Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Desire" (January 17, 1988)

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	(lively organ music)	0:00
-	Grace and peace to you in the name	1:08
	of the Lord Jesus Christ.	1:09
	We welcome you to this service of worship	1:11
	here at Duke University Chapel	1:13
	on this second Sunday after Epiphany.	1:14
	If this is your first visit to the Duke campus,	1:17
	we extend a warm welcome to you and offer our assistance	1:19
	to you in any way that we may be helpful	1:22
	here at the chapel.	1:24
	We also extend greetings to those of you	1:26
	in our radio and television audiences.	1:28
	This afternoon at five o'clock p.m. an organ recital	1:31
	will be presented by Doctor Monica Umstdaedt Rossman,	1:34
	associate chapel organist.	1:37
	Admission is free, and the public is invited.	1:39
	This morning at 9:45, Doctor and Mrs. James Travis	1:42
	began a five week course entitled Preparation for Marriage	1:46
	in Room 211 in the Divinity School.	1:50
	All those who are interested in the general topic	1:53
	of marriage enrichment, married or not,	1:55
	will find this discussion helpful and stimulating,	1:58
	and so all are invited for the next four weeks.	2:01
	Please note the other announcements	2:05
	as they are printed in your bulletins.	2:06
	And now let us continue our worship.	2:09
	(choir singing)	2:23
	(lively organ music)	3:36
	(congregation singing)	4:13
	(lively organ music)	6:07
	(congregation singing)	7:24
-	Let us pray.	8:04
	Almighty God, who calls us into discipleship,	8:07
	demanding the complete surrender of our whole nature,	8:11
	inspire us with your spirit,	8:15
	that our response to your call	8:18
	may be a faithful commitment of body,	8:20
	mind and soul to the way of Christ our Lord	8:22
	in whose name we pray, amen.	8:27
-	Let us pray.	8:39
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God	8:42
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	8:45
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed	8:48
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	8:52
	Amen.	8:56
-	The first lesson is taken from the first book of Samuel.	8:59
	Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord	9:03
	and to Eli and the word of the Lord was rare	9:06
	in those days.	9:09
	There was no frequent vision.	9:11
	At that time, Eli whose eyesight	9:14
	had begun to grow dim so that he could not see,	9:16
	was lying down in his own place.	9:19
	The lamp of God had not yet gone out	9:22
	and Samuel was lying down within the Temple of the Lord	9:24
	where the Ark of God was.	9:28
	Then the Lord called.	9:30
	Samuel, Samuel	9:33
	and he said, here I am,	9:36
	and ran to Eli and said,	9:39
	here I am for you called and he said,	9:41
	I did not call.	9:44
	Lie down again.	9:46
	So he went and lay down.	9:48
	And the Lord called again, Samuel,	9:51
	and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said here I am	9:54
	for you called me.	9:58
	But he said I did not call, my son.	10:00
	Lie down again.	10:03
	Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord	10:06
	and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him	10:08
	and the Lord called Samuel again the third time	10:12
	and he arose and went to Eli	10:15
	and said here I am for you called me.	10:16
	Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.	10:20
	Therefore Eli said to Samuel,	10:25
	go, lie down and if he calls you,	10:27
	you shall say speak Lord, for thy servant hears.	10:31
	So, Samuel went and lay down	10:37
	in his place and the Lord came and stood forth	10:39
	calling as at other times,	10:43
	Samuel, Samuel,	10:45
	and Samuel said speak, for thy servant hears.	10:48
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	10:53
-	Please stand for the reading of the Psalm.	11:03
	Oh God, thou art my God, I seek thee.	11:16
Congregation	My soul thirsts for thee	11:21
Minister	My flesh faints for thee.	11:23
Congregation	As in a dry and weary land	11:26
	where no water is.	11:28
Minister	So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary.	11:29
Congregation	Beholding thy power and glory.	11:34
Minister	Because thy steadfast love is better than life.	11:36
Congregation	My lips will praise thee.	11:39
Minister	So I will bless thee as long as I live.	11:42
Congregation	I will lift up my hands	11:46
	and call on thy name.	11:48
-	My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat.	11:49
Congregation	And my mouth praises thee with joyful lips.	11:54
-	When I think of thee upon my bed.	11:58
Congregation	And meditate on thee	12:01
	in the watches of the night.	12:03
-	For thou has been my help.	12:05
Congregation	And in the shadow of thy wings	12:06
	I sing for joy.	12:10
-	My soul clings to thee.	12:11
Congregation	Thy right hand upholds me.	12:14
	(lively organ music)	12:17
	(congregation sings)	12:24
-	The second lesson is taken from Paul's first letter	13:21
	to the Corinthians.	13:23
	All things are lawful for me	13:26
	but not all things are helpful.	13:28
	All things are lawful for me	13:31
	but I will not be enslaved by anything.	13:33
	Food is meant for the stomach	13:36
	and the stomach for food	13:38
	and God will destroy both one and the other.	13:39
	The body is not meant for immorality,	13:44
	but for the Lord and the Lord for the body.	13:47
	And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up	13:50
	by his power.	13:54
	Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?	13:56
	Shall I therefore take the members of Christ	14:00
	and make them members of a prostitute?	14:03
	Never.	14:06
	Do you not know that he who joins himself	14:07
	to a prostitute becomes one body with her	14:09
	for as it is written, the two shall become one flesh	14:13
	but he who is united to the Lord	14:18
	becomes one spirit with Christ.	14:20
	Shun immorality, every other sin which a person commits	14:23
	is outside the body	14:28
	but the immoral person sins against	14:30
	that one's own body.	14:32
	Do you not know that your body is a temple	14:36
	of the Holy Spirit within you	14:38
	which you have from God?	14:40
	You are not your own.	14:43
	You were bought with a price,	14:46
	so glorify God in your body.	14:48
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	14:53
	The gospel lesson is taken from John.	14:57
	The next day again John was standing	15:00
	with two of his disciples	15:02
	and he looked at Jesus as he walked and said,	15:03
	behold, the Lamb of God.	15:06
	The two disciples heard him say this	15:10
	and they followed Jesus.	15:12
	Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them,	15:14
	what do you seek?	15:18
	And they said to him, Rabbi,	15:20
	which means teacher, where are you staying?	15:22
	He said to them come and see.	15:26
	They came and saw where he was staying	15:29
	and they stayed with him that day	15:32
	for it was about the 10th hour.	15:33
	One of the two who heard John speak	15:36
	and followed him was Andrew,	15:38
	Simon Peter's brother.	15:40
	He first found his brother Simon	15:42
	and said to him, we have found the Messiah	15:44
	which means Christ.	15:47
	He brought him to Jesus.	15:49
	Jesus looked at him and said,	15:51
	so you are Simon, the son of John.	15:53
	You shall be called Cephas	15:57
	which means Peter.	16:00
	This ends the reading of the gospel.	16:03
	(tranquil organ music)	16:14
	(choir singing)	17:24
	♪ Amen ♪	18:49
	♪ Amen ♪	19:00
-	This may be a topic that's open for debate	19:36
	but I for one think that most ministers live	19:40
	pretty interesting lives.	19:42
	Where else could you find a job	19:45
	more comprehensive in scope than that of the clergy?	19:48
	We marry people, we baptize their babies,	19:52
	we visit them when they're sick,	19:57
	we preside over their funerals,	19:59
	and in between we hear about many of the things	20:02
	which are most precious to them in this life.	20:06
	I count it a great privilege to be welcomed	20:11
	on occasion into that very private space	20:13
	where cherished dreams are shared	20:17
	and heartfelt desires are revealed.	20:19
	It is an experience not unlike praying	20:24
	when a person can be that open,	20:26
	that vulnerable so that one can glimpse	20:30
	for a moment into the place	20:33
	which harbors the deepest	20:36
	and most essential human needs and desires.	20:37
	Such a privilege may not come your way many times	20:42
	in your life.	20:45
	I'm not sure that it has in mine.	20:47
	But when it does,	20:49
	you'll be receiving a rare gift.	20:51
	Fortunately for all of us and countless generations	20:56
	before us, we have in poetic form David's version	20:59
	of just such a revelation of his innermost desire	21:05
	in today's reading of Psalm 63.	21:09
	Oh God, thou art my God,	21:13
	I seek thee, my soul thirst for thee	21:17
	in a dry and weary land	21:21
	where no water is.	21:23
	With words akin to those of a lover addressing the beloved,	21:27
	David proclaims Yahweh as his reason for living,	21:31
	a presence he cannot live without.	21:35
	Oh God, thou art my God, he insists	21:38
	during what was probably a time of exile	21:44
	in the wilderness for David.	21:46
	He continues in his search for God	21:48
	even as he remembers happier days gone by	21:52
	when God revealed himself at Zion.	21:54
	But even in hard times, it would be no different now	21:58
	for him, desert or no desert	22:01
	for God would not be the prisoner	22:03
	of his own sanctuary,	22:05
	all the while the help and the overshadowing of God	22:08
	in times of trouble	22:11
	continued to feed David's joy	22:13
	so that he could still proclaim God's love	22:16
	as better than life itself	22:18
	even in the midst of the desert.	22:21
	What could have been for him a time	22:24
	of deep despair and alienation from God	22:25
	was in fact a time for praising God.	22:29
	Go back and reread this Psalm 63	22:33
	when you have a moment.	22:37
	Note the completeness and the depth of David's desire	22:39
	for God, his entire being experiences it,	22:42
	soul, flesh, lips,	22:47
	hands, mouth, voice and life	22:50
	for as long as he lives he proclaims,	22:55
	and thus the intensity of his spiritual experience	22:58
	is equally remarkable.	23:01
	It is a case study in and of itself,	23:02
	involving spiritual thirst,	23:05
	the vision of God's power and glory.	23:07
	Memories of shared worship,	23:11
	a sense of divine love, praise, joy help	23:13
	and deep spiritual satisfaction.	23:16
	In the shadow of thy wings,	23:20
	I sing for joy for his words depicting an image	23:21
	of living parental protection	23:26
	that would not fail him.	23:28
	My soul clings to thee	23:30
	suggests strenuous hot pursuit	23:33
	much as Genesis two depicts a husband and wife cleaving	23:36
	to each other,	23:39
	my soul clings to thee	23:41
	even as God's right hand upholds me.	23:43
	David's religious experience was enough	23:48
	to make any of us envious,	23:49
	at least from the perspective of this Psalm.	23:51
	Even as his soul pursues rest,	23:54
	it rests in that pursuit,	23:58
	always pressing forward to attain and attaining	24:01
	only to be drawn higher and higher again.	24:05
	Of the many varied concerns	24:10
	that a minister hears about in a given week,	24:12
	one of the deepest is this desire,	24:14
	this expression of a desire to know God	24:17
	though it may not always be stated as such.	24:20
	You see, underneath that suave, self-reliant image	24:23
	that most contemporary men and women seek to project,	24:26
	and with which we are familiar on this campus,	24:29
	there is a longing for inner meaning,	24:32
	one that can present a real dilemma for many people	24:35
	and in some cases even a crisis.	24:38
	In an age where belief in God	24:41
	is not so acceptable as when this great chapel	24:44
	was first built,	24:46
	people are confused about where to turn	24:48
	in their search for meaning.	24:50
	Should it be in my vocation where I can both forge	24:53
	an identity for myself	24:56
	and perhaps make a contribution to society?	24:58
	Should it be in my vacations	25:02
	where I can escape from the pressures of everyday life	25:04
	and have a good time?	25:07
	Perhaps it should be in my wealth and possessions	25:10
	where I can make a statement	25:13
	to the world about my financial success	25:14
	and excellent taste.	25:16
	Or perhaps it should be in encounter groups	25:19
	or religious cults or the use of drugs,	25:22
	where I can seek to rise above the mundane aspects	25:25
	of this life.	25:29
	These are truly treacherous times	25:31
	when we are faced with many alternatives	25:33
	for embarking on a search for meaning.	25:35
	And it seems that for more and more people,	25:39
	they're ambivalent as to whether or not the church	25:42
	has anything to do with this quest for them.	25:45
	At least that's what they say.	25:50
	I do find it interesting though	25:54
	that when truly significant events come along	25:56
	in people's lives, the church continues	25:58
	to be the place to which they turn for guidance and support.	26:00
	Even among the most ambivalent.	26:04
	Take weddings as an example,	26:07
	this chapel is the site chosen by over 100 couples each year	26:10
	as the place to pronounce their wedding vows,	26:14
	and I've been fortunate to know a good number of them.	26:17
	As ministers and prospective brides and grooms	26:20
	are supposed to do,	26:23
	we sit down to talk about who they are	26:24
	and how they've come together	26:26
	and why they want to be married in a Christian context.	26:28
	It's that last part that throws many people.	26:33
	Why a Christian service?	26:36
	We then move along to discuss their religious backgrounds	26:39
	and the fact that they may have fallen away	26:42
	from the church over the years	26:43
	and the present realization	26:45
	that they do indeed want a church wedding.	26:46
	Why?	26:50
	Because God's blessing is somehow needed.	26:52
	This is a sacred moment	26:56
	that calls for the acknowledgment of God's presence	26:57
	even if they're not sure exactly who God is.	27:02
	They can't live with the church	27:06
	but they can't necessarily live without it.	27:07
	And the same for baptism,	27:11
	when new parents have fallen away from the church	27:12
	and then suddenly feel the overwhelming responsibility	27:14
	for this precious new life	27:17
	which has been entrusted to them.	27:19
	They understand in a new way	27:22
	this awesome gift of life and so, they turn to the church.	27:23
	Or, for persons in crisis.	27:28
	Ask any hospital chaplain how strong the desire	27:31
	for prayer suddenly becomes	27:34
	when one's life or that of a loved one is endangered.	27:36
	Even at a funeral or a memorial service,	27:41
	too late to comfort the dead you say	27:44
	but just the time to reassure and strengthen the living,	27:46
	not with mere mortal platitudes	27:50
	but with words of scripture and prayers to God.	27:52
	And what about each of us?	27:57
	Though we might not care to admit	27:59
	to being 'that' religious,	28:00
	there is the fact that we've all chosen	28:03
	to be here for some reason this morning,	28:05
	and we'll probably continue to come back	28:08
	at least occasionally.	28:10
	Why?	28:13
	We have a desire, at some level	28:15
	that we may not even be able to identify,	28:17
	a desire to know God.	28:20
	The 14th century English mystic Dame Julian of Norwich	28:23
	writes of this desire for God as yearning,	28:27
	which she calls the first step in prayer.	28:31
	It comes as a gift from God,	28:34
	a sign of God's yearning for us	28:38
	that we may come to know God	28:40
	and to love God.	28:41
	The soul which is awakened by such yearning	28:43
	must by nature long for its consummation and joy.	28:46
	Its intensity will increase rather than decrease	28:51
	with advancing years,	28:53
	growing with love and never ceasing	28:55
	until we see God face to face.	28:57
	Yet as Julian testified,	29:01
	our desire for God, though planted by God within us,	29:02
	depends upon our continued cooperation	29:07
	for its development and growth.	29:09
	It is not the gift of very many to thirst for God	29:12
	such as David	29:16
	upon waking in the morning or returning home	29:17
	after a long day.	29:20
	If the spark within us is to have the chance	29:22
	of burning, even as an intermittent flame,	29:25
	there must be a time set apart	29:28
	when it blown upon by the breath of the spirit.	29:30
	Only an occasional encounter with the Almighty	29:34
	in the context of significant life events	29:37
	becomes almost selfish and at the very least, short sighted.	29:40
	Such a life of prayer must be cultivated.	29:45
	It is the wisdom of the church to provide then	29:49
	for regular worship	29:51
	but the church cannot dictate the commitment	29:53
	of the worshipers.	29:55
	Prayer, Julian has told us, is the deliberate	29:57
	and persevering action of the soul.	30:01
	Though the desire for communion with God does,	30:06
	I believe, arise naturally deep within a person,	30:09
	it must be unmasked	30:12
	and that must be done daily.	30:15
	All that would seek to distract us	30:17
	in the way of idols must be put aside,	30:19
	thus prayer itself	30:22
	is not something that we fall into naturally	30:24
	like the eating of our meals	30:26
	but it is an activity	30:28
	which is begun and sustained by the firm operation	30:30
	of our wills.	30:33
	It is only as we embrace a discipline of prayer	30:35
	in the desert as well as the sanctuary, as David did,	30:37
	giving it priority, even over activities	30:41
	to which we feel more naturally inclined,	30:43
	that we should know something of the freshness	30:46
	and spontaneity which Julian herself knew	30:48
	as a sign of communion with God.	30:51
	But how easily we become discouraged	30:55
	when we do not attain the spiritual high	30:57
	of a Psalmist or a mystic	30:59
	who by the way were not always feeling so great themselves.	31:01
	We've heard for too long	31:07
	from certain branches of the church	31:08
	that a truly spiritual person	31:10
	who seeks to know God	31:12
	will always be on top of the world	31:14
	with a smile for every situation.	31:16
	What an unfortunate misunderstanding	31:20
	of the spiritual journey.	31:22
	People who truly dedicate their lives	31:25
	to being evermore prayerful	31:27
	almost always confront a strange paradox.	31:30
	They find God in the certainty of faith	31:35
	and at the same time,	31:38
	must seek God in the darkness of belief.	31:39
	They thank God for having revealed himself	31:42
	and at the same time beg God not to hide his face.	31:46
	God is at once very real for them	31:51
	but is also like a blank wall at times.	31:53
	These paradoxes can be truly painful.	31:58
	They ensure that for most of us	32:03
	experiences of God are neither ecstatic nor exuberant	32:04
	but rather, in a healthy way, disenchanting,	32:08
	denuding, humbling, we are confronted	32:11
	with our own powerlessness rather than success	32:14
	in such an encounter,	32:17
	a continuous falling short of the ideal	32:19
	toward which we are reaching.	32:21
	We feel compelled to do more for God	32:23
	and we genuinely want to but cannot.	32:25
	Thankfully this falling short, however painful,	32:29
	does not have to be ultimately discouraging, however,	32:33
	since the basis of all pray life	32:37
	is the conviction that God is infinitely reliable	32:39
	and that God will never let us down.	32:43
	No matter what we may do,	32:45
	God loves us for what we are.	32:48
	The miracle then is that in all this emptiness,	32:51
	life continues its growth.	32:55
	There is a dryness, a dissatisfaction,	32:57
	yet even these cannot squelch our desire.	33:01
	In fact, the difficulties encountered	33:06
	in a life of prayer enable us to share	33:08
	in the very fidelity of God.	33:10
	God is ever faithful to us	33:14
	and we therefore in the darkness of our struggle	33:16
	remain faithful to him.	33:20
	Because of this faith we can persevere in our desire	33:22
	for communion with God	33:25
	whom we cannot always locate.	33:27
	Prayer becomes not only an outpouring of the heart	33:30
	but a tenacious search for God,	33:34
	an attentive waiting for God	33:37
	in the midst of an interior emptiness.	33:39
	It is an intimacy with the invisible,	33:42
	a surrender, an abandonment,	33:45
	a willingness to do whatever God may ask,	33:49
	a marveling at God's goodness,	33:52
	a love for his word, a deep growing silence	33:55
	whose depth we long to explore,	33:59
	and it is a search that receives its reward	34:03
	in ultimate terms.	34:06
	As I was preparing this sermon,	34:10
	it occurred to me that I have been using language	34:11
	which might seem completely alien	34:14
	to those outside the church	34:16
	and perhaps even to some of you who are in the church.	34:19
	Prayer, desire for God,	34:23
	faith, total abandonment to God,	34:27
	ultimate reward.	34:30
	I am struck by how little attention	34:32
	we actually give to these concerns	34:34
	when it may well be that the future of the church	34:36
	depends on just how prayerful we intend to be.	34:40
	In a time of increasing secularization,	34:45
	the only totally inescapable mission	34:48
	of the church may be prayer and worship.	34:50
	Every other task can be taken on by others essentially	34:54
	and in some cases can be done better than others.	34:58
	All around us this transfer of responsibilities	35:01
	is in process,	35:04
	but notice how the people still come to us, the church,	35:07
	to bless their marriages, to bury their dead,	35:11
	to honor the birth of Christ,	35:15
	to celebrate the resurrection of Christ,	35:18
	and to pray for them in times of distress	35:21
	in many cases without even knowing why they've come.	35:24
	I believe it is incontestable	35:29
	that faithful perseverance in prayer	35:30
	is a form of solidarity with the world	35:33
	for whom God is often so distant and so vague,	35:35
	and it is our responsibility to do so	35:39
	on the good days and on the bad ones.	35:43
	If we, the church, do not stand up for God, who will?	35:46
	It is only when we choose to remain faithful to God	35:52
	whom we seek but may not always locate	35:55
	that we convey to the world the message	35:58
	that God, even though invisible, is real	36:00
	and reliable and more relevant to our lives	36:04
	than we can ever comprehend.	36:08
	With David as our witness,	36:11
	only in God can our deepest desires ever be met.	36:15
	Thanks be to God.	36:21
	(lively organ music)	36:30
	(congregation singing)	37:04
-	The Lord be with you.	38:58
	(congregation mumbles)	39:00
	Let us pray.	39:01
	Almighty and everlasting God,	39:13
	hope of all nations,	39:17
	hear our prayers for peace in our world.	39:21
	Give wisdom and discernment to government leaders,	39:26
	endurance and a sense of your sustaining presence	39:30
	to all who live in places torn by strife.	39:34
	Pour out your Holy Spirit	39:39
	and your strength upon all who work for justice	39:42
	in Central America and in other places.	39:45
	Gracious God, source of our deliverance and help,	39:51
	hear our prayers for the homeless and destitute	39:56
	in our midst.	39:59
	Lead them to know they are not forgotten	40:01
	or unloved in your sight.	40:04
	Comfort them with a sense of your goodness,	40:07
	awaken our consciences as we consider our plenty	40:11
	and their want,	40:15
	and confirm in us the commitment to minister	40:17
	to their needs, in the name of Jesus Christ.	40:19
	God our redeemer and example,	40:25
	we pray with thankful hearts for brave	40:30
	and compassionate Christians	40:32
	who have shown us by their obedience	40:35
	and cheerfulness and devotion what it means	40:37
	to answer the call to discipleship.	40:40
	Guide and inspire those who break down barriers	40:45
	of prejudice and suspicion,	40:48
	direct the thoughts and words	40:51
	of those who proclaim your mercy	40:53
	and grant courage to those who honor the name of Jesus	40:56
	at great cost to themselves.	41:01
	For these and all other persons whom we name in our hearts	41:05
	before you, heavenly Father, hear our prayers,	41:09
	through Jesus Christ our Lord,	41:14
	who lives and reigns with you in the unity	41:16
	of the Holy Spirit,	41:19
	one God now and forever, amen.	41:21
	And now in gratitude for God's great mercy toward us,	41:28
	let us present our gifts and offering.	41:32
	(tranquil organ music)	41:38
	(choir singing)	44:24
	(lively organ music)	46:36
	(congregation singing)	46:54
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:10
	(congregation singing)	47:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:27
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:30
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:36
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	47:40
	♪ Amen ♪	47:48
-	Oh Lord our God,	47:57
	send down upon us thy Holy Spirit we pray	48:00
	to cleanse our hearts	48:03
	to hallow our gifts and to perfect the offering	48:05
	of ourselves to you	48:09
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen	48:11
	and now as our Savior Christ has taught us to pray,	48:14
	let us say with one voice.	48:18
All	Our father who art in heaven,	48:20
	hallowed be thy name,	48:23
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done	48:25
	on Earth as it is in heaven.	48:28
	Give us this day our daily bread	48:31
	and forgive us our trespasses	48:33
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	48:35
	and lead us not into temptation	48:39
	but deliver us from evil.	48:41
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power	48:44
	and the glory forever.	48:46
	Amen.	48:48
	(lively organ music)	48:51
	(choir singing)	49:27
-	And now go forth in peace	52:24
	and be of good courage.	52:26
	Hold fast to that which is good, rejoicing in the power	52:27
	of the Holy Spirit	52:31
	and may the blessings of God,	52:33
	creator, Christ and Holy Spirit	52:35
	be with you all now and forever more.	52:37
	♪ Amen ♪	52:45
	♪ Amen ♪	52:53
	♪ Amen ♪	53:03
	♪ Amen ♪	53:29
	♪ Amen ♪	53:43
	(lively organ music)	54:05
	(triumphant music)	56:59

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Desire" (January 17, 1988)

Description:

Sermon start time: 19:36. Sermon end time: 36:24.
The human desire to know God is a deep, natural yearning in each of us. Yet, such a spark cannot be fanned into a burning flame without regular and intentional acts of discipline and prayer. Even still, it is the case that, in our pursuit of God through prayer, we will inevitably meet moments of silence and doubt. We must have faith to persist through such times. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Though the desire for God does, I believe, arise naturally, deep within a person, it must be unmasked, and that must be done daily.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4sb3xd3s

Date:

January 17, 1988

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0067
ref8440_dtm
uachapelsermaud
duke:321764
dcrmv001067
ark:/87924/r4sb3xd3s
a1094c92-4c5a-4897-a497-08a17b2abdc4

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

Unknown Rights-Holder

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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 - "Desire" (January 17, 1988)

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives

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