Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (August 11, 1996)

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	(church organ)	0:03
-	Good morning, we'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel.	2:56
	I'd like to say a special word of thanks this morning	3:00
	to Dr. Paula Gilbert, the director of continuing education	3:02
	and summer programs at Duke,	3:07
	who will be our presiding minister substituting	3:09
	for Michael Walrond who has had a death in his family.	3:11
	We ask that you also keep Michael and his family in your	3:15
	prayers.	3:17
	Also, Dr. Tom Clark will be assisting Dr. David Arcus	3:19
	with organ music this morning,	3:23
	and we're grateful to him for his participation.	3:25
	Let us continue with the call to worship,	3:28
	please stand as we read responsibly.	3:30
	Oh give thanks to the Lord.	3:37
Audience	Call upon His name.	3:39
-	Sing to the Lord, sing praises.	3:42
Audience	(faintly speaking)	3:45
	(organ)	3:49
	(choir singing)	4:38
	(organ)	6:57
	(choir singing)	7:43
-	Let us pray.	8:21
	Almighty and ever-living God,	8:23
	you have given great and precious promises	8:26
	to those who believe.	8:28
	Grant us the perfect faith which overcomes all doubts.	8:31
	Through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.	8:35
	Amen.	8:38
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	8:51
	Open our hearts and minds, O' God.	8:57
	By the power of Your Holy Spirit.	9:01
	So that is the word is read and proclaimed,	9:04
	we may hear Your message with joy this day, amen.	9:06
	The Old Testament reading is from the book of Genesis.	9:14
	Chapter 37: Verses one through four and 12 through 28.	9:18
	"Jacob settled in the land where his father had lived	9:26
	"as an alien.	9:29
	"The land of Canaan.	9:30
	"This is the story of the family of Jacob.	9:33
	"Joseph, being 17 years old, was shepherding the flock	9:37
	"with his brothers.	9:41
	"He was a helper to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah,	9:43
	"his father's wives,	9:46
	"and Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father.	9:48
	"Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of	9:53
	"his children, because he was the son of his old age,	9:56
	"and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.	10:01
	"But when his brothers saw that their father loved him	10:05
	"more than all his brothers,	10:07
	"they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.	10:09
	"Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock	10:14
	"near Shechem, and Israel said to Joseph,	10:17
	"'Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem?	10:20
	"'Come, I will send you to them.'	10:23
	"He answered, 'Here I am.'	10:27
	"So he said to him, 'Go now, see if it is well with your	10:30
	"'brothers and with the flock, and bring word back to me.'	10:34
	"So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron.	10:39
	"He came to Shechem,	10:43
	"and a man found him wandering in the fields.	10:45
	"The man asked him, 'What are you seeking?'	10:48
	"'I am seeking my brothers,' he said.	10:52
	"'Tell me please, where they are pasturing the flock.'	10:54
	"The man said, 'They've gone away, for I heard them say,	10:58
	"'Let us go to Dothan.'	11:02
	"So Joseph went off to his brothers,	11:05
	"and found them at Dothan.	11:07
	"They saw him from a distance,	11:09
	"and before he came near to them,	11:12
	"they conspired to kill him.	11:13
	"They said to one another,	11:16
	"'Here comes this dreamer, come now	11:18
	"'let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.	11:21
	"'Then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him,	11:24
	"and we shall see what will become of his dreams.'	11:27
	"But when Reuben heard it,	11:32
	"he delivered them out of his hands,	11:33
	"saying, 'Let us not take his life,' Reuben said to them,	11:35
	"'shed no blood, throw him into this pit here in the	11:40
	"wilderness, but lay no hand on him.'	11:43
	"That he might rescue him out of their hand	11:45
	"and restore him to his father.	11:47
	"So when Joseph came to his brothers,	11:50
	"they stripped him of his robe,	11:53
	"the long robe with sleeves that he wore,	11:54
	"and they took him and threw him into a pit.	11:57
	"The pit was empty, there was no water in it.	12:00
	"Then they sat down to eat, and looking up,	12:05
	"they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead	12:07
	"with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin	12:11
	"on their way to carry it down to Egypt.	12:14
	"Then Judah said to his brothers,	12:18
	"'What prophet is it if we kill our brother	12:19
	"'and conceal his blood?	12:22
	"'Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not	12:23
	"'lay hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.'	12:27
	"And his brothers agreed.	12:32
	"When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up,	12:35
	"lifting him out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites	12:39
	"for 20 pieces of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt."	12:42
	This is the word of the Lord.	12:48
Audience	Thanks be to God.	12:50
-	The Psalm appointed for this Sunday	12:59
	is Psalm 105: Verses one through 11,	13:01
	found on page 828 in your hymnal.	13:03
	Please stand and sing the Psalm in Gloria responsibly.	13:06
	(organ)	13:11
	♪ Oh give thanks to the Lord, ♪	13:17
	♪ Call on God's name. ♪	13:20
	♪ Make known God's deeds among the peoples. ♪	13:23
	♪ Sing to the Lord, sing praises ♪	13:28
	♪ Tell of all God's wonderful works. ♪	13:33
	♪ Glory in God's holy name, ♪	13:38
	♪ Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. ♪	13:43
	♪ Seek the Lord, and His strength, ♪	13:49
	♪ Seek the Lord's presence continually. ♪	13:53
	♪ Remember the wonderful works God has done, ♪	14:00
	♪ The miracles and judgements God has uttered. ♪	14:05
	♪ Offspring of Abraham, God's servant, ♪	14:10
	♪ Children of Jacob, God's chosen one. ♪	14:16
	♪ The Lord is our God, ♪	14:24
	♪ Whose judgements are in all the earth. ♪	14:28
	♪ The Lord is mindful of His everlasting covenant, ♪	14:33
	♪ Of the word commanded for a thousand generations. ♪	14:40
	♪ The covenant made with Abraham, ♪	14:48
	♪ His promise sworn to Isaac, ♪	14:52
	♪ And confirmed to Jacob as a statute, ♪	14:56
	♪ To Israel as an everlasting covenant saying, ♪	15:01
	♪ To you I will give the land of Canaan, ♪	15:07
	♪ As your portion for an inheritance. ♪	15:13
	♪ All glory be to you creator, ♪	15:21
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior, ♪	15:24
	(muffled singing)	15:29
	♪ As it was a time began, ♪	15:35
	♪ Is now and will be forever more. ♪	15:40
	Please be seated.	15:50
-	The New Testament reading,	16:02
	is found in St. Paul's letter to the Romans.	16:03
	Chapter 10: Verses five through 15.	16:06
	"Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes	16:12
	"from the law,	16:15
	"that, 'the person who does these things will live by them.'	16:16
	"But the righteousness that comes from faith says,	16:21
	"'Do not say in your heart,	16:25
	"''Who will ascend into heaven?'	16:26
	"That is, to bring Christ down,	16:29
	"or, 'Who will descend into the abyss?'	16:31
	"That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.	16:34
	"But what does it say?	16:37
	"'The word is near you,	16:41
	"'on your lips and in your heart,"	16:42
	"that is, the word of faith that we proclaim,	16:44
	"because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord	16:48
	"and believe in your heart that God raised him	16:53
	from the dead,	16:55
	"you will be saved.	16:56
	"For one believes with the heart, and so is justified,	16:59
	"and one confesses with the mouth, and so is saved.	17:04
	"The scripture says,	17:09
	"'No one who believes in him will be put to shame.'	17:10
	"For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,	17:14
	"the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous	17:18
	"to all who call on him.	17:21
	"For, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord	17:24
	"'shall be saved.'	17:27
	"But how are they to call on one in whom	17:29
	"they have not believed?	17:32
	"And how are they to believe in one of whom	17:34
	"they have never heard?	17:36
	"And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?	17:38
	"And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent?	17:43
	"As it is written,	17:47
	"'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'"	17:49
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:54
	Thanks be to God.	17:57
	(choir singing)	18:24
	The Gospel reading,	21:45
	is from Matthew Chapter 14: verses 22 to 33.	21:46
	"Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat	21:53
	"and go on ahead to the other side,	21:57
	"while he dismissed the crowds.	21:59
	"And after he had dismissed the crowds,	22:02
	"he went up the mountain by himself to pray.	22:04
	"When evening came, he was there alone,	22:08
	"but by this time the boat, battered by the waves,	22:11
	"was far from the land, for the wind was against them.	22:14
	"And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the	22:19
	"sea.	22:22
	"But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,	22:24
	"they were terrified, saying, 'It is a ghost!'	22:27
	"And they cried out in fear.	22:30
	"But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said,	22:32
	"'Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.'	22:35
	"Peter answered him,	22:39
	"'Lord, if it is you,	22:41
	"command me to come to you on the water.'	22:44
	"He said, 'Come.'	22:47
	"So Peter got out of the boat,	22:50
	"started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus.	22:52
	"But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened,	22:57
	"and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!'	23:01
	"Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him,	23:06
	"saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'	23:09
	"When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.	23:14
	"And those in the boat worshipped him, saying,	23:17
	"'Truly you are the Son of God.'"	23:19
	This is the word of the Lord.	23:24
	Thanks be to God.	23:26
-	One of our joys this summer has been	23:39
	preparing for and watching the Olympics.	23:41
	Some of you were here a few weeks ago when	23:45
	the Olympic torch came down Chapel Drive,	23:47
	right to the bottom of the chapel steps.	23:50
	Then just a week before the Olympics began,	23:53
	many of the athletic track and field athletes	23:56
	were here for the Gold Rush track meet at Duke.	24:00
	Perhaps it was our indirect participation in these events,	24:04
	or maybe it was our proximity to Atlanta,	24:08
	or our pride in having the United States host the games	24:10
	this year.	24:14
	But whatever the reason, many of us watched day after day,	24:16
	riveted by the individual and national dramas played out on	24:19
	the world stage in Atlanta.	24:24
	We held our breath,	24:27
	as Kerri Strug shook off a badly sprained ankle to vault	24:28
	the woman's gymnastic team to gold.	24:32
	We were delighted when Amy Van Dyken stole the swimming show	24:35
	winning four gold medals.	24:38
	We were mazed as Carl Lewis won the long jump after barely	24:41
	qualifying for the finals.	24:46
	And we were thrilled when Michael Johnson became the first	24:49
	man in history to win the 200 and 400 meter race,	24:51
	but we were also moved by some heartbreaking losses.	24:57
	We watched athlete after athlete realize that	25:01
	a shaky start, or a moment of doubt	25:05
	had resulted in a painful defeat.	25:09
	We turned away as the camera focused on Mike Powell,	25:13
	the world record holder, lying face down in the sand	25:16
	after an injury in the long jump.	25:20
	We gasped in fear when Dominique Moceanu fell on her head	25:23
	on the balance beam, risking serious injury.	25:27
	And we ached for Shannon Miller as she left in tears	25:30
	after a disappointing performance.	25:33
	All of these athletes were talented,	25:36
	all of them had worked for years to be in the Olympics,	25:39
	all of them had won many competitions before this one.	25:42
	But in a crucial moment, doubt seeped in, and they faltered.	25:47
	We felt their heartbreak because,	25:54
	it was in their failure, in their sudden stumbling,	25:56
	that we could most relate to these athletes.	26:00
	For we all know what it is like to falter	26:03
	in a moment of doubt.	26:06
	Have you ever crossed a stream on a fallen log?	26:08
	You're fine until you look down and see the rushing water,	26:11
	and suddenly your legs tighten up,	26:16
	and you're struggling to hold your balance.	26:18
	And you usually wind up scooting the rest of the way	26:20
	on the seat of your pants.	26:23
	My niece is learning to walk.	26:25
	She'll hold on to the table or the sofa for as long	26:28
	as she can, and then she'll let go and take a few,	26:30
	faltering steps until she realizes that nothing is holding	26:34
	her up.	26:37
	And then you can see the fear begin to seep over her face,	26:38
	and then her legs tighten up,	26:42
	and she wobbles, and falls to her bottom.	26:44
	Luckily, she's so short, and her center of gravity is so	26:48
	low, that it usually doesn't hurt her,	26:52
	but when doubt seeps in,	26:54
	we lose our focus, our sense of balance, and our confidence.	26:57
	You know what I mean,	27:03
	you're going along in life and everything is going your way,	27:05
	until something happens that makes you doubt and then all	27:09
	of a sudden it seems that everything is against you.	27:12
	You get a good job and they tell you you're doing great,	27:15
	and the company gets bought out and all of a sudden you find	27:19
	yourself unemployed, wondering if you will ever work again.	27:21
	You're in a good relationship,	27:26
	but you're afraid to trust him because of previous bad	27:28
	relationships.	27:31
	And the doubts begin to drive a wedge of suspicion	27:33
	between you.	27:36
	You've always wanted to be a physician,	27:38
	but then you got a C in organic chemistry,	27:40
	so now you're thinking of changing your major.	27:43
	Doubt. It is that insidious,	27:47
	spreading fear that makes us take our eyes off the goal	27:51
	and question our abilities and worth.	27:56
	That's what happened to Peter.	27:59
	For a moment, he was walking on water, literally!	28:01
	Then doubt seeped in, and he began to sink.	28:05
	I love this biblical story,	28:10
	because Peter is so human, he's so like us.	28:11
	He is bold and willing to take risks on the one hand,	28:16
	and fearful and full of doubt on the other.	28:20
	He shows us what it means to be a Christian caught between	28:23
	faith and doubt.	28:27
	We want to believe that doubt comes so naturally to us,	28:29
	in fact, this very story challenges the faith of many of us.	28:34
	We have a hard time conceiving of anyone walking on water.	28:39
	Our faith sinks as we doubt the validity of a story which	28:43
	violates natural law.	28:47
	But just for now, put the science aside.	28:50
	The scripture isn't concerned with science, but faith.	28:54
	Focus on what the story says about who Jesus is,	28:58
	and what it means to be one of His disciples.	29:03
	The first thing we should notice is that,	29:07
	while Jesus made the disciples get into the boat	29:09
	and sent them across the sea,	29:12
	He went up the mountain by himself to pray.	29:14
	The story gives us a bifocal image.	29:17
	In one scene we have Jesus in prayer on the top	29:20
	of the mountain, which traditionally symbolizes the place	29:24
	where the power and presence of God is known.	29:27
	And at the same time, we have the disciples in a boat in	29:31
	the middle of the sea being battered by the wind and waves.	29:35
	They were rowing, working for all they were worth,	29:39
	with all their strength.	29:42
	But getting nowhere, because the wind was against them.	29:43
	Have you ever felt like that?	29:48
	That no matter how hard you tried	29:50
	you just couldn't get ahead?	29:53
	You work and work, but still the bills don't get paid.	29:54
	You've been in program after program,	29:59
	but still the addiction persists.	30:02
	You try a new diet every month,	30:05
	but the weight that the doctor says must come off	30:07
	just won't come off.	30:10
	And you've been to therapist after therapist,	30:12
	but the pain of the past just won't let you go.	30:14
	Sometimes it seems that the wind is against us,	30:17
	and our efforts are fruitless.	30:22
	By the time Jesus came walking towards them,	30:26
	in the hours just before dawn,	30:29
	the disciples were soaked to the bone, dead tired,	30:32
	and near despair.	30:36
	They'd been rowing for hours,	30:38
	but the shore didn't seem much closer than when	30:40
	they had started.	30:43
	The wind was against them,	30:45
	and they were getting nowhere on their own.	30:47
	Then they saw this vision on the water, Jesus.	30:50
	And cried out in fear, "It's a ghost!"	30:56
	But immediately, he reassured them saying,	30:59
	"Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid."	31:01
	Jesus had been on the way to his disciples for a long time	31:07
	before they noticed Him.	31:11
	He was concerned with their needs even when He seemed	31:13
	to be absent from them.	31:16
	The time on the mountain wasn't time spent apart from them,	31:18
	but time spent preparing for the work of saving them.	31:22
	But when life is battering us around,	31:27
	and the wind is against us,	31:29
	sometimes we don't realize that Jesus is coming to us	31:32
	through the event of our lives.	31:36
	We may not immediately recognize the ways that he is present	31:38
	interceding for us.	31:43
	But he is there, working for our good,	31:45
	long before we are able to hear the voice reassuring us.	31:49
	"Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid."	31:53
	But sometimes, like Peter, we want proof.	32:00
	How do we know that Jesus is the one who comes to us?	32:05
	We get a glimpse of something,	32:09
	but it's fleeting and mysterious.	32:11
	How do we know that Jesus is there in the shadows,	32:15
	coming across the turmoil of our lives?	32:18
	How do we know that He is the one who can help us?	32:21
	Peter said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you	32:26
	"on the water."	32:31
	It was an odd question.	32:33
	He might've said, "Lord, if it is you, make the storm stop."	32:35
	Or, "Lord if it is you, give us the strength of 10 men,	32:40
	"so that we might reach the other shore."	32:43
	But Peter wanted more than that.	32:47
	"If it is you, bid me to come to where you are.	32:49
	"Let me join you on the water.	32:54
	"Show me that I can do whatever you command me to do.	32:56
	"Take away my doubt. Make me have faith."	33:00
	So Jesus said, "Come."	33:05
	Barbara Brown Taylor paints a vivid description	33:10
	of what that moment must've been like.	33:13
	When Peter swung his legs over the side of the boat,	33:16
	and while all the other disciples with their hearts in their	33:19
	mouths, he placed his feet on the surface of the water,	33:23
	the waves crashing against the side of the boat,	33:28
	the wind whipping his hair into his eyes.	33:31
	He put his feet flat on the top of the water,	33:35
	took a huge trembling breath, and stood up.	33:38
	Then he took a few hesitant steps towards Jesus	33:43
	across the heaving surface.	33:46
	Steps that were like the first steps he'd ever taken in his	33:49
	life.	33:52
	And he was doing fine,	33:53
	until a gust of wind almost toppled him, and he got scared,	33:55
	and felt his feet sinking into the waves,	33:59
	and he went down like a stone.	34:03
	We know that sinking feeling.	34:07
	When doubts creep into our minds,	34:10
	and fear grips our hearts,	34:13
	and we stop hoping for what is possible,	34:16
	and start worrying about what could happen,	34:20
	what could go wrong.	34:22
	When our faith falters, we take our eyes off the goal,	34:25
	and focus on the obstacles.	34:29
	And when we do, they grow larger and more powerful,	34:32
	and we sink under their weight.	34:36
	If the fear of failure is foremost in your mind,	34:38
	then you will certainly fail.	34:42
	It is the nature of human behavior,	34:45
	but it is also the nature of faith,	34:48
	with a slight difference.	34:51
	For a moment, Peter forgot that he wasn't dependent only	34:53
	upon his own ability.	34:57
	It wasn't what he could accomplish on his own,	34:59
	but what God could accomplish through Jesus in him.	35:02
	He lost sight of the one that called him to venture forth	35:06
	from the safety of the boat,	35:10
	and gave him to the power to fulfill what he had been	35:12
	commanded to do.	35:14
	While he accepted the risk of faith by answering Jesus' call	35:17
	and climbing over the rim of the boat,	35:21
	his doubt crept back when he looked at the towering waves,	35:24
	and the wind that was whipping through his hair,	35:28
	and he shifted his attention from the power of God and Jesus	35:32
	to his own limitations,	35:36
	and he started to sink like a stone.	35:39
	But before he went down, he cried out,	35:42
	"Lord, save me!"	35:45
	And Jesus immediately reached out a strong hand to catch him	35:48
	and haul him up into the boat, wet and shivering.	35:52
	At least Peter had the good sense to call for help	35:56
	when he needed it.	35:59
	Some of us would rather drown than admit we need help.	36:00
	We should notice that Matthew says Jesus immediately	36:05
	reached out to him.	36:08
	He didn't have to beg for help,	36:10
	or wait until he was floundering in the water.	36:12
	The help was there immediately.	36:15
	Even as Jesus rebuked him saying, "O, you of little faith.	36:18
	"Why did you doubt?"	36:23
	Why do any of us doubt?	36:26
	Because we are afraid,	36:28
	because the sea is so vast and we are so small,	36:31
	Because the storm is so powerful and we are so easily sunk.	36:36
	Because life is beyond our control,	36:41
	and we are so helpless in its grip.	36:43
	Why do we doubt?	36:47
	Because we are afraid, even when we do have faith,	36:49
	because we do have faith, you know.	36:54
	We do not have none, we have some.	36:57
	And like Peter, we have a little,	37:01
	and a little is better than nothing.	37:03
	In the gospel of Matthew,	37:06
	oligopistos means of little faith.	37:08
	And it was never used to speak of nonbelievers,	37:13
	rather it was always spoken as a rebuke to people of faith,	37:17
	who didn't use the resources of their faith.	37:20
	The resources that were available to them all the time.	37:24
	Jesus rebuked Peter, not for being faithless,	37:29
	but for not exercising the little faith that he had.	37:32
	Faith is like a muscle that will atrophy if it is not used.	37:37
	It must be practiced.	37:41
	Jesus had taught the disciples that,	37:43
	if they had faith as small as the grain of a mustard seed,	37:46
	they could move mountains.	37:49
	But when faced with the immediate threat of a bubbling sea,	37:52
	Peter's doubt seemed more real to him than his faith.	37:55
	Yet, still, in the moment of his crisis,	38:00
	he reached out with the little bit of faith that he had,	38:05
	and it was enough.	38:10
	That is the good news in this story,	38:12
	Jesus can reach out to save us of little faith,	38:15
	even as we sink and doubt and fear.	38:20
	That is good news indeed because,	38:23
	like Peter, faith and doubt are all mixed up in us.	38:26
	Giving us courage, but also feeding our fears.	38:31
	Lifting us up, but also burying us down.	38:35
	Supporting our weight on the wild seas of our lives,	38:40
	but also sinking us like stones.	38:44
	Faith and doubt coexist in us,	38:48
	we obey and we fear, we walk and we sink,	38:51
	we believe and we doubt.	38:55
	It is not like we do one or the other, we do both.	38:57
	Which is why we need Jesus, says Barbara Brown Taylor.	39:01
	And it's why we wouldn't be caught dead on the water without	39:05
	Him.	39:08
	Our fears and our doubts may paralyze us,	39:11
	but they are also what make us cry out for His saving touch.	39:14
	If we never sank, if we could walk on the water just fine	39:19
	by ourselves, we wouldn't need a savior.	39:23
	So our doubts, fearsome as they may be,	39:28
	remind us of who we are, and whose we are,	39:32
	and whom we need in our lives to save us.	39:35
	And when we sink, as Peter does,	39:40
	and as we all do at one time or another,	39:42
	our Lord reaches out and catches us,	39:45
	lifting us up into the boat.	39:48
	Responding first with grace, and then with the question,	39:51
	"Why did you doubt?"	39:55
	But never, never with rejection.	39:57
	He returns us to the boat knowing full well that the only	40:01
	reason we're in the boat in the first place,	40:04
	is because we believe, or we want to believe.	40:07
	And we need to follow him through all the doubtful days	40:10
	of our lives.	40:13
	And maybe, it is that desire to believe that is enough	40:16
	for Jesus to work with.	40:20
	It is at least a beginning.	40:22
	It gives us a place in the boat,	40:24
	with the others who are struggling to believe more,	40:26
	and doubt less.	40:29
	It is in the boat that we find people who are listening	40:31
	for Jesus' voice in the darkness.	40:34
	It is there that we find people willing to obey the call	40:37
	when it comes and take the risk of faith.	40:40
	And it is there that we find help when the seas of life	40:44
	threaten to overwhelm us.	40:48
	So maybe it is enough to offer up our little faith,	40:51
	praying, "Oh Lord, I believe. Help thou my unbelief."	40:54
	When Peter was hauled out of the sea	41:02
	by the scruff of his neck,	41:04
	He fell grateful and exhausted onto the deck of the boat.	41:05
	Then Jesus climbed in behind him.	41:10
	Did you notice that?	41:13
	When Peter couldn't come to Jesus on the water,	41:15
	Jesus came to him.	41:18
	When we can't walk to Jesus,	41:20
	Jesus walks toward us	41:23
	and climbs into our life circumstances with us,	41:26
	bringing us the help that we need.	41:30
	The moment Jesus stepped into the boat,	41:33
	the sea became calm, and the wind was stilled,	41:36
	and everyone knew that they were in the presence of the	41:40
	Almighty God.	41:42
	When the winds, which have been against us suddenly cease,	41:45
	when the fears that have gripped us lose their power,	41:50
	when the deliverance that we have hoped for is in sight,	41:54
	then we know without a doubt that we are in the	41:59
	presence of the Almighty.	42:01
	And like the disciples, in awesome silence of that night	42:04
	becoming day,	42:09
	all of us who are in this boat together,	42:11
	worship him saying,	42:16
	"Truly you are the son of God."	42:18
	Thanks be to God.	42:23
	Amen.	42:24
	(organ)	42:30
	(choir singing)	43:12
-	The Lord be with you.	46:23
Audience	And also with you.	46:25
-	Let us pray.	46:26
	Lord God, Heavenly King, Father and Mother of us all.	46:39
	We are Your creation, we are Your children.	46:46
	Your spirit lives in us,	46:50
	and we pray that we may always live in Your spirit.	46:52
	May Your spirit form our prayers,	46:57
	guide our deeds, and strengthen our faith.	47:00
	Lord in Your mercy,	47:04
	hear our prayer.	47:06
	Oh God, you have set forth a way of life for us in Your	47:09
	beloved son.	47:13
	We confess with shame our slowness to learn of Him,	47:15
	our reluctance to follow Him,	47:18
	our inability always to trust Him.	47:22
	Time and again You have called us to You.	47:25
	Time and again You have stretched out Your arms to us,	47:28
	and we have turned away in doubt and fear,	47:32
	forgive us.	47:36
	Lord in Your mercy,	47:38
	hear our prayer.	47:40
	Forgive us the poverty of our worship,	47:43
	the selfishness of our prayers,	47:46
	our inconstancy and unbelief,	47:48
	our hesitating witness for Christ,	47:51
	and our willful ignorance of Your ways.	47:54
	Forgive us when we have wasted our time	47:57
	or misused the gifts we have from You.	48:00
	Forgive us when we have excused our own wrongdoing.	48:03
	When we have evaded our responsibilities.	48:07
	When we have drawn back from the cross.	48:11
	Lord in Your mercy,	48:14
	hear our prayer.	48:16
	Lord God, Heavenly King, Father and Mother of us all,	48:19
	hear us as we pray for your children everywhere,	48:24
	as far away as across the farthest ocean,	48:28
	as close as in this, our own community.	48:32
	For the poor, the immigrants,	48:36
	old people and children,	48:39
	the victims of society and of evil in our midst,	48:43
	save and defend them all.	48:47
	Lord in Your mercy,	48:50
	hear our prayer.	48:51
	We pray for the peoples who are victims	48:54
	of our national policies,	48:56
	and of the inequalities of the world.	48:58
	Establish justice by Your power so that all peoples	49:01
	and nations may enjoy the good things you have given to us.	49:04
	Lord in Your mercy,	49:09
	hear our prayer.	49:11
	We pray for those who travel,	49:14
	for those who seek rest,	49:16
	for those who are sick in body or in spirit.	49:18
	We pray for the lonely, and the alone.	49:22
	For the abandoned and for the forgotten.	49:25
	May your spirit minister to each of these	49:28
	according to their need.	49:30
	And may your spirit minister to each of us,	49:33
	according to our need.	49:36
	Lord in Your mercy,	49:38
	hear our prayer.	49:40
	Gracious God, You have promised to hear what we ask in the	49:42
	name of Your son.	49:45
	Accept and fulfill our petitions we pray,	49:47
	not as we ask in our limitations,	49:51
	nor as we deserve with all our failings,	49:53
	but as You know and love us,	49:56
	and Your son, Jesus Christ our Lord.	49:59
	Amen.	50:03
	With joyful hearts, let us offer our gifts and ourselves to	50:08
	God.	50:13
	(organ)	50:16
	(choir singing)	51:52
	(organ)	56:09
	(audience and choir singing)	56:35
	Let us pray.	57:29
	Loving God in all times and in all places,	57:32
	we would give you thanks.	57:35
	In love you created us and gave us to live on this	57:38
	good earth.	57:41
	With love you sustain us each hour and each moment	57:43
	of our lives.	57:46
	In love you promise that we shall live always	57:47
	in your presence.	57:51
	In this age, and in the age to come.	57:52
	For Your holy word,	57:56
	read and proclaimed by which we learn of You.	57:58
	For the sacraments of Your church,	58:01
	which bestow Your grace and equip us for Your kingdom.	58:03
	For Your son Jesus Christ who calls us to overcome	58:07
	our fears and doubts to follow Him.	58:10
	We give you thanks and praise.	58:14
	With grateful hearts, we celebrate the glory that is summer.	58:18
	We give You thanks for the vibrant colors of crepe myrtle.	58:22
	The bursting flavor of tomatoes,	58:25
	the lilting dance of butterflies,	58:27
	for the amazing aerobic displays of hummingbirds.	58:30
	We rejoice in the warmth and light of the long August days,	58:34
	and we welcome the gentle summer rain.	58:38
	For the gift and glory that is summer,	58:41
	we give You thanks.	58:43
	Receive these gifts which You have entrusted to us,	58:45
	and which we now return to You.	58:50
	Use these gifts and use us.	58:52
	To proclaim the good news of redemption	58:56
	made known to us in the one named Jesus.	58:59
	Who taught us to pray and to say as we pray,	59:02
	our Father, who art in heaven,	59:06
	Hallowed be thy Name.	59:10
	Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done.	59:12
	On earth as it is in heaven.	59:16
	Give us this day our daily bread,	59:18
	and forgive us our trespasses,	59:21
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	59:24
	And lead us not into temptation,	59:28
	but deliver us from evil,	59:30
	for thine is the kingdom,	59:32
	and the power, and the glory forever.	59:35
	Amen.	59:38
	(organ)	59:41
	(choir singing)	1:00:24
-	Go forth in faith,	1:03:27
	trusting in the power of God to deliver us.	1:03:29
	May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:03:32
	the love of God,	1:03:34
	and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.	1:03:36
	(choir singing)	1:03:41
	(organ)	1:03:53

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (August 11, 1996)

Description:

Sermon start time: 23:39. Sermon end time: 42:27.
We face many difficulties in our lives and may have doubt. However, with faith in Jesus, we will be able to overcome them. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Faith and doubt are all mixed up in us, giving us courage but also feeding our fears, lifting us up but also bearing us down, supporting our weight on the wild seas of our lives but also sinking us like stones.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4br8mx29

Date:

August 11, 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-0488
ref9778_kkb
uachapelsermaud
duke:321689
dcrmv001463
ark:/87924/r4br8mx29
3c0ad850-732d-4d83-98c6-62a21ed76302

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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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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Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (August 11, 1996)

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Duke University Archives

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