John W. Vannorsdall - "None Shall Make Them Afraid" (January 29, 1978)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP3
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4f766p07?embed=true' height='125px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' loading='lazy' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4f766p07
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

-	Duke University Chapel, service of worship,	0:03
	January 29th, 1978.	0:06
	(organ music)	0:10
	(organ music)	3:03
	♪ Lord of all the nations ♪	10:54
	♪ Son of God ♪	11:01
	♪ And Son of Man ♪	11:06
	♪ Glory and honor ♪	11:15
	♪ Praise, adoration ♪	11:22
	♪ Now and forever more be thine ♪	11:28
	♪ Now and forever ♪	11:39
	♪ And forever more be thine ♪	11:43
	(organ music)	12:05
	(organ music drowns out singing)	12:44
-	May be seated.	16:45
	I greet you in the name and in the Spirit of our Lord	16:54
	and Savior, Jesus Christ.	16:58
	The peace of the Lord be with you.	17:01
	It is the Lord God who made us.	17:05
	It is the Lord God who loves us.	17:09
	It is the Lord God who forgives us.	17:13
	And so with that personal, simple awareness,	17:17
	let us pray to God	17:22
	as we confess our sin.	17:24
	Let us pray.	17:27
	Oh loving and merciful God, we acknowledge our unworthiness.	17:30
	Together we turn our voices to you.	17:36
	Together in one spirit we pray.	17:39
	Forgive us Lord for we are often selfish.	17:43
	Forgive us Lord for we are often vain.	17:47
	Forgive us Lord for we are often weak.	17:51
	Forgive us Lord for we are often opinionated.	17:55
	Forgive us Lord for we are often haughty.	17:59
	Forgive us Lord for we are often insensitive.	18:04
	Forgive us Lord for we are often cowardly.	18:08
	Forgive us Lord for we are often trite.	18:13
	Forgive us Lord for we acknowledge our unworthiness.	18:17
	Give us courage now to confess these and all our sins	18:22
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	18:27
	Let us continue with our own private, personal words	18:30
	of confession as we pray.	18:33
	My friends in Christ, let me tell you	19:00
	God is strength in our struggles,	19:04
	life in our deaths,	19:07
	the way in our confusion,	19:10
	light in our darkness.	19:13
	God is our life.	19:17
	In this assurance,	19:21
	let us rejoice and lift up our heads	19:24
	and live in the name of Christ our Lord.	19:27
	Amen.	19:32
	I received a word this morning that I think all	19:39
	of you would want to know as we share	19:42
	a word of uneasiness.	19:46
	Dean Griffith called me this morning to say	19:49
	that David Schwimmer,	19:51
	whom some of you will know I'm sure,	19:55
	a sophomore who has been very active in Project WILD,	19:58
	was on leave of absence this semester	20:03
	and has been in a kayak expedition off the coast of Mexico.	20:07
	Three nights ago, the kayaks were lost.	20:12
	They have now been found.	20:16
	Three persons were in those kayaks.	20:20
	The bodies of two of them have been found.	20:25
	All three of the life preservers,	20:28
	which they were wearing, have been found.	20:30
	David it is hoped,	20:33
	and we pray	20:36
	is still alive.	20:38
	His life jacket was found washed up on the beach, unzipped.	20:40
	And it is hoped, and we will be in prayer that he is alive	20:44
	and is somewhere in the mountains on the coast of Mexico.	20:50
	Those of you who are his friends I'm sure will want	20:55
	to hear this word, and all of us will want to remember him	20:58
	and his family with our prayers.	21:02
	We welcome you to this service of worship today.	21:06
	And we're particularly pleased to have a number	21:10
	of people here who are attending a conference	21:12
	on ministry and higher education	21:15
	as they conclude their three day conference with us	21:18
	with this service of worship and with lunch today.	21:21
	I call your attention to the organ concert this afternoon	21:25
	which will be played by Ms. Jane Lynch,	21:29
	the Associate Chapel Organist.	21:32
	The program for that concert is on the bulletin	21:34
	and on the back of the bulletin this morning.	21:38
	You will be interested in reading it,	21:41
	and we invite you to come	21:42
	and share in that concert this afternoon.	21:44
	The Theologian and Residence Program for this week	21:47
	is also included in the bulletin.	21:50
	We have concluded one week of that program,	21:52
	and I must say it has been one of the most stimulating	21:54
	and rewarding experiences I've had since I've been here.	21:57
	I invite you to join us Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,	22:01
	Thursday evenings, any or all of those that you can	22:04
	as Professor Richard Rubenstein will be with us	22:08
	and will speak to us.	22:11
	I invite you particularly to come on Tuesday evening	22:12
	when the Durham Boys Choir beginning at 7:30 will give	22:17
	a concert that is based upon the poetry	22:20
	of many of the children who died during the Holocaust,	22:24
	I Never saw Another Butterfly.	22:28
	That's at 7:30, and it will be in Page Auditorium.	22:31
	At 8 o'clock, Professor Rubenstein will show some slides	22:34
	and will give a lecture.	22:38
	I'm convinced that this will be one of the real highlights	22:39
	of this program, and one in which all of us	22:43
	of the Judeo-Christian tradition will want to share.	22:46
	The anthems for today were written by	22:52
	one of our own former choir members,	22:56
	the Duke's alumnus, Charles Boudreau.	22:59
	Charles is with us this morning, and we are pleased	23:02
	that his experience in the choir has continued	23:05
	to inspire him, and he has shared his talents with us	23:08
	with the writing of these two anthems.	23:12
	It is our privilege today	23:14
	to have the Reverend John Vannorsdall,	23:18
	Chaplain at Yale University as our preacher.	23:19
	Pastor,	23:24
	priest,	23:25
	prophet,	23:27
	well known preacher who has	23:28
	on two occasions served as the preacher	23:31
	for the Lutheran series, Of the Protestant Hour.	23:33
	A warm and gracious person, whom I'm sure you will want	23:37
	to meet and talk with following the service.	23:40
	John, we welcome you to Duke,	23:43
	and we look forward to the Word,	23:45
	which you shall bring to us shortly.	23:46
-	Let us pray.	23:55
	Oh God, as we read your Word,	23:57
	may your Spirit speak to us truly.	24:00
	May we hear your Word clearly.	24:03
	May we follow your Word obediently.	24:05
	Through these readings, draw us close to you we pray.	24:08
	Through Jesus Christ, amen.	24:12
	The Old Testament lesson is from the 2nd chapter	24:16
	of Zephaniah, verse three and the 3rd chapter of Zephaniah,	24:19
	verses 11 through 13.	24:24
	Seek the Lord all ye humble of the land who do his commands.	24:27
	Seek righteousness, seek humility,	24:31
	perhaps you may be hidden on the day	24:34
	of the wrath of the Lord.	24:37
	On that day, you shall not be put to shame	24:39
	because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me.	24:42
	For then I will remove from your midst,	24:45
	your proudly exultant ones.	24:48
	And you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.	24:50
	For I will leave in the midst	24:55
	of you a people, humble and lowly.	24:56
	They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord.	24:59
	Those who are left in Israel.	25:02
	They shall do no wrong and utter no lies.	25:04
	Nor shall there be found in their mouth a deceitful tongue.	25:07
	For they shall pasture and lie down	25:11
	and none shall make them afraid.	25:14
	The Epistle lesson is found down in I Corinthians 1:26-31.	25:18
	For consider your call brethren.	25:26
	Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards.	25:28
	Not many were powerful.	25:32
	Not many were of noble birth.	25:34
	But God chose what is foolish	25:36
	in the world to shame the wise.	25:38
	God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.	25:40
	God chose what is low and despised in the world,	25:44
	even things that are not, to bring to nothing things	25:47
	that are so that no human being might boast	25:50
	in the presence of God.	25:54
	He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus,	25:56
	whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness	25:59
	and sanctification, and redemption.	26:02
	Therefore, as it is written,	26:06
	let him who boasts boast of the Lord.	26:08
	(organ music)	26:21
	(choir vocalizes along with organ music)	27:00
	♪ How shall I sing that majesty ♪	28:09
	♪ Which angels do admire ♪	28:17
	♪ Let dust in dust and silence lie ♪	28:26
	♪ Sing, sing, ye heavenly choir ♪	28:34
	♪ Thy brightness unto them appears ♪	28:44
	♪ Whilst I thy footsteps trace ♪	28:51
	♪ A sound of God comes to my ears ♪	29:01
	♪ But they behold thy face ♪	29:09
	♪ How great a being, Lord, is thine ♪	29:19
	♪ Which doth all beings keep ♪	29:27
	♪ Thy knowledge is the only line ♪	29:36
	♪ To sound so vast a deep ♪	29:44
	♪ Thou art a sea without a shore ♪	29:54
	♪ A sun without a sphere ♪	30:02
	♪ Thy time is now and evermore ♪	30:10
	♪ Thy place is everywhere ♪	30:20
	♪ How great a being, Lord, is thine ♪	30:30
	♪ Which doth all beings keep ♪	30:38
	♪ Thy knowledge is the only line ♪	30:48
	♪ To sound so vast a deep ♪	30:55
	♪ Thou art a sea without a shore ♪	31:05
	♪ A sun without a sphere ♪	31:12
	♪ Thy time is now and evermore ♪	31:20
	♪ Thy place is everywhere ♪	31:30
-	Will the congregation stand for the reading of the Gospel?	31:58
	Hear the reading from the 5th chapter of Matthew,	32:07
	verses one through 12.	32:10
	Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain,	32:14
	and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.	32:16
	And he opened his mouth and taught them saying,	32:20
	blessed are the poor in spirit	32:24
	for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.	32:26
	Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.	32:28
	Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.	32:32
	Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness	32:36
	for they shall be satisfied.	32:39
	Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.	32:41
	Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.	32:45
	Blessed are the peacemakers	32:49
	for they shall be called sons of God.	32:50
	Blessed are those who are persecuted	32:53
	for righteousness' sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.	32:55
	Blessed are you when men revile you	32:59
	and persecute you and utter all kinds	33:02
	of evil against you falsely on my account.	33:04
	Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven,	33:08
	for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.	33:12
	Here ends the reading of the Holy Scripture.	33:16
	Praise be to God.	33:20
	(organ music)	33:22
	(organ music drowns out singing)	33:33
-	May the words of my mouth and the mediation of our hearts	34:31
	be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord our strength	34:37
	and our Redeemer,	34:43
	amen.	34:45
	I had dinner with your chaplains last night,	34:52
	a warm and pleasant experience	34:55
	but was intrigued by the question	34:59
	which arrived before the breadsticks.	35:02
	Rumor has it they said	35:08
	that the new Chaplain at Yale likes to skinny dip	35:11
	in the cold Atlantic.	35:16
	Would I like to confirm or deny the rumor?	35:20
	Rumor denied.	35:27
	Not that I am without sporting instincts.	35:30
	For example, the Durham's son in announcing the title	35:36
	of this sermon said that it was from the Old Testament.	35:40
	That's to miss the whole fun of it.	35:45
	It's from the book of Zephaniah,	35:49
	a prophet so minor that he never makes the charts.	35:52
	I haven't preached on Zephaniah in 30 years.	35:58
	So that's the playfulness of the middle-aged,	36:05
	an outward bound experience	36:11
	to be had far from home,	36:14
	followed by a warm shower,	36:17
	not the cold Atlantic.	36:21
	Zephaniah.	36:25
	Like most of the prophets,	36:30
	he has two major themes.	36:33
	On the one hand, the judgment of God	36:37
	upon a faithless people.	36:41
	Fire and darkness, the gates of the city unhinged.	36:45
	The people scattered. The walls leveled.	36:51
	Because of their sins.	36:56
	Zephaniah is very heavy on judgment.	37:00
	And almost the whole of the three short chapters	37:05
	is a warning.	37:09
	There is for an example this image of Jerusalem.	37:11
	This is the exultant city he writes	37:19
	that dwelt secure	37:24
	that said to herself I am and there is none else.	37:26
	What a desolation she hath become,	37:31
	a lair for wild beasts.	37:36
	Everyone who passes by now hisses	37:39
	and shakes his fist.	37:43
	A hiss and a shake of the fist	37:47
	for the exultant city.	37:50
	On the other hand,	37:57
	Zephaniah allows us a brief glimpse	37:59
	of the mercy of God, the other theme of all the prophets.	38:03
	Of walls rebuilt, of gates put back upon their hinges,	38:08
	a remaining people gathered.	38:13
	It's in a, it's a few verses	38:19
	announcing the compassion and grace of God.	38:23
	Of what salvation means.	38:27
	It's to these verses that I draw your attention.	38:32
	Hear them again.	38:36
	For I will leave in the midst of you,	38:38
	a people humble and lowly.	38:42
	They shall seek refuge in the name of the Lord.	38:46
	Those who are left in Israel.	38:50
	They shall do no wrong and utter no lies.	38:53
	Nor shall there be any deceit found in their mouths.	38:58
	For they shall pasture and lie down	39:04
	and none shall make them afraid.	39:08
	The remaining ones, the saved, what are they like?	39:15
	They shall do no wrong. They shall not lie.	39:20
	There shall be no deceit found in their mouths.	39:23
	It may seem a little dull,	39:26
	but it's not unexpected.	39:29
	A short list of moral sins	39:32
	which no longer are practiced among the saved.	39:36
	It's part of what it means to be saved.	39:41
	They shall do no wrong.	39:45
	They shall not abuse the earth.	39:48
	They will take only what they need and what can be restored.	39:51
	They will rejoice in the air as a gift of God.	39:56
	Leave it pure for their children.	40:00
	They will not poison the ground, the sea, the streams.	40:03
	And what they have will be justly shared.	40:08
	They will not use five times their fair share	40:12
	of the Earth's resources as you do	40:16
	and I.	40:20
	They shall do no wrong.	40:22
	It means to do our loving well.	40:28
	To be saved and do no wrong.	40:33
	To know how to love without demeaning without abuse.	40:35
	It means love which frees the loved one	40:42
	to come toward us or to move away	40:44
	as may best enhanced their future growth in grace.	40:48
	That's part of it. The saved,	40:53
	the saved will do no wrong.	40:58
	And they shall tell no lies.	41:02
	Even our compliments to one another shall bear the marks	41:06
	of felt conviction, and compliments will not used	41:10
	to manipulate and gain the favor of another.	41:13
	Among the saved, the truth shall be told	41:19
	with such obvious love	41:23
	that the hearer is warmed	41:27
	and comforted as well as guided.	41:31
	It will be a new day when a letter	41:36
	of recommendation can be trusted.	41:39
	When a resume provides some close reflection of the person	41:43
	and what he's actually done.	41:48
	The saved, they shall tell no lies.	41:50
	And there shall not be found in their mouths	41:56
	a deceitful tongue.	42:01
	The clothing sales person will not say	42:04
	that everything you put on flatters	42:08
	your obviously perfect shape.	42:11
	There will be no hidden clauses, no mental reservations,	42:15
	no things which were forgotten to be mentioned	42:20
	among those who remain.	42:24
	There shall be no deceit, no wrong, no lies, and no deceit.	42:25
	And there are times when I long	42:32
	to be saved from these things.	42:34
	To lead a life which would be so different	42:38
	from the one I now share with you.	42:42
	So shadowed by wrong,	42:45
	by lies, and by deceit.	42:49
	But of all the promises which Zephaniah makes	42:56
	in these few verses of grace,	43:00
	the one that really makes a difference to me is the last,	43:05
	the 4th, which is different from the first	43:09
	of the three, first three.	43:13
	And none	43:18
	shall make them afraid.	43:21
	Somehow that's different.	43:24
	It meets me at a deeper desire and longing.	43:27
	That I shall not be made afraid.	43:33
	I had, what was for me,	43:41
	a strange experience this past Thursday.	43:42
	I became very sick with the flu.	43:45
	I couldn't bring my mind to focus.	43:52
	I laid down on the couch. The hours passed. I became weaker.	43:56
	The wind blew the shutter loose.	44:01
	And the house is so close to the street,	44:04
	a passerby stopped, rapped on the window.	44:06
	I managed to get off the couch,	44:10
	lean against the window casement, and he shouted	44:11
	through the window.	44:14
	Your shutter is loose and coming off.	44:15
	I nodded that I understood, but it was perfectly clear	44:19
	I could do nothing about it. The doorbell rang.	44:23
	I opened it by holding on to the bookcase.	44:28
	Found that it was street person begging money.	44:33
	And I was totally confused with a feeling of helplessness.	44:37
	I has no advice to give, no counsel, hardly the strength	44:41
	to say that I was sick, and he'd probably better leave.	44:45
	I alternately shivered and was too worn.	44:50
	And I realized that I was afraid,	44:54
	not of the rap on the window, not of the banging shutter,	45:00
	the doorbell, the street person.	45:03
	I was afraid because I was helpless.	45:06
	I could not prepare for coming here.	45:10
	Could not meet Friday's commitments.	45:13
	Could not take care of my family, my job.	45:16
	I was helpless.	45:20
	Accustomed to being competent, strength to making decisions,	45:22
	to doing what others have found it difficult to do.	45:27
	My wife returned about 10 in the evening.	45:33
	And I told her something I had not spoken	45:37
	in all the decades of our marriage.	45:40
	I told her that I was afraid,	45:43
	and she said quietly	45:47
	I am often afraid,	45:51
	but it must be hard for you.	45:54
	And it was.	45:59
	But hardest of all	46:02
	was the realization that my trust in myself	46:05
	was very high,	46:11
	but my trust in God was very low.	46:14
	For in the valley of helplessness, when it finally came	46:21
	on a Thursday late afternoon,	46:25
	I found no rod and staff	46:29
	or table set.	46:33
	And therefore, I was afraid.	46:37
	And so I say this to myself as well as to you,	46:44
	that one meaning of salvation	46:50
	is that God so undergird so be present,	46:55
	so make his table visible in shadowed valley that none	47:01
	may make us afraid.	47:07
	A coincidence perhaps.	47:11
	But it occurs to me that when God announced himself	47:15
	at Bethlehem, the angels said to the shepherds	47:19
	be not afraid.	47:26
	And when that life of Jesus was over,	47:29
	death and resurrection, and the Lord appeared	47:32
	to his disciples in the upper room.	47:35
	He said be not afraid.	47:38
	Be not afraid of God himself.	47:46
	I think it means that in part.	47:50
	That the almighty God who by power	47:54
	of judgment shook the exultant city	47:56
	until the passerby hissed and shook the fist.	47:59
	That when almighty God came to Bethlehem,	48:05
	he came as a child.	48:08
	That we not be afraid of God himself.	48:11
	I know that the power of God can level cities,	48:17
	the exultant city.	48:21
	He is the Holy One before whom I took off my shoes	48:24
	in awe, fascination, and dread.	48:28
	But too many see only the thunder, see only a God	48:31
	who tyrannizes their living, who orders them about,	48:34
	and punishes like a super parent against whom they rebel	48:38
	and to whom they will not turn for fear of the loss	48:43
	of their own selfhood.	48:47
	But the wholeness of God in the Biblical images	48:51
	includes a suffering servant, a child, a crucifixion.	48:54
	The vulnerability of God who says be not afraid	49:00
	even of me especially be not afraid of God.	49:04
	The God who uses his power to become helpless	49:11
	that in our helplessness we may welcome his presence	49:15
	and not be afraid. Salvation means	49:19
	that by God's grace	49:24
	none shall make us afraid of God himself.	49:27
	And salvation means that we are not	49:35
	to be afraid of other people.	49:37
	And most of us are afraid of others.	49:42
	We fear their judgment of us,	49:48
	their measurement of whether we are intelligent,	49:53
	competent, appropriately dressed, worthy of their attention.	49:55
	We are measured by grades, by tenure and promotion reviews.	50:00
	We are rated by MasterCharge.	50:04
	Three weeks ago, I moved	50:07
	into the traditional chaplain's house.	50:09
	So I called the telephone company.	50:12
	Please install three black desk, dial telephones	50:14
	at 66 Wall Street.	50:20
	Mr. Vannorsdall, if you will hold for just a minute,	50:24
	we'll tell you what service we can provide at that address.	50:28
	I knew what was happening.	50:34
	My code was punched on a keyboard and on a television screen	50:37
	came my use of the telephone	50:41
	and my record of payment of bills.	50:44
	She came back on the phone.	50:48
	Well, Mr. Vannorsdall, we are prepared to offer you	50:49
	our total phone service.	50:51
	Push buttons, phones that light up that forward calls	50:56
	that let you key in often used numbers for speed dialing	51:00
	that warn you when other calls are coming in	51:04
	that let you hold one call and call a third party	51:06
	to join the conversation. How do you like that?	51:09
	I rate very high with the telephone company.	51:15
	(congregation laughs)	51:18
	Unfortunately, who cares?	51:20
	(congregation laughs)	51:23
	But to be saved	51:29
	means to give the God of Jesus Christ	51:33
	the sole right to judge our ultimate worth.	51:38
	Knowing with confidence that the judgment will always	51:44
	be touched with mercy, given with compassion,	51:49
	and that you will never be written off as a nobody.	51:54
	When in our secret hearts we allow the judgements	52:01
	of others to be the ultimate measure of our worth,	52:05
	we live in fear.	52:07
	Our peers and colleagues are often without mercy.	52:09
	I have no clear place from which to stand	52:14
	in determining our worth apart for what we may do for them.	52:17
	And their judgment is clouded	52:21
	like Sartre's no exit.	52:24
	Hell is sometimes other people	52:28
	if other people are allowed to become our God,	52:29
	which means to be the determiner	52:32
	of our worth.	52:35
	They becomes our gods determining the standards	52:39
	in by which worth is measured.	52:44
	That is dangerous for them and for us that they be given	52:47
	this place of gods over us and makes us afraid	52:52
	and warps our relationships with them.	52:58
	It comes to very simple things sometimes.	53:05
	Yale has many fine qualities,	53:07
	but it would never win a prize as a friendly campus.	53:12
	People don't look at one another when they pass	53:17
	on the sidewalk.	53:20
	Well, they really do, but they choose just the right moment	53:22
	to look away, to look at the sky, to tug at a glove,	53:28
	to lower their heads and see if their shoes are laced.	53:31
	So to whatever extent I feel strong in the Lord,	53:38
	I take risks and by saying hello to people on the sidewalk.	53:43
	And usually, it's fine. About	53:51
	every other person will smile and say wow, hi.	53:54
	The other day	54:00
	I said hello to five people in a row	54:03
	who looked at me and didn't change a muscle in their face.	54:07
	I decided that something was obviously wrong.	54:13
	My scarf wasn't thrown properly over my shoulder.	54:16
	I changed the angle of my hat.	54:20
	But nothing helped.	54:23
	And a little ditty struck me.	54:26
	Jesus loves me this I know.	54:31
	For the Bible tells me so.	54:33
	Campus chaplains to him belong.	54:36
	They are weak, but he is strong.	54:39
	(congregation laughs)	54:42
	It's strange, but I think you understand.	54:49
	Unless you have another place to stand,	54:53
	if you say hello to another person five times	54:57
	and get no response, you are judged by that lack of	55:01
	response to be of no worth.	55:07
	No person, no matter how strong they may be in their sense	55:10
	of self-worth, anyone can be reduced	55:15
	by five times in a row.	55:19
	To be saved is to hear our Lord say	55:23
	none shall make you afraid.	55:27
	There's a corollary and a caution, and I leave them	55:30
	to your imagination for completion.	55:33
	The corollary is that Christians who are serious	55:36
	about their social responsibility,	55:41
	about standing against all in our society	55:44
	which warps and makes small should take seriously	55:47
	whether it is logical to hold onto society's coattails	55:53
	for guidance and for affirmation	55:59
	while announcing that coattails should be abolished.	56:04
	We'll need a standing place larger	56:09
	than our particular culture, larger than the affirmation	56:11
	of those part of our culture if we're going	56:15
	to be truly prophetic.	56:18
	You can only be a critic of the present if you belong	56:20
	in part to a future which is so true and coming	56:24
	that none can make you afraid.	56:28
	And that's what it means to be saved.	56:30
	And only if you have some degree of salvation in that sense,	56:33
	another place to stand, is it likely that you will have much	56:36
	to address to the culture of which you're apart.	56:41
	And which without that place of standing becomes your god	56:46
	and against which you are not likely to be a prophet.	56:50
	And the caution comes out of the experience of my sense	56:55
	of helplessness this week.	57:00
	I am so convinced that our freedom, even our freedom	57:03
	to fully love, to serve, depends upon our capacity	57:06
	to receive the love and affirmation of God.	57:10
	To stand in that place, to identify ourselves	57:14
	in that context, to hear God say none shall make you afraid,	57:17
	and to know it.	57:21
	And in that sense be saved.	57:24
	The caution is that to know this with our heads	57:27
	is not the same as being able to live out of that salvation.	57:32
	That growth and grace is never complete and always tested,	57:37
	even from middle-aged preachers who prefer	57:43
	not to skinny dip in the Atlantic.	57:46
	But God is faithful.	57:50
	And what is ultimately true shall come to pass.	57:53
	That for those who trust in the grace of God to them	57:58
	shall this promise be fulfilled.	58:02
	That none shall make them afraid.	58:07
	May the peace of God be with you always.	58:13
	Amen.	58:17
	(organ music)	58:29
	♪ Have faith in God, my heart ♪	58:50
	♪ Trust and be unafraid ♪	58:55
	♪ God will fulfill in every part ♪	59:00
	♪ Each promise he has made ♪	59:06
	♪ Have faith in God, my mind ♪	59:13
	♪ Although my light burns low ♪	59:18
	♪ God's mercy holds a wiser plan ♪	59:24
	♪ Than I canst fully know ♪	59:29
	♪ Have faith in God, my soul ♪	59:37
	♪ His cross forever stands ♪	59:42
	♪ And neither life nor death can pluck ♪	59:48
	♪ His children from his hands ♪	59:54
	♪ Lord Jesus, make me whole ♪	1:00:01
	♪ Grant me no resting place ♪	1:00:06
	♪ Until I rest, heart, mind, and soul ♪	1:00:12
	♪ The captive of thy grace ♪	1:00:18
	♪ Amen ♪	1:00:25
-	Together, let us affirm what we believe.	1:00:35
	We believe in God who has created and is creating,	1:00:39
	who has come in the truly human Jesus,	1:00:44
	to reconcile and make new,	1:00:47
	who works in us and others by the Spirit.	1:00:50
	We trust God who calls us to be the Church	1:00:54
	to celebrate life in its fullness,	1:00:59
	to love and serve others,	1:01:02
	to seek justice and resist evil,	1:01:04
	to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,	1:01:08
	our Judge and our Hope.	1:01:12
	In life, in death, in life beyond death,	1:01:14
	God is with us.	1:01:19
	We are not alone.	1:01:21
	Thanks be to God.	1:01:23
	The Lord be with you.	1:01:26
-	And with your spirit.	1:01:28
-	Let us pray.	1:01:29
	Oh God, God of plenty,	1:01:38
	plenty of goodness,	1:01:42
	plenty of grace, plenty of intimacy, plenty of power,	1:01:43
	plenty of love, plenty of welcome,	1:01:48
	we give thanks for this day, for this university,	1:01:53
	for this place of worship, for this experience	1:01:59
	of being together in these moments.	1:02:04
	Hear us oh loving God as we pray	1:02:08
	these words of intercession.	1:02:10
	We as a community as friends and colleagues	1:02:15
	and fellow students remember and pray for David Schwimmer.	1:02:19
	May he be preserved in soul and body.	1:02:24
	May he be safe and whole.	1:02:28
	Save him from every danger and threat to his life	1:02:32
	we pray.	1:02:37
	We pray oh God for those who are poor in spirit,	1:02:40
	in life, in hope.	1:02:44
	May they know the kingdom of God in their midst even now.	1:02:47
	For those who mourn for themselves, for others,	1:02:52
	for their future.	1:02:56
	May they truly be comforted.	1:02:58
	For those who are meek, who are tamed, who are disciplined,	1:03:02
	may they surely inherit the meaning of this earth.	1:03:08
	For those who hunger and thirst and strive	1:03:13
	to do the right and just,	1:03:17
	may they be satisfied.	1:03:20
	For those who are pure in heart, for those who are merciful,	1:03:24
	may they know your presence.	1:03:31
	For those who seek to bring peace for their hearts,	1:03:34
	for themselves, for others,	1:03:38
	for all your children,	1:03:41
	speak and may they know	1:03:45
	that they are surely the children of God.	1:03:47
	We pray for those who suffer and face the unknown.	1:03:52
	Those who endure pain and walk through the valley	1:03:56
	of the shadow, those, oh God,	1:03:58
	in this place and in other places	1:04:02
	who care for the sick and the worn	1:04:04
	and the weary, give your comfort and your strength we pray.	1:04:07
	And now come oh God of plenty to each of us.	1:04:13
	Give us plenty of light upon our way,	1:04:18
	plenty of hope in our hearts,	1:04:21
	and plenty of love in our lives.	1:04:24
	For this day and the days to come we pray	1:04:29
	through Jesus Christ our Lord who taught us to pray	1:04:33
	as we pray together.	1:04:36
	Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	1:04:38
	Thy Kingdom come.	1:04:44
	Thy will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.	1:04:46
	Give us this day our daily bread.	1:04:50
	And forgive us our trespasses,	1:04:53
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:04:56
	And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.	1:05:00
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	1:05:05
	and the glory, forever, amen.	1:05:08
	(organ music)	1:05:15
	♪ Praise the Lord in ye heavens, adore him ♪	1:07:04
	♪ Praise him, angels, in the height ♪	1:07:08
	♪ Sun and moon, rejoice before him ♪	1:07:12
	♪ Praise him, all ye stars of light ♪	1:07:16
	♪ Praise the Lord for he hath spoken ♪	1:07:20
	♪ Worlds his mighty voice obeyed ♪	1:07:25
	♪ Laws which never shall be broken ♪	1:07:29
	♪ For their guidance hath he made ♪	1:07:33
	♪ Praise the Lord in (muffled singing) and gladness ♪	1:07:42
	♪ Hands (muffled singing) ♪	1:07:48
	♪ In his great (muffled singing) living knowledge ♪	1:07:53
	♪ Let your spirit be a swayed ♪	1:08:00
	♪ Praise the Lord who was and willing ♪	1:08:07
	♪ Praise our Lord, the Great I Am ♪	1:08:13
	♪ God gave (muffled singing) ♪	1:08:20
	♪ All creation ♪	1:08:23
	♪ God who bore us was made light ♪	1:08:26
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	1:08:52
	♪ For he is glorious ♪	1:08:53
	♪ Never shall his promise fail ♪	1:08:57
	♪ God hath made his saints victorious ♪	1:09:02
	♪ Sin and death shall not prevail ♪	1:09:08
	♪ Praise the God of our salvation ♪	1:09:14
	♪ Hosts on high his power proclaim ♪	1:09:19
	♪ Heaven and earth and all creation ♪	1:09:25
	♪ Laud and magnify his name ♪	1:09:30
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:37
	(organ music)	1:09:54
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:10:22
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	1:10:28
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:10:33
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:10:36
	♪ Praise him above ye heavenly hosts ♪	1:10:40
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:10:45
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	1:10:51
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	1:10:56
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:02
	♪ Amen ♪	1:11:10
-	Oh God, we give to you this day	1:11:22
	because we have known	1:11:27
	and know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,	1:11:28
	who though he was rich yet for our sakes became poor.	1:11:31
	So that we might have life and have it abundantly.	1:11:37
	Oh God, we give thanks to you for every good	1:11:42
	and enriching gift you have offered to us,	1:11:44
	life, friends, acceptance,	1:11:47
	hope, and promise.	1:11:52
	Oh God, we commit now ourselves and our lives	1:11:56
	to you this day.	1:11:58
	Use us as only you can.	1:12:01
	Use us as only you desire.	1:12:04
	Make of us	1:12:08
	who we should be	1:12:11
	through Jesus Christ our Lord,	1:12:14
	amen.	1:12:17
	(organ music)	1:12:23
	(organ music drowns out singing)	1:13:03

Item Info

Title:

John W. Vannorsdall - "None Shall Make Them Afraid" (January 29, 1978)

Description:

To be saved by God is to be freed from our bondage of fear, both our fear of God and of others. We fear others because we allow them to become our gods and to judge our value and worth. But only God judges our ultimate worth, and God has affirmed that we are loved and valued. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 34:52. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 58:20.
Key quotation: “One meaning of salvation is that God so undergird, so be present, so make his table visible in shadowed valley that none may make us afraid.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4f766p07

Date:

January 29, 1978

Speaker:

Vannorsdall, John W.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0936
ref7075_378
uachapelsermaud
duke:320277
dcrau001827
ark:/87924/r4f766p07
a3bedff2-5965-45de-859f-bd4f8ef50a23

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

See below

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

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

John W. Vannorsdall - "None Shall Make Them Afraid" (January 29, 1978)

Transcript

Item Info

1. John W. Vannorsdall - "None Shall Make Them Afraid" (January 29, 1978)

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options

John W. Vannorsdall - "None Shall Make Them Afraid" (January 29, 1978)

Transcript

Item Info

Related Item

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options