Dennis M. Campbell - "The Night Is Far Gone" (December 17, 1995)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
("O Jesus, Grant Me Hope and Comfort" by J. W. Franck) | 0:02 | |
♪ My thoughts, desires ♪ | 0:05 | |
♪ And all my longing ♪ | 0:09 | |
♪ I dedicate ♪ | 0:12 | |
♪ O Christ, to Thee ♪ | 0:16 | |
♪ O come, Thou precious ♪ | 0:20 | |
♪ Sun most radiant ♪ | 0:25 | |
♪ Thy beams illumine ♪ | 0:27 | |
♪ My heart and soul ♪ | 0:31 | |
♪ O come, Thou precious ♪ | 0:35 | |
♪ Sun most radiant ♪ | 0:40 | |
♪ Thy beams illumine ♪ | 0:42 | |
♪ My heart and soul ♪ | 0:46 | |
("Gloria") | 1:03 | |
(sings in a foreign language) | 1:07 | |
("Now Thank We All Our God" by Martin Rinkart) | 1:48 | |
♪ Now thank we all our God ♪ | 1:59 | |
♪ With heart and hands and voices ♪ | 2:04 | |
♪ Who wondrous things has done ♪ | 2:08 | |
♪ In whom His world rejoices ♪ | 2:13 | |
♪ Who from our mothers' arms ♪ | 2:18 | |
♪ Has blessed us on our way ♪ | 2:23 | |
♪ With countless gifts of love ♪ | 2:27 | |
♪ And still is ours today ♪ | 2:32 | |
♪ O may this bounteous God ♪ | 2:37 | |
♪ Through all our life be near us ♪ | 2:42 | |
♪ With ever joyful hearts ♪ | 2:47 | |
♪ And blessed peace to cheer us ♪ | 2:52 | |
♪ And keep us in his grace ♪ | 2:57 | |
♪ And guide us when perplexed ♪ | 3:02 | |
♪ And free us from all ills ♪ | 3:06 | |
♪ In this world and the next ♪ | 3:11 | |
♪ All praise and thanks to God ♪ | 3:17 | |
♪ The Father now be given ♪ | 3:21 | |
♪ The Son and Spirit blest ♪ | 3:26 | |
♪ Who reign in highest heaven ♪ | 3:31 | |
♪ The one eternal God ♪ | 3:36 | |
♪ Whom heaven and earth adore ♪ | 3:40 | |
♪ For thus it was, is now ♪ | 3:45 | |
♪ And shall be evermore ♪ | 3:50 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 3:55 | |
("Silent Night" by Joseph Mohr) | 4:04 | |
(sings in a foreign language) | 4:14 | |
♪ Silent night ♪ | 5:04 | |
♪ Holy night ♪ | 5:08 | |
♪ Son of God ♪ | 5:12 | |
♪ Love's pure light ♪ | 5:16 | |
♪ Radiant beams from thy holy face ♪ | 5:19 | |
♪ With the dawn of redeeming grace ♪ | 5:27 | |
♪ Jesus, Lord, at thy birth ♪ | 5:34 | |
♪ Jesus, Lord, at thy birth ♪ | 5:41 | |
♪ Silent night ♪ | 5:52 | |
♪ Holy night ♪ | 5:56 | |
♪ Wondrous star ♪ | 6:00 | |
♪ Lend thy light ♪ | 6:04 | |
♪ With the angels let us sing ♪ | 6:07 | |
♪ Alleluia to our King ♪ | 6:14 | |
♪ Christ the Savior is born ♪ | 6:21 | |
♪ Christ the Savior is born ♪ | 6:28 | |
("Ave Maria" by Bach/Gounod) | 6:43 | |
(sings in a foreign language) | 6:56 | |
- | It is always a special Sunday | 9:09 |
when the North Carolina Boys Choir | 9:12 | |
visits here at Duke Chapel | 9:15 | |
under the direction of Mr. William Graham. | 9:17 | |
They invite you to their concert here in Duke Chapel | 9:21 | |
tomorrow evening. | 9:26 | |
And we welcome them among us | 9:28 | |
for their yearly visit. | 9:31 | |
We're enjoying the decorations in the chapel | 9:34 | |
which are given and installed by | 9:38 | |
James and Eleanore and Eliza Ferguson, | 9:41 | |
and we thank them for their contribution | 9:45 | |
that enriches the lives of many thousands | 9:48 | |
who will visit and worship in this beautiful building | 9:52 | |
during the Christmas season. | 9:55 | |
Our preacher today, | 9:57 | |
is the Dean of our Divinity School, | 9:59 | |
Dean Dennis Campbell. | 10:01 | |
And we welcome him. | 10:03 | |
And now let us continue our worship. | 10:05 | |
("Beautiful Savior" by Joseph Augustus Seiss) | 10:16 | |
♪ Beautiful Savior ♪ | 10:23 | |
♪ Lord of the nations ♪ | 10:30 | |
♪ Son of God ♪ | 10:36 | |
♪ And Son of Man ♪ | 10:40 | |
♪ Glory and honor ♪ | 10:47 | |
♪ Praise, adoration ♪ | 10:53 | |
♪ Now and forevermore be Thine ♪ | 10:58 | |
♪ Now and forevermore ♪ | 11:07 | |
♪ Now and forevermore be Thine ♪ | 11:10 | |
- | Please stand for the greeting. | 11:25 |
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. | 11:31 | |
Congregants | Worship the Lord with gladness. | 11:35 |
- | The steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. | 11:37 |
Congregants | Give thanks. | 11:42 |
("Hail to the Lord's Anointed" by James Montgomery) | 11:46 | |
♪ Hail to the Lord's Anointed ♪ | 12:26 | |
♪ Great David's greater Son ♪ | 12:31 | |
♪ Hail in the time appointed ♪ | 12:36 | |
♪ His reign on earth begun ♪ | 12:42 | |
♪ He comes to break oppression ♪ | 12:47 | |
♪ To set the captive free ♪ | 12:52 | |
♪ To take away transgression ♪ | 12:57 | |
♪ And rule in equity ♪ | 13:02 | |
♪ He comes with succor speedy ♪ | 13:08 | |
♪ To those who suffer wrong ♪ | 13:14 | |
♪ To help the poor and needy ♪ | 13:19 | |
♪ And bid the weak be strong ♪ | 13:24 | |
♪ To give them songs for sighing ♪ | 13:29 | |
♪ Their darkness turn to light ♪ | 13:34 | |
♪ Whose souls, condemned and dying ♪ | 13:40 | |
♪ Are precious in his sight ♪ | 13:45 | |
♪ He shall come down like showers ♪ | 13:52 | |
♪ Upon the fruitful earth ♪ | 13:57 | |
♪ Love, joy, and hope, like flowers ♪ | 14:03 | |
♪ Spring in his path to birth ♪ | 14:08 | |
♪ Before him on the mountains ♪ | 14:13 | |
♪ Shall peace, the herald, go ♪ | 14:18 | |
♪ And righteousness, in fountains ♪ | 14:24 | |
♪ From hill to valley flow ♪ | 14:29 | |
♪ To him shall prayer unceasing ♪ | 14:36 | |
♪ And daily vows ascend ♪ | 14:42 | |
♪ His kingdom still increasing ♪ | 14:47 | |
♪ A kingdom without end ♪ | 14:52 | |
♪ The tide of time shall never ♪ | 14:58 | |
♪ His covenant remove ♪ | 15:03 | |
♪ His name shall stand forever ♪ | 15:09 | |
♪ That name to us is love ♪ | 15:14 | |
- | Lord God, | 15:25 |
You taught us that the night is far spent | 15:27 | |
and the day close at hand, | 15:31 | |
grant that we may be ever found | 15:34 | |
watching for the coming of Your Son. | 15:38 | |
Save us from excessive self-concern, | 15:41 | |
pull our gaze away from ourselves | 15:46 | |
and draw us in this hour of worship toward You, | 15:50 | |
eagerly awaiting Your Advent into the world, | 15:55 | |
Your salvation of our souls, | 15:59 | |
amen. | 16:03 | |
Be seated. | 16:05 | |
Let us pray the prayer of illumination. | 16:19 | |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 16:24 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 16:27 | |
so that, as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 16:30 | |
we might be prepared for your Advent among us. | 16:34 | |
Amen. | 16:38 | |
The Old Testament reading is from the Book of Isaiah | 16:39 | |
chapter 35 verses one through 10. | 16:43 | |
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; | 16:49 | |
the desert shall rejoice and blossom | 16:53 | |
like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly | 16:55 | |
and rejoice with joy and singing. | 16:58 | |
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, | 17:01 | |
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. | 17:04 | |
They shall see the glory of the Lord, | 17:08 | |
the majesty of our God. | 17:11 | |
Strengthen the weak hands, | 17:14 | |
and make firm the feeble knees. | 17:16 | |
Say to those who are of a fearful heart, | 17:19 | |
"Be strong; do not fear! | 17:22 | |
"Here is, your God | 17:25 | |
"He will come with vengeance, | 17:27 | |
"And with terrible recompense. | 17:28 | |
"He will come and save you." | 17:31 | |
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, | 17:35 | |
and the ears of the deaf unstopped; | 17:37 | |
then the lame shall leap like a deer, | 17:40 | |
and the tongue of the speechless sing with joy. | 17:43 | |
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, | 17:47 | |
and streams in the desert; | 17:50 | |
the burning sand shall become a pool, | 17:52 | |
and the thirsty ground springs of water; | 17:54 | |
the haunt of jackals, shall become a swamp, | 17:58 | |
the grass shall become reeds and rushes. | 18:01 | |
A highway shall be there, | 18:04 | |
and it shall be called the Holy Way; | 18:06 | |
the unclean shall not travel on it. | 18:10 | |
But it shall be for God's people; | 18:12 | |
no traveler, not even fools shall go astray. | 18:15 | |
No lion shall be there, | 18:20 | |
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; | 18:22 | |
they shall not be found there, | 18:26 | |
but the redeemed shall walk there. | 18:28 | |
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return | 18:31 | |
and come to Zion with singing; | 18:33 | |
everlasting joy and gladness | 18:36 | |
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. | 18:39 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 18:42 | |
Congregants | Thanks be to God. | 18:45 |
- | The appointed canticle is the Song of Mary. | 18:51 |
Let us stand and read responsively. | 18:54 | |
- | My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord. | 19:04 |
Congregants | My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, | 19:09 |
who has looked with favor on me, a lowly servant. | 19:12 | |
- | From this day all generations shall call me blessed: | 19:16 |
Congregants | the Almighty has done great things for me | 19:22 |
and holy is the name of the Lord, | 19:25 | |
whose mercy is on those who fear God | 19:28 | |
from generation to generation. | 19:31 | |
- | The arm of the Lord is strong, | 19:33 |
and has scattered the proud in their conceit. | 19:36 | |
Congregants | God has cast down the mighty | 19:40 |
from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. | 19:42 | |
- | God has filled the hungry with good things | 19:46 |
and sent the rich empty away. | 19:50 | |
Congregants | God has come to the aid of Israel, | 19:54 |
the chosen servant, | 19:57 | |
remembering the promise of mercy, | 19:59 | |
the promise made to our forebears, | 20:01 | |
to Abraham and his children for ever. | 20:04 | |
("Gloria") | 20:09 | |
♪ Glory be to our Creator ♪ | 20:18 | |
♪ Praise to our Redeemer Lord ♪ | 20:25 | |
♪ Glory be to our Sustainer ♪ | 20:33 | |
♪ Ever three and ever one ♪ | 20:40 | |
♪ As it was in the beginning ♪ | 20:48 | |
♪ World without end ♪ | 20:55 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 21:00 | |
- | Be seated. | 21:06 |
- | The Gospel reading is from St. Matthew chapter 11 | 21:17 |
verses two through 11. | 21:21 | |
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, | 21:25 | |
he sent word by his disciples and said to him, | 21:29 | |
"Are you the one who is to come, | 21:32 | |
"or are we to wait for another?" | 21:35 | |
Jesus answered them, | 21:38 | |
"Go and tell John what you hear and see: | 21:40 | |
"the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, | 21:43 | |
"the lepers are cleansed, | 21:47 | |
"the deaf hear, | 21:49 | |
"the dead are raised, | 21:51 | |
"and the poor have good news brought to them. | 21:53 | |
"And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." | 21:57 | |
As they went away, | 22:01 | |
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: | 22:03 | |
"What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? | 22:07 | |
"A reed shaken by the wind? | 22:10 | |
"What then did you go out to see? | 22:13 | |
"Someone dressed in soft robes? | 22:15 | |
"Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal places. | 22:18 | |
"What then did you go out to see? | 22:23 | |
"A prophet? | 22:25 | |
"Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. | 22:26 | |
"This is the one about whom it is written, | 22:30 | |
"'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, | 22:33 | |
"'who will prepare your way before you.' | 22:36 | |
"Truly I tell you, among those born of women | 22:40 | |
"no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; | 22:43 | |
"yet in the kingdom of heaven | 22:47 | |
"even the least is greater than he." | 22:50 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 22:54 | |
Congregants | Thanks be to God. | 22:57 |
("In the Bleak Mid-winter" by Harold Darke) | 23:12 | |
♪ In the bleak mid-winter ♪ | 23:19 | |
♪ Frosty wind made moan ♪ | 23:25 | |
♪ Earth stood hard as iron ♪ | 23:32 | |
♪ Water like a stone ♪ | 23:38 | |
♪ Snow had fallen, snow on snow ♪ | 23:45 | |
♪ Snow on snow ♪ | 23:52 | |
♪ In the bleak mid-winter ♪ | 23:58 | |
♪ Long ago ♪ | 24:05 | |
♪ Our God, heaven cannot hold Him ♪ | 24:16 | |
♪ Nor earth sustain ♪ | 24:23 | |
♪ Heaven and earth shall flee away ♪ | 24:30 | |
♪ When He comes to reign ♪ | 24:36 | |
♪ In the bleak mid-winter ♪ | 24:43 | |
♪ A stable-place sufficed ♪ | 24:48 | |
♪ The Lord God Almighty ♪ | 24:54 | |
♪ Jesus Christ ♪ | 25:01 | |
♪ Enough for Him, whom Cherubim ♪ | 25:19 | |
♪ Worship night and day, ♪ | 25:26 | |
♪ A breastful of milk ♪ | 25:32 | |
♪ And a mangerful of hay ♪ | 25:37 | |
♪ Enough for Him, whom Angels ♪ | 25:46 | |
♪ Fall down before ♪ | 25:53 | |
♪ The ox and ass and camel ♪ | 25:59 | |
♪ Which adore ♪ | 26:05 | |
♪ What can I give Him ♪ | 26:19 | |
♪ Poor as I am ♪ | 26:26 | |
♪ If I were a Shepherd ♪ | 26:32 | |
♪ I would bring a lamb ♪ | 26:39 | |
♪ If I were a Wise Man ♪ | 26:45 | |
♪ I would do my part ♪ | 26:51 | |
♪ Yet what I can I give Him ♪ | 26:57 | |
♪ Give my heart ♪ | 27:04 | |
♪ Give ♪ | 27:10 | |
♪ My heart ♪ | 27:16 | |
- | The Epistle lesson for this morning, | 27:54 |
the third Sunday in Advent, | 27:59 | |
is taken from Paul's letter to the church at Rome, | 28:02 | |
in the 13th chapter, verses 11 through 14. | 28:06 | |
Besides this you know what hour it is, | 28:13 | |
how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. | 28:17 | |
For salvation is nearer to us now, | 28:21 | |
than when we first believed. | 28:25 | |
The night is far gone, | 28:30 | |
the day is at hand. | 28:33 | |
Let us then cast off the works of darkness | 28:37 | |
and put on the armor of light. | 28:42 | |
Let us conduct ourselves becomingly | 28:45 | |
as in the day | 28:48 | |
not in reveling and drunkenness, | 28:50 | |
not in debauchery and licentiousness, | 28:53 | |
not in quarreling and jealousy, | 28:56 | |
but put on the Lord Jesus Christ | 29:00 | |
and make no provision for the flesh | 29:03 | |
to gratify its desires. | 29:06 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 29:11 | |
Congregants | Thanks be to God. | 29:15 |
- | Let us pray. | 29:17 |
O Almighty God who has taught us | 29:23 | |
that the night is far spent and the day is at hand, | 29:25 | |
grant that we may ever be found | 29:29 | |
watching for the coming of thy Son. | 29:31 | |
Save us from undue love of the world, | 29:35 | |
that we may wait with patient hope | 29:38 | |
for the day of the Lord. | 29:41 | |
And so abide in Him, | 29:43 | |
that when He shall appear we may not be ashamed | 29:45 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord. | 29:50 | |
Amen. | 29:54 | |
Rejoice in the Lord always, | 29:58 | |
again I say rejoice. | 30:02 | |
The Lord is near. | 30:07 | |
In the Christian calender | 30:11 | |
this is the third Sunday of Advent. | 30:13 | |
Now it's not easy to preach in Advent. | 30:16 | |
Our society and even most churches | 30:20 | |
have made the four or five weeks before Christmas | 30:23 | |
into Christmas. | 30:28 | |
It seems as though Christmas music | 30:30 | |
has been playing forever, | 30:32 | |
decorations are everywhere | 30:34 | |
and Christmas parties and celebrations | 30:36 | |
are often over a week or more | 30:39 | |
before the actual holiday. | 30:42 | |
Now we're not going to change this. | 30:45 | |
Most of us, probably all of us here this morning | 30:49 | |
participate in it, and we enjoy it. | 30:51 | |
Yet despite the popular culture, | 30:55 | |
and despite even the practices of many churches, | 30:58 | |
if we pay any attention at all | 31:02 | |
to the long tradition of the church, | 31:04 | |
we encounter an insistence that we wait. | 31:08 | |
We are ready for the celebration | 31:15 | |
and the presents of Christmas | 31:17 | |
but the Advent Scripture lessons make us wait | 31:19 | |
and wake up. | 31:24 | |
Waiting is a major theme of this Advent season. | 31:27 | |
Christians are admonished to be patient | 31:31 | |
and wait for the coming of the Lord. | 31:34 | |
Now I, myself find patience to be a difficult virtue. | 31:37 | |
Those of you who know me know that's true. | 31:42 | |
Some years ago, William Bevan | 31:46 | |
who was then provost of the university | 31:48 | |
urged me on one matter to be patient. | 31:51 | |
So I prayed, "Lord, give me patience | 31:55 | |
"and please hurry." | 31:59 | |
(congregation laughs) | 32:01 | |
Our modern technological society | 32:03 | |
puts a high premium on speed, not on waiting. | 32:05 | |
We recently put a new local area network | 32:09 | |
into the Divinity School | 32:12 | |
to accommodate faster and more powerful computers. | 32:13 | |
One of the central sales claims | 32:18 | |
that the sales people put before me | 32:20 | |
as we were looking at these, | 32:23 | |
for both computer hardware and software | 32:25 | |
was the speed with which we could do things. | 32:28 | |
Fast food, overnight mail delivery, | 32:32 | |
instant communication by fax or email, | 32:36 | |
all of these are taken for granted | 32:40 | |
and celebrated by us as evidence of progress. | 32:42 | |
But Advent calls us to wait, | 32:48 | |
to watch and to prepare for the coming of the Lord. | 32:52 | |
Waiting for the coming of the Lord | 32:58 | |
requires of us a complex double focus. | 33:00 | |
On the one hand we are waiting for Christmas, | 33:06 | |
for the first Advent. | 33:09 | |
On the other hand, | 33:11 | |
we know that historically the first Advent is behind us, | 33:13 | |
and we also look forward. | 33:18 | |
We are waiting for the future coming of the Lord, | 33:21 | |
the second Advent. | 33:25 | |
And in the meantime, | 33:28 | |
we are called to live in the present | 33:31 | |
in our own time, | 33:34 | |
in light of both the first | 33:36 | |
and the second Advent. | 33:39 | |
In the Scripture lesson that I just read this morning | 33:43 | |
Paul captures the Advent themes: | 33:47 | |
"You know what hour it is, how it is full time now | 33:52 | |
"for you to wake from sleep. | 33:56 | |
"For salvation is nearer to us now | 33:59 | |
"than when we first believed; | 34:02 | |
"the night is far gone, | 34:05 | |
"the day is at hand." | 34:09 | |
Here we get the sense of urgency, | 34:13 | |
of watching, of waiting. | 34:17 | |
We also get the clear affirmation of movement. | 34:21 | |
There is forward movement toward a goal | 34:26 | |
just as the night moves on toward the dawn. | 34:30 | |
This movement is symbolized by this use by Paul | 34:36 | |
of the night: | 34:41 | |
"The night is far gone, the day is at hand." | 34:43 | |
That symbolism of night and day suggests | 34:48 | |
that there is movement away from darkness and evil | 34:51 | |
toward the promise of good and light. | 34:56 | |
The time in which we live is between the times. | 35:01 | |
It is after the crucial event of Jesus Christ | 35:07 | |
coming into the world, living, dying, and rising. | 35:10 | |
But still we know the kingdom of God has not fully come. | 35:15 | |
That's obvious to us all. | 35:21 | |
We are living between the time | 35:24 | |
of Jesus' earthly life and ministry | 35:27 | |
and the full realization of God's intention for us. | 35:29 | |
In our celebration of Advent | 35:37 | |
we certainly are waiting for Christmas. | 35:40 | |
And we make the historical affirmation that God did act. | 35:44 | |
When the time had fully come, | 35:49 | |
Jesus was born into the world. | 35:51 | |
He lived among women and men like you and me, | 35:54 | |
he died, and he was resurrected from the dead. | 35:58 | |
In him life was fully affirmed, | 36:02 | |
and in him death was fully overcome. | 36:06 | |
God acted in the particular historic reality | 36:11 | |
of Jesus of Nazareth. | 36:16 | |
We do well, I think as Christians, | 36:20 | |
to avoid the sentimentality of Christmas | 36:24 | |
that fits so well with the popular culture. | 36:28 | |
We need to face squarely | 36:32 | |
the extraordinary nature of the coming of God in human form. | 36:35 | |
This is what we theologians call | 36:41 | |
the mystery of the incarnation. | 36:44 | |
For many this has always been a scandal. | 36:48 | |
It's a scandal | 36:52 | |
to think that God would come in human likeness, | 36:54 | |
as a Jewish baby in ancient Palestine. | 36:58 | |
Moreover, God chose to come in humble circumstances, | 37:03 | |
being born to a lowly maiden, | 37:07 | |
who was married to a carpenter. | 37:10 | |
As we read this morning in the Canticle of Mary: | 37:13 | |
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, | 37:17 | |
"my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, | 37:21 | |
"who has looked with favor on me, a lowly servant" | 37:25 | |
The birth itself points to humility. | 37:32 | |
"And this will be a sign for you: | 37:36 | |
"You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths | 37:39 | |
"and lying in a manger" | 37:44 | |
The great Reformation theologian Martin Luther | 37:48 | |
used the phrase: "Our God in the straw. | 37:51 | |
"They were looking for a king, | 37:57 | |
"to slay their foes and raise them high, | 37:59 | |
"but God came as a baby lying in a manger." | 38:04 | |
God's action reverses the expectations | 38:11 | |
and conventions of this world. | 38:14 | |
Reversal and surprise | 38:17 | |
are part of Advent and Christmas. | 38:19 | |
When our daughter Margaret was three we lived in London. | 38:22 | |
While there we bought my father-in-law a pipe for Christmas. | 38:27 | |
Two days before Christmas, | 38:32 | |
just after we had gotten home, | 38:34 | |
Margaret said to him, | 38:36 | |
"Granddad, we got you a pipe for Christmas." | 38:38 | |
I said, "Margaret, | 38:43 | |
"that was supposed to be a surprise for him." | 38:45 | |
She smiled and she said, "He'll forget by Christmas." | 38:49 | |
(congregation laughs) | 38:53 | |
Once we experience the first Advent, | 38:58 | |
things can never be the same again. | 39:03 | |
We cannot forget | 39:06 | |
God's initiative | 39:09 | |
broke through the hopes and expectations of men and women | 39:10 | |
in a way that we could never have imagined. | 39:15 | |
In Advent and Christmas we affirm again | 39:19 | |
that God acted in history in surprising ways | 39:21 | |
that we human beings did not expect. | 39:26 | |
The themes and scripture lessons of this Advent season | 39:32 | |
also point to God's future. | 39:36 | |
Advent is not only a time of remembering that God did act, | 39:41 | |
but also a time to remember that God will act. | 39:46 | |
Christian faith proclaims | 39:51 | |
that the life of this world is not cyclical, | 39:53 | |
but that it is processional. | 39:57 | |
All creation is moving toward a goal, | 40:01 | |
a purposeful movement toward a goal | 40:05 | |
And that goal is full life in Jesus Christ | 40:08 | |
the fulfillment of promise in God's kingdom. | 40:13 | |
"For salvation is nearer to us now | 40:18 | |
"than when we first believed; | 40:22 | |
"the night is far gone, | 40:24 | |
"the day is at hand." | 40:27 | |
This second sense of Advent reminds us | 40:31 | |
that we are watching and waiting | 40:34 | |
for the coming of the day of the Lord. | 40:36 | |
His Advent is ever imminent, | 40:39 | |
because He is history's Lord. | 40:42 | |
Now Christians can make mistakes | 40:47 | |
with this theme of the second Advent. | 40:49 | |
We all know individuals and groups | 40:53 | |
who want to play with specific times and places | 40:55 | |
for this fulfillment. | 40:59 | |
Also you can find extravagant predictions | 41:01 | |
about what the end times will be like, | 41:05 | |
and about who will be in and who will be out. | 41:08 | |
As we move toward the year 2000, | 41:13 | |
just a few years to go, | 41:17 | |
there will be popular and lucrative articles and books | 41:18 | |
making all sorts of apocalyptic claims. | 41:22 | |
But I think we need to remember | 41:27 | |
God's reversals and surprises | 41:30 | |
that we learned about in considering the first Advent. | 41:34 | |
We need to be prepared perhaps to be surprised. | 41:40 | |
One of my favorite stories is about | 41:45 | |
the Methodist preacher and bus driver, | 41:48 | |
who died on the same day. | 41:51 | |
And they got to the gates of heaven | 41:52 | |
and St. Peter met them | 41:55 | |
and after figuring out who they were | 41:57 | |
he opened the gate for the bus driver | 41:59 | |
and said to the Methodist preacher, | 42:01 | |
"There's no place for you here." | 42:04 | |
He said, "Wait a minute!" | 42:06 | |
He said, "There must be a mistake. | 42:07 | |
"I've been a Methodist preacher for 42 years." | 42:09 | |
St. Peter said, "Yes, sir | 42:12 | |
"there's a place for the bus driver | 42:16 | |
"but not a place for you." | 42:18 | |
Peter went on to say, | 42:22 | |
"When you preached the people slept. | 42:25 | |
"But when he drove the bus, the people prayed." | 42:30 | |
(congregation laughs) | 42:34 | |
He was surprised you see. | 42:41 | |
And you be careful about people who make claims about | 42:44 | |
who will be in and who will be out. | 42:49 | |
I think humility and modesty | 42:51 | |
are appropriate attitudes for Christians. | 42:54 | |
The scriptures warn us | 43:00 | |
that it's not for us to know or to speculate | 43:01 | |
about the time or place of the second Advent. | 43:04 | |
In Matthew 24 Jesus says, | 43:08 | |
"But about that day and hour no one knows, | 43:10 | |
"neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, | 43:13 | |
"but only the Father." | 43:17 | |
We are to watch and to wait. | 43:19 | |
What then can we know? | 43:23 | |
We know from the evidence of history, | 43:26 | |
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, | 43:29 | |
that the future is God's future, | 43:32 | |
and that all things work together for good | 43:36 | |
for those who are in Christ. | 43:39 | |
Paul writes, "I consider the sufferings of this present time | 43:42 | |
"not worth comparing | 43:47 | |
"with the glory that is to be revealed to us. | 43:49 | |
"We know that in everything | 43:52 | |
"God works for good with those who love him, | 43:54 | |
"who are called according to his purpose." | 43:58 | |
Christian hope | 44:03 | |
is not blind hope or wishful thinking. | 44:04 | |
Christian hope is based on | 44:10 | |
the sure and certain knowledge of the risen Lord. | 44:12 | |
He is the Lord of all history, | 44:16 | |
and for that reason we are not afraid. | 44:19 | |
"The night is far gone, | 44:23 | |
"the day is at hand." | 44:26 | |
God will act in our future. | 44:29 | |
C.S. Lewis, in his book "Mere Christianity" wrote: | 44:35 | |
"But I wonder whether people | 44:38 | |
"who ask God to intervene openly and directly in our world | 44:40 | |
"quite realize what it will be like when he does. | 44:45 | |
"When that happens it is the end of the world. | 44:50 | |
"When the author walks on the stage the play is over. | 44:55 | |
"It will be too late to choose your side. | 45:00 | |
"There is no use saying you choose to lie down | 45:04 | |
"when it has become impossible to stand up." | 45:07 | |
Lewis suggests that now is the time | 45:12 | |
to come to terms with the fact | 45:15 | |
that God did act in history in the first Advent, | 45:17 | |
and that God will act in the future. | 45:21 | |
So as we celebrate Advent this year | 45:26 | |
we also proclaim that God is acting now. | 45:29 | |
We stand now between memory and hope. | 45:34 | |
Christians live after the resurrection | 45:40 | |
and before the end of time. | 45:43 | |
And because of this reality, | 45:45 | |
we are called to live life appropriately | 45:47 | |
in the present. | 45:50 | |
As Paul wrote to the Romans: | 45:52 | |
"Let us then cast off the works of darkness | 45:53 | |
"and put on the armor of light; | 45:58 | |
"let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day." | 46:00 | |
You and I are given this time in which to live. | 46:07 | |
Now I know people who live in the past. | 46:11 | |
You probably do too. | 46:14 | |
They're always complaining | 46:15 | |
that things are not as good they used to be. | 46:17 | |
And I also know people who live in the future. | 46:20 | |
They can do only | 46:24 | |
thinking about what they will do when such and such happens | 46:27 | |
or when this is right. | 46:31 | |
Neither alternative is a faithful response. | 46:33 | |
Barbara DeAngelis, in a recent book called "Real Moments", | 46:39 | |
writes about the importance of fulfillment in life now, | 46:43 | |
not when you have more money, | 46:48 | |
or find the right partner, | 46:51 | |
or achieve your perfect weight. | 46:53 | |
It's about one's quest for happiness: | 46:57 | |
"First I was dying to finish high school and start college. | 46:59 | |
"And then I was dying to finish college and start working. | 47:04 | |
"And then I was dying for my children | 47:08 | |
"to grow old enough for school, | 47:11 | |
"so that I could return to work. | 47:12 | |
"And then I was dying to retire. | 47:15 | |
"And now, I am dying | 47:18 | |
"and suddenly I realize I forgot to live." | 47:21 | |
At the end of the year 1942, | 47:29 | |
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great German theologian | 47:32 | |
who died as a martyr for his faith when he was 39 | 47:35 | |
at the hands of the Nazis, | 47:40 | |
wrote an essay entitled "After 10 Years". | 47:43 | |
He wrote it and he sent it to a few friends | 47:47 | |
as a Christmas present. | 47:51 | |
One section of the essay is entitled "Present and Future". | 47:53 | |
Bonhoeffer wrote this: | 47:59 | |
"We used to think | 48:02 | |
"that one of the inalienable rights of man | 48:03 | |
"was that he should be able to plan | 48:06 | |
"both his professional and his private life. | 48:09 | |
"That is a thing of the past. | 48:13 | |
"The force of circumstances has brought us into a situation | 48:15 | |
"where we have to give up being anxious about tomorrow. | 48:19 | |
"But it makes all the difference | 48:24 | |
"whether we accept this willingly and in faith, | 48:26 | |
"or under continual constraint. | 48:31 | |
"For most people, | 48:34 | |
"the compulsory abandonment of planning for the future | 48:36 | |
"means that they are forced back into living | 48:40 | |
"just for the moment, | 48:43 | |
"irresponsibly, frivolously, or resignedly; | 48:44 | |
"some few dream longingly of better times to come, | 48:49 | |
"and try to forget the present. | 48:53 | |
"We find both these courses equally impossible, | 48:56 | |
"and there remains for us only the very narrow way, | 49:00 | |
"often extremely difficult to find, | 49:04 | |
"of living every day as if it were our last, | 49:06 | |
"and yet living in faith and responsibility | 49:12 | |
"as though there would be a great future. | 49:17 | |
"Thinking and acting for the sake of the coming generation, | 49:21 | |
"but being ready to go any day | 49:26 | |
"without fear or anxiety. | 49:29 | |
"That, in practice, | 49:32 | |
"is the spirit in which we are forced to live" | 49:34 | |
What a great statement. | 49:39 | |
He expresses in that statement | 49:41 | |
what I'm trying to say about Advent. | 49:44 | |
Between Christian memory and hope, we live in the now. | 49:47 | |
Because of Christian memory and hope, | 49:52 | |
we cast off the works of darkness | 49:55 | |
and put on the armor of light; | 49:58 | |
we conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day. | 50:00 | |
This week I was at a luncheon | 50:07 | |
with Dr. Robert Korstad | 50:09 | |
of the Sanford Institute of Public Policy here at Duke. | 50:11 | |
And Bob told us at that luncheon | 50:15 | |
about giving his undergraduate ethics class | 50:17 | |
an assignment to write a brief first-person account | 50:20 | |
of a specific incident in their lives | 50:25 | |
and then reflect on it ethically. | 50:28 | |
He said that, for the most part, | 50:32 | |
the students were unable to do the assignment. | 50:34 | |
They didn't even have an idea | 50:38 | |
about how deal with the question. | 50:40 | |
They couldn't bring it together. | 50:43 | |
There were a few exceptions. | 50:47 | |
Those who were the exceptions he said, | 50:51 | |
were persons who had suffered loss, | 50:54 | |
who had experienced severe set backs, | 50:58 | |
had serious medical problems, | 51:01 | |
or who had experienced sustained involvement | 51:04 | |
in significant service projects. | 51:09 | |
On the other hand, the people in the class | 51:13 | |
who had predictable, comfortable lives | 51:15 | |
in which everything had gone pretty well | 51:18 | |
toward their own self-interest | 51:20 | |
seemed to lack tough-minded encounter | 51:23 | |
with what is really important and valuable. | 51:27 | |
Our response | 51:33 | |
should result | 51:38 | |
in attention to | 51:41 | |
what's really important, | 51:44 | |
what are our priorities. | 51:47 | |
Christian commitment propels us beyond ourselves | 51:52 | |
into service and giving. | 51:56 | |
Christ wakes us up to the needs of people around us, | 51:59 | |
and challenges us | 52:04 | |
never to be satisfied with easy answers | 52:06 | |
about the problems of a society | 52:09 | |
in which all across the nation | 52:11 | |
are monumental buildings | 52:14 | |
are new jails and ball parks. | 52:17 | |
We live in a society | 52:21 | |
that urgently needs larger vision | 52:23 | |
and renewed Christian commitment and service. | 52:27 | |
Maybe we like to avoid Advent | 52:34 | |
and rush on to Christmas | 52:36 | |
because Advent makes us wait, | 52:37 | |
and calls us to wake up. | 52:41 | |
Now, before it is too late, | 52:44 | |
is the time to choose your side. | 52:47 | |
Now is the time for us to think about | 52:52 | |
what is really important, | 52:54 | |
what is really worthwhile, | 52:56 | |
how we can serve others, | 52:58 | |
and how we can provide for succeeding generations, | 53:01 | |
even while we live fully in the now. | 53:05 | |
"You know that the hour is now, | 53:10 | |
"how it is full time | 53:14 | |
"for you to wake from sleep. | 53:16 | |
"For salvation is nearer to us now | 53:20 | |
"than when we first believed; | 53:25 | |
"the night is far gone, | 53:28 | |
"the day is at hand." | 53:32 | |
Amen. | 53:36 | |
("Song of Mary" by Miriam Therese Winter) | 53:40 | |
♪ My soul gives glory to my God ♪ | 54:02 | |
♪ My heart pours out its praise ♪ | 54:08 | |
♪ God lifted up my lowliness ♪ | 54:14 | |
♪ In many marvelous ways ♪ | 54:19 | |
♪ My God has done great things for me ♪ | 54:27 | |
♪ Yes, holy is this Name ♪ | 54:32 | |
♪ All people will declare me blessed ♪ | 54:38 | |
♪ And blessings they shall claim ♪ | 54:44 | |
♪ From age to age to all who fear ♪ | 54:51 | |
♪ Such mercy love imparts ♪ | 54:56 | |
♪ Dispensing justice far and near ♪ | 55:02 | |
♪ Dismissing selfish hearts ♪ | 55:08 | |
♪ Love casts the mighty from their thrones ♪ | 55:15 | |
♪ Promotes the insecure ♪ | 55:21 | |
♪ Leaves hungry spirits satisfied ♪ | 55:27 | |
♪ The rich seem suddenly poor ♪ | 55:32 | |
♪ Praise God, whose loving covenant ♪ | 55:40 | |
♪ Supports those in distress ♪ | 55:46 | |
♪ Remembering past promises ♪ | 55:52 | |
♪ With present faithfulness ♪ | 55:58 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 56:08 |
Congregants | And also with you. | 56:10 |
- | Let us pray. | 56:11 |
Be seated. | 56:12 | |
Holy God, | 56:20 | |
we marvel at the mystery of your incarnation among us. | 56:25 | |
The message of the angels, | 56:31 | |
the song of Mary, | 56:34 | |
the birth of the babe at Bethlehem. | 56:36 | |
Give us grace | 56:40 | |
to see all the ways | 56:42 | |
in which You stand beside us. | 56:45 | |
And share our pain and sorrow | 56:49 | |
and celebrate our joy. | 56:52 | |
Oh incarnate One, | 56:56 | |
Lord hear our prayer. | 56:58 | |
Because you came among us | 57:03 | |
dispersed the gloom of night | 57:05 | |
and dawned in our darkness. | 57:07 | |
we know that you care. | 57:10 | |
Therefore for all those | 57:13 | |
who this joyous season are sad, | 57:16 | |
we pray. | 57:20 | |
We pray for mourners, | 57:22 | |
we pray for the sick, | 57:25 | |
for those whose families are divided. | 57:28 | |
We pray for misunderstood youth | 57:32 | |
and for little children who are in fear. | 57:36 | |
Dayspring on high, | 57:40 | |
Lord, hear our prayer. | 57:43 | |
Lord, you deemed it good | 57:49 | |
to be born among a people in an occupied land, | 57:52 | |
amid war and strife. | 57:57 | |
Therefore we pray for all those | 58:00 | |
who suffer from war and civil unrest. | 58:02 | |
Especially do we pray for the people of Bosnia | 58:08 | |
and Serbia and Herzegovina. | 58:11 | |
And those who have gone there to keep the peace. | 58:14 | |
We pray for the peace process in Northern Island | 58:21 | |
and in the Near East. | 58:24 | |
Prince of Peace, | 58:27 | |
Lord, hear our prayer. | 58:30 | |
Because You have come to us, | 58:35 | |
we come to You, | 58:37 | |
bringing all those problems of our lives | 58:40 | |
which seem so insoluble, | 58:42 | |
offering up to you our fears | 58:46 | |
which seem so great. | 58:50 | |
All those matters which perplex us so deeply | 58:53 | |
that we know not what to ask or to pray. | 58:57 | |
And yet you know. | 59:03 | |
Grant us that peace which only you can give. | 59:06 | |
Give us what we need | 59:10 | |
despite what we think we want. | 59:13 | |
Make us more than we could be | 59:16 | |
had we been left to ourselves. | 59:19 | |
Oh wisdom from on high, | 59:24 | |
Lord, hear our prayer. | 59:27 | |
Amen. | 59:31 | |
And now let us offer ourselves and our gifts | 59:34 | |
to the God who has offered so much to us. | 59:37 | |
("Praise Him" by J. M. Diack and J. S. Bach) | 1:00:05 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:00:19 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:00:21 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:00:26 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:00:28 | |
♪ For His goodness ♪ | 1:00:34 | |
♪ For His bounty ♪ | 1:00:37 | |
♪ Showered upon us throughout the year ♪ | 1:00:41 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:00:48 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:00:50 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:00:56 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:00:57 | |
♪ For His goodness ♪ | 1:01:03 | |
♪ For His bounty ♪ | 1:01:06 | |
♪ Showered upon us throughout the year ♪ | 1:01:10 | |
♪ Praise Him, snow and wind and rain ♪ | 1:01:17 | |
♪ Praise Him, buds and blossoms fair ♪ | 1:01:22 | |
♪ Fruits and fields of golden grain ♪ | 1:01:26 | |
♪ Beasts of earth and birds of air ♪ | 1:01:29 | |
♪ Praise the Lord, ye heavens adore Him ♪ | 1:01:33 | |
♪ Praise Him, angels in the heights ♪ | 1:01:36 | |
♪ Sun and moon rejoice before Him ♪ | 1:01:52 | |
♪ Praise Him all ye stars of light ♪ | 1:01:56 | |
♪ Sun and moon rejoice before Him ♪ | 1:01:59 | |
♪ Praise Him all ye stars of light ♪ | 1:02:03 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:02:07 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:02:09 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:02:15 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:02:16 | |
♪ For His goodness ♪ | 1:02:22 | |
♪ For His Bounty ♪ | 1:02:25 | |
♪ Showered upon us throughout the year ♪ | 1:02:29 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:02:36 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:02:38 | |
♪ Praise Him ♪ | 1:02:43 | |
♪ Praise the great Creator ♪ | 1:02:45 | |
♪ For His goodness ♪ | 1:02:51 | |
♪ For His Bounty ♪ | 1:02:54 | |
♪ Showered upon us throughout the year ♪ | 1:02:58 | |
("What Sweeter Music" by John Rutter) | 1:03:12 | |
♪ What sweeter music can we bring ♪ | 1:03:22 | |
♪ Than a carol, for to sing ♪ | 1:03:28 | |
♪ The birth of this our heavenly King ♪ | 1:03:34 | |
♪ Awake the voice ♪ | 1:03:39 | |
♪ Awake the string ♪ | 1:03:42 | |
♪ Dark and dull night, fly hence away ♪ | 1:03:46 | |
♪ And give the honor to this day ♪ | 1:03:51 | |
♪ That sees December turned to May ♪ | 1:03:57 | |
♪ That sees December turned to May ♪ | 1:04:03 | |
♪ Why does the chilling winter's morn ♪ | 1:04:11 | |
♪ Smile like a field beset with corn ♪ | 1:04:17 | |
♪ Or smell like a meadow newly-shorn ♪ | 1:04:22 | |
♪ Thus, on the sudden come and see ♪ | 1:04:28 | |
♪ The cause, why things thus fragrant be ♪ | 1:04:34 | |
♪ 'Tis He is born, whose quickening birth ♪ | 1:04:40 | |
♪ Gives life and luster, public mirth ♪ | 1:04:46 | |
♪ To heaven, and the under-earth ♪ | 1:04:52 | |
♪ We see him come, and know him ours ♪ | 1:05:00 | |
♪ Who, with his sunshine and his showers ♪ | 1:05:06 | |
♪ Turns all the patient ground to flowers ♪ | 1:05:12 | |
♪ Turns all the patient ground to flowers ♪ | 1:05:18 | |
♪ The darling of the world is come ♪ | 1:05:24 | |
♪ And fit it is, we find a room ♪ | 1:05:30 | |
♪ To welcome him ♪ | 1:05:35 | |
♪ To welcome him ♪ | 1:05:39 | |
♪ The nobler part ♪ | 1:05:42 | |
♪ Of all the house here ♪ | 1:05:45 | |
♪ Is the heart ♪ | 1:05:49 | |
♪ Which we will give Him; and bequeath ♪ | 1:05:53 | |
♪ This holly ♪ | 1:05:59 | |
♪ And this ivy wreath ♪ | 1:06:02 | |
♪ To do him honor, who's our King ♪ | 1:06:06 | |
♪ And Lord of all this reveling ♪ | 1:06:11 | |
♪ What sweeter music can we bring ♪ | 1:06:24 | |
♪ Than a carol for to sing ♪ | 1:06:30 | |
♪ The birth of this our heavenly King ♪ | 1:06:35 | |
♪ The birth of this ♪ | 1:06:44 | |
♪ Our heavenly King ♪ | 1:06:49 | |
("Doxology" by Thomas Ken) | 1:07:09 | |
♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 1:07:48 | |
♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪ | 1:07:54 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:01 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:04 | |
♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 1:08:08 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 1:08:15 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:21 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:24 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:27 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:31 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:08:34 | |
- | Praise the great creator, | 1:08:46 |
for His goodness, for His bounty showered upon us | 1:08:47 | |
still throughout the year. | 1:08:51 | |
Praise Him snow and wind and rain, | 1:08:54 | |
praise Him buds and blossoms fair, | 1:08:56 | |
fields of golden grain, beasts of the earth, | 1:08:59 | |
birds of the air. | 1:09:01 | |
Praise the Lord | 1:09:04 | |
for all of Your gifts to us. | 1:09:06 | |
We offer ourselves and these gifts | 1:09:09 | |
as our joyful praise to You | 1:09:13 | |
praying as we have been taught. | 1:09:16 | |
Our Father, | 1:09:18 | |
Congregants | who art in heaven, | 1:09:20 |
hallowed be thy name, | 1:09:22 | |
thy kingdom come, | 1:09:24 | |
thy will be done | 1:09:26 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 1:09:28 | |
Give us this day our daily bread; | 1:09:31 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 1:09:34 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 1:09:36 | |
And lead us not into temptation, | 1:09:40 | |
but deliver us from evil, | 1:09:43 | |
for thine is the kingdom, | 1:09:46 | |
and the power | 1:09:47 | |
and the glory forever. | 1:09:49 | |
Amen. | 1:09:51 | |
("Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending" by Charles Wesley) | 1:09:54 | |
♪ Lo! he comes with clouds descending ♪ | 1:10:36 | |
♪ Once for favored sinners slain ♪ | 1:10:45 | |
♪ Thousand, thousand saints attending ♪ | 1:10:54 | |
♪ Swell the triumph of his train ♪ | 1:11:03 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:11:13 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:11:17 | |
♪ Alleluia ♪ | 1:11:22 | |
♪ God appears on earth to reign ♪ | 1:11:27 | |
♪ Every eye shall now behold Him ♪ | 1:11:38 | |
♪ Robed in dreadful majesty ♪ | 1:11:47 | |
♪ Those who set at naught and sold him ♪ | 1:11:56 | |
♪ Pierced, and nailed him to the tree ♪ | 1:12:06 | |
♪ Deeply wailing ♪ | 1:12:15 | |
♪ Deeply wailing ♪ | 1:12:20 | |
♪ Deeply wailing ♪ | 1:12:24 | |
♪ Shall the true Messiah see ♪ | 1:12:29 | |
♪ The dear tokens of his passion ♪ | 1:12:40 | |
♪ Still his dazzling body bears ♪ | 1:12:49 | |
♪ Cause of endless exultation ♪ | 1:12:58 | |
♪ To his ransomed worshipers ♪ | 1:13:07 | |
♪ With what rapture ♪ | 1:13:17 | |
♪ With what rapture ♪ | 1:13:22 | |
♪ With what rapture ♪ | 1:13:26 | |
♪ Gaze we on those glorious scar ♪ | 1:13:31 | |
♪ Yea, Amen! Let all adore thee ♪ | 1:13:41 | |
♪ High on thy eternal throne ♪ | 1:13:51 | |
♪ Savior, take the power and glory ♪ | 1:14:01 | |
♪ Claim the kingdom for thine own ♪ | 1:14:10 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:14:20 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:14:24 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:14:29 | |
♪ Everlasting God, come down ♪ | 1:14:34 | |
- | The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, | 1:14:49 |
the love of God, | 1:14:52 | |
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you now | 1:14:53 | |
and always. | 1:14:56 | |
("The Lord Bless You and Keep You" by John Rutter) | 1:14:59 | |
♪ The Lord bless you and keep you ♪ | 1:15:05 | |
♪ The Lord make His face to shine upon you ♪ | 1:15:11 | |
♪ To shine upon you and be gracious ♪ | 1:15:17 | |
♪ And be gracious unto you ♪ | 1:15:23 | |
♪ The Lord bless you and keep you ♪ | 1:15:30 | |
♪ The Lord make His face to shine upon you ♪ | 1:15:36 | |
♪ To shine upon you and be gracious ♪ | 1:15:43 | |
♪ And be gracious unto you ♪ | 1:15:49 | |
♪ The Lord lift up the light ♪ | 1:15:56 | |
♪ Of His countenance upon you ♪ | 1:16:02 | |
♪ The Lord lift up the light ♪ | 1:16:09 | |
♪ Of His countenance upon you ♪ | 1:16:14 | |
♪ And give you peace ♪ | 1:16:22 | |
♪ And give you peace ♪ | 1:16:29 | |
♪ And give you peace ♪ | 1:16:35 | |
♪ And give you peace ♪ | 1:16:41 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:16:48 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:16:54 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:16:59 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:17:00 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:17:06 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:17:08 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:17:11 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:17:16 | |
(pipe organ music) | 1:17:32 |