Robert T. Young - "You Proclaim the Lord's Death" (February 8, 1981)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(soothing organ music) | 0:03 | |
(soothing organ music) | 3:15 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 4:24 | |
(soothing organ music) | 9:44 | |
- | Following the choral introit, our processional hymn | 14:42 |
will be number 74 in your hymnbook. | 14:46 | |
♪ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord ♪ | 14:59 | |
♪ For my soul shall exalt in my heart ♪ | 15:03 | |
♪ For he has clothed me with the garments ♪ | 15:08 | |
♪ Of salvation ♪ | 15:12 | |
♪ He has covered me with the robe of righteousness ♪ | 15:14 | |
♪ As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland ♪ | 15:22 | |
♪ And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels ♪ | 15:28 | |
♪ With her jewels ♪ | 15:33 | |
♪ With her jewels ♪ | 15:38 | |
♪ For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, ♪ | 15:44 | |
♪ And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up ♪ | 15:50 | |
♪ So the Lord God ♪ | 16:01 | |
♪ Will cause righteousness and praise ♪ | 16:05 | |
♪ Will cause righteousness and praise ♪ | 16:09 | |
♪ To spring forth ♪ | 16:13 | |
♪ To spring forth ♪ | 16:16 | |
♪ To spring forth ♪ | 16:18 | |
♪ Before all the nations ♪ | 16:20 | |
(cheerful organ music) | 16:35 | |
(choir sings indistinctly) | 17:10 | |
- | Grace and peace be unto you from God our Creator | 20:43 |
and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. | 20:46 | |
We would like to look at ourselves | 20:51 | |
and be wholly pleased with what we see. | 20:54 | |
But the Christian gospel calls us to be honest. | 20:58 | |
Let us then make a bold recognition | 21:02 | |
that we are not pleased with what we see. | 21:05 | |
Let us pray. | 21:09 | |
Lord, you made the world and everything in it. | 21:20 | |
You created the human race of one kind. | 21:24 | |
And gave us the earth for our responsibility. | 21:27 | |
- | Break down walls that separate us. | 21:32 |
And unite us as a single body. | 21:35 | |
- | Lord, we have been divisive in our thinking, | 21:38 |
in our speech, in our actions. | 21:41 | |
We have classified and imprisoned one another. | 21:45 | |
- | Break down walls that separate us. | 21:49 |
And unite us as a single body. | 21:52 | |
- | Lord, you mean us to be a single people, | 21:56 |
ruled by peace, feasting in freedom, freed from injustice, | 21:59 | |
truly human men and women, responsible and responsive | 22:05 | |
in the life we lead, the love we share, | 22:10 | |
the relationships we create. | 22:14 | |
- | Break down walls that separate us. | 22:17 |
And unite us as a single body. | 22:20 | |
- | Lord, pour out among us the tongues of your spirit, | 22:23 |
that we may each burn with compassion for all | 22:28 | |
who hunger for freedom and humanness. | 22:31 | |
That we may be doers of the word, and so speak | 22:35 | |
with credibility about the wonderful things you have done. | 22:38 | |
- | Lord, direct us in ways we do not yet discern, | 22:43 |
and equip us for the service of reconciliation | 22:48 | |
and liberation in your world. | 22:51 | |
- | Almighty God, in whom are hid all the treasures | 23:12 |
of wisdom and knowledge, open our eyes that we may behold | 23:15 | |
wondrous things out of thy law. | 23:20 | |
And give us grace, | 23:23 | |
that we may clearly understand | 23:26 | |
and heartily choose the way of thy commandments. | 23:28 | |
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 23:32 | |
The epistle lesson is taken from St. Peter's | 23:38 | |
first letter to the Corinthians, | 23:41 | |
chapter 11, beginning with verse 23. | 23:43 | |
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you. | 23:50 | |
That the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed | 23:55 | |
took bread, and when he had given thanks, | 23:57 | |
he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you. | 24:00 | |
"Do this in remembrance of me." | 24:06 | |
In the same way also the cup after supper, saying, | 24:10 | |
"This cup is the new covenant of my blood. | 24:14 | |
"Do this as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me. | 24:17 | |
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, | 24:23 | |
"You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. | 24:27 | |
"Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks | 24:32 | |
"The cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner | 24:34 | |
"Will be guilty of profaning the body | 24:38 | |
"And blood of the Lord. | 24:40 | |
"Let a man examine himself and so eat of the bread | 24:43 | |
"And drink of the cup. | 24:47 | |
"For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body | 24:50 | |
"Eats and drinks judgment upon himself." | 24:55 | |
That is why many of you are weak and ill. | 24:59 | |
And some have died. | 25:02 | |
But if we judged ourselves truly, | 25:05 | |
we should not be judged. | 25:08 | |
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened | 25:11 | |
so that we may not be condemned along with the world. | 25:15 | |
Here ends the lesson from the epistle. | 25:20 | |
Let us stand for the reading from the gospel. | 25:24 | |
The lesson from the gospel is taken from St. Matthew, | 25:35 | |
the 26th chapter, beginning with the 20th verse. | 25:39 | |
When it was evening, he sat at table with the 12 disciples. | 25:46 | |
And as they were eating he said, "Truly I say to you, | 25:51 | |
"One of you will betray me." | 25:56 | |
And they were all very sorrowful. | 25:59 | |
And began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?" | 26:01 | |
He answered, "He who has dipped his hand | 26:06 | |
"In the dish with me will betray me. | 26:09 | |
"The Son of Man goes as it is written of him. | 26:13 | |
"But woe to the man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. | 26:16 | |
"For it would have been better that that man, | 26:21 | |
"If he had not ever been born." | 26:22 | |
Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Is it I, master?" | 26:28 | |
And he said to him, "You have said so." | 26:34 | |
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, | 26:40 | |
and blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples | 26:44 | |
and said, "Take, eat, this is my body." | 26:47 | |
And he took the cup. | 26:54 | |
And when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, | 26:56 | |
"Drink of it all of you, | 27:00 | |
"For this is my blood of the covenant, | 27:02 | |
"Which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. | 27:05 | |
"I tell you I shall not drink again | 27:10 | |
"Of this fruit of the vine, until that day | 27:11 | |
"When I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom." | 27:14 | |
Here ends the lesson from the gospel. | 27:20 | |
In the name of the Father, who is the Son, | 27:23 | |
God with us, Holy Spirit, amen. | 27:25 | |
- | Let us pray. | 27:41 |
Take, oh Lord, we pray thee, | 27:44 | |
our speaking and our hearing. | 27:48 | |
That your word may become alive | 27:51 | |
and real to us in this moment, | 27:52 | |
through Christ our Lord, | 27:56 | |
amen. | 27:58 | |
If we stop and reflect for just a few moments, | 28:02 | |
the epistle lesson for today is surely | 28:06 | |
one of the most interesting, | 28:09 | |
and also one of the most important passages | 28:12 | |
in all of the New Testament. | 28:16 | |
For here is the place where the church is directed | 28:19 | |
in the very words of Christ himself | 28:25 | |
to commemorate his life and death and resurrection | 28:30 | |
by celebrating the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. | 28:35 | |
As Paul recorded the words of Jesus, | 28:40 | |
Jesus says, "This do in remembrance of me." | 28:43 | |
And though the Last Supper, | 28:49 | |
the paradigm for the Lord's Supper, | 28:52 | |
is described and takes place in the context of the gospels, | 28:56 | |
Jesus does not there tell the disciples to do this again. | 29:01 | |
Here, in Paul's letter to the church at Corinth, | 29:08 | |
we are given that majestic invitation | 29:13 | |
and that unforgettable mandate. | 29:17 | |
This do in remembrance of me. | 29:21 | |
For, and then Paul says, as often as you eat this bread | 29:25 | |
and drink this cup, you proclaim | 29:29 | |
the Lord's death until he comes. | 29:32 | |
Paul not only has Jesus tell us to celebrate | 29:36 | |
and remember by eating and drinking the bread, | 29:39 | |
and eating the bread and drinking from the cup, | 29:42 | |
Paul himself reminds us that every time we do that, | 29:46 | |
something of eternal importance happens. | 29:51 | |
That is, we proclaim the Lord's death. | 29:56 | |
The story has been told of what the first Indian | 30:02 | |
elected a bishop in the Church of England, | 30:06 | |
a man by the name of Bishop Azariah, used to do when | 30:09 | |
he baptized someone new to the Christian faith. | 30:14 | |
He would say to the newly baptized believer, | 30:19 | |
"Place your own hand on your head | 30:22 | |
"and repeat these words after me: | 30:26 | |
"'Woe to me | 30:31 | |
"'if I preach not the gospel.'" | 30:34 | |
Every baptized believer, | 30:40 | |
place your hand, my hand, | 30:44 | |
on our heads and say, "Woe to me if I, | 30:46 | |
"if we, preach not the gospel." | 30:50 | |
For you and I do preach the gospel all the time. | 30:54 | |
We proclaim in word and deed the gospel of our Lord | 30:58 | |
by the words we say, the actions we express, | 31:02 | |
the feelings we share, by all that we are and do, | 31:04 | |
we proclaim, we preach the gospel. | 31:08 | |
But when we gather to break bread and drink wine together, | 31:14 | |
we proclaim the gospel in a very special way. | 31:20 | |
We proclaim the Lord's death. | 31:24 | |
In the first place, you proclaim | 31:28 | |
the Lord's death to yourself. | 31:30 | |
It seems to me that we do need to remind ourselves, | 31:34 | |
each of us needs to be reminded that someone | 31:37 | |
has died out of love for each of us. | 31:39 | |
So this is a time for personal reflection, | 31:45 | |
remembrance, repentance and reliving. | 31:47 | |
A time when each of us proclaims to himself | 31:53 | |
or to herself the Lord's death, | 31:56 | |
a time when each of us can truly, surely, | 31:58 | |
deeply, personally know and believe | 32:01 | |
that the Lord's death is for me. | 32:03 | |
Thus this morning when you eat the bread and drink the wine, | 32:10 | |
I invite you to proclaim the Lord's death to yourself. | 32:13 | |
Will you say again, "This is for me." | 32:19 | |
In the second place, though, you proclaim the Lord's death | 32:26 | |
to all those gathered 'round you. | 32:29 | |
The Lord's Supper, from the very first piece of bread | 32:33 | |
and from the very first cup of wine until this morning | 32:37 | |
has never, never been a private affair. | 32:41 | |
It is personal. | 32:46 | |
But it is not private. | 32:48 | |
This blessed sacrament | 32:51 | |
has always been a communal meal. | 32:54 | |
An occasion when all present eat and drink together. | 32:58 | |
And so we proclaim something to one another. | 33:03 | |
We proclaim the Lord's death to each other. | 33:07 | |
This supper, | 33:12 | |
this meal symbolizing Christ's death, | 33:14 | |
does say something to me. | 33:17 | |
It also says something to us. | 33:19 | |
This supper gives something to me. | 33:23 | |
But it also gives something to us. | 33:26 | |
This supper brings the presence of Christ to me, | 33:30 | |
but it also brings the presence of Christ to us. | 33:33 | |
Thus this morning when you eat and drink, | 33:41 | |
I invite you to look around and be reminded | 33:44 | |
that you proclaim the Lord's death to others | 33:49 | |
who gather to eat and drink with you. | 33:52 | |
And the third place you proclaim the Lord's death, | 33:57 | |
to all those around, all those out there | 34:02 | |
who care to take note and to observe that your life | 34:07 | |
is given to Christ, and that Christ's life is given to you. | 34:11 | |
As you eat this bread and drink this wine, | 34:17 | |
your presence here, your presence around the table, | 34:21 | |
your receiving the body and blood of Christ | 34:27 | |
does proclaim something for all of the world to see. | 34:29 | |
Your eating this bread and drinking this wine says that, | 34:34 | |
where you go counts something for Christ. | 34:40 | |
Who you are with says something for the Christ. | 34:45 | |
What you do | 34:52 | |
gives a message about the Christ. | 34:54 | |
The Lord Jesus, on the night | 35:01 | |
when he was betrayed, took bread. | 35:03 | |
And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, | 35:06 | |
"This is my body which is broken for you. | 35:09 | |
"Do this in remembrance of me." | 35:13 | |
In the same manner also the cup, saying, | 35:17 | |
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood. | 35:19 | |
"Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. | 35:23 | |
"For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, | 35:28 | |
"You proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." | 35:34 | |
Come now, our Lord invites us. | 35:40 | |
Let us break bread together. | 35:44 | |
Let us drink wine together. | 35:47 | |
Amen. | 35:51 | |
- | Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him | 36:18 |
and who desire to live in peace with one another. | 36:22 | |
May the peace of the Lord be with you. | 36:26 | |
- | And also with you. | 36:29 |
- | As forgiven and reconciled people, | 36:32 |
let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God. | 36:35 | |
(soothing organ music) | 36:48 | |
(singing in foreign language) | 38:41 | |
("Praise Him from Whom All Blessings Flow") | 44:20 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 44:37 | |
♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ | 44:44 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 44:50 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 44:52 | |
♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly host ♪ | 44:57 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 45:04 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:10 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:13 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:16 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:20 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:24 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 45:33 | |
- | Be seated. | 45:47 |
Lift up your hearts. | 45:55 | |
- | We lift them up to the Lord. | 45:57 |
- | Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. | 45:59 |
- | It is right to give God thanks and praise. | 46:02 |
- | Oh God, it is right that we should always | 46:06 |
and everywhere give you thanks and praise. | 46:08 | |
Only you are God. | 46:12 | |
You created all things and called them good. | 46:14 | |
You made us in your image. | 46:17 | |
Even when we rebelled against your love, | 46:20 | |
you did not desert us. | 46:23 | |
You delivered us from captivity, | 46:26 | |
made covenant to be our God and king, | 46:28 | |
and spoke to us through your prophets. | 46:32 | |
Therefore, we join the entire company of heaven | 46:35 | |
and all your people now on earth in worshiping | 46:39 | |
and glorifying you, saying, | 46:43 | |
- | Holy, holy, holy Lord, | 46:46 |
God of power and might. | 46:49 | |
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. | 46:52 | |
Hosannah in the highest. | 46:55 | |
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. | 46:57 | |
Hosannah in the highest. | 47:01 | |
- | We thank you, holy God, that you love the world | 47:04 |
so much you sent your only son to be our savior. | 47:08 | |
The Lord of all life came to live among us. | 47:13 | |
He healed and taught people, ate with sinners, | 47:17 | |
and won for you a new people by water and the Spirit. | 47:22 | |
We saw his glory. | 47:26 | |
Yet he humbled himself in obedience to your will, | 47:29 | |
freely accepting death on a cross. | 47:33 | |
By dying he freed us from unending death. | 47:37 | |
By rising from the dead, he gave us everlasting life. | 47:41 | |
We remember that on the night in which he gave | 47:47 | |
himself up for us, the Lord Jesus took bread. | 47:50 | |
After giving you thanks, he broke the bread, | 47:56 | |
gave it to his disciples and said, | 47:59 | |
"Take, eat, this is my body, which is given for you." | 48:02 | |
When the supper was over, he took the cup. | 48:08 | |
Again, he returned thanks to you. | 48:11 | |
He gave the cup to his disciples and said, | 48:14 | |
"Drink from this all of you, this is the cup | 48:18 | |
"Of the new covenant in my blood, | 48:21 | |
"Poured out for you and many, for the forgiveness of sins." | 48:24 | |
When we eat this bread and drink this cup, | 48:30 | |
we experience anew the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 48:33 | |
and look forward to his coming in final victory. | 48:38 | |
- | Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. | 48:43 |
- | We remember and proclaim with gratitude, holy God, | 48:49 |
what your son has done for us in his life and death, | 48:53 | |
in his resurrection and ascension. | 48:58 | |
- | Accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving in union | 49:02 |
with Christ's offering for us as a reasonable | 49:06 | |
and holy surrender of ourselves. | 49:10 | |
Send the power of your Holy Spirit on us, | 49:13 | |
gathered here out of love for you, and on these gifts. | 49:16 | |
Help us know in the breaking of this bread the presence | 49:21 | |
of Christ, who gave his body and blood for all people. | 49:25 | |
Make us one with Christ, one with each other, | 49:30 | |
and one in service to all people. | 49:34 | |
Through your son Jesus Christ, | 49:38 | |
with the Holy Spirit and your holy church, | 49:40 | |
all glory and honor is yours, God almighty. | 49:43 | |
- | In unity with Christ and each other, we pray. | 49:48 |
- | Our father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name. | 49:52 |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, | 49:57 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 50:00 | |
Give us this day, our daily bread, | 50:03 | |
and forgive us our trespasses, | 50:06 | |
as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. | 50:08 | |
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 50:12 | |
For thine is the kingdom, | 50:17 | |
and the power and the glory forever, amen. | 50:19 | |
- | Because there is one loaf, we, | 50:30 |
many as we are, are one body. | 50:32 | |
For it is one loaf of which we all partake. | 50:35 | |
When we break the bread, is it not a means | 50:43 | |
of sharing in the body of Christ? | 50:47 | |
- | When we give thanks over the cup, | 50:53 |
is it not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ? | 50:56 | |
Amen. | 51:00 | |
- | The body of Christ given for you now. | 51:09 |
The blood of Christ given for you now. | 51:23 | |
(soothing organ music) | 51:30 | |
- | The body of Christ, broken for you Shannon. | 51:36 |
The blood of Christ, shed for you. | 51:48 | |
(somber organ music) | 51:50 | |
- | Our Lord Jesus said I am the bread of life. | 57:57 |
Those who come to me shall never hunger. | 58:02 | |
Those who believe in me shall never thirst. | 58:06 | |
Arise dear friends and go in peace. | 58:10 | |
And may the bread of heaven, even Jesus the Christ, | 58:14 | |
nourish your soul unto everlasting life. | 58:17 | |
Amen. | 58:21 | |
We invite you now to gather with us | 58:27 | |
around the table of our Lord. | 58:31 | |
The ushers will assist you, and we ask you to form | 58:34 | |
two concentric circles around the altar, | 58:36 | |
first beginning with those seated in the transepts, | 58:40 | |
and then those seated in the nave. | 58:44 | |
Let us share in the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. | 58:47 | |
Amen. | 58:53 | |
(soothing organ music) | 58:54 | |
(liturgical choral music) | 1:00:59 | |
(soothing organ music) | 1:02:13 | |
- | Jesus said I am come that they might | 1:05:05 |
have life and have it abundantly. | 1:05:08 | |
Arise and go in peace, and may your abundant life | 1:05:11 | |
in Christ overflow in deeds of love and service, amen. | 1:05:15 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 1:05:20 | |
(liturgical choral music) | 1:08:34 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 1:12:47 | |
- | Jesus said I am the vine, you are the branches. | 1:13:11 |
By their fruits you shall know them. | 1:13:16 | |
Arise beloved in Christ. | 1:13:20 | |
And may the spirit of Christ so fill your life | 1:13:22 | |
that the fruits of your life may draw | 1:13:26 | |
you and others closer to our Lord. | 1:13:29 | |
Amen. | 1:13:32 | |
(soothing organ music) | 1:13:33 | |
(choral liturgical music) | 1:18:25 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 1:19:51 | |
- | Arise and go in peace, and may the peace | 1:20:21 |
of Christ go with you always, amen. | 1:20:24 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 1:20:28 | |
You have given yourself to us, oh Lord. | 1:22:32 | |
- | Now we give ourselves to others. | 1:22:36 |
- | Your love has made us a new people. | 1:22:38 |
(congregation murmurs) | 1:22:42 | |
Your glory has filled our hearts. | 1:22:46 | |
Help us to glorify you in all things, amen. | 1:22:49 | |
(uplifting liturgical music) | 1:22:57 | |
- | Before you leave, may I share | 1:27:03 |
two words of announcement with you? | 1:27:05 | |
Many of you will want to know that last evening, | 1:27:08 | |
in Morgantown, North Carolina, Dr. Fletcher Nelson died. | 1:27:11 | |
Dr. Nelson was a man who loved Duke University, | 1:27:16 | |
especially Duke Divinity School. | 1:27:21 | |
A man who gave his life and his entire ministry | 1:27:24 | |
for Christ and the church. | 1:27:28 | |
I guess were it not for his efforts, | 1:27:31 | |
and of course for the efforts of many others, | 1:27:33 | |
the new Divinity School building may not be here. | 1:27:36 | |
And also the Parish Ministry Fund, | 1:27:39 | |
which has supported the education of many ministers | 1:27:42 | |
in North Carolina for the past 12 or 15 years, | 1:27:46 | |
would not have been established. | 1:27:50 | |
I am sure that your love and prayers | 1:27:52 | |
go out to the Nelson family at this time. | 1:27:53 | |
Also, I would like to urge you to make plans | 1:28:00 | |
for next Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, | 1:28:02 | |
for the premiere performance of Ian Hamilton's "Vespers." | 1:28:07 | |
The Chapel Choir and the University Chorale, | 1:28:12 | |
under the direction of Ben Smith, | 1:28:15 | |
will present that premiere performance here in the chapel. | 1:28:17 | |
There is no charge. | 1:28:21 | |
It will be a moving, rich | 1:28:22 | |
and memorable experience for all of us. | 1:28:25 | |
Many of you will remember Dr. Hamilton, | 1:28:28 | |
as he was a Duke professor here in the music department. | 1:28:30 | |
His compositions have stirred us and moved us in the past, | 1:28:36 | |
and I'm sure that this will be | 1:28:39 | |
another that will do the same. | 1:28:41 | |
Next Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, here in the chapel, | 1:28:43 | |
a premiere performance of Ian Hamilton's "Vespers." | 1:28:46 | |
The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, | 1:28:52 | |
the love of God, the communion | 1:28:56 | |
and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you, | 1:28:58 | |
and with those whom you love, this day and forever. | 1:29:04 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:29:11 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:29:18 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:29:25 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:29:32 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:29:40 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:29:54 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:30:07 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 1:30:29 |