(choir vocalizing) (choir continues vocalizing) ♪ Amen ♪ (bright organ music) (choir vocalizing) (bright organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) (bright organ music continues) - In the knowledge of our amount of full sins and failures, our defiance or indifference to God, let us join in the unison prayer of confession. Ever blessed God, who came in great humility, we are slow to live for Christ. We know him to be true, but we turn to worship personal gods and public idols. We have little care for the poor or those of different skin, or for folk in ravaged villages across the sea, or even for our neighbor across the street or down the hall. The valleys are deep, gouged out by many a pretense. The hills are high, built by our human pride. So we confess our sins. Only by you are they understood. Only when offered to you can they be forgiven, and the sting of them drawn. Forgive us, and help us to forgive others and ourselves, then set us to build the King's highway, that the valleys may be filled and the hills made low. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. And now let us add our silent, private, personal words of repentance. It is written that the eternal God, immortal, invisible, came into the world in human form, not only to redeem us from our sins, but to show us a more excellent way of life. In that confidence and in that faith, let us receive that divine forgiveness and walk more worthily in that love. Amen. (light organ music) (choir vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) Let us stand for the reading of the morning lessons. First from the gospel, according to St. Matthew, the 13th chapter, the 31st and the 32nd verses, another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, "which a man took and sowed in his field. "It is the smallest of all seeds, "but when it has grown, it is the greatest of shrubs "and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come "and make nests in its branches." And from the gospel, according to St. Luke, the second chapter, beginning with the 39th verse. "And when they had performed everything, "according to the law of the Lord, "they returned into Galilee to their own city, Nazareth. "And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. "And the favor of God was upon him. "Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year "at the feast of the Passover, "and when he was 12 years old, "they went up according to custom. "And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, "the boy, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. "His parents did not know it, "but supposing him be in the company, "they went a day's journey and they sought him among "their kinsfolk and acquaintances. "And when they did not find him, "they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. "After three days, they found him in the temple, "sitting among the teachers, "listening to them and asking them questions. "And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding "and his answers. "And when they saw him, "they were astonished and his mother said to him, "'Son, why have you treated us so? "'Behold, your father and I have been looking "'for you anxiously.' "And he said to them, "'How is it that you sought me? "'Did you not know that I must be in my father's house?' "And they did not understand the saying "which he spoke to them. "And he went down with them and came to Nazareth "and was obedient to them. "And his mother kept all these things in her heart. "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, "and in favor with God and man." May God add his blessing to our insight into his holy word. (bright organ music) (choir vocalizing) We are not alone. We live in God's world. We believe in God, who has created and is creating, who has come in the truly human Jesus to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the spirit. We trust God, who calls us to be the church, to celebrate life and its fullness, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. The Lord be with you. All: Let us pray. - Let us pray. Almighty God, from whom we receive so many gifts unthinkingly and unthankingly, teach us the lessons of gratitude and patience as we accept your bounty each new day. When we are surrounded by the beauty of your sunshine, we beg for rain. When we live in the warmth of your love, we seek to escape into private havens of cloud and solitude. Yet when the storms do come, when darkness seems to overwhelm us, we forget that your light is still shining and that life and growth depend on the cycles of the seasons. Remind us that your goodness is not to be measured by our comfort and convenience, but that our goodness is to be measured by your will. In this past week, O God, we have been made aware of the magnitude of your universe and the multitude of skills which you have given to your children. Through little boxes of intricate mechanism, we have looked upon the surface of a planet millions of miles away, gathering new knowledge about the vastness of time and distance in your creative plan. But as we marvel at the miracles of scientific discoveries, we tend to overlook the miracles of cosmic space, of scientific laws, of human intelligence for which we can claim no credit. For a brief fortnight, disputes and wars and senseless cruelties have been pushed aside as we admire the beauty and grace and speed of human bodies, trained and tested through years of sacrifice. Forgive us, Lord, that we have spent so little time and effort and intelligence to refine and discipline our moral senses, or to master the infinite secrets of human relationships and spiritual values. As our hearts are lifted by the majesty of this place, by the blessing of music, by the reading and preaching of your word, we would lift before you all the members of this community, those gathered here, and those scattered afar. Be with those for whom personal pain or sorrow, temptation or fear, are ever present realities, often locking doors against your comforting presence. Be with those who labor through these summer months that others may enjoy some form of rest and relaxation. Be with those who look forward eagerly or anxiously to becoming new members of this university family. And with those of us whose joy and opportunity it is to try to enrich their experiences. Be with the Minister of the morning, that he may share with us something of the faith and commitment of his life. Show us all, whatever our tasks and needs may be, that all the miracles we mortals claim, in science or athletics, or personal relationships or spiritual growth, rest ultimately on you and on the power and love of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray together. Our father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. On behalf of this chapel congregation and the Duke University community, I would welcome all of you who are visitors today. And on behalf of each one of you, I welcome to the pulpit the Reverend Dr. ZD Harris, Pastor of Oak Grove United American Free Will Baptist church, a distinguished and influential member of the Durham community. Dr. Harris. - May we bow our head just a moment for our meditation. Eternal God, our father in Heaven, as we come to thee this morning, acknowledging our weakness, knowing who you are, a forgiving God, we ask for thy blessings, that thy will come and give yourself a mighty name. We pray blessing upon those who've come today to share thy word from on high. We pray that they will let them be disturbed to the point that they cannot rest nor sleep. And to that part in which you have given to them or assigned to their hands to do, that they will want to go and do it. We pray the blessing upon the absent minister, Dr. Robert Young. We thank you for carrying him all the way to where he's gone. We haven't heard about any accident, and therefore you'll land him safe. We ask for the guidance and protection on his way back and those who went with him. Lord, will you come today? Stir our hearts, our mind, our soul, and our strength. Speak through your servant, just an instrument in your hand that wants to be used by your power. Lord, we are not here for fawn nor fashion. Neither are we here for an outside show. But we here because it was your plan, and as we are here, will you speak today? Thy servant hearest. You are the pot and I am the clay. Glory. Hallelujah. Make me en mold me after thine own will. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. To Dr. Lacey, to the Associate Minister, Reverend Caldwell, and to all of you who are here today, we greet you in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I am to have 22 minutes. I don't see no clock before me, and that sort of gimme an excuse to go further. Now, listen. Ain't no need in sitting here acting like we're dead, because we're not. And I want everybody to say amen. Well, you see, we do better than that at a ball game. And there is nothing out there that have eternal life in it. We can holler the top of our voices and can praise he who got the ball. But this morning, we can't say amen for the one who died for us on calvary. So I'd like for you to say amen. All: Amen. - That's little bit better, but it still ain't good enough. Amen. Let the church say amen! All: Amen. - Say it again! All: Amen. - Say it louder! All: Amen. - That's something better, but I think some of us are afraid because we are here, but the same God here is anywhere else. So let us don't come and freeze up, but let's have a good time. I am grateful and thankful to the Lord that he has honored Duke Chapel with his servant to be here this morning. Now I know you thought I was gonna say I thank the Lord for having honored to come, but I also thank the Lord that he had graced this place with his humble servant today. and who would've thought it? That I'd have this opportunity to come to share with what the Lord has given me to you. And it is true, I am thankful because of the invitation, and I'd like to say on the behalf of all of the Free Will Baptist churches, black and white, that we certainly appreciate having this privilege, as to represent all of the churches that goes to make up the Free Will Baptist here with you today. I want you to study with us from the scripture that was read in our hearing. From St. Matthew, the 13th chapter. 31 and 32 from the living letter. And thus it read, "Here is another of his illustration. "The kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed, "planted in a field. "It is the smallest of all seeds, "but becomes the largest of the plants, "and grow into a tree where the birds "can come and find shelter." And our subject, who would've thought it? Who would've thought it? That is a word that we often use when we hear of something unusual. And we would've said, "Who would've thought it?" When many things are happening in our world today that we suddenly find ourselves saying those words. Even as Jim Carter from the peanut patch become the president nominee for the whole world, kind of focused that attention on him, who would've thought it? Who would've fought it that a little plow boy from the backfield of the Tar Heel State is to have the privilege to be here on a Sunday, as to stand and bring the word of God. Who would've thought it? Who would've thought it that man would ever have the privilege To leave this Earth and go to the moon and has walked on it? Who would've thought it? Many things that we come in contact with today, and you know, when man got ready to go to the moon, the whole world was fastened upon this particular scene, but now it's nothing new. When you get ready to talk about going to the moon or to Jupiter or wherever we are going, it's nothing unusual now because it has become familiar. But many things have got started in a small, small beginning, and has moved on until it become this large known situation because of what it is. So that brings our mind and our heart to focus our attention upon this text. This scenery comes, this text comes out of the scenery in which Jesus and his disciples had been moving from one place to another and now had sent them out on a mission, and they had gone and done what the Lord had requested them and now they have returned. Since they have returned, now they're sent to listen to Jesus because they're trying to recuperate from the trip in which they took, because they knew that that was just a little training because they still need teaching, as to go out into world and to do what the Lord wants done. And what Jesus is saying here, that I want you to know that the kingdom of Heaven must grow, the kingdom of Heaven must come upon this Earth to make it a better place to live. Therefore Jesus then uses this parable by pulling it out among the other parables and placing it on the hearts and the mind of his listeners, and saying that the kingdom of Heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed. Now the mustard seed is very small, it's a little tiny thing. Fact about it, if you drop one on this floor, you just won't hardly find it. It is so small. But who would've thought it that something as a little small mustard seed would fall into the Earth on Germany and then move out of its shell and begin to send out its roots down deeper and begin to shape itself and become alive and start growing. Mustard seed. Small, but it grew, finally to it come to its blade and to its trunk, and then from the truck of it, branches, leaves, and even its fruit in which it's supposed to give, large enough so that the birds of the air collage in its branches. Even the birds could find food from it. Who would've thought it? Have thought it even that even so small, but it become so large. Jesus saying that the kingdom of Heaven is like that. Well then let us move into the next phrase in which include our lesson, that if you are going to talk about the kingdom of God, we going need somebody who are going to induce the kingdom, because we don't know that much about it. Man, with all of his wisdom and all of his understanding, with all of his skill, doesn't know anything about the kingdom of God, until someone from the kingdom of Heaven brings the kingdom of God on Earth. And from there, we can see now the angel come and find a virgin by the name of Mary and said unto her that you have found favor with God and you shall bring forth a son. Thou shall call his name Jesus, and he shall save his people from their sin. And when the time had come, Jesus was born in a little stable. Here is a little child. Even at the birth of the child, the Heaven become involved. Dangers came, stood on invisible platform and stood there and sung the song glory to God in the highest. On Earth, peace and good will towards all men, because of that child. From that child, even Harod become disturbed because he heard that that was a king coming. And even he sat and called other childs from two years old down in order to lose their life because he was trying to get that little child that he heard that was coming. But from there moved on old man who stayed in the temple, who was waiting for the coming of the great Messiah, that he would be able to have the privilege to see him, and God told him to wait. But when this child come into the temple, no man, sinner man said, "Well now thank God that I have found. "What I've been waiting for is here. "And I can go in peace." And he began to say concerning, that as soon as the spirit, the heart of Mary, because of what going to happen to a little child. And from this little child, then things begin to move in the direction, drawn from where he was until the time had come that he reached the age of 12. But one thing about it, as he grew in body, mind, and spirit from a childhood, through the boyhood, unto a young manhood. Human nature was perfect and complete at each stage of his development. You find anywhere where Jesus had to go to the doctor anywhere because of some ailment about his body? When he was 12 years old, the age at which a young Jew became a member of the Congregation of Israel, Jesus was taken up to the Passover in Jerusalem for the first time. Well now who would've thought it, that even when he was birthed, the angels came from Heaven, the stars spun out and gave the light to lead those to where they find him. Now who would've thought it? He even at 12 years of age moves into the temple. Now, when everything is over with, then, you know, in the feast of Passover, they would have it around about eight days. Now, Mary and Joseph getting ready to leave, and all their kin, they move out of the temple, out of the city of Jerusalem, heading back to their own destiny. When the evening was far spent, the doctors begin to cover the Earth. They come to in hope, the caravan, as they've been marching, there they settled down, but when they settled down, they didn't find Jesus. That was one day's journey. When Mary Joseph discovered that they didn't have Jesus with them, on the next day, it took another day to go back to Jerusalem, as it took a day to come from Jerusalem. And on the way back, then on the third day, they found him. They found him because he was there, listening to the doctors and lawyers because they had spoken there in that Passover. But not only that, but who would've thought it, that a little child would spellbound the lawyers, spellbound the Pharisees, spellbound those who had had many years of seminary training, but he walks in the midst of them and said, "Well, let me use my own imagination. "I know that you can set things to try to console of a man. "You can be able to give him consolation at certain times. "But there's one thing that I wanna know. "If a man sins and is doomed to hell, "what kind of medicine would you give him "in order to help him to get away?" Well, if a man send to the lawyer, if a man had committed a crime and was doomed to hell, what case, what book, on what page could you find the words they said to him? This is the way to escape. Therefore, who would've thought it, that a little child had spellbound the doctors and lawyers at the age of 12. Mary and Joseph found him and said unto him, "Why have you done this to your father and I? "You have brought a shame upon us. "We could have been almost home, "but you causing us to lose three days. "Here we are." Jesus had to let her know, concerning, "Isn't it time for me to be about my father's business?" Now, who would've thought that a child that were born there in our communion, who would've thought that even the angels from Heaven would send angels and a Heavenly host to recognize his birth? Who would've thought it, that now at age 12, he could spellbind? By the time come, he went on back to Nazareth. There he grew in statue, in health, he grew spiritually, he grew mentally. He come to know, yet he obeyed Mary and Joseph. But the thing about it, he was getting ready to establish the kingdom of his father. He came forth from his father in order to bring about the kingdom. Now, I wanna say who would've thought the grain of a mustard seed could do what it did? Who would've thought that the child, not only did he get to 12 years old to spellbind, who would've thought of the same child that born of a poor family would be able to walk down to John the Baptist's baptism and call the attention of all until Heaven recognized it and set the Holy Spirit in the shape of a dove, lit it upon his shoulder. He had to do this because the time had come that I must bring about the kingdom. Jesus had to do all of this in order to get his kingdom established. But he did more than that. Yes. Who would've thought that then the time had come that he had the power to play with Heaven, to play with the natures of his Earth? He had power to take two fish and five loads of bread, fed 5,000 men beside the women and children. Who would've thought, even when he was on angry sea of Galilee with the disciple's thread, because of the storm, the water was moving and moving into the boat. Jesus come walking and I said, sometime he made submarines out of his own feet, stood there on the top of that water and said, "Peace. Be still." Said to the water, "Straighten out." Said to the lightning, "Stop flashing." Said to the wind, "Settle yourself." What a mighty God. Who would've thought that a little child like that by the time come on, finally, they got jealous of him because of what he was trying to get over. Jesus was trying to get over the kingdom of his father in the hearts of men and women. They didn't like what he said, they didn't like what he was doing. Thanks be unto God, he had somebody backing him up. Yes, they put him to death. Let's think for a moment. Well, you know, the seed, the mustard seed, in order to get its best virtue, it had to die. The seed can't give its best until it dies. But when it falls into the Earth and germinates, it then begins its best. It gave its shape, it gave the branches, it gave the leaves, it gave the shade. It also gave food to those that were passing by, but it had to die to give its best. Sure did, but this little child, in order for the kingdom of God to come to be established into the hearts of men and women, God knows he had to die, for this call came out into this world, and for the sin with thy bone, that Jesus might set the world free and let the heart of the kingdom come into the hearts of men and women. So what is the message? The message is then that even Jesus grew and help to rely for his kingdom to come. He had to die. But on the third day, he got up from that old grave and said, "Now a fowl is in my hand." And in that he took those 12 disciples, moved around and build the spark of fire in their hearts, and said to them, "Now I want you to go. "Wherever you go, tell the world that "the kingdom of God must come in the hearts "of men and women." All from that even 12 and lost one, with 12, 11 left, Jesus said, "Go to Jerusalem. "Stay there and carry, "until you can die with the power from on high, "after the Holy Ghost come upon you." I come to tell you today, if the kingdom of God must grow in this world, then we must have the Holy Ghost. Oh yes, go and get all the training you can get. Get every diploma you can and place it on your wall, but I come to you today, if you wanna do the kingdom of God's work, you must be born again! You must have it on the inside, that heart must be new. That heart must be caught on fire with God. Yes. Now here they are. Here are the little handful, even started from a mustard seed from a little child, but now there is 11 persons. What we going to do here? Go downstairs until you be and die. After that, go out and tell somebody. When I saw in your program, it talks about 70 Sunday, the 70 Sunday from Pentecost. Yes, on that Pentecost, in order for the kingdom of God to come, those men had to stay there until something happened. And the Holy Ghost came as a mighty rushing wind, and they all was filled and they start burning for God. They spoke in other tongues, not unknown tongue, as somebody said, unknown mean you don't know what they're talking about. But somebody understood. But from that point, the seed of the gospel start growing. The kingdom of God. Well, there is no church until you get the kingdom. And when the kingdom of God comes in the hearts of men, then we're gonna build churches. Well, look for where we are today, on that summit Peter preached 300, 3,000 souls added to the kingdom of God. But from that day on till now, how many churches do we have? How many denominations do we have? How many Christians do we have? My friend, I come to tell you it's not enough. I don't care how many we've got. It's still not enough. If this world is to be a better world, if this society is to be a better society, you and I must go out and help Jesus to get the kingdom of God in the hearts of men and women. My friend, because we can't live one with another. We can't sing sometimes beside each other. But I come to tell you, if you got the love of God in your heart, if you have been born again and that the kingdom of God starts spreading, you can't help but go and grow. So the kingdom need the church and the church need the kingdom. For the kingdom and the church to grow, you and I must do something about it. It's to make sure that we see that it grows. Well, the kingdom and the church then makes us grow, and then we makes the church grow. Not that the kinda stuff that Flip Wilson said yesterday, as he was interviewed on his program. And he said he was up there preaching, when the preacher was preaching, said, "Babies, members of the church must crawl." They said, "Let it crawl, Reverend. Let it crawl." Said not only that, but the church must walk. Let it walk, Reverend, let it walk. Not only that, but the time must come when the church must run. Let it run. Let it run. Baby, for us to get this church to run, it's going to take money to do it. Let it crawl, Reverend, let it crawl. That is saying if you're going to, if you're gonna take some of my earning to give it, to make it go, then let it crawl. But I say unto you, I say unto me, there's a great challenge, and that challenge is for you and for me, that we must do all within our power to make this kingdom come in the hearts of men and women. Why do you think this denomination? To what they're doing, trying to train ministers, training them to move out and to be witnesses for God as they help the kingdom to come. Glory. Hallelujah. What will you do about it? You can grow, but you must have the faith of a living God. If that faith of a living God becomes so small, Jesus didn't tell us to get much of it, because if you had too much, you wouldn't know what to do. If it was a size of a grain of mustard seed, you wouldn't know what to do with it, because he said, "You could speak to mountains, "they will move.", but he said, "Have some faith, but just a little small part of it. "Just enough faith in me as to know I died "and am coming again at the church." Glory. Hallelujah. Hallelujah to the lamb of God. Let us pray. We thank you. We thank you for sharing your present with us at this hour. We thank you for the thoughts you let us develop. We thank you for even feeling your present. We thank you for those who come. Now, let us move out. Help us to be witnesses. Help us to realize if you have done this to a mustard seed, if you come in a child form to do what you did, and if the kingdom is to be what it is, then help us to realize that your word must settle in our hearts. We can start from the beginning and move on towards that kingdom come. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name we pray. Amen. (light organ music) (choir vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) (choir continues vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (light organ music) (choir vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir vocalizing) (choir continues vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (bright organ music) ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ (holding note) - All things come from you, O Lord. And in this offering, we reaffirm the loyalty of our hearts and the dedication of our hands. Not only in material gifts, but through lives of service to others. In the name and spirit of Jesus Christ, amen. (light organ music) (choir vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) (light organ music continues) (choir continues vocalizing) Now may God, the creator of life, and Jesus Christ, the redeemer of life, and the Holy Spirit, the sustainer of life, run through each one of us, growth in wisdom and grace, as we go forth into the weekday, workday world. ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ (holding note) (choir vocalizing) ♪ Amen ♪ (holding note) (church bell tolling) (bright organ music) (bright organ music continues) (bright organ music continues) (bright organ music continues) (distant chatter) (bright organ music) (bright organ music continues) (bright organ music continues) (bright organ music continues) (bright organ music continues) (bright organ music continues) (distant chatter)