Robert T. Young - "The Touch of the Healing God" (September 30, 1979)

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-	Duke University Chapel service of worship	0:04
	September 30th, 1979.	0:06
	("Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott, BWV 652" by J.S. Bach)	0:11
	("Beautiful Savior" by Joseph Augustus Seiss)	7:52
	♪ Beautiful Savior ♪	7:53
	♪ Lord of the nations ♪	8:02
	♪ Son of God ♪	8:13
	♪ And Son of Man ♪	8:19
	♪ Glory and honor ♪	8:31
	♪ Praise, adoration ♪	8:41
	♪ Now and forevermore be Thine ♪	8:50
	♪ Now and forevermore ♪	9:04
	♪ Be Thine ♪	9:19
	("God of Grace and God of Glory")	9:32
	♪ God of grace and God of glory ♪	10:11
	♪ On your people pour your power ♪	10:16
	♪ Crown your ancient church's story ♪	10:22
	♪ Bring its bud to glorious flower ♪	10:28
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	10:34
	♪ For the facing of this hour ♪	10:40
	♪ For the facing of this hour ♪	10:45
	♪ Lo! the hosts of evil round us ♪	10:53
	♪ Scorn the Christ, assail his ways ♪	10:59
	♪ From the fears that long have bound us ♪	11:05
	♪ Free our hearts to faith and praise ♪	11:11
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	11:17
	♪ For the living of these days ♪	11:22
	♪ For the living of these days ♪	11:28
	♪ Cure your children's warring madness ♪	11:36
	♪ Bend our pride to your control ♪	11:42
	♪ Shame our wanton, selfish gladness ♪	11:48
	♪ Rich in things and poor in soul ♪	11:54
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	12:00
	♪ Lest we miss your kingdom's goal ♪	12:06
	♪ Lest we miss your kingdom's goal ♪	12:12
	♪ Set our feet on lofty places ♪	12:19
	♪ Gird our lives that they may be ♪	12:25
	♪ Armored with all Christlike graces ♪	12:31
	♪ Pledged to set all captives free ♪	12:37
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	12:43
	♪ That we fail not them nor thee ♪	12:49
	♪ That we fail not them nor thee ♪	12:56
	♪ Save us from weak resignation ♪	13:03
	♪ To the evils we deplore ♪	13:10
	♪ Let the gift of your salvation ♪	13:16
	♪ Be our glory evermore ♪	13:21
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	13:28
	♪ Serving you whom we adore ♪	13:34
	♪ Serving you whom we adore ♪	13:40
	♪ Amen ♪	13:50
-	You may be seated.	14:00
	I greet you this morning	14:09
	in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.	14:10
	Oh come let us worship and bow down.	14:15
	Let us kneel before the Lord our maker	14:19
	for He is our God	14:23
	and we are the people of His pasture	14:25
	and the sheep of His hand.	14:28
	As we enter now into God's presence	14:33
	we are made aware of our human frailty	14:37
	and our dependence upon God's mercy and forgiveness.	14:41
	Beloved in the Lord,	14:47
	let us admit both publicly and privately,	14:49
	both corporately and individually,	14:54
	what is really within our hearts and our lives.	14:58
	For when we do make bold	15:03
	to confess our sin before the Lord, Almighty,	15:05
	He is sure and quick to forgive our sin	15:09
	and to make us whole and healthy,	15:15
	cleansed and ready for new life.	15:19
	Let us confess our sin.	15:23
-	Oh God of love	15:28
	we stand in need of forgiveness again,	15:31
	we confess the sin that no one knows	15:35
	and the sins that everyone knows,	15:39
	the sins that are a burden to us	15:43
	and the sins that do not bother us	15:46
	because we've become accustomed to them.	15:49
	We confess our sins as a community of believers.	15:53
	We have not loved one another as Christ loved us.	15:58
	We have not forgiven one another	16:03
	as we have been forgiven.	16:06
	We have not given ourselves	16:09
	in loving service to our neighbors	16:12
	as Christ gives himself for us.	16:15
	Forgive us oh Lord,	16:19
	forgive us.	16:22
-	Brothers and sisters in Christ,	17:00
	hear and believe the good news	17:04
	Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.	17:08
	That is God's own proof of His love toward us.	17:13
	In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.	17:18
	All praise and glory be to God.	17:24
	Let us give thanks for God is good	17:28
	and God's love is everlasting.	17:32
-	Thanks be to God	17:37
	his love corrects us.	17:39
	Thanks be to God	17:41
	his mercy redeems us.	17:43
	Thanks be to God	17:46
	his grace sustains us.	17:48
-	On behalf of the minister to the university	17:52
	and the entire chapel staff and ministry,	17:55
	I welcome each of you to Duke Chapel this morning.	17:59
	It's good to be inside.	18:04
	Some of you are	18:07
	a part of this congregation on a regular basis,	18:08
	some of you are here with us for the first time.	18:11
	And some of you are returning again to the chapel	18:14
	after many years or many months or many weeks.	18:17
	Whoever you are	18:20
	we are glad that you are here	18:22
	and we are thankful for this opportunity	18:25
	to worship together.	18:27
	I have two announcements to add to those	18:30
	which are printed in this morning's bulletin.	18:32
	First of all the Duke University Parish ministry	18:36
	is sponsoring a Life/Work Planning workshop	18:40
	for any persons interested in learning skills	18:44
	to help them plan and control their vocational decisions	18:48
	and who wish to relate their Christian faith	18:52
	to that process.	18:55
	The workshop will last for six weeks	18:58
	beginning Monday, October 15th.	19:00
	And sessions will be held from 4pm until 6pm	19:04
	on that and the following five Mondays	19:08
	in the conference room in the chapel basement.	19:11
	If you are interested in enrolling	19:15
	or would like more information	19:17
	please contact Ms. Velma Farrell	19:20
	the Baptist Chaplain here on campus	19:23
	or Ms. Darlene Gregor,	19:25
	the Lutheran Campus Minister here at Duke	19:27
	by calling the chapel office.	19:30
	Also we would like to remember	19:35
	with a word of thanks and appreciation	19:36
	for the life of Dr. Otto Meyer Jr.,	19:40
	retired professor of engineering	19:44
	and former university marshal here at Duke,	19:47
	who died suddenly at his home Thursday morning.	19:51
	Dr. Meyer was a highly respected faculty member	19:56
	and Lutheran churchman.	20:00
	We ask you to remember his wife and family in your prayers.	20:03
	(pipe organ improvisation)	20:12
	("Sanctus")	20:45
	♪ Sanctus ♪	20:46
	♪ Sanctus ♪	20:53
	♪ Sanctus ♪	20:56
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:00
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:03
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:07
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:10
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:17
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:26
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:30
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:33
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:41
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:48
	♪ Sanctus ♪	21:56
	♪ Sanctus ♪	22:03
	♪ Sanctus ♪	22:12
	♪ Sanctus ♪	22:20
-	Let us pray.	22:41
	Prepare our hearts oh Lord to accept your word,	22:46
	silence in us any voice but your own,	22:50
	that hearing we may also obey your will,	22:54
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord,	22:58
	amen.	23:01
	Will the congregation please stand	23:03
	for the reading of the Gospel lesson.	23:05
	It is printed in your bulletin	23:16
	that the Gospel lesson will be taken from	23:17
	the ninth chapter of Mark,	23:20
	but it will come instead from the ninth chapter of Matthew	23:22
	verses 18 through 38.	23:25
	While he was thus speaking to them,	23:30
	behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying,	23:33
	"My daughter has just died;	23:37
	"but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."	23:40
	And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.	23:44
	And behold,	23:48
	a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for 12 years	23:50
	came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment;	23:54
	for she said to herself,	23:58
	"If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well."	24:00
	Jesus turned, and seeing her he said,	24:05
	"Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well."	24:08
	And instantly the woman was made well.	24:12
	And when Jesus came to the ruler's house,	24:15
	and saw the flute players,	24:18
	and the crowd making a tumult, he said,	24:20
	"Depart;	24:22
	"for the girl is not dead but sleeping."	24:24
	And they laughed at him.	24:27
	But when the crowd had been put outside,	24:29
	he went in and took her by the hand,	24:32
	and the girl arose.	24:35
	And the report of this went through all that district.	24:37
	And as Jesus passed on from there,	24:41
	two blind men followed him, crying aloud,	24:44
	"Have mercy on us, Son of David."	24:47
	When he entered the house, the blind men came to him;	24:50
	and Jesus said to them,	24:53
	"Do you believe that I am able to do this?"	24:55
	They said to him, "Yes, Lord."	24:58
	Then he touched their eyes, saying,	25:02
	"According to your faith be it done to you."	25:04
	And their eyes were opened.	25:07
	And Jesus sternly charged them,	25:10
	"See that no one knows it."	25:13
	But they went away	25:15
	and spread his fame through all that district.	25:17
	As they were going away, behold,	25:20
	a dumb demoniac was brought to him.	25:22
	And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke;	25:25
	and the crowds marveled, saying,	25:28
	"Never was anything like this seen in Israel."	25:31
	But the Pharisees said,	25:35
	"He casts out demons by the prince of demons."	25:36
	And Jesus went about all the cities and villages,	25:40
	teaching in their synagogues	25:43
	and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,	25:45
	and healing every disease and every infirmity.	25:48
	When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them,	25:51
	because they were harassed and helpless,	25:55
	like sheep without a shepherd.	25:57
	Then he said to his disciples,	26:00
	"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;	26:02
	"pray therefore the Lord of the harvest	26:06
	"to send out laborers into his harvest."	26:08
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel.	26:13
	All praise and glory be to God.	26:15
	Amen.	26:19
	("Gloria")	26:20
	♪ Glory be to our Creator ♪	26:36
	♪ Praise to our Redeemer Lord ♪	26:43
	♪ Glory be to our Sustainer ♪	26:51
	♪ Ever three and ever one ♪	26:59
	♪ As it was in the beginning ♪	27:07
	♪ Now and evermore shall be ♪	27:15
-	Before the sermon may I make one personal request.	27:37
	On the way to the chapel this morning	27:41
	for the service of worship,	27:43
	I met some friends of ours from Boone,	27:45
	some people who had been members of the church there	27:48
	when I was pastor at Boone.	27:50
	The mother of this family is in the hospital	27:53
	and probably will be here a number of days.	27:57
	The other members of the family	28:01
	would like to know if there is a family	28:02
	or if there is an apartment with two bedrooms in it,	28:06
	that they might have	28:09
	so that they could stay in while their mother is here.	28:11
	If you have such a place or know of such a place	28:15
	please see me following the service	28:18
	so that we might be of help to these, our friends.	28:21
	Let us pray.	28:24
	And now may the words of my lips	28:29
	and the meditations of each of our hearts, oh Lord,	28:30
	be acceptable and pleasing to thee	28:35
	and give strength and new life to us all,	28:38
	through Christ, our Lord,	28:41
	amen.	28:43
	It was St. Irenaeus in the second century who wrote	28:45
	"The Glory of God	28:50
	"is a human being fully alive."	28:53
	This is a sermon about God's desire	28:58
	that each one of us	29:03
	be a human being fully alive.	29:06
	For I believe that God's desire is just that,	29:13
	that each of us be fully alive.	29:18
	All of us, each of us, now.	29:21
	That I believe is the story of the Gospel lesson for today.	29:25
	Four incidents that movingly, compellingly,	29:30
	and vividly show us	29:34
	the touch of the healing God in Jesus.	29:37
	Four incidents I believe that show us	29:42
	the universality of human suffering and pain	29:44
	and the different kinds of suffering and pain	29:47
	that we can know.	29:50
	Four incidents that show us vividly	29:52
	the compassion of Christ	29:56
	and God's desire for healing and wholeness.	29:58
	20 verses of Scripture,	30:03
	and granted that's a rather long passage of scripture	30:06
	to have the congregation stand and hear,	30:09
	but what a passage it is.	30:13
	Once one has read or has heard these 20 verses,	30:19
	it's almost as if you feel like pausing	30:24
	to catch your breath,	30:27
	or exclaiming over the words, "My word, what a word,	30:29
	"what a day, what an experience,	30:35
	"what a series of experiences,	30:37
	"what a time, what power, what concern,	30:39
	"what healing, what compassion, what love!	30:43
	"It's unbelievable!"	30:47
	"It is too much, it is too good to be true!"	30:49
	For in 20 short verses we see:	30:54
	a ruler's daughter restored to life;	30:58
	a woman who had been bleeding incessantly for 12 years	31:01
	restored to health;	31:05
	two men blind made to see;	31:07
	a dumb, demon-possessed man made sane.	31:10
	And then after these four incidents are described	31:14
	Matthew writes, "When Jesus saw the crowds	31:18
	"he had compassion on them	31:21
	"because they were harassed and helpless.	31:24
	"They were like sheep without a shepard."	31:28
	I read and marvel at these acts of healing	31:34
	by God in Christ.	31:37
	But then as I do I recall another word of Jesus	31:40
	recorded in the Gospel of John,	31:43
	where He says, "He who believes in me,	31:44
	"will also do the works that I do,	31:46
	"and greater works even than these will he do."	31:48
	Greater?	31:54
	Greater than life to death?	31:56
	Incessant bleeding to wholeness?	31:59
	Blindness to sight, insanity to sanity,	32:02
	greater than these?	32:05
	And then I hear and know about,	32:09
	and you do too, just some,	32:12
	just some of what is taking place today,	32:16
	in Duke Hospital and in other places.	32:20
	Greater works than these, surely.	32:24
	Many of you read in The Chronicle a couple of weeks ago,	32:29
	the story of Dr. Jim Urbaniak, and others,	32:33
	fingers, arm , foot, toes, hands,	32:37
	nerves, muscles, blood vessels	32:43
	sewed back on after being severed from the human body.	32:45
	Or we read about a heart taken from one human being	32:51
	and placed inside the body of another human being	32:54
	so that that one might have life.	32:57
	Or we read or know about a kidney	33:00
	taken from a loving mother and given to her son	33:02
	so that he might continue to live.	33:05
	Or we know about the essential parts of the eye	33:09
	that are donated by one human being	33:12
	so that another human being can continue to see.	33:14
	Or we know about taking blood from one human being,	33:17
	storing it, keeping it, as was done this week	33:20
	with the Red Cross in the gymnasium,	33:23
	storing it, keeping it,	33:25
	and then putting that blood in the body of somebody else	33:26
	so that they might continue to live.	33:29
	Or we know about machines that can take pictures	33:33
	or that can scan the inside of the body	33:36
	to show healthy or diseased tissue.	33:38
	We know about machines that can breathe for the lungs,	33:41
	that can beat for the heart,	33:44
	or that can function for the kidneys.	33:46
	And Jesus, Matthew says had compassion on them.	33:50
	Greater works than these.	33:55
	Surely Irenaeus was right,	34:00
	"The glory of God is a human being fully alive."	34:02
	God wants that.	34:07
	Jesus demonstrated that.	34:09
	I believe that.	34:12
	Surely as we sang in our opening hymn,	34:15
	God of grace and God of glory,	34:17
	on thy people pour thy power,	34:19
	grant us wisdom, grant us courage	34:21
	for the facing of this hour,	34:24
	for the living of these days.	34:25
	Four real-as-life human dramas.	34:29
	Let's look at them.	34:33
	Mark and Luke tell us,	34:34
	not just that this was a ruler who came to Jesus,	34:36
	but this was Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue,	34:40
	a rich man.	34:43
	A man who had power:	34:44
	power of money, of influence,	34:45
	and power of religion.	34:47
	And yet his daughter was dead.	34:49
	If there had been any way at all, I believe,	34:53
	that his money or his influence	34:56
	or his place in the synagogue	34:58
	could have restored his daughter to life,	34:59
	he would never have turned to Jesus.	35:01
	Jesus, I think, must have been his last resort.	35:03
	But he had faith.	35:08
	For when he came to Jesus he said simply,	35:09
	"Just come and lay your hand upon her	35:12
	"and she will live."	35:16
	And so Jesus went to the home	35:19
	where all of the familiar trappings of a funeral	35:21
	where in progress:	35:24
	garments were being torn; weepers were wailing;	35:25
	flute players were playing;	35:28
	a somewhat hysterical atmosphere, I would've supposed.	35:29
	But a calming presence in the Christ became real there	35:33
	as He came and told them all to leave, at least momentarily.	35:37
	As I read those words I thought, as I have other times,	35:43
	there must've been something	35:47
	very impressive about Jesus' presence.	35:48
	Something calming, something authoritative,	35:52
	something healing.	35:55
	This moment must've been very much like the moment	35:57
	with Jesus and the disciples at the storm at sea	35:59
	where once they finally got him awake	36:02
	he said very simply, "Peace, be still."	36:04
	Or it may have been like the moment	36:07
	after the Resurrection when Jesus appeared	36:10
	in the upper room, again with the disciples,	36:12
	and said to them, "Peace, be with you."	36:15
	There surely is something calming	36:19
	about the presence of Christ.	36:21
	Then and now.	36:25
	The touch of the healing God.	36:28
	A woman who had been bleeding for 12 years	36:33
	came up to Jesus as he passed along through the crowd.	36:36
	All she wanted was just to touch the fringe of his garment,	36:40
	the tassel, the small edge of his robe.	36:44
	And she believed within herself,	36:48
	I shall be made well.	36:50
	Some New Testament commentators	36:55
	look skeptically at the woman and say that	36:57
	that she saw faith as some sort of witchcraft or magic,	36:59
	that said that if she could just touch his clothes	37:05
	that the clothes, the touch,	37:07
	the act of coming in contact with his garment	37:09
	would make her well.	37:12
	But I see it not that way at all.	37:15
	Rather I see her faith as being so strong	37:19
	that that was all she needed was just a touch.	37:23
	It was her faith that was to bridge the gap	37:28
	between Christ and her.	37:31
	And the tassel, the edge of his garment was only a symbol.	37:33
	Her faith may have been simple.	37:37
	It may have even been simpleminded,	37:39
	but it was powerful and real to her	37:41
	because she was convinced, she believed, she knew,	37:44
	she had not a doubt what would happen	37:48
	if she could just touch his garment.	37:50
	Faith as Jesus said, even as a grain of mustard seed.	37:53
	This and more she had.	37:58
	Oh for a faith like that.	38:00
	We can all visualize this scene, I think, in our minds.	38:03
	The woman, has just touched Jesus.	38:05
	As he is pressing his way through the crowds	38:09
	he stopped, and Matthew says, turned and seeing her he said,	38:12
	"Take heart, daughter,	38:17
	"your faith has made you well."	38:19
	It is as if just for a moment	38:23
	Jesus and the woman were surely on center stage.	38:29
	No one else in all the world seemed to matter.	38:34
	Hundreds of other people were around,	38:40
	pressing in on Jesus,	38:43
	pushing, jostling, shoving.	38:44
	But just for a moment	38:47
	there was nobody else but Jesus and this woman.	38:49
	It reminds me of the scene from	38:52
	Thornton Wilder's play "Our Town"	38:54
	where Emily, you know, has died and gone to the graveyard.	38:56
	And she has the privilege of coming back	38:59
	to relive one day.	39:00
	And she stands at the edge of the kitchen	39:01
	where her mother is.	39:04
	And she says, "Oh mama, just for a moment, look at me now,	39:06
	"see me, see me for real."	39:09
	And just for a moment, Jesus saw this woman,	39:14
	and saw her for real.	39:19
	The beauty of this story is that	39:20
	for that very moment, Jesus did see her.	39:23
	She was not lost in the crowd.	39:27
	No one else really mattered.	39:29
	So when the presence of the Christ	39:32
	becomes real to us, one person,	39:34
	that is you or someone else or me	39:37
	when the presence of Christ becomes real to us	39:39
	one person is of ultimate importance.	39:42
	Two blind men followed Jesus from the ruler's house	39:50
	crying out loud,	39:55
	"Have mercy on us, Son of David."	39:57
	What a cry that is,	40:02
	have mercy on us, have mercy on me,	40:04
	the ultimate cry of desperation.	40:06
	And Jesus surely knew how desperate they were,	40:10
	perhaps that is why he took them apart	40:13
	into a separate room to talk with them for just a moment.	40:15
	But then he asked them,	40:20
	"Do you really believe that I am able to do this?"	40:22
	And it's almost as if he was asking the same question	40:27
	which he asked another person whom he healed	40:30
	when he said, "Do you really want to be healed?"	40:32
	This wasn't a cruel or callous	40:38
	or heartless probing that Jesus was doing here.	40:40
	He wasn't trying to put them off	40:45
	or to put them down.	40:46
	He really wanted to be sure that	40:48
	they were genuine in what they wanted	40:50
	and in what they believed.	40:52
	Because Jesus knew then as now as you and I know	40:54
	that there are some people	40:58
	who seem really not to want to be made well.	41:00
	They seem to relish in the disease	41:06
	or illness that is theirs	41:09
	and the attention that comes with it.	41:10
	And so Jesus said, "Do you really want this?	41:15
	"Do you really believe this?	41:19
	"Do really believe that I am able to do this?"	41:22
	I believe that there is	41:26
	at some very critical points in the lives of us all	41:28
	only one question: Do you believe?	41:31
	Do you believe	41:40
	in yourself,	41:42
	in others,	41:45
	in justice, in love, in righteousness,	41:47
	in freedom, in Christ, in God,	41:50
	in the power and presence of Christ?	41:53
	Do you believe?	41:56
	At one time or other,	41:58
	or perhaps more accurately,	42:00
	at many times in our lives	42:02
	this is the question:	42:06
	Do you believe?	42:10
	And on our response,	42:15
	our response as we give it in our words	42:20
	or as we show it in our deeds	42:22
	or as we act it out in our lives,	42:24
	on our response to the question,	42:26
	do you believe,	42:29
	may very well hang the meaning	42:30
	and the significance of life for each of us.	42:33
	A simple response will do though.	42:39
	You want a suggestion?	42:42
	Do I need a suggestion?	42:45
	Well, we might try the words of the two blind men.	42:46
	Jesus asked, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"	42:50
	Their response was one which you and I may want to try.	42:55
	Simple.	42:59
	When Jesus said, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"	43:00
	they said, "Yes, Lord."	43:03
	And the next words are,	43:08
	then he touched their eyes and their eyes were opened.	43:10
	The touch of the healing God.	43:17
	A dumb demoniac.	43:20
	A man possessed with a demon was brought to Jesus.	43:23
	And Matthew tells us,	43:27
	when the demon had been cast out, the dumb man spoke.	43:30
	This story is perhaps the simplest of all of these four.	43:35
	This man did not come on his own.	43:39
	He was brought to Jesus.	43:42
	He said nothing to Jesus.	43:45
	Jesus apparently said nothing to him.	43:48
	Jesus didn't ask him any questions.	43:51
	He didn't give any answers.	43:53
	As far as we know there was no verbal exchange	43:56
	between this demon-possessed man and Jesus.	43:58
	But the non-verbal communication	44:01
	must've been absolutely electric and ecstatic.	44:03
	But wasn't that,	44:11
	and isn't that the way it is with Jesus?	44:12
	We really only have to put ourselves in his presence	44:15
	with no explanation, no defense, no plea,	44:18
	no bargaining, no excuses.	44:20
	Simply come into his presence and he knows.	44:23
	It's somewhat like Abraham Joshua Heschel writes,	44:28
	in one of the most beautiful lines I've ever read,	44:30
	where he says, "It takes three things	44:32
	"to attain a sense of a significant being:	44:35
	"God, a soul, and a moment.	44:39
	"And these three," he says, "are always present.	44:43
	"Just to be is a blessing.	44:47
	"Just to live is holy.	44:49
	"And God knows, Christ knows."	44:53
	There's some lines in Matthew 6,	44:58
	in the Sermon on the Mount,	45:00
	just before Jesus gives us The Lord's Prayer,	45:02
	that have come to have newer and deeper meaning for me.	45:05
	Jesus says, "Your father," that is God,	45:08
	"knows what you need before you ever ask."	45:12
	So it was with the demon-possessed man	45:20
	and so it is with you and with me.	45:22
	God does know, Jesus knows.	45:26
	He could see, he could sense, he could feel.	45:29
	He responded.	45:31
	He cast out the demons and then the man spoke,	45:33
	sanely, sensibly.	45:36
	The touch of the healing God.	45:40
	My dear friends,	45:46
	the really glorious word this morning	45:48
	in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is, I believe,	45:51
	that greater works than these surely will be done.	45:55
	And they are every day.	46:01
	In the surgical wards of the eye center on this campus;	46:05
	in the laboratories and the therapy rooms	46:11
	of the cancer clinic;	46:13
	in the operating rooms of the hospital itself;	46:17
	in the counseling rooms	46:22
	of the counseling and psychological services center;	46:25
	in the confidential confines of the chaplains	46:30
	and the ministers here;	46:33
	even in the chairs and at the altar in memorial chapel;	46:37
	or even in the pews in this place;	46:42
	even, my friends,	46:47
	in the offices of some faculty members on this campus;	46:50
	greater works than these, yes indeed,	46:56
	I believe that they are being done.	46:59
	So that you and I have not only the joy	47:02
	and the opportunity today,	47:05
	not only of hearing this word from Christ	47:06
	and the possibility of being healed ourselves	47:10
	in whatever way we need to be healed,	47:13
	but we also can go and be healers of others.	47:15
	Henri Nouwen says it so well	47:19
	in his little book, "Reaching Out", when he says,	47:21
	"It is important to know	47:23
	"that every human being is a healer.	47:24
	"We are all patients who need to be healed.	47:28
	"And we are all healers who can reach out."	47:34
	These four experiences in the life of Jesus show us	47:42
	according to one New Testament scholar	47:46
	the voluminous tenderness of God.	47:50
	The voluminous tenderness of God.	47:56
	These four experiences tell me some other things though.	48:03
	And that is first of all	48:07
	that God really does want each of us to be fully alive.	48:08
	And the love and grace and mercy of God	48:16
	are available to the whole person:	48:19
	To find new life from death;	48:22
	to heal a physical problem, bleeding or otherwise;	48:25
	to be made to see;	48:29
	to be made sane and able to speak.	48:31
	God's Spirit seeks wholeness for all of us	48:33
	and for each of us.	48:37
	I may be blind.	48:39
	And there are some areas of my life in which I am blind.	48:43
	I may be dead, either wholly or partially,	48:45
	insensitive to myself and to others,	48:49
	insensitive to God and in that sense I may be dead.	48:52
	I may have some physical deficiency	48:58
	that is hindering me from fullness of life.	49:00
	I may be out of my mind.	49:03
	But whatever it is God says,	49:10
	"I want you to be whole."	49:11
	Second thing is that God speaks to us	49:16
	and seeks us one-by-one.	49:18
	And with what is it?	49:22
	Two billion plus, almost three billion plus people	49:23
	on the face of this earth today.	49:26
	I'm convinced that that is the most crucial question	49:28
	that each of us has to answer and try to believe:	49:32
	Does God really care about me as an individual human being?	49:36
	With this many people on the face of this earth,	49:41
	how can God really care about me?	49:43
	And if you and I can know and can believe	49:46
	and be convinced in our hearts and souls	49:48
	that God really does care about us one-by-one	49:51
	then we known and understand and are living with	49:54
	the beauty and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.	49:57
	Third thing that this teaches me	50:05
	is that there is power in touch.	50:06
	I believe it's not just coincidental	50:11
	that Jesus touched Jairus' daughter,	50:14
	that the woman touched Jesus	50:19
	and that Jesus placed his hands	50:22
	on the eyes of the two blind men.	50:24
	I believe that is not coincidence at all.	50:26
	Because then and now I'm convinced	50:30
	that there is unbelievable and explicable power	50:33
	in the power of touch.	50:37
	For all of us there are moments of touch,	50:42
	the touch of a friend or a mate,	50:45
	a child, a parent, a doctor, a counselor,	50:48
	a minister, a neighbor.	50:50
	There are moments and experiences of touch	50:52
	that will always be with us and will sustain us.	50:54
	Long after	51:04
	we are well out of sight of one another,	51:06
	long after words are silent	51:11
	and expressions have faded,	51:14
	a simple touch will be remembered and will give strength.	51:17
	For there is blessing in touch,	51:23
	there is grace in touch,	51:26
	and there is healing in touch,	51:29
	because there is love in touch.	51:32
	Oh, if today, we could only be freer	51:36
	to touch one another	51:42
	and to be touched by the Christ.	51:45
	The other thing is,	51:49
	that this passage teaches me,	51:52
	is that perhaps, just perhaps,	51:56
	the most important message	52:01
	that these four experiences tell us	52:02
	is that it is essential,	52:04
	it is essential for us to note where to go	52:07
	for help and healing and wholeness and hope.	52:11
	For you see the one desire of Christ was to care,	52:17
	to heal, to love, to make whole.	52:21
	Who is it that has that desire toward you or me?	52:25
	To whom can we go now,	52:30
	today or tomorrow?	52:34
	It may be to a caring God,	52:38
	it may be to a compassionate Christ,	52:41
	or it may be to a loving friend.	52:44
	But just maybe,	52:49
	maybe the most important word in this passage	52:50
	is to help you and me come to know,	52:55
	to whom we may go	53:01
	when we hurt.	53:05
	I read some words of Viktor Frankl's	53:08
	that I'd like to share with you.	53:13
	I'd like to ask you to bow your head	53:16
	for a moment of prayer and meditation.	53:20
	And then together let us hear these words	53:24
	that Frankl has to offer to us.	53:30
	He writes,	53:43
	"A thought transfixed me:	53:46
	"Ror the first time in my life,	53:52
	"I saw the truth	53:57
	"as it is set into song by so many poets,	54:00
	"as it is proclaimed as the final wisdom	54:06
	"by so many thinkers.	54:08
	"The truth	54:11
	"that love is the highest and ultimate goal	54:15
	"to which we can aspire.	54:20
	"Then I grasped the meaning	54:25
	"of the greatest secret	54:30
	"that human poetry and human thought and belief	54:33
	"have to impart:	54:38
	"That wholeness,	54:42
	"salvation, fulfillment,	54:44
	"life for us all,	54:48
	"is through love	54:53
	"and in love."	54:57
	And now oh God,	55:02
	help us, each of us,	55:06
	not only to know and believe	55:09
	but help us to receive	55:14
	the wholeness of life you offer	55:16
	through your love and in your love,	55:21
	through Jesus Christ we pray,	55:27
	amen.	55:32
	("God of love and God of power" by Gerald H. Kennedy)	55:42
	♪ God of love and God of power ♪	56:16
	♪ Grant us in this burning hour ♪	56:21
	♪ Grace to ask these gifts of Thee ♪	56:27
	♪ Daring hearts and spirits free ♪	56:32
	♪ God of love and God of power ♪	56:38
	♪ Thou hast called us for this hour ♪	56:44
	♪ We are not the first to be ♪	56:51
	♪ Banished by our fears from Thee ♪	56:57
	♪ Give us courage, let us hear ♪	57:03
	♪ Heavens trumpets ringing clear ♪	57:08
	♪ God of love and God of power ♪	57:14
	♪ Thou hast called us for this hour ♪	57:20
	♪ All our lives belong to Thee ♪	57:28
	♪ Thou our final loyalty ♪	57:33
	♪ Slaves are we whene'er we share ♪	57:39
	♪ That devotion anywhere ♪	57:45
	♪ God of love and God of power ♪	57:50
	♪ Thou hast called us for this hour ♪	57:56
	♪ God of love and God of power ♪	58:04
	♪ Make us worthy of this hour ♪	58:10
	♪ Offering lives if it's Thy will ♪	58:16
	♪ Keeping free our spirits still ♪	58:21
	♪ God of love and God of power ♪	58:27
	♪ Thou hast called us for this hour ♪	58:33
	♪ Amen ♪	58:41
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	58:53
-	We believe in God,	58:56
	who has created, and is creating;	58:58
	who has come in the truly human Jesus,	59:02
	to reconcile and make new;	59:06
	who works in us, and others,	59:09
	by the Spirit.	59:11
	We trust God,	59:14
	who calls us to be the church,	59:16
	to celebrate life and its fullness,	59:19
	to love and serve others,	59:23
	to seek justice and resist evil,	59:26
	to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,	59:30
	our judge and our hope.	59:35
	In life, in death, in life-beyond-death,	59:38
	God is with us.	59:44
	We are not alone.	59:46
	Thanks be to God.	59:49
-	You may be seated.	59:52
	The Lord is with you.	1:00:04
-	And with your spirit.	1:00:06
-	Let us pray.	1:00:08
	Gracious Lord God,	1:00:17
	whose glory is always visible all around us,	1:00:20
	whose earth,	1:00:26
	whose whole creation cannot help but praise Thee,	1:00:27
	both in its living and in its dying.	1:00:32
	Grant us a thankful spirit	1:00:37
	for all the blessings we know and use.	1:00:40
	We thank thee oh God, for food enough,	1:00:45
	and to spare,	1:00:48
	for the shelter and comfort of our homes,	1:00:51
	for the gift of reason and the bonds of love.	1:00:55
	We thank thee for leisure and work,	1:01:01
	for rights and responsibilities,	1:01:05
	for failures that have humbled us,	1:01:11
	and successes that have reassured us.	1:01:14
	And oh Lord, healer of the sick,	1:01:20
	liberator of the oppressed,	1:01:24
	giver of new life to the dead in body and in spirit,	1:01:27
	hear our prayers today	1:01:34
	for those who are in special need	1:01:35
	of thy mercy and compassion.	1:01:38
	We pray for those people close,	1:01:43
	both close to home and far away	1:01:46
	in Italy, in the Caribbean,	1:01:50
	in Mississippi,	1:01:54
	in Mount Airy, North Carolina,	1:01:56
	those people whose lives and homes	1:01:58
	have recently been ravaged by earthquake,	1:02:02
	hurricane or flood.	1:02:05
	We pray for all those everywhere	1:02:10
	who have been broken or disabled by war	1:02:12
	or whose lives have been thrown into disorder	1:02:15
	by cruelty or injustice.	1:02:18
	Lord we pray for peace in the world.	1:02:22
	Hear our special prayer this morning	1:02:26
	that a just and lasting peace	1:02:29
	will soon come to that part of the world	1:02:32
	we call the Middle East.	1:02:34
	And oh Lord as we look closer	1:02:37
	to our own lives and situations	1:02:38
	we would pray for all those, all around us,	1:02:42
	who are burdened and weary,	1:02:46
	lonely and rejected,	1:02:49
	the very old and the very young,	1:02:53
	the poor and the powerless.	1:02:55
	Oh God of healing and comfort,	1:03:00
	we pray this day for the sick and the dying,	1:03:03
	and for those who love them and minister to them:	1:03:09
	family and friends, doctors and nurses.	1:03:14
	And oh Lord we pray for your church	1:03:20
	be with your servant Pope John Paul	1:03:24
	on his visit to our country.	1:03:27
	And write upon our hearts and minds	1:03:31
	the prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ	1:03:33
	that we His body, the church,	1:03:36
	may all be one.	1:03:40
	Last of all oh Lord,	1:03:43
	we would pray for ourselves this day.	1:03:44
	Oh God in the silence of whose presence	1:03:48
	the clamor of the world dies away,	1:03:50
	give peace to our hearts this day	1:03:54
	for we are full of the unrest of our time	1:03:58
	and the quietness that once we knew has left us.	1:04:02
	All about us is the loudness of discordant voices,	1:04:07
	seeming sometimes to shake the very earth.	1:04:11
	And we have listened far too long	1:04:16
	to those that speak the loudest.	1:04:18
	Give us stillness now, oh God,	1:04:22
	a calm, restoring stillness at the center of our lives,	1:04:25
	may we see the world as it is	1:04:30
	and ourselves as we are,	1:04:32
	and understand our needs.	1:04:35
	And whatever stands between us and thy peace	1:04:38
	even if it seems precious to us	1:04:42
	help us to cast it away	1:04:46
	so may we come to our true selves	1:04:50
	and beyond ourselves to thee.	1:04:53
	Hear our prayers oh Lord,	1:04:59
	for they are offered in the name of Jesus the Christ,	1:05:02
	the one who taught us to pray,	1:05:06
	saying,	1:05:08
-	Our Father who art in heaven,	1:05:10
	hallowed be thy name.	1:05:14
	Thy kingdom come.	1:05:17
	Thy will be done	1:05:20
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:05:22
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:05:25
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:05:29
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	1:05:32
	and lead us not into temptation,	1:05:36
	but deliver us from evil.	1:05:39
	For thine is the kingdom,	1:05:42
	and the power, and the glory, for ever.	1:05:44
	Amen.	1:05:49
	(pipe organ improvisation)	1:05:53
	("I Was Glad" by Hubert Parry )	1:07:33
	♪ I was glad ♪	1:08:13
	♪ Glad when they said unto me ♪	1:08:20
	♪ We will go ♪	1:08:25
	♪ We will go ♪	1:08:29
	♪ We will go ♪	1:08:33
	♪ Into the house of the Lord ♪	1:08:37
	♪ Our feet shall stand in thy gates ♪	1:08:52
	♪ Our feet shall stand in thy gates ♪	1:08:58
	♪ O Jerusalem ♪	1:09:03
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	1:09:09
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	1:09:13
	♪ Shall stand in thy gates ♪	1:09:17
	♪ Shall stand in thy gates ♪	1:09:21
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	1:09:25
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	1:09:28
	♪ Shall stand in thy gates ♪	1:09:32
	♪ O Jerusalem ♪	1:09:36
	♪ Jerusalem ♪	1:09:52
	♪ Is built as a city ♪	1:10:00
	♪ As a city ♪	1:10:08
	♪ As a city ♪	1:10:14
	♪ That is at unity ♪	1:10:16
	♪ That is at unity ♪	1:10:20
	♪ In itself ♪	1:10:26
	♪ O pray for the peace of Jerusalem ♪	1:11:02
	♪ They shall prosper ♪	1:11:14
	♪ They shall prosper that love thee ♪	1:11:16
	♪ They shall prosper that love thee ♪	1:11:28
	♪ They shall prosper that love thee ♪	1:11:39
	♪ They shall prosper that love thee ♪	1:11:45
	♪ Peace ♪	1:12:07
	♪ Peace be within thy walls ♪	1:12:15
	♪ And plenteousness ♪	1:12:25
	♪ And plenteousness within thy palaces ♪	1:12:31
	♪ Plenteousness within thy palaces ♪	1:12:38
	♪ And plenteousness within thy palaces ♪	1:12:45
	("Doxology" by Thomas Ken)	1:13:18
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:13:39
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	1:13:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:13:50
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:13:53
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	1:13:57
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:14:03
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:14:09
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:14:12
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:14:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:14:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:14:21
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:29
-	Oh Lord we thank thee	1:14:39
	for thy manifold blessings.	1:14:41
	And out of thine own hand we give to thee	1:14:44
	we place ourselves before you	1:14:47
	and ask your blessings and mercy.	1:14:49
	Use us and our gifts for the building of thy kingdom	1:14:52
	in Jesus' name we pray and asked,	1:14:56
	amen.	1:14:59
	("Eternal God, Whose Power Upholds" by Henry H. Tweedy)	1:15:03
	♪ Eternal God, whose power upholds ♪	1:15:43
	♪ Both flower and flaming star ♪	1:15:48
	♪ To whom there is no here nor there ♪	1:15:53
	♪ No time, no near nor far ♪	1:15:58
	♪ No alien race, no foreign shore ♪	1:16:03
	♪ No child unsought, unknown ♪	1:16:08
	♪ O send us forth, Thy prophets true ♪	1:16:14
	♪ To make all lands Thine own ♪	1:16:19
	♪ O God of love, whose Spirit wakes ♪	1:16:27
	♪ In every human breast ♪	1:16:32
	♪ Whom love, and love alone, can know ♪	1:16:37
	♪ In whom all hearts find rest ♪	1:16:42
	♪ Help us to spread Thy gracious reign ♪	1:16:47
	♪ Till greed and hate shall cease ♪	1:16:53
	♪ And kindness dwell in human hearts ♪	1:16:58
	♪ And all the earth find peace ♪	1:17:03
	♪ O God of truth, whom science seeks ♪	1:17:11
	♪ And reverent souls adore ♪	1:17:16
	♪ Who lightest every earnest mind ♪	1:17:21
	♪ Of every clime and shore ♪	1:17:26
	♪ Dispel the gloom of error's night ♪	1:17:32
	♪ Of ignorance and fear ♪	1:17:37
	♪ Until true wisdom from above ♪	1:17:42
	♪ Shall make life's pathway clear ♪	1:17:47
	♪ O God of beauty, oft revealed ♪	1:17:56
	♪ In dreams of human art ♪	1:18:01
	♪ In speech that flows to melody ♪	1:18:06
	♪ In holiness of heart ♪	1:18:11
	♪ Teach us to turn from sinfulness ♪	1:18:16
	♪ That shuts our hearts to Thee ♪	1:18:21
	♪ Till all shall know the loveliness ♪	1:18:27
	♪ Of lives made fair and free ♪	1:18:32
	♪ O God of righteousness and grace ♪	1:18:40
	♪ Seen in the Christ, Thy Son ♪	1:18:44
	♪ Whose life and death reveal Thy face ♪	1:18:50
	♪ By whom Thy will was done ♪	1:18:55
	♪ Inspire Thy heralds of good news ♪	1:19:00
	♪ To live Thy life divine ♪	1:19:05
	♪ Till Christ has formed in all mankind ♪	1:19:10
	♪ And every land is Thine ♪	1:19:15
	♪ Amen ♪	1:19:22
-	The Lord bless you and keep you	1:19:31
	the Lord make his face to shine upon you	1:19:34
	and be gracious unto you.	1:19:37
	The Lord lift up his countenance upon you	1:19:39
	and give you peace,	1:19:42
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	1:19:43
	("Sevenfold Amen" by John Stainer)	1:19:51
	♪ Amen ♪	1:19:52
	♪ Amen ♪	1:19:56
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:02
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:09
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:15
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:23
	♪ Amen ♪	1:20:35
	("Toccata in F minor, BuxWV 157" by Buxtehude)	1:20:50
	(indistinct crowd chatter)	1:25:29

Item Info

Title:

Robert T. Young - "The Touch of the Healing God" (September 30, 1979)

Description:

We must believe that God's healing is taking place all around us, in "greater deeds than these," because of God's love. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: Surely Irenaeus was right, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." God wants that. Jesus demonstrated that.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4vt1h50x

Date:

September 30, 1979

Speaker:

Young, Robert T., 1935-2009

Biblical Book:

Matthew

Chapter and Verse:

Matthew 9:18-38

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1045
ref7302_5s9
uachapelsermaud
duke:321198
dcrau001924
ark:/87924/r4vt1h50x
3378168c-0f00-49dd-b70d-506f6fd0a028

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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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 - "The Touch of the Healing God" (September 30, 1979)

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