, the dwelling of God is with men.	18:42
	"He will dwell with them; and they shall be his people,	18:47
	"and God himself will be with them;	18:53
	"he will wipe every tear from their eyes.	18:57
	"And death shall be no more;	19:01
	"neither shall there be mourning,	19:05
	"nor crying, nor pain anymore,	19:08
	"for the former things have passed away."	19:12
	And He who sat upon the throne said,	19:18
	"Behold, I make all things new."	19:22
	Also he said, "Write this,	19:27
	for these words are trustworthy and true."	19:31
	Here ends the reading from the New Testament.	19:36
-	Will the congregation please stand	19:46
	for the reading of the gospel lesson?	19:48
	And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.	19:56
	And he went to the synagogue	20:00
	as his custom was on Sabbath day.	20:02
	And he stood up to read.	20:05
	And there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah.	20:07
	He open the book and found the place where it was written.	20:11
	The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,	20:15
	because he has anointed me	20:18
	to preach good news to the poor.	20:20
	He had sent me to proclaim, release to the captives,	20:22
	and recovering of sight to the blind.	20:27
	To set at liberty those who are oppressed,	20:30
	to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.	20:33
	And he close the book and gave it back	20:37
	to the attendant, and sat down.	20:39
	And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.	20:42
	And he began to say to them,	20:46
	today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.	20:48
	Here ends the reading from the gospel lesson.	20:52
	(walking)	21:04
-	Less than one week ago now,	21:12
	the shocking news of the Beirut massacre	21:15
	reached all of us across the airwaves.	21:19
	Five days later, it is still hard	21:24
	to comprehend the scope of this tragedy	21:28
	which unfolds before our eyes daily.	21:31
	It is out of painful recognition	21:37
	of the impact of violence and terrorism	21:40
	that division of disservice has come.	21:44
	For I believe that we are called to remember	21:48
	the grave consequences of such acts	21:53
	and to speak out for justice	21:57
	and the hope for reconciliation	22:00
	for all of God's family across the earth.	22:03
	The official body count	22:10
	of American and French soldiers	22:12
	continues to climb.	22:16
	Families and friends of the victims	22:18
	are surely numb with grief.	22:22
	Some have been able to proclaim a sense of pride	22:26
	in the sacrifice of a life,	22:32
	their son or husband or father.	22:35
	Others are yet enraged	22:40
	at such a seemingly wasteless use	22:43
	of God's precious gift of life.	22:47
	We have seen that military families	22:52
	have been bonded together anew this week,	22:54
	especially Marines as they seek to respond	22:59
	to such overwhelming loss,	23:04
	and have done so with great courage.	23:07
	And yet, it is not simply the military's loss	23:11
	or a question of reputation of our own country	23:16
	that is involved here.	23:20
	It is a whole people who find ourselves	23:23
	groaning with disbelief,	23:28
	agonizing for names, faces,	23:31
	and families we do not know,	23:35
	but feel such a kinship for.	23:38
	This is a loss that belongs to all of us.	23:42
	We are aware that the future of Lebanon	23:48
	hangs precariously in the balance at this point in history.	23:52
	A Lebanese president faces increased opposition	23:57
	to hopes of a peaceful settlement	24:02
	to contain this madness of division	24:06
	and terror in that country.	24:09
	We have seen and we have heard the stories	24:13
	of the suffering people	24:17
	who still remain the permanent victims	24:19
	in this region of the Middle East.	24:23
	I believe that we are called to remember as well,	24:27
	these men, women and children,	24:31
	who have every right to possess	24:35
	a life of peace as we do.	24:38
	The symbol of our gathering today,	24:44
	is to remember what is happening around us,	24:47
	and what as a result	24:52
	is so disturbing then within us.	24:55
	Yes, when we're honest we admit that we are tired and weary	24:59
	of this whole horrible tale.	25:05
	But the need for justice and for peace	25:09
	continues to prick our consciences.	25:14
	We want in our heart of hearts	25:19
	to let go of our responsibility,	25:22
	and even forget what has happened,	25:25
	and what is happening right now	25:29
	as our troops are fighting in Grenada.	25:32
	But the weeping of mothers, and fathers,	25:37
	and wives of dead soldiers,	25:40
	will not let us go.	25:44
	The deafening noise of explosion	25:47
	continues to resound in our ears.	25:51
	The frightened looks on the faces of young soldiers	25:55
	and on the faces of our own children	26:00
	who asked "What in the world is happening?"	26:03
	Will not let us be.	26:07
	For many of us, as persons of faith,	26:11
	we yearn for God to step in	26:16
	and bring judgment on those responsible	26:19
	for these cruel acts of inhumanity.	26:23
	But the God of justice	26:28
	rather demands our willing hands	26:31
	and bodies, and our committed spirits	26:35
	to be a part of the act of reconciliation,	26:39
	whatever that cost may be.	26:43
	I believe that we who have gathered today,	26:49
	are here because we hate violence	26:53
	in all of its forms,	26:57
	we believe that violence has to be named	27:00
	wherever it surfaces in ourselves	27:04
	and in our history as a nation.	27:07
	We are here today because we want to speak out,	27:12
	we want to do something, to not feel so alone	27:16
	in our deep concern.	27:21
	We believe it does matter whenever we stand up	27:25
	for what is right, and true, and just.	27:29
	And we believe in the power of the community that happens	27:34
	when we come together.	27:38
	We are really here for one simple reason,	27:43
	we care.	27:48
	There is strength in that fact.	27:51
	My friends indeed, there is hope in that fact.	27:55
	For that hope we say,	28:01
	thanks be to God, Amen.	28:05
-	Praying together.	28:26
	Almighty God, who governs the earth with justice,	28:32
	and all of its peoples with mercy,	28:37
	come now to this occasion of song,	28:41
	and prayer, and word, and remembrance.	28:44
	Awaken in each of us those needs of flesh and soul,	28:48
	loss and hope, wound and healing,	28:53
	that we cry out before you.	28:58
	We gather Oh Lord as a people confused and angry,	29:03
	grieving, yet hopeful,	29:08
	fearful, yet determined.	29:13
	We gather to lament the tragic spilling	29:19
	of French and American blood in Lebanon.	29:21
	We gather to pay honor to those who have died	29:26
	for this nation, this world, and its well-being.	29:29
	We gather that our confusion may give way to vision,	29:36
	that our angers may give way to just resolve,	29:42
	that we may be comforted	29:47
	and learn how to give comfort.	29:50
	Oh Lord, hear our prayer	29:55
	for your servants injured and killed in Beirut.	29:57
	For the wounded survivors, be their source of healing.	30:04
	Let neither body nor mind nor soul	30:09
	be untouched by your mending powers.	30:12
	Embrace those whose names we cannot give,	30:18
	but whose loss of life we mourn,	30:23
	and whose death diminishes our lives.	30:27
	But even in our morning, show us how to rejoice,	30:34
	that there's is now a presence with you	30:39
	quite beyond our understanding.	30:43
	Be we pray with their families,	30:50
	their friends, their communities.	30:53
	And though their faith is now challenged,	30:57
	do grant them the deep assurance of faith	31:01
	and divine presence.	31:05
	Hear their size of sorrow,	31:09
	receive their tears of loss,	31:13
	absorb their angers.	31:17
	May no bitterness overtake them	31:22
	nor loss of hope mark their lives.	31:25
	Oh righteous God, you rule the nations.	31:32
	Guard those women and men who continue	31:37
	to risk themselves for their country.	31:40
	Give them compassion,	31:46
	give them a deepening sense of belonging	31:49
	to your larger human family.	31:51
	Keep them safe.	31:55
	Encourage them as they encourage one another.	31:58
	And never let the tensions of their tasks separate them	32:03
	of their loyalty to you their sovereign creator.	32:09
	Vast merciful Lord,	32:18
	in whose Kingdom, lion and lamb lie down together,	32:21
	who commands us to love enemy as well as neighbor and self,	32:26
	grant to the nations of this earth peace,	32:32
	and a yearning to make it a vital and lasting peace.	32:36
	Do not let threats multiply.	32:42
	Do not let power be used without compassion.	32:46
	Do not let us succumb to the temptation to revenge,	32:52
	lest our desire for vengeance	33:00
	overwhelm our mutual well-being.	33:02
	Bring peace to earth Oh God,	33:08
	right now,	33:12
	through Jesus Christ,	33:17
	Prince of Peace,	33:19
	savior of us all,	33:22
	and the one who teaches us to pray together	33:26
	as a community of faith.	33:30
	This prayer.	33:32
	Our Father, who art in heaven.	33:35
	Hallowed be thy name.	33:39
	Thy kingdom come.	33:41
	Thy will be done on earth,	33:43
	as it is in heaven.	33:45
	Give us this day our daily bread,	33:47
	and forgive us our trespasses,	33:50
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	33:52
	And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.	33:56
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	34:01
	and the glory, forever	34:05
	Amen.	34:08
	(choir organ music)	34:12
-	The Lord bless you, and keep you.	38:47
	The Lord's face shine upon you,	38:52
	and be gracious to you.	38:55
	The Lord's countenance be lifted up upon you,	38:58
	and give you peace.	39:02
	Amen.	39:05

Item Info

Title:

Charlene P. Kammerer and J. Michael Laidlaw - Remembrance for Victims of Beirut Massacre (October 28, 1983)

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4m61c45v

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October 28, 1983

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Duke University. Chapel

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The senseless violence of the bombings in Beirut fill us with deep grief. As persons of faith, we may wish that God would step in and exact judgment but, instead, God asks that we participate in the work of healing by coming together. This act of coming together is an act of hope. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 21:12. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 28:10.
Key quotation: “For many of us, as persons of faith, we yearn for God to step in and bring judgment on those responsible for these cruel acts of inhumanity. But the God of justice rather demands our willing hands and bodies, and our committed spirits to be a part of the act of reconciliation, whatever the cost may be.”

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UA.17.01.0003 CS-0173
ref7873_7ub
uachapelsermaud
duke:321008
dcrau001164
ark:/87924/r4m61c45v
568ddebd-52de-4a9c-bc07-b7893c845fc8

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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