William H. Willimon - "Just Dying to Party" (September 24, 1989)

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	(organ music)	0:00
-	Good morning.	0:24
	Welcome to this service of worship here in Duke Chapel.	0:25
	I've been asked by Bill Briner,	0:29
	the President of the Congregation of Duke Chapel,	0:31
	to announce that an emergency blood collection	0:34
	is going on at our local	0:38
	American Red Cross until 4:00 pm today,	0:39
	and blood is urgently needed by the Red Cross	0:42
	for victims of the hurricane, and you're urged to give.	0:45
	Today, we are pleased to dedicate our new hymnals.	0:52
	And I think this is an appropriate time to recognize,	0:59
	our musicians; those people who, week in, week out,	1:03
	help produce music here in Duke Chapel.	1:06
	The average person I think doesn't realize how many	1:09
	musicians it takes to give us the beauty	1:11
	that we receive here on an average Sunday morning.	1:16
	Our new Director of Chapel Music is Dr. Rodney Wynkoop.	1:20
	He is also professor in the music department	1:24
	and Director of the Duke Chorale.	1:28
	And we have been enjoying his leadership	1:30
	in these first Sundays of the school year.	1:32
	And it has been a joy to have Dr. Wynkoop here.	1:35
	Many people thought that because Dr. Wynkoop	1:39
	was a native of Ohio and went to Yale,	1:41
	that we wouldn't be able to have a good time here,	1:43
	but he has certainly proved that	1:46
	that's an erroneous stereotype	1:48
	and we have been having a good time.	1:51
	He is assisted by Mrs. Donna Sparks.	1:53
	Ms. Sparks is our administrative assistant in Chapel Music	1:56
	and is also the director of the Choral Vespers program	2:01
	that has begun another good year here on Thursday evenings.	2:05
	And we thank them for their work	2:10
	with our great Chapel Choir.	2:11
	At the back up in the Flentrop gallery,	2:15
	you see on the right,	2:18
	Dr. Robert Parkins who is chapel organist,	2:21
	who plays the postlude and prelude	2:24
	and other musical pieces during our service.	2:27
	He also teaches organ in the Department of Music.	2:30
	And to the left at the organ gallery,	2:33
	someone who is not often seen during the service	2:36
	but someone who makes the service possible, Norman Ryan,	2:40
	who is our carabiner curator of organs and harpsichords	2:43
	here at Duke, and he looks after the four Duke Chapel organs	2:48
	and makes it technically possible for us	2:52
	to have the beautiful organ music on Sunday.	2:55
	Mr. David Arcus is our assistant chapel organist.	2:59
	He also is the organist at the Divinity School	3:05
	and he accompanies the choir,	3:08
	and plays on most Sundays for us here.	3:10
	He, particularly, is beloved	3:15
	for his playing at the front organ.	3:18
	And then a musician that many people don't see	3:21
	but who means a lot to you as you come	3:25
	to the chapel services and as you leave,	3:27
	the University Carillonneur, Mr. J Samuel Hammond.	3:30
	Every year, someone says,	3:34
	upon hearing the carillon played every afternoon at 5:00,	3:36
	what sort of machine do you have	3:40
	that plays the bells up in the tower.	3:43
	As you can see this is not a machine, this is a man;	3:45
	and he has been playing the chapel carillon	3:48
	since he was an undergraduate here at Duke	3:52
	and has been here ever since	3:54
	and is one of the nation's renowned carillonneurs,	3:56
	and we are so fortunate to have him.	4:00
	He will also be participating as the lector	4:02
	in the service today.	4:05
	We also thank the Friends of the Chapel	4:07
	for giving us our new hymnals.	4:10
	This was a great gift and the hundreds of	4:13
	Friends of the Chapel have participated in the gift	4:16
	of these new hymnals, which will be dedicated	4:19
	during the service today.	4:22
	Mary Putnam, the President of the Friends of the Chapel,	4:24
	and we thank them for this gift.	4:27
	During the service we will sing hymn number 115	4:29
	How Like a Gentle Spirit.	4:34
	Which has been written by our own professor,	4:36
	Doctor C Eric Lincoln.	4:38
	Wonder if Doctor Lincoln has gotten here yet?	4:41
	Was going to have him stand with his family.	4:43
	He's coming.	4:46
	And we will sing --	4:48
	There he is, at the back.	4:49
	Thank you Doctor Lincoln.	4:50
	We look forward to singing How Like a Gentle Spirit,	4:52
	and we thank you for your hymn writing.	4:54
	We're gonna have a great service today	4:57
	of singing old and familiar hymns,	4:58
	and enjoying the new hymnal.	5:00
	And we thank the musicians and the work that they do	5:03
	week in, week out to make this such a grand	5:05
	place of prayer and praise.	5:08
	And now, let us continue our worship.	5:11
	♪ God, whose love is reigning o'er us, ♪	5:19
	♪ source of all, the ending true; ♪	5:26
	♪ Hear the universal chorus ♪	5:33
	♪ raised in joyful praise to you: ♪	5:40
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia, ♪	5:47
	♪ worship ancient, worship new. ♪	5:54
	(organ music)	6:08
	♪ When in our music God is glorified, ♪	6:38
	♪ and adoration leaves no room for pride, ♪	6:46
	♪ it is as though the whole creation cried ♪	6:54
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	7:02
	♪ How often, making music, we have found ♪	7:10
	♪ a new dimension in the world of sound, ♪	7:17
	♪ as worship moved us to a more profound ♪	7:26
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	7:34
	♪ So has the church in liturgy and song, ♪	7:41
	♪ in faith and love, through centuries of wrong, ♪	7:49
	♪ borne witness to the truth in every tongue, ♪	7:58
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	8:06
	♪ And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night ♪	8:15
	♪ when utmost evil strove against the light? ♪	8:22
	♪ Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight: ♪	8:30
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	8:39
	♪ Let every instrument be tuned for praise! ♪	10:22
	♪ Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise! ♪	10:30
	♪ And may God give us faith to sing always ♪	10:38
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	10:46
-	Let us pray together, the opening collect, number 69.	11:01
	Glorious God, source of joy and righteousness,	11:07
	enable us as redeemed and forgiven children	11:11
	evermore to rejoice in singing Your praises.	11:15
	Grant that what we sing with our lips we may	11:19
	believe in our hearts,	11:22
	and what we believe in our hearts we may	11:25
	practice in our lives;	11:27
	so that being doers of the Word and not hearers only,	11:30
	we may receive everlasting life	11:34
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	11:37
	Amen.	11:39
	(organ music)	11:46
	♪ Holy Spirit, come confirm us, ♪	12:13
	♪ in the truth that Christ makes known. ♪	12:19
	♪ We have faith and understanding ♪	12:25
	♪ through Your helping gifts alone ♪	12:31
-	The first lesson is taken from the book of Hosea	12:49
	When Israel was young, I loved them,	12:53
	and out of Egypt I called my child.	12:56
	The more I called them,	13:00
	the more they went from me.	13:01
	They kept sacrificing to the Baals	13:03
	and burning incense to the idols.	13:06
	Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,	13:09
	I took them up in my arms;	13:12
	but they did not know that I healed them.	13:14
	I led them with cords of compassion,	13:17
	with the bands of love.	13:19
	And I became to them as one who eases	13:21
	the yoke on their jaws;	13:24
	And I bent down to them and fed them.	13:26
	They shall return to the land of Egypt;	13:29
	And Assyria shall be their king	13:31
	Because they have refused to return to Me.	13:34
	The sword will rage against their cities,	13:37
	consume the bars of their gates,	13:40
	and devour them in their fortresses.	13:42
	My people are bent on turning away from Me.	13:45
	So they are appointed to the yolk,	13:48
	and none shall remove it.	13:50
	How can I give you up, O Ephraim?	13:53
	How can I hand you over, O Israel?	13:55
	How can I make you like Admah?	13:58
	How can I treat you like Zeboiim?	14:00
	My heart recoils within Me,	14:03
	My compassion grows warm and tender.	14:05
	I will not execute My fierce anger;	14:08
	I will not again destroy Ephraim.	14:12
	For I am God and not a human being,	14:14
	the Holy One in your midst,	14:17
	And I will not come to destroy.	14:20
	They shall go after the Lord,	14:22
	who will roar like a lion;	14:26
	ye God will roar	14:28
	And God's children shall come trembling from the west.	14:29
	They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt.	14:33
	And like doves from the land of Assyria;	14:36
	And I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.	14:39
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	14:43
	(organ music)	14:48
	♪ O Love that will not let me go, ♪	15:19
	♪ I rest my weary soul in thee; ♪	15:25
	♪ I give thee back the life I owe, ♪	15:31
	♪ That in thine ocean depths its flow ♪	15:38
	♪ May richer, fuller be. ♪	15:43
	♪ O Light that foll'west all my way, ♪	15:52
	♪ I yield my flick'ring torch to thee; ♪	15:58
	♪ My heart restores its borrowed ray, ♪	16:05
	♪ That in thy sunshine's blaze its day ♪	16:11
	♪ May brighter, fairer be. ♪	16:16
	♪ O Joy that seekest me through pain, ♪	16:25
	♪ I cannot close my heart to thee; ♪	16:31
	♪ I trace the rainbow through the rain, ♪	16:38
	♪ And feel the promise is not vain, ♪	16:44
	♪ That morn shall tearless be. ♪	16:49
	♪ O Cross that liftest up my head, ♪	16:59
	♪ I dare not ask to fly from thee; ♪	17:05
	♪ I lay in dust life's glory dead, ♪	17:12
	♪ And from the ground there blossoms red ♪	17:18
	♪ Life that shall endless be. ♪	17:24
-	Please stand for the responsive reading of the salter.	17:40
	Oh give thanks to the Lord, who is good;	17:55
	whose steadfast love endures forever!	17:58
Congregation	Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,	18:02
	whom the Lord has redeemed from trouble	18:04
	and gathered in from the lands,	18:08
	from the east and from the west,	18:10
	from the north and from the south.	18:13
-	Some wandered in desert waste,	18:15
	finding no way to a city in which to dwell;	18:17
Congregation	Hungry and thirsty,	18:21
	their soul fainted within them.	18:23
-	Then in their trouble, they cried to the Lord,	18:25
	who delivered them from their distress.	18:29
Congregation	And led them by a straight way	18:32
	till they reached a city in which to dwell.	18:34
-	Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,	18:37
	for his wonderful works to humankind!	18:41
Congregation	The Lord satisfies those who are thirsty,	18:44
	and fills the hungry with good things.	18:48
-	The Lord turns rivers into a desert,	18:50
	springs of water into thirsty ground,	18:53
Congregation	a fruitful land into a salty waste,	18:57
	because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.	19:00
-	The Lord turns a desert into pools of water,	19:04
	a parched land into springs of water.	19:06
Congregation	The Lord lets the hungry dwell,	19:10
	and they establish a city in which to live;	19:12
-	They sow fields and plant vineyards	19:16
	and get a fruitful yield.	19:19
Congregation	They multiply greatly	19:21
	by the blessing of the Lord,	19:23
	who does not let their cattle diminish.	19:25
-	When they are diminished and brought low	19:28
	through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,	19:30
	the Lord pours contempt upon princes	19:33
	and makes them wander in trackless waste;	19:36
Congregation	The Lord raises up the needy	19:40
	out of affliction	19:42
	and makes their families like flocks.	19:43
-	The upright see it and are glad,	19:46
	and all wickedness stops its mouth.	19:49
Congregation	Whoever is wise, heed to these things;	19:52
	consider the steadfast love of the Lord.	19:55
	(organ music)	20:05
	♪ Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing, ♪	20:19
	♪ "My God and King!" ♪	20:27
	♪ The heav'ns are not too high, ♪	20:33
	♪ God's praise may thither fly; ♪	20:38
	♪ the earth is not too low, ♪	20:43
	♪ God's praises there may grow. ♪	20:47
	♪ Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing, ♪	20:53
	♪ "My God and King!" ♪	21:01
	♪ The church with psalms must shout: ♪	21:08
	♪ no door can keep them out. ♪	21:12
	♪ But, more than all, the heart ♪	21:18
	♪ must bear the longest part. ♪	21:21
	♪ Let all the world in ev'ery corner sing, ♪	21:28
	♪ "My God and King! ♪	21:36
-	The second lesson is taken from Paul's letter	21:55
	to Timothy.	21:58
	First of all, then, I urge that supplications,	21:59
	prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made	22:03
	for all people.	22:07
	For rulers and all who are in high positions,	22:09
	that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life,	22:12
	godly and respectful in every way.	22:16
	This is good and it is acceptable in the sight of	22:19
	God our Savior who desires all people to be saved	22:22
	and to come to the knowledge of the truth.	22:26
	For there is one God and there is one mediator	22:29
	between God and humankind, Christ Jesus,	22:32
	who sacrificed Self as a ransom for all,	22:36
	the testimony to which was born at the proper time.	22:40
	For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle,	22:44
	I am telling the truth; I am not lying.	22:48
	A teacher of the Gentiles, in faith and truth.	22:51
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	22:55
	(organ music)	22:59
	♪ Lord, you give the great commission: ♪	24:03
	♪ "Heal the sick and preach the word." ♪	24:11
	♪ Lest the church neglect its mission, ♪	24:19
	♪ and the gospel go unheard, ♪	24:27
	♪ help us witness to your purpose ♪	24:35
	♪ with renewed integrity: ♪	24:43
	♪ with the Spirit's gifts empower us ♪	24:51
	♪ for the work of ministry. ♪	24:59
	♪ Lord, you call us to your service: ♪	25:10
	♪ "In my name baptize and teach." ♪	25:18
	♪ That the world may trust your promise, ♪	25:26
	♪ life abundant meant for each, ♪	25:34
	♪ give us all new fervor, draw us ♪	25:42
	♪ closer in community: ♪	25:50
	♪ with the Spirit's gifts empower us ♪	25:58
	♪ for the work of ministry. ♪	26:06
-	Here begins the 16th chapter	26:27
	of the Gospel according to Saint Luke.	26:30
	Jesus also said to His disciples,	26:33
	"There was a rich man who had a steward	26:37
	and charges were brought to him that this man	26:40
	was wasting his goods.	26:42
	And he called him and said to him,	26:44
	'What is this that I hear about you?	26:47
	Turn in the account of your stewardship,	26:50
	for you cannot be no longer be steward.'	26:53
	And the steward said to himself,	26:57
	'What shall I do, since my master is taking	26:59
	the stewardship away from me?	27:02
	I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.	27:04
	I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me	27:10
	into their houses, when I am put out of the stewardship.'	27:13
	So, summoning his master's debtors one by one,	27:18
	he said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'	27:21
	He said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'	27:26
	And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly	27:30
	and write 50.'	27:34
	Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'	27:36
	He said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'	27:40
	He said to him, 'Take your bill, and write 80.'	27:43
	The master commended the dishonest steward for his	27:48
	shrewdness.	27:51
	For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing	27:52
	with their own generation than the sons of light.	27:55
	And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means	28:00
	of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails	28:03
	they may receive you into the eternal habitations.	28:07
	He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also	28:12
	in much, and he who is dishonest in a very little	28:16
	is dishonest also in much.	28:21
	If then you have not been faithful in	28:25
	the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you	28:28
	the true riches?	28:31
	And if you have not been faithful in that	28:33
	which is another's, who will give you that	28:35
	which is your own?	28:39
	No servant can serve two masters, for either	28:41
	he will hate the one and love the other,	28:45
	or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.	28:48
	You cannot serve God and mammon."	28:54
	Here ends the gospel lesson.	28:59
-	If you have been faithfully attending Chapel	29:10
	these first Sundays in September,	29:13
	you know that we have had a good bit to say about parties.	29:16
	You have been told by the President	29:22
	that this is not a party school but of course,	29:25
	the Dean and the President are usually not here on the	29:31
	weekend, and so what do they know?	29:33
	Here in the Chapel, according to the texts that we have had,	29:38
	Jesus has come proclaiming a party.	29:42
	Now you also may know that we believe in	29:46
	using the lectionary in our services,	29:49
	but Nancy and I noted that after these sermons	29:51
	about partying, the lectionary backs off	29:55
	at the greatest, most scandalous party of all,	29:59
	that which is found in	30:03
	Luke 15:11-32.	30:07
	And we said, "What the heck, let's go ahead and read it."	30:11
	and so, I bet you have heard this story before,	30:16
	There was a man who had two sons.	30:22
	And the younger of them said to his father,	30:24
	'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.'	30:26
	And he divided his living between them.	30:31
	and not many days later, the younger son gathered	30:33
	all that he had, and took his journey into a far country,	30:36
	and there he squandered his property in loose living.	30:39
	And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose	30:44
	in that country, and he began to want.	30:47
	And he went and joined himself out to one of	30:49
	the citizens of that country, who sent him to the fields	30:51
	to feed swine.	30:54
	And he would have gladly fed on the pods the swine ate,	30:56
	nobody gave him anything.	30:59
	But when he came to himself, he said,	31:01
	'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough	31:04
	to spare?	31:06
	I perish with hunger!	31:07
	I will arise and go to my father and say,	31:10
	"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before you;	31:13
	I'm no longer worthy to be called your son;	31:16
	treat me as your hired servant."'	31:18
	And he arose and came to his father.	31:21
	But while he was at a distance, his father saw him	31:23
	and had compassion, and ran and embraced and kissed him.	31:26
	The son said, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and	31:29
	before you; I am not worthy to be called your son.'	31:32
	But the father said to the servants,	31:36
	'Bring quickly the best robe, put it on him,	31:37
	put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet;	31:39
	bring the fatted calf, kill it, let us eat and make merry;	31:42
	for this my son was dead and is alive;	31:46
	lost was found.' And they began to make merry.	31:49
	Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came	31:54
	he draw near to the house, and he heard music, dancing.	31:57
	He called one of the servants and asked what this meant.	32:01
	He said, 'Your brother has come, your father has killed	32:04
	the fatted calf, he has received him safe and sound.'	32:07
	But he was angry and he refused to go in;	32:10
	his father came out and entreated him.	32:14
	But he answered, 'Lo, these many years have I served you	32:15
	I never disobeyed your command; you never given me a kid,	32:19
	that I might make merry with my friends; but when this	32:22
	son of yours came, who has devoured your living	32:25
	with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf.'	32:28
	He said, 'Son, you were here with me always,	32:32
	all that I have is yours.	32:34
	It was fitting to make merry and be glad,	32:36
	for this your brother was dead and is alive,	32:39
	was lost but was found.'"	32:42
	Here, in the middle of Luke's gospel, we've been building up	32:49
	after the party for the lost coin and the party	32:52
	for finding the lost sheep, we finally get	32:56
	to the party for the lost boy.	32:58
	I'm sorry if back in Des Moines you got	33:01
	the impression that to be religious you've got	33:04
	to first be stiff, dull, sober and serious.	33:07
	Jesus hammers home the theme that when God comes,	33:12
	God is not sore at anybody, but is in the mood	33:16
	for a party.	33:20
	Jesus says that when God gets back just one lost sheep,	33:21
	God gets kind of goofy, and wants everybody to drop	33:26
	whatever note-taking or computer programming,	33:29
	or dish-washing you're doing and bend to the music.	33:32
	And thus be come to this homecoming bash	33:38
	for the prodigal son.	33:40
	Like the other parables, it's a story about lostness.	33:44
	But the first person who gets lost here,	33:49
	Robert Capon notes, is the father.	33:51
	The son says to the father, "father, give me my share	33:54
	of the inheritance."	33:57
	and what have you got to do to get	33:59
	your father's inheritance?	34:00
	The father does what so many young people	34:04
	would like their old man to do.	34:06
	He drops dead.	34:07
	He puts his will into effect, he gets lost.	34:09
	He lets go.	34:14
	And I hope those of you who let go	34:16
	and who have been let go by your parents	34:20
	so you can come to college, I hope you know	34:23
	what a painful thing that is as one parent said	34:25
	upon walking past your room, now silent of rock music,	34:29
	"at home, it was just like a death in the family."	34:33
	He lets go.	34:37
	Well, with the world at his feet, hi inheritance	34:40
	in his pocket, he goes into the far country	34:42
	where his life promptly becomes a lost cause.	34:45
	"He wasted his substance in riotous living."	34:48
	Jesus says.	34:52
	Which is a bible way of saying that he just lost it.	34:53
	And here I want to take just a moment and allow	34:57
	your low undergraduate imaginations	35:00
	to work with that phrase, riotous living.	35:03
	Although Jesus doesn't go ahead and supply	35:07
	whatever forms of riotous living might appeal	35:10
	to you.	35:13
	Loose girls, loose boys, casinos, chocolate cake,	35:14
	whatever.	35:19
	Because Jesus' main point is not some moralistic	35:21
	diatribe on the perils of life out in the far country	35:24
	among the Kappa Sigs, it is that one morning he grew up,	35:28
	he woke up in the far country.	35:32
	Broke, and with his hangover and his friends were gone,	35:34
	and his money was gone and well, his life was gone.	35:39
	"He comes to himself," Jesus says.	35:44
	This young man on the make has been reduced	35:47
	to a skin and bones loser, a nothing.	35:50
	The boy realizes, "look, there are hired servants	35:55
	back at my father's house, they've got it	35:57
	better than I have."	36:00
	He's lost it.	36:02
	More, he is more than lost, he's dead.	36:04
	"I perish."	36:07
	he says.	36:09
	But he's not without some resources.	36:10
	He begins to formulate a little speech of confession.	36:14
	"I will rise and I will go to my old man and I will say,	36:17
	Dad, I mean Father, I have sinned against heaven	36:22
	and before you."	36:27
	He saw Swaggert do this on TV a couple of years ago.	36:28
	"I don't want to be your son anymore, I just want you	36:32
	to make me as one of your hired servants,	36:35
	that's good enough for me."	36:37
	His speech, while grammatically correct, is	36:42
	theologically lousy.	36:44
	He knows that he has lost out on being his father's son.	36:48
	He's lost.	36:51
	But the little wretch thinks he can fall back to	36:53
	strategic position B, and be one of his father's	36:55
	hired servants.	37:00
	You see, though the boy is lost, he is still busy	37:03
	wheeling and dealing.	37:07
	Making plans and falling back to another position and	37:09
	writing speeches of confession.	37:12
	Earlier it was give me, give me; now it's make me, make me.	37:15
	So he's got some more dying to do, he's just got	37:20
	some more losing before he can party.	37:23
	And he rose and he came to his father, but when he	37:29
	was still a long way off, his father saw him	37:33
	and ran to him and kissed him, and embraced him,	37:35
	and fell upon him.	37:38
	The old man pulls out all the stops and responds	37:39
	in this utterly	37:44
	extravagant, prodigal way to the return of his boy.	37:47
	And this is a prelude to the even more extravagant	37:53
	party which is to come, but I get ahead of myself.	37:57
	As soon as the boy gets the father off of him,	38:02
	he begins his little speech of confession.	38:06
	"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against you.	38:09
	I am no longer worthy to be your son.	38:15
	I just want you to make me as one of --"	38:17
	And if we had it our way, we would like the story	38:22
	to end right here.	38:26
	Because after all, hasn't this little profligate	38:29
	seen the error of his ways?	38:32
	Hasn't he got down on his knees and confessed his sin?	38:35
	Isn't this how it ought to end?	38:40
	You see the sinner is coming back home,	38:42
	confessing, it's sack cloth and ashes time.	38:44
	You see boys and girls?	38:47
	You'd better not go blow it all on booze and bad friends.	38:49
	Because you'll come to nothing, and you'll be lost,	38:52
	and then you'll need to confess!	38:54
	But unfortunately, for preachers, and parents that's not	38:58
	how the story ends, as it turns out,	39:02
	God has just got this thing for losers, and nothings,	39:06
	and sinners and corpses.	39:09
	The boy can't be a servant, he's a son.	39:13
	He can't confess, he's already forgiven.	39:16
	He can't do anything to get back into	39:20
	his father's good graces because after all, this father	39:24
	is Mr. Grace.	39:26
	All this father's got is forgiveness.	39:29
	He wrote the book on forgiveness.	39:30
	He's Mr. Finder of the Lost.	39:33
	And so it turns out the father's not interested in speeches,	39:36
	as if there's anything he doesn't already know about	39:41
	loving the lost, or forgiving sin.	39:43
	As if he needs some crummy elementary school speech	39:46
	by his son to remind him how to find the lost.	39:49
	The only thing the son has got to do, although do	39:54
	is just not the right word here, the only thing	39:57
	he's got to do is be lost.	40:00
	And if you noticed, those of you who have been lost,	40:02
	you can't decide to be lost, you just either are lost,	40:05
	or you aren't.	40:08
	So there's nothing this nothing can do.	40:12
	But fortunately, here is a God who just loves to party	40:16
	over absolutely nothing.	40:20
	So God deals with the lost boy the same way that the woman	40:23
	dealt with the lost coin, and the shepherd dealt with	40:27
	the lost sheep.	40:30
	The father throws a party.	40:32
	If you loved those riots that we had when we found	40:35
	that lost sheep, you gonna love this one!	40:37
	You gonna die over this one!	40:41
	Now note one thing, that there don't seem to be any	40:44
	intermediate steps between forgiveness and celebration.	40:47
	This is maddening.	40:51
	There's none of this, "Alright Harold, you're forgiven.	40:53
	But now Harold, let's have a bit more maturity out of you.	40:57
	And I want you to think again about finishing your	40:59
	application to Law School now."	41:01
	No!	41:04
	He just calls the servants and he proclaims a party.	41:05
	"Yes, yes Harold you're forgiven.	41:08
	Would you chill that little speech.	41:10
	Bring the best robe, put it on him and	41:12
	put a ring on his hand, florsheims on his feet.	41:14
	And let's make merry.	41:17
	This son which was dead, is alive; he's lost,	41:18
	and been found."	41:20
	It's a little embarrassing you know, you come to church;	41:23
	with all your speeches about what a great big, serious	41:25
	sinner you are; or other speeches thanking God	41:30
	for what a big sinner you're not, and you get here	41:35
	only to find out that God really isn't into speeches,	41:40
	or morality, or all these deadly serious, sober subjects.	41:43
	You come down here all dressed up coat and tie, and	41:49
	you meet a God whose just dying to party, whose main	41:53
	subjects for religion are robes, and patent leather pumps,	41:56
	and wine, and gold, and diamonds, and confetti and spumanti.	42:00
	And Jesus concludes the first act,	42:06
	"And they began to make merry."	42:10
	But now the music shifts from James Brown to Buxtehude.	42:16
	It's solemn, serious music, and enter in grand processional,	42:22
	coming down the center aisle, the Chair,	42:25
	the Commission on Ethics,	42:28
	Chair, Department of Moral Theology,	42:29
	the Dean of the Law School,	42:31
	the Chair of the Trustee Committee	42:33
	on Student Behavior at Commencement, all assorting in	42:35
	their favorite character in the story, the older brother.	42:39
	"And when be drew nigh to the house he heard music	42:46
	and dancing."	42:51
	Nostrils flared, indignant look.	42:54
	"Music, dancing, who has turned those musicians loose?	42:58
	Levity, expense, and on a Wednesday evening!"	43:02
	He calls a servant. "What is this?"	43:05
	he asks indignantly.	43:08
	"What are you doing in a dinner jacket when you're supposed	43:10
	to have on your overalls plowing turnips?"	43:12
	And the servant said, "Hey, your younger brother is back.	43:16
	Your father has proclaimed a party!"	43:19
	"A party?	43:21
	Doesn't that old fool know we've got work to do?	43:23
	How are we going to keep down overhead when he goes and	43:26
	blows ten grand on a party for this loser of a son of his?"	43:28
	Jesus says he was angry and he just wouldn't go in.	43:36
	After all, if the old man has gone off the deep end,	43:41
	lost his senses, somebody around here has got	43:46
	to act mature.	43:49
	Somebody around here has got to set a high moral tone.	43:51
	The father came out and he just begged the son	43:55
	to come in and party.	43:57
	But what's the father, what's Mr. Forgiveness to do	44:01
	with this stuff shirt?	44:05
	The older brother isn't lost, so there's now way	44:07
	he can be found.	44:10
	He knows exactly where he is, moral bearing fixed,	44:12
	dead on the target of absolute righteousness.	44:17
	He is neither lost nor is he a loser.	44:20
	He won the morality sweepstakes.	44:23
	"Lo, these many years have I served you,	44:26
	turning this turnip business around and putting	44:28
	the books in the black --"	44:31
	He's big on bookkeeping, this older brother.	44:32
	"--And yet when this son of yours comes back home,	44:34
	who has blown your hard earned money on whores, returns,	44:38
	you throw a party."	44:44
	One little quibble with this older brother's great speech	44:47
	of righteousness, I don't believe Jesus mentioned anything	44:50
	about harlots. Did he? I don't remember that.	44:53
	He just said that, out in the far country,	44:57
	the younger son engaged in some loose living.	45:01
	I mean, maybe that means that he just slept in late	45:06
	and he ate high cholesterol junk food.	45:08
	But you see, the flip side of the speech,	45:12
	"see what a good boy am I" is always,	45:15
	"see what this son of yours has done."	45:19
	Harlots, bad habits, mind altering substances.	45:22
	The older brother, in order to boast his claim of being	45:28
	an absolute winner, has got to make the younger brother	45:32
	as big a loser as possible.	45:35
	But you see, the joke is on him.	45:37
	Because here's a father that loves only losers.	45:41
	Did not the one who tells the story say,	45:46
	"I have come to seek and to save?	45:48
	Who?	45:50
	The lost.	45:51
	I've come to forgive only the sinners, I've come to raise	45:52
	only the dead.	45:57
	Your dead, loser of a brother is home.	46:00
	Chill it Howard.	46:03
	So what? Big deal	46:05
	You're the best turnip grower in Des Moines.	46:06
	Your brother's at least gone out and seen the sights	46:09
	and tasted the wine, which is a good deal more than I can	46:11
	say for your little turnip-clutching drag of a life.	46:14
	So go on in, Howard.	46:17
	Put on this funny hat, get a load of that blonde	46:19
	in the gold lame."	46:21
	It's just extravagant behavior here.	46:26
	Grace.	46:32
	But the funny thing about grace is, that the flipside	46:34
	is always judgment.	46:36
	For here is resurrection that works only on the dead,	46:38
	and salvation that's only for the lost.	46:42
	And if you're a success, if you got it all together	46:45
	and you're a winner, if you always stayed home,	46:48
	you just need not apply.	46:50
	But of course, the ironic thing is we may there be	46:56
	a bigger loser than we think.	46:59
	And so, at the end, Jesus says, "God gets	47:06
	what God so finely wants.	47:09
	A party.	47:12
	Because, in the end, everybody's gonna flunk	47:15
	the only test that God has got, namely, life.	47:19
	And thereby passed the only test God has, namely,	47:24
	that we be dead and raised in Jesus.	47:29
	What's going to happen to all of the older brother's	47:34
	moral successes and self-righteous speeches then?	47:36
	They will be but dust.	47:39
	He'll be as lost in the far country of death	47:40
	as his younger brother, that he so looks down upon.	47:43
	All of our lives will be redeemed because none of us	47:48
	will have anything to claim then, except	47:52
	whatever a gracious God wants to give us.	47:55
	And on that day I suppose God will say to	48:00
	both the prodigal sons and the older brothers because	48:02
	both received the inheritance and both are His boys.	48:07
	"You're dead, but you're alive.	48:13
	Put on this funny hat, step inside.	48:19
	Turn up the music	48:24
	I've just been dying to party."	48:25
	♪ O brethren ain't you happy? ♪	48:47
	♪ O brethren ain't you happy? ♪	48:49
	♪ O brethren ain't you happy? ♪	48:51
	♪ ye followers of the Lamb ♪	48:53
	♪ ♪ O brethren ain't you happy? ♪	48:56
	♪ ♪ O brethren ain't you happy? ♪	48:58
	♪ ♪ O brethren ain't you happy? ♪	49:00
	♪ ♪ ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:02
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emmanuel. ♪	49:04
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:08
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emmanuel. ♪	49:13
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:17
	♪ O sisters ain't you happy? ♪	49:21
	♪ O sisters ain't you happy? ♪	49:23
	♪ O sisters ain't you happy? ♪	49:25
	♪ Ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:27
	♪ O sisters ain't you happy? ♪	49:29
	♪ O sisters ain't you happy? ♪	49:31
	♪ O sisters ain't you happy? ♪	49:33
	♪ Ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:35
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emanuel. ♪	49:37
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:42
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emanuel. ♪	49:46
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	49:50
	♪ I'm glad I am a Christian, ♪	49:54
	♪ I'm glad I am a Christian, ♪	49:56
	♪ I'm glad I am a Christian, ♪	49:58
	♪ Ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	50:00
	♪ I'm glad I am a Christian, ♪	50:03
	♪ I'm glad I am a Christian, ♪	50:05
	♪ I'm glad I am a Christian, ♪	50:07
	♪ Ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	50:09
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emanuel. ♪	50:11
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	50:15
	♪ Sing on dance on sing on dance on ♪	50:20
	♪ I mean to be obedient, ♪	50:28
	♪ I mean to be obedient, ♪	50:32
	♪ I mean to be obedient, ♪	50:36
	♪ Ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	50:40
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emanuel. ♪	50:47
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	50:51
	♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emanuel. ♪	50:55
	♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	50:59
	♪ ♪ Sing on dance on followers of Emanuel. ♪	51:04
	♪ ♪ Sing on dance on ye followers of the Lamb. ♪	51:08
-	Please stand as we pray together.	51:19
	Oh eternal God, we thank you for music	51:28
	and its wondrous power to touch and heal	51:32
	and strengthn.	51:35
	Under its spell, the closed doors of the human spirit	51:37
	are unlocked and our hearts are moved to respond	51:40
	to You in worship.	51:44
	We praise You for this most precious gift.	51:45
	Let everything that lives praise the Lord.	51:51
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	51:54
-	We thank you for all those who entrusted with this gift	51:56
	have composed musical tunes,	52:00
	and set forth verses in writing.	52:03
	Living on among us in their works, they have	52:06
	wonderfully enriched our lives and exalted You	52:08
	in the liturgy of Your church.	52:12
	We praise You for all faithful singers of Your song.	52:14
	Let everything that lives praise the Lord.	52:21
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	52:24
-	We thank you for all who teach in universities	52:27
	and schools of sacred music, interpreting music	52:30
	born in the souls of others, and bringing gifts	52:33
	to fruition in many generations of students.	52:36
	We praise You for what they, receiving generously,	52:40
	from You have shared generously with others.	52:42
	Let everything that lives praise the Lord.	52:49
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	52:52
-	We thank You for all who day by day enable us	52:55
	to sing Your song in many ways and many places.	52:58
	Enriching us with new forms of music,	53:01
	patient scholarship, and gifted teaching.	53:04
	For all who build and care for musical instruments,	53:08
	and for those who make music with them,	53:12
	stirring our souls within us, we praise You	53:14
	for their ministry, and gratefully ask Your blessing	53:18
	on it this day.	53:21
	Let everything that lives praise the Lord.	53:25
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	53:28
	We thank you for the gift of new hymnals.	53:30
	For poets and visionaries who proclaim Your truth	53:33
	in memorable words, for printers and engravers,	53:36
	binders and publishers through whose labors we share	53:40
	in the inspiration of others.	53:43
	Let everything that lives praise the Lord.	53:47
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	53:50
-	Oh eternal God, we dedicate these hymnals this day	53:53
	and rededicate ourselves to the following of Your way	53:58
	for all humanity as we have come to know it	54:01
	in Jesus Christ.	54:04
	May we truly persevere in that way in our lives,	54:06
	and may the words of our mouths, and the meditations	54:09
	of our hearts, be ever acceptable in Your sight.	54:12
	Oh Lord our strength and our redeemer.	54:16
	Amen.	54:20
	The psalmist has written,	54:23
	Ascribe to the Lord the honor due His name;	54:24
	Bring offerings and come into His courts.	54:28
	As we dedicate our hymnals to the glory of God,	54:31
	let us present the offerings of our life and labor	54:35
	to the Lord.	54:38
	With thanksgiving.	54:39
	(organ music)	54:43
	(muffled singing)	55:27
	♪ I want Jesus to walk with me, ♪	57:49
	♪ I want Jesus to walk with me; ♪	58:00
	♪ All along my pilgrim journey, ♪	58:12
	♪ Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. ♪	58:24
	♪ In my trials, Lord, walk with me; ♪	58:39
	♪ In my trials, Lord, walk with me; ♪	58:50
	♪ When my heart is almost breaking, ♪	59:01
	♪ Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. ♪	59:13
	♪ When I'm troubled, Lord, walk with me; ♪	59:27
	♪ When I'm troubled, Lord, walk with me; ♪	59:39
	♪ When my head is bowed in sorrow, ♪	59:50
	♪ Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me. ♪	1:00:01
	(organ music)	1:00:20
	♪ How like a gentle spirit deep within ♪	1:00:53
	♪ God reins our fervent passions day by day, ♪	1:01:01
	♪ and gives us strength to challenge and to win ♪	1:01:09
	♪ despite the perils of our chosen way. ♪	1:01:16
	♪ Let God be God wherever life may be; ♪	1:01:26
	♪ let every tongue bear witness to the call; ♪	1:01:34
	♪ all humankind is one by God's decree; ♪	1:01:42
	♪ let God be God, let God be God for all. ♪	1:01:49
	♪ God like a mother eagle hovers near ♪	1:01:58
	♪ on mighty wings of power manifest; ♪	1:02:06
	♪ God like a gentle shepherd stills our fear; ♪	1:02:14
	♪ and comforts us against a peaceful breast. ♪	1:02:22
	♪ When in our vain pretensions we conspire ♪	1:02:31
	♪ to shape God's image as we see our own, ♪	1:02:38
	♪ hark to the voice above our base desire; ♪	1:02:46
	♪ God is the sculptor, we the broken stone. ♪	1:02:53
	♪ Through all our fretful claims of sex and race ♪	1:03:02
	♪ the universal love of God shines through, ♪	1:03:10
	♪ for God is love transcending style and place ♪	1:03:18
	♪ and all the idle options we pursue. ♪	1:03:26
	(muffled singing)	1:04:05
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; ♪	1:05:49
	♪ praise God, all creatures here below; ♪	1:05:55
	♪ Alleluia! Alleluia! ♪	1:06:01
	♪ praise God above, ye heavenly host; ♪	1:06:09
	♪ praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:06:16
	♪ Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! ♪	1:06:22
	♪ Alleluia! Alleluia! ♪	1:06:31
	(bells ringing)	1:07:09
	(music drowns out voice)	1:07:25
-	Let us pray, with confidence, the words	1:10:39
	that Jesus has taught us.	1:10:41
	Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:10:44
	hallowed be thy name;	1:10:46
	thy kingdom come;	1:10:48
	thy will be done;	1:10:49
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:10:51
	Give us this day our daily bread.	1:10:53
	And forgive us our trespasses,	1:10:55
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:10:58
	And lead us not into temptation;	1:11:01
	but deliver us from evil.	1:11:04
	For thine is the kingdom,	1:11:05
	the power and the glory,	1:11:06
	for ever.	1:11:09
	Amen.	1:11:10
	Go in peace to serve God and your neighbor	1:11:13
	in all that you do.	1:11:15
Congregation	We are sent to praise Him.	1:11:17
-	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God	1:11:20
	and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.	1:11:23
	(organ music)	1:11:29
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, ♪	1:11:51
	♪ Till all the world adore His sacred Name. ♪	1:12:00
	♪ Come, Christians, this triumphant sign, ♪	1:12:11
	♪ The hosts of God in unity combine. ♪	1:12:21
	Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim,	1:12:32
	Till all the world adore His sacred Name.	1:12:41
	♪ Each newborn servant of the Crucified ♪	1:12:52
	♪ Bears on the brow the seal of Him Who died. ♪	1:13:01
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, ♪	1:13:12
	♪ Till all the world adore His sacred Name. ♪	1:13:21
	♪ O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, ♪	1:13:32
	♪ As Thou hast promised, draw the world to Thee. ♪	1:13:40
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, ♪	1:13:52
	♪ Till all the world adore His sacred Name. ♪	1:14:01
	♪ So shall our song of triumph ever be: ♪	1:14:12
	♪ Praise to the Crucified for victory. ♪	1:14:21
	♪ Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim, ♪	1:14:32
	♪ Till all the world adore His sacred Name. ♪	1:14:43
	(bells ringing)	1:14:59
	(organ music)	1:15:40

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Just Dying to Party" (September 24, 1989)

Description:

Sermon start time: 29:10. Sermon end time: 48:29.
The preacher elaborates on the parable of the Prodigal Son and presents a God of radical grace. He compares the younger son to the older son, arguing that God’s love for the lost is incredible, but those who believe they aren’t lost cannot not receive God’s grace. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “In the end, everybody’s gonna flunk the only test that God has got, namely, life. And thereby pass the only test God has, namely, to be dead and raised in Jesus.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4kp7v61d

Date:

September 24, 1989

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 15:11-32

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0149
ref8675_heh
uachapelsermaud
duke:321310
dcrmv001145
ark:/87924/r4kp7v61d
a4c58c09-eaf9-412c-99b9-69ca87711fbc

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

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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 - "Just Dying to Party" (September 24, 1989)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Just Dying to Party" (September 24, 1989)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "Just Dying to Party" (September 24, 1989)

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