Dennis M. Campbell - "The Wrecks of Time" (November 13, 1994)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
- | Good morning, we'd like to welcome you to Duke chapel. | 0:02 |
I'd like to call a couple of announcements | 0:05 | |
to your attention. | 0:07 | |
Our guest preacher today, is the Reverend | 0:08 | |
Dr. Dennis Campbell, who is the dean | 0:10 | |
of the Duke Divinity School, and we welcome him. | 0:13 | |
Also, this evening at five p.m., Doctor David Arcus | 0:17 | |
will present a concert in the chapel on the | 0:20 | |
Flentrop organ, and we hope you will be able to | 0:23 | |
return for that concert. | 0:26 | |
He is also premiering an anthem today, | 0:27 | |
in the offertory slot. | 0:30 | |
And we are grateful to Dr. David Arcus for his | 0:32 | |
outstanding music that he contributes to our worship. | 0:35 | |
Would you please stand as we continue | 0:39 | |
our worship with a greeting. | 0:41 | |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. | 0:48 | |
Crowd | And also with you. | 0:52 |
- | The risen Christ is with us. | 0:53 |
Crowd | Praise be to our Lord. | 0:56 |
(organ music) | 0:58 | |
(crowd sings worship song) | 1:41 | |
Let us pray. | 6:20 | |
Oh God, light of the minds that know you. | 6:24 | |
Life of the souls that love you. | 6:29 | |
Strength of the thoughts that seek you. | 6:33 | |
Help us so to know you that we may truly love you. | 6:37 | |
And so to love you, that we may fully serve you. | 6:41 | |
Whose service is perfect freedom | 6:45 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 6:48 | |
You may be seated. | 6:52 | |
- | Let us pray together, the prayer for Illumination. | 7:05 |
Open our hearts and minds, oh God. | 7:10 | |
By the power of your Holy Spirit. | 7:14 | |
So that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 7:16 | |
we might hear your word with joy this day, amen. | 7:20 | |
The Old Testament reading is taken | 7:27 | |
from the first book of Samuel | 7:30 | |
chapter two, verses one through 10. | 7:32 | |
Hannah prayed and said, "My heart exalts in the Lord. | 7:38 | |
My strength is exalted in my God. | 7:43 | |
My mouth derides my enemies | 7:47 | |
because I rejoice in my victory. | 7:50 | |
There is no holy one like the Lord. | 7:53 | |
No one besides you. | 7:56 | |
There is no rock like our God. | 7:58 | |
Talk no more, so very proudly. | 8:02 | |
Let not arrogance come from your mouth | 8:05 | |
for the Lord is a God of knowledge. | 8:08 | |
And by him, actions are weighed. | 8:11 | |
The bows of the mighty are broken | 8:15 | |
but the feeble gird on strength. | 8:18 | |
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread | 8:21 | |
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. | 8:26 | |
The barren has born seven. | 8:31 | |
But she, who has many children, is forlorn. | 8:34 | |
The Lord kills and brings to life. | 8:39 | |
He brings down to Sheol and raises up. | 8:42 | |
The Lord makes poor and makes rich. | 8:47 | |
He brings low he also exalts. | 8:50 | |
He raises up the poor from the dust, | 8:54 | |
he lifts the needy from the ash heap. | 8:57 | |
To make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. | 9:00 | |
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's. | 9:06 | |
And on them, he has set the world. | 9:10 | |
He will guard the feet of his faithful ones | 9:13 | |
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness. | 9:17 | |
For not by might, does one prevail. | 9:20 | |
The Lord, his adversary shall be shattered. | 9:24 | |
The most high will thunder in heaven. | 9:27 | |
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth, | 9:30 | |
he will give strength to his king and exalt | 9:33 | |
the power of his anointed. | 9:37 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 9:41 | |
Crowd | Thanks be to God. | 9:44 |
- | Today's psalm is number 113 | 9:50 |
found on page 834 in the Hymnal. | 9:54 | |
Please stand and sing the psalm in glory responsibly. | 9:57 | |
(organ music) | 10:02 | |
♪ Praise the Lord ♪ | 10:09 | |
(crowd sings) | 10:12 | |
♪ Blessed be the name of the Lord ♪ | 10:22 | |
♪ From this time forth and forevermore ♪ | 10:27 | |
(crowd sings) | 10:33 | |
♪ The Lord is high above all nations ♪ | 10:45 | |
♪ God's glory above the heavens ♪ | 10:50 | |
(crowd sings) | 10:55 | |
♪ God raises the poor from the dust ♪ | 11:12 | |
♪ And lift the needy from the ash heap ♪ | 11:16 | |
♪ To make them sit with princes ♪ | 11:20 | |
♪ With the princes of God's people ♪ | 11:24 | |
(crowd sings) | 11:28 | |
♪ All glory be to you creator ♪ | 11:44 | |
♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior ♪ | 11:48 | |
(crowd sings) | 11:53 | |
♪ As it was, her time began ♪ | 12:00 | |
(crowd sings) | 12:05 | |
- | The epistle for this morning service | 12:30 |
is from the book the Hebrews, chapter 10 | 12:33 | |
verses 11 through 25. | 12:37 | |
And every priest stands, day after day at his service. | 12:43 | |
Offering again and again, the same sacrifices | 12:48 | |
that can never take away sins. | 12:51 | |
But when Christ had offered for all time, | 12:54 | |
a single sacrifice for sins, | 12:58 | |
he sat down at the right hand of God. | 13:01 | |
And since then, has been waiting until his enemies | 13:03 | |
would be made a foot stool for his feet. | 13:07 | |
For by a single offering, he has perfected for all time, | 13:11 | |
those who are sanctified. | 13:17 | |
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us | 13:19 | |
for after saying, "This is the covenant | 13:23 | |
that I will make with them after those days," says the Lord. | 13:27 | |
"I will put my laws in their heart | 13:31 | |
and I will write them on their minds." | 13:35 | |
He also adds, "I will remember their sins | 13:38 | |
and their lawless deeds no more. | 13:41 | |
Where there is forgiveness of these, | 13:44 | |
there is no longer any offering for sin." | 13:47 | |
Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence | 13:51 | |
to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, | 13:55 | |
by the new and living way that he open for us | 13:58 | |
through the curtain, that is through his flesh. | 14:02 | |
And since we have a great priest over the houses of God, | 14:06 | |
let us approach with a true heart, | 14:11 | |
in full assurance of faith, with your hearts | 14:14 | |
sprinkled clean from an evil conscience | 14:16 | |
and our bodies washed with pure water. | 14:20 | |
Let us hold fast to the confession | 14:24 | |
of our hope without wavering. | 14:26 | |
For he, who has promised, is faithful. | 14:28 | |
And let us consider how to provoke one another | 14:32 | |
to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together | 14:35 | |
as is the habit of some. | 14:40 | |
But encouraging one another and all the more, | 14:42 | |
as you see the day approaching. | 14:46 | |
This is the word of the Lod. | 14:49 | |
Crowd | Thanks be to God. | 14:52 |
♪ Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound ♪ | 15:14 | |
♪ That saved a wretch like me ♪ | 15:25 | |
♪ I once was lost, but now am found ♪ | 15:35 | |
♪ Was blind but now I see ♪ | 15:47 | |
♪ T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear ♪ | 15:58 | |
♪ And Grace, my fears relieved ♪ | 16:10 | |
♪ How precious did that grace appear ♪ | 16:20 | |
♪ The hour I first believed ♪ | 16:32 | |
♪ Through many dangers, toils and snares ♪ | 16:44 | |
♪ I have already come ♪ | 16:55 | |
♪ T'was grace that brought us safe thus far ♪ | 17:05 | |
♪ And grace will lead me home ♪ | 17:17 | |
♪ The Lord hath promised good to me ♪ | 17:28 | |
♪ His word my hope secures ♪ | 17:39 | |
♪ He will my shield and portion be ♪ | 17:50 | |
♪ As long as life endures ♪ | 18:00 | |
♪ Amazing grace how sweet the sound ♪ | 18:12 | |
♪ That saved a wretch like me ♪ | 18:24 | |
♪ I once was lost, but now am found ♪ | 18:36 | |
♪ Was blind, but now I see ♪ | 18:49 | |
♪ I once was lost, but now am found ♪ | 19:06 | |
♪ Was blind, but now I see ♪ | 19:19 | |
- | The gospel lesson for this morning is taken from | 20:08 |
Mark in the 13th chapter, verses one through eight. | 20:12 | |
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples | 20:20 | |
said to him, "Look, teacher, what large stones. | 20:24 | |
And what large buildings." | 20:29 | |
Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? | 20:32 | |
Not one stone will be left here upon another. | 20:36 | |
All will be thrown down." | 20:40 | |
When he was sitting on the mount of Olives | 20:44 | |
opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew | 20:46 | |
asked him privately, "Tell us, when will this be? | 20:50 | |
And what will be the sign that all these things | 20:55 | |
are about to be accomplished? | 20:58 | |
Then Jesus began to say to them, | 21:01 | |
"Beware that no one leads you astray. | 21:04 | |
Many will come in my name and say I am he. | 21:08 | |
And they will lead many astray. | 21:11 | |
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. | 21:14 | |
This must take place. | 21:19 | |
But the end is still to come. | 21:21 | |
For a nation will rise against nation | 21:24 | |
and kingdom against kingdom. | 21:26 | |
There will be earthquakes in various places. | 21:28 | |
There will be famines. | 21:31 | |
This is but the beginning of the birth pains. | 21:34 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 21:40 | |
Crowd | Thanks be to God. | 21:43 |
- | If you were here in the chapel last Sunday, | 21:54 |
you heard not only, magnificent music as we always hear | 21:58 | |
but you also heard a wonderful sermon | 22:04 | |
about the widow's offering preached by Dr. Willimon. | 22:07 | |
Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem and he sat down, | 22:12 | |
opposite the treasury. | 22:16 | |
And there, as people came up to the treasury, | 22:19 | |
he watched wealthy people putting in large sums of money | 22:22 | |
to support that enterprise. | 22:27 | |
But he also watched a poor widow. | 22:31 | |
She put in two small copper coins worth a penny. | 22:34 | |
And Jesus noticed this and praised her. | 22:38 | |
"I tell you" he said, "this poor widow | 22:41 | |
has put in more than all those | 22:45 | |
who are contributing to the treasury. | 22:47 | |
For all of them have contributed out of abundance. | 22:49 | |
But she, out of her poverty, has put in | 22:53 | |
everything she had, all she had to live on." | 22:56 | |
Jesus makes it clear that the small | 23:01 | |
and insignificant offering, is in fact, a great offering. | 23:05 | |
And we are reminded that often, what seems great | 23:10 | |
and magnificent may not be as great as it first appears. | 23:15 | |
The truth requires much more careful analysis. | 23:21 | |
Today's lesson from the gospel of Mark | 23:26 | |
comes immediately after that story | 23:29 | |
about the poor widow and her offering. | 23:33 | |
In fact, the temple precincts have been the site | 23:35 | |
of Jesus activity for Mark, since his entry | 23:40 | |
into Jerusalem two chapters earlier. | 23:44 | |
Last week, we saw Jesus in the temple | 23:48 | |
sitting by the treasury. | 23:52 | |
Today, he and his disciples have come outside. | 23:54 | |
And as they emerged, one of the disciples looks around | 23:59 | |
and comments on the buildings. | 24:02 | |
"Look teacher" he says, "what large stones | 24:04 | |
and what large buildings." | 24:08 | |
The disciples were astonished at the magnificence | 24:11 | |
of the construction and adornment of the sanctuary | 24:14 | |
and its complex of courts, porches, balconies and buildings. | 24:18 | |
The temple precincts took at least 1/6 | 24:25 | |
of the whole of Jerusalem. | 24:31 | |
The construction was of huge, white marble stones. | 24:34 | |
Superbly engineered and exquisitely finished. | 24:38 | |
The great white marble was decorated with gold. | 24:43 | |
The Jerusalem temple was in fact, | 24:48 | |
one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. | 24:50 | |
I was at a football game yesterday afternoon. | 24:57 | |
Before the game, we were invited to tailgate | 25:01 | |
with some people from Lexington, Kentucky. | 25:04 | |
There were people there that I had never met before. | 25:08 | |
One man came over, introduced himself and asked | 25:11 | |
who I was and where I was from. | 25:14 | |
The first thing he said, when he heard Duke, | 25:17 | |
he said, "Well, I've ridden up in the chapel elevator. | 25:21 | |
I've seen that magnificent building. | 25:26 | |
And he went on to talk about this chapel, | 25:29 | |
its tower and its windows. | 25:32 | |
And if you are a Dukee, | 25:35 | |
that has almost surely happened to you. | 25:37 | |
People come from all over the world to see this chapel. | 25:41 | |
It is the most visited attraction | 25:45 | |
in the state of North Carolina. | 25:48 | |
During good weather, tour buses pull up almost everyday. | 25:50 | |
We aren't known as the gothic Disneyland for nothing. | 25:55 | |
This chapel is an embodiment of the best | 26:01 | |
in institutional religion. | 26:05 | |
Mr. Duke wanted this place as a centerpiece on this campus. | 26:08 | |
A great, towering church that would inspire | 26:13 | |
students and faculty. It's impossible | 26:17 | |
to ignore the Christian foundation of Duke University. | 26:19 | |
This magnificent building literally | 26:24 | |
symbolizes Duke all over the world. | 26:27 | |
When someone remarks to me about this chapel, | 26:32 | |
I respond with polite, restrained pride. | 26:35 | |
I'm sure that's what the disciples expected of Jesus | 26:42 | |
that day in Jerusalem. | 26:45 | |
Look teacher at these beautiful stones | 26:47 | |
and this wonderful building. | 26:49 | |
Yes, Jesus might have said it's wonderful. | 26:52 | |
A fitting tribute to God. | 26:56 | |
We are proud of the temple. | 26:59 | |
People come from all over to Jerusalem to see it. | 27:01 | |
Trouble is, that's not what Jesus said. | 27:07 | |
He never did the predictable things. | 27:11 | |
He usually said things that were unexpected. | 27:14 | |
Things that cause people to stop and think. | 27:17 | |
Things that still make us think in new ways | 27:21 | |
about things we take for granted. | 27:24 | |
Jesus said in response to the disciple's statement, | 27:27 | |
"Do you see these great buildings? | 27:31 | |
Not one stone will be left here upon another. | 27:34 | |
All will be thrown down." | 27:39 | |
A suitable, appropriate deconstructionist text | 27:42 | |
for Duke University. | 27:46 | |
Imagine if someone said that about us | 27:50 | |
here at Duke Chapel or Canterbury Cathedral | 27:53 | |
or St. Peter's in Rome. | 27:56 | |
We would be horrified. | 27:58 | |
We might even think the person crazy or dangerous. | 28:00 | |
In fact, years later, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. | 28:05 | |
In 70 A.D., the Romans burned the temple | 28:11 | |
and then it was dismantled stone by stone. | 28:15 | |
When Jesus made his startling statement, however, | 28:21 | |
the disciples immediately asked him when it would happen. | 28:24 | |
It's a suitable question perhaps, | 28:29 | |
but Jesus cautioned them, you heard the text. | 28:31 | |
"Don't get led away by false prophets," he said. | 28:36 | |
"You'll have people who will tell you all kinds of prophecy. | 28:41 | |
But be careful." | 28:45 | |
I was told just last week by a friend | 28:47 | |
that he had gone into his brother-in-law's home | 28:50 | |
and there, on the coffee table, | 28:53 | |
was a copy of The Jerusalem Times. | 28:54 | |
They subscribed to it, he told me, | 28:57 | |
because they believe that by reading The Jerusalem Times, | 29:00 | |
they can see predictions about the future. | 29:03 | |
Appropriate to the Bible. | 29:07 | |
Jesus clearly suggests that's not | 29:09 | |
a very appropriate thing to do. | 29:13 | |
The future is in God's hands. | 29:16 | |
It's not ours to worry about. | 29:19 | |
Our job, Jesus suggests, is to be faithful | 29:21 | |
and to carry on God's mission in our own time and place. | 29:25 | |
Jesus' statement about the temple | 29:32 | |
should make us think about what is ultimately important. | 29:34 | |
What will endure when the things of this world, | 29:38 | |
even the most magnificent things of this world, are gone. | 29:41 | |
Number of years ago, my wife Lisa and I had the occasion | 29:47 | |
to visit the holy island of Iona. | 29:51 | |
This tiny island lies in the midst of the Hebrides | 29:54 | |
off the western coast of Scotland. | 29:59 | |
Fashioned of rock and heather, the Atlantic seas | 30:02 | |
beat ceaselessly upon it. | 30:05 | |
1,400 years ago, on the last day of his life, | 30:09 | |
St. Columba, whose name is forever bound with that of Iona, | 30:14 | |
ascended a little hill overlooking the monastery | 30:18 | |
which was located there, and blessed the island. | 30:22 | |
For centuries, from all over the world, | 30:26 | |
pilgrims have come to worship and to be refreshed. | 30:29 | |
In the medieval period, Iona was a center | 30:34 | |
from which learning and piety went out | 30:37 | |
throughout all of Northern Europe. | 30:41 | |
Iona became known as a lighthouse to the dark ages. | 30:44 | |
It witnessed to the truth, power and vitality | 30:49 | |
of the gospel, in a time when it appeared | 30:53 | |
that nothing would endure. | 30:57 | |
Now Iona is a peaceful island and the monastery | 31:01 | |
has been restored by the church of Scotland | 31:04 | |
as a center for the Iona community. | 31:07 | |
A community which promotes world peace | 31:11 | |
and works to reform, especially, inter-city Scotland | 31:14 | |
and other areas of the world. | 31:18 | |
The island is a home for work parties, study groups | 31:20 | |
and persons seeking spiritual retreat. | 31:23 | |
On the road from the village to the Abbey church, | 31:27 | |
on the spot it is said where St. Columbo rested | 31:30 | |
halfway on the last day of his life, | 31:33 | |
there stands a medieval wayside cross. | 31:36 | |
Beautifully carved, more than 10 feet high. | 31:41 | |
And on the day we were there, we had taken a walk | 31:45 | |
and we came up the hill and stood at the top | 31:49 | |
and looked down onto that cross and at the base | 31:51 | |
of the cross, there was a work party of college students. | 31:54 | |
It was very moving, they were having a time of worship | 31:58 | |
during their retreat, and we could | 32:02 | |
hear them singing from afar. | 32:04 | |
And they were singing that great hymn | 32:07 | |
in the cross of Christ I glory, | 32:10 | |
towering o're the wrecks of time. | 32:14 | |
It was very dramatic because there on Iona, | 32:20 | |
you could literally see some of the wrecks of time. | 32:23 | |
Ruins of houses and barns, remains of former churches, | 32:28 | |
tombs of kings and queens of Scotland, | 32:34 | |
graves of nobles and of common folk, | 32:38 | |
these were all around us, giving immediate evidence | 32:41 | |
of the wrecks of time. | 32:45 | |
But the cross of Jesus Christ was standing | 32:48 | |
and it alone, pointed to the truth of the eternity. | 32:52 | |
Now we can see the meaning of Jesus' statement | 33:00 | |
outside the temple in Jerusalem. | 33:02 | |
It's easy to get focused on the magnificence | 33:06 | |
of the things of this world. | 33:09 | |
The temple after all, was an extraordinary achievement. | 33:12 | |
It embodied the outward splendor of institutional religion. | 33:16 | |
I think, by the way, that we should not lose sight | 33:21 | |
of the fact that this passage immediately | 33:24 | |
followed Jesus teaching about the poor widow | 33:26 | |
that Will preached about last Sunday. | 33:28 | |
Jesus had been sitting by the treasury in the temple | 33:31 | |
watching people contribute large sums of money. | 33:34 | |
And it was that money that sustained the power and glory | 33:37 | |
of the religious establishment of his time. | 33:41 | |
As well as praising the poor widow. | 33:45 | |
Jesus was pointing to the danger of a self-satisfied elite | 33:48 | |
living off of the money and sacrifices of others. | 33:54 | |
The theological meaning of this passage | 34:00 | |
about the destruction of the temple | 34:03 | |
is that Jesus himself is to be the center of worship. | 34:05 | |
In the second chapter of John's gospel, | 34:12 | |
Jesus cleanses the temple and then he says, | 34:16 | |
"Destroy this temple and in three days, I will raise it up." | 34:19 | |
the religious leaders who heard him say that mocked. | 34:24 | |
They said back, "This temple has been | 34:28 | |
under construction for 46 years. | 34:30 | |
And you will raise it up in three days?" | 34:33 | |
But of course, he was speaking of his own body. | 34:38 | |
After he was raised from the dead, the scriptures tell us, | 34:42 | |
his disciples remembered that he had said this | 34:45 | |
and they believed the scripture | 34:49 | |
and the word that Jesus had spoken. | 34:52 | |
Jesus becomes the new center of worship | 34:56 | |
for the Christian community. | 35:01 | |
Alexis de Tocqueville once wrote, | 35:04 | |
if I had children, I would teach them to choose | 35:06 | |
that which endures in a world of change. | 35:10 | |
What endures in a world of change? | 35:17 | |
Do you see these great buildings? | 35:22 | |
Not one stone will be left here upon another. | 35:26 | |
All will be thrown down. | 35:32 | |
Now certainly, I hope Duke Chapel will endure | 35:37 | |
long beyond my lifetime. | 35:39 | |
But the point Jesus is making is essential | 35:42 | |
for us to understand. | 35:45 | |
In one way or another, the wrecks of time engulf us all. | 35:48 | |
What are these wrecks of time? | 35:54 | |
Certainly, material things, buildings, | 35:56 | |
human achievements, our grand schemes and plans, | 35:59 | |
our ego, so tenderly nurtured in this university. | 36:04 | |
I was talking not long ago with a woman doctor | 36:11 | |
from mainland China and I asked her, | 36:14 | |
what it was like in the Christian church today in China? | 36:18 | |
And she told me the story about how during the time | 36:21 | |
of Mao Zedong, the Christians had endured | 36:25 | |
through small house churches. | 36:29 | |
Sometimes, she said, even members of the same family | 36:33 | |
didn't know that each other was participating | 36:38 | |
in a small house church. | 36:41 | |
But she said the Christian faith endured. | 36:44 | |
Mao's China is gone. | 36:49 | |
Oh there still are problems. | 36:52 | |
Human rights and Christians are still not free. | 36:55 | |
But nevertheless, it's a new day there | 37:02 | |
and we are learning more and more everyday | 37:05 | |
that the Christian witness was never snuffed out. | 37:08 | |
It was never a part of the wrecks of time | 37:15 | |
that the rest of that society, | 37:18 | |
that tried to snuff it out became. | 37:20 | |
You can think also of the church in Eastern Europe. | 37:24 | |
We were in Eastern Europe in September | 37:27 | |
to talk about the present state | 37:29 | |
and the future shape of the church. | 37:31 | |
And we we were told story after story | 37:34 | |
of individual Christians and small Christian communities | 37:36 | |
that had endured through the desolation | 37:41 | |
of repressive regimes that sought to stamp out the church. | 37:44 | |
Oh where are kings and empires now of old, | 37:49 | |
that went and came but Lord thy church is praying yet. | 37:53 | |
A thousand years, the same. | 37:58 | |
What endures? The cross of Christ alone endures | 38:02 | |
and all that it stands for. | 38:07 | |
And we are called I think, to choose that | 38:10 | |
which endures in a world of change. | 38:14 | |
All of us ought to ponder today, | 38:18 | |
why should we commit our lives to the wrecks of time | 38:20 | |
when we can commit our lives to that which endures? | 38:26 | |
There are huge needs in our society | 38:32 | |
and we are called to live our life for something | 38:36 | |
that's greater than ourselves and our own interests | 38:40 | |
and our own enjoyment, our own parties and good times. | 38:45 | |
Those won't endure. | 38:51 | |
But what we do for others, what we care about | 38:54 | |
that will matter to our communities, | 38:58 | |
those things will endure beyond our own life. | 39:01 | |
The city in which we live is troubled | 39:07 | |
as are virtually all our nation's cities. | 39:10 | |
We have abiding concerns for racial justice | 39:14 | |
and for community. | 39:18 | |
The plight of children and the quality of education | 39:20 | |
loom before us. | 39:24 | |
Many of these needs masquerade as social policy | 39:27 | |
and no matter who controls the congress, | 39:31 | |
the answers won't come simply from social policy. | 39:35 | |
Because at root, they are moral and spiritual. | 39:39 | |
As has been true throughout human history, | 39:45 | |
our problems are finally matters of identity, | 39:48 | |
character and meaning. | 39:52 | |
And these things will endure. | 39:55 | |
These matters are answered by faithful response | 39:59 | |
to the call to service. | 40:02 | |
And it doesn't have to be heroic. | 40:04 | |
I visited with a man a number of years ago | 40:07 | |
and actually participated in his funeral | 40:10 | |
who had spent his whole life as a teacher | 40:13 | |
in a high school in rural Wisconsin. | 40:16 | |
And as I talked with him, he seemed a bit depressed, | 40:20 | |
he had given up any hope of material well-being | 40:23 | |
or fancy recognition. | 40:28 | |
And yet, at his funeral, people came back from all over | 40:33 | |
including one man who talked to me afterwards | 40:36 | |
who had become a permanent member of the staff | 40:38 | |
of the United Nations and he told me that this man | 40:42 | |
had literally changed his life, had gotten him | 40:45 | |
to see beyond the limitations | 40:48 | |
of the community in which he lived. | 40:50 | |
And I was reminded and reminded everyday | 40:53 | |
in one way or another that one person | 40:56 | |
whose life is committed to ideals | 41:00 | |
greater than the self, to things that will endure | 41:04 | |
can make a different in individual lives | 41:08 | |
and in the life of our community and world. | 41:11 | |
That's what Jesus was talking about. | 41:16 | |
That we not fail to see the truth. | 41:18 | |
All about us are evidences of the wrecks of time. | 41:23 | |
Jesus reminds us of what endures. | 41:27 | |
In the end, the good news of the gospel | 41:31 | |
of Jesus Christ endures, that alone. | 41:33 | |
It is the truth for all time in every place. | 41:38 | |
Giving for others, living for others. | 41:41 | |
It cannot, and will not be silenced | 41:46 | |
by the wrecks of time of this world. | 41:50 | |
In the cross of Christ, I glory. | 41:56 | |
Towering o're the wrecks of time. | 42:00 | |
Amen. | 42:06 | |
(organ music) | 42:14 | |
(crowd singing worship song) | 42:37 | |
Debra | The Lord be with you. | 44:42 |
Crowd | And also with you. | 44:43 |
- | Let us pray, you may be seated. | 44:45 |
Enduring God. | 44:58 | |
It is so easy for us to be misled | 45:00 | |
by the things of this world that do not last. | 45:03 | |
Give us clear vision that we might discern | 45:08 | |
what is true and lasting. | 45:12 | |
Guide us on pass that lead to life everlasting. | 45:15 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 45:21 | |
Oh God, the wrecks of time are sometimes, overwhelming. | 45:26 | |
In the burv pangs of of the age to come. | 45:31 | |
Sometimes, we see and feel only the pain. | 45:34 | |
Help us not to lose sight of the joy of your new creation. | 45:39 | |
Keep our eyes focused on the cross of Christ | 45:44 | |
that towers over the wrecks of time. | 45:47 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 45:52 | |
Deliver us from the threat of despair and hopelessness. | 45:56 | |
Help us recognize the truth about our world | 46:01 | |
that keep us from believing only in tragic headlines | 46:04 | |
of violence, disaster and war. | 46:08 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 46:13 | |
Deliver us from excessive fear about the future. | 46:17 | |
Keep us from profits of doom who forecast | 46:22 | |
only worsening conditions without hope. | 46:25 | |
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 46:30 | |
Keep us also from excessive pride | 46:35 | |
in our ability to fix things. | 46:37 | |
Help us become those who faithfully labor | 46:40 | |
in your kingdom now. | 46:43 | |
But also remind us that the future | 46:46 | |
and the age to come are in your hands. | 46:49 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 46:53 | |
Make us mindful of those around us | 46:58 | |
who need signs of hope and something | 47:00 | |
greater than themselves to believe in. | 47:03 | |
Show us ways that we can reach out to them | 47:06 | |
that they may know your love through our love. | 47:10 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 47:14 | |
Bless your church in the world | 47:19 | |
that we might be a sign of the age to come. | 47:22 | |
Help us create enclaves of mercy, peace and love | 47:25 | |
where the reflection of your glory | 47:30 | |
might become visible to the whole world. | 47:32 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 47:36 | |
God of wonders, you work your will throughout the world. | 47:41 | |
And we believe that ultimately, all things will work | 47:45 | |
for the good of those who love you. | 47:49 | |
You are the ground that we trust | 47:51 | |
and the source of all our hope. | 47:53 | |
Keep us close to you that we might serve | 47:57 | |
your eternal enduring purposes | 48:00 | |
as you have revealed them in Jesus Christ. | 48:03 | |
Take us and all that we are and all that we do. | 48:07 | |
Forgive what is imperfect and flawed. | 48:11 | |
And show us how to make amends | 48:14 | |
so that our lives maybe better witnesses | 48:17 | |
to the presence of our risen Lord and savior Jesus Christ | 48:20 | |
who lives and reigns with you in the unity | 48:24 | |
of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever, amen. | 48:27 | |
God has graciously blessed us, | 48:36 | |
it is our privilege to share. | 48:38 | |
(organ music) | 48:42 | |
(choir singing worship song) | 49:48 | |
Let us pray. | 56:30 | |
God of all mercies, we give you amble thanks | 56:32 | |
for all your goodness and loving kindness. | 56:35 | |
To our center all whom you have made. | 56:38 | |
We bless you for our creation, preservation | 56:41 | |
and all the blessings of this life. | 56:44 | |
But above all, for your immeasurable love | 56:46 | |
and the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. | 56:49 | |
For the means of grace and for the hope of glory. | 56:52 | |
And we pray give us such an awareness of your mercies | 56:56 | |
that with truly thankful hearts, | 57:00 | |
we may show forth our praise, | 57:02 | |
not only with our lips but in our lives. | 57:04 | |
By giving up ourselves to your service. | 57:08 | |
And by walking before you in holiness and righteousness | 57:11 | |
all our days through Jesus Christ our Lord, | 57:14 | |
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit | 57:18 | |
be honor and glory throughout all ages, amen. | 57:20 | |
Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | 57:27 | |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 57:31 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 57:35 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 57:37 | |
and forgive us our trespasses. | 57:40 | |
As we forgive those who trespass against us. | 57:42 | |
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 57:45 | |
For thine is the kingdom and the power | 57:49 | |
and the glory forever, amen. | 57:52 | |
(organ music) | 57:57 | |
(crowd singing worship song) | 58:39 | |
Go forth in peace. | 1:01:40 | |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:01:41 | |
the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit | 1:01:43 | |
be with you and keep you. | 1:01:47 | |
(crowd sings worship song) | 1:01:51 |