Dennis M. Campbell - "A Sower Went Forth" Founders' Day (December 9, 1990)

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	(gentle music)	0:00
	(inspirational music)	1:12
-	Thursday afternoon, in this place,	5:02
	university community took occasion on the anniversary	5:04
	of the signing of the Duke indenture 66 years ago	5:08
	to reflect upon our heritage.	5:11
	To single out those	5:14
	who have made a significant contribution to the university	5:16
	and to recognize recipients of scholarships made possible	5:19
	by the founding family.	5:23
	Today, we pause as we do each year, in memory	5:25
	of the Duke family.	5:29
	To honor all those who have given of themselves	5:30
	in service to the future by creating	5:33
	and recreating this university.	5:37
	We reaffirm here our pledge of this university	5:39
	to the ideal of service to humanity, and we give thanks	5:43
	to those who unselfishly take responsibility	5:48
	for a future that is not theirs.	5:51
	That belongs to other generations.	5:53
	We remember, also,	5:57
	that this university returns the wealth of the land	5:58
	to its people through respect for knowledge and	6:01
	for truth and through the continuing generosity of those	6:05
	who established it for all time.	6:09
-	Let us pray.	6:16
	Gracious God, you have blessed us	6:18
	with a rich heritage through the sacrifices of others	6:20
	in the past.	6:24
	We are the recipients of good gifts in the present.	6:25
	Plus we give thanks, acknowledging our indebtedness	6:29
	to our founders as evidence of our indebtedness to you	6:32
	for all good gifts, Amen.	6:38
	Please join me in the litany of commemoration.	6:41
	Almighty and eternal God in whom our mothers	6:47
	and fathers have trusted, we their children, at this time	6:49
	of remembrance, offer unto thee our prayers of thanksgiving.	6:53
	(congregation chants)	6:58
	For the members of the Duke family.	7:00
	Father, daughter, sons, and their spouses, grandchildren,	7:02
	and all others in continuing generations	7:05
	until this very day.	7:08
	Who, with concern and compassion, devotion and dedication.	7:09
	And by their generosity built	7:15
	on a solid foundation continue to worthy school	7:17
	and provide it for education and service	7:21
	beyond even their dreams and expectations.	7:24
	(congregation chants)	7:27
	For the pioneering and persevering men	7:30
	and women connected with this university.	7:32
	Methodist and quakers.	7:34
	Farmers and merchants.	7:37
	Teachers and administrators, who in days gone by,	7:38
	believed in education and made their beliefs prevail.	7:42
	(congregation chants)	7:45
	For the embodiment of their dreams from private school	7:49
	to academy to college, the great university,	7:52
	founded in hope.	7:55
	Continued with sacrifice, growing in outreach,	7:57
	serving with commitment.	8:01
	(congregation chants)
	For faculty and staff whose vision was bolstered	8:06
	by their courage, whose patience was tested and found true,	8:09
	and whose idealism was implanted in the hearts	8:13
	and minds of others.	8:16
	(congregation chants)
	For the ongoing presence of noble ideas, the blending	8:20
	of (foreign language), the freedom	8:25
	for responsible academic research and teaching.	8:27
	The ongoing respect for both body and the spirit, pursuit	8:31
	of knowledge in the sciences and the humanities,	8:36
	the realization that the old order changes	8:38
	and new times bring new opportunities.	8:41
	(congregation chants)	8:45
	For the future
	of Duke University, established for thy glory and	8:48
	for the enlightenment of the human mind and spirit,	8:52
	for consecration to learning by the young.	8:54
	For the best use of the wisdom of those in latter years,	8:57
	for the commitment to growth and enhancement of all persons,	9:00
	for a sense of humor.	9:04
	A spirit of cooperation, and a desire	9:06
	for understanding among all within our community	9:09
	and the world.	9:12
	We give thee thanks and praise.	9:13
	And to thee, oh God, we shall strive as is most do,	9:16
	all grace and glory.	9:21
	World without him, Amen.	9:23
	Be seated.	9:27
	Service of worship here on the first Sunday of advent,	9:36
	second Sunday of advent here at New Chapel.	9:40
	Call your attention to the various advent activities here	9:43
	in the chapel as listed in the bulletin,	9:48
	particularly the performance of the Second Shepherd's Play,	9:52
	a mystery play here in the chapel at four this afternoon.	9:56
	Admission is free and open to all.	10:00
	Also remind you that, as is our custom,	10:03
	holy communion will be celebrated immediately	10:06
	after the service in Memorial Chapel.	10:10
	And now let us continue the worship of God.	10:13
	(inspirational music)	10:21
	Stand.	10:26
	(inspirational music)	10:27
	(vocalizing)	11:06
-	Please be seated.	16:35
	Let us pray.	16:46
	Merciful God, you sent your messengers, the prophets,	16:47
	to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation.	16:52
	Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins.	16:57
	That we may celebrate alike, the commemoration	17:02
	of the nativity.	17:05
	And may await with joy, becoming in glory	17:07
	of Jesus Christ, our redeemer, who lives and reigns	17:11
	with you and the Holy Spirit.	17:15
	One God forever and ever, Amen.	17:16
-	Let us pray.	17:26
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God.	17:29
	By the power of your Holy Spirit, so that	17:31
	as the Word is read and proclaimed, we might be prepared	17:34
	for your advent among us, Amen.	17:38
	The first reading is taken from the book of Isaiah.	17:43
	Comfort, oh comfort my people, says our God.	17:46
	Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her	17:50
	that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid.	17:54
	That she has received from the Lord's hand double	17:58
	for all her sins.	18:02
	A voice cries out of the wilderness, prepare the way	18:04
	of the Lord.	18:08
	Make straight to the desert to highway for our God.	18:09
	Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain	18:13
	and hill be made low.	18:17
	The uneven ground shall become level	18:18
	and the rough places, a plain.	18:21
	Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,	18:24
	and all people shall see it together for the mouth	18:27
	of the Lord has spoken.	18:31
	A voice says, cry out.	18:34
	And I said, what shall I cry?	18:36
	All people are grass.	18:40
	Their constancy is like the flower of the field.	18:42
	The grass withers.	18:46
	The flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows upon it.	18:48
	Surely, the people are grass.	18:52
	The grass withers.	18:55
	The flower fades, but the Word	18:57
	of our God shall stand forever.	18:59
	Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion.	19:02
	Herald of good tidings.	19:05
	Lift up your voice with strength, oh Jerusalem.	19:08
	Herald of good tidings.	19:11
	Lift it up!	19:14
	Do not fear.	19:15
	Say to the cities of Judah, here is your God.	19:16
	See, the Lord comes with might.	19:20
	And his arm rules for him.	19:22
	His reward is with him and his recompense before him.	19:25
	He will feed his flock like a shepherd.	19:30
	He will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them	19:33
	in his bosom and gently lead the mother sheep.	19:37
	This is the Word of the Lord.	19:40
	This reading is from the Gospel according to St. Mark.	19:48
	The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the son	19:51
	of God, as it is written in the prophet, Isaiah.	19:55
	See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you	19:58
	who will prepare your way.	20:03
	The voice of one crying out in the wilderness.	20:05
	Prepare the way of the Lord.	20:08
	Make his paths straight.	20:11
	John the Baptizer appeared	20:13
	in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance	20:16
	for the forgiveness of sins.	20:19
	This is the Word of the Lord.	20:21
	(upbeat music)	20:48
	(vocalizing)	21:14
-	Hear this reading now from Matthew.	26:29
	In the 13th chapter.	26:33
	A sower went forth to sow.	26:36
	And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path.	26:40
	And the birds came and ate them up.	26:44
	Other seeds fell on rocky ground	26:47
	where they did not have much soil, and they sprang	26:51
	up quickly since they had no depth of soil.	26:55
	But when the sun rose, they were scorched.	26:59
	And since they had no root, they withered away.	27:04
	Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up	27:07
	and choked them.	27:13
	Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain,	27:14
	some a hundred fold, some 60, some 30.	27:20
	Let anyone with ears listen.	27:26
-	- What a graphic picture of a sower	27:32
	we have in this parable.	27:35
	With his bag of seed over his shoulder,	27:38
	he goes forth to sow.	27:41
	As he scatters seeds, some fall on the path	27:45
	and are eaten by the birds.	27:48
	Some fall on rocky ground,	27:50
	and they are unable	27:54
	to develop deep roots.	27:56
	And when the sun comes up, they are scorched.	27:58
	And then they die.	28:01
	Some seeds fall among thorns and weeds,	28:04
	and the weeds and thorns choke them out.	28:08
	What a discouraging picture.	28:14
	Sort of reminds me of my lawn.	28:17
	I've got some of my neighbors here this morning.	28:20
	They can tell you that that's true.	28:23
	We moved into a new house three years ago,	28:26
	and we were surrounded front and back by bare expanse	28:29
	of Durham's famous clay soil.	28:34
	We seeded that autumn, and some seed was eaten by the birds.	28:37
	Some little plants died	28:43
	when it got hot the next summer.	28:46
	Some were choked by weeds despite EPM.	28:49
	It was frustrating,	28:54
	but we sowed more that year	28:57
	and more the next year.	29:00
	And now we've got a semblance of a lawn.	29:02
	I was glad, though, that our income didn't depend	29:07
	on our efforts at cultivation.	29:10
	And I grew increasingly in my respect for farmers.	29:13
	Was that way with the sower in our parable.	29:18
	Despite the frustration, he went forth.	29:22
	And some seed fell on good soil	29:27
	and brought forth grain,	29:31
	but it was not just that grain came forth.	29:33
	It came forth thirty, sixty,	29:38
	a hundred fold.	29:42
	At first hearing,	29:45
	this parable can evoke a sense of discouragement.	29:47
	There is waste, there is frustration,	29:52
	there is loss.	29:56
	But if upon further reflection, it seems to me	29:59
	that it's clear that the meaning of the story	30:02
	has to do with remarkable fulfillment.	30:06
	In the end,	30:11
	there is rich harvest many times greater	30:13
	than could be anticipated or imagined.	30:17
	Almost certainly, the telling of this parable	30:22
	was occasioned by doubts on the part	30:27
	of the followers of Jesus.	30:30
	They were discouraged	30:33
	because they could not see immediate and positive results	30:35
	of his ministry and of their work.	30:38
	He intended that they learn a profound truth,	30:43
	characterized by the person and work of the sower.	30:47
	To the eyes of men and women, much of the work	30:52
	seems to be for nothing.	30:55
	But what seems, at first, to be futile and fruitless labor,	30:57
	in fact, brings forth a rich harvest.	31:02
	This is one of the ways in which God works.	31:08
	In spite of beginnings which are frustrating	31:13
	and appear hopeless, God's grace is more than sufficient	31:17
	to produce results that are unanticipated	31:23
	and perhaps even beyond our imagination.	31:25
	The capacity of the sower to see a fallow field	31:29
	and imagine it rich with undulating grain	31:33
	ripe for the harvest	31:37
	is not mere positive thinking.	31:39
	It is trust in the power and truth of God's promise	31:42
	that the future holds a triumphant end.	31:47
	Some seed is lost.	31:52
	Nevertheless, nevertheless,	31:54
	we wait with patience and trust,	31:58
	and there is harvest.	32:00
	This morning, we culminate our celebration	32:04
	of Founders' Day at Duke.	32:07
	Trinity College, our predecessor institution,	32:11
	began in 1838.	32:15
	And Duke University was founded December 11th, 1924	32:17
	when James B. Duke signed the indenture providing the	32:22
	resources for a great, private research institution	32:27
	to be created around the liberal arts college.	32:31
	Since that date, many men and women	32:35
	have joined the Duke family	32:38
	as additional founders.	32:40
	Duke must and will always have new founders,	32:43
	who believe in what we are trying to do.	32:48
	Last night, we had a dinner for our founders	32:52
	and gave sowers to our newest founders.	32:55
	The symbol of the founders' society is the sower--	33:00
	I brought one with me this morning.	33:05
	It's a magnificent replica of the famous statue	33:09
	of the sower on the lawn in front of East Duke building	33:13
	on our East campus.	33:18
	This replica is the work of Franklin Creech	33:20
	of the class of 1964.	33:24
	A number of weeks ago, as I began to think	33:28
	about this sermon one afternoon, I left my office,	33:31
	didn't tell anyone where I was going, and I went over	33:35
	to East campus to look at the sower, at the original.	33:39
	I've loved it for many years.	33:44
	When I was a freshman here in 1963,	33:47
	we couldn't have cars.	33:51
	Let those with ears listen. (laughter)	33:54
	If we were going to go downtown	34:01
	(and there weren't any shopping malls in those days--	34:03
	the theaters, the restaurants,	34:06
	the movies were all downtown)	34:08
	we took the bus to East campus, and we walked	34:10
	across the lawn.	34:13
	We couldn't walk on the lawn over here or	34:14
	on the main part of East campus, but we did	34:17
	between East Duke building and the wall.	34:19
	We jumped the wall, and we walked	34:22
	up Main Street to downtown.	34:24
	But as we passed the sower, we always paused	34:26
	to see how he was doing.	34:30
	And we always looked to see in his hand here	34:32
	whether there was a penny there.	34:35
	The story is told that a fellow could put a penny	34:38
	in the sower's hand,	34:42
	and if he came back and found the penny gone,	34:44
	then he could kiss his date twice.	34:47
	And in the early days of the university,	34:49
	there was strict rules that women	34:53
	at Duke could only have three dates a week.	34:56
	When I went over a couple weeks ago, there was a penny	35:02
	in the sower's hand.	35:07
	And I was happy to see that, and I left it there.	35:10
	Last Friday, (laughter)	35:13
	Last Friday, the sower was carrying a huge	35:22
	bouquet of balloons.	35:25
	Black, green, and white	35:29
	as a symbol and hope for peace,	35:32
	and so the tradition of the sower goes on.	35:36
	The sower is older than the university.	35:39
	It was a gift of James B. Duke himself to Trinity College	35:42
	in the late fall of 1914, exactly 10 years	35:46
	before he made his greatest gift	35:51
	which we celebrate this morning.	35:54
	Two years before that, in 1912,	35:56
	a famous commencement sermon was preached	36:00
	at Trinity College	36:03
	by Bishop William Fraser McDowell of Chicago.	36:05
	I had heard about this sermon.	36:08
	And so earlier this week, I went over	36:11
	to the university archives.	36:13
	And with the splendid Bill King, who knows	36:15
	everybody and everything about Duke, we looked it up.	36:18
	And we found the sermon, and I read it.	36:21
	I was astonished to find that he had preached on Matthew 13,	36:24
	and I was glad that I had already announced	36:28
	my text and title weeks before for this sermon.	36:31
	It was a powerful sermon.	36:35
	It made a great impression.	36:37
	Believe it or not, so great an impression	36:40
	that the Durham Morning Herald the next morning,	36:43
	on Wednesday the 5th of June 1912,	36:46
	published the entire text of the commencement sermon--	36:51
	said that Trinity College was used to great oratory,	36:55
	but this had been especially significant.	37:00
	In great big letters on the front page	37:02
	of the Durham Morning Herald, they called it "powerful."	37:05
	Bishop John Carlisle Kilgo, who had been president	37:10
	of the college and was now a bishop of the church,	37:13
	was present, as was William Preston Few, his successor	37:16
	as president of the college.	37:20
	And two years later, in the early fall of 1914,	37:22
	Bishop Kilgo was visiting James B. Duke at his home,	37:27
	Duke Farms in New Jersey.	37:32
	And he saw the statue of the sower,	37:35
	and he remembered the sermon.	37:40
	And he said to Mr. Duke,	37:42
	"Please give that statue to Trinity College	37:45
	because I want the students of the college	37:49
	to look upon the sower day by day, every day,	37:53
	and remember the story of the sower	37:58
	and its meaning.	38:01
	And so, Mr. Duke immediately shipped the statue to Durham	38:03
	on the railroad.	38:08
	James B. Duke himself had found the statue	38:11
	in Leipzig, Germany.	38:15
	And liked it and bought it and brought it	38:17
	to his home in New Jersey.	38:20
	The original, over on East campus, is the work	38:21
	of the 19th century German sculptor, Stephen Walter.	38:24
	After the statue was placed on its base	38:31
	over on East campus,	38:35
	the story is told that one of the caretakers	38:37
	of the college was heard to remark,	38:40
	"You know, that's really Mr. Duke himself	38:45
	sowing his money."	38:49
	In a sense, that caretaker was exactly right.	38:53
	Mr. Duke could not possibly have imagined	38:59
	what the institution he made possible	39:02
	through his initial gift would become.	39:06
	The harvest has truly been	39:08
	thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold.	39:11
	Our history, as an institution, shows that	39:15
	in the early days of Duke University,	39:19
	there were frustrations, adversities,	39:22
	and even doubts.	39:26
	Despite the magnificence of the Duke endowment,	39:29
	there was never enough money.	39:33
	Controversies in the faculty threatened to undo us.	39:36
	Nevertheless, patience produced a great harvest	39:42
	for which we offer thanksgiving to God this morning.	39:47
	Mr. Duke was a sower, and so are we.	39:52
	We would do well to follow Kilgo's advice.	39:57
	Look each day upon the sower	40:01
	and remember the meaning of the story.	40:05
	There are three things I want to say	40:10
	about this this morning.	40:12
	The first is that the university needs to look	40:13
	upon the sower's face day by day.	40:17
	In our university today, there is controversy.	40:21
	And there are frustrations.	40:27
	Our teaching does not seem always to bear fruit.	40:30
	Students do not always work as hard as they should.	40:35
	I talked with a friend	40:39
	from the medical school the other day,	40:41
	and he was complaining that	40:43
	his research on AIDS is not producing quick results.	40:45
	A colleague in Arts and Sciences reported	40:51
	on the opposition in her department	40:54
	to curricular changes that she is convinced are necessary.	40:57
	There still are disagreements in the faculty.	41:02
	There is some waste.	41:07
	There are some false starts.	41:09
	We still don't have enough money,	41:12
	but we are sowers.	41:17
	And therefore, despite all of these odds, with trust	41:20
	and patience, we trust that the returns will be manifold.	41:23
	What is going on at Duke today is fulfilling the dreams	41:29
	of our founders in ways they could not imagine,	41:34
	and it is good.	41:38
	You who are our founders,	41:41
	our continuing founders, remember,	41:45
	though you cannot see now what will be,	41:49
	the promise is sure.	41:53
	So the university needs to look	41:57
	upon the sower's face day by day.	41:59
	Secondly, the church needs to look	42:01
	upon the sower's face day by day.	42:04
	There are those who can see no good future	42:07
	for the church today.	42:09
	Is its influence lessening?	42:11
	Is its vitality being sapped?	42:14
	The mission of the church has always been difficult.	42:18
	The discouragement of any moment, however,	42:21
	should not blind us to the certainty of God's promise.	42:25
	The church will endure.	42:30
	A year ago this month, the communist regimes	42:33
	in Eastern Europe crumbled.	42:37
	Perhaps never before had any political system	42:40
	so systematically sought to eradicate religion,	42:44
	but the church endured and played a major role	42:48
	in the revolution.	42:51
	A leader of the revolution in Romania declared	42:53
	that the church had provided	42:56
	"space to think."	43:00
	Oh, where are kings and empires now of old	43:04
	that went and came.	43:06
	But, Lord, thy church is praying yet	43:09
	a thousand years the same.	43:13
	The university and the church need to look	43:17
	on the sower's face day by day and so do you and I.	43:20
	That's the third point.	43:24
	You and I need to look on the sower's face day by day.	43:25
	For like the sower, our lives	43:28
	and work will sometimes seem futile,	43:32
	prone to failure, and fruitless.	43:35
	But we need to remember that we cannot imagine	43:40
	what ultimate good we may do.	43:43
	Number of years ago, I was an intern in a small town	43:47
	in northern Wisconsin.	43:52
	And I went one afternoon to see an elderly man	43:55
	who had lived all his adult life	43:58
	in that town teaching high school.	44:00
	He was intelligent, and he was cultivated.	44:03
	But he was also somewhat depressed.	44:06
	He wondered to me whether, perhaps,	44:08
	his life had been wasted there.	44:11
	There had been no hint of fame or fortune.	44:16
	Three weeks later, almost to the day he died,	44:22
	and I was amazed that, at his funeral,	44:25
	there were almost 200 people present.	44:28
	One man came back from New York City.	44:31
	He was a senior officer of the permanent staff	44:34
	of the United Nations.	44:39
	And afterwards, he said to me,	44:42
	"You know, I had to come back to see old Billy off.	44:44
	"He was a good man," he said.	44:48
	"He lifted my eyes to the world	44:51
	and encouraged me to go forth	44:56
	from the wilderness of these Northwoods.	44:59
	We never know what we may achieve.	45:04
	Our society desperately needs men and women	45:09
	in the service professions who will set aside the greed	45:13
	that leads them to immediate gratification	45:17
	and give of themselves in trust for the future.	45:21
	The seeds we sow are not for our own selfish ends,	45:26
	but for the good of others.	45:31
	This is the second Sunday in Advent.	45:35
	Advent is the season of beginning	45:37
	and of waiting for the fulfillment of promise.	45:41
	We wait in patience and in trust,	45:45
	but we do not wait in idleness.	45:48
	We sow seeds in the confidence	45:52
	that God will bring forth the harvest	45:55
	in ways we cannot even imagine.	45:58
	Behold, a sower went forth to sow.	46:02
	And knowing that there would be difficulties in the way	46:06
	and no absolute certainty of success,	46:09
	he nevertheless did what he went to do.	46:14
	What a terrible mistake it is to think	46:19
	that it is not worthwhile to try.	46:22
	What a magnificent inspiration is the person	46:26
	who knows life for what it is, but nevertheless,	46:31
	does what is to be done	46:36
	trusting that the harvest will come.	46:39
	It will.	46:44
	And with God's grace, it will be good.	46:46
	Thanks be to God.	46:51
	(hymnal music)	46:58
	(vocalizing)	48:03
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	52:23
	I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven	52:26
	and Earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord	52:30
	who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born	52:34
	of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	52:38
	was crucified, dead, buried.	52:41
	He descended into Hell.	52:44
	The third day he rose again from the dead.	52:46
	He ascended into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand	52:50
	of God, the Father Almighty.	52:53
	From thence, he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	52:55
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,	52:59
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin,	53:02
	the resurrection of the body,	53:06
	and the life everlasting, Amen.	53:08
	The Lord be with you.	53:13
	(congregation chants)
	Let us pray.	53:17
	As seed cast upon the Earth waiting to rise and be born,	53:27
	we wait your advent among us, oh God.	53:33
	Be light to our darkness, life to our deadness, peace	53:39
	to our troubled world.	53:48
	Having perceived the brightness of your light	53:51
	in your first advent in Bethlehem, we are bold to pray	53:54
	for your healing presence among us now.	53:59
	We long to think thoughts of peace and sing songs to you,	54:05
	Prince of Peace.	54:08
	But we cannot in the midst of words	54:12
	and preparations for war.	54:13
	So we pray for the people of the troubled near East.	54:17
	The nations of Israel and the Palestinians and the people	54:22
	of Iraq and Quwait, Saudi Arabia and the Americans	54:26
	who are there.	54:30
	Guide our leaders, oh Wisdom from on High.	54:33
	Make a straight highway in the desert.	54:38
	Come to us and give us what we cannot achieve	54:41
	on our own, peace.	54:46
	We long to sing carols of love.	54:51
	Come down at Christmas.	54:55
	And yet, how can we with all the signs of lovelessness	54:58
	in our midst?	55:04
	And thus, we pray.	55:07
	For all hungry, neglected children.	55:09
	Child of Bethlehem, bless the children.	55:14
	For all troubled, divided, unhappy families.	55:19
	Son of Mary and Joseph, bring peace to our families.	55:24
	Deliverer of captives.	55:31
	We pray for all prisoners and hostages and their families.	55:34
	For all sick, infirmed, and troubled, heal	55:41
	and comfort those who suffer.	55:46
	Especially those in Duke hospitals and those who care	55:50
	for those who suffer.	55:55
	For all students taking exams or considering what path	55:58
	to take in life, stand beside and guide those	56:02
	who are perplexed.	56:07
	Especially our young.	56:09
	Oh, come desire of nations,	56:13
	bind all peoples in one heart and mind.	56:15
	In this place of knowledge, to us, the path	56:23
	of knowledge shown.	56:29
	It calls us this advent in her ways to go, Amen.	56:32
	As a forgiven and reconciled people, let us offer ourselves	56:42
	and our gifts to God.	56:46
	(hymnal music)	56:50
	(vocalizing)	57:34
-	Kind and gracious God whose glory we await,	1:02:40
	we thank you for all that we hold dear in this season	1:02:43
	of preparation for your coming.	1:02:47
	For time spent with family and friends, which renews	1:02:49
	and restores us.	1:02:52
	For the gifts of worship, of music, of silence,	1:02:54
	which sustain us in our waiting for your Word	1:02:58
	which provides comfort for our troubled	1:03:01
	but expectant hearts and reminds us who we are	1:03:03
	as people of God.	1:03:07
	Let us rejoice that you come to proclaim peace on Earth	1:03:09
	as you make each of us messengers of that hope	1:03:12
	throughout our world.	1:03:14
	This we pray in the name of the one who is the way of peace.	1:03:17
	Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.	1:03:21
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth	1:03:25
	as it is in Heaven.	1:03:29
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:03:30
	and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those	1:03:33
	who trespass against us.	1:03:36
	And lead us not into temptation.	1:03:38
	Deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom, the power,	1:03:41
	and the glory, Amen.	1:03:45
	May the God of peace make you holy in every way	1:03:51
	and keep your whole being, spirit, soul, and body free	1:03:54
	from every fault at the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.	1:03:59
	(spiritual vocalizing)	1:04:07
	(hymnal music)	1:04:30
	(vocalizing)	1:05:05

Item Info

Title:

Dennis M. Campbell - "A Sower Went Forth" Founders' Day (December 9, 1990)

Description:

Sermon start time: 27:32. Sermon end time: 46:55.
The preacher shares the story behind the sower statue on East Campus, using it as a reminder to persist in difficult times, even when we cannot see results. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "In spite of beginnings which are frustrating and appear hopeless, God's grace is more than sufficient to produce results that are unanticipated and perhaps even beyond our imagination."

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4pr7n83d

Date:

December 9, 1990

Speaker:

Campbell, Dennis M.

Liturgical Calendar:

Advent

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0213
ref8876_vn9
uachapelsermaud
duke:321380
dcrmv001203
ark:/87924/r4pr7n83d
4a6ffe04-7161-43ae-9d1c-61843def07dc

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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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

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Dennis M. Campbell - "A Sower Went Forth" Founders' Day (December 9, 1990)

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Duke University Archives