Grant S. Shockley - "The Art of Human Relations" (February 19, 1984)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(organ music) | 0:03 | |
(choir music) | 8:23 | |
(organ music) | 9:27 | |
(congregation sings) | 10:03 | |
- | God, whom we gather to worship this day, | 13:23 |
takes gregarious carbon, | 13:26 | |
sturdy iron, | 13:29 | |
precious gold, | 13:31 | |
fluctuating mercury, | 13:34 | |
volatile phosphorus, | 13:36 | |
scarce argon, | 13:39 | |
nurturing nitrogen, | 13:41 | |
and a multitude of other wonderfully diverse elements | 13:44 | |
and forms with them an astonishing, | 13:48 | |
fruitful, enduring universe. | 13:51 | |
Come, let us worship God. | 13:56 | |
And to God let us make our confession. | 13:58 | |
Oh, God, author of eternal light, | 14:15 | |
we confess to You our desire to turn away | 14:19 | |
from the brightness of Your presence, | 14:23 | |
to cling to the security of life as we know it, | 14:25 | |
to stop our ears to the call, follow me. | 14:30 | |
Forgive our hesitancy. | 14:34 | |
Speak to us yet another time. | 14:36 | |
Show to us once more the presence which promises life, | 14:39 | |
for we pray, trusting as little children | 14:45 | |
in the light of Your love. | 14:48 | |
Amen. | 14:51 | |
My sisters and brothers, | 15:24 | |
hear and believe the good news. | 15:26 | |
Nothing can separate us from the love of God | 15:30 | |
in Christ Jesus our Lord. | 15:32 | |
In Jesus, the Christ, you and I | 15:35 | |
are forgiven. | 15:41 | |
Let us give thanks | 15:44 | |
for God is good | 15:46 | |
and God's love is everlasting. | 15:47 | |
Thanks be to God, | 15:51 | |
whose love creates us. | 15:52 | |
Thanks be to God, | 15:55 | |
whose mercy redeems us. | 15:56 | |
Thanks be to God, | 15:59 | |
whose grace leads us into the future. | 16:01 | |
It is the seventh Sunday after Epiphany, | 16:08 | |
and I am glad to be able to welcome each of you | 16:12 | |
to this special service of worship | 16:14 | |
in the Duke University Chapel. | 16:17 | |
I would remind you that there will be | 16:20 | |
the celebration of the Eucharist in Memorial Chapel | 16:22 | |
following this service. | 16:25 | |
And I encourage you to stay for that brief service. | 16:27 | |
I am pleased to introduce our guest preacher | 16:32 | |
of the morning, the Reverend Doctor Grant Shockley | 16:36 | |
and to welcome Dr. Shockley to the Duke Chapel pulpit. | 16:39 | |
A man of immense warmth and energy, | 16:45 | |
Dr. Shockley is presently | 16:48 | |
Duke Divinity School Professor of Christian Education | 16:50 | |
and Director of Black Church Affairs. | 16:54 | |
A United Methodist minister, he has served parishes | 16:57 | |
in New York City, | 17:01 | |
in Brooklyn, | 17:03 | |
and in Dover, Delaware. | 17:05 | |
Dr. Shockley is also recognized as an able writer, | 17:08 | |
teacher, lecturer, and administrator. | 17:12 | |
In addition to several distinguished professorships, | 17:16 | |
he served also as president | 17:20 | |
of the Interdenominational Theological Center | 17:21 | |
in Atlanta, Georgia, | 17:24 | |
and Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas. | 17:25 | |
A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Shockley is married | 17:30 | |
to Doris Taylor Shockley. | 17:33 | |
And I am delighted to welcome both of these gracious people | 17:36 | |
to Duke Chapel and to this service. | 17:39 | |
The Art of Human Relations is the title | 17:43 | |
of Dr. Shockley's sermon. | 17:46 | |
- | Let us pray. | 17:57 |
Almighty God, in whom are hid all the treasures | 18:00 | |
of wisdom and knowledge, open our eyes | 18:04 | |
that we may behold wondrous things out of Your word. | 18:09 | |
And give us grace that we may clearly understand | 18:13 | |
and heartily choose the way of Your love. | 18:17 | |
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. | 18:22 | |
The Old Testament message is from Genesis chapter four, | 18:29 | |
verses eight through 16. | 18:34 | |
Cain said to Abel his brother, | 18:38 | |
let us go out into the field. | 18:41 | |
And when they were in the field, | 18:44 | |
Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. | 18:46 | |
Then the Lord said to Cain, | 18:51 | |
"Where is Abel, your brother?" | 18:55 | |
He said, "I do not know. | 18:58 | |
"Am I my brother's keeper?" | 19:01 | |
And the Lord said, "What have you done? | 19:04 | |
"The voice of your brother's blood is crying | 19:08 | |
"to me from the ground. | 19:11 | |
"And now you are cursed from the ground, | 19:13 | |
"which has opened its mouth to receive | 19:16 | |
"your brother's blood from your hand. | 19:19 | |
"When you till the ground, | 19:23 | |
"it shall no longer yield to you its strength. | 19:25 | |
"You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on this earth." | 19:29 | |
Cain said to the Lord, | 19:34 | |
"My punishment is greater than I can bear. | 19:37 | |
"Behold, thou has driven me today away from the ground, | 19:41 | |
"and from the face I shall be hidden. | 19:46 | |
"I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, | 19:50 | |
"and whoever finds me will slay me." | 19:55 | |
Then the Lord said to him, "Not so. | 19:59 | |
"If anyone slays Cain, | 20:04 | |
"vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." | 20:06 | |
And the Lord put a mark on Cain, | 20:10 | |
lest any who came upon him should kill him. | 20:13 | |
Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord | 20:18 | |
and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden. | 20:22 | |
Here ends the reading of the Old Testament. | 20:28 | |
(organ music) | 20:39 | |
(choir music) | 20:48 | |
Will the congregation please stand | 22:33 | |
for the reading of the Gospel lesson? | 22:36 | |
The Gospel lesson is from Luke chapter 10, | 22:45 | |
verses 25 through 37. | 22:50 | |
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, | 22:54 | |
saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" | 22:59 | |
He said to him, "What is written in the Law? | 23:05 | |
"How do you read?" | 23:09 | |
And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God | 23:11 | |
"with all your heart and with all your soul | 23:15 | |
"and with all your strength and with all your mind, | 23:19 | |
"and your neighbor as yourself." | 23:23 | |
And he said to him, "You have answered right. | 23:27 | |
"Do this, and you will live." | 23:31 | |
But he, desiring to justify himself, | 23:34 | |
said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" | 23:38 | |
Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem | 23:43 | |
"to Jericho, and fell among robbers, | 23:48 | |
"who stripped him and beat him and departed, | 23:51 | |
"leaving him half dead. | 23:56 | |
"Now by chance a priest was going down that road, | 23:59 | |
"and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. | 24:05 | |
"So likewise a Levite, | 24:11 | |
"when he came to the place and saw him, | 24:14 | |
"passed on the other side. | 24:17 | |
"But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, | 24:21 | |
"came to where he was, and when he saw him, | 24:24 | |
"he had compassion and went to him and bound up his wounds, | 24:28 | |
"pouring on oil and wine. | 24:34 | |
"Then he set him on his own beast and brought him to an inn | 24:38 | |
"and took care of him. | 24:43 | |
"And the next day he took out two denari | 24:45 | |
"and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, | 24:49 | |
""Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, | 24:52 | |
""I will repay you when I come back." | 24:56 | |
"Which of these three, do you think, | 25:01 | |
"proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" | 25:04 | |
He said, "The one who showed him mercy on him." | 25:08 | |
And Jesus said to him, "Go, and do likewise." | 25:13 | |
Here ends the reading of the Gospel lesson. | 25:18 | |
Amen. | 25:22 | |
(organ music) | 25:24 | |
(congregation sings) | 25:32 | |
- | Let us pray. | 26:32 |
May the words of my mouth | 26:37 | |
and the meditations of our hearts | 26:41 | |
be acceptable in Thy sight, | 26:45 | |
oh, Lord, our strength and our redeemer. | 26:49 | |
Amen. | 26:55 | |
For more than 50 years, | 27:01 | |
American churches have observed | 27:05 | |
Race Relations Sunday. | 27:08 | |
It was a time to reflect upon the ideal | 27:12 | |
of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of humankind. | 27:16 | |
It was a time to sing with great lust | 27:24 | |
in Christ there is no east or west. | 27:28 | |
In Him no south or north. | 27:33 | |
The words of the prophet Malachi | 27:39 | |
would ring out from our pulpits. | 27:43 | |
Have we not all one father? | 27:47 | |
Has not one God created us? | 27:51 | |
Why then are we faithless to one another, | 27:56 | |
profaning his covenant? | 28:00 | |
We would also listen to the words of Luke | 28:04 | |
in the book of Acts. | 28:08 | |
And he made from one every nation to live | 28:11 | |
on the face of the earth that they should seek God | 28:16 | |
and find Him. | 28:22 | |
Now I am well aware of this great heritage. | 28:26 | |
I know the many very positive things that have been done | 28:32 | |
to sensitize insensitive people | 28:37 | |
in the area of better race relations, | 28:41 | |
To encourage others and not to be weary in their well doing, | 28:47 | |
and to remind still others that there is yet | 28:53 | |
so much to be done in black-white relations | 28:57 | |
in our churches, in our communities, | 29:03 | |
on our campuses, and in our nation. | 29:07 | |
This morning, however, | 29:14 | |
I would like us to look at race relations | 29:17 | |
from a different and with a deeper perspective. | 29:22 | |
Very simply, I want us to view it | 29:28 | |
in the wider and more inclusive context | 29:33 | |
of the desperate need for improved human relations | 29:38 | |
on interpersonal, inter-group, | 29:43 | |
international and global levels. | 29:48 | |
For here lies the root and stem of the problem. | 29:54 | |
And here, latently at least, | 30:00 | |
is the hope for solving | 30:04 | |
what the renowned black scholar W.E.B. Du Bois | 30:07 | |
called the critical problem of the 20th century, | 30:12 | |
namely the color line. | 30:17 | |
Now we need not look too far to understand | 30:21 | |
the urgent necessity for this expanded view | 30:26 | |
of race relations into a scene of human relations. | 30:30 | |
Consider, if you will, this scenario | 30:37 | |
for the 21st century, which is less than 20 years away. | 30:40 | |
By the year 2000, the earth's population | 30:47 | |
will be closer to 8 billion than anything else. | 30:52 | |
Almost two thirds of whom | 30:58 | |
will be none-white. | 31:01 | |
In America, the population will be about 300 million, | 31:04 | |
at least 33rd percent of those | 31:10 | |
will be non-white. | 31:15 | |
The balance of world power | 31:17 | |
and the centers of decision making | 31:21 | |
have already shifted dramatically | 31:24 | |
in the second half of this century | 31:28 | |
in terms of continents and nations | 31:31 | |
and classes and races. | 31:34 | |
We are at the end of an era of domination | 31:38 | |
by and Anglo-European ethos. | 31:42 | |
Western ascendancy has declined and that seriously. | 31:45 | |
With the advent of nuclear weaponry, | 31:52 | |
the day is gone when right can be sustained by might. | 31:56 | |
Or orthodoxy by power. | 32:01 | |
Or supremacy by threat. | 32:04 | |
The rising expectations of more than 50 new nations | 32:09 | |
in the last two decades | 32:13 | |
and their new-found political muscle | 32:16 | |
in the United Nations have changed forever | 32:19 | |
the power equations between east and west. | 32:22 | |
The revolutions for food, for civil rights, | 32:27 | |
for women's rights, for human rights, | 32:31 | |
and for national liberations are still vibrant | 32:34 | |
and they indeed are irreversible. | 32:39 | |
The eminent late historian Arnold Toynbee | 32:43 | |
was quite right when he said, and I quote, | 32:47 | |
"the revolution through which we are living today | 32:52 | |
"is world wide, penetrating to the cultural | 32:56 | |
"and spiritual depths. | 33:01 | |
"Living together as a single family is the only future | 33:04 | |
"that mankind can have. | 33:09 | |
"The alternative is mass suicide. | 33:12 | |
"Yet learning how to live together | 33:17 | |
"is going to be very difficult. | 33:20 | |
"We have suddenly become one another's next door neighbors, | 33:23 | |
"physically, that is, while our hearts | 33:29 | |
and minds "remain far apart." | 33:34 | |
He goes on to say that ignorance breeds fear. | 33:39 | |
And fear breeds hostility. | 33:44 | |
Human beings have had 6,000 years | 33:49 | |
to become strangers to one another. | 33:52 | |
And now we hardly have any time at all | 33:55 | |
for learning the most difficult art | 33:59 | |
of dwelling together in unity. | 34:02 | |
Now in the face of this situation, | 34:06 | |
those who are leaders and those who aspire to leadership | 34:10 | |
might well feel like Hamlet, who said, | 34:16 | |
"the time is out of joint. | 34:19 | |
"Oh, cursed spite that ever | 34:22 | |
I was born to set it right." | 34:25 | |
But this is our time. | 34:29 | |
There is no other time in which | 34:31 | |
we can live or shall live. | 34:34 | |
This is the day which the Lord has made. | 34:38 | |
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. | 34:42 | |
You and I are His leadership, | 34:46 | |
His present leadership and His future leadership. | 34:50 | |
And perhaps both of our generations had better hear | 34:55 | |
what Benjamin Disraeli once said when he told us | 34:59 | |
that, "now God be thanked who matched us | 35:04 | |
"with this fateful hour." | 35:09 | |
Now what seems to be the word of the Lord in all of this? | 35:15 | |
What do scriptures say? | 35:21 | |
The word may be found in the two well known stories | 35:25 | |
that you have just heard, | 35:30 | |
Cain and Abel and the Samaritan. | 35:33 | |
The Cain and Abel story in Genesis is well known. | 35:38 | |
Cain rose up against his brother, Abel, | 35:44 | |
and killed him. | 35:48 | |
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" | 35:50 | |
Cain said, "I do not know. | 35:56 | |
"Am I my brother's keeper?" | 35:59 | |
The Samaritan story in Luke | 36:04 | |
is in the Samaritan parable. | 36:07 | |
Note we did not say the good Samaritan. | 36:11 | |
We are assuming that there were more than one | 36:14 | |
of the Samaritans who were good. | 36:17 | |
But nevertheless, the story is this. | 36:20 | |
A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho | 36:24 | |
and fell among robbers. | 36:29 | |
They beat him and stripped him and departed, | 36:32 | |
leaving him half dead. | 36:36 | |
But a Samaritan came to where he was, | 36:38 | |
and he did four things. | 36:44 | |
He stopped and had compassion. | 36:47 | |
He went to him. | 36:51 | |
He bound up his wounds, | 36:53 | |
and he set him upon his own beast | 36:55 | |
and took him to an inn. | 36:59 | |
Now there are many sayings in the Bible | 37:03 | |
that speak about human relations. | 37:06 | |
In Deuteronomy and Leviticus, | 37:10 | |
we read, "You shall love the Lord your God | 37:12 | |
"with all your mind and with all your strength | 37:16 | |
"and with all your soul, | 37:20 | |
"and your neighbor as yourself." | 37:22 | |
In Matthew, we read, "I was hungry and you fed me, | 37:25 | |
"thirsty and you gave me drink. | 37:30 | |
"I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, | 37:34 | |
"naked and you clothed me. | 37:38 | |
"I was sick and you took care of me, | 37:41 | |
"in prison and you visited me." | 37:44 | |
But none of these passages speaks as vividly | 37:48 | |
to the human relations theme of our day | 37:52 | |
than these stories in Genesis and Luke. | 37:56 | |
These stories challenge us as people of faith | 38:00 | |
and as Christians to love, | 38:05 | |
to respect, and to respond | 38:10 | |
to people as individuals and to people as groups | 38:14 | |
or to people as nations | 38:19 | |
or to people who have dominion | 38:22 | |
in various parts of the world. | 38:25 | |
People who are the brothers and sisters | 38:28 | |
of our common Father Mother God. | 38:31 | |
What then is the art of human relations | 38:36 | |
as we ponder these two stories? | 38:39 | |
It is people skilled in relating to people | 38:43 | |
in ways that are caring, meaningful, | 38:47 | |
helpful and responsible, | 38:51 | |
irrespective of differences in circumstance | 38:54 | |
or advantage or color | 38:59 | |
or religion or time and place. | 39:02 | |
The art of human relations is the cultivation | 39:06 | |
of the capacity to act toward others | 39:10 | |
as God in Christ has already | 39:14 | |
acted toward us. | 39:18 | |
Now there are particular challenges | 39:21 | |
in the two stories that were read | 39:24 | |
by our lector this morning. | 39:26 | |
But first a brief analysis of our stories. | 39:30 | |
It is more than of passing interest that a Samaritan | 39:34 | |
offered aid to the one who fell among the robbers. | 39:38 | |
A Samaritan, mind you, | 39:42 | |
one whose race was often cursed, | 39:45 | |
whose word was unacceptable in any court of law, | 39:49 | |
who could not co-mingle | 39:54 | |
with other religious people of his time. | 39:56 | |
A Samaritan saw him and had compassion. | 40:00 | |
A Samaritan went to him and bound up his wounds. | 40:04 | |
A Samaritan took him to a hotel and provided | 40:09 | |
for his future care. | 40:14 | |
The story on Cain and Abel and the parable | 40:18 | |
of the Samaritan are very clear, | 40:21 | |
very direct and very simple statements | 40:24 | |
about Christian human relations. | 40:28 | |
And they say two things. | 40:31 | |
We are our brother's keeper. | 40:33 | |
We are our neighbor's neighbor. | 40:36 | |
The revolutionary nature of these statements | 40:41 | |
must be understood against a background | 40:45 | |
of that period of time. | 40:48 | |
In the Old Testament, neighbor clearly referred | 40:51 | |
only to Israelites. | 40:55 | |
In the time of Jesus, neighbor referred only to Jews. | 40:57 | |
Neighbor did not include Romans. | 41:02 | |
Neighbor did not include Greeks or Syrians. | 41:05 | |
Most of all, it did not include Samaritans. | 41:09 | |
Not a single hero of that parable failed | 41:13 | |
to get that message. | 41:16 | |
Here Jesus was laying bare the barriers | 41:19 | |
to good human relations, | 41:23 | |
which include racial exclusiveness, | 41:26 | |
which include social snobbery, | 41:30 | |
which include cultural conceit | 41:33 | |
and spiritual arrogance. | 41:36 | |
He was getting, therefore, at the very basic principles | 41:39 | |
of good human relations. | 41:43 | |
Care, respect, and responsibility. | 41:45 | |
It is this word care then that Erik Erikson tells us | 41:51 | |
is "a deep concern for the life | 41:55 | |
and development of persons." | 41:59 | |
It comes from the word charis which means love | 42:02 | |
of a deep kind. | 42:05 | |
Cain did not care about his brother, Abel. | 42:09 | |
Some friends do not care for each other. | 42:14 | |
They simply want to use each other. | 42:18 | |
This is an example of poor human relations. | 42:21 | |
Some couples are going together | 42:26 | |
who are supposedly in love, | 42:30 | |
but their relationship is simply one | 42:32 | |
of mutual exploitation. | 42:35 | |
Some husbands and wives after they do not care | 42:38 | |
for each other enough, do not extend their marriages | 42:42 | |
to seek every possible recourse before taking | 42:46 | |
the easy course of divorce. | 42:50 | |
These are poor human relations. | 42:54 | |
Parents sometimes do not really care enough | 42:57 | |
for their children to give their lives for them. | 43:00 | |
Often they view them as burdens, as troublesome. | 43:05 | |
The result, therefore, could easily be child abuse. | 43:09 | |
This is an example of a poor human relationship. | 43:14 | |
The second foundation of good relationships is respect. | 43:21 | |
It is a way of looking at people | 43:27 | |
from their inside situation outward. | 43:29 | |
Not just a sense of muted awe in the presence | 43:34 | |
of some person we respect, but a concern | 43:37 | |
that people become who they are. | 43:41 | |
Respect is the absence of the need to change people | 43:45 | |
before we can love them. | 43:50 | |
We love people for what they are | 43:53 | |
and not for how they could be if we could remake them. | 43:56 | |
We love people for what they can be | 44:02 | |
and we help them to become that. | 44:05 | |
This is respect. | 44:08 | |
This is looking at them until we see | 44:10 | |
what God has truly placed within them | 44:13 | |
that it is our task to bring out. | 44:16 | |
If we could see the peoples of our world | 44:20 | |
in terms of what God's intention was for them, | 44:24 | |
we could indeed be for them | 44:28 | |
as the Samaritan was to the robber. | 44:31 | |
In keeping with this then, Christians and others, | 44:34 | |
all people of good will, | 44:39 | |
should engage those issues of human rights | 44:42 | |
in our world that affect good human relations. | 44:45 | |
We become concerned, therefore, about, | 44:51 | |
and we become involved in programs to resolve | 44:54 | |
the inequity syndrome affecting the poor people | 44:58 | |
and the hungry people of our world. | 45:02 | |
Our planet earth is really divisible | 45:06 | |
into two large segments. | 45:09 | |
One is very rich, and one is very poor. | 45:11 | |
On the rich side are two dozen or so industrialized states | 45:17 | |
whose one billion people control and produce | 45:23 | |
and consume most of the world's resources. | 45:28 | |
On the other side, | 45:32 | |
about 100 so-called underdeveloped states and nations | 45:33 | |
comprising three billion people control very little, | 45:39 | |
produce very little, and consume very little. | 45:44 | |
They consequently exist in the shadow of death | 45:50 | |
and starvation and deprivation | 45:54 | |
almost 24 hours a day. | 45:58 | |
Respect then means seeing these as children of God | 46:01 | |
for what they can become with our help | 46:07 | |
and through our sharing. | 46:10 | |
Helping them to become that is our mission. | 46:13 | |
This is the person we encounter on our Jericho road. | 46:16 | |
Helping them at our level of competence, | 46:22 | |
whether it is person to person, | 46:26 | |
whether it is as a citizen, | 46:28 | |
whether it is as a Christian or a religious person of faith, | 46:31 | |
or whether it is simply as a member of the human community. | 46:35 | |
The third keystone for good human relations | 46:42 | |
is responsibility. | 46:45 | |
Basic to the word of responsibility | 46:48 | |
is the word to respond. | 46:51 | |
The root meaning then means to discover the needs of others | 46:54 | |
and do something about them. | 46:59 | |
This was Cain's sickness, | 47:02 | |
and often it is ours. | 47:06 | |
After murdering his brother | 47:08 | |
and being called to account for it, | 47:11 | |
he asks a very stupid question. | 47:14 | |
Am I my brother's keeper? | 47:17 | |
Well, of course, he was his brother's keeper. | 47:19 | |
And the Lord made that quite plain to him, | 47:23 | |
but he wanted to cop out of the situation. | 47:26 |
Male Speaker | As we so often do. | 0:03 |
Now how does this relate itself | 0:06 | |
to the distribution of wealth for example | 0:11 | |
especially in America, | 0:13 | |
how does this relate itself to the plants | 0:16 | |
that close almost each month? | 0:19 | |
And in their wake we find unemployment, | 0:23 | |
social chaos, the ruination of whole communities. | 0:27 | |
How does this relate to oppressive labor | 0:32 | |
and or management practices? | 0:35 | |
How does this relate to the arrogance of power | 0:38 | |
and the inordinate national pride | 0:41 | |
which is leading us headlong in many cases | 0:44 | |
into a third world war? | 0:47 | |
The life and welfare of our brothers and sisters | 0:51 | |
is not their problem only. | 0:55 | |
It is our problem, and we forget this | 0:58 | |
at the peril of our own souls, and at the peril | 1:03 | |
of the displacement and disappearance | 1:07 | |
of the planet Earth. | 1:10 | |
The art of human relations is understanding | 1:14 | |
what it means to be created in God's image, | 1:18 | |
and to seek to actualize that image in persons. | 1:21 | |
The art of human relations is celebrating the uniqueness | 1:25 | |
of every person, and creating the environment | 1:29 | |
in which all people and all kinds of people | 1:34 | |
can grow and develop and become | 1:38 | |
who they were intended to be, regardless | 1:42 | |
of race or color or class. | 1:46 | |
The art of human relations is doing all we can | 1:50 | |
to see to it that our Earth home | 1:53 | |
is not obliterated by a nuclear bomb, | 1:57 | |
which would bring to zero minus | 2:00 | |
both humans and relationships. | 2:03 | |
In closing, let us remember the words | 2:08 | |
of Walt Whitman, in his famous salute to the world. | 2:10 | |
All you continentals of Asia, Africa, Europe, | 2:17 | |
Australia, and different places, | 2:21 | |
all you on the numberless islands | 2:25 | |
and archipelagos of the sea, and you | 2:28 | |
of the centuries hence, when you listen to me, | 2:31 | |
and you each and every where who I specify not, | 2:36 | |
but include just the same, health to you | 2:40 | |
and goodwill to you all. | 2:44 | |
Each of us is inevitable. | 2:47 | |
Each of us limitless. | 2:50 | |
Each of us with his own right upon the Earth. | 2:53 | |
Each of us allowed the eternal support of the Earth. | 2:58 | |
Each of us here as | 3:03 | |
divinely ordained as any is here. | 3:05 | |
We may not always see eye to eye | 3:11 | |
on all issues, but we must learn | 3:13 | |
that we can walk hand in hand toward | 3:17 | |
a common goal, and that goal is goodwill | 3:20 | |
and peace, and justice, and righteousness | 3:24 | |
and truth for all people, all communities, | 3:27 | |
and all nations, let us pray. | 3:31 | |
All people of the Earth, | 3:40 | |
share but one common birth, one destiny. | 3:43 | |
One sun shines o'er us all. | 3:50 | |
Alike we rise and fall. | 3:54 | |
One night shall spread its pall eternally. | 3:58 | |
Great God of all the Earth, teach us | 4:04 | |
to know the worth of sympathy. | 4:08 | |
Let fellowship increase, let all contention cease. | 4:11 | |
Oh may we dwell in peace and unity, | 4:17 | |
Amen. | 4:22 | |
(church organ playing) | 4:33 | |
(congregation singing with organ) | 5:24 | |
(congregation singing with organ) | 6:04 | |
(congregation singing with organ) | 6:52 | |
(congregation singing with organ) | 7:45 | |
Male Speaker | We have been challenged. | 8:17 |
Let us now affirm what we believe. | 8:20 | |
Congregation | We believe in God, | 8:24 |
who has created and is creating, | 8:26 | |
who has come in the truly human Jesus, | 8:29 | |
to reconcile and make new, who works in us | 8:32 | |
and others by the spirit. | 8:36 | |
We trust God, who calls us to be the church, | 8:39 | |
to celebrate life and its fullness, | 8:44 | |
to love and serve others, to seek justice | 8:47 | |
and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen, | 8:50 | |
our judge and our hope. | 8:56 | |
In life, in death, in life beyond death, | 8:59 | |
God is with us, we are not alone, | 9:04 | |
thanks be to God. | 9:08 | |
Male Speaker | The Lord be with you. | 9:11 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 9:13 |
Male Speaker | Let us pray. | 9:14 |
Praise to you, oh Lord of us all, | 9:25 | |
the holy one who presides among the stars, | 9:29 | |
yet teaches the human heart, | 9:33 | |
who gives the seasons that both flesh and nations | 9:36 | |
shall know their mortal boundaries, | 9:40 | |
who authors the mystery of our freedom, | 9:44 | |
and risks the divine love among our human choices. | 9:47 | |
Who intends that each one of us | 9:52 | |
shall go without fear, and that all | 9:54 | |
shall share the music of the deep heavens. | 9:59 | |
Who gathers us to this moment, to discover together | 10:03 | |
who we are in your presence. | 10:08 | |
Praise to you oh lord, our health, and our salvation. | 10:11 | |
Oh creator God, who wills for your creation | 10:20 | |
wholeness of spirit and health of body, | 10:24 | |
hear our intercessions for all who need your blessing, | 10:28 | |
for those chronically ill, to whom no hope | 10:33 | |
of bodily strength can be given, | 10:36 | |
bless them with your presence, and the strength | 10:40 | |
to rise above their reasons for despair | 10:43 | |
into a higher hope. | 10:46 | |
For all who seek in earnest but do not find you, | 10:49 | |
help them to perceive you in the common things around them, | 10:53 | |
that in these things, | 10:58 | |
they begin their journey to meet the Christ. | 11:00 | |
For all who lack food and shelter, | 11:04 | |
may our daily comforts chafe us, | 11:07 | |
and move us to share more and more. | 11:10 | |
Oh God of hope, may the vision of a new Jerusalem infect us, | 11:15 | |
and move us to undertake its building in our own lives, | 11:21 | |
and in our own society. | 11:25 | |
Make us firm against all arguments from despair, | 11:28 | |
that our enemies are less than human, | 11:33 | |
that the poor are poor because they are lazy, | 11:37 | |
that military force is the only language | 11:41 | |
that nations understand, that all other leopards | 11:43 | |
will never change their spots, | 11:48 | |
grant lord God the deep understanding | 11:52 | |
that we were not born to die, | 11:56 | |
but to begin, to interrupt the flow of despair, | 11:59 | |
to start something new, for God's sake. | 12:05 | |
Oh Yahweh, we seek a new dedication | 12:12 | |
to your will in our lives. | 12:16 | |
Grant that we have no lower estimate of humanity | 12:20 | |
than you showed by your passion on the cross, | 12:23 | |
and seeing anew how precious is the life you create in us, | 12:27 | |
grant us the courage to measure ourselves | 12:32 | |
by the stature that you have given us. | 12:35 | |
Do not allow us to concede to cynicism. | 12:39 | |
Keep alive in us such courage of faith | 12:43 | |
that our eyes will not wander from the cross, | 12:46 | |
though many about us brood | 12:50 | |
on the prospect of an empty heaven, | 12:51 | |
and a soulless humanity, and grant | 12:54 | |
oh magnificent one, that we will not think ourselves | 12:58 | |
more virtuous than we are, nor imagine ourselves | 13:03 | |
less worthy than you regard us, in Christ's name. | 13:08 | |
let us now pray together, our Lord's prayer. | 13:15 | |
Congregation | Our father, who art in heaven, | 13:20 |
hallowed be thy name. | 13:24 | |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 13:26 | |
on Earth as it is in heaven. | 13:30 | |
Give us this day our daily bread, | 13:33 | |
and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those | 13:36 | |
who trespass against us, and lead us not | 13:39 | |
into temptation, but deliver us from evil, | 13:42 | |
for thine is the kingdom, and the power, | 13:47 | |
and the glory, forever, Amen. | 13:50 | |
(church organ) | 14:10 | |
(church organ) | 15:37 | |
(church organ) | 16:41 | |
(choir singing over organ) | 16:53 | |
(choir singing over organ) | 17:40 | |
(choir singing over organ) | 17:41 | |
(choir singing over organ) | 18:52 | |
(choir singing over organ) | 20:37 | |
(choir singing over organ) | 22:01 | |
Male Speaker | Oh merciful one, | 22:41 |
on this week's first day, day of resurrection, | 22:44 | |
day of soul's replenishment, | 22:47 | |
receive now these gifts of money. | 22:50 | |
If we have been charitable, thank you | 22:54 | |
for teaching us such virtue. | 22:56 | |
If we have been stingy, forgive us | 22:58 | |
and enable us to be more generous. | 23:02 | |
And now by your holy spirit, be with us | 23:05 | |
in our use of these offerings, that despair | 23:08 | |
will give way to hope, pain and suffering | 23:11 | |
to healing, evil to goodness, sin to redemption. | 23:14 | |
That all people shall experience your evangel. | 23:20 | |
In your son's name, Amen. | 23:24 | |
(church organ) | 23:38 | |
(congregation singing over organ) | 24:01 | |
(congregation singing over organ) | 25:31 | |
(church organ) | 26:55 | |
And now, may grace, mercy and peace | 27:07 | |
from God the father, son, and holy spirit | 27:11 | |
be with you and with all whom you love. | 27:14 | |
Go out in joy, and remember, by the goodness of God | 27:17 | |
you were born, by the providence of God | 27:21 | |
you are kept all the day long, | 27:24 | |
by the love of God fully revealed to us | 27:27 | |
through Jesus Christ our living lord, | 27:29 | |
you are being redeemed. | 27:32 | |
(choir singing) | 27:43 | |
(church organ) | 28:46 | |
(church organ) | 30:58 | |
(church organ) | 32:21 | |
(church organ) | 33:25 | |
(church organ) | 34:49 | |
(congregation chatting amongst themselves) | 35:35 |