Gustav Krieg - "Our Hope, God's Future" (October 10, 1993)

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	(tranquil organ music)	0:01
-	Good morning.	0:50
	We're pleased to welcome to our pulpit today	0:51
	Dr. Gustav Krieg who has been designated	0:53
	as the James T. Cleland Distinguished Guest Preacher.	0:57
	Dr. Krieg comes to us by way of Bonn University,	1:01
	the Cologne School of Music	1:05
	and Dusseldorf School of Music.	1:06
	He is a distinguished teacher of theology	1:09
	and music and we're glad to welcome him today.	1:11
	I also want to call to your attention	1:15
	that there is an organ recital this afternoon at five	1:16
	by Dr. David Arcus	1:20
	and we hope you'll be able to attend.	1:22
	Please stand as we continue worship with the greeting.	1:24
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	1:32
Congregation	God be with you.	1:35
-	The risen Christ is with us.	1:36
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	1:39
	(lively organ music)	1:41
	(congregation sings)	2:16
	(lively organ music)	4:08
	(congregation sings)	6:15
-	Let us pray.	6:55
	Into our hearts, gracious God,	7:02
	to quiet the clamor of our busy days	7:05
	and fill the emptiness of aching hearts.	7:09
	Help us to put aside our work, our worries	7:13
	and all distractions to focus on you.	7:17
	Bring eternal values to the center of our attention.	7:22
	May this hour be filled with all that is true,	7:27
	honorable, just, pure,	7:30
	pleasing, commendable and excellent.	7:34
	We are ready to learn what you wish to teach us.	7:39
	In the name of Christ, amen.	7:43
	You may be seated.	7:47
-	Let us pray together the prayer of illumination.	7:56
-	[Heather And Congregation] Open our hearts	8:02
	and minds, oh God by the power of your Holy Spirit	8:04
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed	8:08
	we may hear your message with joy this day, amen.	8:11
	This reading is taken from the 22nd chapter	8:18
	of the gospel according to St. Matthew	8:21
	starting with verse one.	8:24
	Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables	8:27
	saying the kingdom of Heaven may be compared	8:31
	to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.	8:35
	He sent his slaves to call those	8:40
	who had been invited to the wedding banquet	8:42
	but they would not come.	8:46
	Again, he sent other slaves saying tell those	8:48
	who have been invited look,	8:52
	I have prepared my dinner, my oxen	8:55
	and my fat calves have been slaughtered	8:58
	and everything is ready.	9:00
	Come to the wedding banquet but they made light of it	9:02
	and went away, one to his farm,	9:06
	another to his business,	9:10
	while the rest seized his salves,	9:12
	mistreated them and killed them.	9:15
	The king was enraged.	9:18
	He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers	9:20
	and burned their city.	9:24
	Then he said to his salves,	9:26
	the wedding is ready but those invited	9:28
	were not worthy.	9:31
	Go therefore into the main streets	9:33
	and invite everyone you see to the wedding banquet.	9:36
	Those slaves went out into the streets	9:41
	and gathered all whom they found,	9:44
	both good and bad, so the wedding hall	9:47
	was filled with guests	9:51
	but when the king came in to see the guests,	9:54
	he noticed a man there who was not wearing	9:57
	a wedding robe and he said to him,	10:01
	friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?	10:04
	And he was speechless.	10:09
	Then the king said to the attendants,	10:11
	bind him hand and foot	10:14
	and throw him into the outer darkness	10:16
	where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	10:18
	For many are called but few are chosen.	10:22
	This is the word of the Lord.	10:27
Congregation	Thank you, Lord.	10:30
-	Today's Psalm is number 106 verses one through five	10:37
	found on page 829 in your hymnal.	10:42
	Please stand and join in singing this Psalm	10:46
	and Gloria responsibly.	10:49
	(lively organ music)	10:52
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	10:59
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	11:01
	(congregation sings)	11:05
	♪ Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord ♪	11:13
	♪ Or show forth all God's grace ♪	11:18
	(congregation sings)	11:24
	♪ Remember me, oh Lord ♪	11:34
	♪ When you show favor to your people ♪	11:37
	♪ Help me when you deliver them ♪	11:41
	(congregation sings)	11:46
	♪ For glory be to you, creator ♪	12:04
	♪ And to Jesus our Savior ♪	12:08
	(congregation sings)	12:13
	♪ As it was at time began ♪	12:19
	(congregation sings)	12:23
-	You may be seated.	12:33
	(tranquil organ music)	12:56
	(choir soloist sings)	13:04
	(choir sings)	13:28
-	The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians,	15:10
	chapter four verse one to nine.	15:14
	Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for,	15:20
	my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.	15:27
	I entreat Euodia	15:35
	and I entreat Syntyche	15:38
	to agree in the Lord	15:41
	and I ask you also two yolk fellows,	15:44
	help these women for thy have labored side by side	15:49
	with me in the gospel together with Clement	15:54
	and the rest of my fellow workers	16:01
	whose names are in the Book of Life.	16:03
	Rejoice in the Lord always.	16:08
	Again, I will say rejoice.	16:11
	Let all man know your forbearance.	16:14
	The Lord is at hand.	16:18
	Have no anxiety about anything	16:21
	but in everything, by prayer and supplication,	16:24
	with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.	16:28
	And the peace of God which passes all understanding	16:34
	will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.	16:39
	Finally, brothers, whatever is true,	16:45
	whatever is honorable,	16:49
	whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,	16:52
	whatever is gracious,	17:00
	if there is any excellence,	17:03
	if there is anything worth your fate,	17:06
	think about these things.	17:10
	What you have learned, and received and heard	17:13
	and seen in me, do.	17:16
	And the God of peace will be with you.	17:20
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:27
	(congregation mumbles)	17:29
-	Dear sisters and brothers,	17:36
	perhaps this is one of the most touching elements	17:43
	of the letters of St. Paul.	17:48
	Sometimes this lonely,	17:52
	somewhat bitter theologian	17:56
	becomes quite personal.	17:58
	Christians are a family	18:03
	and Paul describes them as a family.	18:06
	He has quarrels with them.	18:12
	Sometimes he is unhappy about them	18:15
	yet he regards them as a community of sisters and brothers	18:21
	with envy every day road.	18:26
	Take care of one another,	18:30
	show regard to one another.	18:33
	I would like to spend a moment on this thought.	18:41
	It takes us out of the higher realm	18:48
	of theological speculation	18:51
	down into the daily reality of life.	18:54
	Christians are humans.	19:00
	They are quite a normal part of our human civilization.	19:03
	Universal integrity is difficult to achieve in this world,	19:10
	so it is important to reflect about what integrity is.	19:16
	Justice is difficult to achieve,	19:23
	so reflect on justice.	19:28
	Where is love in this world?	19:32
	Think about it.	19:34
	If human civilization has a desire	19:38
	for a really human and a really humane life,	19:41
	Christians should not stand on the sidelines.	19:46
	Nevertheless, our text does not present	19:53
	a handbook for a humanitarian ideal.	19:58
	On the one hand, we draw from the text,	20:04
	strive for things that are true, noble, right, lovely.	20:07
	On the other hand, we hear your names	20:14
	are written in the Book of Life.	20:18
	On the one hand, we hear reflect on what is good	20:24
	for this world.	20:28
	At the same time, we hear the Lord is coming.	20:30
	Don't worry about anything.	20:36
	In all your prayers, ask God for what you need.	20:39
	Apparently our Christian family	20:47
	is a very special type of a family.	20:52
	It is part of human civilization	20:58
	and Christians should show a gentle attitude to one another,	21:04
	they should strive for more human dignity	21:11
	but at the same time,	21:16
	they should look upon the coming of the Lord.	21:19
	He has written their names in the Book of Life.	21:23
	He will bring peace.	21:27
	In Jesus we meet the God of peace.	21:31
	Suddenly the Christian family leaves its place	21:38
	within our society and goes beyond.	21:42
	But dear Christians, dear sisters and brothers,	21:50
	this is nothing new for us.	21:56
	We have heard a text like this many times.	22:00
	We own many books about the future of Christianity	22:04
	and we know a lot of things theologically	22:10
	about the coming of the Lord.	22:14
	We confess it in the profession of faith	22:18
	but do we really believe it?	22:23
	Let me for a moment observe the Christian family	22:30
	from a distance.	22:34
	I'm not speaking about America now,	22:38
	but especially about Europe.	22:41
	And I observe that we in Europe	22:46
	endeavor to participate in the virtues of humanity	22:49
	but nothing more.	22:54
	Oh no, I do not attack any human desire for truth.	22:57
	I do not attack our Christian desire	23:03
	for common experiences either.	23:07
	We all know the hidden sympathies	23:11
	of many Christians for early Christianity.	23:14
	Surely these people had a calamity	23:18
	of which we can only dream about.	23:22
	And certainly I am not criticizing	23:27
	our desperate struggle for a just society.	23:31
	Nevertheless, I hear St. Paul saying very plainly	23:36
	that's not enough.	23:43
	Where is your confidence	23:48
	in the coming of the Lord?	23:53
	Well, where is it?	23:57
	Sometimes I fear	24:04
	that we have lost this hope to the sectarian groups	24:07
	in our society.	24:12
	They huddle together in small congregations	24:15
	and they live the expectation of the coming of the Lord.	24:19
	But for good reasons we distrust their rejoicing.	24:25
	Their rejoicing is the happiness of a small separate group	24:31
	against the rest of the world.	24:35
	They hold back God's love from humankind	24:39
	and the coming Christ becomes a prisoner	24:42
	of egotistic interest	24:47
	and beside, we know how quickly empires	24:50
	to last 1,000 years vanish from the face of the Earth.	24:55
	Humankind yearns for Heaven	25:01
	and it creates hell.	25:05
	But perhaps you might say	25:12
	we have the Lord's supper.	25:15
	In this our daily reality, Christ comes to us	25:18
	in bread and wine.	25:23
	I think many of us are familiar	25:26
	with the traditional liturgy of the Catholic mass	25:28
	and the benedictus,	25:33
	God bless those who come in the name of the Lord.	25:36
	But in early Christianity,	25:42
	this benedictus was not spoken	25:44
	before the Holy Communion	25:49
	but afterwards.	25:53
	St. Paul agrees with this interpretation	25:58
	when he says every time you eat this bread	26:01
	and drink from this cup,	26:05
	you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.	26:08
	But what are we waiting for	26:16
	after we have eaten the bread and shared in the wine?	26:19
	Very often we leave church then	26:29
	and we reenter the blinding light of our secular reality	26:34
	so that our experiences with the coming Christ disappear	26:40
	and the misery of the world	26:47
	and all struggle for humanity begins a new.	26:50
	What shall we do?	27:00
	St. Paul says remind yourself of what?	27:03
	Paul says remind yourself of the risen Christ.	27:10
	You don't set your hope on the coming of the Lord	27:15
	because you're again and again so forgetful.	27:19
	Your desire for his coming remains so feeble	27:25
	because you, just as the women did,	27:30
	because you go to the grave of Christ	27:33
	and ask who could draw away the stone from the tomb?	27:36
	And you ponder and ponder what can we do?	27:42
	How can we save a fraction of civilization	27:48
	in this world of death?	27:51
	How can we at least save a small amount of hope?	27:55
	How can we get a bit of integrity,	28:01
	of justice, of humanity	28:04
	and of love into our lives?	28:07
	And suddenly, it is this angel who stands there	28:11
	and is laughing at us.	28:17
	Hey, folks,	28:20
	the stone has been removed from the tomb,	28:22
	not to worry.	28:27
	Do the words of the angel resound in our ears?	28:33
	They certainly did in Paul's ears.	28:39
	For him, the hope of the coming of Christ	28:44
	had a firm basis.	28:48
	It could be helpful to remind ourselves	28:52
	of this basis time and again	28:55
	for it sheds a different light	28:59
	on the virtues of our civilization we strive for.	29:01
	Of course, the Jews remains,	29:07
	Christians remain strong	29:10
	in faith and community with one another,	29:13
	be honorable, just, strive for a life	29:17
	that is worth living for.	29:23
	But there is also another truth.	29:27
	This new life has already been created.	29:31
	It has already begun in the resurrection of Christ.	29:38
	Of course, we are still confronted	29:45
	with our reality of death	29:48
	and sometimes we might envy the sectarian groups	29:52
	and their confidence and their community.	29:57
	But since this resurrection life in Christ	30:03
	has already been created,	30:09
	it cannot be destroyed by death	30:13
	nor by cosmic catastrophes	30:18
	nor by the end of time.	30:23
	Whatever we intend to realize	30:27
	within the Christian family	30:30
	and the ideas of humankind,	30:33
	our strivings are fulfilled	30:38
	even when this world no longer exists.	30:43
	What does this all mean for our daily life?	30:52
	In particular, we Europeans experience	30:57
	the restrictiveness of language	31:01
	to express the hope for the coming of the Lord.	31:03
	We know about the risen Christ	31:08
	and yet we are burdened by this passing rod.	31:11
	And we do not have the same feelings	31:16
	as the early Christians had.	31:19
	Sometimes we really can't understand	31:23
	Paul's realistic descriptions of Christ's coming.	31:26
	Yet perhaps it is not that important	31:34
	to speculate on how the Lord will appear.	31:37
	It is more relevant for us	31:42
	to live this hope and to pass it unto others.	31:44
	But how can we do that?	31:53
	I think we cannot huddle together in small groups	31:58
	and close ourselves off	32:03
	from the world around us.	32:07
	We cannot live in private circles.	32:11
	For Christ rose not only for us Christians	32:15
	but for the entire secular world.	32:19
	And this all rejoicing has nothing to do	32:24
	with the malicious enjoyment	32:29
	of those people who feel superior to others.	32:31
	On the contrary, our rejoicing should be a rejoicing	32:36
	of all humankind.	32:41
	Paul says be gentle toward everyone.	32:44
	What does such rejoicing really mean?	32:53
	First, let me say,	32:57
	this rejoicing means being free from fear.	33:00
	Not to worry.	33:07
	Be honorable and strive for truth	33:12
	but keep an untroubled relationship to world.	33:16
	Your integrity and your struggle for truth	33:23
	are only a weak reflection of the future	33:27
	which has long since been created by God.	33:31
	But I hesitate.	33:40
	Do we not also have to speak	33:44
	about this particular future?	33:48
	Can we really mediate hope without explaining	33:51
	what Christian hope is?	33:55
	The Christian world	34:00
	often contemplated	34:05
	the image of the new Heaven and the new Earth.	34:07
	And also, we are familiar with the words	34:14
	of the revelation of St. John.	34:16
	There will be no more death, no more grief	34:19
	or crying or pain.	34:23
	The old things have passed away	34:28
	but we know our thoughts	34:32
	are born of the old Earth	34:35
	and even God speaks to us in the images	34:39
	of our old Earth.	34:42
	We have no superior language	34:45
	and so, we can't speak about this,	34:49
	so that's the truth only within a rod of life	34:52
	and about a celestial joy only in a world of fear.	34:57
	So, I must lower my voice.	35:05
	Once more I will call your thoughts	35:10
	to the family of Christians St. Paul speaks about	35:14
	and I remember one of his visions	35:22
	about the future of earth.	35:26
	The situations of the early Christians	35:35
	was not different from our situation.	35:37
	St. Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians,	35:43
	we all see but in a mirror,	35:49
	obscure and clouded.	35:53
	And when we try to imagine the new Heaven	35:58
	and the new Earth, our images shatter.	36:01
	And then Paul sees the mirror break into pieces	36:06
	and then he adds in a very careful manner,	36:13
	trying to find words for the unexplainable,	36:20
	then we shall see face to face.	36:25
	Amen.	36:31
	(tranquil organ music)	36:43
	(congregation sings)	37:29
Dean	The Lord be with you.	40:40
Congregation	God be with you.	40:42
-	Let us pray.	40:44
	You may be seated.	40:45
	Oh God, in mystery and silence,	40:58
	you are present in our lives,	41:02
	seen and unseen,	41:05
	bringing new life and hope.	41:09
	Help us perceive your unseen hand	41:13
	in the unfolding of our lives	41:16
	and attend to the gentle guidance of your spirit	41:19
	that we may know the joy you give your people.	41:23
	Lord, in your mercy.	41:28
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	41:30
-	We give thanks for your bountiful blessings,	41:33
	for the beauty of creation and the intricate ways	41:36
	you have provided for every human and non-human creature.	41:40
	Lord, in your mercy.	41:46
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	41:48
-	Though we have so many reasons to be grateful,	41:51
	we often get bogged down by the day-to-day concerns of life.	41:55
	Free us from the anxieties and fears	42:00
	that grip us and sap our energies.	42:03
	Remind us that all things are ultimately in your hands.	42:08
	Teach us to seek you in hope,	42:14
	through prayer that we might know the peace	42:16
	that only you can give	42:19
	and give us confidence in the coming of the Lord	42:22
	and your power to transform all reality	42:26
	according to your purposes.	42:29
	Lord, in your mercy.	42:32
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	42:34
-	Lord, show us how to live as rejoicing people,	42:37
	a people who know that you are near to us,	42:41
	a people who know that the second coming is real,	42:45
	a people who know	42:50
	that you have already resurrected our future.	42:51
	Keep our minds and hearts and souls and bodies	42:56
	centered on you that we may seek what is true,	43:00
	honorable, just, pure, excellent and pleasing	43:04
	in your sight.	43:10
	Lord, in your mercy.	43:12
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	43:14
-	Help us live as a people who remember	43:17
	that Jesus Christ has already arisen from the dead	43:20
	and that he offers new life to each one of us.	43:25
	Help us live as a people who offer hope	43:30
	and peace and joy to a world	43:33
	in the grip of hopelessness and war and despair.	43:36
	Help us reach out in gentleness and compassion	43:42
	as you have reached out to us	43:47
	that all the world might know the hope of your salvation.	43:50
	In the name of our Savior, amen.	43:54
	We have been blessed with resources	44:01
	that we are privileged to share.	44:05
	Let us give with joy.	44:07
	(lively organ music)	44:18
	(choir sings)	44:56
	(lively organ music)	45:12
	(choir sings)	45:58
	(lively organ music)	46:15
	(choir sings)	46:20
	(lively organ music)	49:00
	(choir sings)	49:34
	(lively organ music)	49:49
	(choir sings)	50:04
	(lively organ music)	50:39
	(choir sings)	51:15
-	Let us pray.	52:11
	Accept, oh Lord, our thanks and praise	52:13
	for all that you have done for us.	52:16
	May these gifts that we offer in gratitude to you	52:20
	bring light to those who walk in darkness	52:23
	and hope to those who live in despair.	52:27
	Accomplish your purposes, we pray	52:30
	through these gifts and in our lives.	52:33
-	[Dean And Congregation] Our Father, who art in Heaven,	52:39
	hallowed be thy name,	52:41
	thy kingdom come,	52:43
	thy will be done on Earth on as it is in Heaven.	52:45
	Give us this day our daily bread	52:49
	and forgive us our trespasses	52:52
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	52:54
	Lead us not into temptation	52:58
	but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom,	53:00
	and the power and the glory forever.	53:04
	Amen.	53:08
	(lively organ music)	53:10
	(choir sings)	53:47

Item Info

Title:

Gustav Krieg - "Our Hope, God's Future" (October 10, 1993)

Description:

As Christians our work of justice in the world must always be tethered to a living hope in the coming of the Lord. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 17:36. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 36:31.
Key quotation: “Perhaps it is not that important to speculate on how the Lord will appear. It is more relevant for us to live this hope and to pass it unto others.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r46q1sz13

Date:

October 10, 1993

Speaker:

Krieg, Gustav

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0337
ref9316_sre
uachapelsermaud
duke:321609
dcrmv001323
ark:/87924/r46q1sz13
4612bb8f-f709-45ac-9f71-5b5f6ee70f49

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings

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English

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Durham (N.C.)

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

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