Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Invisible Witnesses" (May 19, 1985)

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	(epic organ music)	0:03
	(enigmatic organ music)	2:04
	(footsteps clocking)	2:28
	(enigmatic organ music)	2:32
	(enlightening organ music)	5:01
	(footsteps clocking)	5:49
-	Grace sent peace to you	5:52
	in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.	5:53
	We welcome each of you to this service of worship	5:56
	at Duke University Chapel,	5:58
	and hope that you will be able to join us again	6:00
	in the very near future.	6:02
	It's a special pleasure today	6:04
	to greet Mr. Stephen Sharon,	6:05
	who is our new summer choir director for this summer.	6:07
	We look forward to the contributions	6:12
	that he and the choir will be making this morning	6:13
	and throughout the summer,	6:16
	and I would like to invite any of you,	6:18
	who are interested in joining the choir	6:20
	to please call the Chapel Choir Office at 684-3898.	6:22
	Just a couple of corrections in today's bulletin.	6:30
	The congregation at Duke University Chapel	6:33
	and interdenominational group are persons	6:36
	who regularly worship here at the chapel	6:39
	are having an organizational meeting today	6:41
	immediately after the service, not at 12:30,	6:44
	and it will be held here in the North Ex.	6:48
	At this meeting, a plan of organization	6:52
	will be presented and discussed.	6:54
	Due to an unfortunate error in the printing	6:57
	of today's bulletin, you will find	7:00
	that a major portion of the order of service	7:03
	is on the wrong page.	7:05
	If you look at the Gloria on page two,	7:07
	you will find that the second lesson	7:11
	was moved to the next page.	7:14
	We will have our usual order of service,	7:17
	which means the second lesson, anthem,	7:20
	Gospel and sermon will be immediately after the Gloria.	7:22
	Responses and offerings will come	7:26
	in their usual place after the sermon.	7:29
	You are reminded that the service of Holy Communion	7:33
	will be celebrated today immediately after service	7:37
	in the Memorial Chapel.	7:40
	And now, let us prepare ourselves to worship God.	7:42
	(echo drowns choir hymn)	8:07
	(dramatic organ music)	8:50
	(organ music and echo drown choir hymn)	9:36
-	Dear brothers and sisters,	13:48
	when we examine our lives honestly,	13:51
	we become aware of our many sins and shortcomings.	13:54
	With humbleness and deep penitence,	13:58
	let us now confess our sins before Almighty God.	14:01
	Be seated.	14:06
	(ruffling and screeching)	14:08
	Most merciful God.	14:16
Congregation	We confess that we have sinned	14:18
	against You in thought, word and deed.	14:20
	By what we have done and by what we have left undone.	14:25
	We have not loved You with our whole heart.	14:30
	We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.	14:34
	We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.	14:38
	For the sake of Your son, Jesus Christ,	14:42
	have mercy on us and forgive us	14:45
	that we may delight in Your will	14:48
	and walk in Your ways.	14:51
	To the glory of Your name, amen.	14:54
-	Here are the good news.	15:01
	Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.	15:04
	That is God's own proof of His love toward us.	15:08
	In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.	15:12
Congregation	In the name of Jesus Christ,	15:18
	you are forgiven, amen.	15:20
-	Let us pray.	15:32
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	15:35
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit,	15:38
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	15:41
	we might hear with joy	15:45
	what You say to us this day, amen.	15:47
	The first lesson is taken from Acts.	15:52
	In those days, Peter stood up among the brethren.	15:55
	The company of persons wasn't all about 120,	15:59
	and said, "Brethren, the Script-ion had to be fulfilled,	16:02
	"which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand	16:07
	"by the mouth of David concerning Judas	16:10
	"who was guide to those who arrested Jesus.	16:13
	"For he was numbered among us	16:16
	"and was allotted his share in this ministry."	16:17
	So one of the men, who have a cup-ni-das	16:21
	during all the time that the Lord Jesus	16:23
	went in and out among us,	16:25
	beginning from the baptism of John	16:27
	until the day when he was taken up from us,	16:29
	one of these men must become with us,	16:32
	a witness to his resurrection.	16:34
	And they put forward to Joseph called Barsabbas,	16:37
	who was surnamed Justus and Matthias.	16:41
	And they prayed and said,	16:45
	"Lord who know us, the hearts of all men.	16:47
	"Show which one of these two Thou has chosen	16:50
	"to take the place in this ministry and apostleship,	16:52
	"from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place."	16:55
	And they cast lots for them.	17:01
	And the lot fell on Matthias.	17:03
	And he was enrolled with the 11 apostles.	17:05
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	17:09
-	Will you please stand for the reading of the Psalter?	17:18
	Happy are those who reject evil counsel,	17:26
	who do not approve of the conduct of sinners,	17:30
	who do not sit among those who marked God.	17:33
Congregation	Instead the Lord's teaching	17:37
	so delights them, they ponder it day and night.	17:39
	Becoming like trees transplanted near water,	17:44
	they bear much fruit and season.	17:48
	Their leaves do not wither.	17:51
	And all that they do turns out well.	17:53
-	Not said of the guilty,	17:57
	they are like winds scattered husks.	17:59
Congregation	They will not last through the Judgment.	18:02
	The righteous assembly will not include sinners.	18:05
	The Lord approves of the deeds of the righteous.	18:09
	But an evil life leads only to ruin.	18:13
	(epic organ music)	18:17
	(organ music and echo drown choir hymn)	18:26
-	You may be seated.	19:23
	The second lesson is taken from the First Letter of John.	19:29
	If we receive the testimony of men,	19:34
	the testimony of God is greater.	19:37
	For this is the testimony of God	19:40
	that He has born witness to His son.	19:42
	He who believes in the son of God	19:45
	has the testimony in himself.	19:47
	He who does not believe God has made him a liar	19:50
	because he has not believed in the testimony	19:54
	that God has born to His son.	19:56
	And this is the testimony that God gave us eternal life.	19:59
	And this life is in His son.	20:04
	He who has not the son has not life.	20:07
	But he who has the son, has life.	20:12
	I write this to you, who believe in the name	20:16
	of the son of God that you may know	20:18
	that you have eternal life.	20:21
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	20:24
	(organ music)	20:56
	(organ music and echo drown choir hymn)	21:02
-	A reading from the Gospel	25:12
	according to Saint John.	25:13
	Holy Father, keep them in Thy name,	25:18
	which Thou has given me	25:23
	that they may be one, even as we are one.	25:25
	While I was with them, I kept them in Thy name,	25:29
	which Thou has given me.	25:32
	I have guarded them and none of them is lost	25:35
	but the son of perdition	25:38
	that the Scripture might be fulfilled.	25:40
	But now, I am coming to Thee,	25:43
	and these things I speak in the world	25:46
	that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.	25:49
	I have given them Thy word,	25:54
	and the world has hated them	25:56
	because they are not of the world,	25:58
	even as I am not of the world.	26:00
	I do not pray that Thou shouldst	26:04
	take them out of the world	26:05
	but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.	26:08
	They are not of the world,	26:12
	even as I am not of the world.	26:14
	Sanctify them in the truth.	26:17
	Thy Word is truth.	26:20
	As Thou did send me into the world	26:23
	so I have sent them into the world.	26:26
	And for their sake, I consecrate myself	26:31
	that they also may be consecrated in truth.	26:34
	Here ends the reading of the Gospel lesson.	26:40
	For the two years before I entered seminary,	26:48
	I needed a job.	26:52
	So I worked with the Metropolitan Public Defender	26:54
	in Portland, Oregon.	26:58
	During that time, my responsibilities	27:00
	included working with the clients assigned to our office	27:02
	to develop alternatives to incarceration.	27:06
	This meant getting to know the clients	27:09
	as well as possible, sorting through	27:11
	the reasons why they were getting into trouble,	27:14
	and in consultation with other professionals,	27:17
	making a recommendation to the court	27:20
	for a treatment plan that might be used as an alternative.	27:23
	Unusual preparation for ministry, you might be thinking.	27:28
	Indeed it was but helpful in a number of ways.	27:31
	The hard lessons I had to learn about evil,	27:36
	human behavior, injustice, poverty	27:40
	were too numerous to mention.	27:44
	But there was another invaluable aspect to my work	27:46
	in the Public Defender days.	27:49
	And that was in learning to testify,	27:52
	bearing witness to the truth before the court.	27:55
	Appearing on the witness stand was something	28:00
	I had to do a lot and I had to learn	28:01
	to be comfortable with it.	28:03
	But I remember the first time I stood	28:05
	before a somber courtroom with my right hand raised,	28:07
	and my left hand placed upon the Bible.	28:11
	"Do you swear to tell the truth,	28:14
	"the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?	28:16
	"So help you, God."	28:19
	Feeling the heat of the judge's stern glance	28:21
	upon the nape of my neck,	28:24
	I wasn't sure anything would be	28:26
	forthcoming from my mouth.	28:27
	I was so intimidated.	28:29
	Yet the heavy silence of the courtroom	28:32
	demanded a response.	28:34
	"I do," was my humble reply.	28:36
	To be a witness, at least in the secular	28:41
	sense of the word is crucial to our culture	28:45
	in the way that we go about determining the truth.	28:48
	In lieu of crystal balls or other such means	28:52
	of discernment, we acknowledge in this society,	28:54
	the testimony of witnesses as validation to a claim.	28:58
	Take weddings for instance.	29:04
	We have a lot of them around here.	29:06
	Even after the benediction is pronounced	29:08
	and the recessional is completed,	29:10
	nothing is binding until the necessary signatures	29:12
	including two witnesses are procured	29:16
	on the marriage license.	29:18
	In a court of law, the jury is required	29:21
	to hear all the witnesses presented by both sides,	29:24
	and out of this composite testimony	29:27
	to discern the truth, even when the claims are competing.	29:29
	Witnessing incurs certain responsibilities.	29:35
	A witness at the scene of a crime	29:39
	is bound by law in almost every case	29:41
	to be available for testimony.	29:43
	And if that witness then fails to tell the truth	29:46
	on the witness stand,	29:49
	he or she is committing a criminal act on its own.	29:50
	Certain witnesses even seem to have the power	29:55
	to draw curious onlookers for miles around	29:58
	as they await to see what important piece of evidence	30:01
	will be revealed next.	30:04
	Witnessing, at least in terms of civil and criminal law,	30:07
	we are not only accustomed to and respectful of,	30:12
	we are attracted by it.	30:16
	But there's another type of witnessing,	30:20
	one which strikes a slightly different chord	30:22
	in most of us.	30:25
	I was busily preparing dinner one evening for guests	30:28
	when I heard a persistent rapping at my front door.	30:31
	Annoyed by the poor timing of such an interruption,	30:35
	I opened the door to find an unfamiliar,	30:38
	though earnest face.	30:42
	I immediately noticed what I presumed to be	30:45
	a stack of religious tracks in his hand.	30:47
	"Do you mind if I borrow a few minutes of your time?"	30:50
	The young man asked.	30:53
	"Well, quite frankly, I do," I responded.	30:56
	"I'm expecting dinner guests in the very few minutes."	30:59
	"Perhaps we could talk in the kitchen then?"	31:03
	He asked.	31:05
	"No, I don't think so.	31:07
	"Now, this may surprise you but I'm a minister.	31:09
	"I think your time would be better spent elsewhere."	31:12
	With an apologetic and slightly wandering on look	31:16
	on his face, he thanked me and turned to leave.	31:20
	But it was only a matter of seconds	31:24
	'til I wondered if I was the one who owed an apology.	31:25
	Witnessing in the religious sense	31:31
	inevitably provokes a different response	31:35
	than witnessing in the civil sense.	31:37
	More personal in nature and often more confront-ive.	31:41
	The one who chooses to witness to us about faith,	31:45
	be that in the middle of the street	31:48
	or at our front door disarms	31:50
	and somehow even slightly embarrasses us.	31:53
	We feel put upon, on the spot, a little defensive,	31:58
	particularly if we happen to disagree	32:02
	with this particular form of witnessing.	32:05
	Now, here on campus, this is a current concern.	32:08
	The question of witnessing to one's faith	32:11
	can be cause for heated discussion.	32:13
	What religious group should be visible on campus?	32:16
	What method of recruitment should be allowed?	32:19
	What manner is appropriate for an individual	32:22
	to witness publicly to his or her faith?	32:25
	There are no simple answers for a community	32:30
	such as a college campus, where religious freedom	32:32
	and freedom of expression are held in high regard.	32:35
	Yet how dull our conversations would be	32:39
	if there were no opportunity	32:42
	for voicing differences and opinion	32:43
	on matters as important as religion.	32:46
	For Christians, witnessing, problematic as it may seem,	32:50
	much of the time, is a vital aspect of our faith	32:54
	as today's readings remind us.	32:58
	Without those who witnessed to the realities	33:01
	of Christ's Resurrection in the days	33:04
	following His Ascension,	33:06
	there would be no Church.	33:08
	In today's lesson from Acts,	33:11
	we find these followers of Jesus	33:13
	gathered in Jerusalem, discussing the matter	33:15
	of witnessing to what they had just seen.	33:19
	How else would they spread the Word?	33:22
	Christ had said to them at the time of His Ascension,	33:25
	"You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem,	33:28
	"and in all Judea and Samaria,	33:31
	"and to the end of the Earth."	33:34
	Thus, the apostles were responsible	33:37
	for determining just how this witnessing would proceed.	33:39
	It was Peter, the Rock, an acknowledged leader	33:45
	of the group who stood up among the people	33:49
	about 120 of them to proclaim,	33:51
	"Friends, the Scripture had	33:55
	"to be fulfilled concerning Judas.	33:58
	"He was one of us and was allotted	34:01
	"his share in the ministry.	34:03
	"So one of those who has accompanied us	34:06
	"during the time we've been with Jesus,	34:08
	"one of you must now be with us a witness	34:10
	"to the Resurrection."	34:14
	A murmur swept over the crowd.	34:16
	Who was up to this monumental task?	34:20
	Perhaps more than one was anxious to be elected.	34:23
	Justice, one person nominates	34:28
	from the corner of the room, Matthias answers another.	34:30
	The nominations were closed.	34:35
	They all prayed to God to direct them in their choice	34:38
	but lots were cast and Matthias was the one to be chosen.	34:41
	The Circle of 12 was thereby restored.	34:47
	It now represented, not only the 12 tribes of Israel,	34:52
	but it pointed towards the coming,	34:57
	already dawning Kingdom of God.	34:59
	This Circle of 12 now told the full tale	35:02
	of both the old and new people of God.	35:06
	Interestingly enough, neither Justus nor Matthias	35:11
	are heard from again in the Biblical record.	35:14
	And that's left out to our imaginations	35:18
	to decide what became of them.	35:19
	Are we to interpret their absence from Scripture	35:23
	as indicating a breakdown in their commitment	35:26
	to witnessing in the name of the risen Christ?	35:28
	Surely, that would be using a criteria	35:32
	far too narrow for determining their actual contributions	35:35
	and likewise, for other groups not recorded in Scripture,	35:39
	such as the women.	35:44
	The women of that community referred to	35:46
	in the passage immediately preceding today's	35:48
	lesson from Acts, referred to not by name	35:50
	but simply as the women,	35:54
	and Mary, the mother of Jesus.	35:57
	In Jewish law, we know that women and slaves	36:00
	were not even qualified to serve as witnesses	36:03
	in legal matters, yet we know,	36:06
	there were no such restrictions placed	36:09
	on witnessing to the Resurrection.	36:11
	For as we remember, it was Mary Magdalene,	36:14
	who was the first to encounter the risen Christ.	36:17
	We all know it's not just those	36:22
	whom history records that make up history itself.	36:24
	Indeed, in the development of the Christian community,	36:29
	countless saints shall remain forever nameless,	36:32
	who have devoted their lives	36:36
	to proclaiming the faith.	36:38
	They formed a company, which I called invisible witnesses,	36:40
	forgotten in the eyes of the world,	36:45
	but surely not in the Kingdom of Heaven.	36:47
	It is their composite testimony,	36:51
	recorded or not, a literal patchwork	36:53
	of experiences of service, prayer,	36:56
	praise and thanksgiving, penitence,	36:59
	deeds of justice, mercy and love	37:03
	that continue to reveal the testimony of God	37:05
	through the Church.	37:08
	Less we ever think of the Church,	37:11
	only as being made up of those,	37:13
	whose witness has been acknowledged by history.	37:15
	Let us remember the Church includes	37:18
	all believers, both visible and invisible.	37:21
	This text from Acts is important for us today.	37:28
	They are not only for what it says	37:32
	about the leadership of the Church,	37:33
	the 12, who were charged to witness	37:35
	but for what it suggests about the place	37:39
	of all believers in the witnessing community.	37:41
	Having been misinterpreted on occasion,	37:44
	the election of Matthias to the 12	37:48
	has been seen as providing a basis for	37:51
	a distinction to be drawn between the clergy,	37:53
	and the laity, and the work of the Church,	37:55
	and therefore somehow elevating	37:57
	the clergy to a higher status in the Christian community.	38:00
	And I'd like to speak to this for a moment.	38:04
	The word lot, as in the lot,	38:06
	fell on Matthias meant receiving his share	38:10
	in the ministry as something that was given to him	38:14
	and not something which he had earned for himself.	38:17
	This word, which was translated Claris,	38:20
	however came to be associated by the third century	38:23
	with those who held ecclesiastical office,	38:26
	now known as clergy, implying that those	38:30
	who held such offices are the special property of the Lord	38:33
	or the Lord is their lot, their share.	38:36
	In the early years of the Church,	38:41
	this use of this distinction led to a tension	38:42
	between clergy and laity,	38:45
	and to an unnecessarily limited view	38:47
	of the rights and responsibilities of the laity.	38:49
	The clergy was accorded an increasingly	38:53
	privileged position and grew into a new sociological class	38:55
	with its own privileges, immunities,	39:01
	dress, titles, duties, culture and liturgy.	39:04
	The problem with this distinction however,	39:09
	is that the Church has never had this	39:12
	in its own scriptural basis.	39:16
	In the early Church, there were differences	39:19
	in spiritual gifts and of tasks to be fulfilled	39:21
	but there was no distinction	39:24
	between a group called clergy	39:25
	and a group called laity.	39:28
	The Word Claris rather than implying	39:31
	a special relationship to God by those who held office	39:34
	referred in a much broader sense to a share	39:38
	in the Word of God, especially a share in eternal life.	39:40
	Such a share is obviously not the sole possession	39:46
	of any special group but it is given to each individual	39:50
	who believes in the communion of all believers.	39:55
	The lot, which originally belong to Judas,	39:58
	and which through the election fell to Matthias	40:02
	is therefore a share in the Kingdom of God	40:05
	which falls to each of us as believers.	40:08
	He who believed in the son of God,	40:12
	has the testimony in himself, we read in 1 John 5.	40:15
	He who has the son of life,	40:20
	he who has the son, has life.	40:22
	He who has not the son of God, has not life.	40:26
	Thus in this matter of witnessing,	40:31
	is it really an option for the believer?	40:34
	A matter of mood or convenience?	40:37
	Something to be left up to the clergy	40:41
	on Sunday morning or to the religious enthusiasts	40:43
	on the street corner?	40:46
	For the believer, the very presence of the Spirit	40:48
	in our lives becomes a testimony,	40:52
	which is obvious to those around us.	40:55
	We find ourselves revealing our true convictions,	40:58
	when we don't even realize it.	41:01
	It's not just in public places	41:03
	but in the deepest, most secret parts of our lives.	41:05
	The kind of place where there is no one to impress	41:10
	of our religious fervor, only God.	41:13
	Think of the last time you encountered	41:19
	that type of witness.	41:22
	Rather than being aggressively Christian in their witness,	41:25
	was it not the depth of their generosity,	41:28
	their kindness, their sincere desire to serve	41:32
	that was transforming in some mysterious way,	41:36
	akin even to the witness of Christ.	41:40
	I think of many such witnesses,	41:45
	unsung heroes, whom I have known	41:48
	in the community of faith, Sunday school teachers,	41:50
	communion stewards, a friend to lean on in a time of need,	41:55
	add your own to the list.	42:00
	Though their witness may remain	42:03
	forever invisible to history	42:05
	and even to much of the surrounding community.	42:07
	I affirm their place in the Church today	42:10
	as indispensable in the telling of the Christian story.	42:13
	We all know from experience,	42:19
	Christian witness takes as many different forms	42:20
	as there are individuals and personalities	42:24
	in the community of faith.	42:27
	And there are none of them	42:29
	that we can afford to do without.	42:30
	Even as every shred of testimony is essential	42:33
	to discovering the truth in a court of law.	42:36
	So every Christian witness is important	42:40
	in revealing God's testimony through Christ.	42:42
	If we receive the testimony of men and women,	42:47
	the testimony of God is greater.	42:51
	Could it be that Christian witness	42:55
	has been kept in a box on the shelf	42:57
	too long for too many,	42:59
	taken down when useful but rarely integrated	43:02
	into the everyday fabric of our lives.	43:05
	I offer you no preplanned instructions	43:09
	for effective witnessing.	43:12
	Rather as the earliest Christians	43:15
	had to chart their own course of action,	43:17
	let us rise to the occasion today	43:20
	by becoming comfortable with our own faith	43:24
	and free to share it in ways that feel natural	43:27
	and that give life.	43:30
	If the son of God truly lives within us,	43:33
	surely there is reason to rejoice.	43:37
	Let us share it wherever we may be.	43:41
	Thanks be to God.	43:44
	(organ music)	43:47
	(organ music and echo drown choir hymn)	44:21
-	Let us affirm what we believe	46:14
	by joining together in the Apostles' Creed.	46:16
Congregation	I believe in God, the Father almighty,	46:22
	maker of Heaven and Earth.	46:25
	And in Jesus Christ's only son, our Lord,	46:28
	who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	46:32
	born of the Virgin Mary,	46:35
	suffered under Pontius Pilate	46:37
	was crucified, dead, and buried.	46:40
	The third day, He rose from the dead.	46:43
	He ascended into Heaven	46:46
	and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty,	46:48
	from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	46:52
	I believe in the Holy Spirit,	46:56
	the holy Catholic Church,	46:59
	the communion of saints,	47:01
	the forgiveness of sins,	47:03
	the resurrection of the body,	47:05
	and a life everlasting, amen.	47:08
-	The Lord be with you.	47:13
Congregation	The Holy Spirit be with you.	47:14
-	Let us pray.	47:16
	A Lord of all creation and Lord of our lives.	47:28

Woman	Gather this morning in this place	0:03
	as the people of your promise,	0:05
	men and women who have been created, redeemed,	0:08
	and sustained by your gracious and unfailing love.	0:12
	We come together to praise you,	0:17
	to hear your Word proclaimed,	0:18
	and to open our lives to your gracious Spirit.	0:21
	Hear us now as we remember those both near and far.	0:26
	Lord God, we pray for your church,	0:32
	the Bride of Christ,	0:34
	for her bishops, ministers,	0:36
	leaders and all who work in her endeavors.	0:39
	May your church meet with confidence the new task of today	0:44
	and may she be responsive to the call of duty	0:49
	wherever it may lead.	0:51
	May she be filled with great compassion	0:54
	for the suffering of the world	0:56
	and may your church always be utterly loyal to your will.	0:58
	Heavenly God, we pray for the President of this country,	1:05
	for the leaders of nations across the world,	1:09
	for those who sit in Congress,	1:12
	for those who serve as judges in courts of law	1:14
	around the world,	1:17
	for those who lead the state and this city.	1:19
	For all of these men and women we ask that you grant to them	1:23
	a spirit of wisdom and understanding	1:26
	and a vision of truth and justice.	1:30
	Gracious Lord, we pray for the larger world	1:34
	of which this nation is but a small part.	1:38
	In the midst of our own plenty	1:42
	and the bountifulness of this country,	1:43
	we read and hear of the terrible situations	1:47
	of other of your children.	1:50
	We would look beyond our own petty problems	1:53
	and remember the real pain of the people of Poland,	1:55
	the people of Nicaragua, the blacks of South Africa,	1:59
	the starving millions of East Africa.	2:05
	Help us to be sensitive to all these needs	2:08
	of our brothers and sisters.	2:11
	Help us to use our power and resources	2:13
	to be their advocates on the world scene.	2:16
	Hear our prayers for these persecuted peoples	2:20
	and help us to shape our prayers	2:22
	into meaningful deeds and actions.	2:24
	Eternal God, we pray for the sick, for the homeless,	2:30
	for those who suffer from terminal disease,	2:34
	for those who are confined to nursing homes,	2:38
	for those who know the immense pain	2:41
	that comes with the death of a loved one.	2:43
	Open our hearts that we may be your servants	2:47
	in offering support,	2:51
	in offering comfort,	2:53
	and giving love in these hurting situations.	2:56
	Holy Spirit, walk among us this morning.	3:01
	Touch our eyes that we may see the people	3:03
	who need an expression of kindness all around us.	3:06
	Touch our ears that we may hear those unspoken cries	3:10
	for help from persons too afraid to speak aloud.	3:13
	Touch our hands that we may touch others	3:18
	with sensitive caring.	3:21
	Touch the whole of our beings, Lord,	3:24
	that we may live lives consecrated to you.	3:26
	We offer our prayers in the name of your son, Jesus Christ,	3:30
	who as spirit became flesh	3:36
	that our flesh might become spirit through him.	3:39
	In his name we pray.	3:44
	Amen.	3:46
	Let us now worship God	3:50
	with the giving of our tithes and offerings.	3:52
	(slow organ music)	3:58
	(choir sings)	5:11
	(muffled voices)
	(organ music)	9:56
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	10:25
	♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪	10:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	10:37
	♪ Alleluia ♪	10:40
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	10:45
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	10:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	10:57
	♪ Alleluia ♪	11:01
	♪ Alleluia ♪	11:04
	♪ Alleluia ♪	11:07
	♪ Alleluia ♪	11:11
	♪ Amen ♪	11:19
	O Lord, our God,	11:30
	the author and giver of all good things,	11:32
	our Lord Jesus has said that it is more blessed to give	11:36
	than to receive.	11:39
	And yet on this magnificent Spring day,	11:42
	we realize that we have received so bountifully from you	11:45
	our lives, our families and friends,	11:50
	this world, the witness of prophets and apostles	11:54
	throughout the ages,	11:58
	the gifts of unseen and unsung men and women	12:00
	who have contributed to our lives.	12:04
	Most especially, Lord,	12:07
	we give thanks to you for the gift of our salvation	12:08
	through Jesus Christ.	12:10
	Accept these gifts, we pray, as a small token of our love,	12:13
	and use them to advance your kingdom upon the earth	12:17
	and the work of your church around the world.	12:21
	Even as we offer these gifts,	12:25
	we offer also our lives in service to you, O Lord,	12:28
	and we pray too as Christ taught us, saying,	12:31
	Our Father,	12:36
All	who art in heaven,	12:38
	hallowed be Thy name.	12:40
	Thy kingdom come,	12:42
	Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.	12:44
	Give us this day our daily bread	12:49
	and forgive us our trespasses	12:52
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	12:54
	And lead us not into temptation	12:58
	but deliver us from evil.	13:01
	For Thine is the kingdom and the power	13:04
	and the glory forever.	13:08
	Amen.	13:11
	(organ music)	13:15
	(congregants sing)	13:59
	(music drowns out voices)
Woman	Go forth in peace and be of good courage.	17:26
	Hold fast to that which is good,	17:29
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.	17:32
	And may the blessing of God Creator, Christ,	17:35
	and Holy Spirit be with you all now and forever.	17:39
	♪ Amen ♪	17:53
	♪ Amen ♪	17:57
	♪ Amen ♪	18:01
	♪ Amen ♪	18:04
	♪ Amen ♪	18:08
	♪ Amen ♪	18:11
	♪ Amen ♪	18:15
	♪ Amen ♪	18:18
	(organ music)	18:37
	(people clapping)	21:38
	(congregants talking)	21:43

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Invisible Witnesses" (May 19, 1985)

Description:

Sermon start time: 26:48. Sermon end time: 43:47.
Witness, in all shapes and forms, from all types of Christians, is essential to the Christian life and to the life of the Church. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “It’s not just those whom history records that make up history itself. Indeed, in the development of the Christian community, countless saints shall remain forever nameless who have devoted their lives to proclaiming the faith.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r41r6ng0c

Date:

May 19, 1985

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0268
ref8057_paa
uachapelsermaud
duke:320444
dcrau001255
ark:/87924/r41r6ng0c
f15c5161-5b25-4e6b-90c2-ec8fd5dcb089

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Invisible Witnesses" (May 19, 1985)

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Duke University Archives