William H. Willimon - "A Religion for Losers" (February 23, 1992)

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-	Good morning, welcome to this service of worship	0:02
	on the seventh Sunday after Epiphany.	0:05
	This is the Sunday that we receive	0:10
	canned goods for the poor,	0:12
	and a box is located in the narthex for that purpose.	0:17
	We thank the congregation at Duke Chapel,	0:21
	for their help with this project.	0:23
	This afternoon at four there will be	0:26
	a service of memorial and thanksgiving	0:29
	for the life and work of Alex Haley,	0:32
	which will be led by the ministry of Duke Chapel	0:34
	and black campus ministry here in the Chapel at 4:00 p.m.	0:38
	Now let us join together in the greeting.	0:44
	Let us stand.	0:49
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	0:53
Congregation	And also with you.	0:56
-	Splendor of Christ shines upon us.	0:58
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	1:01
	(solemn organ music)	1:03
	(congregation singing hymn)	1:48
	(powerful organ music)	3:21
	(congregation singing hymn)	5:39
-	Let us join together in the prayer of confession	6:33
	found on page 890 in your hymn book.	6:36
Congregation	Most merciful God, we confess that	6:48
	we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed	6:52
	by what we have done and by what we have left undone.	6:57
	We have not loved you with our whole heart.	7:01
	We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.	7:05
	We are truly sorry, and we humbly repent.	7:08
	For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ,	7:12
	have mercy on us, and forgive us	7:15
	that we might delight in your will	7:19
	and walk in your ways to the glory of your name, amen.	7:21
-	Almighty God, have mercy on you.	7:33
	Forgive all your sins though our Lord Jesus Christ.	7:36
	Strengthen you in all goodness,	7:40
	and by the power of the Holy Spirit,	7:43
	keep you in eternal life, amen.	7:46
	You may be seated.	7:51
-	Let us pray together the pray for illumination.	8:03
Congregation	Open our hearts and minds, O' God,	8:09
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	8:12
	so that this word is read and proclaimed.	8:15
	We might hear with joy what you say to us today, Amen.	8:18
-	The first reading is taken from Paul's first letter	8:25
	to Corinthians chapter 15 starting with 35th verse.	8:28
	But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised?	8:34
	"With what kind of body do they come?"	8:38
	Fool, what you sow does not come to life unless it dies,	8:41
	and as for what you sow,	8:47
	you do not sow the body that is to be,	8:49
	but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.	8:52
	But God gives it a body as he has chosen	8:58
	and to each kind of seed its own body.	9:01
	So it is with resurrection of the dead.	9:04
	What is sown, is perishable.	9:08
	What is raised, is imperishable.	9:10
	It is sown in dishonor.	9:13
	It is raised in glory.	9:15
	It is sown in weakness.	9:18
	It is raised in power.	9:20
	It is sown a physical body.	9:23
	It is raised a spiritual body.	9:26
	If there is a physical body,	9:29
	there is also a spiritual body.	9:30
	Thus it is written:	9:33
	The first man Adam became a living being.	9:35
	The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.	9:38
	But it is not the spiritual that is first,	9:43
	but the physical and then the spiritual.	9:45
	The first man was from the Earth, a man of dust.	9:49
	The second man is from Heaven.	9:53
	As was the man of dust,	9:55
	so are those who are of the dust	9:58
	and as is the man of Heaven,	10:01
	so are those who are of Heaven.	10:04
	Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust,	10:07
	we will also bear the image of the Man of Heaven.	10:11
	What I am saying brothers and sisters is this:	10:15
	Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.	10:19
	Nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.	10:23
	This is the word of the Lord.	10:28
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	10:31
-	Please join in singing responsively	10:47
	Psalm 37:1-11 found on page 772 in the hymnal.	10:49
	Let us stand for the singing of the Psalm.	10:55
	(soft organ music)	10:58
	♪ Do not be angry because of the wicked ♪	11:04
	♪ Do not be envious of wrong doers ♪	11:09
	♪ For they'll soon fade like the grass ♪	11:14
	♪ And wither like the green plants ♪	11:18
	♪ Trust in the Lord and do good ♪	11:23
	♪ So you will dwell in the land ♪	11:27
	♪ And enjoy security ♪	11:29
	♪ Take delight in the Lord ♪	11:34
	♪ He'll give you the desires of your heart ♪	11:38
	♪ Commit your way to the Lord ♪	11:43
	♪ Trust in God who will act ♪	11:47
	♪ Bring forth your vindication as the light ♪	11:52
	♪ And your right as the noonday ♪	11:56
	♪ Be still and wait patiently for the Lord ♪	12:01
	♪ Do not get angry when evil men prosper in their ways ♪	12:07
	♪ Because for those who carry it out it will be useless ♪	12:13
	♪ Refrain from anger and forsake wrath ♪	12:19
	♪ Do not be angry it leads only to evil ♪	12:24
	♪ For evil doers shall be cut off ♪	12:30
	♪ Those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land ♪	12:34
	♪ Yet a little while and the wicked will be no more ♪	12:40
	♪ Though you look at their place ♪	12:46
	♪ They will not be there ♪	12:48
	♪ But the meek shall possess the land ♪	12:52
	♪ Take delight in abundance and receive ♪	12:56
	♪ All glory be to you Creator ♪	13:02
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	13:05
	(congregation singing gently)	13:09
	♪ As it was ere time begun ♪	13:15
	♪ And it shall forever be forevermore ♪	13:20
-	Last year	13:42
	Mr. Ted Turner of Atlanta,	13:46
	now husband of Jane Fonda,	13:49
	who does workout tapes, said,	13:52
	"Christianity is a religion for losers."	13:56
	For this ill-considered remark, Mr. Turner was required	14:04
	to do penance at a Baptist church in Atlanta.	14:07
	Who's the loser now?	14:11
	But there is some evidence that Mr. Turner,	14:14
	perhaps in the company of Ms. Fonda,	14:16
	was reading Luke 6:27-36 when he arrived	14:18
	at this low opinion of the Christian faith.	14:23
	Here is today's gospel.	14:29
	But I say to you love your enemies.	14:36
	Do good to those who hate you.	14:41
	Bless those who curse you.	14:43
	Pray for those who abuse you.	14:45
	To the one who strikes you on the cheek	14:48
	offer the other also.	14:50
	From the one who takes away your coat,	14:53
	do not withhold even your shirt.	14:54
	Give to everyone who begs from you.	14:58
	And of the one who takes away your goods,	15:01
	do not ask for them back again,	15:03
	and as you wish that one would do to you,	15:06
	do also to that one.	15:08
	If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?	15:12
	Even sinners love those who love them.	15:16
	And if you do good to those who do good to you,	15:20
	what credit is that to you even sinners do the same.	15:22
	If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive,	15:27
	what credit is that to you?	15:30
	Even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much again.	15:32
	But love your enemies.	15:37
	Do good and lend expecting nothing in return,	15:39
	and your reward will be great.	15:44
	You will be called children of the Most High.	15:47
	For God is kind to the ungrateful and to the selfish.	15:51
	Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.	15:57
	This is the word of the Lord.	16:03
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	16:06
-	Now in the winning is everything world	16:09
	of Ted Turner or of you or me,	16:11
	Jesus's words in today's gospel appear	16:15
	to be a kind of recipe for the production of losers.	16:20
	"But I say to you--	16:27
	"But I say to you," implying that we have	16:29
	heard otherwise--and indeed we have.	16:31
	"But I say to you, love your enemies.	16:33
	"Do good to those who hate you.	16:37
	"Bless those who curse you.	16:38
	"Turn the other cheek.	16:40
	"If they come for your coat,	16:42
	"give them the shirt off your back as well."	16:43
	As if there weren't already enough losers	16:47
	in this fallen world,	16:51
	it appears that Jesus wants to produce even more.	16:52
	"If anybody takes away your goods, don't ask for them back."	16:58
	One loss is followed by another.	17:04
	Not only have we lost our goods,	17:06
	but now we have lost our self-respect.	17:09
	Losers.	17:13
	To those who have actually been ripped off,	17:18
	violated,	17:22
	raped,	17:24
	mugged,	17:26
	abused,	17:27
	oppressed,	17:28
	it would be difficult to think	17:32
	of a more devastating demand of Jesus.	17:34
	Love your enemies.	17:39
	Do good to those who hate you.	17:42
	Bless those who persecute you.	17:46
	Pray for those who abuse you.	17:49
	One great loss, a favorite coat,	17:54
	a piece of beloved family jewelry,	17:59
	childhood innocence,	18:04
	a well-deserved career	18:07
	is now followed by another loss:	18:11
	the loss of our self respect and self esteem	18:15
	as we try to follow Jesus' prohibition	18:22
	against setting things right,	18:25
	getting even, justice.	18:28
	I just don't know of many more devastatingly	18:35
	difficult words of Jesus than these--	18:38
	particularly for losers	18:42
	who live in a world of winners.	18:46
	Of course, I suppose much depends	18:51
	on one's definition of "winning."	18:53
	Whether or not a loss is a loss,	18:59
	I suppose does depend on the rules of the game, the goal.	19:01
	You can probably think of a number of places	19:07
	in Scripture where Jesus labels those	19:09
	whom we regard as winners as losers,	19:11
	and you can indeed think of places in Scripture where those	19:16
	whom our world labels as losers are called winners.	19:19
	Which is enough to make one think that perhaps we are	19:25
	playing by the rules of a very different sort of game.	19:29
	Jesus suggests this.	19:36
	"If you love those who love you,	19:39
	well, what credit is that?"	19:40
	Big deal! Anybody can love when loved.	19:42
	If you return good when good is done to you,	19:49
	well so what? Even the sinners do the same.	19:52
	Who doesn't?	19:55
	All you've done is played by the rules	19:58
	and followed that game,	20:01
	but you haven't won really anything	20:05
	because everybody wins at that game.	20:07
	Everybody plays like that.	20:09
	This game of tit-for-tat retribution--	20:13
	who doesn't play that game well?	20:16
	And because everybody plays that game well,	20:19
	then everybody wins and, therefore, nobody wins.	20:23
	Jesus, in calling the losers winners and the winners losers,	20:28
	appears to be describing some sort of different game.	20:33
	I remember visiting in a kindergarten class	20:39
	in which the teacher excitedly showed me a game	20:43
	that the children were playing,	20:47
	and in the game a child stood about three feet away	20:49
	from this huge basket and attempted to throw	20:52
	large sponge balls into the basket.	20:55
	Well, of course, everyone was able	20:59
	to throw the ball into the basket.	21:03
	By the time I got there, the children	21:06
	appeared to be bored with the game.	21:08
	I said, "Everyone seems to be winning,"	21:11
	and the teacher, very self-satisfied:	21:15
	"Yes, yes, that's the point.	21:17
	"It's designed to help foster a positive self-image."	21:19
	Well, from what I could see, it was mainly	21:26
	fostering boredom in the children.	21:28
	Some of the children would now	21:30
	turn their backs to the basket	21:31
	and flip the ball over their shoulders.	21:33
	When they succeeded at that, other stood on their head	21:34
	and tried to throw the ball in.	21:37
	When everybody wins, it's really nothing to win.	21:39
	Jesus, in noting that the ethic of retribution	21:47
	comes quite naturally to everybody,	21:51
	invites us to play by the rules of a different game.	21:56
	You're not a winner if you've succeeded	22:02
	in a game that everybody knows how to play,	22:04
	where everybody is a born pro.	22:07
	I think, Jesus is attempting to dislodge us from our notions	22:11
	of what winning is and what the game is.	22:15
	What is the game?	22:21
	A friend of mine returned from the Soviet Union	22:24
	a few years ago and announced,	22:26
	"There's nobody in the churches over there	22:29
	"except for a few little old ladies."	22:31
	Well, after the events of the past couple of years,	22:36
	I think we are now better able to assess	22:38
	the significance of those few believing little old ladies.	22:42
	As things turned out, they really knew the score,	22:48
	more so than the folks up at the Kremlin	22:52
	or the University of Moscow.	22:55
	Mr. Lenin is gone.	22:58
	Mr. Gorbachev is gone.	23:01
	The little old ladies won.	23:05
	But what happened?	23:08
	In a 1978 essay, "The Power of the Powerless"	23:12
	"The Power of the Powerless", Vaclav Havel says that,	23:16
	"Communism always depended upon	23:22
	"massive popular acquiescence.	23:25
	"Not enough people were willing to say no.	23:30
	"Too many people were willing to make all of those	23:36
	"innumerable everyday gestures of consent,	23:39
	"by which a brutal system reinforced its image	23:43
	"as somehow eternally ordained,	23:49
	"scientifically constructed monolith.	23:52
	"But the monolith began to crumble	23:56
	"with unspectacular grassroots withdrawal of consent.	24:01
	"Ordinary people." says Havel,	24:08
	"in dozens of ordinary places, simply refused	24:10
	"further to participate in the Communist lie."	24:14
	They refused to play by the rules of a game	24:19
	they knew now was silly.	24:22
	Now Havel asked, "From whence came this	24:26
	"newfound courage to resist, to say no	24:29
	"to a massive time-honored tradition	24:33
	"of acquiescence and consent?"	24:36
	Havel says that the courage to resist,	24:38
	he believes, was largely religious in origin.	24:41
	The courage to say no came by people	24:46
	having been devastated by a more massive "yes",	24:50
	so that religion was able to subvert and overcome politics.	24:54
	In case you're keeping score,	25:01
	it's believing little old ladies one,	25:04
	and Lenin, Stalin, etcetera zero.	25:08
	We all know the world's game.	25:14
	We've played it from birth.	25:18
	The winners in this game get to go to the head of the class.	25:20
	They get to come to prestigious universities.	25:22
	They're allowed to sit in the boardrooms	25:25
	of big corporations.	25:27
	The losers, on the other hand,	25:29
	are warehoused in nursing homes,	25:31
	foster care, jails, shelters for the homeless.	25:33
	Now is that what Jesus wants, more losers,	25:41
	more children, and more women thrown overboard	25:47
	in this triage called a free economy?	25:50
	Hasn't there already been enough giving by the poor,	25:55
	enough cheek-turning by battered women,	26:00
	enough losing, without Jesus calling for even more losers?	26:04
	Are not the smart ones in this world,	26:10
	those who finally wake up and get a gun	26:13
	or at least a lawyer and get even?	26:16
	Are not the winners those people who finally get it	26:21
	through their brains that the rules of this world	26:24
	are those set up by Thomas Hobbes, not Jesus.	26:27
	That the game we're playing is called	26:31
	Social Darwinism, not the gospel.	26:33
	Well, here's what I think.	26:39
	Jesus has absolutely no stake	26:42
	in the production of more losers.	26:44
	There are victims enough without the gospel producing more.	26:49
	Rather, I think, that Jesus, through these words in Luke,	26:53
	is inviting us to participate in a very different game	26:56
	with different rules, and thereby to win.	27:00
	Terry Anderson.	27:06
	Terry Anderson had his life ripped off	27:09
	by a bunch of hooligans quoting	27:14
	high-sounding political slogans.	27:16
	They beat him, they kidnapped him, they abused him,	27:19
	they stole the best years of his life with his family.	27:24
	Note that Anderson was seized after our	27:30
	devastation of Beirut and bombing of Libya.	27:36
	But, of course, this is the way the world works.	27:41
	We bomb, they kidnap, but it's the same game.	27:43
	Now when Terry Anderson was at last made free,	27:48
	a reporter asked,	27:51
	"What would you like to see the U.S. do to your captors?	27:54
	"Would you like to see your captors	27:59
	"at last brought to justice and paid back?"	28:02
	Terry Anderson replied,	28:09
	"It's not what I'd like,	28:12
	"I'm a Catholic.	28:16
	"As a Christian, I'm commanded to forgive."	28:18
	Now I ask you, in that moment, was Terry Anderson a loser?	28:27
	Doesn't it all depend on what you think	28:34
	are the rules of the game?	28:36
	This summer here in Durham, two teenagers burned	28:40
	a couple of cars and a family's new home for a kick.	28:43
	When the youths were brought to trial,	28:49
	the judge said that, going by the rules,	28:52
	he ought to throw the book at them	28:54
	"and put them away in jail for good."	28:56
	But he asked the victimized families what they wanted,	29:00
	and they said that they would like something even more	29:03
	difficult to obtain than punishment.	29:06
	They would like change.	29:11
	So the judge acted in accordance with the families' wishes,	29:16
	and he sent the two boys back to school	29:21
	telling them, "You have just been given a new life."	29:25
	Now I ask you, in that trial, was that family the loser?	29:31
	Would you call them victims, or would you call them victors?	29:38
	I suppose it all depends on what you think	29:46
	the game is that we are playing.	29:49
	What is the name of the game?	29:53
	Love your enemies.	29:57
	Do good and lend, expecting nothing in return,	29:59
	and you will be called children of the Most High.	30:02
	For God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.	30:09
	Be merciful, even as your Father in Heaven	30:15
	has been merciful.	30:20
	I believe Jesus' words are an invitation	30:25
	to forsake the game that anybody can win	30:27
	for a more challenging contest.	30:31
	Everything hinges on your answer to the question:	30:35
	do you really believe that this is God's world or not?	30:39
	Do you really believe that God is alive,	30:43
	busy working to bring good out of evil, or not?	30:46
	Everything hinges on that question.	30:49
	Do you believe that the only game worth winning	30:51
	is the game of obedience to the reality of God?	30:56
	I hear Jesus saying,	31:01
	"You act this way simply because	31:05
	"this is reality, because this is God's way."	31:08
	You play by these rules for no better reason	31:13
	than that they happen to be God's rules.	31:16
	Or, as Terry Anderson put it,	31:21
	"It's not what I'd like.	31:24
	"I'm a Catholic, Christian.	31:27
	"I'm commanded to forgive."	31:30
	I believe the world is awaiting	31:36
	a few ordinary people,	31:40
	who withdraw their consent from the present system.	31:44
	I believe the world is awaiting a few ordinary people	31:47
	to believe Jesus.	31:51
	A few old ladies in Moscow,	31:54
	a family here in Durham,	31:57
	somebody running loose over at Gilbert Adams	31:59
	who plays by different rules, having gotten the notion	32:03
	that God's got a different game.	32:07
	Fred Craddock notes that Leviticus 19,	32:13
	Leviticus 19, one of the oldest portions in the Bible,	32:19
	Leviticus 19 says: You are not to curse anybody who is deaf.	32:23
	Why not?	32:31
	I mean, if he's deaf he can't hear you curse him.	32:34
	What does he care? Doesn't do him any harm.	32:36
	You are not to curse anybody who's deaf--who cares?	32:39
	Leviticus 19 gives answer:	32:43
	Because I am your God.	32:49
	You shall be holy.	32:54
	You're supposed to be like me.	33:00
	Our behavior, the rules under which we work,	33:03
	are not devised on the basis of what I want,	33:09
	or even on the basis of what my neighbor wants,	33:13
	but rather on the basis of who God is.	33:18
	He's kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.	33:24
	We know that.	33:30
	He's been kind to us,	33:32
	and we're supposed to act like that.	33:35
	So as you come to the Lord's table,	33:40
	I want you to think about that.	33:41
	I want you to look into that blood-red cup of wine.	33:43
	I want you to savor that broken body,	33:47
	and I want you to remember a God,	33:52
	who, by his life and death, showed us that	33:54
	God really is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.	33:57
	Do this.	34:03
	Do this in remembrance--	34:04
	we're not called to be losers.	34:06
	We are called to be powerful,	34:09
	world changing, revolutionary people.	34:12
	Like God, we can forgive.	34:16
Female	The Lord be with you.	34:32
Congregation	And also with you.	34:34
-	Let us pray.	34:35
	Merciful God, we come before you	34:44
	as an unmerciful people seeking your mercy.	34:49
	We have learned to live as the world teaches us	34:55
	by tit-for-tat rules of reward and punishment.	34:59
	We grasp tightly what is ours	35:04
	and share ourselves and our possessions	35:08
	with only the few we deem worthy,	35:11
	and we wonder why ours is a world torn apart	35:15
	by selfishness, suspicion, hatred, and violence.	35:20
	You sent your Son, Jesus the Christ,	35:29
	to show us a better way to live.	35:33
	We pray that you will speak to our	35:37
	fearful hearts torn apart by conflict,	35:39
	and open us to the way that leads to eternal life.	35:43
	Lord in your mercy.	35:49
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	35:51
-	Teach us to approach life with open arms	35:54
	and open hearts ready to share our possessions	35:57
	and our lives for the building of your kingdom	36:02
	and the uplifting of another.	36:05
	Lord in your mercy.	36:09
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	36:11
-	Teach us to trust in your promises	36:13
	when we encounter situations that cause us fear and doubt.	36:16
	When our natural inclination is fight or flight,	36:22
	give us courage to stand with Jesus,	36:26
	having confidence in your power to turn all things to good.	36:29
	Lord in your mercy.	36:36
Congregation	Hear our prayer	36:38
-	Teach us to reach out to those our world defines	36:40
	as losers, the poor, the sick, the imprisoned,	36:44
	the minority, the oppressed, the victimized, the powerless.	36:51
	Use us to upset the status quo	36:59
	as those who are last in the world's eyes	37:03
	become first in our concern.	37:06
	Lord in your mercy.	37:10
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	37:12
-	Teach us to forgive others as you forgive us,	37:15
	not out of worthiness but out of the abundance of your love.	37:19
	Help us return to those who have hurts us,	37:24
	and offer them our forgiveness,	37:28
	so that we too might be free to love.	37:31
	Lord in your mercy.	37:35
Congregation	Here our prayer.	37:37
-	Teach us to live by your rules,	37:39
	offering love instead of hate,	37:42
	blessing instead of cursing,	37:45
	prayer instead of abuse,	37:48
	non-violence instead of violence,	37:51
	selflessness instead of selfishness,	37:54
	good instead of evil,	37:58
	mercy instead of hardness.	38:01
	As we come to your communion table.	38:05
	Build us into a new community of love,	38:08
	that the world might see in us	38:12
	a new and better way to live.	38:14
	In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen.	38:17
	As a forgiven people, let us offer signs of forgiveness	38:24
	and reconciliation to one and other.	38:28
	Please stand as we share the peace.	38:30
	(congregation chatting)	38:35
	You may be seated.	38:56
	Freely we have received.	39:01
	Freely let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	39:03
	(lively organ music)	39:13
	(choir singing hymn joyfully)	40:25
	(gentle organ music)	42:13
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	43:52
	♪ Praise God all creatures here below ♪	43:58
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:04
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:07
	♪ Praise God, above ye heavenly host ♪	44:11
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	44:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:24
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:27
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:30
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	44:36
-	Let us join together in the prayer of thanksgiving.	44:51
	The Lord be with you.	44:57
Congregation	And also with you.	44:59
-	Lift up your hearts.	45:00
Congregation	We lift them unto the Lord.	45:02
-	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.	45:03
Congregation	It is right to give God thanks and praise.	45:05
-	Blessed are you Lord our God, our light and salvation.	45:08
	Before the mountains were brought forth,	45:12
	you had formed the Earth.	45:14
	You alone our God.	45:16
	And so with your people on Earth	45:19
	and all the company of Heaven we praise your name	45:21
	and join their unending hymn.	45:24
	(gentle organ music)	45:27
	(congregation and choir singing hymn)	45:49
	Truly holy are you, Father.	46:59
	In the fullness of time you revealed yourself	47:02
	in your blessed Son, Jesus Christ, the light of the world.	47:04
	In his table chip he identified with sinners.	47:09
	He preached good news to the poor	47:12
	and proclaimed release to the captives,	47:14
	recovering of sight to the blind.	47:15
	On the night his disciples betrayed and deserted him	47:18
	he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,	47:22
	gave it to his disciples and said,	47:25
	"Take, eat, this is my body given for you.	47:28
	"Do this in remembrance of me."	47:31
	When the supper was over, her took the cup,	47:34
	gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples and said,	47:36
	"Drink from this all of you.	47:39
	"This is the blood of the new covenant.	47:42
	"Poured out for you and many for the forgiveness of sins.	47:46
	"Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me."	47:48
	His presence is continued with his people	47:53
	as they have shared in the breaking of bread	47:56
	and the sharing of the cup.	47:59
	So in the remembrance of these	48:01
	your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,	48:03
	we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving	48:05
	as a living holy sacrifice in union with Christ's offering	48:08
	for us as we proclaim the mystery of faith.	48:12
	(gentle organ music)	48:16
	(congregation and choir singing hymn)	48:28
	Send the power your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts.	48:42
	That in the breaking of this bread	48:45
	and the drinking of this wine, we may know the presence	48:47
	of the living Christ, be one body in him,	48:49
	and look forward to his coming in final victory.	48:52
	Through him, with him in the unity of the Holy Spirit	48:55
	all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God now and forever.	48:58
	(gentle organ music)	49:03
	♪ Amen ♪	49:15
	♪ Amen ♪	49:18
	♪ Amen ♪	49:20
	♪ Amen ♪	49:23
Congregation	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	49:31
	hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come.	49:33
	Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.	49:37
	Give us this day our daily bread.	49:40
	Forgive us our trespasses	49:43
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	49:45
	and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.	49:48
	For thine is the kingdom, the power,	49:53
	and the glory forever, amen.	49:55
-	When we break the bread is it not a means of sharing	49:59
	in the body of Christ?	50:02
	When we give thanks over the cup,	50:05
	is it not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ.	50:07
	Come to the Lord's table.	50:12
	You're invited to join the choir in singing	50:15
	the first hymn that's listed in the bullet.	50:18
	(gentle organ music)	50:25
	(congregation and choir singing hymn)	50:50
	(gentle organ music)	53:02
	(choir singing softly)	56:05
	Stand for the benediction.	59:24
	Now may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	59:34
	the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,	59:37
	be with you now and always.	59:40
	♪ Amen ♪	59:47
	♪ Amen ♪	59:54
	♪ Amen ♪	1:00:01
	♪ Amen ♪	1:00:11
	(lively organ music)	1:00:27
	(congregation and choir singing hymn)	1:01:06
	(gentle organ music)	1:04:54

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "A Religion for Losers" (February 23, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: 16:09. Sermon end time: 34:21.
Jesus’ command of “loving your enemies” is not to produce losers and injustice, but is instead intended to change the rule of the world, a rule of competition and violence, with the power of forgiveness. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "Do you believe that the only game worth winning is the game of obedience to the reality of God?"

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4bz61p8b

Date:

February 23, 1992

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 6:27-36

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0270
ref9062_lmw
uachapelsermaud
duke:321413
dcrmv001259
ark:/87924/r4bz61p8b
cb801178-55c3-4de9-a222-cc39b2fde2b3

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 - "A Religion for Losers" (February 23, 1992)

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1. William H. Willimon - "A Religion for Losers" (February 23, 1992)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "A Religion for Losers" (February 23, 1992)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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