Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Shape of Glory" (November 26, 1995)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(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
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