Stanley A. Williams, III - Sermon Untitled (February 18, 2001)

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-	Good morning.	0:09
	Okay, have to work with this mic.	0:10
	I'd just like to open by thanking all of you	0:13
	for being here, I thank God for the opportunity	0:16
	to just speak before you and I understand that	0:19
	there are actually a couple people out here	0:22
	who have never been in Duke Temple before.	0:25
	This includes undergrads.	0:28
	This is a good time to say,	0:30
	"Oh mom, I went to church today."	0:32
	Just go ahead and get that extra Christmas present,	0:34
	or whatever.	0:36
	Just looking out for you guys.	0:39
	If you would, just bow with me for a word of prayer, please.	0:41
	Righteous creator, we thank you for this moment,	0:47
	we thank you for this space.	0:50
	I ask that you use me, father, as your vessel,	0:52
	that your will be done and that you take me out	0:55
	so that I can make your sound, father.	0:58
	In your son's name we pray, amen.	1:02
	Okay kids, pop quiz time.	1:07
	Complete the following famous quote.	1:09
	"To err is human, to forgive?"	1:12
	Good job.	1:16
	Since the beginning of time, people have attempted	1:18
	to understand human behavior,	1:22
	we just have to know what makes us act the way that we do.	1:23
	Nothing satisfies our curiosity so much as a good answer	1:28
	to the question, why?	1:31
	For example, it's pretty rare that we remember the date	1:34
	when Susan Smith reported her children as missing,	1:38
	but I bet that every person in here remembers the fate	1:40
	of those children and I'd go even as far to say	1:43
	that you remember thinking, "Why, why would someone	1:46
	"do that to their own children?"	1:50
	And then came up with your own ideas about	1:52
	why she did it.	1:54
	Even though psychology is a fairly young field,	1:57
	the desire to understand human behavior is ageless.	1:59
	Whenever we lack the ability to quench the why,	2:03
	we often rely on the all-encompassing answer,	2:06
	"Oh, it's human nature."	2:09
	It's human nature.	2:12
	Somehow this phrase, this "human nature"	2:13
	becomes all the rationalization that we need.	2:17
	Ancient philosophers such as (mumbles) spend their	2:20
	time and energy trying to explain just what	2:23
	human nature is.	2:25
	Contemporary theorists, modern scholars, politicians,	2:27
	preachers, teachers, and even good old moms and dads	2:30
	are getting in on the act now.	2:33
	Human nature has been used to justify everything	2:36
	from the conquering of other nations to adultery,	2:39
	from lying to protect others,	2:43
	to killing to protect ourselves.	2:45
	Now, you might see human nature as an innate drive	2:48
	to preserve human life.	2:51
	Someone else may sum it up by saying that human nature	2:53
	is sinful.	2:55
	Unfortunately, despite centuries of all the progress	2:57
	that we've made as human beings,	3:00
	we still don't have an answer to this question.	3:03
	So let's see what God has to say about the matter.	3:05
	This morning's passage from the gospel of Luke	3:09
	is the physicians account of the sermon on the mount	3:11
	and the attitudes.	3:14
	But our text, however, doesn't begin with Jesus saying,	3:15
	"Blessed are the poor in spirit,	3:18
	"blessed are the pure in heart."	3:20
	Jesus doesn't even praise the peacemakers in what	3:22
	we've heard today.	3:24
	Instead, we walk in on, "But I seance you with cheer,	3:25
	"love your enemies and do good to them which hate you.	3:30
	"Bless them that curse you and pray for them, (mumbles)."	3:34
	And somebody's out there probably thinking,	3:39
	"There's nothing wrong with that, sounds fine."	3:42
	And that's true that it does sound like something typical	3:45
	of what we expect Jesus to tell a multitude	3:48
	of newly healed bodies, mended hearts, renewed minds,	3:51
	and lost souls finding their way home.	3:54
	But then Jesus goes ahead and instead of changing	3:57
	the subject and telling a parable that even the	4:01
	disciples always failed to misunderstand,	4:03
	just goes ahead and says to them,	4:06
	"By the way, you should treat people the way that	4:08
	"you want to be treated.	4:11
	"I realize that it is human nature to treat them	4:14
	"the way they treat you, but I'm a little more than human	4:16
	"and you've been acting a little less."	4:20
	But it's true, we do act a little less,	4:24
	it is our nature.	4:27
	We don't get mad, we get even, amen?	4:28
	Just checking.	4:32
	According to the gospel we get nothing new out of	4:34
	loving those that love us already.	4:37
	It's already in our nature to care for those	4:39
	closest to us.	4:41
	After all, we trust that they would do the same for us.	4:42
	Jesus takes our concept of human nature	4:45
	and offers us a challenge.	4:48
	Love your enemies and do good without looking for	4:50
	anything in return.	4:53
	Because, hey, you'll be rewarded by God.	4:54
	We'll even throw you in an accept you as our	4:57
	very own family.	4:59
	In a way, Jesus questions our interpretations of humanity	5:02
	and love.	5:05
	It's as if treating others the way that we've been	5:07
	treated isn't enough.	5:09
	I know somebody out there just thought,	5:11
	"But how can that be?	5:13
	"It's the basic principle we live by.	5:14
	"This is all about the golden rule, the golden rule,	5:16
	"that's what we were taught when we were in school	5:18
	"growing up."	5:20
	Look at where the golden rule got us.	5:21
	Look at where the gold rule got us.	5:23
	Look at where the golden rule got us.	5:26
	Looking out for us, especially at the cost of them,	5:30
	is a notion that our nation has used to equalize	5:33
	separation, to imply and assert inequality,	5:36
	and to justify acts of intolerance.	5:39
	Looking out for us is part of the reason that our	5:42
	nation is in it's current shape.	5:45
	But we are not without hope or beyond redemption.	5:47
	I think that sometimes we just stop at the golden rule	5:51
	because to do more, to do give the coat after	5:55
	we've been robbed of our cloak,	5:58
	to give our last loaf of bread instead of the few	6:00
	slices that we've been (mumbles),	6:03
	it leaves us vulnerable.	6:05
	And that fear of vulnerability, in turn,	6:08
	comes from our faith being small.	6:10
	I mean, let's face it, we have mouths to feed,	6:13
	we have bills to pay, and you want to know that after	6:15
	working 40 or more hours a week that you can still	6:17
	manage to make your ends meet.	6:19
	It's just a part of life.	6:22
	I'm notorious for saying, "It's hard sometimes."	6:24
	My ends need not even meet, just as long as they can	6:27
	wave at each other, I'll be fine.	6:29
	(laughter)	6:32
	I mean we're doing the very best that we can,	6:33
	how can God ask us to do something	6:36
	outside of our very nature?	6:38
	The answer lies in trusting God.	6:41
	It's written on our money, but not in our hearts.	6:43
	Trusting in the face of uncertainty is a lesson that	6:47
	every graduating senior, every parent with a child	6:50
	moving out and on, every person in the middle	6:53
	of a career change, every person upon whom the doctors	6:56
	have given up, has to learn.	6:59
	Without a doubt in my mind I know in this room	7:03
	that we have witnesses, we are in the midst of	7:06
	walking, talking miracles.	7:08
	The past four years for me have been an exercise in faith	7:11
	and patience.	7:14
	On May 13 I believe at noon, maybe 10:15 I will have	7:16
	completed my academic undergrad career here at	7:19
	Duke University.	7:22
	At the moment, I still don't know where I'll continue	7:24
	my studies or where I'll be living,	7:26
	except for outside of my parents house.	7:29
	(laughter)	7:32
	My concern, in spite of my uncertain future,	7:33
	is that I won't be able to provide for my	7:35
	five month old God son in the way that I want to.	7:37
	I have no doubt that I'll be fine,	7:41
	because I know that within my heat my God will not allow	7:42
	neither my God son nor myself to go without.	7:46
	But it's hard to trust God.	7:51
	It's hard to trust God in a society that encourages	7:53
	our independence and frowns upon people working together.	7:55
	However, only after we as individuals learn to take care	7:59
	of each other and ourselves will God heal our land.	8:02
	We're afraid to move beyond the golden rule,	8:07
	to give without reciprocity, because doing so leaves us	8:11
	vulnerable and that idea just frightens us.	8:14
	Dependency is often seen as a stigma,	8:17
	as if it just makes us somehow weak.	8:20
	We're too proud to admit that we need each other	8:23
	and that's why so many of our fellow humans have fallen.	8:25
	In truth, vulnerability is part of our humanity.	8:28
	Now, I just want you to imagine with me and just	8:34
	think about the manner in which our bodies	8:37
	are assembled.	8:39
	I'm no bio major, so I'm probably sure I'm gonna	8:41
	get something wrong, forgive me.	8:43
	But while animals have, most animals have a hard protective	8:45
	outer shell or an exoskeleton,	8:48
	we have this sensitive, soft, fleshy skin.	8:52
	That's our outer covering.	8:56
	Beneath the skin is our skeleton, which is hard,	8:58
	but even that, at our core, is held up by fibers	9:02
	and more soft organs.	9:06
	Our core is soft, our core is vulnerable.	9:09
	In this passage Jesus is just trying to convey	9:15
	that we don't have to worry about making out	9:18
	ends meet anymore.	9:20
	Trusting God is the beginning of faith.	9:21
	Doing good when we're treated badly comes out of	9:24
	the growth of that faith.	9:27
	We have to learn to reach beyond what we know,	9:29
	what we see, and what we feel.	9:31
	To quote Emerson, "The faith that stands on authority	9:34
	"is not faith."	9:37
	The more we trust, the more God will move on our behalf	9:40
	and the greater our reward.	9:42
	But we need that challenge, we need to step beyond	9:45
	the known.	9:47
	It's in those moments of those moments of uncertainty,	9:48
	those moments of weakness, those moments of vulnerability	9:51
	that we are most human and closest to God.	9:54
	Jesus was trying to show us that in moments like those,	9:59
	we become more than human.	10:02
	The divinity within each of us shines through.	10:04
	The God within us connects to the God above.	10:08
	Jesus says that if we love our enemies,	10:11
	we'll be called the children of the highest.	10:14
	As such, our attempts at unbridal autonomy	10:17
	are not only nugatory, they're also outside of	10:19
	the will of God.	10:23
	Imagine, if you will, just being a teenager again	10:24
	and shouting at your parents, "I don't need you."	10:27
	If your parents let you live,	10:34
	you should count your blessings.	10:36
	If you go out on your own, imagine how hard your life	10:39
	would be.	10:42
	Life might be bearable, but it's certainly going to be	10:43
	a lot harder without their love and support.	10:46
	We need them.	10:48
	We need them.	10:50
	The same is true with God.	10:52
	It's only natural for offspring to resemble their parents.	10:54
	Birds should give birth to birds and dogs to dogs.	10:57
	It'd be unnatural for us to plant apple seeds	11:01
	and get an orange growth.	11:04
	Such an act would forge you to look back	11:07
	and inquire what the parents were.	11:09
	We're told that we should treat people better than	11:11
	we've been treated because we're the children of God.	11:13
	And even God is kind of the unthankful and to the evil.	11:15
	When we go beyond the golden rule,	11:20
	we show that we trust God enough to handle things	11:22
	in our life and take care of the situations that we're in,	11:25
	as well as us.	11:28
	Faith without (mumbles), after all is death.	11:29
	Granted, it is a lot easier for me to stand up here	11:33
	and say than it is to live.	11:36
	However, we're not without testimonies.	11:38
	During the civil rights movement,	11:40
	leaders such as Martin Luther King emphasized	11:43
	not resorting to base deplorable acts of violence	11:45
	to create change.	11:48
	Instead, people across the country got together,	11:49
	trusting God and acting on faith,	11:52
	petitioning, boycotting, rallying, and organizing.	11:55
	In the end, those people show the entire world	11:59
	the power of nonviolent protest.	12:02
	The entire world learned that it's possible for us	12:04
	to be meek, but not weak.	12:07
	It's only by the grace of God and because of the struggle	12:11
	of those four (mumbles) that I can stand before you today.	12:13
	It's through trusting God and moving beyond	12:16
	the golden rule that (mumbles) has ended in South Africa.	12:19
	The nation is attempting to reconcile itself	12:23
	and become whole.	12:25
	They're not perfect, but they are trying.	12:27
	South Africa serves as a great example to us	12:30
	and our very own land.	12:32
	Now, last month as part of the Martin Luther King Day	12:33
	celebration there was a discussion here about Derm	12:37
	during the civil rights movement and the road to	12:40
	reconciliation.	12:42
	We can move beyond hate crimes,	12:44
	we will be free of sexism, racism,	12:46
	and the other intolerances and injustices plaguing	12:49
	our land.	12:51
	Going beyond the golden rule can make us,	12:53
	once and for all, and at long last,	12:55
	one nation under God, indivisible with liberty	12:59
	and justice for all.	13:03
	Friedrich Nietzsche in Beyond Good and Evil says,	13:06
	"It is inhuman to bless when one is being cursed."	13:09
	It is unnatural and it completely goes against our	13:13
	nature of getting vengeance.	13:17
	Well, maybe.	13:20
	If his definition of humanity relies on somebody	13:23
	constantly risking absurdity and death	13:25
	just to make sure they alone gain.	13:28
	At any rate, I'm just willing to be that there's	13:32
	a little bit more to humanity than relentlessly	13:34
	pursuing autonomy.	13:36
	Something more than taking care of those people that I like,	13:38
	or the ones who treat me the way that I want to be treated,	13:42
	or that say they love me.	13:44
	There's much more.	13:47
	It is inhuman to bless when one is being cursed.	13:49
	He's absolutely right, it is inhuman,	13:53
	it's divine.	13:57

Item Info

Title:

Stanley A. Williams, III - Sermon Untitled (February 18, 2001)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 1:07. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 14:02.
Student preacher preaches on the Golden Rule and how we are called to go beyond the principle of reciprocity to love our enemies and do justice. It is certainly inhuman and hard, it's divine and in doing so, we become children of God. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4125qq21

Date:

February 18, 2001

Speaker:

Williams, Stanley A., III

Liturgical Calendar:

Epiphany

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 6 27-38

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-1053
ref10263_xnk
uachapelsermaud
duke:320376
dcrau001697
ark:/87924/r4125qq21
20968422-c142-40e3-a833-ac6038b57e86

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

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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