Sante Uberto Barbieri - "The Need for a New Reformation" (November 9, 1959); Bishop Paul N. Garber - "The Poor Wise Man" (February 8, 1959) / Duke Chapel Recordings / Duke Digital Repository

-

Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own,

0:16

but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind

0:25

and straining forward to what lies ahead.

0:32

I press on for the goal, for the prize

0:37

of the upward call in Christ Jesus.

0:43

Let those of us who are mature be thus minded,

0:50

and if in anything you are otherwise minded,

0:55

God will reveal that also to you.

0:59

Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

1:04

Dear brethren, as you have heard from these

1:12

words of St. Paul, taken from his letter to the Philippians,

1:18

he says that what he was aiming at all time

1:25

was to press on toward that goal,

1:33

which was proposed to him by God, in Christ Jesus.

1:38

Our goal is always in sight as it was in sight for St Paul.

1:46

But of course we are limited in our powers

1:55

and limited in our knowledge,

2:00

and we shall never be able to reach it completely.

2:04

At least until the day

2:12

when God will establish his kingdom on earth

2:16

as it is in heaven.

2:20

As it is with individual life,

2:24

so it should be with the church as a whole.

2:28

The church also should always be pressing towards the goal,

2:34

because there is a goal for individual,

2:43

and there is a goal for the church also.

2:48

St. Paul said that he had learned not to look behind

2:55

to what was left behind,

3:01

but that his earnestness was always to look forward,

3:05

to greater, to deeper, to better things.

3:12

He would fix his eyes on Jesus and on his colleagues.

3:18

And so it should be with the church at large.

3:27

I sometime am afraid that the church looks too much behind

3:32

forgetting to look at Jesus and to the world around.

3:39

To the call which comes to us in this present days,

3:46

in the midst of which we are living.

3:52

We have been remembering a few days ago, the reformation,

3:57

led by Luther in the 16th century.

4:03

And it was worth remembering

4:11

because certainly it was a great religious revolution

4:17

in the church.

4:23

And we have inherited values which we cannot discard,

4:25

which we cannot leave aside, which we cannot forget.

4:31

But we should consider that at our own times,

4:38

we should consider our needs,

4:44

and our special calling as a church.

4:47

Now, if we read into history correctly,

4:53

we shall see that the Protestant Reformation

5:01

was an answer to the times in which it appeared.

5:04

It was closely related to conditions which existed then.

5:13

And we should review from time to time,

5:23

the assumptions of the reformation,

5:29

what the reformation did stress and ask us.

5:33

If the things which the reformations stresses

5:38

out of the gospel are the things which we

5:42

should stress today in the face of the world,

5:46

in the midst of which we are.

5:51

You will remember that one of the tenets

5:55

of the reformation was that,

5:58

many saved only by the grace of God.

6:01

He saved only by faith, by abandoning himself completely

6:06

into the hands of God, because God has done in Christ

6:14

everything that should be done

6:20

for the salvation of every individual.

6:22

And we do not deny the value of this biblical assertion.

6:27

The value of this first thing

6:33

in the creed of the Protestant church,

6:37

that we live by faith and by faith only.

6:40

But in the Bible it is said also

6:45

that there is something beyond faith,

6:50

something which is more permanent than faith,

6:54

even deeper than faith, and that is love.

7:02

And our age so full of hatred and rivalries,

7:10

and antagonistic powers,

7:16

and ways of destruction needs to know

7:19

that there is like gospel of love, of redeeming love.

7:24

A gospel which not only saves the individual,

7:30

but a gospel, and the only gospel which can save humanity

7:35

because we should not only be preoccupied

7:43

with our own personal individual,

7:49

which is a thing that we, in which we should be preoccupied,

7:52

but we should look to other people

7:58

who are in the same needing which we are.

8:04

And to that vast mass of man and woman throughout the world

8:08

which we call humanity.

8:13

Do we also Christians, rely in military power

8:18

for the salvation of the world?

8:26

Sometime I have this impression,

8:30

that more than in the love of God,

8:35

we trust in military power.

8:41

And we should not forget,

8:47

that even military men are saying to us

8:50

constantly and those who are making those weapons,

8:55

that our modern weapons will destroy humanity,

9:02

will never save humanity.

9:06

That those weapons will not solve our problems,

9:11

that they will wipe out our world

9:16

if we do not watch our steps.

9:19

If we are not willing to pay the price

9:23

which love asks from us.

9:27

We still live in a world which believes too much

9:34

in the law of old which was abrogated by Jesus,

9:38

that law which said,

9:45

an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

9:47

But Paul says to us, as he said to his brethren of Corinth,

9:53

I will show you a still more excellent way,

10:01

the most excellent way that most excellent way

10:07

is the way of love,

10:13

the love of God which leads to love as one another,

10:15

as he loved us in Christ.

10:20

We should remember that this is the new commandment

10:25

that Jesus gave us, that we should love one another,

10:28

not as we would love one another, but as he loved us,

10:33

with the love of the cross,

10:40

the love which goes to sacrifice life

10:42

in order to save even our enemies.

10:47

So we have a right as Christian to speak about enemies.

10:51

We have only to think of other people,

10:59

no matter what their ideals are.

11:04

As men and women for whom Christ died.

11:08

Men and women whom we have to love with the same love

11:14

with which Christ loved us.

11:22

Another tenet that we find in the Protestant Reformation

11:27

was certainly the priesthood of all believers.

11:34

That if we believe in Christ by faith only

11:42

that is what is necessary,

11:45

that we do not need to have any human

11:47

or celestial intercessor priest, except Christ himself,

11:51

that we are, each one of us priests, of himself before God.

11:58

And that there is no man,

12:08

no matter how much ordination he may have received,

12:14

that is more of a saint than any other person

12:21

who has believed in Christ Jesus.

12:28

That we all, layman and preachers

12:34

are likewise priests of God.

12:40

You will remember that St. Peter

12:47

makes reference to this priesthood in his first letter.

12:50

And you will remember also what he says

12:57

of the duty of this general priesthood,

13:03

of the assumption, of the obligation of the mission.

13:08

He says that you may declare

13:15

the wonderful days of him who called you out of darkness

13:19

into his marvelous light.

13:26

This priesthood which was given to us,

13:32

to everyone of us who has believed in Christ.

13:37

It is not only for our particular use,

13:43

it was not only that we may have access

13:48

to the throne of God,

13:51

and personally present to him our life.

13:54

But it is on the others side, for the seeking

14:01

and the saving of those who do not know

14:10

of the marvelous light which shone in our hearts and lives.

14:15

Today we have to call again upon Christians everywhere,

14:23

to tell them that there lies the salvation of the world,

14:29

that in the gospel of Jesus is where the man and the women

14:37

will find what ultimately they are seeking for,

14:42

and that we are not to go and give to the nations

14:49

weapons to try to save themselves from other weapons.

14:55

That we have to go out as priests of God,

15:02

with the gospel in our hands.

15:05

We have to put down by love all the curtains

15:11

which separate men from men and nation from nation.

15:17

We are talking about the iron curtain,

15:23

and the banana curtain and the bamboo curtain.

15:26

And there are many other curtains everywhere,

15:32

and you may have some around here too.

15:36

But we have received as priests this gospel

15:40

to put down all these curtains

15:44

and our weapon, as I mentioned first.

15:49

is our, giving of ourselves through love.

15:52

It is not the duty of the ministers,

15:58

of the officials board of the board of missions in New York.

16:01

Every one of us is responsible for

16:07

the evangelization of the world.

16:10

Now is the time for missions.

16:16

Now, when the times are more difficult,

16:19

we should not forget that the church of Christ

16:24

had more power when it had to fight against the lions

16:29

to survive.

16:37

But it was through the lions, and through prayer,

16:41

and through believing in the love of God

16:49

that it was triumphant.

16:54

The reformation gave us a new insight in theology.

16:59

Our way age requires a new insight in evangelism

17:05

and mission.

17:12

The cry within us, which was in the heart of St. Paul.

17:15

Woe unto me, if I do not preach the gospel.

17:20

For brethren if we should consider seriously this morning

17:26

that out of every four person in this world,

17:33

three are not Christians.

17:36

That the other religions of the world are coming up

17:39

as a mighty force against Christianity.

17:42

That we have many other movements.

17:47

We would rise up as only one mighty army,

17:50

to go and tell the people here,

17:55

in this Christ crucified and resurrected, is your salvation.

17:59

I had a great thrill few months ago

18:07

when the telephone rang in my office

18:14

and a man said, "You do not know me.

18:19

"I am a stranger, almost a stranger to the church,

18:24

"and I have a tremendous necessity to talk to you.

18:30

"Will you receive me, when will you receive me?

18:35

"I am in a urgent mood to know something."

18:38

And so he came that afternoon to speak to me.

18:46

And he said, "I am a surgeon.

18:51

"I am a captain of the Argentine Navy.

18:55

"And throughout my life,

19:00

"I have felt a hunger and a thirst for something

19:02

"above the common things of life,

19:09

"above money and above success in position.

19:12

"And I have tried to find something

19:17

"which might satisfy myself.

19:19

"And there was a time when I wanted to separate myself

19:23

"from society.

19:27

"And I went into a monastery

19:28

"to find out if I could find Christ and peace

19:31

"and something for which I could give my life."

19:37

He said that, "After the few months

19:42

"I had to leave the monastery disappointed

19:44

"because I did not find what I wanted

19:48

"and I almost lost the little faith that I had.

19:50

"Until about one year ago,

19:56

"I was passing in front of a Protestant church

20:01

"and I heard some hymn, which was being sung,

20:04

"and I entered and I sat down.

20:10

"And there in that message that I heard that day,

20:15

"I found Christ, and I decided again,

20:19

"to give my life to Christ.

20:24

"But Bishop, I cannot stay where I am.

20:28

"I cannot live only for what I am

20:34

"I have been living up to now.

20:37

"I am not offering myself for the ministry.

20:40

"I want to serve the church with what I am,

20:44

"with what I know as a layman,

20:47

"can the church give me something to do,

20:53

"by which justifies my life?"

20:57

And so we talked some more about it.

21:04

And finally he said,

21:09

"Send me anywhere you want to send me."

21:11

I talked to him about a hospital that we have in Bolivia,

21:16

which is needing mighty badly, some doctors.

21:20

And he said, "I will go and help."

21:24

And this morning while we are here together,

21:29

that man has left the Navy,

21:33

has left everything, every interest

21:37

and without asking for any salary for anything, he is there

21:40

in our hospital in La Paz,

21:46

a 12,000 feet high over sea level,

21:48

preaching the gospel through his hand,

21:54

and his love.

21:58

Something of this passion has to come back to us,

22:00

to every one of us to serve our church,

22:05

not because the church say

22:10

here is a problem that we have to perform,

22:12

that we have to follow something

22:16

which has been handed out to us.

22:19

But here I am, with what I am, with what I possess,

22:24

with what I am have to give everything

22:31

for the salvation of other people who suffer,

22:35

who do not know Christ,

22:39

here and yonder in any part of the world.

22:40

Today we do not have more missionary work

22:46

because we do not have the response from the young people,

22:50

and the young people to go and preach the gospel

22:54

to every creature.

22:58

Our calling is for the church to rise up with this passion,

23:02

which may urge the crying as woe unto me,

23:11

if I do not give testimony of the gospel.

23:22

And then the third thing which I'm indirectly.

23:28

The reformation brought about to us

23:34

the division into the church.

23:38

Of course we can explain, and we can justify the causes

23:42

which led to these divisions,

23:49

and say that there was no other way out.

23:52

And we are not going to discuss this morning

23:58

the reasons of so many divisions in the Christian church,

24:00

but only to state the fact that the prayer of Christ

24:06

before he left his disciples was a prayer for unity.

24:11

And that he said that the world will believe in us

24:19

if we are united one with another

24:23

why we Christians, as he is united with God.

24:26

Now there is no escape from that.

24:35

And Brethren, one thing we have learned,

24:39

those of us who have gone to the missionary fields,

24:42

to the outermost parts of the world.

24:46

That today the Christian church is challenged

24:50

mainly because its divisions.

24:55

Where is the cry?

25:00

Where is the Christian truth, who has it?

25:03

Why do you Christians who say that you have the same Lord

25:09

and are saved by the same salvation

25:14

and have the same book and aim at the same kingdom of God.

25:18

How and why are you not just one body in Christ Jesus?

25:25

And that is the thing that we have to do today.

25:34

All us who called with the name of Christians,

25:38

we have come to an age when we cannot have this luxury

25:43

of living every one apart,

25:51

that we have to join hands and more than to join hands,

25:56

we have to join our hearts and our will,

26:00

and forgetting as St. Paul says,

26:04

the things which are behind,

26:07

fix our eyes and our will,

26:10

and our determination in Christ Jesus our Lord.

26:15

Either we unite, or as a human institution, we shall perish.

26:23

The prayer of our Lord,

26:35

is the prayer which we are hearing this morning

26:37

in this church and everywhere.

26:42

This prayer for unity, not for the sake of unity,

26:45

not because we want a big church, that is not our interest.

26:52

But our interest is that by our love, and our understanding,

27:00

we may reach that perfection of which the Apostle Paul

27:10

was talking to the Ephesians

27:17

and which lesson we read this morning.

27:21

To the perfection of the saints,

27:25

that the saints that we, members of the church,

27:28

may save those who are not into the church.

27:33

You remember the great man of yours, Benjamin Franklin,

27:39

who did not think of himself as being a Christian,

27:47

but who went to hear the great preacher Whitfield

27:52

in Philadelphia.

27:57

That he wrote that, once he had a dream that he had died

27:59

and went to heaven and was at the door of heaven

28:05

looking at those people who were applying to enter.

28:08

And one person came and wanted to go in,

28:14

and St. Peter said, who are you?

28:17

Well, I am a Methodist.

28:20

You are a Methodist, there is no place for Methodists here.

28:22

And then a Baptist came and in they had

28:26

the same answer and the Congregationalist

28:29

and several others until Franklin said

28:32

that he lost his patience with St. Peter and that...

28:35

Well, anyhow who is going to go into heaven?

28:39

If Methodist, and Baptist, and Congregationalist,

28:44

and so many others, you have not admitted.

28:46

And he said, look here,

28:50

the only persons who can enter here are Christians.

28:54

That is a parable,

29:02

but it is a parable with a tremendous lesson.

29:05

We cannot belong to the kingdom of God

29:09

unless we have the faith of Jesus Christ in our heart,

29:14

no matter what may be the name of our denomination.

29:20

Forgetting the things which lay behind.

29:27

I fix my eyes on Christ, and on his call that this may be.

29:34

Also our earnest desire,

29:45

that we may meet all in that kingdom

29:50

for which Christ died on the cross.

29:56

Our father, we thank thee for those who came before us,

30:11

and who fought in thy name their battles

30:18

within their understanding.

30:21

We do not want to minimize their labor,

30:25

we are not trying to judge, oh Lord, their doing.

30:30

That we are hearing thy calling these days,

30:37

and would like for thee to give us the courage,

30:42

not only to believe that in Christ there is salvation.

30:48

But that he gave us a love

30:55

by which we have to love other people,

30:58

no matter where they are and what they are.

31:02

Give us, oh Lord, this passion for the salvation

31:06

of those who do not know Christ,

31:13

in such a way that we may cry out, woe unto me,

31:16

if I do not give witness to the gospel.

31:21

And give us, oh Lord, the courage to forget

31:26

that we belong to a certain denomination,

31:30

so that we may become truly

31:36

members of thy kingdom, and seeking thy kingdom,

31:40

for us and for other people in the world.

31:45

Bless us with this great determination,

31:49

to forget what lies behind,

31:53

and to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ,

31:56

and on our calling for the days

32:01

in the midst of which we are living, for his name's sake.

32:06

-

For our text, I read from Ecclesiastes 9:14-15.

32:17

"There was a little city and few men within it,

32:27

"and there came a great king against it and besieged it

32:32

"and built great bulwarks against it.

32:37

"Now there was found in if a poor wise man,

32:40

"and he by his wisdom delivered the city.

32:45

"Yet no man remembered that same poor man."

32:49

I have often read these verses in Ecclesiastes,

32:54

but it has only been in recent years

32:58

that I've really come to appreciate the significance

33:01

of the message found. in these words.

33:05

The simplicity of the story intrigues me,

33:08

for the writer of Ecclesiastes has described so well,

33:11

the ease with which people soon overlook

33:17

and so easily forget major contributions

33:20

made in great crises by thousands of average persons.

33:24

According to the story, there was an ancient city

33:30

with only a few men to protect it.

33:33

A great king with his army surrounded and besieged the city,

33:37

and because of his power,

33:41

would normally have conquered the city.

33:43

Yet within that city was a poor wise man,

33:46

and by his advice, the city was saved from the enemy.

33:50

And then the writer of Ecclesiastes simply adds,

33:55

"Yet no man remembered that same poor man."

33:59

The message as I say intrigues me,

34:04

for during the seven years

34:07

when I was serving over in the Geneva area,

34:09

I lived with many poor men and women,

34:12

who from a spiritual standpoint, delivered cities,

34:15

but in most cases, their names are already forgotten.

34:18

Let me give you a few examples of what I mean.

34:24

I think this morning of a Methodist deaconess

34:28

at Novi Vrbas, Yugoslavia,

34:31

by the name of Sister Bertha Kettenbach.

34:34

Our Yugoslav Methodist had many difficulties

34:37

during the period of World War II.

34:40

For example, during that period,

34:43

Yugoslavia was invaded by the Hungarians,

34:46

the Bulgarians and the Nazis.

34:49

Then came a civil war and the invasion by the Russians.

34:51

And then the totalitarian regime of Marshal Tito.

34:56

It seemed that our Methodists suffered

35:00

under all of these different regimes.

35:02

Many were forced to flee from the country

35:05

and others were placed in concentration camps.

35:07

Our Methodist church at Novi Vrbas,

35:11

once had about 500 members, but when the war ended,

35:14

we had only a handful of members left

35:18

in that formerly large congregation.

35:21

On my first visit to Yugoslavia at the close of the war,

35:24

I went out to Novi Vrbas.

35:27

I found there only one Methodist worker,

35:30

a deaconess by the name of Sister Bertha Kettenbach.

35:33

I found that she was not only the deaconess,

35:38

but also had charge of a Methodist Home For The Aged.

35:40

There was no conference preacher available for Novi Vrbas,

35:44

and so Sister Bertha was also serving as pastor

35:48

of our Novi Vrbas church.

35:52

And because there were no other Protestant pastors

35:54

in the city of Novi Vrbas,

35:57

Sister Bertha was really the pastor

35:59

for all the Protestants at Novi Vrbas.

36:02

Life was very difficult in Novi Vrbas those days.

36:06

I remember this morning,

36:10

how I sat for hours in the home of Sister Bertha,

36:12

and listened to hair-raising stories told me by our members.

36:16

They told me their suffering during the war period

36:21

and now suffering and fears under the communist regime.

36:25

Many of the members came only to see me up at night

36:29

because they were afraid to be seen visiting an American

36:32

and perhaps be arrested.

36:36

I shall never forget that our conference lay leader

36:38

sent me a note saying that he could not come to see me

36:41

because he had only recently

36:45

been released from a concentration camp,

36:47

and if he were now seen with me,

36:50

he might again be put back into the camp.

36:52

I shall always remember the story told me by a young lady

36:55

by the name of Christine Graph.

36:59

Since she could speak English,

37:02

she could tell me in detail of how good people had suffered

37:03

and were now being mistreated at Novi Vrbas.

37:08

She felt that her life had been saved only

37:12

by the protection given her by Sister Bertha.

37:15

I remember how after telling me her sad story,

37:19

she suddenly said to me,

37:22

"Bishop, I'm going to leave here

37:24

"before something terrible happens to me.

37:26

"When the corn gets high this summer,

37:29

"I'm going to walk across the corn fields

37:32

"into Hungary and then into Austria.

37:34

"And I do not care if they shoot me,

37:37

"for I would rather be dead than remain here."

37:39

More than one year later,

37:43

a young lady came up to me in Budapest, Hungary

37:45

where I was preaching in our little Methodist church.

37:48

And she said to me, "Do you remember me?

37:51

"I am Christine Graph, I was with you in Novi Vrbas,

37:54

"and I escaped across the corn fields

37:58

"just like I told you I would."

38:01

Now her story that she told me that night

38:03

was very typical of the suffering

38:06

of the good people at Novi Vrbas.

38:08

After the people that left that night at Novi Vrbas,

38:12

I had a long talk with our Deaconess Sister Bertha.

38:15

She told me that what the people had said to me was true

38:18

and that there was suffering and fear among our members.

38:22

I thought of the safety of this good deaconess

38:26

and I said to her,

38:28

"Sister Bertha, I do not think it is safe

38:30

"for you to remain here all alone

38:33

"without the protection of a man.

38:35

"If you agree, I will transfer you to Switzerland

38:38

"or to some other safe place in the Geneva area."

38:41

And then she gave me her wonderful statement

38:46

that I shall never forget.

38:49

She said, "Bishop, I think you are correct.

38:51

"It is really not safe here,

38:54

"but I feel that God has called me to this work.

38:56

"And if I left, you have no one to send in my place."

39:00

She said, "If I left here,

39:05

"who would preach the gospel to these needy people,

39:07

"and who would take care of these aged people,

39:10

"and who would tell the citizens about God

39:13

"and Jesus Christ?"

39:16

She said, "Honestly, I cannot leave these people

39:18

"in their suffering."

39:21

And then she added, and I shall never forget what she said.

39:23

She said, "After all Bishop,

39:27

"I lived through all the troubles of the war

39:28

"and God took care of me, and I have faith to believe

39:31

"that God will continue to take care of me in the future,

39:35

"despite the conditions round about me."

39:39

And so even today at Novi Vrbas,

39:42

Sister Bertha Kettenbach from a spiritual standpoint,

39:45

continues to save a city.

39:49

She is still the tower of strength

39:52

to the needy people over there,

39:54

dressed in her simple deaconess outfit.

39:57

She goes about radiating kindness and love

40:00

to all oppressed people.

40:03

I am personally still inspired by Sister Bertha

40:05

and by the reports that continue to come to me

40:09

of her spiritual victories in that out of way place

40:12

of Novi Vrbas, Yugoslavia.

40:15

But the point I wish to make is,

40:18

that although Sister Bertha in the language of Ecclesiastes,

40:21

has saved and is saving a city

40:25

yet only a few people in the world know her name,

40:29

and she will soon be forgotten.

40:32

In a short time after she finally leaves Novi Vrbas,

40:35

it can be said of her,

40:39

yet no man remembered that same poor woman.

40:41

I met another person in Europe who I think delivered a city.

40:46

I refer to Brother Joseph Zarlech.

40:50

A Methodist layman in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.

40:52

When the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia

40:57

and set up the Nazi puppet regime of Slovakia

41:00

with Bratislava as the capital,

41:04

they immediately began an attack upon our Methodist church.

41:07

One of the first acts was to padlock the Methodist church

41:11

in Bratislava, exile our preachers,

41:15

and publicly assert that never again

41:18

will there be a Methodist church in Bratislava.

41:21

And yet Methodism did not die in Bratislava

41:25

because a relatively unknown Methodist layman

41:29

by the name of Joseph Zarlech,

41:32

began the hold secret religious meetings in his own home,

41:34

and despite the Gestapo,

41:39

kept alive our underground congregation

41:41

by serving as pastor and preacher.

41:45

He did not stop there,

41:48

but when no funds could come from our mission board

41:50

to help our Czech Methodist during the Nazi occupation,

41:53

Brother Zarlech gave large sums of money

41:57

to superintendent Ben Cura,

42:01

so that there might be a little salary

42:03

for our half starved Czech preachers.

42:05

By the time the Nazi occupation finally ended,

42:08

Brother Zarlech had given thousands of dollars

42:11

to the needy Methodist preachers of Czechoslovakia.

42:14

When I held the first annual conference in Czechoslovakia

42:18

at the close of the war,

42:22

Brother Zarlech came in a double capacity.

42:24

First as lay delegate from Bratislava.

42:27

And second, as the approved supply pastor.

42:30

I had him give two reports to the conference,

42:33

first as the supply pastor, and then as the lay delegate.

42:36

I then publicly thanked brothers Zarlech,

42:40

for what he had done to save Methodism in Czechoslovakia.

42:43

And I said, "Brother Zarlech,

42:47

"what can I do to show my personal appreciation

42:49

"for your great service?"

42:53

And then he replied,

42:55

just like any American Methodist layman would do, namely,

42:56

"Bishop send us a good preacher."

43:00

We did send a good preacher to Bratislava,

43:03

and Brother Zarlech then became church extension conscious.

43:06

And in a short time, he had provided the funds

43:10

for the founding of a second Methodist church in Bratislava.

43:13

And then came the communist regime into Czechoslovakia

43:18

and Methodism again had to go almost underground,

43:22

but today Brother Zarlech, is keeping Methodism alive

43:26

in Bratislava, under communist rule,

43:30

just as it did under Nazi rule.

43:33

Yes, from a spiritual and even material standpoint,

43:36

Brother Joseph Zarlech has saved and is saving a city.

43:40

Very few people however,

43:44

will ever know about his contributions,

43:46

and in the words of the writer of Ecclesiastes,

43:49

very few people will long remember the name

43:52

of this poor wise man.

43:56

I would like to give only one more illustration.

43:59

On Sunday, October the first 1950,

44:02

I went to Rhone Switzerland,

44:05

to preach on the 100th anniversary

44:06

of the building of our Methodist church in that city.

44:09

Rhone is located on the Bodensee on the border of Austria.

44:13

We had at Rhone, a very fine young Swiss pastor

44:18

by the name of Louis Schrier.

44:22

He had a large congregation at Rhone,

44:24

and had plenty of work to do in his own parish.

44:27

But opposite Rhone, across the Rhine River,

44:31

is the Austrian city of Bregenz.

44:34

And after the close of World War II,

44:37

thousands and thousands of refugees

44:39

were put in the displaced persons camp there at Bregenz.

44:42

Brother Schrier saw that these people

44:47

had no spiritual leadership in those camps,

44:49

and so he went to the Austrian officials

44:52

and secured a permit to do religious work

44:55

among the camps, in the camps.

44:58

He would ride his bicycle across the Austrian border,

45:00

visit with the people in the camps, pray with them,

45:04

and he gave him encouragement in their dark hours.

45:08

Soon Brother Schrier had organized

45:12

a Methodist congregation in Bregenz

45:14

which met in private homes and in refugee barracks.

45:17

Since Brother Schrier had to preach on Sunday

45:22

in his own church at Rhone,

45:24

he made Saturdays into Sundays for the people at Bregenz,

45:26

and held Sunday services on Saturday

45:31

for the refugees in Bregenz.

45:33

Some of the refugees who were helped by Brother Schrier

45:36

were able to migrate to other countries,

45:40

but many were unable and remained in Austria

45:43

and were gradually, came into the Austrian life and economy.

45:46

So this refugee congregation started by Brothers Schrier

45:52

developed into a permanent Methodist congregation.

45:56

On that Sunday when I preached at Rhone,

46:00

the Bregenz Refugee Methodist Church

46:03

came over in a body to the Rhone church.

46:06

I suppose it was the first time in history,

46:09

that the Swiss and Austrian governments

46:12

ever gave a single visa for an entire Methodist congregation

46:14

to cross their borders.

46:19

I asked the congregation from Bregenz

46:21

to stand to be counted,

46:23

and there were more than 200 persons from the congregation

46:25

which Brother Schrier had started only a short time before

46:30

in the displaced persons camps.

46:34

These visiting Methodists were entertained

46:36

after the morning service in the homes of the Swiss layman.

46:39

And then following our afternoon service,

46:43

they were given tea, cake and fruits,

46:46

by the Swiss Methodist,

46:48

before they returned across the border to Bregenz.

46:50

At that tea I walked around among those refugees,

46:54

talked with many of them, heard their stories of suffering,

46:57

but especially listened to their praise of Brothers Schrier

47:01

for giving them spiritual assistance

47:05

and hope for the future.

47:08

Yes, Brother Schrier, a relatively unknown Swiss pastor

47:10

had saved the city for those unfortunate refugees.

47:15

He had done it all alone,

47:19

without 1 cent of missionary appropriation.

47:21

In fact, he fell so in love with this work

47:24

among the refugees that he later gave up

47:27

his good pastorate at Rhone, and became a missionary pastor

47:31

to the Refugee Methodist Church in Bregenz.

47:36

Yes, Brother Schrier really saved a city

47:39

for many needy people,

47:42

but again, in the words of Ecclesiastes,

47:44

very few people will ever will ever know

47:47

or long remember the name of this same poor man.

47:51

Now I need to not continue with other illustrations,

47:55

for the principle holds good in all walks of life.

47:58

In education, in religious and social service fields,

48:02

and in ordinary daily living.

48:06

There are many men and women who daily save cities,

48:09

yet no person long remembers their names.

48:13

It is however, at this point,

48:17

that the writer of Ecclesiastes

48:19

should have added another sentence.

48:21

Namely, that a true Christian does not save cities

48:24

simply to have his or her name remembered.

48:29

Of course, the author of Ecclesiastes

48:32

did not know about Jesus Christ.

48:35

He had never seen how our savior had lived here on earth

48:37

and he had never read the Sermon on the Mount.

48:42

The author of Ecclesiastes was only recording

48:45

typical human nature, namely that people may save cities,

48:49

but their names are soon forgotten.

48:54

But we who call ourselves Christians should remember,

48:57

that our savior never once spoke about

49:02

the value of being remembered by mankind.

49:05

He never made the test of Christian service

49:09

that one's name should be remembered.

49:12

Jesus taught us that service was the normal action

49:15

of a true Christian.

49:19

He spoke about losing oneself in a noble cause.

49:21

It must be remembered that Jesus

49:26

faced the same kind of human nature

49:28

as did the author of Ecclesiastes,

49:31

namely, the desire of people to be praised

49:34

and to be remembered as great leaders

49:38

and to hold places of prominence.

49:41

He faced the problem even among his own disciples

49:43

and closest friends.

49:47

For example, we read in the 20th chapter of St. Matthew,

49:49

how the mother of Zebedee's children came to Jesus

49:53

and asked that her sons James and John

49:57

might sit at the right hand and the left hand

49:59

in the kingdom.

50:02

Now this caused the other disciples to become angry,

50:04

and then Jesus uttered these wonderful words,

50:07

"But whosoever will be great among you,

50:10

"let him be your minister.

50:14

"And whosoever will be chief among you,

50:16

"let him be your servant."

50:18

Yes, 1900 years ago, there were so-called religious people

50:21

who wanted to hold high places

50:26

and to be remembered as great people.

50:28

Jesus wisely reminded them that the true test of greatness

50:31

was not in being remembered or in being honored,

50:36

but in rendering unselfish service to mankind.

50:39

The point I wish to make this morning is

50:44

that from a Christian standpoint,

50:46

it does not make any difference

50:48

whether our names are remembered or not.

50:51

From a Christian standpoint,

50:54

it does not make it a difference

50:56

whether we are called great or not.

50:58

But I do make the point that wherever we are,

51:00

we should be like the poor man in Ecclesiastes.

51:04

We should in days of crises, save cities,

51:08

though no person ever remembers our names.

51:12

But now, after having said that,

51:16

I wish to state that some names are remembered.

51:18

Some names are remembered,

51:22

but really when you think of the millions

51:24

and billions of people who have lived on this earth

51:27

only a relatively few are remembered today.

51:30

And you will notice that those who are remembered

51:34

over a long period are those who stood for a great principle

51:37

in human history which has advanced mankind.

51:42

The few names that are remembered are those of men and women

51:46

who rendered a fundamental service, they became great

51:50

because they were the servants of the people.

51:55

The principles for which they stood were so important

51:58

that their names are remembered

52:02

because the principles which they championed

52:04

and the unselfish service which they rendered.

52:07

Now, who are remembered today?

52:10

Well among our national leaders,

52:14

I remember Thomas Jefferson.

52:16

I have of course forgotten many a things

52:18

that I learned in school about Thomas Jefferson.

52:20

But I shall never forget

52:24

that he wrote the Declaration of Independence

52:26

and that he put into it those words

52:28

that thrilled every American, namely,

52:32

"We hold these truths to be self-evident,

52:35

"that all men are created equal,

52:39

"and are endowed by their creator

52:41

"with certain unalienable rights,

52:44

"that among these are life, liberty,

52:47

"and the pursuit of happiness."

52:50

For seven years, I lived in a part of the world,

52:52

which had been afflicted for centuries

52:55

with the view that a child is born

52:57

into a certain social class.

53:00

According to the old European viewpoint,

53:02

you were born either into the nobility

53:05

or into the commoner class,

53:08

and you were expected to remain forever in that category.

53:10

When I see the tragic results of that system in Europe,

53:14

I thank God for a man like Thomas Jefferson,

53:18

who could put into historic words,

53:22

the convictions of our American forefathers

53:24

that all men are created equal

53:28

and that we are all endowed by our creator,

53:31

with certain inalienable rights,

53:34

among which are life, liberty,

53:37

and the pursuit of happiness."

53:39

And I would add that if Jefferson's message

53:41

would only be accepted by all people in all nations.

53:44

We would not have our present

53:48

international chaotic condition.

53:50

But after all, great as Thomas Jefferson was,

53:53

he is remembered by only a relatively few people

53:56

in the world today.

54:00

In fact, he is not remembered even by all of us Americans.

54:01

Frankly, there is but one, our savior Jesus Christ,

54:06

who is remembered today by the masses of people.

54:11

In fact, we would not be here today

54:16

in this worship service,

54:18

had it not been for our savior Jesus Christ.

54:21

Here is one who has been remembered by mankind

54:25

far more than 1900 years.

54:29

Jesus of Nazareth, even in the 20th century

54:33

is remembered by all races and in all parts of the world.

54:36

In fact, Jesus is known and remembered by more people today

54:41

that he was 500 years ago or even 1000 years ago.

54:47

Now, why do we remember our savior Jesus Christ?

54:52

First he gave to us the highest ethical

54:57

and religious principles mankind has ever received.

55:00

For example, he said to us,

55:05

"Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."

55:07

Now we fail so often to follow that great ethical principle,

55:12

but it is so striking and is so true,

55:16

that we cannot forget it,

55:19

and after we have made our human mistakes

55:21

of being small and petty,

55:23

we are forced to come back to that great teaching

55:26

of our savior, Jesus Christ.

55:29

Then Jesus said that we should forgive our enemies,

55:32

not one time, or seven times, but 70 times seven.

55:36

Here we have failed so often,

55:42

for the human temptation is not to forgive and forget,

55:44

and our world gets in tragic conditions because hatred,

55:48

instead of forgiveness has so often been in the ascendancy.

55:52

We've fail to live up to this great teaching of forgiveness,

55:57

but after nations and individuals

56:00

have made their human mistakes in this field,

56:02

we remember this great principle of our savior,

56:05

and we are forced to begin all over again.

56:09

Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful

56:12

"for they shall obtain mercy."

56:14

We do not live up to that principle,

56:17

and so we have tyranny and totalitarianism in our world.

56:19

Then after we have made our human mistakes in this field,

56:24

we are compelled to return to our savior

56:27

and realize anew, that blessed are the people

56:30

who show a spirit of mercy.

56:34

It is impossible for me to list all the great teachings

56:37

of our savior.

56:40

You know these teachings,

56:42

for you read them in the New Testament,

56:43

and you know from experience and observation

56:45

that they are true.

56:48

But Jesus did more than preach and teach.

56:50

He lived up to the high ethical principles,

56:54

which he proclaimed.

56:57

And we remember our savior today

56:59

because he literally practiced what he preached.

57:02

Jesus said that we should be merciful,

57:06

and that is the way he lived.

57:08

He cared for the poor and the needy,

57:10

and he gave health to the sick

57:12

and he gave sight to the blind,

57:14

and it was said that Jesus wept

57:16

when he saw the needy people of his day.

57:18

Jesus called upon us to live lives of righteousness

57:22

and he gave us an example during his own ministry,

57:26

for no man could find fault with his way of daily living.

57:29

He overcame in his own life,

57:35

the small and petty things of daily living.

57:37

Jesus called upon people to sacrifice for a great cause,

57:41

and then he set the example,

57:45

for he died upon the cross for his ideals

57:47

in order that people like ourselves

57:51

might have an opportunity in life.

57:53

He died upon the cross, and even when being put to death,

57:56

he did pray to his heavenly Father,

58:00

"Father forgive them for they know not what they do."

58:02

Yes, we remember our savior today.

58:07

Here is one who made no attempt from an earthly standpoint

58:10

to be great, but today he is the greatest individual

58:14

whoever walked upon our earth.

58:18

Now what is the conclusion to the entire matter?

58:21

Well I pray that you will not become disillusioned

58:25

in doing good simply because people will soon forget

58:28

about the contributions which you may make.

58:34

It is true, as the writer of Ecclesiastes said,

58:37

that poor wise men and poor wise women

58:41

render great services, but their names are soon forgotten.

58:44

That however should not have any effect

58:49

upon those of us who are related in any way

58:52

to our Duke University,

58:56

for here we are taught by precept and example,

58:58

that the true test of greatness is in rendering

59:01

unselfish service to mankind.

59:05

If we are true followers of Jesus,

59:08

we will never forget his wonderful words that,

59:11

"Whosoever will be chief among you,

59:14

"let him be your servant."

59:17

The point I wish to make is

59:20

that from a Christian standpoint,

59:22

it does not make any difference

59:25

whether our names are remembered or not.

59:27

From a Christian standpoint, it does not make any difference

59:31

whether we are called great or not.

59:36

But I do wish to make the plea that wherever we may be,

59:39

that we will always be like the poor wise man

59:44

in Ecclesiastes.

59:47

That in days of crises, we will save cities,

59:49

even though no person should ever remember our names.

59:54

We thank you our heavenly Father,

1:00:10

for our savior Jesus Christ.

1:00:13

For his coming to this earth.

1:00:17

For bringing us the message of how to live.

1:00:19

For exemplifying in his own life

1:00:22

the way a Christian should live,

1:00:24

and for his sacrifice upon the cross,

1:00:27

that life may be brighter for people like ourselves.

1:00:30

We thank thee for what is meant in our lives,

1:00:34

and our mothers and fathers in our schools our institutions.

1:00:38

And we pray oh heavenly Father,

1:00:42

that our savior may continue to be closer

1:00:44

to the people of this world than ever before.

1:00:46

We thank thee for our Duke University.

1:00:50

We thank thee for the good men and women

1:00:53

who have made it possible.

1:00:55

And we pray that our University may continue always,

1:00:56

to carry out the message of our savior.

1:01:01

That those who will really serve mankind,

1:01:03

must be the servants of mankind.

1:01:06

The love of God the Father,

1:01:15

and the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit

1:01:17

rest and abide upon you all.

1:01:20

Sante Uberto Barbieri - "The Need for a New Reformation" (November 9, 1959); Bishop Paul N. Garber - "The Poor Wise Man" (February 8, 1959)

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives