Preston B. Hannibal - "Words of the Heart" (November 27, 1988)

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-	Advent, we welcome you to this service of worship	5:08
	here at Duke University Chapel,	5:11
	and pray that you will receive	5:13
	a blessing during this hour.	5:14
	We extend special greetings to any of you	5:16
	who may be visiting our campus for the first time,	5:18
	and offer our assistance to you	5:21
	in any way that we may be helpful	5:22
	here at the Chapel.	5:24
	We also welcome those of you	5:25
	in our radio and television audiences.	5:27
	Our guest preacher for this morning	5:28
	is the Reverend Mr. Preston B. Hannibal,	5:31
	assistant minister in the Memorial Church	5:34
	at Harvard University.	5:36
	Prior to his appointment at Memorial Church,	5:38
	he was a member of the faculty	5:40
	at St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire,	5:42
	and he was there for 12 years.	5:45
	We welcome Mr. Hannibal to our pulpit	5:47
	and we look forward to his message this morning.	5:49
	We also thank Professor Danvia	5:52
	for serving as lector in today's service.	5:54
	Please note the remaining announcements	5:58
	as they are printed in your bulletins.	5:59
	♪ Return, oh God of love ♪	6:06
	♪ Return ♪	6:13
	♪ Earth is a tiresome place ♪	6:16
	♪ How long shall we ♪	6:25
	♪ Thy children mourn ♪	6:30
	♪ Our absence from thy face ♪	6:36
	♪ Return, oh God of love ♪	6:46
	♪ Return ♪	6:53
	♪ Earth is a tiresome place ♪	6:57
	♪ How long shall we ♪	7:05
	♪ Thy children mourn ♪	7:11
	♪ Our absence from thy face ♪	7:17
	(soft music)	7:31
	♪ Oh for a thousand tongues to sing ♪	7:56
	♪ My great Redeemer's praise ♪	8:01
	♪ The glories of my God and King ♪	8:07
	♪ The triumphs of his grace ♪	8:12
	♪ My gracious Master and my God ♪	8:21
	♪ Assist me to proclaim ♪	8:27
	♪ To spread through all the earth abroad ♪	8:32
	♪ The honors of your name ♪	8:39
	♪ Jesus the name that charms our fears ♪	8:46
	♪ That bids our sorrows cease ♪	8:52
	♪ 'Tis music in the sinner's ears ♪	8:58
	♪ 'Tis life and health and peace ♪	9:04
	♪ He breaks the power of canceled sin ♪	9:12
	♪ He sets the prisoner free ♪	9:17
	♪ His blood can make the foulest clean ♪	9:23
	♪ His blood availed for me ♪	9:29
	♪ To God all glory, love and praise ♪	9:36
	♪ Be now and ever given ♪	9:42
	♪ By saints below and saints above ♪	9:49
	♪ The church in earth and heaven ♪	9:54
	(soft music)	10:01
	♪ So now thy blessed name I love ♪	10:09
	♪ Thy will would e'er be mine ♪	10:14
	♪ Had I a thousand hearts to give ♪	10:20
	♪ My Lord, they were all thine ♪	10:26
	Oh wisdom, breath of the most high,	10:40
	pervading and permeating all creation.	10:43
Congregation	Come and make us friends of God.	10:47
-	Oh Lord of lords and leader of the house of Israel,	10:50
	who appeared to Moses in the burning bush	10:54
	and gave him your law on Sinai.	10:56
Congregation	Come and save us with your mighty arm.	11:00
Nancy	Oh root of Jesse, standing as a signal	11:03
	to the nations before whom all kings are mute.	11:06
	To whom the nations will do homage.	11:10
Congregation	Come and save us.	11:13
	Delay no longer.	11:15
Nancy	Oh key of David and ruler of the house of Israel,	11:17
	when you open, nobody can close.	11:21
	When you close, nobody can open.	11:24
Congregation	Come and proclaim liberty	11:26
	to the captives and set free the oppressed.	11:29
Nancy	Oh radiant dawn,	11:33
	splendor of eternal light and sun of justice.	11:34
Congregation	Come and give light to those	11:38
	who live in darkness and the shadow of death.	11:40
Nancy	Oh King of the nations,	11:44
	the ruler they long for,	11:45
	the cornerstone binding all together.	11:47
Congregation	Come and save the people	11:51
	you fashioned from the dust of the earth.	11:53
Nancy	Oh Emmanuel, our King and our law giver.	11:56
	The anointed of the nations and their Savior.	11:59
Congregation	Come and save us,	12:03
	oh Lord our God.	12:04
Nancy	The spirit and the bride say, come.	12:06
Congregation	Come, Lord Jesus, come.	12:10
-	Let us pray together.	12:27
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God.	12:30
	By the power of your Holy Spirit.	12:33
	So that, as the word is read and proclaimed,	12:36
	we might be prepared for the advent of our Savior.	12:40
	Amen.	12:44
	A reading from the book of Jeremiah.	12:49
	Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord,	12:53
	when I will fulfill the promise	12:55
	that I made to the house of Israel	12:58
	and the house of Judah.	13:00
	In those days and at that time,	13:03
	I will cause a righteous branch	13:05
	to spring forth for David,	13:07
	and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.	13:09
	In those days, Judah will be saved	13:14
	and Jerusalem will dwell securely.	13:17
	And this is the name by which it will be called.	13:20
	The Lord is our righteousness.	13:24
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	13:26
Nancy	Please stand for the reading of the psalter.	13:36
	The mighty one, God the Lord,	13:44
	speaks and summons the earth	13:46
	from the rising of the sun to its setting.	13:48
Congregation	Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,	13:52
	God shines forth.	13:55
Nancy	Our God comes.	13:57
	He does not keep silenced.	13:59
	Before him is a devouring fire.	14:01
	Round about him, a mighty tempest.	14:04
Congregation	He calls to the heavens above	14:07
	and to the earth,	14:09
	that he may judge his people.	14:11
Nancy	Gather to me, my faithful ones,	14:14
	who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.	14:17
Congregation	The heavens declare his righteousness,	14:20
	for God himself is to judge.	14:23
	(soft choral music)	14:26
-	The gospel lesson is from St. Luke, chapter 21.	15:29
	And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars.	15:34
	And upon the earth,	15:39
	distress of nations in perplexity	15:40
	at the roaring of the sea and the waves.	15:42
	People fainting with fear and with foreboding	15:46
	of what is coming on the world,	15:48
	for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.	15:50
	And then they will see the Son of Man	15:54
	coming in a cloud with power and great glory.	15:56
	Now, when these things begin to take place,	15:59
	look up and raise your heads,	16:02
	because your redemption is drawing near.	16:04
	And he told them a parable.	16:08
	Look at the fig tree and all the trees.	16:09
	As soon as they come out in leaf,	16:13
	you see for yourselves and know	16:15
	that the summer is already near.	16:17
	So also, when you see these things taking place,	16:20
	you know that the kingdom of God is near.	16:23
	Truly I say to you,	16:26
	this generation will not pass away	16:28
	until all has taken place.	16:30
	Heaven and earth will pass away,	16:33
	but my words will not pass away.	16:35
	But take heed to yourselves,	16:38
	lest your hearts be weighed down	16:40
	with dissipation and drunkenness	16:42
	and cares of this life.	16:44
	And that day come upon you suddenly like a snare.	16:46
	For it will come upon all	16:51
	who dwell upon the face of the earth.	16:52
	But watch at all times,	16:55
	praying that you may have strength	16:57
	to escape all these things	16:58
	that will take place,	17:00
	and to stand before the Son of Man.	17:02
	This ends the reading of the gospel lesson.	17:05
	(soft music)	17:09
	♪ How beauteous are their feet ♪	17:29
	♪ Who stand on Zion's hill ♪	17:34
	♪ Who bring salvation on their tongues ♪	17:40
	♪ And words of peace reveal ♪	17:46
	♪ How charming, charming is their voice ♪	17:54
	♪ How sweet the tidings are ♪	18:00
	♪ Zion, behold thy Savior King ♪	18:09
	♪ Zion, behold thy Savior King ♪	18:12
	♪ Behold thy Savior King ♪	18:15
	♪ He reigns and triumphs on ♪	18:21
	♪ Zion, behold thy Savior King ♪	18:27
	♪ He reigns and triumphs on ♪	18:31
-	Let us pray.	18:53
	Come, Holy Spirit.	18:58
	Come as the wind and cleanse.	19:01
	Come as the fire and burn.	19:04
	Convict,	19:07
	convert,	19:08
	consecrate our lives.	19:10
	To our great good and thy greater glory.	19:13
	In the name of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.	19:18
	Amen.	19:21
	I bring greetings from	19:35
	Cambridge in Harvard	19:38
	and a good friend of yours, Peter Gomes.	19:39
	In the fourth chapter of the epistle	19:47
	to the Hebrews, we read.	19:48
	The word of God is living and active.	19:53
	Sharper than any double edged sword.	19:56
	It penetrates, even to dividing soul and spirit.	19:58
	Joints and marrow.	20:03
	It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.	20:06
	Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.	20:10
	Everything is uncovered and laid bare	20:14
	before the eyes of God,	20:16
	to whom we must give account.	20:19
	My family and I have what might be called	20:29
	a continuing discussion,	20:32
	surrounding my civility and state of mind	20:34
	when I have to prepare a kind of public address.	20:38
	School address,	20:41
	Sunday sermon,	20:43
	a morning prayer homily.	20:45
	It doesn't really matter.	20:47
	During those times of preparation,	20:49
	my family continues to accuse me	20:52
	of being hard to live with.	20:54
	And I continue to assure them	20:57
	that this is far from the case.	21:00
	But old habits die hard,	21:02
	and my family is in the habit of vacating the house,	21:05
	just to be on the safe side,	21:08
	whenever I have important work to be done.	21:11
	So about a week ago,	21:15
	off they went to shop,	21:17
	to play soccer,	21:20
	to visit with friends,	21:23
	all intent to give Dad the space and time	21:24
	and peace he needed to get another sermon	21:28
	out of his system.	21:31
	With the house to myself,	21:34
	and nothing to do but write,	21:36
	I sat down to get to work.	21:38
	As I finished copying this morning's text	21:42
	and stared into space,	21:44
	trying to find the right words to get going,	21:46
	I was saved by the telephone.	21:49
	Now, Sandy and I have three children.	21:54
	And two out of the three are the age	21:56
	to keep doing New England	21:58
	telephone stockholders happy for quite some time.	21:59
	So I knew that the phone wasn't for me.	22:03
	I answered,	22:07
	dutifully took the message,	22:09
	and headed back to my labors.	22:12
	As I crossed the living room,	22:15
	I eyed the picture of my grandmother	22:17
	on the mantelpiece.	22:19
	Now it's a very special picture for two reasons.	22:22
	One, it is one of the last family pictures	22:26
	that I can remember she being a part of.	22:30
	And two, she hated having her picture taken.	22:33
	I remember calling to her and seeing	22:37
	her respond to the call	22:39
	just as I snapped the picture.	22:41
	She tried to look annoyed,	22:44
	but I knew what she was really feeling.	22:46
	As I looked at the picture,	22:52
	I was struck by the thought	22:54
	that while I had trouble remembering	22:56
	the importance of this passage from the Hebrews,	22:59
	much less trying to live out the demands	23:02
	of the author of Hebrews,	23:05
	my grandmother, in her life and action,	23:07
	always remembered and tried to live her life	23:11
	as if the word of God	23:14
	was living and acting out its purpose in her life.	23:16
	As a child, and then as a young adult,	23:22
	I was always aware of her goodness and her firmness.	23:26
	She was, after all, a proper Anglican	23:31
	and an even more proper West Indian.	23:34
	But I was also struck by her serenity.	23:38
	She always seemed calm and in control of herself.	23:43
	Sure of who she was and what she was about.	23:47
	As she grew older, her health deteriorated,	23:53
	and she had to make concessions and sacrifices	23:57
	that were hard on her pride and on her independence.	24:00
	I'm sure Grandmother was frustrated with her circumstances.	24:06
	But she never let on her discontent.	24:10
	At least, not to me or not that I can remember.	24:13
	What I do remember more than anything else was her faith.	24:18
	Her faith in God	24:24
	and in the goodness of all humanity.	24:27
	For Grandmother, daily prayer and church on Sunday	24:31
	were as natural as breathing.	24:36
	For her, this passage from the fourth chapter of Hebrews	24:40
	was as alive and as relevant as she was.	24:43
	To her and for her,	24:49
	the word of God was and is alive.	24:52
	And that word alive penetrates our inner being	24:57
	to energize and give life.	25:01
	To give life and light	25:03
	to the dark moments and hours of the soul.	25:06
	Those moments that we all,	25:10
	one time or another, encounter.	25:13
	For my grandmother, God was not only spirit,	25:18
	but also truth.	25:22
	And the truth of God was a fact of life.	25:24
	But it was more than a fact of life.	25:29
	It was, for her, the fact of life.	25:31
	Her calmness and serenity	25:36
	in the face of the chances and changes of life	25:37
	came from her deep and abiding trust	25:40
	in the changelessness of God,	25:43
	and her awareness of those points in her life	25:46
	where the aliveness of God's spirit	25:49
	enlivened the deadness of her life.	25:53
	Now I'm ashamed and sorry to say that,	25:59
	until I passed the picture	26:02
	prominently displayed on our mantelpiece,	26:04
	I had pushed the faithful example	26:06
	of this simple woman of God	26:08
	to the recesses of my consciousness.	26:10
	Now, anyone who knows me	26:16
	knows that I take family very seriously.	26:18
	But we all, more often than not,	26:21
	lose sight of the important and lifelong lessons	26:24
	that we have learned at the feet	26:28
	of our grandparents and our parents.	26:30
	As I think back, I realize that it is through	26:34
	the life of other people	26:36
	that I received my first glimpses	26:39
	of the wonder and the word of God,	26:41
	active and alive in the hearts and minds	26:45
	of those people who call themselves Christians.	26:48
	Lessons long forgotten were implanted	26:52
	in my mind and in my soul.	26:54
	Lessons that recall the work of the Holy Spirit,	26:57
	directing and guiding.	27:00
	Preparing the way for things to happen.	27:02
	Things that show those who would believe	27:06
	the promise of God's word.	27:09
	We must simply turn to the 55th chapter of Isaiah	27:13
	to see the strength and resilience of God's word.	27:17
	I often wondered where my grandmother found her strength.	27:21
	How she kept her composure in the face	27:25
	of the changing circumstances of life and of age.	27:28
	Part of my question was answered	27:33
	as I myself grew and matured.	27:35
	Part of my answer can be passed off as	27:40
	having to do with her temperament.	27:42
	But remembering the little things of her life,	27:46
	I see that much of her peace came	27:49
	from the grace of God in her life.	27:51
	Her realization that she was an active participant	27:54
	in God's plan of salvation.	27:58
	And for her, these words from Isaiah	28:01
	were much more than poetic utterance.	28:04
	They were words inscribed on her heart.	28:07
	Words to be obeyed and honored,	28:11
	as one would honor the words	28:13
	or the promise of a trusted friend.	28:16
	As the rain and snow come down from heaven	28:21
	and do not return to it without watering the earth	28:25
	and making it bud and flourish.	28:28
	So that yields seed for the sower	28:31
	and the bread for the eater.	28:34
	So is my word that goes out from my mouth.	28:37
	It will not return to me empty,	28:40
	but will accomplish what I desire,	28:43
	and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.	28:46
	You will go out in joy	28:50
	and be led forth in peace.	28:52
	The mountains and hills will burst into song before you,	28:55
	and all the trees of the field	28:58
	will clap their hands.	29:00
	These are the words of the Lord.	29:04
	Maintain justice and do what is right,	29:07
	for my salvation is close at hand	29:10
	and my righteousness will soon be revealed.	29:13
	These then are the words of hope and salvation	29:20
	that fueled my grandmother's love and enthusiasm	29:23
	for her Lord and Savior.	29:27
	These were the words that came alive for her	29:30
	and directed and guided her life.	29:32
	These are the words that were a living reminder	29:36
	of the life of Christ,	29:38
	and the power of the Holy Spirit	29:40
	that had touched her soul	29:42
	and directed her life all of her days.	29:43
	Now at this point,	29:53
	it would be easy to quote	29:54
	one of the 18th century divines	29:56
	or a third century contemplative	29:58
	to add credence to my claim.	30:00
	But that would leave us all	30:03
	in the safe harbor of the abstract.	30:05
	The place in which we all love to take refuge	30:08
	when speaking of matters religious or spiritual.	30:10
	But no, that would be the easy way out.	30:16
	The words of Hebrews are clear	30:20
	and meant to be understood as such.	30:22
	The word of God is alive and active.	30:25
	The word of God stands alone,	30:29
	and we are left with the awe inspiring challenge	30:32
	of trying to relate the active word of God	30:34
	to our passive lives.	30:39
	We don't live in an abstract reality,	30:46
	and our Lord does not meet us in an abstract situation.	30:49
	Jesus meets us daily, hourly, where we are.	30:53
	In our pleasure and in our pain.	30:57
	In our joy and in our sorrow.	31:00
	In our sickness and in our health.	31:02
	In the midst of our busy lives	31:06
	and in the loneliness of our death.	31:08
	In all of the changes and chances of our life,	31:12
	we find God's word written on our hearts	31:15
	and filling the recesses of our souls.	31:18
	It penetrates the even,	31:23
	dividing soul and spirit.	31:25
	Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.	31:27
	This awe filled reality,	31:34
	this sin filled humanity,	31:36
	is also a soothing comfort to our restless souls.	31:38
	This then is the paradox of grace.	31:44
	As much and as often as we turn from God,	31:47
	God never leaves us.	31:50
	God is always with us.	31:53
	Our present help in time of trouble.	31:55
	Where can I go from your spirit?	32:00
	Where can I flee from your presence?	32:03
	If I go up to the heavens, you are there.	32:06
	If I make my bed in hell, you are there.	32:09
	If I rise on the wings of the dawn,	32:14
	if I settle on the far side of the sea,	32:16
	even there, your hand will guide me.	32:19
	Your right hand will hold me fast.	32:22
	This past week, I had the chance to talk	32:30
	with a young friend recovering from a serious operation.	32:33
	She had come through the operation without complication,	32:38
	and was recovering at home	32:41
	before making her way back into	32:43
	the hectic life of the university.	32:44
	As we talked, I was struck by this	32:48
	young woman's courage and conviction.	32:51
	She said that whenever she would slip into self-pity	32:54
	and question her predicament,	32:58
	she would snap herself out of the doldrums	33:01
	by thinking about how lucky she was to be alive	33:03
	and on the road to recovery.	33:06
	She counted herself lucky.	33:09
	Her faith in God had sustained her	33:11
	and placed her life in a perspective	33:13
	that supported her in spite of all	33:16
	her trials and tribulations.	33:18
	Here again, we are not dealing with some	33:22
	abstract case of Christian commitment	33:24
	that we can easily dismiss.	33:27
	Here then was a person whose pain and fear were real.	33:30
	Whose questions could not be answered	33:34
	and whose doubt left her feeling alone and without support.	33:36
	To this helplessness,	33:42
	a hopelessness that we all have felt	33:44
	at one time or another,	33:47
	came the loving reassurance of God.	33:49
	It is a love that penetrates our being	33:53
	and touches our hearts to soothe,	33:55
	to comfort, and to heal.	33:58
	It is at those moments when we are most human,	34:01
	most vulnerable,	34:05
	most apt to think of ourselves only,	34:07
	that God comes to us to clear our minds	34:11
	and direct our hearts.	34:14
	But with the acceptance of the active	34:19
	presence of God in our lives,	34:21
	comes a great risk.	34:23
	It is the risk of not living up to the standards	34:25
	that have been set before us as God's people.	34:28
	To accept God's grace	34:33
	is to accept also his promise of judgment.	34:34
	To accept God's gift of life eternal	34:39
	is to accept also condemnation	34:41
	at not living and acting in relationship	34:44
	with the living God.	34:47
	To accept God's promise of salvation	34:49
	is to accept the responsibility	34:51
	and the risk that comes with God's covenant.	34:53
	Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.	34:59
	Everything is uncovered and laid bare	35:03
	before the eyes of God,	35:04
	to whom we must all give account.	35:06
	To stand before God at the final judgment	35:11
	is indeed a fearful thing.	35:13
	But to live in God's presence today,	35:17
	knowing that we are not keeping true	35:19
	to our covenant relationship	35:21
	with our Lord or with humanity,	35:22
	is to turn away from God	35:26
	in order to court the world.	35:27
	To accept the living God is to turn	35:30
	from death to life.	35:32
	From the ways of the flesh	35:35
	to the ways of God.	35:37
	From a life of sin to a life of service.	35:40
	It is to accept that the word of God	35:44
	is alive and active,	35:47
	not only in our lives as individuals,	35:49
	but also, in the world around us.	35:52
	A world that is more often than not	35:56
	blind to the reality of Christ in us.	35:58
	Now we live in a society where people	36:04
	are not apt to risk faith.	36:07
	Either opting for simplistic belief	36:09
	or no belief at all.	36:13
	Our Lord does not provide us with a simplistic belief.	36:16
	God challenges us all	36:20
	to a higher understanding of his purposes.	36:22
	The risk of faith is the risk of life.	36:27
	It is risking faith in the living word of God	36:31
	and the active work of the Holy Spirit,	36:34
	working out God's plan of salvation,	36:37
	in us, through us, and in spite of us.	36:39
	It is opening our hearts, minds, and soul	36:44
	to the power of God's spirit,	36:47
	and it is standing before God now	36:49
	and at the hour of our death	36:52
	in the sure hope that our lives	36:55
	will be an acceptable example	36:56
	of our love and commitment to Christ.	36:59
	In Henri Nouwen's moving account of his mother's death,	37:09
	In Memoriam, he writes of despair,	37:13
	fear, mourning, and hope.	37:17
	He tells us of her exemplary life in Christ,	37:22
	but of her fear in standing before God.	37:26
	He writes,	37:32
	three weeks before her death, she said to me,	37:36
	I am afraid to die.	37:40
	Not to go to the hospital.	37:43
	Not to undergo surgery.	37:46
	Not to suffer pain.	37:48
	I am afraid to appear before God	37:51
	and show him my life.	37:53
	She was so deeply impressed by God's awesome greatness	37:57
	and had become aware of her own nothingness	38:01
	that the great encounter could only frighten her.	38:04
	But maybe fear was not the best word.	38:10
	Perhaps she meant dread.	38:13
	The overpowering knowledge of the great abyss	38:16
	between God and his creation.	38:19
	He goes on to say,	38:26
	friends kept saying to me,	38:28
	your mother always thought of others first.	38:31
	That is true.	38:34
	She lived for others.	38:36
	For her husband, her children,	38:38
	her grandchildren, her friends.	38:41
	But I saw something else.	38:46
	I saw my own mother entering into that moment	38:48
	in which we all are totally alone with God.	38:50
	In that moment in which the final decision	38:55
	of life must be made.	38:57
	The decision of faith.	39:01
	To accept the word of God as living and active	39:09
	is to choose to stand apart from the world	39:13
	and to stand before God.	39:16
	It is to live life for others.	39:19
	And it is risking the decision of faith	39:22
	that opens us all to the workings of the Holy Spirit.	39:24
	In our thoughts, in our minds,	39:29
	and in our hearts.	39:33
	For the word of the Lord is alive and active.	39:37
	Sharper than any double edged sword.	39:41
	It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.	39:44
	Joints and marrow.	39:47
	It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.	39:50
	Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.	39:54
	Everything is uncovered and laid bare	39:58
	before the eyes of God,	40:00
	to whom we all must give account.	40:02
	Let us pray.	40:08
	Oh Lord our God,	40:22
	thy will is holy, loving, and wise.	40:24
	Let thy will be done in us,	40:29
	for us,	40:31
	through us,	40:34
	and in spite of us.	40:36
	Through Christ whose greatest joy	40:40
	was to do thy will.	40:42
	Amen.	40:46
	(soft choral music)	40:50
-	The Lord be with you.	43:45
Congregation	And also with you.	43:47
-	Let us pray.	43:48
	Oh eternal God,	44:01
	maker of the universe,	44:04
	ruler of all things in heaven and earth,	44:06
	you have called us to follow you,	44:10
	take nothing for the journey.	44:13
	Recognizing the power of your word in our lives,	44:16
	we forsake all that would inhibit us	44:21
	in our pilgrimage of faith.	44:23
	In its place, we offer now our prayers	44:27
	and concerns for our sisters and brothers around the world.	44:30
	Let us pray for all of those	44:35
	in times of trouble or distress.	44:37
	For the sick and for the dying.	44:41
	The hungry, the unemployed,	44:45
	the refugee,	44:48
	the victim of violence,	44:50
	for the forsaken or the forlorn.	44:53
	Grant them an assurance of thy	44:57
	eternal presence through all things.	44:59
	Let us pray for those who seek	45:04
	to lighten the burdens of others.	45:05
	For doctors, nurses, and other medical workers.	45:08
	For teachers, counselors, social workers.	45:14
	May they not only heal the body and expand the mind,	45:19
	but enrich the spirit.	45:23
	Let us pray for all those who seek	45:27
	to bring peace and justice into our world.	45:29
	For all prisoners of conscience.	45:33
	For those who work within our justice system.	45:37
	For those communities dedicated to simple living	45:41
	in the name of peace.	45:43
	May they grant us a renewed vision	45:47
	of what it means to live in harmony with one another.	45:48
	Let us pray for those charged	45:54
	with the responsibilities of governing.	45:56
	Most especially, the President of the United States	45:59
	and the governors of all the states.	46:03
	Grant to all those in authority	46:06
	the wisdom and the strength to know	46:09
	and to do thy will.	46:12
	Let us pray for all who feel unloved or wanted.	46:15
	For those who seek to harm themselves or others.	46:20
	For those who indulge in material excess	46:25
	to fill an interior void.	46:28
	For those who live within institutions,	46:32
	surrounded by people, yet lonely beyond words.	46:35
	May they find strength and renewed conviction in thy word.	46:40
	These prayers we offer with the knowledge	46:46
	of thy saving power,	46:48
	which is ever present in our lives.	46:50
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray.	46:53
	Amen.	46:57
	And now in thanksgiving for the gift of salvation,	47:00
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God.	47:03
	(soft choral music)	47:08
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	52:39
	♪ Praise him, all creatures here below ♪	52:45
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	52:51
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	52:54
	♪ Praise him above, ye heavenly host ♪	52:59
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	53:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:11
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:14
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:21
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:24
	♪ Amen ♪	53:32
	Almighty God, creator of all that was	53:42
	and is and is to come.	53:45
	With voices raised as one,	53:47
	we offer our gratitude unto thee.	53:49
	We thank thee for our time and place in history,	53:52
	for the vision of a better world,	53:56
	for friends and loved ones	53:58
	who mediate thy loving care to us,	54:00
	and for new truths which are revealed to us	54:03
	in this season of waiting.	54:06
	All thy works praise thee,	54:08
	and in that chorus, we gratefully join.	54:10
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,	54:13
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	54:15
Everyone	Our Father, who art in heaven,	54:18
	hallowed be thy name.	54:21
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	54:22
	on earth as it is in heaven.	54:25
	Give us this day our daily bread,	54:28
	and forgive us our trespasses,	54:30
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	54:33
	And lead us not into temptation,	54:36
	but deliver us from evil.	54:38
	For thine is the kingdom,	54:40
	the power and the glory forever.	54:42
	Amen.	54:45
	(soft choral music)	54:48
-	And now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	58:36
	the love of God, and the fellowship	58:39
	of the Holy Spirit be with you all,	58:42
	now and forevermore.	58:44
	Amen.	58:47
	♪ I wander through thy servant's road ♪	58:50
	♪ May final words be peace ♪	58:59
	♪ Let all our souls thy glory know ♪	59:07
	♪ And on my life was raised ♪	59:16
	♪ I wander through thy servant's road ♪	59:26
	♪ May final word be peace ♪	59:36
	♪ Then shall our souls thy glory known ♪	59:44
	♪ And on my life was raised ♪	59:53

Item Info

Title:

Preston B. Hannibal - "Words of the Heart" (November 27, 1988)

Description:

By accepting that God's word is alive and active, able to penetrate our hearts at any moment, is to accept the risk of faith. It is to risk opening ourselves up to the presence and grace of God, which is also to open ourselves up to the judgment of God, as we do not live up to that holy presence. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 19:35. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 40:07.
Key quotation: “To accept the word of God as living and active is to choose to stand apart from the world and to stand before God. It is to live life for others. And it is risking the decision of faith that opens us all to the workings of the Holy Spirit in our thoughts, in our minds, and in our hearts.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4bz61q2w

Date:

November 27, 1988

Speaker:

Hannibal, Preston B.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0108
ref8536_8gh
uachapelsermaud
duke:321418
dcrmv001106
ark:/87924/r4bz61q2w
97c1d44d-9e6f-422e-9c49-f295c2dbc537

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

Educational Use Permitted

Rights Note:

This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other 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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Preston B. Hannibal - "Words of the Heart" (November 27, 1988)

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Duke University Archives

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