C. Eric Lincoln - "The Beauty of Being One" (October 7, 1979)

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-	Duke University Chapel service of worship,	0:03
	October 7, 1979.	0:06
	(organ music)	0:10
	(choir singing)	5:16
	(organ music)	6:32
	(choir singing)	7:04
-	You may be seated.	10:50
	I greet you this morning, this beautiful morning	11:01
	in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.	11:04
	This is the day which the Lord hath made.	11:09
	Let us rejoice and be glad in it.	11:13
	Let us pray together now the responsive prayer	11:19
	of confession and concern for others,	11:23
	which you will find printed in the bulletin.	11:27
	Let us pray.	11:31
	Lord, you made the world and everything in it.	11:33
	You created the human race of one kind	11:38
	and gave us the earth for our possession.	11:41
	(audience responding)	11:46
	Lord, we have been divisive in our thinking,	11:54
	in our speech, in our actions.	11:57
	We have classified and imprisoned one another.	12:01
	We have fenced each other out by hatred and prejudice.	12:06
	(audience responding)	12:13
	Lord, you mean us to be a single people	12:19
	ruled by peace, feasting in freedom, free from injustice,	12:23
	truly human men and women responsible and responsive	12:29
	in the life we lead, the love we share,	12:35
	the relationships we create.	12:39
	(audience responding)	12:45
	Lord, pour out among us the tongues of your spirit	12:51
	that we may each burn with compassion for all who	12:56
	hunger for freedom and humanness,	13:01
	that we may be doers of the word	13:05
	and so speak with credibility about	13:08
	the wonderful things you have done.	13:12
	(audience responding)	13:16
	Amen.	13:29
	Our scripture lesson for today is from the	13:34
	12th chapter of the Epistle of First Corinthians.	13:37
	Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit.	13:48
	And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord.	13:54
	And there are varieties of working, but it is the same God	14:00
	who inspires them in everyone.	14:06
	For just as the body is one and has many members	14:12
	and all the members of the body, though many are one,	14:16
	so it is with Christ.	14:20
	For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body,	14:25
	Jews or Greeks, slaves or free	14:29
	and all were made to drink of one spirit.	14:33
	Here ends today's scripture lesson.	14:38
	All praise and glory be to God.	14:41
	Amen.	14:44
-	So this is the era of the celebration of the self.	15:11
	The more we despair of systems and institutions,	15:17
	the more often the failure of alliances and coalitions,	15:22
	the more certain the inability of cabbles and clicks	15:29
	to deliver us from the confrontations which overwhelm us	15:35
	and threaten us with non being.	15:39
	The more predictable is the retreat	15:42
	into the fortress of the self.	15:46
	And this retreat, which is so characteristic of our times,	15:52
	begins with the withdrawal from contact.	15:56
	The avoidance of the stress	16:02
	of intercourse with other human beings,	16:07
	the abandonment of negotiation,	16:11
	the premature conclusion that we are up against a wall	16:16
	and that the wall is somehow	16:21
	the people out there, the nasty,	16:25
	despicable people with whom	16:30
	we have to deal in our daily grace.	16:33
	And then we conclude that since the wall is not going	16:38
	to crack according to the diagram of our personal interests,	16:41
	and so we simply withdraw.	16:48
	We suddenly discover the beauties of ethnicity,	16:53
	the satisfactions of racial identification,	16:57
	the hideous chauvinism of the rituals of tribalism	17:02
	and we consider ourselves as saved	17:08
	by the reinforcement of the psychological clones conjured up	17:13
	behind these walls of race or ethnicity	17:17
	or religious denomination	17:21
	or whatever social entity it is into which we have retreated	17:22
	from the necessity of dealing with the larger world.	17:28
	But are we saved?	17:34
	Probably not.	17:38
	The racial or the ethnic or the tribal or the	17:40
	denominational clones which represent our new security,	17:44
	turn out not to be clones at all.	17:49
	They may be white like us or black like us or Methodist,	17:54
	or Democrats or whatever, but in the final analysis	17:58
	they turn out to be people.	18:03
	People.	18:06
	And we still have to deal with them just as we would	18:07
	have to deal with those others from whose presence	18:12
	we have sought to withdraw.	18:17
	They will oppose us.	18:21
	They will love us.	18:24
	They will hate us.	18:27
	They will misunderstand us, just like those other people	18:29
	out there in the larger world.	18:34
	Just like those other people we found to be inconsequential	18:38
	to our destiny and to our sense of fulfillment.	18:43
	And so the next step is to make the final,	18:48
	the absolute retreat into the fortress self.	18:51
	And there we indulge ourselves with all the narcissistic	18:56
	fantasies and hedonistic self rewards	19:00
	which are symptomatic of our sickness.	19:04
	But if God is merciful, sooner or later,	19:08
	we discover that the fortress self	19:13
	is not a fortress at all. It is a barricade.	19:18
	It is a barricade behind which	19:23
	we have committed self imprisonment.	19:25
	We find that we are self removed from the world of reality	19:30
	and from the bittersweet promise of human intercourse.	19:36
	There was a man whose name was Nicodemus,	19:40
	who when he heard that Jesus was passing his way,	19:43
	climbed up into a sycamore tree to get a better	19:45
	perspective on the world down below.	19:48
	But Jesus' advice to Nicodemus was to come down,	19:51
	come down in the press of the crowd	19:56
	and get the dust of the road on your feet.	20:00
	We are never as distinctive,	20:05
	never as remote,	20:11
	as we might like to be.	20:14
	Paul's reminder to the Galatians of his age	20:17
	and of ours is that, in the final analysis,	20:21
	there is neither Jew nor Greek.	20:26
	There is neither bond nor free.	20:29
	There is neither male nor female.	20:31
	We are all one.	20:35
	We are one and our oneness is the	20:38
	distinctive beauty of being human.	20:41
	We are one, and this is the	20:46
	crown ingenious of God's creation.	20:49
	We may be of many faiths, but there is but one God,	20:54
	and though there be many nations, there is but one humanity.	20:58
	Though we're revel in the spectrum of diversities	21:03
	which distinguish us as members of this race or that,	21:07
	this culture or some other, and though we celebrate	21:11
	every available nuance of human expression to establish	21:15
	our wanted individuality, our separateness as persons,	21:19
	human individuality can only be confirmed	21:25
	in the context of human negotiation and human intercourse.	21:30
	There is no way, there is no way for man	21:36
	to survive as man	21:41
	apart from his relation to his fellow man.	21:44
	There is no way in which man can be human	21:49
	all by himself.	21:53
	We are one, and one we will be,	21:56
	created by one God through one will or one substance,	22:01
	many members of one body working together,	22:06
	each according to his gifts	22:11
	toward one end and one destiny.	22:13
	And the recognition of our oneness is our	22:17
	love and appreciation for one another.	22:21
	Lord, let me love.	22:27
	Let loving be a symbol of grace that warms my heart	22:31
	and let me find thy loving hand to still me when I tremble	22:36
	at thy command to love all humankind.	22:41
	Lord, let me love though love may be the losing	22:46
	of every sacred treasure I possess.	22:49
	Lord, make my love the pattern of thy choosing	22:52
	and let thy will dictate my happiness.	22:58
	I have no wish to wield the sword of power,	23:02
	I want no man to lead at my command,	23:05
	nor let my critics feel constrained to cower	23:09
	for fear of some reprisal at my hand.	23:14
	Lord, teach me mercy.	23:18
	Let me be the winner of every man's respect and simple love,	23:22
	for I have known thy mercy, though a sinner	23:28
	whenever I have sought thy peace above.	23:33
	Lord, lead me love the lowly and the humble forgetting not	23:36
	the mighty and the strong, and give me grace	23:40
	to love those who may stumble.	23:44
	Nor let me seek to judge of right or wrong.	23:48
	Lord, let my parish be the world unbounded	23:52
	by any vain pretense of race or clan.	23:57
	Let every hateful doctrine be unfounded	24:03
	and make thy love	24:09
	a love of man for man.	24:12
	Let us pray.	24:16
	Oh gracious Heavenly Father, we bow to thee	24:18
	in thanksgiving and gratification for the	24:21
	many blessings though has showered upon us.	24:25
	We are especially grateful	24:29
	that we are members of that great aggregation	24:32
	which was created in thine own image	24:37
	and wherever man may be throughout the world on this Sunday,	24:40
	would though plant in each soul and in each heart	24:47
	the recognition that we are of one body, of one image,	24:52
	that we belong to one Father, created through one love	24:58
	in Christ's name.	25:03
	Amen.	25:05
-	On this Lord's Day, which we as Christians throughout	25:20
	the world celebrate as worldwide communion Sunday,	25:26
	may I, in the name and in the spirit of Christ	25:32
	extend to you this invitation.	25:37
	Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love Him	25:40
	and who desire to live in peace and love with one another.	25:47
	And so my friends in Christ,	25:53
	may the peace of the Lord be with you.	25:54
	(audience responding)	25:59
	As forgiven and reconciled people,	26:01
	let us now in these moments ahead	26:05
	offer ourselves and our gifts to the Lord our God.	26:07
	Amen.	26:13
	(organ music)	26:22
	(choir singing)	27:05
	Be seated please.	33:52
	Let us offer to God this prayer	34:03
	of thanksgiving and consecration.	34:05
	Let us pray.	34:08
	Lift up your hearts.	34:10
	(audience responding)	34:13
	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.	34:15
	(audience responding)	34:19
-	Oh God, it is right that we should	34:23
	always and everywhere give you thanks and praise.	34:26
	Only you are God.	34:30
	You created all things and call them good.	34:32
	You made us in your image.	34:36
	Even when we rebelled against your love,	34:40
	you did not desert us.	34:43
	You delivered us from captivity, made covenant to be our God	34:46
	and King and spoke to us through your prophets.	34:51
	Therefore, we join the entire company of heaven	34:56
	and all your people now on earth	34:59
	in worshiping and glorifying you.	35:02
-	Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,	35:07
	heaven and earth are full of your glory.	35:12
	Hosanna in the highest.	35:16
	Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.	35:18
	Hosanna in the highest.	35:22
	We thank you, Holy God, that you love the world so much	35:24
	you sent your only son to be our savior.	35:29
	The Lord of all life came to live among us.	35:33
	He healed and taught people, ate with sinners	35:36
	and won for you a new people by water and the spirit.	35:39
	We saw His glory.	35:44
	Yet He humbled Himself in obedience to your will,	35:46
	freely accepting death on a cross.	35:49
	By dying, He freed us from unending death,	35:53
	by rising from the dead He gave us everlasting life.	35:56
	We remember that on the night in which He	36:01
	gave himself up for us, the Lord Jesus took bread.	36:02
	After giving you thanks, He broke the bread,	36:06
	gave it to his disciples and said,	36:10
	Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you.	36:14
	When the supper was over, He took the cup.	36:21
	Again, He returned thanks to you.	36:25
	He gave the cup to His disciples and said,	36:28
	drink from this, all of you,	36:32
	for this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood	36:35
	poured out for you and many for the forgiveness of sins.	36:39
	When we eat this bread and drink this cup,	36:44
	we experience anew the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ	36:47
	and look forward to His coming in final victory.	36:51
	Christ has died.	36:55
	Christ is risen.	36:57
	Christ will come again.	36:59
	We remember and proclaim with gratitude, Holy God,	37:02
	what your son has done for us in his life and death,	37:05
	in his resurrection and ascension.	37:08
	Accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving	37:11
	in union with Christ's offering for us	37:16
	as a reasonable and holy surrender of ourselves.	37:18
	Send the power of your Holy Spirit on us,	37:22
	gathered here out of love for you and on these gifts.	37:26
	Help us know in the breaking of this bread the presence of	37:31
	Christ who gave his body and blood for all people.	37:35
	Make us one with Christ, one with each other and in one	37:39
	in service to all people through your son Jesus Christ	37:44
	with the Holy Spirit in your holy church.	37:49
	All glory and honor is yours God Almighty.	37:52
	In unity with Christ and with each other, we pray.	37:57
	Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,	38:02
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth	38:08
	as it is in heaven.	38:11
	Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our	38:13
	trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.	38:17
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	38:22
	For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.	38:27
	Amen.	38:32
	Because there is one loaf, we, many as we are	38:35
	are one body for it is one loaf of which we all partake.	38:42
	When we break this bread, is it not a means	38:53
	of sharing in the body of Christ?	38:55
	When we give thanks over this cup,	39:02
	is this not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ?	39:05
	And so my dear friends, in these moments just ahead	39:12
	we offer to you the body of Christ, which is given for you,	39:14
	and the blood of Christ, which is shed for you.	39:21
	The members of the choir will come first and make	39:25
	two concentric circles around the table of our Lord.	39:27
	The ushers will then assist you to and from	39:31
	this communion table.	39:34
	We invite all who gather in the name and in the spirit	39:36
	of Christ to come and receive as our Lord	39:39
	has invited us so to do.	39:42
	And may the blessing of God be with you as we	39:45
	break bread and share the cup together.	39:47
	Amen.	39:50
	(organ music)	40:03
	Jesus said, I am the vine, ye are the branches.	46:19
	By their fruits, you shall know them.	46:24
	Arise dear friends and go in peace and may the love	46:27
	of Christ which is of the first fruits be with you	46:30
	and show forth from you through Christ our Lord.	46:34
	Amen.	46:39
	(organ music)	46:49
	(choir singing)	49:54
	That you love one another as I have loved you.	54:52
	Now, dear friends as in Christ as we have received	54:58
	the body and blood of our Lord and have received again	55:02
	the gifts of His love, arise and go in peace	55:06
	and may the peace of God be always with you.	55:10
	Amen.	55:15
	(organ music)	55:19
	(choir singing)	58:34
	The way, the truth and the life.	1:03:12
	Now, dear friends, arise and go in that way.	1:03:15
	Understand that truth and know that life	1:03:20
	through Christ who loves us.	1:03:24
	Amen.	1:03:28
	(organ music)	1:03:31
	(choir singing)	1:07:28
	Paul writes, and now abides faith, hope, love,	1:12:04
	these three, but the greatest of these is love.	1:12:08
	Now dear friends in Christ, having received again	1:12:13
	the love of our Lord Jesus Christ,	1:12:15
	go and share that love in His name and in His spirit.	1:12:18
	Amen.	1:12:22
	(organ music)	1:12:40
	(choir singing)	1:15:51
	John writes, for God so loved the world,	1:19:36
	He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him	1:19:42
	should not perish but have eternal life.	1:19:46
	Rise, beloved, and in that assurance may you and we all	1:19:50
	go forth knowing that the Lord, our God does love us	1:19:54
	and is with us, and knowing that we may	1:19:58
	share that love with others.	1:20:02
	In the name of our Lord Christ, Amen.	1:20:05
	As these persons are seated, there may be some	1:20:15
	in the congregation who will want to receive	1:20:19
	the bread and the wine where you are.	1:20:21
	If so, there are two ministers who will come	1:20:25
	and offer you the bread and wine where you're seated.	1:20:29
	If you will simply identify yourself so that they	1:20:34
	may share the sacrament with you in these moments.	1:20:37
	(organ music)	1:20:46
-	Will you join me now in the prayer	1:22:43
	of thanksgiving and commitment.	1:22:45
	You have given yourself to us, oh Lord.	1:22:52
	(audience responding)	1:22:56
	Your love has made us a new people.	1:22:59
	(audience responding)	1:23:03
	Your glory has filled our hearts.	1:23:08
	(audience responding)	1:23:12
	Amen.	1:23:16
	(organ music)	1:23:18
	(choir singing)	1:23:41
-	As we have received the blessed gift of the body and blood	1:26:41
	of our Lord in the name and spirit of Christ,	1:26:45
	may I now offer you this blessing.	1:26:50
	The grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,	1:26:55
	the love of God and the fellowship and communion of the	1:27:00
	Holy Spirit be with you and with those whom you love	1:27:04
	this day and forever.	1:27:10
	(choir singing)	1:27:17
	(organ music)	1:28:45

Item Info

Title:

C. Eric Lincoln - "The Beauty of Being One" (October 7, 1979)

Description:

We are inclined, in this era, to want to retreat into the fortress of the self and close ourselves off from the pain and difficulty of being in relationship with others. Yet it is only by being together in love that we can be truly human. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 15:11. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 25:06.
Key quotation: “There is no way man can be human all by himself.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4mc8rx0p

Date:

October 7, 1979

Speaker:

Lincoln, C. Eric (Charles Eric), 1924-2000

Biblical Book:

1 Chronicles

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1046
ref7304_xyt
uachapelsermaud
duke:321251
dcrau001925
ark:/87924/r4mc8rx0p
f806d724-2231-46c8-a6db-46218c0d04d2

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.)

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Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

Educational Use Permitted

Rights Note:

This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other 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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C. Eric Lincoln - "The Beauty of Being One" (October 7, 1979)

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1. C. Eric Lincoln - "The Beauty of Being One" (October 7, 1979)

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