William H. Willimon - "On Rendering to God and to Caesar" (February 8, 1987)

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	(organ music)	0:02
	(organ music continues)	3:02
	(organ music continues)	6:02
-	Good morning and welcome to this service	7:08
	of public officials here at the Chapel.	7:10
	We are delighted to have you for this service of worship.	7:12
	At 8:15 tonight Duke Chapel will be sponsoring a play	7:18
	on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi	7:23
	which will be at York Chapel in the Divinity School.	7:26
	Admission is free and we hope that many of you will attend.	7:29
	This morning is our biannual service	7:34
	for public officials in the state of North Carolina.	7:36
	We are happy to have participating in our service	7:40
	President Keith Brodie, our president,	7:43
	and also Senator Terry Sanford, our president at Emeritus.	7:46
	This service was begun a number of years ago	7:50
	during the administration of President Sanford	7:53
	and it's become a highlight of our year	7:55
	and we are delighted to have you,	7:59
	particularly our honored guest.	8:01
	And now let us continue our worship.	8:04
	(chorus singing)	8:14
	(organ music)	9:24
	(chorus and congregation singing)	10:21
	(chorus and congregation singing continues)	13:20
	(organ music)	13:29
	(chorus and congregation singing)	14:37
-	When we gather to praise God	15:43
	we remember that we are a people	15:46
	who have preferred our own will to God's.	15:48
	Accepting the Lord's power to become new persons in Christ	15:51
	let us confess our sins before God and one another.	15:56
	Please be seated.	16:00
	Oh God, Your justice is like rock	16:11
	and Your mercy like pure flowing water.	16:15
	Judge and forgive us.	16:18
	If we have turned from You, return us to Your way	16:21
	for without You we are lost people.	16:25
	From brassy patriotism and a blind trust in power.	16:28
All	Deliver us, oh God.	16:33
-	From public deceptions that we can trust,	16:37
	from self-seeking and high political places.	16:40
All	Deliver us, oh God.	16:44
-	From divisions among us of class or race,	16:47
	from wealth that will not share,	16:51
	and poverty that feeds on food of bitterness.	16:54
All	Deliver us, oh God.	16:58
-	From neglecting the hurt, the imprisoned,	17:00
	and the needy among us.	17:04
All	Deliver us, oh God.	17:06
-	From a lack of concern for other lands and peoples,	17:09
	from narrowness of national purpose,	17:13
	from failure to welcome the peace You promise on earth.	17:16
All	Deliver us, oh God.	17:20
-	Hear the good news,	17:25
	Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.	17:27
	That is God's own proof of His love toward us.	17:31
	In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.	17:35
Congregation	In the name of Jesus Christ	17:40
	we are forgiven.	17:43
-	Let us pray.	17:52
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	17:54
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit	17:57
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed	17:59
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	18:02
	Amen.	18:07
-	The first lesson is taken from Isaiah.	18:09
	Behold my servant, whom I uphold,	18:12
	my chosen one in whom my soul delights;	18:16
	I have put my spirit upon my servant	18:19
	who will bring forth justice to the nations.	18:22
	My servant will not cry or speak out,	18:25
	nor be heard in the street.	18:28
	A bruised reed my servant will not break,	18:31
	nor quench a dimly burning wick	18:34
	but will faithfully bring forth justice.	18:37
	My servant will not fail or be discouraged	18:41
	'til justice has been established in the earth	18:45
	and the coast lands wait for the servant's law.	18:48
	Thus says God the Lord who created the Heavens	18:52
	and stretched them out,	18:56
	who spread forth the earth and what comes from it,	18:57
	who gives breath to the people upon it,	19:00
	and spirit to those who walk in it.	19:03
	I am the Lord.	19:06
	I have called you in righteousness;	19:08
	I have taken you by the hand and kept you.	19:10
	I have given you as a covenant to the people	19:13
	a light to the nations to open the eyes that are blind,	19:16
	to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,	19:20
	from the prison those who sit in darkness.	19:23
	I am the Lord, that is my name.	19:26
	My glory I give to no other,	19:30
	nor my praise to graven images.	19:32
	Behold, the former things have come to pass	19:35
	and new things I now declare,	19:39
	before they spring forth I tell you of them.	19:42
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	19:46
	(organ music)	19:52
	(chorus singing)	20:05
	(organ music)	23:09
	(chorus singing)	23:20
-	The Gospel is taken from Saint Mark.	24:23
	And they came to him and said,	24:27
	"Teacher, we know that you are true	24:29
	for you do not regard the position of men and women	24:33
	but truly teach the way of God.	24:36
	Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?	24:40
	Should we pay them or should we not?"	24:44
	But knowing their hypocrisy he said to them,	24:48
	"Why put me to the test?	24:51
	Bring me a coin, let me look at it."	24:53
	And they brought him one.	24:56
	And he said to them,	24:58
	"Who's likeness and inscription is on this?"	24:59
	They said to him, "Caesar's."	25:05
	Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar	25:08
	the things that are Caesar's,	25:11
	and to God the things that are God's."	25:13
	And they were amazed at him.	25:17
	This ends the reading of the Gospel.	25:19
	(organ music)	25:28
	(chorus singing)	25:30
-	There was a Methodist congregation,	29:21
	remote, somewhere in the wilds of North Dakota.	29:27
	There was terrible blizzard one winter,	29:33
	everything was snowed under, all the roads were blocked.	29:35
	Even the mail couldn't get through,	29:37
	which meant that the little congregation	29:40
	did not receive the mailing	29:44
	from the conference office that week in Bismarck,	29:46
	which meant that the little congregation	29:51
	did not know whether the church had designated	29:53
	the first Sunday in February as United Nations Sunday,	29:55
	or World and Peace Order Sunday,	30:00
	or Festival of the Christian Home Sunday.	30:03
	They got no bulletin inserts,	30:05
	the preacher had no snappy sermon starter suggestions	30:07
	from the head office.	30:11
	They were in a horrible state for a Methodist congregation.	30:14
	No crusade in which to march, no new program to push,	30:17
	no special cause for which to receive a special offering.	30:23
	And so the preacher of the little congregation,	30:27
	as they gathered that Sunday,	30:30
	went up into the pulpit and announced	30:31
	that due to the weather for this Sunday only	30:33
	they would deviate from their usual purpose	30:36
	and just worship God.	30:39
	As a United Methodist, I am heir to long tradition	30:44
	of Christian political activism.	30:48
	There are churches that believe	30:51
	that you shouldn't mix politics and religion,	30:53
	but mine has not been one of them.	30:56
	We were on the forefront of agitation	31:00
	for child labor laws and women's suffrage and disarmament.	31:02
	And the recent United Methodist Bishop's statement	31:07
	against nuclear arms are typical of the Methodist belief	31:09
	that the Gospel ought to permeate all of life,	31:13
	including the political life.	31:16
	In fact the presence of Duke University	31:19
	is testimonial to the Methodist belief	31:21
	in the Gospel relating to life	31:23
	including the intellectual life.	31:26
	Now, formally, it seemed like it was only	31:30
	the liberal Methodist who talked politics.	31:33
	But have you noticed today everybody does it.	31:37
	Jerry Falwell has created an empire for political agitation	31:41
	among those people who once thought	31:46
	preachers shouldn't mix religion and politics.	31:48
	And who could've dreamed, even a few years ago,	31:52
	that we would have a conservative Christian evangelist	31:54
	running for president?	31:57
	Suddenly it seems as if preachers from all persuasions,	32:01
	liberal, conservative,	32:06
	left and right are talking politics.	32:09
	And sometimes you can't even tell	32:14
	a preacher from a politician,	32:16
	which you politicians may not think	32:18
	is such a great compliment.	32:20
	But this Sunday, with the North Carolina	32:23
	public officials as our guests,	32:27
	I'm going to give politicians a break,	32:29
	and I want to talk like a preacher.	32:34
	I want to talk, not about politics, but about God.	32:38
	Our Constitution, 200 years old this year,	32:46
	is a document born to a great extent	32:52
	out of a profound fear of the state.	32:58
	Jefferson, Madison, the framers of the Constitution	33:02
	thought that a major function of government	33:08
	was to protect people from government.	33:09
	For most of human, history the function of government	33:13
	and politics has been to keep the people in their place.	33:17
	But in this new nation, a major function of government	33:20
	was to keep government in its place,	33:24
	our system of checks and balances.	33:27
	And even though the framers of the Constitution	33:32
	also took a dim view of ecclesiastical power,	33:34
	many of their concerns about the danger of government	33:39
	arose out of the biblical tradition	33:43
	and the Bible's repeated insistence	33:48
	that God, not nations, rules the world.	33:52
	This is the revolutionary point of view,	33:59
	in fact, behind today's scripture from Isaiah.	34:01
	I am the Lord, my glory I give to no other	34:04
	and my praise to no graven images.	34:09
	Israel always taught that the root sin,	34:14
	the chief act of human perversity, was idolatry.	34:18
	Idolatry, setting something else up in place of God.	34:24
	Isaiah, like all of God's prophets,	34:30
	condemns militarism, and materialism,	34:32
	nationalism, even religion as tending towards idolatry.	34:36
	Against those in Israel of his day	34:42
	who put their trust in kings	34:44
	and were infatuated with royalty,	34:46
	and weapons systems, and swords, and chariots,	34:48
	Isaiah urged God's preachers to call things	34:55
	by their proper names and to identify	34:58
	our inclinations for what they are, idolatry.	35:02
	Give God's glory to no other.	35:06
	Praise no image of your own creation,	35:10
	including the nation, as if it were God.	35:14
	Thus warns the prophet.	35:19
	Now, ironically, even as our Constitution was being formed	35:23
	the age of the great nation state was just beginning.	35:29
	The omnivorous state.	35:34
	In the last 200 years we have seen the nation state	35:38
	rise and sweep away all competitors	35:42
	and assume a dominance over our lives	35:46
	that Isaiah could scarcely have imagined.	35:48
	In modern times of history of the 20th century	35:53
	Paul Johnson notes that if you tally up,	35:57
	just in this century, the millions killed	35:59
	in wars of national self preservation,	36:04
	if you add to that the millions	36:08
	that have perished in concentration camps,	36:10
	and the gulag, and the resettlement programs,	36:12
	if you tally up the billions spent	36:15
	on armaments for wars of national defense	36:18
	or for revolutions to overthrow the nation,	36:21
	you would have to conclude that the nation	36:27
	has been the most deadly invention	36:32
	human kind has ever created.	36:34
	In fact there are many who believe	36:37
	that more people have been killed	36:40
	in the 20th century by their own government	36:41
	than have been killed even in war in the 20th century.	36:45
	And so philosopher Ernest Becker flatly dubs	36:50
	the state as our God.	36:53
	Our chief modern means	36:57
	of self transcendence and preservation.	36:59
	Immortality.	37:02
	I may die, but my nation lives on.	37:04
	Alone as an individual I am small and insignificant,	37:10
	but my nation, standing together,	37:14
	marching behind the banner of national solidarity,	37:19
	the thousand year reich, we get to live forever.	37:22
	Is that why we build our courthouses	37:28
	and our state houses bigger and more expensive	37:30
	than any other building in town,	37:32
	the way our ancestors used to build cathedrals?	37:35
	Because the state has become our chief	37:39
	modern means of transcending the human condition.	37:42
	A new God.	37:47
	The state,	37:51
	our protector from the cradle to the grave.	37:55
	Our chief means of security, our source of identity.	37:58
	A government bureaucrat is a priest at a new altar.	38:03
	John Calvin said that the human mind	38:09
	is a perpetual factory of idols.	38:12
	And Luther commented that whatever you would kill for,	38:16
	or die for, by any other name that is your god.	38:19
	We are vulnerable, frightened creatures	38:25
	who react to our finitude in improper ways.	38:30
	Forever setting some false god	38:33
	up in the place of the true God.	38:35
	What would we kill for?	38:40
	Are we willing to sacrifice the life	38:43
	of our son or daughter for?	38:44
	Luther said that is our god.	38:47
	Is it any wonder then that politics has become everything?	38:52
	A man complaining to me the other day	38:57
	that when he goes to church he says,	38:58
	mainly I get political advice,	39:01
	and generally it's fairly good advice,	39:03
	but it's no different advice than I can get anywhere else.	39:04
	Well what do you expect, you turn on the 6:30 news,	39:08
	you thumb through the newspaper, what do you read about?	39:10
	Politics.	39:13
	If you take a course in history here at Duke,	39:15
	you probably won't study much about poets and philosophers.	39:16
	No, you'll memorize the dates, the names of kings,	39:20
	and presidents, and armies, and battles, and laws.	39:23
	You got a problem, something in your life not quite right?	39:26
	Well there's only one solution.	39:30
	Write your congressman, call the mayor,	39:33
	get a new law passed.	39:35
	Politics is power.	39:40
	Or is it?	39:44
	A few months ago it came as a discovery	39:48
	to a number of people that our society has a drug problem.	39:51
	And as we watched everybody rushing to the microphone	39:56
	to say, spend one billion on it, no two billion,	40:00
	call out the Marines, seal the borders.	40:04
	I remember a fellow clergyman speaking on TV,	40:06
	Jessie Jackson, and in criticizing the President	40:09
	he said, this administration needs	40:12
	to substitute some programs for preachments,	40:15
	which I thought was kind of a funny thing	40:20
	for a preacher to be complaining about too much preaching.	40:21
	But I thought to myself,	40:25
	you know in fairness to the President,	40:26
	what does a country do, what does a government do	40:31
	when vast numbers of our citizens	40:35
	would rather die by drugs than live?	40:37
	Maybe I'm not creative enough,	40:43
	but it's just hard for me to think	40:44
	of a program of the government	40:46
	that can give me a reason to live,	40:48
	or give me a purpose for life.	40:52
	There're even some things	40:58
	which even politics can't do	41:02
	and we may be among the first generation in a long time	41:06
	to realize the limits of government.	41:09
	Aristotle taught us that politics	41:14
	must be judged by something other than politics.	41:17
	Aristotle wrote that politics at its best	41:21
	is a means for achieving the good life.	41:25
	But the trouble is politics alone	41:28
	can't tell me what the good life is.	41:30
	Politics can be a technique	41:34
	for achieving worthy goals in life,	41:36
	but the trouble is politics alone	41:39
	can't tell me which goals are worth having	41:41
	and why life is worth living.	41:43
	Something else is required.	41:45
	Even a political document so noble	41:51
	as our Constitution has its limits.	41:54
	Giving people the power to determine their own destiny	41:58
	will not ensure that they will choose a good destiny.	42:02
	It does not ensure that the people will be every bit	42:07
	as despotic as the rulers the Constitution	42:10
	is supposed to be protecting them from.	42:12
	A majority gave power to Hitler,	42:16
	a majority vote gave power to Khomeini.	42:18
	Normally revolutions produce	42:23
	a new tyranny just by another name.	42:26
	Democracy alone, even democracy, is no insurance policy	42:30
	against the omnivorous power of the state.	42:35
	In other words, something else is needed,	42:40
	something else besides politics, besides government,	42:44
	some worthy competitor for the claims of the state.	42:49
	What is that something else?	42:56
	A man I know, a professor here,	43:02
	has gotten to know a high-ranking bureaucrat	43:06
	in one of the eastern block countries.	43:09
	He was talking to me the other day he said,	43:12
	have you ever known an honest to goodness atheist?	43:13
	I mean somebody who's an atheist from birth,	43:16
	the same way you're a Methodist.	43:18
	I said, no.	43:21
	And he said, well it's interesting.	43:22
	And I said, what's interesting about it?	43:25
	It's just what he wanted me to ask.	43:28
	He said, I'll tell ya what's interesting,	43:31
	when you get to know her you find that	43:36
	there's no difference between the way she runs her life,	43:38
	and the way you run your life.	43:43
	There's no difference between the way she votes,	43:45
	and the way she acts, and the way she spends	43:47
	her time and her money.	43:50
	We all live as if God were not there.	43:54
	That little godless atheist	43:58
	could pass for you and me any day.	43:59
	One of the characters of Dostoevsky's	44:07
	The Brothers Karamazov says,	44:10
	"If God is dead everything is permissible."	44:13
	Everything is permissible.	44:18
	And the picture of our society grows clearer.	44:22
	Without God everything is cut loose,	44:27
	there are no absolute, inviolate values.	44:30
	The Palestinian airport terrorist	44:36
	bombing for a dreamed of homeland,	44:39
	the IRA booby trapper,	44:41
	the sophisticated intercontinental ballistic missile	44:44
	for national self defense,	44:47
	all acknowledge that there is something out there	44:49
	worth dying for and killing for.	44:53
	I believe that in our current dilemma	44:57
	with international terrorism	45:00
	the slippery slope of national ethical relativism began	45:02
	when we disregarded historic Christian prohibitions	45:10
	against killing innocent civilians	45:14
	and fire bombed Dresden, and obliterated Hiroshima.	45:17
	These were no longer potential brothers and sisters	45:22
	as the church taught and real children of God,	45:25
	but enemies to be obliterated for some higher value.	45:31
	And so our dilemma is that gap between	45:38
	our national defense and their terrorism	45:42
	became horrible blurred.	45:46
	Without our own state, says the IRA,	45:50
	or the Palestinian of the Basque,	45:54
	nationalist, or the French Canadian separatists,	45:56
	without our own state we are nobody	45:58
	because without a state you are nothing.	46:01
	The nation is everything, my source of identity,	46:05
	my meaning, my security.	46:08
	Well I've got this rabbi downstairs in an office,	46:13
	real pain sometimes, particularly when the rabbi	46:18
	seems to know more about my faith than I.	46:21
	The other day he was talking to me, he said,	46:25
	you know you Christians interest me.	46:27
	I said, well how have we interested you lately?	46:31
	And he said, I find it interesting that Christians	46:34
	are not upset that Christians are dying in Lebanon.	46:40
	He said, you know, we're very upset	46:45
	about the Jewish situation in Lebanon.	46:47
	And I said to him, rabbi, let me explain this to you.	46:50
	You see those are Lebanese Christians,	46:53
	we are American Christians.	46:56
	He said, well I guess that explains then	47:00
	the situation about Pentecostals in the Soviet Union.	47:02
	You know, we're very concerned about Soviet Jewry.	47:05
	I said, yeah, they're Russian Christians,	47:07
	we're American Christians.	47:11
	I spoke with irony in my voice.	47:16
	We Christians have come a long way	47:20
	since Nero used the bodies of Christians	47:23
	to light Roman streets	47:26
	because they had tried to be a light to the nations.	47:29
	Our grandfathers and grandmothers chose to die	47:35
	rather than give a pinch of incense at Caesar's altar.	47:39
	And so I wonder if the most patriotic, significant thing	47:48
	that I as a preacher, or you as a Christian,	47:54
	could do for our beloved, yet troubled society	47:59
	is to keep reminding Caesar, in whatever guise he takes,	48:05
	that God, not nations, rules the world.	48:10
	That God almighty has established certain truths,	48:17
	certain values, the worth of each person in such a way	48:21
	that no person and no nation can violate them without peril.	48:25
	That God's people, the Church, exist as a visible reminder	48:32
	that God's love transcends our puny national boundaries,	48:40
	that God's claim upon our lives	48:45
	renders subservient every other claim,	48:47
	including the claim of our beloved nation.	48:50
	You remember the day they came to Jesus asking,	48:57
	is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?	49:01
	Jesus asked them for a coin, and he held the coin up	49:05
	and he said, well it's got Caesar's picture on it.	49:08
	He must own it.	49:10
	If he wants it give it back to him.	49:12
	And then Jesus turned to them but said, but you take care.	49:17
	You're stamped with the image of God,	49:21
	you take care that you don't give Caesar what God owns.	49:26
	And the scriptures say the disciples were amazed,	49:33
	which may be a polite way of saying	49:36
	they had not the slightest idea of what to do with that.	49:39
	Rendering to God and rendering to Caesar	49:44
	could've been no easier in an occupied Judea	49:47
	than it is in a free United States.	49:51
	We're still amazed	49:57
	at the power of a jealous God	50:02
	who demands to have all of our lives.	50:06
	Amen.	50:13
-	Let us stand for the Litany For Public Virtue.	50:16
	Mighty God, the earth is yours	50:32
	and all nations are your people.	50:34
	Take away our pride and bring to mind your goodness	50:36
	so that living together in this land	50:40
	we may enjoy your gifts and be thankful.	50:42
All	Amen.	50:46
-	For clouded mountains, and fields, and woodland,	50:47
	for shore land, and running streams,	50:50
	and for all that makes our nation good and lovely.	50:53
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	50:57
-	For farms and villages of our beloved North Carolina,	50:58
	where food is gathered to feed our people.	51:02
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	51:05
-	For cities where women and men talk and work together	51:06
	in factories and shops to shape	51:10
	those things we need for living.	51:12
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	51:14
-	For the schools, colleges, and universities of our state	51:16
	and for their work of enlightenment	51:20
	and formation of all those who study there.	51:22
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	51:25
-	For explorers, and planners, public officials,	51:27
	for prophets who speak out, and for silent, faithful people.	51:31
	For all who love our land and guard freedom.	51:35
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	51:38
-	For vision to see Your purpose hidden	51:40
	in our nation's history, and courage to seek Your will	51:44
All	We thank you, God, dedicating ourselves anew	51:49
	to Your purposes for the public order,	51:52
	our beloved state, and nation.	51:55
	Amen.	51:58
	(organ music)	52:01
	(chorus singing)	52:46
Rev. Nancy	The Lord be with you.	55:18
Congregation	And also with you.	55:20
-	Let us pray.	55:21
	Oh god of earth and altar in whom	55:34
	we live, and move, and have our being	55:37
	we bow before thee in humility and in hope.	55:41
	Thy ways have not been our ways	55:46
	neither have thy thoughts been our thoughts.	55:49
	Yet thou hast not forsaken us	55:53
	even as we have passed through the shadows of unbelief.	55:56
	In thy mercy grant us thy light and thy truth.	56:01
	Let them lead us from the road of destruction	56:05
	toward the city of life and peace.	56:08
	Hear us, oh God, while we pray.	56:13
	We beseech thee to bless with wisdom,	56:18
	mutual respect, and a desire for the common good	56:21
	those public officials gathered here today.	56:26
	To endow them with the right understanding	56:29
	and a pure purpose, and to enable them	56:32
	to rise above self-interest into the larger spheres	56:35
	of human compassion and service to others.	56:38
	We beseech thee to save us	56:44
	from pride of possession and power,	56:45
	from neglect of opportunity,	56:49
	and evasion of responsibility,	56:51
	from failure to consider the needs of others	56:54
	because we desire to live to ourselves alone,	56:57
	from saying what we do not mean,	57:02
	and from striving after what we should not have.	57:05
	We beseech thee, oh God, to bless thy church universal	57:10
	with faith, with courage, and with a steadfast heart,	57:14
	that desiring unity among the nations	57:20
	it may obtain unity within itself,	57:22
	that the real enemies of human kind,	57:26
	ignorance, poverty, hunger, disease,	57:29
	and all other evils may be known and overcome,	57:33
	that the life-giving spirit of Jesus may never languish,	57:38
	and that the vision of the kingdom of God	57:42
	may never grow dim.	57:45
	We beseech thee to grant us hope	57:48
	which will rise above frustration,	57:51
	patience which will endure the strain of waiting,	57:54
	good will which cannot be offended.	57:58
	Oh eternal God, we commit ourselves unto thee.	58:04
	Hasten through us the day when all shall dwell is safety	58:08
	free from want, free from fear,	58:13
	free to express ourselves openly,	58:16
	and free to worship according to the guidance of Thy spirit.	58:19
	In Thine shall be the kingdom, and the power,	58:24
	and the glory forever.	58:27
	Amen.	58:30
	The psalmist has written,	58:35
	offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving	58:36
	and pay your vows to the most high.	58:40
	Let us present our gifts and ourselves	58:43
	as an offering unto God.	58:46
	(organ music)	58:54
	(chorus singing)	1:00:07
	(chorus singing continues)	1:03:06
	(organ music)	1:04:29
	(chorus singing)	1:04:50
	Oh everliving God, the alpha and the omega,	1:05:56
	Thou hast called the world into being	1:05:59
	and the creatures which inhabit it	1:06:01
	and hath pronounced it good.	1:06:03
	So now we thank Thee for Thy entire creation	1:06:06
	and for the opportunities for stewardship which it provides.	1:06:10
	Accept these gifts as signs of our gratitude	1:06:14
	and our endless longing for Thee.	1:06:17
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ	1:06:20
	who taught us to pray with confidence;	1:06:23
	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	1:06:26
	hallowed be Thy Name.	1:06:28
	Thy kingdom come,	1:06:30
	Thy will be done,	1:06:32
	on earth as it is in Heaven.	1:06:33
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:06:36
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:06:38
	as we forgive those who trespass against us;	1:06:40
	and lead us not into temptation,	1:06:44
	but deliver us from evil,	1:06:46
	for thine is the kingdom, the power,	1:06:48
	and the glory forever.	1:06:51
	Amen.	1:06:53
	(organ music)	1:06:56
	(chorus singing)	1:07:54
	(chorus singing continues)	1:10:53
-	And now may the grace of our Lord and savior,	1:13:10
	Jesus Christ, the love of God,	1:13:12
	and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:13:15
	be with you now and always.	1:13:16
	(chorus singing)	1:13:26
	(organ music)	1:13:55
	(organ music continues)	1:16:54

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "On Rendering to God and to Caesar" (February 8, 1987)

Description:

Sermon start time: 29:21. Sermon end time: 50:14.
Regarding Christians’ involvement in politics, the preacher argues that though Christians should not shy away from politics, they don’t need to become politicians and run for government offices. Christians should hold government accountable and protect other Christians around the world from injustice and persecutions. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “I wonder if the most patriotic, significant thing that I as a preacher, or you as a Christian could do for our beloved, yet troubled society is to keep reminding Caesar, in whatever guise he takes, that God, not nations, rules the world.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4g44j53m

Date:

February 8, 1987

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0020
ref8290_m8q
uachapelsermaud
duke:321436
dcrmv001020
ark:/87924/r4g44j53m
47d2aa73-14ab-4e41-9710-9ddbf735d221

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

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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

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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William H. Willimon - "On Rendering to God and to Caesar" (February 8, 1987)

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1. William H. Willimon - "On Rendering to God and to Caesar" (February 8, 1987)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "On Rendering to God and to Caesar" (February 8, 1987)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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