Robert T. Young - "Church May Happen Anywhere" (November 25, 1973)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(orchestral music) | 0:05 | |
(choir singing) | 0:28 | |
- | If we say that we are without sin, | 3:31 |
the truth is not in us. | 3:34 | |
Therefore, let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God, | 3:37 | |
Almighty and most merciful Father, | 3:42 | |
we have heard and strayed from thy ways | 3:45 | |
like lost, sheep, | 3:48 | |
we have followed too much the devices | 3:50 | |
and desires of our own hearts. | 3:53 | |
We have offended against thy Holy laws. | 3:55 | |
We have left undone those things, | 3:59 | |
which we ought to have, | 4:01 | |
and there is no health in us, | 4:03 | |
but thou Lord have mercy upon us | 4:05 | |
miserable offenders, | 4:08 | |
spare thou those of God who confess their faults | 4:10 | |
restore thou those who are penitent, | 4:14 | |
according to thy promises | 4:17 | |
declared unto mankind | 4:19 | |
in Christ Jesus our Lord, | 4:21 | |
and grant almost merciful Father for his sake | 4:24 | |
that we may hear after live a godly, righteous, | 4:28 | |
and sober life | 4:32 | |
to the glory of thy holy name, amen. | 4:33 | |
Let's take a moment for our own personal confessions. | 4:38 | |
The Lord is gracious and merciful, | 4:52 | |
slow to anger and abounding | 4:55 | |
and steadfast love. | 4:57 | |
This is a message we have heard from him | 5:00 | |
and proclaim to you | 5:02 | |
that God is light | 5:05 | |
and in him is no darkness at all. | 5:07 | |
If we walk in the light | 5:10 | |
as he is in the light, | 5:12 | |
we have fellowship with one another | 5:14 | |
and the blood of Jesus his son | 5:17 | |
cleanses us from all sin. | 5:19 | |
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, | 5:23 | |
who of his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins | 5:26 | |
to all those who turn to him with true repentance | 5:30 | |
and sincere faith, | 5:34 | |
have mercy upon you, | 5:36 | |
pardon and deliver you from all your sins, | 5:38 | |
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, | 5:41 | |
and bring you everlasting life | 5:44 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 5:47 | |
Our Father, who at in heaven, | 5:52 | |
hallowed thy name, | 5:55 | |
thy kingdom Come, | 5:58 | |
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | 5:59 | |
Give us this day, our daily bread | 6:04 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 6:07 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us | 6:10 | |
and lead us not into temptation, | 6:14 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 6:16 | |
For thine is the kingdom | 6:19 | |
and the power | 6:21 | |
and the glory forever and ever, amen. | 6:22 | |
(orchestral music) | 6:32 | |
(foreign music) | 7:33 | |
Hear the word of God written in the gospel. | 9:48 | |
According to Matthew 7:13-27. | 9:51 | |
Enter by the narrow gate. | 9:59 | |
For the gate is wide | 10:01 | |
and the way is easy, | 10:03 | |
that leads to destruction, | 10:06 | |
and those who enter by it are many. | 10:09 | |
For the gate is narrow | 10:13 | |
and the way is hard | 10:14 | |
that leads to life, | 10:17 | |
and those who find it are few. | 10:19 | |
Beware of false prophets, | 10:23 | |
who come to you in sheep's clothing | 10:25 | |
but inwardly are ravenous wolves. | 10:27 | |
You will know them by their fruits. | 10:31 | |
Are grapes gathered from thorns, | 10:35 | |
are figs from thistles. | 10:38 | |
So, every sound tree bears good fruit, | 10:41 | |
but the bad tree bears evil fruit. | 10:45 | |
A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, | 10:49 | |
nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. | 10:53 | |
Every tree that does not bear fruit | 10:57 | |
is cut down | 11:00 | |
and thrown into the fire. | 11:02 | |
Thus, you will know them by their fruits. | 11:05 | |
Not everyone who says to me, | 11:09 | |
'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, | 11:11 | |
but he who does the will of my Father | 11:16 | |
who is in heaven. | 11:20 | |
On that day many will say to me, | 11:22 | |
'Lord Lord, did we not prophesy in your name | 11:25 | |
and cast out demons in your name | 11:30 | |
and do many mighty works in your name?' | 11:33 | |
And then I will declare to them, | 11:37 | |
'I never knew you, | 11:39 | |
depart from me you evil doers.' | 11:41 | |
Everyone then who hears these words of mine | 11:45 | |
and does them will be like a wise man | 11:48 | |
who built his house up on a rock. | 11:52 | |
And the rain fell, | 11:55 | |
and the floods came, | 11:57 | |
and the winds blew | 11:58 | |
and beat up on that house. | 12:00 | |
But it did not fall, | 12:02 | |
because it had been founded on the rock. | 12:04 | |
And everyone who hears these words of mine | 12:07 | |
and does not do them | 12:10 | |
will be like a foolish man | 12:12 | |
who built his house up on the sands. | 12:14 | |
And the rains fell, | 12:17 | |
and the floods came, | 12:20 | |
and the winds blew | 12:21 | |
and beat against that house, | 12:23 | |
and it fell, | 12:25 | |
and great was the fall of it. | 12:26 | |
Here endeth the mornings lesson. | 12:30 | |
(orchestral music) | 12:34 | |
(choir singing) | 12:43 | |
Let us say together. | 13:19 | |
our affirmation of faith, | 13:21 | |
we believe in God | 13:24 | |
who has created and is creating, | 13:26 | |
who has come in the true man Jesus | 13:29 | |
to reconcile and make new | 13:32 | |
who works in us and others by his spirit. | 13:36 | |
We trust him. | 13:40 | |
He calls us to be in his church | 13:41 | |
to celebrate his presence, | 13:45 | |
to love and serve others, | 13:47 | |
to seek justice and resist evil, | 13:50 | |
to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen | 13:53 | |
our judge and our hope | 13:57 | |
in life in death. | 14:00 | |
In life beyond death, | 14:03 | |
God is with us. | 14:05 | |
We are not alone. | 14:07 | |
Thanks be to God. | 14:09 | |
The Lord be with you. | 14:11 | |
congregation | Let us pray. | 14:13 |
- | Let us pray. | 14:14 |
Almighty God, | 14:21 | |
Father of all mercies, | 14:23 | |
We thy unworthy servants do give thy most humble | 14:25 | |
and hearty thanks. | 14:29 | |
For all by goodness and loving kindness to us, | 14:31 | |
and to all men. | 14:34 | |
We bless thee, | 14:36 | |
for our creation, preservation | 14:37 | |
and all the blessings of this life, | 14:40 | |
but above all | 14:44 | |
for thine and inestimable love | 14:45 | |
and the redemption of the world | 14:47 | |
by our Lord Jesus Christ. | 14:49 | |
For the means of grace | 14:51 | |
and for the hope of glory. | 14:53 | |
And we beseech thee, | 14:55 | |
give us that do sense of all thy mercies, | 14:57 | |
that our hearts may be infinitely thankful. | 15:00 | |
And that we show forth thy praise | 15:04 | |
not only with our lips, | 15:06 | |
but in our lives, | 15:08 | |
by giving up ourselves to thy service. | 15:10 | |
And by walking before thee, | 15:13 | |
in holiness and righteousness, | 15:15 | |
all our days. | 15:17 | |
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, | 15:19 | |
to whom with thee, | 15:21 | |
and the holy spirit, | 15:23 | |
be all honoring glory world without end, amen. | 15:24 | |
Remember Oh Lord, thy church upon earth, | 15:31 | |
deepen her influence | 15:34 | |
and extend her power for good. | 15:36 | |
Till the kingdoms of this world | 15:38 | |
become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ. | 15:41 | |
We pray for our beloved land | 15:45 | |
for our leaders and governors. | 15:48 | |
And for all who have part in public service, | 15:51 | |
make them pure in motive, | 15:55 | |
wise in counsel | 15:58 | |
and strong in action, | 16:00 | |
doing right in the fear of thy holy name. | 16:02 | |
Father in heaven, | 16:07 | |
look down in mercy upon our distraught | 16:08 | |
and fevered world. | 16:11 | |
Forgive the mistaken ambitions, | 16:13 | |
the selfish passions | 16:16 | |
and the presumptuous claims of men. | 16:18 | |
Remove all suspicion and bitterness | 16:21 | |
from among the nations, | 16:24 | |
bring them to peace | 16:26 | |
and Concord by the redeeming love of Christ. | 16:27 | |
Have mercy, Oh Lord, | 16:32 | |
upon those who are passing through sour trial, | 16:34 | |
the poor, | 16:38 | |
the sick, | 16:39 | |
the anxious, | 16:40 | |
the oppressed, | 16:41 | |
those who are in danger from the fury of the elements | 16:43 | |
or from the violence of men. | 16:46 | |
Inspire in us and in our fellow men, | 16:50 | |
the will to help our suffering brethren, | 16:53 | |
heal, protect, | 16:56 | |
and strengthen them according to their need, | 16:58 | |
comfort those in sorrow with the comfort, | 17:01 | |
which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. | 17:04 | |
And today, | 17:08 | |
remember thy faithful servant John Fitzgerald Kennedy, | 17:09 | |
Oh Lord, according to the favor, | 17:13 | |
which the embarrassed unto thy people | 17:15 | |
and grant that increasing in knowledge | 17:18 | |
and love of thee, | 17:20 | |
he may go from strength to strength | 17:21 | |
in the life of perfect service, | 17:24 | |
In thy heavenly kingdom. | 17:27 | |
And we pray for our own dear ones | 17:29 | |
where soever they might be at. | 17:32 | |
That surrounded by thy love, | 17:35 | |
they may be kept in health and joy | 17:37 | |
and abide in safety and peace. | 17:41 | |
And O gracious Father who through thy mercy | 17:45 | |
has added another day to our lives. | 17:48 | |
We hear dedicate both our souls | 17:51 | |
and our bodies to thee, | 17:53 | |
and thy service | 17:55 | |
in a sober, righteous, | 17:57 | |
and godly life. | 17:59 | |
In which resolution do thou merciful God | 18:02 | |
confirm and strengthen us. | 18:05 | |
That as we grow in age, | 18:08 | |
we may grow in grace | 18:10 | |
and in knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. | 18:12 | |
But O God, | 18:18 | |
who knows the weakness | 18:19 | |
and corruption of our nature, | 18:20 | |
and the manful temptations, | 18:22 | |
which we daily meet with. | 18:24 | |
We humbly beseech thee, | 18:26 | |
to have compassion on our infirmities | 18:28 | |
and to give us the constant assistance of thy holy spirit, | 18:31 | |
that we may be effectually restrained from sin | 18:36 | |
and incited to our duty. | 18:40 | |
Imprint upon our hearts, | 18:42 | |
such a dread of thy judgment | 18:45 | |
and such a grateful sense of thy goodness to us. | 18:47 | |
As may make us both afraid and ashamed to offend thee, | 18:50 | |
and above all, | 18:55 | |
keep in our minds a lively remembrance of that great day | 18:56 | |
in which we must give a strict account | 19:01 | |
of our thoughts, words, and actions | 19:03 | |
to him who has appointed | 19:07 | |
the judge of quick and the dead | 19:09 | |
by son, Jesus Christ our Lord. | 19:12 | |
In particular, | 19:16 | |
we implore thy grace | 19:17 | |
and protection for the ensuing day. | 19:19 | |
Keep us temperate in all things | 19:22 | |
and diligent in our several callings. | 19:25 | |
Grant us patience under our flections. | 19:28 | |
Give us grace to be just and upright | 19:31 | |
in all our dealings, | 19:34 | |
quiet and peaceable, | 19:36 | |
full of compassion, | 19:38 | |
and ready to do good to all men | 19:40 | |
according to our abilities | 19:43 | |
and opportunities. | 19:45 | |
Direct us in all our ways, | 19:47 | |
defend us from all dangers and adversities | 19:50 | |
and be graciously pleased to take us | 19:53 | |
and all who are dear to us | 19:56 | |
under thy Fatherly care and protection. | 19:58 | |
These things, | 20:02 | |
and whatever else thy shall see to be necessary | 20:03 | |
and convenient to us. | 20:06 | |
We humbly beseech thee | 20:08 | |
do the merits and mediation of thy son, | 20:10 | |
Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. | 20:13 | |
(kid coughing) | 20:32 | |
If I should sound a wee bit horse this morning, | 20:35 | |
it's simply because I was one of those 45,000 or so, | 20:40 | |
who yelled lustily | 20:47 | |
yesterday afternoon. | 20:51 | |
And my sentiments were expressed perfectly | 20:54 | |
by some man sitting a couple rows behind us. | 20:57 | |
When, with some two minutes to go, | 21:00 | |
he yelled how sweet it is. | 21:03 | |
Will you turn your attention to a word of scripture, | 21:10 | |
As it is found in the gospel, | 21:16 | |
according to Matthew 7:14. | 21:18 | |
The gate is narrow | 21:24 | |
and the way is hard | 21:28 | |
that leads to life, | 21:31 | |
and those who find it are few. | 21:35 | |
Life, and those who find it are few. | 21:40 | |
These are words of delight | 21:45 | |
or words of doom. | 21:49 | |
Life, and those who find it are few. | 21:52 | |
These are words of fulfillment | 21:58 | |
or are words of frustration. | 22:00 | |
Life, and those who find it are few. | 22:06 | |
These are words of hope | 22:13 | |
or words of hopelessness. | 22:16 | |
Life, and those who find it are few. | 22:20 | |
Life, and Jesus, | 22:25 | |
I think means more than breathing. | 22:26 | |
Life, and Jesus indeed means more than food and water. | 22:31 | |
Life, and surely Jesus means more than clothing, | 22:38 | |
life, and Jesus, | 22:41 | |
I believe touches at the heart of the purpose | 22:43 | |
of the church of Jesus Christ. | 22:46 | |
For church is where persons that is men, | 22:50 | |
women, boys, and girls find life. | 22:54 | |
Church is where persons may become whole. | 23:00 | |
church is where the lonely find a sense of presence. | 23:04 | |
Church is where in the company of others, | 23:08 | |
you find meaning. | 23:11 | |
Church is that place where others | 23:14 | |
help you become who you really are. | 23:18 | |
Church is as George Weber put it, | 23:24 | |
that place where when others find out who I really am, | 23:27 | |
they find me lovable. | 23:31 | |
After all, | 23:34 | |
church where you can be you. | 23:38 | |
I can be me | 23:41 | |
and we can love | 23:42 | |
and be loved. | 23:43 | |
After all life, church, | 23:44 | |
why if being in church means finding life, | 23:49 | |
discovering life, knowing life, living life, | 23:52 | |
becoming who we really are, | 23:55 | |
why church may happen anywhere. | 23:57 | |
And I say, praise be to God. | 24:00 | |
Yes, indeed. | 24:03 | |
Church may happen anywhere. | 24:04 | |
Life and those who find it are few. | 24:08 | |
It was Pascal who once wrote, | 24:12 | |
'when I consider the shortness of my life | 24:16 | |
with an eternity before it | 24:20 | |
and an eternity behind it, | 24:22 | |
I am astonished that I live now | 24:26 | |
rather than then | 24:29 | |
and here rather than there.' | 24:31 | |
Life and those who find it are few. | 24:36 | |
Stephen Vincent Benet once said, | 24:40 | |
'life is not lost by dying. | 24:43 | |
Life is lost minute by minute, | 24:48 | |
day by dragging day | 24:50 | |
in all the thousand small uncaring ways.' | 24:52 | |
Life is precious. | 24:59 | |
Life is valuable. | 25:02 | |
Life is irreplaceable. | 25:04 | |
Life is meaning. | 25:07 | |
Life is loving. | 25:09 | |
Life is serving. | 25:11 | |
Life is wanting, hoping, caring, | 25:12 | |
giving life. | 25:15 | |
And those who find it are few. | 25:18 | |
And Carlyle Marney's latest book, | 25:22 | |
"The Coming Faith", he writes, | 25:24 | |
'I was learning the facts of how, | 25:25 | |
an eyes list claim that all of life begins | 25:29 | |
and ends with a gasp for air through a snout.' | 25:33 | |
We have all begun life with a gasp for air, | 25:41 | |
through a snout. | 25:46 | |
And then what, | 25:48 | |
and then what I say, not in judgment, | 25:53 | |
but in sadness. | 25:58 | |
Sadness, because it seems to me that there are so few of us | 26:00 | |
who really do find life. | 26:04 | |
And part of my sadness comes from a feeling | 26:09 | |
that we in the church are most judgemental. | 26:11 | |
When we hear these words, | 26:14 | |
which I just read from Jesus. | 26:16 | |
We think we are the ones who have found life. | 26:18 | |
Many of you have, | 26:25 | |
some of us have not. | 26:28 | |
I heard recently that all preaching, | 26:33 | |
is either arrogance or confession or both. | 26:37 | |
This sermon may be arrogance. | 26:45 | |
It may be some confession, | 26:47 | |
or it may be both. | 26:50 | |
The words of Jesus in Matthew 7:14 | 26:53 | |
used to strike terror | 26:56 | |
and fear into my heart. | 26:58 | |
As a little, I heard them preached by fired up. | 27:02 | |
Well, meaning fire and brimstone preachers | 27:06 | |
who wanted to scare the hell out of me, | 27:09 | |
and get me on the straight and narrow road. | 27:12 | |
And as a little boy, | 27:18 | |
and as a teenager, | 27:19 | |
I had visions and dreams of some long narrow, | 27:20 | |
very narrow path, | 27:24 | |
leading upward to heaven. | 27:27 | |
And if I stayed on it, I'd make it. | 27:29 | |
If I fell off | 27:32 | |
or stepped off | 27:33 | |
or strayed off | 27:34 | |
or was pushed off | 27:35 | |
or was led off, | 27:36 | |
I had had it. | 27:37 | |
In other words, I was doomed | 27:38 | |
And I could see that little bitty narrow gate | 27:42 | |
that I had to get through. | 27:45 | |
And I'm not being facetious at all. | 27:48 | |
When I say that my body in its present state | 27:49 | |
would not get through. | 27:52 | |
And as I look around this morning, | 27:52 | |
I see a few others who might not have gotten through. | 27:55 | |
I was told to look around me | 28:03 | |
at the non-Christians. | 28:06 | |
At those who were outside the church, | 28:09 | |
at those who had never been save | 28:11 | |
those who had never repented | 28:14 | |
and confessed their sins | 28:15 | |
and been baptized | 28:17 | |
and joined the church. | 28:18 | |
They were on the wide road, | 28:19 | |
the easy and carefree road toward destruction. | 28:22 | |
And if I wanted to keep from being like them, | 28:26 | |
I'd better come in | 28:29 | |
and I'd better come in now | 28:30 | |
for tomorrow, maybe too late. | 28:31 | |
What a dreadful, | 28:34 | |
horrible, fearful | 28:36 | |
picture to have in a child's mind | 28:38 | |
of what it is to know God | 28:41 | |
and to find life. | 28:43 | |
How awful? | 28:46 | |
And besides that it was all the future, | 28:48 | |
the pain and the struggle, | 28:51 | |
and the worry of walking on this narrow path | 28:53 | |
were real for now, | 28:55 | |
but the joy and the fulfillment | 28:57 | |
and the wholeness of life | 28:59 | |
were beyond, and we're much later, | 29:00 | |
we're beyond death. | 29:03 | |
Now, perhaps none of you has ever had such a picture | 29:07 | |
of these words. | 29:12 | |
Some of you may have. | 29:15 | |
But I've had to come a long way | 29:18 | |
to the point where these words could speak fully | 29:20 | |
and meaningfully to me | 29:23 | |
and they do now. | 29:25 | |
The gate is narrow | 29:28 | |
because life is worth straining through to get. | 29:31 | |
It is not narrow | 29:37 | |
because God only wants a few of us to get in, amen. | 29:38 | |
The way is hard, | 29:48 | |
because life is hard for all persons. | 29:53 | |
Do you know anybody who has an easy time | 30:00 | |
have it in life? | 30:05 | |
The road is hard even for those quote | 30:14 | |
on the way to destruction | 30:18 | |
and perhaps God have mercy on us all. | 30:20 | |
Maybe it's hardest of all for them | 30:23 | |
or for us. | 30:26 | |
Those who find life or few, | 30:32 | |
not because life is not available to all. | 30:35 | |
Not because all could not find life. | 30:39 | |
Not because God's grace | 30:43 | |
and mercy | 30:45 | |
and forgiveness | 30:46 | |
and acceptance | 30:47 | |
and love are not present for all. | 30:48 | |
Because I believe that if life is available for one, | 30:51 | |
if the gate opens for one person, | 30:54 | |
it must swing wide for every person. | 30:56 | |
Life is available for all few. | 31:02 | |
However, find it as a matter of fact, | 31:06 | |
few of us really even look for much from life. | 31:10 | |
We expect little | 31:13 | |
and we get little, | 31:16 | |
We seek little | 31:19 | |
and we find little, | 31:20 | |
we knock on few doors | 31:23 | |
and consequently few doors open. | 31:25 | |
Now Jesus is saying here, | 31:28 | |
'I think life is yours.' | 31:30 | |
It really is available to you and to me, | 31:34 | |
find it. | 31:39 | |
Few of us do. | 31:43 | |
Now that's a whole lot different from saying, | 31:45 | |
only a few get in. | 31:47 | |
And different from saying that | 31:49 | |
God doesn't want us all in, | 31:51 | |
or it's different by a long shot | 31:53 | |
from saying that God is going to close some of us out. | 31:55 | |
No, it is not God's choice. | 32:02 | |
The choice is ours, | 32:06 | |
your choice and my choice. | 32:08 | |
And this means that you and I may still, | 32:10 | |
or if you have found life, | 32:14 | |
it means that you may continue to find life. | 32:16 | |
Victor Frankel who suffered unbearably | 32:21 | |
during the second world war | 32:24 | |
in a German concentration camp, | 32:26 | |
says that, 'every person has one last freedom | 32:28 | |
that no one and nothing can take away. | 32:30 | |
Each person still has the freedom. | 32:34 | |
He says, to choose one's attitude | 32:36 | |
in any given set of circumstances.' | 32:39 | |
That is every person has the freedom | 32:42 | |
to choose one's own way. | 32:44 | |
You and I have the freedom | 32:47 | |
to choose our own way. | 32:50 | |
It was Henry Ward Beecher who once wrote, | 32:53 | |
'God asks no person whether or not he will accept life.' | 32:55 | |
That is not your choice. | 33:00 | |
The only choice is how. | 33:02 | |
And so we come to the purpose of the church. | 33:12 | |
The purpose of this fellowship of believers | 33:15 | |
gathered here in duke chapel this morning. | 33:18 | |
The purpose of any Christian group. | 33:21 | |
The purpose of the existence of this beautiful building | 33:24 | |
with its awesome beauty | 33:28 | |
and majesty and inspiration. | 33:30 | |
Our purpose, | 33:32 | |
to receive, | 33:36 | |
and then to share | 33:38 | |
the love of God we see and know | 33:41 | |
in Jesus Christ, | 33:45 | |
or our purpose to find life, | 33:48 | |
and then to help others find it also. | 33:55 | |
Ren's Price. | 34:01 | |
Who many of you know, | 34:02 | |
author and member of this faculty | 34:03 | |
writes and a generous man. | 34:05 | |
'I have learned my lesson | 34:09 | |
that the worst thing of all | 34:12 | |
is not paying your debts | 34:13 | |
and not paying on time.' | 34:14 | |
You got to give people what they need in time, | 34:17 | |
not years, too late. | 34:20 | |
And so as we together here today, | 34:24 | |
between thanksgiving | 34:25 | |
and the beginning of advent | 34:27 | |
between thanksgiving and Christmas, | 34:30 | |
we have some debts to pay. | 34:32 | |
Our biggest debt is simply to be the church | 34:37 | |
and to help church happen | 34:43 | |
Wherever you are. | 34:45 | |
For church is where another person | 34:47 | |
can be himself or herself | 34:50 | |
and be loved by you. | 34:53 | |
After all, | 34:54 | |
church is where others can help you | 34:56 | |
become who you really are. | 34:59 | |
Will you see? | 35:05 | |
None of us has arrived. | 35:08 | |
No one has really reached his | 35:11 | |
or her full potential. | 35:13 | |
We are all in the process of becoming | 35:15 | |
we're all still trying to find life | 35:18 | |
more of life, | 35:21 | |
life at its fullest. | 35:23 | |
The woman wrote her pastime, she said, | 35:27 | |
'if I had to answer one of those signs, | 35:30 | |
one sees on the highway, are you saved? | 35:32 | |
I would have to say, no, | 35:37 | |
for I don't have the feeling that | 35:40 | |
that is an accomplished fact.' | 35:42 | |
I am not changed. | 35:46 | |
I am changing. | 35:48 | |
God is constantly making me aware that this is a long pull | 35:50 | |
and that I am not in good condition. | 35:55 | |
I need every bit of help, I can get, | 35:59 | |
I am changing, Changing. | 36:04 | |
Samuel Miller says, | 36:09 | |
'this is the nature of a live human being, | 36:10 | |
namely to become.' | 36:13 | |
This is the mark of freedom. | 36:16 | |
The Imago dei to become. | 36:19 | |
Church is where, in the midst to finding, | 36:25 | |
becoming, changing, | 36:30 | |
we come to know that God loves us | 36:32 | |
and accepts us just as we are. | 36:36 | |
We don't have to work for acceptance or love. | 36:40 | |
We don't have to prove our value | 36:45 | |
or worth or goodness | 36:47 | |
or ability, | 36:49 | |
we are who we are. | 36:51 | |
And it was for persons like you and me, | 36:54 | |
that Jesus Christ showed how much God loves us | 36:56 | |
while we were yet sinners | 37:00 | |
we are and will be Christ died for us. | 37:02 | |
Now I know why there are few of us who find life. | 37:09 | |
We think we have to work for it, | 37:18 | |
while we work for everything else. | 37:20 | |
We think it's something we earn. | 37:25 | |
We do all we can. | 37:28 | |
We work hard as we can. | 37:29 | |
We drive like fury | 37:31 | |
and fight like dogs | 37:32 | |
to prove that we can get life, | 37:34 | |
to prove that we are really worth something. | 37:36 | |
But do you know | 37:41 | |
it's not the work we do | 37:42 | |
that proves we are worth something, | 37:43 | |
that really proves anything, | 37:47 | |
for we have worth you do and I do | 37:51 | |
and value and meaning | 37:54 | |
not because of what we do, | 37:57 | |
but because God has put worth | 37:59 | |
and value and meaning in us. | 38:02 | |
Life and purpose | 38:07 | |
and satisfaction | 38:10 | |
and fulfillment are a part of life, | 38:11 | |
yours and mine. | 38:14 | |
We don't have to struggle | 38:17 | |
and sweat | 38:18 | |
and fight | 38:19 | |
and drive ourselves | 38:20 | |
and walk ourselves frantically to have life. | 38:21 | |
We only have to discover it. | 38:24 | |
Find life. | 38:26 | |
Jesus says, 'knock, seek, ask.' | 38:28 | |
But there's an important point | 38:36 | |
I want all of us to get though. | 38:37 | |
And that is that for 99 and 44, | 38:44 | |
100% of us, | 38:47 | |
others have to help us find life. | 38:49 | |
In fact, I'm all most convinced | 38:54 | |
that you can't really find life alone | 38:57 | |
and neither can I. | 39:01 | |
And this is precisely why church | 39:03 | |
is so important. | 39:06 | |
For church is where persons are becoming, | 39:08 | |
who they really are. | 39:11 | |
This is why church may happen anywhere. | 39:15 | |
Why it could happen here. | 39:20 | |
George Batrick once told his Harvard university | 39:25 | |
chapel congregation. | 39:28 | |
'You'd better be careful | 39:30 | |
when you come to church here, | 39:32 | |
for you may be apprehended by that for which, | 39:38 | |
you are ready to be apprehended.' | 39:41 | |
And so if I may use Batrik's words, | 39:46 | |
then you better be careful. | 39:48 | |
When you walk around, wherever you go, | 39:52 | |
for you may be ready to be apprehended. | 39:55 | |
You may be apprehended, | 39:58 | |
by God | 40:01 | |
by that for which you are ready to be apprehended. | 40:03 | |
A newspaper, religion editor | 40:09 | |
who reported regularly on various churches | 40:11 | |
and their services was asked once. | 40:15 | |
If he saw any difference in the churches, | 40:17 | |
He thought a minute in a replied, | 40:23 | |
'Yes I do. | 40:25 | |
In some of them I find love, | 40:30 | |
In others I do not.' | 40:35 | |
Church may happen anywhere. | 40:40 | |
Church may happen here, | 40:44 | |
no guarantee, | 40:47 | |
but it may happen here. | 40:50 | |
Church may happen in your home. | 40:54 | |
Church may happen between two sisters | 40:59 | |
or two brothers | 41:03 | |
or brothers and sisters. | 41:05 | |
Church may happen in a bible study group, | 41:09 | |
or where you work | 41:14 | |
Or drink coffee | 41:17 | |
or eat lunch, | 41:19 | |
or study English, | 41:21 | |
or do research | 41:23 | |
or get gas for your car. | 41:25 | |
And I'm even bold enough to say, | 41:29 | |
husbands look out, | 41:30 | |
church may even happen between you | 41:32 | |
and your wife, | 41:36 | |
or it was for this cause, | 41:41 | |
that Christ lived, | 41:45 | |
was crucified | 41:47 | |
and rose again. | 41:49 | |
That church might happen to you | 41:51 | |
and to me. | 41:57 | |
And then that we might help church | 41:58 | |
to happen to someone else. | 42:01 | |
'For where two or three are gathered in my name, Jesus says, | 42:06 | |
there am I,' | 42:10 | |
or he says low, | 42:14 | |
'I am with you always, | 42:17 | |
or he says life.' | 42:23 | |
And those who find it are few. | 42:27 | |
Let us pray, | 42:34 | |
O God, | 42:40 | |
May we be sensitive to your presence | 42:43 | |
in such a way | 42:46 | |
that church really may happen between you and us, | 42:50 | |
and then between our neighbors and ourselves. | 42:59 | |
May we know truly that we are accepted, | 43:05 | |
and then be truly accepting of others. | 43:12 | |
In the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. | 43:21 | |
Amen. | 43:26 | |
(orchestral music) | 43:32 | |
(choir singing) | 44:16 | |
(orchestral music) | 47:14 | |
(choir singing) | 47:56 | |
(orchestral music) | 49:52 | |
(choir singing) | 50:33 | |
(orchestral music) | 51:28 | |
(choir singing) | 51:50 | |
(orchestral music) | 53:23 | |
(choir singing) | 54:31 | |
O God, most merciful in gracious | 55:49 | |
of who is about, | 55:52 | |
we have all received. | 55:53 | |
Accept this offering of thy people | 55:55 | |
remember in thy love | 55:58 | |
those who have brought it | 56:00 | |
and those for whom it is given. | 56:02 | |
And so follow it with thy blessing | 56:05 | |
that it may promote peace | 56:08 | |
and good will among men | 56:09 | |
and advance the kingdom of our Lord and savior | 56:12 | |
Jesus Christ, amen. | 56:15 | |
(orchestral music) | 56:21 | |
(choir singing) | 57:06 | |
Let us pray. | 1:00:22 | |
And now may the peace of God, | 1:00:24 | |
which pass of all understanding, | 1:00:25 | |
keep your hearts and minds | 1:00:28 | |
and the knowledge | 1:00:30 | |
and love of God | 1:00:31 | |
and of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, | 1:00:32 | |
and the blessing of God Almighty | 1:00:36 | |
The Father, The Son, | 1:00:39 | |
and The Holy Ghost, | 1:00:40 | |
be amongst you | 1:00:42 | |
and remain with you always, amen. | 1:00:43 | |
(bell rings) | 1:00:50 | |
(orchestral music) | 1:01:15 |
Item Info
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