Steven Shoemaker - "The Foolishness of God" (March 6, 1988)

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	(choral music)	0:00
-	Praise and peace to you	7:10
	in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.	7:12
	We welcome you to this service of worship	7:14
	here at Duke University Chapel	7:16
	on this third Sunday in Lent.	7:17
	We especially welcome any of you who may be	7:20
	visiting our campus for the first time,	7:22
	and we also extend greetings to those of you	7:25
	in our radio and television audiences.	7:27
	Our preacher for this morning is	7:30
	the Rev. Dr. Steven Shoemaker,	7:32
	Pastor of McKinley Memorial Presbyterian Church	7:34
	in Champaign, Illinois,	7:37
	and Director of Presbyterian Campus Ministry	7:39
	at the University of Illinois in Champaign.	7:41
	Dr. Shoemaker was educated at Wheaton College,	7:45
	McCormick Theological Seminary, and Duke University.	7:48
	Prior to his ministry in Champaign,	7:51
	he was on the staff at N. C. State	7:53
	as Campus Minister for Presbyterian Students	7:55
	for eight years.	7:58
	A highly respected preacher, he is also heavily involved	8:00
	in social justice ministries.	8:03
	We are pleased to welcome Dr. Shoemaker	8:05
	as a Clevis F. And Lionel Hawkins Boils Visiting Preacher.	8:08
	We are indebted to the Raleigh Consort and their director,	8:13
	Mr. Richard Motylinski for providing music	8:16
	for this morning's service while the Duke Chapel Choir	8:19
	is on spring break.	8:22
	You are invited to join in a special tour and discussion	8:24
	of the stained glass windows here in the chapel,	8:28
	which will be led by Mr. Ian Sutherland	8:31
	immediately after service today.	8:33
	All interested persons are invited to join together	8:36
	underneath the organ gallery immediately after the service.	8:39
	Please note the remaining announcements	8:43
	as they are printed in your bulletins.	8:44
	And now let us continue our worship.	8:47
	(organ music)	8:50
	(congregation singing)	9:27
-	Lord, when we pity ourselves	12:55
	and think we make great sacrifices for others...	12:57
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	13:01
	When our patience wears thin, and we are ready to give up...	13:07
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	13:12
	When we become angry and wish to retaliate	13:17
	against our enemies...	13:20
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	13:22
	When we feel rejected or persecuted	13:28
	for doing what is right and good...	13:30
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	13:33
	When we suffer pain of body	13:39
	or anguish of mind in this life...	13:42
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	13:45
	Lord, when we are afraid to stand	13:48
	for that which is true and honorable...	13:50
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	13:53
	When we feel alone in the world, forsaken and forgotten...	13:58
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	14:02
	When we come to the time of our own death...	14:07
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	14:10
	When we are tempted by despair or fear of what lies ahead...	14:16
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	14:21
Congregation	Amen.	14:28
-	Let us pray.	14:39
	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	14:41
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit,	14:44
	so that in the Word that is read and proclaimed,	14:47
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	14:50
	Amen.	14:54
	The first lesson is from the Book of Exodus.	14:55
	"And God spoke all these words, saying,	14:59
	"'I am the Lord your God, who brought	15:02
	"'you out of the Land of Egypt	15:05
	"'out of the house of bondage.	15:06
	"'You shall have no other gods before me,	15:09
	"'and you shall not make for yourself	15:11
	"'a graven image or any likeness of anything	15:13
	"'that is in heaven above, or is that in the earth beneath,	15:16
	"'or that is in the water under the earth.	15:22
	"'You shall not bow down to them or serve them,	15:25
	"'for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,	15:29
	"'visiting the inequity of the fathers upon the children,	15:32
	"'to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.	15:36
	"'But showing steadfast love to thousands of those	15:40
	"'who love me and keep my commandments.	15:43
	"'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,	15:46
	"'for the Lord will not hold any guiltless	15:50
	"'who takes his name in vain.	15:52
	"'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.	15:55
	"'Six days you shall labor and do all your work,	15:58
	"'but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.	16:02
	"'In it you shall not do any work,	16:06
	"'you or your son or your daughter,	16:08
	"'your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle,	16:11
	"'or the sojourner who is within your gates,	16:15
	"'for in six days, the Lord made heaven and earth,	16:17
	"'the sea and all that is in them,	16:21
	"'and rested the seventh day.	16:24
	"'Therefore, the Lord blessed	16:26
	"'the Sabbath day and hallowed it.	16:27
	"'Honor your father and your mother,	16:30
	"'that your days may be long in the land	16:33
	"'which the Lord your God gave you.	16:35
	"'You shall not kill.	16:37
	"'You shall not commit adultery.	16:39
	"'You shall not steal.	16:41
	"'You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.	16:42
	"'You shall not covet your neighbor's house.	16:46
	"'You shall not covet your neighbor's wife	16:48
	"'or manservant or maidservant or ox or ass	16:50
	"'or anything that is your neighbor's.'"	16:54
	This ends the reading of the first blessing.	16:57
-	Let us stand and join together	17:06
	in reading the psalter responsively.	17:07
	May God be gracious to us and bless us.	17:15
Congregation	May his face to shine upon us.	17:19
-	That thy way may be known upon Earth.	17:22
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	17:25
	Let the peoples praise thee, O God.	17:28
Congregation	Let all the peoples praise you.	17:31
Nancy	Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.	17:34
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	17:37
	Let the peoples praise thee, O God.	17:43
Congregation	Let all the peoples praise thee.	17:46
Nancy	The earth has yielded its increase.	17:48
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	17:51
	God has blessed us.	17:54
	(congregation responds indistinctly)	17:57
-	Before I read the next lessons, I should probably	18:15
	answer a question that some of you	18:19
	who have never seen me before are probably wondering,	18:21
	which is how tall I am.	18:24
	I usually say 5'20", which works out to 6'8".	18:28
	It is good to be here back at Duke	18:37
	and having the opportunity to share in worship	18:40
	at Duke Chapel.	18:44
	The second lesson is from 1 Corinthians,	18:46
	the first chapter beginning with verse 22.	18:49
	The Apostle Paul writes, "For Jews demand signs	18:54
	"and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.	18:59
	"A stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.	19:06
	"But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks,	19:11
	"Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.	19:14
	"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.	19:19
	"And the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."	19:25
	And the last lesson in the lectionary	19:33
	selected for this day is from John, chapter two	19:36
	beginning with verse 13.	19:40
	"The Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.	19:44
	"In the temple, Jesus found those	19:50
	"who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons	19:52
	"and the moneychangers at their business.	19:56
	"And making a whip of cords, Jesus drove them all,	20:00
	"with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple,	20:03
	"pouring out the coins of the moneychangers	20:07
	"and overturning their tables.	20:09
	"And Jesus told those who sold the pigeons,	20:12
	"'Take these things away.	20:14
	"'You shall not make God's house a house of trade.'	20:16
	"The disciples remembered that it was written,	20:21
	"'Zeal, for your house will consume me.'	20:23
	"The religious authorities then said to Jesus,	20:27
	"'What sign have you to show us for doing this?'	20:30
	"And Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple,	20:33
	"'and in three days, I will raise it up.'	20:36
	"Then the religious authorities said,	20:40
	"'It has taken 46 years to build this temple,	20:42
	"'and will you raise it up in three days?'	20:45
	"But Jesus spoke of the temple of his body.	20:49
	"When therefore Jesus was raised from the dead,	20:52
	"the disciples remembered that Jesus had said this,	20:55
	"and they believed the Scripture	20:59
	"and the Word which Jesus had spoken."	21:01
	(choir singing)	21:40
	Let us pray.	29:09
	Now may the words of my mouth and the meditations	29:13
	of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight,	29:16
	O God our rock and our redeemer.	29:20
	Amen.	29:24
	I had a very odd dream last week.	29:29
	I dreamed I was lying on the floor of a small entryway	29:33
	just inside the front door of a home.	29:37
	It was totally dark.	29:41
	There were whole lot of other people	29:44
	packed in that room, all lying on the floor.	29:45
	Our arms and legs were all entangled	29:50
	like in that photograph for Obsession perfume.	29:52
	Except that we all had our clothes on.	29:57
	This was my dream, not Jimmy Swaggart's.	30:01
	(congregation laughs)	30:04
	The front door pushes against us, slowly opening.	30:09
	We struggle to move in the darkness out of the way,	30:14
	but are held down by one another.	30:17
	Someone walks in the door and begins stepping on us,	30:20
	and we discover the most frightening thing of all.	30:25
	We cannot speak.	30:29
	We cannot warn the walker that we are human beings.	30:31
	My wife Nadia heard me moaning and shook me awake.	30:38
	My dream made me think about all	30:43
	of the silence in the world.	30:45
	Oh, I know there's a tremendous amount of talking	30:48
	going on right now, here, me for instance.	30:50
	And there is talk radio and talk shows	30:55
	on 87 channels on cable TV, religious talk shows,	30:57
	and now even with some talk show hosts	31:03
	running for television, the sons of religious talk shows.	31:06
	But where is there speaking that makes a difference?	31:11
	Where do we hear a word that stops	31:15
	the walkers from crushing the people?	31:19
	Where do we hear a word that disentangles us	31:23
	and gets us back on our feet, moving?	31:26
	Jews and Muslims and Christians believe	31:31
	that God speaks.	31:36
	The Ten Commandments, the 10 Words, are, I think,	31:39
	the best example of God's speaking, between,	31:43
	"Let there be Light,"	31:46
	and the Word becoming flesh in Jesus.	31:49
	The Ten Commandments.	31:54
	But, wait, Preacher, you say the Ten Commandments	31:57
	are about personal morality, about individual conduct,	31:59
	but the troubles in our world are bigger than that.	32:02
	The walker crushing most in our world is war,	32:05
	or preparing for war with nuclear bombs	32:09
	on missiles and planes and submarines.	32:11
	Or the walker crushing most people is hunger,	32:14
	famine, disease, poverty, the unjust distribution of wealth,	32:18
	or the unjust distribution of knowledge	32:23
	and power and technology.	32:25
	The Ten Commandments don't speak to these.	32:27
	Be patient, I answer. Perhaps they do.	32:32
	Notice how God is speaking here.	32:38
	This is not the irresistible Word,	32:42
	"Let there be Light, and there was Light."	32:44
	And this is not the bargaining Word,	32:47
	"If you will do such and such,	32:49
	"then I, God, will do so and so."	32:51
	Not the irresistible Word, not the bargaining Word,	32:54
	and not the threatening Word, "Do this or else."	32:58
	No, this is the Word of simple command.	33:05
	"Do this. Don't do that."	33:09
	Technically, this is called an apodictic command.	33:13
	No explanation, no attempt to threaten.	33:18
	No assumption that these commandments	33:20
	are resting on something more basic.	33:23
	These 10 are basic.	33:25
	They show us very clearly	33:29
	the foolishness of God.	33:34
	God foolishly gives people freedom to deny,	33:40
	to contravene, to ignore, to reject,	33:45
	to say "No" to any of the Ten Commandments.	33:48
	People have freedom because God wants people	33:53
	to choose the good, to be attracted by the good,	33:56
	not to be just robots,	34:02
	programmed to walk a straight line.	34:05
	Let me use an example from basketball.	34:10
	Now, I've been gone from the state of North Carolina	34:13
	for seven years; do people still follow basketball here?	34:15
	(congregation laughs)	34:19
	I did see the tents of students lined up	34:23
	for tickets at the game at one o'clock,	34:26
	and this is a short sermon.	34:27
	(congregation laughs)	34:30
	A basketball coach, of course, wants the players	34:32
	to work hard on defense.	34:35
	The coach wants the players to deny the opponent the ball	34:37
	by positioning, to challenge every attempt	34:40
	to move to the basket, and to stay between	34:43
	the opponent and the hoop for rebounding.	34:46
	Some coaches, like most in the ACC,	34:50
	give these as rules, state them as commandments,	34:52
	work on the skills and practice,	34:55
	and may then say before a game,	34:58
	"Now go out and play basketball."	35:01
	Other coaches, like, unfortunately,	35:05
	several in the Big Ten, give these as rules,	35:08
	state them as commandments, practice the skills,	35:12
	but then give before the game a major threat,	35:15
	a warning, a consequence.	35:19
	"If you make one mistake on defense,	35:21
	"even if you scored the last three buckets,	35:23
	"you're outta there, you're riding pine."	35:24
	As Dick Vitale would say.	35:27
	The result of that kind of commandment is tentativeness,	35:31
	cowering, trying to think before every move.	35:37
	What is missed is quickness, spontaneity,	35:42
	skills that have become internalized,	35:46
	so they become instinctive.	35:49
	What is missed is basketball.	35:52
	Why does God give us freedom?	35:58
	Why does God give us the kind of commandments	36:01
	found in Exodus, chapter 20?	36:04
	Evidently, God likes to be part of a good game.	36:07
	Helping robots do right all the time must be boring.	36:12
	Helping people do right, even some of the time,	36:15
	must be more exciting, more fun,	36:19
	more rewarding, more human, and more divine.	36:22
	Notice where we've come from that first bad dream image	36:30
	of silent people in the dark,	36:33
	entangled with one another on the floor.	36:35
	Now we are running, jumping, twisting in the light,	36:37
	shouting, and making that high pass	36:41
	so another can slam dunk.	36:43
	The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom.	36:47
	But even holy foolishness has a downside.	36:55
	Because we have the freedom to worship other gods than God,	37:01
	sometimes we worship our nation,	37:06
	our race, our power, our security.	37:09
	Because we have the freedom to lie,	37:15
	we sometimes say we want peace while we arm for war.	37:18
	Because we have the freedom to murder,	37:23
	we sometimes use our best minds to think up	37:25
	creative, new ways to kill our enemies,	37:29
	biological, chemical, nuclear ways, from space.	37:33
	Using our freedom so perversely, is it any wonder	37:41
	that God occasionally just loses it, and makes	37:44
	a whip of cords and drives moneychangers from the temple?	37:49
	It becomes so obvious, sometimes, that we worship trade,	37:54
	business, things, money, more than God.	37:58
	The tenth commandment, saying, "Do not covet,"	38:03
	is the only commandment of the 10 which forbids	38:07
	a state of mind, an attitude, a desire.	38:09
	All the rest of the commandments are about actions.	38:15
	But wanting to possess another's property	38:19
	leads so quickly to telling lies, to stealing,	38:22
	to murder, to war,	38:25
	that even the desire itself is forbidden.	38:28
	There's a popular song out now on the radio,	38:36
	and on video and on records and tapes and CDs,	38:39
	from the popular movie "Dirty Dancing."	38:43
	Notice that this song has covered all of the media bases.	38:47
	The handsome movie star and dancer Patrick Swayze	38:51
	sings the line, "I'm a fool to believe. I'm a fool	38:55
	"to believe I'm anything she needs. She's like the wind."	39:00
	Now I'm told by female consultants that this song is	39:06
	kind of silly because any woman would need Patrick Swayze.	39:09
	But the part of the song I want to focus on in closing	39:16
	is the line, "Just a fool to believe."	39:19
	There is a certain amount of foolishness	39:24
	in believing anything.	39:26
	In believing in anyone,	39:30
	in believing in any god.	39:32
	Because after all, we never know for certain.	39:36
	Belief involves risk.	39:40
	But notice we are like God when we take that risk.	39:45
	We are godlike when we take the risk to believe.	39:50
	When we in faith believe, when we make believe,	39:55
	when we act as if it were all true,	40:00
	when we act in faith, we are fools to believe.	40:03
	But notice we are responding to an even bigger	40:09
	fool on the hill:	40:14
	Christ crucified.	40:17
	God is a fool to believe in us, a fool to sacrifice self	40:22
	for us, yet this mutual foolishness	40:28
	in freedom gives meaning to life.	40:32
	We in freedom have important jobs to do,	40:37
	working for peace, working for justice,	40:39
	working for truth, working for neighbors.	40:41
	Working for the good. Working with God.	40:45
	What we believe and what we do makes a difference.	40:51
	What God believes and has done	40:57
	makes all things possible for us.	40:59
	Jesus summarized the commandments as,	41:04
	"Love God and love your neighbor."	41:06
	We should believe God, and we should live right.	41:10
	But even when we fail to believe perfectly,	41:14
	and even when we fail to live perfectly,	41:18
	we especially in Lent should be contrite,	41:22
	confess our failings, and try again to be holy.	41:27
	Trusting in God who foolishly	41:33
	believes in us.	41:38
	Amen.	41:40
	(organ music)	41:49
	(congregation sings)	42:11
Nancy	The Lord be with you.	43:47
Congregation	And also with you.	43:49
-	Let us pray.	43:50
	You are invited to respond to each petition	44:00
	with the words, "Lord, have mercy."	44:02
	With all our heart and with all our mind,	44:06
	let us pray to the Lord, saying "Lord, have mercy."	44:09
	For the peace from above, for the loving kindness	44:14
	of God, and for the salvation of our souls,	44:17
	let us pray to the Lord...	44:22
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	44:24
-	For the peace of the world, for the welfare	44:27
	of the Holy Church of God, and for the unity of all peoples,	44:31
	let us pray to the Lord...	44:37
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	44:39
-	For our president, for the leaders of the nations,	44:42
	and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord...	44:45
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	44:49
-	For this city of Durham, for every city and community,	44:52
	and for those who live in them, let us pray to the Lord...	44:57
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	45:01
-	For the good earth which God has given us,	45:04
	and for the wisdom and will to conserve it,	45:07
	let us pray to the Lord...	45:11
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	45:13
-	For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans,	45:16
	and for the sick and the suffering,	45:21
	especially those in Duke Hospitals, let us pray to the Lord.	45:24
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	45:29
-	For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed	45:32
	and the destitute, for prisoners and captives,	45:37
	and for all who remember and care for them,	45:42
	let us pray to the Lord...	45:45
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	45:47
-	For all who have died in the hope of resurrection,	45:50
	and for all the departed, let us pray to the Lord...	45:54
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	45:57
-	For deliverance from all danger, violence,	46:00
	oppression, and degradation, let us pray to the Lord...	46:04
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	46:08
-	For the absolution and remission of our sins	46:11
	and offenses, let us pray to the Lord...	46:13
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	46:18
-	That we may end our lives in faith and hope,	46:21
	without suffering and without reproach,	46:25
	let us pray to the Lord...	46:28
Congregation	Lord, have mercy.	46:31
-	Eternal God, you have promised to hear what we ask	46:34
	in the name of Your Son.	46:37
	Accept and fulfill our petitions, we pray,	46:39
	not as we ask in our ignorance, nor as we deserve	46:44
	in our sinfulness, but as you know and love us	46:48
	in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.	46:52
	As a forgiven and reconciled people,	46:59
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God.	47:02
	(choir sings)	47:46
	(organ music)	58:51
	("Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow")	59:19
-	Almighty God, Creator of the All that Was	1:00:03
	and Is and Is to Come, diverse that we are	1:00:05
	in age and outlook, we are one in our desire	1:00:09
	to voice our gratitude unto Thee.	1:00:12
	We thank Thee for our time and place in history,	1:00:15
	for the vision of a better world,	1:00:19
	for friends and loved ones who mediate	1:00:22
	thy loving care to us, and for new truths	1:00:24
	which are revealed to us through the Church.	1:00:27
	All they works praise Thee,	1:00:31
	and in that chorus we gratefully join.	1:00:32
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,	1:00:36
	who taught us boldly to pray...	1:00:39
Congregation	Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:00:41
	hallowed be thy name.	1:00:44
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:00:46
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:00:49
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:00:51
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:00:54
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:00:56
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	1:01:00
	For thine is the kingdom, the power,	1:01:04
	and the glory forever. Amen.	1:01:07
	(organ music)	1:01:12
	(congregation sings)	1:01:45
-	And now go forth in peace and be of good courage.	1:04:09
	Hold fast to that which is good,	1:04:13
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit,	1:04:15
	and may the blessings of God,	1:04:18
	Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit,	1:04:20
	be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.	1:04:22
	(organ music)	1:04:30

Item Info

Title:

Steven Shoemaker - "The Foolishness of God" (March 6, 1988)

Description:

The foolishness of God is shown in God's giving us freedom to obey or disobey God's commandment. Yet this foolishness (exemplified by Jesus' crucifixion) is paradoxically wiser than the wisdom of the world. For it is this freedom that gives meaning to life. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 29:29. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 41:43.
Key quotation: “God is a fool to believe in us, a fool to sacrifice self for us, yet this mutual foolishness in freedom gives meaning to life.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4rv0df9n

Date:

March 6, 1988

Speaker:

Shoemaker, Steven

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0073
ref8454_oxx
uachapelsermaud
duke:321725
dcrmv001073
ark:/87924/r4rv0df9n
48694ba2-1080-4b32-90b6-2e80b66f74f5

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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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Sponsor this Digital Collection

Steven Shoemaker - "The Foolishness of God" (March 6, 1988)

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives

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