Letty Russell - "The Impossible Reality" (March 31, 1974)

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	(choir singing)	0:05
-	Sometimes we get so caught up in our humanity and what	1:08
	that means that we forget that breath of life, that gift	1:12
	of yourself which you have given each of us.	1:17
	In our self centeredness we forget that you are	1:22
	our creator and sustainer.	1:27
	Forgive us, Lord, and bring to us a realization of what	1:30
	being created in your image means in our lives.	1:36
	Then give us the strength and the courage to live out	1:41
	that realization.	1:46
-	Lord, God, we bring our outdated and our outgrown ideas	1:49
	of who you are and how you are related to us.	1:56
	Forgive us for thinking and acting without reference	2:00
	to you most of the time, and for obscuring the liberating	2:04
	word from you in Christ Jesus much of the time.	2:09
	Stir up the gifts of your spirit in us so we can be your	2:13
	people bringing truly liberating words and actions	2:18
	and relationships to bear on our world.	2:23
-	All these prayers of penitence we lift to thee, oh God,	2:27
	asking that in thy love thou wouldst forgive us,	2:31
	for we know that it is thy faithfulness that saves us	2:35
	even when we are unfaithful.	2:38
	Grant us a renewed spirit that we might serve thee	2:41
	and those whom thou has given us to love,	2:46
	through Christ our Lord, amen.	2:49
	(organ music)	2:53
	(choir singing)	3:17
-	Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger	4:20
	and abounding in steadfast love.	4:24
	Jesus said the one who comes to me I will not cast out.	4:27
	Your sins are forgiven for Christ sake, amen.	4:33
	(organ music)	4:39
	(choir singing)	5:04
-	Hear the word of God as proclaimed by his prophet Isaiah	8:12
	from the 52nd chapter of the Book of Isaiah beginning with	8:16
	the 13th verse.	8:20
	Behold, my servant shall prosper.	8:23
	He shall be exulted and lifted up and shall be very high.	8:26
	As many were astonished at him, his appearance was	8:32
	so marred beyond human sacrifice and his form beyond	8:35
	that of the sons of men, so shall he startle many nations.	8:41
	Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that	8:46
	which has not been told them they shall see.	8:51
	And that which they have not heard, they shall understand.	8:55
-	Let us join together in the reading of the Gospel lesson	9:10
	by standing to hear the Word.	9:13
	The Gospel lesson comes to us from Mark the 10th chapter,	9:30
	the 35th to the 45th verses.	9:37
	Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,	9:49
	came forward to him and said to him, "Teacher, we want	9:53
	you to do for us whatever we ask you to do."	10:01
	And he said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"	10:07
	And they said to him, "Grant us to sit one at your	10:15
	right hand and one at your left in your glory."	10:20
	But Jesus said to them, "You do not know	10:27
	what you are asking.	10:33
	You are able to drink the cup that I drink or to be	10:37
	baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized."	10:46
	And they said to him, "You are.	10:54
	We are able."	10:56
	Then Jesus said to them, "The cup I drink you will drink.	11:00
	And with the baptism with which I am baptized,	11:09
	you will be baptized.	11:13
	But to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine	11:17
	to grant, but it is for those for whom	11:21
	it has been prepared."	11:25
	And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant	11:32
	at James and John.	11:37
	And Jesus called them to him and said to them, "You know	11:41
	that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles	11:49
	lord it over them and their great men	11:54
	exercise authority over them.	11:58
	But it shall not be so among you.	12:05
	For whoever would be greatest among you	12:11
	must be your servant, and whoever would be first among	12:16
	you must be slave of all.	12:23
	For the son of man also came not to be served, but to serve	12:30
	and to give his life a ransom for many."	12:41
	May God add blessing of the Holy Spirit to the reading	12:49
	of this word, amen.	12:54
	(organ music)	12:58
	♪ Glory be to the Father. ♪	13:07
	♪ And to the Son. ♪	13:09
	♪ And to the Holy Ghost. ♪	13:12
	♪ As it was in the beginning. ♪	13:17
	♪ Is now, and ever shall be. ♪	13:21
	♪ World without end. ♪	13:26
	♪ Amen, amen. ♪	13:29
-	Now would you join with me in affirming our faith?	13:40
	The Litany of Affirmation which is printed	13:45
	in your bulletins.	13:47
	As a worshiping community, are we the church?	13:50
-	Yes, you are the church	13:55
	called to hear the word of God and respond in faith.	13:57
	We believe in one God maker and ruler of all things,	14:02
	infinite in wisdom, power and love, whose mercy is	14:06
	over all creation and whose will is ever directed	14:10
	to the good of all people.	14:14
	This God is our God and we affirm with joy the creative	14:16
	power which comes from this relationship.	14:20
	We believe in Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh,	14:24
	mediator of grace and hope, reconciler of our broken	14:28
	relationships.	14:34
-	This Lord is our Lord and we affirm with joy God's gift	14:36
	of abundant life in Christ.	14:41
-	We believe in the Holy Spirit, God present in our lives	14:44
	who convicts us of sin, assures us of God's love,	14:49
	and empowers us with gifts.	14:54
-	The Spirit is in us, and we affirm with joy God's	14:58
	active presence in our lives.	15:02
-	We believe that this faith should manifest itself	15:05
	in a love that serves.	15:09
	For Christ came into the world, not to be served,	15:12
	but to serve.	15:16
-	We affirm with joy that God compels us to go	15:19
	into the world as servants to the end that the	15:23
	kingdom of God may come upon the Earth.	15:27
-	The Lord be with you.	15:34
-	And with your spirit.	15:36
-	Let us pray.	15:38
-	Oh, God, in this holy season of Lent, in this	15:50
	time of spring when the flowers bud and bloom,	15:56
	the birds sing, the sun grows warm, the wind enlivens us,	16:00
	the rain refreshes us.	16:06
	When hearts seem tender, words sound kinder, feelings are	16:10
	warmer, and thoughts more lively, when Spring comes with	16:18
	all that this means to each of us and to those	16:24
	whom we love.	16:27
	We rejoice in life and we celebrate the new life	16:29
	you offer each of us.	16:35
	Oh, God, in this time of trouble, tension, and trauma,	16:40
	let us hear Jesus say to each of us,	16:46
	"Peace I leave with you.	16:49
	My peace I give unto you."	16:52
	In this time when we carry burdens, when life is heavy	16:57
	and the weight makes us weary, let us hear Jesus say,	17:01
	"Come unto me all who labor and who are heavy laden,	17:05
	and I give you rest."	17:09
	In this time when we are shackled in our doubts, imprisoned	17:13
	by uncertainty and insecurity, let us hear Jesus say,	17:19
	"You shall know the truth,	17:24
	and the truth shall make you free."	17:27
	In this time when many roads rise up before us, when	17:32
	choices are unclear and confusion surrounds us,	17:37
	let us hear Jesus say, "I am the way, the truth,	17:40
	and the life."	17:45
	In this time of indifference, selfishness, and unconcern	17:48
	for others, let us hear Jesus say, "I was hungry,	17:54
	thirsty, naked, sick, lonely, imprisoned, a stranger,	17:58
	and you cared for me.	18:07
	Enter in to the joy of Heaven."	18:10
	In this time of hardness of heart, insensitivity	18:15
	of spirit and callousness of feeling, let us hear Jesus	18:20
	say to each of us the first commandment is love God	18:26
	with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.	18:30
	The second is like it.	18:35
	Love your neighbor as yourself.	18:36
	Looking unto Jesus the Christ as the redeemer and the	18:41
	giver of life, give us the grace, oh God, to love	18:46
	ourselves, others, and you so that we might rejoice in	18:52
	life and celebrate the new life you offer each of us.	19:00
	In the name and through the power	19:09
	of Jesus Christ our Lord we pray.	19:12
	Hear us oh God as we pray the prayer which he has taught	19:16
	all of his disciples to pray.	19:18
-	Our Father, Who art in heaven	19:21
	Hallowed be Thy name.	19:25
	Thy kingdom come,	19:27
	Thy will be done,	19:29
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	19:31
	Give us this day our daily bread,	19:34
	and forgive us our trespasses,	19:37
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	19:40
	And lead us not into temptation,	19:43
	but deliver us from evil.	19:46
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,	19:48
	forever, amen.	19:53
	We're pleased this morning to have with us a number	20:02
	of persons who are here at Duke University	20:07
	and Duke Divinity School this weekend participating	20:11
	in the inter seminary conference on women in ministry.	20:16
	So that those of you who worship here regularly might	20:24
	be aware of who some of these persons are, and also perhaps	20:27
	be impressed more than you have been before with the	20:33
	number of women who are in ministry, I'd like to have	20:37
	each of those persons, the men and the women who are	20:44
	participating in this conference wherever you are	20:48
	in the congregation this morning to stand	20:50
	for just a moment, please.	20:53
	Thank you.	21:01
	It is also our privileged to have, as our guest preacher	21:04
	in the Duke Chapel today Dr. Letty Russell, who also is here	21:08
	as a participant and as the keynotes speaker for the	21:17
	Inter seminary Conference on Women in Ministry.	21:21
	Dr. Russell graduated from Wellesley College, Harvard	21:27
	Divinity School, and Union Theological Seminary,	21:34
	served for a number of years in the parish and worked	21:40
	for 17 years, I think she informed me just a few minutes	21:45
	ago, in the East Harlem Protestant Parish, one of the most	21:49
	significant ministries in the life of the church	21:53
	in this century.	21:56
	She now is a professor of religious studies	21:58
	at Manhattan College in New York, also teaching	22:03
	at Yale Divinity School and New York Theological Seminary.	22:06
	We welcome Dr. Letty Russell to Duke University	22:12
	to Duke Chapel, to this service of worship.	22:17
	And we hear the word of God which you bring to us.	22:21
-	Let us pray.	22:42
	May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our	22:54
	hearts be acceptable in God's sight.	22:59
	In the name of the creator, liberator, and reconciler, amen.	23:05
	In my undergraduate days at Wellesley College,	23:22
	I used to process down the aisle	23:28
	with the choir daily and on Sunday.	23:32
	Not quite such a long aisle, and I usually was wearing	23:36
	blue jeans under my robe, but nevertheless	23:41
	as I processed down the aisle	23:45
	I came to the chancel and I looked up	23:48
	and there in the chancel written across the wall	23:53
	were the words	23:58
	Non Ministrari sed Ministrare.	24:00
	Each time I looked at those words walking down the aisle,	24:07
	no matter how sleepy or	24:13
	bleary eyed or distracted,	24:16
	I believed,	24:21
	believed that this lifestyle of Jesus, not	24:26
	to be ministered unto but to minister,	24:29
	had something to do	24:35
	with my own lifestyle,	24:38
	and in fact with why I was at college.	24:43
	Today the words not to be served but to serve,	24:52
	although in modern English,	24:58
	are still with us.	25:02
	But, for all of us, I think,	25:07
	they've become harder to believe.	25:12
	They have become more of a problem than a possibility	25:18
	in our lives.	25:23
	They are a problem for Christians because the very	25:29
	word service has become so debased in our culture that	25:33
	most people think of it,	25:38
	at best, as a sort of bandaid	25:41
	approach to helping others.	25:45
	And at worst, they view it as a cop out	25:49
	from working for a just society.	25:54
	Service is a problem for women, blacks,	26:02
	and other third world groups	26:07
	because service is identified with	26:12
	subordination, powerlessness,	26:15
	oppression.	26:19
	It is a problem for ministers and laity	26:24
	because we have created a class	26:29
	of professional ministers who serve	26:33
	in structures which deprive the whole people of God	26:37
	of their own responsible servant hood in ministry.	26:42
	Yet, here are the words.	26:52
	They don't go away.	26:55
	Jesus called them to him and said,	26:58
	"You know that those that	27:02
	are supposed to rule over the gentiles lorded over them	27:03
	and their great men exercised authority over them,	27:09
	but it shall not be so among you.	27:14
	But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,	27:20
	and whoever would be first among you	27:24
	must be slave of all for the son of man	27:26
	also came not to be served but to serve	27:30
	and to give his life a ransom for many."	27:35
	I guess I could add that the words are also a problem	27:40
	for bishops, district superintendents	27:43
	and a few other people.	27:45
	And here are the words, and not only the words,	27:50
	but the lifestyle of Jesus of Nazareth which we think so	27:53
	deeply on during the period of Lent as we talk about	27:56
	following him to the cross.	28:00
	The lifestyle of one who came to serve and to give his life	28:07
	as a ransom for the world.	28:12
	This impossible idea of service	28:16
	is in fact the only possibility	28:21
	for those who want to follow Jesus.	28:27
	This seemingly impossible role of service	28:36
	is possible for us all	28:41
	because it is not just a command,	28:49
	a law of God.	28:53
	Rather, it is a gift of God,	29:00
	a gracious gift which makes it possible.	29:05
	Just think of it.	29:13
	This God of the Hebrew Christian tradition	29:16
	is like no other gods.	29:21
	God is the one who chooses to serve,	29:27
	not just to be worshiped and adored.	29:32
	Other gods have been revealed	29:38
	so that women and men could serve them,	29:43
	but this God, the God of the suffering	29:48
	servant, the God of Jesus Christ	29:52
	begins from the other end,	29:57
	begins with us, with us.	29:59
	God comes to the people to liberate them,	30:06
	to serve them,	30:11
	so that they may celebrate their freedom by sharing	30:14
	it with others.	30:18
	In God's service	30:24
	we see what Karl Barth calls	30:27
	The Humanity of God.	30:31
	God is first of all not a king	30:38
	sitting on a pyramid of the world	30:43
	creating other pyramids of domination	30:47
	and subjugation in hierarchies of church	30:50
	and society.	30:55
	Rather the humanity of God is seen	30:59
	in that God chooses	31:03
	to be related to human beings	31:07
	through service.	31:13
	No wonder our passage from Isaiah 52	31:21
	says the servant of Yahweh will	31:26
	startle the nations.	31:30
	His appearance was so marred	31:35
	beyond human semblance.	31:38
	His form beyond that of the sons of men.	31:41
	So shall he startle the nations.	31:46
	Kings will shut up,	31:52
	will shut their mouths because of him.	31:55
	The servant cannot even be recognized	32:02
	because suffering service is not even expected	32:08
	of a messianic figure by those	32:13
	in high places.	32:17
	Service then is God's gift because it is God who serves.	32:26
	Service is also God's gift because Jesus not only	32:35
	calls his disciples to serve,	32:40
	but also provides the power and the possibility	32:44
	of carrying out this service.	32:49
	In Jesus Christ	32:54
	we have the representation of new humanity,	32:57
	the beginning of a new type of human being	33:02
	whose life is lived for others.	33:07
	Jesus came to be Emmanuel, God with us.	33:12
	To be with all people, the women	33:19
	as well as the men,	33:24
	the ignorant as well as the learning,	33:27
	the outcasts as well as the religiously acceptable,	33:34
	the oppressed as well as the oppressors.	33:41
	And it is Jesus who helps us to see the humanity of God	33:48
	so that we, too, can become representatives	33:53
	of new humanity.	33:56
	Here we see what it means to be truly	33:59
	and newly human.	34:03
	This is the image of God,	34:09
	the freedom to serve others.	34:17
	This is the image into which humanity is created	34:24
	and redeemed, to be together	34:30
	with others.	34:34
	The whole story of the New Testament revolves around	34:38
	this one theme,	34:42
	diokonia, service.	34:45
	At last, someone has come,	34:50
	not to be served but to serve.	34:55
	Everything that was done by this son of God including	35:00
	humiliation, self emptying, cross, death,	35:03
	is summarized in one final communique,	35:10
	service.	35:19
	This communique is offered as a gift and a promise.	35:23
	The disciples of Jesus are called to be servants	35:28
	to risk their lives in being liberated for others.	35:33
	God's intention for us now	35:46
	is just such	35:50
	an impossible possibility.	35:53
	Through service, God's and ours,	36:00
	we are liberated to be full human beings,	36:05
	persons.	36:11
	First we are liberated for ministry, diokonia.	36:15
	We are set free from hierarchical structures	36:20
	which place ministry in the hands of a few	36:26
	to begin carrying out the work of the people.	36:29
	Traditionally, diokonia has taken three forms	36:36
	in the Christian tradition, curative diakonia,	36:40
	preventative diakonia, and proscriptive.	36:45
	Curative diakonia is one which we are very familiar with.	36:50
	It is the healing and the helping of victims in the society.	36:54
	Preventative diakonia is attempting to curtail the	36:59
	developments of social ills	37:03
	which victimize human life,	37:06
	and prospective diakonia is attempting	37:11
	to open up the situation for free realization	37:15
	and actualization of human life.	37:19
	Although in the past	37:25
	the church, and especially women,	37:29
	have specialized in individual curative	37:34
	or bandaid tasks,	37:38
	recently people have become aware that it is necessary	37:42
	to work together on preventative programs	37:46
	for health and social welfare,	37:50
	and the church is also slowly becoming involved	37:55
	in prospective programs in which the society itself	37:59
	is so changed that people can take part	38:05
	in shaping their own destiny and that the evils	38:08
	such as war, poverty, racism, and sexism	38:13
	are attacked at their root so	38:18
	that a new image of humanity can flow.	38:21
	If we think about it,	38:29
	this last kind of diakonia, prospective,	38:32
	is what we want for our own life.	38:39
	We do not want to be helped after we've been crushed.	38:45
	We would much rather have justice that leads to the	38:51
	elimination of the destructive social structures that	38:55
	might and do crush people.	38:59
	This is why women	39:04
	want not only to have a say	39:08
	in the way that they prepare themselves to take their place	39:10
	of service in the church and society,	39:15
	but also to change the society	39:21
	and the church itself	39:24
	so that their place may become	39:29
	one of full humanity and partnership.	39:32
	They prefer to have a say in shaping their future	39:38
	rather than having to retreat into what is called the	39:44
	feminine mystique	39:48
	only to have to begin again about age 40	39:51
	trying to find out what their lives are all about.	39:55
	They are pushing for prospective diakonia.	40:02
	In being liberated for ministry, we are drawn into	40:10
	the struggle of liberation for all peoples,	40:13
	men and women, black and white,	40:17
	rich and poor, seek to move together	40:20
	toward new ways of life in which	40:24
	those who have been oppressed	40:26
	are free to form their own agenda	40:30
	and to participate in shaping their own future,	40:35
	deciding whom and how	40:41
	they want to serve.	40:46
	We are not only liberated for ministry, but secondly	40:54
	we are liberated for others because we are called to be	40:57
	God's helpers and co servants	41:02
	with the God who serves.	41:07
	This, after all, is the image of woman in Genesis Two.	41:12
	She is created by God as Ezer,	41:20
	a divine helper	41:25
	for a man who needs to live and work in community.	41:30
	Just like the image of the Ebed Yahweh, servant of God	41:37
	in Isaiah 52.	41:42
	The woman and also man	41:45
	is seen as a human being who has	41:49
	been given the privilege of living for others	41:52
	as God's representative.	41:56
	This service in no way implies subordination.	42:04
	Nor does it imply domination of any human being	42:08
	over another.	42:12
	The alternative to subordination	42:16
	is not domination.	42:23
	The authentic alternative is service.	42:29
	There is no true ministry which is not freely given	42:37
	in the same way that God's ministry is freely given to us.	42:43
	Social and church structures in which domination is used	42:49
	to make others serve are a denial of freedom.	42:54
	Just as subordination	43:00
	is a denial of true human dignity.	43:03
	As long as forms of slavery and oppression exist	43:13
	in our society as seen in our own communities and lives,	43:18
	and in such recent television documentaries as	43:24
	The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, The Migrants,	43:27
	the story We the Women,	43:34
	the rest of us sensing these	43:39
	forms of oppression cannot be free,	43:42
	for liberation is a universal,	43:49
	and not just an individual commodity.	43:55
	We are liberated not only for service and for others,	44:04
	but also for God	44:10
	because we experience the love and	44:14
	service of God in our own lives.	44:16
	When confronted by the authorities,	44:22
	Acts tells us that the apostle Peter	44:28
	stood up there in front of everybody	44:34
	and boldly proclaimed,	44:37
	"We must obey God	44:41
	rather than men."	44:44
	For the Gospel claims our allegiance to the one who serves	44:52
	beyond any human ideology,	44:57
	beyond any church	45:02
	or social structure.	45:04
	Such a demand is not easy.	45:10
	It often makes us very unreliable in a cause,	45:15
	unable to assert that,	45:21
	in fact, any particular program, any	45:23
	particular organization is of ultimate significance.	45:28
	Because Christians seek to live according to the new way	45:35
	of being a human they often find themselves as marginal	45:39
	and misfit people	45:45
	in the games of dominance and exploitation that people play.	45:48
	In fact, as Christians,	45:55
	if we are not somewhat feeling that we are misfits,	45:58
	then we need to have another look	46:04
	at how and where we're serving.	46:07
	Perhaps the women who are the most misfits	46:15
	are those who belong to the Roman Catholic,	46:21
	the Eastern Orthodox, and the Episcopal Churches.	46:23
	The vote at Louisville last Fall,	46:28
	against the ordination of those 26 deacons	46:33
	waiting for full confirmation of their personhood	46:38
	and of their calling by the Holy Spirit	46:43
	was extremely painful to them.	46:48
	To be voted a non person is no fun.	46:53
	But all of us, everyone of us here,	47:06
	are part of their problem,	47:12
	and those of us who are concerned with	47:19
	the way certain people are defined as less human	47:23
	are called to challenge these	47:29
	and our own hierarchies which perpetuate	47:33
	dehumanization and injustice in whatever form.	47:38
	We must obey God	47:46
	rather than men or women.	47:49
	In the last few years,	48:04
	many women have been discovering	48:07
	that they really are misfits and marginal to the	48:12
	male dominated society in which they live.	48:17
	Some are seeking new ways to go on being misfits for the	48:22
	sake of the society.	48:27
	They are working in community with others on the boundaries	48:31
	of institutions where they can try to created new structures	48:34
	and new lifestyles for human living.	48:39
	My own experience	48:45
	is that I've always been a misfit.	48:49
	Before I thought I was a misfit because I was just odd.	48:58
	But now I'm glad to find	49:07
	other women and men	49:11
	who feel as I do,	49:15
	those who are seeking not just to be part of things	49:19
	as they are,	49:24
	but to serve the process of change toward	49:27
	God's intended future.	49:30
	Not to be served,	49:46
	but to serve.	49:51
	These words so impossibly possible	49:54
	as a gift of God	50:00
	are an instant communique	50:02
	of who we are	50:07
	and where we are going	50:10
	as followers of Christ and as representatives	50:12
	of an emerging new humanity in which there is neither	50:15
	Jew nor Greek.	50:20
	There is neither slave nor free.	50:22
	There is neither male nor female.	50:24
	Long ago,	50:31
	as I glibly and naively read those words	50:35
	circling the chancel of my college chapel,	50:38
	not to be ministered unto,	50:44
	but to minister in those days,	50:47
	I didn't know how tough service would be.	50:56
	I just assumed that was what I was supposed to do.	51:03
	I didn't know just how much that promise of Jesus meant.	51:09
	As the text in Mark said,	51:18
	"I tried to share his baptism	51:22
	and his temptations	51:26
	and sure enough I often ended up with	51:30
	the wrong answers and worse defeats."	51:32
	And I have to confess to you this morning	51:40
	that I still don't know how much that promise means.	51:45
	But I do know that in spite of all the devaluation	51:53
	and misuse and betrayal of the word service in churches	51:58
	and society,	52:03
	these words of Jesus continue	52:05
	to lead us toward a life of freedom.	52:11
	These words are about a revolution	52:15
	in which everyone wins,	52:21
	in which everyone finds a way of	52:28
	service and partnership	52:31
	on the road to human freedom,	52:35
	amen.	52:41
	May God add the blessing	52:43
	of the Holy Spirit to this reading	52:46
	and speaking of the word, amen.	52:49
	(background announcement)	53:04
-	Response to the word.	53:07
	Oh, Lord our God, we come before you at this time with	53:12
	grateful hearts for the word which has been proclaimed in	53:17
	our hearing on this day.	53:20
	We praise you for the liberation of all people and the	53:24
	equality of all men which has been accomplished already	53:27
	in you, and we ask that you would fit us for our role of	53:32
	servant hood in accomplishing Thy purposes on Earth.	53:36
-	Oh God, help us to become, to become what you intend	53:49
	for us to become, to do what you intend us to do.	53:54
	Help us to set your purpose at the forefront of our minds.	54:00
	Help us to sense your presence.	54:05
	We ask you to be with us.	54:09
	We are yours.	54:12
	We are not our own.	54:14
	We give thanks in the name of Jesus Christ who was your	54:17
	humble servant until death on the cross, amen.	54:20
-	God, you alone are whole.	54:32
	We need your help in becoming whole persons.	54:38
	Help us to see each other not just in female, male roles,	54:45
	but as persons, your children.	54:55
	Direct our lives so that we may become not conformed	55:01
	to our culture, but one in Jesus Christ and heirs	55:08
	to his kingdom and promise of service.	55:20
-	Oh God, it is so very hard for us to even want to serve,	55:33
	to be a servant means we have to take risks and make	55:40
	commitments we don't want to take or make.	55:46
	Yet Christ has risked all for us in his life	55:50
	and on the cross he declared that your love would indeed	55:55
	overcome all of our pain and our hurt and our sufferings	56:01
	and the awareness that the Resurrection was accomplished	56:07
	and is a possibility of liberation for us.	56:12
	Help us to accept and affirm your love for us	56:16
	and for all people to the end that we might be willing	56:22
	to learn to love because you first loved us.	56:26
	In the name of Jesus Christ, our servant lord	56:32
	and savior, amen.	56:36
-	Oh Lord, we lift these prayers and all of the silent	56:39
	prayers of our hearts unto thee and claim thy promise	56:42
	which was given to us in the scripture that whatsoever	56:46
	we ask in thy name shall be done.	56:48
	We ask all of these things in thy name.	56:52
	In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen.	56:55
	(organ music)	57:02
	♪ O sacred Head, now wounded. ♪	57:53
	♪ With grief and shame weighed down. ♪	58:01
	♪ Now scornfully surrounded. ♪	58:10
	♪ With thorns, thine only crown. ♪	58:18
	♪ How pale thou art with anguish. ♪	58:27
	♪ With sore abuse and scorn. ♪	58:36
	♪ How does that visage languish. ♪	58:45
	♪ Which once was bright as morn. ♪	58:54
	♪ What thou, my Lord, has suffered. ♪	59:04
	♪ Was all for sinners' gain. ♪	59:13
	♪ Mine, mine was the transgression. ♪	59:21
	♪ But thine the deadly pain. ♪	59:29
	♪ Lo, here I fall, my Savior. ♪	59:38
	♪ 'Tis I deserve thy place. ♪	59:46
	♪ Look on me with thy favor. ♪	59:55
	♪ Vouchsafe to me thy grace. ♪	1:00:04
	♪ What language shall I borrow. ♪	1:00:14
	♪ To thank thee, dearest friend. ♪	1:00:22
	♪ For this thy dying sorrow. ♪	1:00:31
	♪ Thy pity without end? ♪	1:00:40
	♪ O make me thine forever. ♪	1:00:48
	♪ And should I fainting be. ♪	1:00:57
	♪ Lord, let me never, never. ♪	1:01:06
	♪ Outlive my love for thee. ♪	1:01:15
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:01:28
-	Be seated, please.	1:01:37
	Let us join together in the prayer of unison.	1:01:43
	We offer these small gifts, oh Lord, as a pledge	1:01:50
	of our commitment to your work and your church.	1:01:55
	Accept them as you accept us, partial and not whole,	1:01:59
	as promise and not yet fulfillment, amen.	1:02:04
	(organ music)	1:02:31
	(choir singing)	1:02:38
	(organ music)	1:07:10
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow. ♪	1:07:52
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below. ♪	1:08:00
	♪ Praise Him above the Heavenly host. ♪	1:08:07
	♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. ♪	1:08:16
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:08:27
	(organ music)	1:08:41
	(choir singing)	1:09:12
-	And now, may the God who chose to become a servant	1:11:37
	in Jesus Christ abide in your hearts and minds and give	1:11:40
	you the strength and courage to find your own servant hood	1:11:46
	and to live following the example of Jesus Christ,	1:11:50
	our Lord, amen.	1:11:54
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:12:04
	(bells ringing)	1:13:25
	(organ music)	1:13:35

Item Info

Title:

Letty Russell - "The Impossible Reality" (March 31, 1974)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 23:21. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 52:54.
The seemingly impossibe of service becomes possible not just because it is a command of God but because it is also God's gift and it is God who also serves us and provides for us a model of how we are to serve. The impossible possibility of service is what leads us towards a life of freedom in which everyone wins (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: But I do know that in spite of all the devaluation and misuse and betrayal of the word “service” in churches and society, these words of Jesus continue to lead us toward a life of freedom. These words are about a revolution in which everyone wins, in which everyone finds a way of service and partnership on the road to human freedom.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4xk8545m

Date:

March 31, 1974

Speaker:

Russell, Letty M.

Liturgical Calendar:

Lent

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0698
ref6598_7rq
uachapelsermaud
duke:320418
dcrau001804
ark:/87924/r4xk8545m
9caff9d7-c80a-4253-b9af-cae61c5db16a

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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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:

Limited Re-Use

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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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Letty Russell - "The Impossible Reality" (March 31, 1974)

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1. Letty Russell - "The Impossible Possibility" (March 31, 1974)

Duke University Archives

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Letty Russell - "The Impossible Reality" (March 31, 1974)

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Duke University Archives

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