Peggy Way - "Happy Endings" (April 12, 1981)

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	(dramatic organ music)	0:02
	(upbeat organ music)	3:03
	(serene organ music)	5:37
	♪ Hosanna in the highest ♪	8:33
	♪ That ancient song we sing ♪	8:37
	♪ For Christ is our Redeemer ♪	8:41
	♪ The Lord of heaven our King ♪	8:46
	♪ O may we ever praise him ♪	8:51
	♪ With heart and life and voice ♪	8:55
	♪ And in his blissful presence ♪	9:00
	♪ Eternally rejoice ♪	9:05
-	Rejoice greatly, oh daughter of Zion.	9:27
	Shout aloud, oh daughter of Jerusalem.	9:30
	Lo, your king comes to you.	9:34
	Triumphant and victorious is he.	9:37
	His dominion shall be from sea to sea	9:39
	and from the river to the ends of the earth.	9:43
	And the disciples began to rejoice and praise God	9:46
	saying, "Hosanna, Hosanna to the son of David.	9:50
	"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord.	9:55
	"Blessed be the kingdom of our father, David,	9:59
	"that is coming.	10:02
	"Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest."	10:03
	The Gospel lesson is from Matthew chapter 21,	10:10
	verses one through 11.	10:15
	And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage	10:19
	to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples	10:23
	saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you,	10:28
	"and immediately, you will find an ass tied	10:32
	"and a colt with her.	10:36
	"Untie them and bring them to me.	10:38
	"If anyone says anything to you, you shall say,	10:41
	"the Lord has need of them	10:45
	"and he will send them immediately."	10:48
	This took place to fulfill what was spoken	10:51
	by the prophet saying, "Tell the daughter of Zion,	10:54
	"'Behold, your king is coming to you,	10:58
	"'humble and mounted on an ass and on a colt,	11:02
	"'the foal of an ass.'"	11:06
	The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.	11:09
	They brought the ass and the colt	11:13
	and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.	11:16
	Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road,	11:22
	and others cut branches from the trees	11:25
	and spread them on the road.	11:28
	And the crowds that went before him	11:30
	and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the son of David.	11:33
	"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.	11:38
	"Hosanna in the highest."	11:42
	And when he entered Jerusalem,	11:45
	all the city was stirred saying, "Who is this?"	11:47
	And the crowd said, "This is the prophet,	11:52
	"Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee."	11:55
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson.	11:59
	Amen.	12:02
	(organ music)	12:04
	(choir sings)	12:44
	Be seated.	17:38
	We welcome you to this service of worship	17:46
	on Palm Sunday, beginning Holy Week	17:49
	in this beautiful season of Easter and Easter time.	17:53
	We invite you to participate with us as a community of faith	17:57
	in the events of Holy Week services	18:02
	that will be available to us	18:05
	here at the University chapel during the week.	18:07
	We would particularly point out the Tenebrae service	18:11
	on Maundy Thursday, and the Good Friday services	18:15
	available for you this Friday during Holy Week.	18:19
	There are still tickets available	18:25
	for the performance of St. Matthew's Passion	18:27
	to begin at four o'clock this afternoon here in the chapel.	18:31
	There will be a break for dinner, and the performance	18:36
	will resume this evening, seven to about nine o'clock.	18:39
	All of you are invited to come.	18:44
	We hope that this will be a special part of your journey	18:46
	as a disciple during Holy Week.	18:50
	After the service of worship this morning, you are invited	18:54
	to take with you a palm branch as a symbol of what has	18:58
	happened to you in the worship service this morning.	19:03
	The ushers will be at the site of the altar	19:07
	to share these branches with those of you	19:10
	who would like to take one home with you.	19:12
	It is our pleasure today	19:19
	to welcome the Reverend Dr. Peggy Way	19:21
	back to Duke University Chapel to preach.	19:24
	We are especially pleased that she is our guest preacher	19:28
	on this very special Sunday worship service.	19:31
	Many of you know Peggy Way through her writing.	19:35
	Many students know her through the many lectures,	19:40
	seminars, and special times that she has shared	19:43
	with seminary and university students across our country,	19:46
	and indeed, across the church lines.	19:51
	Peggy is a very special person, has been present	19:55
	to many of us in a powerful way, and is one particular woman	20:00
	who well models for us what pastoral theology is all about.	20:05
	We welcome her.	20:10
	We thank her for the word	20:12
	that she will share with us today on this Palm Sunday.	20:13
-	The Old Testament lesson is Psalms 77.	20:27
	I cry aloud to God, aloud to God that he may hear me.	20:32
	In the day of my trouble, I seek the Lord.	20:37
	In the night, my hand is stretched out without weary.	20:40
	My soul refuses to be comforted.	20:44
	I think of God and I moan.	20:47
	I meditate and my spirit thanks.	20:50
	Thou does hold my eyelids from closing.	20:54
	I am so troubled that I cannot speak.	20:57
	I consider the days of old.	21:01
	I remember the years long ago.	21:03
	I commune with my heart in the night.	21:06
	I meditate and search my spirit.	21:09
	"Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable?	21:13
	"Has his steadfast love forever ceased?	21:17
	"Are his promises at an end for all time?	21:21
	"Has God forgotten to be gracious?	21:24
	"Has he, in anger, shut up his compassion?"	21:28
	Selah.	21:32
	And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand	21:33
	"of the Most High has changed.	21:37
	"I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord.	21:39
	"Ye, I will remember thy wonders of old.	21:43
	"I will meditate on all thy work	21:46
	"and muse on thy mighty deeds."	21:48
	"Thy way, oh God, is holy.	21:52
	"What God is great like our God.	21:55
	"Thou art the God who worketh wonders,	21:59
	"who hast manifest thy might among the peoples.	22:02
	"Thou didst with thy arm redeem thy people,	22:06
	"the sons of Jacob and Joseph."	22:09
	Selah.	22:12
	When the water saw thee, oh God, when the water saw thee,	22:14
	they were afraid.	22:18
	Ye, the deep trembled.	22:20
	The clouds poured out water.	22:22
	The skies gave forth thunder.	22:25
	Thy arrows flashed on every side.	22:28
	The crash of thy thunder was in the whirlwind.	22:31
	Thy lightnings lighted up the world.	22:34
	The earth trembled and shook.	22:37
	Thy way was through the sea,	22:40
	thy path through the great waters,	22:43
	yet thy footprints were unseen.	22:45
	Thou didst lead thy people	22:48
	like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.	22:50
	Here ends the reading from the Old Testament.	22:55
	Amen.	22:58
	Please stand for the reading of the Gospel.	23:03
	The second Gospel lesson is from Mark chapter 11,	23:11
	verses one through 11.	23:15
	And when they drew near to Jerusalem	23:19
	to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives,	23:21
	he sent two of his disciples and said to them,	23:25
	"Go onto the village opposite you.	23:27
	"And immediately, as you enter it,	23:30
	"you will find a colt tied on which no one has ever sat.	23:31
	"Untie it and bring it.	23:36
	"If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this,'	23:38
	"say, 'The Lord has need of it	23:42
	"'and will send it back here immediately.'"	23:44
	And they went away and found a colt tied at the door	23:47
	out in the open street and they untied it.	23:50
	And those who stood there said to them,	23:53
	"What are you doing untying the colt?"	23:55
	And they told them what Jesus had said,	23:58
	and they let them go.	24:01
	And they brought the coat to Jesus	24:03
	and threw their garments on it, and he sat upon it.	24:05
	And many spread their garments on the road,	24:09
	and others spread leafy branches	24:12
	which they had cut from the fields.	24:13
	And those who went before them	24:15
	and those who followed cried out, "Hosanna!	24:17
	"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.	24:20
	"Blessed is the kingdom of our father,	24:23
	"David, that is coming.	24:24
	"Hosanna in the highest."	24:26
	And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple.	24:28
	And when he looked round at everything,	24:32
	as it were already late, he went out to Bethany with the 12.	24:35
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson.	24:40
	Amen.	24:42
-	Happy days.	25:49
	Tonight in Nashville and perhaps here,	25:51
	Ernest Angley will put his arm out, palm outstretched,	25:57
	and invite persons to place their injured parts on his hand	26:02
	that the power of Jesus might flow	26:07
	between them and him through the TV screen.	26:10
	And that smiling Christian calls forth	26:16
	other smiling Christians with promises of Christ Jesus,	26:21
	troubles over, promised lands, happy days.	26:27
	My secret is that I once put my polio-weakened leg	26:34
	up to my TV screen, in derision to be sure,	26:40
	and in the company of laughing friends,	26:46
	a distinguished Vanderbilt gathering	26:49
	that makes fun of TV Christianity	26:51
	and thus, perhaps, participates in a double blasphemy,	26:54
	for my secret is, and the friends	26:59
	who were there with me laughing, our secrets are	27:03
	that I and we too want to be healed,	27:07
	cured,	27:12
	placed in promised lands, find jobs that fit	27:14
	our educational investments, have friends, lovers,	27:18
	families who understand us and all our feelings,	27:23
	have every lab report come back saying no carcinoma,	27:27
	and find a community that conserves energy, disarms,	27:33
	feeds the hungry, and produces perfect children who do too.	27:39
	Oh, Ernest Angley, if only you were true.	27:45
	So the real beginning of this sermon is not a cheap shot	27:52
	at Ernest Angley and Christian TV.	27:57
	It is rather to confess my human yearnings for peace,	28:02
	healing, meaning,	28:08
	perspectives that order my chaotic life	28:11
	and give me some semblance of control,	28:15
	a desire for miracles if only for me and my kind,	28:18
	promised lands, and happy endings.	28:23
	Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday only, please,	28:26
	and not those days, those experiences,	28:31
	those poignant reminders of history,	28:34
	of finitude, of real death, of real grief	28:36
	that come inevitably in between.	28:41
	My longing is to be a smiling Christian too,	28:46
	a smiling Christian inclusive of the total story	28:52
	of the Christian faith, leaving nothing out, El Salvador,	28:56
	arms raises, Oedipals and assassins, conjoined twins	29:01
	born in a Christian home, the necessity of eternal vigilance	29:08
	is the price of liberty, and yet, while leaving nothing out,	29:13
	having something to say to that Sunday night TV audience	29:17
	of the believers and the wishers, of the Vanderbilt	29:22
	and the Duke deriders who are watching Ernest Angley,	29:28
	because David Allen and Johnny Carson are gone	29:31
	on Sunday nights.	29:33
	And all of us seeking healing, wholeness,	29:35
	perspectives that make sense, guidance on how to live,	29:40
	interpretations that give some tentative order	29:43
	for our everyday lives through the blessed Jesus or in trust	29:46
	of a benevolent rather than a malevolent providence.	29:51
	And if I can't offer Ernest Angley in style or content,	29:57
	then what do I have? What do I say?	30:02
	And to myself, not only to them?	30:06
	For remember, I am a viewer too.	30:09
	Part two.	30:14
	I preached in Wisconsin last Sunday, and I say to my friend	30:16
	who is not preaching because I am there,	30:20
	"What are you going to preach about next Sunday?"	30:23
	thinking I could steal from him a few ideas	30:26
	to round out my sermon for Duke.	30:29
	And he says, "I am going to preach about whether or not	30:32
	we should even celebrate Palm Sunday at all since we know	30:37
	what is coming and there is nothing to celebrate.	30:40
	And then I'm going to talk about	30:43
	how we should make Alexander Haig ride on an ass	30:45
	down the streets of Washington."	30:48
	(crowd laughs)	30:49
	For this is a very liberal and non-liturgical	30:57
	United Church of Christ minister	31:00
	whose congregation could tolerate such blasphemy.	31:02
	And in further preparation, I remember the Palm Sundays	31:07
	of my childhood, and some of the very best music of all	31:11
	on that day, like here, and the hope for a surprise	31:17
	Michigan sun and warmth on that next Sunday, so that I could	31:22
	actually wear the new straw hat and blue spring coat	31:26
	that my parents had scrounged together	31:30
	out of their Depression incomes, and the free movie	31:32
	about the crucifixion for which school was let out	31:36
	on Friday afternoon, which I never understood so much	31:39
	for the power of the state church.	31:42
	And I remember my own leap of faith as a child and adult	31:45
	is still that leap over passion week.	31:51
	Last week, I had Rabbi Earl Grollman to address my students	31:57
	on death, and he reminded us that when death comes,	32:01
	we are all children expecting the miracle, seeing the face	32:06
	of the beloved in the car after she has died,	32:12
	refusing the words and continuing to speak of going away,	32:16
	passing on, entering into rest.	32:22
	And one of the very best books that I teach out of	32:28
	in my field of pastoral care is written by one of yours,	32:31
	Charles Gerkin, and it is about faulty expectations.	32:34
	And it's about a culture of happy endings	32:39
	expected as one's right.	32:41
	And it's about the ways in which when crisis comes,	32:45
	it all gets thrown askew,	32:47
	and the styles that we counted on no longer work,	32:49
	and the relationships we counted on are no longer there.	32:52
	And while he doesn't put it quite like this,	32:56
	it's about how a culture of expected happy endings	33:00
	and a faith of Christians always smiling is simply untrue.	33:04
	Yet, we all do it, liberals and conservatives alike.	33:13
	Promised lands when the other is exactly like I am,	33:19
	happy endings after our party wins,	33:25
	a cure for all deaths,	33:31
	a technique for every unhappy relationship,	33:34
	a smiling member of the helping	33:39
	professions for every home, and a smiling Christian	33:42
	on each TV set, and the harshness of history	33:46
	somehow eliminated, not endured,	33:50
	or worse,	33:55
	the harshness of history ignored and replaced by ideology.	33:57
	Suddenly, the obvious strikes me.	34:04
	And you know all this already,	34:07
	it is so obvious, it is nothing new,	34:08
	that Palm Sunday is the invitation to Passion Week	34:11
	and to Christian expectation that comes full circle	34:16
	because we know what is going to happen,	34:21
	unlike those first participants who did not know,	34:25
	and we celebrate anyway.	34:30
	Palm Sunday is an invitation to participate	34:34
	in the depth of human experience,	34:38
	not in spite of what happens in a spirit of defiance,	34:41
	I won't go gentle into that good night,	34:46
	eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow,	34:49
	but because we do know what comes next,	34:53
	and we claim it.	34:57
	And we smile as with that full knowledge,	35:00
	we stand, or we bow, or we kneel,	35:03
	or even if we collapse,	35:07
	opening ourselves as the Psalmist entrust	35:12
	to whatever comes next with hope and the tears	35:15
	of how history really does hurt,	35:20
	mingled with the joyous smiles	35:24
	of how meaningful life really is,	35:27
	for Christians always smile with tears	35:31
	and sob with laughter.	35:34
	Part three.	35:38
	Let me backtrack a minute.	35:41
	I've gotten ahead of myself.	35:42
	Palm Sunday invites us to the total Christian way	35:45
	of ordering historical existence,	35:50
	of getting some perspectives on the maelstrom	35:55
	of historical experience, of giving the erratic swirls	35:58
	some rude contours of meaning at least,	36:03
	of letting in places where experience contradicts	36:07
	other experience in the best spirit of William James.	36:10
	And we see how everything instantly creates its opposite	36:15
	and how nothing distinct can survive	36:22
	in this fantastic atmosphere.	36:24
	War continues in the midst of peace.	36:27
	Want is born from abundance.	36:30
	In one and the same laboratory, the same person's search	36:34
	for what will kill and what will cure,	36:38
	cultivating both good and evil, and the nativities	36:40
	and crucifixions and resurrections all belong.	36:45
	I want to be a smiling Christian too.	36:50
	It's just that I offer perspectives	36:55
	different from Ernest Angley's.	36:58
	And I want to speak to that TV audience,	37:00
	not disdain them, but with truths	37:03
	which are different	37:07
	but just as scriptural as his.	37:09
	And if you don't understand what I am talking about,	37:15
	it is just as well.	37:17
	Don't push it.	37:19
	Let it be.	37:21
	For sooner or later, it will come to you,	37:23
	the death of a child, the loss of a job,	37:26
	a failed relationship,	37:32
	a betrayal where you are the betrayer and not the betrayed.	37:35
	And I want to speak to that TV audience	37:41
	with a different truth but just as scriptural as his.	37:44
	Part four.	37:49
	You already know,	37:52
	not only as you remember your catechism,	37:56
	but as you listen to your own experiences, you already know.	38:00
	There just aren't any unambiguous triumphs	38:07
	in scripture, in history, in ordinary life.	38:14
	When did you last have one	38:21
	or even watch one on TV?	38:24
	Perhaps it was when Jimmy Carter	38:28
	made a triumphal march down Constitution Avenue.	38:29
	Or perhaps it was following Reagan's	38:34
	magnificent electoral victory.	38:36
	Or maybe it was your celebration	38:39
	when the Khmer Rouge won out as the party of the people.	38:41
	And in our own lives, after the wedding,	38:48
	the two strangers are stuck there together to work it out	38:53
	no matter how long they lived together before the ceremony.	38:58
	Great day, the kids get old enough not to need a babysitter,	39:03
	but not old enough to be trusted to stay alone.	39:08
	When was the last happy ending you read	39:14
	as you studied scripture?	39:16
	Moses living happily ever after in the Promised Land?	39:18
	Esther saving her people for all times?	39:24
	Mary losing her son and being sent home	39:30
	with his best friend?	39:34
	Mary Magdalene hugging the risen Christ and being assured	39:37
	that he was gonna stick around and make things go smoothly?	39:41
	There aren't any guarantees either that if you raised	39:47
	your kids right, if you learn all the latest communication	39:51
	techniques from people in my area, if you visit your doctor	39:56
	for a thorough checkup once a year, if you only can get	40:01
	another degree in an area where they're hiring,	40:05
	if your party wins, if there were only more money	40:11
	for defense, if there were only more money for hunger.	40:15
	History hurts.	40:20
	Justice is imperfect.	40:23
	At the tomb, the women didn't know the end of the story.	40:27
	They just knew that he was gone.	40:33
	And even after the resurrection appearances,	40:36
	daily ordinary life had to be faced.	40:40
	You already know that.	40:46
	And you also already know	40:50
	some of what it is to trust	40:54
	and to feel joy, like the Psalmist this morning, real pain.	40:57
	Are God's promises at an end for all time?	41:02
	Has God forgotten to be gracious, shut up his compassion?	41:05
	It is my grief that the right hand	41:09
	of the Most High has changed.	41:11
	And yet, I will call to mind the deed of the Lord.	41:14
	I will remember thy wonders of old.	41:18
	I will meditate on all thy work.	41:20
	You have worked us wonders, redeemed your people.	41:22
	You have led your people like a flock.	41:25
	And how are we to help people have memories such as this,	41:29
	to remember in a time of lack of trust and of darkness?	41:35
	And we have all experienced times of seeing.	41:40
	I will lift up mine eyes to the hills.	41:44
	From whence cometh my help?	41:49
	My help cometh from the Lord.	41:50
	I was in graduate school before I didn't realize	41:52
	that the help came from the hills.	41:54
	I thought it was, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills	41:55
	from whence cometh my help,"	41:57
	but it's really from the Lord that the help comes.	41:59
	We've had times like that where we have looked up	42:02
	or around or down at something that called us	42:06
	out of ourselves and we have found help.	42:09
	And only two nights ago, I lifted up my ears to the birds	42:11
	because I was sitting on the front steps	42:16
	as dawn came, waiting for my son,	42:18
	my son who had had too much to drink, to come home.	42:20
	And I lifted up my ears and heard the birds singing,	42:24
	and I smiled and I cried.	42:30
	"From whence comes my help?"	42:33
	We have each experienced hope and the humbling of endurance	42:36
	of sometimes just getting through.	42:41
	The time, remember yours, when you did indeed	42:44
	rise up on wings like eagles and you were able	42:49
	to keep running for justice without a wearying.	42:53
	And you were able to keep walking and care with someone	42:58
	when they were truly unlovable, and you didn't have to	43:01
	leave them behind because you couldn't stand them.	43:04
	And there's been a time for each of us when our legs	43:08
	were so mired in the mud and the mire of despair,	43:12
	yet we risked planting one leg ahead on uncharted ground,	43:18
	and we were saved into futures	43:24
	even though both legs didn't go at once.	43:26
	The time you heard the real no's,	43:32
	and then stooped for a moment	43:36
	and let the yeses be, the time you touched me,	43:37
	the time I was really heard because you took time to listen.	43:44
	And those can be powerful memories too.	43:50
	Part five and conclusion.	43:56
	You know something, Palm Sunday is a day	44:00
	on which to smile,	44:04
	a happy day, a successful launch of Columbia, azaleas,	44:09
	magnificent music, lifted out of ourselves	44:15
	during this magnificent worship, soaring words of scripture,	44:19
	loved ones, champagne brunches,	44:24
	and real, each and every one of those joyous feelings.	44:28
	And you know something else, Palm Sunday is a day	44:34
	on which to cry because also present are the minor chords.	44:38
	Also present is being so caught in ourselves	44:45
	that we can't feel free even in the fresh breezes outside	44:49
	and we feel cold even in the warmth of the sun.	44:53
	And for some of us, there's too much pain to bear today,	44:57
	and maybe we didn't really wanna come	44:59
	and we made ourselves come here.	45:01
	And there are not only the presence of those we love,	45:03
	but there are the remembered absent ones who aren't here.	45:06
	And there's not knowing where you'll be next year,	45:11
	same time, same place.	45:13
	And each of these are all real, each and every one.	45:15
	And you know something, it really doesn't matter	45:20
	where you enter the Christian story	45:23
	as long as you go the whole way,	45:26
	each chapter, the many characters, some of them nicer	45:30
	or at least more congruent to you than others.	45:34
	So cometh Christmas, or at Pentecost, or Easter,	45:38
	or Good Friday, or Advent, or any saint's feast day,	45:43
	Maundy Thursday, or the 8th, 9th, or 10th Sunday	45:47
	after Pentecost, Epiphany or Palm Sunday,	45:51
	entrust your experience in faith and cry.	45:56
	Entrust your experience in hope and smile.	46:02
	Let every mortal ear attend and every house rejoice.	46:08
	The trumpet of the Gospel sounds with an inviting voice.	46:16
	Palm Sunday, the great invitation, the Gospel sounds	46:20
	with the words of the passion, a happy day.	46:25
-	Surely, there are no unambiguous triumphs.	46:49
	We invite you now to share responsively	46:55
	at the appropriate places in reading	47:00
	the passion of our Lord according to St. Matthew.	47:06
-	When morning came, all the chief priests	47:17
	and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus	47:19
	to put him to death, and they bound him and lead him away	47:22
	and delivered him to Pilate, the governor.	47:25
	When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned,	47:27
	he repented and brought back the 30 pieces of silver	47:30
	to the chief priest and the elders saying,	47:33
	"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."	47:36
-	What is that to us?	47:41
	See to it yourself.	47:43
-	And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple,	47:46
	he departed and he went and hanged himself.	47:48
	But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver said--	47:51
-	It is not lawful to put them into the treasury	47:55
	since they are blood money.	47:58
-	So they took counsel and bought with them	48:01
	the potter's field to bury strangers in.	48:03
	Therefore that field has been called	48:06
	the Field of Blood to this day.	48:08
	Then was fulfilled what had been spoken	48:10
	by the prophet Jeremiah saying--	48:12
-	And they took the 30 pieces of silver,	48:15
	the price of him on whom a price had been set	48:17
	by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them	48:21
	for a potter's field, as the Lord directed me.	48:24
-	Now Jesus stood before the governor,	48:29
	and the governor asked him--	48:30
-	Are you the King of the Jews?	48:35
-	You have said so.	48:37
-	But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,	48:41
	he made no answer.	48:43
	Then Pilate said to him--	48:45
-	Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?	48:48
-	But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge,	48:54
	so that the governor wondered greatly.	48:57
	Now at the feast, the governor was accustomed	49:00
	to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.	49:02
	And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.	49:05
	So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them--	49:09
-	Whom do you want me to release for you,	49:13
	Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Christ?	49:16
-	For he knew that it was out of envy	49:22
	that they had delivered him up.	49:23
	Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat,	49:25
	his wife sent word to him--	49:28
-	Have nothing to do with that righteous man,	49:32
	for I have suffered much over of him today in a dream.	49:34
-	Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people	49:41
	to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.	49:43
	The governor again said to them--	49:46
-	Which of the two do you want me to release for you?	49:49
-	Barabbas.	49:53
-	Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?	49:55
-	Let him be crucified!	49:58
-	Why?	49:59
	What evil has he done?	50:00
-	Let him be crucified!	50:03
-	So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing,	50:06
	but rather that a riot was beginning,	50:08
	he took water and washed his hands before the crowd saying--	50:10
-	I am innocent of this man's blood.	50:14
	See to it yourselves.	50:16
-	His blood be on us and on our children.	50:19
-	Then he released for them Barabbas,	50:23
	and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.	50:25
	Then the soldiers of the governor	50:28
	took Jesus into the praetorium,	50:29
	and they gathered the whole battalion before him.	50:31
	And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him.	50:33
	And plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on his head	50:36
	and put a reed in his right hand.	50:39
	And kneeling before him, they mocked him saying--	50:41
-	Hail, King of the Jews!	50:44
-	And they spat upon him	50:47
	and took the reed and struck him on the head.	50:49
	And when they had mocked him,	50:51
	they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him	50:52
	and led him away to crucify him.	50:55
	As they went out, they called upon a man of Cyrene,	50:57
	Simon by name.	51:00
	This man, they compelled to carry his cross.	51:01
	And when they came to a place called Golgotha,	51:04
	which means the place of a skull,	51:06
	they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall.	51:08
	But when he tasted it, he would not drink it.	51:12
	And when they had crucified him,	51:14
	they divided his garments among them by casting lots.	51:16
	Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.	51:19
	And over his head they put the charge against him,	51:22
	which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."	51:24
	Then two robbers were crucified with him,	51:28
	one on the right and one on the left.	51:31
	And those who passed by derided him,	51:33
	wagging their heads and saying--	51:35
-	You who would destroy the temple	51:38
	and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!	51:40
	If you are the Son of God, come down from that cross.	51:44
-	So also the chief priests,	51:48
	with the scribes and elders, mocked him saying--	51:50
-	He saved others.	51:53
	He cannot save himself.	51:55
	He is the King of Israel.	51:57
	Let him come down now from the cross,	51:59
	and we will believe in him.	52:02
	He trusts in God.	52:04
	Let God deliver him now, if he desires him.	52:06
	For he said, "I am the Son of God."	52:11
-	And the robbers who were crucified with him	52:14
	also reviled him in the same way.	52:17
	And from the sixth hour,	52:19
	there was darkness over all land until the ninth hour.	52:20
	And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice.	52:24
-	Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?	52:28
	My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?	52:32
	And some of the bystanders hearing it said--	52:38
-	This man is calling Elijah.	52:42
-	And one of them at once ran and took a sponge,	52:45
	filled it with vinegar and put it on a reed	52:48
	and gave it to him to drink.	52:50
	But the others said--	52:52
-	Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.	52:54
-	And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice	52:59
	and yielded up his spirit.	53:02
	And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two,	53:04
	from top to bottom.	53:07
	And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.	53:08
	The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints	53:11
	who had fallen asleep were raised.	53:13
	And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection,	53:15
	they went into the holy city and appeared to many.	53:18
	When the centurion and those who were with him,	53:21
	keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake	53:23
	and what took place, they were filled with awe and said--	53:26
-	Truly, this was the Son of God.	53:30
-	In one of his epistles, John writes,	58:25
	"My little children, I am writing this to you	58:34
	"so that you may not sin.	58:42
	"But if anyone does sin,	58:49
	"we have an advocate with the Lord our God,	58:53
	"Jesus Christ, the righteous one.	58:58
	"And Christ is the one who forgives us our sins	59:04
	"and not our sins only.	59:11
	"The one who forgives the sins of the whole world.	59:16
	"In the name of Christ, by the mercy of God,	59:25
	"our sins are forgiven.	59:31
	"Amen."	59:38
	And the Lord be with you.	59:43
	Let us pray.	59:47
	Oh, blessed Lord, our God.	59:52
	We give you thanks for this holy day,	59:57
	this day of sheer triumph in the life of our savior.	1:00:01
	May our shouts of hallelujah be not hollow	1:00:10
	but be true and lasting.	1:00:15
	May they endure far beyond the trials and tragedies	1:00:20
	of this Holy Week.	1:00:23
	May our waving of palm branches	1:00:29
	reveal the adoration of our hearts,	1:00:32
	the longing of our spirits, and the commitment of our lives.	1:00:36
	May we, oh Lord, in these days and in all our days	1:00:45
	make our words and our actions one,	1:00:50
	make our thoughts and our deeds one,	1:00:54
	and make our believing and our living one.	1:00:59
	Almighty God, help us to remember that your dear son	1:01:06
	knew not joy, but first, he suffered pain,	1:01:11
	that he entered not into glory, but first, he was crucified,	1:01:19
	So mercifully grant that we walking in the way of the cross	1:01:25
	may find it to be none other than the way of life and peace.	1:01:30
	And grant that we may be willing to walk	1:01:37
	in the way of Christ's suffering,	1:01:39
	that we may also know the glory of his resurrection.	1:01:42
	Let our beginning in faith, our continuing in devotion,	1:01:48
	our following in hope be always in the way	1:01:52
	of our blessed Lord even Jesus the Christ.	1:01:57
	Remind us, in these moments, dear God,	1:02:02
	of the world in which we live for we have studies to do,	1:02:04
	tasks to perform, works to carry out,	1:02:09
	responsibilities to fulfill,	1:02:14
	love and mercy and compassion to show.	1:02:15
	So give us the grace and the strength and the courage,	1:02:20
	oh God, to live obediently, lovingly,	1:02:23
	and faithfully everyday of our lives,	1:02:28
	that we might hear you say to us in each moment of our lives	1:02:32
	and at the end of our living on this earth,	1:02:35
	"Come, o blessed of the Lord, for you have been faithful	1:02:38
	"over all that has been given you.	1:02:41
	"Enter you into the joys of the kingdom of heaven."	1:02:44
	And now, oh God, may the word	1:02:50
	that we hear, read, sung, and preached to us this day	1:02:54
	become implanted deep within our souls.	1:03:01
	May the forgiving, redeeming, healing presence of Christ	1:03:06
	come to each of us just now,	1:03:09
	and may that love flow through us through a hungry, hurting,	1:03:15
	love-starved world on this Palm Sunday.	1:03:20
	Hear us and hear this, our prayer which we pray	1:03:27
	as our Lord has taught us,	1:03:31
	saying our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name	1:03:32
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	1:03:39
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:03:42
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:03:45
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:03:48
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:03:51
	And lead us not into temptation	1:03:54
	and deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom	1:03:58
	and the power and the glory forever.	1:04:02
	Amen.	1:04:06
	(organ music)	1:04:24
	(choir sings)	1:05:32
-	O Lord, thine is the greatness	1:15:23
	and the power and the glory.	1:15:25
	Thine is the kingdom in the heavens and in the earth.	1:15:28
	O God, thou are exalted as head and creator over all.	1:15:33
	Amen.	1:15:38
	(choir sings)	1:15:40
-	Be seated, please.	1:19:08
	In this moment of meditation, let me share with you	1:19:16
	a word about a very special service we will have	1:19:20
	here in the chapel tomorrow evening.	1:19:22
	At seven o'clock, Mrs. Camille Bell,	1:19:26
	whose young son is one of the two missing children	1:19:31
	in Atlanta, will be with me here to share with us her story	1:19:36
	and to tell to us some of what she and others	1:19:43
	are experiencing in Atlanta now.	1:19:47
	I invite you to come.	1:19:52
	And the program will last from seven until eight o'clock.	1:19:55
	And I trust that you will come so that we might show	1:20:00
	to this hurting and troubled fellow human being	1:20:04
	our love and support for her and for others in Atlanta	1:20:10
	at this time tomorrow evening at seven o'clock.	1:20:15
	And now may the grace of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ,	1:20:25
	the love of God, the communion	1:20:32
	and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you	1:20:36
	and with those whom you love this day and forever.	1:20:43
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:51
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:57
	♪ Ah-Ah-Amen ♪	1:21:04
	♪ Ah-Ah-Amen ♪	1:21:12
	♪ Ah-Ah-Amen ♪	1:21:20
	♪ Ah-Ah-Amen ♪	1:21:33
	♪ Ah-Ah-Amen ♪	1:21:47
	(organ music)	1:22:20

Item Info

Title:

Peggy Way - "Happy Endings" (April 12, 1981)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 25:49. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 46:29.
This sermon addresses the dissonance believers experience on Holy Days like Palm Sunday, when their expericences and circumstances feel out of sync with the celebration of the church and offers an alternative interreption of such days, one in which there is both sorrow and hope. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "Palm Sunday is an invitation to participate in the depth of human experience, not in spite of what happens in a spirit of defiance...but because we do know what comes next, and we claim it.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4n873f2d

Date:

April 12, 1981

Speaker:

Way, Peggy

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1149
ref7514_e64
uachapelsermaud
duke:321171
dcrau002026
ark:/87924/r4n873f2d
2a7fa093-8922-4d5b-8232-5f3a16aefdeb

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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.

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No Re-Use

In Copyright

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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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Peggy Way - "Happy Endings" (April 12, 1981)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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