Robert T. Young - "A Faith to Face the World" (May 24, 1981)

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	(lively organ music)	0:10
	(choir singing)	8:43
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:02
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	9:08
	(lively organ music)	9:16
-	We welcome you to the worship of God	13:34
	and the celebration of the resurrection	13:37
	of his son	13:39
	in this fifth Sunday of Easter Tide.	13:41
	We hope that your participation	13:44
	in worship at Duke chapel will enliven your mind,	13:47
	increase your faith	13:51
	and enliven your love for God	13:54
	so that you may be his good	13:57
	and faithful servant.	14:01
	Hear this call to the confession of our sin.	14:04
	Render your hearts and not your garments,	14:10
	return to the Lord your God	14:15
	for he is gracious	14:17
	and merciful, slow to anger,	14:19
	and abounding in steadfast love.	14:22
	You may be seated.	14:27
	Almighty God, you have lifted up our Lord Jesus	14:38
	from death into life eternal	14:42
	and set him over people and nations.	14:45
	We confess that we have not bowed before him	14:49
	or acknowledged his rule in our lives.	14:52
	We have gone along with the way of the world	14:56
	and been careless of fellow human beings.	15:00
	Forgive us, oh God	15:04
	and lift us out of sin,	15:06
	make us people who live to praise you	15:09
	and who obey the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ	15:12
	who is king of the world	15:17
	and head of the church.	15:19
	Hear these words of assurance.	15:38
	The Lord is near who all who call upon him,	15:41
	to all who call upon him in truth.	15:45
	He fulfills the desire of all who fear him,	15:50
	he also hears their cry	15:54
	and saves them.	15:57
	Let us give thanks	16:02
	for God is good and God's love is everlasting.	16:04
-	Thanks be to God whose love creates us.	16:09
	Thanks be to God whose mercy redeems us.	16:13
	Thanks be to God whose grace leads us into the future.	16:18
-	Let us pray.	16:31
	Oh Lord our God,	16:33
	who by the entrance of your word gives light	16:35
	unto the soul.	16:37
	Pour down upon us the spirit of wisdom and understanding	16:39
	that being taught by you in holy scripture,	16:43
	we may receive with faith the words	16:46
	of eternal life	16:49
	and be made wise unto salvation.	16:50
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	16:53
	The epistle lessons are from Acts chapter 17,	16:58
	verses 22 through 31	17:02
	and from I Peter chapter three verses eight through 22.	17:05
	"So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus said,	17:11
	"men of Athens, I perceive that in every way	17:16
	"you are very religious	17:19
	"for as I passed along and observed the objects	17:21
	"of your worship,	17:24
	"I found also an altar	17:26
	"with this inscription.	17:27
	"To an unknown god.	17:29
	"What therefore you worship is unknown,	17:32
	"this I proclaim to you,	17:34
	"the God who made the world	17:37
	"and everything in it,	17:39
	"being Lord of Heaven and Earth	17:41
	"does not live in shrines made by man	17:43
	"nor is he served by human hands	17:46
	"as though he needed anything since he himself gives	17:48
	"to all men life and breath and everything.	17:52
	"And he made from one every nation of men	17:56
	"to live in all the face of the Earth	18:00
	"having determined allotted periods	18:02
	"and boundaries of their habitation,	18:05
	"that they should seek God	18:07
	"in the hope that they might feel after him	18:09
	"and find him.	18:12
	"Yet he is not far from each one of us	18:14
	"for in him we live and move and have our being.	18:17
	"As even some of your poets have said	18:23
	"for we are indeed his offspring.	18:25
	"Being then God's offspring,	18:29
	"we ought not to think that the deity is like gold	18:31
	"or silver or stone,	18:35
	"a representation by the art and imagination of man.	18:37
	"The times of ignorance God overlooked	18:41
	"but now he commands all men everywhere	18:44
	"to repent because he has fixed today	18:47
	"on which he will judge the world in righteousness	18:50
	"by a man whom he has appointed	18:53
	"and of this he has given assurance to all men	18:56
	"by raising him from the dead."	19:00
	I Peter three, eight through 22.	19:04
	"Finally, all of you,	19:09
	"have unity or spirit,	19:11
	"sympathy, love of a brethren,	19:13
	"a tender heart and a humble mind.	19:16
	"Do not return evil for evil,	19:20
	"or reviling for reviling	19:22
	"but on the contrary, bless	19:25
	"for to this you have been called	19:27
	"that you may obtain a blessing.	19:29
	"For he that would love life and seek good days,	19:32
	"let him keep his tongue from evil	19:36
	"and his lips from speaking guile.	19:38
	"Let him turn away from evil and do right.	19:41
	"Let him seek peace and pursue it	19:44
	"for the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous	19:47
	"and his ears are open to their prayer	19:51
	"but the face of the Lord is against those that do evil.	19:54
	"Now, who is there to harm you	20:00
	"if you are zealous for what is right?	20:01
	"But even if you do suffer for righteousness' sake,	20:04
	"you will be blessed.	20:07
	"Have no fear of them nor be troubled	20:09
	"but in your hearts, reverence Christ as Lord.	20:12
	"Always be prepared to make a defense	20:17
	"to anyone who calls you to account	20:20
	"for the hope that is in you	20:22
	"yet do it with gentleness and reference.	20:25
	"And keep your conscience clear	20:28
	"so that when you are abused,	20:31
	"those who revile your good behavior in Christ	20:33
	"may be put to shame	20:36
	"for it is better to suffer for doing right	20:38
	"if that should be God's will	20:41
	"than for doing wrong.	20:43
	"For Christ also died for sins once for all,	20:46
	"the righteous for the unrighteous,	20:49
	"that he might bring us to God	20:51
	"being put to death in the flesh	20:54
	"but made alive in the spirit	20:55
	"in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison	20:58
	"who formally did not obey	21:01
	"when God's patience waited in the days of Noah	21:02
	"during the building of the ark	21:05
	"in which a few, that is eight persons,	21:06
	"were saved through water.	21:09
	"Baptism, which corresponds to this now saves you,	21:11
	"not as a removal of dirt from the body	21:16
	"but as an appeal to Christ	21:18
	"for a clear conscience,	21:20
	"through the resurrection of Jesus Christ	21:22
	"who has gone into Heaven and is at the right hand of God	21:25
	"with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him."	21:29
	Herein ends the reading from the epistle lesson.	21:35
	Amen.	21:37
	(lively organ music)	21:46
	(soloist singing)	21:54
-	Will the congregation please stand	25:24
	for the reading of the Gospel lesson.	25:25
	The Gospel lesson is from John,	25:32
	chapter 14, verses 15 through 21.	25:34
	"If you love me, you will keep my commandments	25:40
	"and I will pray the Father	25:44
	"and he will give you another counselor	25:46
	"to be with you forever,	25:48
	"even the Spirit of Truth	25:51
	"whom the world cannot receive	25:53
	"because it neither sees him, nor knows him.	25:54
	"You know him for he dwells with you	25:59
	"and will be in you.	26:02
	"I will not leave you desolate,	26:05
	"I will come to you.	26:07
	"Yet a little while and the world will see me no more	26:09
	"but you will see me.	26:13
	"Because I live, you will live also.	26:16
	"In that day, you will know that I am in my Father	26:20
	"and you in me and I in you.	26:24
	"He who has my commandments	26:28
	"and keeps them, he it is who loves me	26:30
	"and he who loves me	26:34
	"will be loved by my father and I will love him	26:36
	"and manifest myself to him."	26:41
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson.	26:44
	Amen.	26:47
	(lively organ music)	26:49
	(congregation singing)	26:56
-	Let us pray.	27:54
	Take now, oh Lord, our thoughts.	27:58
	Make them your thoughts.	28:02
	Take now our words and make them your words.	28:06
	Take now our ways and make them your ways	28:11
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	28:15
	Amen.	28:19
	The sermon this morning	28:22
	is what some would call a political sermon.	28:24
	If so, it is not intended to be partisan	28:31
	or for or against any party or candidate.	28:37
	As I have prepared this sermon	28:43
	and have reflected upon its content,	28:45
	I know there are some who will agree	28:47
	and some who will disagree	28:50
	with what is said	28:51
	and I hope we have that right	28:54
	within the Christian community.	28:55
	My prayer, however, is that you will see it	28:58
	as integral to and interpretive of	29:01
	our Gospel lesson for today.	29:05
	I came across a prayer recently	29:09
	that has some lines in it	29:11
	that express beautifully what I feel our needs	29:13
	and longings are today.	29:18
	The prayer goes like this.	29:20
	Dear Lord, help me to live this day quietly,	29:22
	easily, to lean upon thy great strength trustfully,	29:28
	restfully, to wait for the unfolding	29:33
	of thy will patiently, serenely.	29:37
	To meet others peacefully, joyfully.	29:41
	To face tomorrow confidently, courageously	29:46
	To face tomorrow confidently, courageously	29:49
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	29:53
	To face tomorrow confidently, courageously.	29:57
	That I believe is the faith we need	30:04
	to face the world today.	30:06
	In Christopher Fry's play, "The Dark is Light Enough,"	30:12
	he describes one of his characters in a manner	30:17
	that fits almost perfectly the mood	30:20
	and the actions of many of us today.	30:22
	He says that Ruben,	30:25
	one in the play who is always struggling to know what to do	30:27
	and what to say,	30:31
	reminds him of the man who rushes	30:33
	to the water's edge at the side of a beautiful lake,	30:36
	undresses himself and readies himself	30:39
	to take the plunge into the water	30:41
	but then stands there shivering on the edge of the bank,	30:44
	unable to jump in and yet unwilling	30:48
	to dress himself and be on his way again.	30:50
	And so Ruben simply stands at the edge of the water,	30:54
	undressed, unwilling to take the plunge	30:58
	and yet unable also to put his clothes on	31:01
	and be about life again.	31:04
	How often do I feel that many of us prepare ourselves	31:08
	to take the plunge	31:12
	into some great venture in life,	31:13
	to ready ourselves in every way that we possibly can,	31:15
	to rush headlong and noisily and actively forward	31:18
	to the edge of life	31:21
	and then stand right on the very brink of it,	31:23
	shivering and waiting, unsure and uncertain	31:25
	and unafraid to take the plunge	31:28
	and yet unwilling to dress ourselves	31:31
	and be on our way again.	31:33
	Harry Emerson Fosdick's immortal hymn,	31:37
	"God of Grace and God of Glory,"	31:40
	written at the very depth of the time	31:42
	of the Great Depression	31:44
	and at the time of the dedication of	31:46
	Riverside Church in New York City,	31:48
	expresses well our needs and desires for this day.	31:50
	"God of grace and God of glory,	31:53
	"on thy people pour thy power,	31:55
	"crown thine ancient church's story,	31:58
	"bring her bud to glorious flower.	32:01
	"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage	32:04
	"for the facing of this hour.	32:06
	"Lo, the hosts of evil round us,	32:10
	"scorn thy Christ, assail his ways,	32:13
	"fears and doubts too long have bound us;	32:17
	"free our hearts to work and praise.	32:20
	"Grant us wisdom, grant us courage	32:24
	"for the living of these days,	32:27
	"for the living of these days."	32:29
	What an appropriate word for the church of this our day.	32:33
	What a word which we desperately need	32:36
	in a time when we need a faith	32:40
	that can help us to face the world.	32:41
	Recently, I saw what I think is a parable	32:46
	of the contemporary church.	32:50
	I was driving along Highway 64,	32:53
	just west of Asheboro, and saw a church	32:56
	with a big, big sign out in front of it	33:00
	and the sign had the words on it,	33:02
	naming the name of the church,	33:06
	and the name of the church was Solid Rock Baptist Church.	33:08
	Slowing down to look closely,	33:15
	I could see very well where the name	33:18
	of this church had come from.	33:20
	It had not come from Peter, the solid rock	33:22
	in the New Testament.	33:24
	But there's a great, big, solid granite rock protruding up	33:26
	from the Earth just beside the entrance	33:31
	to the church grounds.	33:34
	So I slowed down to look closely,	33:36
	and quickly observed	33:39
	that old, solid rock	33:41
	is not quite as solid as solid rock once was.	33:45
	For in an attempt to make the rock into a garden area,	33:51
	and to beautify old solid rock,	33:55
	the members of the church had planted a young tree	33:58
	just beside solid rock	34:01
	and they had planted some shrubs on one side of it	34:03
	and they had put some dirt on top of it	34:06
	and had planted flowers on a portion of it	34:08
	and they had covered parts of it with green, green moss.	34:11
	All of this had had been done quite recently, it seemed,	34:15
	and yet, very quickly, solid rock	34:19
	had begun to crack	34:23
	and peel off sections and layers as the church tried	34:25
	to make pretty and soft and attractive	34:29
	what really was intended to be hard and solid and enduring.	34:33
	A faith to help you and me face the world	34:39
	need not necessarily be pretty and attractive to endure.	34:42
	It must, however, be solid	34:47
	and able to stand the heat of the day	34:48
	and the storms of the night.	34:51
	Dr. Charles Rice, formally of the Divinity School faculty	34:55
	and staff and now professor of homiletics	34:58
	at Drew University,	35:00
	describes in a writing of his a confirmation service	35:04
	in which he accompanied Archbishop Selby Taylor,	35:08
	the Anglican bishop in Cape Town, South Africa.	35:13
	As bishop, Archbishop Taylor confirmed some	35:17
	one hundred or more young boys and girls	35:20
	into the Anglican Church.	35:24
	"One by one," he says, "they came	35:26
	"and knelt and the Archbishop repeated	35:28
	"for each on as he cupped each small head	35:30
	"in his large and gentle hands	35:34
	"and said those words,	35:35
	"'Defend, oh Lord, your servant with your heavenly grace,	35:37
	"'that she or he may continue yours forever	35:41
	"'and daily increase in your holy ways	35:45
	"'more and more until she or he comes	35:49
	"'to your everlasting kingdom.'"	35:53
	Charles says that the archbishop treated each one	35:57
	as if this were absolutely the most important moment	35:59
	in that child's life at that time	36:04
	or any other time yet to come.	36:06
	So that when all of them had been confirmed,	36:10
	he gathered all of them around him	36:12
	at the steps of the chancel	36:14
	and he spoke to them.	36:17
	And Dr. Rice says that he spoke	36:20
	in the tone of someone	36:22
	who sees out of the window a storm approaching,	36:25
	who wishes neither to frighten the people around him,	36:29
	nor to hide from them what is coming.	36:34
	The essence of his words was this.	36:38
	"It will be very hard	36:42
	"for you to keep, in South Africa,	36:44
	"the promises which you have made to God	36:47
	"to be at all times and in all places a loving person--	36:49
	"but that is what I call on you, nevertheless,	36:54
	"to be and to do," he said.	36:56
	"And I know, and I promise you,	36:58
	"in the name of Christ,	37:01
	"that as you try to be a Christian in a hard land,	37:03
	"God will help you.	37:06
	"You will not find it easy to be a Christian in this land	37:09
	"but I promise you, my friends,	37:12
	"God will help you."	37:15
	And as I read those words,	37:19
	I was reminded of some words	37:20
	that sounded very familiar to those	37:22
	as they were spoken in another setting	37:24
	at another time.	37:27
	"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.	37:28
	"And I will pray to the Father	37:31
	"and he will give you another counselor	37:33
	"to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth	37:35
	"whom the world cannot receive	37:39
	"because it neither sees him nor knows him--	37:41
	"but you know him, for he dwells with you	37:43
	"and he will be in you."	37:46
	And then, my friends, I am convinced that Jesus knew	37:49
	that it would be tough and hard	37:52
	and so he said,	37:54
	"I will not leave you desolate.	37:55
	"I will come to you."	38:02
	I think we must always give Jesus	38:09
	an "A double-double-plus"	38:12
	for his efforts in trying as hard as he very,	38:15
	very hard as he could	38:19
	to prepare his followers	38:21
	for what they must face.	38:22
	He never pulled any punches	38:24
	about what he would have to endure,	38:26
	nor about what they would have to go through,	38:27
	and maybe even some of us	38:30
	would have to go through.	38:31
	He was always trying to warn them,	38:33
	advise them, alert them, prepare them	38:35
	for what was going to happen.	38:38
	Jesus showed us how to live	38:40
	by a life given totally in obedience to God,	38:44
	how to live lovingly, faithfully	38:47
	and authentically as God's son.	38:50
	Jesus taught us how to live	38:52
	by words that were true,	38:55
	filled with meaning and applicable	39:00
	to a life of integrity, and honesty and dignity.	39:02
	Jesus is, I believe, the one teacher	39:06
	and example in all of history	39:09
	where we can do either what he did	39:12
	or what he said.	39:14
	We can live the life that Jesus lived	39:17
	or we can live the life that Jesus taught.	39:20
	And in either case, the deepest, enduring experiences	39:23
	of life will be ours.	39:27
	He lived, he taught	39:29
	but then when he went away,	39:31
	he left them, and he left us, not alone.	39:32
	He sent the Counselor, the Comforter, the Sustainer,	39:36
	the Spirit of Truth.	39:39
	"This Spirit dwells with you," he said.	39:40
	In that sense, the preposition means	39:43
	that this Spirit is with us,	39:45
	it dwells beside us and among us.	39:47
	This Spirit will be in you,	39:50
	this means I believe that it will be right	39:52
	in the very depths of our soul.	39:54
	This Spirit will be with you forever.	39:56
	There is both a now-dimension to this Spirit,	40:02
	the Spirit of Truth is here and now beside us and in us.	40:05
	There is also an open-ended dimension	40:09
	to this Spirit.	40:11
	This Spirit is ours forever and ever and ever.	40:12
	How much better prepared could Christ have made	40:17
	his early disciples	40:20
	or how much better prepared could he have us?	40:22
	How much more do we want	40:25
	to live in a world with a faith	40:27
	that can face the world,	40:29
	this world, right now.	40:31
	This whole section of the Gospel of John	40:33
	from chapter 13 through chapter 17,	40:36
	describing in Jesus's words and in John's words,	40:39
	the Last Supper,	40:42
	focuses on words and ways that are to have eternal	40:43
	and ultimate meaning	40:47
	for the first disciples and for the church.	40:49
	Jesus knew that the end was near,	40:53
	that his time had come	40:56
	and he wanted to leave his beloved friends	40:57
	and his followers in the best possible shape	40:58
	for the days which lay ahead.	41:01
	These, then, are some of Jesus' last words,	41:07
	his parting words, his preparation words,	41:11
	his pastoral letter, if you will.	41:14
	Spoken friend to friend, beloved to beloved.	41:17
	This is his legacy to us,	41:21
	his gift, his remembrance of us.	41:22
	This is his way of telling us,	41:25
	"Here's what I'm going to do for you.	41:27
	"Believe me.	41:29
	"Trust me.	41:31
	"Love me	41:34
	as I love you,	41:35
	"as God loves us.	41:38
	"Trust me.	41:41
	"Believe in me."	41:42
	Here's the faith, the promise, the hope	41:48
	that Jesus gives.	41:51
	So my friends, this morning,	41:53
	I want for you and for myself,	41:55
	a faith that is like the faith	41:57
	that Jesus offered us.	41:59
	Indeed, I don't want a faith that is like that,	42:02
	I want that faith for you and for me.	42:05
	I believe that Jesus did give us,	42:13
	and gives us today, a faith	42:16
	to face the world, a faith that is real.	42:18
	A faith that lives in a real world,	42:22
	a faith that deals with real issues	42:25
	and that offers real hope.	42:27
	And this faith that is real,	42:32
	that lives in a real world	42:34
	and that deals with real issues,	42:36
	the faith that Jesus offers,	42:38
	I believe is different from the faith	42:41
	that I see offered by many in the name of the church	42:43
	and in the name of religion today.	42:47
	And so I wanna say just a few words now	42:50
	about a very strong, active,	42:54
	energetic, influential	42:57
	religious movement of our day:	43:00
	the Moral Majority.	43:03
	The Moral Majority, I believe,	43:07
	is a religious movement.	43:09
	It began and gathered strength	43:11
	in the conservative churches.	43:13
	It is nourished and fed	43:16
	and draws its lifeblood	43:18
	from the churches and from Christian church members	43:21
	of our day.	43:24
	My concern about the Moral Majority,	43:28
	which in my opinion, may well be neither moral,	43:30
	at least as I understand the meaning of the word "moral,"	43:34
	nor may it represent a majority.	43:39
	As a matter of fact,	43:42
	it seems to me that is a rather arrogant	43:44
	and presumptuous term	43:47
	to arrogate to oneself.	43:49
	But my concern about the Moral Majority	43:53
	is not that it may neither be moral	43:56
	nor represent a majority,	43:59
	my concern is not just that I disagree	44:01
	with many of their positions	44:04
	and find these positions incompatible	44:06
	with the teachings of our Lord,	44:08
	which I most certainly do,	44:10
	but my concern is other and is two-fold.	44:13
	Namely this:	44:16
	One, I think it is a movement that is religious	44:17
	and yet it denies that designation.	44:21
	It claims to be political, which it is;	44:25
	it is also religious	44:28
	and I think it needs to be, indeed it must be,	44:31
	identified and seen as such.	44:34
	Second, and most importantly,	44:40
	I think the Moral Majority movement advocates	44:42
	an approach to life, an attitude to life,	44:46
	a detachment from life	44:50
	that either seeks to negate life	44:53
	or seeks to escape life, or both.	44:56
	or seeks to escape life, or both.	44:59
	The main thrust of what I hear from the Moral Majority	45:02
	and from those preachers and politicians	45:05
	who purport to speak for it,	45:07
	wants to deny the reality of the world	45:10
	and the issues in which and with which you and I must live.	45:12
	They suggest that we either escape	45:18
	or deny or act negative toward	45:20
	the real issues of our day.	45:23
	Let me suggest some examples.	45:28
	I believe that now is not the time	45:34
	to abandon the question of abortion.	45:37
	It is certainly not the time	45:41
	to put a statement about abortion or about the time	45:43
	of the conception of life into the Constitution	45:46
	of the United States.	45:48
	It is not the time simply to deny	45:51
	that there are situations	45:53
	and that there are women	45:54
	to whom we must entrust freedom	45:57
	and responsibility for life choices which are theirs.	46:00
	What does the moral majority want to do about abortion?	46:05
	Simply do away with it.	46:09
	I believe that now is not the time	46:15
	to abandon the causes of education	46:17
	and to wipe out aid to millions of deserving	46:20
	young men and women in college, as is on the way.	46:24
	Nor to do away with thousands of teaching positions	46:28
	that have helped to remold and remake education	46:31
	for children with special needs and special abilities.	46:33
	What does the moral majority want to do	46:39
	with the aspirations of the needy?	46:41
	Some would suggest that we simply ignore them.	46:44
	I believe that now is not the time	46:49
	to abandon the causes of the elderly	46:51
	on Social Security or the needy on Medicare or Medicaid.	46:54
	Not the time to abandon those who are hurting	46:59
	and are deserving simply to sweeten our	47:02
	middle- and upper-middle- class bank accounts	47:05
	with a 10% per year tax cut	47:08
	for the next three years.	47:11
	What does the moral majority want to do	47:15
	with the needs of the poor	47:17
	and the elderly?	47:19
	Some would have us simply reject them.	47:21
	Now is not the time to abandon	47:26
	our efforts for peace	47:28
	in this world and in this time,	47:31
	nor to forsake efforts	47:34
	to gain arms control,	47:35
	nor is it the time, I believe,	47:38
	for us to spend $70 billion on an M-X missile system	47:39
	which no state in the far West seems	47:44
	to want to have located within its borders	47:48
	and even the best of military experts	47:51
	are not sure will quote, "protect us."	47:54
	What do some in the moral majority want us to do	47:59
	with our enemies?	48:02
	Arm ourselves to the teeth	48:05
	and be prepared to destroy them.	48:07
	And possibly, in the process, destroy ourselves.	48:12
	Now, I believe, is not the time to abandon the desire	48:18
	for constitutionally guaranteed equal rights for women	48:21
	in this country	48:24
	on the pretext, which we all hear,	48:26
	that women have equal rights already.	48:29
	Well, if they do have equal rights already,	48:31
	why not go ahead and put it in the Constitution	48:34
	as some want?	48:37
	But what does the moral majority want to do	48:40
	with the rights of over one-half	48:42
	the population of this country?	48:44
	Deny them.	48:47
	Very simply put,	48:50
	I believe that the moral majority	48:52
	is not offering us help	48:55
	with a faith to face the world.	48:58
	But I believe it is suggesting	49:01
	that we either negate the world	49:03
	or escape from the world.	49:06
	Withdraw, or stick our heads in the sand, ostrich-like,	49:10
	and then hope that our difficult situations	49:14
	will go away.	49:16
	My friends, we do not need a faith	49:18
	that in any such way at all	49:20
	is an escape or a negation or a withdrawal	49:22
	or a rejection of the world.	49:25
	What we need, I believe,	49:27
	is a world that can live right	49:29
	in the midst of the agony and the turmoil	49:31
	and the confusion and the complexity of this world,	49:33
	"Can live right in the midst	49:36
	"of the powers of darkness brim"	49:38
	as the hymn writer puts it,	49:40
	and can triumph over those powers.	49:41
	John writes, "For God so loved the world	49:49
	"that he sent his son."	49:54
	Jesus said, "Go ye, into the all the world."	49:58
	Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation	50:02
	"but be of good cheer.	50:05
	"Be in the world," he said, "but not of the world."	50:08
	"Be not conformed to the world," Paul writes,	50:11
	"but be transformed."	50:13
	And Jesus warned his early followers and us,	50:16
	"Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves	50:20
	"as you move in the world."	50:25
	I don't see or read anything in the life	50:27
	of Jesus, my friend	50:30
	that tells us to withdraw from the world	50:32
	but to be actively and energetically involved	50:35
	in the midst of it,	50:38
	and to face head on the most crucial human issues	50:40
	that this world, at any time,	50:44
	confronts us with.	50:46
	A faith to face the world	50:49
	is a faith not that escapes the world, nor negates it	50:51
	but that is in the world	50:56
	that lives in the real world	50:57
	and faces real issues	50:59
	and offers real hope.	51:00
	This faith, if we read this passage in the Gospel lesson	51:03
	for today correctly,	51:06
	is a faith that can face the future based	51:08
	on faith in Christ and based on obedience to Christ	51:11
	rather than on popularity or political expediency.	51:16
	It is very simple in its requirement as Jesus put it.	51:22
	He said, "If you love me,	51:25
	"you will keep my commandments."	51:28
	It's really very simple.	51:30
	To love Christ and keep the commandments of Christ,	51:34
	then I believe that we must know the word of God.	51:36
	We must stay close to Christ.	51:41
	We must walk in the way of Christ.	51:44
	We must have in us the Spirit of Christ.	51:46
	We must live out the love of Christ	51:50
	with courage, with compassion	51:54
	and with conviction	51:57
	and if we have this faith	51:59
	which can face the world,	52:01
	and if we live in this world obediently and faithfully,	52:02
	and if we love Christ and keep his commandments,	52:05
	then the promises are ours.	52:08
	Listen to the promises again will you?	52:12
	"I will not leave you desolate.	52:17
	"I will come to you.	52:21
	"Because I live, you will live also.	52:24
	"This Spirit dwells with you,	52:30
	"this Spirit will be in you	52:33
	"and this Spirit will be yours forever."	52:36
	And so whatever the world or the future may hold,	52:41
	we in the church I think can identify	52:46
	with one of the Wizard of Id comic strips recently.	52:50
	One character plots across a sandy hill	52:55
	with a placard in big, bold letters,	52:57
	"The end is near."	53:01
	Another fellow comes along bearing a placard proclaiming,	53:06
	"The beginning is near."	53:10
	And the little old king leans over to his bodyguard	53:14
	and whispers to him,	53:16
	"Boy, this must be some parade."	53:18
	Well, whether the end is near to the beginning is near,	53:24
	you and I as children of God	53:29
	and as followers of Jesus Christ	53:32
	have the privilege, the responsibility	53:35
	and the joy of participating in some parade.	53:38
	Amen.	53:47
	Our hymn, rather than the one noted in the bulletin,	53:49
	is to be hymn number 153,	53:54
	"God of Love and God of Power."	53:56
	Words appropriate, I believe	54:00
	for all of us to sing this day.	54:01
	Will you stand as we sing Hymn number 153.	54:04
	(lively music)	54:09
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	56:57
-	We believe in God	57:01
	who has created and is creating,	57:03
	who has come in the truly human Jesus	57:06
	to reconcile and make new,	57:09
	who works in us and others by the Spirit.	57:12
	We trust God who calls us to be the church,	57:16
	to celebrate life	57:20
	and its fullness.	57:22
	To love and serve others.	57:24
	To seek justice and resist evil.	57:26
	To proclaim Jesus crucified	57:29
	and risen, our judge and our hope.	57:32
	In life, in death, in life beyond death,	57:36
	God is with us.	57:40
	We are not alone.	57:43
	Thanks be to God.	57:45
-	The Lord be with you.	57:47
	(congregation mumbling)	57:49
	Let us pray.	57:50
	Oh God our Father,	58:06
	because of your faithfulness to all of us,	58:09
	your children, and because of your good grace	58:11
	to give to all to us more	58:15
	than we can ask or think,	58:17
	this morning we are so bold as to ask for faith.	58:21
	We know that all things are thine,	58:28
	that you set the stars in their courses	58:31
	and watch the birds of the air.	58:34
	Help us to see that the disorder in the world	58:37
	and the uncertainty in our lives begins	58:41
	with our own faithlessness,	58:45
	that our search for certainty	58:48
	is a confession of our lack of trust in you.	58:51
	We believe, Lord.	58:56
	Help our unbelief.	58:59
	We pray for the infirm,	59:03
	all those who suffer the anguish	59:07
	and anxiety of illness.	59:09
	That they may trust that all things work together for good	59:12
	to those who love you	59:16
	and that they may have faith to face the uncertainty	59:18
	of their futures.	59:22
	We remember especially before you,	59:25
	those who are dear to us,	59:28
	whom we name here in silence.	59:30
	We pray for those who grieve	59:38
	in the face of death.	59:41
	Give them the gift of sustaining faith	59:43
	to face their world of loss and loneliness.	59:47
	We pray for Pope John Paul II.	59:53
	We give you thanks for his life,	59:58
	his faith, his ministry, his mission.	1:00:01
	We pray that we might be as quick	1:00:06
	to forgive the sinner as he.	1:00:09
	We pray for the Roman church	1:00:12
	and for your church universal	1:00:16
	that in a world of discord and destruction,	1:00:18
	she might find her unification in faithfulness	1:00:22
	to her one Lord	1:00:25
	and steadfastness to her one mission	1:00:27
	in and to the world.	1:00:31
	We pray for your children of Ireland	1:00:37
	who grow up throwing rocks in the streets of war	1:00:41
	and we pray for grownups	1:00:46
	who cannot put away childish things.	1:00:49
	Throughout our world, we wage the wars for certainty.	1:00:54
	Help us to see that the only certainty of war	1:00:59
	is destruction and death.	1:01:02
	Give us faith to make peace,	1:01:06
	to turn swords to plowshares,	1:01:10
	to transform hatred by the works of love.	1:01:14
	We pray for the poor	1:01:21
	that we would be the sustainers of their faith	1:01:24
	and their life.	1:01:27
	Continually remind us that they were your closest friends	1:01:30
	in your ministry	1:01:34
	and are the companions of your kingdom.	1:01:36
	Give to us the faith	1:01:40
	to face the poor	1:01:43
	and to trust you to meet our needs	1:01:45
	as we give to others according to your command.	1:01:49
	As faith without works is dead,	1:01:54
	may the poor see our lively faith	1:01:58
	by our loving works.	1:02:02
	We pray for a true faith	1:02:07
	which faces the world as your world,	1:02:10
	which faces your world	1:02:14
	because we continually seek your face.	1:02:16
	Give to us a faith empowered by love,	1:02:21
	enlivened by courage	1:02:25
	and enlightened by wisdom	1:02:29
	so that we may ever pray faithfully the prayer	1:02:33
	of our faithful Lord.	1:02:37
-	Our father, who art in Heaven,	1:02:40
	hallowed be thy name.	1:02:43
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	1:02:46
	on Earth as it in Heaven.	1:02:49
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:02:52
	and forgive our trespasses	1:02:55
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	1:02:58
	and lead us not into temptation	1:03:01
	but deliver us from evil	1:03:04
	for thine is the kingdom,	1:03:07
	and the power and the glory forever.	1:03:09
-	Amen.	1:03:13
	(tranquil organ music)	1:03:17
	(choir singing)	1:03:54
	(tranquil organ music)	1:07:07
	♪ Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow ♪	1:08:50
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	1:08:56
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:09:02
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	1:09:10
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:09:16
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:09:22
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	1:09:29
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:09:35
	♪ Amen ♪	1:09:43
-	Almighty God, our heavenly Father,	1:09:55
	who has not spared thine own son	1:09:59
	but delivered him up for us all	1:10:01
	and who with him has freely given us all things.	1:10:04
	Receive these offerings which we bring and dedicate to thee	1:10:08
	and enable us, with all our gifts,	1:10:13
	so to yield ourselves to thee	1:10:16
	that with body, soul and spirit,	1:10:20
	we may truly and freely serve thee	1:10:23
	and in thy service find our deepest joy	1:10:28
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	1:10:33
	Amen.	1:10:36
	(lively organ music)	1:10:39
	(congregation singing)	1:11:15
	Almighty God, who brought again from the dead	1:13:50
	our Lord Jesus Christ	1:13:53
	with everlasting victory over sin and death,	1:13:55
	grant you the power to rise	1:14:00
	in newness of life with him	1:14:03
	that you may overcome the world	1:14:06
	with the victory of faith	1:14:08
	and have part at last	1:14:11
	in the resurrection of the just	1:14:14
	through the grace of his son.	1:14:17
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:28
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:35
	(lively organ music)	1:14:49

Item Info

Title:

Robert T. Young - "A Faith to Face the World" (May 24, 1981)

Description:

Sermon start time: 27:54. Sermon end time: 54:07.
Young expresses that faith is not always easy, and Jesus never says that it will be. We must rely on our faith to address the problems in the world and not hide from them. As an example and conclusion, criticizes the "Moral Majority" for hiding from problems rather than facing them with faith. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "A faith to face the world is a faith - not that escapes the world nor negates the world - but that is in the world, that lives in the real world, deals with real issues, and offers real hope."

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4ws8j15k

Date:

May 24, 1981

Speaker:

Young, Robert T., 1935-2009

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Duke University. Chapel

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UA.17.01.0003 RR-1159
ref7534_bsr
uachapelsermaud
duke:321161
dcrau002036
ark:/87924/r4ws8j15k
4a1ef7a9-6b94-43d6-b506-23f3408ea7f0

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Robert T. Young - "A Faith to Face the World" (May 24, 1981)

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