Robert E. Cushman - Holy Communion (October 7, 1956)

Download
- Rights
- No Re-Use
  In Copyright
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP3
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jq0tb0p?embed=true' height='125px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' loading='lazy' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jq0tb0p
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(church organ music with choir singing)	0:03
	♪ The Lord is in his holy temple; ♪	0:07
	♪ Let all the earth keep silence before him. ♪	0:17
	(church organ music)	0:35
	(choir singing)	1:23
	♪ Holy, holy, holy! ♪	1:24
	♪ Lord God Almighty! ♪	1:27
	♪ Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee; ♪	1:32
	♪ Holy, holy, holy! ♪	1:41
	♪ Merciful and mighty! ♪	1:45
	♪ God in three persons blessed Trinity ♪	1:50
	♪ Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, ♪	2:01
	♪ Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; ♪	2:09
	♪ Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, ♪	2:18
	♪ Who was, and is, and evermore shall be. ♪	2:27
	♪ Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide Thee, ♪	2:38
	♪ Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see; ♪	2:46
	♪ Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee, ♪	2:56
	♪ Perfect in power, in love, and purity. ♪	3:05
	♪ Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! ♪	3:16
	♪ All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, ♪	3:24
	♪ in earth, and sky, and sea; ♪	3:29
	♪ Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty! ♪	3:34
	♪ God in three Persons, blessed Trinity! ♪	3:43
	♪ Amen. ♪	3:55
Priest	Be with you.	4:07
Congregation	And with your spirit.	4:08
Priest	Let us pray.	4:10
All	Almighty God, under whom all hearts are open,	4:18
	all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden,	4:22
	cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration	4:28
	of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee	4:32
	and lovingly magnify thine holy name;	4:37
	through Jesus Christ Our Lord, amen.	4:41
	Oh God, who has prepared for them that love thee,	4:47
	such good things as passed men's understanding;	4:53
	pour into our hearts such love towards thee,	4:58
	that we, loving thee above all things,	5:03
	may obtain thy promises,	5:06
	which exceed all that we can desire,	5:10
	through Jesus Christ Our Lord, amen.	5:14
	(church organ music)	5:26
	Hear the word of God as it is found	6:13
	in Saint Paul's epistle to the Corinthians,	6:18
	the 11th chapter beginning at the 23rd verse;	6:22
	'For I received of the Lord,	6:29
	that which also I delivered unto you,	6:31
	that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed,	6:35
	took bread and when he had given thanks did break it	6:39
	and said, "This is my body which is for you,	6:44
	this do in remembrance of me."	6:50
	'In like manner, also the cup after supper saying,	6:54
	"This cup is the New Covenant in my blood.	6:59
	This do as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me.	7:04
	For as oft as you eat this bread and drink the cup,	7:11
	ye proclaimed and Lord's death till he come."	7:16
	Beloved, today we celebrate the Lord's supper.	7:26
	And it is not only in our beloved chapel	7:32
	that Holy Communion will be celebrated,	7:36
	but throughout a greater part of world Christendom.	7:40
	On such a day as this, when words ought to give way	7:46
	to acts of total self dedication,	7:50
	there is a small opportunity and even doubtful place	7:55
	for very much indoctrination.	8:00
	If what we do here today is to be meaningful,	8:03
	then almost surely the grounds for our actions	8:08
	must rest back upon established convictions	8:13
	that root deep in childhood instruction	8:18
	and family practice.	8:21
	If ever and again	8:26
	there is need of conscious recollection and recall	8:27
	that merely form a usage and familiar custom,	8:32
	may not substitute for vital participation	8:37
	in the sacrament of Our Lord.	8:42
	Over and over, because life has a way	8:46
	of dimming our best insights,	8:49
	we need to recapture the meaning of our activities,	8:53
	lest we lapse into spiritless routine,	8:58
	from which the bloom of earnest participation has departed.	9:02
	This is true in the common affairs of life	9:10
	as it is certainly true in the exalted affairs of religion.	9:13
	So we need to recall, even if briefly,	9:20
	what we do at the Lord's Supper,	9:23
	and we have only one thing to remember today	9:26
	that I would stress, out of many possible ones.	9:30
	It is summed up in Saint Paul's words,	9:37
	"As often as ye eat this bread and drink the cup,	9:41
	ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come."	9:48
	Now this is Paul's account	9:54
	of what we actually do at the Lord's table.	9:55
	We proclaim the Lord's death till he come.	10:00
	And simple as is this statement,	10:05
	it prompts, I think, two questions,	10:09
	which I would like to raise with you.	10:12
	One question is this:	10:15
	What is really meant by proclaiming the Lord's death?	10:17
	And the other question:	10:23
	How do we, how does the Christian really proclaim it?	10:25
	In considering the first question,	10:33
	there's no blinking the fact	10:36
	that death has a strangely central place	10:39
	in the Christian faith and Witness.	10:43
	Even if it is balanced	10:46
	by the good news of the resurrection,	10:48
	even if the final word of Christian faith	10:51
	is not the word about Good Friday	10:55
	but the one about Easter,	10:58
	it is still true St Paul emphatically declared	11:00
	that he preached Christ crucified.	11:07
	And he preached Christ crucified despite the fact	11:11
	that it was then an offense to the Jews	11:16
	and a stumbling block to the Greeks	11:21
	and is even yet, puzzling to most of man.	11:24
	Why should anyone proclaim death?	11:29
	Even the death of Christ?	11:33
	Obviously, all depends on what we understand by death.	11:36
	There is the crux of the matter.	11:42
	For most men, for most of us, death means one thing	11:45
	and something to be avoided.	11:50
	For Jesus, on the other hand,	11:53
	there is a dying, which in spite of appearances,	11:56
	is truly living.	12:00
	And conversely, there is an apparent living,	12:02
	which is really dying.	12:07
	It is urgently necessary,	12:10
	according to our Lord's firm conviction	12:12
	that each one of us distinguish which is which.	12:15
	Now, Jesus once put the whole matter in a memorable way	12:21
	to his apostles, to his disciples,	12:25
	"Whosoever," he said, "whosoever would save his life,	12:29
	shall certainly lose it.	12:34
	And whosoever shall lose his life,	12:37
	for God's sake and the kingdom's, shall certainly save it."	12:39
	Then he added, "What should it profit a man	12:46
	if he gain the whole world and lose his own self?"	12:49
	Now, perhaps you think that my use of Jesus's words	12:58
	and this connection to explain a dying that is truly living,	13:01
	is offering an enigma in place of an explanation.	13:07
	Admittedly, Jesus's words need fuller exegesis	13:13
	then they can be given here this morning.	13:17
	But I think you catch something of our Lord's meaning.	13:20
	It's simply this:	13:25
	Losing the life is only giving it up to God,	13:28
	with whom, and in who's keeping,	13:33
	it cannot finally be lost.	13:37
	And if a cross looms ahead,	13:40
	it is only an apparent dying.	13:43
	And however agonizing,	13:46
	it is the hard and narrow way to life fulfillment	13:48
	in unbroken community with God the Father.	13:54
	Any other way than this was for our Lord, a blind alley.	13:59
	And however broad and attractive it might appear,	14:05
	a blind alley, of which men are forever trending	14:10
	to sole frustration.	14:14
	Cannon Quick, a distinguished churchmen of England	14:19
	once said this:	14:25
	"Men are still debating whether that faith,	14:28
	in which Jesus went to Jerusalem and Calvary,	14:31
	is to be judged as the infatuation of a fanatic	14:35
	or as the deepest insight into the nature of the real,	14:39
	which man has ever attained."	14:45
	Now, it is just this crucial either or,	14:49
	this possibility that our Lord	14:52
	may have been right and most men wrong,	14:55
	it is this, that which has shattered	14:59
	and will always shatter the complacency of the ages of man.	15:01
	But the Christian is one who is convinced,	15:10
	who has made his choice, made up his mind	15:16
	that in Jesus dying and living	15:20
	is to be found the deepest insight	15:23
	into the nature of reality.	15:26
	So he has committed to the dying, which is truly living.	15:30
	And so he proclaims as St Paul affirms:	15:36
	"The Lord's death till he come."	15:41
	Now, in what Manner does the Christian	15:45
	proclaim the death of Christ?	15:47
	That's the second question.	15:51
	How do we, how may we today proclaim the death of Christ?	15:54
	The answer to this second question is really quite plain:	16:01
	The Christian proclaims Christ's death	16:06
	by participating in it,	16:09
	that is, through a living reenactment.	16:12
	He does this by voluntarily identifying himself	16:18
	with the Lord in the sacrament	16:23
	of the broken bread and the cup.	16:25
	And so the Sacrament in which we participate today	16:30
	is representative of the dying of Christ.	16:35
	But it is also representative of the whole Christian life.	16:39
	For in the life of faith, we seek to be united to Christ.	16:45
	in the likeness of his death,	16:51
	that with him, we might partake of newness of life.	16:54
	This is life begun here and now.	17:01
	But because it is life with God the Father,	17:06
	it does belong to it also,	17:11
	an eternal prospect, amen.	17:16
	Let us pray.	17:20
	Almighty God, our heavenly Father,	17:26
	who hast, in Jesus Christ,	17:30
	stripped the veil from our eyes and opened unto us	17:32
	the true way to life eternal,	17:37
	create and strengthen in us	17:40
	the will to be identified with him,	17:43
	in the reception of this holy sacrament,	17:46
	that we may truly proclaim his death	17:50
	by the witness of our lips and the manner of our lives.	17:54
	Through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord, amen.	18:00
	(church organ music)	18:10
	(choir singing)	20:45
	♪ Let us break bread together ♪	20:47
	♪ On our knees; ♪	20:57
	♪ Yes on our knees. ♪	21:00
	♪ Let us break bread together ♪	21:08
	♪ On our knees; ♪	21:17
	♪ Yes on our knees ♪	21:21
	♪ When I fall on my knees ♪	21:29
	♪ with my face to the rising sun, ♪	21:39
	♪ O Lord, ♪	21:49
	♪ Have mercy on me. ♪	21:57
	♪ Oh on me ♪	22:06
	♪ Let us drink wine together ♪	22:14
	♪ On our knees; ♪	22:24
	♪ Yes on our knees ♪	22:30
	♪ Let us drink wine together ♪	22:38
	♪ On our knees. ♪	22:48
	♪ Yes on our knees ♪	22:53
	♪ When I fall on my knees ♪	23:00
	♪ With my face to the rising sun, ♪	23:11
	♪ O Lord, ♪	23:21
	♪ Have mercy on me. ♪	23:26
	♪ Oh on me ♪	23:39
	♪ Let us praise God together ♪	23:45
	♪ On our knees; ♪	23:54
	♪ Yes on our knees ♪	23:57
	♪ Let us praise God together ♪	24:02
	♪ On our knees. ♪	24:10
	♪ Yes on our knees ♪	24:13
	♪ When I fall on my knees ♪	24:21
	♪ With my face to the rising sun, ♪	24:31
	♪ O Lord, ♪	24:43
	♪ Have mercy on me. ♪	24:50
	♪ Oh on me ♪	25:05
	(church organ music)	25:22
	(choir singing)	25:57
	Oh God, who hast given thy self to us,	26:33
	we give ourselves to thee.	26:38
	Let this offering be the symbol of our dedication	26:43
	to thee and to thy son,	26:47
	Jesus Christ Our Lord, amen.	26:51
	(church organ music)	27:04
	He, who do truly and endlessly repent you of your sins,	27:22
	and are in love and charity with your neighbor	27:27
	and intend to lead a new life	27:32
	following the commandments of God	27:36
	and walking from henceforth in his holy ways	27:39
	draw near with faith	27:45
	and take this holy sacrament	27:49
	to your comfort and make your humble confession	27:51
	to almighty God.	27:57
	Let us pray.	28:00
All	Almighty god, father of our Lord Jesus Christ	28:10
	maker of all things, judge of all men,	28:14
	we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness,	28:18
	which we from time to time most grievously have committed	28:23
	by thought, word, and heed against thy divine majesty	28:28
	provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us,	28:33
	we do earnestly repent and are actually sorry	28:38
	for these our misdoings,	28:43
	the remembrance of them is grievous unto us.	28:45
	Have mercy upon us most merciful father	28:49
	for thy son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake	28:53
	forgive us all that is past	28:56
	and grant that we ever hereafter serve and please thee	28:59
	in newness of light to the honor and glory of thy name	29:03
	through Jesus Christ Our Lord, amen.	29:08
Priest	Almighty God, our heavenly father,	29:15
	who of thy great mercy,	29:18
	has promised forgiveness of sins,	29:20
	to all them, that with hearty repentance and true faith,	29:23
	come unto thee, have mercy upon us.	29:28
	Come and deliver Us from all of our sins,	29:34
	confirm and strengthen us in all goodness	29:38
	and bring us to everlasting life,	29:42
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	29:47
	(church organ music)	29:55
	(choir singing)	30:21
	Lift up your hearts.	31:48
Congregation	We lift them up to the Lord.	31:50
Priest	Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.	31:53
Congregation	It is meet and right to do.	31:56
Priest	Let us pray.	31:59
	It is meet right and our bounden duty	32:06
	that we should at all times and in all places	32:11
	give thanks unto thee	32:14
	oh Lord Holy Father Almighty everlasting God.	32:17
	(church organ music)	32:24
	(choir singing)	32:28
	We do not presume to come to this thy table,	33:28
	oh merciful Lord,	33:32
	trusting in our own righteousness	33:35
	but in thy manifold and great mercies	33:38
	we are not worthy so much as to to gather up the crumbs	33:43
	under thy table	33:49
	but thou art the same Lord whose mercy is unfailing	33:52
	grant us, therefore gracious Lord,	33:58
	so to partake of these memorials of thy son Jesus Christ	34:02
	that we may be filled with the fullness of his light,	34:07
	may grow unto his likeness,	34:12
	and may evermore dwell in him	34:16
	and he in us, amen.	34:20
	Almighty God, who art a god of order and of beauty,	34:28
	we dedicate to thy glory	34:36
	and in loving memory of Margaret Lewis,	34:39
	this fair linen cloth	34:44
	for the service of thy son	34:49
	who's table is spread for our benefit, amen.	34:51
	Almighty God, our heavenly father,	34:59
	who of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only son,	35:03
	Jesus Christ, to suffer death upon the cross	35:06
	for our redemption.	35:09
	Who made, thereby, his oblation of himself,	35:11
	once offered a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice	35:13
	for the sins of the whole world	35:17
	and did institute, and in his holy gospel,	35:21
	command us to continue a perpetual memory	35:23
	of his precious death until his coming again.	35:27
	And who, in the same night that he was betrayed,	35:32
	took bread and when he had given thanks,	35:35
	he break it and gave to his disciples saying,	35:40
	"Take, eat, this is my body,	35:44
	which is given for you.	35:50
	Do this in remembrance of me."	35:53
	Likewise, after supper, he took the cup	35:59
	and when he had given thanks,	36:02
	he gave it them saying,	36:04
	"Drink ye all of this,	36:07
	for this is my blood of the new covenant,	36:10
	which is shed for you and for many,	36:13
	for the remission of sins.	36:17
	Do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me."	36:20
	Hear us oh merciful Father, we most humbly beseech thee,	36:28
	and grant that we, receiving these thy creatures	36:32
	of bread and wine according to thy son,	36:35
	our savior Jesus Christ's, holy institution	36:38
	in remembrance of his death and compassion,	36:43
	may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood,	36:46
	that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, amen.	36:52
	(church organ music)	37:05
	Jesus said, "This is my body,	41:31
	which gift for you."	41:36
	Take and eat this in remembrance	41:39
	that Christ died for you and feel him in your hearts	41:41
	by taking with thanksgiving.	41:45
	Jesus said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood."	41:57
	Drink thee all of it in memory that Christ died for you	42:05
	and be thankful.	42:13
	(church organ music)	42:21
	Let us all call unto God our unison prayer of thanksgiving	59:17
	for this table and our prayer of three dedications.	59:22
	Let us pray.	59:27
All	Oh Lord, our heavenly Father,	59:34
	we thy humble servants desire thy fatherly goodness	59:36
	mercifully to accept this, our sacrifice	59:41
	of praise and thanksgiving, most humbly beseeching thee	59:43
	to grant, by the merits and death of thy son,	59:48
	Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood,	59:52
	we and thy whole church, may obtain remission of our sins	59:56
	and all other benefits of his passion	1:00:00
	and here we offer and present unto thee, oh Lord,	1:00:03
	ourselves, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable	1:00:06
	holy and lively sacrifice unto thee,	1:00:12
	humbly beseeching thee that all we,	1:00:15
	who are partakers of this holy communion,	1:00:18
	may be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction	1:00:21
	and, although, we be unworthy through our manifold sins	1:00:26
	to offer unto thee any sacrifice,	1:00:30
	yet we beseech thee to accept this,	1:00:33
	our bounded duty and service,	1:00:35
	not weighting our merits but pardoning our offenses.	1:00:38
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord,	1:00:43
	by whom and with whom, in the unity of the holy spirit,	1:00:45
	all honor and glory be unto thee,	1:00:49
	oh Father almighty, world without end, amen.	1:00:53
	(church organ music)	1:01:00
	(choir singing)	1:01:31
Priest	The peace of God,	1:04:07
	which passes all understanding,	1:04:09
	keep your hearts and minds	1:04:12
	in the knowledge of the loving God	1:04:15
	and of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord,	1:04:18
	and the blessing of God almighty,	1:04:22
	the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit	1:04:26
	be upon you and remain with you always.	1:04:31
	(church organ music)	1:04:39
	(choir singing)	1:04:43
	♪ Amen ♪	1:04:45
	♪ Amen ♪	1:04:52
	♪ Amen, Amen ♪	1:05:01
	♪ Amen ♪	1:05:10
	♪ Amen ♪	1:05:20
	♪ Amen ♪	1:05:31
	♪ Amen ♪	1:05:46

Item Info

Title:

Robert E. Cushman - Holy Communion (October 7, 1956)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 7:26. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 17:18.
In this World Communion Sunday sermon, the preacher tackles two questions: what does it mean to proclaim the Lord's death and how is it that we proclaim it? (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "For in the life of faith, we seek to be united to Christ, in the likeness of his death, that with him, we might partake of newness of life."

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jq0tb0p

Date:

October 7, 1956

Speaker:

Cushman, Robert E.

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

1 Corinthians

Chapter and Verse:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0026
ref5273_aly
uachapelsermaud
duke:324125
dcrau002047
ark:/87924/r4jq0tb0p
c9c67015-2908-4386-9162-241cc18434a0

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.

Rights:

No Re-Use

In Copyright

Rights Note:

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options