Dennis M. Campbell - "A Thief in the Night" (November 14, 1993)

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	(choir singing)	1:29
-	Good morning.	8:21
	Welcome to this service of worship here	8:23
	at Duke University Chapel.	8:25
	Our guest preacher today	8:27
	is Dean Dennis M. Campbell,	8:29
	Dean of our divinity school.	8:31
	Our lector is Mark Lamb, a junior in Trinity College.	8:35
	We are pleased to welcome	8:40
	our guest choir this morning,	8:44
	the Kostroma Choir.	8:47
	And their director is Ms. Safronova.	8:56
	They are on a 10-day tour of the United States,	9:04
	and they will be singing here in Duke Chapel	9:13
	at five this afternoon.	9:15
	Last summer, Dr. Wynkoop and Ms. Sparks	9:22
	led a group from Durham, and they visited Kostroma	9:26
	with the choir.	9:31
	Kostroma is Durham's sister city,	9:45
	and they're part of the Sister Cities program.	9:48
	Welcome.	9:58
	Let us stand for the greeting.	10:01
	The grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, be with you.	10:07
Congregation	And also with you.	10:10
-	The risen Christ is with us.	10:11
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	10:14
	(organ plays)	10:16
	(congregation sings)	11:02
	(congregation sings)	14:51
-	Let us pray.	15:42
	Oh creator, giver of life, you are always more ready	15:45
	to bestow your good gifts on us,	15:51
	than we are to seek them.	15:54
	You are always more willing to give	15:57
	than we desire or deserve.	15:59
	Help us so to seek, that we may truly find,	16:03
	so to ask, that we may joyfully receive,	16:06
	so to knock, that the door of your mercy	16:11
	may be opened to us.	16:14
	Through Jesus Christ, our savior, amen.	16:17
	You may be seated.	16:21
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	16:31
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	16:35
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	16:38
	so that, as the word is read and proclaimed,	16:40
	we may hear your message with joy this day.	16:44
	Amen.	16:47
	This reading is taken from chapter five	16:49
	of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians,	16:51
	starting with verse one.	16:53
	"Now concerning the times and the seasons,	16:56
	"brothers and sisters, you do not need	16:58
	"to have anything written to you.	17:00
	"For you yourselves know very well	17:02
	"that the Day of the Lord will come	17:04
	"like a thief in the night.	17:05
	"When they say there is peace and security,	17:07
	"then sudden destruction will come upon them,	17:10
	"as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman,	17:12
	"and there will be no escape.	17:15
	"But you beloved are not in darkness	17:17
	"for that day to surprise you like a thief,	17:19
	"for you are all children of light,	17:21
	"and children of the day.	17:23
	"We are not of the night or of darkness.	17:24
	"So then let us not fall asleep as other do,	17:27
	"but let us keep awake and be sober.	17:30
	"For those who sleep, sleep at night,	17:32
	"and those who are drunk, get drunk at night.	17:35
	"But since we belong to the day,	17:38
	"let us be sober, and put on the breastplate	17:40
	"of faith and love, and for a helmet,	17:42
	"the hope of salvation.	17:45
	"For God has destined us not for wrath,	17:47
	"but for obtaining salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ,	17:49
	"who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep,	17:52
	"we may live with Him.	17:56
	"Therefore, encourage one another, and build up each other,	17:58
	"as indeed you are doing."	18:01
	This is the word of the Lord.	18:03
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	18:05
	(If We Believe That Jesus Died)	18:22
-	Let us sing responsively Psalm 76 on page 797.	21:36
	Please stand for the song and Gloria.	21:44
	(organ plays)	21:48
	♪ In Judah, God is known ♪	21:54
	♪ Whose name is great in Israel ♪	21:58
	♪ Whose abode has been established in Salem ♪	22:03
	♪ Whose dwelling place is in Zion ♪	22:09
	♪ There he broke the flashing arrows ♪	22:14
	♪ The shields and the swords, the weapons of war ♪	22:19
	♪ You are glorious, more majestic ♪	22:26
	♪ Than the everlasting mountains ♪	22:29
	(background noise drowns out other sounds)	22:34
	♪ All the soldiers were unable to use their hands ♪	22:44
	♪ At your rebuke, oh God of Jacob ♪	22:51
	(background noise drowns out other sounds)	22:57
	♪ You who indeed are to be feared ♪	23:02
	♪ Who can stand before you ♪	23:07
	(background noise drowns out other sounds)	23:10
	♪ From the heavens you uttered judgment ♪	23:15
	♪ The earth feared and was still ♪	23:20
	♪ When God arose to establish judgment ♪	23:24
	♪ To save all the oppressed of the earth ♪	23:29
	(background noise drowns out other sounds)	23:34
	♪ Make vows to the Lord your God and keep them ♪	23:46
	♪ Let all the neighboring lands ♪	23:52
	♪ Bring gifts to the One to be feared ♪	23:55
	♪ Who cuts off the spirit of monarchs ♪	24:00
	♪ And makes the rulers of the earth afraid ♪	24:06
	♪ All the glory be to you, creator ♪	24:13
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior ♪	24:17
	(background noise drowns out other sounds)	24:21
	♪ As it was ere time began ♪	24:27
	♪ It shall be forever more ♪	24:32
	(choir sings)	25:29
-	Thank you.	29:38
	Thank you.	29:41
	Hear now this lesson from the Holy Gospel	29:44
	as recorded in Saint Matthew,	29:48
	the 25th chapter, beginning at verse 14.	29:50
	"For it is as if a man going on a journey	29:56
	"summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.	30:00
	"To one he gave five talents,	30:04
	"to another two, to another one,	30:07
	"to each according to his ability.	30:09
	"Then he went away.	30:12
	"The one who had received the five talents	30:14
	"went off at once and traded with them,	30:16
	"and made five more talents.	30:19
	"In the same way the one who had the two talents	30:21
	"made two more talents.	30:25
	"But the one who had received the one talent	30:27
	"went off and dug a hole in the ground	30:29
	"and hid his master's money.	30:33
	"After a long time, the master of those slaves	30:35
	"came and settled accounts with them.	30:39
	"Then the one who had received the five talents	30:43
	"came forward bringing five more talents saying,	30:46
	"'Master, you handed over to me five talents;	30:50
	"'see, I have made five more talents.'	30:54
	"His master said to him, 'well done,	30:57
	"'good and trustworthy slave.	31:01
	"'You have been trustworthy in few things.	31:04
	"'I will put you in charge of many things.	31:07
	"'Enter into the joy of your master.'	31:11
	"And the one with the two talents also came forward saying,	31:14
	"'Master, you have handed over to me two talents;	31:17
	"'see, I have made two more talents.'	31:21
	"His master said to him, 'well done,	31:24
	"'good and trustworthy slave.	31:26
	"'You have been trustworthy in a few things.	31:29
	"'I will put you in charge of many things.	31:32
	"'Enter into the joy of your master.'	31:35
	"Then the one who had received the one talent	31:39
	"also came forward saying, 'Master,	31:41
	"'I knew that you were a harsh man,	31:44
	"'reaping where you did not sow	31:46
	"'and gathering where you did not scatter seed.	31:48
	"'So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent	31:51
	"'in the ground.	31:54
	"'Here, you have what is yours.'	31:56
	"But his master replied, 'you wicked and lazy slave.	31:59
	"'You knew, did you, that I reap	32:04
	"'where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter?	32:06
	"'Then you ought to have invested my money	32:12
	"'with the bankers, and on my return	32:14
	"'I would have received what was my own with interest.	32:17
	"'So take the talent from him, and give it to the one	32:20
	"'with the ten talents.	32:24
	"'For to all those who have more will be given,	32:26
	"'and they that have will have an abundance.	32:30
	"'But from those who have nothing, even what they have	32:33
	"'will be taken away.	32:36
	"'As for this worthless slave,	32:39
	"'throw him into the outer darkness	32:41
	"'where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"	32:44
	This is the word of the Lord.	32:51
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	32:54
-	Several years ago, our family came home	33:01
	from a business and pleasure trip	33:04
	to the coast of North Carolina.	33:07
	Tired and hungry from the long drive,	33:10
	we pulled into our driveway late	33:12
	on a Sunday afternoon and entered the house.	33:14
	The minute the door was opened,	33:18
	we experienced the sinking feeling	33:20
	that someone had been in our house.	33:23
	The silver chest was sitting open on a kitchen counter,	33:26
	and there was a note from our neighbor to call him.	33:30
	A thief had come in the night,	33:34
	entered from our deck, gone all over the house,	33:36
	stolen silver and jewelry, left the door open,	33:40
	and abandoned the silver chest in the yard	33:44
	where our neighbor found it the next morning.	33:47
	The same thief hit seven other houses	33:51
	in our area that night.	33:53
	We were devastated.	33:56
	Knowing that a thief had been in our house	33:58
	made us feel violated and vulnerable.	34:00
	For weeks, every time one of us came home,	34:04
	we got a sinking feeling in our stomach.	34:06
	Probably many of you here this morning	34:11
	have had this experience.	34:14
	Yours might have been worse.	34:16
	We experienced no bodily harm,	34:19
	and no serious vandalism.	34:22
	Nevertheless, it was a terrible experience.	34:25
	We live in a society in which, increasingly,	34:30
	we all fear thieves in the night.	34:33
	Yesterday morning while I was working at home	34:37
	on this sermon, the telephone rang.	34:39
	I answered.	34:41
	"Good morning, Mr. Campbell, how are you today?"	34:42
	Recognizing the beginning of the script, I interrupted	34:46
	and asked politely, "what are you selling?"	34:49
	She said, "this is AT&T.	34:53
	"I want to talk with you about our home security service."	34:56
	Home security is a rapidly growing,	35:01
	billion dollar a year business.	35:04
	We accept the fact that there are certain places	35:07
	that we do not go in the darkness of night.	35:10
	We caution visitors to our cities.	35:15
	Here at Duke and on other campuses,	35:17
	we have Take Back the Night marches.	35:20
	I get the weekly safety report here at Duke,	35:24
	and even here, students, faculty, staff, and visitors	35:27
	regularly experience theft of their possessions	35:31
	from cars, offices, and dorm rooms.	35:35
	Our family has talked many times about our own visit	35:39
	from a thief in the night.	35:43
	We had a number of reactions.	35:45
	The first was surprise.	35:47
	Arriving home happy after a time at the beach,	35:50
	we never dreamed of a burglary.	35:53
	After the shock of surprise wore off,	35:57
	we were thankful.	35:59
	We began to think about what was really important.	36:01
	We had many losses;	36:06
	the thief even stole my Duke undergraduate class ring,	36:08
	and Lisa's Wellesley ring.	36:13
	When the appraisal report came back for the insurance,	36:16
	we were shocked at how valuable they were.	36:19
	25 years ago, those rings were made of heavier gold	36:22
	than the ones you can buy now.	36:26
	But our losses were relatively unimportant.	36:30
	Most could be replaced.	36:34
	More significantly, we were safe, as was our house.	36:36
	In a funny way, the thief in the night	36:41
	had relativized our possessions.	36:44
	Another result of our conversations	36:48
	was that we resolved not to live in fear.	36:50
	Caution is wise, but fear can be paralyzing.	36:55
	Now here we are this morning in the closing days	37:02
	of the Christian year.	37:05
	Now the Christian year does not conform	37:07
	to the civil calendar.	37:10
	It begins instead with the first Sunday in Advent,	37:12
	four weeks before Christmas,	37:15
	during which the Church prepares to celebrate	37:17
	the birth of the Messiah.	37:20
	The first Sunday in Advent this year comes on November 28th.	37:22
	Even though I was in Chicago a month ago,	37:28
	and the first week of October,	37:31
	Marshall Field & Company	37:33
	was putting up its in-store Christmas trees	37:35
	on North Michigan Avenue.	37:37
	Always in the last weeks of the Church year,	37:40
	the scripture lessons call our attention	37:44
	to themes having to do with end times.	37:47
	The end of the cycle reminds us of God's promised future,	37:52
	and the fulfillment of faith.	37:57
	What happens to us when we die?	37:59
	What about the end of the world?	38:02
	We talk about the Parousia, or the Day of the Lord,	38:05
	or Judgment Day.	38:10
	The theological word for consideration	38:12
	of ultimate future is eschatology.	38:15
	You will hear that frequently.	38:18
	Now, some popular preachers approach these topics	38:21
	in terms of Heaven or Hell.	38:25
	Charles Spurgeon, the great 19th century preacher	38:28
	and teacher of preaching,	38:32
	was concerned, among other things,	38:34
	about the style of the preacher.	38:36
	How the preacher looks and speaks.	38:39
	He once remarked, "when you talk about Heaven,	38:42
	"put a smile on your face.	38:45
	"Make sure your countenance and expression	38:48
	"are appropriate conveyors of the Heavenly bliss,	38:50
	"and maybe elevate your eyes."	38:54
	On the other hand, he said,	38:56
	"when you talk about Hell, your normal looks with do."	38:57
	(laughter)	39:02
	Now, both scripture lessons this morning that we've read	39:05
	point to this eschatological reality of Christian faith.	39:09
	The gospel I just read from Matthew	39:14
	is known as "the Parable of the Talents."	39:16
	It tells the story of a man who goes away	39:19
	and leaves his servants in charge of his property.	39:21
	After a long time, the master returns and settles accounts.	39:25
	Judgment is rendered.	39:30
	The parable is rich, and like most of Jesus' parables,	39:33
	can be interpreted in a number of ways.	39:36
	One of the things the gospel writer clearly wants us	39:39
	to understand is that there will be a Judgment Day.	39:43
	On the Day of the Lord, we will be held accountable	39:48
	for what we have done.	39:51
	God gives us lives and opportunities,	39:54
	and we are responsible for what we do	39:57
	with what we are given.	40:01
	The passage from First Thessalonians that Mark read	40:04
	deals with questions the Christian community	40:08
	and Thessaloniki was asking about the Day of the Lord.	40:11
	Some of its members were dying,	40:15
	and the Church wondered what would happen to those who died	40:18
	before Christ returned.	40:21
	They also wondered why the end times had not yet come.	40:25
	These same questions are asked by Christians	40:31
	in our own time.	40:34
	Maybe a preacher has tried to scare you into being good	40:36
	by talking about Judgment Day and Hell.	40:40
	Millions of books are sold every year in this country	40:44
	that purport to predict the Day of the Lord,	40:48
	or when the Parousia will occur.	40:51
	And numerous sects have developed followings	40:55
	on the basis of a leader's convictions	40:58
	about the end times.	41:01
	We need only think of the tragic case of David Koresh	41:04
	and the Branch Davidians of Waco Texas	41:07
	to realize how serious and contemporary these questions are.	41:11
	At times, we all ponder the question of the future,	41:17
	and what these passages of scripture really mean	41:22
	that have to do with judgment and the end times.	41:26
	In his letter to the Thessalonians,	41:31
	Paul offers pastoral guidance to his young church	41:33
	on this difficult problem.	41:38
	In the fourth chapter, he assures them that	41:40
	the Day of the Lord will unite all Christians,	41:42
	and that it will be the fulfillment of faith	41:46
	for believers in union with Jesus Christ.	41:49
	Now some in the Church were speculating on	41:54
	how this would happen, and when it would happen,	41:57
	just like Christians do today.	42:01
	But Paul rejects this kind of speculation.	42:05
	He writes, "now concerning the times and seasons,	42:10
	"brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything	42:14
	"written to you, for you yourselves know very well	42:18
	"that the Day of the Lord will come	42:22
	"like a thief in the night."	42:25
	As my family and I discovered,	42:30
	a thief in the night comes without warning,	42:32
	and leaves us surprised.	42:36
	We are taught by the scriptures	42:40
	that we are not to speculate on when	42:42
	the Day of the Lord will come.	42:45
	No one can know.	42:47
	We are to live in anticipation, ready at any and all times.	42:49
	But debate and calculation are a waste of time.	42:56
	In fact, they distract us from getting on	43:01
	with our Christian lives in this world.	43:05
	Thomas Wolfe in his novel "Look Homeward Angel"	43:09
	tells the story of a family waiting for a difficult,	43:12
	sick, old grandfather, Gant, to die.	43:16
	His protracted illness seems endless.	43:20
	Meanwhile, the favorite young son, Ben,	43:24
	the pride and joy of the family,	43:30
	contracts a deadly viral pneumonia and dies instantly.	43:32
	The novelist observes, while they watched and waited	43:39
	at the front window, death crept in the cellar door.	43:43
	Like a thief in the night, the Day of the Lord	43:50
	will come as a surprise.	43:53
	The Day of the Lord will also bring judgment.	43:58
	I told you that after our robbery, we made some judgments.	44:02
	We judged that it was most important	44:06
	that we still had each other.	44:09
	We judged that what we lost was unimportant	44:11
	in comparison to many things we take for granted.	44:16
	Paul Mineer, a former teacher of mine at Yale,	44:21
	once suggested that Jesus Christ	44:25
	is himself the greatest thief of all time.	44:28
	Remembering the two thieves crucified	44:34
	on either side of Jesus, he asserted that, in fact,	44:37
	there were three thieves crucified on Golgotha	44:41
	that awful Good Friday afternoon.	44:45
	At first, his statement shocked me.	44:49
	But if you think about it, you will have new insight.	44:54
	Jesus Christ brings judgment	44:58
	on all our earthly goods and possessions.	45:01
	Judgment on all our assumptions about what is valuable.	45:05
	Judgment on all our pretense about position and privilege.	45:10
	Christ steals from us the treasure in which we have trusted.	45:16
	Other theologians have used the image of Christ as thief.	45:23
	The Danish theologian, Søren Kierkegaard,	45:27
	suggests that Christ is a far more terrible robber	45:30
	than those who assault travelers along a highway.	45:35
	Jesus assaulted the whole human race	45:39
	at the point where that race is most sensitive:	45:42
	it's desire for security, and superiority.	45:45
	Christ steals from us our self-satisfied assumptions	45:52
	about who and what is important.	45:57
	He steals from us our estimations of ourselves.	46:00
	He steals our sense of what security means.	46:05
	The Day of the Lord will bring judgment	46:10
	when our hidden secrets and motives are exposed.	46:13
	Our real values will be weighed and certified.	46:17
	What we have will be assessed for what it really is.	46:23
	We will be seen for what we really are.	46:28
	On his death bed, Martin Luther looked up and said,	46:33
	"in the end, we are all beggars; that's the truth."	46:38
	Now this may not sit well in this university congregation.	46:46
	We like to think that here at Duke,	46:51
	we know what is valuable, and what it is to be successful.	46:54
	And it certainly does not include the idea	46:59
	that you end up a beggar.	47:02
	Unless, of course, you end up a beggar	47:04
	because you've given everything you have to Duke.	47:06
	(laughter)	47:10
	These scripture passages should cause us to think	47:12
	about what we really value, and what it is	47:16
	that really endures, and cannot be taken away.	47:20
	For those of you who are students, your education here	47:26
	is something that can never be taken from you.	47:29
	The more you put into it, the more you will have	47:32
	that can never be lost.	47:36
	Two years ago, I was in Denver, at Trinity Methodist Church.	47:40
	It is in the middle of downtown,	47:44
	and directly across the street from the Brown Palace Hotel.	47:47
	The building is magnificent.	47:51
	When it was built in 1887, its sanctuary	47:55
	was the largest auditorium in the state.	47:59
	It housed the important civic meetings,	48:03
	and was the place the symphony played.	48:05
	The organ, which is still in use,	48:08
	was built by the Roosevelt Organ Company of New York.	48:11
	And at the time it was completed, it was declared	48:14
	the greatest organ in America, and one of the greatest	48:17
	in the world.	48:21
	The papers declared that its amazing power and volume	48:22
	will be the pride and delight of Denver	48:27
	for many years to come.	48:30
	The organ was the gift of a man named Isaac Elder Blake,	48:34
	who also gave a great deal of money toward	48:38
	the rest of the building.	48:41
	Blake was the son of a Methodist minister	48:43
	who became fabulously wealthy as founder and president	48:45
	of Continental Oil and Transportation Company.	48:50
	As well as being a major benefactor of the Church,	48:55
	he was a musician who directed the choir	48:58
	without any salary.	49:01
	(laughter)	49:04
	His gifts to build the church and organ	49:08
	would be equal to more than a million dollars today.	49:11
	Later in the mid-1890s, Blake lost his entire fortune	49:15
	when the Silver Act led	49:21
	to one of Denver's worst depressions.	49:22
	He died in relative poverty, a harsh example	49:26
	of the fleeting nature of worldly success	49:30
	and material possessions.	49:33
	He loved to point out that his gifts to Trinity Church	49:35
	proved a lasting investment,	49:39
	long after his other investments were lost,	49:42
	and his achievements were forgotten.	49:45
	He said, "what I gave, I still have,	49:48
	"but what I kept, I lost."	49:52
	Our works of love, what we give away,	49:58
	what we do for others, cannot be taken from us.	50:01
	Encounter with Christ robs us	50:06
	of all our earthly security and reminds us	50:10
	that it is in God alone that there is real security.	50:14
	Paul tells us that Christians, therefore,	50:22
	need not fear the coming of the Day of the Lord.	50:25
	This is so because we are children of light, and of the day.	50:29
	He means that Christians have already experienced	50:34
	the coming of the Lord, even as we wait	50:38
	for his coming again.	50:41
	We stand between the times.	50:44
	But because we've already experienced his coming,	50:47
	his life, death, and resurrection,	50:52
	we know the nature of God,	50:55
	and we know that therefore we need not fear the future.	50:59
	We are given our lives and opportunities by God,	51:05
	and what we do with them is our responsibility.	51:10
	To do that which will endure and which can never	51:15
	be taken away.	51:20
	We have a charge to keep.	51:24
	The Day of the Lord will come	51:30
	like a thief in the night.	51:32
	There will be surprise.	51:34
	We know not what a day or an hour may bring.	51:36
	There will be judgment.	51:40
	All our earthly assumptions and values	51:42
	are evaluated for what they really are worth.	51:45
	And there is no need to fear.	51:49
	God has destined us not for wrath,	51:52
	but for obtaining salvation through our Lord, Jesus Christ.	51:56
	Therefore, let us live as children of light,	52:01
	and of the day.	52:08
	We have a charge to keep.	52:10
	Amen.	52:14
	(organ plays)	52:19
	(congregation sings)	52:42
Man	The Lord be with you.	54:17
Congregation	And also with you.	54:19
-	Let us pray.	54:20
	You may be seated.	54:21
	Loving, gracious God,	54:30
	time and again you reach out to us.	54:35
	You knock at our door.	54:39
	You offer yourself to us,	54:43
	giving unto us, holding nothing back.	54:44
	We are hesitant to respond in kind.	54:49
	Clutching our lives as if they were our possessions.	54:53
	Gripping our houses, our cars, our goods,	54:59
	as if we could hold onto them forever.	55:04
	We are unable to return your embrace, fearful.	55:08
	Lord, teach us how fragile are our lives,	55:16
	how finite our age.	55:20
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	55:24
	Lord, we pray for brothers and sisters around the world	55:30
	separated from us by language, culture, nationality,	55:35
	but not separated from you.	55:42
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	55:48
	We pray especially for our sisters and brothers	55:55
	in Kostroma, Russia.	55:58
	We pray for them during this time	56:02
	of difficult national transition.	56:04
	We pray for their leaders, for their families	56:09
	and loved ones, that this hopeful, difficult,	56:12
	expectant time, may lead them	56:17
	into brighter and better future.	56:22
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	56:26
	We pray for those in great need, this day.	56:32
	We pray for families under stress.	56:37
	We pray for children in poverty.	56:41
	We pray for the sick and infirm in body and in soul.	56:46
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	56:53
	Oh God, we pray for victims of crime,	56:59
	those who are victimized in body or in goods,	57:05
	those whose lives have been violated by criminals.	57:09
	And Lord we pray for the perpetrators of criminal activity.	57:17
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	57:25
	Everything that we have and hold dear, oh Lord,	57:31
	has come from you.	57:33
	Help us wisely to discern the times in which we live.	57:36
	Give us grace not to put our trust	57:42
	in things which pass away,	57:44
	but to trust in you,	57:47
	both in your love for us and in your will for our lives.	57:50
	And all these things we pray,	57:56
	knowing that you will for us	57:58
	what is good, and just, and lasting.	58:01
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	58:05
	Amen.	58:10
	As a forgiven and reconciled people	58:12
	to whom much has been given,	58:15
	let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	58:17
	(organ plays)	58:22
	(Hallelujah)	59:26
	(organ plays)	1:03:20
	(congregation sings)	1:03:43
-	Let us pray	1:04:42
	Accept our sacrifices of praise, oh God,	1:04:45
	for we bring them with great joy.	1:04:49
	Receive our thanks for all the mercies granted us	1:04:52
	buy your divine majesty.	1:04:55
	May you be glorified by these gifts,	1:04:58
	even as they encourage us and our work together.	1:05:01
	May the ministries they enable carry good news	1:05:05
	to many we will never know,	1:05:08
	and may our lives bear witness to the love of God	1:05:10
	through Jesus Christ to all the world.	1:05:13
	Amen.	1:05:16
	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	1:05:19
	hallowed be thy name.	1:05:22
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:05:24
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:05:27
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:05:29
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:05:32
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:05:34
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,	1:05:38
	for thine is the kingdom, and the power,	1:05:42
	and the glory forever.	1:05:45
	Amen.	1:05:47
	(organ plays)	1:05:50
	(congregation sings)	1:06:24
-	And now may the grace of our Lord and savior,	1:08:47
	Jesus Christ, the love of God,	1:08:49
	and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:08:51
	be with you now and always.	1:08:53
	Amen.	1:08:55
	(choir sings)	1:09:06

Item Info

Title:

Dennis M. Campbell - "A Thief in the Night" (November 14, 1993)

Description:

Sermon start time: 33:01. Sermon end time: 52:15.
The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, that is, it will come as a surprise and with judgment. When Jesus returns, he will judge what we have valued and put our trust in for what it really is. Yet, Christians need not fear, for we have already known the coming of the Lord. Rather, we are charged to live as children of light in the intervening time. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Jesus Christ brings judgment on all our earthly goods and possessions. Judgment on all our assumptions about what is valuable. Judgment on all our pretense about position and privilege. Christ steals from us the treasure in which we have trusted.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4g737k1z

Date:

November 14, 1993

Speaker:

Campbell, Dennis M.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0345
ref9331_bl6
uachapelsermaud
duke:321610
dcrmv001330
ark:/87924/r4g737k1z
8b2eb797-b406-4a78-aeaf-54567682be2f

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

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United States
North Carolina
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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