Stuart C. Henry - "A Sermon from Stones" (December 9, 1984)

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	(bright church organ music)	0:03
	(slow church organ music)	9:40
	(choir singing)	16:38
	♪ Blessed be the God and Father ♪	16:39
	♪ Of our Lord Jesus Christ ♪	16:48
	♪ Which, according to his abundant mercy ♪	17:02
	♪ Has begotten us again unto the living hope ♪	17:19
	♪ By the resurrection ♪	17:33
	♪ Of Jesus Christ ♪	17:40
	♪ From the dead ♪	17:46
	(bright church organ music)	17:59
	(choir singing)	18:39
-	This is a very special occasion	22:50
	in the year of Duke University	22:53
	when we gather in early December	22:58
	to celebrate the founding of this university.	23:01
	And in celebrating the founding of this university	23:07
	to remember especially those who made it possible.	23:10
	The leaders within Trinity College,	23:16
	William Preston Few with his great vision.	23:19
	The Duke family with its leadership from the time	23:23
	that Trinity College moved to Durham.	23:26
	The great preparations that they made	23:32
	in building a very strong college	23:35
	on which a great university could be founded.	23:38
	And I think some 60 years ago as James Buchanan Duke	23:43
	discussed this with his associates,	23:48
	with his brother Benjamin Duke.	23:51
	And having, I'm sure, earlier discussed it	23:54
	with their father,	23:57
	that no one could fully realize the accomplishments	23:59
	of that act of endowing an university.	24:03
	Now as we look at it 60 years later,	24:07
	no one could possible of realized the vast influence	24:11
	that would have been spread throughout civilization	24:14
	by the creation of this university.	24:19
	And so, we celebrate their memory,	24:21
	and celebrate their accomplishments	24:25
	with vast appreciation of what was done.	24:27
	And it's important for us to remember on Founders Day	24:33
	that no great institution is simply founded	24:36
	and then we're done with it.	24:41
	The founding of a great university	24:44
	continues year by year, and day by day.	24:45
	Continues to be built by those who appreciate it,	24:51
	and who love it, and who contribute to it,	24:54
	and who see its future and all of the brightness	24:57
	that the promise of a great university has.	25:01
	And where maybe 60 years ago,	25:06
	no one could quite realize what could be accomplished.	25:08
	It's easier for us today to have a vision of the future	25:12
	because we have advantage of seeing it now	25:15
	60 years after the first accomplishment.	25:19
	And the lesson to us is,	25:25
	is we dedicate ourselves to Duke University	25:27
	and to its future.	25:30
	We fairly well know what we can do	25:32
	with out contributions and our love, and our concern.	25:36
	But even at that,	25:40
	I imagine that 60 years from now	25:42
	people will be standing in this chapel saying	25:45
	that those people 60 years ago	25:49
	could hardly of realized the contributions	25:51
	that Duke University would then be making	25:55
	to the cause of civilization all over the world.	25:58
	That's the nature of an university	26:01
	and especially the nature of a great university,	26:03
	and especially the destiny of Duke University.	26:06
	And I thank all of you who have had	26:09
	and are having a part in the ongoing founding	26:12
	of Duke University.	26:16
	Thank you.	26:18
-	Let us pray.	26:24
	Oh eternal God,	26:28
	bless all schools, colleges and universities,	26:30
	especially our beloved Duke University,	26:34
	that they may be lively centers of sound learning,	26:37
	new discovery and the pursuit of wisdom.	26:41
	And grant that those who teach and those who learn	26:45
	may find that their questions and their scholarly search	26:49
	end in you.	26:53
	The one who art the way, the truth and the life.	26:54
	And make us, those who now teach	26:59
	and study at Duke University worthy of the dream	27:02
	which our founders made a reality.	27:05
	Uniting religion and erudition	27:09
	now and throughout all our lives, amen.	27:12
	Would you join me in the litany of commemoration.	27:18
	All mighty and eternal God	27:22
	in whom our mothers and fathers have trusted,	27:23
	we their children at this time of remembrance	27:27
	offer onto the our prayers of Thanksgiving.	27:30
	Here us, we beseech thee oh Lord,	27:34
	for the members of the Duke family,	27:37
	father, daughter, sons and their spouses,	27:40
	grandchildren and all others in continuing generations	27:42
	until this very day.	27:46
	Who with concern and compassion, devotion and dedication,	27:48
	and by their generosity built on a solid foundation,	27:53
	continue to worthy school and provided for education	27:58
	and service beyond even their dreams and expectations.	28:02
	We give thee thanks and praise.	28:07
	For the pioneering and persevering men and women	28:10
	connected with this university.	28:13
	Methodist and Quakers, farmers and merchants,	28:15
	teachers and administrators,	28:18
	who in days gone by believed in education	28:20
	and made their belief prevail.	28:25
	We give thee thanks and praise.	28:28
	For the embodiment of their dreams	28:31
	from private school to academy,	28:33
	to college, to great university,	28:35
	founded in hope, continued with sacrifice.	28:37
	Growing in outreach, serving with effectiveness.	28:41
	We give thee thanks and praise.	28:45
	For faculty and staff who's vision was blustered	28:48
	by their courage.	28:52
	Who's patience was tested and found true,	28:53
	and whose idealism was implanted in the hearts	28:56
	and minds of others.	29:00
	We give thee thanks and praise.	29:02
	For the ongoing presence of noble ideas,	29:05
	the blending of erudito et religio.	29:08
	The freedom for responsible academic research and teaching,	29:11
	the ongoing respect for both the body and the spirit,	29:15
	pursuit of knowledge in the sciences and the humanities.	29:19
	The realization that the old order changes	29:23
	and new times bring new possibilities.	29:26
	We give thee thanks and praise.	29:30
	For the future of Duke University	29:33
	established for thy glory,	29:35
	and for the enlightenment of the human mind and spirit.	29:37
	For consecration to learning by the young.	29:41
	For the best use of the wisdom of those in later years.	29:44
	For the commitment to growth and enhancement	29:48
	of all persons.	29:51
	For a sense of humor.	29:52
	A spirit of cooperation,	29:54
	and a desire for understanding	29:57
	among all within our community and the world,	29:59
	we give thee thanks and praise.	30:03
	And to thee oh God, we shall ascribe	30:05
	as is most due, all praise and glory,	30:09
	world without end, amen.	30:13
	We welcome you to this service of worship	30:39
	on the second Sunday in the season of Advent.	30:42
	We particularly welcome our visitors,	30:46
	those who are here to celebrate with us	30:50
	this Founders Day,	30:53
	and also in this service of worship.	30:55
	Let us continue as we worship.	30:59
	I should say, by the way,	31:03
	that I thank my friend Stuart Henry	31:04
	for being the preacher of the day.	31:07
	Dr. Henry is retiring this year from divinity school.	31:09
	He will continue to fill some teaching responsibilities	31:12
	in the department of religion.	31:16
	But he has been a good friend,	31:18
	he is an every Sunday worshiper in Duke Chapel.	31:19
	And we are in for a treat as he brings us the word today.	31:22
	Thank you.	31:27
	(slow church organ music)	31:31
	(Choir singing)	31:39
	♪ O come Emmanuel ♪	31:40
	♪ And ransom captive Israel ♪	31:47
	♪ That mourns in lonely exile here ♪	31:55
	♪ Until the son of God appear ♪	32:03
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel ♪	32:11
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	32:21
	Let us stand.	32:38
	Let us pray.	32:46
	Oh blessed Lord our God,	32:48
	in this holy season of Advent	32:51
	come again to us this day.	32:53
	Come into our hearts and so cleanse them that we,	32:56
	being pure in heart,	33:00
	may know the peace which comes from thee,	33:02
	the peace the world can neither give nor take away.	33:05
	Come into our minds and so enlightened and illumine them	33:09
	that we may know the one who is the way,	33:14
	the truth and the life.	33:16
	Touch our lips that we speak those words	33:18
	which spread thy love and give other hope and courage	33:22
	in times of special need.	33:27
	Touch our eyes that they may behold the glory and goodness	33:29
	of thy handy work in all that surrounds us	33:34
	this holy season.	33:37
	Touch hands that they may become truly instruments	33:39
	to serve the needs of others.	33:43
	To love as though would have us love.	33:46
	Come when we are sad, to comfort us.	33:49
	When we are tired, to refresh us.	33:52
	When we are lonely, to cheer us.	33:55
	When we are tempted, to strength us.	33:58
	When we are perplexed, to guide us.	34:01
	When we are happy, to make our joy doubly blessed.	34:04
	Come oh blessed Lord,	34:08
	through Jesus Christ, amen.	34:10
	(choir singing and organ music)	34:14
-	Let us pray.	35:21
	Gracious God send your light into our darkness	35:24
	so that by the power of your holy spirit	35:27
	our eyes and ears might be opened to your word, amen.	35:31
	The first lesson is taken from Isaiah.	35:38
	"Comfort, comfort my people," says your God.	35:43
	"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem	35:47
	"and cry to her that her warfare is ended,	35:49
	"that her inequity is pardoned,	35:53
	"and that she has received from the Lord's hand	35:55
	"double for all her sins."	35:58
	A voice cries, "In the wilderness	36:01
	"prepare the way of the Lord,	36:04
	"make straight in the desert a highway for our God.	36:06
	"Every valley shall be lifted up	36:09
	"and every mountain will be made low.	36:11
	"The uneven shall become level	36:14
	"and the rough places a plain.	36:17
	"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed	36:20
	"and all flesh shall see it together	36:22
	"for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."	36:25
	A voice says, "Cry and I."	36:30
	And I said, "What shall I cry?	36:32
	"All flesh is grass.	36:35
	"And all its beauty is like a flower of the field.	36:37
	"The grass withers then the flower fades	36:41
	"when the breath of the Lord blows upon it.	36:43
	"Surely the people is grass.	36:46
	"The grass withers the flower fades.	36:48
	"But the word of God will stand forever.	36:51
	"Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion,	36:55
	"herald of good tidings.	36:57
	"Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem,	36:59
	"herald of good tidings.	37:03
	"Lift it up, fear not.	37:04
	"Say to the cities of Judah,	37:08
	"behold your God, behold the Lord comes with might.	37:10
	"And his arm rules for him, behold his reward is with him	37:14
	"and his recompense before him.	37:19
	"He will feed his flock like a shepard.	37:22
	"He will gather the lambs in his arms.	37:25
	"He will carry them in his bosom	37:28
	"and gently lead those that are with the young."	37:30
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	37:35
	The second lesson is from First Peter chapter three.	37:42
	"But do not ignore this one fact beloved,	37:47
	"That with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years.	37:51
	"And a thousand years as one day.	37:55
	"The Lord is not slow about his promise	37:59
	"as some count slowness,	38:02
	"but is forbearing toward you	38:04
	"not wishing that any should perish,	38:06
	"but that all should reach repentance.	38:09
	"But, the day of the Lord will come like a thief	38:12
	"and then the heavens will pass away	38:15
	"with a loud noise,	38:17
	"and elements will be dissolved with fire.	38:18
	"And the earth and the works that are upon it	38:21
	"will be burned up.	38:23
	"Since all these things are thus to be dissolved,	38:26
	"what sort of persons ought to be in lives	38:30
	"of holiness and godliness?	38:33
	"Waiting for and hasting the coming of the day of God	38:35
	"because of which the heavens will be kenneled and dissolved	38:39
	"and the elements will melt with fire.	38:43
	"But according to his promise,	38:47
	"we wait for new heavens and a new earth	38:48
	"in which righteousness dwells.	38:52
	"Therefore beloved, since you wait these,	38:55
	"be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish,	38:58
	"and at peace.	39:02
	"And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation."	39:04
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	39:09
	(church organ music and choir singing)	39:14
	The gospel is taken from Saint Mark.	42:50
	The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God	42:55
	as it is written in Isaiah the Prophet.	42:59
	"Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,	43:03
	"who shall prepare thy way.	43:06
	"The voice of one crying in the wilderness	43:09
	"prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.	43:12
	"John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness	43:16
	"preaching a baptism of repentance	43:19
	"for the forgiveness of sins.	43:21
	"And they went out to him all the country of Judah	43:24
	"and all the people of Jerusalem.	43:27
	"And they were baptized by him in the river Jordan	43:29
	"confessing their sins.	43:32
	"Now, John was clothed with camel's hair	43:35
	"and had a leather girdle around his waste	43:37
	"and ate locust and wild honey.	43:40
	"And he preached saying,	43:42
	"'After me comes he who is mightier than I.	43:44
	"'The thong of whose sandals	43:47
	"'I'm not worthy to stoop down and untie.	43:49
	"'I have baptized you with water,	43:52
	"'but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.'"	43:56
	This ends the reading of the gospel of our Lord, amen.	44:01
-	Hear our word as it is recorded in the book of Joshua.	44:22
	"When all the nation had finished passing over Jordan,	44:28
	"the Lord said to Joshua, 'Take 12 men from the people.	44:31
	"'From each tribe of man and command them,	44:37
	"'take 12 stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan,	44:41
	"'from the very place where the priest's feet stood,	44:44
	"'and carry them over with you and lay them down	44:48
	"'in the place where you lodged tonight.'	44:51
	"And then Joshua called the 12 men from the people of Israel	44:54
	"whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.	44:58
	"And Joshua said to them, 'Pass on before the arc	45:02
	"'of the Lord God, into the midst of the Jordan	45:06
	"'and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder	45:09
	"'according to the number of the tribes	45:13
	"'of the children of Israel.	45:15
	"'That this may be sign among you	45:18
	"'when your children ask in time to come,	45:20
	"'what do these stones mean to you?	45:24
	"'Then you shall tell them that the waters of Jordan	45:27
	"'were cut off before the arc when it passed over Jordan.	45:29
	"'The waters of Jordan were cut off,	45:35
	"'so these stones shall be to the people of Israel	45:38
	"'a memorial forever.'"	45:42
	In the name of the father and of the son,	45:46
	and of the Holy Spirit, amen.	45:48
	Made as they are it is not usually possible	45:55
	for our minds to think in the abstract.	45:59
	I cannot think of truth as truth.	46:04
	Rather I have to think of someone who tells the truth.	46:08
	I cannot think of beauty without thinking	46:12
	of something that seems beautiful to me.	46:15
	However clear abstract ideas are to us	46:19
	we have to put them in specific shapes	46:23
	to be able to think about them.	46:26
	Now a university is a word which places	46:29
	similar demands upon our thinking.	46:31
	For the universities that we know	46:35
	are specific universities.	46:37
	What do you think of when I say the word university?	46:41
	Or, more particularly,	46:46
	what do you think of when hear the word Duke?	46:48
	A certain afternoon?	46:52
	A flowering tree?	46:54
	The cars crowded chock-a-block in the parking lot?	46:57
	Where you sat in a particular classroom?	47:01
	Someone you learned to know?	47:05
	Or, someone you tried to forget?	47:08
	Not improbably the specific image	47:11
	which the word conjures up in our minds	47:14
	is one of buildings.	47:17
	The entrance to a dormitory.	47:19
	The visual rhythm of gothic gables	47:22
	against a fading winter light.	47:24
	A tower against the sky.	47:27
	When I think university, I think Duke.	47:31
	And when I think Duke,	47:35
	walls of warm gray stone rise up about me.	47:37
	I submit to you that there is a sermon in these stones,	47:41
	they speak, they cry out with a commanding voice	47:46
	of experience and hope.	47:50
	What is it that these stones say?	47:52
	Properly to understand and to celebrate.	47:56

-	Stay.	0:03
	We must know what the founders wanted the stones to say,	0:04
	what the university was meant to be.	0:09
	To understand the origin of the university in such a way	0:12
	is to understand the depths of the human heart.	0:17
	For rooted within all of us, there is the inextricable urge	0:21
	as basic as the drive to be,	0:26
	the urge to ask why and to seek an answer.	0:29
	No burden is heavy enough to crush that spirit	0:34
	or to thwart that question.	0:38
	No life, however carefree, escapes the maggot	0:41
	that bores in every mind, ever waiting patiently	0:45
	for the opportunity to ask, if only once,	0:48
	"How can I know that this good life	0:52
	"is blessed in every way?"	0:55
	Our lives bear the indelible stamp of the quester,	0:58
	and the dream of discovery.	1:02
	So, there is a measure in which the entire charming complex	1:05
	of the buildings which surround us,	1:09
	are but symbols, objectifications of that urge	1:12
	continually prodding us to seek that we may know.	1:17
	The lofted towers reaching for the sky	1:21
	seem to have risen out of the earth,	1:24
	pushed up by the force, lying at the heart of life.	1:27
	The urge to know that we may be.	1:31
	These supporting and surrounding stones	1:34
	are the founders' letters to the world.	1:38
	And, asking after the intention	1:41
	of the founders of the university	1:43
	is finally asking after the essence of humanity.	1:45
	Asking what we think we are meant to be,	1:49
	and what in the end will make us happy.	1:53
	The human experience leveled by death and taxes,	1:57
	and elevated by common aspirations,	2:01
	in which we all partake,	2:03
	often appear singular in it's idiom.	2:05
	We are all different.	2:09
	Who can understand another?	2:11
	Not I.	2:14
	Yet, nature, however careless of the individual	2:16
	is exceedingly careful of the type.	2:21
	At bottom, we are similar.	2:24
	We are like each other.	2:27
	All of us yearn, all of us die.	2:29
	We are big, we are little.	2:33
	We are thick, thin, black, brown, white,	2:35
	wise or cunning, generous, or miserly,	2:39
	but with all, human.	2:42
	It is characteristic of us all,	2:45
	that the works of our hands,	2:47
	reflect not simply our abilities,	2:49
	not even our mind alone, but our very souls,	2:53
	what we are, and we are individuals.	2:57
	And so, we're the founders.	3:02
	Specific universities therefore,	3:04
	founded by specific individuals,	3:07
	bear specific marks of their individual founders.	3:10
	Every university must be distinctive, and certainly Duke is.	3:14
	That distinction arises from the singular character	3:19
	of the individual expression,	3:23
	which the founders gave to a common urge.	3:26
	The idiom is protean, but the desire is constant.	3:29
	On this day we remember and honor,	3:34
	not simply what the founders did, but what they dreamed.	3:38
	We recall the particular visions	3:43
	that summoned them to a task.	3:46
	What then, did the founders have in mind?	3:49
	The question has been asked many times,	3:52
	it must be asked again,	3:55
	for sadly the question has worn smooth.	3:57
	The answer has been forgotten, or has become too familiar,	4:01
	and you know the thankless dividend that familiarity breeds.	4:06
	So, perhaps our understanding may be assisted,	4:11
	by thinking in terms of another perspective than our own.	4:14
	Can you imagine the year 2984,	4:20
	1000 years from now?	4:27
	What will life be like on our cooling sender,	4:29
	in this immediate are that we call Duke?	4:34
	Will there be any life here?	4:38
	We are constantly alerted of extinction	4:41
	by nuclear explosion, but we do not believe it,	4:44
	not really.	4:49
	We are too well-schooled in comic strip continuity	4:51
	of the 11th hour rescue.	4:54
	We are too hypnotized by scientific fiction's last minute	4:57
	reprieve through recondite knowledge.	5:02
	We are too little mindful of the lesson,	5:05
	which history plainly teaches,	5:08
	that so far, so far,	5:11
	the mortality of nations has been 100%.	5:14
	If, God forbid, the annihilation should come	5:19
	by nuclear destruction or by other terrible means	5:24
	that we dare not envision, and Duke should be destroyed,	5:28
	or merely deserted, and then in 1000 years,	5:34
	visitors from another planet, or another universe,	5:38
	showed alight here in expiration or adventure,	5:43
	in the deserted ossified remnants of our beloved Duke,	5:46
	overgrown with fantastic vegetation,	5:51
	sprung from the reconstructed chemistry	5:54
	of day after Earth,	5:56
	what would they find?	5:59
	Imagine, try to imagine.	6:01
	What would the visitors find, and more pointedly,	6:05
	what would they make of what they did find?	6:08
	What would these stones say	6:11
	about what the university attempted,	6:13
	and what they had accomplished?	6:17
	There is, of course, the temptation to be facetious,	6:19
	to speculate about what strangers	6:23
	would make of the fragments,	6:26
	that had once been a university.	6:27
	Was this large oval-shaped depression,	6:30
	just west and south of the center of the campus,	6:34
	the site where religious ceremonies were held?	6:37
	Was it here, that the community	6:41
	gathered to worship their gods?	6:43
	What of the honeycomb structures	6:45
	where the inhabitants lived?	6:48
	Surely, these folk, it might be concluded,	6:50
	cared very little for creature comforts.	6:53
	For they crowded into such small quarters.	6:56
	Two, three, to a tiny room.	6:59
	Skeletal remains show that most of them were young.	7:02
	Who then, were the older ones,	7:07
	who's bones are scattered here?	7:09
	Were they the servants or overlords, or prisoners?	7:11
	No matter, but mischievous speculation aside,	7:17
	inevitably, the thoughtful observer sees clearly	7:21
	something of the character of the university	7:25
	in the ruins that remain.	7:28
	There were, so the extraterrestrial visitors	7:31
	might report to their superiors,	7:34
	two foci of the university,	7:36
	which defined the purpose of the school,	7:39
	and described the dream of the founders.	7:42
	Two imposing buildings,	7:45
	impressive by reason of intention and use.	7:48
	Measuring by radiation, the mass,	7:52
	which once occupied the space that is now destroyed.	7:55
	The report will continue,	7:59
	we have recaptured the size and the shape of many buildings,	8:01
	especially the two significant structures.	8:06
	One was a great rambling several-story building,	8:10
	with wings and basements, large rooms and small,	8:14
	built at different times, of different materials,	8:19
	and of different styles,	8:22
	distinguished only by miles and miles of empty shelves.	8:24
	Empty that is, expect for the acres of dust lying on them,	8:29
	dust that was once books.	8:34
	The other structure, originally cruciform,	8:37
	with noble arches and great windows,	8:40
	is long since reduced to a puzzling, if fascinating heap	8:44
	of polished stone scraps, of delicately carved,	8:48
	and miraculously preserved bits of wood.	8:53
	And, of innumerable places of glass,	8:56
	so brilliantly covered, that though layered	8:59
	with centuries elemental deposit, still seem on fire	9:02
	when they catch the light of a setting sun.	9:07
	There were as well, a few enormous bells,	9:09
	and some small ones, which still speak when they are struck.	9:12
	So might end the report of a future supervisor	9:18
	of a research project,	9:21
	of one who had discovered the ruin of a university,	9:23
	and rightly identified the significant foci of Duke,	9:27
	the chapel and the library.	9:31
	The incident recorded in the Book of Joshua,	9:36
	and read in your hearing,	9:38
	took place centuries ago.	9:39
	The Israelites had been delivered from bondage,	9:42
	but there had followed long years of weary wondering.	9:45
	Now, finally, with God's permission,	9:49
	they were to begin a conquest.	9:51
	They came streaming out the dessert,	9:54
	ready to claw a foothold into the land of Canaan.	9:56
	But, between them and promise land,	9:59
	ran the swiftly flowing Jordan,	10:02
	but miraculously, these waters were held back,	10:05
	and they crossed over safely.	10:08
	Joshua commanded the leaders of the tribe	10:11
	to take every man, a stone,	10:13
	and to build a memorial with him on the farther bank,	10:16
	so that in years to come when their children	10:19
	and their children's children should ask,	10:22
	"What is the meaning of these stones?"	10:25
	They would be reminded of the presence and the glory of God.	10:28
	Now, here we repeat the experience,	10:32
	not because we are delivered from slavery,	10:35
	but because we remind ourselves by these stones,	10:38
	of our proper orientation,	10:42
	and our opportunity and responsibility	10:44
	to enjoy and obey God.	10:47
	Our encounter with the sprit that broods over us all,	10:50
	as we seek to conform our lives	10:54
	to knowledge of The Ultimate.	10:57
	What do these stones mean?	10:59
	Look about you, they manifest faith,	11:02
	that this life, your life, all life,	11:05
	has purpose and promise.	11:09
	They recall the consequent intention	11:12
	of their founders, to ensure the union	11:14
	of erudition and religion,	11:17
	not simply in coexistence, but in creative sympathy.	11:20
	200 years before Duke was breaking out	11:25
	of the chrysalis of adolescence,	11:28
	Charles Wesley wrote a hymn,	11:31
	especially for the Kingsworth School in England.	11:33
	It contained the line,	11:36
	"Unite the pair, so longed is joined.	11:39
	"Knowledge and vital piety, the words are hard to sing,	11:42
	"but easy to understand."	11:47
	Here, is a natural union enjoined.	11:49
	To return to the point at which we began,	11:53
	here, the articulation of a concept,	11:56
	which lay at the heart of what	11:59
	the founders of Duke envisioned	12:01
	in establishing the university.	12:04
	They were practical folk, the founders.	12:07
	James B. Duke, was described by one of his associates	12:10
	as a man who looked always to the future,	12:14
	and advised others to do the same.	12:18
	Although he was careful to choose the masonry	12:20
	that would longest endure,	12:23
	he must have known that the time comes	12:25
	when even the pyramids are reduced to dust.	12:27
	But the idea of uniting learning and faith,	12:31
	that was ultimate realism.	12:34
	When James B. Duke walked through the March woods	12:37
	that day in Spring and said, "Let the chapel be here,	12:39
	"and the library hard by."	12:43
	He acknowledged the validity of the marriage	12:45
	of religion and learning.	12:47
	His sensitivity to the need that each has for the other.	12:50
	His was a dream essentially at one at the insight,	12:55
	and essentially one with the insight	12:59
	of his brother Benjamin,	13:01
	who already supported Trinity College,	13:03
	and of his father Washington,	13:06
	who's philanthropy had not waited upon relocation.	13:08
	What do these stones say?	13:12
	They speak an unshakable faith in the fruitful union	13:14
	of religion and irradiation,	13:18
	of the library and the chapel,	13:21
	of laboratory and chancel,	13:24
	of man's search of God's revelations.	13:27
	Say it as you will, the meaning remains.	13:30
	Palaces and hobos alike, finally come to decay,	13:34
	but this union is neither eroded by time,	13:38
	nor destroyed by history.	13:41
	The treasures of the library finally are not her books,	13:44
	but the idea is to which her books bring us.	13:48
	The valid questers are like	13:51
	the traveler's and pilgrim's progress,	13:53
	who say to the vendors, "Sirs, we would buy the truth."	13:55
	But, unlike the frustrated pilgrims at vanity fair,	14:00
	in the library they find truth,	14:04
	for the books point beyond themselves.	14:07
	It is so with the chapel, waiting with open doors	14:10
	to invite us in, and then to direct us far beyond.	14:13
	In itself, the chapel says little.	14:19
	Consider the windows.	14:22
	Noah's expression hardly differs from that of the archangel,	14:23
	and the likenesses of Judas and Jesus	14:28
	are disturbingly similar.	14:31
	Yet, here we break the barrier to mystery.	14:33
	Stone walls do not make a sanctuary	14:36
	any more than they make a prison.	14:39
	But, when we are opened to that,	14:41
	which these stones symbolize,	14:43
	then we comprehend Goethe meant,	14:46
	when he said that,	14:49
	"True happiness lies in plumbing the depth of the knowable,	14:50
	"and quietly revering that which is unknowable."	14:55
	That is accepting both the treasures	14:59
	of the library and the chapel.	15:02
	The two buildings speak what a university can be,	15:05
	and what Duke must be,	15:09
	a community of knowledge and faith, eruditio et religio.	15:11
	As the founders' proclaim on the monument	15:17
	in the main quadrangle, for knowledge and piety endure.	15:20
	Continually reborn in the lives of every generation.	15:25
	The library may be reduced to rubble,	15:29
	but the ideas will live.	15:32
	The chapel may fall, but faith, like the phoenix rises	15:35
	always from the destruction of the past.	15:39
	The founders have simply provided for us,	15:43
	a setting in which it is easier to catch the vision,	15:46
	and harder to ignore the challenge to build a world,	15:50
	where plowshares replace spears,	15:53
	and where myrtles overcome the brambles.	15:56
	What endless possibilities await?	16:00
	The cold currents of arctic air	16:03
	are yet to be diverted to the deserts,	16:06
	that they may be once may blossoming meadows.	16:08
	But the possibilities are here,	16:12
	in knowledge waiting to be discovered,	16:15
	in challenge, waiting to be accepted.	16:18
	Cardinal Newman in his idea of a university,	16:22
	advises us that the university treasure is not only good,	16:25
	but reproductive of good,	16:31
	and the fact which is excellent, beautiful,	16:34
	perfect, desirable, overflows.	16:37
	"It not only attracts us", he continues,	16:40
	It communicates itself, it excites, first,	16:44
	our admiration and love, then our desires, our gratitude.	16:47
	It is a blessing, a gift, a power, a treasure.	16:53
	First, to the owner,	16:57
	and then through that owner, to the world.	16:59
	Is it not so?	17:03
	Look about you in this university community.	17:05
	Does not the hospital cherish and enrich life?	17:09
	Do not the lame walk?	17:12
	Are not the doomed reprieved from the grave?	17:14
	Does not the library ennoble the mind, and look within?	17:17
	Does not that to which the chapel points	17:22
	bring us to quite reverence, which issues unhappiness?	17:24
	How appropriately do we honor the founders	17:29
	on this their Memorial Day, by remembering them gratefully,	17:32
	by accepting their invitation to seek the truth,	17:38
	and to follow it in faith.	17:42
	The glorious company of the founders, praise Thee, O God,	17:45
	By the their gifts, their vision, and their admonition,	17:49
	the goodly fellowship of students and teachers	17:53
	praise Thee, O God.	17:56
	By dedicated life in diligent search	17:58
	for the truth that sets us free.	18:01
	The noble of seekers praise thee,	18:04
	who in this university accept the challenge	18:07
	to discover self, and to blaze new trails.	18:11
	As a university community, we bless Thee.	18:15
	In the name of Jesus the Christ, who was himself	18:18
	in carnation of all truth and all goodness.	18:22
	Amen and amen.	18:26
	(church organ music)	18:34
	♪ Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart ♪	18:54
	♪ Naught be all else to me, save that thou art ♪	19:04
	♪ Thou my best thought by day or by night ♪	19:14
	♪ Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light ♪	19:25
	♪ Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word ♪	19:36
	♪ I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord ♪	19:47
	♪ Thou my great Father, I thy true son ♪	19:58
	♪ Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one ♪	20:09
-	Let us affirm our faith together.	20:24
	I believe in God, the Father Almighty,	20:28
	maker of heaven and earth,	20:31
	and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,	20:33
	who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	20:36
	born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	20:39
	was crucified, dead and buried.	20:43
	He descended into hell.	20:47
	The third day, He arose again from the dead.	20:48
	He ascended into heaven and sitith at the right hand of God,	20:52
	the Father almighty, from thence	20:55
	He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	20:58
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,	21:01
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,	21:05
	the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.	21:09
	Amen.	21:14
	The Lord be with you.	21:16
-	And also you.	21:17
	(people murmuring)
	Lets us pray.	21:19
	Most kind and gracious God,	21:36
	high above all yet deep within us.	21:41
	We turn our hearts to Thee.	21:45
	Our thoughts glimpse, but the surface of Thy mysteries,	21:49
	our imaginations only reveal partial pictures of Thy truth.	21:52
	Infinite, Almighty, ever-loving.	21:57
	How are unsearchable are thy ways, oh Lord?	22:02
	Yet into Thy sanctuary, we have come	22:06
	with grateful and expected hearts, this advent season,	22:09
	knowing that, while we by searching, cannot Thee out,	22:15
	though by Thy searching canst find us out.	22:20
	We praise thee oh God, for Thy never-ending presence,	22:26
	which in finding us out, surrounds us with Thy love,	22:31
	which strengths us in our weakness,	22:34
	and which guides us in our perplexity.	22:37
	We beseech Thee, creating God this Founders' day.	22:42
	Grant us a sense of purposefulness.	22:46
	Forgive us for our aimless living,	22:51
	for the tendency to fret	22:54
	about matters of little consequence.	22:55
	Grant us renewed enthusiasm for the exploration	22:58
	of new frontiers of knowledge,	23:02
	for it's application in the development	23:05
	of more wholistic models of community,	23:07
	and in the creation and appreciation	23:10
	of art and beauty in our world.	23:13
	Help us to sustain a vision,	23:16
	which calls us to greatness,	23:19
	not through glorification of ourselves,	23:21
	but in service to others.	23:24
	Grant us a sense of purpose.	23:27
	We beseech Thee, redeeming God.	23:31
	Grant us faith, a faith so compelling	23:34
	that our lives will be empowered	23:39
	to attain new levels of commitment.	23:41
	Save us from cynicism, from skepticism,	23:44
	from constant criticism.	23:48
	Heal the wounds which we inflict upon one another.	23:50
	Strengthen us with the courage,	23:54
	which enables us to take new risks	23:58
	for the good of all Thy children,	24:00
	that we may never fail to trust in Thy eternal goodness.	24:02
	Grant us faith, oh God.	24:06
	We beseech Thee, sustaining God.	24:11
	Grant us love.	24:13
	May this university be a place,	24:16
	where not only minds are expanded, but hearts as well.	24:19
	Bestow upon us the gifts of kindness,	24:26
	of humility and of compassion for all the world's people.	24:28
	Teach us the self-giving spirit of Christ,	24:33
	that as we remember the plight of the hungry,	24:37
	the impoverished, the oppressed, the forgotten,	24:40
	we might be empowered to respond to their needs	24:43
	and the living of our own lives.	24:47
	Especially, we pray Thee,	24:50
	for those forces that unite our world,	24:52
	for every cause that works for goodwill and peace,	24:55
	for freedom and justice, for sound minds and bodies.	25:00
	Against all that divides us, we beseech Thee, oh God,	25:06
	that Thy benediction may rest upon us all,	25:09
	granting us the peace which is found only	25:13
	when our souls rest in Thee.	25:16
	These things we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ,	25:21
	who came to us as we are, that we might become as He is.	25:24
	Amen.	25:33
	Now, let us offer our gifts and ourselves to God.	25:37
	(church organ music)	25:42
	♪ Be Thy glory of Thy hand ♪	28:05
	♪ Let's rejoice ♪	28:13
	♪ Let's rejoice ♪	28:15
	♪ Let's rejoice ♪	28:19
	♪ Ruling in the fear of God ♪	28:27
	♪ Ruling in the fear of God ♪	28:34
	♪ The fear of God ♪	28:37
	♪ Ah ♪	28:41
	♪ And He shall be as the light of the morning ♪	28:54
	♪ When the sun riseth ♪	29:02
	♪ Even a morning without clouds ♪	29:13
	♪ As the tender grass springing out of the earth ♪	29:22
	♪ By clear shining after rain ♪	29:30
	♪ After rain ♪	29:42
	♪ After rain ♪	29:46
	♪ After rain ♪	29:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:05
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:10
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:15
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:23
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:26
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:36
	♪ Alleluia ♪	30:54
	♪ Alleluia ♪	31:04
	♪ Alleluia ♪	31:13
	♪ Alleluia ♪	31:15
	♪ Amen ♪	31:31
	(church organ music)	31:50
	♪ His the scepter, His the throne ♪	32:09
	♪ His the victory alone ♪	32:14
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:23
	♪ Hark, the songs of peaceful Zion ♪	32:28
	♪ Thunder like a mighty flood ♪	32:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:39
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:42
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:46
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:49
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	32:52
	♪ Amen ♪	33:01
-	Oh God, we give Thee thanks	33:14
	for time of remembrance and thanksgiving.	33:15
	Thus, we have known your grace	33:18
	surrounding us and those who have gone before us,	33:21
	challenging us in your word,	33:24
	inspiring us in this place of beauty.	33:27
	We herby offer ourselves	33:30
	and our gifts as sign of our gratitude.	33:33
	Praying.	33:36
	Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	33:38
	Thy kingdom come.	33:43
	Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.	33:45
	Give us this day our daily bread;	33:49
	and forgive us our trespasses,	33:52
	as we forgive those who trespass against us;	33:55
	and lead us not into temptation,	33:57
	but deliver us from evil.	34:00
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	34:02
	and the glory, forever.	34:05
	Amen.	34:08
	(church organ music)	34:11
	♪ We are toiling thro' the darkness ♪	34:54
	♪ But our eyes behold the light ♪	35:01
	♪ That is mounting up the eastern sky ♪	35:06
	♪ And beating back the night ♪	35:12
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	35:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	35:21
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	35:24
	♪ Soon with joy we'll hail the morning ♪	35:26
	♪ When our Lord will come in might ♪	35:33
	♪ For truth is marching on ♪	35:40
	♪ He will come in glorious majesty ♪	35:46
	♪ To sweep away all wrong ♪	35:52
	♪ He will heal the brokenhearted ♪	35:58
	♪ And will make His people strong ♪	36:04
	♪ He will teach our souls His righteousness ♪	36:10
	♪ Our hearts a glad new song ♪	36:20
	♪ For truth is marching on ♪	36:27
	♪ He is calling on His people ♪	36:33
	♪ To be faithful, prompt, and brave ♪	36:39
	♪ To uplift again the fallen ♪	36:45
	♪ And to help from sin to save ♪	36:51
	♪ To devote themselves for others ♪	36:58
	♪ As Himself for them He gave ♪	37:01
	♪ For truth is marching on. ♪	37:07
	♪ Refrain ♪	37:14
	♪ Let us fight against the evil ♪	37:16
	♪ With our faces t'ward the light ♪	37:19
	♪ God is looking thro' the darkness ♪	37:26
	♪ And He watches o'er the fight ♪	37:32
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	37:38
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	37:42
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	37:45
	♪ For the truth is marching on ♪	37:48
	♪ Ever marching on ♪	37:55
-	Now, may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	38:06
	the love of God and fellowship of the Holy Spirit	38:10
	be with you all, now and always.	38:12
	♪ Amen ♪	38:20
	♪ Amen ♪	38:22
	♪ Amen ♪	38:23
	♪ Amen ♪	38:27
	♪ Amen ♪	38:29
	♪ Amen ♪	38:30
	(church organ music)	38:45
	(people murmuring)	42:25

Item Info

Title:

Stuart C. Henry - "A Sermon from Stones" (December 9, 1984)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1): 45:55. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 18:30.
Like the stones monuments which Joshua had the Israelites erect after crossing the Jordan, the stones that comprise Duke Chapel and the library speak to the wise intention of the founders of Duke, that it unite erudition and religion in sympathetic harmony. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “What do these stones mean? Look about you. They manifest faith that this life, your life, all life has purpose and promise.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4g15tr4c

Date:

December 9, 1984

Speaker:

Henry, Stuart C.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0240
ref8001_jd4
uachapelsermaud
duke:320468
dcrau001228
ark:/87924/r4g15tr4c
9ce09f2e-3455-4c73-9612-47bf26a0bb6d

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

No Re-Use

In Copyright

Rights Note:

This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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