Charlene P. Kammerer - "A Glimpse of God's Character" (March 2, 1986)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(tranquil organ music) | 0:06 | |
(meditative organ music) | 2:47 | |
(tranquil organ music) | 5:23 | |
(soloist singing) | 7:30 | |
(choir singing) | 10:39 | |
- | Grace and peace to you in the name | 16:06 |
of the Lord Jesus Christ. | 16:07 | |
We welcome you to this service of worship | 16:09 | |
at Duke University Chapel | 16:11 | |
on this third Sunday in Lent | 16:12 | |
and invite you to be with us again very soon. | 16:15 | |
Our preacher for this morning | 16:18 | |
is the Reverend Charlene Kammerer, | 16:20 | |
Minster of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church | 16:21 | |
in Fort Myers, Florida. | 16:24 | |
Charlene is a much beloved figure in this community | 16:27 | |
having served in a very successful ministry here | 16:30 | |
from 1980 until 1984, | 16:33 | |
first as assistant minster to the university | 16:36 | |
and then as acting minister to the university her last year. | 16:38 | |
We are very pleased to be able to welcome her back | 16:42 | |
to our pulpit today. | 16:45 | |
We are also pleased to welcome | 16:48 | |
the UNC Wilmington Chamber singers | 16:50 | |
and their director Joe Hickman back to Duke Chapel. | 16:52 | |
They have been with us in years past | 16:55 | |
and we have always been blessed by their music. | 16:57 | |
We wish them well on a trip | 17:00 | |
which they will be taking this coming week | 17:01 | |
where they will be touring throughout England. | 17:04 | |
I would draw your attention to the other announcements | 17:08 | |
as they are printed in the bulletin. | 17:10 | |
And now let us offer ourselves unto God | 17:13 | |
in the time of worship, | 17:16 | |
remembering these words of scripture. | 17:18 | |
"Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord | 17:21 | |
"that he may teach us his ways | 17:23 | |
"and that we may walk in his paths." | 17:26 | |
Amen. | 17:30 | |
(lively organ music) | 17:33 | |
(congregation singing) | 18:00 | |
As a forgiven and reconciled people, | 20:02 | |
we have gathered in this holy place | 20:05 | |
to glorify God and to hear God's word proclaimed. | 20:07 | |
Let us now confess our sins before God | 20:12 | |
that we may be at one with our creator. | 20:15 | |
- | Oh Almighty God, | 20:28 |
give us grace to approach thee at this time | 20:30 | |
with penitent and believing hearts. | 20:34 | |
We confess that we have sinned against thee | 20:37 | |
and are not worthy to be called thy children. | 20:40 | |
Yet do thou in mercy keep us as thine own. | 20:44 | |
Grant us true repentance and forgive us all our sins | 20:48 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord. | 20:53 | |
- | Amen. | 20:55 |
Hear the good news. | 20:57 | |
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners | 21:00 | |
that as God's own proof of his love towards us. | 21:04 | |
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. | 21:08 | |
(congregation mumbling) | 21:13 | |
- | Let us pray. | 21:25 |
- | Open our hearts and minds, oh God | 21:29 |
in this season of the cross | 21:32 | |
so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 21:35 | |
we might hear with joy what you say to us this day. | 21:39 | |
- | Amen. | 21:44 |
The first lesson is taken from the book of Exodus. | 21:47 | |
"Now Moses was keeping the flock | 21:52 | |
"of his father-in-law Jethro, | 21:55 | |
"the priest of Midian and came to Horeb, | 21:57 | |
"the Mountain of God. | 22:01 | |
"And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him | 22:03 | |
"in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush | 22:06 | |
"and he looked and lo, | 22:10 | |
"the bush was burning, | 22:12 | |
"yet it was not consumed | 22:14 | |
"and Moses said, I will turn aside | 22:16 | |
"and see this great sight why the bush has not burnt. | 22:20 | |
"When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, | 22:25 | |
"God called to him out of the bush, | 22:28 | |
"Moses, Moses, and he said, here am I. | 22:31 | |
"Then God said, do not come near. | 22:37 | |
"Put off your shoes from your feet | 22:40 | |
"for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. | 22:43 | |
"And he said, I am the God of your father, | 22:49 | |
"the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob | 22:52 | |
"and Moses hid his face for he was afraid to look at God. | 22:58 | |
"Then the Lord said, | 23:04 | |
"I have seen the affliction of my people | 23:06 | |
"who are in Egypt and I have heard their cry | 23:09 | |
"because of their task masters | 23:12 | |
"and I know their sufferings | 23:15 | |
"and I have come to deliver them out of the hand | 23:17 | |
"of the Egyptians | 23:19 | |
"and to bring them up out of that land | 23:21 | |
"to a good and a broad a land, | 23:24 | |
"a land flowing with milk and honey, | 23:26 | |
"to the place of the Canaanites, | 23:30 | |
"the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, | 23:32 | |
"the Hivites and the Jebusites. | 23:35 | |
"And now behold, the cry of the people of Israel | 23:39 | |
"has come to me | 23:43 | |
"and I have seen the oppression | 23:44 | |
"with which the Egyptians oppress them. | 23:46 | |
"Come, I will send you to Pharaoh | 23:50 | |
"that you may bring forth my people, | 23:53 | |
"the sons of Israel out of Egypt | 23:55 | |
"but Moses said to God, | 23:59 | |
"who am I that I should go to Pharaoh | 24:01 | |
"and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? | 24:04 | |
"God said, but I will be with you | 24:07 | |
"and this shall be the sign for you | 24:11 | |
"that I have sent you. | 24:13 | |
"When you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, | 24:16 | |
"you shall serve God upon this mountain. | 24:19 | |
"Then Moses said to God, | 24:23 | |
"if I come to the people of Israel and say to them, | 24:26 | |
"the God of your fathers has sent me to you | 24:29 | |
"and they asked me what is his name, | 24:32 | |
"what shall I say to them? | 24:35 | |
"God said to Moses, I am who I am | 24:38 | |
"and he said, say this to the people of Israel, | 24:43 | |
"I am has sent me to you. | 24:47 | |
"God also said to Moses, say this to the people of Israel, | 24:51 | |
"the Lord, the God of your fathers, | 24:56 | |
"the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob | 24:58 | |
"has sent me to you. | 25:03 | |
"This is my name forever and thus I am to be remembered | 25:05 | |
"throughout all generations." | 25:09 | |
This ends the reading of the first lesson. | 25:13 | |
(tranquil organ music) | 25:23 | |
(choir singing) | 25:31 | |
- | The second lesson is taken from Paul's first letter | 27:55 |
to the Corinthians. | 27:58 | |
"I want you to know, brothers and sisters | 28:01 | |
"that our fathers and mothers were all under the cloud | 28:03 | |
"and all passed through the sea | 28:07 | |
"and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud | 28:10 | |
"and in the sea | 28:14 | |
"and all ate the same supernatural food | 28:15 | |
"and all drank the same supernatural drink | 28:19 | |
"for they drank from the supernatural rock | 28:23 | |
"which followed them | 28:25 | |
"and the rock was Christ. | 28:27 | |
"Nevertheless, with most of them, God was not pleased | 28:30 | |
"for they were overthrown in the wilderness. | 28:34 | |
"Now, these things are warnings for us, | 28:38 | |
"not to desire evil as they did. | 28:40 | |
"Do not be idolaters as some of them were | 28:44 | |
"as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink | 28:48 | |
"and rose up to dance. | 28:52 | |
"We must not indulge in immorality as some of them did | 28:55 | |
"and 33,000 fell in a single day. | 28:59 | |
"We must not put the Lord to the test | 29:04 | |
"as some of them did | 29:06 | |
"and were destroyed by serpents, | 29:07 | |
"nor grumble as some of them did | 29:10 | |
"and were destroyed by the destroyer. | 29:13 | |
"Now these things happened to them as a warning | 29:17 | |
"but they were written down for our instruction | 29:20 | |
"upon whom the end of the ages has come. | 29:23 | |
"Therefore, let those who think that they stand, | 29:27 | |
"take heed lest they fall. | 29:31 | |
"No temptation has overtaken you | 29:34 | |
"that is not common to all. | 29:37 | |
"God is faithful and will not let you be tempted | 29:39 | |
"beyond your strength | 29:44 | |
"but with the temptation will also provide the way | 29:46 | |
"of escape that you may be able to endure it." | 29:50 | |
This ends the reading of the second lesson. | 29:57 | |
- | The Gospel is taken from Luke. | 30:14 |
"There were some present at that very time | 30:18 | |
"Who told Jesus of the Galileans | 30:21 | |
"whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices | 30:24 | |
"and Jesus answered them, | 30:29 | |
"do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners | 30:32 | |
"than all the other Galileans | 30:36 | |
"because they suffered thus? | 30:38 | |
"I tell you, no | 30:41 | |
"but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish | 30:43 | |
"or those 18 upon whom the tower in Siloam fell | 30:49 | |
"and killed them. | 30:54 | |
"Do you think that they were worse offenders | 30:55 | |
"than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem. | 30:58 | |
"I tell you, no | 31:02 | |
"but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. | 31:04 | |
"And Jesus told this parable. | 31:11 | |
"A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard | 31:15 | |
"and he came seeking fruit on it | 31:19 | |
"and he found none. | 31:22 | |
"And he said to the vine dresser, | 31:24 | |
"lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit | 31:27 | |
"on this fig tree and I find none. | 31:30 | |
"Cut it down. | 31:34 | |
"Why should it use up the ground? | 31:36 | |
"And the vine dresser answered him, | 31:39 | |
"let it alone this year also | 31:42 | |
"'til I dig about it and put on manure | 31:46 | |
"and if it bears fruit next year, | 31:50 | |
"well and good but if not, you can cut it down." | 31:52 | |
This ends the reading of the Gospel. | 31:58 | |
I bring you greetings from the people of God | 32:04 | |
in southwest Florida | 32:07 | |
where our average temperature is over 70 degrees. | 32:10 | |
(congregation chuckling) | 32:15 | |
It is wonderful to be back on campus | 32:16 | |
at Duke University, a place where anyone | 32:20 | |
who comes, always appreciates its beauty, | 32:24 | |
the quality of education and life here | 32:29 | |
and the good, good people that you find. | 32:32 | |
I am honored to be invited to preach | 32:36 | |
at Duke Chapel. | 32:39 | |
I am delighted for you | 32:41 | |
that it is the 50th anniversary year | 32:43 | |
of preaching and worship in this holy place | 32:46 | |
and I'm especially glad this weekend | 32:50 | |
to be back on campus | 32:52 | |
and to reconnect with two special places in my life. | 32:55 | |
The first, of course, is this place, Duke Chapel | 33:01 | |
which I think will always be for me one | 33:05 | |
of my spiritual homes. | 33:08 | |
The second is Cameron Indoor Stadium | 33:12 | |
which has been for me | 33:16 | |
and will continue today to be a primal scream room. | 33:18 | |
(congregation chuckling) | 33:23 | |
By the wonderful grace of a good friend here | 33:26 | |
and I hope by the grace of God, | 33:29 | |
I actually got a ticket to the game today, | 33:32 | |
so I've discovered what it means to be a hated person | 33:35 | |
on campus to be so fortunate | 33:39 | |
but I did share with Will and Nancy not to worry, | 33:42 | |
we all know what priorities are | 33:46 | |
and the sermon will be appropriate in length. | 33:49 | |
(congregation chuckling) | 33:52 | |
Have you ever had a plant that refused to die? | 33:59 | |
If you are like me, | 34:05 | |
you might well have some that seem to refuse to live, | 34:06 | |
no matter what you try to do to them | 34:11 | |
or for them. | 34:14 | |
One spring several years back now, | 34:17 | |
during the season of Lent, | 34:20 | |
we had a Jerusalem thorn plant at our house | 34:22 | |
that absolutely refused to die. | 34:26 | |
Now, I must confess that I'm not always a good steward | 34:31 | |
when it comes to taking care of plants | 34:35 | |
and my plant first of all, got too much sun | 34:40 | |
and the leaves began to drop off | 34:44 | |
and those beautiful red blossoms quickly disappeared. | 34:46 | |
Then my beautiful plant got too much water | 34:52 | |
and the little green leaves turned | 34:56 | |
a sickly color of chartreuse | 34:59 | |
and it got moved many times back and forth | 35:02 | |
from outdoors to indoors. | 35:05 | |
So I tried the best I knew | 35:07 | |
to approach it even with a geographical cure. | 35:09 | |
But finally, the leaves were all gone, | 35:14 | |
the blossoms long since disappeared | 35:19 | |
and a bunch of thorns | 35:23 | |
and very dry, parched soil | 35:25 | |
were all that remained in that very neglected pot. | 35:28 | |
I even tossed it out on the garbage heap at one point | 35:34 | |
but someone retrieved it | 35:38 | |
and put it back on our front porch. | 35:40 | |
And so, I decided I was going | 35:43 | |
to give this plant one more chance | 35:45 | |
to make it. | 35:50 | |
And I began to bring it in | 35:52 | |
and tried to begin nourishing it again. | 35:54 | |
And that plant or what was left of it began | 35:58 | |
to come back to life. | 36:03 | |
One day, I remember noticing | 36:06 | |
a very tiny green leaf | 36:08 | |
and it seemed to me such a sign of hope | 36:12 | |
that perhaps the water and light | 36:15 | |
and chlorophyll were doing their magic mystery again | 36:18 | |
and I began to nourish that little leaf | 36:23 | |
until another leave appeared | 36:26 | |
and then a clump of leaves on the thorn branches | 36:28 | |
and I did every thing I could | 36:32 | |
to give it some life to hope over it | 36:34 | |
and to pray over it. | 36:37 | |
And lo and behold, the plant grew | 36:39 | |
and the thorny ends became covered | 36:44 | |
with bright green leaves | 36:47 | |
and it did eventually bloom | 36:50 | |
and once again, we were blessed | 36:53 | |
with those gorgeous bright red blossoms | 36:55 | |
that adorned the plant. | 36:59 | |
The Jerusalem thorn plant became a reminder to me | 37:02 | |
during the season of Lent | 37:06 | |
that indeed it is out of suffering and struggle | 37:09 | |
that new life will come. | 37:14 | |
Now, if there is anything that any of us most want | 37:18 | |
during this season of beginning spring | 37:22 | |
and during the time of Lent, | 37:26 | |
it is surely for a new lease on life. | 37:28 | |
It is to escape the cold | 37:32 | |
and the winter doldrums of our season | 37:34 | |
that enwraps us | 37:37 | |
and here we are in the life of the community of faith | 37:40 | |
where Lent for us is a time of renewal | 37:44 | |
and I believe that Christianity | 37:49 | |
is the religion that always provides us | 37:52 | |
for a second chance, | 37:57 | |
a new lease on life, | 37:59 | |
a time to grow. | 38:01 | |
Now, who else but the church is the institution | 38:04 | |
that proclaims for us during Lent | 38:08 | |
of God's kingdom, of birth and rebirth, | 38:12 | |
of suffering and struggle | 38:16 | |
in the hopes and promises | 38:19 | |
of being part of that kingdom of God | 38:21 | |
and signs of the reign of God | 38:24 | |
around us and within us. | 38:27 | |
We think of the word repentance | 38:31 | |
when we think of Lent | 38:33 | |
and repentance for us means | 38:36 | |
to turn around, to return | 38:38 | |
to God, to our source of life, to our creator | 38:41 | |
and the promises of scripture | 38:46 | |
and our faith during Lent | 38:48 | |
are that we will be given a new chance, | 38:51 | |
we will be given a new chance during Lent, | 38:55 | |
one more chance for us. | 38:58 | |
The entire passage of the Gospel today | 39:02 | |
is an urgent call to us | 39:06 | |
to be about repentance. | 39:08 | |
It is a call for God's people | 39:11 | |
to turn from sin | 39:13 | |
and to focus on reforming our very characters | 39:16 | |
and our attitudes | 39:21 | |
and it is this Gospel writer, Luke, | 39:24 | |
who will give us through this parable a glimpse | 39:26 | |
of the very character of God | 39:31 | |
if we can hear it | 39:35 | |
and the accent on his story and his eyes | 39:37 | |
of the Gospel truth | 39:40 | |
is that we will be hearing about a hand | 39:42 | |
of mercy from God | 39:46 | |
that will stay a hand of judgment. | 39:48 | |
In our Gospel lesson this morning, | 39:53 | |
we have heard read two sayings of Jesus, | 39:55 | |
each one ending with the same pronouncement. | 40:00 | |
"But unless you repent, | 40:05 | |
you will all likewise perish." | 40:07 | |
The first saying has to do with the tragedy | 40:11 | |
in the life of the Galilean people | 40:15 | |
that had its cause in human decisions. | 40:18 | |
The second saying has to do | 40:23 | |
with another tragedy | 40:25 | |
but one that is caused by nature | 40:27 | |
and that one which also speaks to suffering | 40:30 | |
that is caused without reason. | 40:34 | |
Now, in this lesson and story of Jesus, | 40:38 | |
the disciples of Jesus ask him, | 40:41 | |
they were the same group who asked him, | 40:45 | |
Rabbi, who was it who sinned, | 40:48 | |
was it this man or was it his parents | 40:52 | |
that he was born blind? | 40:55 | |
It is those same disciples | 41:00 | |
who had asked that question of him earlier | 41:02 | |
who still assumed even after Jesus's instruction | 41:05 | |
that there was some kind of direct correlation | 41:10 | |
between sin and between suffering. | 41:13 | |
In today's lesson, we see these disciples assuming | 41:18 | |
that the Galileans who were struck down | 41:22 | |
and killed by a vengeful Pilate | 41:25 | |
somehow it was their fault | 41:29 | |
and yet what were they doing? | 41:32 | |
They were preparing sacrifices for worship | 41:34 | |
in the temple at Jerusalem. | 41:37 | |
Jesus denies in this Gospel today | 41:41 | |
that there is necessarily a direct correlation | 41:45 | |
between sin and suffering | 41:49 | |
and yet, still even after all these centuries, | 41:52 | |
we know, don't we, that this idea | 41:57 | |
in our minds, in our human minds | 42:02 | |
has persisted, that somehow illness | 42:05 | |
or poverty or disease or loneliness | 42:09 | |
and even death are the cause of our sins, | 42:13 | |
whether they are known or unknown | 42:18 | |
but as I see it, the fatal blow | 42:22 | |
to that mythic idea, | 42:25 | |
at least for Christians, | 42:29 | |
ought to be that we remember that that idea | 42:31 | |
was destroyed on a hill at Golgotha | 42:34 | |
for the one without sin | 42:40 | |
also had to suffer. | 42:43 | |
The one without sin suffered and died on a cross | 42:46 | |
and that is exactly why some who were there | 42:51 | |
at the scene of that crucifixion knew | 42:55 | |
that this man could not be the son of God | 42:58 | |
for he was purported to be without sin. | 43:01 | |
Do you remember Thornton Wilder's novel, | 43:07 | |
"The Bridge of San Luis Rey?" | 43:09 | |
It is the account of a priest's efforts | 43:12 | |
to prove that a certain bridge collapsed | 43:16 | |
with certain persons on it | 43:20 | |
and it must have been | 43:23 | |
because of moral flaws in the lives | 43:24 | |
of those individuals. | 43:27 | |
Well, needless to say, | 43:30 | |
the efforts of that priest failed | 43:31 | |
in his quest as all efforts surely would. | 43:35 | |
And it is Jesus who came and reminded the disciples | 43:40 | |
and now us that it is the intention | 43:44 | |
and obligation of every person | 43:48 | |
to live before God a life of penitence and trust | 43:51 | |
and we are to do that without ever linking it | 43:56 | |
to our loyalty to God | 44:00 | |
or to life's sorrows or joys that will be ours. | 44:02 | |
Jesus reminded them that these realities | 44:09 | |
of joy and pain have nothing to do | 44:13 | |
with whoever is good among us | 44:17 | |
or whoever is bad among us. | 44:19 | |
Jesus said bluntly | 44:23 | |
that all of us are to repent | 44:25 | |
or we are to perish | 44:28 | |
and that brings us to the tale | 44:32 | |
of the barren fig tree. | 44:34 | |
In Palestine, the vineyards | 44:37 | |
and vegetable gardens were generally planted | 44:40 | |
with a lot of fruit trees | 44:43 | |
but occasionally a fig tree | 44:46 | |
that took more room to grow | 44:49 | |
was put in among the vineyards. | 44:52 | |
The fig tree, because of their fruit, | 44:55 | |
were so valued in the culture | 44:58 | |
and for food that they were given extra care | 45:00 | |
and so, vineyards were allowed, here and there, | 45:05 | |
to plant the fig trees. | 45:09 | |
I learned in reflecting on the fig tree | 45:12 | |
that it is an early spring bud | 45:15 | |
that will come even before the leaves | 45:19 | |
on the fig tree | 45:22 | |
and that will signal the vineyard dresser | 45:24 | |
that next year, the tree will bear fruit | 45:28 | |
but if the buds do not come, | 45:33 | |
there will be no hope that fruit will come out | 45:35 | |
of the life of the tree | 45:39 | |
and so we learn from Jesus | 45:42 | |
in his telling us this story | 45:44 | |
that the vineyard owner came to inspect the vineyard | 45:47 | |
and he found there a very, very unproductive fig tree. | 45:52 | |
He asked the vineyard dresser about it | 45:58 | |
and in the case of this fig tree, | 46:01 | |
the cycle of three years had already passed | 46:04 | |
from its budding to it blooming to its production | 46:08 | |
and so, it was obvious to the people hearing the story | 46:13 | |
that this fig tree was hopelessly barren. | 46:17 | |
But wait, what is it that happens in the parable? | 46:23 | |
God, posing as the gardener, | 46:29 | |
does something drastic. | 46:33 | |
The owner wants that tree cut down, | 46:36 | |
wants to protect his other crops | 46:39 | |
and wants to get his money's worth out | 46:41 | |
of that investment he made | 46:44 | |
but the gardener comes in | 46:46 | |
and proposes a radical measure | 46:49 | |
as a last resort to save that tree. | 46:52 | |
The gardener begs for mercy and promises himself | 46:57 | |
to fertilize around the tree in the vineyard. | 47:02 | |
Now, the undemanding fig tree does... | 47:07 |
...ordinarily require fertilizer to thrive, | 0:04 | |
but the gardener is so committed | 0:08 | |
that he asked for a time of grace | 0:10 | |
in order to assure the saving of this tree. | 0:13 | |
And how does the story tell it? | 0:19 | |
This unusual request of the gardener | 0:21 | |
is not denied by an angry owner. | 0:25 | |
It is granted. | 0:28 | |
The request is granted. | 0:30 | |
Thus an announcement in this story of expected judgment | 0:33 | |
where that tree would be quickly chopped down | 0:38 | |
turns into an appeal for mercy and another chance. | 0:41 | |
And it is for us a way to glimpse | 0:47 | |
the very character of God, | 0:51 | |
where mercy will always grant a reprieve | 0:54 | |
from a sentence that seem to be pronounced. | 0:58 | |
Now the sole purpose of a fig tree is to bear fruit. | 1:04 | |
And Jesus was telling His disciples | 1:09 | |
that is our sole human purpose too. | 1:12 | |
The meaning of the parable is that we will be judged | 1:17 | |
by the opportunities we have | 1:20 | |
and the fruit that we bear. | 1:23 | |
But God's action in this parable declares | 1:26 | |
again and again for us | 1:31 | |
that there is still time | 1:33 | |
for our useless lives to bear fruit. | 1:36 | |
I love the image of God in this scripture. | 1:41 | |
I imagine God to be that gardener, | 1:46 | |
to be waiting around in big boots | 1:50 | |
and to be mucking the entire place. | 1:54 | |
And that is us, | 1:58 | |
willing to get down there with us, | 2:00 | |
to tend us, to nourish us, | 2:03 | |
to force us to grow if necessary. | 2:06 | |
In the muck and the mire of our lives, | 2:10 | |
God will wade with us and nourish us | 2:14 | |
and give us every possible chance to make it. | 2:17 | |
But, just as in the fig tree, | 2:24 | |
we, if we lead useless lives, | 2:28 | |
will invite for ourselves disaster. | 2:32 | |
And so there is an urgency about the story | 2:36 | |
to repent, to turn around, to change, | 2:39 | |
lest we perish like that fig tree | 2:44 | |
was destined to do. | 2:49 | |
Like the fig tree, we are in debt to life, our Creator God. | 2:52 | |
And like the fig tree we need, | 2:58 | |
because we are God's creation, to be useful. | 3:01 | |
And it is Lent. | 3:05 | |
It is now in the life of the church, | 3:07 | |
that we have a new lease on life. | 3:10 | |
And we have the opportunity to turn around. | 3:13 | |
God's message of grace, | 3:19 | |
and Luke's message from the scriptures | 3:22 | |
is that there is still time to repent | 3:25 | |
and to bear fruit as evidence of that repentance. | 3:28 | |
God's mercy abounds. | 3:33 | |
We are offered one more chance. | 3:36 | |
Thanks be to God. | 3:41 | |
Amen. | 3:44 | |
The Lord be with you. | 3:57 | |
And also with you. | 3:59 | |
Let us pray. | 4:01 | |
Most kind and gracious God, | 4:06 | |
high above all, yet deep within us, | 4:09 | |
ever ready to grant us Thy mercy. | 4:13 | |
We turn our hearts unto Thee. | 4:17 | |
In the spirit of thanksgiving | 4:20 | |
we offer these prayers for others, | 4:22 | |
trusting in Thy eternal goodness, | 4:25 | |
seeking to give thanks in all things. | 4:27 | |
Let us pray for the needs of the entire human family. | 4:32 | |
Look with kindness, O God, on those | 4:37 | |
who have separated themselves from one another | 4:39 | |
and from Thee. | 4:42 | |
Take away the hatred and self-righteousness | 4:44 | |
which infect our hearts. | 4:47 | |
And unite us in bonds of love | 4:49 | |
across lines of nationality, race, or creed. | 4:52 | |
Let us pray for all those who suffer want of food, | 4:58 | |
shelter, or other necessities of life. | 5:03 | |
Use as Thine own body, us the church, | 5:07 | |
to ease their affliction and to renew their hope. | 5:10 | |
Increase our diligence, | 5:15 | |
and strengthen our desire to follow Christ's own example | 5:17 | |
of feeding the hungry, healing the sick, | 5:20 | |
and visiting the imprisoned, | 5:24 | |
that Thy love may be made a known reality. | 5:26 | |
Let us pray for those who mourn the loss of loved ones, | 5:31 | |
of a community, of a job, or of a home. | 5:35 | |
Strengthen them in their time of grieving | 5:40 | |
and encourage them in their resolve to face the future. | 5:43 | |
Let us pray, gracious God, for those who live | 5:48 | |
with injustice, violence, disease, or oppression | 5:52 | |
as their constant companions. | 5:58 | |
Make wise those who govern their communities, | 6:01 | |
and grant them the spirit of charity and justice. | 6:04 | |
Grant them the foresight to provide | 6:08 | |
for the needs of their people, | 6:10 | |
and strengthen all those who keep vigil | 6:13 | |
for the causes of justice and of peace. | 6:15 | |
Let us pray for the future of our world | 6:20 | |
and especially for children everywhere. | 6:23 | |
Magnify our reverence before the sacred mystery | 6:28 | |
which is life. | 6:31 | |
Give us new insight into Thy purposes for the human race, | 6:33 | |
and new wisdom and determination | 6:38 | |
for making provisions for its future, | 6:40 | |
in accordance with Thy holy will. | 6:43 | |
Recognizing Thou hast given us dominion over the Earth, | 6:46 | |
we asks You to grant us the spirit of thanksgiving | 6:51 | |
to do so with compassion. | 6:54 | |
These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, | 6:56 | |
our Lord and Savior, amen. | 7:00 | |
And now in the spirit of thanksgiving, | 7:07 | |
let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God. | 7:09 | |
(organ music) | 7:25 | |
♪ Oh how blessed ♪ | 7:35 | |
♪ Are they who serve the Lord ♪ | 7:40 | |
♪ Oh how blessed ♪ | 7:45 | |
♪ Are they who serve the Lord ♪ | 7:51 | |
♪ Who serve ♪ | 7:56 | |
♪ Who serve Him ♪ | 7:57 | |
♪ Are they who serve the Lord ♪ | 7:59 | |
♪ They shall not fall ♪ | 8:05 | |
♪ They shall not fall ♪ | 8:08 | |
♪ God strengthens ♪ | 8:14 | |
♪ They shall not fall ♪ | 8:16 | |
♪ They shall not fall ♪ | 8:18 | |
♪ God strengthens ♪ | 8:24 | |
♪ They shall go out dancing ♪ | 8:27 | |
♪ They shall walk and never be faint ♪ | 8:31 | |
♪ They shall walk and never be faint ♪ | 8:37 | |
♪ They shall walk ♪ | 8:40 | |
♪ And never be faint ♪ | 8:43 | |
♪ Oh how blessed ♪ | 8:49 | |
♪ Are they who serve the Lord ♪ | 8:54 | |
♪ Oh how blessed ♪ | 8:59 | |
♪ Are they ♪ | 9:04 | |
♪ Are they who serve the Lord ♪ | 9:05 | |
♪ Who serve ♪ | 9:09 | |
♪ Who serve Him ♪ | 9:10 | |
♪ Are they who serve ♪ | 9:12 | |
♪ The Lord ♪ | 9:21 | |
♪ How blessed are they ♪ | 9:27 | |
♪ Who serve ♪ | 9:31 | |
♪ The Lord ♪ | 9:37 | |
(organ music) | 9:48 | |
(singing in foreign language) | 9:58 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 11:01 | |
(organ music) | 11:12 | |
(instrumental music) | 13:50 | |
(organ music) | 15:06 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 15:37 | |
♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ | 15:45 | |
♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly host ♪ | 15:52 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 15:59 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 16:09 | |
The Lord be with you. | 16:27 | |
And also with you. | 16:28 | |
Lift up your hearts. | 16:30 | |
We lift them to the Lord. | 16:31 | |
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. | 16:33 | |
It is right to give our thanks and praise. | 16:36 | |
It is right and a good and joyful thing | 16:40 | |
always and everywhere to give You thanks, | 16:43 | |
Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. | 16:46 | |
You brought all things into being | 16:50 | |
and called them good. | 16:52 | |
From the dust of the earth, You formed us | 16:54 | |
into Your image and breathed into us | 16:57 | |
the breath of life. | 16:59 | |
When we turned away and our love failed, | 17:01 | |
Your love remained steadfast. | 17:04 | |
When rain fell upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights, | 17:07 | |
You bore up the ark on the waters, | 17:12 | |
saved Noah and his family | 17:14 | |
and established an everlasting covenant | 17:17 | |
with every living creature upon the earth. | 17:19 | |
When You delivered us from slavery | 17:23 | |
and made us Your covenant people, | 17:25 | |
You led Moses to Your mountain for 40 days and 40 nights | 17:28 | |
and gave us Your teachings. | 17:31 | |
You led us through the wilderness for 40 years | 17:34 | |
and brought us to the Promised Land. | 17:37 | |
When we forsook Your covenant, You led Your prophet, | 17:40 | |
Elijah, to Your mountain, | 17:43 | |
where, as he fasted 40 days and 40 nights, | 17:45 | |
he heard Your still, small voice. | 17:48 | |
When You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, | 17:52 | |
to save us from our sin, | 17:55 | |
Your Spirit led Him into the wilderness | 17:57 | |
where He fasted 40 days and 40 nights | 18:00 | |
in preparation for His ministry. | 18:03 | |
When He suffered and died on a cross for our sin, | 18:06 | |
You raised Him to life, | 18:09 | |
presented Him alive to the apostles during 40 days | 18:11 | |
and exalted Him at Your right hand | 18:15 | |
that we might be raised as the people of Your new covenant | 18:18 | |
from sin and death to everlasting life. | 18:21 | |
And now, when we, Your people, | 18:26 | |
prepare for the yearly Paschal Feast | 18:28 | |
of Your Son's death and resurrection, | 18:30 | |
You lead us to repentance for our sin | 18:33 | |
and the cleansing of our hearts | 18:36 | |
that during these 40 days of Lent, | 18:38 | |
we may become prepared to renew our covenant with You. | 18:41 | |
Therefore with Your people in all ages | 18:45 | |
and the whole company of heaven, | 18:47 | |
we join in the song of unending praise, saying, | 18:49 | |
Holy, holy, holy Lord, | 18:53 | |
God of power and might. | 18:56 | |
Heaven and earth are full of Your glory, | 18:58 | |
hosanna in the highest. | 19:01 | |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. | 19:03 | |
Hosanna in the highest. | 19:06 | |
Truly holy are You and blessed is Your Son, Jesus Christ. | 19:09 | |
On the night His disciples betrayed and deserted Him, | 19:13 | |
He took bread, gave thanks to You, | 19:17 | |
broke the bread, gave it to His disciples and said, | 19:21 | |
Take, eat, this is My body which is given for you. | 19:24 | |
Do this in remembrance of Me. | 19:29 | |
When the supper was over, | 19:32 | |
He took the cup, gave thanks to You, | 19:34 | |
gave it to His disciples and said, | 19:37 | |
Drink from this, all of you, | 19:39 | |
for this is My blood of the new covenant | 19:42 | |
poured out for you and for many | 19:44 | |
for the forgiveness of sins. | 19:46 | |
Do this as oft as you drink it | 19:49 | |
in remembrance of Me. | 19:51 | |
Therefore in remembrance of all Your mighty acts | 19:54 | |
in Jesus Christ, we ask You to accept this, | 19:57 | |
our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, | 20:01 | |
which we offer in union with Christ's sacrifice for us, | 20:04 | |
as a living and holy surrender of ourselves. | 20:07 | |
Send the power of Your Holy Spirit on us | 20:11 | |
and on these gifts, | 20:14 | |
that in the breaking of this bread | 20:16 | |
and the drinking of this wine, | 20:18 | |
we may know the presence of the living Christ, | 20:20 | |
be one body in Him, | 20:22 | |
cleansed by His blood, | 20:25 | |
faithfully serve Him in the world | 20:26 | |
and look forward to His coming in final victory. | 20:29 | |
Through Him, with Him, in Him, | 20:32 | |
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, | 20:36 | |
all honor and glory is Yours, Almighty God, | 20:38 | |
now and forever, amen. | 20:41 | |
Our Father, who art in heaven, | 20:45 | |
hallowed be Thy name, | 20:47 | |
Thy kingdom come, | 20:49 | |
Thy will be done, | 20:51 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 20:53 | |
Give us this day our daily bread. | 20:55 | |
And forgive us our trespasses, | 20:58 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 21:00 | |
And lead us not into temptation, | 21:04 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 21:06 | |
For Thine is the kingdom, | 21:08 | |
the power, and the glory forever, amen. | 21:10 | |
(organ music) | 21:23 | |
(organ music) | 26:16 | |
♪ Oh Lord ♪ | 27:31 | |
♪ Increase my faith ♪ | 27:35 | |
♪ Strengthen me ♪ | 27:42 | |
♪ And confirm me ♪ | 27:45 | |
♪ In Thy true faith ♪ | 27:50 | |
♪ Endue me with wisdom ♪ | 27:57 | |
♪ With wisdom ♪ | 28:01 | |
♪ With wisdom ♪ | 28:04 | |
♪ Charity ♪ | 28:10 | |
♪ Charity ♪ | 28:12 | |
♪ Charity ♪ | 28:15 | |
♪ Charity ♪ | 28:19 | |
♪ Chastity and patience ♪ | 28:22 | |
♪ In all my adversity ♪ | 28:28 | |
♪ In all my adversity ♪ | 28:34 | |
♪ Teach me ♪ | 28:40 | |
♪ Teach me ♪ | 28:42 | |
♪ To say amen ♪ | 28:44 | |
♪ Teach me to say amen ♪ | 28:49 | |
♪ Teach me to say amen ♪ | 28:54 | |
♪ Teach me to say amen ♪ | 29:00 | |
♪ Teach me to say amen ♪ | 29:05 | |
♪ Teach me to say amen ♪ | 29:12 | |
(organ music) | 29:38 | |
We give You thanks, Almighty God, | 32:38 | |
that You have refreshed us through the healing power | 32:39 | |
of this gift of life | 32:42 | |
and we pray that in Your mercy, | 32:44 | |
You would strengthen us through this gift | 32:47 | |
in faith toward You | 32:49 | |
and in fervent love toward one another | 32:51 | |
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 32:54 | |
(organ music) | 33:03 | |
♪ If thou but suffer God to guide thee ♪ | 33:46 | |
♪ And hope in Him through all thy ways ♪ | 33:53 | |
♪ He'll give thee strength, whate'er betide thee ♪ | 34:00 | |
♪ And bear thee through the evil days ♪ | 34:07 | |
♪ Who trusts in God's unchanging love ♪ | 34:14 | |
♪ Builds on the Rock that naught can move ♪ | 34:21 | |
♪ Only be still, and wait God's leisure ♪ | 34:31 | |
♪ In cheerful hope, with heart content ♪ | 34:38 | |
♪ To take whate'er thy Maker's pleasure ♪ | 34:46 | |
♪ And all-discerning love hath sent ♪ | 34:53 | |
♪ We know our inmost wants are known ♪ | 35:01 | |
♪ For we are called to be God's own ♪ | 35:08 | |
♪ Sing, pray, and keep God's ways unswerving ♪ | 35:18 | |
♪ So do thine own part faithfully ♪ | 35:25 | |
♪ And trust God's word, though undeserving ♪ | 35:32 | |
♪ Thou yet shalt find it true for thee ♪ | 35:40 | |
♪ God never yet forsook at need ♪ | 35:47 | |
♪ The soul that trusted God indeed ♪ | 35:55 | |
And now go forth in peace | 36:09 | |
and be of good courage. | 36:12 | |
Hold fast to that which is good, | 36:13 | |
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. | 36:16 | |
And may the blessings of God | 36:19 | |
Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit | 36:21 | |
be with you all, now and forevermore, amen. | 36:24 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 36:35 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 36:40 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 36:45 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 36:58 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 37:06 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 37:17 | |
(organ music) | 37:33 |