Dennis M. Campbell - Sermon Untitled (October 18, 1992)

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	♪ For mine eyes ♪	0:01
	♪ Have seen thy salvation ♪	0:08
	♪ Which thou hast prepared ♪	0:19
	♪ Before the face of all people ♪	0:31
	♪ All people to give ♪	0:41
	♪ A light to lighten the Gentiles ♪	0:48
	♪ And the glory of thy people ♪	0:59
	♪ Israel ♪	1:12
	♪ Glory be ♪	1:27
	♪ To the Father ♪	1:38
	♪ And to the Son ♪	1:49
	♪ And to the Holy Ghost ♪	1:54
	♪ As it was in the beginning ♪	2:09
	♪ Is now, and ever shall be ♪	2:18
	♪ World without end ♪	2:30
	♪ Amen ♪	2:38
-	I was glad when they said unto me,	7:58
	let us go into the house of the Lord and worship.	7:59
	This house always makes my heart glad	8:03
	and I hope it does yours this very beautiful day.	8:06
	Our worship today will be led in preaching	8:10
	by the reverend Dr. Dennis Campbell	8:12
	who is dean of our own Divinity School.	8:14
	It will be led in music by Dr. Rossman at the organ	8:17
	and by the Alamance Chorale whom we have already heard.	8:20
	There are several announcements in your bulletin,	8:25
	to which I call your attention.	8:27
	But let me remind you, that one week from today,	8:29
	at 5:00 pm, there will be a special concert	8:31
	on the university Caroline, by Mr. Sam Penham	8:35
	to celebrate the restoration of the Caroline.	8:39
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	8:46
Congregation	And also with you.	8:50
-	The risen Christ is with us.	8:51
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	8:53
	(imposing organ music)	8:56
	♪ Come, Christians, join to sing ♪	9:24
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	9:28
	♪ Loud praise to Christ our King ♪	9:33
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	9:37
	♪ Let all, with heart and voice ♪	9:42
	♪ Before his throne rejoice ♪	9:46
	♪ Praise is his gracious choice ♪	9:51
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	9:55
	♪ Come, lift your hearts on high ♪	10:02
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	10:07
	♪ Let praises fill the sky ♪	10:11
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	10:16
	♪ He is our Guide and Friend ♪	10:20
	♪ To us he'll condescend ♪	10:25
	♪ His love shall never end ♪	10:30
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	10:34
	♪ Praise yet our Christ again ♪	10:41
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	10:46
	♪ Life shall not end the strain ♪	10:50
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	10:55
	♪ On heaven's blissful shore ♪	11:00
	♪ His goodness we'll adore ♪	11:04
	♪ Singing forevermore ♪	11:09
	♪ Alleluia, amen ♪	11:14
-	Let us pray.	11:23
	Almighty and everlasting God,	11:25
	in Christ You have revealed Your glory among the nations.	11:27
	Preserve the works of Your mercy.	11:32
	That Your church throughout the world	11:34
	may persevere with steadfast faith	11:36
	in the confession of Your name through Jesus Christ	11:39
	our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.	11:42
	One God, forever and ever, amen.	11:46
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	12:02
All	Open our hearts and minds oh God.	12:07
	By the power of Your Holy Spirit.	12:10
	So that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	12:13
	we might hear with joy what You say to us this day.	12:17
	Amen.	12:21
-	This reading is from the prophet Habakkuk.	12:24
	Selected verses from chapters one and two.	12:27
	"The oracle that the prophet, Habakkuk saw.	12:31
	"Oh Lord how long shall I cry out for help	12:35
	"and You will not listen.	12:38
	"Or cry to you violence and You will not save.	12:40
	"Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble?	12:46
	"Destruction and violence are before me,	12:50
	"strife and contention arise.	12:53
	"I will stand at my watch post	12:57
	"and station myself on the rampart.	13:00
	"I will keep watch to see what He will say to me,	13:03
	"and what He will answer concerning my complaint.	13:06
	"Then the Lord answered me and said,	13:10
	"Write the vision, make it plain on tablets,	13:13
	"so that a runner may read it.	13:17
	"For there is still a vision for the appointed time.	13:20
	"It speaks of the end and does not lie.	13:24
	"If it seems to tarry, wait for it.	13:28
	"It will surely come, it will not delay.	13:30
	"Look at the proud, their spirit is not right in them.	13:34
	"But the righteous live by their faith."	13:39
	This is the Word of the Lord.	13:43
Congregation	Praise be to God.	13:46
-	Our reading from this Psalter is found on page 843,	13:55
	a selection from the 119th psalm.	13:59
	Verses 137 to 144.	14:03
	Let us stand for the reading at the Psalter.	14:06
	"Righteous are You, oh Lord, and right are Your judgments."	14:14
Congregation	"You have appointed your testimonies	14:18
	"in righteousness and in all faithfulness."	14:20
-	"My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words."	14:23
Congregation	"Your promise is well tried,	14:28
	"and your servant loves it."	14:31
-	"I am small and despised,	14:33
	"yet I do not forget your precepts."	14:35
Congregation	"Your righteousness is righteous forever,	14:38
	"and your law is true."	14:41
-	"Trouble and anguish have come upon me,	14:42
	"but your commandments are my delight."	14:45
Congregation	"Your testimonies are righteous forever;	14:48
	"give me understanding that I may live."	14:51
	(imposing organ plays)	14:55
	♪ Glory be to our Creator ♪	15:01
	♪ Praise to our Redeemer Lord ♪	15:08
	♪ Glory be to our Sustainer ♪	15:15
	♪ Ever three and ever one ♪	15:21
	♪ As it was in the beginning ♪	15:29
	♪ Now and ever more shall be ♪	15:36
-	This reading is from the third and fourth chapters	15:53
	of Paul's second letter to Timothy.	15:57
	"But as for you, continue in what you have learned	16:01
	"and firmly believe, knowing from whom you learned it,	16:04
	"and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings	16:08
	"that are able to instruct you for salvation,	16:13
	"through faith in Christ Jesus.	16:16
	"All scripture is inspired by God,	16:19
	"and is useful for teaching, for reproof,	16:22
	"for correction, and for training in righteousness.	16:27
	"So that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient,	16:31
	"equipped for every good work.	16:36
	"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus	16:39
	"who is to judge the living and the dead.	16:42
	"And in view of His appearing and His kingdom,	16:45
	"I solemnly urge you, proclaim the message.	16:49
	"Be persistent, whether the time	16:53
	"is favorable or unfavorable.	16:55
	"Convince, rebuke and encourage	16:58
	"with the utmost patience in teaching.	17:02
	"For the time is coming	17:05
	"when people will not put up with sound doctrine,	17:07
	"but having itching ears,	17:10
	"they will accumulate for themselves	17:13
	"teachers to suit their own desires.	17:15
	"And will turn away from listening to the truth	17:18
	"and wander away to myths.	17:20
	"As for you, always be sober.	17:23
	"Endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist,	17:26
	"carry out your ministry fully."	17:31
	This is the Word of the Lord.	17:34
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	17:37
	(imposing organ plays)	17:50
	♪ Make a joyful noise unto the lord, all ye lands ♪	17:57
	♪ Serve the Lord with gladness ♪	18:05
	♪ Serve the Lord with gladness ♪	18:08
	♪ Come before His presence with singing ♪	18:12
	♪ Know ye that the Lord, He is God ♪	18:16
	♪ Know ye that the Lord, He is God ♪	18:22
	♪ It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves ♪	18:28
	♪ It is He that hath made us and not we ourselves ♪	18:36
	♪ We are His people and the sheep of His pasture ♪	18:46
	♪ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving ♪	18:54
	♪ And into His courts with praise ♪	18:59
	♪ Be thankful unto Him and bless His name ♪	19:06
	♪ For the Lord is good ♪	19:16
	♪ His mercy is everlasting ♪	19:20
	♪ And His truth endureth to all generations ♪	19:24
	♪ Amen ♪	19:39
	♪ Amen ♪	19:41
	♪ Amen ♪	19:43
-	The gospel lesson for this morning	20:05
	is taken from the book of Luke, in the 18th chapter.	20:08
	The first eight verses.	20:13
	"Then Jesus told them a parable	20:18
	"about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.	20:21
	"He said, in a certain city there was a judge	20:27
	"who neither feared God, nor had respect for people.	20:31
	"In that city there was a widow,	20:36
	"who kept coming to him and saying,	20:40
	"grant me justice against my opponent.	20:43
	"For a while he refused,	20:47
	"but later he said to himself,	20:50
	"though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone.	20:52
	"Yet because this widow keeps bothering me,	20:56
	"I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out	21:01
	"by continually coming.	21:06
	"And the Lord said, listen to what the unjust judge says.	21:09
	"And will not God grant justice to His chosen ones,	21:15
	"who cry to Him day and night.	21:19
	"Will He delay long in helping them.	21:23
	"I tell you, He will quickly grant justice to them.	21:27
	"And yet when the Son of Man comes,	21:32
	"will He find faith on earth?"	21:34
	This is the Word of God.	21:39
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	21:42
-	Let us pray.	21:43
	Oh God, we give thanks for this word from the scriptures.	21:45
	May we rightly hear and understand Your Word,	21:50
	and appropriate it for us in our time.	21:56
	In the name of Christ we pray, amen.	22:01
	This parable that Jesus told is known	22:09
	as the parable of the widow and the unjust judge.	22:13
	It is in fact a rather interesting story.	22:20
	One of the more interesting parables perhaps.	22:24
	But it is complex, and not obvious.	22:28
	Luke was so worried about that fact,	22:34
	that he even provides an introductory sentence	22:37
	to try to steer us, his readers, or hearers,	22:40
	in the right direction.	22:45
	And indeed that would be the title for this sermon.	22:47
	On not losing heart.	22:51
	I read this text to my family	22:56
	at breakfast yesterday morning	22:59
	and we talked about it a little bit	23:02
	and you can imagine that the first idea that came up,	23:05
	was that of persistence.	23:09
	Our son, Trevor, was after me	23:13
	to get him a new pair of shoes.	23:15
	And his mother said, if he keeps at it long enough,	23:18
	you'll go do it, that's a kind of persistence	23:22
	like this widow.	23:25
	Persistence can be good.	23:27
	In fact, it would be possible for me this morning	23:30
	to give a little homily about persevering toward a goal.	23:33
	I've given it many times, around the family table.	23:38
	Perseverance can be good.	23:45
	We all know the story of Bill Clinton,	23:48
	and his visit to the White House	23:51
	while John F. Kennedy was president in the early '60s.	23:53
	He later called it something of a religious experience,	23:57
	and he said decided at that moment that the rest of his life	24:00
	was going to be directed to a persistent goal	24:04
	of coming back to live there.	24:08
	Persistence, I suppose, can be good.	24:12
	And we all tell our children about the importance	24:15
	of persistence and not giving up.	24:18
	But as we also know, there's another side of it.	24:22
	Sometimes this kind of persistence can get irritating.	24:26
	A number of years ago, I had to make a decision	24:32
	about getting rid of a ping pong table room	24:34
	in the Divinity School.	24:38
	We needed it to expand the bookstore.	24:39
	And there was a small group of students	24:43
	who used that ping pong table every day	24:46
	and when I made that decision	24:49
	I though it might be the end of my deanship.	24:51
	They kept coming, and coming, and coming,	24:54
	and wouldn't go away	24:57
	and finally one of them said to my secretary,	24:59
	"The dean doesn't like to be badgered, does he?"	25:02
	And she said back to them, "Nobody likes to be badgered."	25:05
	There is something about persistence	25:12
	that also can become a problem.	25:16
	And I think what we need to understand about this parable,	25:19
	is that it is not simply a little message	25:23
	about how to behave.	25:27
	This widow, let me be clear, this widow is not a good model.	25:30
	Persistence is good, if not overdone or obsessive.	25:38
	The most important thing to be said is that	25:46
	that is not what this parable is about.	25:48
	Now a second idea that came up	25:52
	around our breakfast table yesterday morning,	25:54
	was that this was a story about positive thinking.	25:57
	We ought to be positive, and seize the moment	26:01
	and keep after it.	26:06
	Now there is a great tradition of positive thinking	26:09
	in American Christianity.	26:12
	Henry Ward Beecher, Phillips Brooks, Josiah Strong,	26:14
	Russell Conwell, the list could go on	26:19
	down to our own time and the famous Norman Vincent Peale.	26:22
	It's always popular.	26:28
	A popular sermon out of this text	26:30
	could call us to inspiration,	26:33
	to a kind of self-help mentality	26:36
	that would urge us to the value of being positive	26:41
	and moving along through life,	26:47
	with a certainty and affirmation.	26:50
	But I think as a theologian, that positive thinking	26:56
	probably has more to do with marketing	26:59
	and advertising, and public relations,	27:03
	than with Christianity.	27:07
	I have a very good friend named Al Hagar	27:09
	who is a retired executive of Young and Rubicam Advertising.	27:11
	He headed their operations in France for many years	27:17
	and then in Australia.	27:21
	He is on our board, and he told me the other day	27:23
	about an advertising campaign	27:26
	that he had been once involved in for Oil of Olay.	27:29
	And they were having a difficult time	27:33
	coming up with the proper advertising.	27:35
	The lines weren't right, the models weren't right.	27:39
	One of his assistants said the model's not beautiful enough.	27:43
	And finally out of frustration he said,	27:47
	"Wait a minute, let's go to the bottom line.	27:49
	"What is it we are trying to sell?"	27:52
	He said, "In this commercial for Oil of Olay,	27:56
	"we are not selling beauty, we are selling hope."	27:59
	In fact, that's probably	28:08
	what most cosmetic advertising is about.	28:10
	Same thing with all these perfume and cologne advertisements	28:14
	that now you can smell in your magazine	28:19
	as it comes in the mail.	28:21
	It's about hope.	28:24
	And so when we get to the bottom line,	28:26
	we need to be clear that it is about human hope	28:29
	and the foibles thereof.	28:34
	And so perhaps this text urges us	28:37
	to ask the question if we dare to think about it	28:40
	in terms of positive thinking,	28:43
	wherein is our hope?	28:45
	Wherein is your hope?	28:49
	Positive thinking is popular because it holds up	28:51
	the possibility of our own idea	28:54
	of what we want to hope for	28:57
	and might be able to control.	28:59
	But, in the end, positive thinking itself won't work.	29:03
	Because in our heart of hearts,	29:09
	in the depths of our souls we know	29:11
	that it is too shallow.	29:14
	More significantly, and ultimately, not true.	29:18
	Jesus went to the cross, and that was not an exercise	29:24
	simply in positive thinking.	29:29
	So, both of these ideas, persistence and positive thinking	29:32
	have merit in them.	29:37
	I want to be clear about that,	29:38
	they have some merit.	29:40
	But the merit is chiefly on the human scale.	29:41
	And this parable is not finally about the human scale.	29:45
	It is not simply about us,	29:52
	and what we ought to do.	29:55
	The parable rather directs us to some understanding,	29:58
	and a right understanding, of the nature of God.	30:03
	Just as the widow is not to be taken as an exact model	30:08
	for our human actions, so we are not to think	30:13
	about the judge as a model of God.	30:17
	That would be a mistake.	30:21
	Rather this is a story which seeks to teach us by contrast.	30:22
	Not comparison of likeness, but contrast of difference.	30:29
	This unjust judge was finally moved to act justly.	30:40
	And Jesus suggests, if even he can be moved,	30:48
	imagine how much more a gracious God will be moved.	30:53
	So the model is like earlier examples of Jesus' teaching	31:02
	where He uses this format.	31:07
	You can think just back a few chapters to Luke 11,	31:09
	where Jesus says, "if you then," addressing people like us,	31:13
	"if you, who are evil,	31:17
	"know how to give good gifts to your children,	31:20
	"how much more will the heavenly Father	31:25
	"give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"	31:29
	If even we, who are human beings and therefore sinful, evil,	31:34
	if even we know how to do good and gracious things,	31:40
	how much more will it be the case that God will act?	31:44
	If this cynical judge who had rejected the widow's plea,	31:50
	at last came to her rescue	31:54
	in order to get rid of her nagging,	31:56
	how much more can we expect from God?	31:58
	This, friends, is good news.	32:03
	And this is the real message this morning.	32:06
	This is why we don't lose heart.	32:09
	It's not simply because of persistence or positive thinking,	32:12
	it's because of the nature of God.	32:16
	This message runs contrary to apparent contradictions.	32:19
	And that is so, because there is a tension	32:25
	between appearance and reality in this world.	32:28
	It does not look as though	32:33
	God's action is winning.	32:38
	But what Jesus' message	32:44
	and what the whole Christian affirmation is about	32:46
	is that it is so despite appearances to the contrary.	32:50
	And that's why we do not lose heart.	32:56
	Not because of anything we do,	33:01
	but because of what God has done and is doing.	33:04
	Daniel Bell, a sociologist of Harvard said	33:08
	in a famous lecture, in 1977,	33:11
	at the London School of Economics,	33:15
	and this is a quote from him.	33:17
	"At the end of the 18th	33:19
	"and to the middle of the 19th century	33:20
	"almost every enlightened thinker	33:23
	"expected religion to disappear in the 20th century."	33:25
	Well of course it has not, it has persisted.	33:31
	And that's not because of human action,	33:36
	but because of God's grace.	33:39
	A couple years ago, almost two years ago,	33:40
	I was in Australia for the seventh assembly	33:44
	of the World Council of Churches.	33:47
	And there I met a man with whom I talked a great deal,	33:48
	Archbishop Kirill of Smolensk,	33:52
	who was the chief ecumenical officer	33:55
	for the Russian Orthodox Church.	33:58
	He talked to me a great deal about	34:01
	the resurgence of religion in Russia.	34:03
	At that time the Soviet Union,	34:07
	the Soviet Union since 1917 had been one of the most	34:09
	vociferous foes of all religion,	34:15
	perhaps in the whole history of the world.	34:18
	Sought to eradicate Christianity and all religion	34:21
	from the Soviet Union.	34:25
	And I asked the archbishop, how is it that the church	34:28
	endured and persevered through it all.	34:32
	He said, orthodoxy always takes there long view.	34:35
	That there will be ups, but there will also be downs	34:42
	and the down may be for many generations.	34:47
	But God's promise is sure, and will work itself out.	34:51
	"And that's what's happening," he said, "now.	34:56
	"Oh where our kings and empires now of old,	34:59
	"that went and came, but Lord Thy church is praying yet	35:03
	"a thousand years the same."	35:08
	God's activity is working itself out	35:12
	and therefore we do not lose heart.	35:18
	I'm not a particularly patient person.	35:24
	I remember when I was first asked	35:28
	to become dean of the Divinity School,	35:30
	Bill Bevan, who was then our provost, said to me,	35:33
	"Dennis, you need to cultivate patience."	35:36
	So I remembered that and in my prayers that night,	35:39
	asked the Lord, "Please give me patience	35:42
	"and do it in a hurry."	35:46
	There is a characteristic about all of us	35:52
	that we don't want to wait.	35:57
	We don't want to see God's action take it's time.	36:00
	But we would like to be in control.	36:06
	See that's really what it's all about.	36:08
	We are not patient because we want to be in control.	36:11
	John Henry Newman, who was one of the great figures	36:14
	of Christianity of the 19th century,	36:19
	tells the story in his writings of his own	36:22
	profound conversion, which actually took place on a ship	36:26
	becalmed in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy	36:30
	in June of 1833.	36:35
	And once he had this religious experience,	36:38
	he was already a priest of the church,	36:42
	he was very anxious to get back to England	36:45
	to put these new ideas into action.	36:49
	But there was no wind,	36:53
	and here was this ship becalmed in the sea	36:55
	and he was so anxious.	36:58
	And he said that in the waiting,	37:01
	and they waited almost two weeks until the wind picked up	37:03
	and could move the ship.	37:06
	He said, "In the waiting, I learned about God,	37:08
	"and more importantly I learned about myself.	37:13
	"And I learned that I was not in control.'	37:16
	And he wrote on that ship, the famous poem	37:20
	which has become the hymn, "Lead Kindly Light".	37:23
	And he said in there,	37:28
	"It was not ever thus nor prayed	37:31
	"that thou shouldst lead me on.	37:33
	"I loved to choose and see my path.	37:36
	"But now, thou lead me on."	37:41
	You see he wanted to have control and to move quickly.	37:46
	But he learned through the spiritual experience,	37:52
	that he needed to wait.	37:55
	And that in God's own time	37:58
	his contributions would be significant.	38:02
	And so it is for us.	38:06
	In our time, in a time when the economy is in trouble,	38:08
	when we have significant racial divisiveness	38:12
	and need for genuine and general reconciliation,	38:16
	for a spirit of coming together in this nation,	38:21
	a time when we need renewed efforts at education	38:25
	for little children, and hope for tomorrow,	38:30
	the Christian affirmation is that we want	38:36
	quick response but response will come in God's time.	38:40
	I don't want to be misunderstood,	38:48
	I'm not counseling quietude and not doing anything.	38:49
	Our Christian faith clearly compels us to action,	38:54
	to being busy about the needs of this world.	38:59
	But our faith also reminds us,	39:05
	and indeed this text in particular,	39:08
	reminds us that we alone	39:10
	can't bring about a perfect order in this world.	39:14
	But we know that God is acting,	39:22
	we have this promise,	39:26
	assured because of His action in Christ.	39:28
	And because of this we have perspective	39:34
	and vision beyond contemporary appearance.	39:38
	Appearance and reality.	39:43
	Our prayer this morning therefore,	39:46
	is that God will continue to act.	39:49
	And this sermon is an invitation,	39:52
	an invitation to you, to see reality rightly.	39:55
	That even in times when we are impatient,	40:02
	and not in control, God is in control.	40:07
	And therefore, we do not lose heart,	40:12
	because we know that we can trust.	40:17
	We should be persistent, and we can be positive.	40:21
	But not because of ourselves or anything we do.	40:27
	We can be persistent and positive	40:32
	because of God's never-ending grace toward us.	40:34
	We do not lose heart,	40:38
	because despite all appearance,	40:40
	God's promise is sure and is being worked out.	40:43
	Then Jesus told them a parable	40:49
	about their need to pray always	40:52
	and not to lose heart.	40:56
	Amen.	40:59
	(imposing organ music)	41:08
	♪ O Master, let me walk with Thee ♪	41:34
	♪ In lowly paths of service free ♪	41:41
	♪ Tell me Thy secret, help me bear ♪	41:47
	♪ The strain of toil, the fret of care ♪	41:54
	♪ Help me the slow of heart to move ♪	42:02
	♪ By some clear, winning word of love ♪	42:09
	♪ Teach me the wayward feet to stay ♪	42:16
	♪ And guide them in the homeward way ♪	42:22
	♪ Teach me Thy patience, still with Thee ♪	42:32
	♪ In closer, dearer company ♪	42:38
	♪ In work that keeps faith sweet and strong ♪	42:45
	♪ In trust that triumphs over wrong ♪	42:52
	♪ In hope that sends a shining ray ♪	43:01
	♪ Far down the future's broad'ning way ♪	43:08
	♪ In peace that only Thou canst give ♪	43:15
	♪ With Thee, O Master, let me live ♪	43:22
Dennis	The Lord be with you.	43:33
Congregation	And also with you.	43:34
Dennis	Let us pray.	43:36
	Oh Lord our Lord, how magnificent is your name	43:47
	in all the universe.	43:49
	The strain of our toil and the thread	43:52
	of our manifold cares cannot obscure	43:54
	Your goodness and justness.	43:56
	You created and continue to create	43:59
	out of the profusion of Your love.	44:01
	When our world lay in darkness you illumined us	44:04
	with the light of Your Son, our savior.	44:07
	And when we thought our hearts would break	44:10
	because of His cross, You raised Him from the dead.	44:12
	And sent us the comfort and consolation	44:16
	and power of Your Holy Spirit.	44:18
	The gift of Yourself to us is Your most precious gift.	44:21
	And it is this gift which moves us	44:26
	to consider Your children around the world and next door.	44:27
	Prince of Peace, we pray for those everywhere	44:33
	who are victims of wanton human violence.	44:35
	Especially for those in Bosnia and Herzegovina.	44:38
	And for those on our streets and in our neighborhoods	44:42
	throughout this land.	44:44
	Lord of time and history we pray for the nations	44:47
	of the world, that justice and peace may prevail.	44:50
	That men and women, boys and girls,	44:53
	may live in hope and safety.	44:56
	Devoting their energies to ennobling	44:59
	and elevating life.	45:01
	Lord in Your mercy.	45:04
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	45:06
Dennis	Ruler of all nature, we pray for those	45:08
	who are victims of natural disaster.	45:11
	For those in Egypt, and Florida, and Louisiana	45:14
	and other places throughout the world.	45:18
	In Somalia and other drought-ridden lands.	45:20
	Lord in Your mercy.	45:24
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	45:27
Dennis	Creating and loving God who sets us	45:29
	in communities and endows us with the longing	45:31
	for one another, bless our land.	45:34
	Especially in the season when we debate	45:37
	the state of our nation and its future.	45:40
	Inspire our leaders and would-be leaders.	45:43
	Enlighten those who govern,	45:47
	that they may lead with wisdom and generosity.	45:48
	Restrain the greedy, the rapacious,	45:52
	and the hateful among us.	45:55
	Teach us how to love and care for one another.	45:58
	Lord in Your mercy.	46:02
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	46:05
Dennis	Bless our durum in this community.	46:07
	That we may find ever more just	46:09
	and compassionate ways to live together.	46:11
	Bless our mayor, the city council,	46:15
	and county commissioners.	46:17
	Bless our president, Brody and those who lead with him	46:19
	in this university.	46:22
	Inspire and guide us all to lift up our common life.	46:24
	To bless and not curse one another.	46:29
	To embrace the common good,	46:32
	and to love our neighbor as ourselves.	46:35
	Lord in Your mercy.	46:39
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	46:41
Dennis	Oh Thou for whom a thousand years	46:43
	are but an evening gone	46:45
	help us to trust You, even when our prayers	46:47
	appear to go unanswered.	46:51
	And teach us to pray always,	46:53
	and not to lose heart.	46:55
	In Christ our Lord.	46:58
	Amen.	47:01
	The scriptures tell us that the Lord loves a cheerful giver.	47:04
	Let us therefore continue our worship	47:07
	with our gift of tithes and offerings.	47:09
	(imposing organ music)	47:19
	♪ Like as the hart ♪	47:32
	♪ Desireth the water-brooks ♪	47:37
	♪ So longeth my soul after thee ♪	47:44
	♪ O God ♪	47:53
	♪ My soul is athirst for God ♪	48:02
	♪ Yea, even for the living God ♪	48:15
	♪ When shall I come to appear ♪	48:38
	♪ Before the presence of God ♪	48:51
	♪ My tears have been my meat day and night ♪	49:15
	♪ While they daily say unto me ♪	49:25
	♪ Where is now thy God ♪	49:35
	♪ The hart desireth after thee, O God ♪	49:53
	♪ My tears have been my meat ♪	50:06
	♪ Day and night ♪	50:16
	♪ My tears ♪	50:23
	(sad organ music)	50:31
	♪ Where is thy God ♪	50:57
	♪ When shall I come to appear ♪	51:08
	♪ My soul is athirst for God ♪	51:22
	♪ Yea, even for the living God ♪	51:38
	♪ When shall I come to appear ♪	51:52
	♪ Before the presence ♪	52:04
	♪ The presence of God ♪	52:11
	(imposing organ music)	53:00
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	53:16
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	53:21
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	53:26
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host ♪	53:33
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	53:39
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	53:44
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	53:50
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:56
Dennis	Let us pray.	54:14
	Accept oh Lord our thanks and praise	54:18
	for all that You have done for us.	54:21
	We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation,	54:24
	for the beauty of this world,	54:26
	for the wonder of life and for the mystery of love.	54:28
	We thank you for the blessing of family and friends.	54:32
	and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side,	54:35
	for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts	54:39
	and for leading us to accomplishments	54:43
	which satisfy and delight us.	54:45
	We thank you also for those disappointments and failures	54:48
	that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on You alone.	54:51
	These gifts we present	54:56
	are betokens of our dependence upon You	54:57
	but also tokens of our delight in You,	55:01
	of our joy that You have blessed us,	55:05
	and of our hope that You will bless the whole world	55:08
	as you have blessed even us.	55:10
	Multiply our gifts and use them to Your glory.	55:13
	Through Christ Our Lord who gave us also	55:17
	the gift of prayer, saying.	55:19
All	Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	55:21
	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done	55:26
	on earth as it is in heaven.	55:30
	Give us this day our daily bread,	55:32
	and forgive us our trespasses	55:35
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	55:37
	and lead us not into temptation,	55:41
	but deliver us from evil.	55:43
	For Thine is the kingdom,	55:45
	and the power and the glory.	55:47
	Forever, amen.	55:50
	(imposing organ music)	55:54
	♪ Joyful, joyful, we adore You ♪	56:28
	♪ God of glory, Lord of love ♪	56:32
	♪ Hearts unfold like flow'rs before You ♪	56:36
	♪ Op'ning to the sun above ♪	56:40
	♪ Melt the clouds of sin and sadness ♪	56:44
	♪ Drive the dark of doubt away ♪	56:49
	♪ Giver of immortal gladness ♪	56:53
	♪ Fill us with the light of day ♪	56:57
	♪ All Your works with joy surround You ♪	57:04
	♪ Earth and heav'n reflect Your rays ♪	57:08
	♪ Stars and angels sing around You ♪	57:12
	♪ Center of unbroken praise ♪	57:17
	♪ Field and forest, vale and mountain ♪	57:21
	♪ Flow'ry meadow, flashing sea ♪	57:25
	♪ Chanting bird and flowing fountain ♪	57:30
	♪ Praising You eternally ♪	57:34
	♪ Always giving and forgiving ♪	57:41
	♪ Ever blessing, ever blest ♪	57:45
	♪ Well-spring of the joy of living ♪	57:49
	♪ Ocean-depth of happy rest ♪	57:53
	♪ Loving Father, Christ our Brother ♪	57:58
	♪ Let Your light upon us shine ♪	58:02
	♪ Teach us how to love each other ♪	58:06
	♪ Lift us to the joy divine ♪	58:11
	♪ Mortals, join the mighty chorus ♪	58:18
	♪ Which the morning stars began ♪	58:22
	♪ God's own love is reigning o'er us ♪	58:26
	♪ Joining people hand in hand ♪	58:31
	♪ Ever singing, march we onward ♪	58:35
	♪ Victors in the midst of strife ♪	58:40
	♪ Joyful music leads us sunward ♪	58:44
	♪ In the triumph song of life ♪	58:48
Dennis	Now may the love of God,	58:59
	the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,	59:01
	and the communion of the Holy Spirit	59:04
	be with us all this day and forevermore.	59:06
	Amen.	59:09
	(imposing organ music)	59:18

Item Info

Title:

Dennis M. Campbell - Sermon Untitled (October 18, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:09. Sermon end time: 41:00.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r43j39g33

Date:

October 18, 1992

Speaker:

Campbell, Dennis M.

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0300
ref9165_nlc
uachapelsermaud
duke:321569
dcrmv001287
ark:/87924/r43j39g33
e43f646b-afe6-4f4c-a010-ad5c643bf5ed

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

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Dennis M. Campbell - Sermon Untitled (October 18, 1992)

Transcript

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