C. Eric Lincoln, Charles Petty, and A. Kenneth Pye - "Message" Service of Thanksgiving for the Release of Hostages in Iran (January 21, 1981)
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(organ music) | 0:04 | |
♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ | 7:03 | |
♪ The almighty the king of creation ♪ | 7:06 | |
♪ O my soul praise him ♪ | 7:13 | |
♪ For he is my health and salvation ♪ | 7:16 | |
♪ Come all who hear ♪ | 7:23 | |
♪ Now to his temple draw near ♪ | 7:27 | |
♪ Join me in glad adoration ♪ | 7:33 | |
(organ music) | 7:43 | |
- | Be seated. | 12:31 |
Be seated please. | 12:35 | |
May God be gracious to us and bless us, | 12:44 | |
and make his face to shine upon us | 12:49 | |
that God's ways may be known upon the earth, | 12:53 | |
God's saving power among all the nations. | 12:57 | |
Let the peoples praise thee, O God. | 13:02 | |
Let all the peoples praise thee. | 13:04 | |
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy | 13:08 | |
for thou thus judge the peoples with equity, | 13:11 | |
and guide the nations upon the earth. | 13:14 | |
Let the peoples praise thee O God. | 13:18 | |
Let all the peoples praise thee. | 13:20 | |
In the midst of banners waving, | 13:28 | |
feelings of joy and gratitude | 13:33 | |
that surround this very earth at this very moment | 13:36 | |
we gather in this place in this holy moment | 13:41 | |
to worship the Lord our God. | 13:43 | |
With thanksgiving, with joy, | 13:47 | |
with deep, deep gratitude, | 13:51 | |
and and a sense of contentment and peace in our souls, | 13:54 | |
and the longing for peace and contentment once again | 13:59 | |
in the very souls of our brothers and sisters | 14:03 | |
who are now free. | 14:07 | |
We gather to give thanks to God, | 14:09 | |
and as we do so we first confess who we are, | 14:12 | |
and ask for God's forgiveness. | 14:17 | |
So in the presence of one another | 14:22 | |
let us join together to confess our personal sin, | 14:24 | |
and our corporate sin to almighty God. | 14:30 | |
Let us pray. | 14:33 | |
O Lord, whose son Jesus did pray | 14:37 | |
that all your children might be one in you | 14:40 | |
we come with repentance for the sin of useless division, | 14:44 | |
and for the secret vice of pride. | 14:48 | |
We beg forgiveness, for harsh judgment, | 14:51 | |
for prejudice nourished as a virtue, | 14:54 | |
for self-will, | 14:58 | |
for scorn of others whose experience before you | 15:00 | |
is as valid as our own | 15:03 | |
we look with consternation upon the broken fabric | 15:06 | |
of your creation. | 15:09 | |
Receive our contrition and heal us of the sin | 15:11 | |
which keeps us apart. | 15:15 | |
Teach us what it means to keep the unity of the spirit, | 15:18 | |
and the bond of peace. | 15:21 | |
Open our eyes to the insight of others. | 15:24 | |
Help us to appreciate those | 15:27 | |
of other lands and of other races | 15:29 | |
who differing from us in much | 15:32 | |
are yet one with us in creation. | 15:35 | |
For problems beyond our minds to solve grant us patience. | 15:39 | |
For tasks too great for our weak hands give us faith. | 15:44 | |
For all tedious steps in discovering the way | 15:50 | |
endow us with necessary grace. | 15:53 | |
For a life lived in faith and hope bestow on us your grace | 15:57 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. | 16:03 | |
God is our refuge and our strength, | 16:08 | |
our very hope and consolation. | 16:12 | |
In the name of Jesus Christ my friends | 16:16 | |
as we have confessed our sins | 16:19 | |
God surely has heard and forgiven. | 16:21 | |
Arise, shine for your light has come, | 16:25 | |
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. | 16:29 | |
My dear friends it is our privilege to welcome you | 16:35 | |
to this very special service of worship in Duke chapel. | 16:38 | |
A time when we as students, faculty, | 16:42 | |
staff people here at Duke | 16:45 | |
join hearts, minds and spirits with others | 16:48 | |
in the Durham community, | 16:51 | |
in the community at large throughout the state, | 16:54 | |
and indeed with those throughout this nation and the world | 16:56 | |
to come together to worship the Lord our God. | 17:00 | |
As minister to the university may I welcome you | 17:05 | |
in the name and spirit of Christ | 17:08 | |
the one who indeed is the prince of peace for us, | 17:11 | |
and for all God's children. | 17:14 | |
May I also say a word of gratitude to those | 17:16 | |
who are members of the North Carolina General Assembly | 17:20 | |
who have joined together to offer a resolution | 17:25 | |
rejoicing in thanksgiving about the release of the hostages, | 17:30 | |
and inviting folks from across this state | 17:35 | |
to come in spirit and in person | 17:38 | |
to share in this service with us. | 17:41 | |
We welcome Lieutenant Governor Jimmy Green, | 17:43 | |
members of the House and Senate to this service of worship, | 17:47 | |
and are grateful to God for the concern | 17:51 | |
which they have shown and continue to show at this time. | 17:53 | |
My friends, it is my privilege to welcome you to this | 17:59 | |
very, very special service of worship. | 18:02 | |
May God's spirit bless you, | 18:06 | |
and all who join with us this day, Amen. | 18:09 | |
- | The first Old Testament lesson is from Isaiah, Chapter 40, | 18:28 |
Verses one and two, and Verses 21 through 31. | 18:33 | |
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. | 18:38 | |
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her | 18:41 | |
that her warfare is ended, | 18:44 | |
that her inequity is pardoned, | 18:46 | |
that she has received from the Lord's hand, | 18:48 | |
double for all her sins. | 18:50 | |
Have you not known? | 18:53 | |
Have you not heard? | 18:55 | |
Has it not been told you from the beginning? | 18:56 | |
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth | 18:59 | |
it is he who sits above the circle of the earth, | 19:02 | |
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, | 19:06 | |
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, | 19:09 | |
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in. | 19:11 | |
Who brings princes to naught, | 19:14 | |
and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing. | 19:16 | |
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, | 19:19 | |
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, | 19:22 | |
when he blows upon them, and they wither, | 19:26 | |
and the tempest carries them off like stubble. | 19:29 | |
To whom then will you compare me, | 19:33 | |
that I should be like him says the holy one. | 19:35 | |
Lift up your eyes on high and see who created these. | 19:39 | |
He who brings out their host by number, | 19:42 | |
calling them all by name, | 19:45 | |
by the greatness of his might, | 19:47 | |
and because he is strong in power not one is missing. | 19:49 | |
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel. | 19:54 | |
My way is hid from the Lord, | 19:57 | |
and my right is disregarded by my God? | 19:59 | |
Have you not known? | 20:03 | |
Have you not heard? | 20:04 | |
The Lord is the everlasting God, | 20:06 | |
the Creator of the ends of the earth. | 20:08 | |
He does not faint or grow weary, | 20:11 | |
his understanding is unsearchable. | 20:13 | |
He gives power to the faint, | 20:16 | |
and to him who has no might he increases strength. | 20:18 | |
Even youths shall faint and be weary, | 20:22 | |
and young men shall fall exhausted, | 20:24 | |
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, | 20:26 | |
they shall mount up with wings like eagles, | 20:29 | |
they shall run and not be weary, | 20:32 | |
they shall walk and not be faint. | 20:34 | |
Here ends the first reading from the Old Testament. | 20:38 | |
The second lesson from the Old Testament | 20:41 | |
is from Psalms 27, Verses one through nine, | 20:42 | |
and Verses 13 and 14. | 20:46 | |
The Lord is my light and my salvation, | 20:49 | |
whom shall I fear? | 20:52 | |
The Lord is the stronghold of my life | 20:54 | |
of whom shall I be afraid? | 20:56 | |
When evildoers assail me, uttering slanders against me, | 20:59 | |
my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall. | 21:04 | |
Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear, | 21:10 | |
though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. | 21:13 | |
One thing have I asked the Lord, | 21:18 | |
that will I seek after | 21:21 | |
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord | 21:23 | |
all the days of my life, | 21:25 | |
to behold the beauty of the Lord, | 21:27 | |
and to inquire in his temple. | 21:30 | |
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble. | 21:32 | |
He will conceal me under the cover of his tent. | 21:35 | |
He will set me high upon a rock. | 21:38 | |
And now my head shall be lifted up | 21:41 | |
above my enemies round about me, | 21:43 | |
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy. | 21:46 | |
I will sing and make melody to the Lord. | 21:51 | |
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud | 21:54 | |
be gracious to me and answer me. | 21:56 | |
Thou has said seek yee my face. | 21:59 | |
My heart says to thee thy face Lord do I seek. | 22:02 | |
Hide not thy face from me. | 22:05 | |
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord | 22:09 | |
in the land of the living. | 22:11 | |
Wait for the Lord, be strong, | 22:13 | |
and let your heart take courage. | 22:16 | |
Yea, wait for the Lord. | 22:18 | |
Here ends the second reading from the Old Testament, Amen. | 22:20 | |
- | The third Old Testament reading | 22:36 |
again comes from the prophet of Isaiah, | 22:38 | |
and is to be read responsively. | 22:41 | |
Let the congregation stand. | 22:43 | |
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse. | 22:50 | |
- | And a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. | 22:54 |
- | And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him. | 22:57 |
- | The Spirit of wisdom and understanding. | 23:00 |
- | The Spirit of counsel and might. | 23:03 |
- | The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. | 23:06 |
- | He shall not judge by what his eyes see. | 23:10 |
- | Or decide what his ears hear. | 23:13 |
- | But with righteousness he shall judge the poor. | 23:16 |
- | And decide with equity for the meek of the earth. | 23:20 |
- | Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist. | 23:24 |
- | And faithfulness the girdle of his loins. | 23:27 |
- | The wolf shall dwell with the lamb. | 23:30 |
- | And the leopard shall lie down with the kid. | 23:33 |
- | And the calf and the lion and the fatling together. | 23:36 |
- | And a little child shall lead them. | 23:40 |
- | They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain | 23:43 |
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord | 23:48 | |
as the waters cover the sea. | 23:52 | |
Amen, be seated please. | 23:54 | |
♪ Praise thee, we praise thee ♪ | 24:16 | |
♪ Praise thee, we praise thee ♪ | 24:18 | |
♪ O God, O God ♪ | 24:27 | |
♪ We acknowledge thee, acknowledge thee ♪ | 24:32 | |
♪ Acknowledge thee, acknowledge thee ♪ | 24:35 | |
♪ To be the Lord, to be the Lord ♪ | 24:39 | |
♪ All the earth doth worship thee ♪ | 24:45 | |
♪ The father everlasting ♪ | 24:53 | |
♪ To thee all angels cry aloud ♪ | 24:59 | |
♪ The heavens and all the powers therein ♪ | 25:03 | |
♪ To thee Cherubim and Seraphim ♪ | 25:07 | |
♪ Continually do cry ♪ | 25:11 | |
♪ Holy ♪ | 25:18 | |
♪ Holy ♪ | 25:20 | |
♪ Holy ♪ | 25:22 | |
♪ Lord God of Sabaoth ♪ | 25:28 | |
♪ Heaven and earth ♪ | 25:40 | |
♪ Are full of the majesty ♪ | 25:42 | |
♪ Of thy glory ♪ | 25:47 | |
♪ The glorious company of the apostles ♪ | 26:00 | |
♪ Praise thee ♪ | 26:07 | |
♪ The goodly fellowship of the prophets ♪ | 26:14 | |
♪ Praise thee ♪ | 26:23 | |
♪ The noble army of martyrs ♪ | 26:28 | |
♪ Praise thee ♪ | 26:36 | |
♪ The holy Church throughout all the world ♪ | 26:39 | |
♪ Doth acknowledge thee ♪ | 26:44 | |
♪ The Father of an infinite majesty ♪ | 26:53 | |
♪ Thine honorable, true and only son ♪ | 27:00 | |
♪ Also the Holy Ghost the comforter ♪ | 27:09 | |
♪ Thou art the king of glory O Christ ♪ | 27:35 | |
♪ O Christ ♪ | 27:41 | |
♪ Thou art the everlasting son ♪ | 27:46 | |
♪ Of the father ♪ | 27:51 | |
♪ O father ♪ | 27:54 | |
♪ When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man ♪ | 27:58 | |
♪ Thou didst not abhor the virgin's womb ♪ | 28:05 | |
♪ O Christ ♪ | 28:10 | |
♪ When thou hadst overcome ♪ | 28:14 | |
♪ The sharpness of death ♪ | 28:17 | |
♪ Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers ♪ | 28:23 | |
♪ Thou sittest at the right hand of God ♪ | 28:31 | |
♪ In the glory of the father ♪ | 28:38 | |
♪ We believe that thou shalt come ♪ | 28:44 | |
♪ To be our judge ♪ | 28:52 | |
♪ We therefore pray thee ♪ | 29:01 | |
♪ Help thy servants ♪ | 29:04 | |
♪ Whom thou hast redeemed ♪ | 29:11 | |
♪ With thy precious blood ♪ | 29:17 | |
♪ With thy precious blood ♪ | 29:23 | |
♪ Make them ♪ | 29:32 | |
♪ To be numbered with thy saints ♪ | 29:35 | |
♪ With thy saints ♪ | 29:41 | |
♪ In glory everlasting ♪ | 29:49 | |
♪ O Lord, save thy people ♪ | 30:17 | |
♪ And bless ♪ | 30:27 | |
♪ And bless thine heritage ♪ | 30:30 | |
♪ Govern them and lift them up forever ♪ | 30:36 | |
♪ And lift them up forever ♪ | 30:52 | |
♪ Day by day we magnify thee ♪ | 31:10 | |
♪ And we worship ♪ | 31:18 | |
♪ Thy name ever world without end ♪ | 31:22 | |
♪ Vouchsafe, O Lord to keep us this day without sin ♪ | 31:36 | |
♪ O Lord, have mercy upon us ♪ | 31:44 | |
♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 31:48 | |
♪ O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us ♪ | 31:52 | |
♪ As our trust is in thee ♪ | 31:58 | |
♪ O Lord in thee ♪ | 32:02 | |
♪ Have I trusted ♪ | 32:07 | |
♪ Let me never be confounded ♪ | 32:24 | |
♪ Let me never be confounded ♪ | 32:33 | |
♪ Let me ♪ | 32:37 | |
♪ Never ♪ | 32:41 | |
♪ Be confounded ♪ | 32:46 | |
♪ Let me ♪ | 32:50 | |
♪ Never ♪ | 32:55 | |
♪ Be confounded ♪ | 33:03 | |
- | The first New Testament lesson | 33:53 |
is from the Book of Revelation, Chapter 21, | 33:55 | |
Verses one through six, and 22 through 26, | 33:59 | |
and Chapter 22, Verses one through five. | 34:02 | |
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, | 34:08 | |
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, | 34:11 | |
and the sea was no more, | 34:16 | |
and I saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem | 34:19 | |
coming down out of heaven from God, | 34:22 | |
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband, | 34:25 | |
and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying | 34:29 | |
behold the dwelling of God is with men. | 34:33 | |
He will dwell with them, | 34:37 | |
and they shall be his people, | 34:39 | |
and God himself will be with them. | 34:41 | |
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, | 34:45 | |
and death shall be no more. | 34:48 | |
Neither shall there be mourning, | 34:51 | |
nor crying, nor pain anymore | 34:53 | |
for the former things have passed away. | 34:57 | |
He who sat upon the throne said, | 35:01 | |
Behold I make all things new. | 35:04 | |
Also he said, write this, | 35:08 | |
for these words are trustworthy and true. | 35:10 | |
And he said to me it is done. | 35:14 | |
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. | 35:18 | |
To the thirsty I will give | 35:23 | |
from the fountain of the water of life without payment, | 35:25 | |
and I saw no temple in the city | 35:31 | |
for its temple is the Lord God the almighty and the lamb, | 35:33 | |
and the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it | 35:39 | |
for the glory of God is its light, | 35:44 | |
and its lamp is the lamb. | 35:46 | |
By its light shall the nations walk, | 35:50 | |
and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, | 35:53 | |
and its gates shall never be shut by day, | 35:56 | |
and there shall be no night there. | 35:59 | |
They shall bring into it the glory, | 36:03 | |
and the honor of the nations. | 36:05 | |
Then he showed me the river | 36:09 | |
of the water of life bright as crystal | 36:11 | |
flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb | 36:15 | |
through the middle of the street of the city. | 36:18 | |
Also, on either side of the river the tree of life | 36:21 | |
with its 12 kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month, | 36:24 | |
and the leaves of the tree | 36:29 | |
were for the healing of the nations. | 36:31 | |
There shall no more be anything accursed, | 36:36 | |
but the throne of God and of the lamb shall be in it, | 36:38 | |
and his servants shall worship him. | 36:42 | |
They shall see his face, | 36:44 | |
and his name shall be on their foreheads, | 36:46 | |
and night shall be no more. | 36:49 | |
They need no light of lamp or sun | 36:52 | |
for the Lord God will be their light, | 36:55 | |
and they shall reign for ever and ever. | 36:59 | |
Here ends the reading of the Revelation lesson. | 37:05 | |
Will the congregation please stand | 37:10 | |
for the reading of the Gospel. | 37:12 | |
The Gospel lesson today comes from Luke four, | 37:17 | |
Verses 16 through 21. | 37:20 | |
And he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, | 37:23 | |
and he went to the synagogue as his custom was | 37:27 | |
on the Sabbath day, | 37:30 | |
and he stood up to read, | 37:32 | |
and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. | 37:34 | |
He opened the book and found the place where it was written | 37:38 | |
the spirit of the Lord is upon me. | 37:41 | |
Because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor | 37:45 | |
he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, | 37:49 | |
and recovering of sight to the blind. | 37:52 | |
To set at liberty those who are oppressed, | 37:56 | |
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, | 37:59 | |
and he closed the book, | 38:04 | |
and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, | 38:06 | |
and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him, | 38:10 | |
and he began to say to them | 38:14 | |
today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. | 38:16 | |
Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson. | 38:22 | |
♪ Glory be to our creator ♪ | 38:32 | |
(hymn music) | 38:38 | |
- | It pleases me a great deal | 39:33 |
to participate in this worship service today, | 39:34 | |
and to represent government in general, | 39:37 | |
and the state of North Carolina in particular. | 39:40 | |
As most of you are well aware Governor James B. Hunt Jr. | 39:42 | |
yesterday with the assistance of our lieutenant governor, | 39:45 | |
and surrounded by many of the general assembly members | 39:48 | |
declared this day a day of thanksgiving and prayer. | 39:52 | |
It seems only appropriate that the state be involved, | 39:56 | |
and government be involved in a worship service today | 39:59 | |
because government has been a principle actor | 40:01 | |
in the drama which has unfolded, | 40:04 | |
and captured the attention of the world | 40:06 | |
these past 14 months. | 40:08 | |
Let me share with you how the state was drawn in, | 40:10 | |
why the state has been given this charge, | 40:13 | |
and the parallels that we have experienced | 40:16 | |
the last 14 months. | 40:18 | |
Saint John's Church in Richmond was filled to capacity. | 40:21 | |
The delegates to that convention had debated long, | 40:25 | |
and with great emotion. | 40:27 | |
Finally, one of America's most fiery orators stood, | 40:29 | |
and made an impassioned plea concluding his remarks | 40:32 | |
with the faint phrase that is now famous. | 40:34 | |
Give me liberty or give me death. | 40:37 | |
Patrick Henry personified the thinking | 40:41 | |
of American colonists 200 years ago. | 40:42 | |
There was a lot of freedom talk going about. | 40:45 | |
In North Carolina at the 4th Provincial Congress in Halifax | 40:49 | |
Samuel Johnston said, | 40:52 | |
"All our people here are up for independence." | 40:54 | |
That's the way it was 200 years ago, | 40:58 | |
but talking about freedom and being free | 41:01 | |
are two different things. | 41:03 | |
On July 4th, 1776 America declared its independence. | 41:05 | |
The success of that declaration depended upon | 41:10 | |
at least four factors. | 41:12 | |
First, to be free depended upon a willingness to take risk. | 41:13 | |
These signers of the Declaration of Independence | 41:18 | |
pledged to one another their fortunes, | 41:20 | |
their lives and their sacred honor. | 41:22 | |
In the fight for freedom some lost all three. | 41:24 | |
America's success also depended upon power or strength. | 41:29 | |
Benjamin Franklin said, | 41:33 | |
"We must all hang together or we will all hang separately." | 41:34 | |
The 13 colonies had to stand shoulder to shoulder, | 41:39 | |
or there would be little chance for victory. | 41:41 | |
The third factor upon which freedom | 41:45 | |
was predicated was commitment. | 41:46 | |
Thomas Paine stated it well. | 41:48 | |
"These are the times that try men's souls. | 41:50 | |
"The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, | 41:53 | |
"in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country." | 41:56 | |
To achieve freedom America would have to be | 42:01 | |
committed to freedom. | 42:02 | |
They would have to commit their lives, | 42:04 | |
their resources, energy and children. | 42:05 | |
The road would be long and difficult. | 42:09 | |
No primrose lane or yellow brick road, | 42:10 | |
but rather a wandering unchartered path | 42:13 | |
characterized by blood, sweat and tears. | 42:15 | |
If there were ever to be a land of the free | 42:19 | |
someone would have to pay a high price for that freedom | 42:22 | |
for liberty is costly. | 42:25 | |
Fortunes were lost, estates confiscated or burned, | 42:28 | |
reputations tarnished, businesses were interrupted. | 42:31 | |
The rockets red flare and the bombs bursting in the air | 42:34 | |
brought fear and destruction. | 42:36 | |
Mothers and daughters were molested sexually, | 42:41 | |
and there was always that unwelcome guest, death. | 42:44 | |
The first martyr of the war was Christopher Snider, | 42:47 | |
an 11-year-old child shot by a troy merchant. | 42:49 | |
Men died at Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill. | 42:52 | |
Men froze to death at Valley Forge. | 42:55 | |
Frontier Patriots won a guerrillas war | 42:58 | |
at Kings Mountain, North Carolina. | 43:00 | |
Cornwallis lost 30% of his army | 43:02 | |
at Guildford, North Carolina. | 43:04 | |
People died in North Carolina for freedom. | 43:05 | |
The price for freedom was thousands of lives, | 43:08 | |
and dollars and seven years of war. | 43:10 | |
Freedom was declared in 1776, | 43:13 | |
but not one until 1783. | 43:15 | |
War is not only hell but it's also costly. | 43:17 | |
Thomas Paine said, | 43:21 | |
"Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered, | 43:22 | |
"yet we have this consolation with us | 43:26 | |
"that the harder the conflict, | 43:28 | |
"the more glorious the triumph. | 43:29 | |
"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. | 43:31 | |
"It would be strange indeed | 43:35 | |
"if so celestial an article as freedom | 43:37 | |
"should not be highly rated." | 43:39 | |
14 months ago a number of citizens | 43:42 | |
of the United States of America and their families | 43:44 | |
were denied life, liberty, | 43:47 | |
and the pursuit of freedom, happiness. | 43:49 | |
The ship of state, America, found itself at sea. | 43:51 | |
There were no safe berths, no tranquil harbors. | 43:56 | |
It was surrounded by the storms of nationalism, | 43:59 | |
political expediency and retaliation | 44:02 | |
surrounded by the whirlpools of rage, | 44:07 | |
prejudice, blackmail, and misunderstandings. | 44:09 | |
Although our hostages are free today | 44:13 | |
those dangers are given voices that shout from the rooftops, | 44:16 | |
and whisper seductively in our ears, | 44:20 | |
but like the Greek myth if and had we listened | 44:23 | |
to those feelings and logic | 44:26 | |
we would have eventually found ourselves | 44:27 | |
floundering on the rocks of death and destruction. | 44:29 | |
The state, while separate from religion, | 44:33 | |
must rely upon the unseen pilot God. | 44:36 | |
His words to us have become reality on this crisis, | 44:40 | |
and should be a beacon for the world to see. | 44:43 | |
What are these words? | 44:46 | |
They're found in Micah. | 44:48 | |
What has God showed you, O man, that is good, | 44:51 | |
and what does God require of you, | 44:53 | |
but to do justice, to love mercy, | 44:55 | |
and to walk humbly with your God. | 44:59 | |
Turning the other cheek is never easy. | 45:01 | |
Returning good for evil is very difficult. | 45:04 | |
Living out the fruits of God's spirit | 45:06 | |
was both evident and necessary by the state | 45:09 | |
during these last 14 months, | 45:12 | |
and what are those fruits? | 45:14 | |
Love, joy, peace, patience, | 45:16 | |
kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control. | 45:20 | |
The president's personal faith are to be commended, | 45:25 | |
an example to us all. | 45:28 | |
The risks have been high. | 45:31 | |
Nations have faced one another, | 45:33 | |
and the slightest miscalculation or step | 45:34 | |
could have brought pain and suffering to millions, | 45:36 | |
perhaps to the entire world. | 45:39 | |
The struggle for power can best be seen in cheek turning | 45:41 | |
rather than in saber rattling. | 45:45 | |
Being a bully is easy. | 45:47 | |
Being a big brother is most difficult. | 45:49 | |
Commitments were tested but never broken. | 45:53 | |
Many people and nations must be commended | 45:55 | |
for their willingness to commit themselves | 45:58 | |
to resolve this matter honorably and peacefully. | 46:00 | |
The price has been high. | 46:05 | |
Political fortunes have been made and lost. | 46:07 | |
14 months of anguish by nations, | 46:10 | |
by hostages and their families | 46:13 | |
can neither be replaced nor forgotten, | 46:15 | |
and we should never forget the price | 46:18 | |
eight men paid in the desert in a rescue attempt. | 46:19 | |
The state gives thanks that the ordeal is over, | 46:24 | |
it's responsibility somewhat lessened. | 46:27 | |
It hopes that never again will nations resort | 46:31 | |
to these tactics to address grievances. | 46:33 | |
One of the greatest sources of hope which we have this day | 46:36 | |
is that the bargain table works, | 46:39 | |
but the greatest hope lies in what happened 2,000 years ago. | 46:42 | |
The Hill was filled to capacity. | 46:48 | |
Those in attendance were there for a variety of reasons. | 46:50 | |
Finally the star attraction arrived. | 46:53 | |
Hammers flashed through the air, | 46:55 | |
nails bore through flesh, sinking wood, it was done. | 46:57 | |
A man was tacked to a cross like you and I would tack | 47:01 | |
a notice to a kitchen bulletin board. | 47:05 | |
Six hours later this man called Jesus would say | 47:08 | |
it is finished. | 47:13 | |
What was finished? | 47:15 | |
Freedom buying, liberation for all people. | 47:17 | |
The emancipation proclamation was delivered on that hill | 47:21 | |
called the place of the skull, | 47:24 | |
and if the son shall set you free | 47:27 | |
you shall be free indeed, | 47:30 | |
and that is the hope of all nations. | 47:32 | |
The words of an old Negro spiritual | 47:35 | |
immortalized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | 47:37 | |
aptly expresses the views and feelings of a state. | 47:40 | |
"Free at last, free at last, | 47:44 | |
"thank God almighty they're free at last." | 47:47 | |
- | We gather this noontime to express our joy | 48:05 |
at the release of the American hostages by Iran, | 48:08 | |
and their imminent return to this country. | 48:12 | |
We are glad because our fellow citizens | 48:16 | |
who have suffered so unjustly | 48:19 | |
because of events beyond their control | 48:20 | |
will soon be home safely. | 48:23 | |
We rejoice because the long period of grief and anxiety | 48:26 | |
is over for their families. | 48:30 | |
We are proud because the American people | 48:33 | |
did not forget their fellow citizens | 48:35 | |
during the lengthy period of their travail. | 48:38 | |
We take pride that their release was accomplished | 48:41 | |
through peaceful negotiations | 48:44 | |
in which national honor was not compromised. | 48:47 | |
We are grateful that our country has citizens | 48:50 | |
who are willing to serve | 48:53 | |
our national interest throughout the world | 48:55 | |
in order that most of us may live | 48:57 | |
freely and comfortably at home, | 48:59 | |
and they do so despite the danger of captivity | 49:03 | |
so vividly illustrated by those whom we honor today, | 49:06 | |
or the risk of death, unfortunately, symbolized | 49:10 | |
by the soldiers who died in the desert of Iran, | 49:14 | |
for an ambassador gunned down in Kabul. | 49:17 | |
We are particularly thankful that we have come through | 49:21 | |
yet another difficult time without the horrors of war. | 49:24 | |
We are hopeful that the incident will go down in history | 49:29 | |
as an isolated event without parallel | 49:33 | |
in the annals of civilized nations. | 49:36 | |
At the same time within a university | 49:40 | |
we must not permit our euphoria | 49:43 | |
to obscure the realities of the world in which we live. | 49:46 | |
We owe it to ourselves and to our fellow citizens | 49:51 | |
to examine what has happened, | 49:55 | |
and to learn from the experience. | 49:56 | |
Each of us may perceive the events differently, | 49:59 | |
and draw different conclusions from what has transpired | 50:02 | |
for this is an arena in which few | 50:06 | |
would purport to be infallible, | 50:08 | |
but it is only through the processes | 50:11 | |
of individual introspection and critical evaluation | 50:12 | |
that we within the academy | 50:17 | |
may make our unique contributions to the future. | 50:18 | |
There are issues crying for thoughtful examination, | 50:23 | |
national power. | 50:27 | |
Perhaps it's wise for us to review once again | 50:30 | |
the inadequacy of nuclear weaponry as a technique | 50:33 | |
for the solution of all kinds of international conflict, | 50:37 | |
and at the same time | 50:41 | |
consider the penalties of national impotence | 50:42 | |
when other alternatives are unavailable, interdependence. | 50:45 | |
Once again we have evidence that the days | 50:51 | |
of American hegemony are over. | 50:53 | |
It may be well to recall the assistance we received | 50:56 | |
from nations as diverse as Canada, Algeria and Japan. | 50:59 | |
The strengths and weaknesses of our alliances as reflected | 51:04 | |
in the response to our call for economic sanctions. | 51:07 | |
The degree to which the achievement of our objectives | 51:11 | |
are affected by international events | 51:15 | |
over which we have no control such as the Iraqi war, | 51:17 | |
resort to force. | 51:22 | |
When we contemplate our embarrassment | 51:24 | |
at the aborted rescue attempt last spring | 51:26 | |
we must ask ourselves whether our concern | 51:29 | |
is really based on opposition to the use of force | 51:32 | |
to achieve national objectives, | 51:35 | |
or whether it reflects chagrin that our efforts | 51:37 | |
were so ineffective as compared | 51:40 | |
with the exploits of the Israelis and Germans. | 51:42 | |
Ignorance of foreign peoples. | 51:47 | |
Have we really thought seriously about a world | 51:49 | |
in which terrorists or new nations | 51:52 | |
inspired by religious fervor or recent wars of liberation | 51:55 | |
are prepared to reject international law and customs | 51:59 | |
governing relations among states | 52:02 | |
as the product of a process of western civilization | 52:05 | |
in which they would deny participation. | 52:08 | |
Will we be able to deal with the challenges of the future | 52:12 | |
if we do not improve our understanding of the cultures, | 52:15 | |
religions and languages which are the least familiar to us, | 52:18 | |
our future relations with Iran. | 52:23 | |
We are not yet prepared to forgive, | 52:26 | |
and, hopefully, we will never wish to forget, | 52:30 | |
but can we both remember with bitterness, | 52:33 | |
and still face the prospect | 52:36 | |
that our long-run interests may best be served | 52:38 | |
by an independent powerful Iran, | 52:40 | |
and if we so conclude will we have the courage | 52:44 | |
to provide the support which our leaders will need | 52:47 | |
if they take on populous steps toward the normalizations | 52:50 | |
of our relations with that nation. | 52:53 | |
The pace of change. | 52:56 | |
Are we really able to comprehend a world in which | 52:59 | |
the pace of change has been so rapid that in 75 years | 53:03 | |
we've moved from a threat such as | 53:08 | |
Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead | 53:10 | |
to the computerized transfer of bullion into escrow accounts | 53:13 | |
as the technique of securing | 53:18 | |
the release of citizens incarcerated abroad. | 53:19 | |
These are the kinds of issues | 53:24 | |
that should concern us in a university. | 53:26 | |
An event such as we celebrate today | 53:29 | |
can be an occasion for a commitment to explore them. | 53:31 | |
Let us then rejoice for the hostages, | 53:35 | |
rejoice for their families, rejoice for our nation, | 53:38 | |
and simultaneously resolve to do our best | 53:43 | |
to understand the world in which we live | 53:46 | |
lest we once again prove the truth of the ancient adage | 53:50 | |
that those who do not learn from history | 53:54 | |
are destined to relive it. | 53:57 | |
- | For, lo, the winter is over, | 54:25 |
the storms are over and gone, | 54:30 | |
and the voice of the turtle is heard in the land. | 54:34 | |
In this hour of bittersweet triumph | 54:40 | |
where victory is tinged with misgivings, | 54:45 | |
where the restoration of our loved ones | 54:49 | |
has been accomplished, | 54:53 | |
but the passion of our pride is honest waged. | 54:56 | |
Where sovereign rights have been disputed, | 55:02 | |
and our military might has been ignored. | 55:06 | |
In our confusion and in our doubt | 55:11 | |
we grope for the appropriate response, | 55:15 | |
and we search for the appropriate understanding. | 55:20 | |
That understanding lies first in the recognition | 55:26 | |
of the deficits of empire, | 55:30 | |
and in the consequent willingness to resolve | 55:34 | |
the international interest we have and shall always have | 55:37 | |
on some basis short of war. | 55:44 | |
The words of Kipling come to mind. | 55:49 | |
God of our fathers, known of old, | 55:54 | |
Lord of our far-flung battle line, | 55:58 | |
beneath thy | 56:02 | |
awful hand we hold dominion. | 56:05 | |
We must not forget. | 56:10 | |
For those who put their trust in the war machines | 56:13 | |
are destined to find | 56:19 | |
that dust can only build on dust, | 56:23 | |
that there is no final solution nor lasting security | 56:28 | |
which does not rely on principles | 56:33 | |
rather than on power. | 56:37 | |
In the Iranian crisis | 56:41 | |
the national agony of the last 14 months | 56:45 | |
we were forced by a convergence of circumstances | 56:51 | |
to rely on what for us | 56:57 | |
were nontraditional methods | 57:00 | |
of accomplishing our international objectives. | 57:04 | |
It has been a chastening experience. | 57:10 | |
No matter what the intent of the actions of our adversaries | 57:15 | |
we have nevertheless come out of that experience | 57:20 | |
a stronger people, | 57:26 | |
more resolute, | 57:29 | |
more aware of strengths we never knew we had. | 57:31 | |
We are today bigger than ever we were before. | 57:38 | |
Whatever the needs of the Iranians would fuel | 57:44 | |
their strange political behavior | 57:47 | |
we could and we did afford them | 57:50 | |
their extended moment of caprice, | 57:55 | |
and yet we have come away | 57:59 | |
with our national pride unsullied. | 58:03 | |
Our image in the eyes of a critical world | 58:08 | |
looms larger more worthy of respect | 58:13 | |
than ever before. | 58:18 | |
It is not | 58:21 | |
a matter of great moment to help power, | 58:24 | |
but that which characterizes a truly great nation | 58:28 | |
is to be possessed of the power of destruction, | 58:33 | |
and to never need to loose it upon mankind. | 58:37 | |
Surely our God has delivered us. | 58:43 | |
Our prayers have been answered. | 58:48 | |
Our loved ones are home or soon will be. | 58:51 | |
We are at peace with the world. | 58:56 | |
Ours is the victory. | 59:00 | |
Put away then your yellow ribbons, | 59:04 | |
and wear instead a smile of confidence | 59:07 | |
and gratitude. | 59:13 | |
Thank God and congratulate your country | 59:15 | |
that we have overcome, | 59:19 | |
and that we have overcome in peace, | 59:23 | |
and may this be but the beginning. | 59:27 | |
Let there be peace that passes all understanding | 59:32 | |
embracing all of the nations of the world. | 59:38 | |
Let there be justice | 59:43 | |
without which peace is a hollow mockery, | 59:46 | |
and let there be love for in the final analysis | 59:52 | |
we do not live in a world of nations, | 59:58 | |
we live in a world of people. | 1:00:03 | |
We thank our God | 1:00:08 | |
that we have behaved in a way | 1:00:12 | |
which strengthens our national character, | 1:00:17 | |
and which underscores | 1:00:21 | |
our understanding of righteousness and love. | 1:00:25 | |
♪ This is my song ♪ | 1:01:13 | |
♪ O God of all the nations ♪ | 1:01:17 | |
♪ A song of peace ♪ | 1:01:23 | |
♪ For lands afar and wide ♪ | 1:01:27 | |
♪ This is my home ♪ | 1:01:33 | |
♪ The country where my heart is ♪ | 1:01:37 | |
♪ Here are my hopes ♪ | 1:01:44 | |
♪ My dreams, my holy shrine ♪ | 1:01:48 | |
♪ But other hearts ♪ | 1:01:54 | |
♪ In other lands are beating ♪ | 1:01:58 | |
♪ With hopes and dreams ♪ | 1:02:05 | |
♪ As true and high as mine ♪ | 1:02:09 | |
♪ My country's skies ♪ | 1:02:17 | |
♪ Are bluer than the ocean ♪ | 1:02:20 | |
♪ And sunlight beams ♪ | 1:02:26 | |
♪ On cloverleaf and pine ♪ | 1:02:30 | |
♪ But other lands ♪ | 1:02:37 | |
♪ Have sunlight too and clover ♪ | 1:02:41 | |
♪ And skies are everywhere ♪ | 1:02:47 | |
♪ As blue as mine ♪ | 1:02:53 | |
♪ O hear my song ♪ | 1:02:58 | |
♪ Thou God of all the nations ♪ | 1:03:02 | |
♪ A song of peace ♪ | 1:03:09 | |
♪ For their land ♪ | 1:03:13 | |
♪ And for mine ♪ | 1:03:17 | |
♪ This is my prayer ♪ | 1:03:20 | |
♪ O Lord of all earth's kingdoms ♪ | 1:03:24 | |
♪ Thy kingdom come ♪ | 1:03:31 | |
♪ On earth thy will be done ♪ | 1:03:34 | |
♪ Let Christ be lifted up ♪ | 1:03:41 | |
♪ 'Til all shall serve him ♪ | 1:03:47 | |
♪ And hearts united ♪ | 1:03:52 | |
♪ Learn to live as one ♪ | 1:03:57 | |
♪ O hear my prayer ♪ | 1:04:03 | |
♪ Thou God of all the nations ♪ | 1:04:07 | |
♪ Myself I give thee ♪ | 1:04:14 | |
♪ Let thy will be done ♪ | 1:04:19 | |
- | O God, before whose face the empires of the past | 1:04:39 |
have risen and fallen away, establish this nation, | 1:04:43 | |
and the nations of the earth in righteousness, | 1:04:47 | |
in personal character and in public integrity | 1:04:50 | |
make all our nations foundations sure. | 1:04:55 | |
- | For Lord hear our prayer and mercifully bless your people. | 1:04:59 |
- | From the ravages of violence, | 1:05:04 |
the destructiveness of political power misused, | 1:05:07 | |
and the malicious acts of terrorism and inhumanity. | 1:05:11 | |
- | Lord forgive us. | 1:05:16 |
- | From prejudice of race, religion and color, | 1:05:18 |
from all inequity that causing a few to be rich, | 1:05:23 | |
and many poor begets ill will and spoils us, | 1:05:28 | |
from careless acceptance of our heritage, | 1:05:33 | |
and neglect of our responsibilities. | 1:05:36 | |
- | Lord forgive us. | 1:05:39 |
- | For our freed brothers and sisters | 1:05:42 |
who have been held captive for all these many months. | 1:05:44 | |
- | We beseech you to hear us O Lord. | 1:05:49 |
- | For families and friends of the hostages | 1:05:52 |
who have lived daily with fear and loneliness. | 1:05:55 | |
- | We beseech you to hear us O Lord. | 1:05:59 |
- | Hear us now as we offer our silent prayers | 1:06:03 |
of thanksgiving and hope | 1:06:07 | |
for those men whose lives were lost | 1:06:10 | |
in the attempt to bring release | 1:06:13 | |
to their brothers and sisters. | 1:06:15 | |
- | We pray for eternal peace and rest. | 1:06:18 |
- | For the people of Iran who have known oppression, | 1:06:21 |
and expressed betrayal by violent acts. | 1:06:25 | |
- | Lord, hear our prayers and mercifully bless the people. | 1:06:29 |
- | For the people of the United States | 1:06:34 |
keep us from pride of mind and boasting tongues. | 1:06:37 | |
Save our national loyalty from narrowness. | 1:06:41 | |
By our love for our land | 1:06:45 | |
may we measure the love of others for their lands | 1:06:47 | |
honoring their devotion as we honor our own, | 1:06:51 | |
and acknowledging you are the one God | 1:06:55 | |
may we see all humankind as one family, | 1:06:58 | |
and so govern our national affairs that the whole world | 1:07:03 | |
may surely become one community of peoples. | 1:07:07 | |
- | Lord, hear our prayer and mercifully bless the people. | 1:07:12 |
- | We pray longingly, O Lord, let there be peace on earth | 1:07:16 |
among all with whom you are pleased. | 1:07:21 | |
Amen and Amen. | 1:07:25 | |
("My Country 'Tis of Thee") | 1:07:27 | |
♪ Our fathers' God to thee ♪ | 1:07:38 | |
♪ Author of liberty ♪ | 1:07:43 | |
♪ To thee we sing ♪ | 1:07:49 | |
♪ Long may our land be bright ♪ | 1:07:54 | |
♪ With freedom's holy light ♪ | 1:08:00 | |
♪ Protect us by thy might ♪ | 1:08:06 | |
♪ Great God our King ♪ | 1:08:12 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:08:19 | |
(organ music) | 1:08:29 | |
- | Let us go forth in the name of Christ. | 1:12:54 |
- | Thanks be to God. | 1:12:57 |
- | Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. | 1:13:00 |
- | Thanks be to God. | 1:13:03 |
- | Let us go forth into the world | 1:13:05 |
rejoicing in the power of the spirit. | 1:13:07 | |
- | Thanks be to God. | 1:13:10 |
- | Let us bless the Lord. | 1:13:13 |
- | Thanks be to God. | 1:13:15 |
- | May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace | 1:13:17 |
in believing so that you may abound in hope | 1:13:22 | |
by the power of the Holy Spirit. | 1:13:25 | |
(hymn music) | 1:13:30 | |
(organ music) | 1:13:53 |