Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (July 7, 1996)

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	(tranquil organ music)	0:01
-	Good morning.	2:31
	I'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel.	2:32
	We are privileged to have with us	2:35
	in the ministry of worship	2:36
	the Reverend Dr. William B, Lawrence,	2:38
	the Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry	2:40
	at Duke Divinity School as the presiding minister.	2:43
	Also as a lector, Miss Eliza Ferguson	2:47
	who is a graduate student at Duke	2:49
	in French History and a member of the congregation	2:52
	and Eliza is getting ready	2:54
	to spend a year in Paris studying.	2:56
	We also welcome Mr. Sean Turner,	2:59
	a graduate of Duke Divinity School	3:02
	in the Class of 1996	3:04
	and he is also departing this summer	3:06
	for a year in Yorkshire	3:08
	to serve a church there.	3:10
	We are grateful for their leadership	3:12
	with us in this service.	3:13
	As you may know, many in faith communities	3:16
	have been concerned about the threats	3:19
	against predominantly black churches	3:21
	in North Carolina	3:23
	and across the South.	3:24
	On Wednesday, July 10th at seven o'clock p.m.,	3:27
	Duke Memorial United Methodist Church downtown	3:30
	is hosting a prayer vigil	3:34
	to pray for an end to these threats	3:36
	and for peace in our community.	3:38
	We hope you will be able to attend.	3:40
	And now let us continue with the call to worship.	3:43
	Please stand as we pray together.	3:46
	Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel.	3:53
	(congregation mumbling)	3:56
	Blessed be God's glorious name forever.	3:59
	(congregation mumbling)	4:03
	(tranquil organ music)	4:08
	(congregation singing)	4:41
-	Let us pray.	8:08
	Almighty God, to you all hearts are open.	8:12
	All desires known.	8:17
	And from you, no secrets are hidden.	8:20
	Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts	8:25
	by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit	8:28
	that we may perfectly love you	8:31
	and worthily magnify your holy name	8:34
	through Christ our Lord, amen.	8:38
	You may be seated.	8:43
-	Let us pray together the Prayer for Illumination.	8:52
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God	8:56
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	8:59
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	9:02
	we may hear your message with joy this day.	9:06
	Amen.	9:09
-	The Old Testament reading	9:13
	is from the book of Genesis,	9:14
	chapter 24 verses 34 through 38,	9:16
	42 through 49 and 58 through 67.	9:21
	So he said, I am Abraham's servant,	9:27
	the Lord has greatly blessed by master	9:31
	and he has become wealthy.	9:34
	He has given him flocks and herds,	9:36
	silver and gold,	9:39
	male and female slaves, camels and donkeys	9:41
	and Sarah, my master's wife bore a son to my master	9:45
	when she was old	9:50
	and he has given all that he has.	9:51
	My master made me swear saying,	9:55
	you shall not take a wife for my son	9:58
	from the daughters of the Canaanites	10:00
	in whose land I live	10:03
	but you shall go to my father's house	10:05
	to my kindred and get a wife for my son.	10:07
	I came this day to this spring	10:12
	and said, oh Lord, the God of my master Abraham,	10:14
	if now you will only make successful the way I am going.	10:19
	I am standing here by this spring of water.	10:23
	Let the young woman who comes out to draw	10:27
	to whom I shall say, please give me a little water	10:29
	from your jar to drink	10:33
	and who will say to me,	10:34
	drink and I will water your camels also.	10:36
	Let her the woman who the Lord has appointed	10:40
	for my master's son.	10:42
	Before I had finished speaking in my heart,	10:45
	there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar	10:49
	on her shoulder	10:51
	and she went down to the spring and drew.	10:53
	I said to her,	10:56
	please, let me drink.	10:57
	She quickly let down the jar from her shoulder	10:59
	and said, drink and I will also water your camels.	11:02
	So I drank and she also watered the camels.	11:06
	Then I asked her,	11:10
	whose daughter are you?	11:11
	She said, the daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son	11:13
	who Milcah bore to him.	11:17
	So I put the ring on her nose	11:19
	and the bracelets on her arms.	11:21
	Then I bowed my head	11:24
	and worshiped the Lord	11:25
	and blessed the Lord,	11:27
	the God of my master Abraham	11:28
	who had led me by the right way	11:31
	to obtain the daughter of my master's kinsmen for his son.	11:33
	Now then, if you deal loyally and truly with my master,	11:38
	tell me and if not, tell me	11:42
	so that I many turn either to the right hand	11:45
	or to the left.	11:48
	So they sent away their sister Rebekah	11:50
	and her nurse along with Abraham's servant	11:53
	and his men and they blessed Rebekah	11:57
	and said to her, may you, our sister become thousands	11:59
	of myriads, may your offspring gain possession	12:04
	of the gates of their foes.	12:08
	Then Rebekah and her maids rose up,	12:10
	mounted the camels and followed the man.	12:13
	Thus the servant took Rebekah	12:16
	and went his way.	12:18
	Now, Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi	12:20
	and was settled in the Negev.	12:24
	Isaac went out in the evening to walk	12:26
	in the field and looking up,	12:28
	he saw camels coming	12:30
	and Rebekah looked up	12:32
	and went she saw Isaac,	12:34
	she slipped quickly from the camel	12:36
	and said to the servant,	12:38
	who is the man over there walking	12:40
	in the field to meet us?	12:42
	The servant said,	12:44
	it is my master.	12:45
	So she took her veil and covered herself	12:47
	and the servant told Isaac all the things he had done.	12:50
	Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent.	12:54
	He took Rebekah and she became his wife	12:58
	and he loved her.	13:01
	So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.	13:03
	This is the word of the Lord.	13:07
Congregation	Praise be to God.	13:10
-	The Psalm appointed for today is number 72	13:19
	verses one through eight found	13:21
	in your Hymnal on page 795.	13:23
	All stand and sing the Psalm and Gloria responsively.	13:25
	(tranquil organ music)	13:31
	♪ Give the king your justice, O God ♪	13:41
	♪ Thy righteousness unto the king's son ♪	13:47
	♪ May he judge our people with righteousness ♪	13:53
	♪ And thy poor with judgment ♪	13:59
	♪ Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people ♪	14:04
	♪ And the hills in righteousness ♪	14:10
	♪ He shall judge the poor of the people ♪	14:15
	♪ He shall save the children of the needy ♪	14:23
	♪ May he live while the sun endures ♪	14:31
	♪ And as long as the moon throughout our generations ♪	14:36
	♪ He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass ♪	14:43
	♪ As showers that water the Earth ♪	14:51
	♪ In his days, may righteousness flourish ♪	14:57
	♪ And peace abound 'til the moon be no more ♪	15:02
	♪ He shall have dominion also from sea to sea ♪	15:09
	♪ And from the river unto the ends of the Earth ♪	15:16
	♪ All glory be to you, creator ♪	15:24
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	15:27
	♪ And in Christ Jesus throughout all generations ♪	15:32
	♪ As it was time at time began ♪	15:40
	(congregation mumbling)	15:45
	♪ Forevermore ♪	15:49
-	Please be seated.	15:55
-	The New Testament reading	16:07
	is from the seventh chapter of Saint Paul's letter	16:08
	to the Romans beginning with the 15th verse.	16:10
	I do not understand my own actions	16:15
	for I do not do what I want	16:19
	but I do the very thing I hate.	16:21
	Now if I do what I do not want,	16:24
	I agree that the law is good.	16:26
	But in fact, it is no longer I that do it,	16:29
	but sin that dwells within me.	16:32
	For I know that nothing good dwells within me.	16:35
	That is in my flesh.	16:39
	I can will what is right	16:42
	but I cannot do it	16:43
	for I do not do the good I want	16:45
	but the evil I do not want	16:48
	is what I do.	16:50
	Now if I do what I do not want,	16:52
	it is no longer I that do it	16:56
	but sin that dwells within me.	16:58
	So I find it to be a law	17:01
	that when I want to do what is good,	17:02
	evil lies close at hand	17:05
	for I delight in the law of God	17:07
	in my inmost self	17:10
	but I see in my members another law	17:12
	at war with the law in my mind	17:15
	making me captive to a law of sin	17:18
	that dwells within my members.	17:21
	Wretched man that I am,	17:24
	who will rescue me from this body of death?	17:26
	Thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord.	17:30
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:34
All	Thanks be to God.	17:37
	(tranquil organ music)	17:59
	(choir singing)	18:04
-	The Gospel lesson is taken	20:39
	from the 11th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew	20:40
	verse 16 through 19	20:44
	and 25 through 30.	20:46
	But to what will I compare this generation?	20:50
	It is like children sitting in the marketplace	20:54
	and calling to one another.	20:56
	We played the flute for you	20:58
	and you did not dance.	21:00
	We wailed and you did not mourn.	21:02
	For John came neither eating nor drinking	21:06
	and they said he has a demon.	21:08
	The Son of Man came eating and drinking	21:12
	and they said, look,	21:14
	a glutton and a drunkard,	21:16
	a friend of tax collectors and sinners.	21:18
	Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.	21:21
	At that time Jesus said,	21:26
	I thank you, Father,	21:28
	Lord of Heaven and Earth	21:30
	because you have hidden these things	21:32
	from the wise and the intelligent	21:34
	and have revealed them to infants.	21:36
	Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.	21:39
	All things have been handed over to me	21:44
	by my Father	21:46
	and no one knows the Son except the Father	21:47
	and no one knows the Father	21:50
	except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses	21:52
	to reveal him.	21:55
	Come to me, all you that are weary	21:58
	and carrying heavy burdens	22:02
	and I will give you rest.	22:03
	Take my yolk upon you	22:06
	and learn from me	22:08
	for I am gentle and humble in heart	22:10
	and you will find rest for your souls.	22:14
	For my yolk is easy and my burden is light.	22:17
	This is the word of the Lord.	22:23
All	Thanks be to God.	22:25
-	This past Thursday,	22:39
	we celebrated the 4th of July,	22:40
	the birth of our country	22:43
	and the great gift of our freedom.	22:45
	Freedom is a value that we hold dear	22:49
	and well we should	22:53
	for it is a privilege that has been hard won	22:54
	and hard kept.	22:57
	Many people have worked to protect the gift of freedom	23:00
	on the battlefields and in our courts,	23:04
	in our schools and in our churches,	23:07
	in our public spheres	23:10
	and in our private lives.	23:12
	Freedom must never be taken for granted	23:15
	or it can be lost quickly	23:18
	through violent forces which overtake it	23:20
	or slowly, almost imperceptibly	23:24
	through the subtle but no less destructive forces	23:28
	which bind it link by link	23:32
	until we are burdened with unbearable restrictions	23:35
	which chain our liberties.	23:38
	It might be difficult to find very many values	23:42
	that Americans can agree upon	23:45
	but freedom is one of them.	23:48
	So when Jesus says,	23:52
	"Take my yolk upon you,"	23:54
	it is understandable that some of us might pull back	23:59
	with caution and resistance.	24:03
	We don't wanna be yolked to anything or anyone.	24:07
	It threatens our hard-won freedom	24:11
	to decide for ourselves	24:13
	who we will be and what we will do with our lives.	24:16
	We wanna be faithful,	24:20
	we wanna know God	24:22
	but in our own way and on our own terms.	24:24
	The idea of being yolked,	24:30
	submitting ourselves to Christ's authority	24:33
	over our lives, agreeing to be obedience	24:37
	to his will, allowing ourselves to be led	24:40
	rather than to decide.	24:44
	The idea of being yolked	24:48
	is a concept that is difficult	24:50
	for most of us to embrace.	24:53
	We like having more control than that	24:56
	even with God.	24:58
	We prefer to know what the rules are	25:00
	and to figure out how to meet them on our own.	25:02
	We're good at doing what is necessary	25:06
	to get ahead in school, in business	25:08
	in social circles,	25:11
	so why should our spiritual life be any different?	25:13
	Just tell us what the requirements are	25:17
	and we'll decide how best to fulfill them.	25:20
	We're a can-do society,	25:23
	a community of high achievers	25:26
	and we know how to come out on top.	25:28
	But it is precisely to a community	25:32
	like us that Jesus was speaking	25:36
	when he prayed,	25:39
	"Thanks you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth	25:40
	"because you have hidden these things from the wise	25:44
	"and revealed them to infants."	25:48
	The privileged communities that Jesus addressed.	25:52
	The Pharisees and the Scribes,	25:55
	the educated and the affluent	25:58
	thought they had it all figured out.	26:00
	They were literate,	26:04
	they knew the law	26:05
	and they spent enormous amounts of time	26:07
	and energy and money to follow	26:09
	and obey its minute details.	26:12
	They had figured out the rules	26:16
	and thought that in the process they had figured out	26:18
	what it took to please God	26:21
	and consequently, to gain God's favor.	26:23
	As Barbara Brown Taylor says,	26:28
	"In their hands, God's law became a heavy yolk,	26:30
	"a bulky, burdensome thing	26:34
	"that they were nonetheless willing	26:37
	"to bear because they wanted to stay on top."	26:39
	They were the ones who knew the rules,	26:43
	they were the skilled law keepers	26:45
	who held the places of privilege in Jewish society.	26:48
	In matters of religion,	26:52
	they were the most diligent and most accomplished.	26:53
	They were simply better than the common people	26:58
	around them and they were in control.	27:01
	That's why Jesus was such a threat	27:05
	to their well-ordered existence	27:07
	when he said that even infants	27:09
	could understand how God was revealed	27:13
	and what God required.	27:16
	Even infants could understand	27:19
	that it had to do with the quality of relationship	27:21
	between God and us	27:24
	and between us and other people.	27:26
	It had to do with putting God first	27:29
	and loving everyone and everything that God loved.	27:33
	And perhaps more to the point,	27:38
	it couldn't be manipulated.	27:41
	It was easy.	27:43
	It was easy to understand.	27:45
	But it couldn't be manipulated or controlled	27:49
	by those who thought they had it all figured out.	27:53
	Jesus exposes the foolishness	27:57
	of our attempts to control God	28:01
	by following a set of rules	28:03
	or by accruing points for good deeds done.	28:05
	In our truest moments,	28:10
	we know that we can't ever do enough	28:13
	to please God, to be worthy before God.	28:16
	For we know that the capacity for good	28:20
	and for evil lies within each one of us.	28:22
	Still, sometimes it seems easier to trust	28:26
	in our own capacity to know	28:29
	and to do what is right	28:31
	than to risk losing our freedom	28:34
	by accepting the yolk of Christ.	28:36
	We fear that his yolk would be a much greater burden	28:40
	which would squeeze all the joy out of life	28:45
	and make it one long march	28:48
	of duty and drudgery,	28:50
	always demanding more and more and more of us.	28:53
	But nothing could be farther from the truth.	29:01
	Jesus said, "My yolk is easy	29:06
	"and my burden is light."	29:10
	It was God's desire through Jesus Christ	29:14
	to lighten our burden,	29:18
	to increase rather than diminish our freedom.	29:20
	As Taylor says,	29:25
	"It isn't about pushing ourselves to do more, to be more,	29:26
	"all God has ever asked is that we belong to him.	29:33
	"The burden that Jesus offers is much lighter	29:38
	"than the one we design for ourselves.	29:41
	"The yolk easier."	29:44
	No longer do we have to listen to that nagging inner voice	29:47
	that says you've got to do more,	29:52
	you've got to be more	29:54
	in order to earn God's love.	29:56
	There are no pre-qualifying exams	29:59
	that you have to pass before you come to Jesus.	30:02
	We have nothing to prove	30:05
	and perhaps even more importantly,	30:07
	nothing to fear.	30:10
	For the yolk is not a heavy, shackled chain	30:13
	or freedom but a way of coming into relationship	30:16
	with him so that our burdens might be shared	30:20
	and our load lightened.	30:24
	Have you ever seen pictures of two animals yolked together?	30:28
	They're joined at the neck by a wooden frame	30:33
	that allows them to work together	30:36
	and with a well-matched pair,	30:39
	they can work all day	30:40
	without wearing out	30:42
	because under a shared yolk,	30:44
	one can rest while the other pulls.	30:46
	They can take turns bearing the brunt of the burden	30:49
	and cover for each other	30:53
	without ever laying down the load.	30:55
	At the end of the day,	30:58
	they may be tired but they're not exhausted	30:59
	because they have worked together as a team.	31:03
	When we accept the yolk of Christ,	31:08
	he doesn't add to our burden,	31:12
	he takes our burden upon himself	31:15
	to share the load.	31:19
	We are in a sense joined at the neck.	31:21
	His mind and our mind working together	31:25
	to share the burdens of life	31:28
	and to fulfill the requirements of love.	31:30
	We become a team	31:34
	and with his help, we can accomplish more	31:36
	than we ever could individually.	31:39
	One scholar points out	31:44
	that the yolk is not one that Jesus imposes	31:45
	but one that he wears.	31:50
	It is as if he is saying become my yolk mate	31:53
	and learn how to pull the load by working together	31:58
	beside me and watching how I do it.	32:01
	The heavy labor will seem lighter	32:06
	when you allow me to help you with it.	32:08
	When we become yolked to Jesus,	32:13
	it is as if we become apprentices	32:16
	who work beside him to learn	32:19
	through watching and doing.	32:22
	What it means to be his disciples.	32:24
	When we decide that we want to become a follower of Jesus,	32:28
	and it is our choice alone,	32:32
	it means that we commit ourselves to a learning process.	32:36
	We don't start out having it all right	32:40
	and we don't need to.	32:43
	We only have to be willing to let Jesus teach us	32:45
	how to deal with the problems that we face,	32:49
	how to develop our best skills and minimize our weaknesses,	32:52
	how to grow and change.	32:57
	How to let go of the things that get in the way.	33:00
	How to be obedient	33:04
	even when it is difficult.	33:06
	How to be in a loving relationship.	33:09
	How to serve.	33:12
	It is important to note	33:16
	that when we put on the yolk of Christ,	33:17
	we don't know exactly what paths we will travel together	33:21
	and what work we will share.	33:25
	That's difficult for some of us	33:28
	who like to have everything planned out,	33:29
	goals set, every contingency prepared for.	33:32
	It is possible that we may get led	33:37
	in a direction that we never would have gone on our own.	33:40
	I know because if you had asked me 15 years ago	33:43
	what I would now be doing in my life,	33:46
	serving as a minister	33:49
	would not even have been in the list of possibilities.	33:50
	But I've never been sorry	33:55
	that I followed this strange, unpredictable path.	33:57
	Sometimes stumbling and hesitant to be sure,	34:01
	but also rewarding and fulfilling in ways	34:06
	that I never could have planned.	34:09
	It's hard for us to let go	34:13
	of our need to control our lives	34:15
	and follow where Jesus leads	34:17
	but we can take the risk	34:19
	because he's gentle and humble in heart.	34:22
	He never imposes himself upon us	34:25
	but lovingly invites, waiting for us to come to him	34:28
	when we decide that we're ready.	34:33
	We can trust him	34:37
	because he's trustworthy.	34:38
	The yolk that he offers is the yolk of love	34:41
	and the desire to serve us.	34:44
	Isn't that amazing?	34:48
	We are able to serve God	34:50
	because in Christ, God serves us.	34:53
	Because he has walked the paths that we have walked,	34:59
	and suffered the pains	35:02
	that we have suffered, he knows us intimately	35:04
	and he has our best interests at heart.	35:08
	He leads us gently,	35:11
	challenging us to greater faithfulness	35:14
	yet ever sensitive to our weaknesses	35:17
	and our needs.	35:20
	We may be led into some unexpected and surprising ways	35:22
	of serving but it is never against our will	35:26
	and it is never beyond our strength to endure	35:30
	for as we take Christ's yolk upon us,	35:35
	we discover deep down,	35:37
	all the way down, rest for our souls.	35:41
	Christ understands that the burdens	35:47
	which most weigh heavily upon us,	35:50
	the ones which wear us out	35:53
	are not so much the physical ones	35:57
	but the spiritual and emotional ones.	36:00
	It is not as much the financial struggle	36:04
	as the worry about tomorrow.	36:07
	It is not so much living without the loved one	36:11
	as the emptiness left in the heart.	36:14
	It is not so much the illness itself	36:18
	as the fear of death.	36:21
	It is not so much the rape	36:24
	as the terror we live again and again.	36:25
	It is not so much the failure	36:31
	as the fear of rejection.	36:33
	It is not so much the offense against us	36:36
	but the anger which hardens the heart.	36:40
	It is the burdens of the soul	36:44
	which wear us out	36:46
	and make us feel most alone.	36:48
	Christ invites the weary and heavily burdened	36:52
	to let him share our load	36:56
	and give us the kind of deep inner rest	36:59
	that we could never find on our own.	37:01
	I have a friend here from Liberia	37:06
	and we recently discussed the civil war in his country.	37:08
	People killing each other in the streets,	37:12
	the lack of food and water,	37:15
	no phones, no power,	37:18
	no transportation in or out of the city.	37:20
	There've even been reports of cannibalism	37:23
	among the waring factions.	37:26
	My friend, a young man in his 20s,	37:29
	already lives with the scars of one civil war	37:32
	and the memory of the unspeakable atrocities	37:36
	that he saw as he tried to escape his country	37:39
	and now he must bear the anxiety of another war,	37:43
	not knowing whether his family is alive or dead.	37:46
	I ask him, "How do you do it?	37:51
	"How do you live with what you've seen?	37:55
	"How do you bear the uncertainly, the worry	37:59
	"for your family?"	38:03
	And he said to me,	38:07
	"It is impossible to bear.	38:08
	"It is impossible to forget or to forgive,	38:11
	"it is impossible to work,	38:15
	"to eat, to sleep	38:17
	"yet for the yolk of Christ,	38:21
	"which shares my burden and gives me rest."	38:25
	And looking into his eyes, I believed him	38:32
	for they were there a peace	38:36
	and a rest that were not of this world.	38:38
	When we're yolked with Christ,	38:44
	we're able to bear even the impossible burdens	38:47
	because we don't have to bear them alone.	38:51
	In him we find rest for our souls.	38:55
	Rest from the guilt that we can't escape.	38:58
	Rest from the fears which plague our dreams.	39:02
	Rest from the anger that won't let us go.	39:05
	Rest from the wounds that won't heal.	39:09
	In the yolk of Christ,	39:13
	we find rest for our souls	39:14
	and freedom from the heavy burdens that we carry.	39:18
	Every night, on Fridays in the Tzai community in France,	39:24
	there's a service around the cross.	39:29
	In a very moving ritual,	39:33
	an icon of the cross is laid on the floor	39:35
	and people are invited to come forward	39:39
	and to literally lay their burdens upon Jesus.	39:42
	For hours people come to the cross.	39:46
	Young and old from all over the world,	39:49
	the affluent and the poor.	39:52
	Life-long Christians, new Christians	39:55
	and those who are simply searching.	39:57
	With foreheads pressed against every inch	40:00
	of the cross, they share their burdens with Christ	40:03
	and as they walk away,	40:08
	often with tears of gratitude,	40:09
	you can see that the load has been shifted	40:12
	and the burden is easier to bear	40:16
	because it is borne by two.	40:19
	This simple, moving service	40:23
	offers a visible symbol of the invitation	40:26
	that Jesus Christ extends to all of us.	40:30
	Come to me, all you that are weary	40:37
	and that are carrying heavy burdens	40:40
	and I will give you rest.	40:43
	Take my yolk upon you	40:48
	and learn from me	40:50
	for I am gentle and humble in heart	40:52
	and you will find rest for your souls.	40:55
	For my yolk is easy	40:59
	and my burden is light.	41:02
	(lively organ music)	41:17
	(congregation singing)	42:02
-	May I invite you to be seated	44:39
	and join me in prayer.	44:41
	The Lord be with you.	44:52
Congregation	And also with you.	44:54
-	Let us pray.	44:56
	Oh God, who in your only son Jesus	45:00
	has invited us to come to you with our burdens	45:04
	and find rest.	45:09
	We accept your invitation.	45:11
	From within the walls of this place	45:16
	that is built to your glory and for our comfort,	45:18
	we come to you.	45:23
	From within the bounds of this nation	45:26
	that began by declaring its trust	45:28
	in your providence and its trust in our freedom,	45:30
	we come to you.	45:35
	From within the limits of our own conditions	45:39
	of status and circumstance,	45:41
	age and ethnicity,	45:44
	health and hope,	45:47
	we come to you.	45:50
	Lord, in your mercy.	45:53
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	45:56
-	Oh God, in your infinite love,	45:58
	you have room for all of our needs and more.	46:02
	We can name them	46:08
	and you can grant us rest from them.	46:11
	We call them cancer and stroke,	46:15
	AIDS and Alzheimer's,	46:20
	we call them hunger and loneliness,	46:23
	addiction and abuse.	46:26
	We call them fear and guilt.	46:30
	Ignorance and injustice.	46:34
	We know what they are doing to our loved ones.	46:39
	We know what they are doing to our neighbors.	46:43
	We know what they are doing to ourselves.	46:47
	But we cannot carry them much longer.	46:51
	So wrap them in the emotions of our hearts.	46:55
	Let us pack them into our words of prayer	46:59
	and grant that we can bring them to your throne of grace	47:03
	and ask you to grant us rest.	47:07
	Lord, in your mercy.	47:11
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:14
-	We pray for those who help us along the way	47:16
	and for the burdens they carry in their lives.	47:20
	We pray for those who stoop in the fields to labor,	47:24
	that crops might grow and be harvested	47:29
	and that we might have food to eat.	47:31
	We pray for those who gather for worship	47:35
	in houses dedicated to your name	47:39
	and to your people's comfort	47:42
	that they might worship you in freedom and security	47:45
	and be unafraid that the fires of hell	47:50
	will touch them	47:54
	or the fires of Earth will touch their houses of praise.	47:56
	We PRAY for those who step into pulpits day after day	48:02
	to preach that your church might be spiritually nourished.	48:05
	We pray foR those who stare inTO laboratory microscopes	48:12
	that diseases might yield their secrets	48:17
	and reveal their cures.	48:19
	We pray for those who police our streets,	48:23
	for those who dance in our theaters,	48:27
	for those who compete in our arenas,	48:31
	for those who pursue justice in our courts,	48:35
	for those who make music in our halls and homes,	48:39
	that all might find joy and peace	48:43
	in serving you	48:46
	and in sharing those same gifts with us.	48:49
	Lord, in your mercy.	48:53
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	48:56
-	And grant that all who grieve this day	48:58
	will find healing and hope in their own hearts	49:01
	as they surrender their loved ones	49:05
	to your eternal mercy and everlasting care.	49:07
	Remind us that your love is not limited	49:11
	to this place, this land	49:13
	or this lifetime.	49:17
	For those whom we love	49:20
	but can no longer see,	49:21
	we pray your grace and heavenly blessing	49:24
	as we name them in the silence of their hearts.	49:27
	Lord, in your mercy.	49:37
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	49:40
-	All of these things we bring to your throne of grace	49:41
	in the name of the Father and of the Son	49:46
	and of the Holy Spirit, amen.	49:49
Congregation	Amen.	49:52
-	As the people of God	49:57
	who have been blessed with the gift of life,	49:58
	so we in thanksgiving to God return signs	50:01
	and symbols of those gifts	50:05
	and with words of thanksgiving,	50:07
	and tangible gifts,	50:10
	we offer ourselves and our lives	50:13
	to the Lord.	50:15
	Let us prepare to offer those gifts.	50:17
	(tranquil organ music)	50:23
	(choir singing)	51:41
	(dramatic organ music)	54:32
	♪ Praise God from Whom all blessings flow ♪	55:08
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	55:15
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	55:20
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	55:28
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	55:34
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	55:41
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	55:47
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	55:54
-	Let us pray.	56:06
	To you, oh Lord, we turn in prayer.	56:10
	As the humble servants who have received gifts	56:14
	in abundance from you,	56:17
	from the first gift	56:20
	of a breath of life that was ours	56:22
	to the dying moment	56:25
	when we will surrender our lives,	56:26
	our souls and spirits unto you at last.	56:29
	Our lives are filled with the journey of gifts from you.	56:32
	For the love we have received within family	56:38
	and household, for the love	56:41
	that sustains and nourishes us throughout the ages	56:43
	and the faithfulness of your church.	56:46
	For the gifts of music	56:49
	that fill houses of worship and halls for concerts,	56:50
	for the gifts of material blessings,	56:55
	that have enabled us to find leisure	56:58
	and comfort as well as food and care.	57:01
	For all of the blessings that you have granted	57:07
	to us, oh Lord,	57:09
	our offers in sacrifice and praise returning thanksgiving	57:12
	to you are but tokens to your glory	57:18
	of all that is ours	57:23
	and now, oh Lord, we pray your blessing	57:25
	upon these material gifts that we have offered	57:27
	that they might be both signs and tokens	57:31
	of the thanksgiving of our hearts	57:34
	as well as means of ministry to all of your people.	57:36
	Oh Lord, let your blessing accompany every gift given	57:41
	and every heart offered	57:47
	that we will find not only peace within our lives	57:50
	and with you but with our neighbors as well	57:54
	whom you have called Us to serve.	57:58
	In gratitude and thanksgiving,	58:01
	we give you praise and glory	58:03
	and dare to call upon you the way your son,	58:06
	our Savior Jesus Christ has taught us.	58:09
All	Our Father how arT in Heaven,	58:13
	hallowed be thy name,	58:17
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done	58:18
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	58:22
	Give us this day our daily bread	58:25
	and forgive us our trespasses	58:28
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	58:30
	and lead not into temptation	58:34
	but deliver us from evil	58:36
	for thine is the kingdom	58:39
	and the power and the glory forever.	58:40
	Amen.	58:44
	(lively organ music)	58:46
	(congregation singing)	59:29
-	And now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:02:38
	the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit	1:02:41
	be with you and keep you.	1:02:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:02:50
	♪ Amen, amen ♪	1:02:52
	(dramatic organ music)	1:03:03

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (July 7, 1996)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:39. Sermon end time: 41:07.
By dsicussing the healing of Naaman, the preacher emphasizes that wealth and power is not the way to God. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: Go ahead. Build your accomplishments. Strengthen your portfolio. But don’t work to these for God’s blessings. Before Naamon could receive God’s blessing of a cure, he had to humble himself and become like a little servant boy.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4cz32k73

Date:

July 7, 1996

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0483
ref9763_eyi
uachapelsermaud
duke:321397
dcrmv001458
ark:/87924/r4cz32k73
f65ea7c6-9231-486a-a077-bf08418ed61c

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

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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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