Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Resting in God's Care" (May 7, 1995)

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-	Grace and peace to you in the name	0:57
	of the Lord Jesus Christ and welcome	0:59
	to this service of worship at Duke University Chapel	1:01
	on this fourth Sunday of Easter.	1:04
	If you are a visitor we extend warm greetings	1:06
	and wish you a very pleasant stay on or campus	1:09
	and we invite you to worship with again soon.	1:11
	We send our blessings and best wishes	1:15
	with all those students who are packing this weekend	1:18
	leaving campus for summer vacation,	1:20
	and especially for all those seniors	1:22
	who will be graduating next Sunday.	1:24
	We will miss you, but you will be very much	1:26
	in our hearts and our prayers in the coming days.	1:29
	I would like to thank Maurice Ritchie	1:32
	who is Associate Dean for Student Life	1:34
	and Director of Field Education at Duke Divinity School	1:36
	for serving as our presiding minister today,	1:39
	and also Kathi Wells, who is a graduating senior	1:42
	at the Divinity School and also a young Methodist pastor	1:44
	for serving as out lector.	1:48
	We welcome back to the Chapel	1:50
	the Charlotte Children's Choir	1:52
	and their conductor, Ms. Sandy Collin.	1:53
	They have provided wonderful music leadership	1:56
	on each of their previous visits to the Chapel	1:58
	and we are delighted to welcome them back today.	2:01
	Please note the remaining announcements	2:04
	as they printed in your bulletins.	2:06
Maurice	Christ is risen.	2:22
Congregation	Glorious indeed.	2:25
-	Glory, and honor, dominion and power	2:26
	be to God forever and ever.	2:29
Congregation	Christ has risen, alleluia.	2:32
	(organ music playing)	2:36
	(all singing)	3:08
-	Let us pray.	5:32
	Lord of light, you submitted to death	5:35
	and conquered the grave.	5:37
	Lifted on the cross you draw all peoples to yourself.	5:39
	Raised from the dead you restored	5:44
	all who are lost through sin.	5:45
	In these days of Easter we proclaim	5:48
	the marvelous mystery of death and resurrection.	5:50
	All praise is yours now and forever.	5:54
	Amen.	5:58
	Please be seated.	5:59
-	Join with me in the Prayer for Illumination.	6:12
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	6:16
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit	6:19
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed	6:22
	we may hear Your message with joy this day.	6:26
	Amen.	6:30
	The first lesson is from the Book of Acts,	6:33
	chapter 11, verses one through 18.	6:36
	"Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea	6:42
	"heard that Gentiles had also accepted the Word of God.	6:45
	"So when Peter went up to Jerusalem	6:49
	"the circumcised believers criticized him saying,	6:51
	"'Why did you go to the uncircumcised men	6:55
	"and eat with them?'	6:58
	"Then Peter began to explain it to them step by step saying,	7:00
	"'I was in the city of Joppa praying,	7:04
	"and in a trance I saw a vision.	7:06
	"There was something like a large sheet	7:09
	"coming down from Heaven being lowered	7:11
	"by its four corners, and it came close to me.	7:13
	"As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals,	7:17
	"beasts of prey, reptiles and birds of the air.	7:20
	"I also heard a voice saying to me,	7:24
	"'Get up, Peter, kill and eat.'	7:27
	"But I replied, 'By no means, Lord,	7:29
	"for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'	7:32
	"But a second time the voice answered from Heaven,	7:37
	"'What God has made clean you must not call profane.'	7:40
	"This happened three times,	7:43
	"then everything was pulled up again to Heaven.	7:46
	"At the very moment three men sent to me from Caesarea	7:49
	"arrived at the house we where.	7:52
	"The Spirit told me to go with them	7:55
	"and not to make a distinction between them and us.	7:57
	"These six brothers also accompanied me,	8:00
	"and we entered the man's house.	8:03
	"He told us how he had seen the angels	8:05
	"standing in his house and saying,	8:07
	"'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter.	8:10
	"He will bring you a message by which you	8:13
	"and your entire household will be saved.'	8:15
	"And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them	8:18
	"just as it had upon us at the beginning.	8:21
	"And I remembered the Word of the Lord,	8:24
	"how He had said, 'John baptized with water,	8:26
	"but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'	8:29
	"If then God gave them the same gift that He gave us	8:32
	"when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,	8:35
	"who was I to think that I could hinder God?'	8:37
	"When they heard this they were silenced	8:40
	"and they praised God, saying,	8:42
	"'Then God was giving, even to the Gentiles,	8:44
	"the repentance that leads to life.'"	8:46
	This is the Word of the Lord.	8:49
All	Thanks be to God.	8:51
-	Will you stand for the reading of the Psalter.	9:01
	"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."	9:09
	(congregation responding)	9:13
-	"Leads me beside the still waters, restores my life."	9:16
	(congregation responding)	9:21
-	"Even though I walk through the darkest valley,	9:25
	"I fear no evil."	9:27
	(congregation responding)	9:29
-	"You prepare a table before me	9:34
	"in the presence of my enemies."	9:36
	(congregation responding)	9:39
-	"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me	9:43
	"all the days of my life."	9:46
	(congregation responding)	9:48
	(organ music playing)	9:55
	(all singing)	10:04
-	Please be seated.	10:54
	The second lesson is from the Book of Revelation,	11:03
	chapter seven, verses nine through 17.	11:07
	"After this I looked, and there was a great multitude	11:11
	"that no one could count from every nation,	11:15
	"from all tribes, and peoples, and languages	11:18
	"standing before the throne and before the Lamb	11:21
	"robed in white with palm branches in their hands.	11:24
	"They cried out in a loud voice saying,	11:28
	"'Salvation belongs to our God	11:30
	"who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.'	11:32
	"And all the angels stood around the throne,	11:36
	"and around the elders, and the four living creatures.	11:38
	"And they fell down on their faces before the throne	11:41
	"and worshiped God singing, 'Amen!	11:44
	"Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving,	11:47
	"and honor, and power, and might	11:50
	"be to our God for ever and ever.	11:53
	"Amen!'"	11:56
	"Then one of the elders address me saying,	11:57
	"'Who are these robed in white,	12:00
	"and where have they come from?'	12:02
	"I said to him, 'Sir, you are the one that knows.'	12:04
	"Then he said to me, 'These are they who have come out	12:08
	"of the great ordeal, they have washed their robes	12:12
	"and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.	12:15
	"For this reason they are before the throne of God	12:18
	"and worship Him day and night within His temple,	12:21
	"and the one who is seated on the throne	12:24
	"will shelter them.	12:26
	"They will hunger no more, and thirst no more.	12:28
	"The sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat.	12:32
	"For the Lamb at the center of the throne	12:37
	"will be their shepherd and he will guide them	12:39
	"to springs of the water of life.	12:42
	"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.'"	12:44
	This is the Word of the Lord.	12:48
All	Thanks be to God.	12:51
	(organ music playing)	13:02
	(organ music playing)	14:04
	(choir singing)	14:12
	(organ music playing)	16:47
-	The Gospel lesson is from the Book of John,	17:47
	chapter 13, verses 31 through 35.	17:50
	"And when he was gone out Jesus said,	17:55
	"'Now the Son of Man has been glorified	17:58
	"and God is glorified in him.	18:01
	"If God has been is glorified in him,	18:03
	"God will also glorify him in Himself,	18:05
	"and will glorify him at once.	18:08
	"Little children, I am with you only a little longer.	18:10
	"You will look for me, and as I said to the the Jews,	18:14
	"so now I say to you, where I am going, you cannot come.	18:17
	"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.	18:21
	"Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.	18:25
	"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,	18:29
	"if you have love for one another.'"	18:32
	This is the Word of the Lord.	18:35
All	Thanks be to God.	18:37
-	One of you asked me last Sunday	18:52
	what I was planning to preach about today,	18:54
	and I answered that I was preparing a sermon	18:57
	on the 23rd Psalm, albeit with a certain amount	18:59
	of fear and trembling.	19:02
	Not a very appropriate attitude	19:04
	for working on this psalm I suppose.	19:06
	It's always tough preaching on a familiar text, I explained.	19:09
	Tough on you, the congregation, because you may feel	19:13
	a little bored by something you've heard before.	19:17
	And tough on the preacher, because we preachers	19:19
	like to think we're clever enough to reveal	19:22
	something new every time we stand up to preach,	19:25
	even when it comes to those	19:28
	most beloved passages of Scripture.	19:30
	Well, you'll be glad to know that	19:34
	by about the middle of this week	19:35
	I came to the realization that new ideas	19:36
	are not at the heart of the 23rd Psalm,	19:39
	but rather some very old and very familiar ones.	19:43
	Most of us have known, ever since we were children,	19:47
	what this psalm is about.	19:50
	A loving shepard Lord who cares for us	19:52
	in every circumstance,	19:55
	who calls us to place our security	19:58
	in the goodness and mercy of God.	20:00
	These things we know and will carry them	20:03
	with us to our graves.	20:06
	What we need is not a new idea, or even a new translation.	20:08
	Isn't the King James version	20:14
	emblazoned on our hearts forever?	20:16
	What we need is a time and a place	20:19
	to plumb the depths of this psalm	20:21
	simply to rest in the transforming knowledge	20:25
	of what we already know.	20:28
	"The Lord is my shepard, I shall not want."	20:31
	Just think for a moment about	20:37
	your own associations with Psalm 23.	20:39
	When have its words of comfort strengthened and healed you?	20:43
	When has its power to satisfy	20:48
	brought peace to your soul, or to another?	20:50
	I love the story shared by a member of our congregation	20:55
	when she recalled the time her two young children	20:58
	were frightened many years ago by a horror movie.	21:01
	She didn't have time to stop and comfort them	21:04
	right at that moment because dinner guests	21:07
	were expected any minute.	21:09
	She immediately thought of the 23rd Psalm	21:11
	and sent the children upstairs to read it.	21:13
	They did as she instructed them to do	21:16
	and were soon restored to peace of heart and mind.	21:19
	As a pastor, I have most often called on this psalm	21:23
	in times of suffering and loss	21:26
	in hospital rooms, at funerals and memorial services.	21:28
	In the midst of family crisis I have recited these words	21:33
	when there was nothing else left to say.	21:37
	What bolder statement of faith can we ever make	21:40
	than proclaiming, "The Lord is my shepard,	21:43
	I shall not want," in the face of tragedy?	21:46
	Yet we are also comforted to recall	21:51
	even on our most ordinary days	21:53
	that all our striving, all our worry,	21:56
	all our anxiety is in vain.	21:59
	The Lord is more faithful to us	22:02
	than the most committed shepard is to his sheep.	22:04
	Such faithfulness, once we have tasted it	22:08
	in all of its fullness, is truly enough.	22:11
	How shallow our many wants and desires	22:16
	for superficial things seem in the light of such love.	22:19
	"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."	22:24
	When was the last time you tried to make a sheep lie down,	22:30
	not that I've ever tried it myself.	22:34
	I did grow up on a dairy farm and I can assure you	22:36
	that a cow does not take readily to the idea.	22:38
	According to Phillip Keller's description	22:42
	in "A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23,"	22:44
	making a sheep lie down anywhere,	22:47
	green pastures or not, is very difficult	22:49
	unless four requirements are met.	22:53
	First, the sheep must be free of fear,	22:56
	second, its coat must be cleared of any parasites	23:00
	that would aggravate it if it tried to rest in the grass,	23:04
	third, a sheep will not lie down while it is still hungry,	23:08
	fourth, and most important, a sheep will not lie down	23:13
	without the knowledge of the presence of the shepard.	23:17
	In other words, only a contented sheep will lie down.	23:21
	How are you with contentment?	23:27
	Does it elude you even when in the eyes	23:30
	of the world you have everything?	23:32
	Are you fearful?	23:35
	Are you hungry for something	23:36
	and you're not even sure what it is?	23:38
	Are you open to learning how to lie down and rest?	23:41
	"He leadeth me beside still waters."	23:47
	Still water, as compared to fast-moving water,	23:51
	is vitally important to a sheep.	23:55
	If a sheep fell, or was pushed into the water,	23:58
	its heavy wool would soon become saturated	24:01
	and cause it to drown.	24:03
	Sheep know instinctively to search	24:06
	for quiet pools from which to drink.	24:08
	The shepard knows this also and is constantly on the lookout	24:12
	for such peaceful watering places.	24:16
	Have you ever been led to a cool place to drink	24:20
	after a season of severe drought?	24:22
	Perhaps you are searching now.	24:26
	Perhaps you felt drawn to this cool, dark place of worship	24:29
	because you're thirsty this morning.	24:33
	"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness,	24:36
	"for they shall be filled," we read in the Beatitudes.	24:40
	Trust that the Lord will provide.	24:45
	"He restoreth my soul."	24:49
	There's a term common in animal husbandry,	24:53
	the word "cast" which describes an animal	24:56
	which has rolled over on its back	24:59
	and it cannot get back up on its feet.	25:01
	This can easily happen to a heavy sheep,	25:04
	or one with long fleece	25:06
	when it lies down comfortably	25:08
	in some sort of hollow in the ground	25:10
	and its center of gravity is thrown off balance.	25:12
	A shepard caring for a large flock	25:15
	must be constantly vigilant for a cast sheep.	25:18
	If the weather is very hot and sunny,	25:22
	a cast sheep can die in a few hours.	25:23
	If it is cool and rainy,	25:26
	it may survive in this position for several days.	25:28
	When we describe ourselves as downcast,	25:33
	we refer to that same image.	25:37
	We just can't seem to get back up on our feet.	25:39
	"Why art thou cast down on my soul,	25:44
	"and why are thou disquieted within me?	25:47
	"Hope thou in God," the psalmist writes in Psalm 42.	25:50
	A shepard can put the sheep back up on its feet	25:56
	by tenderly rubbing its legs	25:59
	from which the blood has drained.	26:01
	God restores our souls, our lives,	26:04
	by picking us up when we don't seem able	26:07
	to put one foot in front of the other.	26:10
	Think about the last time you couldn't face another class,	26:13
	another day at the office,	26:17
	another demand from your children,	26:19
	another complaint from your spouse.	26:22
	God is there in the thick of it all,	26:26
	in our worry, our depression, our grief and our loss,	26:28
	encouraging, empowering us to carry on.	26:32
	"He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness	26:38
	"for His name's sake."	26:41
	Sheep are known to be notorious creatures of habit.	26:44
	If left to their devices,	26:48
	they will follow the very same trails,	26:50
	day after day, until they become ruts in the ground	26:51
	and graze the same hills until	26:55
	there is nothing whatsoever left to eat.	26:57
	No other group of livestock requires more careful handling	27:00
	and detailed direction than do sheep.	27:03
	Because of their preference for certain favorite spots,	27:07
	these well-worn grazing areas become	27:10
	infested with parasites of all kinds.	27:12
	In a short time a whole flock can become infected.	27:15
	The greatest single safeguard which a shepard has	27:21
	against these problems is to keep the sheep on the move.	27:23
	They must be shifted from pasture to pasture periodically	27:26
	and led in the proper direction.	27:30
	Grazing areas within ancient Judea and Galilee	27:33
	have never been laid out and marked with barbed-wire fences	27:36
	as we're so accustomed to seeing here in North Carolina.	27:39
	Sheep can easily stray and become lost	27:43
	in the maze of paths and pastures.	27:46
	They must stay close to the sheep for their own survival.	27:49
	Likewise, we learn to trust that our shepard Lord	27:53
	is close to us and will lead us in the right path	27:57
	even as we move from pasture to pasture.	28:02
	With childlike simplicity we learn to follow	28:05
	and not always impose our own way.	28:08
	God leads us in the paths of righteousness,	28:11
	a right relationship with God,	28:14
	that we might grow in the faith that our security	28:17
	is in God and not in our own wills.	28:20
	"Yea, though I walk through the valley	28:26
	"of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,	28:27
	"for Thou art with me."	28:31
	At this point the psalmist is	28:34
	no longer talking about the shepard,	28:36
	but is talking to the shepard.	28:38
	In the face of the threat of death	28:42
	he proclaims with complete confidence, "Thou are with me."	28:43
	For many shepards it is a common practice	28:49
	to take their flocks onto distant grazing areas	28:52
	high up in the mountains during the summer.	28:55
	The sheep move along slowly as they gradually work their way	28:57
	up the mountainside behind the receding snow.	29:01
	By late summer, they are well up	29:05
	into remote, alpine meadows.	29:06
	In order to reach this high country	29:10
	the shepard must lead the flock	29:12
	up the paths the wind through the valleys.	29:14
	Every mountain has its valleys,	29:18
	its sides scarred by deep ravines and gulches.	29:21
	There is no other way to reach higher ground,	29:25
	either for the sheep or for us, than through these valleys.	29:28
	Yet we talk about mountaintop experiences	29:33
	as if we could somehow be airlifted	29:35
	to a higher plane of spiritual existence,	29:38
	bypassing all the trials and tribulations	29:41
	of everyday living.	29:44
	The psalmist's words assure us that the Lord accompanies us	29:47
	through the valley of the shadow of death,	29:50
	not because we must spend the rest of eternity there,	29:53
	but in the hope that we will	29:56
	eventually reach the mountaintop.	29:58
	Over the past two and a half weeks	30:02
	our nation's heart has been broken	30:04
	by the anguish of all those suffering	30:06
	in the aftermath of the bombing in Oklahoma City.	30:08
	We have watched grief-stricken and horrified	30:12
	as they have searched through the rubble.	30:16
	Finally, this past Friday	30:19
	the search had to be called to a halt.	30:20
	The funerals and memorial services must be completed.	30:23
	The remains of the building must be disposed of.	30:27
	Survivors of the blast and families of those who died	30:31
	must go on with their lives.	30:34
	What would it be like to be a pastor in Oklahoma City,	30:38
	I have thought to myself.	30:41
	Where is God in the midst of such unspeakable tragedy?	30:43
	"He will feed his flock like a shepard.	30:49
	"He will gather the lambs in his arms	30:52
	"and carry them in his bosom," the prophet Isaiah tells us.	30:54
	Even as we have witnessed rescuers	31:00
	carrying mortally wounded children in their arms	31:02
	in the midst of such horrific devastation,	31:05
	God is carrying them and us through the darkest valleys.	31:08
	Even when that valley is visited by evil beyond compare,	31:14
	God is at our side beckoning us still	31:18
	to trust in the power of God's love	31:21
	to prevail over sin and death,	31:24
	as witnessed to us by the power of the resurrection.	31:27
	Many of you remember the story	31:31
	of Goshen United Methodist Church	31:33
	when its sanctuary was destroyed in a tornado	31:36
	during their Palm Sunday service	31:39
	one year ago in Northern Alabama.	31:41
	The tornado killed 20 people in the congregation,	31:44
	several of them children waiting on a pew	31:47
	up near the front for their part in the service.	31:50
	The grief and the loss were completely devastating.	31:54
	The impact of suffering in that small town	31:57
	sent shockwaves around the country.	32:00
	Yet, in only a year's time,	32:04
	the church gathered itself together	32:06
	and broke ground for a new sanctuary	32:08
	and memorial garden on Palm Sunday just this year.	32:10
	Their pastor, Kellie Klem,	32:15
	formally a student intern here at the Chapel,	32:17
	has shown remarkable strength	32:21
	in her leadership of the congregation,	32:23
	even in the face of her own daughter's death in the storm.	32:25
	In a recent visit to Durham, Kellie explained to me	32:30
	how God's presence had been made tangible to them	32:33
	through the prayers, the gifts, the letters,	32:37
	the mission teams that had come their way in Alabama	32:40
	empowering them, not only to keep up,	32:44
	but even to grow in their faith together.	32:47
	They have been, and are still, being carried	32:51
	through and beyond their dark valley.	32:54
	Surely they will be among the saints clothed in white,	32:58
	which we heard about in our Revelation text today.	33:02
	"Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."	33:06
	The protection provided by the shepard	33:11
	is symbolized by his rod and his staff.	33:13
	The rod is widdled from a young sapling,	33:16
	including the base where the trunk joins the roots.	33:19
	After carefully shaping the rod to fit his own hand,	33:23
	the shepard learns to throw	33:26
	with amazing speed and accuracy this club.	33:27
	It becomes his main weapon of defense	33:31
	for himself and his sheep.	33:33
	The shepard's staff, with the crook on the end of it,	33:36
	was used not only to retrieve a wandering sheep,	33:40
	but to keep the sheep together.	33:42
	A shepard handled a new lamb by the crook of the staff	33:45
	rather than by hand, because if he touched it	33:48
	the smell of his hands would make	33:51
	the mother reject the lamb.	33:53
	The staff is the instrument of tender, loving care.	33:55
	There's not a more consistent theme in the Psalms	34:00
	than the image of God as our protector.	34:03
	As Moses personified the shepherding presence of God	34:06
	during the Exodus, his rod represented the power of God	34:09
	to part the waters of the Red Sea.	34:14
	The staff, which he carried in the wilderness,	34:17
	the mercy of God.	34:19
	When the Israelites saw them they were reminded	34:22
	of the divine presence in their midst	34:24
	encompassing both judgment and grace.	34:26
	Where do we turn in our own day	34:30
	for such powerful symbols of God's protecting presence	34:33
	in a culture where God has either	34:37
	been completely dismissed by so many,	34:38
	or co-opted by those how have their own	34:41
	agendas to promote in the name of God?	34:43
	How do we remind ourselves that God	34:46
	dwells in our midst at all times	34:49
	bringing both judgment and grace?	34:53
	Thou hast prepared a table before me	34:57
	"in the presence of mine enemies.	35:00
	"Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over."	35:03
	The Spanish word for table, which is mesa,	35:08
	refers to a high plateau within a mountain range.	35:12
	As the shepard lead his sheep high into the mountain,	35:15
	he must carefully prepare the mesa for grazing.	35:19
	He works on his hands and knees	35:23
	to pull out any poisonous weeds or thorny growth,	35:25
	which could cause difficulty for the sheep.	35:29
	At last the sheep have reached the sublime setting	35:32
	of the high meadow where there are clear streams of water,	35:34
	where the grass is green and tender,	35:39
	where there is the intimate contact with the shepard.	35:41
	But even there the shepard's intervention is required,	35:44
	for with the advent of warm weather comes hordes on insects.	35:48
	Horse flies, black flies, nasal flies, you-name-it flies.	35:52
	Their attacks on livestock are torturous.	35:57
	Thus in ancient days the shepard prepared an oinment	36:01
	made of olive oil, sulfur, spices	36:04
	which would be rubbed on the sheep's head	36:07
	to drive away the pest.	36:09
	Through his actions he gave life to the sheep	36:11
	in such generous measure that it seemed to overflow.	36:14
	Likewise, when God anoints us with	36:18
	the healing balm of divine love and protection,	36:21
	our hearts are filled with a joy that we cannot contain,	36:24
	we literally feel as if we are overflowing with life.	36:29
	"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me	36:34
	"all the days of my life, and I shall dwell	36:36
	"in the house of the Lord forever."	36:40
	I heard a story several years ago	36:43
	about a diligent Sunday School teacher	36:46
	who was teaching the 23rd Psalm in her kindergarten class.	36:48
	The recitation was going well, except for one voice	36:52
	that seemed to muffle one line.	36:56
	The teacher moved around the room a bit	36:58
	until she finally identified the problem.	37:00
	One bright, little face was boldly proclaiming	37:03
	what he had assumed to be the proper verse.	37:05
	"Surely good Ms. Murphy shall follow me	37:09
	"all the days of my life."	37:13
	Probably most of us have known some Ms. Murphy	37:16
	who has shepherded us along the way,	37:19
	or if you haven't met her yet, hopefully you will very soon.	37:22
	When the psalmist speaks of goodness	37:26
	and mercy following us all our days,	37:27
	the word for follow can also be translated as "pursued".	37:31
	"Surely goodness and mercy shall pursue me	37:34
	"all the days of my life."	37:38
	So persistent is God's care for us	37:41
	that even when we try to escape it,	37:43
	there are other sheep in the flock	37:46
	who reach out and care for us deeply,	37:48
	who aide us in coming to the recognition	37:51
	that God abides with us at all times and in all places.	37:53
	For whom have you been a shepard lately?	37:59
	Psalm 23 opens with a joyous affirmation,	38:04
	"The Lord is my shepherd,"	38:07
	and closes with appropriate serenity,	38:09
	"I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."	38:12
	Having traveled from the green pastures,	38:15
	through the valley, all the way to the mountaintop	38:18
	in the company of the good shepherd,	38:21
	the sheep are content to stay where they are.	38:23
	No longer does the grass look greener on the other side.	38:26
	They know the shepherd's voice, they trust him,	38:30
	and they follow him home.	38:34
	And so you see, my friends, these things are not new to you.	38:37
	You probably understood them before	38:42
	you even sat down in your pews this morning.	38:44
	Yet, even as the parent calls out	38:47
	the lost child's name repeatedly,	38:50
	God calls us home again, and again	38:53
	oftentimes through the same familiar passages of Scripture,	38:57
	through the same family and friends,	39:01
	through the same community of faith.	39:04
	Let me encourage you to rest for just	39:08
	a little while longer in God's care.	39:10
	Feed on the green pastures, drink from the still water,	39:14
	and listen for the sound of the good shepherd	39:19
	gently, but persistently calling your name.	39:21
	(organ music playing)	39:31
	(all singing)	40:28
	(organ music and singing continue)	43:27
-	Let us pray.	44:14
	Oh, God, our creator, redeemer and sustainer,	44:19
	we sing Your praises for the wonder of Your creation.	44:22
	You have given us verdant pastures	44:26
	and streams of living water.	44:28
	You spread rich tables before us	44:31
	and shelter us amidst the storms of life.	44:33
	In the beauty of this Easter season	44:37
	we pray for Your creation,	44:39
	that the peoples of the world will honor it,	44:41
	till it, love it, and care for it	44:44
	that it too may sing Your praise	44:48
	from everlasting to everlasting.	44:51
	Inspire us to be good stewards of all You have given	44:54
	and to imitate Your creativity in all the world.	44:59
	Lord, in Your mercy.	45:03
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	45:05
-	Good shepard who's goodness never fails	45:08
	and who searches tirelessly	45:11
	for the forgotten and lost sheep.	45:13
	We praise You for Your love of all things living.	45:16
	You breathe life into the lifeless.	45:21
	By Your sacrificial death and glorious resurrection	45:24
	You draw us into your life-giving love and grace.	45:27
	Open the hearts of men and women everywhere	45:32
	to receive Your redeeming and reconciling grace,	45:35
	that our world may more nearly reflect Your kingdom.	45:39
	Bless every humane endeavor, every gesture of goodness.	45:44
	Inspire Your creatures to celebrate life over death,	45:51
	love over hate, humility over arrogance,	45:56
	generosity over greed,	46:02
	and forgiveness over recrimination and retaliation.	46:05
	Lord, in Your mercy.	46:10
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	46:13
-	Oh, Holy Spirit, you sustain and bless us.	46:15
	You anticipate our needs before we ourselves know them	46:20
	and reach out to us in gestures of blessing and mercy.	46:24
	We pray for our brothers and sisters in Texas,	46:29
	in Oklahoma, in Eastern Europe, Rwanda,	46:33
	and other places where people suffer and mourn.	46:37
	Lead them by still waters and prepare their table	46:41
	in the presence of all their adversities.	46:46
	We pray especially for families,	46:50
	for their wholeness and their holiness,	46:53
	for mothers and fathers, boys and girls.	46:56
	Inspire our leaders to be more attentive	47:02
	to the urgent needs of families,	47:04
	to those things which will nurture and sustain them	47:07
	even as You nurture and sustain us.	47:11
	Lord, in Your mercy.	47:15
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:17
-	Lord, Your goodness and mercy	47:19
	have followed us all the days of our lives.	47:21
	Help us to dwell in our world as in Your house,	47:25
	that no one shall want either in body or in spirit.	47:29
	Amen.	47:36
	The Scripture reminds us that	47:40
	the Lord loves a cheerful giver.	47:41
	It is our opportunity now to worship God	47:43
	with our tithes and our offerings.	47:45
	(organ music playing)	47:49
	(choir singing)	49:22
	(choir singing continues)	52:19
	(organ music playing)	53:24
	(all singing)	54:17
	Let us pray.	55:18
	Almighty and most merciful God,	55:20
	our good shepard from whom comes	55:22
	every good and perfect gift,	55:25
	we praise and thank You for all Your mercies.	55:27
	Your goodness created us, Your bounty sustains us,	55:31
	Your discipline chastens us,	55:35
	Your patience bears with us, Your love redeems us.	55:38
	Give us a heart to love and serve You	55:44
	and enable us to show our thankfulness	55:47
	for all Your goodness and mercy	55:49
	by giving up ourselves to Your service	55:52
	and cheerfully submitting in all things	55:55
	to Your blessed will.	55:57
	Through Jesus Christ our savior and good shepard	55:59
	who taught us to pray saying--	56:03
All	"Our Father, Who art in Heaven,	56:05
	"Hallowed be Thy Name.	56:08
	"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,	56:10
	"on earth as it is in Heaven.	56:14
	"Give us this day our daily bread,	56:16
	"and forgive us our trespasses,	56:19
	"as we forgive those who trespass against us.	56:21
	"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	56:25
	"For thine is the Kingdom, and the power,	56:30
	and the glory forever.	56:33
	Amen."	56:36
	(organ music playing)	56:38
	(all singing)	57:22
	(organ music and singing continue)	1:00:19
-	And now go forth in peace and be of good courage.	1:01:12
	Hold fast that which is good	1:01:17
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit	1:01:19
	and may the blessings of God,	1:01:23
	Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you	1:01:24
	and remain with you always.	1:01:28
	Amen.	1:01:30
	(organ music playing)	1:01:36
	(choir singing)	1:01:43
	(organ music playing)	1:03:38

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Resting in God's Care" (May 7, 1995)

Description:

Sermon start time: 18:52. Sermon end time: 39:26.
Psalm 23 calls us to plumb the depth of its imagery and rest in its transforming knowledge. The psalm depicts a loving shepherd who is faithful to walk with his sheep through all of life, guiding, protecting, and caring for them until they reach their final home. This is the way God loves and cares for us. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Psalm 23 opens with a joyous affirmation, ‘The Lord is my shepherd,’ and closes with appropriate serenity, ‘I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ Having traveled from the green pastures, through the valley, all the way to the mountaintop in the company of the good shepherd, the sheep are content to stay where they are. No longer does the grass look greener on the other side. They know the shepherd’s voice, they trust him, and they follow him home.”

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4930p925

Date:

May 7, 1995

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

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Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0424
ref9575_9qy
uachapelsermaud
duke:321642
dcrmv001402
ark:/87924/r4930p925
1ad18475-be2f-4c21-acf2-d9558878bd67

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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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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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "Resting in God's Care" (May 7, 1995)

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