James Devereux - "Comfortable Words: A Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30" (July 2, 1978)

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	(church organ music)	0:03
	(choir singing hymns)
-	Duke University Chapel, Service of Worship,	0:05
	July 2nd, 1978.	0:07
	(church organ music)	0:11
	♪ Now God may be praised ♪	15:13
	♪ His hand up above ♪	15:17
	♪ Praise him in Thee ♪	15:20
	♪ For he's grateful ♪	15:23
	♪ When we can't flee ♪	15:26
	♪ He's shows me in the noon ♪	15:29
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	15:32
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	15:36
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	15:39
	(church organ music)	15:46
	(church choir murmuring hymns)	17:03
-	May be seated.	19:01
	Let us ask God to forgive us.	19:11
	Almighty God, you love us, but we have not loved you,	19:14
	you call, but we have not listened,	19:22
	we walk away from neighbors in need,	19:26
	wrapped up in our own concerns,	19:30
	we have gone along with evil, we prejudice,	19:33
	warfare and greed.	19:38
	Help us to face-up to ourselves,	19:40
	so that as you move toward us in mercy, we may repent,	19:44
	turn to you and receive forgiveness	19:50
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord.	19:54
	Amen.	19:58
	Dear people of God, believe in the good news of the gospel.	19:59
	In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.	20:05
	Let us attend for the reading of holy scripture.	20:10
	The Old Testament lesson,	20:15
	found recorded in the 9th chapter	20:19
	of the book of the prophet Zachariah,	20:21
	reading versus nine through 13.	20:25
	"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!	20:29
	"Shout loud, O daughter of Jerusalem!	20:34
	"Lo, thy King comes to you,	20:38
	"triumphant and victorious is he,	20:41
	"humble and riding on an ass,	20:44
	"on a colt, the foal of an ass.	20:47
	"I will cut off a chariot from Ephraim,	20:50
	"and the war-house from Jerusalem,	20:54
	"and the battle bow shall be cut off,	20:57
	"and she command peace to the nations,	21:00
	"his dominions shall be from sea-to-sea,	21:04
	"and from the river to the ends of the earth.	21:08
	"As for you also, because of the blood	21:12
	"of my covenant with you,	21:15
	"I will set your captives free from the waterless pit.	21:17
	"Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope,	21:23
	"today I declare that I will restore to you, double.	21:27
	"For I have bent Judah as my bow;	21:31
	"I have made Ephraim its arrow.	21:34
	"I will brandish your sons, O Zion.	21:37
	"Over your sons, O Greece,	21:40
	"and wield you like a warriors sword."	21:42
	The word is found in the epical Romans,	21:50
	the 8th chapter, versus 6-11.	21:54
	"To set the mind on the flesh is death,	22:01
	"but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.	22:04
	"For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God;	22:08
	"it does not submit to God's law, indeed it cannot;	22:13
	"and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.	22:18
	"But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit,	22:23
	"if in fact the Spirit of God really dwells in you.	22:27
	"Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ	22:30
	"does not belong to him.	22:33
	"But if Christ is in you,	22:35
	"although your bodies are dead because of sin,	22:37
	"your spirits are alive because of righteousness.	22:41
	"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus	22:45
	"from the dead dwells in you,	22:48
	"he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead	22:50
	"will give life to your mortal bodies	22:54
	"also through his Spirit which dwells in you."	22:56
	Would you stand in readiness to hear and respond	23:03
	to the gospel of Jesus Christ?	23:06
	The 11th of the gospel St. Matthew, versus 25 through 30.	23:12
	"At that time Jesus said,	23:19
	"'I thank you Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth,	23:22
	"'That you have hidden these things	23:26
	"'from the learned and cleaver,	23:28
	"'and have revealed them to the childlike,	23:30
	"'for such indeed Father was your gracious will.	23:34
	"'Everything has been delivered to me by my Father.	23:39
	"'No one knows the Son, except the Father,	23:44
	"'and no one knows the Father, expect the Son,	23:47
	"'and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.	23:52
	"'Come to me, all you who labor,	23:56
	"'and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.	24:00
	"'Take my yoke upon your shoulders,	24:04
	"'and learn from me, because I am gentle,	24:07
	"'and humble in heart,	24:11
	"'and you will find rest for your souls,	24:13
	"'for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.'"	24:16
	Hear endeth reading of the word of God.	24:23
	Please be seated.	24:27
-	In the name of the Father, and of the Son,	24:48
	and of the Holy Spirit.	24:51
	Amen.	24:53
	Jesus spoke these gospel words,	25:00
	in the course of His public ministry,	25:03
	we may distinguish in them	25:08
	three parts or stages.	25:12
	First, He addresses God directly.	25:16
	"I thank you Father,	25:21
	Lord of Heaven and Earth,	25:25
	"that you have hidden these things	25:26
	"from the learned and the clever,	25:29
	"and have revealed them to the childlike.	25:32
	This is a prayer	25:39
	of praise and thanksgiving to God,	25:42
	for making known	25:46
	to the ordinary people	25:49
	that Jesus preached to,	25:51
	the meaning of His words and deeds.	25:53
	A meaning that the wise	25:58
	and clever of the world	26:01
	refused to grasp.	26:03
	By the childlike,	26:07
	Jesus meant the little ones,	26:10
	the poor in spirit to whom	26:14
	he addressed to the beatitudes.	26:17
	These things	26:22
	are the words that he preached,	26:25
	the miraculous works that He did,	26:28
	the person that He was.	26:31
	Taken together,	26:34
	they reveal that the kingdom,	26:37
	the reign of God among men and women,	26:40
	has at last begun.	26:45
	The prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled.	26:48
	The lowly shall once again rejoice in the Lord,	26:53
	and the poorest of men exalt	26:57
	in the Holy One of Israel.	27:00
	God has not left them orphans,	27:03
	he wills together to himself	27:06
	the people he has made.	27:11
	For the revelation	27:15
	of this saving act,	27:17
	Jesus gives thanks.	27:22
	After this prayer of thanksgiving,	27:28
	He speaks a further word	27:31
	for His listener saints (?).	27:35
	"Everything has been delivered to me by my Father.	27:39
	"No one knows the Son, except the Father,	27:45
	"and no one knows the Father, except the Son,	27:50
	"and anyone to whom the Son chooses	27:55
	to reveal him."	28:00
	This "Everything",	28:03
	is what Jesus gave thanks for	28:05
	in the first sentence.	28:08
	The final revelation that God, the creator,	28:10
	cherishes the creatures of His hand.	28:15
	And the accomplishment of this, "Everything",	28:20
	has been placed	28:24
	in the hands of Jesus Himself.	28:26
	In these words,	28:32
	he assumes a status of sonship with God,	28:34
	that is unique and all but unthinkable.	28:40
	There is more.	28:47
	Jesus alone, Jesus alone,	28:49
	is able to reveal to whom whoever He chooses,	28:53
	the truth that God is indeed our Father,	28:58
	that God is the giver of life and breath,	29:04
	source of meaning and of love,	29:08
	even in our hidden lives.	29:11
	Finally, the most astonishing words of all.	29:18
	"Come to me, all you who labor,	29:24
	"and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."	29:29
	After praising the Father, after revealing His own part	29:36
	in God's kingdom,	29:41
	Jesus turns directly	29:43
	to the childlike	29:47
	of the world and speaks to them,	29:48
	to us,	29:55
	for surely, we may include ourselves among them.	29:57
	Surely, there are moments when all of us know	30:03
	that we are neither wise nor clever,	30:08
	but rather to be numbered among the heavily burdened.	30:13
	The wonder of it,	30:19
	that this itinerant rabbi,	30:22
	should stretch out His arms to the world,	30:25
	and say, "Come to me".	30:29
	Where did the man get this wisdom?	30:34
	Isn't this the carpenter's son?	30:37
	How can He promise all men and women,	30:41
	rest for their souls?	30:44
	Jesus can say these things	30:50
	because He knows the secrets	30:53
	of his Father's heart.	30:57
	He knows that God loves His people,	30:59
	with an everlasting love.	31:04
	He knows himself to be the fullness	31:07
	of His Father's love,	31:11
	and of his power to save.	31:13
	And so, He dares to say,	31:16
	"Come to me, take my yoke upon your shoulders.	31:19
	"Learn from me."	31:25
	No wonder that the book of common prayer	31:30
	holds these comfortable words.	31:32
	But, the abject of comfortable	31:38
	must be understood here,	31:40
	in its root meaning of strengthening.	31:42
	For despite their comfort, these are not easy words.	31:49
	With them, Jesus offers us rest,	31:56
	but also a new burden.	32:00
	"Take my yoke upon your shoulders."	32:05
	For His first heroes,	32:09
	Jesus was contrasting the yoke of the old law,	32:12
	with that of the new.	32:16
	His new yoke was the weight	32:19
	of personal commitment to Himself,	32:23
	the cost of discipleship.	32:26
	But, His first disciples soon learned,	32:31
	that following Jesus obliged them	32:34
	to take still another burden on their shoulders.	32:38
	In the 16th chapter St. Matthew's gospel,	32:43
	Jesus says to his followers,	32:46
	"If anyone will come to me,	32:51
	then let him deny himself,	32:55
	"take up his cross and follow me."	32:58
	If this is the yoke that He invites us	33:04
	to take on our shoulders,	33:09
	how can He say that it is easy?	33:11
	How can the burden of the cross be light?	33:17
	I don't think any of us can answer these questions,	33:24
	they are hidden in the heart of the Christian mystery,	33:30
	that God's love of mankind	33:35
	must be revealed	33:38
	in the suffering and in the splendor of the cross.	33:41
	But, Jesus is not here offering us	33:47
	an explanation of the atonement,	33:51
	rather He is inviting us	33:55
	to come to Him,	33:59
	and to share His life.	34:01
	He calls us to be at one with his Father,	34:04
	the source of our life and of his life.	34:09
	This "Come", of his, leads us	34:16
	into the very heart of God.	34:20
	One interested party is not mentioned by name	34:28
	in the text before us,	34:33
	the spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.	34:36
	But, if we heed this,	34:42
	"Come to me", of Jesus,	34:45
	if we give ourselves over	34:50
	to these words,	34:53
	and to the reality that they name,	34:56
	then how can we doubt that the Holy Spirit,	34:59
	whom John calls, "The comforter",	35:04
	is already working within us?	35:09
	The spirit is God's love	35:13
	become a person.	35:17
	"And this very love", says Paul,	35:20
	"Is poured out in our hearts."	35:24
	Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus	35:29
	to carry the burden of His cross.	35:32
	But, Simon and Jesus,	35:36
	were both strengthened	35:39
	to bear their yoke, by the spirit who is love.	35:42
	Jesus lays no burden upon us,	35:49
	that we cannot bear with the help of this spirit,	35:53
	and knowing this, He can say in perfect peace,	36:00
	"Come to me, take my yoke upon your shoulders.	36:05
	"You will find rest for your souls,	36:11
	"for my yoke is easy,	36:14
	and my burden is light."	36:17
	Let us then come, for He calls us.	36:22
	Let us allow the spirit	36:28
	who broods over this bent world,	36:31
	to warm our hearts, to Jesus' invitation.	36:34
	Let us to pray to Christ, to strengthen us,	36:39
	under the yoke of his discipleship.	36:42
	Let us beg the Father,	36:47
	to understand as never before,	36:50
	that we are, all of us, his children.	36:55
	Amen.	37:01
-	Though you participate with me now,	37:13
	in the prayer of petition in your bulletin.	37:15
	Let us pray,	37:22
	that the world may live in peace,	37:31
	and that the church may achieve unity,	37:34
	fulfilling it's service here and everywhere.	37:37
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	37:41
	Let the leaders of this nation and the world,	37:45
	may govern with justice and mercy.	37:49
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	37:51
	That those that suffer disease or poverty,	37:55
	or loneliness, or grief, may be healed and comforted.	37:59
	That those who are oppressed or persecuted	38:04
	may be strengthened and delivered.	38:07
-	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	38:11
-	Amen.	38:15
	Christ, our Lord, invites us to his table,	38:18
	all of us who love Him and desire	38:21
	to live in peace with one another,	38:23
	may the peace of the Lord be with you.	38:27
-	And, also you.	38:30
-	As forgiven and reconciled people,	38:32
	let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	38:34
	(church organ music)	38:41
	♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪	40:15
	♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪	40:28
	♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪	40:39
	♪ Ah, ah, ah, ah ♪	40:54
	(church choir murmuring hymns)	40:57
	(church organ music)	43:35
-	The Lord is with you.	46:38
-	With you also.	46:40
-	Lift up your hearts.	46:42
-	We lift them up as well.	46:44
-	Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.	46:47
-	Give God thanks and praise.	46:50
-	Oh God, it is right that we should always, at everywhere,	46:54
	give you thanks and praise.	47:01
	We thank you, holy God, that you love the world so much,	47:03
	you sent your only son to be our savior.	47:09
	The Lord of our life came to live among us.	47:13
	He healed and taught people,	47:17
	ate with sinners, and won for you, or you people,	47:20
	by water and the spirit.	47:26
	We remember that on the night	47:29
	in which He gave Himself up for us,	47:30
	the Lord Jesus took bread after giving you thanks,	47:33
	He broke the bread, He gave it to his disciples and said,	47:39
	"Take, eat, this is body, which is given for you."	47:45
	When the supper was over, He took the cup,	47:51
	again, He returned thanks to you,	47:54
	gave the cup his disciples and said,	47:58
	"Drink from this, all of you.	48:01
	"This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood.	48:06
	"Pour it out for you and many, for forgiveness of sins.	48:09
	"When we eat this bread and drink this cup,	48:15
	"we experience with you,	48:19
	"the presence of Jesus Christ,	48:22
	"and look forward to His coming and final victory."	48:24
	Except our thanks of praise of thanksgiving,	48:30
	in union with Christ offering for us,	48:35
	as a reasonable and holy (murmurs) of ourselves.	48:38
	Said the power of your Holy Spirit on us,	48:43
	gathered here out of love for you,	48:46
	and own these gifts.	48:50
	Help us to know in the breaking of bread,	48:52
	the presence of Christ, who gave his body	48:56
	and blood for all people.	49:00
	Make us one with Christ, one with each other,	49:02
	and one in service to all people,	49:07
	through your Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy spirit.	49:10
	In your holy church,	49:15
	all glory and honor is yours, God Almighty.	49:17
	Because is there is one love,	49:24
	we, many as we are, are one body,	49:26
	for it is the one love of which we all partake.	49:30
	When we break the bread, is it not a means	49:34
	of sharing in the body of Christ?	49:38
	When we give thanks over the cup,	49:44
	is it not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ?	49:47
	Dear people of God,	49:53
	the instructions for receiving communion	49:55
	are found in your bulletin.	49:57
	Those of you who do not want to come to the front,	50:00
	we will give you an opportunity at the close of communion,	50:04
	and we will serve you in your pew.	50:07
	We would ask that as you come,	50:10
	you form as large of circle as you can around the table.	50:13
	The choir, the people from the transepts,	50:18
	and those of you sitting at the front,	50:21
	if you will come to make the first table.	50:23
	Then, those of you who are sitting further back,	50:27
	if you will come and stand,	50:30
	and be ready to form a circle,	50:32
	when the first circle leaves.	50:34
	The first circle will leave and go back down the side isles.	50:37
	Come, all is ready.	50:40
	(people murmuring)	50:44
	(church organ music)	51:02

Item Info

Title:

James Devereux - "Comfortable Words: A Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30" (July 2, 1978)

Description:

Sermon start time: 25:00. Sermon end time: 37:02.
Jesus has authority to carry our burdens, so we should come to him. The cost of discipleship is not too much for us to bear. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: (About the verse "My yoke is easy and my burden is light.") But, Jesus is not here offering us an explanation of the atonement, rather He is inviting us to come to Him and share His life.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r49s1m04j

Date:

July 2, 1978

Speaker:

Devereux, James

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Duke University. Chapel

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UA.17.01.0003 RR-0963
ref7129_qeu
uachapelsermaud
duke:320387
dcrau001843
ark:/87924/r49s1m04j
822f4446-3421-4d3f-8bc5-b3b3d0cf6dae

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

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James Devereux - "Comfortable Words: A Meditation on Matthew 11:25-30" (July 2, 1978)

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