Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Face to Face" (June 28, 1987)

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	(lively organ music)	0:03
-	Grace and peace to you in the name	3:26
	of the Lord Jesus Christ.	3:27
	We welcome you to this service of worship	3:29
	at Duke University Chapel	3:31
	on this third Sunday after Pentecost.	3:32
	We also extend greetings to members of our radio	3:35
	and television audiences.	3:38
	Realizing that many of you are visiting the Duke campus	3:40
	for the first time,	3:42
	we wish you a pleasant stay and offer our assistance	3:44
	in any way here at the chapel	3:47
	that we may be helpful.	3:49
	I have two brief announcements regarding members	3:51
	of our chapel staff.	3:53
	First of all, returning to campus this week	3:55
	will be the Reverend Dr. William H. Willimon,	3:57
	minister to the university who has been abroad	3:59
	for several weeks with his family.	4:01
	We look forward to their return.	4:03
	Also we extend our congratulations	4:06
	to associate chapel organist, Dr. Monica Umstaedt Rossman,	4:08
	who gave birth on Friday this week	4:11
	to a nine pound six ounce baby girl.	4:13
	We extend best wishes to the entire family.	4:16
	Please note the other announcements	4:19
	as they are printed in your bulletin.	4:21
	And now let us continue our worship.	4:23
	(choir singing)	4:37
	(lively organ music)	5:20
	(congregation singing)	8:56
-	Let us pray.	9:37
	Almighty God, to you all hearts are open.	9:38
	All desires known.	9:42
	And from you no secrets are hid.	9:44
	Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts	9:47
	by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit	9:50
	that we may perfectly love you	9:53
	and worthily praise your holy name	9:55
	through Christ our Lord, amen.	9:58
-	Let us pray.	10:12
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	10:14
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	10:19
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed	10:22
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	10:26
	The first lesson is taken from the Book of Genesis.	10:34
	The same night he arose and took his two wives,	10:38
	his two maids, and 11 children	10:42
	and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.	10:45
	He took them and sent them across the stream,	10:47
	and likewise everything that he had,	10:51
	and Jacob was left alone.	10:55
	And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.	10:58
	When the man saw that he did not prevail	11:03
	against Jacob, he touched the hollow	11:05
	of his thigh.	11:08
	And Jacob's thigh was put out of joint,	11:10
	as he wrestled with him.	11:13
	Then he said,	11:15
	"Let me go for the day is breaking."	11:17
	But Jacob said,	11:21
	"I will not let you go unless you bless me."	11:23
	And he said to him,	11:28
	"What is your name?	11:30
	"And he said, 'Jacob.'"	11:32
	Then he said,	11:35
	"Your name shall no more be called Jacob,	11:37
	"but Israel, for you have striven with God,	11:41
	"and with men and have prevailed."	11:45
	Then Jacob asked him,	11:49
	"Tell me, I pray, your name."	11:51
	But he said,	11:55
	"Why is it you ask my name?"	11:56
	And there he blessed him.	12:00
	So Jacob called the name	12:02
	of the place Penuel, saying,	12:04
	"For I have seen God face to face,	12:07
	"and yet my life is preserved."	12:11
	The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel,	12:15
	limping because of his thigh.	12:17
	Therefore, to this day,	12:20
	the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the hip	12:22
	which is upon the hollow of the thigh,	12:26
	because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh	12:29
	on the sinew of the hip.	12:33
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	12:36
-	We rise and we read responsibly, Psalm 17,	12:44
	the women reading the first verse.	12:50
Women	Hear a just cause, O Lord,	12:55
	Attend to my cry!	12:57
	Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!	12:59
	From thee let my vindication come!	13:03
	Let thy eyes see the right!	13:07
Men	If thou triest my heart,	13:10
	if thou visitest me by night,	13:12
	if thou testest me,	13:15
	thou wilt find no wickedness in me,	13:17
	my mouth does not transgress.	13:20
Women	With regard to the works of men,	13:24
	by the word of thy lips I have avoided the ways	13:26
	of the violent.	13:30
	My steps have held fast to thy paths,	13:32
	my feet have not slipped.	13:35
Men	I call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me, O God,	13:38
	incline thy ear to me, hear my words.	13:43
Congregation	Wondrously show thy steadfast love,	13:48
	from their adversaries at thy right hand.	13:51
	(lively organ music)	13:56
	(choir singing)	14:05
-	The second lesson is taken from Paul's letter	15:02
	to the Romans.	15:06
	Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized	15:08
	into Jesus Christ were baptized	15:11
	into Christ's death?	15:14
	We are buried, therefore, with Christ	15:16
	by baptism into death.	15:19
	So that as Christ was raised from the dead	15:21
	by the glory of God, the Father,	15:24
	we, too, might walk in newness of life.	15:27
	For if we have been united with Christ	15:31
	in a death like that,	15:33
	we shall certainly be united with Christ	15:36
	in a resurrection like that.	15:39
	We know that our old self was crucified	15:42
	with Christ so that the sinful body	15:44
	might be destroyed and we might no longer	15:47
	be enslaved to sin.	15:50
	For anyone who has died is freed from sin.	15:53
	But if we have died with Christ	15:58
	we believe that we shall also live with Christ.	16:01
	For we know that Christ, being raised from the dead	16:05
	will never die again.	16:08
	Death no longer has dominion over Christ.	16:11
	The death Christ died, died to sin, once for all.	16:15
	But the life Christ lives, lives to God.	16:22
	So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin	16:27
	and alive to God in Jesus Christ.	16:32
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	16:36
	(tranquil organ music)	16:52
	(choir singing)	17:01
-	The gospel is taken from Matthew.	19:52
	Do not think that I have come to bring	19:55
	peace on Earth.	19:58
	I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.	19:59
	For I have come to set a man against his father,	20:03
	and a daughter against her mother,	20:07
	and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,	20:10
	and one's foes will be those	20:13
	of one's own household.	20:16
	Whoever loves father or mother more than me	20:19
	is not worthy of men.	20:23
	And whoever loves his son or daughter more than me,	20:25
	is not worthy of me.	20:30
	And those who do not take up their own cross	20:32
	and follow me are not worthy of me.	20:36
	Those who find their life, shall lose it	20:40
	and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.	20:44
	Anyone who receives you, receives me	20:50
	and anyone who receives me,	20:54
	receives God who sent me.	20:57
	Anyone who receives a prophet	21:00
	because that one is a prophet	21:03
	shall receive the reward of a prophet	21:06
	and anyone who receives the righteous	21:09
	because they are righteous	21:12
	shall receive the reward of a righteous person	21:15
	and whoever gives to one of these little ones,	21:20
	even a cup of cold water	21:23
	because that little one is a disciple,	21:26
	truly I say to you, the giver shall not go unrewarded.	21:29
	This ends the reading of the gospel.	21:35
-	If I were to ask a sampling of you this morning,	21:49
	what is the most likely place for encountering	21:52
	a divine revelation?	21:55
	Chances are none of you would answer a wrestling match.	21:58
	In a sunrise over the ocean, yes	22:01
	or the face of your beloved perhaps.	22:04
	Maybe even in a service at Duke Chapel on a good day,	22:07
	but a wrestling match?	22:11
	Almost any place seems better suited	22:13
	to sacred encounters than the sweaty, face-to-face embrace	22:15
	of a half Nelson.	22:20
	Fans of television wrestling,	22:22
	when they dare to reveal themselves,	22:24
	can attest to the fact	22:27
	that no self-respecting angel would be caught there.	22:28
	Can you imagine the billing?	22:31
	Divine being versus the Hulk Hogan?	22:33
	Such matches, though mildly entertaining,	22:38
	consist more of tricks and distractions	22:41
	than of anything remotely holy.	22:45
	No, an angel looking for a serious match	22:48
	would never resort to glitz and glitter.	22:51
	A much more appropriate candidate	22:54
	would be the likes of an unsuspecting Jacob,	22:56
	namesake of Israel.	23:00
	Cunning and deceitful,	23:02
	he was a master bargainer and manipulator.	23:03
	We might even say he was an egotist.	23:07
	Yet he was a likable sort	23:10
	who knew when he had done wrong	23:11
	and finally answered to God for it.	23:13
	Jacob was a tough match.	23:16
	He wanted to be blessed, and he demanded it.	23:19
	Like it or not, Jacob's story is our own.	23:23
	Back in the book of Genesis,	23:28
	we read that from the time Jacob and Esau,	23:29
	his twin brother were conceived,	23:32
	it was clear that Jacob was destined to struggle.	23:34
	Rebekah, their mother declared during her pregnancy,	23:38
	if this is the way of it, why go on living?	23:41
	In God's answer to her,	23:45
	she soon learned that two nations existed within her womb,	23:46
	one nation shall have the mastery of the other	23:51
	and the elder shall serve the younger.	23:54
	Yet even such a shocking revelation	23:57
	could not have prepared a new mother	24:00
	for the enmity which would exist between her sons.	24:02
	You see, Jacob's name literally meant supplanter	24:06
	and as you may know about Hebrew names,	24:11
	a name revealed the true nature	24:14
	of the one who bore it.	24:15
	Jacob was destined to become a manipulator.	24:17
	He first revealed this side of himself	24:22
	as he talked Esau out of his birthright	24:23
	for a bowl of pottage	24:25
	and he was just as devious toward his father Isaac	24:27
	when he tricked him into bestowing the family blessing	24:30
	on him, the younger son rather than on Esau, the elder.	24:33
	So, Jacob did manage to secure the legacy	24:39
	of the family by these shrewd methods	24:41
	but without fully realizing what he had done.	24:44
	He thought he was simply gaining the status	24:48
	of the family patriarch	24:50
	accompanied by the powers of owning all that property	24:52
	and controlling the affairs of others.	24:56
	What he did not realize	24:59
	was that he had also acquired the spiritual legacy	25:01
	of that family,	25:04
	for God had spoken directly to Jacob's grandfather,	25:06
	Abraham, and forged a personal covenant	25:09
	and relationship with him.	25:12
	This personal relationship with God	25:15
	is what Jacob also had unwittingly obtained for himself.	25:17
	This time Jacob had gotten more than he bargained for	25:22
	but not without at least a glimmer	25:26
	of recognition of his own nature.	25:29
	Says Jacob to Rebekah as he prepared	25:32
	to deceive his father,	25:34
	"Look, my brother Esau is hairy while I am smooth skinned.	25:36
	"If my father happens to touch me,	25:42
	"he will see that I am cheating him,	25:44
	"and I shall bring down a curse on myself	25:47
	"instead of a blessing."	25:49
	Jacob does not attempt to deny what he is doing.	25:51
	He knows he is cheating his father.	25:55
	There's plenty about Jacob's character to be improved upon,	26:00
	I believe, but I am impressed,	26:03
	at least by this particular quality,	26:05
	Jacob's recognition of who he is.	26:07
	Over the last several weeks and months,	26:11
	we witnessed in this country an uncanny series	26:14
	of frauds and deceptions among notable figures.	26:17
	In the aftermath, presidential candidates	26:21
	have taken to peeking through drawn curtains	26:23
	to make sure reporters are not staking out	26:26
	their private lives.	26:28
	Wall Street financiers nervously scan the paper	26:30
	to see if their names have been linked	26:34
	to the latest insider trading scandals.	26:35
	Congressional witnesses mired	26:39
	in the Reagan Administration secret foreign policy	26:41
	huddle with lawyers before facing inquisitors.	26:44
	A husband and wife TV evangelist team strategize	26:48
	to reclaim the adoration of 500,000 faithful followers,	26:51
	not to mention their $1.3 million home.	26:57
	Such are the clay feet that litter our ground.	27:00
	This betrayal of public	27:05
	as well as private trust seems	27:06
	to have become especially fashionable	27:08
	in the spring of 1987,	27:10
	creating our own sleaze wave.	27:13
	We hear non-stop accusations	27:17
	but few confessions.	27:19
	Damage control seems to be the catch word,	27:21
	using the arts of public relations to deflect blame.	27:25
	Gary Hart sought to deflect responsibility	27:30
	for his indiscretions	27:32
	first claiming that his only mistake	27:34
	was not realizing his meetings with Miss Rice	27:36
	could be misconstrued,	27:39
	then blaming the media for the mess he was in.	27:41
	Jim Baker resisted his opportunity	27:44
	for old-fashioned confession	27:46
	by insisting his troubles	27:48
	were all part of a diabolical plot by rival preachers.	27:50
	Even our president, in explaining the Iran-Contra affair,	27:55
	resorted to the passive response,	27:59
	mistakes were made, adding,	28:02
	I'd like to point out that things of this kind	28:05
	have been going on for a long time.	28:07
	Indeed, they have been going on for a long time	28:12
	as Jacob himself stands to show us.	28:15
	Obsession with self and image	28:19
	are the classic trademarks of an egotist,	28:21
	ancient or modern.	28:24
	And not simply among the newsworthy crowd.	28:26
	Let's be honest with ourselves.	28:29
	How much time did some of us spend this week	28:31
	worrying about how others perceived us	28:33
	and what we could do it about?	28:36
	When was the last time we tried to avoid being accountable	28:38
	for our own behavior, even a little bit,	28:41
	in the name of getting ahead?	28:44
	The story of Jacob, then,	28:47
	is a vivid portrayal of a modern-day character.	28:48
	He didn't think he was asking for that much.	28:52
	He wanted to marry well,	28:54
	which he finally did after 14 years of bargaining	28:56
	with Laban, to provide for the family	28:59
	and to achieve some kind of reputable standing	29:01
	in the community.	29:04
	At first, back in the days of his youth,	29:05
	he hadn't been concerned	29:08
	about how he did it, just that the did it.	29:10
	Sound familiar?	29:14
	But over the years,	29:16
	circumstances began to catch up with Jacob.	29:17
	Finally when things weren't going too well	29:21
	between him and his Uncle Laban,	29:23
	God told him go back to the land of your forefathers	29:25
	and to your kindred and I will be with you.	29:28
	The good news was that perhaps Jacob could find a way	29:32
	to make peace within himself	29:36
	after all these years of inner turmoil.	29:38
	But the bad news	29:42
	was that he faced the prospect	29:43
	of revenge at the hands of his estranged brother.	29:45
	Would he be able to manipulate his way	29:50
	out of this one too?	29:52
	It is in this predicament	29:56
	that we find Jacob on the banks of the Jabbok	29:57
	in this morning's reading.	29:59
	Having exhausted his own resources,	30:02
	Jacob prays to God in a honest baring of his soul.	30:04
	He thanks God for all the blessings given to him,	30:08
	expressing his feelings of unworthiness	30:11
	for all of God's kindness.	30:14
	He reminds God of his promises to protect him,	30:16
	and he implores God to save him from Esau's wrath,	30:19
	freely expressing his fear for himself and his family.	30:23
	With no more to say or to do,	30:28
	Jacob divides his family,	30:31
	his servants and his flocks into two companies	30:33
	and sends them ahead by different routes,	30:36
	still hoping to outsmart his brother Esau,	30:38
	and there in the dark of night,	30:42
	Jacob is left alone.	30:44
	There are certain things which only seem to come to us	30:48
	while we are alone,	30:51
	from time immemorial men and women looking	30:53
	for the spirit have sought solitude,	30:56
	where one seems to have a unique ability to listen.	30:59
	Elijah journeyed alone to Mount Horeb.	31:03
	Jesus retired to the desert to be alone.	31:06
	St. Augustine was converted alone in the garden.	31:10
	Being alone takes a kind of spiritual courage.	31:14
	There are people who've spent amazing amounts	31:17
	of energy trying to avoid it,	31:20
	afraid to let go of the distractions	31:23
	which so conveniently insulate us	31:24
	from the voice of God.	31:27
	And so, Jacob entered into this aloneness,	31:29
	fearful or not,	31:32
	and which he only now seemed ready to do,	31:34
	when out of the darkness a strange being suddenly leaped	31:36
	on him, some kind of spiritual power.	31:40
	A seeming adversary sees Jacob	31:44
	and wrestled with him until daybreak,	31:47
	not the fake television variety,	31:50
	but in an exhausting, flesh-to-flesh encounter.	31:52
	Hear the panting breath, see the straining muscles,	31:55
	this was no game, Jacob's life was at stake.	31:59
	Like an Olympian wrestler, he held on for all he was worth,	32:03
	unable to overtake the angel,	32:07
	yet refusing to submit.	32:10
	A lesser man than Jacob might have died of fright,	32:13
	pleaded for mercy or attempted to flee	32:17
	but Jacob clung to the adversary,	32:20
	refusing to let go	32:22
	until he was blessed.	32:23
	No longer did he attempt to keep God at an arm's length,	32:26
	he had finally fully engaged God	32:31
	in a face-to-face encounter.	32:34
	Jacob asked the angel's name,	32:38
	a question which was never answered,	32:39
	but in the process received a new name for himself.	32:42
	"Your name shall no longer be Jacob	32:46
	"but Israel, because you have striven with God	32:49
	"and with men and have prevailed."	32:52
	At last, the real blessing was bestowed,	32:56
	not in the form of more power or greater possessions.	32:59
	Jacob's desire to manipulate, even God,	33:03
	had been overpowered by an authentic relationship to God,	33:07
	one of honesty, one of persistence	33:11
	and one of strength.	33:14
	Jacob carried with him the mark	33:17
	of this struggle, a wounded thigh.	33:19
	This injury only came at the end,	33:22
	and one senses the angel could have inflicted it	33:24
	at any point.	33:26
	But perhaps the meaning of this encounter lay	33:28
	in the struggle itself.	33:31
	The purposes of the angel was to change	33:33
	and to test Jacob, not to destroy him.	33:36
	As acknowledgment of the angel's mercy,	33:40
	Jacob called the name of the place Penuel,	33:42
	saying, for I have seen God face to face	33:45
	and yet my life is preserved.	33:48
	Anyone who has survived such a test	33:52
	carries such a wound.	33:55
	It is a sign of transformation as surely as a scar	33:58
	is a sign of healing.	34:01
	Such an experience of spiritual struggle is indelible	34:04
	and it does change us forever.	34:07
	It first of all enforces upon us	34:09
	a recognition of the limited nature	34:11
	of our own egos in relation	34:13
	to the awesomeness of God,	34:16
	and we are made humble.	34:18
	It also demands that we make ourselves fully vulnerable	34:20
	to that awesomeness by engaging	34:23
	in an honest, forthright struggle with God.	34:26
	It means forsaking the practices of manipulation	34:30
	and self-glorification	34:33
	and replacing them with the courage to admit who are are	34:35
	and to ask that we be made more.	34:39
	I don't know anyone who has ever entered	34:43
	into such a struggle voluntarily,	34:45
	but in hindsight, Jacob stands to remind us	34:48
	it can almost always be called a blessing.	34:52
	The epilogue to this story is too wonderful	34:57
	to stop here with Jacob limping off into the sunrise.	34:59
	The following morning the two brothers	35:03
	finally meet each other.	35:05
	Jacob must have been a weary man indeed	35:07
	after the long night of struggle.	35:10
	Unarmed, he went only with the faith	35:12
	that God would see him through.	35:14
	What a different man this Jacob was	35:17
	than from the arrogant youth	35:19
	who had denied the famished Esau a bowl of soup.	35:21
	And the two brothers fell into each others arms and wept.	35:25
	Their tears giving evidence of their forgiveness	35:29
	for each other and the openness of their hearts.	35:31
	And Jacob said to Esau,	35:35
	"Truly to see your face	35:37
	"is like seeing the face of God."	35:40
	God longs for us to come out of hiding	35:44
	that she may embrace us face-to-face.	35:47
	Even when that takes the form	35:50
	of a bruising wrestling match,	35:52
	our lives shall be preserved	35:55
	and, yes, even empowered,	35:57
	for the power of God's reconciling love,	36:00
	as Jacob and Esau so dramatically discovered,	36:03
	also enables us to encounter our sister and our brother	36:07
	face-to-face.	36:12
	Thanks be to God.	36:16
	(lively organ music)	36:19
	(choir singing)	37:15
-	The Lord be with you.	41:13
	(congregation mumbles)	41:15
	With all our heart and with all our mind,	41:18
	let us pray to the Lord saying Lord, have mercy	41:21
	for the peace from above,	41:28
	for the loving kindness of God	41:30
	and for the salvation of our souls,	41:32
	let us pray to the Lord, Lord have mercy.	41:35
	For the peace of the world,	41:40
	for the welfare of your holy church,	41:42
	and for the unity of all peoples,	41:45
	let us pray to the Lord.	41:48
All	Lord, have mercy.	41:50
-	For all the clergy and the people of the church,	41:52
	let us pray to the Lord.	41:56
Congregation	Have mercy.	41:59
-	For our president, for the leaders of the nations	42:00
	and for all in authority,	42:04
	let us pray to the Lord.	42:07
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	42:09
-	For this city, for every city in the community	42:11
	and for those who live in them,	42:15
	let us pray to the Lord.	42:18
Congregation	Have mercy.	42:21
Minister	For seasonable rhythm	42:22
	and for an abundance of the fruits of the Earth,	42:24
	let us pray to the Lord.	42:27
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	42:30
Minister	For the good Earth which God has given us	42:32
	and for the wisdom and will to conserve it,	42:34
	let us pray to the Lord.	42:37
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	42:40
Minister	For all who travel on land, on water	42:42
	or in the air, let us pray to the Lord.	42:45
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	42:50
Minister	For the aged and infirm,	42:52
	for widows and orphans, for the sick and the suffering,	42:54
	let us pray to the Lord.	42:58
Congregation	Have mercy.	43:01
Minister	For the poor and the oppressed,	43:02
	for the unemployed, the destitute,	43:05
	for prisoners, captives and hostages,	43:08
	for all who remember and care for them,	43:11
	let us pray to the Lord.	43:14
Congregation	Have mercy.	43:17
Minister	For all who have died in the hope	43:19
	of the resurrection	43:20
	and for all the departed,	43:22
	let us pray to the Lord.	43:24
Congregation	Have mercy.	43:26
Minister	For deliverance from all danger,	43:28
	violence, oppression and degradation,	43:30
	let us pray to the Lord.	43:34
Congregation	Have mercy.	43:36
-	For the absolution and remission of our sins,	43:38
	and offenses, let us pray to the Lord.	43:40
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	43:44
Minister	That we may end our lives in faith and hope	43:46
	without suffering and without reproach,	43:49
	let us pray to the Lord.	43:52
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	43:54
Minister	Lord, hear the prayers of your people	43:56
	and what we have asked faithfully,	43:59
	grant that we may obtain effectively	44:01
	to the glory of your name,	44:04
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	44:06
	Let us regardless present the offering	44:12
	and oblations of our life and labor unto the Lord.	44:14
	(tranquil organ music)	44:26
	(man singing operatically)	46:51
	(choir singing)	48:11
	(tranquil organ music)	49:45
	(congregation singing)	50:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	50:35
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	50:37
	(congregation singing)	50:42
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	50:53
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	50:55
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	50:58
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	51:01
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	51:04
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	51:13
-	Let us give thanks to the Lord.	51:26
	Accept, oh Lord, our thanks and praise	51:29
	for all that you have done for us.	51:32
	We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation,	51:36
	for the beauty of this world,	51:39
	for the wonder of life and for the mystery of love.	51:41
	We thank you for the blessing of family	51:46
	and friends and for the loving care	51:48
	which surrounds us on every side.	51:51
	We thank you for setting us the tasks	51:55
	which demand our best efforts	51:58
	and for leading us to accomplishments	52:00
	that satisfy and delight us.	52:02
	We thank you also for those disappointments	52:06
	and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence	52:08
	on you alone.	52:12
	Above all, we thank you for your son Jesus Christ,	52:14
	for the truth of his word	52:18
	and the example of his life,	52:21
	for his steadfast obedience by which he overcame temptation,	52:23
	for his dying through which he overcame death	52:28
	and for his rising to life again	52:32
	in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.	52:35
	Great is the gift of your spirit	52:39
	that we may know him and make him known	52:41
	and through him at all times	52:44
	and in all places may give thanks to you in all things.	52:46
	Amen.	52:51
	And now.	52:54
	(lively organic music)	52:55
	(choir singing)	53:26
-	The peace of God which passes all understanding	55:54
	keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge	55:57
	and love of God	56:00
	and of his son Jesus Christ our Lord	56:01
	and the blessing of God Almighty,	56:04
	Father, Son and Holy Spirit	56:06
	be among you and remain with you always.	56:08
	(choir singing)	56:15
	♪ Amen ♪	56:38
	(lively organ music)	56:51

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Face to Face" (June 28, 1987)

Description:

Sermon start time: 21:49. Sermon end time: 36:18.
Jacob's wrestling match with the divine being, in bringing him face to face with God, left him indelibly changed, a fact that is attested to by his new name and the wound he received. Jacob had grown from one who lied and deceived, keeping God and his family at an arms length, to one who embraced both God and his brother Esau honestly. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “At last, the real blessing was bestowed, not in the form of power or greater possessions. Jacob’s desire to manipulate even God, had been overpowered by an authentic relationship to God, one of honest, one of persistence and one of strength.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4s17t727

Date:

June 28, 1987

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0037
ref8361_x7l
uachapelsermaud
duke:321348
dcrmv001037
ark:/87924/r4s17t727
534048e2-4aea-41f3-acab-22a576394149

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

Unknown Rights-Holder

Rights Note:

This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Face to Face" (June 28, 1987)

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1. Nancy A. Ferree-Clark - "Face to Face" (June 28, 1987)

Duke University Archives

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Duke University Archives

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