Peter J. Gomes - Divinity School Baccalaureate Service (May 9, 1981)

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	(organ music)	0:03
-	One thing I have asked of the Lord	9:23
	that will I seek after,	9:26
	to behold the beauty of the Lord	9:28
	and to inquire into His word into His church.	9:31
	(congregation prays)	9:36
	Let us worship the Lord in spirit and truth.	9:44
	(organ music)	9:50
	(chorus drowned out by organ music)	11:37
-	Grace and peace to you who have been raised with Christ.	17:42
	(congregation prays)	17:47
	Seek the things that are above	17:50
	where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.	17:53
-	Let us pray.	18:00
	Eternal God, fountain of life and light,	18:03
	who in ancient times raised up Moses and the Prophets	18:07
	to lead your people,	18:10
	and who through your son, Jesus Christ,	18:12
	have sent into the world apostles and evangelists,	18:15
	and who for the sake of the Church	18:18
	have called some to be pastors, teachers,	18:20
	and various other stewards for the needs of humankind.	18:23
	We pray that your presence will be with us on this occasion	18:27
	that our commitment may be rekindled	18:31
	and our lives rededicated to your service	18:33
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	18:36
	Amen.	18:39
	You may be seated.	18:41
-	Let us prepare ourselves for the prayer of confession.	18:53
	When we gather to praise God,	18:57
	we remember that we are God's people	18:59
	who have preferred our wills to God's.	19:01
	Accepting God's power to become new persons in Christ,	19:04
	let us confess our sin before God and one another.	19:09
	All mighty and most merciful God,	19:14
	who by your love has made us,	19:17
	and through your love has kept us,	19:20
	and in your love would make us perfect,	19:22
	we humbly confess that we have not loved you	19:26
	with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and strength.	19:29
	We have not loved one another as Christ has loved us.	19:34
	Forgive what we have been.	19:38
	Help us to amend what we are.	19:41
	And in your spirit, direct what we shall be,	19:43
	that you may come into the full glory of your creation	19:47
	in us and in all people,	19:51
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	19:54
	Amen.	19:57
	I say to you, accept the forgiveness	19:58
	which God offers you.	20:01
	You are free of bondage to your past	20:03
	and anxiety towards your future.	20:06
	(congregation prays)	20:09
	Proclaim God's word with your voices,	20:14
	empty yourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit,	20:17
	and respond with your lives.	20:21
	Amen.	20:24
-	Let us pray.	20:38
	Prepare our hearts, oh Lord,	20:42
	to accept your word.	20:45
	Silence in us any voice but your own,	20:47
	that hearing we may also obey your will,	20:52
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	20:56
	Amen.	20:59
	Our Old Testament lesson for this evening	21:05
	is taken from the Book of Daniel.	21:07
	Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that	21:13
	Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought.	21:17
	And they brought these men before the king.	21:22
	Nebuchadnezzar said to them,	21:25
	"Is it true, oh Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego	21:27
	"that you do not serve my gods or worship	21:31
	"the golden image which I have set up?	21:33
	"Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound	21:36
	"of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp,	21:38
	"bagpipe, and every kind of music,	21:42
	"to fall down and worship the image	21:45
	"which I have made well and good.	21:48
	"But if you do not worship,	21:52
	"you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.	21:54
	"And who is the god that will delivery you out of my hands?"	21:58
	Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king.	22:03
	"Oh Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need	22:07
	"to answer you in this matter.	22:09
	"If it be so, our god whom we serve	22:12
	"is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,	22:15
	"and he would deliver us out of your hand, oh king.	22:20
	"But if not, be it known to you, oh king,	22:24
	"that we will not serve your gods	22:28
	"or worship the golden image which you have set up."	22:31
	Would you turn with me to number 563 for our altar reading?	22:39
	Let us stand.	22:43
	The Lord is my light and my salvation.	22:54
	(congregation prays)	22:58
	The Lord is a stronghold of my life.	22:59
	(congregation prays)	23:02
	When evil doers assail me, uttering slanders against me...	23:05
	(congregation prays)	23:10
	Though a host encamp against me...	23:15
	(congregation prays)	23:18
	Though war arise against me...	23:20
	(congregation prays)	23:23
	One thing have I asked for the Lord.	23:25
	(congregation prays)	23:28
	That I may dwell in the house of the Lord	23:30
	all the days of my life.	23:33
	(congregation prays)	23:35
	For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.	23:40
	(congregation prays)	23:44
	And now my head shall be lifted up	23:47
	above my enemies 'round about me.	23:48
	(congregation prays)	23:51
	Hear, oh Lord, when I cry aloud.	23:54
	(congregation prays)	23:58
	Thou has said seek ye my face.	24:01
	(congregation prays)	24:04
	I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord	24:10
	in the land of the living.	24:13
	(congregation prays)	24:15
	Amen.	24:23
	(organ music)	24:24
	(chorus drowned out by organ music)	24:35
	Please be seated.	25:08
-	The epistle lesson is taken	25:22
	from the eighth chapter of Romans.	25:24
	What then shall we say to this	25:29
	if God is for us, who is against us?	25:33
	He who did not spare his own son,	25:38
	but gave him up for us all.	25:41
	Will he not also give us all things with him?	25:44
	Who shall bring any charge against God's elect.	25:49
	It is God who justifies, who is to condemn.	25:54
	Is it Christ Jesus who died?	26:00
	Yes.	26:03
	Who was raised from the dead,	26:05
	who is at the right hand of God,	26:08
	who indeed intercedes for us,	26:11
	who shall separate us from the love of Christ?	26:14
	Shall tribulation or distress,	26:19
	or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,	26:23
	or peril, or sword?	26:29
	As it is written, for thy sake,	26:33
	we are being killed all the day long.	26:37
	We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.	26:40
	No.	26:44
	In all these things we are more than conquerors	26:46
	through Him who loved us.	26:49
	For I am sure that neither death	26:52
	nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,	26:56
	nor things present, nor things to come,	27:02
	nor powers, nor height, nor depth,	27:07
	nor anything else in all creation	27:13
	will be able to separate us from the love of God	27:16
	in Christ Jesus our Lord.	27:21
	(organ music)	27:31
	(singer sings off mic)	27:59
	Will the congregation please rise	30:56
	for the reading of the Gospel?	30:58
	Everyone then who hears these	31:07
	words of mine and does them well,	31:09
	will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock.	31:13
	And the rain fell, and the floods came,	31:18
	and the winds blew and beat upon that house,	31:22
	but it did not fall because it had	31:26
	been founded on the rock.	31:29
	And everyone who hears these words of mine	31:32
	and does not do them will be like	31:36
	a foolish man who built his house upon the sand,	31:38
	and the rain fell, and the floods came,	31:42
	and the winds blew and beat against that house,	31:47
	and it fell, and great was the fall of it.	31:50
	And when Jesus finished these sayings,	31:56
	the crowds were astonished at his teaching.	31:59
	For he taught them as one who had authority	32:02
	and not as their scribes.	32:06
	the Word of God for the people of God.	32:10
	Amen.	32:14
-	Before I begin, let me express my	32:33
	appreciation to the members of the graduating class	32:36
	for inviting me to participate	32:41
	in this very significant moment in your lives.	32:44
	This has been a good class, an involved class,	32:49
	and it has many things to distinguish it.	32:54
	Not the least of which is that it is	32:58
	one of the largest graduating classes	33:00
	that we have ever had in toto.	33:02
	And Dr. Wilson tells me that he does not	33:05
	believe that we have ever had any larger number	33:08
	of MDivs go graduate at one time ever.	33:11
	And we in the Divinity School	33:16
	are already indebted to the members of this class,	33:17
	not only for your presence among us	33:20
	and the things that you have brought to us,	33:23
	and the enrichment of our lives.	33:25
	But we are indebted because this class	33:27
	and the members of this class have pledged a generous gift	33:30
	for the purpose of buying books for our library.	33:34
	I didn't not know whether all who are	33:38
	present here this evening knew that or not,	33:40
	and I thought that this was a significant moment	33:43
	to say that publicly and express	33:46
	appreciation to the members of the class publicly.	33:49
	And I personally would be very insensitive	33:53
	if I did not express my personal appreciation	33:55
	that part of the gift you have so graciously given	33:59
	has been designated in my honor.	34:02
	We are grateful therefore for your time among us	34:06
	and your generosity to us,	34:09
	but tonight let us look forward	34:11
	to the challenges which await this class.	34:13
	For you, the members of the class of 1981,	34:17
	have come to the moment of graduation.	34:19
	One of you said a moment ago,	34:23
	"20 years, I won't know what to do next year	34:24
	"when I don't have to go to school."	34:27
	You now have been prepared and trained	34:29
	to pursue the work to which the Lord has called you.	34:32
	And each one of you has a unique set of talents	34:36
	and experiences which will assist and enable you	34:38
	in the pursuit of your particular and peculiar ministry	34:42
	to Gods people in this less than perfect world.	34:45
	This is indeed an exciting, even electrifying, moment.	34:50
	A moment filled with joy and hope,	34:55
	but also a moment filled with uncertainty	34:57
	and sadness, and downright terror.	35:00
	But we know, each one of us,	35:04
	that we are not really ready yet.	35:07
	We are not really up to the demanding task that	35:09
	lie in wait for us when we leave these hallowed halls.	35:12
	And in the light of such considerations,	35:17
	I ask myself what kind of message,	35:19
	what kind of thought can I bring to	35:22
	the members of this class which would be appropriate	35:24
	for this particular moment in their lives?	35:27
	You have been called to serve God	35:31
	in some form of ministry, and that is an honorable,	35:34
	but also very responsible and demanding vocation.	35:38
	And in order to survive, you are going to	35:42
	need two things, I think.	35:46
	Deep commitment and great courage.	35:48
	These elements are the sine qua non	35:52
	in the life of ministry.	35:55
	And these two elements, if you have them,	35:58
	can and will contribute to your own successes	36:00
	and sustain you when tragedy and failure	36:04
	intrude their ugly heads into your lives.	36:07
	Courage and commitment have always	36:13
	been in my life two important things.	36:15
	And they became important to me	36:19
	partly because of my own background.	36:22
	For I grew up as a young lad	36:25
	in the time of World War II,	36:27
	as Archie says, WWII, the big one.	36:28
	The fact of the matter is that that tragedy	36:33
	and the seriousness of that tragedy	36:37
	made a deep impression upon each one of us	36:39
	growing up at that time,	36:42
	and each of us was affected in different ways.	36:44
	But curiously enough, the most influential part	36:47
	of those troubled times upon my life,	36:50
	and the part which brought about	36:54
	commitment and courage to my mind	36:57
	came curiously enough from the speeches	37:02
	of Sir Winston Churchill.	37:04
	He was a salty old rascal,	37:07
	who through is words galvanized the people	37:10
	of Great Britain to resist the German juggernaut.	37:13
	Portions of his speeches are still	37:17
	indelibly etched on my mind,	37:19
	and they ring in my ears.	37:22
	And I think that some of what he said to his people	37:25
	in that time and in that place	37:28
	can be applicable to us today, as well.	37:31
	Hear a few of his words:	37:35
	"The whole fury and might of the enemy	37:38
	"must very soon be turned upon us.	37:40
	"For Hitler knows that he will have to	37:43
	"break us in this island or lose the war.	37:45
	"If we stand up to him, all Europe may be free.	37:48
	"And the life of the world may move forward	37:53
	"into broad sunlit uplands.	37:56
	"But if we fail, the whole world will	37:58
	"sink into the abyss of a new dark age	38:02
	"made more sinister and more prolonged	38:05
	"by the lights of a perverted science.	38:08
	"Let us therefor brace ourselves to our duty	38:11
	"and so bear ourselves that if	38:15
	"the British Commonwealth and empire	38:17
	"should last for a thousand years,	38:19
	"men will stay say this was their finest hour.	38:21
	"I have nothing to off you," he said,	38:27
	"but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.	38:30
	"We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind.	38:33
	"What is our aim?	38:38
	"I can answer in one word.	38:40
	"It is victory.	38:42
	"Victory at all costs,	38:44
	"victory in spite of all terrors,	38:46
	"victory however long and hard the road may be.	38:48
	"For without victory, there is no survival.	38:51
	"We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be.	38:56
	"we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds,	39:00
	"and fields, and streets, and on the hills.	39:03
	"We shall never surrender."	39:06
	Now it is, at least in part, in this vein	39:12
	that we should approach this new phase of our lives	39:15
	with commitment and courage.	39:19
	The same kind of commitment	39:22
	and courage that Churchill called	39:24
	the people of Great Britain to long ago.	39:26
	For as surely as you are sitting here tonight,	39:30
	the commitment that you have made	39:33
	and the professions for which you have been called,	39:35
	demand that you be prepared for battle.	39:37
	To be sure we have often perceived	39:40
	the teaching of Jesus to be only a message	39:42
	of love, an care, and concern for all people,	39:45
	both the lovable and the unlovable.	39:48
	And it is clear from the teachings of the New Testament	39:51
	that the Good News of the Kingdom	39:53
	and of the Christ is for all people,	39:55
	rich and poor, slave and free, male and female,	39:58
	every race, every social, every economic distinction.	40:01
	The Good News is for all.	40:06
	But the New Testament also teaches, very plainly,	40:09
	that the world and its forces,	40:12
	the kingdom of Satan, the principalities	40:14
	and powers of this present evil age,	40:16
	whatever you want to call them.	40:18
	They have set themselves in direct opposition	40:20
	not only to the message of Good News,	40:23
	but even more particularly against those	40:26
	who bring the message and attempt to live it in their lives.	40:28
	As the master's struggle against the forces of evil,	40:33
	so are his disciples called upon	40:36
	to continue that struggle.	40:39
	And unless we are willing to surrender	40:41
	our calling and advocate our commitment,	40:43
	there is a battle to be fought,	40:46
	and the battle lines are drawn.	40:48
	We may not like it, but that's the way it is.	40:51
	Our commitment tells us that we must struggle to the end,	40:55
	to set ourselves in direct opposition	40:59
	to evil and corruption, abuse of power,	41:02
	pursuits of self aggrandizement, prejudice,	41:04
	hatred, all manner and types of evil,	41:07
	anything which stands in the way	41:10
	of the working of God's kingdom,	41:11
	anything which enslaves human beings	41:13
	and prevents them from realizing	41:16
	this new life of the kingdom.	41:17
	These things and those who propagate them,	41:19
	they are the enemy.	41:22
	And we are called upon to fight them	41:25
	against them on beaches and landing grounds,	41:28
	and fields, and streets, and on the hills.	41:31
	What we're being called upon to do, I guess,	41:36
	is to become zealots for the kingdom of God.	41:38
	There is, of course, something romantic	41:42
	about the idea of being a zealot.	41:44
	Dreaming the impossible dream,	41:47
	fighting against impossible odds.	41:49
	But the fact is that you have been	41:52
	around here long enough now and studied	41:53
	Old Testament and New Testament and church history,	41:56
	hopefully, well enough to remember that	42:00
	being a zealot is not always what it's cracked up to be.	42:02
	And the fact of the matter is that there are	42:07
	many dangers inherent in being a zealot.	42:09
	And we must be very alert to those dangers in such a role.	42:13
	Well the pages of history are littered	42:18
	with the bleached bones of those	42:20
	who were zealous but little else.	42:22
	Reminds me of the story of the farmer,	42:25
	back in the days when the iron horse	42:28
	first started going across the land.	42:29
	And the farmer had a railroad	42:32
	that cut right across his pasture.	42:36
	The farmer also had a prized bull.	42:40
	And the prized bull was very protective	42:43
	of anything that came into his pasture.	42:45
	And after a while, having seen that	42:48
	iron locomotive belching cinders	42:50
	and squealing its bells and shrill whistles,	42:53
	the bull decided, "I'm gonna get rid of this thing.	42:59
	"I am going to fight against it."	43:03
	And so one day, as the farmer was	43:06
	out on his porch leaning against one of the pillars,	43:08
	he saw the bull as he heard the wail	43:11
	of the whistle in the distance,	43:15
	and the bull got on the tracks,	43:16
	and he began to paw and his eyes became read,	43:19
	and his nostrils were flared,	43:21
	and he began to breath fire.	43:23
	And as the the locomotive approached,	43:26
	and the bull saw it coming,	43:29
	there came the inevitable collision.	43:32
	You know who won.	43:36
	And the farmer, in his own way, very wise,	43:39
	looked at the bull over in the field	43:43
	sitting there all cockeyed, you know, like that.	43:45
	And he said, "Well, I admire his grit	43:49
	"but damn his judgment."	43:51
	(congregations laughs)	43:54
	Well, if we are not to add ourselves	43:58
	to the list of those who have become	44:04
	zealots and perish because of blind zeal,	44:07
	there are certain cautions which we must take	44:10
	with us in our lives and ministries.	44:13
	And the first caution is that we must	44:16
	learn how to be truly discerning	44:19
	in evaluating situations and methods of operation.	44:21
	We must reject the temptation to follow	44:26
	anything that simply looks good,	44:29
	anything which promises a shortcut	44:31
	to the ultimate goals of the kingdom.	44:34
	Too many zealots develop what some people	44:38
	like to call a knee jerk reaction to	44:40
	ideas and situations and approaches.	44:43
	If something appears to support	44:46
	what the zealots believe in,	44:49
	they tend to hop on the bandwagon	44:50
	with little or not examination or thought	44:52
	as to whether that particular idea	44:55
	or that particular methodology will be	44:57
	truly helpful to the cause,	44:59
	not only just immediately now,	45:01
	but over the long haul as well.	45:04
	The Scripture warned the people	45:08
	of the New Testament Church to test the spirits	45:09
	to see if they really are from God.	45:13
	And knowing that deceit is one of	45:17
	the favorite modes for the operation of evil	45:19
	should make us watchful and alert in these matters.	45:21
	The true zealot, if the true zealot	45:27
	is going to survive, must be discerning.	45:30
	The second caution, and this one is	45:34
	especially onerous to a true zealot,	45:38
	is that we must learn to compromise.	45:42
	In this world, no progress can be made	45:46
	without immediate concessions to achieve ultimate goals.	45:48
	Patience is a virtue, and understanding that the world	45:54
	cannot be remade overnight and that we, individually,	45:58
	are not going to do that remaking by ourselves.	46:01
	Again, I refer to the teachings of the New Testament	46:06
	and the New Testament writers who	46:09
	constantly urge the Christians	46:11
	in the early Church to have hupomone.	46:13
	I'll translate that for those of you	46:18
	who didn't have Greek,	46:19
	and won't even ask that you come back to take it.	46:22
	Patient endurance.	46:25
	Not simply patience, not simply endurance,	46:27
	but patient endurance together,	46:30
	the Word has the idea and the connotation	46:33
	of being patient but never giving up the fight,	46:36
	never giving up the goals in the future.	46:39
	But the danger here, and there is a danger here,	46:43
	is that compromise, by it's nature,	46:47
	can blunt, even soften, one's ideals and goals,	46:49
	and it can cause us to become complacent	46:53
	with a few smaller victories.	46:56
	And we tend to forget the larger	46:59
	and the longer range goals.	47:03
	We must learn to compromise, but we must	47:05
	learn when to do it and how to do it.	47:08
	And that brings us back to the element of discernment.	47:12
	For there is only a very fine	47:16
	between Jeremiah wearing a yoke	47:18
	as a sign for the people to submit	47:21
	to the foreign power of Babylonia,	47:23
	and the fiery challenge of the author	47:25
	of Revelation when he urged the people of God	47:27
	not to burn incense to the Roman State or to Caesar.	47:29
	And finally, as true zealots,	47:36
	we must learn that in the struggle	47:37
	against evil in this world,	47:39
	our methods may not be the only avenue	47:42
	by which success may be achieved.	47:46
	Unfortunately, it is becoming a characteristic of our time	47:50
	that many people, especially those identified	47:55
	with religion and religious causes,	47:58
	have somehow identified their group,	48:01
	and their goals, and their methods	48:03
	as the only legitimate group, the only legitimate goals,	48:06
	the only legitimate methods in the struggle against evil.	48:09
	In fact, some have become even more narrow than that,	48:14
	as to identify only one idea, or one goal,	48:18
	or one method as the only one	48:21
	by which a person's commitment is measured,	48:24
	and the only one of any significance and importance.	48:28
	We must be more open minded than that.	48:34
	We must be open to different ideas,	48:37
	different methods of action,	48:40
	for the world has such a large variety of needs,	48:42
	and evil takes so many diverse forms,	48:44
	that many approaches, and many methods,	48:47
	and many specific goals may be appropriate in the struggle,	48:49
	not just one or two, not even our one or two.	48:53
	And with so many different needs	48:59
	and problems which are facing the world,	49:01
	we have to make decisions about our specific role	49:03
	in the overall struggle against the forces of evil.	49:07
	Where do we plug into the picture?	49:12
	And when faced with such a wide diversity of options,	49:16
	we know what we have to do, don't we?	49:19
	We have to pay our money and take our choice.	49:22
	(congregation laughs)	49:27
	As to our involvement and, specifically,	49:29
	where we fit into the broad picture	49:32
	of the working of God against evil in this world,	49:36
	isn't it time to stop trying to make	49:41
	everybody else over into our own image	49:45
	and acknowledge that there are valid	49:48
	and legitimate contributions which can be made	49:51
	and are being made by person's who are not like us?	49:55
	In the history of the Church,	50:04
	there is a prayer which has usually been	50:07
	written by parents to children,	50:11
	sometimes given by ministers to novitiates,	50:14
	but there is a prayer that I think is especially	50:20
	significant for this time and this place.	50:22
	And I know that one member of this senior class	50:27
	has a letter from his father which includes this prayer.	50:31
	It expresses the father's highest hope for his son's life,	50:35
	and it expresses my highest hope	50:42
	for your life and your ministry.	50:44
	The prayer goes something like this.	50:47
	I'm sure most of you have heard it.	50:49
	Our Father who is in Heaven,	50:52
	hallowed be your name,	50:55
	your kingdom come in the life of my son.	50:58
	If that is to take place,	51:05
	if the kingdom is to take place	51:08
	in your life and my life,	51:10
	it takes courage and commitment	51:12
	in abundance on the part of each one of us.	51:14
	But we can have such courage and commitment	51:17
	if we want to have it.	51:20
	Let us resolve at this time to have	51:23
	that kind of courage and that kind of commitment.	51:26
	Let the Word go out from this place at this time	51:30
	as a warning, or a threat, or a promise to the world	51:33
	that the class of 1981 is coming.	51:36
	And that each member of this class	51:40
	has made a commitment to allow	51:42
	God's Kingdom to come in his or her life,	51:44
	to fulfill the high calling to be	51:48
	Christ's ambassadors to the world,	51:50
	to proclaim to the world the unsearchable	51:52
	riches of Christ our Lord,	51:54
	to work diligently in making people aware	51:56
	that their lives and the life of the world	51:59
	do not have to be as is,	52:01
	but that, in fact, both can be better.	52:03
	I wish I could promise you that	52:07
	by making such a commitment and having such courage	52:09
	that your reward would be fame,	52:13
	and glory, and honor, and riches, but alas I cannot.	52:14
	The consequence for such devotion and dedication	52:20
	is quite frequently frustration, heartache,	52:22
	and at times, even sincere doubt	52:25
	as to whether the cost is worth the result.	52:27
	We remember, however, that many dedicated	52:32
	people of the past have felt those same gnawing doubts.	52:34
	They have preserved, and their	52:37
	influence still changes lives today.	52:40
	The world can be better because	52:44
	we have responded to God's elective call.	52:46
	Our lives can be the means by	52:49
	which others may have better lives.	52:51
	But you say, "How can we know this for certain?	52:54
	"How is accomplishment measured in this endeavor?	52:57
	"Will our success adjudged by how many honors,	53:01
	"or awards, or prizes, or human acclaim	53:04
	"we can accumulate in trophy rooms or in trophy cases?"	53:08
	We already know what Paul said about human values	53:12
	and human rewards when they are piled into one heap.	53:16
	How shall we say it delicately?	53:20
	He says they stink.	53:22
	The answer as to the success of your life	53:25
	and my life lies not in how many honors we accumulate,	53:28
	but in whether the lives of those whom we have touched	53:31
	have become fuller, richer, and more meaningful.	53:34
	Have we helped in some small way to ease hurt,	53:38
	to call for justice and fairness,	53:41
	to give someone purpose and direction for life,	53:43
	to have ourselves lived a life of	53:46
	integrity with courage and commitment?	53:48
	The challenges and the obstacles	53:51
	which face us now are the same challenges	53:53
	and obstacles that the saints have encountered	53:56
	throughout all of the centuries of humankind.	53:59
	And let it be clearly known	54:02
	that we are willing and we are ready	54:04
	to continue in their paths.	54:07
	We are prepared to say to the worst	54:09
	that the world can present, our God,	54:12
	whom we serve, is able do deliver us	54:14
	from your burning fiery furnace, but if not,	54:17
	we shall still not bow down before	54:21
	the idolatrous forces of this world.	54:24
	We shall not sacrifice our integrity.	54:27
	We shall not forsake our commitment to God.	54:30
	We shall fight wherever evil is to be found.	54:32
	First of all, in ourselves, but also in the world.	54:37
	Whether it be in halls of government,	54:40
	in academic communities, in the world,	54:42
	in the Church, in the offices of presidents,	54:44
	or governors, or bishops, or deans,	54:47
	or official boards of churches,	54:49
	we shall fight in suburbs, in rural areas,	54:51
	in inner cities, in all of the institutions of society,	54:54
	everywhere and anywhere there is a need	54:57
	for God's revelation to made known.	55:00
	We shall never surrender.	55:02
	Because we know that there is nothing	55:07
	in all the vast expanse of this created order	55:10
	that can separate us from the love of God,	55:14
	in Christ Jesus our Lord.	55:17
	Amen.	55:21
	(organ music)	55:25
	(chorus drowned out by organ music)	56:05
-	Let us unite our hearts together	1:00:03
	and lift them to God, our Father.	1:00:05
	Almighty God, giver of all things,	1:00:10
	with gladness we give thanks for all your goodness.	1:00:14
	We bless you for the love which has created	1:00:18
	and which sustains us from day to day.	1:00:21
	We praise you for the gift of you son, our savior,	1:00:24
	for whom you have made known your will and your grace.	1:00:27
	We thank you for the Holy Spirit,	1:00:32
	the comforter, for your holy church,	1:00:35
	for the lives of all faithful and good people,	1:00:39
	for the hope of a life to come,	1:00:42
	enable us to show our thankfulness	1:00:45
	by lives that are woely given to your service.	1:00:47
	Here us, my Lord.	1:00:51
	Save and defend your whole church	1:00:53
	purchased with the precious blood of Christ.	1:00:56
	Give its ministers filled with your spirit	1:01:00
	and strengthen it through the Word and holy sacraments.	1:01:03
	Make it perfect in love and in all good works.	1:01:07
	Unite your people in all the world	1:01:11
	that one holy church may bear witness to you,	1:01:14
	the creator and redeemer of all.	1:01:18
	(congregation prays)	1:01:22
	Preserve our nation in justice and honor,	1:01:24
	that we may lead a peaceable life of integrity.	1:01:27
	Grant health and favor to all who bear office in our land,	1:01:30
	and help them to serve this people according to your will.	1:01:35
	(congregation prays)	1:01:40
	Take from us all hatred and prejudice.	1:01:42
	Give us the spirit of love,	1:01:45
	and dispose our days in your peace.	1:01:47
	Prosper the labor of those who take	1:01:51
	counsel for the nations of the world,	1:01:53
	that mutual understanding in common endeavor	1:01:56
	may be increased among all peoples.	1:01:59
	(congregation prays)	1:02:02
	We thank you, holy Lord God,	1:02:05
	that you would bless the schools of the Church	1:02:11
	and all colleges, universities, and centers of research,	1:02:14
	and those who teach and learn in them.	1:02:19
	Bestow your wisdom in such measure	1:02:22
	that people may serve you in church, in state,	1:02:24
	and that our common life would be conformed	1:02:28
	to the rule of your justice and truth.	1:02:30
	(congregation prays)	1:02:34
	Comfort with the grace of your Holy Spirit,	1:02:36
	all who are in sorry, in need, sickness or adversity,	1:02:39
	remember those who suffer persecution for the faith.	1:02:44
	And to all grant a measure of you love,	1:02:48
	taking them into your tender care.	1:02:51
	(congregation prays)	1:02:55
	We remember with thanksgiving	1:02:57
	all those who have loved and served you	1:02:58
	in your church on earth,	1:03:01
	who now rest from their labors.	1:03:02
	Keep us in fellowship with all your saints,	1:03:05
	and bring us, at last, to the joy of	1:03:08
	your heavenly kingdom.	1:03:10
	(congregation prays)	1:03:12
	All these things and whatever else	1:03:14
	you see that we need, grant us.	1:03:16
	Oh Father, for the sake of Him who died	1:03:20
	and rose again, and now lives, and who reigns	1:03:22
	with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one god forever.	1:03:25
	Amen.	1:03:30
-	Hear the Good News.	1:03:42
	Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.	1:03:44
	That is the proof of God's own love toward us.	1:03:48
	In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.	1:03:53
	(congregation prays)	1:03:58
	Glory to God. Amen.	1:04:02
	(congregation chattering)	1:04:18
	The Lord be with you.	1:04:40
	(congregation prays)	1:04:43
	Lift up your hearts.	1:04:44
	(congregation prays)	1:04:46
	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.	1:04:48
	(congregation prays)	1:04:51
	Father, it is right that we should always	1:04:54
	and everywhere give you thanks and praise.	1:04:57
	Only you are God.	1:05:02
	You created all things and call them good.	1:05:04
	You made us in your own image.	1:05:08
	Even though we rebelled against your love,	1:05:11
	you did not desert us.	1:05:14
	You delivered us from captivity,	1:05:16
	made covenant to be our sovereign God,	1:05:19
	and spoke to us through your prophets.	1:05:22
	Therefore we join the entire company of Heaven	1:05:25
	and all your people now on earth in worshiping you.	1:05:29
	(congregation prays)	1:05:34
	We thank you, Holy Lord God,	1:05:51
	that you loved the world so much	1:05:54
	you sent your only son to be our savior.	1:05:56
	The Lord of life came to live among us.	1:06:00
	He healed and taught, ate with sinners,	1:06:04
	and won for you a new people by water and the spirit.	1:06:08
	We saw his glory,	1:06:14
	yet he humbled himself in obedience to your will,	1:06:16
	freely accepting death on a cross.	1:06:20
	By dying, he freed us from unending death.	1:06:24
	By rising from the dead, he gave us everlasting life.	1:06:28
	On the night in which he gave himself up for us,	1:06:34
	the Lord Jesus took bread.	1:06:38
	After giving you thanks, he broke the bread,	1:06:41
	gave it to his disciples and said,	1:06:44
	"Take, eat.	1:06:46
	"This is my body which is given for you."	1:06:49
	When the supper was over, he took the cup.	1:06:53
	Again, he returned thanks to you,	1:06:57
	gave the cup to his disciples and said,	1:07:00
	"Drink from this, all of you.	1:07:03
	"This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood	1:07:06
	"poured out for you and many	1:07:10
	"for the forgiveness of sins."	1:07:12
	When we eat this bread and drink this cup,	1:07:15
	we experience anew the presence	1:07:19
	of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:07:21
	and look forward to his coming and final victory."	1:07:23
	(congregation prays)	1:07:27
	We experience anew, most merciful God,	1:07:33
	the suffering and death,	1:07:37
	the resurrection and ascension of your son,	1:07:39
	asking you to accept this sacrifice	1:07:43
	of praise and thanksgiving,	1:07:46
	which we offer in union with Christ's offering for us,	1:07:48
	as a living and holy surrender of ourselves.	1:07:52
	Send the power of your Holy Spirit on us,	1:07:57
	gathered here out of love for you and on these gifts	1:08:00
	may the Spirit help us to know	1:08:06
	in the breaking of this bread and the drinking of this wine,	1:08:08
	the presence of Christ who gave His body and blood for all,	1:08:13
	and may the Spirit make us one with Christ,	1:08:18
	one with each other, and one in service to all the world.	1:08:22
	Through your son Jesus Christ,	1:08:28
	with the Holy Spirit in your holy church,	1:08:30
	all glory and honor is yours,	1:08:34
	all mighty Father, now and forever.	1:08:36
	Amen.	1:08:40
	And now with the confidence of children of God, let us pray.	1:08:42
	Our Father who art in Heaven, hollowed by thy name,	1:08:46
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:08:51
	on earth as it is in Heaven.	1:08:54
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:08:57
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:09:00
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:09:02
	And lead us not into temptation,	1:09:06
	but deliver us from evil.	1:09:08
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	1:09:11
	and the glory forever.	1:09:13
	Amen.	1:09:16
	Because there is one loaf,	1:09:43
	we, may as we are, are one body.	1:09:45
	For it is one loaf of which we all partake.	1:09:48
	When we break the bread, is it not a means of sharing	1:09:51
	as the body of Christ?	1:09:54
	When we give thanks over the cup,	1:09:59
	is it not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ?	1:10:01
	Let the congregation be seated.	1:10:09
	(organ music)	1:10:13
	(chorus drowned out by organ music)	1:10:56
	Hear, oh my Lord, I see thee face to face,	1:21:45
	hear what I grasp and handle things unseen,	1:21:49
	here grasp with firmer hand eternal grace	1:21:52
	and all they weariness upon thee lean.	1:21:55
	Arise and go the the grace of God	1:21:58
	with new strength for a new day.	1:22:00
	Amen.	1:22:03
	(organ music)	1:22:05
	(chorus drowned out by organ music)	1:22:12
	Where there is faith, there is peace.	1:27:02
	Where there is peace, there is love.	1:27:06
	Where there is love, there is God.	1:27:09
	And where there is God, there is no need.	1:27:12
	Go in that new life, and may God bless you.	1:27:17
	Amen.	1:27:22
	(chorus drowned out by organ music)	1:27:25
	Too soon we leave, the symbols disappear.	1:31:59
	The feast, though not the love, is passed and gone.	1:32:04
	The bread and wine removed, but God is here,	1:32:09
	nearer than ever, still our shield and sun.	1:32:12
	Go now, knowing that God remains with you always.	1:32:17
	Amen.	1:32:22
	(organ music)	1:32:24
-	Let us pray.	1:34:18
	You have given yourself to us, Lord.	1:34:21
	(congregation prays)	1:34:25
	Your love has made us a new people.	1:34:27
	(congregation prays)	1:34:30
	Your glory has filled our hearts.	1:34:34
	(congregation prays)	1:34:38
	Amen.	1:34:41
-	The charge to the class of 1981	1:34:57
	is in terms of identification.	1:35:01

-	You are also to be men and women of courage,	0:03
	courage to fulfill your high calling, courage to be nothing	0:07
	less than that which God calls each of you to be.	0:12
	I charge you to be men and women of commitment and courage.	0:17
	I charge you also to be men and women of compassion.	0:22
	For Christians are people who care, and perhaps the	0:27
	greatest authority in our world in the next decades will be	0:32
	the authority of people who care.	0:36
	I charge you to be compassionate, caring people.	0:40
	And I charge you to be competent, for what has been	0:44
	accomplished in your years in the Divinity School should be	0:49
	in part the developing of competence for ministry.	0:54
	I charge you to develop and use the skills, the knowledges,	0:59
	and the patterns of personal growth that will continue your	1:05
	education far beyond tomorrow.	1:07
	For your education has not ended.	1:11
	Your competence is not yet sufficient for the tasks which	1:14
	come to you.	1:17
	Be men and women of competence, of compassion,	1:19
	of courage and commitment,	1:25
	as you carry the name of Duke University	1:28
	and its Divinity School throughout your life of Christian	1:30
	ministry, in the name and in the spirit of Jesus Christ,	1:34
	our Lord. Amen.	1:38
-	In response to this charge by Dean Jones, will the	1:49
	graduates of the 1981 please stand and join with me	1:51
	in the Graduates Prayer.	1:55
	As ministers and pilgrims who stand in the midst of an	1:59
	ending and a beginning, O Lord, we pray.	2:03
	May we learn to serve You with complete humility in the	2:07
	trials to come.	2:10
	May our lives seem less important in our sight than the	2:12
	mission which You have given us.	2:16
	Grant us the courage never to turn away from proclaiming	2:19
	the entire design that is Your will for Your people.	2:23
	Guide us to carefully watch over those whom You have	2:28
	entrusted to our care.	2:31
	We have found already that we are expected to be always	2:34
	ready to answer anyone who seeks the reason for the hope	2:38
	that is within us, in the spirit of truth and love.	2:42
	Give us the knowledge and wisdom to answer.	2:48
	Help us to witness to Your will for the church with courage	2:51
	and tenderness before those who do not believe	2:56
	and turn from Your love.	2:59
	In our hunger, feed us with the bread of life.	3:02
	In our thirst, lead us to Your spring of living water.	3:05
	In our darkness, illumine us and be our light.	3:10
	Jesus, whose name means Savior, we ask You,	3:14
	bless us and be with us now	3:18
	and in the coming years of ministry,	3:21
	for You are the Way, the Truth and the Life,	3:25
	and our eternal hope. Amen.	3:28
-	All rise.	3:38
	The fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus said to his	3:45
	disciples, "I tell you, lift up your eyes and see how the	3:48
	fields are already white for the harvest."	3:53
	May God bless you in all your labors in the fields.	3:56
	And now to the One who is able to do exceedingly abundantly	4:03
	above all that we can ask or think, according to the power	4:06
	which is at work within us, unto God be glory in the church	4:10
	through Jesus Christ, throughout all ages,	4:16
	world without end. Amen.	4:19
	(♪ organ music)	4:24
	(♪ congregation singing "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name)	5:01
	(♪ organ music)	8:53

Item Info

Title:

Peter J. Gomes - Divinity School Baccalaureate Service (May 9, 1981)

Description:

The call to ministry requires that we have deep commitment and great courage. The powers and principalities of this world have set themselves in opposition to those who are ministers of the Gospel, and so they must be prepared for battled; they must be zealots for the Kingdom of God. Even so, this zeal must be tempered by three things: 1.) It must learn to be truly discerning; 2.) It must learn to compromise; 3.) It must keep in mind that its methods may not be the only avenues to success. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 32:33. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 01:43.
Key quotation: “If the kingdom is to take place in your life and my life, it takes courage and commitment in abundance on the part of each one of us.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4th8c21n

Date:

May 9, 1981

Speaker:

Gomes, Peter J.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1156
ref7528_3vj
uachapelsermaud
duke:320320
dcrau002033
ark:/87924/r4th8c21n
6c4796fe-6826-4e5a-a911-51596d614482

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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English

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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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Peter J. Gomes - Divinity School Baccalaureate Service (May 9, 1981)

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Duke University Archives

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