William H. Willimon - "Though He Was in the Form of God" (March 24, 1991)

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Woman	Morning,	1:50
	and welcome to the service of worship at Duke Chapel	1:51
	on this glorious Palm Sunday.	1:53
	For those of you who may be wondering how it is we're	1:55
	organizing our service this morning,	1:58
	we are beginning with an ecumenical blessing of the Palms	2:00
	on the main quantal in front of the Chapel	2:03
	just in about four minutes.	2:06
	At that time, you'll be able to receive your Palm	2:08
	as we listen to the reading of the Gospel	2:11
	and then all will join in processing together	2:13
	during the singing of the hymn	2:16
	back into the Chapel.	2:18
	You are invited to participate in this service,	2:19
	but I did want to explain to you that it will	2:22
	be beginning in about 5 minutes,	2:24
	you're also free to remain in the Chapel if you so desire,	2:25
	because the service will be broadcast inside	2:28
	and you can also hear what is going on outside.	2:30
	Thank you.	2:33
Man	Good morning and welcome to this service	4:33
	on this Palm Passion Sunday.	4:35
	As Christians, we gather to commemorate	4:38
	and reenact Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.	4:43
	And now, Mary Pat Folkwin from the Catholic Campus Ministry	4:47
	will lead us as we begin.	4:52
Mary	Dear friends in Christ,	4:59
	for five weeks of lent we have been preparing	5:01
	by works of charity and self sacrifice,	5:04
	for the celebration of our Lord's Paschal mystery.	5:08
	Today we come together, to begin this solemn celebration	5:12
	in union with the whole Church throughout the world.	5:17
	Christ entered in triumph, into his own City,	5:21
	to complete his work as our Messiah.	5:25
	To suffer, to die and to rise again.	5:28
	Let us remember with devotion this entry	5:33
	which began his saving work	5:37
	and follow him with a lively faith.	5:39
	United with him in his suffering on the cross,	5:43
	may we share his resurrection and new life, Amen.	5:47
Man	Let us pray.	5:57
	If you would hold the branches up high for a moment.	5:59
	Oh mighty God we pray you, bless these branches,	6:03
	and make them Holy.	6:06
	Today we joyfully acclaim Jesus our Messiah and King.	6:09
	May we reach one day the happiness of the new	6:14
	and everlasting Jerusalem,	6:17
	by faithfully following him who lives forever and ever.	6:19
	Amen.	6:25
	Keep them up if you will for a moment.	6:26
Mary	A reading from the Gospel	7:02
	according to Saint Mathew,	7:04
	"When they had come near Jerusalem	7:07
	"and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives,	7:08
	"Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them	7:11
	"go into the village ahead of you,	7:15
	"and immediately you will find a donkey tied,	7:17
	"and a colt with her; untie her and bring them to me.	7:20
	"If anyone says anything to you, just say this,	7:24
	"'the Lord needs them', and he will sent them immediately.	7:28
	"This took place to fulfill what had been	7:33
	"spoken through the prophet, saying,	7:36
	"'Tell the daughter of Zion, look,	7:38
	"your King is coming to you, humble,	7:40
	"and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt,	7:43
	"the foal of the donkey.'	7:46
	"The disciples went and did as Jesus directed them;	7:48
	"they brought the donkey and the colt,	7:52
	"and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.	7:54
	"A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road	7:58
	"and others cut branches from the trees	8:02
	"and spread them on the road.	8:05
	"The crowds that went ahead of him	8:08
	"and followed were shouting 'Hosanna to the Son of David!	8:10
	"Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!	8:14
	"Hosanna in the highest heaven!'	8:17
	"When he entered Jerusalem the whole City was in turmoil,	8:20
	"asking, 'Who is this?'.	8:24
	"The crowds were saying, 'This is the Prophet Jesus',	8:28
	"from Nazareth in Galilee."	8:31
	This is the word of the Lord.	8:35
Everyone	(in unison, mumbling) I praise God.	8:37
Man	Let us go forth in peace,	8:43
	praising Jesus, our Messiah,	8:45
	as did the crowds who welcomed him to Jerusalem.	8:47
	(Organ playing)	9:11
	("Hosanna, Loud Hosanna")	9:15
	♪ Hosanna, loud hosanna ♪	9:51
	♪ The little children sang; ♪	9:56
	♪ Through pillared court and temple ♪	10:01
	♪ The lovely anthem rang. ♪	10:05
	♪ To Jesus, who has blessed them, ♪	10:11
	♪ Chose folded to his breast, ♪	10:15
	♪ The children sang their praises, ♪	10:21
	♪ The simplest and the best. ♪	10:26
	♪ From Olivet they followed, ♪	10:33
	♪ Mid an exultant crowd, ♪	10:38
	♪ The victory palm branch waving, ♪	10:43
	♪ And chanting clear and loud. ♪	10:48
	♪ The Lord of earth and heaven ♪	10:54
	♪ Rode on in lowly state, ♪	10:58
	♪ Nor scorned that little children ♪	11:03
	♪ Should on his bidding wait. ♪	11:08
	♪ "Hosanna in the highest!" ♪	11:16
	♪ That ancient song we we sing, ♪	11:21
	♪ For Christ is our Redeemer, ♪	11:26
	♪ The Lord of heaven, our King. ♪	11:30
	♪ O may we ever praise him ♪	11:36
	♪ With heart and life and voice, ♪	11:41
	♪ And in his blissful presence ♪	11:46
	♪ Eternally rejoice. ♪	11:51
	("All Glory, Laud, and Honor")	13:48
	♪ All glory, laud, and honor ♪	13:54
	♪ To thee, Redeemer, King, ♪	13:59
	♪ To whom the lips of children ♪	14:04
	♪ Made sweet hosannas ring. ♪	14:09
	♪ Thou art the King of Israel, ♪	14:14
	♪ Thou David's royal Son, ♪	14:19
	♪ Who in the Lord's name comest, ♪	14:24
	♪ The King and Blessed One. ♪	14:29
	♪ All glory, laud, and honor ♪	14:36
	♪ To thee, Redeemer, King, ♪	14:40
	♪ To whom the lips of children ♪	14:45
	♪ Made sweet hosannas ring. ♪	14:50
	♪ The company of angels ♪	14:55
	♪ Are praising thee on high, ♪	15:00
	♪ And we with all creation, ♪	15:06
	♪ In chorus make reply. ♪	15:11
	♪ All glory, laud and honor ♪	15:18
	♪ To you, thee, Redeemer, King, ♪	15:23
	♪ To whom the lips of children ♪	15:27
	♪ Made sweet hosannas ring. ♪	15:32
	♪ The people of the Hebrews ♪	15:38
	♪ With palms before you went, ♪	15:42
	♪ Our praise and prayer and anthems ♪	15:48
	♪ Before you we present. ♪	15:53
	♪ All glory, laud, and honor ♪	15:59
	♪ To thee, Redeemer, King ♪	16:04
	♪ To whom the lips of children ♪	16:09
	♪ Made sweet hosannas ring. ♪	16:14
	♪ To thee before thy passion, ♪	16:20
	♪ They sang their hymns of praise ♪	16:25
	♪ To thee, now high exalted, ♪	16:30
	♪ Our melody we raise. ♪	16:35
	♪ All glory, laud and honor, ♪	16:42
	♪ To thee, Redeemer, King, ♪	16:47
	♪ To whom the lips of children ♪	16:52
	♪ Made sweet hosannas ring. ♪	16:57
	♪ Thou didst accept their praises, ♪	17:02
	♪ Accept the love we bring, ♪	17:07
	♪ Who in all good delighted, ♪	17:12
	♪ Thou good and gracious King. ♪	17:17
	♪ All glory, laud, and honor ♪	17:24
	♪ To thee, Redeemer, King ♪	17:29
	♪ To whom the lips of children ♪	17:34
	♪ Made sweet hosannas ring. ♪	17:39
Edward	Let us pray.	17:55
	Open our hearts and mind so--	17:57
Everyone	Your Holy Spirit, so that even as Jesus	17:59
	lead his disciples into Jerusalem,	18:04
	we might follow him, we lead us.	18:07
	Amen.	18:10
-	This reading is from Paul's letter to the Philippians.	18:14
	"Let the same mind be in you, that was in Christ Jesus,	18:19
	"Who, though he was in the form of God,	18:23
	"did not regard equally with God	18:25
	"as something to be exploited.	18:28
	"But emptied himself, taking the form as a slave,	18:30
	"being born in human likeness.	18:33
	"And being found in human form he humbled himself	18:36
	"and became obedient to the point of death,	18:39
	"even death on a cross.	18:42
	"Therefore, God also highly exalted him	18:44
	"and gave him the name that is above every name.	18:47
	"So that at the name of Jesus,	18:50
	"every knee should bend, in heaven, and on earth	18:52
	"and under the earth.	18:55
	"and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,	18:57
	"to the glory of God the Father.	19:00
	This is the word of the Lord.	19:04
Everyone	(mumbles) I praise God.	19:06
-	This is Palm Sunday, well, we'll sing, let's stand.	19:30
	(people laugh)	19:35
	(Organ playing)	19:38
	("At The Name of Jesus")	19:46
	♪ At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow, ♪	20:05
	♪ Every tongue confess him King of glory now. ♪	20:13
	♪ 'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord, ♪	20:22
	♪ Who from the beginning was the mighty Word. ♪	20:30
	♪ Humbled for a reason to receive a name ♪	20:41
	♪ From the lips of sinners unto whom he came, ♪	20:49
	♪ Faithfully he bore it spotless to the last, ♪	20:58
	♪ Brought it back victorious, when from death he passed. ♪	21:06
	♪ Bore it up triumphant ♪	21:18
	♪ With its human light, ♪	21:21
	♪ Through all ranks of creatures, ♪	21:26
	♪ To the central height, ♪	21:30
	♪ To the throne of Godhead, ♪	21:35
	♪ To the Father's breast, ♪	21:39
	♪ Filled it with the flory ♪	21:43
	♪ Of that perfect rest. ♪	21:47
	♪ In your hearts enthrone him ♪	21:54
	♪ There let him subdue, ♪	21:59
	♪ All that is not holy, ♪	22:04
	♪ All that is not true, ♪	22:07
	♪ Crown him as your captain ♪	22:11
	♪ In temptation's hour, ♪	22:15
	♪ Let his will enfold you ♪	22:20
	♪ In its light and power. ♪	22:24
-	Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,	22:45
	did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,	22:48
	but he emptied himself,	22:51
	took the form of a servant.	22:54
	Therefore, his name, is exalted above every other name.	22:58
	And at the name of Jesus,	23:04
	every tongue confess, every knee shall bow.	23:06
	We never know what to do with this Sunday.	23:13
	If you are an Anglican, this is for you Palm Sunday,	23:17
	that is what Methodists and Episcopalians	23:22
	know this Sunday as.	23:27
	Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus	23:29
	entered in triumphal procession into Jerusalem.	23:32
	However if you're a Lutheran or a Roman Catholic Christian,	23:36
	you call this the Sunday of the Passion	23:40
	and focus not on palms and joyful parades,	23:44
	but focus instead upon whips and nails	23:47
	and the gathering clouds,	23:52
	which shall break like thunder on Friday	23:55
	over a place of the skull.	23:59
	Is this Palm Sunday?	24:01
	Or the Sunday of the Passion?	24:06
	Do we welcome into Jerusalem the one who is King of Kings,	24:09
	Hosanna, Lord of Lords, or	24:12
	do we note that the one who rides into Jerusalem	24:15
	rides on the back of a donkey.	24:20
	Do we welcome him, as savor and sovereign,	24:24
	or as sufferer and servant?	24:29
	Do we crown him Lord of Lords, King of Kings?	24:36
	Yes we do crown him on Friday.	24:39
	But not with a crown of gold, a crown of thorns.	24:43
	We just don't know exactly what to do with this Sunday,	24:49
	and of course we do not know either what to do	24:54
	with this Jesus on this Sunday or any other.	24:56
	Is he the exalted one on the thorn of heaven,	25:00
	or is he the one who knees before his disciples,	25:04
	basin and towel in hand?	25:09
	The sufferer, the comforter of so many.	25:12
	What shall we do with Jesus?	25:18
	Paul, in speaking about the Christ event,	25:21
	quotes an early Christian hymn.	25:25
	It was our scripture today from Philippians.	25:27
	Christ Jesus, though he was in the form on God,	25:31
	he came down, taking upon himself the likeness of humanity.	25:36
	This Philippians passage is a kind of dance	25:41
	that begins up on high, up there with God,	25:46
	and comes down low to suffering humanity	25:49
	and then rises back up again.	25:53
	Though he was in the form of God, he emptied himself,	25:58
	he took the form of a servant, he become obedient,	26:02
	even obedient unto death on a cross.	26:05
	At Christmas, we celebrated the birth	26:12
	of the baby at Bethlehem.	26:16
	And if you recall there were few who gathered round	26:18
	the manager and said	26:21
	"Look, he's in he form of God!"	26:22
	There evidently was nothing about the babe at Bethlehem,	26:26
	or Jesus the growing child,	26:29
	that made anyone say "Look, he's in the form of God!"	26:30
	But Paul doesn't say he is in the form of God,	26:33
	he said he was in the form of God,	26:35
	he was with God.	26:37
	Was. Was where? Was when?	26:39
	Paul is here in Philippians speaking about Jesus	26:44
	before Bethlehem.	26:46
	Christ before we knew him.	26:48
	He is speaking here about the One who preexisted with God.	26:51
	Jesus was with God before he was with us, preexistence.	26:57
	Hold onto your hats people, we're going to talk about	27:05
	something they did not tell you in Sunday school.	27:08
	The preexistence of Christ.	27:12
	He was with God before he was with us.	27:16
	Preexistence, I've never talked much about this.	27:21
	I've always thought we had enough on our plates.	27:26
	What with what the earthly Jesus said and did without	27:29
	rummaging around in Christian doctrine to find some	27:32
	weird notion like preexistence.	27:34
	It always seemed to me like us Christians	27:43
	had enough to defend as it is,	27:45
	what with Jesus turning water into wine,	27:47
	and walking on water and rising from the dead,	27:50
	we had enough to defend to the modern world	27:52
	without pulling out some strange notion like preexistence.	27:54
	One day, Martin Luther was lecturing to his class	28:01
	and a hand went up in the class and a student asked,	28:05
	"Dr Luther, what was God doing	28:10
	"before God created the world?	28:13
	"If God is enteral and uncreated he must of had	28:17
	"a lot of time of his hands before he created us.	28:20
	"What was he doing?"	28:23
	And an aggravated Martin Luther said,	28:26
	"What was he doing?	28:28
	"He was gathering sticks,	28:31
	"to beat the hell out of people like you	28:34
	"who ask such stupid questions."	28:36
	(people laugh)	28:38
	There's enough going on between us and Jesus	28:42
	without weird speculation, about things like preexistence.	28:44
	And yet, as today's scripture reminds us,	28:50
	preexistence is not some weird, it's a biblical notion,	28:53
	it's a major Christian claim.	28:57
	He was with God before he was with us.	29:01
	And you may know that most of the world's religions	29:05
	speak about preexistence.	29:09
	Preexistence of humanity, many eastern religions	29:12
	teach that we existed before we existed here.	29:15
	Many of the worlds religions are convinced that this world	29:23
	is such a tragic sorrowful place,	29:25
	that there was a time before our time	29:30
	when we existed before.	29:32
	A time in which there was peace and joy,	29:35
	and happiness, we preexisted.	29:37
	"We're in pain now", say these religions,	29:40
	but there was a time when we existed before this time	29:42
	when all was right.	29:45
	Preexistence.	29:47
	Well I dare say, many people in our culture don't	29:51
	worry about such thoughts.	29:53
	After all, we're well fed and well housed, and well futured.	29:56
	For people like us, the world is a generally good place	30:02
	in which to live,	30:05
	oh we have our occasional setbacks.	30:05
	But this world is generally enough for us.	30:09
	We need expect no world before or after.	30:15
	Which I think leaves us with very little to say,	30:20
	to those people, maybe the majority of the world's people,	30:24
	who experience this world as a vail of tears,	30:30
	we have not had to bury a child, due to death by starvation,	30:36
	and so maybe it is easy for us to say give us this world	30:44
	as it is, that's enough.	30:48
	But for the majority of the world's people,	30:51
	such claims are simply the arrogant isolated claims	30:53
	of people who have had too much in a world where	30:57
	most of our brothers and sisters have too little.	31:00
	But for people who know how tragic this world can be,	31:07
	the notion of the preexistence of humanity, has made sense.	31:11
	Because if God is just and loving,	31:18
	then this world is as good as it sometimes is,	31:21
	cannot be all that there is.	31:24
	There was a time, say the Hindus,	31:29
	that was better than this time.	31:33
	We preexisted.	31:36
	Now, the New Testament, attributes preexistence	31:40
	not to human beings, but to Christ.	31:46
	The New Testament does not say that we existed before	31:52
	our birth, but it does say that Jesus did.	31:55
	Preexistence in the Bible is not a notion	31:59
	that tells us anything about humanity,	32:02
	but it tells us a great deal about Jesus.	32:03
	It was what Paul was trying to say to us	32:08
	in quoting this hymn from Philippians.	32:10
	"Jesus Christ, though he was in the form of God	32:13
	"he emptied himself, taking the form of humanity.	32:17
	"Becoming obedient, even unto death."	32:24
	Or it is said in those well known words in the beginning	32:28
	of the Gospel of John,	32:32
	"In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God,	32:35
	"the Word Christ, he was with God,	32:39
	"he was God, there was not anything made	32:43
	"that was not made through him,	32:45
	"and the word was with God, the word was God,	32:48
	"and the word became flesh, and dwelt upon us	32:51
	"and we beheld his glory."	32:54
	John's talking preexistence.	32:57
	He was God, before he was with us he was with God.	33:02
	In Colossians, Paul says,	33:09
	"He is in the imagine of the invisible God,	33:11
	"the first born of all creation,	33:13
	"in him was everything created."	33:15
	They're talking preexistence.	33:20
	Christ existed with God, even before Genesis.	33:23
	So this means that when Genesis says God began	33:29
	creating worlds and creatures,	33:31
	Christ was creating with him.	33:33
	Or later when it says that God made a covenant with Abraham	33:36
	to bless all the peoples of the world through Abraham,	33:39
	Christ was blessing with God.	33:41
	Or when the spirit of God inspired the prophets	33:46
	of old to speak about justice and righteousness,	33:49
	Christ was speaking with him.	33:52
	The same one who is our savior is our creator.	33:56
	This world, in all of it's beauty and complexity,	34:05
	and yes, sometimes mystery and misery,	34:08
	this world is Christ's world.	34:11
	And that makes a difference.	34:15
	Sometimes you hear people say in everyday speech when	34:18
	some tragedy has happened in life,	34:20
	"Well, we've just got to accept this.	34:22
	"This is God's will."	34:24
	But if Paul is right, if Christ was busy with God	34:27
	setting up the world when God set up the world,	34:31
	then we might as easily say,	34:33
	"Well, this is Jesus' will."	34:35
	That makes it a little bit harder to say, doesn't it?	34:40
	Jesus, the one who suffered with us,	34:43
	the one who healed the sick,	34:45
	the one who confronted the demons.	34:46
	You know that is is customary for insurance companies	34:50
	when there's been a tornado with destruction	34:52
	or some natural calamity they will say,	34:54
	"This was an act of God."	34:57
	But if Paul is right, if Christ was with God	35:01
	from the beginning, then we might as well say,	35:04
	"This was an act of Christ."	35:07
	And that makes it a little harder to make such a claim.	35:10
	And yet that's what preexistence says.	35:16
	It was Christ, who was there with God from the first,	35:22
	up there, out there, wherever you envision God,	35:26
	and he came to us,	35:30
	he came to us and that makes a difference,	35:32
	the word became flesh,	35:34
	or as Paul says elsewhere, "Though he was rich,	35:36
	"for our sake, he become poor."	35:39
	He emptied himself, to stand beside us.	35:43
	I'm claiming that the preexistence of Christ is	35:49
	not some weird subject fit for episodes of The Twilight Zone	35:52
	or the ruminations of Miss Shirley MacLaine.	35:56
	I'm claiming that it makes a difference,	36:00
	it makes a difference to us.	36:02
	It's interesting that Paul's main references to the	36:06
	preexistence of Christ occur when Paul is in the heat	36:09
	of a congregational squabble.	36:12
	Once, when Paul is trying to get the Christians at Colassae	36:15
	to take up an offering for the poor,	36:18
	and another time in Philippians when he's trying to	36:20
	get the Philippian Church to quit squabbling and	36:22
	start acting like the Church.	36:25
	He refers to preexistence of Christ.	36:27
	Christ was before the beginning, he has created the world.	36:29
	And I think in so doing, Paul was trying to say,	36:36
	"People, this thing between us and Jesus is big."	36:39
	It's a lot bigger than your little life,	36:46
	your little aches and pains.	36:48
	This thing that God is busy doing in Jesus is cosmic.	36:50
	It's beyond time and space.	36:55
	What God was doing in Jesus began long before	36:58
	even the world began,	37:01
	and it shall continue long after we're gone.	37:03
	He is alpha and omega, bringing everything together in him.	37:06
	And when he empties himself, and takes on our human form,	37:14
	and stands beside us,	37:21
	it's God standing beside us.	37:25
	God, the creator of the universe, the one who set the stars	37:29
	and the courses and created the whales.	37:33
	It's God beside us.	37:36
	And that makes a difference.	37:40
	As Paul says,	37:43
	"None of the rulers of this age understood this.	37:44
	"Else wise they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of Glory."	37:47
	And it's hard for us to understand it, too.	37:54
	How are we to understand the great, almighty God,	37:58
	coming down, with us,	38:02
	to be born as we must be born.	38:05
	To suffer as we sometimes suffer, to die as we must.	38:08
	But though we cannot understand it,	38:15
	knowing that God has come	38:18
	and stood beside us makes a difference.	38:20
	We don't understand this, we stand under it.	38:26
	He humbled himself, he took the form of a servant.	38:30
	And became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.	38:36
	Furthermore, he didn't just come down and	38:43
	dirty his royal hands a bit in the human condition,	38:47
	stand beside us in empathetic,	38:51
	yet essentially ineffective resignation, no.	38:54
	He returned, to the glory from which he came,	39:02
	having humbled himself taking on the form of flesh	39:07
	he went back and sat down to rule all of creation.	39:10
	God has therefore highly exalted him	39:17
	with a name that is above every other name	39:21
	that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee shall bow,	39:23
	every tongue confess that he is Lord.	39:27
	It makes a difference.	39:32
	This past week I was talking to one of you,	39:34
	did not spend spring break down at the beach,	39:36
	but spent it in the Honduras, working in the Chapel	39:40
	sponsored mission project down there.	39:43
	It was your first confrontation with	39:47
	pervasive, complete, total, unrelenting poverty.	39:48
	And what do you say when you encounter human misery?	39:56
	That can not be alleviated,	40:01
	even by a group of Duke students	40:02
	giving up their spring vacation and going down,	40:04
	and doing some work, it won't be alleviated by that.	40:06
	What can you do about all that heartache	40:09
	and sadness that's still left over	40:12
	after all of the good deeds	40:14
	and righteous works done in the world.	40:16
	What do you say?	40:18
	Well you can say,	40:22
	that the one who entered Jerusalem on this day,	40:26
	bouncing on the back of a donkey,	40:30
	the one who was forsaken by his own people,	40:33
	stripped naked, beaten, and hung up on a cross to die,	40:36
	that this one now rules.	40:44
	The one who knows what it's like to be human	40:50
	at all of it's depths,	40:53
	is the one who went back and scaled the heights of God.	40:55
	And that makes a difference.	41:00
	Or is it more significant that the one who rules	41:03
	is the one who suffered?	41:08
	Or that the one who suffered is now the one who rules?	41:10
	We don't know what to do.	41:13
	That the one who sits on the throne	41:18
	is also the one who hung on a cross.	41:22
	Should we crown him Lord of Lords, King of Kings?	41:26
	Or should we welcome him as friend and fellow sufferer?	41:32
	Is this Palm Sunday? Or are we getting ready	41:38
	to celebrate Passion Sunday?	41:42
	We just never know what to do with Jesus.	41:47
	But the good news is, he knows what to do with us.	41:53
	In the beginning was the word,	42:01
	and the word was God,	42:06
	and the word became flesh and dwelt among us,	42:10
	and we beheld His glory.	42:15
	(Organ plays)	42:37
	("Ride on, King Jesus")	42:43
	♪ Ride on, King Jesus ♪	42:49
	♪ No one will hinder you. ♪	42:58
	♪ Ride on, King Jesus ♪	43:06
	♪ Ride, King Jesus, ride to me. ♪	43:14
	(Male and female choirs sing differing repetitive lyrics)	43:18
	♪ When I look around me to find ♪	43:53
	♪ Someone who's gentle and kind, ♪	43:57
	♪ Someone to show me the way, ♪	44:01
	♪ I look to Jesus, and I pray. ♪	44:04
	♪ Ride on, King Jesus ♪	44:09
	♪ No one can hinder you. ♪	44:13
	♪ Ride on, King Jesus ♪	44:17
	♪ Ride, King Jesus, ride to me. ♪	44:21
	♪ When I need someone to hear, ♪	44:26
	♪ To help me conquer my fear, ♪	44:30
	♪ When I can't find the way, ♪	44:33
	♪ I look to Jesus, and I pray. ♪	44:36
	♪ Ride on, King Jesus, ♪	44:41
	♪ No one can hinder you. ♪	44:45
	♪ Ride on, King Jesus, ♪	44:49
	♪ Ride, King Jesus, ride to me. ♪	44:53
	(Male and female choirs sing differing repetitive lyrics)	45:01
	♪ Ride on. ♪	46:44
Woman	The lord be with you.	46:57
Everyone	And also with you.	46:59
Woman	(singing) In peace, let us pray to the Lord.	47:02
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	47:06
-	Faithful God, we stand before you, saints and sinners,	47:11
	seeking your deliverance,	47:19
	let your faith shine on your servants	47:21
	and save us with your stedfast love.	47:24
	Teach us to trust you	47:27
	and help us to be worthy of one another's trust.	47:29
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	47:33
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	47:36
-	Gracious God,	47:42
	you created the human family in your imagine.	47:44
	Teach us to honor you in and our brothers and sisters.	47:47
	Help us to respect our differences as we acknowledge	47:51
	our common humanity.	47:54
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	47:56
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	48:00
-	Creating God, you made the heavens and the earth,	48:06
	bless the produce of our land and the work of our hands.	48:08
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	48:13
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	48:16
-	Everliving God, you sent your son into our world,	48:23
	revel him to others, through his life in us.	48:27
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	48:32
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	48:35
-	Forgiving God, you forgave the thief on the cross,	48:41
	bring to all penitence and reconciliation.	48:46
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	48:51
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	48:54
-	Redeeming God, you were rich,	49:00
	yet for our sake became poor.	49:03
	Move those who have wealth to share generously	49:06
	with those who are poor.	49:09
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	49:12
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	49:15
	Sustaining God, you cured by your healing touch and word.	49:21
	Heal the sick, and bless all who minister to them.	49:26
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	49:31
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	49:33
-	Loving God, you were unjustly	49:40
	condemned by pontinus Pilate.	49:41
	Strengthen our brothers and sisters,	49:44
	who are suffering injustice and persecution.	49:46
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	49:50
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	49:53
-	Reconciling God, you gave us your peace,	49:59
	bring all the peoples of the world to live in true community	50:02
	and concord.	50:05
	(singing) Let us pray to the Lord.	50:08
Everyone	(singing) Lord have mercy.	50:11
-	Teach us O God, to know the mind of Christ	50:17
	and to live by his example of humble obedience.	50:20
	Let your face shine on us even in the shadow of the cross	50:23
	where we feel lost and forsaken.	50:28
	We entrust our lives to your unveiling hands.	50:31
	Amen.	50:35
	As forgiven and reconcile people,	50:39
	let us offer our gifts and ourself unto God.	50:42
	(Organ playing)	50:51
	("Wondrous Love")	51:03
	♪What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, ♪	51:08
	♪ What wondrous love is this, O my soul! ♪	51:16
	♪ What wondrous love is this that causes the Lord of bliss, ♪	51:25
	♪ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, ♪	51:32
	♪ To bear the dreadful curse for my soul! ♪	51:40
	♪ When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down, ♪	51:48
	♪ When I was sinking down, sinking down; ♪	51:55
	♪ When I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown, ♪	52:02
	♪ Christ laid aside his crown for my soul, for my soul, ♪	52:09
	♪ Christ laid aside his crown for my soul! ♪	52:17
	♪ To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing, ♪	52:26
	♪ To God and to the Lamb, I will sing; ♪	52:33
	♪ To God and to the Lamb, who is the great I AM, ♪	52:39
	♪ While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing, ♪	52:46
	♪ While millions join the theme, I will sing! ♪	52:55
	♪ And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing ♪	53:04
	♪ And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on; ♪	53:09
	♪ And when from death I'm free, I'll sing and joyful be, ♪	53:18
	♪ And through eternity I'll sing on, I'll sing on, ♪	53:25
	♪ And through eternity I'll sing on! ♪	53:33
	♪ What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, ♪	53:42
	♪ And through eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on! ♪	53:47
	(Organ playing)	54:15
Man	Please stand for the Gospel.	56:39
	"And as soon as it was morning	56:56
	"the chief Priests, with the elders and scribes,	56:59
	"and the whole council held a consultation.	57:02
	"And they bound Jesus and lead him away	57:07
	"and delivered him to Pilate.	57:10
	"And Pilate asked him,	57:14
	"'Are you the King of the Jews?'	57:16
	"And he answered him,	57:19
-	"'You have said so.'	57:21
-	"And the chief Priests accused him of many things.	57:24
	"And Pilate again asked him,	57:28
-	"'Have you no answer to make?	57:31
	"See how many charges they bring against you.'	57:34
-	"But Jesus made no further answer,	57:37
	"so that Pilate wondered.	57:41
	"Now at the feast, he used to release for them one prisoner	57:44
	"for whom they asked.	57:49
	"And among the rebels in prison,	57:51
	"who has committed murder in the insurrection,	57:53
	"there was a man called Barabbas.	57:56
	"And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate	58:01
	"to do as he was want to do for them.	58:04
	"And he answered them,	58:08
-	"'Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?'	58:10
-	"For he perceived that it was out of envy	58:14
	"that the chief Priests had delivered him up.	58:17
	"But the chief Priests stirred up the crowd	58:21
	"to have him released for them Barabbas instead.	58:24
	"And Pilate again said to them,	58:29
-	"'Then what shall I do with	58:31
	"the man you call the King of the Jews?'	58:33
-	"And they cried out again,	58:36
Several People	"Crucify, crucify Him!	58:38
-	"So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,	58:46
	"released for them Barabbas.	58:50
	"And having spurred Jesus,	58:53
	"he delivered him to be crucified.	58:56
	"And the soldiers lead him away inside the palace	59:00
	"that is the Praetorium,	59:04
	"and they called together the whole Praetorium,	59:06
	"and they clothed him in a purple cloak	59:10
	"and plating a crown of thorns they put it on Him	59:13
	"and they began to salute Him.	59:18
Woman	"Hail, King of the Jews.	59:21
Man	"Hail, King of the Jews.	59:24
-	"And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon Him,	59:27
	"and they knelt down in amage to him.	59:31
	"And when they had mocked him,	59:36
	"they stripped him of the purple cloak	59:38
	"and put His own clothes on Him.	59:40
	"And they lead him out to crucify him.	59:43
	"And then they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrenian,	59:48
	"who was coming in from the country,	59:52
	"the father of Alexander and Rufus to carry his cross.	59:56
	"And they brought him to the place called Golgotha,	1:00:03
	"which means, the place of a skull.	1:00:06
	"And they offered him wine, mingled with myrrh,	1:00:11
	"but he did not take it.	1:00:14
	"And they crucified him, and divided His garments among them	1:00:18
	"casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.	1:00:24
	"And it was the third hour when they crucified him.	1:00:30
	"And the inscription of the charge against Him read,	1:00:35
	"'The King of the Jews.'	1:00:39
	"And with him he crucified two robbers,	1:00:43
	"one on His right, and one on His left,	1:00:46
	"and those who passed by derided Him,	1:00:51
	"waging their heads and saying,	1:00:54
Several People	"Aha! Aha!	1:00:58
	"Save yourself! Come down from the cross!	1:01:01
-	"So also the chief Priests mocked him to one another	1:01:09
	"with the scribes saying,	1:01:13
-	"He saved others, he cannot save Himself.	1:01:16
-	"Let the Christ, the King of Israel,	1:01:19
	"come down now from the cross.	1:01:21
-	"That we may see and believe.	1:01:24
-	"Those who were crucified with him also reviled him,	1:01:27
	"and when the sixth hour had come there was darkness over	1:01:32
	"the whole land until the ninth hour.	1:01:36
	"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice,	1:01:40
-	"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?	1:01:46
-	"Which means,	1:01:50
-	"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?	1:01:52
-	"And some of the bystanders hearing it said,	1:01:56
-	"Behold, he is calling Elijah.	1:02:00
-	"And one ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar	1:02:04
	"put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying,	1:02:08
-	"Wait, let us see whether Elijah comes to take Him down	1:02:12
-	"And Jesus muttered a loud cry and breathed His last.	1:02:17
	"And the curtain of the temple was torn in two	1:02:24
	"from top to bottom, and when the centaurium,	1:02:27
	"who stood facing Him, saw that he thus breathed His last,	1:02:31
	"he said,	1:02:37
-	"Truly, this man was the son of God.	1:02:38
	(Lord of The Dance)	1:02:48
	♪ I danced in the morning when the world was begun, ♪	1:02:51
	♪ And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun, ♪	1:02:55
	♪ And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth: ♪	1:02:58
	♪ At Bethlehem I had my birth. ♪	1:03:02
	♪ Dance, then, wherever you may be, ♪	1:03:07
	♪ I am the Lord of the dance, said he, ♪	1:03:11
	♪ And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, ♪	1:03:15
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he. ♪	1:03:20
	♪ I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee, ♪	1:03:44
	♪ But they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me; ♪	1:03:48
	♪ I danced for the fishermen, for James and John; ♪	1:03:53
	♪ They came with me and the dance went on: ♪	1:03:58
	♪ Dance, then, wherever you may be, ♪	1:04:03
	♪ I am the Lord of the dance, said he, ♪	1:04:07
	♪ And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, ♪	1:04:11
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he. ♪	1:04:16
	♪ I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame: ♪	1:04:40
	♪ The holy people said it was a shame. ♪	1:04:45
	♪ They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high, ♪	1:04:49
	♪ And they left me there on a cross to die: ♪	1:04:54
	♪ Dance, then, wherever you may be, ♪	1:04:59
	♪ I am the Lord of the dance, said he, ♪	1:05:04
	♪ And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, ♪	1:05:08
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he. ♪	1:05:13
	♪ I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black; ♪	1:05:39
	♪ It's hard to dance with the devil on your back. ♪	1:05:44
	♪ They buried my body and they thought I'd gone; ♪	1:05:49
	♪ But I am the dance, and I still go on: ♪	1:05:54
	♪ Dance then, wherever you may be, ♪	1:05:59
	♪ I am the Lord of the dance, said he, ♪	1:06:04
	♪ And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, ♪	1:06:09
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he. ♪	1:06:14
	♪ They cut me down and I leapt up high; ♪	1:06:40
	♪ I am the life that'll never, never die. ♪	1:06:45
	♪ I'll life in you if you'll live in me: ♪	1:06:50
	♪ I am the Lord of the dance, said he. ♪	1:06:55
	♪ Dance, then, wherever you may be, ♪	1:07:00
	♪ I am the Lord of the dance, said he, ♪	1:07:05
	♪ And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be, ♪	1:07:10
	♪ And I'll lead you all in the dance, said he. ♪	1:07:15
-	May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient,	1:07:31
	unto death, even death on a cross,	1:07:35
	keep you and strengthen you on this day and forever more.	1:07:39
	Amen.	1:07:43
	(Organ playing)	1:07:48

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Though He Was in the Form of God" (March 24, 1991)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:45. Sermon end time: 42:20.
In this sermon, the preacher pronounces the divinity of Jesus Christ and argues that God’s love is reproduced in Jesus, who is willing to empty himself and identify with humanity. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “But though we cannot understand it, knowing that God has come and stood beside us makes a difference. We don’t understand this, we stand under it.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jw87295

Date:

March 24, 1991

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

Philippians

Chapter and Verse:

Philippians 2:5-11

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0227
ref8922_b8d
uachapelsermaud
duke:321707
dcrmv001217
ark:/87924/r4jw87295
b77be2d2-8d0f-4b9b-999b-12d38345cc2c

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 - "Though He Was in the Form of God" (March 24, 1991)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Though He Was in the Form of God" (March 24, 1991)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "Though He Was in the Form of God" (March 24, 1991)

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Duke University Archives

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