Scott Klinger - "Where Is the Peace of Christ?" (March 1, 1981)

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	(pensive music)	0:06
	(somber music)	3:17
	♪ I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, ♪	8:48
	♪ For my soul shall exalt in my God. ♪	8:52
	♪ For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation ♪	8:57
	♪ He has covered me with the robe of righteousness! ♪	9:03
	(melodious choral round)	9:10
	(sonorous organ music)	10:18
	(choral music)	13:52
-	Grace and peace be to you this day,	14:48
	and upon the whole family of God as well.	14:51
	May God speak to us as we worship.	14:55
	May God lead us all, as we dedicate this time	14:58
	and our lives to the Lord; in the name of God, Amen.	15:02
	My brothers and sisters, Christ invites us	15:11
	to confess our sin, to receive his forgiveness,	15:14
	and to live freely and responsibly.	15:18
	Let us now begin that healing, redemptive process,	15:23
	by acknowledging that we have not lived as we could,	15:27
	and ask God to forgive us.	15:31
	Let us pray.	15:34
	Oh, God, forgive me when I think and act as though	15:45
	I myself am the creator of your creation.	15:50
	Forgive me when in my daily decisions,	15:54
	I neglect both you and my brothers and sisters	15:57
	as I place my own interests and opinions foremost.	16:02
	Forgive me when in the midst of my busy schedule,	16:07
	I fail to find time to give you thanks.	16:11
	Grant that in a renewed life, born from your spirit,	16:15
	I shall be filled with the spirit of peace, forgiveness,	16:20
	love and understanding.	16:24
	In the name of Christ, amen.	16:27
	(somber organ music)	16:31
	Our Lord, the maker and shaper of the Universe,	17:23
	has had mercy on us.	17:26
	And has heard the cries of our hearts.	17:28
	God sent Jesus, the Christ, to open the doors	17:32
	of our own daily prisons, and has promised us	17:35
	the gifts to fashion our lives in freedom and community.	17:39
	The Lord invites us to participation in a new world,	17:44
	and God bids us to link our lives together,	17:49
	to live in peace and freedom.	17:53
	We are forgiven, through Christ we are set free.	17:56
	Amen.	18:02
	Let us give thanks, for God is good,	18:04
	and God's love is everlasting.	18:07
	Thanks be to God, whose love creates us.	18:10
	Thanks be to God, whose mercy redeems us.	18:15
	Thanks be to God, whose grace leads us into the future.	18:19
	It is very good to be able to welcome so many of you,	18:26
	this morning, to this service of worship.	18:28
	I hope that your time spent in meditation,	18:32
	contemplation and song will refresh you	18:34
	and cause you to go out from this place with good courage,	18:38
	to love and serve God.	18:43
	The sermon this morning will be delivered by Scott Klinger.	18:46
	Scott is a junior student in Trinity College,	18:50
	majoring in public policy and religion.	18:54
	He is also very active in campus ministry at Duke.	18:58
	Scott worships regularly at Duke Chapel,	19:01
	and we are glad to have him share with us	19:04
	the good news of God in Christ,	19:07
	as he has come to know it and live it.	19:09
	It's especially exciting when a student from our campus	19:13
	community has been lead to share their faith	19:16
	in the many and exciting ways which Scott has been called.	19:19
	Scott, may God continue to bless your ministry,	19:25
	today and always.	19:28
	And continuing in this spirit of joy and celebration,	19:32
	I'd like to call attention to the ordination	19:35
	of miss Linda Guard, who is the United Church of Christ	19:37
	chaplain at Duke; she will be ordained into the office	19:41
	of the holy ministry this afternoon at five PM,	19:44
	at Pilgrim United Church of Christ.	19:47
	We rejoice with her upon this occasion,	19:51
	and we will remember her in prayer this morning.	19:53
	I would also like you to remember	19:57
	in your prayers Leroy Fredrick.	19:59
	Mr. Fredrick worships with us regularly at Duke Chapel,	20:03
	and we received word that he was beaten	20:07
	at the bus station Friday night.	20:10
	We ask your prayers for Mr. Fredrick,	20:12
	and we pray that God would be with him in this time.	20:15
	I'd also like to note that in the bulletin,	20:19
	you're reminded that holy communion will be celebrated,	20:21
	following the worship service today.	20:24
	Those of you who wish to partake of the sacrament	20:27
	are invited to move to the memorial chapel,	20:30
	after the service.	20:33
	The Reverend Robert Young and the Reverend Tom Davis	20:35
	will be the celebrants.	20:37
	This Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday.	20:40
	In order to help you prepare yourself for Lent,	20:45
	and to lead you through your Lenten pilgrimage,	20:47
	the worship committee and the faith in the arts committee	20:50
	of Duke Campus Ministry has prepared a Lenten booklet.	20:52
	Many of the people in the worshiping congregation,	20:57
	as well as in the Duke campus community	20:59
	have participated by sharing their thoughts	21:02
	and their meditations in this booklet.	21:04
	You may receive a copy of the booklet as you leave	21:07
	the chapel this morning.	21:10
	They are located in the narthex.	21:11
-	Let us pray.	21:22
	Blessed Lord, who has caused all holy scriptures	21:27
	to be written for our learning, grant that we may,	21:31
	in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn,	21:36
	and inwardly digest them.	21:43
	That by patience and comfort of your holy word,	21:47
	we may embrace and ever hold fast	21:51
	the blessed hope of everlasting life,	21:56
	which you have given us in our savior, Jesus Christ.	22:00
	Amen.	22:04
	The Old Testament lesson is from Jeremiah,	22:08
	chapter eight, verses one through 11.	22:12
	At that time, says the Lord, the bones of the kings	22:17
	of Judah, the bones of its princes,	22:22
	the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets,	22:26
	and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem,	22:31
	shall be brought out of their tombs.	22:34
	And they shall be spread before the sun	22:38
	and the moon and all the host of heaven,	22:40
	which they have loved and served.	22:43
	Which they have gone after, and which they have sought	22:46
	and worshiped, and they shall not be gathered or buried.	22:49
	They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground.	22:54
	Death shall be preferred to life by all the remnant	22:58
	that remains of this evil family,	23:03
	and all the places where I have driven them.	23:07
	Says the Lord of hosts.	23:10
	You shall say to them: thus says the Lord.	23:13
	When men fall, do they not rise again?	23:19
	If one turns away, does he not return?	23:24
	Why then has this people turned away	23:28
	in perpetual backsliding?	23:31
	They hold fast to deceit.	23:34
	They refuse to return.	23:38
	I have given heed and listened, by have not spoken aright.	23:41
	No man repents of his wickedness, saying: what have I done?	23:46
	Everyone turns to his own course,	23:52
	like a horse plunging headlong into battle.	23:55
	Even the stork in the heavens knows her times,	24:00
	and the turtledove, swallow, and crane	24:05
	keep the time of their coming.	24:09
	But my people know not the ordinance of the Lord.	24:12
	How can you say we are wise,	24:20
	and the law of the Lord is with us?	24:23
	But behold, the false pen of the scribes	24:26
	has made it into a lie.	24:29
	The wise men shall be put to shame.	24:32
	They shall be dismayed and taken.	24:36
	Lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord,	24:39
	and what wisdom is in them.	24:43
	Therefore, I will give their wives to the others.	24:47
	And their fields to conquerors.	24:51
	Because from the least to the greatest,	24:53
	everyone is greedy for unjust gain.	24:57
	From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.	25:01
	They have healed the wound of my people lightly.	25:07
	Saying: peace, peace.	25:13
	When there is no peace.	25:18
	Here ends the reading from the Old Testament, amen.	25:23
	(somber organ music)	25:30
	(reverberating choral music)	25:49
	Will the congregation please stand for the reading	29:14
	of the Gospel lesson.	29:17
	The Gospel lesson is from John, chapter 14,	29:24
	verses 27 through 31.	29:28
	Peace, I leave with you.	29:34
	My peace, I give to you.	29:38
	Not as the world gives do I give to you.	29:42
	Let not your hearts be troubled,	29:47
	neither let them be afraid.	29:51
	You heard me say to you, I go away,	29:54
	and I will come to you.	29:58
	If you loved me, you would have rejoiced,	30:01
	because I go to the Father.	30:05
	For the Father is greater than I,	30:08
	and now I have told you before it takes place.	30:12
	So that when it does take place, you may believe.	30:17
	I will no longer talk much with you,	30:24
	for the ruler of this world is coming.	30:28
	He has no power over me,	30:32
	but I do as the Father has commanded me,	30:36
	so that the world may know that I love the Father.	30:41
	Rise, let us go hence.	30:47
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson, amen.	30:53
	(grandiose organ music)	30:59
-	May God deny you peace, but grant you glory.	32:16
	It was these words I heard as I sat in this congregation,	32:24
	a year and a half ago.	32:27
	These words were spoken from this pulpit,	32:30
	by Dr. William Sloan Coffin.	32:34
	It was the beginning of a new academic year.	32:37
	A time of excitement, a time for change.	32:39
	And at the beginning of this year,	32:45
	Dr. Coffin addressed to the congregation	32:46
	three important questions.	32:49
	Yet more important than these questions for me,	32:53
	were the words that Dr. Coffin left with the congregation.	32:57
	May God deny you peace,	33:01
	but grant you glory.	33:04
	It seemed to me such a strange thing	33:06
	for a Christian minister to say.	33:08
	For I had always been used to a minister	33:10
	wishing me a blessing of peace.	33:12
	Why was this man wishing me denied peace?	33:15
	That question continued to weigh on my mind.	33:20
	Continued to be a source of my reflection.	33:23
	What I desire to share with you this morning are some	33:27
	of the things that have come out of that reflection.	33:30
	The words I share are addressed to you.	33:34
	But in a real sense also,	33:39
	they're addressed very much to myself.	33:42
	Peace.	33:46
	Such a common word.	33:48
	It's a greeting we share with an old friend.	33:51
	It's a closing in our letters.	33:54
	Peace is something we charge our diplomats	33:57
	and our elected officials with maintaining.	33:59
	And peace is something that we hear	34:02
	our nightly news reporters tell us about.	34:04
	Even within this worship service each Sunday,	34:09
	we are sent forth with a blessing of peace.	34:13
	But where is this peace?	34:18
	Where is there peace in a church	34:20
	that is divided of doctrinal issues,	34:23
	such as ordination and holy communion?	34:25
	Where is there peace in a church that is divided	34:29
	over social issues, such as abortion and military spending?	34:32
	Where is there peace in a world where many eat too much	34:38
	while others starve?	34:42
	Where is there peace in a society where civil rights	34:46
	are often talked about, and far less often realized?	34:48
	My friends, where is there peace in your life	34:53
	and in my life, lives that are so often cluttered	34:56
	with business and routine that we forget those	34:59
	whom we love and those who need us?	35:04
	Where is there peace?	35:08
	It seems to me that there are four ways	35:13
	that we can seek to find peace, to understand peace.	35:15
	The first is the peace that the world offers us.	35:20
	It is a peace of escape.	35:23
	The world tells us that we can run from our troubles.	35:26
	This is most evident to me as I think about	35:32
	the advertisements that daily pass before my eyes and ears.	35:34
	We hear an airline is offering us a getaway weekend.	35:39
	A beer manufacturer bids us: come to the mountains.	35:43
	And a cigarette distributor calls us to Marlboro country.	35:49
	Is there peace in the mountains?	35:54
	Is there peace in the country?	35:58
	Can we find peace by getting away?	36:01
	A second way that it seems that we often seek	36:08
	to find peace is by living in harmony	36:11
	with that which is around us.	36:14
	By not wanting to rock the boat, by not wanting to question	36:17
	those institutions which rule our lives.	36:21
	Sometimes we hear the call to peace	36:26
	as a rationale for not responding to injustice,	36:28
	and the lack of love that is around us.	36:32
	This reluctance to speak leads to complacency.	36:36
	For if we seek to live at peace	36:42
	with all that is around us, are we really	36:44
	any different from the people of Jeremiah's day?	36:47
	Who called that which was peace-less, peaceful?	36:51
	We must remember the words of Jeremiah when he said:	36:55
	you cry peace, peace, when there is no peace.	36:59
	The third way that we can seek to find peace	37:05
	is a model which I have termed: the lone warrior.	37:09
	The lone warrior is that individual	37:13
	who has his or her act together.	37:15
	They have all the answers.	37:19
	They have arrived.	37:22
	They may have a vision, a vision of the kingdom of God.	37:24
	But they have nothing to support that faith.	37:29
	When their faith comes in conflict with the world,	37:34
	it can lead to frustration.	37:39
	Frustration can, in turn, lead to doubt.	37:42
	And doubt to loss of hope.	37:45
	My friends, then where is there peace?	37:50
	Is there hope that we can have peace?	37:52
	I offer to you one way in which I find	37:56
	great peace in my life,	38:00
	and that is through the blessing of the community.	38:03
	For if we remember scripture, we see that throughout	38:07
	scripture, God gives his blessing, his promise,	38:10
	to individuals, but for the sake of their communities.	38:14
	God's promise was given to Abraham and to Sarah,	38:20
	that from them the descendants of the nation of Israel	38:24
	would come, but the promise was not given for Abraham	38:27
	and Sarah, but for the nation of Israel.	38:31
	And so it was with Jeremiah.	38:37
	God promised Jeremiah that he would speak through his lips,	38:40
	but God did not do this to edify or to glorify Jeremiah.	38:45
	No, he gave his promise to Jeremiah that the people	38:49
	of Israel might turn from their erroneous ways.	38:54
	The promised peace of Christ provides us strength,	39:00
	as individuals, precisely because we have others	39:03
	to encourage and support us.	39:07
	Yet, when I speak of community, what is it that I speak of?	39:13
	Certainly, in one sense I speak of the worldwide community,	39:18
	the people that live across the sea, across this country.	39:22
	Across the city.	39:26
	Across our streets and dorms.	39:29
	But in a very real sense, before we can begin	39:32
	to recognize our interdependence on those across the seas,	39:34
	we must first come to realize our relationship	39:39
	to those who are in community with us in daily life.	39:43
	Those whom we work with, those whom we study with.	39:47
	Those whom we play with.	39:51
	Those who we worship with.	39:54
	And along with the recognition of the importance of others,	39:59
	we also realize a responsibility to one another.	40:03
	A responsibility to recall God's action in history,	40:08
	in the history of scripture, in the history of Israel,	40:12
	in the history of Christ, and the action of God	40:16
	in the history of your life and my life.	40:21
	But we must do even more than that.	40:27
	We must recall to one another the promised future	40:28
	that Christ offers us.	40:31
	A promised future that is not yet.	40:35
	A promised future that stands	40:38
	in contradiction to our present reality.	40:40
	And we must remind one another that there is a difference	40:44
	between wishing for and hoping for that future.	40:47
	I recently had the opportunity, for the second time,	40:55
	to view a movie that is becoming one of my favorites.	40:59
	There's a movie called: Excuse Me, America.	41:02
	And it is the story of one man's struggle to love	41:06
	against the conflict of hate in Brazil.	41:13
	That man is Archbishop Dom Helder Camara.	41:18
	And the movie is more than the story of one man,	41:22
	and this is best realized in one	41:25
	of Archbishop Helder Camara's closing words in that movie.	41:28
	When he reveals the importance of community,	41:33
	not only to his own life, but to the life of the world.	41:36
	For Camara says: when we dream alone,	41:41
	it is only a dream.	41:48
	But when we dream together,	41:51
	it is the beginning of reality.	41:55
	We can have peace,	42:00
	because Christ promises us peace.	42:03
	The peace of Christ is a promise.	42:08
	It is not a peace of escape, but a peace of conquest.	42:11
	It is not a peace of complacency and passivity,	42:18
	but a peace of compassion and of active love.	42:23
	It is not a peace that sets out alone.	42:28
	But a peace that seeks to share with, and encourage others.	42:32
	I experience the peace of Christ in my life,	42:40
	in the scriptures,	42:45
	in the poor, the oppressed, and the lonely.	42:48
	As I look out upon this congregation and choir,	42:56
	I see faces of old friends.	43:00
	I find the peace of Christ in you.	43:06
	And as I continue to look out on this congregation,	43:12
	I see faces that I have never met before.	43:15
	New faces, and these offer me hope.	43:18
	For you, too, are members of my community.	43:23
	And I find the peace of Christ in each of you, also.	43:26
	Indeed, I find the peace of Christ in all of creation.	43:31
	Each Sunday,	43:39
	we confess our hope in the promise of Christ.	43:42
	As we repeat the affirmation of faith,	43:46
	we claim that God is with us, that we are not alone.	43:49
	God is not dead.	43:56
	God offers us liberation, redemption,	43:59
	new life.	44:05
	And hope.	44:09
	If we look at the Gospel lesson from this morning	44:13
	for a moment, we find Christ sitting in the upper room	44:15
	with his disciples, men who he loved very much	44:19
	and who loved him, and it was after the last supper,	44:22
	and I imagine the scene to be something	44:28
	of a family-type setting, in which they were visiting,	44:29
	and enjoying one another.	44:33
	Perhaps, they realized, for the last time.	44:35
	Everything was just right in that room.	44:40
	And Christ said these words to his disciples:	44:44
	peace, I leave with you.	44:47
	My peace, I give to you.	44:51
	Not as the world gives, do I give to you.	44:53
	Let not your hearts be troubled; be not afraid.	44:58
	Christ spoke these words to men he knew	45:05
	were about to be persecuted.	45:08
	They were about to be persecuted for questioning	45:11
	the injustice they saw around them.	45:14
	They were about to be persecuted for loving those	45:17
	who society told them were unlovable.	45:20
	And yet Christ did not give his disciples a material peace.	45:25
	He did not offer them a sword or a shield.	45:29
	He offered them something much stronger.	45:33
	To Christ, peace never did mean the absence of trouble.	45:40
	And when he told his disciples not to be afraid,	45:47
	it was not because everything would be fine and dandy.	45:50
	But rather that they should not be afraid to question	45:55
	and to love, for they would know that they had a community,	45:58
	and in that community, they had Christ with them,	46:03
	and behind them.	46:06
	And so it is with us here today.	46:10
	As we sit in this awesome, inspiring building,	46:12
	where every note of the organ is played so beautifully	46:17
	and just right, where the choir sings glorious hymns,	46:20
	where every word of the prayers are in place.	46:27
	We sit here as family.	46:32
	We sit here not threatened.	46:34
	Yet we sit here with the promise of Christ.	46:38
	The promise, though, does not take its full effect,	46:40
	until we leave here, begin to love, begin to question.	46:43
	The promise of Christ does not have its full effect	46:51
	until it is road-tested.	46:54
	We must accept our relationship	47:01
	and responsibility towards one another.	47:04
	Last night, as I prepared for this sermon,	47:09
	I was quite nervous.	47:13
	For I wasn't sure what would go on,	47:16
	how the congregation would respond.	47:18
	If my words would be there,	47:20
	if God's words would be there through me.	47:22
	I was uncertain.	47:26
	And a friend reminded me to listen to the words	47:28
	that I had spoken to him.	47:31
	And he said: it's okay not to be at peace.	47:34
	It's okay not to be sure.	47:39
	And he's right, for we are called to walk by faith,	47:43
	and to walk by hope.	47:46
	We as individuals and we as a community	47:50
	must accept the peace that Christ offers us,	47:52
	and be willing to walk by that faith.	47:56
	We must accept the promise of justice that Christ offers	48:00
	to us, and we must begin to live in faith right now.	48:02
	I was frustrated several times this summer,	48:10
	as I worked on an Indian reservation in North Dakota.	48:13
	And heard the ministers of the largest mission church	48:16
	on that reservation offer hope to suffering people by	48:18
	telling them that things would be better in the next life.	48:23
	That may be so, but I do not feel that we can ignore the	48:29
	implications of our faith in the world that is before us.	48:32
	For Christ's peace allows us to love in a peace-less world.	48:38
	For Christ loved in a peace-less world.	48:43
	His cross stands on the peace-less hill of Calvary.	48:47
	Reminding us that the way isn't easy.	48:51
	Christ did not come to heaven.	48:56
	He came to Earth, to live where there was death.	48:59
	To love where there was hate.	49:05
	To accept where there was prejudice.	49:10
	To forgive where there was sin.	49:14
	To heal where there was sickness.	49:18
	And to make whole that which was incomplete.	49:22
	We are given an internal promise,	49:31
	a peace offered from Christ.	49:34
	We are given faith in that which Christ has promised,	49:38
	so that we do not need to live apart from injustice,	49:42
	prejudice, and uncaring, even as they exist in your life	49:45
	and in my life, and on this campus, and in our workplaces.	49:49
	But we can begin to confront and expose these	49:55
	peace-less situations, confident in our identities	49:58
	as children of God, in a family of one another.	50:02
	We are called to a new life.	50:08
	We are called not to oppress,	50:12
	but to live with those who are oppressed.	50:15
	My friends, claim Christ's peace,	50:20
	a peace that is independent from the world,	50:23
	a peace that no one can take from you, or from me.	50:26
	Recognize the gift of peace in those around you.	50:32
	Here and throughout our days.	50:37
	In our worshiping community, there are a couple	50:42
	of ways that we are involved in Christ's peace.	50:45
	Through the sacrament of baptism,	50:48
	and the sacrament of holy communion,	50:50
	which we will have the opportunity to share	50:52
	after this service today, we hear again and again	50:54
	Christ's voice saying to each of us: you are mine.	50:58
	And each week and perhaps more often than that,	51:05
	as we pray the Lord's Prayer, we say: thy kingdom come,	51:08
	thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.	51:14
	If we believe this prayer that we pray, then we do	51:20
	have hope that Christ's promised kingdom is coming.	51:23
	But these things will not come about unless brought about	51:29
	through our yielding to God.	51:32
	You and I are a part of this kingdom, here and now.	51:36
	It is my prayer that we would live with this hope,	51:43
	and that we would not allow	51:47
	one another to become complacent.	51:49
	The German theologian Jurgen Moltmann writes in his book,	51:55
	The Theology of Hope, words that offer us comfort	52:00
	and at the same time, call us not to live in comfort.	52:06
	Moltmann writes: faith,	52:12
	wherever it develops into hope,	52:17
	causes not rest, but unrest.	52:21
	Not patience,	52:28
	but impatience.	52:31
	It does not calm the unquiet heart,	52:35
	but is itself this unquiet heart in us.	52:38
	Those who hope in Christ can no longer put up	52:44
	with reality as it is, but begin to suffer under it.	52:48
	To contradict it.	52:54
	Peace with God means conflict with the world.	52:57
	For the driving impulse of the promised future stabs	53:05
	inexorably into the flesh of every unfulfilled present.	53:07
	Yes, as Reverend William Sloan Coffin hoped	53:16
	a year and a half ago, I too pray for us this day,	53:20
	that God would deny us peace	53:26
	until we know the glory	53:30
	of his perfect kingdom.	53:32
	Amen.	53:36
	I invite you now to recognize the peace of Christ	53:40
	in those around you.	53:44
	To recognize that those that surround us in daily life	53:48
	are important to us.	53:53
	Let us share a word and sign of Christ's peace	53:57
	with our neighbors, in this worshiping community.	54:01
	Let us now rise and remain standing throughout the hymn,	54:06
	and exchange a greeting with one another.	54:10
	(muttering)	54:14
	(pensive hymnal music)	54:47
	(reverberating choral hymn)	55:12
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	57:10
	We believe in God who has created and is created.	57:14
	Who has come in the truly human Jesus,	57:20
	to reconcile and make new,	57:23
	who works in us and others by the spirit.	57:26
	We trust God, who calls us to be the church.	57:30
	To celebrate life and its fullness.	57:35
	To love and serve others.	57:38
	To seek justice and resist evil.	57:41
	To proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,	57:45
	our judge and our hope.	57:49
	In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.	57:52
	We are not alone.	57:59
	Thanks be to God.	58:01
	The Lord be with you.	58:03
	(muttering)	58:05
	Let us pray.	58:07
	Hear our prayer for your church, oh God.	58:19
	Help your body, the church,	58:22
	to be your arm of deliverance in the world.	58:24
	Forgive us for our criticism and lack of support.	58:28
	Help us rather to be a resource to the church,	58:33
	and active members of the kingdom,	58:36
	working to make her a living body, saved first by your son.	58:39
	God and creator of us all, we praise you	58:46
	for your infinite love in calling us to be a holy people,	58:49
	in the kingdom of your son, Jesus our Lord,	58:53
	We thank you that he has poured his gifts abundantly	58:57
	upon your people, making some apostles, some prophets,	59:00
	some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,	59:05
	to equip the saints for the work of ministry,	59:09
	and the building up of the body.	59:11
	Fill your servant, Linda Guard, who is to be ordained	59:15
	into the holy ministry today, with grace and power.	59:18
	May she exalt you in the midst of your people.	59:23
	Boldly proclaim the gospel of salvation,	59:27
	and administer the sacraments of the New Covenant.	59:30
	Make her a faithful pastor, a patient teacher,	59:35
	and a wise counselor.	59:38
	Grant that in all things she may serve you,	59:41
	so that your people may be strengthened.	59:44
	And your name glorified in all the world.	59:47
	Blessed Jesus, remind us also to continually be responsible	59:51
	to the call to make disciples of all nations,	59:57
	so that in every country of the world,	1:00:00
	there may be people who work so diligently for justice	1:00:02
	and peace that the nations may live in fellowship	1:00:05
	with one another to the glory of your name.	1:00:09
	We pray that governments, national and world agencies	1:00:13
	may treat the world's people as a family.	1:00:16
	In which each member cares for and affirms the other.	1:00:20
	And we pray that all who yearn and struggle	1:00:25
	for human liberation, especially our sisters	1:00:27
	and brothers in Latin America,	1:00:30
	might know the gift of freedom.	1:00:33
	God of love, who has always required that we be just,	1:00:37
	open our eyes to the injustice throughout the world.	1:00:42
	Give us the courage to examine our habits	1:00:48
	of consumption critically, and retrain ourselves	1:00:50
	in the light of broader human needs.	1:00:54
	Teach us to share our bounty so others may live, may eat.	1:00:57
	Help us to rejoice in whatever situations we find ourselves,	1:01:03
	without luxury.	1:01:07
	Enable us, enable the richer nations,	1:01:11
	to find ways to share their resources	1:01:14
	with nations and peoples in need.	1:01:17
	Hear our pleas for help, oh Lord,	1:01:21
	for the demands upon us grow daily.	1:01:24
	All kinds of commitments weigh us down,	1:01:28
	and we don't have enough time to get our work done.	1:01:31
	Give us strength to be productive and joyful.	1:01:35
	Help us face our problems and our lack of peace honestly,	1:01:39
	carrying our responsibilities to the end, with your help.	1:01:43
	Be with those who need your love,	1:01:48
	especially those in this community who lack human contact,	1:01:50
	who have been rejected in their search	1:01:55
	for abiding friendships.	1:01:57
	Let them find in us persons who care,	1:02:00
	and will receive them as Christ received us all.	1:02:03
	Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you,	1:02:09
	so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations,	1:02:13
	so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours.	1:02:17
	Totally dedicated to you, and then use us as you would,	1:02:22
	always to the glory and welfare of your people.	1:02:27
	These prayers and intercessions we bring before you, Lord,	1:02:32
	trusting in your mercy and asking them,	1:02:36
	in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,	1:02:39
	who lives and reigns with you in eternity,	1:02:42
	amen.	1:02:46
	Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.	1:02:49
	Thy kingdom come, they will be done,	1:02:55
	on Earth as it is in heaven.	1:02:59
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:03:02
	and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those	1:03:05
	who trespass against us.	1:03:09
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	1:03:12
	For thine is the kingdom and the power	1:03:17
	and the glory forever.	1:03:19
	Amen.	1:03:23
	(organ music)	1:03:28
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:05:25
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:05:28
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:05:31
	♪ To hear some sinner pray ♪	1:05:34
	(overlapping choral singing)	1:05:38
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:06:15
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:06:18
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:06:21
	♪ To hear some sinner pray ♪	1:06:24
	(overlapping choral singing)	1:06:27
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:07:04
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:07:07
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:07:10
	♪ To hear some sinner ♪	1:07:19
	♪ Pray ♪	1:07:24
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:07:31
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:07:33
	♪ King Jesus is a-listening, all day long ♪	1:07:36
	♪ All day long ♪	1:07:40
	♪ All day long ♪	1:07:41
	♪ To hear some sinner ♪	1:07:47
	♪ Pray ♪	1:07:52
	♪ To hear some sinner, ♪	1:07:57
	♪ Pray (vocalizing) ♪	1:08:04
	(dramatic organ music)	1:08:20
	(reverberating hymn)	1:08:49
-	Gracious God, you have delivered both the fruits	1:09:48
	of the Earth's bounty and the victims of its scarcity	1:09:52
	into our care; we give you a portion	1:09:55
	of what you have entrusted to us.	1:09:59
	Use what we offer for peace and reconciliation	1:10:02
	in a world that hurts and hungers for healing.	1:10:06
	Bless us as we return what you have first given us	1:10:10
	and move us to serve others in the name of Christ,	1:10:14
	who offered himself for us.	1:10:17
	Amen.	1:10:21
	(dramatic organ music)	1:10:23
	(reverberating hymn)	1:14:05
	Go now, in the spirit of love and peace	1:14:54
	and minister to all whom you meet.	1:14:57
	You are free to go, empowered by the Holy Spirit,	1:15:01
	the sustainer, to share the good news	1:15:05
	of love and liberation.	1:15:08
	Go with Christ's peace.	1:15:11
	Love all people, and serve the Lord.	1:15:13
	♪ Amen ♪	1:15:20
	♪ Amen ♪	1:15:30
	(overlapping choral singing)	1:15:40
	(uptempo organ music)	1:16:39
	(congregation murmuring)	1:20:18

Item Info

Title:

Scott Klinger - "Where Is the Peace of Christ?" (March 1, 1981)

Description:

There are several ways in which people seek peace in this life that will only lead them to further despair. God's peace is only found in community, community with the world and in the church. When we receive Christ's peace in community, we are strengthened to love in a loveless world. Yet, this is not your typical peace, because peace with God means conflict with the world. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 32:16. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 53:38.
Key quotation: “The peace of Christ is a promise. It is not a peace of escape but a peace of conquest. It is not a peace of complacency and passivity but a peace of compassion and of active love. It is not a peace that sets out alone but a peace that seeks to share with and encourage others.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4x922042

Date:

March 1, 1981

Speaker:

Klinger, Scott

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1142
ref7500_jyq
uachapelsermaud
duke:320781
dcrau002019
ark:/87924/r4x922042
f18ed1be-d38f-456e-98c7-caea1fbd9da7

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

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This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Scott Klinger - "Where Is the Peace of Christ?" (March 1, 1981)

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