Nancy Ferree-Clark - "In Search of the Ultimate..." (September 28, 1986)

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	(instrumental organ music)	0:03
	Grace and peace to you in the name	12:31
	of the Lord Jesus Christ.	12:32
	We welcome you to this service of worship	12:35
	at Duke University Chapel	12:37
	on this 19th Sunday after Pentecost,	12:38
	and we invite you to join us again soon.	12:41
	Especially for those visitors to the Duke Campus	12:44
	we welcome you with especially warm greetings	12:47
	and wish you a pleasant stay.	12:49
	We are pleased to announce the recital	12:52
	of "German Romantic Organ Music" to be held	12:54
	this afternoon at five o'clock p.m.,	12:57
	presented by doctor Robert Parkins, chapel organist.	12:59
	The public is invited without charge.	13:03
	Please note the remaining announcements	13:07
	as they are printed in your bulletin.	13:08
	And now let us join our hearts and our minds as one	13:11
	as we worship God.	13:14
	(choir singing)	13:20
	(instrumental organ music)	14:30
	(choir singing)	15:29
	Almighty and merciful God.	21:10
	We confess that as we come into the presence of Christ	21:13
	and one another we are unprepared in heart and mind.	21:16
	We bring with us cherished hearts and angers.	21:21
	We fail to receive one another as sisters and brothers.	21:25
	Yet we come trusting in your grace and forgiveness.	21:30
	By your spirit awakening us a newness, a new life	21:34
	and give us wisdom to make differences of opinion	21:39
	or background, an occasion for learning.	21:42
	Amen.	21:46
	Hear the good news.	21:50
	Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.	21:52
	That is God's own proof of his love toward us.	21:55
	In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.	22:00
	In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven.	22:04
	Let's pray together the prayer for illumination.	22:18
	Open our hearts and minds oh God.	22:23
	By the power of your holy spirit.	22:27
	Sow that as the word is read and proclaimed.	22:30
	We might hear with joy what you say to us this day.	22:34
	Amen.	22:39
	A reading from the "Book of Joel".	22:45
	"Be glad, O sons and daughters of Zion,	22:52
	"and rejoice in the Lord, your God,	22:56
	"for he has given the early rain for your vindication,	23:00
	"he has poured down for you abundant rain,	23:04
	"the early and the latter rain, as before.	23:08
	"The threshing floors shall be full of grain,	23:12
	"the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.	23:16
	"I will restore to you the years	23:21
	"which the swarming locust has eaten,	23:23
	"the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,	23:26
	"my great army, which I sent among you.	23:28
	"You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,	23:33
	"and praise the name of the Lord your God,	23:38
	"who has dealt wondrously with you.	23:40
	"And my people shall never again be put to shame.	23:44
	"You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,	23:49
	"and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is none else.	23:54
	"And my people shall never again	24:01
	"be put to shame.	24:03
	"And it shall come to pass afterward,	24:06
	"that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;	24:09
	"your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,	24:14
	"your old men shall dream dreams,	24:18
	"and your young men shall see visions.	24:21
	"End even upon the menservants and maidservants	24:25
	"in those days, I will pour out my spirit.	24:28
	"And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth,	24:34
	"blood and fire and columns of smoke."	24:39
	This is the word of the Lord.	24:45
	(organ music)	24:55
	♪ O Lord, You are my God ♪	25:06
	♪ I trust in you ♪	25:13
	♪ Have mercy on me, O Lord ♪	25:19
	♪ For I am in distress ♪	25:23
	♪ Tears have wasted my eyes, my throat and my heart ♪	25:27
	♪ For my life is spent with sorrow ♪	25:35
	♪ And my years with sighs ♪	25:39
	♪ Affliction has broken down my strength ♪	25:43
	♪ And my bones waste away ♪	25:48
	♪ O Lord, you are my God ♪	25:53
	♪ I trust in you ♪	25:59
	♪ In the face of all my foes ♪	26:06
	♪ I am a reproach ♪	26:09
	♪ An object of scorn to my neighbors ♪	26:12
	♪ And I'll fear to my friends ♪	26:17
	♪ Those who see me in the street run far away from me ♪	26:22
	♪ I am like the dead, ♪	26:30
	♪ Forgotten by all like a thing thrown away. ♪	26:31
	♪ O Lord, You are my God ♪	26:39
	♪ I trust in you ♪	26:46
	♪ I have heard the slander of the crowd ♪	26:53
	♪ Fear is all around me ♪	26:57
	♪ As they plot together against me ♪	27:02
	♪ As they plan to take my life ♪	27:05
	♪ As for me, I trust in you ♪	27:11
	♪ Lord, I say you are my God ♪	27:15
	♪ My life is in your hands ♪	27:22
	♪ Deliver me from the hands of those who hate me ♪	27:26
	♪ Oh Lord, You are my God ♪	27:33
	♪ I trust in you ♪	27:40
	(organ music)	27:48
	A reading from Paul's 1st letter to Timothy.	29:00
	"There is great gain in godliness with contentment	29:09
	"for we brought nothing into the world	29:15
	"and we cannot take anything out of the world,	29:18
	"but if we have food and clothing	29:23
	"with these we shall be content.	29:26
	"But those who desire to be rich	29:29
	"fall into temptation, into a snare,	29:33
	"into many senseless and hurtful desires	29:37
	"that plunge men and women into ruin and destruction.	29:41
	"For the love of money is the root of all evils.	29:47
	"It is through this craving	29:52
	"that some have wondered away from the faith	29:54
	"and pierce their hearts with many pangs.	29:57
	"But as for you, man of God, shun all this,	30:02
	"aim at righteousness, godliness, faith,	30:07
	"love, steadfastness, gentleness.	30:13
	"Fight the good fight of the faith.	30:19
	"Take hold of the eternal life	30:23
	"to which you were called when you made the good confession	30:26
	"in the presence of many witnesses,	30:29
	"in the presence of God who gives life to all things	30:33
	"and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony	30:37
	"before Pontius Pilate made the good confession.	30:40
	"I charge you to keep the commandment unstained	30:44
	"and free from reproach until the appearing	30:49
	of our Lord Jesus Christ.	30:53
	"And this will be made manifest at the proper time	30:56
	"by the blessed and only Sovereign,	30:59
	"the King of kings and Lord of lords	31:02
	"who alone has immortality	31:05
	"and dwells in unapproachable light	31:07
	"whom no one has ever seen or can see.	31:10
	"To Him be honor and eternal dominion.	31:15
	"Amen.	31:19
	"As for the rich in this world	31:20
	"charge them not to be haughty	31:23
	"Nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches,	31:27
	"but on God who richly furnishes us	31:31
	"with everything to enjoy.	31:35
	"They are to do good,	31:39
	"to be rich in good deeds,	31:41
	"liberal and generous.	31:44
	"Thus, laying up for themselves	31:47
	"a good foundation for the future,	31:49
	"so that they may take hold of the life	31:52
	"which is life indeed."	31:56
	This is the word of the lord.	32:02
	(choir singing)	32:17
	A reading from the gospel according to Luke.	35:23
	"There was a rich man	35:34
	"who was clothed in purple and fine linen	35:36
	"and who feasted sumptuously every day.	35:40
	"And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus,	35:44
	"full of sores, who desired to be fed	35:49
	"with what fell from the rich man's table.	35:52
	"Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores.	35:56
	"The poor man died and was carried	36:03
	"by the angels to Abraham's bosom.	36:05
	"The rich man also died and was buried.	36:10
	"And in Hades being in torment, he lifted up his eyes	36:15
	"and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom.	36:20
	"And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy up on me,	36:27
	"and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water	36:35
	"and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.'	36:41
	"But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you in your lifetime	36:49
	"received your good things,	36:56
	"and Lazarus in like manner evil things,	36:58
	"but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.	37:03
	"And besides all this, between us and you	37:10
	"a great chasm has been fixed,	37:13
	"in order that those who would pass from here to you	37:15
	"may not be able,	37:19
	"and none may cross from there to us.'	37:21
	"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father,	37:27
	"to send him to my father's house	37:30
	"for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,	37:32
	"lest they also come into this place of torment.'	37:37
	"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets,	37:44
	"let them hear them.'	37:50
	"And he said, 'No, father Abraham,	37:53
	"but if someone goes to them from the dead,	37:55
	"they will repent.'	37:59
	"Abraham said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses	38:03
	"and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced	38:07
	"if someone should rise from the dead.'"	38:12
	This is the Gospel of the Lord.	38:21
	A couple of years ago I boarded a flight	38:36
	departing from the Raleigh-Durham Airport	38:39
	and happened to receive a seat assignment	38:42
	next to a bright outgoing young woman.	38:44
	She was dressed in the standard blue and white sweatshirt	38:48
	with the letters D-U-K-E across the front.	38:51
	And so I asked if she were a Duke student.	38:55
	"No", she said,	38:58
	"but I surely hope to be.	38:59
	"I just paid my first visit to campus	39:01
	"and even though I've applied for admission	39:04
	"to mostly ivy league schools,	39:06
	"Duke is my very first choice."	39:09
	I think I was supposed to be impressed, and I was.	39:12
	"Why Duke?, I queried.	39:16
	"It has everything," was her reply.	39:18
	"Great academics, a beautiful campus,	39:20
	"nice people, not to mention pretty cute guys."	39:23
	I was certainly pleased to hear	39:28
	of her favorable impressions of our community	39:30
	and not surprised by her criteria.	39:32
	Recalling my own innocent expectations of life at Duke	39:35
	prior to my freshman year,	39:39
	I can remember anticipating arrival at paradise.	39:41
	So brilliant what every lecture be.	39:45
	So profound every experience.	39:48
	Of course, no one had told me about	39:51
	the possibility of belligerent roommates,	39:54
	all nighters in flowers lounge or math 31.	39:58
	By just about halfway through the semester	40:03
	reality had begun to break through.	40:06
	Paradise was not to be found at Duke University.	40:09
	This is not exactly what the admissions office told me.	40:13
	I thought to myself not that I've every regretted the fact	40:16
	that things didn't turn out exactly the way I had planned.	40:19
	I was far too young to even begin to know	40:23
	how to prescribe the ultimate college experience	40:26
	though I was sure that's what I had come	40:30
	to Durham, North Carolina to find.	40:32
	I now realize my experience was not unique.	40:36
	Many of us approach such life decisions	40:40
	with extremely high expectations while searching	40:42
	for the ultimate school, career or companion.	40:46
	A woman recently told me of the frustration	40:51
	she was having with her medical residency.	40:54
	As hard as she had worked all those years	40:57
	just to get there she somehow expected more satisfaction,	41:00
	more meaning to come from her work once she had made it.	41:04
	Newlyweds may experience a similar revelation	41:09
	a few months into their marriage when they discover	41:11
	the beloved is less than perfect.	41:14
	Searching for the ultimate anything	41:18
	inevitably reveals the fallibility of most everything.	41:21
	This may not be such a bad thing	41:27
	for those who can learn through such opportunities	41:29
	about commitment, responsibility and growth.	41:31
	But there are those committed enough	41:36
	to finding the ultimate for themselves	41:38
	that they spend their entire lives trying to find it,	41:41
	not just in relation to major choices	41:44
	but to minor ones as well.	41:46
	For instance, you know people that journey	41:49
	from store to store looking for the ultimate kiwi fruit,	41:51
	from city to city in quest	41:56
	of the most desirable living environment,	41:58
	from one relationship to the next	42:01
	looking from the perfect companion vaguely aware	42:03
	that such a thing may not exist,	42:06
	but determined not to settle for less than perfect	42:08
	if it's available.	42:10
	Add to the list of ultimates your own favorites,	42:13
	pedigrees, neighborhoods, physiques,	42:17
	graduate schools, trips abroad, social circles,	42:21
	even spiritual disciplines.	42:26
	And we begin to get a handle on the ways	42:29
	in which we attempt to establish	42:31
	an identity through our idols.	42:33
	After all how are people to know us	42:37
	other than through the things we do or have?	42:39
	How do we even know ourselves	42:43
	other than in these ways?	42:44
	In today's epistle reading, the apostle Paul	42:48
	offered some advice to the aspiring young minister, Timothy,	42:51
	about ultimate things and personal identity.	42:55
	The text appears in the context of a discussion	43:00
	about detractors within the church	43:03
	who were teaching new and unfounded doctrines.	43:05
	Paul writes, "Such men",	43:08
	and most likely they were in this case men,	43:12
	"are puffed up with conceit.	43:15
	"They are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth	43:18
	"imagining that godliness is a means of gain."	43:21
	Sounds like the evangelist in Texas	43:26
	who lives in a $700,000 home	43:28
	and believes all Christians should have the best houses,	43:31
	cars and clothes.	43:34
	He sells a tape series by the way called,	43:35
	"Biblical success principles",	43:38
	for a mere donation of $100.	43:41
	See me afterwards for more information.	43:44
	St. Paul challenges such ideas about Christianity	43:48
	by emphasizing to Timothy,	43:51
	"There is great gain in godliness with contentment."	43:54
	Godliness also translated as piety or religion.	43:59
	Here suggests a form of life	44:04
	whose ultimate quest is for God,	44:07
	not for profit, prestige or possessions.	44:10
	Paul stresses this capacity for godliness	44:14
	throughout his letter to Timothy.	44:16
	In an earlier chapter, he compares godliness	44:19
	to athletic discipline, a rather contemporary comparison,	44:21
	and stresses that godliness enables us to live	44:26
	in the present and to face the future.	44:29
	Coupled with this godliness is contentment.	44:33
	The capacity to be satisfied with who we are	44:37
	as children of God, rather than being driven	44:39
	to seize an identity based on the things we have or do.	44:42
	Paul was very keen on describing this particular aspect	44:46
	of faith and could write even from a Roman prison.	44:50
	In his letter to the Philippians,	44:54
	"I have learned in whatever state I am to be content."	44:56
	Contentment is of course one of the most sought after	45:02
	and most illusive qualities known to human kind.	45:06
	We push, pull, shove and cajole while looking for it	45:10
	hoping that once we reach the ultimate of anything	45:14
	contentment will be ours.	45:16
	I grew up on a dairy farm,	45:19
	and I always admired the way	45:20
	our cows seem so contented with so little,	45:22
	a nice pasture, a cool pond,	45:26
	a shady place in which to sleep	45:29
	seemed to be enough for them.	45:31
	Not so with human beings.	45:33
	We search for contentment,	45:35
	but so often in the wrong places.	45:37
	And one of our favorites	45:40
	is through the accumulation of wealth.	45:41
	Paul forewarns us of the folly,	45:43
	however, when he reminds us that we brought nothing	45:45
	into the world and we cannot take anything out.	45:47
	The love of money is the root of all evils.	45:51
	I'm afraid this verse does come from the Bible	45:55
	for those of you who hoped it was somewhere else.	45:57
	"It is through this craving that some have wandered away	46:00
	"from the faith and pierce their heart with many pangs,"	46:03
	writes the apostle.	46:08
	One of my favorite Flannery O'Connor stories	46:10
	deals with the many nuances of identity based on wealth	46:13
	or any other accumulation of successes	46:17
	and the accompanying lack of contentment.	46:20
	In her story everything that rises must converge.	46:25
	She tells the tale of Julian and his mother.	46:28
	Julian's mother considered herself	46:32
	to be a proper southern lady who knew who she was.	46:33
	This was rather unlike Julian	46:39
	whom she was quick to remind still lived at home	46:41
	having been out of college for over a year.	46:44
	He was prone to rude behavior.	46:47

-	Writers for a living.	0:03
	"If you don't know who you are, I'm ashamed of you,"	0:05
	she railed at him.	0:08
	"Your great-grandfather was former governor of this state.	0:10
	"Your grandfather was a prosperous land owner,	0:13
	"and your grandmother was a Godhigh."	0:16
	"Will you look around you and see where you are now?"	0:19
	He said tensely, as he swept his arm around	0:21
	to indicate the deteriorating neighborhood	0:24
	where they now lived.	0:27
	"You remain what you are," she said.	0:29
	"Your great-grandfather had a plantation and 200 slaves."	0:32
	"There are no more slaves," he retorted.	0:37
	Julian himself was no shrinking violet,	0:41
	and the way he determined	0:44
	he had turned out pretty well in spite of his mother,	0:45
	in spite of going to only a third-rate college, he had,	0:48
	on his own initiative, come out with a first-rate education.	0:52
	In spite of growing up dominated by a small mind,	0:56
	he had ended up with a large one.	0:59
	In spite of all of her foolish views,	1:02
	he was free of prejudice, and unafraid to face facts.	1:05
	Most miraculous of all,	1:09
	instead of being blinded by love for her,	1:11
	as she was for him,	1:14
	he had cut himself emotionally free of her,	1:15
	and could see her with complete objectivity.	1:19
	He was not dominated by his mother, he felt,	1:22
	and that he was sure of.	1:25
	This story unfolds in characteristic O'Connor fashion	1:28
	with one outlandish event after the next.	1:31
	Finally, Julian has the opportunity	1:35
	to thoroughly chastise and embarrass his mother.	1:38
	After an unusual encounter on the bus,	1:42
	which he begrudgingly rides with her,	1:44
	"You aren't who you think you are," he blasted her.	1:47
	But the shoe is rapidly switched to the other foot,	1:51
	when in complete distress over the situation,	1:54
	Julian's mother reverts to a child's mentality.	1:57
	She begins to talk incoherently,	2:01
	and then crumples to the ground.	2:03
	Julian, about to become aware that perhaps	2:06
	he's not who he thought he was either,	2:10
	falls to the ground beside her, crying,	2:14
	"Darling, Mother, sweetheart, wait."	2:17
	The road to knowing oneself is fraught with many perils.	2:23
	Yet, the Christian must recognize that	2:29
	an identity grounded in the external world	2:32
	based either on what we have or what we accomplish	2:35
	is bound to be mistaken.	2:39
	Christian conversion means turning away	2:42
	from anything we consider to be ultimate	2:44
	other than God Almighty as the measure of our worth.	2:46
	We can never completely detach ourselves	2:50
	from our possessions or accomplishments,	2:53
	they are an extension of ourselves into the world,	2:55
	and are not inherently good or bad in and of themselves.	2:58
	Rather, if we are to acknowledge,	3:03
	if we are able to acknowledge	3:06
	that our life comes in every moment from God,	3:08
	that we are held out of nothingness as a gift from God,	3:11
	that our identity and worth are established	3:15
	not by what we can seize,	3:18
	but by what has been given to us,	3:20
	then we need not define ourselves	3:23
	by what we own or what we do,	3:26
	we are free from the tyranny of possessing and achieving,	3:28
	no longer must we live with	3:32
	the stifling preoccupation with ourselves,	3:33
	no longer must we carry around the crushing burden	3:37
	of worrying about the opinions of others.	3:40
	We can enjoy even obscurity as well as fame, imagine.	3:44
	Paul instructs Timothy to shun those things	3:50
	which detract him from God,	3:54
	and to aim at righteousness, godliness,	3:56
	faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.	3:59
	Yet even these are not to be seized	4:04
	as a form of self justification,	4:06
	I can seek to establish my own worth	4:10
	by flawless performance of the commandments,	4:12
	but to do so suggests that God can be manipulated,	4:16
	and is therefore no longer God.	4:21
	God's way of making humans righteous	4:25
	has been established far apart	4:27
	from the ways we may attempt to justify ourselves.	4:29
	God's way has been made manifest in Jesus Christ,	4:33
	and the paradox of a crucified Messiah.	4:37
	Jesus too sought the ultimate,	4:42
	but not in terms of what He had,	4:44
	He sought it in God's will.	4:46
	Jesus did not cling to His identity as God's Son,	4:49
	but He emptied Himself in obedience	4:52
	day by day, minute by minute,	4:55
	in response to the circumstances which surrounded Him.	4:58
	When He would preach, He was called to heal.	5:02
	When He would rest, He was called to teach.	5:05
	When He would live, He was called to die.	5:09
	Jesus knew the freedom of faith	5:13
	because He was free from the need to seize His own identity,	5:16
	even by the project of His preaching ministry.	5:20
	He was able to respond	5:24
	to the complexity of all the demands put upon Him.	5:25
	As God has given us life as a gift,	5:30
	so God has restored us to worth	5:34
	through the gift of grace through Christ.	5:37
	And because it is a gift,	5:40
	we respond to it not by acquisition, but by acceptance.	5:42
	Then we are free to be God's children,	5:47
	and God is allowed to be God,	5:50
	the only true ultimate in our lives	5:52
	whose freedom alone can make us free.	5:56
	Thanks be to God.	6:00
	(light organ music)	6:17
	(choir singing)	6:44
-	The Lord be with you.	8:39
-	And also with you.	8:41
-	Let us pray.	8:42
	God of grace, and God of glory,	8:55
	we are your children, your spirit lives in us,	8:58
	and we are in your spirit.	9:02
	Hear us, for it is your spirit	9:04
	who speaks through us as we pray.	9:07
	God of all beginnings,	9:11
	you created the heavens and the earth,	9:13
	bless the produce of our land	9:16
	and the works of our hands.	9:18
	Lord in your mercy.	9:24
-	Hear our prayer.	9:26
-	You created the human family in your own image.	9:29
	Teach us to honor you and our brothers and sisters.	9:33
	Lord in your mercy.	9:41
-	Hear our prayer.	9:42
-	You sent your Son into the world,	9:45
	reveal Him to others through His life in us.	9:48
	Lord in your mercy.	9:56
-	Hear our prayer.	9:58
-	Lord Jesus, you called women and men to be your disciples,	10:01
	deepen in each of us a sense of vocation.	10:07
	Lord in your mercy.	10:15
-	Hear our prayer.	10:18
-	You gave us your peace,	10:21
	bring the people of this world	10:24
	to live in true community and concord.	10:25
	Lord in your mercy.	10:34
-	Hear our prayer.	10:37
-	You taught us through Paul, your apostle,	10:39
	to pray for all kings and rulers.	10:42
	Bless and guide all who are in authority.	10:45
	Lord in your mercy.	10:53
-	Hear our prayer.	10:56
-	You were rich, yet for our sake became poor.	10:58
	Move those who have wealth to share generously	11:02
	with those who are poor.	11:05
	Lord in your mercy.	11:12
-	Hear our prayer.	11:14
-	You sat among the learned,	11:17
	listening and asking them questions.	11:18
	Inspire all who teach and all who learn.	11:21
	Lord in your mercy.	11:31
-	Hear our prayer.	11:33
-	You cured by your healing touch and word.	11:36
	Heal the sick and bless all who minister to them.	11:39
	Lord in your mercy.	11:47
-	Hear our prayer.	11:50
-	You were unjustly condemned by Pontius Pilate.	11:52
	Strengthen our brothers and sisters	11:56
	who are suffering injustice and persecution.	11:58
	Lord in your mercy.	12:07
-	Hear our prayer.	12:09
-	You have been glorified in the lives of enumerable saints.	12:11
	Give us strength through their prayers	12:16
	to follow in their footsteps.	12:19
	Lord in your mercy.	12:25
-	Hear our prayer.	12:27
-	Loving Lord, we know that you are good,	12:30
	and that you hear all those who call upon you.	12:32
	Give to us and to all what is best	12:36
	so that we may glorify you	12:39
	through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord,	12:40
	who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,	12:43
	one God now and forever, amen.	12:47
	Scripture bids us to worship God through our lives	12:56
	and the offerings of our possessions.	12:58
	With thankful hearts, let us offer praise to God	13:01
	through the giving of our tithes and offerings.	13:05
	(light organ music)	13:10
	(choir singing)	14:11
	(light organ music)	17:29
	(choir singing)	17:50
-	Let us pray.	24:03
	O God, we thank you for morning light and evening peace,	24:05
	for the night in which you restore our spirit's strength,	24:10
	and the day in which you lead us into larger life.	24:13
	For the past from which so much has come to bless us,	24:17
	and for the future to which we lift our eyes in hope.	24:20
	For the mind which asks the probing questions,	24:25
	and the spirit by which life's mysteries are exalted.	24:27
	For truth which binds the conscience and law,	24:31
	and the mercy which frees it from the hand.	24:34
	For beauty that rejoices in the eye,	24:37
	and the skill that disciplines the hand.	24:39
	For love that redeems the heart from fear,	24:42
	and for grace that sustains us in every adversity.	24:45
	For all your work done in this world,	24:49
	we give you thanks, O God,	24:51
	our strength and our redeemer.	24:53
	And we are bold to pray as your Son taught us,	24:56
	saying our Father who art in heaven,	24:59
	hallowed be thy name,	25:03
	thy kingdom come,	25:05
	thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.	25:07
	Give us this day our daily bread,	25:11
	and forgive us our trespasses,	25:14
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	25:17
	And lead us not into temptation,	25:20
	but deliver us from evil,	25:23
	for thine is the kingdom	25:25
	and the power and the glory forever, amen.	25:27
	(uplifting organ music)	25:33
	(choir singing)	26:12
	(dramatic organ music)	29:26
	(light organ music)	29:36
-	Fix your hope upon God.	29:57
	Run the great race of faith,	29:59
	and take hold of eternal life,	30:02
	and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,	30:05
	and the fellowship and encouragement	30:08
	of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always.	30:10
	(choir singing)	30:17
	(dramatic organ music)	30:36

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "In Search of the Ultimate..." (September 28, 1986)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1): 38:36. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 06:04.
Often times, lured by the promise of ultimate satisfaction, we seek to ground our identities in what we possess or our accomplishments. Such pursuits, however, are deeply mistaken. Scripture teaches us that our worth can only be found in God, who has given all things to us as a gift. It is my accepting that gift that we find our true freedom. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The road to knowing oneself is fraught with many perils. Yet, the Christian must recognize that an identity ground in the external world, based either on what we have or what we accomplish, is bound to be mistaken.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4j38kx9k

Date:

September 28, 1986

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

Biblical Book:

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Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0354
ref8230_em7
uachapelsermaud
duke:320556
dcrau001335
ark:/87924/r4j38kx9k
e13d89df-da4c-4ed6-b4f4-3d68e346122e

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "In Search of the Ultimate..." (September 28, 1986)

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Duke University Archives