Richard J. Mouw - "People of the Lamb" (November 24, 1991)

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	(organ music)	0:00
-	Good morning and welcome to the chapel	1:44
	on this Christ the King Sunday.	1:47
	Our guest preacher is Dr. Richard Mouw, a distinguished	1:50
	evangelical preacher and theologian, international	1:56
	Christian leader, and we are delighted to have him for his	2:04
	first visit here preaching in Duke Chapel, and residing	2:07
	in the service today is Dr. Karen Westerfield Tucker,	2:12
	who teaches worship at Duke Divinity School.	2:17
	We had a messiah sing along here in the chapel last evening	2:21
	with a full chapel of enthusiastic singers, remind you	2:27
	that tickets are still available for the three performances	2:31
	by Duke Chapel Choir of Messiah.	2:35
	Let us stand for the greeting.	2:40
	The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	2:45
All	And also with you.	2:48
-	The risen Christ is with us.	2:51
All	Praise the Lord.	2:53
	(strong fanfare music)	3:03
	(choir sings "Rejoice, the Lord is King")	4:01
-	Let us pray.	7:44
	Gracious God, King of heaven, ruler of all the earth,	7:47
	who doth lath the kings of this world to scorn,	7:54
	teach us to bend the knee before your throne alone,	7:59
	teach us to open our hearts and minds to your word	8:05
	above all words, oh sovereign of the universe,	8:11
	oh king almighty everlasting Lord,	8:15
	teach us to be worthy subjects, to give you the worship	8:19
	that only you are due, amen, be seated.	8:25
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	8:42
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God, by the power	8:47
	of your Holy Spirit, so that as the word is read	8:51
	and proclaimed, we might hear with joy	8:55
	what you say for us this day, amen.	8:59
-	The first reading is taken	9:04
	from the words of the prophet Jeremiah.	9:06
	The 23rd chapter, starting with the first verse.	9:09
	Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep	9:15
	of my pasture, says the Lord.	9:20
	Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel concerning	9:24
	the shepherds who shepherd my people.	9:29
	It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven	9:34
	them away, and you have not attended to them,	9:38
	so I will attend to you for your evil doings,	9:44
	says the Lord, then I myself will gather the remnant	9:48
	of my flock out of all the lands, where I have driven them,	9:54
	and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall	9:58
	be fruitful and multiply.	10:04
	I will raise up shepherds over them, who will shepherd them,	10:08
	and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed,	10:13
	nor shall any be missing says the Lord.	10:19
	The days are surely coming says the Lord, when I will	10:24
	raise up for David, a righteous branch, and he shall reign	10:29
	as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice	10:34
	and righteousness in the land.	10:41
	In his days, Judo will be saved and Israel will live	10:45
	in safety, and this is the name by which he will be called:	10:50
	The Lord is our Righteousness.	10:56
	This is the word of the Lord.	11:00
All	Thanks be to God.	11:03
-	The psalm appointed for this morning is psalm number 93,	11:13
	found on page 813 in your hymnal.	11:17
	Please rise, and sing responsively.	11:19
	(piano plays)	11:24
	♪- The Lord reigns and is robed in majesty, ♪	11:30
	♪ the Lord is robed and is girded with strength. ♪	11:30
	♪ The Lord has established the world, ♪	11:40
	♪ it shall never be moved. ♪	11:41
	♪ Your throne has been established from our fold, ♪	11:49
	♪ you are from everlasting. ♪	11:54
	♪- [All] The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have ♪	11:58
	♪ lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. ♪	12:04
	♪- [Lector] Mightier then the thunders of many waters, ♪	12:12
	♪ mightier then the waves of the sea, ♪	12:16
	♪the Lord on high is mighty. ♪	12:20
	♪- [All] Your decrees are very sure, ♪	12:25
	♪ holiness emits your house O Lord forevermore. ♪	12:30
	♪- [Lector] All glory be to you creator, ♪	12:39
	♪ and to Jesus Christ our savior, ♪	12:42
	♪- [All] And to the Holy Spirit, blessed Trinity. ♪	12:46
	♪- [Lector] As if once your time began, ♪	12:52
	♪- [All] Is now and will be forevermore. ♪	12:56
-	This reading is from the revelation to John, chapter five,	13:14
	beginning with the first verse.	13:20
	Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne	13:24
	a scroll, written on the inside and on the back,	13:29
	sealed with seven seals, and I saw a mighty angel	13:34
	proclaiming with a loud voice:	13:39
	"Who is worthy to open this scroll, and break its seals?"	13:43
	And no one in heaven or on earth, or under the earth,	13:49
	was able to open a scroll or look into it, and I began	13:53
	to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open	14:00
	the scroll, or to look into it.	14:05
	Then one of the elders said to me:	14:09
	"Do not weep, see the line of the tribe of Judah,	14:12
	the root of David, has conquered so that he	14:18
	can open the scrolls, and its seven seals.	14:22
	Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures,	14:27
	and among the elders a lamb standing as if it had been	14:33
	slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are	14:38
	the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth.	14:44
	He went and took the scroll from the right hand	14:50
	of the one who was seated on the throne.	14:54
	When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures	14:58
	and the 24 elders fell before the lamb, each holding a harp	15:02
	and golden bowls full of incense,	15:09
	which are the prayers of the saints.	15:13
	They sang a new song, you are worthy to take the scroll	15:16
	and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your	15:21
	blood you ransomed for God's saints from every tribe	15:26
	and language and people and nation.	15:31
	You have made them to be a kingdom, and priests	15:36
	serving our God, and they will reign on earth.	15:40
	This is the word of the Lord.	15:45
All	Thanks be to God.	15:48
-	This reading is taken from the gospel according to	15:51
	St. John, chapter 18, starting with the 33rd verse.	15:55
	Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus	16:03
	and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"	16:09
	Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own, or did others	16:15
	tell you about me."	16:21
	Pilate replied, "I am not a Jew, am I?	16:24
	Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you	16:31
	over to me, what have you done?"	16:34
	Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not from this world, if my	16:40
	kingdom were from this world, my followers would be	16:46
	fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews,	16:50
	but as it is my kingdom is not from here."	16:55
	Pilate asked him, "So you are a king?"	17:00
	Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king, for this	17:06
	I was born, and for this I came into the world,	17:11
	to testify to the truth.	17:16
	Everyone who belongs to the truth, listens to my voice."	17:19
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:26
All	Thanks be to God.	17:29
	(piano music plays)	17:33
	(Choir sings "Gott ist mein Konig")	17:57
-	The monks of the ancient Syriac church, those	20:17
	men and women whom we call today the desert fathers	20:22
	and the desert mothers, like to distinguish between three	20:25
	kinds of patterns of worship,	20:30
	they call them three liturgies.	20:34
	First of all they said there's the visible liturgy	20:37
	of the corporate church as it gathers together	20:43
	as we've gathered	20:46
	together this morning for visible corporate worship.	20:47
	Secondly there's the invisible liturgy,	20:54
	that takes place when a solitary monk spends long hours	20:59
	in prayer and praise in the presence of God.	21:04
	But they said there's a third kind of liturgy.	21:10
	Every once in a while,	21:14
	a monk who has really worked long	21:18
	and hard at it, will momentarily	21:20
	be caught up in what they	21:25
	call the celestial liturgy, breaking out of that	21:28
	pattern of private,	21:33
	individual worship and being caught up into	21:35
	the very worship that takes place in the heavenly courts.	21:40
	Although few there be that participate here on earth,	21:47
	in the celestial liturgy.	21:53
	Well as a protestant evangelical, I'm here this morning	21:57
	to tell you there's a shortcut into the celestial liturgy.	21:59
	We can get a taste of what's happening in the courts	22:05
	of heaven by reading the book of Revelation.	22:08
	Admittedly, a strange book	22:14
	full of beasts and harlots,	22:17
	grotesque creatures and strange symbols, and events.	22:20
	So strange that many of us have avoided the book,	22:27
	but it's helpful I think, to think of the book of Revelation	22:34
	as, among other things, a book of celestial worship.	22:37
	Throughout this book, people are constantly bowing down	22:43
	and falling to their knees, and falling down on their faces,	22:48
	and breaking out into prayer and chant,	22:52
	and song, oh the songs in this book.	22:54
	Sometime just go through the book of Revelation	22:59
	in your own private devotions, and pick out those	23:01
	indented parts and just read those, they're marvelous songs,	23:05
	and there's no song in the book of Revelation that is more	23:08
	beautiful and more powerful then the song that was read	23:12
	in our presence this morning from the fifth chapter.	23:17
	Worthy art thou, O Lord, to take the scroll and to open its	23:20
	seals for thou art slain, and by thy blood dealt its ransom,	23:25
	men and women for God, from every tribe and tongue	23:29
	and people and nation, and has made them a kingdom, and	23:33
	priests unto our God, and they shall reign on earth.	23:36
	I want to say some things about the song this morning	23:42
	but first of all, let me make a few observations	23:45
	about the fascinating and dramatic	23:47
	ceremony transaction	23:52
	that takes place, that provides the context for this song.	23:55
	They found a scroll in the courts of heaven,	24:02
	it's a scroll that is sealed,	24:06
	and they want to find someone who was able	24:10
	to take the scroll and to open its seals.	24:12
	There's a tiny bit of a controversy	24:17
	among the scholars about what this scroll is.	24:19
	Some think that it's a scroll that contains the secrets	24:22
	of all of human history, others think that it's a scroll	24:26
	that contains only the secrets of the last days,	24:32
	but we don't have to get into that.	24:35
	What's common to all of these interpretations is that	24:39
	if you know what's in this scroll,	24:42
	you know how it's gonna turn out.	24:44
	If you understand the contents of this scroll,	24:47
	you have access to the meaning of history,	24:50
	to the purpose of human existence indeed,	24:53
	the purpose of cosmic existence.	24:57
	This is the scroll that's got the secrets revealed.	25:00
	And apparently they've set up a cosmic search committee,	25:07
	and they've just brought in their report, and it's a rather	25:12
	depressing report, no one has been found to take the scroll	25:16
	and to open its seals.	25:22
	They said we've looked in three places, we've looked	25:24
	above the earth, we've looked on the earth,	25:29
	and we've looked under the earth, and we found no one	25:34
	who was worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,	25:38
	those are the three levels of authority	25:43
	in the ancient world, they still symbolize,	25:46
	important areas of authority today.	25:49
	The powers of the air,	25:54
	the regions of heavenly authority,	25:57
	angelic authority, the realm of the principalities	26:01
	and powers.	26:06
	Gabriel is not able to take the scroll and to open its seals	26:08
	Michael the archangel, is not able to take the scroll	26:14
	and to open its seals, that angel with his trumpet	26:18
	who stands guard over every Mormon temple	26:20
	is not able to take the scroll and to open its seals.	26:23
	They looked on the earth.	26:29
	They checked out all of those visible authorities, you know	26:34
	and the opening verses of the book of Revelation,	26:38
	John greets the early church in the name of Jesus, who is	26:40
	the ruler over the kings and the queens of the earth,	26:45
	and in ancient times, when they referred to the kings	26:51
	and the queens of the earth to earthly authorities,	26:55
	they weren't just thinking of political authorities because	26:59
	the kings and queens and the emperors and empresses	27:03
	of ancient times held all authority, at least symbolically	27:07
	they were the bearers of all authority, they were	27:12
	the authorities not only over political life, but over	27:16
	the military, over economic life,	27:19
	over the broad reaches of cultural authority.	27:23
	If we were to understand what those ancient writers were	27:27
	talking about today in our context, we would have to think	27:30
	not only of political authorities, but of all of those	27:36
	people whether we have ever elected them to anything or not,	27:40
	all of those people in our culture who shape our lives,	27:45
	who form our opinions, who influence the way we think,	27:49
	the way we feel, and the way we act.	27:54
	They check those earthly authorities, George Bush,	27:59
	was not able to take the scroll, and to opens it's seals,	28:03
	nor was Mr. Gorbachev, or Mrs. Aquino,	28:07
	or the Nicaraguan Cabinet,	28:13
	or the Ethiopian ruling elite,	28:17
	but not only them,	28:22
	not only them, but Dan Rather was not able	28:25
	to take the scroll, to open it's seals, or was Bill Cosby,	28:28
	or David Letterman, or the editors of the Wallstreet Journal	28:34
	or the members of the Duke University English Department.	28:40
	Madonna was not able to take the scroll, to open its seals.	28:45
	Even Big Bird could not take the scroll, and open its seals.	28:51
	And then they looked under the earth, the realm of	28:58
	departed spirits, and a cult of forces.	29:01
	We still have some of those in California, you know.	29:07
	Maybe you've heard of Mafu, Mafu is an ancient Babylonian	29:12
	leper who hangs around Santa Monica,	29:17
	right near those	29:22
	jogging trails that you see on Jane Fonda's workout video.	29:23
	For $500 you can go into Penny Taurus' living room,	29:29
	Penny Taurus is a new age channeler, and she will speak	29:34
	words of new age wisdom from Mafu to you.	29:39
	The search committee tells us Mafu is not able to take	29:45
	the scroll, to open its seals.	29:49
	No yuppy ghost in any Whoopie Goldberg movie is able to	29:50
	take the scroll, to open its seals.	29:55
	No character in any Steven King novel is able to take	29:57
	the scroll and open its seals, no force or power that you	30:01
	will encounter in any Haitian voodoo ceremony will take	30:04
	the scroll and open its seals,	30:08
	no one in all of the cosmos,	30:11
	in the air, on the earth, or under the earth, was found	30:15
	who was worthy to take the scroll	30:20
	and to open its seals, and John wept.	30:24
	And then an elder turned to him and said we've got	30:29
	a second opinion, they found someone, and the announcement	30:31
	goes forth, there is one who is worthy, the lion	30:36
	of the tribe of Judah of the root of David, he is worthy	30:40
	to take the scroll, to open its seals, and then	30:44
	the courts of heaven break out in spontaneous song,	30:47
	worthy art thou O Lord, to take the scroll and to open its	30:52
	seals for thou was slain, and by thy blood vowed its ransom,	30:56
	women and men for God from every tribe and tongue and people	31:01
	and nation, and has made them a kingdom and priests unto	31:05
	our God, and they shall reign on earth,	31:09
	what a wonderful song.	31:15
	This hymn, among other things addresses	31:18
	the currently hot topic of multiculturalism.	31:21
	You know, some of my pacifist friends,	31:27
	I'm a just war theorist, some of my pacifist friends	31:29
	like this text because they think that it's God's final joke	31:35
	on just war theory.	31:40
	You know the announcement goes forth that they	31:43
	found someone, and here's the way it gets described,	31:45
	the lion of the tribe of Judah, of the root of David.	31:48
	And all of heaven, according to some of my pacifist friends,	31:56
	are geared up expectantly to see that the winner	31:59
	of the search	32:04
	is the bearer of brute force, that finally	32:07
	the book gets opened by the one with the loudest roar,	32:11
	with the biggest mane, with the most powerful paws,	32:16
	and lo and behold,	32:22
	who shows up but a lamb, a lamb who was slain.	32:25
	Some of my pacifist friends who have commented on this text	32:30
	say God is really saying here got you again.	32:34
	Even as you're in the midst of the heavenly throng,	32:41
	you can't get rid of the expectation that it is brute force	32:45
	that wins out in the end, and so once again you have to be	32:49
	reminded that it's not the lion who is the victor,	32:53
	but it is the lowly meek and gentle lamb,	32:58
	and I want to say we need to learn from that.	33:01
	My guess is that's one of the subtexts	33:05
	of this message this morning.	33:09
	But there's also another message in this lion-lamb	33:12
	transaction that takes place here in this heavenly scenario.	33:16
	The lion is very ethnic,	33:24
	it's an old testament Jewish lion,	33:28
	the lion of the tribe of Judah, of the root of David.	33:31
	But the lamb who shows up is a multi-ethnic,	33:36
	multi-cultural, multi-linguistic,	33:41
	multi-national lamb, who has from every	33:43
	tribe and tongue and people and nation, ransomed a new	33:47
	kind of community of men and women who's robes	33:52
	have been made clean through the blood of the lamb.	33:54
	This is a new kind of community, in which the older	33:59
	ethnic characteristics,	34:04
	the older national identities,	34:08
	the older linguistic features have faded into the background	34:11
	in the light of a very new kind of thing,	34:18
	that the lamb of God is doing, putting together a new	34:20
	community of men and women who receive their identity	34:24
	through what the lamb has done through his blood,	34:28
	through his blood.	34:35
	Some people think it's a little crude these days	34:39
	to talk about the blood of the lamb.	34:42
	An old, outmoded, slaughterhouse	34:47
	symbol that really doesn't	34:51
	speak much to modern or post-modern minds.	34:53
	And all we have to do is to read our newspapers and watch	35:00
	CNN to know that blood imagery is still	35:03
	very real and very alive in our world.	35:06
	It isn't just those Nazi's of some 40-50 years ago,	35:12
	who appealed so powerfully	35:17
	to those perverse desires for a	35:20
	pure blood,	35:24
	and it wasn't just the old Ku Klux Klanners,	35:27
	who appealed to that white, pure blood kind of stuff,	35:31
	but it's David Duke and others who have access	35:38
	to our cameras, to our reporters,	35:42
	who command our attention,	35:47
	who are still sounding those themes of a different kind	35:49
	of blood, a pure blood, an ethnic blood.	35:54
	At least half of us here this morning are bombarded	36:02
	these days by a new kind of men's movement that encourages	36:06
	us to take seriously the fact that we're red blooded males,	36:10
	and on our national memorial holidays we still hear appeals	36:17
	to the blood that was shed on the battlefields of the world	36:21
	by men and women, language that often takes on a kind of	36:25
	redemptive salvific tone when we're told that they paid	36:30
	the supreme sacrifice that can somehow cleanse us,	36:35
	and sanctify us, and empower us.	36:39
	As a people blood claims are all around us in our culture.	36:42
	And we're here this morning to hear a very different kind	36:49
	of blood claim, that there is only one kind of	36:52
	blood that can give us a new identity.	36:56
	There's only one kind of blood that can satisfy those	37:00
	deepest human yearnings for belonging,	37:03
	for community, for peoplehood.	37:07
	And it's the blood of Jesus Christ, the lamb of God,	37:10
	who has ransomed out of every tribe and tongue and people	37:13
	and nation, a new kind of community, and that because there	37:16
	is that new kind of community, from here on in it no longer	37:21
	matters whether or not I'm a red blooded male,	37:24
	it no longer matters whether or not I have white blood,	37:28
	or Dutch ethnic blood flowing in my veins.	37:31
	It no longer matters who else has died, and who else	37:34
	has shed blood on my behalf, from here on in my identity	37:38
	is this, that I belong to the people of the lamb, drawn from	37:42
	every tribe and tongue and people and nation of the earth,	37:47
	and because of this new identity, this new	37:51
	communal characteristic that I have, from here on in when I	37:55
	talk about who my kind of people are, I'm talking about	38:00
	something very different than the older	38:04
	ethnic or national identities.	38:06
	I'm talking about the fact that from here on in, my kind	38:09
	of people are Russian Pentecostals and Polish Catholics,	38:13
	and South African mine workers, and Nicaraguan peasants,	38:18
	and South Korean shopkeepers, and African American	38:22
	ghetto dwellers, and my Hispanic friends in barrios	38:26
	and the Navajos, on the reservations, from here on in	38:30
	when I talk about who my kind of people are,	38:35
	I'm talking about the people of the lamb, men and women	38:37
	drawn from every tribe and tongue and people and nation of	38:40
	the earth who have been made a kingdom,	38:44
	and priests unto our God.	38:47
	And that's what's happening here this morning, friends.	38:53
	We're here in order to continue in the process	38:57
	of being made into something new,	39:01
	being made into a kingdom,	39:05
	and priests unto our God.	39:08
	When i was a teenager, in the fundamentalist world I heard	39:13
	a right wing fundamentalist preacher once, in fact I heard	39:17
	a right wing fundamentalist preacher many times,	39:21
	but this one stands out in my memory.	39:26
	He said "Satan is in the business of promoting unity,	39:29
	oneness, and Satan is involved in a	39:33
	three-pronged unifying plan."	39:38
	This was back in the late 1950s.	39:43
	Satan is in the business of trying to put together a new	39:46
	kind of race,	39:49
	a new kind of national grouping,	39:52
	and a new kind of church.	39:56
	And because Satan is behind all of those unity movements	39:58
	we Bible believing Christians were encouraged,	40:02
	to appose the civil rights movement, the United Nations,	40:05
	and the World Council of Churches,	40:08
	as Satanic unifying plots.	40:11
	It wasn't long after that that I gave up	40:18
	on that kind of thinking forever.	40:20
	But it was many years later, reading the second chapter	40:23
	of Peter's first epistle that it struck me:	40:27
	What a perverse sermon that had been,	40:30
	because the apostle Peter says to the church	40:34
	of Jesus Christ, you are a chosen race,	40:37
	you are a holy nation, you are a royal priesthood,	40:42
	that Jesus, the Lamb of God, the King of heaven,	40:47
	is in the business of putting together a new kind of race,	40:51
	a new kind of nation, a new kind of church,	40:55
	a new kind of royal priesthood.	41:00
	And it may very well be that Satan on occasion, counterfeits	41:03
	those unifying movements of Jesus Christ.	41:08
	But we as the followers of the lamb are a people who are	41:12
	in quest of realizing, of actualizing the unity that	41:16
	Jesus has established by his blood on the cross as the	41:21
	Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.	41:25
	He is making us into a kingdom,	41:31
	and priests unto our God.	41:35
	I need to hear that this morning.	41:41
	And maybe you do too, in a special way.	41:45
	Maybe, for whatever reason you're here this morning,	41:52
	or participating in this service through the broadcasting	41:57
	of it, maybe for whatever reason you're here with us,	42:02
	you've never really thought of yourself as in the	42:08
	throne room before.	42:12
	So I'm here to say this morning on this service,	42:15
	a feast in the presence of Christ the King,	42:19
	that we're in the throne room, sisters and brothers.	42:24
	We're in the throne room of the only true and righteous	42:28
	sovereign of the universe, the only one who was able	42:31
	to take the scroll, and to open its seals.	42:34
	The only one whom as John describes him in those opening	42:38
	verses in the book of Revelation, the only one who is	42:41
	the faithful witness, what good news after confusing	42:43
	witnesses and senate judiciary committees and the like,	42:47
	that Jesus alone is the faithful witness, Jesus alone	42:51
	is the first born of the dead, Jesus alone is the ruler	42:54
	over the kings and the queens of the earth.	42:58
	We are in the throne room this morning, and maybe you have	43:01
	never in your life yet thought of yourself as being	43:03
	in any throne room but your own, maybe the only hymn	43:08
	you've ever sung really is that Frank Sinatra hymn,	43:11
	I did it my way.	43:16
	I hope that for you, this will be a morning	43:19
	in which you bow before the throne of the King of Heaven.	43:25
	And acknowledge that He alone is worthy to take the scroll,	43:32
	and to open its seals, maybe you're very accustomed to these	43:36
	throne room gatherings, but need to hear in a very special,	43:40
	personal, and existential way this morning that Jesus alone	43:44
	is worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals.	43:49
	Maybe you're desperately afraid about something that's	43:54
	going on in your body, maybe you're hurting deeply over	43:58
	a relationship, over a deep personal loss,	44:02
	maybe you're very worried about fear of failure	44:10
	at work or studies, research.	44:13
	That you're a failure in personal relationships, maybe	44:17
	you're worried about career choice, career trajectory,	44:22
	I don't have easy answers for all of that today,	44:27
	but I am empowered by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to say this	44:31
	he is worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals.	44:35
	We're in the presence of the One this morning, the only one	44:39
	in the whole cosmos who can reveal to us the secrets	44:42
	of history, and can assure us of our place	44:46
	in his victorious, triumphal march toward	44:50
	the great resolution of the conflicts that we experience,	44:55
	not only cosmically and globally, but in	44:59
	very personal ways in our own lives.	45:01
	We're in the throne room this morning, sisters and brothers,	45:07
	and I hope that this song that they're singing in the	45:12
	courts of heaven will be a song that each of us can sing	45:15
	in a very personal way in our own lives.	45:18
	Worthy art thou O Lord, to take the scroll and open its	45:22
	seals for you were slain for me,	45:26
	and you have ransomed me,	45:30
	so that I may be incorporated in that community of men and	45:33
	women drawn from every tribe and tongue and people and	45:37
	nation of the earth, who are being made a kingdom,	45:40
	who are being fashioned into priests	45:46
	and priestesses unto our God,	45:49
	so that we shall reign with him and share in the victory	45:53
	of the one who is the lamb and the occupant	45:57
	of heaven's highest throne, amen.	46:01
	(chorus church music)	46:10
	(Choir sings "Praise, My Soul the King of Heaven")	46:46
-	The Lord be with you.	49:17
Congregation	And also with you.	49:19
-	Let us pray.	49:21
	Almighty God, in Jesus Christ you taught us to pray,	49:34
	and promised that what we ask in His name will be	49:39
	given to us, guide us by the Holy Spirit, that our prayers	49:42
	for others may serve your will, and show your	49:47
	steadfast love, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,	49:51
	let us pray for the church.	49:58
	God our Father, who's blessed Son before His passion prayed	50:12
	for His disciples, that they may be one, like you and He	50:17
	are one, grant that your church, being bound together	50:21
	in love and obedience to you, may be united in one body	50:25
	by the one Spirit, that the world may believe in Him	50:30
	whom you have sent, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,	50:34
	who lives and reigns with you, in the unity	50:39
	of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.	50:43
	Let us pray for the world.	50:50
	Eternal God, you made all things in your wisdom,	51:09
	and in your love you save us, we pray for the entirety	51:14
	of your creation, order unruly powers deal	51:18
	with unrighteousness, feed and satisfy those who thirst	51:23
	for justice, so that all your children may freely enjoy	51:28
	the earth you have made, through Jesus Christ our Lord.	51:33
	Let us pray for our nation.	51:40
	Lord God almighty, in your sight nations rise and fall,	51:59
	and pass through times of peril, be near to judge	52:04
	and save us, grant our leaders your wisdom, that they may	52:07
	search for your will and see it clearly, where as a nation	52:14
	we have turned from your path, reverse our ways,	52:19
	and help us to repent.	52:23
	Give your light and truth to God, through Jesus Christ	52:26
	who is king of kings, and Lord of this world.	52:31
	Let us pray for our daily work.	52:37
	Almighty God, our heavenly Father, you declare your glory	52:54
	and show forth your handiwork in the heavens	52:58
	and in the earth, deliver us in our various occupations,	53:02
	tasks, and studies, from the service of self alone,	53:06
	that we may do the work you give us to fulfill	53:12
	in truth and beauty, and for the common good,	53:15
	for the sake of Him who came among us as one who serves,	53:20
	Jesus Christ our Lord.	53:25
	Let us pray for the unemployed.	53:29
	God of Compassion, we remember before you those who suffer	53:42
	want and anxiety, because they have no work.	53:46
	Guide the people of this community to use our will, so that	53:51
	all may find suitable and fulfilling employment, and receive	53:56
	just payment for their labor, through Jesus Christ our Lord.	54:00
	Let us pray for the infirm.	54:08
	Merciful and ever-loving God, comfort and heal all those	54:22
	who suffer in body, mind, or spirit.	54:27
	Give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them	54:32
	the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.	54:36
	Mighty God, who's word we trust, who's spirit prays	54:44
	in our prayers, accept our requests, and further those	54:48
	which will serve your purpose, through Jesus Christ	54:54
	our Lord, who rules over all things, amen.	54:58
	Let us present the offerings of our life and our labor	55:07
	to the Lord.	55:10
	(church choir plays)	55:13
	(choir sings "Hallelujah Chorus")	57:17
-	Let us pray.	1:02:41
	Almighty and merciful God, from whom comes every good	1:02:45
	and perfect gift, we praise you for your mercies,	1:02:48
	for your goodness that has created us, your grace	1:02:53
	that has sustained us, your disciplined that has	1:02:57
	corrected us, your patience that has born with us,	1:03:01
	and your love that has redeemed us, help us to love you,	1:03:06
	and to be thankful for all your gifts by serving you	1:03:11
	and enlightening to do your will,	1:03:15
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray saying:	1:03:18
	Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.	1:03:23
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:03:28
	on earth as it is in Heaven.	1:03:32
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:03:34
	and forgive us our trespasses.	1:03:37
	As we forgive those who trespass against us,	1:03:40
	and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,	1:03:43
	for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.	1:03:48
	Amen.	1:03:54
	Christ the King, pour upon you his abundant gifts,	1:03:57
	make you faithful and strong to do his will, and bring you	1:04:00
	to reign with him in glory in the blessings of God almighty,	1:04:04
	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,	1:04:09
	be upon you and remain with you now and forever.	1:04:12
	(Choir sings in Gregorian chant)	1:04:20
	(Organ plays)	1:05:03
	(choir sings "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name")	1:05:38

Item Info

Title:

Richard J. Mouw - "People of the Lamb" (November 24, 1991)

Description:

Jesus, the Lamb of God who was slain, is the only one worthy to open the scroll of heaven and unveil the meaning and purpose of history. And through his blood, all the peoples of the earth are brought together and made into a new kingdom and people, one whose identity is in Jesus and not in national or ethnic differences. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 20:17. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 46:06.
Key quotation: “We’re in the presence of the one…the only one in the whole cosmos who can reveal to us the secrets of history, and can assure us of our place in his victorious, triumphal march toward the great resolution of the conflicts that we experience, not only cosmically and globally, but in very personal ways in our own lives.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4hq3sd6w

Date:

November 24, 1991

Speaker:

Mouw, Richard J.

Liturgical Calendar:

Christ the King Sunday

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0257
ref9022_8c1
uachapelsermaud
duke:321332
dcrmv001246
ark:/87924/r4hq3sd6w
063913d5-c446-4ac5-8673-1606d22c786b

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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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Richard J. Mouw - "People of the Lamb" (November 24, 1991)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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