Helen G. Crotwell - "Lent Is for..." (March 18, 1979)

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-	Duke Chapel, Sunday Service.	0:04
	March 18, 1979	0:06
	(organ music)	0:11
-	It is good to give thanks to the Lord.	11:11
	To sing praise to thy name, oh most high.	11:15
	To declare thy steadfast love in the morning	11:20
	and thy faithfulness at night.	11:23
	Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt	11:26
	His name together.	11:30
	Oh Lord, open thou our lips and our mouth shall	11:32
	show forth thy praise.	11:36
	Will you join with me in a prayer of invocation?	11:40
	Let us pray.	11:42
	Deliver us, oh almighty God, when we draw nigh to thee,	11:45
	from coldness of heart and from wanderings of mind.	11:51
	That with steadfast thought and kindled affection,	11:58
	we may worship thee in spirit and in truth	12:03
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	12:09
	Amen.	12:13
	(organ music)	12:16
	On a day as beautiful, indeed, as this is,	15:31
	it is indeed good to worship the Lord, our God,	15:34
	together in fellowship with one another	15:40
	and to sing praises unto God.	15:42
	Conscious now of the presence of God and conscious	15:45
	of our own selves, our faults and failures.	15:51
	Will you join with me as, together, we offer	15:57
	to God, this, our prayer of confession this day.	16:02
	Let us pray.	16:07
	Almighty God, we confess unto You	16:09
	that we have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed.	16:12
	We have neglected opportunities of good.	16:17
	We have sought the things which are temporal	16:20
	and have forgotten the things which are eternal.	16:23
	Wherefore, we beseech You to have mercy upon us,	16:27
	from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,	16:31
	and the pride of life.	16:36
	Good Lord, deliver us.	16:38
	Strengthen us, by the power of the Holy Spirit,	16:41
	to fight the good fight of faith, to endure hardness	16:44
	of good followers of Jesus Christ, to rule our bodies	16:48
	by temperance and our spirits by meekness,	16:53
	and to glorify you alike with our bodies and our spirits	16:56
	which belong to you.	17:01
	Almighty and everlasting God, You who hate nothing	17:04
	that You have made and will forgive the sins of all	17:08
	who are penitent, create and make in us new	17:12
	and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins	17:16
	and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain from you,	17:22
	the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness	17:26
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	17:30
	Amen.	17:34
	Let us continue in prayer	17:35
	with our own personal prayers to God.	17:38
	The psalmist writes, "Cast your burden on the Lord,	18:13
	"and He will sustain you.	18:18
	"He will never permit the righteous to be moved."	18:22
	My dear friends, end this faith now.	18:29
	Let us each receive and know the forgiveness of God.	18:33
	Amen.	18:41
	Let us give thanks, for God is good	18:44
	and God's love is everlasting.	18:48
	Thanks be to God, whose love has made us.	18:52
	Thanks be to God, whose mercy forgives us.	18:56
	Thanks be to God, whose promise secures us.	19:00
	Amen.	19:04
	In this holy season of Lent, may I remind you	19:08
	of two extra service we are having.	19:12
	On Wednesday morning, at 7:45, in the East Campus Union,	19:17
	we will have breakfast together and a sharing	19:24
	of some common feelings and reflections about	19:26
	the meaning of Lent.	19:29
	At 8:00 on Thursday morning, in the Memorial Chapel here,	19:32
	we will a brief service of worship.	19:37
	You are invited to add to the meaning and the significance	19:40
	of your Lenten worship by sharing in one or both	19:44
	of those service.	19:49
	May I remind you also of the organ concert this afternoon.	19:51
	Yuko Hiyashi, who is head of the Conservatory of Music,	19:57
	The New England Conservatory of Music, will present	20:01
	a recital here at 4:00.	20:04
	You will notice the program	20:07
	in the bulletin for this morning.	20:10
	You and all are invited to come and share	20:12
	in this very special service of music.	20:15
	Let us continue our worship of God.	20:20
	Let us pray.	20:26
	Oh Lord, our God, thou who hast given thy word	20:30
	to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.	20:34
	Grant us grace to receive thy truth in faith and in love.	20:39
	That by thy word, we may be prepared for every good word	20:47
	and every good work to the glory of thy holy name,	20:51
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	20:56
	Amen.	21:00
	Let us hear the Word of God.	21:03
	The Old Testament lesson brings to us, this morning,	21:07
	the reading of the ten commandments	21:12
	from the book of Exodus, chapter 20,	21:15
	verses 1-3, 7 and 8, and 12-17.	21:17
	Let us hear the Word of God.	21:23
	And God spoke all these words saying,	21:26
	"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out	21:31
	"of the land of Egypt,	21:35
	"out of the house of bondage.	21:37
	"You shall have no other Gods before me.	21:39
	"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.	21:45
	"The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes	21:50
	"his name in vain.	21:53
	"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.	21:58
	"Honor your father and your mother, that your days	22:04
	"may be long in the land	22:08
	"which the Lord your God gives to you.	22:10
	"You shall not kill.	22:15
	"You shall not commit adultery.	22:17
	"You shall not steal.	22:21
	"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.	22:25
	"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.	22:30
	"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,	22:34
	"or his man-servant, or his maid-servant,	22:38
	"or his ox, or his ass,	22:40
	"or anything that is your neighbor's."	22:42
	Here ends the reading of the lesson	22:47
	of the Old Testament.	22:49
	To God be praise and glory.	22:50
	Amen.	22:54
	Will you stand for the reading of the Gospel lesson?	22:55
	The Gospel lesson for this day is found in	23:06
	the Gospel according to Saint John.	23:08
	Chapter 2, verses 13-22.	23:11
	Let us hear the Word of God.	23:15
	"The Passover of the Jews was a hand,	23:19
	"and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.	23:23
	"In the temple, He found those who were selling oxen	23:27
	"and sheep and pigeons and the money changers	23:30
	"at their business.	23:34
	"And making a whip of cords, He drove them all,	23:36
	"with the sheep and the oxen, out of the temple.	23:40
	"And He poured out the coins of the money changers	23:46
	"and overturned the tables.	23:48
	"And He told those who sold the pigeons,	23:52
	"'Take these things away.	23:55
	"You shall not make my father's house a house of trade.'	23:58
	"His disciples remembered that it was written,	24:04
	"'Zeal for thy house will consume me.'	24:07
	"The Jews then said to him, 'What sign have you	24:12
	"to show us for doing this?'	24:15
	"And Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple	24:19
	"and in three days, I will raise it up.'	24:22
	"The Jews then said to him, 'It has taken 46 years	24:27
	"to build this temple.	24:31
	"And will you raise it up in three days?'	24:34
	"But Jesus spoke of the temple of His body.	24:38
	"When therefore, He was raised from the dead,	24:44
	"His disciples had remembered that He had said this,	24:49
	"and they believed the scripture.	24:53
	"And they believed the word which Jesus had spoken."	24:56
	Here ends the lesson from the Gospel for this day.	25:02
	May it's meaning become real to you and me.	25:07
	Amen.	25:12
	(organ music)	25:15
	What have you given up for Lent?	26:28
	Candy?	26:31
	A movie or a meal once a week?	26:32
	Holding grudges against your roommate or your spouse?	26:36
	Lent,	26:42
	a time for denial, for sacrifice, for change.	26:43
	What discipline have you accepted for Lent?	26:50
	A more regular time for prayer, meditation, Bible study.	26:55
	A time to visit the shut-ins,	27:02
	to write those forgotten friends.	27:04
	To seek reconciliation with an alienated friend	27:08
	or family member.	27:13
	Lent, a time for giving,	27:16
	for forgiving,	27:20
	for discipline.	27:23
	At one our Lenten breakfast, a student talked	27:26
	with some surprise, about her realization	27:29
	that what she usually gave up for Lent was something	27:33
	which benefited her.	27:36
	To decide to give up biting your fingernails,	27:39
	or eating chocolate, or drinking Cokes,	27:42
	or any of those things which are so centered on self,	27:46
	did not seem to have very much to do	27:50
	with a time of preparation for the celebration	27:53
	of the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.	27:56
	The small country church in which I grew up in	28:03
	didn't teach me a thing about the liturgical year,	28:06
	or that there was a Lenten period that called	28:10
	for special discipline.	28:14
	When I moved into the world beyond my country church	28:16
	and discovered what we called high church,	28:20
	or a church that knew about the liturgical year,	28:23
	I yearned that the seasons of the Christian year	28:27
	would provide times for me for the development of	28:30
	deeper dimensions of my living as a Christian in this world.	28:34
	My yearning never did lead me to give up anything for Lent.	28:41
	And to my local church's credit, it may have been because,	28:45
	for me, it would have been empty form.	28:49
	To my discredit, it may have been some rationalization	28:52
	so that I would not have to deny myself anything.	28:57
	Yet, we know that our growth and the Christian faith	29:02
	is benefited by a more discipline life.	29:07
	And it has been an ever-present struggle within the	29:12
	Judeo-Christian tradition to recognize the need	29:15
	for a discipline response to God's love, and yet,	29:18
	not let these disciplines become empty practices	29:24
	a defense from being obedient.	29:29
	And we recall, especially during this Lenten season,	29:32
	the prophet speaking out strongly against sacrifices	29:36
	and burnt offerings.	29:39
	What God wants is our hearts and ourselves	29:41
	and not an empty ritual.	29:46
	Render your hearts, and not your garments.	29:48
	I hate, I despise your feast.	29:53
	Even though you offer me burnt offerings,	29:56
	I will not accept them.	29:59
	But let justice roll down like waters,	30:01
	and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.	30:05
	If we decide to give up some pleasure once a week,	30:09
	or something that may be harmful to our health,	30:13
	there has been no real sacrifice or denial.	30:17
	And in our world of hunger and starvation,	30:21
	its difficult to feel righteous if we cut back on our luxury	30:25
	for a few weeks during the whole year.	30:30
	And that student feared that if we tried to deepen	30:35
	our spiritual life by giving up a few petty things,	30:39
	we would turn inward on ourselves rather than	30:44
	to be moved in our discipline to look out to our neighbor.	30:49
	Calling us away from meaningless self denial,	30:56
	the people who are responsible for our lectionary lessons	31:00
	have selected ones for Lent which help us move	31:03
	to an inner-claiming of the heart of the Gospel	31:07
	by focusing our attention on God and on the covenant.	31:11
	And when we look at the Decalogue, we find	31:17
	that the six commandments which describe our relationship	31:19
	with our neighbor are placed in the framework	31:23
	of the covenantal relationship between God	31:28
	and the people whom God loves and delivers from bondage.	31:31
	And we are not blind enough to believe	31:36
	that the commandment that we shall have no other Gods	31:40
	but Yahweh is not relevant to us simply because Yahweh	31:43
	is not competing in our time with gods of other cultures.	31:47
	For we know, that while we do not name them Gods,	31:53
	we have our cultural gods, as do our neighbor nations	31:58
	who claim to have no God.	32:03
	In his first Encyclical, Pope John Paul II	32:06
	noted some of these gods.	32:11
	Our consumer society,	32:13
	so advanced by our technological age,	32:15
	can make us slaves of things.	32:18
	And we may be so manipulated by our advertising,	32:24
	our communication media,	32:28
	our structures of production and state,	32:31
	that we may lose our God-given ability	32:34
	to have dominion over this world.	32:38
	His words recall some of T.S. Eliot's.	32:43
	"The endless cycle of idea and action.	32:47
	"Endless invention, endless experiment,	32:52
	"brings us knowledge of motion, but not of stillness.	32:56
	"Knowledge of speech, but not of silence.	33:01
	"Knowledge of words, but ignorance of the word.	33:08
	"All our knowledge brings us near to our ignorance.	33:14
	"And all our ignorance brings us nearer to our death.	33:18
	"But nearness to death, no nearer to God."	33:23
	We succumb to the cultural gods which make more claim	33:29
	on our lives, on our money, our energy, than the God	33:33
	of our Lord, Jesus Christ, when we become	33:38
	the sole authority for our life.	33:41
	Then we place ourselves and our best interest,	33:47
	above everybody.	33:52
	We live a self-centered, blind egotist.	33:54
	Racist, sexist, classist people	34:00
	which means that our comfort and our wellbeing	34:04
	and our perspective is more important that anyone else's	34:07
	and cannot be challenged.	34:12
	We see this when we call for folks to live	34:14
	a simplified lifestyle, given our limited world,	34:17
	but believe that means other people.	34:21
	Not ourselves.	34:24
	We call for people to stop oppressing blacks,	34:25
	and women, and poor, but act as if we are exempt	34:28
	from such a request.	34:31
	So Lent is a time for us to confess our sin	34:34
	that we have become as God.	34:39
	Lent is a time for us to understand Jesus' summary	34:44
	of the Decalogue.	34:48
	To discover what it means to live a responsible,	34:50
	caring life in relationship with our neighbor.	34:54
	With a healthy love of ourself, which is made possible only	34:59
	when it is grounded in a covenantal relationship with God.	35:03
	The God of I am who I am.	35:08
	The source of all that is, that was, that ever shall be.	35:12
	God, the creator of the universe, the whole world,	35:16
	and the gnat and the ant.	35:21
	God, who creates us, you and me, with freedom.	35:24
	God, who entered into a covenant with our fore parents,	35:29
	symbolically with Adam and Eve and Noah,	35:33
	historically with Abraham and Sarah and Moses and Mariam.	35:37
	And from the beginning,	35:42
	we have been unfaithful to this covenant.	35:45
	We have rebelled, we have messed up our lives,	35:48
	we have messed up this world.	35:52
	God, who is justice, is always supporting those	35:55
	who are being destroyed by our broken covenants.	35:59
	God, who is mercy and grace,	36:03
	is always patient,	36:08
	ever-loving,	36:09
	ever-forgiving,	36:11
	always offering us an opportunity to begin again and again.	36:13
	The signs of the broken covenant, being cast out	36:19
	of the garden, the flood, the broken law.	36:23
	The signs on the new covenant,	36:28
	the promises,	36:31
	the rainbow,	36:33
	the olive leaf.	36:34
	And then, the new covenant, given to us	36:37
	through the death and resurrection of Jesus, our Christ.	36:43
	And in this new covenant, Jesus cut through all the	36:49
	roofs, excuses,	36:53
	escapes, legalistic maneuvers,	36:56
	and called us to love God	36:59
	and ourselves	37:04
	and our neighbors.	37:07
	Simple.	37:09
	But we still escape.	37:11
	We still turn in on ourselves and love only ourselves.	37:14
	Or, we hate ourselves and try to escape by activity	37:19
	and business, helping everybody,	37:25
	but never caring for ourselves or anyone else.	37:28
	In his new book on Christian wholeness, Tom Langford	37:34
	describes Christian living as a struggle for wholeness.	37:36
	A daily struggle with some seemingly, very opposite claims,	37:41
	and often competing and conflicting claims on our lives.	37:46
	The claims of self-giving and self-finding.	37:52
	Of strength and vulnerability.	37:56
	Of excellence and humility.	37:59
	Of solitude and community.	38:02
	Of living with pain and joy.	38:06
	With hurt and hope.	38:09
	And we do not find wholeness by developing any	38:12
	of these dimensions while trying to avoid another.	38:16
	Or by trying to live in the middle of the tension.	38:22
	But in seeing all of them as important dimensions	38:26
	of our covenant, ones that come to the front	38:29
	at different times in our life, at different places.	38:32
	But all held in the wholeness with some tension.	38:36
	And to develop, the development of this wholeness	38:39
	is possible when we keep our focus on God,	38:42
	the source of our being, our covenant, and our hope.	38:46
	The God whose mercy forgives us, whose grace enables us	38:50
	to love ourselves, warts and all, and even our neighbors,	38:55
	and their warts and all, as ourselves.	39:00
	Lent is a time to acknowledge that we need to be nourished.	39:04
	That we need, like Jesus, to withdraw into the wilderness,	39:11
	to face the temptations which beset us.	39:14
	To let our souls catch up with our bodies.	39:18
	We need to come to the Christian community to say,	39:23
	"I'm wounded, hurting, bleeding.	39:26
	"I need you to take care of me."	39:31
	Lent is a time when, in spite of our brokenness and	39:34
	our pain and our sin, we can forget ourselves	39:37
	and move out to be healing instruments of God,	39:43
	knowing also that in this way,	39:47
	in losing ourselves, we will find ourselves,	39:51
	and we too will be healed.	39:54
	Lent is a time when we acknoweldge that to do all this,	39:58
	to respond to God's love, we need to be in community,	40:02
	we need discipline.	40:08
	Last semester, when Ben Smith visited	40:12
	the Coventry cathedral, he discovered the community	40:15
	of the cross of the nails.	40:19
	A worldwide community of individuals and groups	40:21
	who share a commitment to a practical vision	40:25
	of reconciliation and a genuine intention	40:29
	to live a disciplined Christian life.	40:33
	They claim, for their discipline, nothing other than	40:37
	what all Christians would seek.	40:40
	It provides a guide to a balanced time for prayer,	40:44
	for study, for work, for relaxation, for worship,	40:48
	for family, personal growth.	40:52
	Now, here is some of these, selected and adapted.	40:55
	It can be a guide for us personally,	40:59
	or for a small community of our family and friends.	41:04
	The discipline includes silence.	41:08
	For without a deliberate withdrawal,	41:12
	one is buffeted by pressures,	41:15
	which often evoke destructive, emotional responses.	41:18
	And steady, for the temptation of our instant	41:26
	media communication is to think no deeper	41:30
	than the headlines, or to reflect the opinion	41:33
	of the last person we spoke to.	41:37
	This discipline takes advantage of the many opportunities	41:40
	available in the community and the university	41:43
	for expanding the mind, and encourages the people always	41:47
	to have a serious book on hand for reading.	41:52
	The discipline also takes serious the responsibility	41:56
	to the corporate life of the church, and of the family,	42:00
	and to those who live alone without a nuclear family.	42:04
	And to prepare for serving,	42:10
	to prepare for loving the neighbor,	42:14
	the personal discipline includes first,	42:16
	the care of your health.	42:19
	Getting sufficient sleep, not eating and drinking to excess.	42:22
	And second, the awareness of the needs of others.	42:27
	Symbolically abstaining from one meal a week,	42:32
	but practically giving this money to a specific cause	42:35
	so that others may live.	42:39
	Third, sharing of burdens in general,	42:42
	but also in a covenant with a specific person.	42:47
	To listen to this person, to heal this person,	42:51
	to call this person into question,	42:54
	and to let this person have this responsibility for you.	42:58
	Fourth, recreation.	43:03
	Following the rule of the Sabbath and respecting the need	43:06
	for a whole day off each week.	43:10
	And fifth, in relation to our economy,	43:15
	to cultivate a respect for God's created order	43:18
	and to live within our means,	43:23
	controlling our income and our expenditure	43:26
	with discipline.	43:32
	And those of us with a university education,	43:34
	may have some problem understanding what it means	43:37
	to talk about controlling our income.	43:40
	The authority for the discipline is the authority	43:45
	of God alone, who calls us through Jesus Christ,	43:48
	with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,	43:52
	to the enrichment of our spiritual lives.	43:55
	The community lifts up a reminder from Paul Tillich.	43:59
	"The person who tries to live without authority,	44:02
	"tries to live like God.	44:07
	"For God alone can be alone.	44:10
	"And the one who tries to be like God is thrown down	44:16
	"to self destruction.	44:20
	"Be it a single human being, or community,	44:22
	"or church, or nation."	44:25
	Lent is a time to renew our covenant which brings us into	44:31
	a recognition with a special relationship to God,	44:36
	and will also lead us to a struggle to reform	44:40
	and develop justice and reconciliation in our society	44:44
	as a fulfillment of our covenant.	44:48
	For there is no way we can truly love ourselves	44:52
	without living responsibly in relation to our neighbor.	44:56
	And such love is possible only through the gifts	45:00
	of God's love, and mercy, and grace,	45:04
	which enables us to accept ourselves	45:08
	with all our imperfections because God does.	45:11
	And because God loves us in spite of,	45:16
	or even because of our struggle with	45:22
	all we don't like in ourselves,	45:24
	we are enabled to accept this in us.	45:27
	And knowing we do not have to be perfect,	45:30
	we are enabled to love our neighbor	45:33
	who is not always very loving.	45:35
	This is the meaning on grace-filled living.	45:38
	This is the fullness of our covenant.	45:43
	Let us pray.	45:48
	We thank you, oh God of our covenant,	45:53
	for calling us together.	45:58
	For calling us and Abraham and Sarah away from a country,	46:01
	away from kindred, away from our home, to a new land	46:07
	which you would show us.	46:12
	For calling us and Moses and Miriam	46:14
	from the oppressors of Egypt, from the wilderness	46:18
	in the desert, from the worship of golden calves,	46:22
	and to a land flowing with milk and honey.	46:26
	For calling us in prophecy out of our adultery	46:30
	with false gods, out of slavery to Babylon,	46:35
	out of the valley of the graveyards,	46:40
	and into the fields and the vineyards	46:43
	which you have planted upon our land.	46:45
	We thank you, merciful God, that you can save us from guilt.	46:50
	You can save us from the blood of Gettysburg,	46:57
	the blood of Hiroshima, the blood of My Lai.	47:01
	That you can save us from the guilt	47:06
	of our rotting slums, the guilt of our weapons,	47:08
	the guilt of our suffocating apathy.	47:13
	That you can save us from the secret guilt	47:17
	that fester inside the hearts of each of us.	47:21
	But most of all, oh God, we thank you	47:25
	for your son, Jesus Christ.	47:28
	For through Him, we were created and recreated.	47:32
	And we have been called and in Him we shall be saved.	47:36
	And we pray that we will be faithful to this new covenant	47:41
	of love and justice and mercy.	47:47
	Amen, and amen.	47:51
	(organ music)	47:57
-	Having heard God's word read and proclaimed,	50:58
	let us now, with one voice, affirm what we believe.	51:02
	We believe in God who has created and is creating,	51:07
	who has come into truly human Jesus to reconcile	51:12
	and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.	51:16
	We trust God who calls us to be the church,	51:22
	to celebrate life and its fullness,	51:27
	to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil,	51:30
	to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen,	51:36
	our judge and our hope in life, in death.	51:40
	In life beyond death, God is with us.	51:45
	We are not alone.	51:50
	Thanks be to God.	51:51
	Be seated please.	51:54
	The Lord be with you.	52:04
	Let us pray.	52:08
	On this holy day, oh Lord our God, we bow before thee.	52:17
	From whom every family on heaven and on earth is named.	52:31
	According to the goodness of thy love.	52:39
	Granted we may be strengthened with courage through	52:44
	thy spirit working within each of us.	52:49
	And grant that the living Christ may dwell truly	52:57
	in our hearts through faith.	53:03
	That we, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power	53:07
	to comprehend with others, what is the breadth and length	53:14
	and height and depth of thy love.	53:20
	And to know within us, the love of Christ.	53:27
	That we may be filled with the fullness	53:33
	of thy presence, Oh Lord our God.	53:37
	God almighty who has called us to be the church	53:45
	in this time and in this place.	53:48
	We ask of thee now to hear us as we pray for others.	53:54
	We pray for thy church universal.	54:00
	Strengthen, guide, and sanctify by thy Holy Spirit	54:04
	all of us who believe.	54:10
	That we may continue faithfully to live and love and serve.	54:14
	Grant to all thy people an increase of faith, hope and love.	54:21
	And kindle within us the spirit of devotion and service	54:29
	which will fulfill thy will for our lives.	54:34
	We pray for our nation.	54:41
	Guide with thy eternal wisdom, thy servant,	54:45
	President James Carter, and all those who govern,	54:47
	with him, this country.	54:52
	Bless, direct and support in these trying days	54:56
	Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat.	55:00
	Lead them, Oh Lord, not just to but into the valley	55:04
	of peace and concord.	55:10
	We pray thee, oh holy and loving God, to bless our homes	55:16
	with thy light and joy.	55:19
	Keep our children, and all those we love, under thy	55:23
	tender care and protection.	55:28
	Direct all parents, that we may all rear our children	55:32
	into a life of faith and godliness.	55:37
	We pray for the sick, especially now do we pray	55:44
	for those who we name silently before thee.	55:49
	Grant them such health of body and as thou knowest,	56:00
	they surely need.	56:04
	Comfort and cheer them in weariness and in depression.	56:08
	And to those, all of those, who care for them grant skill	56:11
	and sympathy, patience and love.	56:17
	Let us lift up our hearts, let us give us thanks	56:22
	unto the Lord our God.	56:25
	For it is our bound and duty that we should, at all times,	56:28
	and in all places, give thanks unto thee oh Lord.	56:34
	Almighty and everlasting God.	56:39
	And so let our lives now reflect thy love for us	56:43
	and our love for thee.	56:48
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord who taught His disciples	56:52
	who walked with him and who taught us to pray, saying,	56:55
	"Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	57:01
	"Our kingdom come, our will be done, on earth	57:08
	"as it is in heaven.	57:11
	"Give us this day our daily bread	57:13
	"and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those	57:16
	"who trespass against us.	57:20
	"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	57:23
	"For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	57:28
	"and the glory forever.	57:31
	"Amen."	57:33
	(organ music)	57:48
	Almighty God, from whom cometh every good	1:03:42
	and every perfect gift, accept we beseech thee,	1:03:46
	the offerings which we now present to thee,	1:03:51
	with willing and thankful hearts.	1:03:54
	And may we now so consecrate ourselves to thy service.	1:03:59
	That we may glorify thee from this moment,	1:04:03
	and ever thereafter, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.	1:04:06
	Amen.	1:04:12
	(organ music)	1:04:15
	And now as we leave to go into, surely, a day	1:07:06
	of warmth and beauty, may I, as one Christian	1:07:08
	to another, offer you this blessing.	1:07:12
	The grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,	1:07:15
	the love of God, and the communion and fellowship	1:07:20
	of the Holy Spirit, be with you and with those	1:07:24
	who you love this day and forever.	1:07:29
	Amen.	1:07:35
	(organ music)	1:07:44

Item Info

Title:

Helen G. Crotwell - "Lent Is for..." (March 18, 1979)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 26:28. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 47:53.
what have you given up for Lent? and makes the point that many of us give up things in order to receive the benefit ourselves (for example, eating less sweets or do more exercise). In this, there hasn’t been a real sacrifice. Then moves into Lent as paying attention to the needs of your neighbor. Lent is a time for us to confess our sin that we have become as God and seek to discover what it means to live a responsible, caring life in relationship with our neighbor. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "Lent is a time to renew our covenant which brings us into a recognition with a special relationship to God, and will also lead us to a struggle to reform and develop justice and reconciliation in our society as a fulfillment of our covenant. For there is no way we can truly love ourselves without living responsibly in relation to our neighbor."

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4qb9vm77

Date:

March 18, 1979

Speaker:

Crotwell, Helen Gray, 1925-2006

Liturgical Calendar:

Lent

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1010
ref7229_yr2
uachapelsermaud
duke:321276
dcrau001890
ark:/87924/r4qb9vm77
a15a1eed-f74c-4f92-b26a-6be9b9fe57d1

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Related Resources:

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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.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Helen G. Crotwell - "Lent Is for..." (March 18, 1979)

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Item Info

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Duke University Archives