Nancy Ferree-Clark - "The Best and the Brightest" (January 6, 1985)

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-	An extraordinary multi-national dialogue	0:08
	was held this past Thanksgiving between scientists	0:11
	and theologians,	0:17
	convened by the International Council of Scientific Unions	0:19
	this prestigious circle formulated a common agenda	0:22
	for making our entire planet a nuclear free zone.	0:26
	There has been a rather remarkable convergence of studies	0:31
	over the past two years of the nuclear winter hypothesis	0:34
	by U.S. and Soviet scientists alike.	0:39
	Indeed there appears to be a robust solidarity	0:43
	developing among many enemies in this field.	0:47
	They are convinced that war with multiple nuclear explosions	0:51
	would set of devastating environmental disasters,	0:56
	as if radioactive debris,	1:00
	and the prospect of ozone depletion were not enough	1:02
	cold, and darkness caused by the intercontinental spread	1:06
	of smoke and dust in such a scenario	1:11
	is projected to destroy or impair life	1:14
	throughout the entire planet.	1:17
	What to make of this, on this day of epiphany?	1:21
	A chance within our own lifetime for encountering	1:26
	the ultimate darkness?	1:29
	An opportunity to pierce straight down	1:31
	the misfit's gun barrel, make that missile silo.	1:34
	Our own or anyone else's.	1:39
	It's certainly not a situation we'd like to think about	1:42
	for very long, it's too much like taking an endless journey	1:45
	into the darkness,	1:49
	yet as arms talks resume this week	1:52
	in Geneva, it seems that some brave soul	1:55
	has to think about it, or better yet, pray about it.	1:58
	For thus far very few seem able to even envision	2:03
	a way out of this mad race towards extinction.	2:07
	Meanwhile, we all go on living our lives almost naively	2:12
	under the shadow of the prospects of a darkness	2:18
	which shall cover the earth.	2:21
	One which surpasses even	2:24
	the prophet Isaiah's wildest imagination.	2:25
	Revelations don't often come easy,	2:31
	especially for those of us who don't venture very readily	2:35
	into strange places,	2:38
	yet as Christ himself has shown us,	2:41
	there is no epiphany	2:45
	without encountering the darkness head on.	2:47
	There is no starlight without the blackness	2:51
	of the sky which surrounds it.	2:54
	There is no prince of peace in a manger	2:57
	without a savior of the world on the cross,	3:01
	and that's the good news,	3:06
	that even death wasn't enough to overcome	3:09
	the light of the world, the best and the brightest of all.	3:12
	Let us then on this epiphany lay aside	3:18
	our fear of the darkness	3:23
	and venture forth with Christ	3:26
	into the dimly lit places in our lives,	3:28
	that there, we may truly receive the light,	3:33
	amen.	3:39
	(somber organ music)	3:49
	(chorus harmonizes with the music)	4:24
-	Let us unite in this historic confession	7:39
	of the Christian faith.	7:42
	I believe in God the Father almighty,	7:45
	maker of Heaven and Earth and in Jesus Christ	7:49
	his only son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	7:52
	born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	7:58
	was crucified dead and buried.	8:03
	The third day he rose from the dead,	8:06
	he ascended in to heaven, and siteth at the right hand	8:09
	of God the Father almighty, from thence he shall come	8:13
	to judge the quick and the dead.	8:17
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,	8:20
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,	8:24
	the resurrection of the body,	8:29
	and the life everlasting, amen.	8:31
	The Lord by with you.	8:35
-	[Audience In Unison] And with you.	8:38
-	Let us pray.	8:39
	Let us pray for the church and for the world.	8:51
	Grant almighty God that all who confess your name	8:56
	may be united in your truth live together in your love,	9:00
	and reveal your glory in all the world.	9:06
	Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer.	9:18
	Guide the people of this land,	9:23
	and of all the nations in the ways of justice	9:25
	and peace that we may honor one another	9:29
	and serve the common good.	9:32
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	9:46
	Give us all a reverence for the earth,	9:52
	as your own creation that we may use its resources rightly	9:54
	in the service of others and to your honor and glory.	9:59
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	10:13
	Bless all those whose lives are closely linked with ours,	10:18
	grant that we may serve Christ in them	10:23
	and love one another as he loves us.	10:26
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	10:43
	Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body,	10:48
	mind or spirit, give them courage,	10:52
	and hope in all their troubles,	10:55
	and bring them the joy of your salvation.	10:57
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer,	11:13
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen,	11:17
	and now as an enlightened, as a forgiven	11:22
	and reconciled people let us offer ourselves	11:26
	and our gifts to God.	11:30
	(audience rustling quietly)	11:33
	(bright music)	12:10
	(inspiring organ music)	16:58
-	Oh God because your light has (electronic screeching)	19:05
	into our darkness, we give you thanks.	19:08
	For the gifts which are ours in Jesus Christ	19:11
	we praise your name and your glory.	19:14
	Praying as we have been taught,	19:18
	our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,	19:21
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth	19:26
	as it is in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread	19:29
	and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those	19:34
	who trespassed against us,	19:37
	and lead us not into temptation but deliver us	19:40
	from evil, thine is the kingdom and the power	19:44
	and the glory forever, amen.	19:48
	(bright organ music)	19:53
	(chorus harmonizes)	20:19
-	And now may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	22:08
	the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	22:12
	be with you now and always, amen.	22:15
	(bright music)	22:25
	(music fades)	24:45
	(upbeat music)	24:57
	(audience applauds)	31:09
	(audience murmuring)	31:14

	(harpsichord music)	0:03
	(harpsichord music)	3:59
	We welcome you to Duke Chapel	13:26
	this morning, this Epiphany Sunday.	13:27
	We're glad to have you, particularly our visitors.	13:31
	We always appreciate our visitors on Recess Sundays,	13:35
	and we're glad you're here with us.	13:39
	We also welcome those who worship with us	13:41
	on the radio, on WDNC.	13:44
	We have, as our guest musicians this morning,	13:48
	the Tintinnabulators.	13:52
	I practiced that, trying to say that.	13:55
	The hand bell choir, made up of college students	13:59
	from around North Carolina, and their director Mrs. Corbin.	14:02
	And we welcome them, and we have been enjoying their music	14:07
	during the first part of the service.	14:11
	Would you stand for the greeting?	14:15
	The grace of the lord Jesus Christ be with you.	14:22
	And also with you.	14:27
	The risen Christ is with us.	14:28
	Praise the Lord.	14:31
	(organ music)	14:34
	(hymnal singing)	15:03
	Join me in prayer.	17:14
	The lord be with you.	17:17
	And also with you.	17:20
	Let us pray.	17:22
	God of all glory,	17:31
	by the guidance of a star you led the wise men	17:33
	to worship the Christ child.	17:36
	By the light of faith lead us to your glory in heaven.	17:39
	We ask this through Jesus Christ our lord.	17:44
	Amen.	17:49
	(organ music)	17:51
	(hymnal singing)	18:00
	Let us pray.	19:09
	Open our hearts and minds oh God	19:12
	by the power of your holy spirit	19:15
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	19:18
	we might hear with joy	19:21
	what you said to us this day, amen.	19:23
	The first lesson is taken from Isaiah,	19:28
	chapter 60, verses one through six.	19:31
	Arise, shine,	19:35
	for your light has come,	19:38
	and the glory of the lord has risen upon you.	19:40
	For behold, darkness shall cover the earth	19:44
	and thick darkness the peoples,	19:48
	but the lord will arise upon you	19:51
	and the glory of God will be seen upon you.	19:53
	And nations shall come to your light,	19:57
	and rulers to the brightness of your rising.	20:00
	Lift up your eyes roundabout and see.	20:04
	They all gather together,	20:08
	they come to you.	20:10
	Your sons shall come from far,	20:11
	and your daughters shall be carried in the arms.	20:14
	Then you shall see and be radiant,	20:17
	your heart shall thrill and rejoice	20:20
	because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you.	20:23
	The wealth of the nations shall come to you.	20:27
	A multitude of camels shall cover you,	20:30
	and the young camels of Midian and Ephah,	20:33
	all those from Sheba shall come.	20:36
	They shall bring gold and frankincense	20:39
	and shall proclaim the praise of the lord.	20:41
	This ends the first lesson.	20:45
	Psalm.	20:54
	Oh God let the king be righteous,	21:00
	let the heir to the throne be just,	21:03
	let him plead the cause of your people,	21:06
	the poor	21:08
	by the letter and spirit of your own law.	21:10
	Let the mountains declare	21:14
	God's people are innocent	21:16
	and the hills announce,	21:18
	we are setting them free.	21:20
	May you help the oppressed find justice,	21:23
	deliver the poor and crush the exploiter.	21:26
	Let him live as long as the sun and the moon	21:30
	through all generations to come	21:34
	and let him come down like rain on the grass,	21:38
	like gentle showers sprinkling the earth.	21:41
	Throughout his reign let justice bloom	21:45
	in peace and plenty as long as the moon shall last.	21:49
	Let him be king from sea to sea,	21:54
	from the river Euphrates to the earth's farthest end.	21:57
	Let his enemies kneel before him.	22:02
	Let his foes all lick the dust.	22:05
	Let kings to the north and east bring tribute.	22:09
	Let kings to the south and west bring gifts.	22:12
	Let all the kings bow before him.	22:16
	Let all the nations serve him	22:19
	for he saves the poor when they cry for help	22:23
	and saves the oppressed who no one believed them.	22:26
	He cares for the poor and the oppressed	22:30
	and saves the lives of the poor.	22:34
	Redeeming them from oppression and violence	22:38
	because he values their lives.	22:41
	The second lesson is taken from Ephesians,	22:58
	chapter three, verses one through 12.	23:01
	For this reason,	23:06
	I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus,	23:07
	on behalf of you gentiles,	23:11
	assuming that you have heard of the stewardship	23:14
	of God's grace that was given to me for you,	23:16
	how the mystery was made known to me by revelation,	23:20
	as I have written briefly.	23:24
	When you read this,	23:26
	you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,	23:28
	which was not made known to the human race	23:31
	in other generations as it has now been revealed	23:34
	to Christ's holy apostles and prophets by the spirit.	23:37
	That is, how the gentiles are joined heirs,	23:41
	members of the same body,	23:45
	and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus	23:47
	through the gospel.	23:51
	Of this gospel I was made a minister	23:53
	according to the gift of God's grace	23:57
	which was given me by the working of God's power.	24:00
	To me, though I am the very least of all saints,	24:03
	this grace was given.	24:07
	To preach to the gentiles	24:10
	the unsearchable riches of Christ	24:12
	and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery,	24:15
	hidden for ages in God, who created all things,	24:19
	that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God	24:23
	might now be made known to the principalities	24:26
	and powers in the heavenly places.	24:29
	This was according to the eternal purpose	24:33
	which God has realized in Christ Jesus our lord,	24:35
	in whom we have boldness and confidence of access	24:39
	through our faith in Christ.	24:42
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	24:46
	(harpsichord music)	25:19
	The gospel lesson is taken from Matthew,	28:49
	chapter two, verses one through twelve.	28:52
	Now when Jesus was born	28:57
	in Bethlehem of Judea,	29:00
	in the days of Herod the king,	29:02
	behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying,	29:04
	where is he who has been born king of the Jews?	29:10
	For we have seen his star in the east	29:13
	and have come to worship him.	29:16
	When Herod the king	29:18
	heard this he was troubled	29:20
	and all Jerusalem with him.	29:24
	And assembling all the chief priests	29:26
	and all the scribes of the people,	29:28
	he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.	29:30
	They told him, in Bethlehem of Judea,	29:34
	for so it is written by the prophet,	29:38
	And you, oh Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,	29:40
	are by no means least among the rulers of Judah.	29:43
	For from you shall come a ruler	29:47
	who will govern my people Israel.	29:48
	Then Herod summoned the magi secretly	29:52
	and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared	29:55
	and he sent them to Bethlehem saying,	29:59
	go and search diligently for the child	30:02
	and when you have found him,	30:06
	bring me word that I too may come and worship him.	30:08
	When they heard the king, they went their way,	30:13
	and lo, the star which they had seen in the east,	30:16
	went before them	30:20
	'till it came to rest over the place where the child was.	30:23
	When they saw the star,	30:28
	they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy	30:29
	and going into the house,	30:32
	they saw the child with Mary, his mother	30:34
	and they fell down and worshiped him.	30:37
	Then opening their treasures,	30:42
	they offered him gifts,	30:44
	gold and frankincense and myrrh	30:47
	and being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,	30:50
	they departed to their own country by another way.	30:54
	This ends the reading of the gospel.	30:58
	Let's stand for the singing of the hymn.	31:01
	(organ music)	31:06
	(hymnal singing)	31:37
	Today, the church celebrates epiphany.	33:31
	The manifestation of God's word made flesh.	33:36
	The revelation of the light of the world	33:41
	as our altar so beautifully reminds us.	33:45
	Our prayers, our hymns,	33:49
	our lessons all point us toward the wise men	33:52
	as instrumental in that revelation.	33:56
	As gentiles from the east,	33:59
	they perhaps never would have heard of the birth of Christ	34:01
	had it not been for the star which rose above them	34:05
	and which they chose to follow.	34:09
	In the words of Simeon,	34:13
	which we heard in last Sunday's gospel lesson,	34:14
	Jesus was to be a light for revelation to the gentiles.	34:18
	Thus in the journey of the magi to the manger,	34:24
	this prophecy was fulfilled.	34:27
	Now the wise men have always been among my very favorite	34:30
	biblical characters.	34:34
	Ever since I saw my first Christmas pageant	34:36
	in the little church where I grew up as a small child,	34:40
	I've been fascinated by these exotic figures	34:43
	that appear so mysteriously	34:47
	from the darkest corners of the church.	34:49
	I always wanted to be one too.	34:52
	So that I could present one of those ornate boxes	34:55
	to the baby Jesus.	34:58
	Somehow I never seemed to fit the part.	35:00
	But I did get to make a pilgrimage one epiphany	35:03
	to the great Gothic Cathedral in Cologne	35:07
	where the relics of the wise men have been kept	35:10
	since the year 1162.	35:13
	In case you were wondering where they were before 1162,	35:17
	they were in Milan and before that, Constantinople	35:20
	and before that, Persia, I believe.	35:23
	If I didn't know it already,	35:27
	those enormous jewels which adorned that magnificent shrine	35:29
	said to me, these men are very special	35:32
	in the eyes of the church.	35:36
	Exactly what was their journey to Bethlehem all about,	35:40
	I wondered.	35:43
	T.S. Eliot spurs our imagination	35:47
	to picture their experiences in his poem,	35:49
	Journey of the Magi, where he writes,	35:53
	a cold coming we had of it,	35:58
	just the worst time of the year for a journey,	36:01
	and such a long journey.	36:04
	The ways deep and the weather sharp,	36:07
	the very dead of winter.	36:10
	And the camels galled, sore-footed,	36:13
	refractory, lying down in the melting snow.	36:16
	Then the camel man, cursing and grumbling and running away	36:21
	and wanting their liquor and women.	36:25
	And the night fires going out,	36:28
	and the towns, unfriendly and the villages dirty	36:31
	and charging high prices.	36:34
	A hard time we had of it.	36:36
	At the end we preferred to travel all night.	36:40
	Sleeping in snatches	36:43
	with the voices singing in our ears saying,	36:45
	that this was all folly.	36:48
	One can't help being impressed by the fortitude	36:54
	of these night travelers	36:57
	as they ventured into foreign territory	36:58
	trusting only in a star unafraid to encounter the darkness.	37:01
	And that in itself	37:07
	was enough to demonstrate the extraordinary character	37:09
	of these men in the opinion of many.	37:12
	Can you remember the last time you decided to venture	37:16
	into strange territory in the dark,	37:19
	unsure of what to expect?	37:22
	Patrick McManus writes in a humorous fashion,	37:25
	though an accurate one I think,	37:28
	about his first such experience	37:30
	and that was while he was camping in the backyard alone.	37:33
	Though camping in the backyard	37:39
	is usually an experience reserved for children,	37:40
	we adults, nevertheless harbor our own anxieties	37:44
	about darkness and things that represent the unknown.	37:47
	See if you can't relate to this story.	37:52
	As Patrick McManus explains it,	37:55
	the first step in camping in the backyard	37:57
	is selecting the right spot	38:00
	far enough away from the house to be respectable	38:02
	but not so far away from the house	38:06
	that the distance cannot be covered in less than two seconds	38:08
	starting from a prone position	38:12
	just in case there should be reason	38:15
	to make a quick dash for safety,	38:17
	a wise youngster	38:20
	will have ready a few plausible explanations such as,	38:21
	I thought I smelled smoke and rushed in to wake the family.	38:26
	Or I nearly forgot	38:31
	that I'm expecting an important phone call this evening.	38:34
	McManus says the night he first slept out alone	38:38
	was probably typical for such undertakings	38:41
	except it was a little long.	38:45
	Roughly equal in length to the time required	38:47
	for the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.	38:50
	The only part of him that slept that night	38:54
	was his right hand and that was because it was	38:57
	wrapped so tightly around a baseball bat.	39:00
	Several times,	39:04
	off in the distance he thought he heard an ant cough.	39:05
	A pack of wolves had circled his camp,	39:10
	an ax murderer passed through the yard on his way to work.	39:12
	I sniffed the air for smoke, says McManus,	39:16
	hoping that the house would be burning down	39:18
	and I could rush in and save the family	39:21
	but my sister, I knew, the troll,	39:24
	lay awake listening for the thunder of my footsteps	39:27
	on the porch, sorting and polishing her horde	39:30
	of scaredy cat phrases.	39:33
	I slouched back down into the saddle of myself	39:36
	and grimly rode against the night.	39:40
	Perhaps none of us could be quite so descriptive	39:45
	in describing our own experience of the unknown	39:47
	but surely we've each been terrified by it	39:52
	at some point in our lives.	39:55
	And so, the wise men,	39:59
	brave souls that they were	40:01
	fearlessly journeyed onward into the darkness	40:03
	not only literally but figuratively as well.	40:06
	For you see,	40:10
	before they could kneel before the Christ child,	40:11
	they knelt before Herod.	40:15
	Having seen a star in the east that simply rose above them	40:18
	but that did not tell them where to go,	40:22
	the magi had to use their gifts of discernment	40:25
	to inquire in Jerusalem, as to exactly	40:28
	where is the king of the Jews.	40:32
	Seems logical enough that someone in Jerusalem	40:36
	would've known about	40:38
	the king of the Jews.	40:40
	But herein lies the shadow of this story.	40:43
	Herod was troubled by their query	40:47
	and all of Jerusalem with him, the gospel account tells us.	40:49
	Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people,	40:55
	Herod asked them where the Christ was to be born.	40:58
	Turning to the prophet Micah,	41:02
	they quoted scripture which foretold the precise location	41:05
	of his birth.	41:09
	Herod then summoned the wise men, in secret no less	41:11
	and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.	41:15
	Useful information for calculating the age of this child.	41:21
	Sending them on their way to Bethlehem,	41:26
	he instructed them to bring back word of the child.	41:28
	That he too might worship him.	41:32
	Already the forces of darkness were gathering themselves	41:38
	to ensure the rejection of Christ	41:41
	by authorities in Jerusalem.	41:43
	Matthew brings this theme of rejection	41:46
	to the forefront of his account of the nativity	41:50
	where it serves as a distant forerunner	41:53
	of the passion narrative itself.	41:56
	Placed in bold relief alongside the acceptance of Christ	41:59
	by the magi,	42:03
	it becomes apparent that the holy scriptures	42:05
	which provided the key for the gentiles	42:08
	to locate the messiah	42:11
	were not even accepted	42:12
	by the Jewish authorities themselves.	42:15
	While the magi sought to pay homage	42:18
	to the infant king,	42:21
	Herod and his coterie of advisers conspired	42:23
	to kill him.	42:27
	While the wise men must have been feeling	42:30
	more than a little vulnerable by this point,	42:31
	an expectation had been placed upon them	42:35
	by Herod himself to bring news of this child.	42:38
	Though no promises were made,	42:42
	surely the magi would've been rewarded generously	42:44
	for their efforts had they granted Herod his wish.	42:47
	Precious gifts,	42:51
	eloquent speeches,	42:52
	at least an elegant meal	42:54
	would've been offered on their behalf.	42:56
	Likewise, to fail to grant his wish,	43:00
	meant to incur his wrath	43:04
	and to trigger unspeakable tragedy.	43:07
	Surely they must have suspected the evil that	43:11
	Herod was possessed by	43:13
	as they faced him eyeball to eyeball	43:16
	but could they ever imagined,	43:20
	could they have ever imagined,	43:23
	that he was capable of the cold blooded murder	43:25
	of all the male children in Bethlehem	43:28
	in the surrounding area	43:30
	two years old and under.	43:32
	What terrible burdens,	43:35
	this knowledge of good and evil	43:37
	which was theirs to bear in the drama of the nativity	43:39
	and their choice for one side or the other,	43:43
	which was theirs to live.	43:47
	Eliot enlightens us to their imagined plight	43:51
	with these concluding words in Journey of the Magi.	43:54
	Were we led all that way for birth	43:59
	or death?	44:03
	There was a birth, certainly, we had evidence and no doubt.	44:05
	I had seen birth and death,	44:09
	but had thought they were different.	44:12
	This birth was hard and bitter agony for us,	44:15
	like death, our death.	44:19
	We returned to our places, these kingdoms, but	44:23
	no longer at ease here	44:26
	in the old dispensation	44:29
	with an alien people clutching their gods.	44:31
	I should be glad of another death.	44:36
	To be no longer at ease with the old dispensation.	44:41
	A high price to pay for revelation	44:46
	but apparently not an uncommon one.	44:49
	For the wise men it meant going home another way	44:53
	but once they arrived, no longer feeling at home,	44:57
	they had encountered both a darkness and the light.	45:01
	Their eyes having been opened to all of reality,	45:06
	they would never be the same again.	45:10
	And when did you last experience a significant revelation	45:14
	that didn't bring about some disease with the old way.	45:17
	Often at a dear price.	45:21
	Like the terminally ill patient	45:25
	who when confronting his or her own death	45:26
	glimpses a whole new perspective on living	45:29
	that they had somehow missed before.	45:32
	Like the broken family,	45:36
	who in an outpouring of confrontation	45:38
	and then forgiveness to one another	45:41
	finally realized the sacred trust which was theirs	45:43
	to share all along.	45:47
	Flannery O'Connor writes that reality is something	45:51
	to which we must be returned at considerable cost.	45:54
	I like to put that in my own words by saying,	46:00
	revelations don't often come easy.	46:03
	She likes to drive this point home constantly in her stories	46:08
	and she considers it to be implicit to the Christian view	46:12
	of the world.	46:15
	In one of her most riveting short stories called,	46:17
	A Good Man is Hard to Find,	46:20
	the heroine experiences this sort of revelation	46:23
	under unlikely,	46:26
	not to mention extremely trying circumstances.	46:28
	This heroine known as the grandmother	46:32
	is in a very significant position for she is facing death	46:35
	and to all appearances, she like the rest of us,	46:40
	is not too well prepared for it.	46:43
	Having complained, connived and cajoled her way	46:46
	through most of life,	46:50
	she would like to see death postponed indefinitely.	46:52
	Through a series of mishaps,	46:57
	the grandmother and her family	46:59
	encounter face to face, the misfit.	47:01
	An escaped convict whom she was just reading about	47:04
	with horror in the newspaper that morning.	47:07
	He promptly disposes of the grandmother's son,	47:11
	her daughter in law and her two grandchildren	47:14
	until she was finally facing him alone.	47:17
	Understandably afraid for her life,	47:20
	she pleads with the misfit,	47:23
	pray, pray to Jesus,	47:25
	while she echoes the refrain,	47:27
	I know you're a good man.	47:30
	Just then as she looks into his face	47:33
	and notices he is about to cry,	47:35
	her head clears for an instant.	47:39
	She realizes even in her limited way,	47:42
	that she is responsible for the man before her.	47:45
	That she is somehow joined to him	47:49
	by deep ties of kinship rooted in the mysteries of a faith	47:52
	which she had been merely	47:57
	prattling about for her entire life.	47:58
	The grandmother reaches out	48:01
	to touch the misfit on the shoulder,	48:03
	calling him one of her own.	48:05
	But shocked by such a gesture,	48:09
	the misfit springs back like a snake and shoots her.	48:11
	The misfit takes off his glasses and begins to clean them.	48:17
	As he comments to his buddy,	48:20
	she'd a been a good--	48:23

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "The Best and the Brightest" (January 6, 1985)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1): 00:08. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 48:25.
The magi paid a high price to receive the revelation of the newly born Christ. They followed a star out into unknown darkness, risking the threats of a mad king, and returning to their homes forever changed and ill-at-ease with their old way of life. This is the case will all revelations; they do not come easily, and they bring about disease with our old ways of living. But that is what Epiphany is all about. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Revelations don’t often come easy.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4fj29t39

Date:

January 6, 1985

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

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Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0245
ref8011_n5f
uachapelsermaud
duke:320956
dcrau001233
ark:/87924/r4fj29t39
ebedee6d-074a-458a-8273-05c0ecbb690e

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Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "The Best and the Brightest" (January 6, 1985)

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