William H. Willimon - "Easter Power" (April 23, 1989)

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	(organ music)	0:00
	(trumpet music)	2:24
-	We welcome you to this service of worship	3:59
	on the fifth Sunday of Easter.	4:02
	Today we bid farewell to the Duke Chapel Choir	4:05
	for this year.	4:09
	They will be entering exams in a couple of weeks	4:11
	and they have delighted us with	4:15
	a wonderful year here in the chapel.	4:17
	The summer choir will be formed by Donna Sparks	4:19
	and will be starting up in a few weeks after commencement.	4:22
	But we thank all of these talented musicians	4:26
	who've served so well in the Duke Chapel Choir this year.	4:29
	They had two concerts in the last two weeks	4:32
	and it was a great year.	4:35
	The person who's helped make this a great year	4:38
	is Greg Fountain.	4:40
	We found Greg Fountain...	4:42
	He had a distinguished career at Millard Chapel	4:45
	at Northwestern University.	4:49
	When we needed an interim director of chapel music	4:51
	we found him in a chaise lounge in Albuquerque, New Mexico.	4:54
	He had experienced two years of retirement	4:59
	and we brought him out of retirement and he has served	5:01
	as the interim director of the chapel choir.	5:04
	I have frequently said to Greg,	5:07
	I'm glad we did not know you when you were young,	5:09
	because at 70 he's worn us out this year.	5:12
	(chuckles)	5:14
	He's an unbelievable fount of energy and enthusiasm	5:16
	and innovation and we have enjoyed your time with us	5:19
	and as he goes back to Albuquerque,	5:22
	we wish him godspeed and thank him	5:25
	for the great year that we have had.	5:27
	We're glad that you're here, let us continue our worship.	5:30
	Let's go this way, go this way.	5:35
	Let's go this way.	5:38
	(applause)	5:39
	Thanks.	5:39
	(applause)	5:40
	(choir sings in foreign language)	5:56
	(organ music)	7:38
	(congregation sings)	8:23
	(intense organ music)	10:52
	(congregation sings)	11:37
Female Reader	Almighty God,	12:32
	whom truly to know is everlasting life?	12:34
	Grant us so perfectly to know your son, Jesus Christ,	12:38
	to be the way, the truth and the life	12:41
	that we may steadfastly follow his steps	12:45
	in the way that leads to eternal life.	12:48
	Through Jesus Christ your son,	12:51
	our Lord, who lives and reigns with you	12:53
	in the unity of the Holy Spirit.	12:55
	One God forever and ever.	12:57
	Amen.	13:00
	Please be seated.	13:02
	(pews squeak)	13:03
-	Let us pray.	13:13
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	13:16
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	13:19
	so that, as the word is read and proclaimed,	13:22
	we might hear, with joy, what you say to us this day.	13:26
	Amen.	13:30
	The first lesson is taken from Acts.	13:33
	Now at Lystra there was a man sitting	13:38
	who could not use his feet.	13:40
	He was a cripple from birth who had never walked.	13:43
	He listened to Paul speaking, and Paul,	13:47
	looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith	13:50
	to be made well, said in a loud voice,	13:54
	stand upright on your feet, and he sprang up and walked.	13:57
	And when the crowd saw what Paul had done,	14:03
	they lifted up their voices, saying in Laconian,	14:06
	the gods have come down to us in the likeness	14:10
	of human beings.	14:12
	Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul,	14:15
	because he was the chief speaker, they called Hermes.	14:18
	And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front	14:22
	of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates	14:25
	and wanted to offer sacrifice with the people.	14:29
	But when the Apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it,	14:33
	they tore their garments and rushed out	14:36
	among the multitude crying, people, why are you doing this?	14:39
	We also are human, of like nature with you	14:44
	and bring you good news that you should turn	14:48
	from these vain things to a living God	14:51
	who made the heaven and the earth	14:54
	and the sea and all that is in them.	14:56
	Who, in past generations, allowed all the nations	15:00
	to walk in their own ways.	15:02
	Yet God was not left without witness, for God did good	15:06
	and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons,	15:10
	satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.	15:14
	With these words, they scarcely restrained the people	15:18
	from offering sacrifice to them.	15:21
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	15:24
	(organ plays softly)	15:28
	(pews squeaking)	15:32
	(people walking)
	(clarinet plays)	16:03
	♪ The Lord is my light and my salvation ♪	16:39
	♪ Whom then shall I fear ♪	16:46
	♪ Whom then shall I fear ♪	16:51
	♪ The Lord is the strength of my life ♪	16:55
	♪ Of whom then shall I be afraid ♪	17:03
	♪ Of whom then shall I be afraid ♪	17:08
	♪ Of whom then shall I be afraid ♪	17:13
	♪ Although some men will hate against me ♪	17:22
	♪ Yet to thine my heart be afraid ♪	17:26
	♪ And though there rose up war against me ♪	17:30
	♪ Yet will I put my trust in him ♪	17:35
	(clarinet solo)	17:42
	♪ One thing have I desired of the Lord ♪	17:53
	♪ Which I will reply ♪	18:00
	♪ That I may dwell in the house of the Lord ♪	18:04
	♪ All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord ♪	18:09
	♪ And to inquire in his temple ♪	18:20
	(clarinet solo)	18:25
	♪ For in the time of trouble, he shall hide me ♪	18:43
	♪ In his pavilion, in the secret place of his tabernacle ♪	18:51
	♪ Shall he hide me and set me up upon a rock of stone ♪	19:00
	♪ And set me up upon a rock of stone ♪	19:04
	♪ And set me up upon a rock of stone ♪	19:12
	(clarinet solo)	19:23
	♪ Therefore will I offer in his burning exaltation ♪	19:35
	♪ Therefore will I offer in his burning exaltation ♪	19:41
	♪ We breathe madness, we breathe madness ♪	19:46
	♪ We breathe madness ♪	19:51
	♪ Sing him sweet praises unto the Lord ♪	19:55
	♪ I will sing, I will sing praises unto the Lord ♪	19:59
	♪ I will sing, I will sing praises ♪	20:04
	♪ I will sing, sing praises ♪	20:07
	♪ Unto the Lord ♪	20:10
	(clarinet solo)	20:15
	♪ And then unto my voice, O Lord, when I cry answer me. ♪	20:31
	♪ Have mercy upon me and heal me ♪	20:41
	♪ My heart said to you seek my face ♪	20:49
	♪ My face, Lord, will I seek ♪	20:56
	♪ Hide not thy face from me, hide not thou thy face from me ♪	21:02
	♪ Nor not thy servant away in anger ♪	21:13
	♪ Thou hast been in my sorrow ♪	21:28
	♪ Leave me not, neither forsake me ♪	21:36
	♪ O God of my salvation ♪	21:44
	(clarinet solo)	21:51
	♪ When my father and my mother forsake me ♪	22:08
	♪ The Lord will taketh me up, taketh me up ♪	22:16
	♪ O Lord, taketh me up ♪	22:26
	♪ Be strong, be strong ♪	22:34
	♪ And he shall comfort thine heart ♪	22:42
	♪ He shall comfort thine heart ♪	22:47
	♪ Be strong, be strong ♪	22:52
	♪ And he shall comfort thine heart ♪	22:59
	♪ He shall comfort thine heart ♪	23:04
	♪ And put out thy trust in the Lord ♪	23:09
	(clarinet solo)	23:18
	♪ Put out trust in the Lord ♪	23:27
	♪ In the Lord ♪	23:36
	(choir shuffling)	23:55
-	Please stand for the reading of the gospel.	24:10
	(congregation shuffles)	24:12
	(clears throat)
	The gospel according to Saint John.	24:19
	When he had gone out, Jesus said,	24:23
	now is the son of man glorified,	24:26
	and in him, God is glorified.	24:29
	If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him	24:33
	in God's self, and glorify God at once.	24:38
	Little children, yet a little while, I am with you.	24:43
	You will seek me and as I said to the Jews,	24:47
	so now I say to you: where I am going you cannot come.	24:51
	A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another.	24:57
	Even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.	25:02
	By this, all will know that you are my disciples	25:07
	if you have love for one another.	25:11
	This ends the reading of the gospel.	25:14
	(pews creek)	25:19
	♪ If you love me, keep my commandments ♪	25:32
	♪ And I will pray the Father, and I will pray the Father ♪	25:41
	♪ And he shall give you another Comforter ♪	25:50
	♪ That he may abide with you for ever ♪	25:59
	♪ That he may abide with you for ever ♪	26:07
	♪ In the Spirit of truth, I speak ♪	26:11
	♪ In the spirit of truth, I speak ♪	26:16
	♪ In the spirit of truth, I speak in the spirit of truth ♪	26:19
	(footsteps)	26:31
-	We are now about four weeks away from Easter.	26:44
	Crowd is a bit smaller.	26:49
	We put away the trumpets and the timpani,	26:51
	but if you put your ear to the ground,	26:56
	you can still hear it throb with the Easter tempo.	26:57
	You can still feel the earth heave	27:03
	as it did on that first Easter morn,	27:08
	when the power of God brought back to life the dead Jesus,	27:12
	and the risen Christ sprung up	27:18
	and threw off the grave clothes and sallied forth.	27:19
	Easter power.	27:24
	That power of God is yet with us.	27:28
	At least that is what Luke, the writer	27:34
	of the book of Acts wants to argue	27:36
	in this story of Paul's healing	27:40
	of the crippled man at Lystra.	27:43
	Paul, the one who was knocked off his feet	27:49
	on the Damascus road by the powerful risen Christ.	27:53
	Knocks a crippled man to his feet in Lystra.	27:58
	Do you get Luke's point?	28:03
	The same power which infused Jesus,	28:06
	which enabled him to do good also infuses	28:09
	the disciples of Jesus like Paul.	28:13
	The powerful Jesus...	28:16
	Who restored sight to blind Bartimaeus,	28:19
	who made the lame to jump and to shout,	28:24
	whose voice called forth dead Lazarus.	28:27
	That same power is present with Jesus' people,	28:30
	like Barnabas and Paul.	28:35
	Easter power.	28:38
	And what power.	28:42
	Luke tells us that this poor man	28:44
	had been crippled since birth.	28:47
	He does that to drive home the miraculous power	28:51
	that is here.	28:54
	This man did not suffer from some accident,	28:56
	this was not a new or a temporary infirmity.	28:58
	He had never known, even one day of his life,	29:02
	what it was like to stand on his own two feet	29:04
	and walk about.	29:06
	Therefore this crippled man is for us the very image	29:09
	of helplessness, wretchedness, and impotency.	29:14
	Here is desperate, helpless pain,	29:20
	and Luke says that Paul looked at this man intently.	29:25
	And I think that Luke wants us to do the same.	29:31
	Look at this man.	29:34
	It's not easy to look at such a person.	29:37
	The natural human thing is to turn away	29:40
	and look in the other direction.	29:42
	This man is a symbol of all those who have never known	29:46
	in their lives what it is to stand on their own two feet,	29:50
	those who don't have the eyes to see a sunrise,	29:53
	or the ears to hear the sound of the robin in the spring,	29:57
	those who do not have the resources	30:00
	to go to bed with a full stomach at night.	30:03
	Look at them intently if you can.	30:07
	It isn't easy, we turn away, we look in the other direction	30:10
	and we hope that when we turn around they may be gone.	30:15
	It's tough to look at people like this man	30:19
	because his presence, there in front of us,	30:21
	mocks our pious platitudes that God is good,	30:24
	or that the world is beautiful or that life is worth living.	30:29
	And so we look away.	30:33
	And we look away not because we don't care	30:36
	but we know that there is not one blessed thing we can do	30:38
	to change their situation.	30:42
	We would change their situation if we had the power,	30:45
	but we don't, and so we look away	30:48
	and hope that they will disappear,	30:50
	we institutionalize them, we put them away at the fringe.	30:52
	We're powerless.	30:59
	And in a way, therefore we do have something in common	31:01
	with that crippled man because he is powerless,	31:04
	and we are powerless.	31:08
	We cannot change his plight.	31:10
	And we hate him for reminding us of how powerless we are	31:15
	against the most desperate situations in life.	31:20
	Paul looks at this man who has had no power	31:25
	to walk since birth, and with a loud voice,	31:28
	maybe the same volume of voice	31:32
	with which Jesus called forth the dead Lazarus	31:34
	from the tomb, he commands him to rise,	31:36
	to stand up right on your feet,	31:40
	and the man not only stands,	31:44
	but Luke says he sprang up, he walked.	31:46
	With such a show of miraculous healing power,	31:50
	is it any wonder...	31:54
	With this once helpless man now jugging about,	31:58
	is it any wonder that the amazed Laconians scream:	32:02
	the gods have come down to us in the likeness of men,	32:06
	and their pagan priests are prepared to offer a sacrifice,	32:09
	an ox in honor of these two gods.	32:13
	They call Barnabas Zeus, and they call Paul Hermes.	32:17
	Now what would you have done if you had been there that day?	32:24
	I doubt that we would have called Paul and Barnabas	32:27
	gods, who worships Zeus or Hermes anymore?	32:31
	But we would have at least recognized their godlike power.	32:39
	Power, because that is something that we will bow before.	32:43
	Power.	32:50
	These first century Jews and Greeks told so many stories	32:52
	of miraculous healings because,	32:54
	if you were desperately ill then,	32:58
	what hope had you for recovery except	33:02
	for some miraculous, divine healing?	33:04
	Unlike us, they did not have the AMA.	33:10
	Which reminds us that unlike them,	33:16
	we probably possess more power	33:18
	to change the human condition than any generation	33:21
	that's ever lived on the face of the earth.	33:24
	I'm not all that old, but I can remember when I was a child,	33:28
	when your parents in the summertime,	33:32
	kept you inside, made you take long naps,	33:34
	in a rather pitiful attempt to avert	33:38
	the dreaded scourge of childhood.	33:41
	Polio.	33:45
	Polio, there was a day when just the mention of that word	33:47
	would send a chill down the spine	33:52
	of every parent in the audience.	33:54
	Polio now, what does it mean?	33:56
	It's just one more thing that we have been able	33:58
	to conquer and overcome.	34:01
	At the same time, why is it, if we're so powerful,	34:08
	that so many modern people report that they feel powerless?	34:14
	Why is it?	34:24
	Today's wonder drug produces tomorrow's	34:26
	disfiguring genetic defects.	34:29
	The computer which was to be our powerful friend	34:33
	now makes you feel like a fool as you correspond with it,	34:36
	trying to straighten out your credit card bill.	34:40
	The power of democracy.	34:43
	Did you vote in last November's election?	34:46
	Could you feel the power surging	34:50
	through your veins as you pulled the lever?	34:51
	I doubt it.	34:56
	Perhaps our modern feelings of powerlessness	35:00
	account for our almost worshipful veneration	35:05
	of anything, anybody, any system which promises us power.	35:08
	We adore that which promises us power and control.	35:16
	There's a woman on TV, who says	35:23
	that she used to put on a bikini and barbecue steaks	35:25
	in the backyard, but not anymore,	35:28
	now she's eating oat bran and she's pumping iron.	35:30
	Don't you wanna be like her when you're 50?	35:33
	Power.	35:36
	We go to universities and we get advanced degrees	35:38
	and we long for that day, that blessed day of graduation,	35:41
	when we will no longer be compliant,	35:45
	dependent students sitting at somebody's feet,	35:48
	but rather at last, we will be doctors and lawyers	35:52
	and corporate executives and professors,	35:56
	and have other people sitting at our feet.	35:59
	That glorious commencement day when the president	36:02
	of the university shall say to us: rise, stand on your feet,	36:05
	and will bestow upon us the BD the JD, the MD, the PhD.	36:09
	Power.	36:15
	Why is it that the biggest and most expensive,	36:19
	most overly built building in our community	36:22
	are no longer churches, but are hospitals?	36:25
	Now we thank God that we have progressed	36:31
	to the point where modern medicine and technology	36:33
	can at last do something for that crippled man.	36:38
	Perhaps we expend so much on modern medical technology	36:45
	because it promises us at last power.	36:49
	What Paul did that day for that poor crippled man	36:54
	is done almost everyday in the Duke Hospitals,	36:57
	it's a commonplace occurrence.	37:00
	Now we don't call the physicians who do it Zeus or Hermes,	37:03
	but we do offer them government grants,	37:09
	which is a kind of worship.	37:12
	Now ponder this: why is it that physicians are featured	37:17
	so prominently on TV soap operas?	37:23
	Why do you think that is?	37:27
	Break up into buzz groups and discuss this and report back.	37:28
	Why is it that doctors appear so often on TV soap operas?	37:32
	It seems that the world considers physicians	37:36
	incredibly interesting, romantically speaking.	37:40
	Everybody wants to get close to a doctor, it seems.	37:44
	This is odd since most of the physicians I know,	37:48
	after a typical 15 hour day, I doubt have enough energy left	37:50
	to be that romantically interesting.	37:54
	But if you watch a soap opera,	37:56
	everybody wants to get close to a doctor.	37:58
	I think the reason is,	38:00
	that this is the closest thing we have in our day	38:04
	to godlike power.	38:06
	We believe doctors are powerful,	38:10
	not that physicians believe this themselves.	38:12
	A friend of mine who is a physician says,	38:16
	you know we really don't heal that many people,	38:19
	but the American public believes that we heal people.	38:22
	And so someone comes in to my office,	38:27
	I have him take off his clothes, I touch him	38:28
	in a few places, I ask him what he thinks	38:30
	is wrong with him, I say it's probably that,	38:32
	I give him a pill, he goes home,	38:35
	and he usually does get better.	38:36
	And that's a kind of power.	38:40
	But there is a downside to this.	38:46
	Perhaps this is also a source of our	38:49
	national disillusionment with the medical profession.	38:52
	We put so much money and an incredible amount of faith	38:57
	in this human venture, but it doesn't deliver.	39:02
	We still have AIDS,	39:09
	we still suffer, we still die.	39:12
	And so we sue our physicians	39:16
	for not fulfilling our fantasies of omnipotence.	39:19
	And we hate them for not being, if not gods,	39:26
	at least close relatives of Hermes and Zeus.	39:29
	Beware those of you who are headed	39:35
	toward the practice of law or medicine,	39:39
	you may benefit professionally or financially	39:44
	from our popular belief that science or medicine,	39:48
	or law or politics, is power,	39:51
	but I'll tell you this, we will hate you	39:56
	when you do not deliver.	40:00
	And so maybe that's why, in today's scripture,	40:05
	there is a critique of power going on	40:07
	in this story of power.	40:11
	Paul and Barnabas having worked a powerful miracle	40:16
	for a poor crippled man are not flattered	40:19
	when they are called gods by these Laconians.	40:23
	They say: we are not gods come down to earth,	40:29
	we are human beings bearing good news.	40:31
	And I think Luke's opinion is that gentiles,	40:38
	gentiles, that's us,	40:41
	gentiles are just incurable idolaters.	40:43
	If you read the book of Acts, whenever a gentile shows up,	40:49
	a gentile will bow down to almost anything	40:51
	if given half a chance to worship something.	40:54
	Earlier, when Peter healed another lame man,	41:00
	the grateful fellow gets down on his knees	41:03
	and clings to Peter and calls him an angel.	41:05
	When Peter meets the Roman Centurion Cornelius,	41:08
	and converts him, Cornelius gets down on his knees	41:12
	and prepares to offer a sacrifice to him.	41:16
	After all, he spent his whole life bowing down	41:18
	before Caesar, he just assumes he's got another god	41:21
	in the form of a man.	41:24
	And now these Laconians, they see some power	41:28
	and they call one Zeus and the other Hermes.	41:32
	A gentile is somebody who is an incredible idolater,	41:38
	a polytheist.	41:41
	Who's always out trying to plug into the power	41:45
	to use God to harness this great divine energy	41:48
	for our purposes.	41:51
	For what is the purpose of religion	41:54
	if it is not something that works for us?	41:56
	But Paul and Barnabas are good monotheistic Jews,	42:01
	and they set these idolatrous Laconians straight.	42:06
	We bring you not even something so wonderful	42:11
	as the power to heal,	42:14
	we bring you good news.	42:17
	Turn from these vain things, these vain things,	42:22
	that's not a very high assessment of classical education	42:25
	in art, is it, these vain things?	42:28
	And turn from your paganism to the living God.	42:31
	Those who heal must also be those who teach.	42:39
	And here is lesson number one, get out your notebooks.	42:44
	The Christian faith	42:49
	is not chiefly about power.	42:52
	The hour of power.	42:57
	It is not about the power, even the power to do good.	43:00
	Rather, it is about turning from ourselves	43:06
	and our idols toward the living God,	43:09
	who, wherever disciples find themselves	43:13
	and preach the good news, their stiffest opposition	43:17
	is not from atheism but from polytheism, from idolatry.	43:21
	And we're all born polytheists.	43:27
	Idolatry is a hard habit to break.	43:31
	The notion that God is just some kind of tool	43:36
	that we can use to get what our hearts desire.	43:40
	Elsewhere in Acts, in chapter eight,	43:46
	another gentile shows up.	43:48
	A gentile miracle worker who is	43:51
	in the business of healing people.	43:53
	His name is Simon.	43:55
	And Simon witnesses the healing power of the Holy Spirit.	43:57
	Wow! That's really good, he says.	44:02
	How can I get in on some of this Holy Spirit power, he asks.	44:05
	How can I put some of this power at my disposal?	44:09
	To work good, of course.	44:12
	And Simon offers the most powerful thing he's got	44:15
	in his pocket, money, to get the Holy Spirit in his pocket.	44:17
	And Peter turns to Simon, and in a loving way,	44:25
	says: to hell with you and your money.	44:27
	This isn't for sale.	44:32
	Here is power that is not up for sale	44:35
	to the highest bidder, not to be used to our beck and call,	44:37
	not to be controlled or corralled,	44:41
	or captured for even the best of human purposes.	44:44
	This power blows where it wills.	44:49
	It's a gift.	44:52
	It is the power of the living God,	44:54
	not the ersatz power of our idols.	44:56
	And wherever the good news of Easter is present,	45:00
	disciples not only work miracles,	45:04
	but they are teachers.	45:09
	Teaching the world the difference between the ways of God	45:12
	and the ways of Hermes and Zeus.	45:16
	Some of the angriest disbelief	45:22
	that I have witnessed as a pastor,	45:26
	is that disbelief which arises from the disillusionment	45:29
	that comes when God fails to deliver.	45:33
	This disillusionment is not disillusionment with God,	45:40
	but disillusionment with our idols,	45:45
	our projections, our ego projections of God.	45:46
	A God who refuses to be controlled.	45:52
	Well I don't really agree with a lot	45:59
	that those people believe, but you know,	46:00
	they do a lot of good.	46:03
	And isn't that the purpose of religion?	46:06
	To do a lot of good?	46:08
	Who cares if they lift up some new counter God	46:12
	or make demi-gods of themselves.	46:15
	They do a lot of good, and what is religion about	46:18
	if it's not that?	46:22
	Their stuff really works.	46:23
	Friends, Easter power is loose in our trouble world.	46:29
	Watch and wonder as as the down-trodden stand upright	46:34
	and the oppressed are delivered,	46:37
	and the impotent begin to move,	46:39
	but let us take care.	46:44
	This isn't just any old power that we celebrate today.	46:47
	It's a power of the risen Jesus.	46:52
	The Holy Spirit.	46:55
	And therefore of these good Jews,	46:59
	who have been taught to say from the very first,	47:03
	hear o Israel, the Lord your God is one,	47:06
	and you shall have no other gods before me.	47:12
	Amen.	47:19
	(organ music)	47:21
	(pews creak)	47:37
	♪ At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow ♪	47:59
	♪ Every tongue confess him King of glory now ♪	48:07
	♪ 'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord ♪	48:16
	♪ Who from the beginning was the mighty word ♪	48:25
	♪ At his voice creation sprang at once to sight ♪	48:37
	♪ All the angel faces, all the hosts of light ♪	48:46
	♪ Thrones and dominations, stars upon their way ♪	48:55
	♪ All the heavenly orders in their great array ♪	49:04
	♪ Humbled for a season, to receive a name ♪	49:16
	♪ From the lips of sinners, unto whom he came ♪	49:25
	♪ Faithfully he bore it spotless to the last ♪	49:34
	♪ Brought it back victorious when from death he passed ♪	49:43
	♪ In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue ♪	49:55
	♪ All that is not holy, all that is not true ♪	50:05
	♪ Look to him, your Savior, in temptations' hour ♪	50:14
	♪ Let his will enfold you in its light and power ♪	50:23
-	Let us unite in this historic confession	50:39
	of the Christian faith.	50:41
Congregation	I believe in God the father almighty,	50:43
	maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ,	50:47
	his only son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	50:50
	born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	50:55
	was crucified, dead, and buried.	50:59
	The third day he rose form the dead.	51:02
	He ascended into heaven and siteth	51:04
	at the right hand of God the father almighty.	51:07
	From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	51:10
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,	51:14
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,	51:18
	the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.	51:22
	Amen.	51:26
-	The Lord be with you.	51:28
Congregation	And also with you.	51:30
-	Let us pray.	51:31
	(pews creak)	51:34
	Please join in this prayer of intersession	51:41
	by responding with the words: Lord hear our prayer.	51:43
	O Lord our God, you hear our prayers before we speak	51:49
	and answer before we know our need.	51:53
	You alone are our source of power.	51:57
	That we cannot pray may your spirit pray in us,	51:59
	drawing us to you and toward our neighbors on earth.	52:04
	We pray for the whole creation.	52:08
	May all things work together for good until, by your design,	52:10
	your children inherit the earth and order it wisely.	52:14
	Lord, hear our prayer.	52:19
	We pray for the church of Jesus Christ,	52:22
	that begun, maintained and promoted by your spirit,	52:25
	it may be true, engaging, glad, and active doing your will.	52:29
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	52:36
-	We pray for people who do not believe,	52:40
	who are shaken by doubt or have turned against you.	52:43
	Open their eyes to see beyond our broken fellowship,	52:47
	the wonders of your love displayed in Jesus of Nazareth	52:51
	and to follow when he calls them.	52:55
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	52:58
-	We pray for enemies as Christ commanded.	53:01
	For those who oppose us or scheme against us,	53:05
	who are also children of your love.	53:08
	May we be kept away from infectious hate	53:12
	or sick desire for vengeance.	53:15
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	53:18
-	We pray for those involved in world government,	53:22
	in agencies of control or compassion	53:25
	who work for the reconciling of nations.	53:28
	Keep them hopeful and work with them for peace.	53:31
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	53:35
-	We pray for poor people who are hungry	53:39
	or are housed in unclean places.	53:41
	Increase in us and all who prosper concern	53:45
	for the disinherited.	53:48
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	53:50
-	We pray for sick people who suffer pain	53:54
	or struggle with demons of the mind,	53:57
	who silently cry out for healing.	53:59
	May they be patient, brave, and trusting.	54:02
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	54:06
-	We pray for the dying, who face the final mystery.	54:09
	May the enjoy light and life intensely,	54:14
	keep dignity and greet death unafraid,	54:18
	believing in your love.	54:21
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	54:24
-	We pray for people who are alone and lonely,	54:28
	who have no-one to call in trusted friendship.	54:30
	May they be remembered, befriended,	54:34
	and know your care for them.	54:37
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	54:40
-	We pray for families, for parents and children.	54:43
	May they enjoy each other, honor freedoms,	54:47
	and forgive as happily as we are all forgiven	54:50
	in your great mercy.	54:53
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	54:55
-	We pray for young and old.	54:59
	Give the impatient youth true vision,	55:01
	and experienced age openness to new things.	55:04
	Let both praise your name.	55:08
Congregation	Lord, hear our prayer.	55:11
-	We pray for people everywhere.	55:14
	May they come into their own as children of God	55:16
	and inherit the kingdom prepared in Jesus Christ,	55:18
	the Lord of all and savior of the world.	55:22
	This we pray in his name, who prays with us	55:25
	and for us, to whom be praised forever.	55:28
	Amen.	55:32
	And now, in thanksgiving for the mighty acts of God,	55:35
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God.	55:38
	(organ music)	55:42
	(pews creak)	55:47
	(choir shuffles)
	(choir sings in foreign language)	56:25
	(intense organ music)	58:54
	(choir sings in foreign language)	58:57
	(soft organ music)	1:03:41
	(choir sings in foreign language)	1:03:46
	(organ plays "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow")	1:04:49
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:05:23
	♪ Praise God, all creatures here below ♪	1:05:29
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:05:35
	♪ Praise God above, ye heav'nly host ♪	1:05:43
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:05:49
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:05:55
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:08
	♪ Amen ♪	1:06:17
-	O everliving God, we offer you thanks and praise	1:06:30
	for the many wonders of your creation.	1:06:34
	For the mystery of the changing seasons,	1:06:37
	and the ever new miracle of life awakening each springtime.	1:06:39
	For the fellowship of family and friends.	1:06:43
	For the privilege of sharing	1:06:46
	with you in the act of creating.	1:06:47
	Most of all, we thank you for the gift	1:06:50
	of your son Jesus Christ, who commanded us	1:06:52
	to love one another and then revealed the true power	1:06:55
	of love through his resurrection.	1:06:58
	Our father,	1:07:02
Congregation	Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	1:07:03
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:07:06
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:07:09
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:07:11
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:07:14
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	1:07:16
	and lead us not into temptation,	1:07:19
	but deliver us from evil.	1:07:21
	For thine is the kingdom, the power,	1:07:23
	and the glory forever.	1:07:26
	Amen.	1:07:27
	(organ music)	1:07:30
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:07:53
	♪ 'Til all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:08:02
	♪ Come, Christians, follow where the Master trod ♪	1:08:13
	♪ Our King victorious, Christ the Son of God ♪	1:08:23
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:08:33
	♪ 'Til all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:08:43
	♪ Led on their way by this triumphant sign ♪	1:08:54
	♪ The hosts of God in conquering ranks combine ♪	1:09:03
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:09:14
	♪ 'Til all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:09:24
	♪ All newborn servants of the crucified ♪	1:09:35
	♪ Bear on their brows the seal of him who died ♪	1:09:44
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:09:56
	♪ 'Til all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:10:05
	♪ O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree ♪	1:10:16
	♪ Has brought us from his heart within ♪	1:10:25
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:10:37
	♪ 'Til all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:10:46
	♪ So shall our song of triumph ever be ♪	1:10:57
	♪ Praise to the crucified for victory ♪	1:11:06
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:11:18
	♪ 'Til all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:11:27
-	And now go forth in peace and be of good courage.	1:11:46
	Holdfast that which is good, rejoicing	1:11:50
	in the power of the Holy Spirit,	1:11:52
	and may the blessings of God, father, son,	1:11:55
	and Holy Spirit, be with you all now and forevermore.	1:11:58
	Amen.	1:12:01
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:03
	(choir harmonizes)	1:12:13
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:15
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:18
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:24
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:29
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:41
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:47
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:55
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:12:59
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:13:03
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:13:07
	(trumpet music)	1:13:14
	(congregation shuffles)
	(pews creek)	1:14:24
	(congregation murmurs)
	(trumpet music)	1:14:31
	(congregation shuffles)

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Easter Power" (April 23, 1989)

Description:

Sermon start time: 26:44. Sermon end time: 47:20.
Christian faith is not chiefly about power, even the power to do good, but is instead about turning from selfishness and idols an toward God. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The Christian faith is not chiefly about power…Rather, it is about turning from ourselves and our idols toward the living God.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4xd0rc9z

Date:

April 23, 1989

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Easter

Biblical Book:

Acts

Chapter and Verse:

Acts 14:8-18

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0130
ref8605_wbp
uachapelsermaud
duke:321780
dcrmv001126
ark:/87924/r4xd0rc9z
80f437d7-5fc1-4d43-b34f-32bc85f03576

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

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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William H. Willimon - "Easter Power" (April 23, 1989)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Easter Power" (April 23, 1989)

Duke University Archives

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Duke University Archives

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