William H. Willimon - "The First Christmas Pageant" (December 22, 1985)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (2)
- MP3 Part 1
- MP3 Part 2
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4891259f?embed=true' height='125px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4891259f
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(soft music)	0:42
	(choir singing)	0:55
	(choir singing)	4:11
	(soft music)	6:33
	(singing in foreign language)	6:52
	(singing in foreign language)	11:10
	(soft music)	13:29
	(choir singing)	13:34
	♪ Oh holy night the stars are brightly shining ♪	15:12
	♪ It is the night of our dear savior's birth ♪	15:20
	♪ Long lay the world in sin and error pining ♪	15:32
	♪ 'Til he appeared and the soul felt its worth ♪	15:40
	♪ A thrill of hope ♪	15:49
	♪ The weary world rejoices ♪	15:52
	♪ For yonder breaks ♪	15:56
	♪ A new and glorious morn ♪	16:00
	♪ Fall on your knees ♪	16:04
	♪ Oh hear the angel voices ♪	16:12
	♪ Oh night divine ♪	16:19
	♪ Oh night when Christ was born ♪	16:26
	♪ Oh night divine ♪	16:33
	♪ Oh night, oh night divine ♪	16:41
	♪ Truly he taught us to love one another ♪	16:58
	♪ His law is love and his gospel is peace ♪	17:05
	♪ Chains shall he break ♪	17:17
	♪ For the slave is our brother ♪	17:20
	♪ And in his name all oppression shall cease ♪	17:25
	♪ Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we ♪	17:34
	♪ Let all within us praise His holy name ♪	17:41
	♪ Christ is the Lord ♪	17:49
	♪ Then ever, ever praise we ♪	17:57
	♪ His power and glory ♪	18:04
	♪ Evermore proclaim ♪	18:10
	♪ His power and glory ♪	18:18
	♪ Evermore proclaim ♪	18:25
	♪ Christ is the Lord ♪	18:33
	♪ Then ever, ever praise we ♪	18:39
	♪ His power and glory ♪	18:46
	♪ Evermore proclaim ♪	18:53
	♪ His power and glory ♪	19:00
	♪ Evermore proclaim ♪	19:08
	(intense music)	19:36
	(woman singing)	19:52
	♪ Angels we have heard on high ♪	24:28
	♪ Sweetly singing o'er the plains ♪	24:32
	♪ And the mountains in reply ♪	24:35
	♪ Echoing their joyous strains ♪	24:39
	♪ Gloria ♪	24:43
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	24:49
	♪ Gloria ♪	24:53
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	25:00
	♪ Joy to the world the Lord is come ♪	25:11
	♪ Let earth receiver her king ♪	25:14
	♪ Let every heart prepare Him room ♪	25:18
	♪ And heaven and nature sing ♪	25:21
	♪ And heaven and nature sing ♪	25:23
	♪ And heaven and heaven and nature sing ♪	25:25
	♪ Joy to the world the savior reigns ♪	25:31
	♪ Let men their songs employ ♪	25:34
	♪ While fields and floods ♪	25:38
	♪ Rocks, hills, and plains ♪	25:40
	♪ Repeat the sounding joy ♪	25:42
	♪ Repeat the sounding joy ♪	25:44
	♪ Repeat, repeat the sounding joy ♪	25:46
	♪ He rules the world with truth and grace ♪	25:51
	♪ And makes the nations prove ♪	25:55
	♪ The glories of His righteousness ♪	25:58
	♪ And wonders of His love ♪	26:02
	♪ And wonders of His love ♪	26:04
	♪ And wonders, wonders of His love ♪	26:06
	(soft music)	26:29
	(singing in foreign language)	26:31
	♪ Silent night ♪	27:32
	♪ Holy night ♪	27:37
	(singing in foreign language)	27:41
	♪ Jesus Christ our Lord ♪	28:07
	♪ Jesus Christ our Lord ♪	28:14
	♪ Silent night ♪	28:28
	♪ Holy night ♪	28:33
	(singing in foreign language)	28:36
	♪ Christ our savior is born ♪	28:59
	♪ Jesus our savior is born ♪	29:10
	(soft music)	29:37
-	Good morning.	31:55
	I welcome you to Duke Chapel this fourth Sunday of Advent.	31:56
	Is it our joy to have as our guest choir	32:00
	again this year, the North Carolina Boy Choir	32:03
	under the direction of Mr. Bill Graham	32:07
	and Mr. Michael Shannon.	32:09
	And we're glad to have them with us.	32:11
	They'll be with us again for our late	32:13
	Christmas Eve service on Christmas Eve at 11PM.	32:15
	And you will note, we also again this year	32:20
	will have an early Christmas Eve service.	32:22
	And we hope that you'll be back with us	32:25
	for one of these services.	32:28
	The first hymn is incorrectly listed in the bulletin.	32:30
	We're going to sing, as we have for each Sunday in Advent,	32:33
	hymn number 364, Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending.	32:37
	Number 364, after the boys sing our choral intro.	32:43
	Glad you're here, let us continue our worship.	32:48
	(choir singing)	33:04
	♪ Lo, he comes with clouds descending ♪	35:03
	♪ Once for favored sinners slain ♪	35:06
	♪ Thousand, thousand saints attending ♪	35:12
	♪ Swell the triumph of his train ♪	35:18
	♪ Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ♪	35:24
	♪ God appears on earth to reign ♪	35:33
	♪ God appears on earth to reign ♪	35:39
	♪ Every eye shall now behold him ♪	35:48
	♪ Robed in dreadful majesty ♪	35:54
	♪ Those who set at naught and sold him ♪	36:00
	♪ Pierced and nailed him to the tree ♪	36:06
	♪ Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing ♪	36:13
	♪ Shall the true Messiah see ♪	36:22
	♪ Shall the true Messiah see ♪	36:28
	♪ The dear tokens of his passion ♪	36:37
	♪ Still his dazzling body bears ♪	36:43
	♪ Cause of endless exultation ♪	36:49
	♪ To his ransomed worshipers ♪	36:55
	♪ With what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture, ♪	37:02
	♪ Gaze we on those glorious scars ♪	37:12
	♪ Gaze we on those glorious scars ♪	37:17
	♪ Yea, amen let all adore thee ♪	37:27
	♪ High on thy eternal throne ♪	37:33
	♪ Savior, take the power and glory ♪	37:39
	♪ Claim the kingdom for thine own ♪	37:46
	♪ Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ♪	37:52
	♪ Everlasting God, come down ♪	38:03
	♪ Everlasting God, come down ♪	38:09
	Let us pray.	38:22
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God	38:32
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	38:35
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	38:38
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, amen.	38:42
	The first lesson is taken from the book of Micah.	38:48
	But you, oh Bethlehem Affertha,	38:52
	who are little to be among the clans of Judah,	38:55
	from you shall come forth for me	38:59
	one who is to be ruler in Israel.	39:01
	Whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.	39:04
	Therefore, he shall give them forth.	39:08
	Therefore, he shall give them up until the time	39:14
	when she who is in travail has brought forth.	39:17
	Then the rest of his brethren shall return	39:21
	to the people of Israel.	39:23
	And he shall stand and feed his flock	39:25
	in the strength of the Lord,	39:28
	in the majesty of the name of the Lord, his God.	39:31
	And they shall dwell secure,	39:35
	for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.	39:37
	And this shall be peace, when the Assyrian comes	39:41
	into our land and treads upon our soil.	39:44
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	39:48
-	The congregation is invited to join in singing	40:03
	the canticle number 670 in the backs of the hymnals.	40:07
	Please rise.	40:11
	(soft music)	40:26
	♪ My soul doth magnify the Lord ♪	40:36
	♪ And my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my savior ♪	40:41
	♪ For he hath regarded the lowliness ♪	40:48
	♪ Of his handmaiden ♪	40:55
	♪ For behold, from henceforth all generations ♪	40:59
	♪ Shall call me blessed ♪	41:06
	♪ For he that is mighty and magnified be ♪	41:10
	♪ And holy is his name ♪	41:16
	♪ And his mercy is on them that fear him ♪	41:22
	♪ Throughout all generations ♪	41:27
	♪ He hath showed strength with his arm ♪	41:33
	♪ He hath scattered the proud ♪	41:38
	♪ In the imagination of their hearts ♪	41:41
	♪ He hath put down the mighty from their seat ♪	41:46
	♪ And hath exalted the humble and meek ♪	41:52
	♪ He hath filled the hungry with good things ♪	41:59
	♪ And the rich he hath sent empty away ♪	42:04
	♪ He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel ♪	42:11
	♪ As he promised to our forefathers Abraham ♪	42:19
	♪ And his seed forever ♪	42:24
	♪ Glory be to the Father and to the Son ♪	42:29
	♪ And to the Holy Ghost ♪	42:35
	♪ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be ♪	42:40
	♪ World without end, amen ♪	42:48
-	The gospel lesson is taken from Luke.	43:08
	In those days, Mary arose and went with haste	43:10
	into the hill country into a city in Judah.	43:15
	And she entered the house of Zachary and greeted Elizabeth.	43:18
	And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary,	43:22
	the babe leaped in her womb.	43:25
	And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,	43:27
	and she exclaimed with a loud cry.	43:30
	Blessed are you among women,	43:32
	and blessed is the fruit of your womb.	43:35
	And why is this granted me that the mother	43:37
	of my Lord should come to me?	43:40
	For behold when the word of your greeting came to my ears,	43:43
	the babe in my womb leaped for joy.	43:46
	And blessed is she who believed that there would be	43:49
	a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.	43:52
	And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord	43:57
	and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior.	44:00
	For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.	44:04
	For behold, henceforth all generations	44:08
	will call me blessed.	44:11
	For He who is mighty has done great things for me	44:12
	and holy is His name.	44:16
	And His mercy is on those who fear Him	44:18
	from generation to generation.	44:20
	He has showed strength with His arm.	44:23
	He has scattered the proud in the imagination	44:25
	of their hearts.	44:28
	He has put down the mighty from their thrones.	44:29
	And has exalted those of low degree.	44:32
	He has filled the hungry with good things,	44:35
	and the rich he has sent empty away.	44:37
	He has helped his servant, Israel,	44:41
	in remembrance of His mercy as He spoke	44:43
	to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.	44:46
	This ends the reading of the gospel.	44:51
	(soft music)	45:12
	(choir singing foreign language)	45:54

	(singing in foreign language)	0:04
-	Christmas isn't Christmas at our house	0:56
	without reading aloud Barbara Robinson's	0:58
	delightful little book,	1:03
	The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.	1:05
	It is an uproarious, irreverent, deeply moving account	1:10
	of the best Christmas pageant ever,	1:15
	at the First Presbyterian Church,	1:18
	in which the chief culprits were the horrible Herdmans	1:21
	who were absolutely the worst kids	1:28
	in the history of the world.	1:31
	They lied, and stole, and smoked cigars,	1:33
	even the girls.	1:37
	And they talked dirty and hit little kids	1:40
	and cursed their teachers,	1:42
	and took the name of the Lord in vain,	1:44
	and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse.	1:46
	What the Herdmans, Claude, LeRoy, Emma Jean, Ollie,	1:52
	and Gladys do to the Nativity	1:57
	is a story that you must read for yourself.	2:00
	Now I confess that I have always	2:05
	shared Bill Meal's sentiments about Christmas pageant.	2:06
	Bill will be preaching here in a couple of months.	2:11
	In one of his books, he writes,	2:16
	"I feel about Christmas pageants the way rats	2:17
	"are reputed to feel about sinking ships."	2:22
	Like Meal, I have lamented that these theatrical travesties	2:26
	have become as much a part of Yuletide as indigestion.	2:30
	In scores of church fellowship halls throughout this land	2:36
	at this time of year, eight year old shepherds	2:40
	in their fathers' altered bath robes	2:45
	and mothers' sandals, with shoe polish beards	2:47
	will call at cardboard mangers to be greeted	2:51
	by solemn 11-year-old Josephs and besheeted Marys,	2:56
	watched over by tinsel and glitter-glued blonde angels	3:01
	in twin bedsheets.	3:06
	I've noted that when your child is in such a pageant,	3:09
	I consider it a theatrical scandal	3:15
	and a theological sacrilege.	3:18
	Oddly enough, when my child is in such a pageant,	3:21
	it is strangely the most moving thing I have ever seen,	3:24
	and the highlight of my Christmas.	3:27
	(audience laughs)	3:29
	But lately, with the help of	3:31
	The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,	3:32
	I've come to a different opinion	3:35
	of these childhood theatricals.	3:36
	My theory is this:	3:41
	that you may never understand	3:45
	the Christmas story	3:47
	until you see it done or undone	3:51
	by the kindergarten through sixth grade church school class	3:54
	as only they can do it.	3:57
	You know how we usually conceive of the Nativity?	4:01
	In our hands, the people of that first Christmas story	4:06
	come out looking as pious and religious and noble	4:10
	as the participants in	4:15
	the annual Perry Como Christmas Special.	4:16
	Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds	4:20
	seem so sure of what they are doing	4:26
	and the parts that they are playing,	4:28
	as if they've been carefully rehearsing	4:30
	over and over again for the past 2000 years.	4:32
	They all make their entrances on cue.	4:36
	They meet Gabriel.	4:40
	They confidently go through the birth experience,	4:42
	and then receive a few wise men from the East,	4:45
	and then they exit majestically towards Egypt.	4:49
	You see, the problem is that we've heard it	4:56
	and we've read it so many times, over and over again,	4:59
	that we've come to expect it to go right.	5:03
	Mary isn't surprised when the angel tells her	5:07
	that she is expecting.	5:11
	Joseph is told not to fear, and he doesn't.	5:15
	Mary believes that she is blessed,	5:19
	and Joseph is not at all confused	5:21
	because we know how the story will end.	5:24
	It all goes off without a hitch.	5:26
	Everybody's in complete control.	5:28
	That's the way religious people are supposed to act.	5:31
	But the disarming thing about childrens' Christmas pageants	5:37
	is that they hardly ever go off that way.	5:41
	No matter how fine the bathrobes	5:48
	or how professional the makeup	5:51
	or how great the quantity of hay deposited upon the stage,	5:53
	something invariably goes wrong.	5:59
	Mary, Joseph, the rest of the cast just never seem	6:01
	to look as dignified and religious	6:06
	as we expect them to look.	6:09
	They just never look like those figures	6:11
	on the Christmas cards.	6:13
	The shepherds usually act as confused and dumbfounded	6:17
	as the sheep they are supposed to be watching over.	6:21
	The Wise Men may look overly dressed,	6:24
	but rarely do they look overly wise.	6:27
	Eleven year old Joseph is always embarrassed	6:30
	to be standing that close to Mary,	6:33
	or for that matter, any girl.	6:35
	And Mary, despite her efforts to look	6:38
	like one who is blessed among women,	6:42
	always looks like one who is confused, bewildered,	6:46
	about to giggle, and who has not the slightest notion	6:52
	of what to do with a baby,	6:56
	much less what her next line is supposed to be.	6:59
	Here's how the rehearsal for	7:04
	The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is described,	7:06
	Mother said, "And here is the Herdman family,	7:10
	"and we're so glad to see you all," which was probably	7:14
	the biggest lie said right out loud in a church.	7:17
	Emma Jean smiled, it was that Herdman smile we called it,	7:22
	a sly, sneaky smile.	7:26
	And there they sat, the closest things to criminals	7:30
	that we knew anything about,	7:33
	and they were going to represent everything	7:35
	that was beautiful.	7:37
	No wonder everybody was worked up.	7:39
	Mother started to separate everyone into angels	7:42
	and shepherds, and then guests at the inn,	7:45
	but right away she ran into trouble.	7:48
	"Who were the shepherds?" LeRoy Herdman wanted to know,	7:50
	"Where'd they come from?"	7:53
	"What was the inn?" Claude asked, "What's an inn?"	7:55
	"It's like a motel," somebody said,	7:58
	"where people go to spend the night."	8:01
	"What people?" Claude said, "Jesus?"	8:02
	"Oh, honestly," Alice Wendleken grumbled,	8:05
	"Jesus wasn't even born yet.	8:07
	"Mary and Joseph went there."	8:08
	"Why?" Ralph asked.	8:10
	"What happened first?" Emma Jean hollered,	8:12
	"Begin at the beginning.	8:15
	You see, the thing was,	8:18
	the Herdmans didn't know anything about the Christmas story.	8:19
	They knew that Christmas was Jesus' birthday,	8:21
	but everything else was news to them.	8:24
	The shepherds, the wise men, the star, the stable.	8:26
	"They never went to church in their whole life	8:30
	until your little brother told them	8:33
	we got refreshments here," Alice said.	8:34
	"And all you ever hear about Christmas in school	8:37
	is how to make ornaments out of aluminum foil,	8:39
	so how could they know anything about Christmas?"	8:42
	Mother said she'd better begin by reading	8:46
	the Christmas story from the Bible,	8:48
	and that was a pain in the neck to most of us	8:50
	because we already knew the whole thing backward	8:52
	and forward, and never had to be told anything	8:54
	except who we were supposed to be	8:56
	and where we were supposed to stand in the pageant.	8:58
	"Joseph and Mary, his espoused wife being great with child,"	9:01
	"Pregnant!" yelled Ralph Herdman.	9:07
	That stirred things up.	9:09
	All the big kids began to giggle,	9:11
	the little kids want to know what was so funny,	9:12
	and mother had to hammer on the floor	9:15
	with the blackboard pointer.	9:16
	"That's enough, Ralph," she said,	9:18
	and she went on with the story.	9:20
	"I don't think it's very nice to say	9:22
	that Mary was pregnant," Alice whispered.	9:24
	"But she was," I pointed out.	9:26
	In a way, though, I agreed with her.	9:29
	It sounded too ordinary.	9:30
	I mean, anybody could be pregnant.	9:32
	Great with child sounded more right for Mary.	9:34
	"I'm not supposed to talk about people being pregnant,"	9:38
	Alice folded her hands in her lap,	9:40
	pinched her lips together.	9:42
	"I'd better tell my mother."	9:44
	"Tell her what?"	9:46
	"Well, tell her that your mother's	9:47
	talking about things like that in church.	9:49
	"My mother probably doesn't even want me to be here."	9:50
	(congregation laughs)	9:53
	I'm pretty sure she would	9:54
	because she wanted to be Mary, and she was mad at mother.	9:56
	And I knew, too, that she would make it sound	9:59
	a lot worse than it really was.	10:01
	Ms. Wendleken would get madder than she already was.	10:04
	Ms. Wendleken didn't even want cats to have kittens	10:06
	or birds to lay eggs, and she wouldn't let Alice play	10:09
	with anybody who had rabbits.	10:11
	(congregation laughs)	10:14
	Well, and so Christmas pageants	10:15
	are usually cute, laughable,	10:19
	comic, sometimes ridiculous.	10:25
	But rarely are they as we imagine	10:29
	that first Christmas scene really was.	10:32
	Or are they?	10:37
	I remember the last time I saw the children	10:40
	at my church go through the nativity	10:42
	at their Christmas pageant, it occurred to me	10:44
	that maybe this was exactly how Saint Luke	10:48
	was trying to say that it really happened.	10:51
	Because it could not have been as tied down	10:57
	and neat and religious as we like to picture it.	10:59
	Because whatever that first Advent was,	11:05
	it had to be a little confusing, unnerving,	11:08
	even a little ridiculous,	11:14
	because it had to do with God, the Lord of Lords,	11:17
	King of Kings, Prince of Peace	11:20
	becoming flesh	11:22
	and dwelling among us.	11:25
	And there's got to be something unnerving about that.	11:31
	I venture that Mary did not look too much	11:36
	like the Queen of Heaven that night in Bethlehem.	11:39
	I believe, with Martin Luther, that she probably	11:44
	looked more like your average, rather confused,	11:47
	bewildered teenager from your church youth group	11:52
	who was about to giggle in her nervousness	11:56
	and had not the slightest notion	11:58
	of what her next line was supposed to be,	12:00
	much less what to do with a baby.	12:03
	And Joseph,	12:07
	if he had any feelings at all,	12:10
	he must have felt embarrassment,	12:11
	for he was in a rather embarrassing situation.	12:14
	And the shepherds,	12:19
	in spite of the angels' admonition to fear not,	12:21
	were surely as scared to death	12:25
	if a similar thing happened to you or to me,	12:27
	when we're at work.	12:31
	You see, they were all in over their heads,	12:34
	wondering how people like them got caught	12:38
	out on stage in a drama like this.	12:42
	There wasn't any time to rehearse,	12:47
	or to strike a sufficiently religious and pious pose,	12:50
	or to act as if you knew what you were doing	12:55
	or how the play would end.	13:01
	It all came upon them and swept over them,	13:05
	and swept them along to Egypt and to Jerusalem,	13:08
	and then on and on.	13:13
	A friend of mine recently had the opportunity	13:18
	to travel where I've always wanted to go.	13:21
	That's to cruise down the Nile	13:23
	and to view the magnificent Egyptian Temples	13:27
	of Karnak and Luxor.	13:30
	The largest religious buildings ever built	13:33
	in the history of the world, they say.	13:36
	And she told me how impressive even the ruins are.	13:40
	At Karnak, they've got columns that are so big	13:44
	that 25 people can stand on the capital of the column	13:47
	and still have room to move around.	13:51
	She said they were the most monumental,	13:54
	amazing things she'd ever seen.	13:56
	And then her tour went from Karnak and Luxor in Egypt	14:00
	to the Holy Land,	14:07
	and to a little tiny town called Bethlehem.	14:11
	And she said, "I've never been so disappointed in my life."	14:16
	Said, "It's a dirty, dusty little town	14:18
	"with narrow streets and a bunch of cars honking,	14:22
	"and the smell of diesel fuel and neon lights."	14:24
	"And when we got to the alleged location	14:29
	"of the nativity, there were people selling postcards	14:31
	"and hawking their wares and picking pockets,	14:34
	"and it was all so squalid and uninspiring, and,"	14:37
	and said, "Then it hit me."	14:42
	"This is the glory of the Christian faith,	14:46
	"but unlike the ancient Egyptians,	14:52
	"when we talk about where God is,	14:54
	we don't have any great, impressive monuments to point to."	14:57
	"We point to a grubby, little backwater,	15:03
	out-of-the-way town,	15:07
	and say, "That is where God is."	15:13
	This is how God is always among us.	15:20
	This is Emmanuel.	15:25
	Like Mary, like Joseph,	15:31
	we're busy at home	15:35
	wrapping packages and minding our own business.	15:38
	Falling in love and getting engaged	15:42
	and filling out forms for the IRS,	15:44
	and complaining about the government	15:48
	and receiving strange relatives	15:50
	from the east bearing perfume.	15:51
	(congregation laughs)	15:54
	Plodding through the everydayness of our lives	15:55
	in little backwater towns like Bethlehem or Durham,	15:58
	and then God chooses	16:04
	to reveal something of Himself to His world.	16:07
	To perform some act of love or courage through us.	16:13
	And we, whether we know the right lines	16:20
	or have the right experience or gifts,	16:26
	we get pushed out onto the stage of history	16:30
	to act out our parts as best we can.	16:34
	To run some errand.	16:39
	And there we are filling roles that are far too big for us,	16:44
	wondering what the next line is going to be.	16:50
	Doing our best to do what He wants us to do,	16:55
	even though we're not sure why He wanted us to do it.	16:58
	That is Emmanuel.	17:04
	So, if by chance this Yuletide,	17:11
	some angelic messenger	17:16
	from God should appear to you,	17:19
	whether it be the angel Gabriel	17:24
	or an angel like most of those one sees	17:27
	this time of year, with a median age of eight years,	17:29
	wearing an old bedsheet over tennis shoes and Levis,	17:33
	topped with tinsel halo and cardboard wings.	17:37
	That angel's word to you	17:43
	is the same word that the angel spoke to Mary.	17:46
	"Hail, oh favored ones.	17:52
	"The Lord is with you,	17:57
	and you, and you.	18:00
	"With you, Amen."	18:04
	(Organ plays Oh Little Town of Bethlehem)	18:17
	♪ Oh Little town of Bethlehem, ♪	18:59
	♪ How still we see thee lie. ♪	19:04
	♪ Above thy deep and dreamless sleep ♪	19:10
	♪ The silent stars go by. ♪	19:15
	♪ Yet in thy dark streets shineth ♪	19:21
	♪ The everlasting light. ♪	19:26
	♪ The hopes and fears of all the years ♪	19:32
	♪ Are met in thee tonight. ♪	19:37
	♪ For Christ is born of Mary ♪	19:46
	♪ And gathered all above, ♪	19:51
	♪ While mortals sleep the angels keep ♪	19:57
	♪ Their watch of wondering love. ♪	20:02
	♪ Oh morning stars together ♪	20:09
	♪ Proclaim the Holy birth. ♪	20:14
	♪ And praises sing to God our King ♪	20:20
	♪ And peace to men on Earth. ♪	20:26
	♪ How silently, how silently ♪	20:34
	♪ The wondrous gift is given ♪	20:40
	♪ So God imparts to human hearts ♪	20:46
	♪ The blessings of His heaven. ♪	20:51
	♪ No ear may hear His coming ♪	20:58
	♪ But in this world of sin, ♪	21:03
	♪ Where meek souls will receive Him still ♪	21:09
	♪ The dear Christ enters in. ♪	21:14
	♪ Oh holy child of Bethlehem ♪	21:23
	♪ Descend to us, we pray. ♪	21:28
	♪ Cast out our sin and enter in ♪	21:34
	♪ Be born in us today. ♪	21:40
	♪ We hear the Christmas angels ♪	21:46
	♪ The great glad tidings tell ♪	21:51
	♪ O come to us, abide with us ♪	21:57
	♪ Our Lord Emmanuel ♪	22:03
-	Let us join in the historic affirmation of our faith,	22:14
	The Apostle's Creed.	22:18
-	I believe in God the Father Almighty,	22:20
	maker of heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ	22:23
	His only Son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	22:26
	born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	22:31
	was crucified, dead and buried.	22:36
	The third day, He rose from the dead.	22:39
	He ascended into heaven and sitteth	22:41
	at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.	22:44
	From thence, He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	22:47
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic church,	22:51
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,	22:56
	the resurrection of the body,	23:00
	and the life everlasting, Amen.	23:02
-	The Lord be with you.	23:06
-	And also with you.	23:08
-	Let us pray.	23:09
	Oh Eternal God, Mother and Father to us all,	23:25
	with whom nothing is impossible,	23:29
	as we continue our pilgrimage toward the manger	23:33
	in Bethlehem, we lift our prayers unto thee.	23:36
	We come as shepherds out of our curiosity,	23:41
	our loneliness, our longing to know thee.	23:45
	We come as wise men, regarded as strangers,	23:50
	journeying from afar, prone to look in the wrong places.	23:55
	We come as Mary and Joseph, seeking to answer the call	24:02
	to obedience requiring us to give our very lives unto thee.	24:06
	We come in response to the angels singing,	24:13
	having heard them proclaim the good news,	24:17
	as we fumble to join in their songs of jubilation.	24:20
	Help us, oh God in these final days of preparation	24:25
	for the coming of the Holy Child, that we may come	24:29
	to thee truly ready to receive thee.	24:32
	We pray, thee redeeming God, to bless those	24:38
	for whom there is little joy at Christmas time.	24:41
	Bless those who are aged and forlorn,	24:46
	for those overcome by a sense of uselessness.	24:50
	Bless those who have suffered loss,	24:54
	and are acutely aware of their grief in this season.	24:57
	Bless those who are poor, who suffer	25:03
	not as much for their own sakes, as for their longing	25:06
	to give gifts they cannot afford.	25:09
	Bless those who are ill,	25:13
	and must spend this time of joy in pain.	25:16
	Bless those who are hungry and long to be filled.	25:20
	Bless those who are far from home,	25:26
	or even are without a home,	25:29
	and are lonely and forgotten among strangers.	25:32
	We beseech thee, reconciling God,	25:37
	send thy spirit among all people this blessed season.	25:40
	Make this a time when those	25:45
	who are estranged may be reconciled.	25:47
	Make this a time when those who have drifted apart	25:52
	will find each other again.	25:55
	Make this a time when the vision of peace on earth	25:58
	will be rekindled within each of us,	26:01
	and genuine strides toward that peace may be made.	26:04
	We thank thee, oh loving God, for the greatest	26:10
	and best gift of all, Jesus Christ our Lord.	26:12
	That He took our common life upon Him	26:17
	to be like us, in order that we might be like Him.	26:20
	May Christ be born again within each of us.	26:26
	This we ask for thy love's sake, amen.	26:31
	And now in the spirit of thanksgiving	26:39
	for all that God has done,	26:40
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves to God.	26:43
	(quiet organ music)	26:52
	(singing in foreign language)	28:45
	(singing in foreign language)	31:09
	(dramatic organ music)	35:13
	(singing in foreign language)	35:31
	Oh heavenly King, Prince of Peace,	36:37
	we thank thee for the many joys of this season,	36:41
	for family reunions, for news of friends and acquaintances,	36:45
	for occasions to share in the delights of Christmas,	36:50
	both expected and unexpected.	36:53
	Most of all we thank thee for the gift of love,	36:57
	Emmanuel, God with Us, who came to be among us	37:00
	that we might be saved.	37:04
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,	37:07
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	37:10
-	Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	37:13
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	37:18
	on earth as it is in heaven.	37:21
	Give us this day our daily bread	37:23
	and forgive us our trespasses,	37:26
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	37:28
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	37:32
	For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.	37:36
	Amen.	37:41
	♪ Hark, the herald angels sing, ♪	38:14
	♪ "Glory to the newborn king." ♪	38:19
	♪ Peace on Earth and mercy mild ♪	38:24
	♪ God and sinners reconciled. ♪	38:29
	♪ Joyful, all ye nations rise. ♪	38:34
	♪ Join the triumph of the skies ♪	38:38
	♪ With angelic hosts proclaim, ♪	38:43
	♪ "Christ is born in Bethlehem." ♪	38:48
	♪ Hark, the herald angels sing ♪	38:53
	♪ "Glory to the newborn king." ♪	38:58
	♪ Christ by highest heaven adored ♪	39:06
	♪ Christ the everlasting Lord! ♪	39:11
	♪ Late in time behold Him come ♪	39:16
	♪ Offspring of a Virgin's womb ♪	39:21
	♪ Veiled in flesh the Godhead see ♪	39:26
	♪ Hail the incarnate Deity ♪	39:30
	♪ Pleased as man with man to dwell ♪	39:35
	♪ Jesus, our Emmanuel ♪	39:40
	♪ Hark, The herald angels sing ♪	39:45
	♪ "Glory to the newborn King!" ♪	39:50
	♪ Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! ♪	39:58
	♪ Hail the Son of Righteousness! ♪	40:03
	♪ Light and life to all He brings ♪	40:08
	♪ Risen with healing in His wings ♪	40:13
	♪ Mild He lays His glory by ♪	40:18
	♪ Born that man no more may die ♪	40:23
	♪ Born to raise the sons of earth ♪	40:28
	♪ Born to give them second birth ♪	40:33
	♪ Hark, The herald angels sing, ♪	40:38
	♪ "Glory to the newborn King!" ♪	40:44
-	And now, may the Prince of Peace	40:56
	who came to us so that we might come to him	40:59
	grant you peace, now and always, Amen.	41:02
	(singing in foreign language)	41:15
	(organ music)	42:26
	(upbeat music)	43:00
	(somber music)	43:55
	(peaceful music)	45:56

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "The First Christmas Pageant" (December 22, 1985)

Description:

Sermon start time: 00:56. Sermon end time: 18:08.
Retelling the scene of Jesus’ nativity, the preacher points to the details of the environment and people’s reactions to the new born King. He argues that the incarnated God is present in ordinary people’s lives and does great things through these ordinary people. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4891259f

Date:

December 22, 1985

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Christmas

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0300
ref8121_6pu
uachapelsermaud
duke:320924
dcrau001287
ark:/87924/r4891259f
43127934-e506-48d4-9555-a434b240edbb

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection