Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Safari and the Lion" (April 5, 1987)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP4
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4rv0dg0r?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4rv0dg0r
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(organ playing)	0:00
-	We welcome you the Chapel on this	2:28
	5th Sunday of the season of Lent.	2:31
	This week on Wednesday, here in the Chapel	2:35
	at 12:30, we shall be the host for	2:38
	the Skarratt Singers, who will sing	2:42
	a special concert of sacred music	2:44
	and the public is cordially invited at 12:30 this Wednesday.	2:48
	At 5:15 this Thursday will be the	2:54
	chapel's annual observance of the	2:58
	Holocaust Remembrance service here	3:01
	in the chancel of the chapel.	3:03
	This is one of our most solemn	3:05
	and moving services as we remember	3:07
	the victims of the Holocaust.	3:10
	The speaker is Rabbi Marshall Meyer	3:12
	and that's at 5:15 this Thursday.	3:15
	And next Sunday, Palm Sunday, special	3:18
	day in the Chapel with the procession	3:21
	with palms and the choir will be singing	3:24
	selections from Andrew Lloyd Webber's requiem.	3:27
	Today our guest preacher is Reverend	3:32
	Doctor Elizabeth Achtemeier of Union	3:35
	Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia,	3:37
	a frequent preacher in the Chapel.	3:40
	We welcome her back.	3:43
	Dr. Achtemeier is a distinguished biblical	3:45
	scholar and preacher and we're glad	3:48
	to have her leading us in our worship today.	3:51
	And now let us continue our worship.	3:56
	♪ Blessed be the God and Father ♪	4:13
	♪ Of our Lord Jesus Christ ♪	4:21
	♪ Which according to his abundant mercy ♪	4:32
	♪ Hath begotten us again unto a lively hope ♪	4:46
	♪ By the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ♪	4:59
	(orchestra playing)	5:22
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	6:02
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	6:07
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	6:12
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	6:16
	♪ Come, brethren, follow ♪	6:24
	♪ Where our captain trod ♪	6:28
	♪ Our King victorious ♪	6:32
	♪ Christ the Son of God ♪	6:39
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	6:44
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	6:48
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	6:53
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	6:58
	♪ Led on their way ♪	7:06
	♪ By this triumphant sign, ♪	7:09
	♪ The hosts of God ♪	7:15
	♪ In conquering ranks combine ♪	7:18
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	7:26
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	7:30
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	7:36
	♪ Adore His sacred name ♪	7:40
	♪ All newborn servants ♪	7:47
	♪ Of the crucified ♪	7:52
	♪ Bear on their brow ♪	7:56
	♪ The seal of Him who died ♪	8:01
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	8:08
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	8:12
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	8:17
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	8:21
	♪ O Lord, once lifted ♪	8:29
	♪ On the glorious tree, ♪	8:34
	♪ As thou hast promised ♪	8:38
	♪ Draw us all to thee ♪	8:44
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	8:49
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	8:54
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	8:59
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	9:03
	♪ So shall our song ♪	9:10
	♪ Of triumph ever be ♪	9:14
	♪ Praise to the crucified ♪	9:19
	♪ For victory ♪	9:27
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	9:31
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	9:36
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	9:41
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	9:44
	(organ playing)	9:52
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	10:12
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	10:17
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	10:22
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	10:26
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	10:54
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim, ♪	10:58
	♪ 'Til all the world ♪	11:03
	♪ Adore his sacred name ♪	11:07
-	When we gather to praise God,	11:21
	we remember that we are a people who have	11:24
	preferred our wills to the Lord's.	11:26
	Accepting God's promise to become new	11:29
	persons in Christ, let us confess our	11:32
	sins before God and one another.	11:35
	Please be seated.	11:38
	Oh, Almighty God, give us grace to approach thee	11:49
	at this time with penitent and believing hearts.	11:53
	We confess that we have sinned against thee	11:58
	and are not worth to be called thy children.	12:01
	Yet do thou in mercy keep us as thine own.	12:04
	Grant us true repentance and forgive us all our sins,	12:08
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	12:13
	Amen.	12:15
	Hear the good news, Christ died	12:18
	for us while we were yet sinners.	12:21
	In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.	12:23
-	Let us pray.	12:37
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	12:39
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	12:40
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed.	12:45
	We might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	12:48
	Amen.	12:53
	The first lesson is taken from the Book of Ezekiel.	12:54
	The hand of the Lord was upon me	12:58
	and God brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord	13:00
	and set me down in the midst of the valley.	13:04
	It was full of bones.	13:07
	And God led me round among them and behold	13:10
	there were very many among the valley and lo,	13:13
	they were very dry.	13:17
	And the Lord said to me, can these bones live.	13:19
	And I answered, oh Lord God, though knowest.	13:23
	Again God said to me, prophesy to these bones	13:29
	and say to them, oh dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.	13:33
	Thus says the Lord God to these bones,	13:38
	behold, I will cause breath to enter you	13:41
	and you shall live.	13:44
	And I will lay sinews upon you	13:47
	and will cause flesh to come upon you	13:49
	and cover you with skin and put breath in you	13:52
	and you shall live and you shall know that I am the Lord.	13:55
	So I prophesied, as I was commanded,	14:02
	and as I prophesied, there was a noise	14:05
	and behold, a rattling and the bones came together,	14:07
	bone to its bone.	14:12
	And as I looked, there were sinews on them	14:15
	and flesh had come upon them and skin had covered them.	14:19
	But there was no breath in them.	14:25
	Then God said to me, prophesy to the breath.	14:28
	Prophesy and say to the breath, thus says	14:33
	the Lord God, come from the four winds, oh breath	14:37
	and breathe upon these slain that they may live.	14:42
	So I prophesied, as God had commanded,	14:47
	and the breath came into them and they lived	14:50
	and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great host.	14:54
	This ends the reading of the Old Testament lesson.	14:59
	(organ playing)	15:07
	♪ Oh Lord, you are my God ♪	15:19
	♪ I trust in you ♪	15:27
	♪ Have mercy on me, oh Lord ♪	15:34
	♪ For I am in distress ♪	15:38
	♪ Tears have wasted my eyes, my throat, and my heart ♪	15:42
	♪ For my life is spent with sorrow ♪	15:50
	♪ And my years with sighs ♪	15:53
	♪ Affliction has broken down my strength ♪	15:57
	♪ And my bones waste away ♪	16:02
	♪ Oh Lord, you are my God ♪	16:06
	♪ I trust in you ♪	16:13
	♪ In the face of all my foes I am a reproach ♪	16:20
	♪ And an object of scorn to my neighbors ♪	16:27
	♪ And of fear to my friends ♪	16:32
	♪ Those who see me in the street run far away from me ♪	16:36
	♪ I am like a dead one ♪	16:43
	♪ Forgotten like a thing thrown away ♪	16:46
	♪ Oh Lord, you are my God ♪	16:53
	♪ I trust in you ♪	17:00
	♪ I have heard the slander of the crowd ♪	17:08
	♪ Fear is all around me ♪	17:12
	♪ As they plot together against me ♪	17:16
	♪ As they plan to take my life ♪	17:20
	♪ But as for me, I trust in you ♪	17:25
	♪ Lord, I say you are my God ♪	17:29
	♪ My life is in your hands ♪	17:36
	♪ Deliver me from the hands of those who hate me ♪	17:40
	♪ Oh Lord, you are my God ♪	17:46
	♪ I trust in you ♪	17:54
-	The second lesson is taken from	18:15
	Paul's letter to the Romans.	18:17
	To set the mind on the flesh is death,	18:22
	but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.	18:25
	For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God.	18:31
	It does not submit to God's law,	18:35
	indeed, it can not.	18:37
	And those who are in the flesh can not please God.	18:40
	But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit,	18:45
	if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.	18:49
	Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ	18:53
	does not belong to God.	18:56
	But if Christ is in you, although your bodies	18:58
	are dead because of sin, your Spirits are alive	19:02
	because of righteousness.	19:06
	If the Spirit of God who raised Jesus	19:10
	from the dead dwells in you, the Lord	19:12
	who raised Christ Jesus from the dead	19:15
	will give life to your mortal bodies also	19:18
	through God's Spirit which dwells in you.	19:21
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	19:26
	(organ playing)	19:33
	♪ Let thy steadfast love come to me, oh Lord ♪	19:48
	♪ Thy salvation according to thy promise ♪	20:01
	♪ Then shall I have an answer for those who taunts me ♪	20:18
	♪ For I trust in thy word ♪	20:38
	♪ And take not thy word of truth utterly out of my mouth ♪	20:55
	♪ And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth ♪	21:19
	♪ For my hope ♪	21:39
	♪ For my hope is in thy judgments ♪	21:46
	♪ I will keep thy law continually ♪	22:01
	♪ Forever and ever ♪	22:10
	♪ Let thy steadfast love come to me, oh Lord ♪	22:41
	♪ Come to me, oh Lord ♪	22:57
	♪ Come to me, oh Lord ♪	23:06
-	The Gospel lesson is taken from John.	23:37
	Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus	23:43
	had already been in the tomb four days.	23:46
	Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off,	23:49
	and many of the Jews had come to be with	23:53
	Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother.	23:55
	When Martha heard that Jesus was coming	24:00
	she went and met him while Mary sat in the house.	24:03
	Martha said to Jesus, Lord if you had been here	24:09
	my brother would not have died.	24:14
	And even now I know that whatever you ask from God,	24:17
	God will give you.	24:22
	Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again.	24:24
	Martha said to him, I know that	24:30
	he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day.	24:32
	And Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life.	24:37
	Anyone who believes in me, though they die	24:43
	yet shall they live.	24:47
	And whoever lives and believes in me	24:50
	shall never die.	24:53
	Do you believe this?	24:55
	She said to him, yes Lord, I believe	24:57
	that you are the Christ, the Son of God,	25:02
	he who is coming into the world.	25:05
	When she had said this, she went	25:09
	and called her sister Martha, saying quietly	25:12
	the teacher is here and is calling for you.	25:16
	And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him.	25:20
	Now Jesus had not yet come to the village	25:25
	but was still in the place where Martha had met him.	25:28
	When the Jews who were in the house with her	25:31
	consoling her saw Mary rise quickly and go out	25:33
	they followed her, supposing that she was on	25:37
	her way to the tomb to weep there.	25:40
	Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was	25:45
	and saw him, fell at his feet saying to him,	25:49
	Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.	25:53
	When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her	26:00
	also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit	26:04
	and troubled and he said, where have you laid him?	26:07
	They said to him, Lord come and see.	26:13
	Jesus wept so the Jews said, see how he loved him.	26:17
	But some of them said, could not he who	26:23
	opened the eyes of the blind have kept this man from dying.	26:26
	Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb.	26:32
	It was a cave and a stone lay upon it.	26:36
	And Jesus said, take away the stone.	26:40
	And Martha, the sister of the dead man, said,	26:43
	Lord, by this time there will be an odor	26:46
	for he has already been dead four days.	26:49
	Jesus said to her, did I not tell you	26:53
	that if you would believe you would see the glory of God.	26:56
	So they took away the stone and Jesus	27:01
	lifted up his eyes and said, Lord, I thank thee	27:04
	that thou hast heard me.	27:08
	I know that thou hearest me always but I have	27:10
	said this on account of the people standing by	27:13
	that they may believe that thou did send me.	27:17
	When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,	27:22
	Lazarus, come out!	27:24
	The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound	27:28
	with bandages and his face wrapped with a cloth.	27:31
	And Jesus said to them, unbind him and let him go.	27:35
	This ends the reading of the Holy Gospel.	27:41
-	Just let me say what a pleasure	27:59
	it is to be with you.	28:00
	It's always an honor to occupy this pulpit	28:03
	and to see old friends again.	28:06
	Before we go to sleep at night	28:12
	my husband and I have the habit	28:13
	of listening to some all news station on the radio.	28:15
	To Philadelphia or New York, Detroit or Chicago.	28:20
	Sometimes New Orleans, depending on which	28:24
	station the weather conditions will allow	28:27
	us to pick up on any particular night.	28:29
	And as I listen to those news reports,	28:33
	I sometimes get the feeling that you	28:36
	and I are on a safari trek through	28:38
	the dark continent called time.	28:41
	We are camped for the night on the edge of a jungle.	28:45
	A few flickering campfires are all	28:50
	we have to hold back the darkness.	28:52
	And out there in the night there prowls	28:56
	around the edge of our camp a lion	28:58
	looking for someone whom he can devour.	29:02
	And the name of that hungry lion	29:07
	in the shadows is Death.	29:09
	Death prowls always around the edges	29:14
	of our lives looking for his chance to attack.	29:17
	We dimly sense that, do we not?	29:21
	Certainly Israel in the Old Testament did.	29:24
	She saw her life as lived always on the fringe of disaster.	29:29
	She was a joyous people and yet she knew	29:34
	that just beyond her sphere of	29:36
	blessedness was the realm of curse.	29:38
	Just outside her circle of light	29:41
	there was a place of darkness.	29:43
	Just beyond the limits of her existence	29:46
	there was the gloom of Shoah.	29:49
	And the powers of Shoah, the place of the dead,	29:52
	could invade her community.	29:55
	Death has crawled up into our windows,	29:58
	Jeremiah said, when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians.	30:01
	Our bones are dried up.	30:06
	We are clean cut off, grieved the people	30:08
	in Babylonian exile.	30:11
	Death prowls around the edges of our lives	30:14
	looking for his chance to attack.	30:18
	We know that and so we fictionalize the threat	30:21
	and try to turn it into entertainment.	30:25
	Our movies portray aliens from outer space	30:28
	invading the planet Earth or our science	30:31
	fiction tells of terrible monsters rising	30:35
	up from the murky depths.	30:38
	Even little Binkley, in the comic strip	30:41
	Bloom County, has his closet full of	30:43
	those menacing anxieties from his subconscious.	30:45
	And we laugh at the monsters and aliens	30:50
	and anxieties and imagine that they are fiction.	30:52
	But we know, we know that circling silently	30:57
	around the curve of space are satellites	31:02
	that could be armed with nuclear missiles.	31:04
	We know that coursing through the air we breathe	31:08
	are viruses waiting for a weakness in our immunity systems.	31:11
	We know that approaching us on any highway	31:16
	may be a drunken driver or waiting for us	31:20
	on any corner at night may be an addict high on crack.	31:23
	Yes, Death prowls around the edges of our lives	31:27
	looking for his chance to attack.	31:30
	And the truth of the matter is, dear friends,	31:34
	that some of us have already been eaten.	31:36
	On this safari journey we call life,	31:40
	some of us have already fallen victim	31:43
	to that prowling lion called Death.	31:45
	For whether we acknowledge it or not,	31:49
	there are lots of ways to die.	31:51
	There is physical death, of course,	31:55
	though we try not to think about it.	31:57
	But it is a reality that sooner or later	32:00
	we all will have to face and as we grow	32:03
	older it becomes less and less hard to imagine	32:05
	that some morning our own name will be listed	32:09
	in the obituary column and that the space	32:11
	which we had occupied in the world	32:14
	will be empty of our personality.	32:16
	In our conceit, of course, we sometimes	32:20
	like to imagine what grief there will	32:22
	be at our passing.	32:24
	But certainly many of us have experienced	32:27
	the physical loss of loved ones.	32:30
	And we have grieved and known the pain	32:33
	that comes from the grave separation of us	32:36
	from those parents, children, relatives,	32:38
	friends, whom we have held so dear.	32:40
	We have even been angry at Death at times.	32:44
	Angry that there can be such an insult	32:47
	to the human personality.	32:50
	Angry that that prowling beast can put	32:52
	an end to so many labors and dreams,	32:55
	so many achievements and activities,	32:57
	to such a loved voice or to such a dear face	33:01
	or to so many endearing gestures.	33:06
	Mary and Martha, in our New Testament lesson,	33:09
	knew that grief at the death of their brother Lazarus.	33:11
	But for all its insults, for all its pain,	33:17
	for all its terrible earthly finality,	33:20
	physical death is by no means the worst way to die.	33:22
	Israel found that out, according to our lesson from Ezekiel.	33:28
	She was not physically dead as she languished	33:33
	there in the 6th century B.C. in Babylonian exile.	33:35
	Indeed her life in Babylonia was not all that bad.	33:39
	She had her own communities, her own worship	33:44
	and religious leaders, her own agriculture	33:46
	and commerce and some of her exiles	33:49
	even became prosperous businessmen.	33:52
	And yet, despite all of that, she could	33:56
	picture herself as dead.	33:57
	A valley of sun-bleached bones.	34:00
	Our bones are dried up, she mourned,	34:03
	and our hope is lost.	34:06
	We are clean cut off.	34:09
	Because, you see, it is possible	34:13
	in this life to die morally.	34:15
	To so twist and distort the intention of God	34:18
	for our lives that we do, in fact, become exiles.	34:21
	Exiles from the human race and the character	34:26
	that it is supposed to have.	34:30
	I knew a man once, a brilliant scholar actually,	34:33
	who had written a number of books that had	34:36
	contributed significantly to his field.	34:38
	He was a man who never seemed to run out	34:42
	of creative ideas and projects for the future.	34:44
	But the difficulty was that he was	34:49
	absolutely ruthless in putting those ideas into effect.	34:50
	Colleagues who stood in his way	34:56
	were vilified and cast aside.	34:59
	Secretaries who made mistakes were summarily fired.	35:02
	A wife was divorced, a mistress bullied, others'	35:07
	money recklessly unaccounted for.	35:11
	He stormed through his days trying to absorb	35:16
	everything and everyone into his plans, his views, his self.	35:19
	Justifying his scorn, his indifference,	35:25
	his lovelessness as the price to be paid to his genius.	35:28
	You see there was no doubt that	35:32
	the man was morally dead, a caricature	35:34
	of what his God intended him to be.	35:38
	A heap of dry bones, brittle and lost	35:42
	in exile from the human race.	35:46
	And a lot of us can find ourselves in that condition.	35:50
	Not that we're creative geniuses,	35:52
	but that we so twist the purposes of God	35:55
	for our lives that we cease to be human and are dead.	35:58
	Made for love and commitment to others,	36:04
	we cherish only our selfish selves.	36:06
	Made to forgive and be merciful,	36:11
	we know only how to pile up grudges.	36:13
	We were created to rejoice, you see,	36:17
	and to give thanks to God but our lives	36:19
	are a litany of complaints.	36:21
	We were given eyes and ears to know beauty	36:25
	but we delight in the ugly and the lewd.	36:28
	Thank of it, pornography is a booming,	36:32
	billion dollar business in this country.	36:35
	We were given hearts to love what	36:40
	is pure and noble and true but we rejoice	36:42
	at wrong and exhalt, debase and cling	36:47
	to falsehood and deceit and that is Death, living Death.	36:49
	The prowling lion has devoured his prey	36:55
	and our bones are bleached and left dry	37:00
	and scattered in the valley of our exile	37:03
	from the human race.	37:06
	But there is another way to die as well	37:09
	and that is to die spiritually.	37:12
	To believe that what we touch and see	37:15
	and feel is all there is to existence.	37:18
	That somehow this planet is a closed	37:21
	system operating on its own.	37:24
	That everything just moves along by	37:27
	natural law in an endless system of	37:28
	cause and effect and that there	37:31
	is no God who has a hand in anything,	37:33
	much less who rules our lives	37:37
	and holds us responsible to him.	37:38
	Did you see the cartoon in the New Yorker	37:43
	magazine some time ago?	37:45
	It showed two businessmen in conversation	37:48
	about the meaning of life.	37:51
	And one was pictured as saying to the other,	37:54
	I'll tell you why we were put on this planet.	37:57
	We were put on this planet to outperform the market.	38:01
	Now we may laugh at that because it is	38:09
	a caricature of our aspirations.	38:12
	But if there is no spiritual realm,	38:15
	nothing beyond us, no Kingdom of Heaven	38:18
	that is coming, no divine justice,	38:21
	no love that	38:26
	made us into whom we are finally responsible	38:27
	for what we do with our days, then we might	38:30
	as well spend our energies just trying to make a buck.	38:32
	For if that is all there is to human life,	38:37
	then we are just chance products in the evolution of things.	38:40
	Animals with slightly higher intelligence than porpoises.	38:44
	Born to grow up, to struggle, to propagate,	38:49
	to suffer, and to die and then to be eternally forgotten.	38:53
	And yes, apart from God, we are eternally forgotten.	39:00
	My own father was a petroleum executive,	39:06
	a pioneer in the natural gas industry.	39:09
	The holder of numerous awards for his	39:13
	innovations in plant design and butane development.	39:16
	But I visited his company five years after	39:21
	his death and few there then had ever heard of him.	39:23
	The firm's later anniversary volume reviewing	39:29
	its history made no mention of his name.	39:31
	And apart from God, friends, apart from God,	39:36
	that accomplished and beloved parent is dead.	39:39
	Do not think that your brilliant career	39:45
	is going to preserve you or the memory of you forever.	39:47
	If this world is all there is to life	39:53
	then the lion Death has claimed his victim.	39:56
	And if you and I live with the loss	40:00
	of the spiritual, we too are as good as dead.	40:02
	Our bones are dried up and our hope is lost.	40:06
	We are clean cut off.	40:11
	Well, the question that confronts us then	40:15
	is the same one asked of the Prophet Ezekiel.	40:17
	Son of man, can these bones live?	40:20
	And the only answer possible is the one	40:24
	he gave, oh Lord God, thou knowest.	40:26
	We do not hold in our hands the key to life, do we?	40:32
	Left to our own devices we muck up	40:37
	and mess up the landscape of our living.	40:39
	Sam Keen, in his book, Beginnings Without End,	40:44
	portrays it so well.	40:47
	Nearing the mythical age of 40, he writes,	40:49
	I fell in love with a young woman and left	40:52
	a home that had been rich in care,	40:56
	in fighting, in lovemaking on Sunday mornings,	40:58
	in shared memories of the birth of children,	41:03
	in the myriad details that weave the lives	41:06
	of solitary individuals into a single family.	41:08
	Whether divorce was an act of courage	41:12
	or betrayal remains moot.	41:14
	One rainy morning, I awoke alone	41:18
	in an apartment in San Francisco	41:20
	with the realization that my marriage	41:23
	had finished, my wife had remarried,	41:25
	my children were living far away,	41:30
	my lover had departed, and my academic	41:32
	career had been abandoned.	41:35
	Son of God, can these bones live?	41:38
	Oh, Lord God, thou knowest.	41:44
	Only God can put flesh back on the dry bones of our lives.	41:49
	That God who knit you together with	41:56
	flesh and sinews in your mother's womb	41:58
	in the first place.	42:01
	Only God can breathe the life giving Spirit	42:04
	back into our existence.	42:06
	That God who at the beginning breathed	42:07
	the breath of life into our nostrils	42:09
	and who now sustains the regular pumping	42:12
	of your heart and lungs as you sit here this morning.	42:15
	Think of the vitality of that God.	42:20
	Because of his act of creation, every	42:23
	square foot of ground and every drop of	42:26
	pond water swarms with invisible life.	42:29
	Mammals, fish, crustaceans populate every ocean	42:34
	and a million birds decorate every sky.	42:39
	And then think of the power of that God	42:43
	who can pack the energy of the sun into	42:46
	the tiniest atom or who can send out a root	42:48
	to burst through rock or who can sustain	42:53
	a hundred million monarch butterflies on	42:57
	a yearly migration from Canada to Mexico.	42:59
	Or yes, who can faithfully cause new flesh	43:04
	to grow over that insignificant cut in your finger.	43:07
	Is it any wonder that in our New Testament lesson	43:12
	Mary and Martha could tell the Son of that God,	43:14
	Lord if you had been here, our brother would	43:17
	not have died?	43:19
	For where God is there is life and not death.	43:22
	Where God speaks dry bones are given flesh.	43:27
	Where God acts the lion of Death prowls	43:31
	no more and night is turned to light.	43:34
	And so are you morally dead?	43:40
	Your life bent out of shape?	43:44
	Somehow a cheap and flawed imitation	43:48
	of the image of God you were created to be?	43:50
	Then remember God spoke to those dry bones	43:53
	of Israel and they took on new life.	43:58
	Jesus spoke to Lazarus, dead in a tomb	44:01
	four days and Lazarus came forth alive.	44:04
	And God still speaks his words to you	44:08
	that can resurrect you from your moral grave.	44:10
	Love one another as I have loved you.	44:14
	Forgive seventy times seven.	44:19
	Pray without ceasing.	44:22
	Take up your cross and follow me.	44:24
	The one who loses his life for my sake and	44:27
	the Gospel shall save it.	44:30
	The New Testament is filled with Christ's	44:33
	words about how to live abundantly.	44:35
	And you can, if you will read those words	44:38
	and let their vital power become your guide everyday.	44:42
	And by those words, you can be transformed	44:47
	and find yourself made anew.	44:51
	Or are you spiritually dead?	44:55
	Your world closed in and what you see is all you get.	44:59
	Is your life but a meaningless safari	45:05
	journey through time unaccompanied by God?	45:07
	Knowing nothing of the Spirit and bound	45:11
	by womb and by tomb?	45:13
	Then remember, our Lord spoke to Martha	45:17
	of an eternity out there that has invaded	45:21
	our limited lives.	45:23
	He who believes in me though he die,	45:26
	yet shall he live, Jesus said.	45:28
	And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.	45:29
	There is more to be had, you see,	45:34
	than meets our earthbound vision.	45:36
	There is a God who brought us forth	45:40
	and who in Christ accompanies our every moment.	45:42
	There is a love that will never leave us	45:47
	or consign us to be forgotten.	45:50
	There is a mercy that overshadows us yet	45:54
	though we think we are cut off from its energy.	45:56
	And if we trust, if you will, dear friends,	46:01
	cling to him and his Word and Spirit,	46:05
	if we will trust Jesus Christ who showed	46:09
	us that God and offered us his love and his mercy,	46:12
	then we can find ourselves given his	46:17
	inexhaustible vitality, then we can know	46:19
	his abundant life now and for all eternity.	46:23
	Why, as for a physical death,	46:31
	If we hold fast the Gospel we know	46:34
	that never again need we say goodbye.	46:36
	And never again need we fear that death	46:41
	is the end, the door closed forever,	46:44
	the everlasting dark.	46:48
	For in the safari camp of Christ	46:50
	no lion prowls by night anymore.	46:53
	The lion was slain on Easter morn at	46:57
	first raise of dawning light.	46:59
	Death has done its worst and lost.	47:02
	The grave has given up its victim.	47:07
	Christ lives, the Son is risen, we journey in his light.	47:10
	Trusting his victory, following his way,	47:17
	we can set out in joy and safety.	47:20
	So let us get on with the journey, good Christians.	47:25
	Let us break camp and in faith move on.	47:30
	Eternity awaits.	47:35
	God in Christ goes with us and	47:38
	its abundant life all the way.	47:42
	Amen.	47:47
	(organ playing)	47:54
	(organ drowns out hymn lyrics)	51:20
-	The Lord be with you.	51:25
Parishioners	And also with you.	51:27
-	Let us pray.	51:29
Choral Director	Be seated.	51:29
-	Almighty and merciful God, we do not	51:42
	deserve to be called your children,	51:47
	for we have left you and wasted our gifts.	51:49
	Help us to know that when we repent	51:53
	and turn to you, you are forgiving	51:55
	and are coming with joy to welcome us.	51:58
	And now we would pray that you would	52:02
	welcome our prayers for others.	52:04
	We pray first for peace in the world.	52:09
	Disarm weapons, silence guns, and put	52:13
	out ancient hate that smolders still,	52:16
	and flames, and sudden conflict.	52:19
	Stifle the engines of war and death.	52:24
	We pray for enemies as Christ hath commanded us.	52:31
	We pray for those who oppose us or scheme	52:36
	against us who are also children of your love.	52:38
	Beloved ones for whom you died.	52:44
	May we be kept from infectious hate	52:50
	or sick desire for vengeance.	52:52
	We pray for all who are poor or hungry,	52:56
	housed in cramped places, suffering.	52:59
	Increase in us and all who prosper,	53:05
	quite unmeritedly, concern for your disinherited.	53:08
	We pray for all who are sick or suffer pain,	53:16
	who struggle with demons of the mind or silently	53:19
	cry out for healing, particularly those in Duke Hospitals.	53:22
	And pray that they may be patient, brave,	53:28
	and trusting in their time of trial.	53:30
	We pray for those who are dying, who face	53:35
	the final mystery, the final adversary	53:39
	and pray that they might enjoy life	53:44
	and live intensely, keep dignity,	53:46
	and greet death unafraid, confident in your love.	53:51
	We pray for all people everywhere in their	53:59
	daily struggles and pray that they might	54:03
	hear and believe the Gospel in such a way	54:07
	as to know that they are children of God.	54:09
	That they, through your suffering love, have	54:13
	been bought for a price.	54:15
	That you intend to lead them from death	54:20
	to life abundant and everlasting.	54:23
	In this season of the cross, we pray	54:29
	for those who are placed upon crosses.	54:31
	And we pray that you would give each	54:38
	of us the strength to take up our	54:39
	cross and follow you even unto death.	54:42
	Amen.	54:48
	As a forgiven and reconciled people,	54:52
	let us now offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	54:55
	(organ playing)	55:02
	(organ drowns out lyrics to Catholic hymn)	56:09
	(organ playing)	1:02:24
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:02:58
	♪ Praise him all creatures here below ♪	1:03:06
	♪ Praise him above ye heavenly host ♪	1:03:14
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:03:22
	♪ Amen ♪	1:03:32
-	Oh Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world,	1:03:42
	we give thanks that you loved us so much	1:03:46
	that you were willing to suffer,	1:03:49
	and even to die for us, to lead us to life eternal.	1:03:50
	We thank you for the reminder of this	1:03:54
	in your Word and in songs of praise	1:03:56
	and in gathering for worship and	1:03:59
	all the other gifts with which you enrich our lives.	1:04:01
	Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	1:04:05
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:04:10
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:04:13
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:04:15
	and forgive us our trespasses as	1:04:17
	we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:04:20
	And lead us not into temptation	1:04:24
	but deliver us from evil for thine	1:04:26
	is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.	1:04:28
	Amen.	1:04:33
	(organ playing)	1:04:37
	(organs drowns out hymn lyrics)	1:08:34
-	The Lord bless you and keep you.	1:08:58
	The Lord make his face to shine upon you	1:09:01
	and be gracious unto you.	1:09:03
	The Lord look with favor upon you	1:09:06
	and give you peace.	1:09:08
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:15
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:19
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:25
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:32
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:39
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:44
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:49
	♪ Amen ♪	1:10:02
	(organ playing)	1:10:19

Item Info

Title:

Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Safari and the Lion" (April 5, 1987)

Description:

Death is constantly encircling our lives looking for its chance to strike. There are several ways we can die: physically, morally, spiritually. The question we must ask ourselves is the same that was asked to Ezekiel in the valley of dry bones, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Only God can bring new life where there is death. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 27:59. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 47:49.
Key quotation: “Only God can put flesh back on the dry bones of our lives.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4rv0dg0r

Date:

April 5, 1987

Speaker:

Achtemeier, Elizabeth, 1926-2002

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0027
ref8314_dqr
uachapelsermaud
duke:321323
dcrmv001027
ark:/87924/r4rv0dg0r
76db8c8e-7278-41e6-8dc6-cb45e1884db5

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection