James W. Cox - "An Exclusive Love" (July 5, 1992)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP4
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4dj58x4j?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' loading='lazy' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4dj58x4j
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(bright orchestral music)	0:13
-	Good morning, welcome to the service of worship	3:36
	in Duke Chapel.	3:38
	It is our pleasure to welcome Dr. James Cox	3:40
	as our guest preacher today.	3:43
	He is also joined by his wife, Patty, his son, Ken,	3:44
	who is serving as the lector and six other family members.	3:49
	They're having something of a family reunion this weekend	3:53
	and we are glad his preaching here could serve	3:57
	as the occasion for such a joyous event.	3:59
	Dr. Cox is a professor	4:02
	at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary	4:05
	in Louisville, Kentucky, and is an internationally	4:07
	renowned author known for his books on homiletics.	4:10
	We invite you to greet Dr. Cox and his family	4:15
	in the north ex at the end of the service.	4:18
	Let me also call a couple of announcements	4:21
	to your attention.	4:23
	We are collecting canned goods for the Urban Ministry Center	4:24
	in the north ex this Sunday	4:28
	and every first Sunday of the month.	4:29
	Also, because of an unexpected delay in the completion	4:33
	of the Flentrop organ, the post lewd will be played	4:36
	on the aeolian organ and will be the first movement	4:40
	of the third organ sonata of Felix Mendelssohn.	4:43
	Let us now continue our worship with a greeting.	4:47
	Please stand.	4:50
-	God hears our voices in the morning and hearkens	4:57
	to the sound of our cries.	5:01
Congregation	(mumbles) God for worship,	5:04
	(mumbles) the eyes of God.	5:07
-	God knows the intentions of our hearts and is not deceived	5:11
	by actions that seem noble.	5:16
Congregation	We are now fearful (mumbles)	5:19
	and the glory (mumbles) Jesus.	5:24
-	God pours out steadfast love in abundance	5:27
	and leads us in the ways of righteousness.	5:30
Congregation	We are humbled to hear God's (mumbles).	5:34
	(organ music)	5:42
	♪ All have ♪	6:18
	(organ music drowning out singing)	6:20
	Let us pray.	9:51
	Oh gracious God, you are here, waiting for us.	9:59
	Before we ever thought of trying to find you,	10:06
	you came to meet us.	10:11
	We're entering a treasured ritual now.	10:14
	It may out of habit, it may be that someone	10:18
	forced us to come here.	10:22
	It may be that we are hungry or wistful.	10:25
	It may be that we are in pain.	10:29
	For whatever reason, we are here.	10:33
	Capture our minds and hearts and wills,	10:37
	so that we may worship you honestly and meet you truly	10:42
	in the spirit of Christ, amen.	10:48
	You may be seated.	10:52
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	11:02
All	Open our hearts and minds oh God, by the power	11:07
	of your holy spirit so that as the word is read	11:12
	and proclaimed, we might hear with joy	11:16
	what you say to us this day, amen.	11:20
-	The first reading is taken from the book of First Kings,	11:25
	the 21st chapter starting with the first verse.	11:29
	Later, the following events took place.	11:34
	Naboth, the Jezreelite, had a vineyard in Jezreel,	11:38
	beside the palace of king Ahab of Sumeria.	11:42
	And Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard	11:46
	"so that I may have it for a vegetable garden	11:50
	"because it is near my house.	11:53
	"I will give you a better vineyard for it, or, if it seems	11:56
	"good to you, I will give you its value and money."	12:00
	But Naboth said to Ahab "The lord forbid that I should	12:05
	"give you my ancestral inheritance."	12:09
	Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite,	12:13
	saying "Go down to meet king Ahab of Israel	12:16
	"who rules in Sumeria.	12:20
	"He is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone	12:23
	"to take possession.	12:26
	"You shall say to him, 'Thus says the Lord,	12:28
	"'Have you killed and also taken possession?'	12:33
	"You shall say to him, 'Thus says the Lord in the place	12:36
	"'Where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also	12:40
	"'Lick up your blood.'	12:45
	Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, oh my enemy?"	12:48
	He answered "I have found you because you have sold yourself	12:53
	"to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.	12:58
	"I will bring disaster on you.	13:01
	"I will consume you and will cut off from Ahab	13:04
	"every male, bond or free, in Israel."	13:08
	This is the word of the Lord.	13:13
Congregation	Praise be to God.	13:16
-	The psalm this morning is psalm five,	13:35
	verses one through eight, found on page 742	13:37
	of your hymnal.	13:41
	Please rise and sing responsively.	13:42
	(organ music)	13:49
	♪ Give ear to my words, oh Lord ♪	13:59
	♪ Give heed to my groaning ♪	14:03
	♪ (mumbles) Listen to the sound of my cry, ♪	14:09
	(organ drowning out singing)	14:14
	♪ Oh Lord, in the morning you hear my voice ♪	14:23
	♪ In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you, and watch ♪	14:28
	(organ drowning out singing)	14:36
	♪ The boastful may not stand before your eyes ♪	14:49
	♪ You hate all evildoers ♪	14:54
	♪ You destroy those who speak lies ♪	15:01
	♪ The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful ♪	15:06
	♪ But through the abundance of your steadfast love ♪	15:13
	♪ I will enter your house ♪	15:19
	♪ (mumbles) your holy temple ♪	15:24
	♪ I will worship you in awe ♪	15:28
	♪ Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness ♪	15:34
	♪ Because of my enemies ♪	15:37
	♪ Make your way straight before me ♪	15:42
	♪ Oh glory be to you, creator ♪	15:48
	♪ And to Jesus Christ, our savior ♪	15:51
	(organ drowning out singing)	15:55
	♪ As it was 'ere time began ♪	16:03
	(organ drowning out singing)	16:09
-	This reading is from the gospel according to Saint Luke.	16:29
	Chapter 10, beginning with the first verse.	16:33
	After this, the lord appointed 70 others and sent them on	16:38
	ahead of him in pairs to every town and place	16:42
	where he himself intended to go.	16:46
	He said to them "The harvest is plentiful,	16:49
	"but the laborers are few.	16:54
	"Therefore, ask the lord of the harvest to send out	16:57
	"laborers into his harvest.	17:01
	"Go on your way.	17:04
	"See, I am sending you out like lambs	17:06
	"into the midst of wolves.	17:09
	"Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one	17:11
	"on the road.	17:16
	"Whatever house you enter, first say 'Peace to this house.'	17:18
	"And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace	17:24
	"will rest on that person.	17:28
	"But if not, it will return to you.	17:31
	"Remain in the same house, eating and drinking	17:34
	"whatever they provide, for the laborer	17:37
	"deserves to be paid.	17:40
	"Do not move about from house to house.	17:42
	"Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you,	17:46
	"eat what is set before you.	17:49
	"Cure the sick who are there and say to them	17:52
	"'The kingdom of god has come near to you.'	17:56
	"But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you,	18:00
	"go out into its streets and say 'Even the dust of your town	18:04
	"'that clings to our feet,	18:08
	"'we wipe off in protest against you.	18:11
	"'Yet know this, the kingdom of God has come near.'	18:15
	"I tell you, on that day, it will be more tolerable	18:19
	"for Sodom than for that town."	18:22
	The 70 returned with joy, saying "Lord, in your name,	18:27
	"even the demons submit to us."	18:31
	He said to them "I watched Satan fall from heaven	18:33
	"like a flash of lightning.	18:37
	"See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes	18:39
	"and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy,	18:43
	"and nothing will hurt you.	18:47
	"Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits	18:50
	"submit to you, but rejoice	18:53
	"that your names are written in Heaven."	18:56
	This is the word of the Lord.	18:59
Congregation	Praise be to God.	19:02
	(single organ note ringing out)	19:34
	♪ God (mumbles) ♪	19:43
	♪ his holy song I love to sing ♪	19:51
	♪ That all who in him believe ♪	19:58
	♪ Should (mumbles) receive ♪	20:05
	♪ (mumbles) life receive ♪	20:12
	♪ To us (mumbles) all who (mumbles) ♪	20:20
	♪ God moves my hand (mumbles) his son (mumbles) ♪	20:43
	♪ His (mumbles) word beseech, (mumbles) reach ♪	20:58
	♪ If you are (mumbles), this too (mumbles) ♪	21:14
	♪ (mumbles) saved a soul undead, let his (mumbles) ♪	21:30
	♪ Glory to God, (mumbles) and holy spirit (mumbles) ♪	21:45
	♪ You are blessed (mumbles), be raised (mumbles) ♪	22:00
-	I'm grateful for this opportunity to come and share	22:58
	a service of worship with you again, and particularly	23:01
	grateful for the gracious invitation of my friend	23:06
	Will Willimon, who has contributed to several of the	23:11
	things that I have edited and written	23:16
	and who has made such	23:20
	an outstanding contribution to the Christian world	23:22
	and continues to do that.	23:26
	I'm grateful also for the kind attention and hospitality	23:28
	of Deborah Brazel	23:33
	and to Mrs. Daryl Heart,	23:37
	a longtime friend of our family.	23:40
	And I'm grateful that several members of my family are here.	23:43
	This makes me feel good because it relieves me	23:49
	of some anxiety as to whether there will be anyone present	23:52
	when I am conducting a service.	23:56
	So thank you, family, for that, and thank you, Ken,	23:59
	for reading the scripture.	24:03
	Will you hear the word of God as it's found in the Epistle	24:08
	selection in the sixth chapter of Galatians, beginning	24:11
	at the first verse?	24:16
	The apostle Paul writes, "My friends, if anyone is detected	24:19
	"in a transgression, you who have received the spirit	24:25
	"should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.	24:30
	"Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.	24:35
	"Bear one another's burdens and in this way, you will	24:39
	"fulfill the law of Christ.	24:43
	"For if those are nothing think they are something,	24:47
	"they deceive themselves.	24:50
	"All must test their own work, then that work, rather than	24:53
	"their neighbor's work will become a cause for pride.	24:58
	"For all must carry their own loads	25:02
	"Those who are taught the word must share in all good things	25:06
	"with their teacher.	25:10
	"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for you reap	25:12
	"whatever you sow.	25:17
	"If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption	25:19
	"from the flesh, but if you sow to the spirit,	25:23
	"you will reap eternal life from the spirit.	25:27
	"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right,	25:32
	"for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up."	25:37
	"So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work	25:43
	"for the good of all and especially for those	25:49
	"of the family of faith."	25:53
	This is the word of God.	25:56
Congregation	Praise be to God.	25:59
-	By his own admission, Paul was something	26:04
	of a self-contradiction.	26:07
	A kind of spiritual oxymoron.	26:10
	"When I want to do good," he said,	26:14
	"evil lies close at hand."	26:17
	Today, anyone here may think I know what the apostle	26:21
	was writing about.	26:27
	I believe I want to do what is right and enjoy some of the	26:29
	inner peace that some Christians say that I can have,	26:33
	but I live in a zoo of animal hungers and urges.	26:38
	Well, to one degree or another, that is the human	26:44
	situation, isn't it?	26:47
	To put it another way, the pull of gravity seems stronger	26:50
	than our ability to soar.	26:55
	That zoo of animal instincts	26:58
	and Earth hugging gravitational	27:03
	pull is what the apostle called the flesh,	27:07
	or as some have translated it, our lower nature.	27:12
	The old rabbis talked and wrote about two instincts	27:18
	or principles in human experience	27:24
	basic to our existence.	27:27
	They call them the (foreign language)	27:30
	and the (foreign language), the good principle	27:36
	and the bad principle, or evil principle.	27:40
	And it seems that the two	27:43
	are locked in an unending struggle.	27:46
	Of course, some have made peace with temptation,	27:51
	like the man who said that the way he overcame temptation	27:55
	was by yielding to it.	27:58
	And we have to admit it, for some people, that may end	28:01
	the struggle for a while, but as the apostle put it,	28:05
	"You reap whatever you sow."	28:12
	The wise old philosopher psychologist William James	28:16
	observed that the sinner excuses himself	28:20
	for every fresh dereliction	28:24
	by saying I won't count this time.	28:28
	Well, James said, "He may not count it and a kind Heaven	28:31
	"may not count it, but it is being counted	28:36
	all the same."	28:41
	Down among his nerve cells and fibers,	28:44
	the molecules	28:48
	are counting it, registering it and storing it up	28:50
	to be used when the next temptation comes.	28:54
	Our problem is not that we have temptations.	28:58
	We all have them.	29:02
	Our problem is how we're going to sort out and manage	29:04
	what is going on inside us and around us.	29:08
	Do we want something more, something better,	29:13
	than what our baser instincts promise	29:17
	and are able to deliver?	29:21
	Do we want something more than what an intimidating majority	29:24
	or a bellowing minority will promise and be able to deliver?	29:30
	Sometimes we're confused, for there are those that would	29:36
	have us believe that all of our human desires	29:39
	and even enjoyment of good food are sinful.	29:44
	People who seem to be afflicted with a kind	29:48
	of moral anorexia that makes them	29:51
	suspicious of anything	29:55
	that would delight the senses.	29:58
	Our apostle friend Paul found a way, the way,	30:02
	I would suggest, out of his dilemma.	30:07
	"Wretched man that I am," he exclaimed, "Who will rescue	30:10
	"me from this body of death?"	30:16
	Then he answered his own question with another exclamation.	30:19
	"Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, our lord."	30:24
	That sounds good in promising, doesn't it?	30:29
	Well, how does it happen?	30:32
	Now let me confess that there are some aspects of my	30:35
	sermon text that I would just as soon avoid.	30:37
	I'm a bit like the little boy sitting with a circle of kids	30:42
	during children's time in the worship service.	30:46
	The pastor with eager anticipation written on his face	30:51
	asks the children what they like best about church.	30:56
	One little bit boy belted out "Going home!"	31:00
	Some of us feel something like that when we confront	31:05
	or are confronted by certain biblical texts.	31:09
	We want to get out of there and away from it	31:12
	as quickly as possible.	31:14
	Well, I don't like to think about the consequences	31:18
	of the questionable things that I or my friends may think	31:21
	or say or do, yet because of this very tendency	31:26
	in most people,	31:32
	I point out to my students in preaching that	31:34
	one of the great values in preaching	31:37
	on a biblical text from	31:41
	the lectionary or preaching straight through a book	31:43
	of the Bible	31:46
	is that we are compelled to face a text	31:49
	that judges us, that calls into question what we are,	31:53
	what we do, or where we're going.	31:58
	A text that lays demands on us that we too easily	32:02
	and with a forethought may avoid or overlook.	32:07
	However, when it comes to sowing and reaping, you and I	32:12
	can take our choice of consequences.	32:15
	Sooner or later, as the proverb has it, sooner or later,	32:19
	every one of us sits down to a banquet of consequences.	32:24
	Now, if we don't like to think about the dire results	32:30
	of what we do as motivation for doing better,	32:33
	then we can focus on the positive outcome	32:38
	of a better way of living.	32:42
	When you consider where your decisions and your actions	32:45
	may carry you, which set of consequences	32:49
	appeals to you more?	32:53
	The apostle wrote, now listen to what he had to say here.	32:55
	"Now the works of the flesh are obvious" and let me say	32:59
	as he lists them, they're ominous, too.	33:04
	Fornication, impurity, licentiousness,	33:07
	idolatry, sorcery,	33:11
	enmities, strife, jealousy, anger,	33:14
	quarrels, dissensions,	33:19
	factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing,	33:21
	and things like these.	33:26
	Now, I can't imagine anyone saying hallelujah to that,	33:28
	but the apostle had another list.	33:33
	See how this sounds to you.	33:36
	"By contrast," he says, "By contrast, the fruit	33:38
	"of the spirit is love, joy,	33:42
	peace, patience, kindness,	33:46
	"generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."	33:49
	There is no law, he says, against these things.	33:55
	I have to admit that what Paul said in the first list	34:01
	is true, painfully true, and I need to face	34:04
	that painful truth, but I am drawn, I am drawn	34:08
	by that second list.	34:13
	If these are the options, then we can understand why Paul	34:15
	said "Live by the spirit, I say, and do not gratify	34:19
	"the desires of the flesh."	34:24
	Now, what is at stake here is the fact, the simple and	34:27
	undeniable fact that as the text puts it,	34:31
	you reap whatever you sow.	34:35
	Take a good look at this business of sowing and reaping.	34:40
	Consider the fact that we actually do reap what others sow,	34:43
	not just what we sow.	34:49
	Forget for the moment that our ancestors may have spent us	34:52
	in many ways into near bankruptcy, morally, economically,	34:55
	and environmentally, although it's hard for some of us	35:01
	to forget that even for a moment because the issues	35:06
	are so great, but try to forget for the moment.	35:09
	Think about what you have reaped of faith and hope	35:13
	and love because of that long train of believers	35:17
	through the centuries.	35:21
	Monica and her son saint Augustine,	35:23
	Luther and his wife Katherine.	35:28
	Susanna Wesley and her sons John and Charles.	35:32
	John Bunyan, Lottie Moon,	35:37
	your parents and teachers	35:41
	and pastors and friends, think of all of these people.	35:43
	In the words of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews,	35:49
	time would fail to tell of all of the persons whose	35:52
	influences have helped us to believe, to live with	35:57
	expectations of blessings from God	36:02
	in spite of all evidence to the contrary.	36:06
	To understand and love others with something of the same	36:10
	grace that we ourselves have received.	36:14
	Now, I said that time would fail to tell of all persons	36:20
	who have influenced us for God and for good,	36:24
	but I must tell you a bit more	36:29
	in detail of one such person,	36:32
	John Albert Broadus.	36:36
	This man was one of the founders of the Southern Baptist	36:38
	Theological Seminary where I have taught	36:41
	for the past 32 years.	36:45
	In 1870, he published	36:48
	what is regarded as a classic in homiletics.	36:53
	A treaties on the preparation and delivery of sermons.	36:57
	And this book is still in print.	37:02
	I suppose it has not been out of print since it first	37:05
	came out in 1870.	37:07
	It is ironic that this most famous and useful book	37:11
	of its kind had to be subsidized by Dr. Broadus	37:15
	when it was first published.	37:19
	After the civil war,	37:23
	when the south was devastated and the	37:27
	future of the young seminary was in doubt, John Broadus	37:30
	met with other founders of the seminary, just a small group,	37:34
	perhaps to close the school or perhaps to chart	37:40
	its fragile future.	37:44
	After all had been said in their discussion together,	37:47
	on that very significant day, John Broadus said	37:51
	"Let us here quietly resolve that the seminary may die,	37:56
	"but we will die first."	38:02
	I and the thousands of students who have attended our school	38:06
	and others, others who have used his books,	38:10
	are the beneficiaries of a commitment of these founders,	38:15
	of their lives, their fortunes, and of their sacred honor.	38:21
	We are still reaping what Broadus and his colleagues sowed	38:26
	and I should say also that in his textbook, Broadus	38:31
	reaped what others sowed also, for he brought	38:36
	into the service of preaching the rhetorical insights	38:40
	of Aristotle, Quintillion,	38:44
	Cicero,	38:50
	of Augustine, Chrysostom, and Fénelon.	38:53
	Whenever I teach or preach, I'm indebted to so many,	38:59
	a few of them known, must of them unknown.	39:04
	The ancient church at Corinth had several rival factions,	39:09
	each of them no doubt claiming or at least hoping	39:13
	for some special favor with God.	39:17
	The apostle Paul deplored the situation and he went so far	39:21
	as to repudiate the adulation of himself by those who	39:26
	invoked his own name for their special splinter group.	39:30
	He asked "Is Christ divided?"	39:35
	Then he said	39:39
	"I planted a palace, watered,	39:41
	"but God gave the growth."	39:47
	If anything out to make us grateful and humble	39:50
	at the same time, this is it,	39:53
	that we can do important things, but in the end,	39:56
	their success is in the hands of God, and it is not	40:02
	necessarily the big, famous names that deserve	40:07
	the most credit for what God makes happen.	40:10
	Several years ago, I sat with a circle of students to talk	40:14
	informally with a noted church historian	40:18
	Kenneth Scott Latourette of Yale.	40:22
	Dr. Latourette discussed many significant facts	40:25
	and personalities in the history of the church,	40:29
	but he rather shocked us when he said "The real makers	40:34
	"of church history were not the popes and bishops	40:39
	"and preachers, but people like the deacon	40:43
	who gets up "on a wintry Sunday morning	40:48
	and goes down to the little "country church	40:51
	and builds a fire so the auditorium	40:54
	"can be warm for the worshipers who will come later.	40:58
	"Or like the young woman	41:03
	who sings in all of the funerals	41:07
	"in the community to give comfort to those in grief.	41:12
	"These," he said, "are the real makers of church history	41:19
	"and they ought to be recorded in the books	41:23
	"that tell the story, but unfortunately,	41:25
	"we don't know their names."	41:28
	How true it is.	41:32
	How true it is that we reap what others sow and the list	41:34
	of our benefactors goes on endlessly.	41:39
	And it is sobering to consider	41:43
	we reap exactly what we sow	41:46
	in kind but not necessarily in amount.	41:50
	Eventually, but not necessarily immediately.	41:54
	The text says,	41:59
	and this makes us cringe, doesn't it?	42:02
	If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption	42:06
	from the flesh.	42:09
	But then, the apostle goes on to say something	42:12
	that gives us hope and encouragement.	42:16
	But if you sow to the spirit, you will reap eternal life	42:19
	from the spirit. Now what does this imply?	42:23
	For one thing, it shouts a ringing imperative to us.	42:26
	Don't be stupid, don't be a fool.	42:32
	The Bible has many words in the Hebrew and the Greek	42:36
	that can be translated with the word sin, but the Book	42:39
	of Proverbs suggests one powerful word	42:44
	that in so many cases	42:50
	could stand for the word sin.	42:53
	The word stupidity.	42:57
	No fewer than 59 times in the Book of Proverbs	43:00
	we find the word fool	43:06
	in the effort of the compiler of the proverbs	43:11
	to deliver us from not evil, but stupidity.	43:16
	What would you call a habit that would shorten your life?	43:22
	Well, you could call it sin, but you could just as well	43:27
	and perhaps it would make more sense to some of us	43:32
	to call it stupidity.	43:35
	What would you call a relationship	43:38
	that would destroy your family?	43:40
	Sin or stupidity or both?	43:43
	What would you call an act that would give you	43:47
	an incurable disease?	43:49
	Would you call that sin	43:53
	or would you call that stupidity?	43:56
	Well, that gives us pause, doesn't it?	44:00
	To think like that.	44:02
	But you and I can take courage, for God is the god	44:05
	of the impossible, God can change the kind of harvest	44:09
	that we seem destined to reap because of our stupidities.	44:13
	After all, the gospel that Paul proclaimed was good news	44:18
	and is good news.	44:23
	I hardly need to tell you who Charles Colson is,	44:26
	one of the Watergate conspirators.	44:30
	He has been founder and president of Prison Fellowship.	44:34
	A few years ago, I heard Colson speak	44:41
	in a Louisville church.	44:45
	After telling of his conversion, he said, and these are	44:47
	exact words that I took from a tape of his message.	44:51
	He said "I can stand here today, 15 years later,"	44:56
	that is to say after Watergate and so forth,	45:01
	"I can stand here today, 15 years later, and tell you	45:05
	"that I am more certain today of the reality of Jesus Christ	45:08
	"than I am of my own life.	45:13
	"My faith has deepened with every passing day.	45:16
	"I wouldn't trade the worst day of the last 15 years	45:20
	"and that includes seven months in prison and the time	45:26
	"in serious surgery for cancer a year ago when I wondered	45:30
	"if my life was slipping away.	45:35
	"I wouldn't trade the worst day of the last 15 years	45:37
	"for the best day of the 40 years that went before it."	45:41
	This was the witness	45:48
	of someone to whom something happened	45:53
	because of the good news of Jesus Christ.	45:56
	I thank God that the apparently unstoppable process	45:59
	of sowing and reaping can be changed so that we do not	46:03
	have to reap all that we have sown.	46:08
	We can reap better than what we have sown.	46:11
	We can reap more than we have sown and all to the good.	46:15
	Possibly you've wondered what the title of my sermon,	46:21
	An Exclusive Love, had to do with this sermon.	46:24
	Well, just this.	46:28
	When we being to follow the spirit, that is to say	46:30
	the promptings of God,	46:35
	those wonderful leadings of God	46:38
	in line with what, in our heart of hearts, for many reasons	46:41
	we know to be right.	46:45
	When we do that, the pull of destructive desires	46:48
	becomes weaker and weaker.	46:52
	We experience what someone called	46:55
	the expulsive power of a new affection.	47:00
	What saint Augustine said begins to make sense.	47:06
	Love God and to do as you please.	47:10
	For as the apostle argues, if you are guided by the spirit,	47:15
	you will not fulfill the desires of your lower nature.	47:20
	Remember, if you sow to the spirit,	47:25
	you will reap eternal life from the spirit	47:30
	and a lot of other good things too,	47:36
	for Jesus Christ our Lord said "I am come that they	47:38
	"might have life and have it in abundance."	47:42
	Thanks be to God, amen.	47:47
	(organ music)	47:55
	(organ drowning out singing)	48:41
	♪ Through the (mumbles) ♪	49:30
	(organ drowning out singing)	49:37
Preacher	The lord be with you.	52:05
Congregation	And also with you.	52:08
-	Let us pray.	52:09
	Eternal Christ who came that we might know abundant life,	52:20
	we bow before you in humility, filled with the awareness	52:26
	of what we have sown.	52:32
	Yet we also stand before you in wondrous hope,	52:34
	amazed at what we have reaped through your love for us.	52:39
	Merciful God, we ask forgiveness for our callous actions	52:45
	toward you, our brothers and sisters, and your creation.	52:50
	We have sown weeds of greed and corruption in our personal	52:57
	and corporate lives.	53:02
	Racism and hate toward anyone	53:04
	we define as different from us.	53:07
	Exploitation of this planet and each other to satisfy	53:10
	our selfish desires.	53:15
	Abuse of our most precious resource,	53:18
	the children of the world.	53:21
	Deceitfulness and broken promises in our relationships.	53:24
	Indifference to the needs of our neighbors.	53:30
	Fear of anyone or anything that threatens our sense	53:34
	of security and worth.	53:40
	These are a few of the seeds of inequity we have sown	53:43
	and you know the other ones we name before you	53:48
	in our hearts.	53:51
	We know that we deserve to reap the consequences	53:55
	of our actions and in many ways, our world, our nation,	53:58
	our communities, and our homes are a reflection	54:05
	of our sinfulness.	54:10
	Yet, dear God, we are grateful that what we sow is not	54:13
	all that we reap, for you have given us a redeemer	54:18
	who desires to change our seeds of inequity into seeds	54:23
	of grace and love.	54:28
	We give thanks that through Christ Jesus our lord, you have	54:32
	given us the power to change seeds of greed into generosity,	54:37
	hate into love, exploitation into respectful care,	54:43
	abuse into nurturing kindness, deceit into honesty,	54:51
	indifference into compassion, and fear into trust.	54:59
	We also give thanks for all those who have sown seeds	55:07
	of love and hope in our lives.	55:11
	For those who have nurtured us, cared for us,	55:14
	shared their faith with us and given us compassion	55:19
	and understanding when we needed it most.	55:23
	We give thanks for all those who have gone before us	55:28
	in life, who help create the benefits that we have reaped,	55:31
	though we did not sow them.	55:36
	How can we express our gratitude for all the good things	55:39
	we have been given, though we did not earn them	55:43
	or deserve them?	55:46
	Help us, lord, become sowers of your spirit and your will	55:50
	in the world.	55:54
	Use our lives to sow seeds of love and grace, both now	55:56
	and for generations to come.	56:01
	Teach us to bare one another's burdens.	56:05
	Build us into the kind of community of faith that will be	56:09
	a sign to the world of your love embodied in our lives.	56:13
	For we pray in the name of Christ who redeems us	56:18
	and gives us so much more than we sow.	56:23
	Amen.	56:28
	Let us give of the benefits we have reaped that we might	56:32
	truly bear one another's burdens.	56:35
	(crowd rustling)	56:45
	(bright music)	57:11
	♪ Days of joy (mumbles) season ♪	57:30
	♪ Holy wings of God most high ♪	57:43
	♪ Oh mighty (mumbles) sign ♪	58:08
	♪ So to the (mumbles) ♪	58:21
	♪ Good (mumbles) as one ♪	58:49
	♪ (mumbles) give us some ♪	59:04
	♪ Shining send to (mumbles) ♪	59:19
	♪ So reap (mumbles) ♪	59:32
	♪ Who are (mumbles) inside ♪	1:00:10
	♪ Oh, God be in so (mumbles) ♪	1:00:22
	♪ (mumbles) holy visions of light ♪	1:00:47
	♪ Sleeping (mumbles) blessings ♪	1:01:00
	♪ As is beauty (mumbles) measure ♪	1:01:27
	♪ Blessings receive (mumbles) treasure ♪	1:01:42
	♪ God is (mumbles) be high ♪	1:01:57
	♪ In all (mumbles) ♪	1:02:11
	(organ music)	1:03:05
	(organ drowning out singing)	1:03:40
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:03:53
	(organ drowning out singing)	1:04:01
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:04:20
	Let us pray.	1:04:39
	We have heard your voice, oh God, and are compelled to give	1:04:42
	from the rich abundance you entrust to us.	1:04:46
	We seek to do good to all people, to labor in the harvest,	1:04:50
	to sow seeds of love and grace.	1:04:55
	Use our gifts and our lives, oh lord, for the building	1:04:59
	of your kingdom that all people may know the love of Christ	1:05:04
	through our witness, amen.	1:05:09
	Let us pray together as Jesus taught us.	1:05:13
	Our father who art in heaven,	1:05:17
All	hallowed be thy name.	1:05:20
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	1:05:22
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	1:05:25
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:05:28
	and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those	1:05:31
	who trespass against us.	1:05:35
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,	1:05:37
	for thine is the kingdom and the power	1:05:42
	and the glory forever, amen.	1:05:46
-	Go forth now into the world to sow seeds of God's	1:05:51
	grace and love, in the name of God the creator,	1:05:54
	the redeemer, and the sustainer.	1:05:59
	♪ Hallelujah, amen, amen ♪	1:06:08
	(organ music)	1:06:19
	♪ (mumbles) our service ♪	1:07:05
	(organ drowning out singing)	1:07:11
	♪ Through the (mumbles), trust the savior ♪	1:07:17
	♪ (mumbles) perfectly ♪	1:07:23
	♪ Bring a son (mumbles) worship ♪	1:07:29
	♪ Of (mumbles) ♪	1:07:35
	♪ (mumbles) craving to the (mumbles) ♪	1:07:40
	♪ And (mumbles) become ♪	1:07:46
	♪ See my children (mumbles) ♪	1:07:54
	♪ Still (mumbles) ♪	1:08:00
	♪ Still it brings (mumbles) ♪	1:08:12
	♪ As the Lord (mumbles) here we (mumbles) ♪	1:08:19
	♪ (mumbles) savior (mumbles) ♪	1:08:36
	♪ As we worship, let us (mumbles) ♪	1:08:45
	♪ He is silent, ever (mumbles) ♪	1:08:57
	♪ If he comes (mumbles) praise (mumbles) purpose ♪	1:09:09
	♪ (mumbles), carry us (mumbles) ♪	1:09:21
	♪ (mumbles) glory (mumbles) become ♪	1:09:36
	♪ (mumbles) angel, loving (mumbles) leads to joy ♪	1:09:48
	♪ (mumbles) as (mumbles) words (mumbles) ♪	1:10:01
	♪ As the (mumbles) ♪	1:10:14
	(organ music)	1:10:37

Item Info

Title:

James W. Cox - "An Exclusive Love" (July 5, 1992)

Description:

The Apostle Paul teaches us from Galatians that, in the life of faith, we reap what we sow. If we sow seeds of immorality, we will reap destruction; and if we sow seeds of charity, we will reap the fruit of the spirit. Yet, even in the truth of this logic, God is gracious and powerful to transform us and to give us a better harvest than we deserve. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 26:04. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 47:52.
Key quotation: “But you and I can take courage, for God is the God of the impossible. God can change the kind of harvest that we seem destined to reap because of our stupidities.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4dj58x4j

Date:

July 5, 1992

Speaker:

Cox, James William, 1923-

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0287
ref9120_cea
uachapelsermaud
duke:321356
dcrmv001274
ark:/87924/r4dj58x4j
fee50634-2f27-49f1-a38d-2d60cedd266a

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

James W. Cox - "An Exclusive Love" (July 5, 1992)

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options