Robert T. Young - "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" Easter Service 9:00 am (April 18, 1976)

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	(symphonic music)	0:13
	(person coughs)	1:09
	(symphonic music)	1:16
	(symphonic music)	4:39
	(symphonic music)	7:25
	(choir sings)	9:23
-	The Lord is risen.	11:38
-	The Lord is risen indeed (indistinct).	11:42
-	And a voice from the throne said,	11:45
	"Behold I make all things new."	11:48
	(congregation responds)	11:54
	(gentle piano music)	12:06
	(congregation sings)	12:49
	(symphonic music)	15:56
	(choir sings)	16:28
	(symphonic music)	18:40
	(choir sings)	18:50
	The Lord is risen.	20:19
-	The Lord is risen indeed (indistinct).	20:22
-	Because the Lord is risen,	20:39
	we can find the courage to see ourselves as we are,	20:42
	with the assurance that God is loving and forgiving,	20:49
	and calls us to confess our sins	20:54
	so that we can receive and accept forgiveness.	20:59
	Let us pray.	21:04
	Oh, holy God.	21:08
	On this joyous Easter Sunday,	21:10
	it is difficult for us to confess our sin.	21:13
	We give thanks, we rejoice, we are exhilarant.	21:17
	But we pray, oh, God,	21:23
	that our rejoicing will not blind us	21:25
	to the needs of the world.	21:28
	That our affirmation of the resurrection	21:31
	will not (indistinct) reality of the crucifixion.	21:35
	Break our apathy and our arrogance	21:40
	with the judgment of your law	21:44
	and the assurance of the resurrection faith.	21:47
	Then in mercy (indistinct).	21:51
	Oh, Holy Spirit,	21:54
	causing us as a community	21:56
	to be born a new in Jesus Christ our Lord.	21:59
	(gentle piano music)	22:27
	(choir sings)	22:38
	(symphonic music)	24:00
	Remember Jesus' words:	24:50
	"Your sins are forgiven.	24:53
	"I have come that you might have life	24:56
	"and have life more abundant.	25:00
	"Behold I make all things new."	25:04
	For this, we rejoice and give thanks.	25:09
	(man coughs)	25:17
-	Whether you're here now,	25:19
	the first reading of the scripture,	25:19
	it is found in the Book of Acts.	25:21
	Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham,	25:25
	and those among you that fear God,	25:29
	to us has been sent the message of the salvation.	25:32
	For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers,	25:37
	because they did not recognize Him	25:40
	nor understand the utterances of the prophets,	25:43
	which are read every Sabbath,	25:46
	fulfill these by condemning him.	25:49
	Though they could charge Him with nothing deserving death,	25:52
	yet they asked Pilate to have Him killed.	25:56
	And when they had fulfilled all it was written of Him,	26:01
	they took him down from the tree	26:04
	and laid him in a tomb.	26:07
	But God raised him from the dead.	26:09
	And for many days,	26:12
	He appeared to those who came up with Him	26:13
	from Galilee to Jerusalem,	26:16
	who are now his witnesses to the people.	26:19
	And we bring you the good news,	26:22
	that what God promised to the fathers,	26:24
	this, He has fulfilled to us, their children,	26:27
	by raising Jesus.	26:30
	As also it is written in the 2 Psalm:	26:32
	"Thou art my Son,	26:36
	"today I have begotten thee."	26:38
	Well, the congregation now rise	26:41
	for the reading of the gospel.	26:43
	Now, when Jesus came,	26:50
	He found that Lazarus	26:52
	had already been in the tomb, four days.	26:53
	Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off.	26:57
	And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary	27:01
	to console them concerning their brother.	27:04
	When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,	27:07
	she went and met Him while Mary sat in the house.	27:10
	Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here,	27:14
	"my brother would not have died.	27:18
	"And even now I know that whatever you ask from God,	27:20
	"God will give you."	27:24
	Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."	27:26
	Martha said to Him,	27:32
	"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection	27:33
	"at the last day."	27:36
	Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.	27:38
	"He who believes in me,	27:43
	"though he die, yet shall he live.	27:45
	"And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.	27:50
	"Do you believe this?"	27:53
	She said to Him, "Yes, Lord,	27:56
	"I believe that you are the Christ,	27:58
	"the Son of God,	28:00
	"He who is coming into the world."	28:02
	Then Jesus deeply moved again, came to the tomb.	28:06
	It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.	28:09
	Jesus said, "Take away the stone."	28:13
	Martha, the sister of the dead man said to Him,	28:16
	"Lord, by this time there will be an odor	28:20
	"for he has been dead four days."	28:22
	Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you	28:25
	"that if you would believe,	28:28
	"you would see the glory of God."	28:29
	So they took away the stone.	28:32
	And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said,	28:34
	"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.	28:37
	"I know that thou hearest me always.	28:40
	"But I have said this on account of the people standing by	28:43
	"that they may believe that thou did send me."	28:47
	When He had said this,	28:51
	He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out."	28:52
	The dead man came out;	28:57
	hands and feet bound with bandages,	29:00
	and his face wrapped with a cloth.	29:02
	Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go."	29:05
	(symphonic music)	29:13
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	29:14
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	29:23
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	29:28
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	29:33
-	Let us with one voice,	29:52
	affirm our fate in one of the ancient creeds	29:53
	of the church:	29:57
	I believe in God, the Father Almighty,	30:00
	creator of heaven and earth.	30:03
	And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,	30:06
	who was conceived by the Holy Spirit.	30:10
	Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	30:13
	was crucified, died, and was buried.	30:18
	He descended into hell.	30:22
	The third day, He rose again from the dead.	30:24
	He ascended into heaven,	30:28
	and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.	30:30
	Thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.	30:34
	I believe in the holy spirit,	30:38
	the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,	30:41
	the forgiveness of sins,	30:46
	the resurrection of the body,	30:49
	and life everlasting.	30:51
	Amen, amen, amen.	30:54
	The Lord be with you.	30:58
-	And with your spirit.	31:01
-	Let us pray.	31:02
	Oh, holy God, oh, loving God,	31:13
	oh, suffering God, God of mercy and justice,	31:18
	we rejoice that you came to us in human form,	31:24
	that you know our temptations, our pain,	31:30
	our suffering, our joys, our hopes.	31:32
	We give you thanks for Jesus who lived	31:37
	and died as one of us.	31:39
	We give thanks for the assurance we celebrated Easter,	31:42
	that nothing can separate us from your law.	31:45
	Not despair, not defeat, not pain,	31:49
	not rejection, not failure.	31:54
	But our memories are short, oh, God,	31:58
	and we need to be reminded daily, weekly.	32:02
	We give thanks for this day when we celebrate	32:07
	that death did not destroy	32:11
	or conquer Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer.	32:14
	But in our joy and exhortation,	32:19
	we are surprised that there is a sadness, a darkness.	32:23
	For we are still struggling,	32:29
	we can separate ourselves from each other and from You.	32:33
	So we leave before you,	32:40
	those who are separated from those they love	32:44
	by conflict or anger	32:48
	or illness or death,	32:52
	and those who are separated from your law.	32:56
	We leave before you,	33:03
	those families whose lives have been shattered	33:04
	by terrible tragedies, oh, God.	33:07
	Those persons whose great courage	33:13
	and being obedient to your will	33:15
	has brought to them times of hardship and persecution.	33:18
	We pray for your holy church, the body of Christ,	33:26
	which is fractured and broken daily.	33:30
	I know God, we especially pray for those persons	33:34
	who cannot worship in a community on this Easter;	33:38
	those who through no choice of their own have	33:43
	to remain at home or in a hospital,	33:46
	sick in mind or body.	33:49
	And we remember those who are caring for them;	33:53
	send your healing and comforting grace	33:58
	so that in their apartness,	34:02
	they may feel united	34:06
	with all who worship you on this day.	34:07
	Hear us as we bring to You, our personal chaos.	34:13
	Some of us are facing limits and disappointments	34:19
	in our relationships, in our jobs, in our studying.	34:23
	Help us to accept our human limitations	34:30
	of our own finitude, integrity, and commitment,	34:34
	in ways that are redemptive	34:38
	for us and for all.	34:40
	But, oh, God, give us courage to break	34:43
	through those limitations of exploitation,	34:47
	destructive power, and sensitivity,	34:52
	which we or others impose on us and others.	34:56
	Some of us, oh, God, are facing temptations	35:02
	in our personal relationships,	35:04
	in our jobs, in our studying.	35:07
	We are tempted to betray ourselves and You	35:10
	as we seek easy success or quick pleasure.	35:16
	Give us vision, wisdom, strength, and patience.	35:22
	Send your holy spirit to us;	35:29
	your spirit who brings us life,	35:32
	your spirit who helps us love,	35:36
	your spirit who makes all we do,	35:41
	not easy, but full of meaning.	35:45
	Hear us now as we pray the prayer	35:50
	that Jesus taught us, his disciples, to pray:	35:55
	our father who art in heaven,	36:01
	hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,	36:04
	thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.	36:09
	Give us this day, our daily bread.	36:14
-	And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those	36:18
	who trespass against us,	36:22
	and lead us not into temptation,	36:25
	but deliver us from evil.	36:28
	For thine is the kingdom,	36:30
	the power and the glory (indistinct).	36:32
-	I'm sure you joined with all of us	36:40
	to give thanks for the new robes	36:42
	which the choir is wearing today.	36:44
	They add to the glory in the beauty of this Easter worship.	36:46
	And it is appropriate on this Easter	36:51
	when we celebrate the possibility of life,	36:53
	that there are some people, concerned Christians,	36:57
	who will be standing outside of the chapel,	37:00
	asking that we affirm	37:02
	that human values must outweigh military claims	37:06
	as our government determines its priorities.	37:12
	This is the glorious Easter Day.	37:16
	We give thanks for the beauty of the music,	37:20
	for the beauty of the world,	37:23
	the glory of the singing.	37:25
	Let us continue our celebration of Jesus' resurrection	37:27
	that we all might have life.	37:33
-	In the name of God, who creates us,	37:52
	redeems us, and sustains us, amen.	37:55
	Our birth and death are easy hours like sleep	38:02
	and food, and drink.	38:08
	The struggle staggers us for bread,	38:12
	for pride, for simple dignity.	38:15
	And this is more than fighting to exist,	38:18
	more than revolt and war, and human odds.	38:21
	There is a journey from the me to you,	38:25
	there is a journey from the you to me.	38:28
	A union of these two strange worlds must be.	38:31
	Our life and death are easy hours.	38:38
	There is a journey from the me to you,	38:40
	there is a journey from the you to the me.	38:43
	Easter, April 18th, 1976,	38:47
	Easter, the day of resurrection,	38:51
	our words acclaim it, our songs sing of it,	38:54
	our prayers speak to it,	38:57
	our creeds affirm it,	39:00
	our hearts and minds want to feel and know it.	39:01
	But Easter, what is it?	39:05
	What is the day of resurrection?	39:09
	What is Easter?	39:12
	Anyhow, Easter is a name.	39:14
	A name given to a certain 24-hour period	39:17
	that we remember and recall,	39:19
	named after the Goddess of Spring.	39:21
	Only a name.	39:24
	What's in a name?	39:26
	Easter is a day; a day to which we look forward,	39:29
	a day of beauty.	39:33
	And how much more glorious could Easter Day be than today?	39:34
	A day which reveals the best	39:38
	and the deepest of our faith to us,	39:40
	a day which gives meaning to our lives.	39:42
	What kind of meaning?	39:46
	Easter is an occasion;	39:49
	an occasion of gladness and goodness, and joy.	39:52
	An occasion when we wear our finest and look our best.	39:56
	An occasion commemorated for over 1900 years now.	40:00
	What is it we remember?	40:04
	Easter is an event, a recurring event,	40:08
	an event that has been described in detail	40:11
	and debated decisively for centuries.	40:14
	An event that draws us and captivates us.	40:17
	What is there that draws us?	40:22
	Easter is a celebration;	40:25
	a celebration where we exchange rejoicing for mourning,	40:27
	light for darkness,	40:32
	quiet on the alter for the purple of penitence,	40:35
	life for death celebration.	40:38
	Easter is a continuing presence;	40:43
	the presence of the ever-living, ever-loving,	40:46
	ever-real Son of God and Son of Mary,	40:49
	the presence of Jesus, who is the Christ, the Messiah,	40:52
	our Christ, our Messiah.	40:57
	And so we come today, to this glorious Easter.	41:02
	Phillips Brooks, great preacher of another generation,	41:07
	begins when he calls simply,	41:12
	an Easter sermon with the words,	41:13
	"There is only one subject for today.	41:15
	"Upon this morning,	41:19
	"when the grave was broken and Jesus Christ arose,	41:20
	"Jesus' resurrection with all that it means for us,	41:23
	"must claim our thoughts.	41:26
	"Instinctively, the minds of us all turned that way.	41:30
	"Many feel a certain sense of exaltation,	41:35
	"the leaping of some unknown spiritual possibility	41:38
	"when Easter morning bursts upon earth; Easter."	41:41
	How very much has happened in three days.	41:49
	It's been an incredibly long time since Friday, remember?	41:53
	Remember Friday, in the darkness just before dawn,	41:57
	the soldiers came to the garden?	42:01
	Judas showed them Jesus with a kiss?	42:04
	"I never knew the man," he said.	42:09
	And in the background, the cock crowed a third time.	42:11
	"Are you the king of the Jews?" the man asked.	42:16
	He replied simply, "You have said it."	42:19
	"Which one shall I release to you?	42:24
	"Barabbas or Jesus?"	42:26
	"Barabbas."	42:30
	"What then shall I do with Jesus?"	42:32
	"Crucify him, crucify him."	42:34
	It's been a long time since Friday.	42:40
	And they're on a place called Golgotha.	42:45
	They crucified Him.	42:49
	"Father, forgive them.	42:52
	"Today, you should be with me in paradise.	42:58
	"Woman, behold your son.	43:03
	"My God, why have you forsaken me?	43:09
	"I thirst.	43:14
	"Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit."	43:17
	It is finished.	43:24
	It's been a long time since Friday.	43:30
	Have you ever noticed how long time can seem	43:35
	during some very crucial, life-changing moments?	43:38
	Sure.	43:42
	You take an exam that you're not prepared for.	43:43
	And I hope none of those are coming up.	43:46
	But you take an exam that you're not prepared for	43:48
	and that hour lasts forever.	43:51
	The few seconds between the birth of a baby	43:56
	and that baby's first cry seem endless.	43:58
	You expect a call from someone you love	44:05
	and it doesn't come at the agreed upon time.	44:07
	And the wait,	44:09
	even though it's just a few moments, is interminable.	44:10
	You wait near the sick room of a loved one	44:15
	who is near death.	44:17
	You wait on the word from the doctor,	44:20
	and that clock on the wall just seems to stop.	44:22
	Yes, it's been a long time since Friday.	44:28
	It had been a long time, a sorrow, real sorrow,	44:34
	sorrow, even unto despair,	44:37
	as one of them said to Jesus, not knowing who He was,	44:38
	"We had hoped that this man was the one."	44:42
	Sorrow, even to despair.	44:46
	The same kind of sorrow	44:49
	that Mary and Martha had known earlier in Jesus' ministry.	44:51
	In the gospel lesson for today,	44:54
	Mary and Martha had been sorrowing for four days,	44:56
	for their brother, Lazarus,	45:00
	had been dead and had been buried in the tomb	45:01
	for four days.	45:04
	And Martha says to Jesus	45:05
	who has just come to Bethany from Jerusalem,	45:06
	only two miles away, "Lord, if you had been here,	45:09
	"my brother would not have died."	45:12
	Oh, what a burden to put on somebody.	45:14
	"My friend, if you had not been here,	45:17
	"my brother would not have died."	45:19
	But then what faith to show in Jesus.	45:26
	She followed that immediately by saying,	45:28
	"But even now, I know that whatever you ask from God,	45:30
	"God will give you."	45:34
	"Oh, I know that."	45:36
	Strange saying, "This total trust,	45:37
	"this full faith without any hesitation,	45:40
	"no equivocation, no doubt, no question,	45:43
	"even now I know."	45:46
	What a beautiful tribute.	45:48
	To leave our dead ones confidently	45:53
	and totally in Christ keeping,	45:55
	this is the faith, my friends,	45:58
	of those who know Christ.	46:00
	We leave them with Jesus without fear or without worrying.	46:03
	Now, wait a minute though.	46:06
	Surely, we leave our loved ones who die	46:07
	with a sense of hurt, a sense of loss,	46:10
	a sense of pain or sadness or sorrow,	46:13
	but with no fear for Jesus, the Christ, is there.	46:16
	Then Jesus says to her, "Your brother will rise again."	46:25
	Well, for most of us,	46:30
	that word would be enough, wouldn't it?	46:31
	The clear, full assurance	46:34
	that those we love will indeed rise from the dead.	46:36
	We would say, "Oh, that's okay.	46:39
	"that's enough, that will do.	46:41
	"Thank you, Lord, that's all I need."	46:43
	And that was enough for Martha.	46:46
	I know she said	46:50
	that he will rise again in the general resurrection	46:51
	at the last day.	46:54
	I think I could relax with that kind of word, couldn't you?	46:57
	But there's more, much more.	47:02
	More from Jesus,	47:04
	who then says, "I am the resurrection and the life.	47:06
	"He who believes in me, though he were dead,	47:10
	"yet shall he live,	47:13
	"and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die."	47:15
	How much more was being said?	47:20
	Martha probably didn't even know	47:22
	nor do we even know today.	47:25
	For those of us of the Judeo-Christian tradition,	47:29
	I think there are probably a few signal verses in scripture	47:34
	that lead us to the mountain top of spiritual ecstasy	47:37
	or to the very depths of spiritual reality.	47:41
	Such verses as "In the beginning, God created."	47:45
	Such verses as "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."	47:50
	Such verses as "For God so loved the world	47:56
	"that He gave His only Son,	47:59
	"that whoever believes in Him should not perish,	48:00
	"but have life everlasting."	48:04
	And then Paul's word: "Now, abide faith,	48:07
	"hope, love, these three,	48:10
	"but the greatest of these is love."	48:12
	And then there are those "I am" sayings of Jesus	48:14
	in the gospel of John.	48:17
	But the greatest of all of these is, "I am the resurrection	48:18
	"and the life."	48:22
	Power.	48:27
	Oh, this morning, some of us could feel some of that power	48:30
	and some of that depth of meaning.	48:34
	For resurrection in life are what we desperately need today.	48:38
	We know about crucifixions.	48:43
	Oh, how we know about crucifixions.	48:45
	We read about them every day in the paper.	48:48
	What a horrible experience,	48:50
	a member of our beloved member of this community suffered	48:52
	with his daughter and her family, just this week.	48:56
	We know about crucifixions,	48:59
	unjust killings, merciless slings,	49:02
	thoughtless crimes which we commit one against the other.	49:05
	Sure we know about crucifixions,	49:10
	but what we need is a word about resurrection and life.	49:12
	"There is only one subject for today," Phillips Brook says,	49:18
	and that is resurrection in life for you and me,	49:22
	my dear sister and my brother.	49:25
	What we need is a clear straight forward affirmation	49:30
	of the resurrection,	49:34
	which will counter the pain and confusion,	49:35
	and despair of a hurting world.	49:38
	What we need should not be tentative	49:41
	or secondhand or halting	49:43
	for we are vulnerable people.	49:45
	What we need is healing.	49:47
	What we need is no faltering or stammering,	49:50
	no half-hearted answers to ultimate and eternal questions,	49:53
	but solid, sure, clear assertions from experience;	49:57
	the kind of experience that could have Paul to say,	50:02
	"I know and am persuaded."	50:04
	God raised Jesus on the third day.	50:07
	Now, in fact, Christ has been raised.	50:10
	We know enough about crucifixions.	50:19
	What we need are words of resurrection in life.	50:23
	George Buttrick says that we, Christians,	50:29
	have wondered and worried too much and too long	50:31
	over the resurrection,	50:35
	and we have made it conditional if Christ has been raised.	50:36
	He said, "It is time for us	50:40
	"to change from our mood of probability	50:42
	"and return to Paul's mood of positive affirmation."	50:45
	Now, is Christ raised?	50:48
	Easter Day is no time for questions	50:54
	or even for teaching or familiarizing	50:57
	or for even investigating;	51:00
	it as a time for proclamation.	51:01
	The Lord is risen.	51:04
	The Lord is risen indeed.	51:06
	Buttrick tells about a student who while as student	51:12
	at Union Theological Seminary in New York,	51:16
	went to hear what he thought was some	51:18
	of the greatest preachers	51:19
	and probably was some of the greatest preaching of his day.	51:20
	And more times than not,	51:23
	as he would leave the church on hearing some	51:24
	of this great preaching,	51:26
	he would come away saying, "I know that is not true,	51:27
	"but, oh, how I wish that it were."	51:32
	Easter; to hear Jesus say, "I am the resurrection	51:38
	"and the life," makes the day seem different.	51:44
	It makes belief seem reasonable, hope realizable,	51:50
	dreams touchable, aspirations attainable.	51:56
	Easter begins with the darkness of dawn	52:02
	and ends with a burst of sunshine.	52:06
	Easter begins with questions and ends with answers.	52:10
	Easter begins with doubts and ends with affirmations.	52:16
	Easter begins with skepticism	52:21
	and ends with a burst of faith.	52:25
	Easter begins with cynicism	52:28
	and ends with a hush of (indistinct).	52:30
	Easter begins with the pain of defeat,	52:36
	but it ends with the glow of victory.	52:41
	I want to say a very personal word now, about resurrection,	52:47
	and assert a simple, but clear statement of my own faith.	52:56
	And that is that at this very moment,	53:01
	I believe in the resurrection more now,	53:03
	than at any other moment in my life.	53:07
	There's some reasons for this.	53:12
	One is that I am growing older.	53:16
	Now, I'm not that old, thank you.	53:19
	But perhaps as one grows older,	53:23
	one has more need to believe that there is more.	53:25
	None of us has any way of knowing	53:30
	how much more there is to this life.	53:31
	But when you are very young,	53:34
	one really does not think too often	53:36
	of a need for another life	53:38
	because one thinks that there is surely much, much more.	53:40
	But I'm not really getting that old.	53:46
	After all, only one year has lapsed since last Easter.	53:48
	So there must be other reasons.	53:51
	The second is that I have read	53:55
	and re-read the gospel accounts of Jesus' life	53:57
	and death, and resurrection,	53:59
	and the more convinced than ever before	54:02
	of the authenticity of the experiences they describe.	54:04
	After all, my friends, on Friday,	54:09
	this was a criminal who was crucified along	54:11
	with two other criminals.	54:15
	Surely, only the Son of God, Jesus, the Christ,	54:17
	could assert that I am the resurrection and the life,	54:21
	and then live to make it come true.	54:23
	Only Jesus could, on Friday, be the thief	54:28
	or criminal or victim,	54:32
	and then in three days, be acclaimed as Lord.	54:34
	Surely, as a centurion cried aloud,	54:38
	"Surely, this man was the Son of God."	54:41
	Preposterous, big joke, ridiculous.	54:45
	Allegiance to a criminal?	54:49
	That's it, that's the scandalous,	54:51
	that's the scandal, the stumbling block to Jews,	54:54
	the folly to the Greeks,	54:57
	unless it is true.	55:00
	I believe Jesus was raised from the dead.	55:09
	I believe it is true.	55:14
	The third reason and perhaps the most...	55:19
	The one which has had the most effect on me	55:25
	is during the past 12 months,	55:30
	I've had some very deep faith renewing experiences	55:32
	with the deaths of friends or loved ones.	55:37
	And these deaths have convinced me	55:43
	that Jesus, indeed, has gone to prepare a place for us,	55:47
	and will come again and will take us to Himself,	55:53
	that where He is,	55:55
	there, we may be also.	55:57
	A 51-year-old mother of three, faithful Christian,	56:02
	good wife, caring neighbor,	56:06
	died in March after a seven months struggle with leukemia.	56:12
	25-year-old, (indistinct),	56:18
	healthy, athletic assistant basketball coach at VPI,	56:20
	whose mother and father, both are alumni of Duke University.	56:26
	The future all glorious to this young man,	56:31
	dead last June after eight months struggle with leukemia.	56:34
	Our own Sherry (indistinct);	56:42
	graduated from here last May.	56:45
	About six weeks ago, brutally murdered at age 23.	56:49
	A 35-year-old woman, mother of three,	56:55
	devout Christian, active in her church,	56:57
	two weeks ago in Hendersonville,	57:01
	her estranged husband broke into their home,	57:02
	killed her and himself.	57:04
	And there are others.	57:09
	Some close, some friends, some family.	57:11
	Lives cut short, friendships broken.	57:14
	But I believe that friendship triumphs over the grave.	57:22
	I believe that love is too strong, even for death.	57:28
	Jesus said, "Your brother, Martha, will rise again.	57:37
	"I am the resurrection and the life.	57:46
	"The one who lives and was dead has come.	57:52
	"And as for you and me,	57:57
	"the keys over death, hell, and the grave."	58:02
	I now take it full-face value, the words of Jesus,	58:10
	when he says, "I am the resurrection and the life.	58:14
	"He who believes in me,	58:19
	"though he die, yet shall he live."	58:20
	I believe that.	58:22
	That's in the 11th chapter of John.	58:26
	In the 14th chapter of John,	58:28
	Jesus says, "I go to prepare a place for you.	58:32
	"And if I go to prepare a place for you,	58:37
	"I will come again and will take you to myself."	58:38
	That means, my friends, that Jesus is waiting.	58:43
	And I'll tell you	58:49
	how that has come to mean something very special to me;	58:50
	to have somebody waiting.	58:55
	Henri Nouwen has written a powerful little book,	58:58
	entitled, "The Wounded Healer."	59:01
	In it, he says, "A person can stay alive	59:05
	"as long as there is at least one person	59:12
	"who is waiting for him or her.	59:19
	"Let us not diminish the power of waiting	59:27
	"by saying that a life-saving relationship cannot develop	59:30
	"in an hour.	59:35
	"One eye movement or one handshake can replace	59:38
	"years of friendship when a man is in agony.	59:42
	"Love not only lasts forever,	59:48
	"it needs only a second to come about.	59:54
	"I am the resurrection and the life,	1:00:03
	"the look, the word, the weight of Christ."	1:00:12
	The Lord is risen.	1:00:23
	The Lord is risen indeed.	1:00:27
	Hallelujah, hallelujah.	1:00:31
	(gentle piano music)	1:00:41
	(choir sings)	1:01:14
	(gentle piano music)	1:03:32
	(choir sings)	1:05:00
	(gentle piano music)	1:11:16
	(congregation sings)	1:11:40
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:14
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:12:27
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:37
-	Oh, holy God, our response to your love for us	1:12:50
	is to fall on our knees	1:12:56
	and offer you our lives.	1:12:58
	Bless these monies, symbols of our lives.	1:13:02
	And so bless us that wherever we walk,	1:13:07
	the poor will be clothed,	1:13:13
	the hungry fed, the oppressed liberated,	1:13:15
	and the sorrowful comforted.	1:13:21
	We pray all this in the spirit of the risen Christ, amen.	1:13:24
	(symphonic music)	1:13:31
	(choir sings)	1:14:28
	(symphonic music)	1:16:24
	And now, the blessing of God,	1:18:05
	who is able to do a measurably more	1:18:07
	than we can ask or conceive.	1:18:10
	Through the power of the risen Christ,	1:18:14
	which is at work among us,	1:18:16
	be with us this day and forever more.	1:18:19
	Go in the assurance of God's love and grace, amen.	1:18:24
	♪ Amen ♪	1:18:33
	♪ Amen ♪	1:18:40
	♪ Amen ♪	1:18:47
	♪ Amen ♪	1:19:01
	♪ Amen ♪	1:19:11
	♪ Amen ♪	1:19:23
	(bell dongs)	1:19:39

Item Info

Title:

Robert T. Young - "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" Easter Service 9:00 am (April 18, 1976)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4np21k6j

Date:

April 18, 1976

Speaker:

Young, Robert T., 1935-2009

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0829
ref6858_gbd
uachapelsermaud
duke:628430
dcrau002788
ark:/87924/r4np21k6j
0ec842e6-be0e-4902-a8cc-6ecb6f445cb0

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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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:

Limited Re-Use

Educational Use Permitted

Rights Note:

This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Robert T. Young - "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" Easter Service 9:00 am (April 18, 1976)

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1. Robert T. Young - "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" (April 18, 1976)

2. Robert T. Young - "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" Easter Service 11:00 am (April 18, 1976)

Duke University Archives

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Robert T. Young - "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" Easter Service 9:00 am (April 18, 1976)

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