William H. Willimon - "Good News - Repent" (December 15, 1991)

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	(handbells ringing)	0:00
	(handbells chiming)	0:14
	(handbells ringing)	2:25
	(footsteps approaching)	7:24
-	Good morning, and welcome to this service	7:48
	of worship on the third Sunday	7:49
	in the season of Advent.	7:51
	We have been lead in worship by the bellringers	7:54
	of the Henderson Baptist Church	7:57
	Bell Choir, and Mr. Phillip Young is their leader.	8:01
	And they are here for their annual visit to Duke Chapel.	8:05
	We are happy to have all of you here with us	8:10
	during this service, and call your attention	8:13
	to the many activities at the chapel	8:15
	between now and Christmas.	8:18
	Now let us stand for the greeting.	8:21
	Behold, God is my strength and my song,	8:27
	and is become my salvation.	8:30
Congregation	O God, glory to You.	8:34
	(muffled congregation recitation)	8:37
-	Let us worship God.	8:43
	(jubilant organ music)	8:46
Congregation	♪ O come, O come, Emmanuel ♪	9:27
	♪ And ransom captive Israel ♪	9:34
	♪ That mourns in lonely exile here ♪	9:41
	♪ Until the Son of God appear ♪	9:48
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	9:55
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	10:00
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	10:03
	♪ O come, Thou Wisdom, from on high ♪	10:12
	♪ And order all things far and nigh ♪	10:19
	♪ To us the path of knowledge show ♪	10:26
	♪ And cause us in her ways to go ♪	10:33
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	10:40
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	10:45
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	10:49
	♪ O come, o come Thou Lord of might ♪	10:57
	♪ Who to thy tribes on Sinai's height ♪	11:04
	♪ In ancient times did give the law ♪	11:12
	♪ In cloud, and majesty and awe ♪	11:19
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	11:26
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	11:31
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	11:35
	♪ O come, Thou root of Jesse's tree ♪	11:44
	♪ An ensign of thy people be ♪	11:51
	♪ Before thee rulers silent fall ♪	11:58
	♪ All peoples on thy mercy call ♪	12:05
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	12:13
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	12:18
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	12:21
	♪ O come, Thou Key of David, come ♪	12:30
	♪ And open wide our heavenly home ♪	12:38
	♪ The captives from their prison free ♪	12:45
	♪ And conquer death's deep misery ♪	12:52
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	13:00
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	13:04
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	13:08
	♪ O come, Thou Dayspring come and cheer ♪	13:17
	♪ Our spirits by thy justice here ♪	13:24
	♪ Disperse the gloomy clouds of night ♪	13:31
	♪ And death's dark shadows, put to flight ♪	13:38
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	13:46
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	13:51
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	13:54
	♪ O come, desire of nations, bind ♪	14:04
	♪ All peoples in one heart and mind ♪	14:12
	♪ From dust, Thou brought us forth to life ♪	14:19
	♪ Deliver us from earthly strife ♪	14:26
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice ♪	14:34
	♪ Emmanuel ♪	14:39
	♪ Shall come to thee, O Israel ♪	14:43
-	Let us join together	14:56
	in the opening prayer on page 201	14:58
	(congregant coughs loudly)	15:02
Everyone	Merciful God,	15:10
	You sent your messengers, the prophets to preach repentance	15:12
	and prepare the way for our salvation.	15:17
	Give us grace to heed their warnings, and forsake our sins,	15:20
	that we may celebrate aright,	15:26
	the commemoration of the Nativity,	15:28
	and may await with joy the coming and glory	15:31
	of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,	15:35
	who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit.	15:38
	One God, forever and ever,	15:43
	Amen.	15:46
-	You may be seated.	15:47
-	Let us pray together,	16:02
	the Prayer for Illumination.	16:03
Everyone	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	16:07
	by the power of your Holy Spirit.	16:11
	So the as the word is read and proclaimed,	16:14
	we might be changed by your Advent among us,	16:18
	Amen.	16:22
-	The reading from the Old Testament	16:30
	comes from the prophet, Zephaniah, the third chapter	16:31
	starting with the 14th verse.	16:36
	Sing aloud, O daughter Zion.	16:39
	Shout, O Israel.	16:42
	Rejoice and exult with all your heart,	16:45
	O daughter Jerusalem!	16:48
	The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,	16:52
	He has turned away your enemies.	16:56
	The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.	16:59
	You shall fear disaster no more.	17:04
	On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem,	17:08
	Do not fear, O Zion,	17:12
	Do let not your hands grow weak.	17:14
	The Lord, your God, is in your midst,	17:18
	a warrior who gives victory.	17:23
	He will rejoice over you with gladness.	17:26
	He will renew you in his love.	17:30
	He will exult over you with loud singing,	17:34
	as on a day of festival.	17:37
	I will remove disaster from you,	17:40
	so that you will not bear reproach for it.	17:43
	I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.	17:47
	And I will save the lame and gather the outcast,	17:51
	and I will change their shame into praise	17:56
	and renown in all the earth.	17:58
	At that time, I will bring you home.	18:01
	At the time, when I gather you,	18:04
	for I will make you renowned and praised	18:07
	among all the peoples of the earth,	18:10
	when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,	18:13
	says the Lord.	18:16
	This is the word of the Lord.	18:19
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	18:21
-	This reading is from Paul's letter to the Philippians,	18:26
	chapter four, beginning with the 4th verse.	18:29
	Rejoice in the Lord always.	18:34
	Again, I will say, rejoice.	18:37
	Let your gentleness be known to everyone.	18:41
	The Lord is near.	18:45
	Do not worry about anything,	18:48
	but in everything by prayer and supplication,	18:51
	with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.	18:54
	And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,	19:01
	will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.	19:06
	Finally, beloved, whatever is true,	19:12
	Whatever is honorable, whatever is just,	19:16
	whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing,	19:20
	whatever is commendable,	19:25
	if there is any excellence,	19:28
	and if there is anything worthy of praise,	19:30
	think about these things.	19:33
	Keep on doing the things that you have learned,	19:36
	and received, and heard,	19:39
	and seen in Me.	19:43
	And the God of Peace will be with you.	19:45
	This is the word of the Lord.	19:49
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	19:52
	(handbells ringing)	20:00
	("I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In")	20:01
-	Today's gospel comes from	22:59
	the third chapter of Luke.	23:00
	In the High Priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,	23:06
	the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah,	23:09
	in the wilderness.	23:13
	And he went into all the region about the Jordan,	23:15
	preaching a baptism of repentance	23:18
	for the forgiveness of sins.	23:20
	As it is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah.	23:23
	The voice of one crying in the wilderness,	23:27
	"Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.	23:30
	"Every valley shall be filled, and mountain and hill	23:34
	"shall be brought low.	23:37
	"The crooked shall be made straight.	23:38
	"The rough ways shall be made smooth,	23:40
	"and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."	23:44
	John said therefore to the multitudes	23:51
	that came out to be baptized,	23:53
	"You brood of vipers.	23:56
	"Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?	23:58
	"Bear fruits that befit repentance.	24:00
	"Do not begin to say to yourselves,	24:03
	"'We have Abraham as our father.'	24:05
	"For I tell you, God is able from these stones	24:08
	"to raise up children to Abraham.	24:11
	"Even now, the ax is laid to the root of the trees.	24:13
	"Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit	24:18
	"shall be cut down and thrown into the fire."	24:21
	And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?"	24:26
	John answered them, "He who has two coats,	24:30
	"let him share with him who has none.	24:33
	"And he who has food, let him do likewise."	24:36
	Tax collectors also came to be baptized,	24:39
	and he said to them, "Teacher, what shall we do?"	24:43
	And he said to them, "Collect no more	24:46
	"than is appointed you."	24:48
	Soldiers also asked him, "What should we do?"	24:50
	And he said to them, "Rob no one by violence	24:54
	"or false accusation.	24:57
	"Be content with your wages."	24:58
	As the people were in expectation,	25:02
	and all questioned in their hearts concerning John,	25:04
	whether perhaps he were the Christ.	25:07
	John answered them all, "I baptize you with water,	25:09
	"but he who is mightier than I is coming,	25:15
	"the thong of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie.	25:17
	"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.	25:21
	"His winnowing fork is in his hand	25:24
	"to clear his threshing floor,	25:27
	"to gather the wheat into his grainery.	25:28
	"But the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."	25:31
	So with many other exhortations,	25:37
	he preached good news to the people.	25:41
	This is the word of the Lord.	25:45
Everyone	Thanks be to God.	25:49
-	Who is your favorite preacher?	25:55
	Who would you rather hear on a Sunday morning	25:58
	more than anybody else?	26:00
	I think of Carlyle Marney,	26:04
	great, big,	26:06
	bass-voiced,	26:09
	Baptist prophet of God.	26:10
	I first heard Carlyle Marney when I was in college.	26:14
	His sermons were thick, incomprehensible,	26:19
	tough to understand, but powerful.	26:23
	However, I also like Fred Craddock, from Emory	26:29
	who preached here many times.	26:34
	High-pitched voice, walled, peering out over the pulpit.	26:37
	Fred just takes a Biblical text, and starts poking at it,	26:40
	enticing the congregation toward it.	26:46
	Just listening to this little man preach,	26:49
	and then whap!	26:51
	End of the sermon, we've been had by the text.	26:52
	I loved to hear Fred preach.	26:54
	But for penitential seasons of the year, like Advent,	26:58
	give me Elizabeth Achtemeier.	27:03
	She's preaching here during Holy Week.	27:06
	She comes into the pulpit, grandmother-type figure.	27:09
	She grabs hold of a Biblical text	27:13
	and starts prodding at the congregation with a Bible,	27:15
	at times flailing away at the congregation.	27:19
	I remember one Sunday during Lent,	27:22
	she preached in this chapel.	27:24
	We had to crawl out of the chapel,	27:25
	just with the weight of that Bible bearing down	27:28
	on our shoulders.	27:32
	Who is your favorite preacher?	27:35
	Harry Emerson Fosdick?	27:38
	James Cleland, who graced this pulpit many years?	27:40
	Billy Graham?	27:43
	I suppose if we had to isolate	27:49
	what there was about a preacher,	27:54
	that makes that preacher memorable,	27:57
	I think we would all say, in some way or another, that	28:00
	that preacher somehow preaches good news.	28:02
	Preaches good news.	28:07
	That's what the word gospel means.	28:10
	The word gospel means good news.	28:12
	Not that a preacher's good news always sounds like good news	28:17
	right at the beginning.	28:21
	Oh no, I remember Marney.	28:22
	I heard him preach the same sermon three times	28:25
	in a four month period.	28:29
	But nobody complained, no.	28:31
	His sermons were so difficult,	28:33
	complex.	28:37
	You had to chew on them again and again.	28:38
	In a funny way, that was what was good about his good news.	28:42
	It reminded you that God is big,	28:46
	and the gospel is something big and important.	28:48
	Good preachers somehow, in some way or another,	28:53
	preach good news,	28:57
	which may make it all the more strange	29:02
	to hear who Jesus' favorite preacher was.	29:04
	If we asked Jesus this morning,	29:09
	"Jesus, who is your favorite preacher?"	29:11
	He would have answered without hesitation.	29:15
	John the Baptist.	29:19
	John the Baptist was Jesus' favorite preacher.	29:23
	In fact, all the gospels begin by telling the story	29:27
	of John the Baptist.	29:30
	It's as if the gospels say, you can't get to Jesus,	29:31
	you can't understand the preaching of Jesus	29:35
	until you first understand the preaching of John.	29:37
	Jesus' words did not arise out of nothing.	29:44
	They had antecedents, and their antecedents	29:47
	were the preaching of John.	29:49
	Jesus learned to preach good news	29:52
	by first hearing John preach it.	29:55
	Mark calls John the beginning of the gospel,	29:58
	the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ.	30:03
	Luke says the John and Jesus were first cousins.	30:07
	The evangelist John begins his gospel,	30:12
	there was a man sent from God, his name was John.	30:15
	And when Jesus began preaching, he sounded so much like John	30:22
	that a lot of people thought they were hearing John.	30:27
	Herod Antipas, who had put John into prison	30:31
	to shut him up,	30:35
	and eventually beheaded him.	30:37
	When he heard Jesus preach, he said, "Oh no.	30:39
	"It's John again."	30:44
	When people heard Jesus preach,	30:46
	they'd nudge one another in the pews and they said,	30:48
	haven't we heard this sermon somewhere before?	30:50
	Well you know how young preachers often emulate	30:53
	those older preachers whom they admire.	30:57
	Jesus sounded so much like John,	30:59
	a lot of people thought when he preached,	31:03
	they were hearing John.	31:05
	You know John's sermon.	31:08
	Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand.	31:09
	That's the way Jesus began his first sermon.	31:12
	Repent, the kingdom of God is here.	31:15
	Later Jesus would say,	31:22
	there's never been anybody born of woman,	31:25
	who is as great as John the Baptist.	31:29
	And did we not agree that one of the things	31:35
	that makes a preacher great,	31:38
	is that somehow that preacher preaches good news.	31:39
	The gospel means good news.	31:46
	So my question.	31:48
	Why didn't John's preaching sound more like good news?	31:51
	Does this sound like good news to you?	31:57
	He said to the multitudes, "You brood of vipers!	32:01
	"Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?	32:05
	"I tell you God is able from these stones,	32:07
	"to raise up children to Abraham.	32:10
	"Even now, the ax is laid to the root of the tree.	32:12
	"Every tree that does not bear good fruit	32:16
	"is thrown into the fire."	32:18
	Aristotle said that when you begin a speech,	32:25
	you should begin with ethos,	32:27
	making contact with your listeners,	32:31
	perhaps flattering your listeners,	32:33
	letting your listeners know that you're on their side,	32:34
	that you can relate to them.	32:37
	Obviously John the Baptist did not study preaching	32:41
	with Aristotle.	32:44
	When people came to John and said,	32:47
	"Well what should we do, preacher?"	32:49
	He told them, "He who has two coats,	32:51
	"let him share with one who has none."	32:55
	In fact, John told them, if they thought	32:59
	that he was rough on them, they ought to wait	33:01
	until his graduate student got hold of them.	33:03
	"I baptize you with water, there is one coming after me	33:08
	"who will baptize you with fire.	33:11
	"His winnowing fork is in his hand	33:14
	"to clean off the threshing floor.	33:16
	"The wheat he will separate from the chaff.	33:19
	"The chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.	33:22
	"Repent!"	33:26
	Fire, winnowing forks, chaff.	33:29
	Does that sound like good news to you?	33:34
	Well it did to Luke.	33:39
	Luke says, "With this and many other exhortations,	33:42
	"John preached good news	33:46
	"to the people."	33:50
	Good news?	33:53
	Repent! Fire!	33:56
	When John preached, well he didn't preach.	34:01
	He raved, he hurled grenades.	34:04
	Words cast like stones before a congregation.	34:06
	No respecter of social class.	34:11
	When people appeared before John in their Sunday finery	34:14
	with their minks and their fake furs,	34:16
	he said, rip that off, give it to the poor.	34:19
	When General Dummkopf appeared sitting on the front row,	34:23
	he didn't care.	34:26
	He attacked the military,	34:27
	even though they were the Roman Occupation Forces.	34:29
	He attacked the Pentagon, the White House, Wall Street.	34:32
	He looked at all of those substantial, important,	34:37
	heavy-weight people and told them they were just like chaff.	34:40
	Just trash, thrown by the wind	34:44
	into unquenchable fire.	34:48
	And others who trotted out to the desert to hear him,	34:54
	they asked, "What should we do?"	34:57
	He said, "Strip down, give away what you've got.	35:00
	"Repent.	35:05
	"Be baptized, go under the water.	35:07
	"Be cleaned, come forth fresh.	35:09
	"Repent, be baptized!"	35:12
	Now I ask you,	35:17
	why would people keep coming out to the desert	35:20
	to hear that?	35:23
	Why would great multitudes of people come out	35:26
	to hear that kind of preaching?	35:29
	Why would Luke say, "With this and many other exhortations,	35:33
	"he preached good news."	35:36
	These images,	35:42
	strong, earthy images	35:44
	that John used.	35:49
	Well you know preachers use images a lot	35:50
	to try to convey a message.	35:52
	I use images.	35:54
	The butterfly emerging from the cocoon,	35:55
	the return of the robin in the spring.	35:57
	He ain't heavy, he's my brother.	35:59
	Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree.	36:01
	What are the images that John used?	36:04
	An ax hacking away at the root of the tree.	36:09
	God turning away from all of the good church-going people	36:14
	and raising up children out of the stones	36:18
	in the muddy Jordan river.	36:20
	He said that Messiah was coming and he had a winnowing fork	36:22
	in his hand to separate the good wheat from the chaff.	36:26
	Why would people have gone out to the wilderness	36:32
	to hear that?	36:35
	What's good news about that?	36:37
	The neurosurgeon walks in and says,	36:42
	"Well I've got good news,	36:43
	"it's been a very successful operation.	36:45
	"We were able to remove the tumor from your husband's brain.	36:49
	"Although there are complications,	36:53
	"he will not be able to walk or talk ever again.	36:55
	"Still, it was a good operation."	36:57
	Good news.	37:00
	They trotted out to the desert to hear this weird preacher	37:06
	named John preach good news.	37:10
	And when they came out, he confronted them with an ax,	37:13
	and a winnowing fork,	37:17
	and a Messiah who was coming to just burn away the chaff.	37:19
	Now why would people have come out to hear that?	37:26
	I'll tell you.	37:32
	Because John dared to speak	37:35
	of change.	37:39
	He preached a message	37:43
	that everybody wanted to hear,	37:46
	that nobody wanted to hear.	37:50
	His sermon was simple.	37:53
	God is coming,	37:56
	and you can change.	37:58
	You can change!	38:02
	That's what the word repentance means.	38:04
	Change, the word in the Greek, metanoia,	38:06
	where we get our word from the Greek, metamorphosis.	38:08
	You can change.	38:12
	Get out and be metanoiaed, be repented.	38:16
	You can change.	38:19
	Where there is wilderness, the ax is laid to the root	38:22
	of the tree, so that a highway can be made.	38:25
	Chaff is burned away, so that the bread can be made	38:30
	from the good wheat.	38:34
	Where there is nothing, God raises up a people	38:35
	out of the stones in the Jordan river.	38:39
	Where there is nothing but this old ore	38:41
	coming out of the ground, and the refiner's fire.	38:44
	It becomes pure gold.	38:47
	You can change.	38:48
	All of John's images were images of change.	38:51
	And when Herod heard John preach, he hated it.	38:59
	He hated it so much, he wanted to kill him	39:01
	for preaching like that.	39:03
	'Cause Herod didn't want to hear about change.	39:05
	But people at the top, people in power,	39:07
	never want to hear about change.	39:10
	They're where they are because of the status quo,	39:12
	and so they spend the rest of their lives	39:14
	protecting things as they are, protecting the status quo.	39:16
	So when Herod heard him, it sounded like bad news,	39:22
	not good news.	39:25
	But there were others, multitudes who came out to hear John.	39:28
	Multitudes, I think that's Luke's way of saying that	39:33
	the majority of us in our better moments are not content	39:36
	with the status quo, and things as they are.	39:41
	So to the multitudes, when John preached,	39:48
	his sermons sounded like good news,	39:51
	because he spoke of change.	39:54
	You can change.	39:59
	A friend of mine is in the Pastoral Counseling Movement.	40:05
	Been counseling for 20 years, told me	40:09
	that in 20 years of counseling people with their problems,	40:11
	he's learned one thing.	40:13
	And that is that people	40:15
	never change.	40:17
	Oh he said in counseling,	40:20
	we work some behavioral modifications,	40:21
	some minor tinkering,	40:25
	but people don't fundamentally change.	40:27
	Yesterday on NPR, they were interviewing prisoners	40:33
	at the Atlanta Federal Prison.	40:36
	Sentenced there under the maximum penalty laws	40:39
	for drug possession,	40:44
	interviewed a man 27 years old.	40:46
	He is sentenced to jail for 20 years with no parole	40:48
	for possessing two ounces of crack cocaine.	40:54
	And when the reporter asked him, "Why do you think	41:00
	"you're serving a longer sentence than people serve	41:04
	"for convicted murderer, or something like that?"	41:07
	He said, "I think one of the reasons is	41:10
	"Americans have just lost faith	41:13
	"that anybody,	41:17
	"a criminal, can change."	41:19
	So when asked to comment on the state of affairs,	41:26
	we glance over the morning paper,	41:29
	we say, Oh nothing new there.	41:31
	See nothing new under the sun.	41:32
	We contort the voice into a whine.	41:34
	When we look back over our lives, we say	41:38
	Oh well I would have, or maybe if I had been allowed to,	41:40
	I could have,	41:43
	A whine-	41:44
	People don't change.	41:46
	Change is painful.	41:53
	The good news, you can change, can sound like bad news.	41:57
	'Cause to change means that I have to let go of the present.	42:03
	I have to admit that there may be a force	42:07
	loose in this world more powerful even	42:10
	than my habits, and my personality, and my psychological,	42:13
	sociological, economic determined life.	42:17
	That can be painful.	42:22
	It's good news.	42:24
	It's bad news.	42:26
	But there are occasions when we hear a word,	42:32
	something which radically reorients us.	42:35
	Before there can be change,	42:41
	there has first got to be a promise of change.	42:44
	There's got to be an announcement of change.	42:46
	And that's what John preached.	42:51
	He spoke to the religious establishment.	42:54
	He spoke to the culturally refined.	42:56
	He spoke to the soldiers.	42:58
	He spoke to the common people on the bottom,	43:00
	and the people up on the top and said,	43:02
	"God has arrived.	43:06
	"God has intruded into our arrangements.	43:08
	"You can change."	43:10
	He told them that Messiah was coming,	43:14
	and now everything was up for grabs.	43:16
	That's good news.	43:20
	Jesus' sermons began with John's sermons.	43:26
	Repent, turn around, change, you can!	43:28
	God is coming!	43:31
	And that is the most frightening news you'll ever hear,	43:35
	and the very best news.	43:39
	You can change.	43:41
	When God's Messiah is born among us, steps into history,	43:44
	knocks at your door,	43:47
	calls you by name.	43:51
	You can change.	43:52
	He's got an ax in his hand.	43:57
	He's got a winnowing fork.	43:59
	Fire, the world begins to shift.	44:00
	For you, this is good news.	44:03
	It was the first day of class,	44:11
	and I was tense.	44:15
	I had this sick feeling right here in my stomach,	44:16
	first day of class.	44:18
	It was a sick feeling, right here in my stomach.	44:20
	I don't know if any of you have ever had it.	44:23
	It's called Algebra.	44:24
	It comes in two varieties, Algebra 1, Algebra 2.	44:27
	This was Algebra 2.	44:32
	And the teacher came in.	44:37
	Well it looked like the same teacher that I had last year.	44:38
	She gave out the books.	44:42
	It looked like the same books we had last year.	44:44
	Nothing in them but Algebra.	44:46
	So I thought that I'd get this over with.	44:50
	I'd go on up to her desk, and I said, "Look,	44:53
	"I'm bad in Algebra.	44:58
	"I did bad in Algebra 1, I probably shouldn't even be here.	44:59
	"I just can't do math."	45:02
	She looked at me and said, "Wait a minute.	45:06
	"You haven't done math with me.	45:08
	"I'm different, I do it all totally different.	45:11
	"Go back to your seat, this is all new."	45:14
	And I said, "But last year I did so poorly."	45:17
	And she said, "What, I like to get people like that.	45:21
	"I like to get people fresh,	45:23
	"unprejudiced by previous information.	45:25
	"That way we can start out fresh, this is all new.	45:30
	"Relax, go back to your seat, it's all new."	45:33
	I went back to my seat.	45:37
	I could breathe.	45:40
	It was just like sort of being born.	45:42
	It was starting over.	45:46
	I could change.	45:49
	I think that's why we love Christmas.	45:54
	Even the most fossilized of us, we love Christmas,	45:58
	because Christmas is about a baby,	46:03
	and a baby is about newness and freshness.	46:06
	It's about change.	46:09
	And we gaze at the manger at Bethlehem,	46:11
	and we see the whole world starting over.	46:14
	We see all of humanity going back to square one.	46:17
	We can change.	46:20
	It's good news.	46:23
	But let's admit it, it can also sound like bad news.	46:27
	Fred Craddock tells a story, a young preacher,	46:32
	he went to visit an old woman, been in the hospital	46:36
	with a serious illness.	46:40
	He went in there, she was lying back on the pillow,	46:41
	mouth open, gasping for breath.	46:43
	He went in, he sat beside the bed, he held her hand.	46:46
	He tried to talk.	46:50
	And then he said to her, "Let's have prayer before I go.	46:52
	"What would you like me to pray for?"	46:56
	She leaned over very weakly, she said,	47:00
	"Well, I want you to pray that I'll be made well.	47:01
	"I want you to pray that God will heal me.	47:06
	"That's what I want you to pray."	47:08
	Well, young preacher sort of gulped,	47:10
	and he knew it wasn't to be.	47:15
	But he went ahead, for politeness' sake, and he prayed,	47:18
	"Oh Lord, we pray that you will stand	47:21
	"beside this sick servant of Thine,	47:24
	"and teach her patience during her time of illness,	47:26
	"and help her to bear up under the weight	47:29
	"that she has on her shoulders now.	47:31
	"We pray for your sustaining care,	47:33
	"et cetera, et cetera.	47:35
	"Amen."	47:37
	Right as he said, "Amen",	47:39
	he looked over and her eyes opened on the pillow.	47:41
	On her elbows, she lifted up.	47:46
	She sat up in bed.	47:48
	To the astonished young preacher,	47:50
	"She threw her legs over the side of the bed	47:52
	"and she stood up.	47:54
	"She stood tall, and she said,	47:54
	"'You know, I feel better.	47:56
	"'I feel great!	48:00
	"I'm well.'"	48:02
	She walked out of the hospital room.	48:03
	He watched her just prance down to the nurse's station,	48:06
	all the way saying, "Look, I'm cured, I'm well!"	48:11
	The young preacher staggered out the door,	48:13
	down the steps, out of the hospital.	48:17
	He walked out to the parking lot.	48:18
	Before grasping to open the door of his car,	48:22
	he looked up into the Heavens,	48:25
	and he said,	48:29
	"Don't you ever do that to me again."	48:32
	(congregation laughs)	48:35
	(jubilant organ music)	48:40
Congregation	♪ Wash, O God, our sons and daughters ♪	49:26
	♪ Where your cleansing waters flow ♪	49:32
	♪ Number them among your people ♪	49:38
	♪ Bless as Christ blessed long ago ♪	49:44
	♪ Weave them garments bright and sparkling ♪	49:50
	♪ Compass them with love and light ♪	49:56
	♪ Fill, anoint them, send your Spirit ♪	50:02
	♪ Holy dove and heart's delight ♪	50:08
	♪ We who bring them long for nurture ♪	50:16
	♪ By your milk may we be fed ♪	50:22
	♪ Let us join your feast, partaking ♪	50:29
	♪ Cup of blessing, living bread ♪	50:35
	♪ God, renew us, guide our footsteps ♪	50:41
	♪ Free from sin and all its snares ♪	50:47
	♪ One with Christ in living, dying ♪	50:53
	♪ By your Spirit, children, heirs ♪	50:59
	♪ Oh how deep your holy wisdom ♪	51:08
	♪ Unimagined, all your ways ♪	51:14
	♪ To your name be glory, honor ♪	51:20
	♪ With our lives we worship, praise ♪	51:26
	♪ We your people stand before You ♪	51:32
	♪ Water washed and Spirit born ♪	51:39
	♪ By your grace, our lives we offer ♪	51:45
	♪ Recreate us, God transform ♪	51:51
	(jubilant organ music)	52:03
Assistant Dean	The Lord be with you.	52:07
Congregation	And also with you.	52:08
-	Let us pray, you may be seated.	52:10
	O God, we are anxious and ashamed.	52:24
	Too often we are shaped by our fears, not by faith.	52:28
	We have said and done things unworthy of our calling.	52:34
	Our thoughts have been so dominated by the past	52:39
	and the future, that we have failed to live fully	52:42
	in your present.	52:45
	Our lives are filled with discontent, worry,	52:47
	and self-protective pursuits.	52:52
	We have not trusted you, or let you set us on fire	52:56
	with the good news.	53:00
	Forgive us.	53:04
	Change us.	53:06
	Inspire our caring and doing,	53:09
	so we may bear fruit	53:13
	as your forgiven and forgiving children.	53:15
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	53:19
	Because you are in our midst, you tell us,	53:25
	"Do not fear, let not your hands grow weak."	53:29
	Help us to accept and trust	53:34
	your love, your power, your promises.	53:37
	Where there is fear,	53:43
	give us the promise of hope.	53:45
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	53:49
	Where there is hatred,	53:55
	give us the promise of understanding acceptance.	53:57
	In your mercy, come, O come Emmanuel.	54:02
	Where there is addiction,	54:08
	give us the promise of freedom.	54:10
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	54:14
	Where there are broken relationships,	54:20
	give us the promise of reconciliation.	54:23
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	54:27
	Where there is grief at the loss of loved ones,	54:33
	give us the promise of eternal life.	54:38
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	54:41
	Where there is selfishness,	54:47
	give us the promise of self-giving.	54:50
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	54:54
	Where there is poverty,	55:00
	give us the promise of plenty.	55:02
	In your mercy, come O come, Emmanuel.	55:06
	Where there is illness,	55:12
	give us the promise of healing.	55:14
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	55:17
	Where there is loneliness,	55:23
	give us the promise of community.	55:26
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	55:29
	Where there is injustice,	55:35
	give us the promise of justice.	55:38
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	55:41
	Where there is war and enmity,	55:47
	give us the promise of peace.	55:50
	In your mercy, come, O come, Emmanuel.	55:53
	God of grace, you have offered us the good news	55:59
	of your coming with power into the world,	56:04
	but we haven't expected very much from you,	56:08
	or from ourselves.	56:11
	Surprise us once again,	56:13
	as your coming radically reorients our lives,	56:16
	and our world.	56:20
	In the name of the Messiah,	56:22
	who brings good news,	56:24
	Amen.	56:27
	(congregant coughs)	56:30
	Let everyone who has two coats,	56:33
	share with a person who has none.	56:35
	And let everyone who has food, do likewise.	56:38
	Thus we will know the joy of sharing,	56:42
	and appreciate more fully what God has entrusted to us.	56:45
	(handbells tinkling)	56:58
	(jubilant organ music)	1:00:47
	(congregant coughs)	1:00:50
Congregation	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:01:26
	♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪	1:01:33
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:01:39
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:01:47
	♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost ♪	1:01:54
	♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪	1:02:00
	♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪	1:02:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:02:13
-	Let us pray.	1:02:26
	We praise you with our offerings, gracious God,	1:02:30
	and honor you with our gifts.	1:02:34
	Keep us from accepting	1:02:38
	more than our share of the world's resources,	1:02:39
	or from thinking that we have achieved	1:02:43
	all our successes by our own efforts.	1:02:45
	Take control of our lives and ways	1:02:50
	that will draw us nearer to You.	1:02:52
	Yet, increase our sense of responsibility	1:02:55
	towards your other children.	1:02:58
	Take these gifts and multiply them to bring about	1:03:01
	great changes and great healing in our world.	1:03:04
	Amen.	1:03:10
	Let us pray together, the prayer that Jesus taught us.	1:03:14
Everyone	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	1:03:17
	Hallowed be Thy name.	1:03:20
	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done	1:03:23
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	1:03:26
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:03:29
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:03:32
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:03:35
	Lead us not into temptation,	1:03:38
	but deliver us from evil.	1:03:41
	For Thine is Thy kingdom,	1:03:43
	and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.	1:03:45
-	The reign of God is drawing near.	1:03:51
	This is the good news.	1:03:54
	Let us go forth into the world as an expectant people,	1:03:56
	rejoicing in the power of God.	1:04:00
	The Lord bless you and keep you.	1:04:03
	The Lord make His face to shine upon you,	1:04:05
	and be gracious to you.	1:04:07
	The Lord lift up his countenance upon you	1:04:09
	and give you peace, Amen.	1:04:12
	(handbells chiming)	1:04:24
	(horns heralding)	1:04:31
Congregation	♪ Of the Father's love begotten ♪	1:05:08
	♪ Ere the world's began to be ♪	1:05:13
	♪ He is Alpha and Omega ♪	1:05:18
	♪ He the source, the ending He ♪	1:05:23
	♪ Of the things that are and have been ♪	1:05:28
	♪ And that future years shall see ♪	1:05:36
	♪ Evermore and evermore ♪	1:05:40
	♪ O ye heights of Heaven adore Him ♪	1:05:50
	♪ Angel hosts, His praises sing ♪	1:05:55
	♪ All dominions, bow before Him ♪	1:06:00
	♪ And extol our Lord and King ♪	1:06:05
	♪ Let no tongue on Earth be silent ♪	1:06:11
	♪ Every voice in concert ring ♪	1:06:18
	♪ Evermore and evermore ♪	1:06:23
	♪ Christ, to Thee, with God the Father ♪	1:06:32
	♪ And with Holy Ghost, to Thee ♪	1:06:38
	♪ Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving ♪	1:06:43
	♪ And unwearied praises be ♪	1:06:48
	♪ Honor, glory, and dominion ♪	1:06:54
	♪ And eternal victory ♪	1:07:02
	♪ Evermore and evermore ♪	1:07:07
	(handbells chiming)	1:07:14
	(jubilant organ music)	1:07:17
	(congregants talking)	1:07:36
	(joyful organ music)	1:07:41

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Good News - Repent" (December 15, 1991)

Description:

Sermon start time: 25:55. Sermon end time: 48:38.
The preacher argues that John the Baptist is Jesus’ favorite preacher, for he preaches the good news of repentance and a message assuring people that they can change for good. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4dn40997

Date:

December 15, 1991

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Advent

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 3:2-18

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0260
ref9031_ut4
uachapelsermaud
duke:321608
dcrmv001249
ark:/87924/r4dn40997
3a7d9a2b-85e2-474b-8396-04328a3eed1b

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

See below

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 - "Good News - Repent" (December 15, 1991)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Good News - Repent" (December 15, 1991)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "Good News - Repent" (December 15, 1991)

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Duke University Archives

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