Robert T. Young - "Let the Dead Bury the Dead" (September 17, 1978)

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-	Duke University Chapel Service of Worship.	0:04
	September 17, 1978.	0:06
	(long beep)	0:11
	(soft chapel music)	0:20
	(joyful music)	1:34
	(baby crying)	1:56
	(baby crying)	2:14
	(baby crying)	2:27
	(baby crying)	3:35
	(joyful music)	3:58
	(sneezes)	4:18
	(joyful music)	5:16
	(solemn music)	6:37
	(muffled singing)	10:10
	(joyful music)	11:29
	(muffled singing)	12:06
	♪ Amen ♪	15:49
-	The Lord is gracious,	16:08
	slow to anger,	16:11
	plenteous in mercy.	16:12
	Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,	16:15
	that we may confess our sins and discover God's grace	16:19
	for our needs.	16:24
	God of love,	16:27
	we come again with a need to confess.	16:29
	We confess the sins that no one knows.	16:33
	And the sins that others know.	16:37
	The sins that are a burden to us.	16:40
	And the sins that do not bother us	16:43
	because we've become accustomed to them.	16:46
	We confess our sins as a community.	16:51
	We have not loved one another as Christ loves us.	16:54
	We have not forgiven one another as we have been forgiven.	16:59
	We have not given ourselves in loving service	17:04
	to our brothers and sisters as Christ gives himself for us.	17:08
	Accept us, forgive us all.	17:14
	Almighty God,	17:29
	who doth freely pardon all who repent,	17:32
	fulfills in every contrite heart	17:36
	the promise of redeeming grace.	17:39
	Remitting our sins	17:42
	and cleansing us from evil conscience.	17:44
	Through the perfect sacrifice of Christ our Lord.	17:47
	Amen.	17:52
	Let us give thanks for God is good	17:58
	and God's love is everlasting.	18:02
-	Thanks be to God.	18:06
	Whose love has made us	18:08
	Thanks be to God.	18:10
	Whose mercy forgives us.	18:12
	Thanks be to God.	18:15
	Who promises sustain us.	18:17
	Amen.	18:19
-	May I say a word of welcome to each of you.	18:28
	And share with you a word or two of announcement.	18:32
	About matters that are not	18:35
	included in the bulletin this morning.	18:36
	First let me say a word of deep appreciation	18:40
	to all of you.	18:43
	To the many of you who responded by offering	18:46
	to provide accommodations for the Sanders family.	18:48
	To all of you for your concern,	18:53
	for your inquiries,	18:55
	for your cards and letters,	18:57
	and especially for your prayers for Dwayne.	19:00
	As you probably know,	19:04
	he has been taken to Atlanta,	19:05
	to a special spinal clinic there	19:08
	to begin a rehabilitation program.	19:11
	At the present time, there has been no noticeable recovery	19:14
	from his initial injury.	19:18
	But as one of the doctors said to me the other day,	19:21
	there is still some hope.	19:24
	So I invite you this morning to continue	19:26
	with your prayers and expressions of concern.	19:28
	Tomorrow afternoon at five o'clock here in the chapel,	19:32
	we will have a memorial service for Dan Massick,	19:36
	a rising senior who was killed riding his bicycle	19:41
	on his way back to begin his studies this fall.	19:45
	The service will begin at five o'clock tomorrow evening.	19:49
	And you as his friends and acquaintances	19:54
	in the Duke community,	19:57
	are invited to come and share in that service with us.	19:59
	This Wednesday evening at 7:30,	20:04
	Dr. Kalman Bland and Dr. Bob Osbourne will lead us	20:07
	in the first session of a Jewish-Christian dialogue	20:11
	on contemporary issues between Jews and Christians.	20:15
	This is a follow up to our very very significant series	20:19
	of lectures and studies which we had last Spring	20:22
	on the Holocaust.	20:25
	These discussions will begin in the Gray Lounge,	20:28
	in the department of Religion.	20:32
	You're invited to come and share in them with us.	20:34
	Next Sunday morning, our first study group for this fall	20:37
	will get underway at 9:30.	20:42
	Dr. Waldo Beach will lead this series of classes.	20:45
	Also in the Gray Department of Religion lounge.	20:49
	You're invited to come and share in a discussion of	20:53
	contemporary, critical, moral issues confronting	20:55
	the church and society today.	20:59
	That's Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.	21:01
	For the Jewish-Christian dialogue.	21:04
	And next Sunday morning 9:30 for discussion of	21:06
	critical issues today.	21:10
	Some of you may be interested in working in the chapel	21:12
	on a volunteer basis.	21:15
	A number of you have responded already.	21:16
	The chapel is kept open from eight in the morning	21:19
	until eight at night by paid staff.	21:21
	From eight to 11 each night,	21:23
	we have had the practice of having volunteer	21:25
	attendants keep the chapel open.	21:28
	We need some persons to help us with that service.	21:30
	If you are interested, please see one of the ushers,	21:34
	or Helen or me following this service,	21:37
	On a beautiful day, it is good to come together	21:40
	to worship God.	21:44
	May God's spirit continue in our midst	21:45
	as we worship together.	21:48
-	Let us pray.	21:59
	Prepare our hearts, O Lord	22:01
	to accept your word,	22:04
	silence in us any voice but your own.	22:05
	That hearing, we may also obey your will	22:08
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	22:11
	Amen.	22:14
	The Epistle Lesson is written in the third chapter	22:16
	of Philippians, verses seven through 14.	22:19
	But wherever gain I have,	22:23
	I count it as loss for the sake of Christ.	22:25
	Indeed I count everything as lost because of the	22:28
	surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord.	22:32
	For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things.	22:36
	And count them as refuse	22:40
	in order that I may gain Christ	22:42
	and be found in Him.	22:45
	Not having a righteousness of my own,	22:47
	based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ,	22:51
	the righteousness from God that depends on faith	22:55
	that I may know Him and the power of his resurrection	22:59
	and may share His sufferings,	23:02
	becoming like Him in death,	23:04
	that if possible, I may attain the resurrection	23:06
	from the dead.	23:10
	Not that I have already obtained this,	23:11
	or I am already perfect,	23:14
	but I press on to make it my own	23:16
	because Christ Jesus has made me His own.	23:18
	Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own.	23:22
	But one thing I do,	23:26
	forgetting what lies behind,	23:28
	and straining forward to what lies ahead,	23:31
	I press on toward the goal for the Christ Jesus.	23:34
	Here ends the reading from the Epistle.	23:38
	Amen.	23:40
	(soft organ music)	23:43
	(sings in foreign language)	24:11
	Will the congregation please stand	26:14
	for the reading of the Gospel lesson?	26:16
	The Gospel lesson is from the ninth chapter of Luke,	26:24
	verses 57 through 62.	26:26
	As they were going along the road, a man said to Him,	26:30
	"I will follow you wherever you go."	26:34
	And Jesus said to Him,	26:37
	"Foxes have holes and birds have their nests,	26:38
	"in the air have their nests,	26:42
	"but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."	26:45
	To another He said,	26:48
	"Follow me."	26:50
	But he said,	26:51
	"Lord, let me go first and bury my father."	26:52
	But He said to him,	26:56
	"Leave the dead to bury their own dead,	26:58
	"but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."	27:01
	Another said,	27:06
	"I will follow you Lord, but let me first say farewell	27:08
	"to those at my home."	27:12
	Jesus said to him,	27:14
	"No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back	27:15
	"is fit for the kingdom of God."	27:19
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel.	27:22
	All praise and glory be to God.	27:25
	Amen.	27:27
	(joyful organ music)	27:29
	(muffled singing)	27:43
-	E.E. Cummings writes,	28:44
	Time's a strange fellow.	28:47
	The more he gives than takes,	28:52
	and he takes all.	28:56
	If a world ends,	29:00
	more than all worlds begin to begin.	29:03
	This summer while on vacation,	29:11
	I read with some real interest	29:15
	Bob Greene's syndicated column of July the first.	29:17
	The title was, "A Man Who Took Tennis Seriously".	29:22
	Safe enough title, somewhat intriguing.	29:28
	Greene told of a friend of his named Mike	29:32
	who was a fitness fanatic,	29:35
	and a die hard tennis buff.	29:38
	He was the man who took tennis seriously.	29:41
	They were doubles partners in tennis.	29:45
	And Mike was tough.	29:47
	A missed shot by Bob brought Mike's frowns and scowls	29:50
	and hard looks.	29:54
	But they had a great time at it.	29:56
	They enjoyed it very very much.	29:58
	Bob writes,	30:02
	It was work	30:04
	and yet it was the most fun I think I will ever have.	30:06
	The tournaments and pick-up matches,	30:11
	and tedious practice,	30:14
	trying to reach a standard we knew we would never attain.	30:16
	Mike died when we were sophomores in college.	30:22
	He was flying back to school after a vacation,	30:26
	and his plane went down.	30:29
	I never played again.	30:33
	I threw my racket out that year.	30:37
	And I have never stepped onto another tennis court.	30:39
	Now, summer is here again.	30:45
	I see men and women with their rackets	30:50
	on their way to the courts.	30:53
	And once in a while,	30:55
	as has happened every summer for years now,	30:56
	someone will ask me to join them.	31:00
	And I will give them the same answer I always do,	31:03
	"No.	31:06
	"Thanks, but no.	31:07
	"I don't play tennis."	31:10
	For years now, Bob has refused to play tennis	31:15
	because of his memories of Mike.	31:19
	I thought how tragically is Bob Greene tied to the past.	31:22
	Missing life now because he can't bury the past.	31:27
	As I have read and reflected on this column,	31:35
	it has occurred to me that God's word has something	31:37
	to say to Bob Greene.	31:40
	And to all that Bob Greene's attitude represents	31:42
	in everyone of us this morning.	31:45
	How many of us never get over some painful moment	31:49
	in the past?	31:52
	How many of us are boxed in by the past?	31:53
	Or are hampered by the past?	31:56
	Or hindered by the past?	31:58
	How many of us today are suffering because of the past?	32:00
	Are controlled indeed by the past?	32:03
	How many of us live in the past or live for the past?	32:06
	How many of us can't get beyond the past,	32:11
	or stuck with and in the past	32:14
	in some very unfortunate and undesirable ways?	32:17
	I think all of us are some of the time,	32:21
	and some of us are all the time.	32:24
	Jesus, in His life and ministry, said some very	32:28
	very harsh things, my friends.	32:31
	Like, "Love your enemies."	32:34
	Like, "If your hand offends you, then cut it off."	32:37
	Or, "If your eye causes you to sin, then pluck it out."	32:41
	Like, "Who are my brothers and sisters?"	32:45
	Or like, "Who is my mother?"	32:48
	Like, "He who loves his father and mother more than me	32:51
	"is not fit for the kingdom of God."	32:54
	Like, "Go and sell all that you have	32:57
	"and give it to the poor."	32:59
	Like, "You must be born again."	33:00
	And in these words in our lesson for today,	33:04
	leave the dead to bury the dead.	33:06
	No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back.	33:08
	is fit for the kingdom of God.	33:11
	Jesus gives us a harsh word,	33:15
	not to be harsh, or unkind, or insensitive,	33:17
	or cruel or hurtful.	33:20
	But the word is harsh and abrupt in order to make	33:22
	the truth vivid and real to us.	33:25
	Not harsh for harshness' sake, but for reality's.	33:28
	For health's sake.	33:32
	For wholeness' sake.	33:34
	For the sake of the well-being, the goodness, the soundness,	33:35
	the salvation of the individual,	33:39
	for the good of the kingdom of God.	33:41
	The harsh word is worth enduring because it is truth.	33:44
	It is promise.	33:49
	It is life.	33:50
	The truth of this word though,	33:53
	is so very clear, so obvious,	33:56
	so profoundly simple,	33:58
	that anyone can see it, and know it,	34:01
	and understand how essential it is to live by it,	34:03
	and yet we do not.	34:08
	This truth is distressingly ignored	34:12
	or overlooked consistently by most of us.	34:16
	It was St. Augustine who once lamented,	34:20
	"Memory is a sad privilege."	34:22
	And for many of us, most of the time it is a sad privilege.	34:29
	And the use of it keeps sadness hovering around us	34:33
	like the mist over the lake on a September morning.	34:36
	The what ifs, the if onlys, the I wishes, the if I coulds	34:40
	the if we coulds, the if we only had knowns	34:44
	about the pasts of our lives,	34:47
	will kill not only the past and the present,	34:50
	but will kill indeed all of life for us.	34:52
	As long as we live in the past,	34:55
	or hold onto the past,	34:57
	or are controlled by the past,	34:58
	or are looking over our shoulder,	35:00
	or are always looking behind us,	35:02
	there can be no living in the present,	35:04
	and no hope for the future.	35:06
	We need to be like the grand old man of baseball.	35:10
	Satchel Paige, the man who pitched	35:14
	until he was in his 50s or 60s.	35:18
	Nobody really knew how old he was when he stopped pitching.	35:20
	But he was fond of saying,	35:23
	and many of us have heard him say it many times.	35:25
	He would say,	35:27
	"I never look back because I'm afraid that something	35:28
	"might be gaining on me."	35:31
	We really do need to take to heart the beautiful words	35:35
	of E.E. Cummings,	35:38
	If a world ends,	35:39
	more than all worlds	35:43
	begin to begin.	35:47
	Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead."	35:52
	Why?	35:57
	Simply because to try to go back is futile.	35:58
	The past is there, over, gone, done with.	36:02
	It can't be done, redone, or undone.	36:05
	Simply because to try to go back is frustrating.	36:11
	Because if the past has been bad,	36:14
	we want to change it.	36:16
	We want to improve it.	36:17
	We want to make it better.	36:18
	And we cannot.	36:19
	If on the other hand, the past has been good,	36:22
	we want to relive it.	36:24
	We want to do over again.	36:25
	We want to bring it back to the present.	36:27
	And we cannot.	36:29
	After all, what really does count in your life this morning?	36:32
	What counts most?	36:38
	The years behind or the years ahead?	36:40
	The years passed, or the years to come?	36:44
	The 20 years or 18 years,	36:46
	that many of you young people have lived,	36:48
	or the X number of years that lie ahead for any of us,	36:50
	or for all of us.	36:53
	The sadness that has passed or the tears yet unborn.	36:54
	The satisfactions gone, or the joys yet to be.	36:58
	What really counts most?	37:01
	I've often heard my mother comment about people	37:06
	who want to quote,	37:09
	"Live in the past."	37:10
	We lived on a farm.	37:12
	And for many years of my mother's married life,	37:14
	she lived without almost all of the modern conveniences.	37:17
	She washed in an old iron kettle out in the backyard.	37:22
	She cooked on a wood stove.	37:25
	And she walked over muddy and unpaved roads.	37:27
	I've heard her say,	37:31
	"Those who say give me the good ol' days,	37:32
	"have really forgotten what the good ol' days were like.	37:35
	"You can have the good ol' days," she exclaims.	37:40
	But it's not easy to let the dead bury the dead.	37:46
	It's not easy to let go, to let the past rest.	37:48
	As one writer puts it,	37:53
	every goodbye is death.	37:54
	It's not easy.	37:59
	For saying goodbye is hard.	38:02
	It's hard to say both to the pleasant and the unpleasant	38:04
	past we have had.	38:07
	But I think that that is precisely	38:09
	what Jesus is talking about here.	38:11
	We are to let go, both the bad and the good.	38:13
	For I deny myself the possibility of a full life now,	38:17
	just as much by holding on to the good of the past,	38:21
	as I do by worrying about the bad of the past.	38:24
	Often I reminisce nostalgically and even joyfully	38:32
	about my high school and college days.	38:36
	This is usually a very self-satisfying thing for me to do.	38:40
	It's nice, it makes me feel good, and is very pleasant.	38:45
	But I just realized recently that other people really	38:49
	couldn't care less about my past.	38:52
	And to recount it accomplishes absolutely nothing.	38:57
	As a matter of fact, it is probably a defense mechanism,	39:03
	or a diversionary move on my part	39:06
	to keep me from dealing with the present moment,	39:09
	and finding life in the presentness of life.	39:11
	I was reminded pointedly of this as I read	39:15
	some lines from William Blake's poem, "Eternity".	39:20
	He who binds to himself a joy	39:24
	Does the winged life destroy.	39:29
	But he who kisses the joy as it flies	39:32
	Lives in eternity's sunrise.	39:37
	So it is with joy,	39:42
	so it is with sadness,	39:44
	he or she who kisses the joy and the sadness as it flies.	39:46
	He or she who lives for all its worth at the moment,	39:51
	who tastes the fullness of life and vitality of each	39:55
	experience as it comes and as it goes.	39:59
	Those who get all there is from each experience in life,	40:02
	each joy and each sadness	40:05
	and kisses it as it flies on by.	40:08
	The one who does this, surely	40:12
	lives in eternity's sunrise.	40:15
	You cannot hold on to the past.	40:21
	Good or bad.	40:24
	So I invite you this morning to kiss the joy in it,	40:27
	and let it go.	40:32
	And I happen to believe that we can do that.	40:34
	We can let our pasts go.	40:38
	We can let the dead bury the dead.	40:42
	Often we hold on to the past	40:46
	because even if it has been bad or painful,	40:48
	we know it.	40:51
	We feel secure or sure in it.	40:53
	It is familiar to us.	40:56
	We know the people, the places, the experiences,	40:59
	and we know how it all turned out.	41:02
	Or often we hold onto the past	41:05
	because we feel obligated to do so.	41:07
	We feel that we have to.	41:10
	We think that others expect us to.	41:13
	Or we wonder if we're ready to let the past go.	41:16
	We're not sure that we can leave behind those	41:18
	who have nurtured us and supported us.	41:22
	But I believe we can.	41:25
	And must.	41:28
	We can put the past in the past,	41:31
	for I believe we can will it there.	41:35
	Psychiatrists and others not too long ago told us	41:40
	that we were helpless victims of our past.	41:42
	That we could indeed do absolutely nothing about our past.	41:46
	Nor could we alter the effect of our past upon us.	41:50
	We could only alter our ways of handling the effect.	41:54
	Surely we're both victim and beneficiary of the past.	41:59
	And we can do something about the past.	42:03
	We can let the dead bury the dead.	42:06
	Most of us with conscious effort,	42:10
	and with the grace of God,	42:12
	can let go of the past when we really want to do so.	42:15
	Rilke writes in his "Letters to a Young Poet",	42:20
	There is here no measuring with time.	42:26
	No year matters and ten years are nothing.	42:31
	Being an artist means ripening like the tree,	42:36
	which does not force its sap,	42:40
	but stands confident in the storms of Spring,	42:43
	without the fear that after them	42:48
	may come no summer.	42:51
	For it does come.	42:54
	Summer does come	42:57
	to all of us.	43:01
	In the second place, we can put the past in the past	43:03
	by directing our attention to other matters.	43:07
	By investing our time and energy and emotions	43:10
	in something else.	43:13
	The start of a new year may be a good time to do just that.	43:16
	As a matter of fact, any time is a good time to do this.	43:20
	Now, just now.	43:23
	For any of us.	43:27
	As the writer tells us in Isaiah 43, verses 18 and 19,	43:28
	Cease to dwell on days gone by.	43:33
	And as Debbie read for us,	43:38
	from Paul's letter to the Philippians,	43:40
	Forgetting what lies behind, I press on toward the mark	43:43
	of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.	43:48
	It's not that what Paul was forgetting	43:51
	was either good or bad.	43:53
	It's just that he was	43:56
	forgetting it and pressing on.	43:58
	This is the real heart of Jesus' message here, I think.	44:03
	That once you put your hand to the plow,	44:05
	do not look back.	44:09
	"If you do," he says,	44:12
	"you're not fit for the kingdom of God."	44:13
	You're not to go back and bury your dead.	44:16
	You're not to go home and say your farewells.	44:19
	You're to live out fully and unreservedly your commitment	44:22
	to God and to the kingdom of God right now.	44:26
	I remember the first time my daddy ever let me plow a field	44:32
	with our two old mules.	44:37
	It was my first and last time to plow.	44:41
	I started out that hot morning to plow a straight furrow	44:47
	for us to plant in.	44:52
	As I plowed, I kept looking ahead of me, and behind me.	44:54
	I wanted to see both where I was going	45:01
	and also look behind me	45:04
	and see what a really fantastically good job I was doing.	45:06
	But you can't do that.	45:13
	Every time I looked back, I let the mules stray	45:15
	and make a crooked path.	45:20
	And by the time I got to the end of the row,	45:24
	I looked all the way back to the other end.	45:28
	And my daddy did too.	45:31
	And he took over the plowing.	45:35
	The way to plow, I learned later,	45:40
	is to get a good firm grip on the reins,	45:41
	to hold the plows steady.	45:45
	And then to look straight ahead of you,	45:47
	every moment at the spot or at the place	45:49
	where you are wanting to go.	45:53
	How many folks do you know this morning	46:00
	who can't get on with the real joy and business of living	46:02
	because they're looking back over their shoulders	46:06
	at either something very good	46:08
	or something very bad.	46:10
	At a broken friendship.	46:12
	At a sad and traumatic moment.	46:13
	At one big failure or at many small failures.	46:15
	Or at a serious illness or at all those good grades	46:19
	they made in high school.	46:23
	Or all those honors they received somewhere along the way.	46:24
	Or at that ecstatic friendship	46:27
	the likes of which have not been before nor will be again.	46:29
	Whether your past is straight,	46:34
	or is crooked,	46:38
	the goal isn't back there.	46:40
	The goal is in front of us.	46:42
	"Those who look back," Jesus says,	46:47
	"are not fit for the kingdom of God."	46:48
	Translated this means that those of us who look back,	46:50
	will never know wholeness and fullness,	46:53
	and salvation and the goodness,	46:56
	the very best that God and life have to offer to us.	46:58
	In the third place, we put the past in the past	47:04
	when we choose to risk.	47:07
	To live is to risk.	47:10
	To live fully is to choose to risk.	47:13
	This summer I read the biography of Mahalia Jackson.	47:19
	Born in New Orleans, she loved singing.	47:23
	Singing in church from the time she was a very little girl.	47:28
	She was loved and adored as a beautiful girl	47:32
	with a beautiful voice,	47:35
	at home, singing in the churches of her neighborhood.	47:37
	But there came a point in her life,	47:41
	when she had to choose to risk,	47:43
	and she chose to go to Chicago	47:46
	to live with her aunt,	47:50
	and it was a risk there.	47:52
	For there she washed dishes,	47:55
	and worked as a maid for years and years,	47:57
	before she had the opportunity to sing and record,	48:00
	and then later to thrill hundreds of thousands	48:03
	with her songs which she sang.	48:07
	Her gospel songs, which she sang all over the world.	48:09
	Suppose she had not chosen to risk.	48:13
	There comes a moment for most of us	48:20
	when we have to choose to risk.	48:25
	Someone has said,	48:32
	"If you want to have interesting experiences,	48:33
	"then you have to choose to put yourself in places	48:35
	"where interesting experiences can happen."	48:38
	Choose to risk, we are.	48:44
	Our Lord did.	48:49
	Just a few verses before	48:53
	the Gospel lesson in Luke for today.	48:55
	Luke writes about Jesus as he says,	49:00
	"Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem."	49:03
	So life, even suffering, and death	49:12
	came to you and me.	49:17
	Surely Jesus knew what was ahead for him in Jerusalem.	49:20
	But choosing not to live in the past.	49:26
	Choosing to find life in the present and in the future.	49:29
	Choosing to risk,	49:35
	Jesus set his face for Jerusalem.	49:38
	So I believe you and I are to do.	49:44
	To put the past in the past,	49:47
	We too must set our face for our Jerusalem.	49:50
	It may not be pleasant or peaceful.	49:57
	Indeed it may well be hard	50:02
	and painful and lonely.	50:05
	But it just may be life.	50:09
	Let us pray.	50:16
	Come, Lord Jesus.	50:22
	Come to each of us.	50:26
	Call us.	50:29
	Claim us.	50:31
	Challenge us to let the dead bury the dead.	50:33
	To say no more farewells.	50:37
	But to put our hands to the plow.	50:42
	To commit ourselves to you,	50:46
	to your present and to our future.	50:49
	Heal the ache of our yesterdays.	50:56
	Bear us on wings of promise.	51:01
	To all of our tomorrows.	51:05
	Through your love and in your spirit we pray.	51:10
	Amen.	51:15
	(solemn organ music)	51:19
	(muffled singing)	51:57
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	54:04
	We believe in God	54:08
	who has created and is creating.	54:10
	Who has come in the truly human Jesus to reconcile	54:14
	and make new.	54:19
	Who works in us and others by the spirit.	54:21
	We trust God who calls us to be the church.	54:25
	To celebrate life and its fullness.	54:30
	To love and serve others.	54:33
	To seek justice and resist evil.	54:36
	To proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,	54:40
	our judge and our hope	54:44
	in life, in death, in life beyond death.	54:47
	God is with us.	54:52
	We are not alone.	54:54
	Thanks be to God.	54:56
	The Lord be with you.	54:58
	(muffled speaking)	55:01
	Let us pray.	55:03
	Almighty God,	55:17
	hear us as we make our prayers	55:20
	of intercession and supplication.	55:23
	We pray for thy church	55:28
	and for this congregation gathered here,	55:30
	that the strength of the church may be the living	55:34
	faith of all who put their trust in thee.	55:37
	And that the beauty of the church,	55:41
	may be the light that continues to shine	55:44
	through the lives of those	55:47
	who remember the radiance of the world,	55:50
	in the incarnation of Christ Jesus,	55:54
	when they have left the sanctuary.	55:56
	We pray for our country	56:01
	and ask, O God, that thou would defend our land	56:04
	from the secret power and the open shame	56:08
	of great national sins.	56:11
	From all dishonesty and civic corruption,	56:15
	from all vain glory and selfish luxury.	56:19
	From all cruelty and the spirit of violence.	56:24
	From impurity which defiles.	56:29
	And from that intemperance which is the beginning	56:33
	of many crimes and much sorrow.	56:36
	We pray for our university.	56:40
	Make us worthy of our heritage.	56:43
	Quicken our minds in the desire of knowledge.	56:47
	And our hearts in the love of virtue.	56:52
	Deliver us from the fear of that which is new.	56:56
	And from the scorn of that which is old.	57:00
	Lead us forward in the spirit of understanding,	57:04
	and confirm us in the confidence that all truth	57:08
	is for our good and thy glory.	57:11
	Give to those who teach a joy in their task.	57:15
	And to those who learn pleasure in growing wiser.	57:19
	And save us all from the sin of sloth.	57:24
	God of all comfort, we commend to thy mercy	57:28
	all those upon who any cross or tribulation is laid.	57:33
	Especially do we commend to thee at this time	57:39
	the peoples of Iran and Nicaragua,	57:43
	whose plights have been commended to us.	57:46
	The obligation that we have to remember them.	57:51
	Let not their hearts fail.	57:55
	Sustain them until their present calamities be overpassed.	57:58
	Heal the hurt and the wounded.	58:03
	Console the bereaved and afflicted.	58:06
	Protect the innocent and helpless.	58:10
	And deliver any who are still imperiled.	58:13
	We pray indeed for all nations	58:17
	who are afflicted with famine or pestilence or war.	58:20
	Those who suffer persecution for the sake of the Gospel.	58:26
	All such as are in danger by sea or land.	58:30
	All persons oppressed with poverty, sickness,	58:35
	or any infirmity of body or sorrow of mind.	58:39
	We pray for those whom we name in our hearts before thee.	58:45
	May it please thee to show all those	58:51
	who need thy grace or mercy,	58:54
	the restoring kindness of thy love	58:57
	in the midst of affliction.	58:59
	That their hearts may be truly turned to thee.	59:02
	That they may receive perfect consolation and healing	59:06
	and deliverance from all trouble for Christ's sake.	59:10
	Be thou, O God, the strength of the weary.	59:14
	The comfort of the sorrowful.	59:18
	The friend of the desolate.	59:21
	The light of the wandering.	59:24
	The hope of the dying.	59:27
	And the savior of the lost.	59:29
	In whose name we pray as indeed we are taught.	59:32
	Our Father,	59:36
	Who art in heaven,	59:37
	Hallowed be Thy Name.	59:39
	Thy Kingdom come.	59:42
	Thy Will be done,	59:44
	on earth as it is in Heaven.	59:45
	Give us this day our daily bread.	59:48
	And forgive us our trespasses,	59:51
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	59:54
	And lead us not into temptation,	59:57
	but deliver us from evil.	1:00:01
	For thine is the kingdom,	1:00:03
	and the power and the glory forever.	1:00:05
	Amen.	1:00:09
	(soft organ music)	1:00:14
	(muffled singing)	1:01:16
	(muffled singing)	1:03:48
	(joyous organ music)	1:05:38
	♪ Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow ♪	1:05:55
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	1:06:01
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:06
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:09
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	1:06:14
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:06:19
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:28
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:31
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:34
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:06:37
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:06:45
-	All things come of thee, O God	1:06:56
	and of thine own have we given under thee	1:06:58
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	1:07:00
	Amen.	1:07:02
	("Battle Hymn of the Republic")	1:07:14
	♪ Mine eyes hath seen the glory ♪	1:08:02
	♪ Of the coming of the Lord ♪	1:08:04
	♪ He is trampling out the vintage ♪	1:08:07
	♪ Where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪	1:08:10
	♪ He hath loosed the fateful lightning ♪	1:08:14
	♪ Of His terrible swift sword ♪	1:08:17
	♪ His truth is marching on. ♪	1:08:20
	♪ Glory ♪	1:08:27
	♪ Glory ♪	1:08:28
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:29
	♪ Glory ♪	1:08:33
	♪ Glory ♪	1:08:34
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:36
	♪ Glory ♪	1:08:40
	♪ Glory ♪	1:08:41
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:08:42
	♪ His truth is marching on ♪	1:08:45
	♪ I have seen Him in the watch fires ♪	1:08:52
	♪ Of a hundred circling camps ♪	1:08:54
	♪ They have builded Him ♪	1:08:57
	♪ An altar in the evening dews and damps ♪	1:08:59
	♪ I can read His righteous sentence ♪	1:09:03
	♪ By the dim and flaring lamps ♪	1:09:06
	♪ His day is marching on. ♪	1:09:09
	♪ Glory ♪	1:09:17
	♪ Glory ♪	1:09:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:09:19
	♪ Glory ♪	1:09:23
	♪ Glory ♪	1:09:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:09:26
	♪ Glory ♪	1:09:30
	♪ Glory ♪	1:09:31
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:09:32
	♪ His truth is marching on ♪	1:09:35
	♪ He has sounded forth the trumpet ♪	1:09:42
	♪ That shall never call retreat ♪	1:09:45
	♪ He is sifting out the hearts of men ♪	1:09:48
	♪ Before His judgment seat ♪	1:09:52
	♪ Oh, be swift, my soul ♪	1:09:55
	♪ To answer Him ♪	1:09:57
	♪ Be jubilant, my feet ♪	1:09:58
	♪ Our God is marching on ♪	1:10:01
	♪ Glory ♪	1:10:09
	♪ Glory ♪	1:10:10
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:10:11
	♪ Glory ♪	1:10:15
	♪ Glory ♪	1:10:16
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:10:17
	♪ Glory ♪	1:10:22
	♪ Glory ♪	1:10:23
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:10:24
	♪ His truth is marching on ♪	1:10:27
	♪ In the beauty of the lilies ♪	1:10:34
	♪ Christ was born across the sea ♪	1:10:37
	♪ With a glory in His bosom ♪	1:10:41
	♪ That transfigures you and me ♪	1:10:44
	♪ As He died to make men holy ♪	1:10:47
	♪ Let us die to make men free ♪	1:10:50
	♪ While God is marching on ♪	1:10:53
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:01
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:03
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:11:04
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:08
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:09
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:11:10
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:15
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:16
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:11:17
	♪ His truth is marching on ♪	1:11:20
	♪ He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave ♪	1:11:27
	♪ He is wisdom to the mighty ♪	1:11:34
	♪ He is honor to the brave ♪	1:11:37
	♪ So the world shall be His footstool ♪	1:11:40
	♪ And the soul of wrong His slave ♪	1:11:44
	♪ Our God is marching on ♪	1:11:47
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:55
	♪ Glory ♪	1:11:56
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:11:57
	♪ Glory ♪	1:12:01
	♪ Glory ♪	1:12:03
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:12:04
	♪ Glory ♪	1:12:08
	♪ Glory ♪	1:12:09
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:12:10
	♪ His truth is marching on ♪	1:12:14
	(joyful organ music)	1:12:22
-	The Lord bless you and keep you.	1:12:48
	The Lord make his face shine upon you	1:12:51
	and be gracious unto you.	1:12:53
	The Lord lift up his countenance upon you	1:12:56
	and give you peace,	1:12:58
	both now and in the life everlasting.	1:12:59
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:06
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:13
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:20
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:25
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:30
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:34
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:44
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:57
	(joyous music)	1:14:15

Item Info

Title:

Robert T. Young - "Let the Dead Bury the Dead" (September 17, 1978)

Description:

Sermon start time: 28:44. Sermon end time: 52:16.
Following Jesus means letting go of the past and living in the unknown present/future. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: You're not to go home and say your farewells. You're to live out fully and unreservedly your commitment to God and to the kingdom of God right now.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4h41k23v

Date:

September 17, 1978

Speaker:

Young, Robert T., 1935-2009

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Discipleship

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0977
ref7163_viu
uachapelsermaud
duke:321218
dcrau001857
ark:/87924/r4h41k23v
7d40b798-0a89-493d-879c-82352386778e

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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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.

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Limited Re-Use

Educational Use Permitted

Rights Note:

This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other 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.

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Robert T. Young - "Let the Dead Bury the Dead" (September 17, 1978)

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Duke University Archives