Stuart C. Henry - "Moment of Truth" (November 9, 1980)

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	(slow organ church music)	0:06
	♪ Beautiful savior ♪	1:26
	♪ Lord of the nations ♪	1:34
	♪ Son of God and Son of Man ♪	1:42
	♪ Glory and honor, praise, adoration ♪	1:56
	♪ Now and forever more be Thine. ♪	2:10
	♪ Now and forever more be Thine. ♪	2:23
	(organ playing 'Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee')	2:48
	(congregation singing drowned out by organ)	3:25
-	Serve the Lord with gladness.	6:47
	Come into the Lord's presence with singing.	6:50
	Enter the Lord's gates with thanksgiving	6:53
	and the courts of the Lord with praise.	6:55
	Give thanks to the Lord, bless the Lord,	6:59
	for the Lord is good.	7:03
	The steadfast love of the Lord endures for ever and ever.	7:06
	Amen.	7:12
	As brothers and sisters in Christ,	7:22
	as children of the one God,	7:25
	let us now boldly and with confidence	7:29
	offer to the ever merciful God our prayers of confession	7:32
	as we acknowledge and voice aloud	7:37
	our many errors, failures and sins.	7:41
	Let us pray.	7:46
	Let us make a confession of our sins	7:49
	and offer repentance to the Lord our God	7:52
	for not thinking deeply, for being too intense,	7:55
	for being inattentive to the word of God	8:00
	and the voice of God, for thinking we have the whole truth,	8:03
	for lack of imagination, for lack of feeling	8:08
	and intersession for the needs of our families,	8:12
	the oppressed, the hungry,	8:16
	those in temptation, and those without hope,	8:19
	for an uncritical attitude about our own place	8:23
	in a society of affluence, for ignoring other people,	8:27
	for taking ourselves too seriously,	8:32
	for sins of exhibition, for sins of inhibition,	8:35
	for a failure to think and pray and act deeply	8:40
	for the mission and the unity of the church,	8:44
	for trying to imprison you, oh God,	8:47
	in words and institutions.	8:50
	Oh Lord, forgive what we have been,	8:54
	sanctify what we are, and order what we shall be	8:57
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	9:02
	Amen.	9:05
	And now, the Almighty and merciful God,	9:34
	grant us, penitent as we are,	9:38
	pardon and forgiveness of all our sins,	9:42
	time and the desire to amend our ways,	9:46
	and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit always.	9:50
	Amen.	9:55
	Let us give thanks, for God is good,	9:58
	and God's love is everlasting.	10:01
	Thanks be to God, who's love creates us.	10:05
	Thanks be to God, who's mercy redeems us.	10:09
	Thanks be to God, who's grace leads us into the future.	10:14
	Amen.	10:19
	I'd like to take just a moment this morning	10:23
	to recognize and express appreciation	10:25
	for the Chapel Staff and the Religious Life Staff	10:30
	for the place of the Friends of Duke Chapel	10:32
	and the life and work of this chapel.	10:34
	There are a number of people who have been members	10:39
	of the Friends of Duke Chapel now for four or five years,	10:42
	who support the chapel and the ministry here	10:46
	by prayers, by gift, and by service.	10:49
	If you are interested in becoming a member	10:52
	of the Friends of Duke Chapel,	10:54
	I encourage you to do so.	10:55
	We need your prayers, we need your support,	10:57
	we need your care, and we need your time.	11:00
	This is way of belonging to a group	11:03
	which is connected with the chapel	11:06
	and sharing in the ministry of the chapel.	11:07
	I invite you to come and join us as we, this day,	11:10
	say a word of recognition and express appreciation	11:13
	for what the Friends of Duke Chapel mean to us	11:17
	and to the ministry here.	11:20
	This weekend is a special weekend,	11:23
	and we welcome back to Duke members	11:25
	of the medical school alumni and the nursing school alumni	11:28
	who are here for this very special weekend,	11:31
	and the Chronical, the Duke student newspaper,	11:34
	is celebrating it's 75th anniversary by having editors	11:36
	and others who have worked with the Chronical	11:41
	during past years here for very special weekend.	11:43
	We express appreciation for the presence	11:47
	of those of you who are here for these special events	11:49
	and welcome you to this service of worship today.	11:53
	At five o'clock this afternoon,	11:57
	the Arts in Duke Chapel series will	11:59
	present Marie Claire Alain as guest organist.	12:02
	There is no admission charge, you are encouraged to come,	12:06
	to tell others, and to share in a beautiful,	12:10
	beautiful program this afternoon.	12:13
	Thursday evening, for the first time,	12:17
	but we hope beginning what will be a continuing program,	12:20
	the Religious Life Staff is going to sponsor	12:25
	a coffee house in the University Room of the dining halls.	12:29
	For a long time, a number of students	12:34
	have expressed a desire for some	12:37
	alternative recreational experiences and activities	12:39
	other than some of the parties that go on.	12:44
	This will be a coffee house that will be	12:50
	sponsored and staffed by students.	12:52
	You are invited to come Thursday evening from 10:00 to 12:00	12:56
	and Friday evening from 10:00 to 12:00	13:00
	in the University Room.	13:03
	I hope that many of you will come	13:05
	and will tell others to come and share in this with us.	13:07
	Our preacher for today is one who's preaching	13:13
	we always anticipate with a sense of excitement	13:17
	and feel that his word will be significant	13:21
	and helpful for us all.	13:26
	The Reverend Dr. Stuart Henry is professor	13:29
	of American Christianity in the Divinity School.	13:32
	A man who is beloved and respected	13:35
	as a scholar of American Christianity,	13:37
	as a masterful and caring teacher,	13:42
	a Christian gentleman in every way.	13:49
	One who knows beauty, and the significance	13:56
	of the arts in literature, in drama, in music,	14:00
	and brings those together with the Christian faith.	14:05
	Dr. Henry, we welcome you again to Duke Chapel pulpit,	14:09
	and we'll hear gratefully the word	14:14
	which you share for us this day.	14:19
-	Let us pray.	14:33
	Oh Lord, our God, who hast given they word	14:39
	to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path,	14:42
	grant us grace to receive thy truth in faith and love,	14:47
	that by it we may be prepared unto every good word	14:52
	and work to the glory of thy name.	14:57
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	15:01
	The lesson from the Old Testament is Psalm 103:	15:06
	"Bless the Lord, O my soul,	15:13
	and all that is within me bless his holy name!	15:15
	Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,	15:19
	who forgives your iniquity, who heals your diseases,	15:25
	who redeems your life from the pit,	15:29
	who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,	15:32
	who satisfies you with good as long as you live	15:36
	so that your life is renewed like the eagle's.	15:40
	The Lord works vindication and justice	15:46
	for all who are oppressed.	15:50
	He made known his ways to Moses,	15:53
	his acts to the people of Israel.	15:56
	The Lord is merciful and gracious,	15:59
	slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.	16:01
	He will not always chide,	16:05
	nor will he keep his anger forever.	16:08
	He does not deal with us according to our sins,	16:11
	nor requite us according to our iniquities.	16:15
	For as the heavens are high above the earth,	16:19
	so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;	16:22
	as far as the east is from the west,	16:27
	so far does he remove our transgressions from us.	16:30
	As a father pities his children,	16:36
	so the Lord pities those who fear him.	16:38
	For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.	16:42
	As for man, his days are like grass;	16:50
	he flourishes like a flower of the field;	16:55
	for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,	16:58
	and it's place knows it no more.	17:01
	But the steadfast love of the Lord	17:04
	is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear him,	17:06
	and his righteousness to children's children,	17:12
	to those who keep his covenant	17:15
	and remember to do his commandments.	17:17
	The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,	17:22
	and his kingdom rules over all.	17:26
	Bless the Lord, O you his angels,	17:30
	you mighty ones who do his word,	17:33
	hearkening to the voice of his word!	17:35
	Bless the Lord, all his hosts,	17:38
	his ministers that do his will!	17:41
	Bless the Lord, all his works,	17:44
	in all places of his dominion.	17:48
	Bless the Lord, O my soul!"	17:51
	Here ends the reading of the lesson from the Old Testament.	17:56
	Amen.	18:00
	(organ playing 'Beautiful Savior')	18:18
	(choir vocalizing)	18:20
-	Will the congregation stand for the reading of the Gospel.	22:27
	The lesson is found in the Gospel of St. Luke,	22:38
	the ninth chapter, the 28th through 36th verses.	22:41
	"Now about eight days after these sayings	22:49
	he (Jesus) took with him Peter and John and James,	22:52
	and went up on a mountain to pray.	22:58
	And as he was praying,	23:02
	the appearance of his countenance was altered,	23:03
	and his raiment became dazzling white.	23:06
	And behold, two men walked with him, Moses and Eli'jah,	23:10
	who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,	23:16
	which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem.	23:19
	Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep,	23:24
	and when they wakened they saw his glory	23:28
	and the two men who stood with him.	23:30
	And as the men were parting from him,	23:33
	Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is well that we are here;	23:36
	let us make three booths, one for you	23:41
	and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah',	23:44
	not knowing what he said.	23:48
	As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them;	23:51
	and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.	23:56
	And a voice came out of the cloud, saying,	23:59
	'This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!'	24:03
	And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.	24:10
	And they kept silence and told no one in those days	24:16
	anything of what they had seen."	24:20
	Here ends the reading of the Gospel.	24:24
	In the name of the Father, who is the Son,	24:26
	God with us, Holy Spirit, amen.	24:29
	(organ music)	24:34
	(congregation singing)	24:41
-	In the name of the Father, and of the Son,	25:44
	and of the Holy Spirit, amen.	25:49
	One of the familiar figures in the tales	26:00
	that began with those magic words,	26:03
	"once upon a time,"	26:06
	is the seeking traveler,	26:08
	the adventurer following the trail of some lost treasure,	26:11
	or the quester searching for the answer	26:16
	to a perplexing riddle.	26:19
	Such a traveler is familiar to us in a peculiar way,	26:22
	not simply remembered from the stories of our childhood,	26:27
	but known to us in kind	26:31
	because we are the seeker.	26:34
	More often than not, that traveler comes	26:37
	to a fork in the road, a point at which the path divides	26:40
	and it becomes necessary to decide whether	26:45
	to go along this way or that.	26:47
	It is a situation that we know very well.	26:51
	We live with it, and with worse,	26:55
	for that which most pointedly identifies us	26:58
	with the traveler the stories do not tell,	27:01
	although we know it, namely, the agony of uncertainty	27:05
	which follows our decision when we	27:10
	fear that we may have taken the wrong turning.	27:12
	All of us ponder from time to time	27:18
	and some of us are in continual anxiety	27:20
	wondering whether we have chosen the wrong path,	27:24
	betrayed ourselves, lost the opportunity,	27:28
	missed the chance.	27:32
	The uncertainty plagues us about	27:35
	matters both great and small.	27:37
	We are uneasy in personal relations;	27:41
	we are doubtful about the choice of a career,	27:44
	or even about a single word that we have spoken.	27:48
	Was it a foolish thing I did - we ask - or said, or fatal?	27:52
	And so we are robbed of sleep in	27:58
	the fruitless effort to decide,	28:00
	for we do not trust our decisions.	28:03
	Our disquiet may arise from something	28:07
	as trivial as a fad or a style.	28:09
	Am I dressed properly for the occasion?	28:13
	Or it may be a radical disturbance like that	28:16
	of John the Baptist languishing in prison	28:20
	and sending inquiry to Jesus	28:24
	to know if he were indeed the Christ,	28:27
	or if it were necessary to look for another.	28:30
	That is, we may suspect that	28:34
	our whole perspective is askew,	28:37
	and awaken late to the realization that	28:41
	all our loyalty has been misplaced.	28:43
	Have we betrayed ourselves?	28:47
	Have we lost the opportunity?	28:50
	Have we missed the chance?	28:52
	Contrary to common notion that	28:55
	anxiety is not the exclusive maggot	28:58
	of the middle-aged brain or even of the old.	29:02
	It tortures all, even the young,	29:07
	especially the young.	29:11
	Are you certain that you have chosen the right courses,	29:14
	the right career, the right mate?	29:18
	Or do you ever wonder if you	29:22
	have chosen the right university?	29:24
	Of the legendary characters whose	29:28
	involvement in the problem may shed light,	29:30
	however oblique on our own difficulty,	29:32
	none is more amazing than Dr. Faustus.	29:36
	He turns up in medieval legend and lore,	29:40
	on classical stage, in folk tales, and in opera,	29:44
	and never more sensitively presented	29:49
	than in Goethe's masterpiece.	29:52
	Now, Goethe's poem is much too long	29:55
	and much too complex for rehearsal here,	29:57
	and if it comes to that, we are essentially concerned	30:01
	with the gospel and not with Goethe,	30:04
	but it is easy to grasp the essentials of the work,	30:07
	easy and helpful,	30:11
	for those essentials afford a framework	30:13
	in which the gospel may be recognized or expressed.	30:16
	Dr. Faustus is celebrated - a scholar, a Christian,	30:21
	praised by many, envied by more, recognized by all.	30:27
	An old man in the twilight of a brilliant	30:33
	and successful career as far,	30:35
	that is, as the world can tell.	30:39
	Faust is yet overcome with the meaninglessness	30:42
	of his own existence and the uncertainty	30:45
	as to whether he has taken the wrong turning in his life,	30:48
	whether he has betrayed his potential,	30:53
	whether he has been traveling along the wrong road,	30:56
	whether he has lost the opportunity and missed the chance.	31:00
	His accomplishments lack meaning,	31:04
	his celebrity does not satisfy,	31:07
	and just at this juncture Satan appears to him	31:10
	and offers him all he ever wanted	31:14
	in exchange for his soul.	31:17
	Now, the popular idea is that Faust sells his soul	31:21
	to the devil for the privilege of being young again -	31:25
	young and lusty and irresistible -	31:30
	but actually the bargain turns on a far subtler price.	31:34
	The agreement is that Satan may claim Faust's soul	31:38
	if the doctor ever experiences that perfect delight,	31:44
	knows that special moment,	31:49
	comes to that (German phrase)	31:51
	which is so manifestly right that he can say,	31:54
	indeed, must say, "Stay, thou art so fair."	31:57
	The old man's agonized cry,	32:03
	"Then give me back my youth again, my golden youth"	32:06
	is not just a sensual lust for the delights of the flesh,	32:10
	rather, it is a poignant longing for the opportunity	32:15
	to go back again to the road not taken,	32:19
	in the touching faith that by following another path,	32:24
	and with time enough, he might discover that place	32:28
	where perfection and happiness lie hidden	32:31
	and find that convergence of the good, and the true,	32:35
	and the beautiful, so real and so completely his,	32:39
	that he might say,	32:43
	"Ah stay, thou art so fair."	32:44
	Now, who has not longed for such a moment?	32:49
	Who has not dreamed of such a time, and say it softly?	32:52
	Who has not fallen into the trap of believing that	32:56
	that moment has happened when all that has occurred	32:59
	is that we have yearned so desperately for the perfect,	33:04
	that we have been willing to settle for the second best?	33:08
	Did you never come to that exhilarating moment	33:13
	which you wanted to go on forever and forever?	33:16
	I could have danced all night, says the butterfly.	33:20
	But that sentiment is of a piece	33:24
	with the wish of the poor evolving saint	33:27
	on the mountainside who asked to remain forever	33:30
	in the reflected glory of the transfiguration.	33:34
	Do you not recall the morning lesson?	33:38
	Peter, along with James and John,	33:41
	had accompanied Jesus up the slopes and there, briefly,	33:44
	when the veil of flesh could no longer hide Christ's secret,	33:49
	had watched as the splendor of deity broke through	33:53
	with a radiance whiter than all Mount Hermon's snows,	33:57
	and then Peter the impulsive -	34:02
	at this point, more surely a character	34:04
	of shifting sand than the rock man he became -	34:07
	Peter, whose thoughts we share,	34:11
	though we cannot claim identity with his strength.	34:14
	Peter thoughtlessly suggested that they	34:18
	build three tabernacles there.	34:21
	Three shrines at the place where the glory had appeared.	34:24
	He was simply attempting, if clumsily,	34:28
	to preserve the moment, saying,	34:32
	"Stay, thou art so fair."	34:35
	His way is our way.	34:38
	It is an ill-advised and impossible effort	34:41
	to make time stand still.	34:44
	That tendency explains part of our fascination with Faust.	34:47
	He is you, or I, though doubtless of greater mind	34:52
	or spirit and with vastly more experience.	34:57
	He is no whit less vulnerable than we.	35:01
	He was a Christian and a scholar.	35:05
	Are you not the same?	35:09
	The implication for us gathered	35:11
	in a university chapel is clear.	35:13
	Wrestling with the riddle of the universe,	35:18
	you search for the answer in religion or in learning.	35:22
	In the chapel, or in the university.	35:27
	In the shrine, or in the library.	35:31
	Where else can the Christian scholar turn?	35:35
	But then you must go further and ask yourself,	35:39
	granted my distress and my anxiety,	35:42
	have I turned well in these directions?	35:46
	Can "Eruditio et Religio" live together?	35:50
	Are they twin sides of the coin	35:55
	which buys entrance into the kingdom,	35:57
	or is this specie made of shoddy?	36:00
	Is the balm in Gilead no more than something to sing about?	36:03
	Is there finally anything beside weariness in books?	36:08
	At this point, it might be logical for you to ask	36:14
	if I have found a word from Faust	36:17
	that speaks to our situation.	36:19
	I reply that I'm concerned, rather, with a word to Faust,	36:22
	and to all who are in the Faust situation.	36:28
	What is the message of the Christian tradition	36:32
	to us when we have found ourselves	36:35
	plagued with uncertainty about our lives?	36:38
	Not simply what we have been, but what we are,	36:41
	and what we may become or fail to become.	36:44
	Faust longed to go back, to try again,	36:49
	yet the crux of the problem lies elsewhere.	36:53
	Our failures are not found so much	36:56
	in the roads we have taken,	36:59
	as in how we have looked at our paths.	37:02
	Our problem is less the consequence	37:05
	of having turned at the wrong point in the road,	37:08
	as not having recognized where we stand.	37:11
	What our plight demands is our perception	37:16
	that the time of our life is not separated from,	37:20
	but is near to eternity.	37:24
	That God is not hidden from us,	37:26
	but that he only seems so	37:29
	because our eyes are closed.	37:32
	Holden the evangelist says,	37:35
	"So that we do not recognize him."	37:38
	So, let us change the metaphor	37:41
	and consider not choosing the right road,	37:44
	but seeing the path that we have chosen clearly.	37:48
	There are those in our situation who would prefer a vision.	37:52
	Well enough, if that is your choice,	37:56
	but remember this: it is dangerous to remain in a trance.	37:59
	The purpose of a mystical experience	38:05
	is not claiming a rapture denied to others,	38:07
	wallowing in the ecstasy may be	38:12
	no more than a special kind of pride.	38:14
	There is much for sale at the Devil's booth,	38:18
	but the price is ever that same.	38:20
	What a vision demands, if you should have one,	38:23
	is that you must understand that somehow, somewhere,	38:28
	there is a manifestation of that same beauty	38:33
	and intelligence which you saw in the vision to be found	38:36
	in the daily affairs of your most mundane existence.	38:41
	You have doubtless heard that every moment of time	38:45
	is equidistant from eternity, and it is true,	38:49
	but this also means that every moment of time	38:53
	is potentially transparent to the everlasting mercy,	38:58
	that is, every situation, every experience,	39:03
	every happening, every step along the path,	39:08
	if we could but see it, is an illustration of God's grace,	39:12
	and through it we can see something of the divine.	39:18
	Faust did not need, we do not need,	39:22
	more time in order to see God.	39:25
	We lack more than time and novel experience.	39:28
	Jesus saw the splendor of creation and wildflowers	39:32
	which others ignored or trampled underfoot.	39:37
	He understood providence in terms of God's humble creatures-	39:41
	sparrows sold for a pittance.	39:46
	But it takes the eyes of Christ to see things thus.	39:49
	That Francis preached to the birds,	39:54
	and Anthony of Padua exhorted the fishes,	39:56
	says much more about those saints	40:00
	than about the creation they lived in.	40:03
	Their insight is a matter of knowing	40:06
	that every moment of time,	40:08
	every scrap of existence, every part of the way,	40:11
	is potentially transparent to the everlasting mercy.	40:15
	Yes, how else could Jesus have spoken of faith	40:20
	with reference to grains of mustard seed,	40:22
	and torn garments, and lost coins?	40:27
	When Jesus wanted to illustrate the kingdom,	40:32
	he took a child, and doubtless a dirty child,	40:35
	and set that child in the midst of astonished folk.	40:39
	To miss that insight is to miss that beauty	40:44
	and that experience which we all long for	40:48
	and seem never to achieve.	40:51
	Our lives are continual triumphs of hope over experience.	40:54
	We learn nothing, we long for the wrong things,	40:59
	we search in the wrong places,	41:03
	yet somehow we believe that had we	41:06
	time enough we might discover.	41:08
	But to bargain for more time is	41:12
	to miss the possibility of the now,	41:15
	and that is to sell out to the demonic.	41:18
	But we do so, and we tip our hands	41:21
	even in our casual speech.	41:25
	It is too good to be true, we say,	41:28
	for we do not believe in the possibility	41:31
	of that which we seek.	41:34
	Let us not be misunderstood.	41:36
	I am not just talking of being sentimental over a sunset,	41:39
	or admiring the wild glory of autumn leaves.	41:43
	I'm speaking as well of the lessons learned from pain,	41:47
	and the dark mystery of death.	41:52
	Speaking, for instance, of how suffering	41:55
	may increase the capacity to give and to bless.	41:57
	Be honest. Suffering does not necessarily make us noble.	42:02
	It can, but more often it does not, and it never does,	42:07
	unless it has enabled us to understand,	42:12
	and therefore to sympathize with those who suffer	42:15
	from wounds which we have forgotten or ignored.	42:19
	Yet, from the knowledge of how our pain	42:23
	has made us short of temper or angry in heart,	42:26
	we can begin to understand our fellow creatures.	42:31
	When our associates behave with anger and ugliness,	42:36
	we just might ask ourselves what kind of hurt	42:41
	has brought him to this point of being so cold	42:45
	and haughty and so hostile a person?	42:49
	Or who has injured her that she has become	42:53
	so bitter and difficult and spiteful?	42:57
	The merciful reaction is, "Father, forgive them,"	43:01
	and so we reach out in compassion,	43:05
	not because they have earned it or deserve it,	43:08
	but because they need it.	43:11
	Yet, having blessed them in our own heart,	43:15
	we find our souls commended to the Spirit of God.	43:19
	We have thus increased our capacity to give	43:24
	and to bless, and strangely, we are blessed.	43:27
	It is simple, but not easy,	43:32
	and in no way sentimental.	43:35
	This is part of what we mean by the lesson of suffering,	43:38
	and that lesson could go on and on,	43:42
	seeing the potential of growth	43:45
	and knowledge of God through any experience,	43:47
	learning humility from realizing	43:51
	how much there is yet to learn,	43:53
	discovering identity of lasting values	43:56
	in the face of our disintegrating worlds.	44:00
	When not one stone is left piled upon another	44:04
	of what was a temple of God, then, ah then,	44:07
	the shrine within glows with the presence	44:11
	and the hope for which is now beyond all hope,	44:14
	dissolves into a faith that recalls	44:19
	in the midst of chaos the past,	44:23
	and so, remembers into the future.	44:27
	What we are saying is that every moment is,	44:31
	and every step of the way is, or can be, one of beauty,	44:35
	because it reveals God and it must be so.	44:41
	The late William Temple has said it much better than I,	44:46
	"either all occurrences are, in some degree,	44:50
	"revelation of God,	44:53
	"or else there is no revelation at all.	44:55
	"For the conditions of the possibility	44:59
	"of any revelation require that there	45:01
	"should be nothing which is not revelation.	45:04
	Only if God is revealed in the rising	45:08
	of the sun in the sky can he be revealed	45:11
	in the rising of the Son of Man from the dead.	45:15
	Only if he is revealed in the history of Syrians	45:19
	and Philistines can he be revealed in the history of Israel.	45:23
	Only if he chooses all man for his own	45:29
	can he choose any at all.	45:33
	Only if nothing is profane can anything be sacred.	45:35
	So, in the end, we defeat Satan, rob the devil of our souls	45:42
	when we discover this insight into life,	45:47
	that every moment is a fair one,	45:50
	each moment one of truth,	45:54
	and there is never a resting place for us.	45:56
	Rather, it must be with us as it is said	46:00
	in an ancient prayer of the church,	46:03
	a going from grace to grace, from strength to strength,	46:06
	and from glory into glory in the life of perfect service,	46:11
	time is thus transcended.	46:16
	But be not afraid, if only an instant is left to you,	46:19
	then remember that an instant is all that the soul requires.	46:24
	The gates of Hell are formidable indeed,	46:30
	but they are locked only from within.	46:33
	Escape is your option,	46:37
	and when you have met the transfigured Christ,	46:39
	and when you look at the world through his eyes,	46:42
	then, in his light, do you see light,	46:46
	and there is no need to say, "Stay,"	46:50
	because every succeeding moment will be passing fair,	46:53
	and fairer than the last.	46:58
	Go, now, and God bless you.	47:00
	Have the eyes of Christ which saw,	47:04
	the heart of Christ which knew,	47:08
	the mind of Christ which loved.	47:10
	Beloved, now are you the children of God,	47:14
	and did doth not yet appear what you shall be.	47:18
	Amen, and amen.	47:22
	(organ music)	47:35
	(congregation singing)	48:34
-	Having heard the word of God,	51:56
	let us know affirm what we believe.	51:59
	We believe in God, who has created and is creating,	52:03
	who has come in the truly human Jesus	52:08
	to reconcile and make new,	52:11
	who works in us and others by the Spirit.	52:14
	We trust God who calls us to be the Church,	52:18
	to celebrate life and it's fullness,	52:23
	to love and serve others,	52:26
	to seek justice and resist evil,	52:29
	to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,	52:33
	our judge and our pope, in life,	52:36
	in death, in life beyond death,	52:40
	God is with us, we are not alone.	52:44
	Thanks be to God.	52:48
	The Lord be with you	53:01
-	And also with you.	53:03
-	Let us pray.	53:04
	We bow before you now, oh blessed Lord our God,	53:12
	from whom every family in Heaven and on earth is named,	53:18
	according to the riches of your glory,	53:25
	grant that we may be strengthened with love and might,	53:29
	through your Spirit in our inner selves,	53:35
	and grant, oh Lord, that Christ	53:40
	may truly dwell in our hearts through faith that we,	53:42
	being rooted and grounded in love,	53:48
	may have power to understand with all the saints	53:52
	what is the breadth and length and height and depth,	53:55
	and to know the love of Christ	54:01
	which passes all our understanding,	54:03
	that we may know and be filled with your fullness,	54:07
	oh blessed Lord our God.	54:12
	Almighty God, you have made us one church in Christ Jesus,	54:16
	so hear us as we intercede for all your peoples.	54:24
	We pray for your church universal,	54:29
	for all those here and everywhere who name the name	54:33
	and claim the lordship of your Lord and Savior,	54:37
	your Son, our Lord and Savior, even Jesus the Christ.	54:41
	Strengthen, guide, and sanctify by your Holy Spirit all,	54:48
	oh Lord, who believe.	54:54
	Grant to all your people increase of faith, hope, and love,	54:56
	and kindle within all the spirit of devotion and service,	55:02
	of generosity and of concern.	55:07
	Oh Lord, we pray now for our country.	55:12
	We pray for our president, and for our president elect,	55:19
	for all who govern in this land,	55:27
	here at home, and across the nation,	55:29
	for all who have been newly elected	55:33
	to authority and responsibility.	55:35
	Give them vision and wise judgment,	55:40
	deliver them from self-seeking.	55:43
	May they discern what is just,	55:47
	and show forth your love, your mercy, your healing,	55:49
	and your sustaining grace to all persons in need.	55:54
	May their work always be for the welfare	55:59
	and the wellbeing of all peoples.	56:02
	And now, oh Lord, we pray for the sick,	56:07
	and especially those whom we name	56:11
	in our hearts now before you.	56:14
	Grant them, oh Lord, health of body as you know their needs.	56:24
	Comfort and cheer them in weariness, weakness,	56:28
	or depression, and to those who care for them,	56:31
	grant sympathy, skill, and patience.	56:35
	In this holy moment, and in every moment,	56:41
	it is very meet, right, and our bounden duty	56:45
	that we should at all times and in all places	56:49
	give thanks unto you, oh Lord our blessed God.	56:52
	And now to you, who by your power	56:56
	are always at work within us,	56:58
	you who are able to do far more	57:02
	than we are able to ask or to think,	57:05
	to you, oh blessed Lord our God, be glory	57:08
	in your church and in Christ Jesus our Lord,	57:13
	now and for forever.	57:16
	Hear us, oh Lord, as we offer the prayer of which	57:21
	our Lord has taught us as we say:	57:24
Congregation	Our Father, who art in heaven,	57:27
	hallowed by they name.	57:30
	They kingdom come.	57:33
	Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.	57:35
	Give us this day our daily bread,	57:40
	and forgive us our trespasses,	57:43
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	57:46
	and lead us not into temptation,	57:50
	but deliver us from evil,	57:53
	for thine is the kingdom, and power,	57:55
	and the glory forever.	57:58
	Amen.	58:01
	(organ playing)	58:07
	♪ God of our fathers, whose almighty hand ♪	58:58
	♪ Leads forth in beauty all the starry band ♪	59:09
	♪ Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies ♪	59:22
	♪ Our grateful songs before thy throne arise ♪	59:34
	♪ Thy love divine has led us in the past ♪	59:51
	♪ In this free land by thee our lot is cast ♪	1:00:03
	♪ Be our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay ♪	1:00:16
	♪ Thy Word our law, thy paths ♪	1:00:29
	♪ Thy paths, thy paths our chosen way ♪	1:00:38
	♪ From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence ♪	1:00:55
	♪ Make thy strong arm our ever sure defense ♪	1:01:07
	♪ They true religion in our hearts increase ♪	1:01:19
	♪ Thy bounteous goodness ♪	1:01:32
	♪ Nourish, nourish, nourish ♪	1:01:39
	♪ Nourish us in peace ♪	1:01:49
	♪ Refresh thy people on their toilsome way ♪	1:02:02
	♪ Lead us from night to never ending day ♪	1:02:14
	♪ Fill all our lives with heaven born love and grace ♪	1:02:26
	♪ Love and grace, love and grace, ♪	1:02:39
	♪ Glory and honor, praise be ever ♪	1:02:46
	(choir vocalizing)	1:02:52
	♪ Until at last we meet before your face ♪	1:03:13
	(organ music)	1:03:29
	(organ music drowns out singing)	1:03:53
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:04:05
	(organ music drowns out singing)	1:04:11
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:04:32
	♪ Amen ♪	1:04:44
-	Almighty and most merciful Lord our God,	1:04:54
	we offer unto you our gifts together	1:04:57
	with our grateful hearts and lives.	1:05:00
	All things truly come from you, oh Lord,	1:05:03
	and these gifts and our lives	1:05:07
	now we offer and dedicate to you.	1:05:08
	Use these gifts and use each of us	1:05:11
	to be your people and to do your will.	1:05:15
	Through Christ our Lord, amen.	1:05:20
	(organ music)	1:05:26
	(congregational singing)	1:05:56
-	Now, without bowing heads or closing eyes,	1:08:38
	may I offer you this blessing	1:08:40
	in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ:	1:08:42
	The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	1:08:45
	the love of God, the communion and fellowship	1:08:49
	of the Holy Spirit be with you	1:08:52
	and with those whom you love this day and forever.	1:08:56
	(choir vocalizing)	1:09:03
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:14
	(organ playing classical solo)	1:09:24
	(audience clapping)	1:14:56

Item Info

Title:

Stuart C. Henry - "Moment of Truth" (November 9, 1980)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 26:00. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 47:25.
"Our failures are not found so much in the roads we have taken, as in how we have looked ato ur paths. Our problem is less the consequence of having turned at the wrong point in the road, as not having recognized where we stand." (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: ..Every moment of time is potentially transparent to the everlasting mercy, that is, every situation, every experience, every happening, every step of the path, if we could but see it, is an illustraiton of God's grace, and through it we can see something of the divine.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4c824v1b

Date:

November 9, 1980

Speaker:

Henry, Stuart C.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1120
ref7452_1s9
uachapelsermaud
duke:320448
dcrau001997
ark:/87924/r4c824v1b
8c097009-dacb-4e59-b124-c5b7b435f4a4

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:

No Re-Use

In Copyright

Rights Note:

This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For 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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