Donald G. Shockley - "When Commitment Means Freedom" (July 21, 1985)

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	(cheerful organ music playing)	0:03
	(static)	0:17
	(cheerful organ music playing)	0:29
	(somber organ music playing)	2:47
	(static)	5:58
	(grand organ music playing)	6:02
	(static)	9:25
-	Good morning.	9:31
	We welcome you to this service of worship	9:32
	in Duke Chapel.	9:35
	Our guest preacher today is	9:37
	the Reverend Dr. Donald Shockley,	9:38
	who is the chaplain of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.	9:40
	He is chaplain at Cannon Chapel at our sister institution	9:44
	and we are delighted to have him with us today.	9:49
	We are having trouble with the microphones.	9:52
	(static)	9:56
	move back over here.	9:57
	I was going to say that if you are hearing impaired,	10:02
	many people are not hearing impaired	10:05
	until they come in Duke Chapel, we find.	10:07
	But if those who worship here who are hearing impaired,	10:09
	we invite you to try one of our special receiver sets,	10:13
	for the hearing impaired.	10:18
	We have about a dozen of these.	10:19
	A number of you are using them this morning.	10:21
	They can be used anywhere within the chapel,	10:23
	and we are glad to have you borrow one during the service.	10:26
	Immediately after today's service,	10:32
	the Lord's Supper will be served in Memorial Chapel,	10:35
	to your left.	10:39
	And we invite any who wish to join us for this	10:42
	celebration of the sacrament immediately after the service.	10:46
	And now, let us continue our worship.	10:49
	♪ Surely, our Lord is in this place ♪	10:56
	♪ For this is the Earth ♪	11:05
	♪ And the house of God ♪	11:11
	♪ And this is the gate of heaven. ♪	11:17
	(organ playing)	11:34
	♪ Oh for a thousand tongues to sing ♪	11:53
	♪ My dear Redeemer's praise ♪	11:58
	♪ The glories of my God and King ♪	12:03
	♪ The triumphs of his grace ♪	12:08
	♪ My gracious Master and my God ♪	12:15
	♪ Assist me to proclaim ♪	12:19
	♪ And spread through all the earth abroad ♪	12:25
	♪ The honors of thy name ♪	12:30
	♪ Jesus! the name that charms our fears ♪	12:37
	♪ And bids our sorrows cease ♪	12:42
	♪ 'Tis music in the sinner's ears ♪	12:47
	♪ 'Tis life and health and peace ♪	12:53
	♪ He breaks the power of canceled sin ♪	12:59
	♪ He sets the prisoner free ♪	13:04
	♪ His blood can make the foulest clean ♪	13:09
	♪ His blood availed for me ♪	13:14
	♪ He speaks and listening to his voice ♪	13:21
	♪ New life the dead receive ♪	13:26
	♪ The mournful broken hearts rejoice ♪	13:32
	♪ The humble poor believe ♪	13:37
	(organ playing)	13:43
	♪ Hear him, ye deaf, ye voiceless ones ♪	14:33
	♪ Your loosened tongues employ ♪	14:38
	♪ Ye blind, behold, your savior comes ♪	14:43
	♪ And leap ye lame for joy ♪	14:49
-	When we gather to praise God,	14:59
	we remember that we are God's people,	15:00
	but we have preferred our wills to God's will,	15:03
	therefore, let us humbly confess	15:06
	our sin before God and one another.	15:08
	Be seated.	15:12
	Let us pray together number 727.	15:19
	Almighty God, give us grace to approach thee	15:24
	at this time, with penitent and believing hearts.	15:29
	We confess that we have sinned against thee	15:33
	and are not worthy to be called thy children.	15:37
	Yet do thou in mercy keep us as thine own.	15:40
	Grant us true repentance, and forgive us all our sins,	15:45
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord.	15:49
	Amen.	15:53
	Hear the good news, Christ died for us	15:55
	while we were yet sinners,	15:59
	this is God's own proof of his love toward us.	16:01
	In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.	16:06
-	In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.	16:12
-	Let us pray.	16:24
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	16:27
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	16:29
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed	16:32
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	16:35
	Amen.	16:39
	The first lesson is taken from the second book of Samuel.	16:42
	In the spring of the year,	16:47
	the time when kings go forth to battle,	16:49
	David sent Joab and his servants with him,	16:51
	and all Israel.	16:54
	And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Raaba.	16:55
	But David remained at Jerusalem.	16:58
	It happened, late one afternoon,	17:01
	when David arose from his couch,	17:03
	and was walking upon the roof of the king's house,	17:05
	that he saw from the roof a woman bathing.	17:08
	And the woman was very beautiful.	17:11
	And David sent and inquired about the woman.	17:13
	And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba?	17:16
	"the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"	17:19
	So David sent messengers and took her in	17:24
	and she came to him, and he lay with her.	17:26
	Now, she was purifying herself from her uncleanliness.	17:29
	Then she returned to her house,	17:32
	and the woman conceived, and she sent and told David,	17:34
	"I am with child."	17:37
	So David sent word to Joab, "send me Uriah the Hittite."	17:39
	And Joab sent Uriah to David.	17:43
	When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing,	17:46
	and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.	17:50
	Then David said to Uriah,	17:54
	"go down to your house and wash your feet."	17:55
	And Uriah went out of the King's house,	17:58
	and there followed him a present from the King.	18:00
	But Uriah slept at the door of the King's house	18:03
	with all the servants of his lord	18:05
	and did not go down to his house.	18:07
	When they told David, "Uriah did not go down to your house,"	18:09
	David said to Uriah, "have you not come from a journey?	18:13
	"Why did you not go down to your house?"	18:17
	Uriah said to David, "the Ark and Israel and Judah	18:20
	"dwell in booths.	18:24
	"And my lord, Joab, and the servants of my lord,	18:25
	"are camping in the open field.	18:27
	"Should I then go to my house to eat and drink	18:30
	"and to lie with my wife?	18:33
	"As you live, and as your soul lives,	18:35
	"I will not do this thing."	18:37
	Then David said to Uriah, "remain here today also,	18:40
	"and tomorrow, and I will let you depart."	18:44
	So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.	18:47
	And David invited him, and he ate in his presence	18:51
	and drank, so that it made him drunk.	18:54
	And in the evening, he went out to lie on the couch	18:57
	with the servants of his lord.	19:00
	But he did not go down to his house.	19:03
	In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab,	19:05
	and sent it by the hand of Uriah.	19:08
	In the letter, he wrote,	19:11
	"Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting,	19:13
	"and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down,	19:17
	"and die."	19:20
	This is the reading of the first lesson.	19:22
	(static)	19:25
	(organ music plays)	19:29
	♪ Praise the Lord! Ye heavens adore him ♪	20:12
	♪ Praise him angels in the height ♪	20:18
	♪ Sun and moon, rejoice before him ♪	20:24
	♪ Praise him, all ye stars of light. ♪	20:30
	♪ Praise the Lord! For he hath spoken ♪	20:35
	♪ Worlds his mighty voice obeyed ♪	20:41
	♪ Laws which never shall be broken ♪	20:47
	♪ For their guidance he hath made. ♪	20:53
	♪ Praise the Lord! For he is glorious ♪	21:01
	♪ Never shall his promise fail ♪	21:07
	♪ God hath made his saints victorious ♪	21:13
	♪ Sin and death shall not prevail ♪	21:19
	♪ Praise the God of our salvation ♪	21:26
	♪ Hosts on high his power proclaim ♪	21:31
	♪ Heaven and earth and all creation ♪	21:38
	♪ Laud and magnify his Name. ♪	21:44
	(organ playing)	21:52
	♪ Glory be to our creator ♪	22:08
	♪ Praise to our redeeming Lord ♪	22:16
	♪ Glory be to our sustainer ♪	22:24
	♪ Ever three and ever one ♪	22:32
	♪ As it was in the beginning ♪	22:40
	♪ Ever shall be, Amen. ♪	22:48
	(rustling)	23:01
-	The second lesson is taken	23:10
	from Paul's letter to the Ephesians.	23:11
	Therefore, remember that at one time,	23:15
	you Gentiles in the flesh	23:18
	called the uncircumcision	23:20
	by what is called the circumcision,	23:22
	which is made in the flesh by hands.	23:24
	Remember that you were at the time,	23:27
	separated from Christ,	23:29
	alienated from the commonwealth of Israel,	23:31
	and strangers to the covenants of promise,	23:34
	having no hope and without God in the world.	23:38
	But not in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off	23:42
	have been brought near in the blood of Christ.	23:45
	For he is our peace, who has made us both one	23:48
	and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility	23:51
	by abolishing in his flesh	23:55
	the law of commandments and ordinances,	23:57
	that he might create in himself	23:59
	one new man in the place of the two,	24:01
	so making peace and might reconcile us both	24:05
	to God in one body through the cross,	24:08
	thereby bringing the hostility to an end.	24:12
	And he came and preached peace to you,	24:16
	who were far off, and peace to those who were near.	24:18
	For through him, we both have access	24:22
	in one Spirit to the Father.	24:25
	So then, you are no longer strangers and sojourners	24:28
	but you are fellow citizens	24:32
	with the saints and members of the household of God	24:34
	built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,	24:38
	Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone	24:43
	in whom the whole structure is joined together	24:47
	and grows into a holy temple in the Lord,	24:50
	in whom you are also are built into it	24:54
	for a dwelling place of God and the Spirit.	24:57
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	25:01
	(rustling)	25:05
	(organ playing)	25:36
	♪ When I survey the wondrous cross ♪	25:58
	♪ On which the Prince of Glory died ♪	26:06
	♪ My richest gain I count but loss ♪	26:15
	♪ And pour contempt on all my pride ♪	26:24
	♪ Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast ♪	26:37
	♪ Save in the death of Christ, my God ♪	26:47
	♪ All the vain things that charm me most ♪	26:56
	♪ I sacrifice them to his blood ♪	27:04
	♪ See, from his head, his hands, his feet ♪	27:22
	♪ Sorrow and love flow mingled down ♪	27:32
	♪ Did e'er such love and sorrow meet ♪	27:40
	♪ Or thorns compose so rich a crown ♪	27:49
	♪ Were the whole realm of nature mine ♪	28:13
	♪ That were a present far too small ♪	28:22
	♪ Love so amazing, so divine ♪	28:31
	♪ Demands my soul, my life, my all ♪	28:40
	♪ Amen, amen. ♪	28:52
-	The Gospel is taken from Mark.	29:30
	The apostles returned to Jesus	29:33
	and told him all they had done and taught.	29:35
	And he said to them,	29:39
	"come away by yourselves to a lonely place,	29:40
	"and rest awhile."	29:43
	For many were coming and going,	29:45
	and they had no leisure even to eat.	29:46
	And they went away in the boat	29:49
	to a lonely place by themselves.	29:51
	Now, many saw them going, and they knew them,	29:54
	and they ran there on foot from all the towns	29:57
	and got there ahead of them.	29:59
	As he went ashore, he saw a great throng	30:02
	and he had compassion on them	30:05
	because they were like sheep without a shepherd.	30:07
	And he began to teach them many things.	30:10
	This ends the reading of the Gospel.	30:14
-	I am happy to bring you greetings	30:29
	from your sister institution, Emory University.	30:32
	And I am very grateful for the opportunity	30:37
	to share in your worship in this magnificent place.	30:39
	If a poll were taken to test name recognition,	30:47
	I suspect that King David would not do too badly today.	30:54
	That episode with Goliath alone has been enough	31:01
	to assure him a place in the popular imagination.	31:07
	And his star appears	31:13
	on the flag of a modern nation.	31:18
	People know something at least about King David.	31:22
	Now, Bathsheba would not fare quite as well.	31:29
	Not a great deal is said about her in the Bible.	31:34
	She becomes the mother of Solomon,	31:39
	and she plays a role in ensuring	31:42
	that he succeeds his father as king.	31:45
	However unfair it is to her as a person,	31:50
	the only episode which tells anything much about her	31:56
	is the one we have heard today,	32:01
	which emphasizes her physical beauty.	32:03
	That of course, is enough for Hollywood,	32:08
	and she has been in her share of movies.	32:12
	So, Bathsheba is not forgotten.	32:16
	David and Bathsheba.	32:21
	We know them.	32:23
	Now, how about this Uriah the Hittite?	32:26
	Who?	32:32
	Isn't he that barbarian chief	32:36
	that went around slaughtering so many people?	32:38
	No, that's Attila the Hun.	32:42
	Uriah the Hittite.	32:48
	Perhaps you had better refresh my memory about this one.	32:52
	Is he someone from Trivial Pursuit?	33:00
	Uriah was a soldier in King David's army.	33:07
	While he was away on the field of battle,	33:11
	his commander-in-chief stayed home.	33:15
	Stayed home and had an affair with his wife.	33:18
	Now, when King David learned that Bathsheba was pregnant,	33:23
	he tried to cover it up.	33:27
	Tried to be sure that no one could suspect	33:30
	that the king was involved.	33:34
	So, he invited Uriah to come home for a visit,	33:37
	on the pretext that he wanted news of how the war was going.	33:41
	He received the report, and told Uriah	33:47
	he could be at home for a day or two.	33:51
	But Uriah spent the night	33:55
	in the servants' quarters at the palace.	33:56
	Next day, David called him in and said,	34:01
	"look, it's alright, fellow.	34:04
	"Stay another night.	34:07
	"Go home and visit with your wife."	34:08
	But Uriah said, "my companions are sleeping	34:13
	"under the open sky on the field of battle,	34:18
	"without the comforts of home,	34:22
	"and in grave danger to their lives.	34:25
	"In good conscience,	34:28
	"I cannot break my solidarity with them.	34:30
	"I will not be at home until they are at home."	34:35
	So that night, the king invited him to dinner	34:41
	and got him drunk.	34:43
	Then he said to him, "you better go home now."	34:46
	But again, Uriah slept in the servants' quarters.	34:51
	Well, we have heard the outrageous conclusion	34:57
	of this story.	35:01
	David has Uriah take a personal letter to Joab	35:04
	at the scene of the battle.	35:07
	Don't miss that detail.	35:11
	David has Uriah carry the letter	35:14
	which arranges for his death.	35:16
	He is to be placed in the forefront of the battle	35:20
	without support, so that he is sure to be killed.	35:23
	And that's the way it happens.	35:29
	And that's the way Uriah becomes a sordid little footnote	35:31
	in the grand and glorious biography of the King.	35:36
	What are we to think	35:42
	of being reminded of this ancient episode?	35:45
	Now, those of us who have read further in Samuel	35:50
	know that the prophet Nathan is waiting in the wings,	35:55
	and he is about to walk on stage	36:00
	and force David to recognize the implications of his sins.	36:03
	We are given no insights into what Bathsheba thinks.	36:09
	But we know that she lives out her life in the palace,	36:14
	and that her first child dies in apparent retribution	36:18
	for the death of Uriah.	36:23
	Of Uriah himself, nothing more is said.	36:26
	Now this much is clear about the way the story is told.	36:34
	It is meant to contrast	36:39
	the behavior of a man who has everything	36:41
	with the behavior of a man who has very little.	36:46
	In this sense, it's a story about values.	36:51
	A story about what gives life	36:57
	dignity and meaning.	37:01
	I wonder how many of us this morning	37:06
	would be willing to confess that we have a hard time	37:09
	identifying with Uriah.	37:13
	The story implies that he does not know	37:17
	what has transpired between David and Bathsheba.	37:19
	So his refusal to go home is presented	37:24
	as uncomplicated commitment to a principle.	37:29
	Regardless of whatever questions	37:37
	we might raise about the story from Bathsheba's perspective,	37:38
	we are presented with a king in the process of violating	37:43
	most of the Ten Commandments in a couple of days,	37:49
	who is stymied by this nobody,	37:54
	who cannot be persuaded to do something	37:57
	hardly anyone would hesitate to do.	38:00
	Who does Uriah think he is?	38:06
	When offered an opportunity by the powers that be,	38:10
	you take it.	38:13
	Who knows what this will lead to.	38:17
	For some reason, the eye of the King is upon you,	38:21
	and he likes what he sees.	38:25
	The king is inviting you to dinner, Uriah!	38:29
	He is giving you gifts!	38:33
	Don't be a chump!	38:36
	You can have it all, just go on home.	38:39
	What you don't know won't hurt you.	38:45
	Besides, your private life and your public life	38:48
	are two very different things.	38:52
	Now is the time, Uriah, to think about your future.	38:56
	Now, ironically, David and Uriah	39:04
	are both symbols of a deeply held American value.	39:09
	And that is the desire to be free.	39:15
	Through wealth and power,	39:21
	David had achieved the kind of freedom,	39:23
	which allowed him to do anything he pleased.	39:27
	If he wanted something, he took it.	39:31
	If he wanted to go, he went.	39:35
	For him, there were no limitations.	39:39
	But in Uriah, David met a different kind of power,	39:46
	and a different kind of freedom.	39:50
	Here was a man whose capital	39:54
	consisted not of money and influence,	39:57
	but of a highly developed sense of honor	40:01
	and integrity.	40:05
	A deep commitment to the welfare of other persons.	40:08
	He was a powerful man, morally,	40:14
	And his freedom was such,	40:18
	that he could look the king in the eye and say no.	40:21
	So what is the message here?	40:28
	It is this:	40:33
	we are confronted by a paradox.	40:36
	How often we think that we shall find freedom	40:41
	only through our achievements.	40:46
	When we have enough status, enough money,	40:51
	enough power, we will be free.	40:56
	Free to do, to go, free to have,	41:01
	and to be.	41:07
	But when we look historically	41:11
	for examples of what it means to be free,	41:14
	(static)	41:20
	When we look for examples of what it means to be free,	41:25
	we name individuals who made great commitments	41:31
	and stood by them, now don't we?	41:35
	You can have your list very quickly.	41:39
	Somewhere would be Joan of Arc,	41:42
	Mahatma Gandhi, Sojourner Truth,	41:46
	Martin Luther King, Jr.	41:52
	And so on.	41:54
	When we look historically for examples	41:56
	of radically free individuals,	42:00
	we name people who made great commitments and stood by them.	42:03
	The danger for us today, is that we will forget	42:10
	that the path to true freedom	42:15
	passes through the gate of a great commitment.	42:18
	When I was young, I heard a Methodist minister	42:24
	talking about Jesus saying that	42:27
	the way leading to life	42:31
	is narrow, while the way that leads to destruction	42:33
	is broad and easy.	42:37
	In interpreting those sayings, this man said,	42:40
	"both of these ways are tapered.	42:45
	"when you enter the narrow gate,	42:51
	it gets broader.	42:56
	"when you enter the wider gate, it narrows."	42:58
	The broad way gets narrow	43:06
	and leads to some kind of confinement.	43:08
	The narrow way gets broad and leads to freedom.	43:11
	I have found that to be a general truth,	43:17
	applied to all sorts of disciplines,	43:20
	whether academics, or sports, or music,	43:23
	or even personal finance, you name it.	43:27
	And it is a fundamental insight	43:32
	into the meaning-filled life.	43:36
	In the Jewish tradition, there is a story	43:40
	that goes like this:	43:42
	A woodsman went in to the forest	43:45
	to gather some wood for an ax.	43:49
	When he asked, the principal trees of the forest	43:53
	conferred among themselves,	43:58
	and they said the he could have what he wanted	44:01
	if he took it from the lowly ash tree.	44:03
	As soon as the woodsman had fitted the ax to its purpose,	44:08
	he began to cut down the noblest trees in the forest.	44:13
	And the oak whispered to the cedar,	44:18
	"our first concession has cost us everything.	44:22
	"if we had not sacrificed our humblest neighbor,	44:27
	"we ourselves might have stood for ages."	44:32
	The dean of a professional school recently told me,	44:39
	"our students will go to any lengths	44:43
	"to avoid making commitments.	44:45
	"They want to keep all their options open."	44:49
	We can understand that, whether we're students or not,	44:54
	for we want to be free as well.	44:58
	But at the deepest level,	45:03
	freedom means commitment	45:06
	and commitment means freedom.	45:09
	(static)	45:11
	Once Jesus sent his disciples out without him,	45:17
	he told them to go two by two and travel light,	45:22
	preaching repentance for the kingdom of God.	45:27
	When they got back, they were exhausted.	45:31
	Jesus said to them,	45:34
	"I can tell that you are really worn out.	45:36
	"Let's get in the boat and cross the lake	45:41
	"to a quiet and lonely place."	45:44
	But when they reached the place,	45:48
	the crowd had run around the shore and were waiting.	45:50
	The disciples were appalled at this intrusion	45:55
	into their private space.	45:58
	But Jesus saw these people	46:01
	and said they were like lost sheep	46:04
	without a shepherd.	46:05
	And his heart went out to them.	46:07
	Finally, the disciples couldn't take it anymore.	46:11
	And they went to Jesus and said,	46:16
	"send these people away.	46:17
	"They are hungry, the darkness is falling,	46:21
	"we are here in this lonely place.	46:25
	"Please send them away."	46:27
	Jesus said,	46:31
	"if they are hungry, give them something to eat."	46:32
	And the disciples said,	46:37
	"you want us to walk to a village	46:38
	"and buy a mountain of bread?"	46:39
	Jesus said, "how many loaves do you have?"	46:43
	Five loaves, two fishes.	46:48
	"Bring them to me," Jesus said.	46:52
	And Jesus blessed them, and the miracle happened.	46:55
	There was plenty for all.	47:00
	Now in these complicated times,	47:04
	there is a simple message, which makes all the difference.	47:07
	We get confused, and we get weary,	47:12
	by all the demands that are placed upon us.	47:16
	I know there are some here today	47:20
	who feel weary and exhausted	47:24
	with the demands placed upon them.	47:29
	We feel that our resources are inadequate.	47:34
	There isn't enough time.	47:38
	There isn't enough money.	47:41
	I know that some here today feel that most keenly.	47:44

-	And lay it at Jesus' feet.	0:05
	Commit your life into his hands.	0:11
	He will bless you,	0:17
	He will show you that life is surprisingly abundant.	0:20
	And He will set you free.	0:26
	Amen.	0:30
	(organ playing Diademata)	0:37
	♪ Make me a captive, Lord ♪	1:17
	♪ And then I shall be free ♪	1:22
	♪ Force me to render up my sword ♪	1:27
	♪ And I shall a conqueror be ♪	1:32
	♪ I sink in life's alarms ♪	1:37
	♪ When by myself I stand ♪	1:42
	♪ Imprison me within Thine arms ♪	1:47
	♪ And strong shall be my hand. ♪	1:52
	♪ My heart is weak and poor ♪	1:59
	♪ Until its master find ♪	2:03
	♪ It has no spring of action sure ♪	2:08
	♪ It varies with the wind ♪	2:13
	♪ It cannot freely move ♪	2:18
	♪ Til Thou hast wrought its chain ♪	2:24
	♪ Enslave it with Thy matchless love ♪	2:29
	♪ And deathless it shall reign. ♪	2:34
	♪ My power is faint and low ♪	2:42
	♪ Til I have learned to serve ♪	2:46
	♪ It wants the needed fire to glow ♪	2:51
	♪ It wants the breeze to nerve ♪	2:56
	♪ It cannot drive the world ♪	3:02
	♪ Until itself be driven ♪	3:07
	♪ Its flag can only be unfurled ♪	3:12
	♪ When Thou shalt breathe from Heaven ♪	3:17
	♪ My will is not my own ♪	3:24
	♪ Til Thou hast made it Thine ♪	3:28
	♪ If it would reach the monarch's throne ♪	3:33
	♪ It must its crown resign ♪	3:38
	♪ It only stands unbent ♪	3:44
	♪ Amid the clashing strife ♪	3:48
	♪ When on Thy bosom it has lent ♪	3:53
	♪ And found in Thee its life ♪	3:58
-	Let us unite in this historic confession	4:07
	of the Christian faith.	4:10
	I believe in God the Father, almighty.	4:13
	Maker of Heaven and Earth	4:16
	and in Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord	4:19
	who is conceived by the Holy Spirit,	4:23
	born of the Virgin Mary,	4:26
	suffered under Pontius Pilate,	4:28
	was crucified, dead and buried.	4:30
	The third day he rose from the dead.	4:33
	He ascended into Heaven and sitted at the right hand	4:36
	of God the Father, almighty.	4:40
	From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	4:42
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church,	4:47
	the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins,	4:51
	the resurrection of the body,	4:55
	and the life everlasting, amen.	4:57
	The Lord be with you.	5:02
Congregation	And also with you.	5:04
-	Let us pray.	5:05
	After each petition, the congregation will say	5:09
	"Hear our prayer."	5:12
	Let us pray that the world may live in peace	5:16
	and that the church may achieve unity,	5:21
	fulfilling its service here and everywhere,	5:25
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	5:30
	That all ministers and teachers in the church	5:36
	may be faithful servants of the Gospel,	5:39
	leading others into its way of life	5:43
	and strengthening their faith,	5:46
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	5:49
	That the leaders of this nation	5:55
	and of the world	5:57
	may govern with justice and mercy,	6:00
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	6:04
	That all our work may be done for the common good,	6:09
	that it be done in safety, and that all may be spared	6:13
	from grinding toil which destroys fullness of life.	6:17
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	6:23
	That those who work on the frontiers of truth	6:28
	that those that enrich our lives with beauty and joy,	6:32
	particularly those who work at this university	6:36
	may be free to follow their vocations.	6:40
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	6:44
	That those who suffer from disease, or poverty,	6:49
	or loneliness or grief may be healed and comforted	6:53
	and that those that are oppressed or persecuted	7:00
	may be strengthened and delivered.	7:02
	Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.	7:05
	That those whom we have known and loved	7:11
	who have died in the faith may be a glorious memory to us.	7:14
	And a source of renewed fellowship with all the saints.	7:20
	Lord, in your mercy,	7:25
	hear our prayer.	7:28
	As a forgiven and reconciled people,	7:31
	let us now offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	7:35
	(organ music)	7:45
	♪ Blessed, ♪	8:56
	♪ blessed is the Lord ♪	9:00
	♪ Blessed is the man who walks not in ♪	9:04
	♪ The counsel of the ungodly ♪	9:11
	♪ Nor stands in the way of sinners ♪	9:19
	♪ Nor sits in the seat of scoffers ♪	9:26
	♪ But his delight ♪	9:37
	♪ Is in the law ♪	9:41
	♪ Of the Lord ♪	9:45
	♪ In the law ♪	9:48
	♪ And on His law ♪	10:01
	♪ He meditates day and night ♪	10:06
	♪ He is like a tree ♪	10:20
	♪ He's like a tree ♪	10:26
	♪ A tree planted ♪	10:33
	♪ Planted by streams ♪	10:38
	♪ of water ♪	10:44
	♪ He is like a tree ♪	10:49
	♪ He is like a tree ♪	10:56
	♪ A tree planted, ♪	11:03
	♪ planted by streams ♪	11:08
	♪ By streams ♪	11:19
	♪ Of water ♪	11:27
	(organ music)	11:38
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	13:54
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below; ♪	14:00
	♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪	14:06
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; ♪	14:13
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! ♪	14:20
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah, ♪	14:25
	♪ hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	14:31
	♪ Praise the Father ♪	14:37
	♪ Praise Him ♪	14:45
	Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks	14:55
	for this time of worship.	14:58
	For this weekly celebration of your resurrection	15:01
	and power in our lives.	15:04
	We thank you for all things great and small	15:07
	which enrich our lives.	15:10
	For lazy, comfortable summer days,	15:12
	for times of vacation and rest,	15:16
	for times of work and productivity,	15:20
	in this rhythm of our lives we see your love.	15:23
	We thank you also for your son Jesus Christ,	15:27
	in his person and teaching he has brought us true freedom	15:31
	by giving us something worthwhile to do with our lives	15:37
	and by showing us the way to the truth and the life.	15:42
	We thank you for your Word, delivered to us	15:48
	and made alive in our lives by your Holy Spirit.	15:52
	Praying as we have been taught:	15:56
	Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.	15:59
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth	16:04
	as it is in Heaven.	16:08
	Give us this day our daily bread	16:11
	and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those	16:14
	who trespass against us.	16:18
	And lead us not into temptation	16:20
	but deliver us from evil.	16:23
	For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory	16:25
	forever, amen.	16:30
	(organ music)	16:34
	♪ The church's one foundation ♪	17:14
	♪ Is Jesus Christ her Lord ♪	17:19
	♪ She is His new creation ♪	17:24
	♪ By water and the Word ♪	17:29
	♪ From Heaven he came and sought her ♪	17:34
	♪ To be His holy bride ♪	17:39
	♪ With His own blood He bought her, ♪	17:44
	♪ And for her life He died ♪	17:49
	♪ Elect from every nation ♪	17:56
	♪ Yet one o'er all the earth ♪	18:01
	♪ Her charter of salvation ♪	18:06
	♪ One Lord, one faith, one birth ♪	18:11
	♪ One holy name she blesses ♪	18:16
	♪ Partakes one holy food ♪	18:21
	♪ And to one hope she presses ♪	18:26
	♪ With every grace endued ♪	18:31
	♪ 'Mid toil and tribulation ♪	18:38
	♪ And tumult of her war ♪	18:43
	♪ She waits the consummation ♪	18:49
	♪ Of peace for evermore ♪	18:54
	♪ Til with the vision glorious ♪	18:59
	♪ Her longing eyes are blessed ♪	19:04
	♪ And the great church victorious ♪	19:09
	♪ Shall be the church at rest ♪	19:14
	♪ Yet she on earth hath union ♪	19:23
	♪ With God the three in one ♪	19:28
	♪ And mystic sweet communion ♪	19:32
	♪ With those whose rest is won ♪	19:37
	♪ O happy ones and holy ♪	19:42
	♪ Lord, give us grace that we ♪	19:47
	♪ Like them the meek and lowly ♪	19:53
	♪ On high may dwell with Thee ♪	19:58
-	Grace from our Savior, Jesus Christ.	20:08
	The love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,	20:12
	go forth with you now and always.	20:15
	♪ Amen, amen, ♪	20:22
	♪ amen, amen. ♪	20:29
	♪ Amen, amen, ♪	20:40
	♪ amen ♪	20:56
	(organ music)	21:09

Item Info

Title:

Donald G. Shockley - "When Commitment Means Freedom" (July 21, 1985)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1): 30:29. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 00:32.
The story of David and Bathsheba presents two different pictures of freedom through the characters of David and Uriah. On the one hand, David has achieved the kind of freedom that allows him to do whatever he wants because of wealth and power; on the other hand, Uriah 's freedom did not come through wealth or influence but in his honor and integrity. Thus, freedom comes not from a lack of restraint but in holding to great commitments. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “When we look historically for examples of radically free individuals, we name people who made great commitments and stood by them. The danger for us today is that we will forget that the path to true freedom passes through the gate of a great commitment.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4vx06j4q

Date:

July 21, 1985

Speaker:

Shockley, Donald G.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0277
ref8075_9rx
uachapelsermaud
duke:320500
dcrau001264
ark:/87924/r4vx06j4q
fb44aad0-0e52-4db1-8846-5aaea7d191e4

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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