Paul N. Priest - "Losing and Finding" (July 31, 1988)

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	(organ music)	0:00
-	Good morning and welcome to Duke University Chapel.	2:48
	We're glad you're with us this morning	2:52
	and we bid you a warm welcome.	2:54
	Warmer than we intended, our air conditioning	2:57
	is not working properly.	2:59
	Gentleman, if you can make yourselves more comfortable,	3:02
	please, we're glad for you to remove your coats.	3:04
	Now we're glad you're here	3:08
	for worship this morning.	3:10
	Our preacher for this day is the	3:13
	Reverend Paul N. Priest,	3:16
	who comes to us from Bournemouth, England,	3:19
	and we are delighted that he	3:22
	has come to our chapel from across the sea	3:24
	to preach God's word to us today.	3:27
	Reverend Priest has traveled widely in the United States,	3:30
	and has served a number of parishes here.	3:33
	We are	3:38
	delighted that you are with us,	3:39
	and	3:41
	now let us continue	3:42
	our worship.	3:44
	(choir singing)	3:52
	(organ music)	5:53
	Oh God,	9:55
	the protector of all that trust in Thee,	9:56
	without whom nothing is strong	9:59
	and nothing is holy.	10:01
	Increase and multiply upon us Thy mercy.	10:03
	That Thou being our ruler and guide,	10:07
	we may so pass through things temporal.	10:11
	That we finally	10:14
	lose not those things eternal.	10:15
	Through Jesus Christ, our Lord	10:18
	who liveth and reigneth with thee in the Holy Spirit.	10:19
	One God, forever and ever.	10:22
	Amen.	10:25
	Be seated.	10:26
-	Let us pray.	10:36
	Open our hearts and minds, Oh God.	10:40
	By the power of Your Holy Spirit,	10:43
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	10:46
	we might hear with joy	10:50
	what you say to us this day.	10:52
	Amen.	10:55
	The first lesson is taken from the second book	10:59
	of Samuel.	11:01
	And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife	11:05
	bore to David,	11:08
	and it became sick.	11:10
	And David therefore besought God for the child.	11:12
	And David fasted and went in,	11:15
	and laid down all night upon the ground.	11:17
	And the elders of his house stood before him	11:20
	to raise him from the ground,	11:23
	but he would not	11:25
	and he would not eat food with them.	11:27
	And on the seventh day,	11:30
	the child died,	11:32
	and the servants of David feared	11:34
	to tell him that the child was dead,	11:36
	for they said,	11:39
	"Behold while the child was yet alive,	11:40
	"we spoke to him and he did not listen to us.	11:43
	"How then can we say to him,	11:47
	"the child is dead?	11:49
	"He may do himself some harm."	11:51
	But when David saw the servants whispering together,	11:55
	David perceived that the child was dead.	11:58
	And David said to his servants,	12:01
	"Is the child dead?"	12:04
	And they said,	12:06
	"He is dead."	12:07
	Then David arose from the earth	12:09
	and washed and anointed himself,	12:11
	and changed his clothes.	12:13
	And he went into the House of the Lord and worshiped.	12:16
	And then he went down to his own house	12:19
	and when he asked, they sat food before him	12:22
	and he ate.	12:26
	Then his servant said to him,	12:28
	"What is this thing that you have done?	12:29
	"You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive,	12:32
	"but when the child died, you arose and ate food?"	12:37
	And he said, "While the child was still alive,	12:42
	"I fasted and wept for I said	12:44
	"who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me,	12:47
	"that my child may live,	12:50
	"and now that he is dead, why should I fast?	12:53
	"Can I bring him back again?	12:56
	"I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."	12:59
	Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba	13:04
	and went into her and lay with her,	13:07
	and she bore a son,	13:10
	and he called his name, Solomon.	13:12
	And the Lord loved him.	13:15
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	13:17
-	Let us stand for the Psalm.	13:25
	And read responsively.	13:29
	Number 566.	13:31
	I will bless the Lord at all times;	13:40
Congregation	his praise shall	13:43
	continually be in my mouth.	13:44
-	My soul makes its boast in the Lord;	13:46
Congregation	let the humble hear and be glad.	13:48
-	Oh, magnify the Lord with me,	13:52
Congregation	and let us exalt his name together!	13:55
-	I sought the Lord and he answered me	13:58
Congregation	and delivered me from all my fears.	14:00
-	Look to him and be radiant,	14:03
Congregation	and their faces shall never be ashamed.	14:06
-	This poor man cried and the Lord heard him.	14:09
Congregation	and saved him out of all his troubles.	14:12
-	The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,	14:14
Congregation	and delivers them.	14:19
-	Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!	14:21
Congregation	Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!	14:25
-	Come, O sons, listen to me;	14:28
Congregation	I will teach you the fear of the Lord.	14:30
-	What man is there who desires life	14:33
Congregation	and loves many days, that he may see good?	14:35
Rev. William	Keep your tongue from evil	14:39
	and your lips from speaking deceit.	14:41
Congregation	Turn away from evil and do good;	14:43
	seek peace and pursue it.	14:46
Rev. William	When the righteous cry for help,	14:48
	the Lord hears.	14:50
Congregation	and delivers them out	14:52
	of all their troubles.	14:53
Rev. William	The Lord is near to the broken hearted.	14:55
Congregation	and saves the crushed in spirit.	14:58
Rev. William	The Lord redeems the life of his servants.	15:00
Congregation	none of those who	15:04
	take refuge in him will be condemned.	15:05
	(organ music)	15:08
	(choir singing)	15:17
-	The second lesson is taken from Paul's letter	16:16
	to the Ephesians.	16:19
	I therefore, are prisoner for the Lord,	16:23
	beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling	16:25
	to which you have been called,	16:28
	and with all loneliness and meekness	16:30
	with patience,	16:33
	forbearing one another in love.	16:34
	Eager to maintain the	16:37
	unity of the Spirit	16:38
	and the bond of peace.	16:41
	There is one body,	16:43
	and one spirit	16:45
	just as you were called to one hope that belongs	16:46
	to your call.	16:49
	One Lord.	16:51
	One faith.	16:52
	One baptism.	16:54
	One God and Father of us all,	16:55
	who is above all and through all	16:58
	and	17:01
	in all.	17:02
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	17:04
	(choir singing)	17:25
	The Gospel is taken from John.	21:12
	So that when the people saw that Jesus	21:16
	was not there, nor His disciples,	21:18
	they themselves got into the boats	21:21
	and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.	21:23
	And when they found Him on the other side of the sea,	21:27
	they said to Him,	21:29
	"Rabbi, when did You come here?"	21:31
	And Jesus answered them,	21:34
	"Truly, truly I say to you,	21:35
	"you seek Me, not because you saw signs,	21:37
	"but because you ate your fill of the loaves.	21:41
	"Do not labor for the food which perishes,	21:44
	"but for the food which endures to eternal life,	21:47
	"which the Son of Man will give to you.	21:51
	"For on Him, as the God Father set his seal."	21:53
	And then they said to him,	21:58
	"What must we do	21:59
	"to be doing the works of God?"	22:01
	And Jesus answered them,	22:04
	"This is the work of God:	22:06
	"That you believe in Him	22:08
	"whom He has sent."	22:10
	And they said to him,	22:12
	"Then what sign do You,	22:13
	"that we may see and believe You?	22:14
	"What work do You perform?	22:17
	"Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness,	22:19
	"and as it is written:	22:22
	"'He gave the bread from Heaven to eat'"	22:24
	And then Jesus said to them,	22:27
	"Truly, truly I say to you,	22:29
	"it was not Moses who gave you the bread from Heaven.	22:30
	"My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven.	22:34
	"For the bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven,	22:37
	"and gives life to the world."	22:41
	And they said to Him,	22:44
	"Lord, give us this bread always."	22:45
	And Jesus said to them,	22:49
	"I am the bread of life.	22:51
	"He who comes to me shall not hunger.	22:53
	"And he who believes in me	22:56
	"shall never thirst."	22:58
	This ends the reading of the Gospel.	23:00
-	In the name of the Father	23:16
	and of the Son	23:18
	and of the Holy Spirit.	23:20
	The telephone rang.	23:26
	It was the police.	23:29
	What in the world would the police want with us,	23:33
	whilst we were	23:36
	away on holiday,	23:38
	hundreds of miles	23:40
	from home?	23:42
	The policeman said to me,	23:44
	"You've been burgled."	23:47
	Our holiday was cut short.	23:51
	We began to make a long	23:55
	and dreary	23:57
	journey home.	23:59
	And as we did so,	24:01
	we wondered what the burglars	24:03
	might have taken from our home?	24:05
	What	24:09
	precious	24:09
	possessions?	24:11
	Not necessarily	24:13
	of great	24:14
	monetary	24:15
	value,	24:17
	but possessions which were dear to us	24:19
	because they had been passed down to us,	24:22
	through our families.	24:26
	When we returned, we found that the burglars	24:30
	had taken	24:33
	my mother's	24:34
	gold	24:35
	wedding ring.	24:36
	They had also taken with them my wife's	24:39
	father's	24:43
	gold	24:45
	clock.	24:46
	Clearly, the burglars were interested in gold.	24:48
	And having come to our house,	24:52
	they had come to the right place.	24:54
	They also took money,	24:59
	which my brother had left for me.	25:01
	We were deeply perturbed	25:06
	and shocked.	25:08
	And felt a great sense of loss	25:11
	that these possessions had been taken from us,	25:14
	never to be returned.	25:18
	No doubt, there are those that who would tell us	25:24
	that we should not become attached to material possessions,	25:26
	but I believe that to be contrary to our faith.	25:32
	For we believe in a God who created the world.	25:37
	And we are told in the book of Genesis,	25:42
	that when He looked upon the world which He created,	25:44
	it was	25:49
	very good.	25:50
	God wishes us to enjoy	25:52
	the material of the world.	25:55
	For us to possess that material	25:59
	and find	26:01
	satisfaction	26:02
	within it.	26:04
	We are of a faith	26:08
	which believes	26:10
	in a God who became	26:11
	material Himself.	26:14
	The Word	26:16
	become	26:18
	flesh.	26:19
	And as I think of the life and teaching	26:22
	of our Lord Jesus Christ,	26:24
	I am aware of how much he enjoyed	26:27
	and appreciated	26:30
	the material things	26:32
	of life.	26:35
	There is a sense in which	26:37
	our religion	26:39
	is a materialistic	26:40
	religion.	26:43
	You remember how Jesus	26:47
	had a deep insight	26:49
	into what it meant to lose	26:52
	material things.	26:55
	For when the woman lost her coin,	26:58
	she searched desperately after it.	27:00
	And when the shepard lost his sheep,	27:03
	he went high and low,	27:06
	in order that he might return that sheep	27:08
	to its fold.	27:11
	Let us	27:15
	never forget the importance of the material.	27:16
	And that God wishes us to enjoy,	27:21
	and	27:24
	possess	27:25
	material things	27:26
	of life.	27:29
	In the Gospel,	27:33
	we read	27:34
	of how the people	27:36
	found	27:38
	that the one	27:38
	who had given them	27:40
	material things	27:41
	was no longer there.	27:44
	And so they went to seek after Him.	27:46
	And when they came to Jesus,	27:50
	He told them that the only reason why they had come	27:52
	seeking Him, was because He had given them	27:55
	bread.	28:00
	And they were full of loaves.	28:01
	He warned them	28:05
	about the dangers	28:07
	of material things.	28:09
	He told them that they were not to work for those	28:12
	things which are imperishable,	28:15
	but for	28:20
	food	28:20
	which is	28:21
	imperishable.	28:23
	For food which lasts	28:25
	to eternal life.	28:28
	Those words remind me of some others of Jesus.	28:31
	Where He said,	28:35
	"Do not store up for yourselves	28:36
	"treasures on earth,	28:39
	"where moth and rust doth corrupt.	28:41
	"And where thieves break in and steal,	28:45
	"but store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.	28:49
	"Where neither moth, nor rust doth corrupt.	28:53
	"And thieves	28:58
	do not break in	29:00
	"and steal."	29:02
	Let's think now of the	29:07
	most precious material possession that you and I have.	29:09
	Let us thank God for it.	29:16
	For it is part of His creation,	29:18
	but let us remember that we must never give	29:22
	ultimate significance to any person or possession.	29:25
	For like Job,	29:31
	we are the people who are ready to lose	29:33
	all personal possessions.	29:37
	And with him say,	29:40
	I know	29:43
	that my Redeemer	29:45
	lives.	29:47
	Some friends said to us in the light of our burglary,	29:53
	what we ourselves had thought.	29:56
	That though we had lost personal possessions,	30:01
	we had not lost	30:04
	one another.	30:07
	They talked to us about the importance of people.	30:10
	And since we arrived in the United States of America,	30:14
	I have been reminded	30:18
	of how important	30:20
	people	30:22
	are	30:23
	to me.	30:24
	We landed at Dallas Airport	30:25
	in the middle of a violent thunderstorm,	30:28
	but when we came through the customs gate,	30:33
	there waiting for us	30:36
	was Clifford Harrison,	30:38
	a friend whom we had met	30:40
	a number of years ago,	30:42
	who quickly took us to	30:44
	his home,	30:46
	that we might meet with his wife	30:47
	and with his family.	30:50
	Two days later, we were in Richmond,	30:53
	where we were five years ago.	30:55
	And as we went to the chapel for the morning service,	30:59
	afterwards we met a number of people that we had not seen	31:04
	for five years.	31:08
	And we realized how good	31:11
	it was to renew our friendships.	31:13
	We came	31:18
	from Richmond	31:19
	to Durham	31:20
	via the whole of North Carolina	31:22
	by	31:25
	Amtrak	31:26
	and arriving four hours late,	31:28
	there waiting for us	31:31
	was Dr. Willimon.	31:33
	He brought us to his home,	31:35
	where again,	31:38
	we met with his family.	31:39
	And how good it is to be	31:42
	with Dr. Willimon and his family,	31:44
	that we might renew	31:47
	friendships.	31:49
	I know	31:51
	how important	31:52
	people	31:54
	are	31:55
	to me.	31:56
	And not just friends,	31:58
	but also family.	32:00
	How much it means to me	32:03
	that today,	32:05
	my wife and my children	32:06
	are sitting in this congregation	32:07
	with people who have	32:10
	traveled hundreds of miles from Illinois,	32:12
	in order that they might be with us	32:15
	this weekend as a family.	32:17
	We were traveling north	32:22
	in England,	32:25
	along a motorway.	32:27
	We decided it was time for some refreshment,	32:29
	and so we stopped at what we call	32:32
	a service area.	32:35
	At this service area,	32:38
	there was a bridge which went over the motorway,	32:39
	and in the middle of the bridge,	32:42
	there was a cafe where we had some refreshments.	32:44
	After we had finished our meal,	32:49
	Nicola and Rachel, our children,	32:51
	said that they would like to go and look at the shops.	32:54
	Down they went, and we said that we would meet them	32:58
	in a few minutes.	33:01
	When we went down to the shops,	33:04
	they were nowhere that could be seen.	33:07
	We searched high and low,	33:11
	and were getting desperate in our concern	33:14
	for having lost our children.	33:18
	Once again, we found ourselves in the hands of the police.	33:22
	For they were informed of the loss of our children.	33:28
	And we drove around the area.	33:33
	They were nowhere to be seen.	33:35
	Then the police took us over the motorway,	33:38
	to the service station,	33:41
	which is on the other side.	33:42
	Again,	33:45
	nowhere	33:46
	to be found.	33:48
	But then suddenly,	33:50
	we saw Nicola and Rachel,	33:51
	and we jumped out of the police car	33:53
	and embraced them,	33:55
	and felt a great sense of relief.	33:57
	They had gone the wrong way from the cafe,	34:00
	to the other side of the motorway.	34:04
	In that experience, we knew something of what it was like	34:08
	for Mary	34:11
	and Joseph	34:12
	to lose their son.	34:14
	And as He's so beautifully portrayed	34:16
	on the reredos of this chapel,	34:19
	there Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem	34:23
	and found	34:26
	Jesus with the teachers	34:28
	in the temple.	34:30
	And I am sure	34:32
	they were	34:34
	overjoyed.	34:35
	In the Gospel, we not only read	34:39
	other people	34:42
	who find that the one who gives them	34:43
	material possessions	34:46
	is lost,	34:48
	but also they have lost	34:50
	the person	34:52
	called	34:53
	Jesus.	34:54
	And so they go	34:56
	searching after him,	34:57
	in order that they might find him.	34:59
	And I am sure that they were	35:02
	filled with joy	35:04
	when they were in the company	35:06
	of Jesus	35:08
	once again.	35:10
	Jesus,	35:12
	who knew only too well	35:13
	what it is like	35:15
	for a member of the family to be lost	35:16
	when he told the story	35:20
	of the father	35:22
	waiting	35:24
	for his prodigal son	35:26
	to return home.	35:29
	We not only lose possessions,	35:33
	but we also lose	35:36
	people.	35:38
	Sometimes	35:40
	momentarily.	35:42
	But in the Old Testament lesson,	35:45
	we are reminded	35:47
	of how loss	35:48
	can be even more poignant	35:50
	than that.	35:52
	For in the Old Testament,	35:54
	we read of how David	35:55
	lost	35:58
	his child.	35:59
	A child who was only	36:02
	a few days	36:03
	old.	36:05
	I shall never forget	36:08
	the first funeral service	36:09
	that I took	36:12
	for a child.	36:13
	And I sensed with the family	36:15
	a deep	36:18
	loss.	36:20
	And yet,	36:24
	it is not only when we lose children in death	36:25
	that we feel that deep sense of loss.	36:27
	There are those of us	36:32
	within this congregation today	36:33
	who know what it is like	36:35
	for us to lose	36:37
	loved ones	36:38
	of whatever age.	36:40
	We know the loss of their physical presence,	36:43
	of their human	36:48
	voice,	36:49
	of that simple	36:51
	touch	36:53
	which we can no longer	36:54
	feel	36:57
	and experience.	36:59
	This morning, as we listen to the postlude	37:05
	at the end of the service,	37:09
	I shall be reminded	37:11
	of	37:13
	Martin	37:14
	Rinkart.	37:15
	Martin Rinkart,	37:17
	who during the Thirty Years' War	37:18
	was in the city of Eilenburg,	37:21
	in Germany.	37:24
	Because of the war,	37:26
	bearing in mind that Eilenburg was a walled	37:29
	city,	37:32
	people came from all around,	37:34
	in order that they might	37:36
	be safe.	37:38
	As a result,	37:40
	the city was overcrowded.	37:41
	Pestilence and famine began to spread.	37:44
	Many people	37:49
	died.	37:51
	Martin Rinkart	37:53
	was the only pastor in that city	37:55
	because so many other pastors had fled	37:58
	and left the people to suffer.	38:01
	As a result,	38:06
	he conducted thousands of funerals	38:06
	of friends,	38:11
	as well as of people	38:13
	that he did not know.	38:14
	His wife	38:17
	died.	38:19
	There was no one else	38:21
	to take the funeral.	38:23
	After this experience,	38:26
	Martin Rinkart	38:28
	wrote,	38:30
	"Now	38:32
	"thank we all our God,	38:33
	"with hearts and hands and voices,	38:36
	"Who wondrous things hath done,	38:40
	"in Whom the world rejoices;	38:44
	"Who brought us from our mothers' arms	38:48
	"and blessed us on our way,	38:51
	"and gives us countless gifts	38:55
	"and still	38:59
	"is ours	39:01
	"today."	39:03
	We are a people of faith	39:06
	who value material possessions,	39:09
	but who recognize that we must never give	39:12
	to a material possession	39:15
	ultimate significance.	39:17
	We are those	39:21
	who value people	39:22
	because we recognize that everyone	39:24
	is made	39:28
	in the image of God.	39:29
	We know of the deep enrichment	39:32
	which people bring into our lives.	39:35
	Think now	39:41
	of the person	39:42
	who is most	39:43
	significant	39:45
	to you.	39:47
	Whoever it is,	39:51
	remember	39:53
	this,	39:54
	that person must never be given	39:56
	ultimate significance	39:59
	in your life.	40:02
	For we do not place ultimate significance	40:05
	in other people.	40:08
	We place	40:11
	ultimate significance	40:12
	in Jesus Christ.	40:15
	Jesus,	40:19
	who was taken away	40:20
	momentarily	40:22
	from his disciples,	40:24
	but they discovered that he was still with them.	40:26
	They knew the truth of his words	40:31
	when he said,	40:34
	"Lo,	40:36
	"I am with you	40:37
	"always.	40:39
	"To the end of the world."	40:41
	In the Epistle	40:48
	from Ephesians,	40:50
	we are reminded	40:52
	of something	40:54
	else	40:56
	that we	40:57
	shall	40:58
	lose.	40:59
	Not material possessions.	41:02
	Not	41:05
	people,	41:07
	but our	41:09
	personal	41:10
	life.	41:12
	Saint Paul writes in the letter to the Ephesians	41:15
	about	41:19
	baptism.	41:21
	I am deeply indebted	41:24
	to the minster of this university	41:26
	chapel	41:29
	for his writings.	41:30
	Indeed it is through	41:33
	Dr. Willimon's writings	41:34
	that we came to know each other.	41:36
	And I have very much enjoyed	41:41
	all that he has had to write,	41:43
	not least what he has had to say	41:46
	about the nature	41:49
	of baptism.	41:51
	When we are baptized,	41:55
	we ask	41:58
	God	41:59
	to kill us.	42:01
	To take away	42:04
	our	42:07
	personal	42:08
	life.	42:09
	In the Epistle,	42:12
	Saint Paul writes about pride	42:13
	and impatience,	42:16
	and disunity.	42:18
	And he says that these things are	42:21
	to be put to death.	42:24
	For we are to be raised to the new life,	42:27
	which is in Christ.	42:32
	A life which will give us	42:34
	patience,	42:37
	humility,	42:38
	and	42:41
	unity.	42:42
	I don't know about you,	42:45
	but I know about myself.	42:48
	I know that every day,	42:52
	I need	42:54
	to ask God	42:55
	to put me to death.	42:56
	To take	42:59
	my personal	42:59
	life	43:01
	away.	43:02
	In order that I might discover again	43:04
	the new	43:07
	life	43:08
	which is in Christ.	43:10
	And I'm talking	43:14
	about	43:16
	real	43:17
	life.	43:19
	Christ has come	43:21
	in order that we might have life,	43:23
	and have it	43:26
	more abundantly.	43:27
	I'm talking about a quality of life	43:30
	which can't be found in Zen,	43:33
	in Buddhism,	43:36
	in Judaism,	43:38
	or in any other courter	43:40
	except	43:42
	within the person of Christ.	43:44
	For He	43:47
	is	43:48
	the bread of life.	43:50
	And if we are to find a life which	43:53
	satisfies our deepest hunger,	43:55
	which quenches	44:00
	the most urgent	44:01
	thirst,	44:03
	then it is to Christ	44:05
	that we come.	44:08
	For He	44:10
	is	44:11
	the way,	44:12
	the truth,	44:14
	and	44:16
	the life.	44:18
	This life	44:23
	is a life which can't be destroyed	44:25
	by a bacillus,	44:28
	or by a bus.	44:30
	I'm reminded of the words	44:34
	of Sydney Carter's song,	44:35
	Lord of the Dance,	44:38
	"They cut me down,	44:42
	"and I leap up high.	44:45
	"I am the life	44:48
	"that'll never,	44:50
	"never die.	44:52
	"I'll live in you	44:54
	"if you'll live in me.	44:57
	"I	45:01
	"am the lord	45:02
	"of the dance	45:04
	"said he."	45:06
	Take away from me	45:09
	my personal life,	45:12
	put me to death every day,	45:15
	in order that I might be raised to new life in Christ.	45:17
	Put	45:23
	my human	45:24
	existence	45:26
	to death.	45:28
	And I have nothing	45:31
	to fear.	45:32
	For there is nothing	45:34
	in all creation	45:36
	which can separate us	45:37
	from the love of God,	45:39
	which is in	45:42
	Christ Jesus,	45:42
	our Lord.	45:44
	Because of our faith,	45:48
	we value	45:50
	material possessions.	45:53
	We value	45:56
	people.	45:58
	We value	46:00
	personal	46:02
	life.	46:04
	But we are those	46:06
	who know	46:08
	that all these things can be taken from us.	46:10
	For as John Wesley	46:17
	says,	46:19
	"The best of all	46:21
	"is	46:23
	"God	46:25
	"is with us."	46:28
	Amen.	46:36
	(organ music)	46:42
	(choir singing)	47:09
Rev. William	The Lord be with you.	50:00
Congregation	And also with you.	50:02
-	Let us pray.	50:03
	Be seated.	50:04
	Gracious God,	50:13
	Who comes to us when we alone,	50:16
	and Who feeds us	50:19
	when we are hungry.	50:20
	Gracious God,	50:24
	Who leaves us alone when we desire to possess You,	50:27
	and Who makes us hungry	50:31
	when we would presume	50:34
	to be so full.	50:35
	Hear us, we pray.	50:38
	Lord, what must we do to be doing the works of God?	50:42
	We know not always what we must do,	50:48
	much less,	50:52
	have we the will to that	50:54
	which	50:56
	we know	50:56
	to be	50:57
	Your work.	50:58
	And yet we know,	51:01
	and hereby	51:02
	we will	51:03
	to set before You the needs of brothers and sisters	51:05
	in Your world through prayer.	51:08
	We pray for men and women who serve the church	51:13
	around the world,	51:15
	preaching,	51:17
	showing charity,	51:18
	ruling,	51:20
	that they may never lose heart,	51:22
	but have hope and courage.	51:24
	We pray for people who do not believe.	51:29
	Who, even though Your word is proclaimed,	51:34
	are shaken by doubt,	51:36
	or have turned against You.	51:37
	Open their eyes to see beyond	51:42
	our broken fellowship,	51:45
	the wonders of Your love displayed in Jesus	51:48
	and to follow when He calls them.	51:52
	We pray for peace in the world.	51:56
	Disarm weapons, silence guns,	51:59
	put out ancient hate that smolders still,	52:02
	or flames in sudden conflict.	52:04
	Create goodwill among every race and nation.	52:07
	We pray for enemies	52:13
	as Christ commanded.	52:16
	For those who oppose us,	52:18
	or scheme against us,	52:20
	who are also children of Your love.	52:23
	May we be kept from infectious hate	52:28
	and sick desire for vengeance.	52:31
	We pray for those who govern us,	52:36
	who make, administer, and judge our laws.	52:38
	May this country be a land of free and able leaders	52:41
	who welcome exiles,	52:44
	and value justice.	52:47
	We pray	52:51
	for poor people,	52:53
	who are hungry or housed in cramped in places.	52:56
	Increase in those of us	53:00
	who prosper	53:02
	concern for the disinherited.	53:05
	We pray for sick people	53:08
	who suffer pain.	53:10
	Particularly those	53:13
	in Duke Hospital.	53:16
	We pray for healing.	53:19
	We pray that they may be patient, brave, and trusting.	53:22
	We pray for people who are lonely,	53:28
	or alone,	53:30
	who have no one to call an easy friendship,	53:32
	that they may be remembered, befriended	53:35
	and know that You care for them.	53:37
	We pray for people everywhere,	53:42
	whom our world too often teaches us to regard as strangers,	53:47
	but You would have us regard as kith and kin.	53:50
	May they come into their own as Children of God.	53:55
	Inherit the Kingdom repaired in Jesus Christ,	53:59
	Lord of all and Savior of the world.	54:02
	Here our prayers,	54:07
	Almighty God in the name of Jesus Christ,	54:08
	Who feeds us and Who prays with us and for us.	54:12
	To Whom we praise forever and ever.	54:17
	Amen.	54:22
	As a people so richly blessed,	54:25
	let us bless God	54:28
	through our gifts.	54:30
	(instrumental music)	54:35
	(choir singing)	56:21
	Give thanks to the Lord.	1:00:19
	Come, let us praise God joyfully	1:00:21
	for this good world,	1:00:24
	for things great and small,	1:00:26
	beautiful and awesome,	1:00:27
	for seen and unseen splendors.	1:00:28
	Thank you God	1:00:31
	for human life,	1:00:33
	for talking and moving and thinking together,	1:00:35
	for common hopes	1:00:37
	and hardships shared from birth until our dying.	1:00:39
	For work to do	1:00:43
	and strength to work.	1:00:44
	For comradeship of labor	1:00:45
	and for exchanges of good humor and encouragement,	1:00:47
	we thank You God,	1:00:50
	for Your help in times of doubt and sorrow,	1:00:53
	for healing our diseases	1:00:56
	and for preserving us in temptation and danger.	1:00:57
	For the church,	1:01:02
	into which we have been called,	1:01:03
	and for the good news we receive.	1:01:05
	And for our life together in the Lord.	1:01:08
	For Your Holy Spirit	1:01:12
	Who guides our steps	1:01:13
	and brings us gifts of faith and love,	1:01:14
	Who prays in us and prompts our grateful worship.	1:01:17
	Above all Ark,	1:01:21
	Oh God,	1:01:22
	for Your Son Jesus Christ,	1:01:24
	Who lived and died and lives again for our salvation.	1:01:25
	For our hope in Him	1:01:29
	and for the joy of serving Him,	1:01:31
	we thank and praise You God our Father,	1:01:33
	for all Your goodness to us.	1:01:36
	Our Father,	1:01:40
	Who art in Heaven,	1:01:41
	hallowed by thy name.	1:01:43
	Thy Kingdom come,	1:01:45
	Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.	1:01:47
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:01:50
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:01:53
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:01:56
	And lead us not into temptation,	1:01:59
	but deliver us from evil.	1:02:02
	For Thine is the Kingdom and the power	1:02:04
	and the glory	1:02:07
	forever.	1:02:08
	Amen.	1:02:09
	(organ music)	1:02:11
	(choir and congregation singing)	1:02:50
	And now may the grace of our Lord and Savior	1:05:30
	Jesus Christ,	1:05:32
	love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:05:34
	be with you now,	1:05:37
	and always.	1:05:38
	(choir singing)	1:05:42
	(organ music)	1:06:30

Item Info

Title:

Paul N. Priest - "Losing and Finding" (July 31, 1988)

Description:

The preacher's sermon argues that, while the Christian faith teaches us to value the material world, people, and our lives, it also teaches that we must not put ultimate significance in these things. All of these things may be taken from us. The only one in whom we must put ultimate signficance is God in Jesus Christ. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 23:16. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 46:39.
Key quotation: “We are a people of faith who value material possessions, but who recognize that we must never give to a material possession ultimate significance.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4db7w51c

Date:

July 31, 1988

Speaker:

Priest, Paul N.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0090
ref8492_bex
uachapelsermaud
duke:321396
dcrmv001090
ark:/87924/r4db7w51c
ff378a3f-99b5-4a43-89d2-617d5cdc6535

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

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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Paul N. Priest - "Losing and Finding" (July 31, 1988)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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