James M. Efird - "Brains, Heart, and Courage" (January 6, 1980)

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-	Sunday worship service: January 6th, 1980, Duke Chapel.	0:04
	(organ music)	0:11
	(organ hymn)	3:06
	(organ music)	10:59
-	Arise, shine, for your light has come	14:52
	and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.	14:55
	For behold, darkness shall cover the Earth	14:59
	and darkness also the people.	15:03
	But the Lord will arise upon you	15:06
	and His glory will be seen upon you.	15:10
	We begin our worship in the name of God,	15:14
	Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.	15:18
	(organ music)	15:27
	Brothers and Sisters in our Lord, Jesus Christ,	18:59
	let us confess our sins to God, asking His forgiveness	19:03
	in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.	19:08
	Almighty God, you have given us Jesus	19:14
	as the light of the world, but we choose darkness	19:18
	and cling to sins that hide the brightness of your love.	19:23
	We are frightened disciples	19:28
	who are slow to speak your gospel.	19:30
	Immersed in ourselves, we have not risen to new life.	19:34
	Baptize us with the Holy Spirit	19:40
	so that forgiven and renewed,	19:43
	we may preach your word to the nations	19:46
	and tell your glory, shining in the face of Jesus Christ,	19:50
	our Lord and our light forever, Amen.	19:55
	Our loving and merciful God sent his son	20:19
	to be a light to the world.	20:23
	To those who accept him he gives the power	20:26
	to become his children, forgiven and set free in the spirit.	20:29
	Whoever believes and is baptized	20:36
	shall see the power of salvation.	20:39
	God grant this to everyone, Amen.	20:43
	A glad good morning to you and we welcome you	20:51
	at Duke Chapel this Epiphany Sunday.	20:54
	I'm especially pleased to welcome, this morning,	20:59
	Dr. James Efird as our preacher.	21:03
	Dr. Efird is an Associate Professor	21:07
	of Biblical Languages and Interpretation	21:10
	at the Duke Divinity School	21:12
	and familiar to us in this university community.	21:14
	We welcome him and his words this morning.	21:17
	I'd also like to welcome you,	21:22
	those of you who wish to remain after this service,	21:24
	to celebrate the sacrament of holy communion	21:27
	in the Memorial Chapel.	21:30
	It will be celebrated immediately following this service	21:32
	in the front and out to your left.	21:35
	Again, a glad good morning to you.	21:39
	Let us pray; Blessed Lord, you speak to us	21:44
	through the Holy Scriptures.	21:51
	Grant that we may hear, read, respect, learn,	21:54
	and make them our own in such a way	21:59
	that the enduring benefit and comfort of the word	22:02
	will help us grasp and hold the blessed hope	22:05
	of everlasting life given us	22:09
	through our savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.	22:12
	The Old Testament lesson is written in the sixth chapter	22:19
	of the book of Deuteronomy, verses 4-9.	22:22
	Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord,	22:30
	and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart	22:35
	and with all your soul and with all your might.	22:39
	And these words which I command you this day	22:44
	shall be upon your heart,	22:47
	and you shall teach them diligently to your children	22:50
	and shall talk of them when you sit in your house	22:54
	and when you walk by the way	22:57
	and when you lie down and when you rise	22:59
	and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand	23:03
	and they shall be as frontiers	23:08
	and frontlets before your eyes	23:11
	and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house	23:13
	and on your gates.	23:18
	Here ends the reading of the Old Testament lesson.	23:22
	The congregation will please rise	23:26
	for the reading of the Gospel; the Gospel lesson	23:27
	is from the 12th chapter of Mark, verses 28-34.	23:34
	And one of the scribes came up and heard them	23:43
	disputing with one another	23:46
	and seeing that he answered them well, asked him	23:48
	which Commandment is the first of all?	23:50
	Jesus answered "The first is Hear, O Israel,	23:55
	the Lord our God, the Lord is one	24:00
	and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart	24:04
	and with all your soul and with all your mind	24:07
	and with all your strength.	24:11
	The second is likeness,	24:14
	you shall love your neighbor as yourself.	24:17
	There is no other Commandment greater than these."	24:21
	And the scribe said to him "You are right, teacher.	24:25
	You have truly said that He is one	24:30
	and there is no other but He,	24:33
	and to love him with all the heart	24:35
	and with all the understanding and with all the strength	24:38
	and to love one's neighbor as himself	24:42
	is much more than whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."	24:45
	And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely he said to him	24:52
	"You are not far from the Kingdom of God."	24:56
	And after that, no one dared to ask him any question.	25:00
	Here ends the reading of the Gospel.	25:06
	All praise and glory be to God, Amen.	25:09
	(organ music)	25:13
-	It is a distinct privilege	26:22
	to be able to stand in this place	26:25
	and to be a part of our worship service on this day.	26:29
	I appreciate the opportunity to come	26:33
	and to share with you from a portion of God's word.	26:36
	This particular Sunday is significant	26:41
	in the life of the church for many many reasons.	26:44
	As far as the church year is concerned,	26:48
	it is the day that we know as Epiphany,	26:51
	which is the twelfth day after Christmas	26:53
	and usually marks the end of the Christmas season.	26:56
	Later tradition in the church had it	27:01
	that this was the day that the Magi	27:03
	were supposed to have presented gifts to the Christ child	27:05
	and in some cultures and in some traditions	27:09
	this is the day that Christmas gifts are exchanged.	27:12
	In other traditions, this is the beginning of another feast	27:17
	entirely different from Christmas	27:21
	which lasts for eight more days,	27:22
	and after having gone through Christmas and New Years	27:27
	and looking at the beginning of another semester,	27:30
	I would vote for that right now as a matter of fact.	27:32
	But whatever the specific interpretation	27:37
	which Epiphany has for us in our tradition,	27:40
	it was a moment of great rejoicing and great happiness.	27:44
	It was a time for the giving of gifts.	27:49
	Now even more significant, I think, for us today	27:54
	in our own situation is the fact	27:57
	that this is the first Sunday in a new year;	28:00
	and not only a new year, but a new decade.	28:04
	Much has already been said in the news media	28:08
	about our new decade and what it may or may not	28:11
	have in store for us, and perhaps it is redundant	28:15
	for us to prolong the theorizing.	28:19
	But most of the theorizing, however,	28:22
	has been done from either a political	28:24
	or an economic or a sociological perspective.	28:26
	And as religious people gathered in a religious setting.	28:32
	I think it is appropriate for us too	28:36
	to think about the future from our perspective	28:39
	and how we are going to cope with that future.	28:43
	We have completed the decade of the 70s	28:47
	and as we reflect upon those years	28:49
	we are more and more struck with how unusual,	28:52
	if not downright weird, they were.	28:55
	We have seen great changes in our private lives,	29:00
	the life of our nation,	29:03
	the relationships among the nations of the world.	29:05
	We have seen the end of our nation's involvement	29:08
	in a war in Southeast Asia	29:11
	and we have seen the subsequent consequences	29:14
	of that withdraw.	29:16
	We thought at least that we were freed	29:19
	from the specter of war, but now in 1980,	29:21
	we face the holding of US Citizens as hostages in Iran;	29:26
	the invasion by Russia, our most dangerous world adversary,	29:31
	into Afghanistan and therefore into the Middle East	29:35
	where a large portion of the present energy resources	29:39
	for the world resides.	29:42
	I do not need to remind you that wars	29:45
	have been fought over a lot less than that.	29:48
	We have seen abundant energy supplies in the 60s	29:51
	reduced to shortages. We have seen economic chaos.	29:54
	Gold going through the roof.	29:59
	The dollar which we earn being worth about 50 cents,	30:01
	in terms of the 1969-70 value.	30:05
	As we consider the future,	30:10
	therefore we find it quite uncertain.	30:12
	There seem to be blowing even more winds of change.	30:15
	The threat of war is still with us.	30:19
	Significant problems continue to plague us.	30:22
	The situation causes us pause.	30:26
	We think about them, we reflect upon the problems,	30:30
	and if we have any intelligence at all,	30:36
	we are struck with sheer terror.	30:39
	The future and its problems seem so overwhelming,	30:42
	so awesome, so unmanageable.	30:45
	How can we cope with such problems and such challenges?	30:48
	Now upon reflecting on these matters,	30:54
	I have been reminded of two very different	30:56
	pieces of literature which seem, I think,	30:59
	to have some message and seem to give some direction	31:02
	for this time and this place.	31:07
	The first of these, of course, is The Bible.	31:09
	Naturally, you would expect a professor	31:12
	of Biblical Interpretation to turn to the Bible, I think.	31:14
	And the second piece of literature that I am reminded of	31:18
	is the children's story The Wizard of Oz,	31:21
	and I think that these two blend together here	31:25
	to give us some direction and insight	31:28
	into our present situation.	31:30
	Now the biblical directive revolves	31:33
	around the passages which we have heard this morning.	31:35
	And basic to an understanding of these passages	31:39
	is an understanding of the biblical concept of Anthropology	31:42
	or how the human personality is put together	31:46
	from the biblical perspective.	31:50
	Now the biblical teaching is clear:	31:53
	human beings are viewed as psycho-physical totality.	31:55
	That is, human beings are considered to be composed	32:01
	of various aspects and dimensions,	32:05
	all of which are melded together	32:08
	into one person, a single personality.	32:11
	One cannot talk about the soul,	32:16
	one cannot talk about the spirit,	32:20
	one cannot talk about the mind,	32:23
	one cannot talk about the body or flesh,	32:25
	or any other part of the human makeup	32:28
	as if these entities existed separate	32:31
	and apart from the other dimensions of one's being.	32:33
	Rather, people, you and I	32:37
	are what we are as a result	32:41
	of the integration of all these various elements.	32:43
	This teaching is clearly pre-supposed in the scriptures	32:48
	which we have had read for us this morning.	32:52
	And the question then becomes	32:55
	how do we cope in this world?	32:58
	The scriptures teach us, first of all,	33:02
	that we do not cope alone and that we cannot cope	33:05
	unless God be with us.	33:10
	And secondly, we are told that we can cope with the world	33:13
	by committing all of our being,	33:18
	our total personality, whatever one wants to call it,	33:21
	to the service of God and the service of all people.	33:26
	In other words, by committing all that we are,	33:31
	mind, heart, and strength.	33:34
	Now these aspects are of course what remind me	33:38
	of the famous story of The Wizard of Oz.	33:41
	Now I am aware of the recent theory	33:45
	that The Wizard of Oz was not really a children's story	33:47
	but a political satire for its own time,	33:50
	and I realize that there are those	33:52
	who have argued on the other side as well it's not that,	33:54
	but for our purposes this morning,	33:57
	the truth or falsity of that theory is irrelevant;	33:59
	for the understanding which I am suggesting from the story	34:03
	is the same no matter what ultimate settlement	34:06
	that larger academic question might have.	34:09
	Now we are all familiar with the story of The Wizard of Oz.	34:12
	A young girl from Kansas is suddenly transported	34:15
	into a strange and mysterious place	34:18
	where there are witches and Munchkins	34:21
	and talking animals and trees and scarecrows,	34:24
	along with many other unusual phenomena.	34:27
	Now the girl, Dorothy, wants to return home;	34:31
	but to do that she must first face many dangers	34:36
	and fight many hard battles to reach her ultimate goal.	34:39
	Along the way she meets three unusual characters:	34:45
	A scarecrow who wishes to have a brain,	34:49
	a tin woodsman who wants a heart,	34:53
	and a lion in desperate need of some courage.	34:56
	And it is interesting that these three aspects	35:00
	are the same elements which are lifted up in the scriptures	35:03
	which we have had read for us this morning.	35:07
	And what Dorothy and her friends learn in their struggles	35:10
	is that all these elements are needed	35:14
	if she and her companions are to be able to cope	35:17
	with that peculiar and unpredictable world.	35:21
	And the lesson which they learn can teach us something	35:26
	about coping with the world of the 80s.	35:29
	First of all, the scriptures and the scarecrow	35:33
	teach us that the proper use of our mind,	35:37
	our intelligence,	35:42
	is essential for constructive life in this world.	35:44
	Now in an academy setting such as this,	35:49
	it seems that this point would not have to be made.	35:52
	And it probably does not in the strictest sense of the term.	35:55
	But something does need to be said	36:00
	about the proper use of our intelligence,	36:01
	for there is more to the use of our minds than simply	36:05
	the accumulation of knowledge, either old or new.	36:08
	There is more to real truth	36:12
	than simple intellectual curiosity	36:14
	or the discovery of new ideas or theories.	36:17
	The wise and judicious use of our intelligence,	36:22
	intelligence dedicated to the glory of God	36:25
	and the up-building of the human race,	36:28
	can surely give us answers to the problems we face	36:31
	in the new decade;	36:34
	but knowledge simply for the sake of knowledge	36:37
	is not worth much.	36:39
	Complicated theories set out simply for the sake	36:42
	of playing academic games are not worth much.	36:45
	It is interesting that in this very week	36:50
	in the current issue of the Newsweek Magazine,	36:53
	in the My Turn opinion section,	36:57
	the writer there made this comment.	37:00
	He said, quote, "Some intellectuals make their living	37:03
	by creating obscurities for the rest of us to puzzle over."	37:07
	End of quote.	37:11
	Now while one would not agree	37:14
	with that assessment completely,	37:16
	God forbid not here,	37:19
	there may be more truth in it	37:23
	than we in academia would care to admit.	37:25
	I think that what he meant	37:29
	is that so much of what we are about is quite irrelevant	37:32
	when it comes down to the bottom line	37:37
	of contributing to the betterment of the world	37:39
	in which we live;	37:42
	but there is another side of that coin.	37:45
	The mind must be used, the gift of our brains	37:48
	is to be used for the glory of God.	37:53
	I frankly believe that the use of our brains is essential	37:57
	if we are to cope with the world in which we live.	38:01
	There are many grave problems.	38:05
	One of them, for example, is the energy problem.	38:06
	I am convinced-- I may be a dumb idealistic dreamer,	38:09
	but I am convinced that surely somewhere in this world,	38:14
	perhaps closer and more simple than we imagine,	38:18
	lies the answer to the energy problems that we now face.	38:21
	We desperately need to find the answer to that problem.	38:26
	We need for it to be found	38:30
	as individuals living in this society.	38:32
	The developing nations of the world	38:35
	need for it to be found as well.	38:36
	It can be found, and I'll bet you something:	38:39
	when we find it, I bet you it'll be renewable,	38:43
	it will not produce dangerous residues,	38:47
	it will be non-polluting,	38:50
	and if the proper people get hold of it,	38:52
	it will be relatively inexpensive.	38:54
	But that is a dream, I admit.	38:58
	There are other problems in the world as well	39:01
	which need to be solved, perhaps even more important	39:04
	than the energy problem.	39:07
	For example, the physical ailments which attack and kill	39:08
	and cause unthinkable suffering in this world.	39:12
	These are things that we also ought to look at.	39:15
	We also ought to use our minds	39:18
	to subdue and conquer.	39:22
	I really believe-- again, maybe I'm idealistic,	39:25
	but I really believe that cancer can not only be cured	39:28
	but can be prevented.	39:31
	I know we have some people working very hard here	39:33
	at this institution to make that so.	39:36
	It was not long ago that smallpox and polio	39:40
	were dreaded killers and maimers of the human race.	39:45
	All this leads, of course, to the basic point	39:49
	which needs to be made, namely,	39:52
	that the use of our minds, our brains,	39:54
	must be dedicated to the glory of God	39:57
	and for the beneficial and constructive use of all people.	40:00
	The most marvelous and ingenious theories of the world	40:05
	are not worth much where people are cold	40:08
	and hungry and sick, or morally and spiritually bankrupt.	40:12
	Now this brings me to the second major point, namely,	40:19
	that we need to have as an integral part of our lives	40:23
	a genuine care and concern for others.	40:26
	Call it heart if you will.	40:30
	Dorothy's friend, the tin woodsman,	40:32
	wanted desperately to have a heart.	40:34
	To be able to find emotion, to love,	40:37
	to be overcome with deep feeling for others.	40:41
	The problem with him was that he had too much	40:46
	of a good thing already.	40:49
	He was always reacting emotionally	40:51
	rather than feeling emotionally.	40:53
	He would begin to weep profusely at any time	40:56
	and at the slightest miss-turn of fortunes,	40:58
	and this rendered him useless	41:01
	because he would rust and become immobile.	41:03
	People are like that today.	41:06
	We human beings need to feel emotion	41:09
	and we need to use emotion constructively in our lives.	41:12
	But there are times when the emotion	41:17
	gets in the way of the other dimensions of our total being;	41:20
	notably, our good sense, and we are lead astray.	41:25
	We want, as human beings, to find something trustworthy	41:30
	in this world.	41:34
	We want to find something to believe in.	41:35
	We want to find someone or something to trust.	41:38
	We need that as human beings.	41:42
	Sometimes we need it so badly	41:46
	that we leap before we look,	41:50
	and I think that the most pathetic example of that	41:55
	from the decade which has immediately preceded this	41:59
	is the story of Jonestown.	42:03
	People needing someone or something to trust	42:06
	and to believe in and we didn't give it to them.	42:09
	But the key point positively to be made here	42:15
	reminds us that we are to have a genuine interest in others,	42:19
	that we are really to care about helping others	42:24
	in ways that are not just outwardly manifest	42:26
	but in ways and means which reap for us	42:31
	no immediate and explicit glory or praise.	42:33
	In short, we are challenged to become truly human	42:38
	in our dealings with others.	42:41
	We need to feel with others.	42:44
	Not to be always overcome with emotion.	42:46
	It is interesting that in the story of the Wizard,	42:50
	the Wizard tells the tin man at the conclusion,	42:54
	"My sentimental friend, it is really not so much	42:58
	how intensely you love," he said,	43:02
	"but how much you are loved that counts."	43:06
	What a person means to others is the best guide	43:12
	as to whether that person really has heart.	43:15
	It is the greatest tribute in life	43:20
	to be truly loved by other people.	43:21
	To have helped them to understand themselves better.	43:25
	To have helped them have better lives.	43:29
	I am reminded of such a person as I stand in this place.	43:34
	A person who really cared about the people around him.	43:39
	His family, his students, his colleagues.	43:42
	A person who made a tremendous mark	43:47
	on the lives of many many people through the years,	43:49
	yet he did it with no fanfare and without seeking reward.	43:52
	I speak of course of our dear friend Dr. Jay Phillips,	43:58
	who has just been called away from us.	44:02
	I think that Jay exemplified in his life	44:05
	the qualities and characteristics of real heart.	44:08
	Feeling and caring without being enmeshed in emotionalism.	44:12
	We need the same kind of characteristic in our lives	44:18
	so that the new year and the new decade	44:22
	will be better not simply for ourselves,	44:26
	but for others; hopefully, for all people.	44:28
	Now the third lesson that we learn	44:34
	from the story of the Wizard concerns courage.	44:36
	That friend, the cowardly lion,	44:41
	is quite often a part of our own personality.	44:47
	We want to serve God, we want to serve our neighbors,	44:51
	we know what is right, we know what we should do,	44:55
	we know what we shouldn't do.	45:01
	We care that things be done properly and fairly.	45:03
	But when the crunch comes, we lose our courage.	45:07
	We see injustice, we see unfairness,	45:12
	we see people used by other people in most selfish ways,	45:17
	we see hypocrisy, we see evil used as a tool	45:22
	by those who care not for others but only for themselves,	45:26
	we see persons accumulating power and knowledge	45:30
	for their own selfish enhancement,	45:33
	we see people indulging their own petty jealousies,	45:36
	and we do nothing and we say nothing.	45:40
	When this happens, tyrants cheer.	45:45
	When we stand idly by, afraid to speak or to act,	45:48
	these people will control the world.	45:54
	Courage is needed;	45:57
	but courage is not enough by itself	46:00
	as learning or knowledge alone are not	46:03
	and as emotion and caring alone are not.	46:07
	Courage by itself may simply become foolhardiness.	46:10
	Jesus himself told a parable about a king	46:15
	who was going to go out to do battle with another king.	46:17
	And Jesus says this king first counted the cost	46:21
	to determine if there was a real chance of victory.	46:25
	Sometimes courage means more than simply a frontal attack.	46:29
	Sometimes it means biding one's time.	46:34
	Courage sometimes means appearing to be weak	46:37
	rather than risking the ultimate good	46:40
	for a momentary and present victory.	46:43
	In conclusion, then, the point is	46:49
	that all of these elements of our being must be balanced	46:52
	and held together and committed together	46:57
	and dedicated together to the service of almighty God.	47:00
	If we are to have successful lives,	47:05
	if we are to cope with a new year and a new decade,	47:08
	the various ingredients of our humanity	47:13
	must be integrated in such a way	47:15
	as to give us proper direction	47:18
	and commitment for life in the service of God and humanity.	47:20
	Knowledge must be tempered by heart and courage,	47:26
	heart by knowledge and courage,	47:29
	courage by knowledge and heart	47:32
	and if we can put together these elements	47:34
	and use them for the glory of God in the new decade,	47:38
	our lives can be significant.	47:42
	Our nation can be even greater than it is.	47:45
	Challenges can be met and resolved.	47:48
	The world can be better.	47:51
	How we use our brains, our hearts, and our courage	47:55
	will determine to a great degree	47:59
	whether our action in the new decade	48:03
	will lay a positive foundation for the future	48:05
	or a legacy to be overcome by succeeding generations.	48:09
	Whether there will be a time of hope or a time of despair.	48:13
	And if, God forbid, tragedy were to come,	48:18
	whether hope can arise out of that tragedy.	48:21
	What we must do is to commit ourselves to God	48:26
	in such a way, and to each other in such a way,	48:30
	that our lives will be our gift to the future.	48:34
	Let us pray;	48:40
	Eternal God, we are grateful for the gifts	48:45
	which you have given to us.	48:49
	We are grateful that you have made us as we are.	48:51
	Help us to use all that we are	48:55
	in your service and in the service of others.	48:59
	For we ask it in Christ's name, Amen.	49:03
	(organ music)	49:09
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	52:09
	We believe in God, who has created and is creating.	52:12
	Who has come in the truly human Jesus	52:18
	to reconcile and make new.	52:22
	Who works in us and others by the spirit.	52:25
	We trust God who calls us to be the church	52:30
	to celebrate life and its fullness;	52:34
	to love and serve others; to seek justice and resist evil;	52:38
	to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen	52:44
	our judge and our hope in life, in death,	52:48
	in life beyond death, God is with us.	52:54
	We are not alone, thanks be to God.	52:58
	The Lord be with you, let us pray.	53:11
	Lord God, on this day you revealed your son to the nations	53:20
	by the leading of a star.	53:25
	Lead us now by faith to know your presence in our lives	53:29
	and bring us at last to the full vision of your glory.	53:34
	We pray today, O Lord, for the church,	53:40
	one holy, Catholic, and apostolic throughout the world	53:45
	revealing the light and love of Christ.	53:50
	We pray for all pastors, teachers,	53:55
	and other witnesses to the light;	53:58
	especially those who have influenced	54:00
	and strengthened our own faith.	54:03
	And we ask and pray for the continued presence and power	54:07
	of your creative spirit in our lives and in our world,	54:11
	renewing us and giving birth	54:16
	to new expressions of your love.	54:19
	And we pray for all who still walk in darkness,	54:23
	that they may come to know Christ, the light of the world.	54:27
	Merciful God, we pray for all statesmen and world leaders.	54:34
	That they strive earnestly for peace	54:40
	and unity among nations.	54:42
	Especially today, we pray for President Carter	54:44
	and the members of the United Nations	54:48
	as they seek for justice to reign in Afghanistan and Iran.	54:50
	And we pray for the new year we begin,	54:56
	that it mark a new dedication to the cause of peace	54:59
	and human liberty, that your light and truth may triumph.	55:03
	We pray for artists and architects and craftsmen,	55:09
	that their work may mirror the truth	55:13
	and integrity of your creation.	55:15
	We pray for members of the armed services	55:18
	and for all men and women stationed far from home.	55:21
	For children of broken homes, for abused children,	55:26
	that they find love and affection and a sense of belonging.	55:30
	For those who die alone and forgotten.	55:35
	That they rejoice forever in the company of the saints.	55:38
	And we pray for all those in any need	55:43
	of mind, body, or spirit,	55:46
	especially those Americans held hostage in Iran,	55:49
	that they may hear your word speaking to them	55:55
	through their suffering.	55:57
	And we finally pray, Lord, for this holy assembly	56:00
	that nourished by your word and spirit	56:04
	we may bear Christ in our lives.	56:07
	Mercifully hear the prayers of your people, Lord God,	56:12
	as we rejoice in the mystery of the incarnation.	56:15
	Grant that the divine light with which you flood our minds	56:19
	may shine forth in our lives through Jesus Christ,	56:24
	your son, our Lord, Amen.	56:29
	Our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.	56:34
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	56:38
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	56:45
	Give us this day our daily bread	56:47
	and forgive us our trespasses,	56:50
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	56:53
	and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	56:57
	For thine is the kingdom, the power,	57:03
	and the glory forever, Amen.	57:06
	(organ music)	57:14
	(organ church hymn)	1:03:12
	O Lord our God, maker of all things,	1:04:27
	through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts.	1:04:31
	With them we offer ourselves to your service	1:04:35
	and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption	1:04:39
	of all that you have made.	1:04:42
	For the sake of him who gave himself for us,	1:04:44
	Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.	1:04:48
	(organ playing "Ode to Joy")	1:04:54
	And now may the peace of God,	1:08:43
	which passes all understanding,	1:08:45
	keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God	1:08:48
	and of his son Jesus Christ	1:08:53
	and the blessings of almighty God,	1:08:55
	creator, son, and Holy Spirit,	1:08:59
	be with you and remain with you always, Amen.	1:09:02
	(organ music)	1:09:08

Item Info

Title:

James M. Efird - "Brains, Heart, and Courage" (January 6, 1980)

Description:

In order to truly impact the world for good, the entirety of our being––head, heart, and soul––must be integrated in harmony and directed to the purpose of servicing God and serving all of humanity. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 26:22. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 49:08.
Key quotation: “If we are to have successful lives, if we are to cope with a new year and a new decade, the various ingredients of our humanity must be integrated in such a way as to give us proper direction and commitment for life in the service of God and humanity. Knowledge must be tempered by heart and courage, hear by knowledge and courage, courage by knowledge and heart.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r41834h14

Date:

January 6, 1980

Speaker:

Efird, James M.

Liturgical Calendar:

Epiphany

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1065
ref7342_2wf
uachapelsermaud
duke:320957
dcrau001944
ark:/87924/r41834h14
a8164cd1-90bd-4d89-9177-40bb5e767d4c

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

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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