[unknown] - Lenten Meditation and Music (1997)

Download
- Rights
- No Re-Use
  In Copyright
  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/r4028pv27?embed=true' height='125px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4028pv27
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

-	Almighty God, your blessed son, was lead by the spirit	0:04
	to be tempted by Satan, come quickly to help us who are	0:06
	assaulted by many temptations, and as you know the weakness	0:11
	of each of us, let each one find you mighty to say,	0:14
	through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord, amen.	0:18
	(piano music)	0:24
	(choir singing)	0:40
-	Early in the morning, he came again to the temple.	4:54
	All the people came to him and he sat down	4:58
	and he began to teach them, the scribes and the pharisees	5:00
	brought a woman, who'd been caught in adultery,	5:03
	and making her stand before all of them,	5:06
	they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was	5:09
	caught in the very act of committing adultery."	5:11
	Now in a loll, Moses commanded us to stone such woman,	5:15
	now what do you say, they said this to test him,	5:19
	so that they might have some charge to bring against him,	5:22
	Jesus bent down, and wrote with his finger on the ground.	5:26
	When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up,	5:31
	and said to them, "let anyone among who is without sin,	5:34
	be the first to throw a stone at her."	5:38
	And once again he bent down, and wrote on the ground.	5:41
	When they heard it, they went away one by one,	5:45
	beginning with the elders, Jesus was left	5:48
	alone with the woman standing before him,	5:52
	Jesus straightened up, and said to her,	5:54
	"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"	5:58
	She said, "No one, sir."	6:02
	And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you, go your way	6:05
	and for now on, do not sin again.	6:09
	Neither do I condemn you, go your way,	6:14
	and for now on, do not sin again."	6:18
	(choir singing)	6:27
-	Toward the end of his critique of pure reason,	10:02
	Emmanuel Comte admits that reason alone fails us	10:05
	on just two points, within the limits of reason,	10:09
	one can explain neither the existence of evil,	10:13
	nor the presence of hope, how is it possible to hope	10:17
	in the midst of evil, evil itself is a great mystery.	10:22
	Why are you so bad, no more to the point, why do I sin?	10:28
	Why am I conjunctively disposed to organize the	10:34
	whole world around me, and I lie, why I even stand on	10:37
	the bathroom scales fully clothed in the morning,	10:42
	I say, why, such heavy cloths I have on today.	10:46
	Look I'm not right left to my own devices, I will always	10:51
	present to you my idealized image, I will manipulate,	10:55
	I will love me and I will use you to love me even more.	11:01
	In short, I sin, there are seasons of the church here	11:07
	more incomprehensible than Lent, but Lent, this 40 day	11:12
	focus on our sin and it's consequence, this annual call	11:17
	to repentance and introspection, Lent, has the cold, clear	11:22
	ring of reality about it, doesn't it?	11:26
	All new age or pop psychology, blatant wishful thinking	11:29
	to the contrary, we, no I sin, Lent's 40 days is about	11:34
	that, where you there when they crucified my Lord?	11:42
	As a matter of fact, yes, you organize a good old	11:47
	fashioned crucifixion for the child molester,	11:51
	a convenient store stick up man, a welfare chiseller,	11:54
	the president of the NRA, a sleazy TV evangelist,	11:57
	what's a guy that produces MTV's Real World?	12:01
	I'll be there, God help us, we have marched up	12:04
	calvaries so many times to nail somebody to the wood	12:08
	in our righteous indignation, yeah I was there, what of it?	12:12
	God help us, and what hope, how to account, not for evil,	12:18
	but how more difficultly, how do you account for hope?	12:26
	If reason can't explain evil, is it anymore helping	12:32
	in moving toward hope, one reason we or I find it hard	12:36
	to be honest, where in the world do you take these moments	12:42
	of latten truthfulness and honesty, wallow in our sin,	12:47
	say, oh guilt is good, good for what?	12:52
	No, if there is hope for us, for me, it might be a hope	12:56
	not of our own devising, it must be some external	13:03
	more than me gift, sin must be forgiven to be faced,	13:08
	I need a God who doesn't shirk from taking me as I am, sin,	13:16
	and all, some savior who doesn't shrink even from a cross,	13:22
	because having me very long, and I'll find a cross for you	13:29
	that fits, oh, God help us, and he does.	13:33
	(choir singing)	13:45
-	When we gaze upon the crucifixion of Jesus,	17:07
	we are also reminded of the enviability of our own death,	17:10
	Henry Owen, who's spiritual writings have inspired so many	17:15
	of us reflects, upon the reality of death is his book,	17:19
	Walk with Jesus, his words are especially poignant	17:23
	giving Owens' own recent death, in the following excerpt,	17:27
	he reminds us that in the light of the cross,	17:32
	our own death is illumined with hope and meaning.	17:35
	People are dying, every day, every hour, every minute.	17:41
	They die suddenly or slowly, they die on streets of big	17:45
	cities or in comfortable homes, they die in isolation	17:49
	or surrounded by friends and family, they die in	17:53
	great pain, or as if falling asleep, they die in anguish,	17:57
	or in peace, but all of them die alone, facing the unknown,	18:02
	dying is indeed a reality of daily life, and yet the world	18:09
	generally goes about it's business, disowning this reality,	18:13
	dying is often a hidden event, something to ignore or deny,	18:18
	but all of life comes to an end, dying belongs to living.	18:23
	Jesus was nailed to the cross, and for three hours he	18:30
	was dying, he died between two men, one of them said to	18:33
	the other, "We are paying for what we did,	18:38
	but this man has done nothing wrong."	18:41
	Jesus lived his dying completely for others, the total	18:44
	exhaustion of his body, the abandonment by his friends,	18:48
	and even of his God, all became the gift itself.	18:53
	And as he hung dying in complete powerlessness,	18:58
	nailed against the wood of a tree, there was no bitterness,	19:02
	no desire for revenge, no resentment, nothing to cling to,	19:06
	all to give, by being given away for others, his life	19:12
	became fruitful, Jesus the completely innocent one,	19:16
	the one without sin, without guilt, without shame,	19:22
	died an excruciatingly painful death, in order that death	19:26
	no longer would have to be ignored, but become a gateway	19:30
	to life, and a source of a new communion,	19:34
	as we look at the dying Jesus, we see the dying world,	19:39
	Jesus, who on the cross, drew all people to himself,	19:43
	died millions of deaths, he died not only to death of the	19:47
	rejected, the lonely and criminal, but also the death of	19:51
	the high and powerful, the famous and the popular,	19:54
	most of all, he died the death of all the simple people	19:59
	who lived their ordinary lives who grew old and tired,	20:03
	and trusted that somehow their lives were not in vain.	20:07
	We all must die, and we all will die alone, no one can	20:13
	make that final journey with us, we have to let go what is	20:18
	most our own, and trust that we did not live in vain.	20:23
	Somehow, dying is the greatest of all	20:28
	human moments, because it is the moment in	20:31
	which we are asked to give everything.	20:34
	Jesus' death reveals to us that we do	20:38
	not have to live pretending that death is	20:40
	not something that comes to all of us.	20:43
	As he hangs stretched out between heaven and earth,	20:45
	he asked us to look our mortality straight in the face,	20:49
	and trust that death does not have the last word.	20:54
	We can then look at the dying in our world	21:00
	and give them hope, we can hold their dying bodies	21:02
	in our arms and trust that mightier arms	21:06
	than ours will receive them, and give them	21:09
	the peace and joy they always desire.	21:12
	In dying all of humanity is one,	21:16
	and it was into this dying humanity that	21:19
	God entered in Jesus Christ to give us hope.	21:22
	Let us pray.	21:28
	Oh, Christ our Lord, we are overwhelmed by your willingness	21:31
	to give your all for our sake, we wonder what thoughts	21:35
	went through your mind as you hung there on the tree.	21:40
	What inner strength sustained you when you were	21:43
	abandoned by everyone you loved?	21:46
	What comforted you as you faced the abyss of death?	21:49
	What gave you the courage to endure the suffering	21:52
	and shame without anger or bitterness?	21:55
	What hope enabled you to accept	21:58
	powerlessness, trusting the outcome to God?	22:01
	Your willingness to die on the cross remains	22:07
	a mystery to us, but also a source of comfort and strength	22:10
	because you lived and died and rose again, we have	22:15
	confidence that our lives and deaths are not in vain,	22:19
	because you walked the path that we must walk,	22:24
	we can face death without fear, knowing that	22:27
	death does not have the last word.	22:30
	May the certainty of hope give us courage to live	22:34
	and die as you lived and died, with nothing held back.	22:37
	Help us open ourselves to the suffering and dying	22:42
	of those around us, and also may they experience	22:45
	compassion and hope, unite us in our shared suffering	22:49
	that our individual burdens may be lightened,	22:54
	and teach us how to live that in our lives,	22:58
	the world may gain a glimpse of your	23:01
	love given freely to all people.	23:03
	In the name of our Lord and Savior,	23:07
	Jesus Christ, we pray and hope, amen.	23:09
	(choir singing)	23:15
-	Oh, all you who pass along this way, behold,	26:33
	and see if there is any sorrow, like unto my sorrow.	26:38
	These words from the Book of Lamentations,	26:44
	are the text you have just heard set to music by	26:47
	Pablo Casals, an ancient text dating back to the	26:49
	six century BC, married to a modern composition	26:54
	written in 1942 AD, an unlikely match?	26:57
	Spanning a bridge of 26 centuries in time.	27:02
	What might have drawn this gifted composer	27:06
	to these particularly anguished words?	27:09
	Going back to the days after the Babylonian invasion	27:13
	of Jerusalem in 587 BC we find a city which lay	27:16
	in ruins, the palace and temple had been destroyed,	27:21
	many, many people had been killed,	27:26
	and leading citizens had been deported to Babylon.	27:28
	The Book of Lamentations tells the heart breaking story	27:31
	of the struggle for survival for those who were left	27:35
	behind, graphic vignettes of the suffering of the people	27:38
	are included, especially the children.	27:42
	We read of infants and babes who faint in the street,	27:45
	of children who beg for food, but there is no food,	27:49
	and even of mothers who resort to cannibalism.	27:54
	It's as if the poets are driving home the point that	27:58
	can a people be even more devastated than this,	28:01
	than when their own children cannot survive.	28:05
	The sorrow and grief experienced in the face of war,	28:09
	is so powerfully expressed in Lamentations,	28:13
	that is has echoed throughout the ages	28:17
	as a testimony to the horrors of violence.	28:19
	Jews recite Lamentations to commemorate the fall of the	28:22
	second temple, and Christians use parts of the book,	28:25
	including this text, during holy week services.	28:28
	Thus Pablo Casals, as an artist and Christian,	28:33
	who's life was forever changed by the	28:37
	ravages of war, chose a text with a rich	28:39
	heritage to address the suffering of his own time.	28:42
	In the spring of 1939, he became an exile after	28:47
	his Spanish homeland was occupied by fascist	28:51
	forces, he writes of that time,	28:53
	"These things were too horrible to think about,	28:56
	but I could not drive them from my mind.	28:59
	I shut myself up in a room with all the blinds drawn	29:03
	and sat staring into the dark, perhaps in the darkness	29:06
	I hoped to find forgetfulness, relief from the pain,	29:10
	but an endless panorama passed before my eyes.	29:14
	Horrors I had witnessed in the war, faces of dear ones,	29:18
	cities in ruin, and weeping women and children.	29:23
	I remained in that room for days,	29:27
	unable to move, perhaps near to madness or to death,	29:29
	I did not really want to live."	29:35
	But Casals never succumbed to the despair which threatened	29:39
	to destroy him, he obtained a simple residence in	29:42
	southern France, in a little village called Prada.	29:46
	There he embarked upon a campaign to elicit	29:50
	aid for the tens of thousands Spanish refugees,	29:53
	even though conditions in Prada were	29:57
	both difficult and dangerous, the conditions	29:59
	in the refugee camps were far worse.	30:02
	Men, women and children, herded together like animals	30:05
	in tents and crumbling shacks, with no	30:08
	sanitation facilities, little water,	30:11
	and barely enough food to prevent mass starvation.	30:14
	Casals was a tireless advocate for his people,	30:18
	in spite of poor health, carrying on voluminous	30:22
	correspondence, loading supplies, visiting the camps,	30:25
	and giving benefit concerts on his cello around France,	30:29
	even though his hands were beginning to tremble	30:33
	because of so much letter writing.	30:36
	After the end of the war, he continued to carry	30:39
	the banner for world peace throughout his lifetime.	30:42
	Having experienced suffering first hand,	30:45
	he was unafraid to acknowledge the suffering	30:48
	of others, and he was unwilling to let	30:51
	the rest of the world forget about their plight.	30:54
	All you who pass along this way, behold and see if	30:58
	there is any sorrow like unto my sorrow,	31:03
	could it be that uttering such a lament,	31:07
	is one of the greatest acts of fidelity to God?	31:10
	As it was in the days of the Babylonian exile,	31:14
	of World War II, and now in our own time, in the	31:17
	midst of unspeakable suffering, God hears our every cry.	31:23

	(chanting music)	0:07
	(chanting music)	0:10
	(chanting music)	0:14
	(chanting music)	0:17
	(chanting music)	0:20
	(chanting music)	0:23
	(chanting music)	0:25
	(chanting music)	0:27
	(chanting music)	0:30
	(chanting music)	0:32
	(chanting music)	0:35
	(chanting music)	0:37
	(chanting music)	0:39
	(chanting music)	0:42
	(chanting music)	0:44
	(chanting music)	0:46
	(chanting music)	0:48
	(chanting music)	0:51
	(chanting music)	0:53
	(chanting music)	0:55
	(chanting music)	0:58
	(chanting music)	1:00
	(chanting music)	1:02
	(chanting music)	1:04
	(chanting music)	1:07
	(chanting music)	1:09
	(chanting music)	1:12
	(chanting music)	1:14
	(chanting music)	1:16
	(chanting music)	1:19
	(chanting music)	1:21
	(chanting music)	1:23
	(chanting music)	1:25
	(chanting music)	1:28
	(chanting music)	1:30
	(chanting music)	1:32
	(chanting music)	1:34
	(chanting music)	1:36
	(chanting music)	1:39
	(chanting music)	1:41
	(chanting music)	1:43
	(chanting music)	1:46
	(chanting music)	1:48
	(chanting music)	1:50
	(chanting music)	1:52
	(chanting music)	1:54
	(chanting music)	1:57
	(chanting music)	1:59
	(chanting music)	2:01
	(chanting music)	2:03
-	"The quality of mercy is not strained.	2:06
	"It falleth on the earth, as gentle rain."	2:09
	Shakespeare's words memorized by	2:13
	generations of school children	2:15
	speak to the power of mercy to completely change	2:17
	the giver, the receiver, and the relationship.	2:20
	But while God's mercy is pure and abundant,	2:25
	it is our human tendency to find ourselves	2:29
	very constrained about asking for God's mercy.	2:32
	Many of us spend far more time believing we	2:37
	deserve more than life is giving us.	2:39
	We are loath to truly believe,	2:42
	as our scripture and faith teaches,	2:44
	that we are all sinners, and as such, all deserve death.	2:47
	Self examination, and repentance,	2:52
	is hard, intentional, focused work.	2:54
	Life is already too demanding, too busy,	2:58
	we are afraid to take the time to be quiet,	3:02
	prayerful and open to asking for God's mercy,	3:04
	because it might mean asking and hearing,	3:08
	that we must change.	3:11
	To ask for God's mercy is to ask for something	3:15
	far more shattering, far more devastating,	3:18
	far more transforming than a perfunctory absolution,	3:21
	as if forgiveness is a get out of jail free card.	3:25
	We are like young child, hysterical about be put	3:31
	into time out for misbehavior.	3:34
	We dread a season of being asked by God	3:37
	to consider what much change in order for us to come	3:40
	into a closer relationship with the one who loves us	3:43
	enough to die for us.	3:47
	And like that same child furious at the parent,	3:50
	our tears give away sooner or later to a far	3:53
	more powerful desire to be held, to be embraced,	3:57
	to be told that, "Child of mine, I love you.	4:01
	"I will never abandon you, I will always seek you,	4:06
	"and always welcome you back."	4:10
	Lent invites us through quiet, through self examination,	4:14
	through confession, to reach for the forgiving,	4:18
	loving arms that are extended across time,	4:20
	across sin, even from a cross of wood,	4:24
	to receive us into his saving embrace.	4:29
	(piano music)	4:33
	(piano music)	4:36
	(piano music)	4:38
	(piano music)	4:40
	(piano music)	4:43
	(piano music)	4:45
	(choir singing)	4:46
	(choir singing)	4:48
	(choir singing)	4:50
	(choir singing)	4:53
	(choir singing)	4:55
	(choir singing)	4:57
	(choir singing)	4:59
	(choir singing)	5:02
	(choir singing)	5:04
	(choir singing)	5:06
	(choir singing)	5:08
	(choir singing)	5:11
	(choir singing)	5:13
	(choir singing)	5:15
	(choir singing)	5:17
	(choir singing)	5:19
	(choir singing)	5:21
	(choir singing)	5:23
	(choir singing)	5:26
	(choir singing)	5:28
	(choir singing)	5:30
	(choir singing)	5:32
	(choir singing)	5:34
	(choir singing)	5:36
	(choir singing)	5:38
	(choir singing)	5:41
	(choir singing)	5:43
	(choir singing)	5:45
	(choir singing)	5:47
	(choir singing)	5:49
	(choir singing)	5:51
	(choir singing)	5:53
	(choir singing)	5:56
	(choir singing)	5:58
	(choir singing)	6:00
	(choir singing)	6:02
	(choir singing)	6:04
	(choir singing)	6:06
	(choir singing)	6:08
	(choir singing)	6:11
	(choir singing)	6:13
	(choir singing)	6:19
	(choir singing)	6:21
	(choir singing)	6:23
	(choir singing)	6:25
	(choir singing)	6:28
	(choir singing)	6:30
	(choir singing)	6:32
	(choir singing)	6:34
	(choir singing)	6:36
	(choir singing)	6:38
	(choir singing)	6:40
	(choir singing)	6:42
	(choir singing)	6:44
	(choir singing)	6:47
	(choir singing)	6:49
	(choir singing)	6:51
	(choir singing)	6:53
	(choir singing)	6:55
	(choir singing)	6:57
	(choir singing)	6:59
	(choir singing)	7:02
	(choir singing)	7:04
	(choir singing)	7:06
	(choir singing)	7:08
	(choir singing)	7:10
	(choir singing)	7:12
	(choir singing)	7:14
	(choir singing)	7:16
	(choir singing)	7:18
	(choir singing)	7:20
	(choir singing)	7:22
	(choir singing)	7:25
	(choir singing)	7:27
	(choir singing)	7:29
	(choir singing)	7:31
	(choir singing)	7:34
	(choir singing)	7:36
	(choir singing)	7:38
	(choir singing)	7:40
	(choir singing)	7:42
	(piano music)	7:44
	(choir singing)	7:47
	(choir singing)	7:49
	(piano music	7:51
	(piano music)	7:53
	(piano music)	7:55
	(piano music)	7:57
	(piano music)	7:59
	(piano music)	8:01
	(choir music)	8:03
	(choir music)	8:05
	(choir music)	8:07
	(choir music)	8:09
	(choir music)	8:11
	(choir music)	8:14
	(choir music)	8:16
	(choir music)	8:18
	(choir music)	8:20
	(choir music)	8:22
	(choir music)	8:24
	(choir music)	8:26
	(choir music)	8:28
	(choir music)	8:30
	(choir music)	8:31
	(choir music)	8:33
	(choir music)	8:35
	(choir music)	8:37
	(choir music)	8:39
	(choir music)	8:41
	(choir music)	8:43
	(choir music)	8:45
	(choir music)	8:47
	(choir music)	8:49
	(choir music)	8:51
	(choir music)	8:53
	(choir music)	8:55
	(choir music)	8:57
	(piano music)	9:00
	(piano music)	9:02
	(choir music)	9:05
	(choir music)	9:06
	(choir music)	9:08
	(choir music)	9:10
	(choir music)	9:12
	(choir music)	9:14
	(choir music)	9:16
	(choir music)	9:18
	(choir music)	9:20
	(choir music)	9:22
	(choir music)	9:24
	(choir music)	9:28
	(choir music)	9:30
	(choir music)	9:32
	(choir music)	9:33
	(choir music)	9:35
	(choir music)	9:37
	(choir music)	9:39
	(choir music)	9:41
	(piano music)	9:42
	(piano music)	9:44
	(piano music)	9:46
	(piano music)	9:48
	(piano music)	9:50
	(piano music)	9:52
	(piano music)	9:54
	(piano music)	9:55
	(piano music)	9:57
	(piano music)	9:59
	(piano music)	10:01
	(piano music)	10:04
-	On that fateful day, that Friday,	10:09
	Pilot asked him, "Are you king?"	10:12
	Jesus answered, "Do you ask this on your own	10:15
	"or did others tell you about me?"	10:18
	"My kingdom, is not from this world.	10:21
	"My kingdom, is not from here."	10:24
	Each Sunday I try to preach the gospel in a chapel	10:29
	in the middle of a great university.	10:32
	My home is within the domain of higher education,	10:35
	in a college, a large university.	10:37
	Preaching the gospel of Jesus with in an	10:41
	academic setting, in the middle of the world's	10:44
	intelligence, yeah, that's a great challenge.	10:46
	There is something about the gospel,	10:50
	there's something within the message of Jesus,	10:52
	which makes it well, uneasily in a setting	10:55
	like this one, that uneasiness is for me,	10:59
	symbolized by a wood carving the alter at Duke chapel.	11:03
	Here in Duke chapel, high over the alter,	11:09
	carved in lime wood, the central scene,	11:11
	is Good Friday's gospel.	11:15
	Jesus, before pilot.	11:18
	How do you account for this weird, iconography.	11:21
	I don't know of any other church in the entire	11:25
	Christian world that has these particular scenes	11:28
	over its alter.	11:31
	Why, of the scenes from the story of Jesus,	11:33
	this one, and here, center stage, at a university chapel?	11:36
	If you look carefully, you can see them there,	11:41
	Jesus at the center, quite, erect, serene,	11:44
	a sadness carriage of justice swirling around him.	11:48
	See Pilot, on his judgment seat, he looks hesitant,	11:52
	trembling, despite his soldiers backing him up.	11:57
	The (in foreign language), Roman wolf,	12:00
	sign of Pilot's power emblazend upon his throne.	12:04
	See the soldiers, backing up Pilot's power	12:09
	with their swords and their big shields.	12:12
	Now, why?	12:16
	Of all the scenes from the story of Jesus,	12:18
	why this one here, focal point at a university chapel?	12:20
	I think I know.	12:27
	I think you know.	12:28
	"Are you king of the Jews," Pilot asked,	12:30
	he asked with a certain condescending sneer, I think,	12:33
	big, powerful, Pilot, with the legions of Rome,	12:37
	and all it's classical western civilization	12:41
	backing him up.	12:44
	Powerful, Pilot, before this whipped, bleeding,	12:45
	bedraggled, Jew, Jesus.	12:48
	Pilot asked, "Are you king?"	12:52
	Some of the soldiers surly snickered.	12:55
	Jesus replys, "Are you asking this on your own,	13:00
	"or did one of your bosses in Rome,	13:03
	"write out the question for you?"	13:05
	Pilot, like any good bureaucrat, knows not how	13:07
	to think for himself, Jesus implies.	13:10
	Little todies, can't speak without checking it out	13:15
	with their superiors up at city hall.	13:17
	"Well how should I know who you are, I'm not a Jew am I?"	13:20
	sneers Pilot, and Pilot, despite himself,	13:23
	has answered truthfully by his sarcastic question.	13:28
	Pilot doesn't know, can't know.	13:32
	He is a Roman, a Gentile, oh he knows power,	13:36
	the power of the sword, Roman law, Roman legions,	13:40
	all he knows is that kingdom.	13:44
	That kingdom propped up by the sword, the Roman	13:47
	occupation forces in Judea, violence, the clenched fist,	13:49
	the Roman Bar Association.	13:53
	"Well my kingdom is not of this world," Jesus tells him.	13:57
	Jesus domain is not the kingdom of Pilot,	14:01
	it's not Rome, it's not the power, the Pentagon,	14:04
	the UN USA GM IBM and all our assorted contemporary	14:07
	imperial powers.	14:11
	"My kingdom, is not from here," says Jesus.	14:14
	And one of the most gorgeous understatements	14:18
	in the whole gospel of John.	14:20
	"My kingdom, is not from here."	14:23
	And as if to close the case, Jesus says,	14:27
	"I have come into the world to testify to the truth."	14:31
	In a last ditch effort to salvage the conversation,	14:37
	Pilot resorts says people around here at the university,	14:39
	so often do when faced with something so threatening	14:42
	as Jesus, Pilot resorts to philosophy.	14:45
	"Now what is truth?" He asks.	14:50
	And the confrontation between Jesus and Pilot,	14:54
	Jesus and Rome, Jesus and Western Civilization 101,	14:57
	is resolved in the conventional gentile fashion,	15:01
	Pilot orders that Jesus be beaten half to death.	15:06
	"My Kingdom is not from here." Jesus says.	15:10
	As the soldiers, just following orders, lead him away.	15:15
	"My Kingdom is not form here."	15:19
	It really isn't you know.	15:24
	You walk out of our gothic Duke chapel into bright sun,	15:27
	and you see the kingdoms here.	15:30
	Divinity, and the dozen verses proceeding this	15:32
	encounter with Pilot, you'll find Jesus encounter	15:35
	with professional theologians.	15:38
	Philosophy, what is truth?	15:40
	ROTC, just following orders.	15:43
	Law, the Judge's name was Pilot.	15:46
	Even our beautiful, chapel,	15:50
	the preacher's name was Caiaphas.	15:53
	Here are kingdoms, here is our power,	15:56
	backed up by government grants, propped up by the	15:58
	economic status quo, here we sit and ponder truth.	16:01
	Here we do the research that leads to the weapons	16:06
	of mass destruction, here is where the best	16:08
	and the brightest of our young come to access the	16:11
	path to power as this kingdom defines power.	16:13
	Here they come to receive our ticket to success,	16:17
	as this kingdom defines success, here.	16:20
	That is why some inspired artisan, placed this	16:25
	particular scene from John's gospel, above our alter.	16:28
	Jesus, judge by everything you and I hold dear.	16:35
	Everything for which we work here.	16:40
	Everything to which we sacrifice our children,	16:43
	everything here, to be assaulted by searing words	16:46
	of Jesus, judgment.	16:51
	"My kingdom is not from here."	16:53
	Our kingdoms, the realms we so murderously defend,	16:58
	are named Bosnia, Northern Ireland, United States.	17:02
	We would do almost anything for our kingdoms,	17:07
	and we have done almost anything in this century,	17:08
	in their defense.	17:11
	More people have been killed in this century,	17:13
	by their own government, than have	17:16
	even been killed in war.	17:18
	The scene of Jesus before pilot, the prophet of truth	17:20
	before the principalities and powers of the modern state,	17:24
	has been reenacted dozens of times in dozens of places,	17:27
	and yet he testifies to the court,	17:32
	"My kingdom is not from here."	17:35
	Having thus judged us, and our empires,	17:41
	standing before us over the alter of our chapel,	17:44
	he invites us to break free, to cut loose,	17:48
	to join him on his way toward a new world,	17:52
	a different kingdom, God's kingdom, a kingdom	17:56
	where the truth can be told.	18:00
	And the innocent need not suffer, and the crucifixion	18:02
	of the righteous ends.	18:06
	A kingdom, thank God, not of this world.	18:08
	(choir singing)	18:17
	(choir singing)	18:19
	(choir singing)	18:21
	(choir singing)	18:23
	(choir singing)	18:25
	(choir singing)	18:27
	(choir singing)	18:29
	(choir singing)	18:31
	(choir singing)	18:33
	(choir singing)	18:36
	(choir singing)	18:38
	(choir singing)	18:40
	(choir singing)	18:42
	(choir singing)	18:44
	(choir singing)	18:46
	(choir singing)	18:48
	(choir singing)	18:50
	(choir singing)	18:52
	(choir singing)	18:54
	(choir singing)	18:56
	(choir singing)	18:58
	(choir singing)	19:00
	(choir singing)	19:02
	(choir singing)	19:04
	(choir singing)	19:07
	(choir singing)	19:09
	(choir singing)	19:11
	(choir singing)	19:13
	(choir singing)	19:15
	(choir singing)	19:18
	(choir singing)	19:20
	(choir singing)	19:23
	(choir singing)	19:25
	(choir singing)	19:28
	(choir singing)	19:30
	(choir singing)	19:33
	(choir singing)	19:35
	(choir singing)	19:38
	(choir singing)	19:40
	(choir singing)	19:43
	(choir singing)	19:45
	(choir singing)	19:48
	(choir singing)	19:50
	(choir singing)	19:52
	(choir singing)	19:55
	(choir singing)	19:57
	(choir singing)	19:59
	(choir singing)	20:01
	(choir singing)	20:04
	(choir singing)	20:06
	(choir singing)	20:08
	(choir singing)	20:10
	(choir singing)	20:13
	(choir singing)	20:15
	(choir singing)	20:17
	(choir singing)	20:19
	(choir singing)	20:22
	(choir singing)	20:24
	(choir singing)	20:27
	(choir singing)	20:29
	(choir singing)	20:31
	(choir singing)	20:33
	(choir singing)	20:35
	(choir singing)	20:38
	(choir singing)	20:40
-	Now certain man was ill.	20:44
	Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of	20:46
	Mary and her sister Martha.	20:48
	Mary was the one who anointed the lord with perfume,	20:50
	and wiped her feet with her hair.	20:53
	Her brother Lazarus was ill.	20:55
	So the sister sent a message to Jesus.	20:57
	Jesus however had been speaking about his death,	21:00
	but they thought he was referring merely to sleep.	21:03
	Then Jesus told them plainly, Lazarus is dead.	21:05
	For your sake, I'm glad I was not there,	21:09
	so you may believe, but let us go to him.	21:11
	Thomas, who was called the twin, said to his	21:14
	fellow disciples, "Let us also go that we may die with him."	21:16
	When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had	21:21
	already been in the tomb for four days.	21:23
	Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away,	21:25
	and many of the Jews had come to Mary and Martha	21:29
	to consol them about their brother.	21:31
	When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,	21:33
	she went at met him.	21:35
	While Mary stayed at home.	21:37
	Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here	21:39
	"my brother would not have died, but even now	21:41
	"I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him."	21:44
	Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."	21:47
	Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again	21:50
	"in the resurrection on the last day."	21:53
	Jesus said to her, "On the resurrection and the like,	21:55
	"those who believe in me, even though they die,	21:58
	"will live, and everyone who lives, and believes in me,	22:00
	"will never die, do you believe this?"	22:03
	She said to him, "Yes lord, I believe that you are	22:06
	"the Messiah, the Son of God,	22:07
	"the one coming into the world."	22:10
	When she had said this, she went back and called her	22:12
	sister Mary, and told her privately, "The teacher is here	22:15
	"and is calling for you."	22:18
	And when she herd it,	22:19
	she got up quickly and went to him.	22:21
	Now Jesus had not yet come to the village	22:23
	but was still at the place where Martha had met him.	22:25
	The Jews who were with her in the house consoling her,	22:29
	saw Mary get up and quickly go out, they followed her,	22:31
	because they though that she was	22:34
	going to the tomb to weep there.	22:36
	When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him,	22:38
	she knelt at his feed and said to him,	22:41
	"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not of died."	22:44
	He was greatly disturbed in sprit and deeply moved.	22:47
	He said, "Where have you layed him?"	22:50
	They said unto him, "Lord, come and see."	22:52
	Jesus began to weep, so the Jews said,	22:53
	"See how he loved him."	22:56
	But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes	22:57
	"of the blind man kept this man from dying?"	23:00
	And Jesus again, greatly disturbed, came to the tomb.	23:03
	It was a cave and a stone was lying against it.	23:06
	Jesus said, "Take away the stone."	23:09
	Martha, the sister of the dead man said to him,	23:11
	"Lord, already there's stench because	23:13
	"he's been dead for four days."	23:15
	Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you, that if you believe,	23:17
	"you would see the glory of God."	23:20
	So they took away the stone, and Jesus looked upward	23:22
	and said, "Father I thank you for having, heard me,	23:25
	"I know that you always here, but I've said this,	23:28
	"for the sake of the crowd standing here,	23:31
	"so that they may believe that you sent me."	23:33
	When he said this he cried with a loud voice,	23:35
	"Lazarus, come out!"	23:37
	The dead man came out his hands and feet bound	23:39
	with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth.	23:42
	Jesus said to them, "Unbind him and let him go."	23:45
	(choir singing)	23:51
	(choir singing)	23:53
	(choir singing)	23:55
	(choir singing)	23:57
	(choir singing)	23:59
	(choir singing)	24:02
	(choir singing)	24:04
	(choir singing)	24:07
	(choir singing)	24:09
	(choir singing)	24:12
	(choir singing)	24:14
	(choir singing)	24:16
	(choir singing)	24:19
	(choir singing)	24:21
	(choir singing)	24:24
	(choir singing)	24:26
	(choir singing)	24:29
	(choir singing)	24:31
	(choir singing)	24:33
	(choir singing)	24:35
	(choir singing)	24:38
	(choir singing)	24:40
	(choir singing)	24:42
	(choir singing)	24:45
	(choir singing)	24:47
	(choir singing)	24:49
	(choir singing)	24:51
	(choir singing)	24:53
	(choir singing)	24:55
	(choir singing)	24:57
	(choir singing)	25:00
	(choir singing)	25:02
	(choir singing)	25:04
	(choir singing)	25:06
	(choir singing)	25:08
	(choir singing)	25:11
	(choir singing)	25:13
	(choir singing)	25:15
	(choir singing)	25:17
	(choir singing)	25:20
	(choir singing)	25:22
	(choir singing)	25:24
	(choir singing)	25:26
	(choir singing)	25:29
	(choir singing)	25:31
	(choir singing)	25:34
	(choir singing)	25:36
	(choir singing)	25:39
	(choir singing)	25:41
	(choir singing)	25:44
	(choir singing)	25:47
	(choir singing)	25:49
	(choir singing)	25:51
	(choir singing)	25:54
	(choir singing)	25:56
	(choir singing)	25:58
	(choir singing)	26:01
	(choir singing)	26:03
	(choir singing)	26:06
	(choir singing)	26:08
	(choir singing)	26:10
	(choir singing)	26:13
	(choir singing)	26:15

Item Info

Title:

[unknown] - Lenten Meditation and Music (1997)

Description:

Though Jesus is on trial before Pilot, it is actually Pilot and the Roman Empire––and by extension all of our modern empires––who stand in judgment before the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom Jesus ushers in is not of this world, and it's other-worldliness attests to another way of life that is not marked by violence and power. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 10:01.
Key quotation: “Having thus judged us, and our empires, standing before us over the alter of our chapel, he invites us to break free, to cut loose, to join him on his way toward a new world, a different kingdom, God’s kingdom, a kingdom where the truth can be told.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4028pv27

Date:

1997

Biblical Book:

John

Chapter and Verse:

John 18:28-40

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-1151
ref9840_mz5
uachapelsermaud
duke:320300
dcrau001761
ark:/87924/r4028pv27
2fdbdae6-f2ba-4b55-97c1-08c9a612b662

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:

No Re-Use

In Copyright

Rights Note:

This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection