Robert W. Bailey - "Birthplace of Confidence" (June 16, 1991)

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	(Organ music)	0:00
-	Welcome to this service at Duke University Chapel,	4:42
	on this fourth Sunday after Pentecost.	4:46
	We are grateful to Ann Hockridge, administrative coordinator	4:50
	of the leadership program at the Duke Institute of Policy	4:53
	Sciences and Public Affairs for serving as lecturer today.	4:57
	Our guest preacher is Dr. Robert Bailey, a Baptist,	5:04
	who has served pastorates in Virginia, Kentucky,	5:08
	North Carolina, and Alabama.	5:11
	His former ministry in the church took him to mission fields	5:14
	in this country and abroad.	5:18
	He is a teacher, a counselor,	5:20
	and the author of several books.	5:23
	Dr. Bailey is currently serving as a consultant	5:26
	in Birmingham, Alabama.	5:30
	He and his wife Mary Francis are the parents of Kevin,	5:33
	a recent Duke graduate	5:37
	who is the cantor for this alter today.	5:40
	And Courtney, a junior at Duke.	5:42
	We extend to them and to others of their family,	5:46
	a warm welcome to Duke Chapel.	5:50
	And now will you stand for the greeting.	5:53
	Come all who are troubled, or weary,	6:03
	who know the pain of the world's people.	6:06
	(Congregation speaks in low tone)	6:10
	As we gather we affirm God's presence,	6:16
	and seek to know as we are known.	6:19
	(Congregation speaks in low tone)	6:23
	Be still and know that God is God,	6:29
	exulted among the nations of this earth.	6:33
	(Congregation speaks in low tone)	6:37
	(Organ music)	6:44
	♪ A mighty fortress is our God ♪	7:34
	♪ A bulwark never failing ♪	7:39
	♪ Our helper he, amid the flood ♪	7:46
	♪ Of mortal ills prevailing ♪	7:51
	♪ For still our ancient foe ♪	7:58
	♪ Doth seek to work his woe ♪	8:03
	♪ His craft and power are great ♪	8:09
	♪ And armed with cruel hate ♪	8:14
	♪ On earth is not his equal ♪	8:20
	♪ Did we in our own strength confide ♪	8:29
	♪ Our striving would be losing ♪	8:35
	♪ Were not the right man on our side ♪	8:41
	♪ The man of God's own choosing ♪	8:47
	♪ Dost ask who that may be ♪	8:54
	♪ Christ Jesus, it is he ♪	8:59
	♪ Lord Sabbath is his name ♪	9:04
	♪ From age to age the same ♪	9:10
	♪ And He must win the battle ♪	9:16
	♪ And though this world, with devils filled ♪	9:25
	♪ Should threaten to undo us ♪	9:30
	♪ We will not fear, for God hath willed ♪	9:36
	♪ His truth to triumph through us ♪	9:42
	♪ The Prince of Darkness grim ♪	9:50
	♪ We tremble not for him ♪	9:55
	♪ His rage we can endure ♪	10:01
	♪ For lo his doom is sure ♪	10:06
	♪ One little word shall fell him. ♪	10:11
	♪ That word above all earthly powers ♪	10:21
	♪ No thanks to them abideth ♪	10:26
	♪ The Spirit and the gifts are ours ♪	10:33
	♪ Through him who with us sideth ♪	10:39
	♪ Let goods and kindred go ♪	10:46
	♪ This mortal life also ♪	10:52
	♪ The body they may kill ♪	10:58
	♪ God's truth abideth still ♪	11:04
	♪ His kingdom is for ever ♪	11:09
-	Oh eternal God, creator of this world,	11:23
	of every world that was, that is, or that shall be.	11:28
	Your kingdom is without end.	11:33
	Transform our weariness into expectation,	11:36
	as we claim the promise of your abiding spirit.	11:40
	Always present when we gather together,	11:45
	in the name of Jesus our Lord and savior.	11:48
	Increase our hope and joy so that we may be of good courage	11:53
	as we wait in adoration and thanksgiving before you.	11:58
	In the name of Jesus who lives and reins with you	12:04
	and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, amen.	12:08
	Would you be seated.	12:15
-	Let us pray.	12:24
-	[Preacher and Congregation] Open our hearts	12:27
	and minds oh God.	12:29
	By the power of your Holy Spirit.	12:30
	So that as the word is read as proclaimed	12:33
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	12:36
	Amen.	12:41
-	The first reading is taken	12:44
	from the second book of Samuel.	12:46
	After the death of Saul, when David had returned	12:50
	from defeating the Amalekites,	12:54
	David remained two days in Ziklag.	12:57
	David intoned this lamentation	13:01
	over Saul and his son Jonathan.	13:04
	He ordered that the song of the bow	13:08
	be taught to the people of Judea.	13:10
	It is written in the book of Jasher.	13:13
	He said, your glory oh Israel,	13:16
	lay slain upon your high places.	13:20
	How the mighty have fallen.	13:25
	Tell is not in Gath, proclaim it not	13:28
	in the streets of Eschalon.	13:31
	Or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.	13:34
	The daughters of the uncircumcised will exalt.	13:38
	You mountains of Gilboa,	13:44
	let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor bounteous fields.	13:46
	For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,	13:52
	the shield of Saul anointed with oil no more.	13:57
	From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,	14:03
	the bow of Jonathan did not turn back.	14:08
	Nor the sword of Saul return empty.	14:12
	Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely,	14:17
	in life and in death they were not divided.	14:22
	They were swifter than eagles,	14:27
	they were stronger than lions.	14:29
	Oh daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,	14:33
	who clothed you with crimson and luxury,	14:37
	who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.	14:41
	How the mighty have fallen in the midst of battle.	14:46
	Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.	14:51
	I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan.	14:56
	Greatly beloved to you were me.	15:01
	Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.	15:05
	How the mighty have fallen and the weapons of war perished.	15:11
	This is the word of the lord.	15:17
-	[Preacher and Congregation] Thanks be to God.	15:20
	(Organ music)	15:57
	(Choir sings)	16:49
Man	Please stand and join with me	19:46
	in the responsive singing of Psalm 46.	19:48
	♪ God is our refuge and strength ♪	20:04
	♪ Our very present help in trouble ♪	20:09
	♪ Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change ♪	20:13
	♪ And though the mountains be shaken ♪	20:20
	♪ into the heart of the seas ♪	20:22
	♪ Though its waters roar and foam ♪	20:26
	♪ Though the mountains tremble with its tumult ♪	20:30
	♪ There is a river the streams whereof ♪	20:34
	♪ make glad the city of God ♪	20:39
	♪ The holy tabulation of the most high ♪	20:42
	♪ God is in the midst of the city which shall not be moved ♪	20:48
	♪ God will help it at the dawn of the day ♪	20:54
	♪ The nations raged the kingdoms utter ♪	20:59
	♪ God's voice went out the earth melt ♪	21:04
	♪ The Lord of host is with us ♪	21:10
	♪ The God of Jacob is our refuge ♪	21:14
	♪ Come behold the works of the Lord ♪	21:19
	♪ Who has wrought desolations in the earth ♪	21:24
	♪ Who makes war cease to the end of the earth ♪	21:29
	♪ Who breaks bow shatters the spear ♪	21:34
	♪ And burns the shields with fire ♪	21:38
	♪ Be still and know that I am God ♪	21:43
	♪ I am exalted among the nations ♪	21:48
	♪ I am exalted in the earth ♪	21:51
	♪ The Lord our host is with us ♪	21:55
	♪ The God of Jacob is our refuge ♪	21:59
	♪ All glory be to you oh God ♪	22:05
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior ♪	22:08
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit blessed trinity ♪	22:12
	♪ As it was was since time began ♪	22:18
	♪ Is now and will be forever more ♪	22:22
-	This reading is from Paul's second letter	22:41
	to the Corinthians.	22:44
	So we are always confident even though we know	22:48
	that while we are at home in the body,	22:53
	we are away from the Lord.	22:55
	For we walk by faith not by sight.	22:58
	Yes we do have confidence, and we would rather be away	23:03
	from the body and at home with the Lord.	23:08
	So whether we are at home or away,	23:13
	we make it our aim to please him.	23:17
	For all of us must appear	23:21
	before the judgment seat of Christ.	23:23
	So that each may receive recompense	23:26
	for what has been done in the body,	23:29
	whether good or evil.	23:32
	For the love of Christ urges us on	23:36
	because we are convinced that one has died for all,	23:39
	therefore all have died.	23:45
	And he died for all so that those who live might live	23:49
	no longer for themselves but for him	23:53
	who died and was raised for them.	23:57
	This is the word of the lord, thanks be to God.	24:01
	This reading is taken from the Gospel according to St. Mark.	24:08
	He also said the kingdom of God is as if someone	24:14
	would scatter seed on the ground	24:19
	and would sleep and rise night and day	24:22
	and the seed would sprout and grow.	24:26
	He does not know how.	24:29
	The earth produces of itself, first to the stalk,	24:32
	then the head, then the full grain in the head.	24:37
	But when the grain is ripe, and once he goes in	24:41
	with his sickle, because the harvest has come.	24:45
	He also said, with what can we compare the kingdom of God?	24:52
	Or what parallel will we use for it?	24:57
	It is like a mustard seed which when sown upon the ground	25:01
	is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,	25:05
	yet when it is sown it grows up	25:09
	and becomes the greatest of all shrubs,	25:12
	and puts forth large branches so that the birds of the air	25:16
	can make nests in its shade.	25:22
	With many such parables he spoke to them	25:26
	as they were able to hear it.	25:29
	He did not speak to them except in parables	25:32
	but he explained everything in private to his disciples.	25:36
	This is the word of the lord, thanks be to God.	25:42
-	In the 16th century, Hanz Ludwig Babinger	25:58
	wanted desperately to be able to fly.	26:03
	But when he spoke of flying the people in his town	26:07
	made fun of him as though he were mad.	26:10
	Yet that did not deter him.	26:13
	He continued to work in spite of the people saying,	26:16
	if God intended for us to fly	26:19
	he would have made us with wings rather than arms.	26:21
	But Hans one day he made himself a set of wings	26:25
	like the birds, jumped off the high hill behind his town	26:27
	in Germany at the foot of the Bavarian alps.	26:32
	Where the upcurrents carried him safely aloft.	26:35
	The word got around the kingdom	26:40
	about that miraculous flight.	26:41
	Soon the king came to visit that region.	26:45
	And the very same city fathers that had belittled him	26:49
	before demanded of him a performance for the king.	26:52
	In order to accommodate the royal group entering the city,	26:59
	Hans used the steep hills across the Danube	27:04
	on the opposite side of the valley without realizing	27:08
	that there was a strong downcurrent.	27:10
	He leaped off the side with his wings mounted.	27:15
	But instead of soaring as before,	27:18
	he fell to the ground like a cannonball.	27:21
	So embarrassed and ridiculed was Hans,	27:25
	that for the rest of his life	27:28
	he never again attempted to fly.	27:31
	He lost his confidence as he lost his face	27:35
	before his peers in the community and before his king.	27:38
	What are the sources of our confidence,	27:44
	or our lack of confidence?	27:48
	Without question, people bestow	27:51
	and destroy confidence.	27:55
	Think with me.	28:00
	Whom would you include on your list of confidence builders?	28:01
	Parents, professors, children,	28:07
	friends, neighbors,	28:11
	relatives, fiance or spouse, pastor,	28:14
	authors, mentors.	28:18
	Much of what I have done in my life was inspired	28:23
	and nurtured by Dr. John Carlton, and Dr. Carlyle Martin.	28:25
	Two former professors of Duke	28:31
	who in seeing my potential gave me the confidence	28:34
	to aspire to more than acceptable mediocrity.	28:37
	When Elton Trueblood, author of more than 30 books,	28:42
	challenged me to write the sequel	28:45
	to one of his earliest books,	28:47
	I gained the confidence to begin my writing	28:49
	and doing my initial research here in Duke's libraries.	28:53
	Reflecting on his 90th birthday last fall,	28:57
	Trueblood quoted Abraham Lincoln.	28:59
	The best part of one's life	29:03
	consists of his friendships.	29:06
	Trueblood has described his life as being	29:11
	in the business of investing in persons.	29:13
	And as he reviews his investments	29:18
	and makes his annual report,	29:20
	he says his business is in good shape.	29:22
	While people from all of these groups of confidence builders	29:27
	have listened to me, affirmed me, encouraged me,	29:31
	believed in me, they did not spare me	29:34
	the pain of life's experiences.	29:37
	What these positive people did was to build for me	29:41
	a birthplace of confidence in which I could grow	29:44
	and develop strength for the wildernesses	29:49
	I would encounter in my life.	29:52
	But just as people can grant us a birthplace	29:55
	of confidence they also can rob us of our confidence.	29:58
	The destruction of a slanderous tongue.	30:03
	The betrayal of a supposed friend.	30:06
	The devastation of a failure in class.	30:08
	The disappointment of not getting	30:11
	the desired school or job.	30:13
	The exhaustion of the loss of health	30:15
	or the caring for a loved one.	30:18
	These and more can deplete us of our confidence.	30:20
	And create in us a misgiving about	30:24
	our ability, our worth, our future.	30:26
	Indeed, people exert a great influence	30:30
	over the confidence we feel or lack.	30:34
	I believe David's struggle at the death of Saul and Jonathan	30:38
	was a combination over the distress of the destructive Saul	30:41
	who David had served.	30:46
	Saul who had displeased God.	30:48
	Along with the deep grief	30:51
	over the loss of his closest comrade Jonathan.	30:53
	At such a crucial time in his life,	30:57
	David lost his best friend whom he called brother.	31:00
	Blessed are those who have encouragers still	31:06
	cheering them on.	31:10
	But even as people contribute to	31:12
	or detract from our confidence,	31:15
	experiences can either be the builder or the destroyer	31:18
	of our confidence.	31:22
	Shakespeare said in Hamlet,	31:24
	Of the puzzled will and dread that makes us rather bear	31:27
	those ills we have,	31:32
	than to fly to others we know not of.	31:35
	Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.	31:39
	Does he not touch so many of us where we live and struggle.	31:46
	For how often we fearfully allow ourselves	31:50
	to be imprisoned in undesirable circumstances,	31:53
	in which we sorely lack confidence.	31:57
	Rather than to take the risk,	32:01
	to step into new experiences,	32:03
	new relationships, new opportunities,	32:06
	simply because we lack the confidence	32:10
	to move into the unknown.	32:13
	What a debilitating, destructive, delimiting choice that is.	32:16
	The result is we decay in our small world	32:22
	when we could be exploring a larger one.	32:25
	We deprive ourselves of additional significant friends.	32:28
	We diminish our educational experiences.	32:32
	We decrease our vocational opportunities.	32:35
	We limit the places where we would live.	32:38
	We dissolve our unique potential	32:40
	all because our lack of confidence	32:43
	blocks our embarking on new paths.	32:45
	There are times we do step out into the unknown,	32:51
	but still lack the confidence to blossom	32:53
	and grow in that new environment.	32:56
	One of my favorite writers, John Steinbeck,	32:59
	spoke through his character Elizabeth on her wedding day	33:02
	in his poignant novel To a God Unknown.	33:06
	At the church to marry a man she barely knew,	33:10
	Elizabeth prayed just prior to the wedding.	33:12
	Lord Jesus, make things easy for me because I am afraid.	33:16
	And all of the time that I have had to learn about myself,	33:23
	I have learned nothing.	33:27
	Be kind to me, Lord Jesus.	33:31
	At least until I learn what kind of thing I am.	33:33
	Her past experiences had not given her confidence.	33:39
	And now she was moving into	33:43
	the major relationship of her life	33:44
	filled with apprehension and uncertainty.	33:47
	She was devoid of the confidence that would have enabled her	33:51
	to be a unique person.	33:54
	Our response to the experiences of life either enables us	33:58
	to grow or accents our fearful weaknesses.	34:02
	Paul said in our Epistle reading	34:07
	in the Second Corinthians 5:6,	34:09
	so we are always confident,	34:11
	for we walk by faith,	34:15
	not by sight.	34:18
	And because of his faith relationship to God,	34:21
	Paul's experiences increased his confidence.	34:24
	He says with each one he was learning more of God,	34:29
	he was understanding more of himself,	34:32
	he was drawing nearer to God's purpose for him.	34:34
	That did not mean that Paul lived through his experiences	34:39
	without pain or fear, no more than does any pilgrim of God.	34:43
	How Paul did suffer.	34:49
	16th Century English Bishop Hugh Latimer	34:53
	was one of the first in the western world	34:57
	to preach for social righteousness.	34:59
	And as a result he was imprisoned	35:01
	for his courageous pronouncements.	35:03
	While confined in the Tower of London	35:07
	he wrote his honest beliefs.	35:09
	Pray for me.	35:11
	I say pray for me.	35:12
	At times I am so afraid that I could creep	35:15
	into a mouse hole.	35:18
	But Latimer grew as a result of those early experiences.	35:22
	It was the same man with far greater confidence	35:26
	who later walked to a stake at Oxford.	35:28
	He said to his companion, Nicholas Ridley,	35:32
	as they marched together, play the man, Master Ridley.	35:36
	We shall this day light such a candle	35:42
	by God's grace in England	35:44
	as I trust shall never be put out.	35:47
	Many of our experiences might aptly be termed	35:52
	wilderness experiences because they take us	35:55
	into the unknown.	35:58
	They remove us from our ordinary comfortableness.	35:59
	And they offer us the opportunity	36:03
	for new growth and development.	36:05
	Some wilderness experiences are thrust upon us	36:08
	by the circumstances in the world	36:11
	and the evil in the heart of human kind.	36:14
	Other wilderness experiences are our choice,	36:17
	in order that we might have newness, cleansing and strength.	36:19
	The point is not if we will have wilderness experiences,	36:25
	but how we live through	36:29
	and beyond those experiences.	36:32
	God is not a mysterious genie	36:37
	to protect us from trouble.	36:39
	God is not a substitute for our dealing with our problems.	36:43
	I firmly believe that God is the ultimate birth place	36:48
	of our confidence.	36:53
	For wherever we go, God is there.	36:55
	Whatever we encounter, God is there.	36:58
	How ever we fear, God is there.	37:02
	Whenever we falter, God is there.	37:06
	Do you not like the way the Psalmists describe us this truth	37:11
	in Psalm 46?	37:15
	God is our refuge and our strength,	37:19
	a very present help in time of trouble.	37:23
	Therefore we will not fear.	37:28
	A lonely person needs refuge or shelter.	37:34
	An insecure person needs strength, a tower of defense	37:38
	and well proved abiding aide.	37:42
	For loneliness and insecurity	37:46
	are usually the prelude to fear.	37:48
	Especially when the power of nature	37:51
	and the evil of the world threaten all their forces.	37:53
	Those like the Psalmists who have lived through powerful	37:57
	hurricanes, tornados, volcanos,	38:00
	can surely attest to the terror of helplessness	38:03
	before the strength of nature.	38:07
	All the ancient capitals of the near east were	38:10
	built along life-giving rivers.	38:13
	The Psalmists said Israel did not have	38:17
	its capital Jerusalem along the river,	38:21
	but it was the mercy and the presence of God	38:23
	that gave life to his people.	38:28
	It was in light of all that God is,	38:30
	the Psalmists use a little word	38:32
	that has such a powerful meaning.	38:35
	Therefore, because he created us so marvelously,	38:38
	because he has given us such wonderful opportunity	38:42
	and potential, because he does not forsake us in the midst	38:45
	of any circumstances, because he does not say I told you so	38:48
	when we sin and falter, because he does not cease loving us	38:55
	regardless of bad choices, because he does not interrupt	38:59
	his encouraging presence with us,	39:04
	therefore we can keep enduring in all of life's storms.	39:07
	Therefore we can keep telling the truth in spite	39:12
	of all of the world's lies.	39:15
	Therefore we can keep growing in spite of our pain	39:18
	and disappointment.	39:21
	Therefore we can keep learning in spite of our uncertainty.	39:22
	Therefore we can keep loving in spite of treacherous hatred.	39:26
	Walter Bruggemann wrote succinctly,	39:32
	hurt is the home of hope.	39:34
	When we become still and quiet before the presence of God,	39:40
	and focus on God's purpose for our lives,	39:46
	and gain our confidence from his love,	39:48
	then the pain of our pilgrimage does indeed give us hope	39:52
	and enables us to declare with the Psalmists,	39:57
	our sacred therefore.	40:00
	I firmly believe people make a disarming mistake	40:06
	when they declare confident faith in God removes all doubts,	40:08
	all problems, all suffering.	40:13
	The Bible does not say that God ever promised such a thing.	40:18
	Indeed on the contrary it is because of our faith	40:22
	that we raise questions.	40:24
	It is due to our stand of faith we encounter some of our	40:27
	greatest difficulties.	40:30
	It is as a result of our faith that we cannot be confident	40:32
	or comfortable or content with the evil, the suffering,	40:36
	the destruction in the world.	40:39
	Our faith relationship to God	40:42
	does not eliminate our problems.	40:44
	Rather our bond with God gives us the strength to endure	40:47
	in spite of what we face in life.	40:51
	Some of those who are the closest to God,	40:55
	who love him the most experience some of the greatest pain	40:57
	and suffering in this life.	41:00
	Our owning the eternal creator and loving Lord	41:04
	as our redeeming God, gives us the birthplace of confidence.	41:06
	For living productively and creatively all of our days,	41:11
	be those days easy, or difficult.	41:15
	But rather than being our escape from trouble,	41:21
	God has promised to be our abiding help in trouble.	41:25
	As Martin Luther noted so powerfully in his hymn	41:31
	inspired by this psalm, A Mighty Fortress.	41:34
	Throughout history humankind has been bent	41:39
	on creating fortresses and castles for comfort, for safety.	41:42
	But across the record of God's interaction	41:48
	with the human family,	41:50
	we hear his calling us from the secure to the new.	41:51
	Just as our religious ancestors realized that God	41:56
	is not confined to a place, but God is a god on the move.	41:59
	So God summons us to be pilgrims,	42:04
	to take risks with him.	42:08
	Some two years ago as I was seriously contemplating	42:12
	a change in my career to allow me	42:15
	to interact with more people and experience fresh creativity	42:17
	in my work, I recalled the experiences	42:22
	of my primary encouragers.	42:26
	Those who had instilled confidence in me.	42:28
	And suddenly it became clear.	42:31
	Each of them, including my father, had made a pivotal	42:34
	career move during their 40s, at a time when they were	42:39
	near the pinnacle of their existing career	42:42
	and could have coasted on into retirement.	42:45
	One of them wrote about his transition,	42:49
	about the risk and the subsequent success	42:52
	of what he had done.	42:55
	Things turned out much better than he expected.	42:57
	But he observed that's one of the exciting things	42:59
	about being a pilgrim.	43:03
	When you take a risk you hope for success,	43:05
	and sometimes what happens far exceeds your fondest wishes.	43:08
	But he went on to add that often in his life	43:15
	he felt he was fumbling, stumbling,	43:17
	falling in the dark and not knowing where he was going.	43:19
	Sometimes someone standing nearby would help him up	43:23
	and sometimes not.	43:27
	His greatest strength and confidence came when others	43:29
	were sensitive to his feelings, and his needs,	43:32
	steering a dark night of his pilgrimage.	43:37
	Even as others can be the birthplace of confidence in us,	43:41
	so I feel we have the responsibility and the opportunity	43:45
	to become a birthplace of confidence for others.	43:50
	Ethan Hawley was a second class citizen	43:55
	in aristocratic New England,	43:58
	because his family had lost their fortune.	44:00
	His desire for independence,	44:03
	his wife's desire for wealth and material security	44:05
	caused him to help an alcoholic friend	44:08
	drink himself to death.	44:12
	That he might get a valuable piece of land.	44:14
	Later Ethan began engaging in dishonest business schemes	44:18
	to help his drive for success.	44:21
	And much to his surprise, good things began to happen.	44:25
	With Ethan's anonymous help his employer	44:30
	was discovered to be an illegal alien.	44:32
	But before he was deported this generous man	44:36
	gave Ethan his business.	44:38
	Ethan's son was a national finalist in a patriotic	44:41
	essay writing contest.	44:44
	But just before national TV experiences,	44:47
	the judges discovered that what was supposedly	44:50
	an original essay, was actually a collection of bits	44:53
	and pieces of the writings of famous American patriots.	44:57
	Ethan confronted his son, who said, who cares?	45:02
	Everybody does it.	45:06
	I bet you took some in your time because the all do.	45:08
	Filled with guilt for his own actions,	45:14
	and the accusation of his dishonest, defiant son,	45:16
	Ethan walked into the ocean,	45:20
	where he planned to cut his wrists, and float away.	45:22
	On the final page of Steinbeck's novel,	45:28
	The Winter of our Discontent,	45:30
	Ethan declared, my light is out.	45:31
	There's nothing blacker than a wick.	45:36
	Inward I say I want to go home.	45:39
	No, not home.	45:42
	To the other side of home, where the lights are given.	45:46
	But as he reached into his pocket for the razor blade,	45:50
	he found a special stone his daughter had placed there.	45:53
	That stone symbolized her love, her affection,	45:58
	her understanding, her concern.	46:02
	Knowing how she was struggling to be honest and whole,	46:07
	Ethan changed his mind and chose to live.	46:11
	He fought his way back out of the water,	46:15
	and back to his daughter.	46:18
	He committed himself to helping her mature	46:20
	and gain confidence, as he said,	46:23
	else another light should go out.	46:25
	Only those of us who are fortunate enough to have	46:29
	such an encouraging daughter, son, spouse,	46:31
	father, mother,	46:36
	mentor, friend, only we can fully appreciate	46:38
	what Ethan experienced.	46:43
	But when you experience the ultimate blessing of having	46:46
	someone give you the gift of confidence,	46:48
	then you realize what your responsibility is to others.	46:51
	Paul explained it so well in verses 17 and 18	46:57
	of Second Corinthians six.	47:00
	He says so if anyone is in Christ there is a new creation.	47:02
	Everything old has passed away,	47:07
	see everything has become new.	47:09
	All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself	47:13
	through Christ and has given us	47:16
	the ministry of reconciliation.	47:20
	Confidence.	47:24
	What a rare commodity.	47:26
	What a rich blessing.	47:28
	What a remarkable gift.	47:31
	But even when we find it from others, in our experiences	47:33
	or from God, that does not remove from us	47:37
	the pain of living or the sorrow of life.	47:40
	But when we discover the birthplace of confidence,	47:43
	we can endure.	47:47
	The black voice from Birmingham, England,	47:52
	recently sang in Birmingham, Alabama.	47:55
	In the melodious witness of their faith,	47:59
	those six beautiful women sang with many experiences	48:02
	in their background, much emotion in their voices.	48:05
	And great expressiveness with her hands.	48:09
	Earth has no sorrow	48:13
	that heaven cannot heal.	48:17
	God is our refuge, our strength,	48:21
	our present help,	48:26
	our hope.	48:28
	Thanks be to God, for the birthplace of confidence.	48:30
	(Organ music)	48:49
	♪ Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side ♪	49:28
	♪ Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain ♪	49:38
	♪ Leave to thy God to order and provide ♪	49:48
	♪ in ev'ry change the faithful will remain ♪	49:59
	♪ Be still my soul thy best thy heav'nly friend ♪	50:08
	♪ Thro' thorny ways leads to a joyful end ♪	50:19
	♪ Be still my soul thy God doth undertake ♪	50:32
	♪ To guide the future as he has the past ♪	50:42
	♪ Thy hope thy confidence let nothing shake ♪	50:51
	♪ All now mysterious shall be bright at last ♪	51:02
	♪ Be still my soul the waves and winds still know ♪	51:12
	♪ His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below ♪	51:23
	♪ Be still my soul the hour is hastening on ♪	51:35
	♪ When we shall be forever with the Lord ♪	51:45
	♪ When disappointment grief and fear are gone ♪	51:55
	♪ Sorrow forgot love's purest joys restore ♪	52:05
	♪ Be still my soul when change and tears are past ♪	52:16
	♪ All safe and blessed we shall meet at last ♪	52:27
-	The lord be with you.	52:42
Congregation	And also with you.	52:44
-	Let us pray.	52:46
	Be seated.	52:47
	Oh everlasting God, great are your works	52:55
	and mighty is your power.	52:59
	Though the mountains shake and the Earth changes,	53:03
	we will not fear for you are our strength and help	53:05
	in times of trouble.	53:11
	Our secret places deep within us long for you	53:13
	oh living God.	53:17
	Our arms reach out to embrace you.	53:19
	You who are as close as breathing	53:23
	and as distant as the stars.	53:25
	Hear our silent prayers and the depths of our hearts	53:29
	and those we utter with our voices.	53:32
	Oh lord in your mercy.	53:37
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	53:39
-	Forgiving God we rejoice that you call us to new life.	53:41
	Around us and within us, we see the brokeness of the world	53:45
	and of our ways.	53:50
	We confess our sins, our successes leave us empty.	53:52
	Our progress does not satisfy.	53:58
	Our land is not the promised land of our longing.	54:01
	Forgive our willful neglect of your word,	54:05
	our insensitivity to the needs of others,	54:09
	and our failure to feed the spirit within us.	54:13
	Lord in your mercy.	54:17
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	54:19
-	Oh father god we pray this day for families	54:22
	without fathers.	54:25
	And fathers without families.	54:27
	For fathers who cannot work because of sickness,	54:29
	disability, or financial setbacks,	54:32
	for fathers who work yet who are too ambitious	54:35
	to enjoy their homes and their families.	54:38
	We pray oh God for fathers who are faithful to you	54:42
	and to their families.	54:45
	May we celebrate with joy and thanksgiving,	54:48
	the fathers we have who have made our lives glad.	54:51
	And we mourn with those whose fathers are gone.	54:55
	Yet not from their hearts and memories.	54:59
	Lord in your mercy.	55:02
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	55:05
-	We pray for all who labor in the name of the church	55:07
	throughout the world,	55:09
	for those who minister in this chapel setting,	55:11
	especially for the choir, its directors and organist,	55:14
	and for the congregation and Duke Chapel	55:18
	who in this place serves you in so many special ways.	55:20
	For our new Assistant Dean Deborah,	55:26
	as she soon begins her work among us.	55:28
	Grant that we may all be united in your service,	55:31
	placing our confidence in the knowledge	55:34
	that your kingdom will stand forever.	55:37
	Help us to live not only for ourselves,	55:40
	but for the one who died for us	55:43
	that we might live for others.	55:46
	Lord in your mercy.	55:48
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	55:50
-	We offer prayers for the newcomer,	55:52
	the stranger and the visitor.	55:54
	May they find a resting place in this city	55:56
	and a sanctuary in this chapel.	55:58
	Light in their load of loneliness,	56:01
	and their burden of lossness.	56:04
	Lord in your mercy.	56:06
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	56:08
-	We pray for those in hospitals and homes	56:10
	who find it difficult to continue living	56:12
	because of illness or pain.	56:15
	For those who long for the peaceful rest and relief	56:18
	from the torments they suffer.	56:20
	Grant to them oh God a foretaste of your blessed peace	56:23
	and may the beams of your eternal healing light	56:27
	shine upon them.	56:30
	Lord in your mercy.	56:32
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	56:34
-	Oh God of compassion stir us to share ourselves	56:36
	and our means with the unloving, the bitter, the poor,	56:39
	the dispossessed, and the very old.	56:42
	Work with them and us so that wrongs may be righted,	56:45
	and wholeness may replace fragmentation.	56:50
	With a new awareness make us one in our solidarity	56:54
	with the pain of the world.	56:58
	Lord in your mercy.	57:00
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	57:02
-	Open our lives to you in living and in dying.	57:04
	And may we live as heirs of your eternal kingdom.	57:09
	Now and forevermore.	57:12
	Amen.	57:15
	Let us bring our offering so that God's truth may prevail,	57:19
	and God's love may flourish among us and in our world.	57:23
	(organ music)	57:31
	(choir sings)	58:57
	(organ music)	1:01:44
	(Congregation sings version of "Hallelujah" hymn)	1:02:03
-	Oh God of host we behold your works in the heavens.	1:02:56
	You are exalted among the nations and in the earth	1:03:00
	in thanksgiving we bring these gifts to you,	1:03:04
	offering them because of our love for you	1:03:08
	and of your love for us, may they be used to work	1:03:11
	for the captives and the victims of violence.	1:03:15
	For the broken bodied and broken hearted,	1:03:18
	for the hungry of the earth,	1:03:21
	and for the bringing of good news of love,	1:03:23
	to all people everywhere.	1:03:25
	You are a God of glory and majesty.	1:03:28
	A God of mystery and wonder.	1:03:31
	Raise us up as people of your heavenly kingdom.	1:03:34
	Set free for others.	1:03:37
	Set free for joy.	1:03:39
	Set free for grace.	1:03:41
	Set free for you in your everlasting kingdom,	1:03:45
	in the name of the one who taught us to pray, saying,	1:03:49
-	[Preacher and Congregation] Our father who art in heaven,	1:03:54
	hallowed be your name.	1:03:56
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:03:58
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:04:02
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:04:04
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:04:07
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:04:09
	And lead us not into temptation,	1:04:12
	but deliver us from evil.	1:04:15
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory	1:04:17
	for ever and ever.	1:04:21
	Amen.	1:04:22
Preacher	And now may God whose love never lets us go	1:04:26
	save, preserve and keep you this day,	1:04:30
	and throughout all eternity.	1:04:34
	In the name of the father and of the son,	1:04:36
	and of the Holy Spirit.	1:04:39
	Amen.	1:04:40
	♪ Hallelujah amen amen ♪	1:04:46
	(organ music)	1:04:58
	♪ Rejoice the Lord is king ♪	1:05:28
	♪ Your Lord and king adore ♪	1:05:32
	♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪	1:05:36
	♪ And triumph evermore ♪	1:05:39
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	1:05:45
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	1:05:49
	♪ Rejoice again I say rejoice ♪	1:05:51
	♪ Jesus the Savior reigns ♪	1:06:01
	♪ The God of truth and love ♪	1:06:05
	♪ When He has purged our stains ♪	1:06:10
	♪ He took his seat above ♪	1:06:14
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	1:06:19
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	1:06:24
	♪ Rejoice again I say rejoice ♪	1:06:26
	♪ His kingdom cannot fail ♪	1:06:36
	♪ He rules o'er earth and heav'n ♪	1:06:41
	♪ The keys of death and hell ♪	1:06:45
	♪ Are to our Jesus giv'n ♪	1:06:48
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	1:06:54
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	1:06:58
	♪ Rejoice again I say rejoice ♪	1:07:00
	♪ Rejoice in glorious hope ♪	1:07:11
	♪ Jesus the judge shall come ♪	1:07:15
	♪ And take his servants up ♪	1:07:20
	♪ To their eternal home ♪	1:07:23
	♪ He soon shall rein ♪	1:07:29
	(Congregation sings)	1:07:34
	(organ music)	1:07:56

Item Info

Title:

Robert W. Bailey - "Birthplace of Confidence" (June 16, 1991)

Description:

Our faith relationship with God does not eliminate our problems; rather, our bond with God gives us the strength to endure in spite of what we face in life. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 25:58. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 48:35.
Key quotation: “God is not a mysterious genie to protect us from trouble. God is not a substitute for our dealing with our problems…God is the ultimate birth place of our confidence.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4n29pn77

Date:

June 16, 1991

Speaker:

Bailey, Robert W.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0236
ref8955_e1h
uachapelsermaud
duke:321694
dcrmv001226
ark:/87924/r4n29pn77
80ec76d6-2760-4b53-8b53-794bbb1970a5

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

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Limited Re-Use

Educational Use Permitted

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This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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