Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Shape of Glory" (November 26, 1995)

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	(lively organ music)	0:01
-	In the absence of Reverend Brazal,	4:22
	I've been asked this morning to preside over the worship	4:26
	and my name is Hubert Beck as noted in the worship service.	4:28
	The preacher this morning as again you will note	4:33
	in the announcements	4:35
	is the Reverend Dr. Elizabeth Achtemeier.	4:36
	She's been a visiting professor of homilectics	4:39
	at various schools	4:41
	but presently is serving as you note	4:42
	in the bulletin	4:46
	as adjunct professor of Bible and Homilectics	4:50
	at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.	4:52
	We welcome her and we're very happy	4:55
	to have her with us.	4:57
	The only other announcement I've been given	4:59
	is to remind you again	5:02
	of the Messiah which will be presented next weekend,	5:03
	again as noted in the bulletin	5:07
	as to where to obtain tickets and so on.	5:09
	Let us then turn to our order of worship	5:13
	and honor our Lord.	5:16
	Make a joyful noise to the Lord all the Earth.	5:19
	(congregation mumbles)	5:23
	The steadfast love of the Lord endures forever.	5:25
	(congregation mumbles)	5:28
	(lively organ music)	5:33
	(congregation sings)	6:09
	Let us pray.	10:09
	Almighty and everlasting God	10:12
	whose will it is to restore all things	10:14
	to your beloved Son whom you anointed priest forever	10:17
	and sovereign of all creation,	10:20
	grant that all the people of the Earth	10:23
	now divided by the power of sin	10:25
	may be united under the glorious	10:28
	and gentle rule of your Son, Jesus Christ	10:30
	who lives and rules with you and the Holy Spirit,	10:34
	one God now and forever, amen.	10:37
-	Let us pray the prayer for illumination.	11:06
-	[Minister And Congregation] Open our hearts	11:09
	and minds, oh God	11:11
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	11:13
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	11:15
	we may hear your message with joy this day.	11:19
	Amen.	11:23
-	The Old Testament reading	11:25
	is from the book of Jeremiah, chapter 23,	11:26
	verses one through six.	11:29
	Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep	11:32
	of my pasture, says the Lord.	11:35
	Therefore, thus says the Lord,	11:37
	the God is Israel concerning the shepherds	11:40
	who shepherd my people,	11:42
	it is you who have scattered my flock	11:44
	and have driven them away	11:47
	and you have not attended to them.	11:49
	So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord.	11:51
	Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock	11:56
	out of all the lands where I have driven them	11:58
	and I will bring them back to their fold	12:01
	and they shall be fruitful and multiply.	12:04
	I will raise up shepherds over them	12:07
	who will shepherd them and they shall not fear any longer	12:09
	or be dismayed nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.	12:12
	The days are surely coming, says the Lord,	12:18
	when I will raise up for David a righteous branch	12:20
	and he shall reign as king	12:23
	and deal wisely and shall execute justice	12:25
	and righteousness in the land.	12:28
	In his days Judah will be saved	12:31
	and Israel will live in safety	12:33
	and this is the name by which he will be called,	12:36
	the Lord is our righteousness.	12:38
	This is the word of the Lord.	12:41
	(congregation mumbles)	12:44
-	Will you kindly turn to the Canticle	12:52
	found on page 208,	12:54
	or it would be Hymn 208 in the Hymnal	12:56
	but we will read Luke chapter one verses 68 to 79.	13:00
	Will the congregation please rise.	13:04
	Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel	13:13
	who has come to set the chosen people free.	13:15
	(congregation mumbles)	13:19
	Through the holy prophets,	13:24
	God promised of all to save us from our enemies	13:26
	from the hands of all who hate us.	13:30
	(congregation mumbles)	13:33
	This was the oath God swore to our Father Abraham	13:38
	to set us free.	13:42
	(congregation mumbles)	13:44
	And you, child shall be called the prophet	13:53
	of the most high	13:57
	where you will go before the Lord	13:59
	to prepare the way.	14:01
	(congregation mumbles)	14:03
	In the tender compassion of our God,	14:09
	the dawn from on high shall break upon us.	14:11
	(congregation mumbles)	14:15
	(lively organ music)	14:25
-	The epistle reading from the letter to the Colossians.	15:40
	Chapter one versus 11 through 20.	15:44
	May you be made strong with all the strength	15:47
	that comes from his glorious power	15:49
	and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience	15:51
	while joyfully giving thanks to the Father	15:55
	who has enabled you to share in the inheritance	15:57
	of the saints in the light.	15:59
	He has rescued us from the power of darkness	16:02
	and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son	16:04
	in whom we have redemption,	16:08
	the forgiveness of sins.	16:09
	He is the image of the invisible God,	16:12
	the first born of all creation	16:14
	for in him all things in heaven and on Earth were created,	16:16
	things visible and invisible,	16:21
	whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers,	16:23
	all things have been created through him and for him.	16:27
	He himself is before all things	16:32
	and in him all things hold together.	16:34
	He is the head of the body,	16:37
	the church, he is the beginning,	16:39
	the first born from the dead	16:41
	so that he might come to have first place in everything.	16:43
	For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell	16:48
	and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself	16:52
	all things whether on Earth or in heaven	16:55
	by making peace through the blood of his cross.	16:59
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:02
	(congregation mumbles)	17:05
	(inspirational church music)	17:16
-	Before I read the New Testament lesson	20:03
	just let me say that it is always a pleasure	20:05
	and an honor for me to worship with you	20:08
	in this fine chapel.	20:11
	Our gospel lesson is taken from the 12th chapter	20:15
	of the gospel according to John	20:18
	beginning at the 20th verse.	20:21
	Now among those who went up to worship at the feast	20:25
	were some Greeks.	20:27
	So, these came to Philip who was from Bethsaida in Galilee	20:30
	and said to him sir, we wish to see Jesus.	20:34
	Philip went and told Andrew.	20:38
	Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus.	20:42
	And Jesus answered them,	20:45
	the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.	20:46
	Truly, truly I say to you	20:51
	unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies,	20:54
	it remains alone	20:57
	but if it dies, it bears much fruit.	20:59
	He who loves his life loses it,	21:03
	and he who hates his life in this world	21:06
	will keep it for eternal life.	21:08
	If anyone serves me, he must follow me	21:11
	and where I am, there shall be my servant be also.	21:14
	If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.	21:18
	Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say?	21:23
	Father, save me from this hour?	21:28
	No, for this purpose I have come to this hour,	21:30
	Father, glorify thy name.	21:33
	Then a voice came from heaven,	21:38
	I have glorified it and I will glorify it again.	21:39
	The crowd standing by heard it	21:43
	and said that it had thundered.	21:45
	Others said an angel has spoken to him.	21:47
	Jesus answered, this voice has come for your sake,	21:51
	not for mine.	21:53
	Now is the judgment of this world,	21:56
	now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.	21:59
	And I when I am lifted up from the earth	22:03
	will draw all people to myself.	22:06
	This is the word of the Lord.	22:09
	(congregation mumbles)	22:12
	It is the spring of the year in our scripture lesson.	22:17
	Two days before the feast of the Passover.	22:21
	Jerusalem is crowded with Jewish pilgrims	22:25
	all come to the holy city	22:28
	in accordance with the law	22:30
	to celebrate their principal sacred festival.	22:31
	That festival that reminded every Jew	22:36
	of Israel's exodus out of Egypt.	22:38
	Among the pious pilgrims are also Jesus	22:42
	and his disciples and they will shortly eat	22:45
	that Passover feast together in an upper room.	22:48
	Now, there had been great speculation	22:53
	among the Jewish crowds as to whether Jesus would show up	22:54
	at Passover at all.	22:58
	Four days earlier in Bethany he had raised Lazarus	23:01
	from the dead.	23:04
	And when the report of that final manifestation	23:06
	of Jesus' power had reached the Jewish chief priest	23:09
	and elders, they had decided that they simply had	23:12
	to get rid of the man.	23:15
	He was causing too much disturbance among the populace	23:18
	and that was liable to upset the Roman authorities	23:22
	and so, Jesus and his followers had hidden out	23:26
	in the wilderness for a few days.	23:28
	But now here we was openly mingling with the crowds.	23:32
	In fact, Jesus had even been acclimated	23:37
	by some of the Jews as their king	23:39
	when he rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.	23:41
	So, it is no wonder that the Pharisees muttered	23:45
	the whole world has gone after him	23:47
	and it is no wonder that some Greeks,	23:50
	some non-Jewish visitors to Jerusalem	23:53
	also wanted to see Jesus.	23:56
	Sir, we wish to see Jesus,	23:59
	the Greeks told the disciple Philip.	24:02
	Let us meet this wonderful man.	24:04
	We wish to see Jesus.	24:09
	I suppose that could be the request	24:13
	of all of us non-Jews too.	24:15
	Certainly some of us would make the request	24:19
	only out of curiosity	24:21
	to get a glimpse of this figure	24:24
	that the Christian church has been worshiping	24:26
	for almost 2,000 years.	24:28
	But others of us of course wish to see our Lord	24:31
	in order to fall in adoration at his feet.	24:33
	And some of us would probably like to ask him some questions	24:39
	about a loved one who has died,	24:43
	or about a sin that haunts us from the past	24:47
	or about the mystery of some suffering or loss.	24:49
	But whatever the reason,	24:54
	if we at this moment could see our Lord,	24:56
	we would expect him to be a glorious figure.	24:58
	Hollywood, of course, has always portrayed him	25:03
	with a symphony orchestra playing in the background.	25:06
	But it is not for nothing	25:10
	that our artists have depicted him	25:11
	with light surrounding him.	25:14
	How did the prophet Isaiah talk of that king of the Jews?	25:17
	Well, as wonderful counselor,	25:20
	mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace	25:23
	and if we could see our Lord,	25:29
	we would expect him to match that description.	25:31
	In short, you and I would like to see Jesus	25:36
	in all of his glory	25:38
	as the mighty Son of God and prince of peace indeed	25:42
	who can rule over all the nations	25:45
	and bring the warring madness of this wary world to an end	25:48
	or we would like to see Jesus	25:53
	as the glorious, wondrous counselor	25:54
	who could tell us the way to go	25:58
	when we don't know which way to turn,	26:00
	who could lend us wisdom and guidance	26:04
	in the decisions we have to make	26:06
	or could tell us how to solve our problems	26:07
	and how to figure out life's perplexing mysteries.	26:10
	Or is it an a companion and comforter	26:15
	that we would like to meet our Lord?	26:18
	Surely if we could just once encounter Jesus	26:22
	and know his presence with us,	26:25
	we would never be so achingly lonely again.	26:27
	Jesus would always be near us	26:33
	and understand and become the companion of our hearts.	26:35
	Perhaps he would even reach out and touch us	26:40
	and our pain would disappear.	26:43
	But surely his look would be one of forgiveness	26:46
	for those dark moments that we remember.	26:48
	In sorrow or suffering or hurt or loss	26:53
	his presence would heal and sustain	26:55
	and perhaps we would even find him avenging	26:58
	some of those unjustified hurts	27:01
	that we have suffered	27:03
	but certainly we would see him triumphant	27:05
	over all wrong and evil and death,	27:07
	standing there, calm in command,	27:11
	a victorious and glorious king.	27:17
	The reassuring development then in our scripture lesson	27:22
	is that Jesus agrees to our request.	27:24
	When those Greeks come saying to Philip,	27:29
	sir, we wish to see Jesus	27:31
	and Philip passes that message onto Andrew	27:32
	and Andrew tells our Lord,	27:37
	then Jesus replies, the hour has come	27:38
	for the Son of man to be glorified.	27:42
	In other words, in answer to our pleas	27:46
	to see our magnificent Lord,	27:48
	he accedes to our plea	27:51
	and replies to us yes, now you will see my glory.	27:52
	But we do not get back from that	27:59
	just quite what we expect.	28:02
	We and our Lord it seems have two different ideas of glory	28:06
	for when Jesus speaks in the gospel of John	28:12
	about manifesting his glory,	28:14
	he's not talking about appearing before us	28:16
	as a mighty, victorious, marvelous king.	28:19
	He is talking about dying on a cross.	28:23
	Now is my soul troubled, he says	28:28
	and what shall I say, Father, save me from this hour?	28:31
	No, for this purpose I have come to this hour,	28:34
	Father, glorify thy name.	28:37
	Father, Father, he is saying in so many words,	28:41
	raise me up on that executioner's tree	28:44
	and we well might ask well,	28:50
	just what is so glorious about that?	28:51
	This is the Sunday in the church year	28:56
	that is known as the Sunday of Christ the King	28:59
	and so, let's look at this expected glorious ruler	29:04
	of ours very realistically for just a moment.	29:07
	Pilate puts it directly to us	29:12
	a little later in the story.	29:14
	His soldiers have spent a good part	29:17
	of the night abusing Jesus,	29:19
	whipping him and then putting a crown of thrones	29:22
	on his head and a purple robe on his bleeding shoulders.	29:24
	They have struck him repeatedly in the face	29:30
	and bowed down to him in mockery and scorn	29:32
	and now Pilate hauls that exhausted	29:37
	and beaten figure out before us	29:39
	and he says to us, here is your king.	29:42
	There is our glorious conquering king, good Christians.	29:47
	A criminal roughed up by the police.	29:52
	The one whom we would like to have rule the nations.	29:57
	Powerless before the power of Rome.	30:01
	The man whom we want to ease our loneliness	30:06
	totally deserted by his friends.	30:09
	The healer to whom we pray to cure our diseases	30:13
	himself wounded and bleeding and thirsting	30:16
	or the comforter for all our troubles and losses	30:21
	himself troubled and certainly fearful.	30:24
	Someone once said that no one was so in need	30:29
	of pastoral care as was our Lord	30:32
	on those last days of his life.	30:34
	And so, yes, here is our glorious victor	30:38
	over evil and wrong and death	30:41
	himself about to die.	30:45
	The cross, as our scripture lesson	30:49
	is the glorification of Jesus.	30:51
	And given the portrayal that we have in the Passion story,	30:55
	we have to ask well, just what is so glorious about that?	30:58
	Well, certainly it is not unique	31:04
	simply as a torture story.	31:06
	We could match its horrors every day	31:10
	with tales from the prisons of Central America	31:12
	and China and Cambodia.	31:15
	And we must remember that the cross of Jesus	31:19
	was only one among three on the hill of Golgotha	31:21
	that spring afternoon.	31:23
	Rome crucified lots of criminals.	31:26
	Nor was Jesus the only young man	31:30
	to give his life for his cause.	31:32
	1,000 crosses in Arlington National Cemetery	31:36
	mark the graves of those who died for freedom.	31:39
	Jesus was a good man, an innocent man to be sure	31:42
	but we could say that of countless heroes	31:47
	and martyrs of history	31:50
	and while there is a certain glory about giving one's life	31:51
	for what one loves,	31:55
	for country or friend or even enemies,	31:57
	such a sacrifice would not single out	32:01
	that cross of Calvary as especially unique or noteworthy.	32:03
	No, the cross of Jesus Christ is glorious	32:09
	because it manifests the glory of God.	32:13
	Father, glorify they name, our Lord prays	32:18
	in our scripture lesson	32:21
	and the voice from heaven answers him,	32:22
	I have glorified it and I will glorify it again	32:24
	on that tree.	32:29
	That weak and bleeding and dying figure	32:33
	on Golgotha is a manifestation of the magnificence	32:35
	of Almighty God.	32:39
	For you see, the cross reveals the final truth about God	32:43
	that he wants to give you.	32:49
	He wants to give you eternal life.	32:51
	Tell me,	32:56
	what are the powers of death	32:58
	that surround and nibble away at your life these days?	33:00
	Some black and shadowy thing in the labyrinthian depths	33:06
	of your soul,	33:09
	certainly there is less and less	33:12
	that we cannot bring ourselves to do in our time,	33:14
	either as individuals or as a nation.	33:18
	And we have a hard time being naive anymore about anything.	33:22
	We have seen it all, haven't we?	33:28
	And yes, some of us have done it all.	33:30
	The scientist Loren Eiseley once told	33:34
	of the time in his childhood	33:37
	when he removed the cover from an old well	33:39
	and peered down a shaft of sunlight	33:43
	into its dark and slimy depths.	33:45
	There wrote Eiseley, secretive and underground	33:50
	and mysterious I saw passing	33:53
	assuredly and hurriedly	33:57
	into the darkness a spidery thing.	33:58
	A spidery thing of hair and many legs	34:02
	and I quickly set the routing cover of boards	34:07
	back into place with a shiver.	34:09
	Well, what is down there in your depths	34:14
	covered over with the insubstantial shield	34:18
	of education and good manners?	34:21
	The memory of some pitiful compromise	34:24
	or a temptation that you put in another person's way?	34:27
	Some delight in error and darkness	34:32
	when you knew very well what was right?	34:35
	Motives so mixed that they never could be called pure	34:40
	or self-deceiving pretensions of righteousness.	34:45
	Let's face it, friends, the evil we see	34:49
	in our world all around us starts first	34:52
	in the depths of our own hearts	34:54
	with our passionate claims just to be left alone	34:58
	and not have to bother about other people.	35:01
	With our lack of commitment to any community	35:05
	or any cause other than our own.	35:08
	With our indifference toward being good	35:12
	in a world where goodness is out of fashion.	35:14
	And so, we fritter away our God-given destiny	35:19
	in a whole series of bad choices	35:22
	and then we try to restore to our society	35:27
	by police coercion	35:29
	what we have lost by lack of morals	35:32
	and Christian values	35:34
	and we walk the path of darkness, friends	35:37
	straight into the jaws of death	35:40
	but in the middle of that way of darkness,	35:46
	God sets a cross	35:49
	with the light of his love streaming	35:52
	from the face of Jesus Christ	35:55
	and he thereby says to us,	35:58
	here is my will for you, I do not wish you to die.	36:00
	I do not wish you to suffer the consequences	36:06
	of all your selfishness and pride,	36:09
	I will not abandon you to your evil	36:13
	even though you abandoned me.	36:15
	I will not forgive you are my child	36:19
	though you often forget I am your father.	36:21
	No, no, God protests,	36:23
	but the cross rather than give you over	36:26
	to the death that your sin deserves,	36:29
	I will give up my only begotten son	36:31
	to die in your place	36:33
	because more than anything else in the world,	36:36
	beloved children, I want you to have abundant life.	36:39
	And that desire of our God's,	36:45
	that love, that deed performed there on Calvary's hill,	36:48
	yes, that is glorious.	36:52
	But the cross is glorious for another reason.	36:58
	It shows forth the glory of God	37:02
	because it also manifests God's power.	37:04
	Do you really think that Pilate	37:09
	or the high priest Caiaphas	37:11
	or the blood-thirsty crowds or the soldiers of Rome	37:14
	were in control that day our Lord was crucified?	37:17
	No, our Lord said no one takes my life from me,	37:21
	I lay it down of my own accord.	37:24
	God in Jesus Christ was fully in command that day	37:29
	his son freely chose to die	37:32
	and so, why should we think it is any different now?	37:36
	God is still in control of all those powers	37:41
	and principalities and rulers of this world	37:43
	before whom we become so fearful	37:46
	because we imagine that they are in charge	37:49
	of our own life and death.	37:51
	But did human evil have the last word	37:56
	at the cross of Christ?	37:58
	Or was God the victor over it?	38:01
	Then why do we think God can be defeated	38:05
	by the sin in our own hearts	38:07
	or by the wrong in the society around us?	38:09
	Was death the last word at Calvary?	38:13
	The grave the end of God's enterprise?	38:16
	Or was death itself defeated on that day	38:21
	that Christ our king cried out it is finished?	38:24
	What did he mean it is finished?	38:29
	What was finished?	38:30
	His life, your life, mine?	38:32
	No, death itself was finished on that day	38:36
	that our Lord willingly laid down his life for us.	38:38
	Do you remember the hymn?	38:43
	The strive is o'er, the battle done,	38:47
	the victory of life is won,	38:49
	the song of triumph has begun.	38:51
	The powers of death has done their worst	38:55
	but Christ their legions has dispersed,	39:00
	let shouts of holy joy outburst, hallelujah.	39:02
	Death is finished.	39:08
	God took your death, your sin,	39:11
	your faithlessness, your fear	39:14
	and he nailed them all to the cross of his Son	39:17
	and then he buried them there in that cold rock cave tomb	39:22
	in a garden.	39:25
	But on the first day of the week	39:28
	at daybreak he raised up his son triumphant	39:30
	over human wrong.	39:33
	And because of that resurrection	39:36
	we know that God not only desires that we live abundantly	39:38
	but we also know that he has the power	39:42
	to give us that abundant life	39:44
	both now and eternally.	39:46
	He showed forth that power in the death	39:50
	and resurrection of his son.	39:53
	And there never has been nor will there ever be	39:55
	a more sure manifestation of the glory	39:58
	of Almighty God.	40:01
	Now is the judgment of this world, our Lord said.	40:06
	Now shall the ruler of this world be cast out,	40:12
	death and evil with all their powers	40:14
	but not for us alone, good Christians,	40:16
	not for us alone.	40:20
	For our Lord says something else in the fourth gospel.	40:23
	He promised his disciples	40:27
	and I when I am lifted up from the earth	40:29
	will draw all people to myself.	40:32
	And so, he is keeping that promise, isn't he?	40:37
	The light of his cross has streamed out	40:41
	into the darkness and is converting the world.	40:43
	It now can be found in a hut in Africa	40:47
	and in a palace in Great Britain.	40:50
	It is a symbol worn on a chain around thousands of necks	40:53
	and it is pinned to lapels and even scratched on buildings.	40:58
	Indeed, our scientists tell us	41:04
	that when Space Lab first orbited the Earth	41:06
	in November of 1983,	41:09
	they placed a symbol spelled out	41:12
	in pyrotechnic flares	41:14
	on the Greenwich Meridian.	41:16
	They wanted to demonstrate how signals	41:20
	could be sent to other creatures in outer space.	41:22
	But the symbol they formed with their lights	41:25
	was the shape of a cross.	41:28
	Now, to be sure that was probably coincidence	41:32
	and perhaps unintentional	41:36
	but nevertheless it was prophetic you see	41:38
	because there will indeed come a day	41:42
	when the Earth and all the universes in space	41:44
	will be filled with the glory of God	41:47
	as the waters cover the sea	41:49
	and that glory, friends, that glory of God	41:52
	will always have the shape of Christ's cross.	41:55
	Sir, we wish to see Jesus.	42:02
	We wish to see him in all his glory.	42:05
	If that is your wish in this sacred season,	42:11
	then go to Calvary.	42:13
	Forget about yourself, good Christian,	42:16
	forget about trying to protect and secure	42:20
	and save your own life for you cannot do it	42:22
	but God can and he has.	42:27
	He has done it in magnificent fashion.	42:29
	He has raised up his son on a cross	42:33
	and thereby manifested his love for us	42:35
	that simply wishes to give us life.	42:37
	He has defeated every power within our hearts	42:42
	and within our evil world,	42:45
	every power that wants to do us to death.	42:47
	He has begun a rule over this Earth	42:51
	that will never end	42:54
	until Christ has drawn all people to himself.	42:56
	That's the glory of God, good Christians	43:02
	there in the shape of that cross.	43:04
	And yes, there is abundant life for you.	43:09
	There from your king on that cross.	43:14
	Amen.	43:19
	(lively organ music)	43:26
	(congregation sings)	43:49
-	Let us offer before God	46:30
	the needs and wants of our lives,	46:31
	the needs and wants of the world	46:34
	and thanksgiving to him who satisfies them all.	46:36
	In thanks we become before you, oh God	46:41
	remembering your grace and mercy	46:43
	in the midst of our need.	46:45
	Remembering your glory towering over all creation,	46:47
	remembering your footsteps marked	46:50
	in the history of our world	46:52
	and marked in a particular way	46:54
	in the history of your people, Israel	46:55
	from whom came your beloved son	46:58
	in whom we have hope and life everlasting.	47:00
	Lord, in your mercy,	47:04
	(congregation mumbles)	47:06
	guide the nation to the world	47:07
	into ways of justice, truth and peace,	47:09
	merciful ruler of the universe,	47:12
	establish among all people everywhere	47:15
	that peace which is the fruit of righteousness	47:17
	that they may foreshadow the peace of the eternal kingdom	47:20
	yet to be revealed.	47:22
	Lord, in your mercy,	47:24
	(congregation mumbles)	47:26
	especially guide those who are sent to maintain	47:28
	the peace in the Balkan countries,	47:31
	guide the discussions leading to peaceful transitions	47:33
	in the near East,	47:36
	bless rulers who seek the welfare of their nation	47:37
	and the world and make of our nation	47:40
	a leader in the causes of peace	47:43
	with justice, creating a climate	47:45
	from which will flow a common concern	47:47
	for the welfare of all people everywhere.	47:49
	Lord, in your mercy,	47:52
	(congregation mumbles)	47:54
	God of our salvation	47:56
	it is your revealed and expressed will	47:57
	that all people might come to you	48:00
	through your son Jesus Christ.	48:02
	Inspire our witness and the witness of your church	48:04
	wherever it is found	48:07
	across the face of the Earth,	48:08
	that our words may be filled	48:10
	with your presence that our life may reveal your love	48:12
	and that our hearts may be so grounded in you	48:17
	that men and women everywhere will seek	48:19
	to live in your presence	48:21
	and under your grace.	48:23
	Lord, in your mercy,	48:25
	(congregation mumbles)	48:27
	be with all who serve your church as laity	48:29
	and all who serve your church as professional workers.	48:31
	Let your blessing rest on all who follow you,	48:35
	give sound understanding of your word	48:38
	to your church.	48:40
	Lead your people into the ways of faithful living	48:42
	and give all a sincerity of purpose in serving you	48:45
	by means of serving the needy of the Earth.	48:48
	Lord, in your mercy,	48:51
	(congregation mumbles)	48:53
	lift up the fallen, oh God	48:55
	that they may again hold their heads high	48:57
	in the company of those around them,	48:59
	where that falleness is due to sin,	49:02
	lead your children to repentance and faith	49:05
	by a gracious outpouring of your spirit,	49:07
	where that falleness is due to injustices	49:10
	and wrongdoings in our midst,	49:12
	turn the oppressors from their wicked ways	49:14
	and give the fallen a new hope and direction,	49:17
	where that falleness is due to sickness,	49:20
	distress and death,	49:22
	give healing, raise heads high	49:24
	to see your presence in their midst	49:27
	and give comfort in the face of death.	49:29
	Lord, in your mercy,	49:32
	(congregation mumbles)	49:34
	and so Lord, into your hands we commend all	49:36
	for whom we pray.	49:38
	We ask that you would take our conscious petitions	49:40
	into the loving care of your heart	49:42
	and hands and ask that you would act on those needs	49:44
	that have neither crossed our lips nor our attention	49:47
	for we acknowledge that you know us	49:51
	better than we know ourselves	49:53
	and we depend on you to do for us	49:55
	those things that even we do not know we need.	49:57
	All these things we bring before you	50:00
	in the name of Jesus Christ	50:02
	who has called us by the Holy Spirit	50:04
	to bring all our needs and wants before you	50:06
	in the complete confidence	50:09
	that you both hear and answer our cry.	50:10
	Amen and amen.	50:14
	Let us now lift our hearts and hands to God	50:20
	as we acknowledge the origin of all that we have	50:22
	to the sign of the offering now to be received,	50:25
	recognizing through them the rich	50:28
	and gracious outpouring of the divine hand	50:30
	in all that we own	50:33
	and all that sustains us.	50:35
	(lively inspirational music)	50:45
	(lively organ music)	56:18
	(congregation sings)	56:43
	From you, from your hand, oh, bountiful God	57:43
	has come all that we are,	57:46
	all that we hold in trust from you	57:48
	and all that sustains our life.	57:50
	To you, oh God, we offer these signs	57:53
	of our stewardship, these tokens of our love	57:56
	and these returned from our efforts of serving you.	57:59
	Use them, oh God, as a means of spreading	58:03
	among the needy of our community	58:06
	a visible word from you	58:07
	and your people for the sake of your word	58:09
	made flesh and appearing among us,	58:12
	Jesus Christ, our Lord.	58:15
	Amen.	58:19
	It is he who taught us	58:21
	that we should gather our needs and wants	58:23
	and prayers and praises in the words,	58:26
	our Father who art in heaven,	58:29
	hallowed be they name,	58:33
	they kingdom come,	58:35
	they will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.	58:37
	Give us this day our daily bread	58:41
	and forgive us our trespasses	58:44
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	58:47
	And lead us not into temptation	58:50
	but deliver us from evil.	58:53
	For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory.	58:55
	Amen.	59:01
	(lively organ music)	59:03
	(congregation sings)	59:45
	The Lord bless you and keep you.	1:02:40
	The Lord make his face shine on you	1:02:43
	and be gracious to you.	1:02:45
	The Lord look upon you with favor	1:02:48
	and give you peace.	1:02:52
	Amen.	1:02:54
	(lively organ music)	1:02:57

Item Info

Title:

Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Shape of Glory" (November 26, 1995)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:17. Sermon end time: 43:21.
God's glory is centralized in the cross even though it was painful and Jesus was tortured. We must strive to live a life that follows God's values to also have a sense of that glory. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The cross of Jesus Christ is glorious because it manifests the glory of God.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r41j97p5k

Date:

November 26, 1995

Speaker:

Achtemeier, Elizabeth, 1926-2002

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0453
ref9667_juo
uachapelsermaud
duke:321503
dcrmv001430
ark:/87924/r41j97p5k
ba2b2c0a-72fd-4635-8fa5-9d36cf76b22b

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Shape of Glory" (November 26, 1995)

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Duke University Archives

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