Thomas G. Long - "Jesus' Final Exam" (November 9, 1986)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
- | If everyone seating in the pews | 0:00 |
would sort of scrunch to the center | 0:01 | |
so we can get more people in the pews | 0:05 | |
that would be a great help, that's great. | 0:08 | |
Students love to do this, so doing it very well. | 0:12 | |
We hope that some of you who are standing | 0:18 | |
will be able to get seating. | 0:19 | |
We're delighted to have all of you here | 0:24 | |
particularly you parents for this parents weekend. | 0:26 | |
We're enriched by your presence. | 0:30 | |
I remind our university community | 0:33 | |
of the faith and technology conference | 0:36 | |
that is sponsored by the chapel next weekend | 0:39 | |
to explore issues of technology in the Christian faith. | 0:42 | |
Again this Sunday for the second Sunday | 0:46 | |
we welcome those who are worshiping with us | 0:48 | |
on the closed circuit television system | 0:51 | |
in the Duke hospitals, and we're glad that you're with us. | 0:53 | |
Appreciate the response we had | 0:56 | |
to this experimental project last week. | 0:58 | |
The assigned gospel lesson for this Sunday | 1:03 | |
is so bizarre we have had to bring in | 1:05 | |
a preacher from Princeton to preach on it. | 1:07 | |
(crowd laughs) | 1:10 | |
He is Dr. Thomas Long, one of the premier homileticians | 1:11 | |
in the United States, and we're glad to welcome | 1:16 | |
him back to the chapel and he is our | 1:18 | |
first Clyde and Lynell Boyles preacher. | 1:22 | |
The Boyles of Peducah Kentucky have established a fund | 1:26 | |
in memory of Mr. Boyles parents. | 1:29 | |
He is our first Boyles preacher | 1:33 | |
and we are delighted for him to inaugurate this series. | 1:35 | |
And now let us continue in our worship | 1:40 | |
as we fill this great church with the praise of God. | 1:43 | |
♪ Beautiful savior ♪ | 1:52 | |
♪ Lord of the nations ♪ | 1:58 | |
♪ Son of God and son of man ♪ | 2:06 | |
♪ Glory and honor ♪ | 2:19 | |
♪ Praise adoration ♪ | 2:26 | |
♪ Now and forever Lord be thine ♪ | 2:32 | |
♪ Now and forever Lord be thine ♪ | 2:43 | |
("Ode to Joy" by Beethoven) | 3:05 | |
♪ Joyful joyful we adore thee ♪ | 3:44 | |
♪ God of glory, Lord of love ♪ | 3:47 | |
♪ Hearts unfold like flowers before thee ♪ | 3:51 | |
♪ Opening to the sun above ♪ | 3:56 | |
♪ Melt the clouds of sin and sadness ♪ | 4:01 | |
♪ Drive the dark of doubt away ♪ | 4:05 | |
♪ Giver of immortal gladness ♪ | 4:10 | |
♪ Fill us with the light of day ♪ | 4:15 | |
♪ All Thy works with joy surround thee ♪ | 4:23 | |
♪ Earth and heaven reflect thy rays ♪ | 4:27 | |
♪ Stars and angels sing around Thee ♪ | 4:31 | |
♪ Center of unbroken praise ♪ | 4:36 | |
♪ Field and forest, vale and mountain ♪ | 4:41 | |
♪ Flowery meadow flashing sea, ♪ | 4:46 | |
♪ Singing bird and flowing fountain ♪ | 4:50 | |
♪ Call us to rejoice in thee ♪ | 4:55 | |
♪ Thou art giving and forgiving ♪ | 5:03 | |
♪ Ever blessing, ever blessed ♪ | 5:07 | |
♪ Wellspring of the joy of living ♪ | 5:11 | |
♪ Ocean depth of happy rest ♪ | 5:16 | |
♪ Thou our Father, Christ our Brother ♪ | 5:21 | |
♪ All who live in love are Thine ♪ | 5:26 | |
♪ Teach us how to love each other ♪ | 5:31 | |
♪ Lift us to the joy divine ♪ | 5:35 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 5:42 | |
♪ Mortals, join the happy chorus ♪ | 7:36 | |
♪ Which the morning stars began ♪ | 7:41 | |
♪ Father love is reigning over us ♪ | 7:46 | |
♪ Brother love binds man to man ♪ | 7:51 | |
♪ Ever singing, march we onward ♪ | 7:56 | |
♪ Victors in the midst of strife ♪ | 8:00 | |
♪ Joyful music leads us sunward ♪ | 8:05 | |
♪ In the triumph song of life ♪ | 8:09 | |
- | When we gather to praise God, | 8:19 |
we remember that we are God's people | 8:22 | |
but we are people who have preferred | 8:24 | |
our wills to God's will, therefore with one voice | 8:26 | |
let us confess our sin before God | 8:29 | |
and one another, be seated. | 8:33 | |
Let us pray, oh almighty God, | 8:46 | |
give us grace to approach thee at this time | 8:50 | |
with penitent and believing hearts. | 8:54 | |
We confess that we have sinned against thee | 8:57 | |
and are not worthy to be called thy children. | 8:59 | |
Yet do thou and mercy keep us as thine own, | 9:03 | |
grant us true repentance and forgive us all our sins. | 9:07 | |
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 9:12 | |
Hear the good news, Christ died for us | 9:18 | |
while we were yet sinners, that is God's | 9:21 | |
own proof of his love toward us. | 9:24 | |
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. | 9:27 | |
Congregation | In the name | 9:31 |
of Jesus Christ you are forgiven. | 9:33 | |
- | Amen. | 9:36 |
- | Let us pray, open our hearts and minds oh God, | 9:44 |
by the power of your holy spirit. | 9:49 | |
So that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 9:52 | |
we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, amen. | 9:55 | |
The first lesson is taken from Zechariah. | 10:03 | |
In the fourth year of King Darius, | 10:08 | |
the word of the Lord came to Zechariah | 10:11 | |
in the fourth day of the ninth month which is Chislev. | 10:13 | |
And the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer | 10:18 | |
and Regemmelech and them in to entreat | 10:21 | |
the favor of the Lord and to ask the priest | 10:25 | |
of the house of the Lord of Hosts and the Prophets, | 10:27 | |
should I mourn and fast in the fifth month | 10:30 | |
as I have done so for many years? | 10:33 | |
And the word of the Lord of Hosts came to me. | 10:37 | |
To say to all the people of the land and the priests: | 10:40 | |
when you have fasted and mourned in the fifth month | 10:44 | |
and in the seventh for these 70 years, | 10:47 | |
was it for me that you fasted? | 10:50 | |
And when you eat and when you drink, | 10:53 | |
do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves? | 10:55 | |
When Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity | 10:59 | |
with her cities roundabout her in the south | 11:02 | |
and the lowlands were inhabited, | 11:04 | |
were not these the words which the Lord proclaimed | 11:07 | |
by the former prophets, and the word of the Lord | 11:10 | |
came to Zechariah saying thus says the Lord of Hosts. | 11:14 | |
Render true judgments, show kindness | 11:19 | |
and mercy each to his brother. | 11:22 | |
Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, | 11:25 | |
the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you | 11:27 | |
devise evil against his brother in your heart. | 11:31 | |
This ends the reading of the first lesson. | 11:35 | |
(inspiring organ music) | 11:40 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 11:53 | |
♪ Sing a new song, sing a new song ♪ | 11:57 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 12:01 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 12:06 | |
♪ The Lord has done marvelous things ♪ | 12:10 | |
♪ From his right hand and holy arm salvation comes ♪ | 12:14 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 12:23 | |
♪ Sing a new song, sing a new song ♪ | 12:27 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 12:31 | |
♪ The Lord has made known the victory ♪ | 12:36 | |
♪ God's justice has come to all ♪ | 12:41 | |
♪ Oh Israel, shout your praise ♪ | 12:44 | |
♪ Remember God's love and power ♪ | 12:49 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 12:53 | |
♪ Sing a new song, sing a new song ♪ | 12:57 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 13:01 | |
♪ Sing to the Lord in joy ♪ | 13:06 | |
♪ Bring joy through songs of praise ♪ | 13:10 | |
♪ Bring joy through the praise of the Lord ♪ | 13:15 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 13:23 | |
♪ Sing a new song, sing a new song ♪ | 13:28 | |
♪ Sing a new song to the Lord ♪ | 13:32 | |
(inspiring organ music) | 13:39 | |
(organ music drowning out singing) | 13:51 | |
- | The second lesson is taken from Paul's | 14:51 |
second letter to the Thessalonians. | 14:53 | |
But we are bound to give thanks to God always, | 14:58 | |
for you brethren beloved by the Lord | 15:01 | |
because God chose you from the beginning | 15:04 | |
to be saved through sanctification | 15:06 | |
by the Spirit and belief in the truth. | 15:09 | |
To this he called you through our Gospel | 15:13 | |
so that you may obtain from the glory | 15:16 | |
of God a Lord Jesus Christ. | 15:18 | |
So then brethren, stand firm and hold | 15:22 | |
to the traditions which you were taught by us, | 15:24 | |
either by word of mouth or by letter. | 15:27 | |
Now may our lord Jesus Christ himself | 15:31 | |
and God our father who loved us | 15:35 | |
and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, | 15:37 | |
comfort your hearts and establish them | 15:41 | |
in every good work and word. | 15:44 | |
Finally brethren, pray for us | 15:47 | |
that the word of the Lord may speed on | 15:50 | |
and triumph as it did among you. | 15:53 | |
And that we may be delivered from wicked | 15:56 | |
and evil men, for not all have faith. | 15:58 | |
But the Lord is faithful, he will | 16:03 | |
strengthen you and guard you from evil. | 16:05 | |
We have confidence in the Lord | 16:08 | |
about you that you are doing | 16:10 | |
and will do the things which we command. | 16:13 | |
May the Lord direct your hearts | 16:16 | |
to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. | 16:19 | |
This ends the reading of the second lesson. | 16:23 | |
♪ Salvation ♪ | 16:37 | |
♪ Is created ♪ | 16:50 | |
♪ Salvation ♪ | 17:06 | |
♪ Is created ♪ | 17:17 | |
♪ Salvation is created ♪ | 17:34 | |
♪ Is created ♪ | 17:48 | |
♪ Through the Lord God ♪ | 17:58 | |
♪ The Lord God ♪ | 18:19 | |
♪ The Lord God ♪ | 18:33 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 18:56 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 19:06 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 19:24 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 19:34 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 19:51 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 20:05 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 20:18 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 20:54 | |
- | This is the second time that I | 21:39 |
have had the privilege of standing in this pulpit. | 21:41 | |
The first time I did, as soon as I got up here | 21:45 | |
I felt a surge of excitement go through my body. | 21:48 | |
Well, it doesn't get any easier | 21:53 | |
or different the second time. | 21:54 | |
I wanna thank Will Willimon, the Duke Chapel community, | 21:57 | |
and the Boyles family for providing | 22:02 | |
not only the honor of the invitation | 22:05 | |
to be here, but the thrill of the moment. | 22:07 | |
The Gospel lesson which the lectionary | 22:13 | |
appoints for this day comes from the 20th chapter | 22:15 | |
of the Gospel of Luke, beginning to read at the 27th verse. | 22:19 | |
Let us hear the good news. | 22:24 | |
There came to Jesus some Sadducees, | 22:31 | |
those who say there is no resurrection. | 22:34 | |
And they asked him a question, | 22:38 | |
saying teacher, Moses wrote for us | 22:41 | |
that if a man's brother dies, having a wife | 22:43 | |
but no children, the man must take the wife | 22:48 | |
and raise up children for his brother. | 22:51 | |
Now there were seven brothers. | 22:55 | |
The first took a wife and died without children. | 22:58 | |
And the second, and the third took her | 23:02 | |
and likewise all seven left no children and died. | 23:06 | |
Afterward the woman also died. | 23:11 | |
In the resurrection therefore, whose wife | 23:15 | |
will the woman be, for all seven had her as a wife? | 23:18 | |
And Jesus said to them, the children of this age | 23:23 | |
marry and are given in marriage | 23:28 | |
but those who are accounted worthy | 23:30 | |
to attain to that age and to the resurrection | 23:32 | |
from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. | 23:36 | |
For they cannot die anymore, because they are equal | 23:40 | |
to angels and are children of God | 23:44 | |
being children of the resurrection. | 23:46 | |
But that the dead are raised even Moses showed | 23:50 | |
in the passage about the bush | 23:53 | |
where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham | 23:55 | |
and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. | 23:58 | |
Now he's not the God of the dead | 24:00 | |
but of the living, for all live to him. | 24:02 | |
And some of the scribes answered | 24:06 | |
teacher, you have spoken well. | 24:09 | |
For they no longer dared to ask him any questions, amen. | 24:13 | |
Those of you who are here this morning | 24:24 | |
who are students, I am not sure | 24:26 | |
that you are going to agree with me | 24:29 | |
about this one but I think I'm right. | 24:31 | |
I think I'm right when I say that the most difficult part | 24:34 | |
of any examination, test, or quiz | 24:38 | |
is not the student's part but the teacher's part. | 24:42 | |
Now I'm not referring here to the drudgery | 24:47 | |
of grading examinations, I'm referring | 24:49 | |
to the far more difficult art | 24:52 | |
of asking just the right questions. | 24:54 | |
However hard it may be for students | 24:58 | |
to find the correct answers to the quiz, | 25:01 | |
it is at least as difficult for those | 25:04 | |
of us who teach to choose just the appropriate questions. | 25:06 | |
The questions that we write on tests can be tricky | 25:12 | |
when we intended for them to be straightforward. | 25:15 | |
They can be vague when we wanted the models of clarity. | 25:18 | |
They can be trivial and easy as pie when we were | 25:22 | |
really trying to develop challenges for the students. | 25:25 | |
I know that students are openly concerned and terrified | 25:29 | |
that on an exam they're going to give dumb responses. | 25:33 | |
Well we teachers are secretly terrified | 25:37 | |
we're going to ask dumb questions. | 25:39 | |
I heard for example about a geology professor | 25:43 | |
at another university who was writing a question | 25:45 | |
for his final exam in basic geology. | 25:48 | |
Now I know that he had in mind that the students | 25:52 | |
would respond to this question by naming | 25:54 | |
certain minerals and geologic rock formations, | 25:56 | |
because the question that he asked was | 26:00 | |
name three things that occur on the Earth | 26:03 | |
which do not occur on the moon. | 26:07 | |
(crowd laughs) | 26:09 | |
One of the students, knowing a silly question | 26:15 | |
when she saw it, responded roller skates, | 26:19 | |
Bruce Springsteen, and the Republican Party. | 26:22 | |
(crowd laughs) | 26:25 | |
I rest my case, the most difficult part | 26:31 | |
of an examination is asking the right questions. | 26:34 | |
And there is a sense in which this business | 26:37 | |
about asking the right questions is true | 26:39 | |
in a broader and deeper and more serious sense. | 26:41 | |
Because to ask a question is to reveal, to disclose | 26:46 | |
something important about ourselves. | 26:50 | |
No question is morally or intellectually neutral. | 26:53 | |
Because the one who asks the question discloses | 27:00 | |
already in the question an agenda about the answer. | 27:03 | |
Any important question, teacher to student, | 27:08 | |
spouse to spouse, roommate to roommate, | 27:11 | |
police to suspect, attorney to witness, | 27:14 | |
friend to friend, any question | 27:17 | |
already contains in the question | 27:21 | |
a notion about what is important and what is not. | 27:23 | |
What is true, what is false, the biases, | 27:26 | |
the angles of vision, the assumptions of the questioner. | 27:29 | |
In the question | 27:32 | |
is the assumptive world of the questioner. | 27:34 | |
You may remember several years ago | 27:40 | |
a book called Between Parent and Child, | 27:42 | |
written by a man named Haim Ginott. | 27:44 | |
Ginott opens that book by telling us | 27:48 | |
about a conversation that a father has | 27:50 | |
with his son in their New York apartment. | 27:52 | |
The son suddenly, out of the blue, asks his father | 27:56 | |
how many abandoned children are there in Harlem? | 28:00 | |
The father is surprised, but pleased | 28:05 | |
at his son's sociological curiosity. | 28:08 | |
And so he gives him a dissertation. | 28:11 | |
All he knows about abandoned children in Harlem. | 28:13 | |
When he is finished, his son looks up at him and says, | 28:17 | |
how many abandoned children are there in New York? | 28:22 | |
The father adds a little bit more data | 28:27 | |
and then the son says, and how many | 28:30 | |
abandoned children are there in the United States? | 28:33 | |
Finally the light comes on in the father's mind | 28:37 | |
and he knows the question which is really being asked. | 28:40 | |
And he sits close to his son and assures him | 28:45 | |
that he is loved and that he is not a child | 28:49 | |
who will be abandoned. | 28:55 | |
In every question there is contained | 28:59 | |
the assumptive world of the questioner. | 29:03 | |
That's true about the text that we just read | 29:08 | |
in the Gospel of Luke, in this story | 29:11 | |
some religious leaders, Sadducees as a matter of fact, | 29:14 | |
who by the way doctrinally do not believe | 29:17 | |
in the resurrection, asked Jesus a question. | 29:20 | |
As a matter of fact, this question | 29:25 | |
is the third in a series of questions | 29:27 | |
which are asked to Jesus, and one of the ways | 29:29 | |
to view the 20th chapter of Luke | 29:31 | |
is to consider it as Jesus' final rabbinical exam. | 29:34 | |
Each question is more difficult than the previous one. | 29:39 | |
This question goes like this. | 29:45 | |
Suppose there was a woman who married a man | 29:48 | |
who had six brothers, but unfortunately | 29:51 | |
the man died before the couple | 29:55 | |
were able to have any children. | 29:57 | |
Now the Bible, the law of Moses, is clear | 30:00 | |
about this kind of circumstance. | 30:03 | |
What is supposed to happen is that | 30:05 | |
one of the brothers is supposed to step forward | 30:07 | |
and take the widow as his wife and have children | 30:10 | |
so that his brother's lineage can be continued. | 30:14 | |
So brother number one steps forward but alas, | 30:18 | |
he dies too. | 30:22 | |
So brother number two steps forward but he dies, | 30:25 | |
and three, and four, and five, and six, all die. | 30:28 | |
Then the woman herself dies. | 30:34 | |
Seven weddings, eight funerals, and no children. | 30:37 | |
Now here comes the question and you can almost see their | 30:43 | |
lips moistening with excitement as they begin to ask it. | 30:46 | |
In the so-called age of the resurrection, | 30:50 | |
whose wife will she be | 30:55 | |
since she was married to all seven? | 31:00 | |
Now you can probably sniff out | 31:04 | |
that this is a trick question, and it is. | 31:05 | |
But it is also a multiple choice question. | 31:08 | |
Jesus has two choices, a or b. | 31:10 | |
Choice a is to specify one of the brothers. | 31:13 | |
Why, in the age of the resurrection, | 31:16 | |
she will be the wife of the first man that she married. | 31:19 | |
Or she will be the wife of the last man that she married. | 31:22 | |
Or she will be the wife of one of the brothers in between. | 31:24 | |
It doesn't make any difference which one he chooses, | 31:27 | |
this is an indefensible choice. | 31:29 | |
That leaves b. | 31:34 | |
This is the one toward which the questioners | 31:37 | |
are attempting to seduce Jesus. | 31:40 | |
Well, goes choice b, I guess you've got me there. | 31:45 | |
She can't be the wife of one of the brothers | 31:50 | |
in the age of the resurrection | 31:51 | |
and she can't be the wife of all the brothers | 31:52 | |
in the age of the resurrection | 31:54 | |
and reductio ad absurdum I guess | 31:55 | |
there is no resurrection. | 32:00 | |
A or b? | 32:04 | |
Jesus chooses | 32:09 | |
c. | 32:14 | |
But c isn't on the test, that's right, | 32:16 | |
he doesn't answer the question, | 32:17 | |
he challenges it in the question | 32:19 | |
is the assumptive world of the questioner, | 32:22 | |
and the world which is being born | 32:25 | |
in Jesus collides with that world. | 32:27 | |
Now what is this assumptive world in the question? | 32:33 | |
Well, to begin with, the question assumes | 32:36 | |
that in the age of the resurrection if there is one, | 32:39 | |
the woman is going to be somebody's property. | 32:42 | |
Husbands in the first century had something | 32:47 | |
like property rights toward their wives. | 32:49 | |
She's owned by seven men, now in the age | 32:52 | |
of the resurrection, to whom will she belong? | 32:56 | |
As one commentator put it, this might as well be | 33:00 | |
a question about a cow owned by seven brothers. | 33:02 | |
And in the resurrection whose cow will she be? | 33:05 | |
In this age, said Jesus, people marry | 33:11 | |
and are given in marriage, but I tell you | 33:14 | |
in the age to come, | 33:16 | |
she will be equal with the angels. | 33:20 | |
She will be a daughter of God. | 33:24 | |
As Rachel Wahlberg put it in her book | 33:31 | |
Jesus According to a Woman, if only this woman | 33:33 | |
could have heard Jesus' response. | 33:36 | |
She would have known that in the age to come | 33:39 | |
she who had been defined by this man and that man | 33:42 | |
and the other man, would be no longer defined | 33:46 | |
by anybody else, but only by her status as a child of God. | 33:48 | |
A world overturns an assumption. | 33:56 | |
That assumption about the woman in the question | 34:01 | |
is part of a larger assumption being made | 34:04 | |
by the questioners and that assumption | 34:07 | |
is that the future of God, if there is to be a future of God | 34:09 | |
is merely the present extended infinitely into the future. | 34:13 | |
She's somebody's wife in this age, | 34:19 | |
she's gotta be somebody's wife in the age to come. | 34:21 | |
The age to come is really just more of the same. | 34:23 | |
Oh no, said Jesus, | 34:30 | |
a new world colliding with the old. | 34:34 | |
In this world there is death, | 34:38 | |
in the world to come there is life. | 34:40 | |
In this world people are owned, | 34:44 | |
in the world to come they're children of a living God. | 34:46 | |
Jesus' future is a radically and revolutionary new age. | 34:53 | |
And that's important especially for religious people | 35:00 | |
to remember because it is easy to assume | 35:03 | |
that God's future only contains the possibilities | 35:07 | |
which we define by our questions in the present. | 35:11 | |
God cannot or will not do anything new. | 35:14 | |
In the church that I go to in Princeton New Jersey, | 35:21 | |
several years ago we established a hunger committee. | 35:24 | |
At the first meeting of our committee, | 35:29 | |
we were focusing on hunger in Africa. | 35:31 | |
But soon in our discussion, we realized | 35:34 | |
we could not focus on Africa alone | 35:37 | |
because we had hunger in our own backyard. | 35:39 | |
Especially in the town of Trenton just down the road. | 35:43 | |
So we asked ourselves the question | 35:47 | |
what can we do about the hunger situation in Trenton? | 35:50 | |
Now notice that in a question | 35:55 | |
is the moral assumptive world of the questioner. | 35:57 | |
What can we do about hunger in Trenton? | 36:02 | |
We had a and b, a nothing, | 36:10 | |
b creative and intelligent | 36:15 | |
committed, affluent people like we are | 36:18 | |
can do something about hunger in Trenton. | 36:21 | |
We chose b, | 36:25 | |
we established a program | 36:29 | |
to combat hunger in Trenton and the most dramatic | 36:30 | |
and challenging part of that was a once a month | 36:33 | |
hunger offering we would take | 36:36 | |
during the worship service on Sunday. | 36:38 | |
While the congregation was singing a hymn, | 36:41 | |
all who wished to make a hunger offering | 36:44 | |
would come up to the front | 36:46 | |
and put their offerings in a basket. | 36:48 | |
We were astounded at the amount of money which came in. | 36:51 | |
Thousands upon thousands of dollars, | 36:54 | |
more than we ever imagined. | 36:57 | |
We funneled that money into Trenton | 37:01 | |
and then some harsh mathematics began to take their toll. | 37:02 | |
As we fed the hungry in Trenton, the lines only got longer. | 37:07 | |
Not only that, we discovered that some of the money | 37:14 | |
that we had earnestly funneled into Trenton | 37:16 | |
was being wasted and misused and some | 37:19 | |
discouragement began to settle in. | 37:23 | |
We began to wonder if maybe instead of b, | 37:26 | |
our only choice was a. | 37:30 | |
Two weeks ago, something dramatic happened. | 37:36 | |
It was time for the hunger offering. | 37:42 | |
And a discouraged but dutiful congregation | 37:45 | |
was bringing its offerings to the basket. | 37:48 | |
There was a woman about the third pew back | 37:52 | |
that none of us recognized, a visitor that day. | 37:55 | |
She was rather shabbily dressed. | 37:57 | |
But as the congregation streamed forward | 38:00 | |
she too got out of her pew and moved forward. | 38:03 | |
She had no purse, she had nothing in her hand. | 38:07 | |
She had no offering to put in the basket. | 38:11 | |
And some of us wondered if maybe she were going | 38:14 | |
to take something from the basket. | 38:16 | |
But when she got to the front, | 38:22 | |
she gave her gift. | 38:27 | |
She paused before the basket, folded her hands, | 38:32 | |
and prayed. | 38:38 | |
She was a visible reminder to all of us | 38:42 | |
that the answer to our question was not a or b | 38:47 | |
but c. | 38:55 | |
We're not going to solve the problem of hunger in Trenton. | 38:58 | |
We do what we can as signs and wonders | 39:03 | |
of the age to come. | 39:08 | |
And when we have done what we can, | 39:11 | |
we pray like mad for it to come. | 39:14 | |
On the other side of all of our questions, | 39:22 | |
what can we do about hunger, what can we do about peace, | 39:26 | |
whose wife is she in the resurrection, | 39:32 | |
why do innocent people suffer, | 39:36 | |
why do little children die, on the other side | 39:39 | |
of all of our questions there are not | 39:42 | |
answers but the living God | 39:46 | |
who brings in an age | 39:52 | |
more gracious and wonderful and hopeful | 39:53 | |
than we could ever have imagined. | 39:58 | |
Charles and Yvonne de Gaulle were the parents, | 40:04 | |
this is not widely known, they were | 40:08 | |
the parents of a Downs Syndrome child. | 40:10 | |
They knew that her days were limited | 40:16 | |
and so no matter what was going on | 40:18 | |
in the affairs of state, Charles de Gaulle | 40:20 | |
would carve out some time every day | 40:22 | |
for he and Yvonne to spend some time with this child. | 40:24 | |
When they would put her to bed at night in her crib, | 40:30 | |
Yvonne would turn to Charles often and say | 40:33 | |
why is she not like the others? | 40:36 | |
I have prayed that she could be like the others, | 40:38 | |
Charles I wish that she were like the others. | 40:40 | |
When the little girl was still an infant she died. | 40:46 | |
There was a quiet graveside service. | 40:48 | |
The priest read some scripture, prayed some prayers | 40:51 | |
and pronounced a benediction. | 40:55 | |
And when the service was over everybody moved away | 40:58 | |
from the graveside except Yvonne. | 41:00 | |
She could not leave the grave. | 41:03 | |
Charles went back to her and touched her | 41:07 | |
on her elbow and said come, Yvonne. | 41:09 | |
Did you not hear the words of the priest? | 41:16 | |
She is now like the others. | 41:20 | |
In this age, | 41:26 | |
but in the age to come. | 41:31 | |
We are all children of the living God. | 41:34 | |
In the name of God the creator, | 41:42 | |
sustainer in spirit, amen. | 41:45 | |
(inspirational organ music) | 41:54 | |
(organ music drowning out singing) | 42:44 | |
- | Let us unite in this historic | 45:09 |
confession of the Christian faith. | 45:11 | |
I believe in God, the father almighty, | 45:14 | |
maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ | 45:17 | |
his only son our Lord, who was conceived | 45:21 | |
by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, | 45:25 | |
suffered under Pontius Pilate, | 45:28 | |
was crucified dead and buried. | 45:30 | |
The third day he rose from the dead. | 45:34 | |
He ascended into heaven and sitteth | 45:37 | |
at the right hand of God the father almighty. | 45:39 | |
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. | 45:43 | |
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, | 45:47 | |
the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, | 45:51 | |
the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, amen. | 45:55 | |
The Lord be with you. | 46:01 | |
Congregation | And also with you. | 46:04 |
- | Let us pray, be seated. | 46:05 |
Lord God, you have called us together on this day. | 46:25 | |
We have sung your praise, we have heard your word | 46:30 | |
ably read and honestly preached, | 46:35 | |
and now we are ready to pray. | 46:38 | |
The world you have given us oh God is so full | 46:42 | |
of mystery and wonder, the heavens beyond our reach. | 46:45 | |
The experience of love too deep for words. | 46:52 | |
A world of such complexity and marvel | 46:56 | |
yet also a world of much pain. | 47:00 | |
Of ample opportunity for the experience of the tragic | 47:04 | |
and firsthands dealing with sorrow. | 47:08 | |
Therefore we pray, we pray for all | 47:13 | |
who have come here this morning | 47:17 | |
with more questions than answers. | 47:20 | |
How can we have faith when being tested | 47:23 | |
by some time of trial in our lives? | 47:27 | |
May we find strength to believe to hope and to endure. | 47:33 | |
We pray for peace in this world. | 47:40 | |
Why do we kill and maim, torture and oppress | 47:43 | |
those whom you declare to be our brothers and sisters? | 47:47 | |
Create good will among the nations. | 47:51 | |
We pray for people who are hungry | 47:55 | |
or ill-housed or ill-clothed. | 47:59 | |
Why do some of us have so much | 48:03 | |
while some have so little? | 48:06 | |
Increase in us and in all who prosper | 48:09 | |
concern for the disinherited. | 48:13 | |
We pray for the sick, and those who suffer pain | 48:18 | |
or struggle or confusion of the mind. | 48:22 | |
Particularly those in Duke Hospital. | 48:26 | |
We wonder how can this life at once so sweet and good | 48:29 | |
be also a time of illness, suffering, and death. | 48:34 | |
Show us thy mighty love. | 48:41 | |
We pray for our families, particularly this parents weekend. | 48:45 | |
For loving parents and grateful children. | 48:52 | |
How can we pursue self-interest and merely personal gain | 48:55 | |
when the self-giving love of our parents | 49:00 | |
has shown us that great love entails great sacrifice? | 49:03 | |
Make us children whose lives prove | 49:09 | |
the value of our parents' gifts. | 49:12 | |
We pray for this university, for those who teach | 49:17 | |
and those who learn on this campus. | 49:21 | |
How could we take for granted our freedom to think | 49:24 | |
and to explore the gifts of intellectual | 49:27 | |
pursuit and artistic excellence? | 49:30 | |
Help us to unite to our quest for erudition | 49:34 | |
the wisdom to be gained from our religion. | 49:39 | |
Hear our prayers, almighty and loving God. | 49:44 | |
In the name of Jesus Christ who prays with us and for us. | 49:48 | |
To whom we praise forever, amen. | 49:55 | |
Each Sunday, all of the offering received | 50:02 | |
in this chapel goes to help the needs | 50:05 | |
of those close to home and far away. | 50:07 | |
The Duke Campus ministry has designated | 50:10 | |
that this Sunday, the offering shall go | 50:12 | |
for the blanket appeal of church world service | 50:15 | |
and we invite you to give generously. | 50:20 | |
(inspiring organ music) | 50:28 | |
♪ Let all the people rejoice ♪ | 51:38 | |
♪ Rejoice for the Father and Son ♪ | 51:48 | |
♪ Let all the people rejoice ♪ | 52:04 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice ♪ | 52:10 | |
♪ Let all the people rejoice ♪ | 52:15 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice ♪ | 52:21 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ | 52:27 | |
♪ And all the people rejoice ♪ | 52:36 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪ | 52:41 | |
♪ Rejoice and sing ♪ | 52:47 | |
♪ God save the king ♪ | 52:54 | |
♪ Long live the king ♪ | 52:57 | |
♪ God save the king ♪ | 52:59 | |
♪ May he live forever ♪ | 53:02 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 53:07 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 53:09 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 53:13 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 53:19 | |
♪ Amen, hallelujah, amen ♪ | 53:22 | |
(inspiring organ music) | 53:25 | |
♪ God save the king ♪ | 53:37 | |
♪ Long live the king ♪ | 53:39 | |
♪ May he live forever ♪ | 53:41 | |
♪ Amen, hallelujah ♪ | 53:47 | |
♪ Hallelujah, amen ♪ | 53:49 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 53:52 | |
♪ May he live forever ♪ | 53:59 | |
♪ Forever, forever ♪ | 54:05 | |
♪ Amen amen hallelujah amen ♪ | 54:08 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 54:11 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, amen ♪ | 54:13 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 54:25 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 54:29 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, amen ♪ | 54:32 | |
♪ Long live the king ♪ | 54:43 | |
♪ God save the king ♪ | 54:45 | |
♪ Long live the king ♪ | 54:48 | |
♪ May the king live ♪ | 54:50 | |
♪ May the king live forever ♪ | 54:53 | |
♪ Forever, forever, amen, hallelujah ♪ | 54:59 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 55:04 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 55:08 | |
♪ Hallelujah amen ♪ | 55:14 | |
♪ Hallelujah amen ♪ | 55:26 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 55:33 | |
(inspirational organ music) | 55:47 | |
(stately organ music) | 56:12 | |
(organ music drowning out singing) | 56:40 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 57:39 | |
- | Gracious God, we thank you for | 57:46 |
all the blessings of this life. | 57:48 | |
For the blessings of parents and families and friends. | 57:50 | |
For opportunities to question | 57:55 | |
and to grow and to learn in your grace. | 57:56 | |
We acknowledge all of this is a gift from you. | 57:59 | |
Receive these, our gifts, for your work | 58:02 | |
in the world as we pray: | 58:03 | |
- | (Congregation) Our Father, who art in Heaven, | 58:04 |
hallowed be they name. | 58:11 | |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 58:14 | |
on Earth as it is in heaven. | 58:17 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 58:19 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 58:21 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 58:24 | |
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. | 58:28 | |
For thine is the kingdom and the power | 58:32 | |
and the glory forever, amen. | 58:35 | |
(inspirational organ music) | 58:40 | |
(organ music drowning out singing) | 59:23 | |
- | And now a blessing particularly upon our parents, | 1:03:06 |
those of you who have blessed us | 1:03:10 | |
with your most precious possession, your children. | 1:03:11 | |
We bless you for being here today and pray God's blessing | 1:03:14 | |
upon you as you return to your homes. | 1:03:18 | |
And to all of you, the blessing of God | 1:03:20 | |
the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit | 1:03:23 | |
be with you now and always. | 1:03:26 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 1:03:32 | |
(inspiring organ music) | 1:03:52 |
Item Info
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