Charles H. Mercer - "What Is the Cost" (June 21, 1981)

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	(pipe organ music)	0:07
	(pipe organ music)	2:35
	(pipe organ music)	5:16
	♪ Now we praise him ♪	8:02
	♪ Heaven above ♪	8:05
	♪ Praise him indeed for his great love ♪	8:08
	♪ Wherein all creatures live and move ♪	8:15
	♪ Alleluia ♪	8:21
	♪ Alleluia ♪	8:24
	♪ Alleluia ♪	8:28
	(pipe organ music)	8:34
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	9:11
	♪ Lord God Almighty ♪	9:15
	♪ Early in the morning ♪	9:20
	♪ Our song shall rise to thee ♪	9:24
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	9:29
	♪ Merciful and mighty ♪	9:34
	♪ God in three persons ♪	9:39
	♪ Blessed Trinity ♪	9:44
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	9:51
	♪ All the saints adore thee ♪	9:56
	♪ Casting down their golden crowns ♪	10:01
	♪ Around the glassy sea ♪	10:05
	♪ Cherubim and seraphim ♪	10:11
	♪ Falling down before thee ♪	10:15
	♪ Which wert and art ♪	10:20
	♪ And evermore shalt be ♪	10:24
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	10:32
	♪ Though the darkness hide thee ♪	10:37
	♪ Though the eye of sinful man ♪	10:42
	♪ Thy glory may not see ♪	10:46
	♪ Only thou art holy ♪	10:52
	♪ There is none beside thee ♪	10:57
	♪ Perfect in power ♪	11:02
	♪ In love and purity ♪	11:06
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	11:14
	♪ Lord God Almighty ♪	11:19
	♪ All thy works shall praise thy name ♪	11:25
	♪ In earth and sky and sea ♪	11:29
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	11:35
	♪ Merciful and mighty ♪	11:39
	♪ God in three persons ♪	11:45
	♪ Blessed Trinity ♪	11:50
	♪ Amen ♪	11:56
-	Grace to you and peace from God our Creator	12:11
	and the Lord Jesus Christ.	12:15
	We welcome you to Duke University Chapel service of worship	12:17
	this second Sunday of Pentecost.	12:22
	We are glad that you have come to be with us	12:25
	and we pray that your spirits will be enriched	12:28
	in this hour together.	12:31
	So that we may prepare ourselves	12:36
	in heart and mind for worship,	12:38
	let us now confess our sins against God	12:41
	and against our neighbor.	12:45
	Let us pray.	12:47
-	Almighty God, your presence prompts us	13:00
	to confession.	13:03
	We are not embarrassed to be in the world	13:05
	for it is your good gift to us.	13:08
	But we are ashamed of the ways we let ourselves	13:11
	be molded by the faithfulness of our time.	13:14
	We have looked upon evil, and in siding with it,	13:19
	our vision has become blurred.	13:23
	Touch our eyes.	13:25
	We have sensed misery and despair	13:27
	and in turning away, our hearts have become hard.	13:31
	Melt our hearts.	13:35
	We have heard cries for help,	13:37
	and in stopping our ears, have become deaf to you, too.	13:40
	Open our ears.	13:45
	We have known when a word could have witnessed	13:47
	and encouraged, and our silence has made us dumb.	13:50
	Loose our tongues.	13:54
	We have made fists to strike with	13:57
	from hands meant for benediction.	14:00
	Forgive our violence.	14:03
	Beholding you through Jesus Christ prompts us	14:05
	to cast ourselves upon your mercy,	14:09
	that in the Spirit's power, we may be your people	14:12
	this day and always.	14:16
-	Wait for the Lord.	14:44
	Be strong and let your heart take courage.	14:46
	Yea, wait for the Lord.	14:49
	Amen.	14:52
	Let us give thanks for God is good	14:55
	and God's love is everlasting.	14:58
-	Thanks be to God whose love creates us.	15:01
	Thanks be to God whose mercy redeems us.	15:06
	Thanks be to God whose grace leads us into the future.	15:10
-	We are very pleased today to have as our guest preacher	15:18
	the Reverend Dr. Charles H. Mercer,	15:22
	District Superintendent of the Durham District,	15:25
	the United Methodist Church.	15:29
	Charles has been in ministry with us here	15:31
	at the university on many occasions.	15:34
	We welcome him as a colleague and as a community minister.	15:37
	He has served a number of churches	15:43
	in the North Carolina conference,	15:45
	has had a very active presence and voice, a prophetic voice	15:48
	in denominational and civic committees and boards.	15:53
	He has twice served the United Methodist Church	15:57
	as a district superintendent,	16:01
	coming to the Durham district in 1973.	16:03
	We are pleased to have Dr. Mercer with us today	16:08
	and we look forward to the message	16:12
	that he will proclaim for us by the spoken word.	16:14
-	Let us pray.	16:30
	Fulfill now, O Lord, we pray you, your gracious promise	16:34
	that your Word shall not return to you empty,	16:39
	but shall accomplish that which you purpose	16:43
	and prosper toward the end for which you have sent it,	16:46
	for your name's sake, amen.	16:51
	The Epistle lesson this morning is from Romans chapter two,	16:56
	verses 3 through 11.	17:01
	"Do you suppose, O man, that when you judge	17:06
	"those who do such things and yet do them yourself,	17:10
	"you will escape the judgment of God?	17:15
	"Or do you presume upon the riches of his kindness	17:19
	"and forbearance and patience?	17:24
	"Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you	17:28
	"to repentance?	17:33
	"But by your hard and impenitent heart,	17:36
	"you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath	17:39
	"when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.	17:44
	"For he will render to every man according to his works,	17:49
	"to those who by patience in well-doing	17:54
	"seek for glory and honor and immortality,	17:58
	"he will give eternal life.	18:03
	"But for those who are factious and do not obey the truth,	18:06
	"but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.	18:11
	"There will be tribulation and distress	18:18
	"for every human being who does evil,	18:21
	"the Jew first and also the Greek,	18:25
	"but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good,	18:30
	"the Jew first and also the Greek.	18:38
	"For God shows no partiality."	18:43
	Herein is the reading from the Epistle lesson, amen.	18:50
	(pipe organ music)	19:09
	♪ O Holy Spirit, Lord of grace ♪	19:21
	♪ Eternal source of love ♪	19:28
	♪ Inflame, we pray, our inmost hearts ♪	19:35
	♪ With fire from heaven above ♪	19:43
	♪ As thou dost join in holiest hearts ♪	19:51
	♪ The Father and the Son ♪	19:59
	♪ So fill us all ♪	20:04
	♪ So fill us all ♪	20:07
	♪ With mutual love ♪	20:11
	♪ With mutual love ♪	20:14
	♪ Fill our hearts with mutual love ♪	20:17
	♪ Fill our hearts with mutual love ♪	20:18
	♪ And knit our hearts in one ♪	20:21
-	Will the congregation please stand for the reading	20:39
	of the Gospel?	20:41
	The Gospel lesson is from Matthew chapter 16,	20:48
	verses 24 through 28.	20:53
	"Then Jesus told his disciples,	20:57
	"'If any man would come after me, let him deny himself	21:01
	"and take up his cross and follow me.	21:06
	"For whoever would save his life will lose it,	21:11
	and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.	21:16
	"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world	21:22
	"and forfeits his life?	21:28
	"Or what shall a man give in return for his life?	21:32
	"For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels	21:38
	"in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay	21:41
	"every man for what he has done.	21:45
	"Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here	21:49
	"who will not taste death	21:56
	"before the Son of Man comes in his kingdom.'"	21:58
	Here ends the reading from the Gospel lesson, amen.	22:04
	(pipe organ music)	22:09
	♪ Glory be to God Redeemer ♪	22:17
	(muffled choral music)	22:23
	♪ Glory be to Christ the Savior ♪	22:30
	(muffled choral music)	22:37
-	I, too, greet you in the name of Christ.	23:15
	As I notice the dress style of many of you,	23:20
	I observe that you have better judgment, I think,	23:25
	than your ministers, at least in that arena.	23:29
	On television, they tell me that	23:35
	during the summertime,	23:39
	they often have reruns.	23:42
	I'm at least glad in the Duke chapel,	23:45
	that practice is reversed	23:49
	and that you don't have the reruns in the summer.	23:51
	I'm delighted to be here.	23:54
	As you were told, I am a district superintendent	23:58
	and I must tell you at least one little story	24:01
	that didn't happen to me,	24:06
	but I'm told it did happen to one district superintendent	24:07
	who was scheduled to be at a little country church	24:11
	one Sunday morning.	24:14
	He arrived and was seated in the pulpit	24:16
	with the young pastor of the church	24:19
	and noticed that the congregation was very poor,	24:21
	whereupon he whispered to the young pastor and said,	24:24
	"Did you tell the people	24:28
	"I was going to be here this morning?"	24:29
	The pastor replied,	24:31
	"No, but they found out about it anyway."	24:33
	I'm glad that you're here	24:37
	and I'm delighted to be here also.	24:40
	Our subject is, "What is the cost?"	24:45
	and I want to introduce it with a personal confession.	24:50
	Though my wife and I agree on most issues	24:56
	related to family living,	25:01
	our likes and our dislikes are sharply focused	25:03
	at two points.	25:07
	The first is concerning all those	25:10
	ball games on television.	25:13
	She really dislikes them.	25:16
	Though I'm not the typical all-American outdoorsman,	25:19
	I do watch my share of those games on television.	25:23
	My wife tries to be tolerant.	25:27
	In fact, she's not as bad as one wife,	25:31
	who came in and her husband was glued to a ball game.	25:34
	She tried to talk to him	25:40
	and he responded with incoherent grunts,	25:43
	and in disgust, she walked out of the house, saying,	25:49
	"I'm going to my mother's."	25:53
	She arrived at her parents home to find her father,	25:56
	watching the same ball game,	26:00
	and after she asked the question the third time,	26:03
	"Where is mother?"	26:06
	he interrupted long enough to say, "She's gone to mother's."	26:08
	The second issue is shopping.	26:14
	My wife loves to shop and I know I dislike shopping	26:18
	more than she dislikes ball games.	26:23
	But occasionally, we do go shopping together.	26:26
	Of course, being married as long as we have,	26:30
	I know her habits and her style.	26:33
	There is something special she wants.	26:37
	In time, she finds the item she likes.	26:40
	She will look at others,	26:45
	but she always returns to that special one.	26:46
	At this point, I know I must get prepared.	26:51
	So I look carefully at this item,	26:55
	giving special attention to the price tag.	26:59
	Then comes the question,	27:03
	"Dear, which of these do you prefer?"	27:05
	The price tag causes me to be prejudiced.	27:10
	You understand that I am interested	27:14
	in what it's going to cost.	27:18
	Do you ever consider the cost?	27:21
	It is a factor in many decisions.	27:25
	I even read in the newspaper	27:28
	that it sometimes becomes an issue	27:30
	in the purchase of permits for an altar.	27:33
	The question, "What will it cost?" compels us to consider	27:38
	what we are getting as well as what we are giving.	27:44
	Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian	27:50
	whose works are known to many of you.	27:54
	He opposed Hitler	27:58
	and was put in the German concentration camp	27:59
	during World War II.	28:02
	In 1945, just before Germany surrendered, he was executed.	28:04
	His writings have had great influence.	28:10
	In one of his books entitled The Cost of Discipleship,	28:13
	he speaks of cheap grace and costly grace.	28:17
	Cheap grace, he says, is the deadly enemy of the church.	28:22
	What does he mean?	28:27
	Let me just suggest in my own words a few things.	28:29
	Cheap grace is grace which is made too easy.	28:34
	It is grace without price.	28:40
	It is without cost.	28:43
	Christ paid the price and all can have it for nothing.	28:45
	How many times have you heard that?	28:50
	It is grace only as a doctrine, a principle, a system.	28:53
	If you can say the right Scripture verses	28:59
	or know the correct doctrine, you have grace.	29:01
	This is cheap grace because it accounts	29:06
	to a denial	29:10
	of the living Word of God, in effect a denial	29:11
	of the incarnation of the Word of God.	29:16
	Costly grace is love, God's love.	29:19
	To know about God's love may be of significance,	29:24
	but to know God's love, that is to experience it,	29:29
	is essential.	29:33
	Cheap grace is going to church without worshiping.	29:35
	It is putting an offering or a gift in the offering plate	29:40
	without putting your life on the altar.	29:44
	It is saying our Father without any intention	29:47
	of including certain people as our brothers or sisters.	29:52
	These people may be different in lifestyle, dress style,	29:56
	or color style.	30:01
	In fact, if we looked up from prayer and saw them	30:02
	in our congregation, we would be unhappy,	30:07
	and the incarnate Christ might not be reflected	30:11
	in our thoughts.	30:15
	I agree with Bonhoeffer when he said,	30:17
	"The only man who has the right to say	30:20
	"he is justified by grace alone	30:23
	is the man who has left all	30:26
	"to follow Christ."	30:29
	Discipleship is the life which springs from grace.	30:31
	Jesus made very clear the fact that if anyone chooses	30:36
	to follow him, that is to be his disciple,	30:41
	it will cost,	30:46
	and he must be willing to pay the price.	30:47
	Said he, "If any man would come after me,	30:50
	"he must deny himself, take up his cross,	30:54
	and follow me."	30:59
	First, he said, we must deny ourselves.	31:01
	We are like Peter in the courtyard	31:06
	the night Jesus was taken into custody.	31:09
	He had to deny self or deny Christ.	31:13
	The pressure was too great and he denied Christ.	31:18
	You and I have the same choice.	31:23
	We disregard ourselves or we disregard Christ.	31:26
	The great struggle is to determine if our life will be	31:31
	self-centered or God-centered.	31:35
	One theologian described the basic conflict	31:39
	in a rather simple manner.	31:43
	Man's situation is much like a group of people	31:45
	gathered around a campfire at night.	31:50
	They turn their backs to the fire	31:54
	and as you can imagine, they see their shadows.	31:57
	Not understanding the shadows, they are frightened	32:02
	and begin to move.	32:06
	the more they move, the more those shadows move,	32:08
	so they become more and more frantic.	32:11
	The solution is to turn to the light,	32:14
	which, of course, represents for us the light of Christ.	32:18
	Being self-centered, it is difficult for us	32:22
	to turn to Christ, which means for us self-surrender.	32:25
	A Western rancher, newly arrived from the East,	32:31
	noticed trout in the stream which flowed through his farm.	32:37
	He was not only new,	32:43
	but also ignorant of the nature of fish.	32:44
	He hit upon the idea of placing fine mesh wire	32:48
	across the stream at both	32:52
	the upper and the lower property lines.	32:55
	He just wanted to be sure to have his fish and his fishing.	32:58
	Since trout go upstream to spawn,	33:03
	none could enter from below.	33:07
	Also, none could escape upstream	33:10
	to increase the trout population.	33:13
	So his fish became fewer and fewer in number.	33:16
	We go on building our fences that we may know	33:22
	the comfort and security of those	33:26
	who are good and righteous like we are.	33:30
	Yes, we will pay or pray for those out yonder,	33:33
	but our fences are adequate to keep them out	33:39
	so we won't have the unpleasant experience	33:42
	of really becoming involved.	33:45
	A poor family on welfare with several small children	33:49
	got the attention of a church member.	33:54
	It was indeed a pathetic and tragic situation.	33:58
	In time, the children began to attend the church	34:02
	of which I was pastor.	34:07
	A fine and lovely lady,	34:10
	in fact, the vice president of United Methodist Women,	34:12
	came to my office early one Monday morning and said,	34:16
	"Mr. Mercer, don't you think those children	34:20
	"would be more comfortable in that little town	34:24
	"on the north side,	34:27
	"in that little church on the north side of town?"	34:28
	My answer was,	34:32
	"I think the children are very comfortable here.	34:34
	"Would you be more comfortable if those children attended	34:37
	"that little church on the north side of town?"	34:41
	She was a fine Christian woman and got the implication	34:45
	and became a great supporter of those little children.	34:50
	The denial, the disregard,	34:54
	the leaving of self behind has a purpose.	34:57
	It is like the purpose of the merchant,	35:01
	who found the pearl of great price	35:04
	and went promptly and sold his entire stock of pearls	35:07
	to buy it.	35:12
	It is like the man who found the hidden treasure in a field	35:13
	and with great excitement, he sold all that he owned	35:17
	in order to buy that field.	35:21
	The cost of discipleship is the disregarding of self.	35:24
	The price is paid that Christ may live in us,	35:29
	and that his will be done through us.	35:33
	Now a second factor and a second part of the cost,	35:37
	if you will, we could say the second installment,	35:43
	is taking up our cross.	35:46
	At this point, we need to clarify	35:50
	our concept of our cross.	35:53
	Jesus said take up your cross.	35:56
	He didn't say to you and me at this point,	36:00
	take up my cross, but take up your cross.	36:04
	A very devout man	36:10
	was incapacitated	36:14
	with a severe arthritic condition.	36:16
	At times, the pain seemed unbearable.	36:20
	One day he said to me, "I don't understand why God	36:23
	"has put this cross upon me."	36:27
	This is not the concept of a cross,	36:31
	as projected by Jesus when he said take up your cross.	36:34
	We may be conscripted to carry a burden,	36:42
	but we must volunteer to carry a cross.	36:46
	Surely we know God will support	36:51
	and sustain the man burdened with arthritis,	36:55
	but he did not volunteer to carry it,	36:59
	so it could not be his cross.	37:03
	Jeremiah was one of the most exciting of the prophets.	37:07
	His call as described in the first chapter	37:12
	of the book which bears his name was very clear	37:16
	and his response exacting.	37:22
	But his prophecy wasn't pleasing to the leaders of his day	37:26
	and got him in a great deal of trouble.	37:31
	On one occasion, the Lord told him to go out	37:34
	to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom,	37:38
	and gather with him some people	37:42
	and to take a potter's earthen vessel.	37:45
	And then he said,	37:49
	"Proclaim what I tell you to say."	37:51
	And then God told him to say,	37:55
	"I am bringing such evil upon this place	37:58
	"that the ears of everyone who hears it will tangle."	38:02
	And then he continues to prophecy slaughter and famine	38:07
	and the most horrible things you can imagine.	38:12
	In fact, it's so horrible	38:15
	that it makes me shudder even to read it in Scripture.	38:18
	And then Jeremiah broke the flask in the presence	38:23
	of those men and said, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts,	38:28
	"so will I break the people in this city	38:33
	"as one breaks a potter's vessel."	38:37
	Then you remember Jeremiah went back to the temple	38:40
	and there he continued to prophecy	38:45
	the destruction of Judea.	38:48
	Pashhur, who was the chief officer in the temple,	38:51
	beat Jeremiah and had him put in the stocks.	38:56
	In anguish, Jeremiah cried out,	39:00
	"Why did I come forth from the womb to see toil and sorrow	39:05
	"and spend my days in shame?"	39:09
	However, he was faithful to his calling	39:13
	and a loyal disciple.	39:18
	In the Christian perspective, this was his cross.	39:21
	He responded to God's calling without counting the cost	39:26
	though it was great.	39:31
	On Friday, one of our daily newspapers carried the story	39:33
	of an event which happened in Chicago.	39:39
	A young 18-year-old girl was waiting for her sister	39:43
	when a young man, a person she knew, came along	39:48
	with his friend.	39:52
	They invited her to go with them and she responded.	39:53
	They went into the hall of an apartment house	39:58
	and then the person she knew said,	40:01
	"If you don't submit to us, my friend here will kill you,	40:04
	"and he is a killer."	40:10
	In fright, the young girl began to run up the hall	40:12
	and beat upon the doors of that apartment.	40:16
	Finally, one door opened and a woman stood there,	40:19
	and the young girl, in fright, said,	40:24
	"Two people are trying to rape me."	40:26
	Whereupon the woman closed the door in her face	40:29
	and the girl was raped.	40:33
	It is our cross and we don't have to carry it.	40:36
	We can close the door, but God help us.	40:40
	The final cost of discipleship as described by Jesus	40:46
	and our text is to follow me.	40:51
	In the beginning of his ministry	40:55
	as he walked by the Sea of Galilee one day,	40:57
	Jesus saw Peter and Andrew and said, "Follow me."	41:00
	Immediately, they left what they were doing	41:05
	and followed him.	41:08
	As disciples, you and I are called to follow the trail	41:10
	our Lord has pioneered.	41:14
	This requires us to know his path,	41:17
	to become acquainted with his teachings,	41:20
	to examine our attitudes in the light of his love.	41:23
	When Lord Macaulay went to India	41:27
	as an official of the British government,	41:30
	he had never seen paganism.	41:33
	The sight made a difference in what had been	41:36
	his narrow churchmanship.	41:40
	He was shocked.	41:43
	He asked, "What is the use of talking about closed communion	41:44
	"to a man who has been in the habit of worshiping a cow?"	41:49
	We must beware lest we become sidetracked	41:55
	on a dead end trail of little significance	41:59
	and miss completely the main line	42:03
	of great Christian concern.	42:06
	To follow Christ is costly grace,	42:08
	made possible by his love,	42:12
	which claims us and redeems us.	42:14
	Some time ago, my daughter was given a bedroom suit	42:18
	which belonged to her great, great grandmother.	42:23
	It had been stored for years.	42:28
	Old paint had peeled, showing yet older paint.	42:31
	Recently, that furniture has been refinished	42:36
	and it is truly beautiful.	42:40
	God's grace can change a life,	42:43
	which on the surface appears to be worthless,	42:47
	and he can make the life beautiful.	42:50
	That love is available for each of us,	42:54
	but to receive it in the end is costly.	42:57
	If we are to be disciples of Christ,	43:02
	we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses,	43:05
	and follow him.	43:10
	Let's do it now.	43:12
	And if you had been struggling to do it,	43:15
	let's do it now with more zeal and enthusiasm	43:18
	and God be praised, amen.	43:22
	(pipe organ music)	43:35
	♪ Take up thy cross, the Savior said ♪	44:04
	♪ If thou wouldst my disciple be ♪	44:11
	♪ Deny thyself, the world forsake ♪	44:19
	♪ And humbly follow after me ♪	44:27
	♪ Take up thy cross ♪	44:38
	♪ Let not its weight ♪	44:41
	♪ Fill thy weak spirit with alarm ♪	44:45
	♪ His strength shall bear thy spirit up ♪	44:53
	♪ And brace thy heart ♪	45:01
	♪ And nerve thine arm ♪	45:05
	♪ Take up thy cross ♪	45:12
	♪ Nor heed the shame ♪	45:15
	♪ Nor let thy foolish pride rebel ♪	45:19
	♪ Thy Lord for thee the cross endured ♪	45:28
	♪ To save thy soul from death and hell ♪	45:35
	♪ Take up thy cross ♪	45:47
	♪ And follow Christ ♪	45:51
	♪ Nor think till death to lay it down ♪	45:55
	♪ For only he who bears the cross ♪	46:03
	♪ May hope to wear the glorious crown ♪	46:12
	♪ Amen ♪	46:23
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	46:33
-	We believe in God who has created and is creating,	46:36
	who has come in the truly human Jesus	46:41
	to reconcile and make new,	46:44
	who works in us and others by the Spirit.	46:47
	We trust God who calls us to be the Church,	46:51
	to celebrate life and its fullness,	46:56
	to love and serve others,	46:59
	to seek justice and resist evil,	47:01
	to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen,	47:05
	our Judge and our hope.	47:08
	In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.	47:11
	We are not alone.	47:17
	Thanks be to God.	47:19
-	The Lord be with you.	47:22
-	And also with you.	47:25
-	Let us pray.	47:26
	O God, eternal Spirit, grant us grace to worship you	47:36
	in this hour in spirit and in truth.	47:42
	You have so made us that the glory of our lives	47:46
	is not in things below us,	47:50
	but in the divine above that masters us.	47:52
	Grant us now such an hour of spiritual wealth,	47:56
	made aware of eternal realities,	48:00
	captured by a vision of the Christ-like life,	48:04
	lifted out of our littleness by dedication	48:07
	to your abiding values and to your everlasting purpose.	48:11
	Cleanse us from all our evil, our ugly egotism,	48:18
	our indifferent apathy, our mean ambitions,	48:23
	our sinful lust, that we may be ready	48:28
	for this transforming experience.	48:32
	Grant us now honesty in confronting	48:35
	and confessing our sins,	48:38
	sincerity in making restitution	48:41
	where we have wronged others,	48:43
	humility in seeking your forgiveness,	48:46
	and resolution by your grace and help to amend our lives.	48:49
	Minister to our intimate, personal needs.	48:57
	O Spirit of the living God, walk through this place	49:01
	and be the help and comfort,	49:05
	be the inspiration and sustenance of our souls,	49:08
	in temptation, in illness, in disappointment and depression,	49:13
	in defeat when we are tempted to give up,	49:19
	and in success when we are tempted to be proud.	49:22
	O God, restore our souls.	49:26
	May we hear your voice speaking to each of us,	49:29
	reassuring us, challenging us,	49:33
	summoning us to dedicated and victorious living.	49:36
	O God, whom Jesus called Father, we thank you this day	49:42
	for the fathers that you have provided for our family units.	49:48
	We are grateful for our own fathers for the gift of life	49:54
	and for all those men in our lives that have fathered us	49:58
	along the way.	50:03
	May we be inspired to see and know our fathers	50:05
	as human beings who need our love and nurture	50:09
	in very deep ways.	50:13
	Hear now, O God, the unspoken prayers that rise in silence	50:17
	from the deeps of our hearts,	50:22
	and to those needs that can find no voice,	50:24
	save for your ear alone, come and minister	50:28
	according to the riches of your grace	50:32
	in Christ Jesus our Lord, who came, lived among us,	50:35
	and who taught us to pray, saying.	50:41
-	"Our Father, who art in heaven,	50:44
	"hallowed be thy name.	50:48
	"Thy Kingdom come.	50:50
	"Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.	50:52
	"Give us this day our daily bread,	50:57
	"and forgive us our trespasses	51:00
	"as we forgive those who trespass against us.	51:02
	"And lead us not into temptation,	51:06
	"but deliver us from evil.	51:09
	"For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory	51:11
	"forever, amen."	51:16
	(pipe organ music)	51:32
	♪ Great is Jehovah the Lord ♪	51:44
	♪ The heavens and the earth ♪	51:58
	♪ Proclaim his power ♪	52:04
	♪ And his might ♪	52:12
	♪ Great is Jehovah ♪	52:18
	♪ Great is Jehovah ♪	52:20
	♪ The heavens and the earth proclaim his power ♪	52:23
	♪ Great is Jehovah ♪	52:28
	♪ 'Tis heard in the crash of the storm ♪	52:33
	♪ In the wild torrents' loud impetuous roar ♪	52:39
	♪ Great is Jehovah the Lord ♪	52:48
	♪ 'Tis heard in the crash of the storm ♪	52:55
	♪ In the wild torrents' loud impetuous roar ♪	53:02
	♪ Great is Jehovah the Lord ♪	53:10
	♪ Wondrous is his power ♪	53:18
	♪ At his commandment trees put forth ♪	53:25
	♪ Their opening leaves ♪	53:30
	♪ And valleys wave bright with golden corn ♪	53:33
	♪ With lovely flowers the fields are decked ♪	53:42
	♪ And stars in splendor fill the vault of heaven ♪	53:49
	♪ In splendor fill the vault of heaven ♪	53:59
	♪ With lovely flowers the fields are decked ♪	54:11
	♪ And stars in splendor fill the vault of heaven ♪	54:18
	♪ In splendor fill the vault of heaven ♪	54:29
	♪ Heard with dread in the thunder's deep blast ♪	54:42
	♪ And seen in flames of lightning ♪	54:49
	♪ But chief in his great lovingkindness ♪	55:02
	♪ Shines forth Jehovah's boundless might ♪	55:08
	♪ In his lovingkindness ♪	55:14
	♪ Shines forth the boundless power of God ♪	55:18
	♪ The Everlasting God ♪	55:25
	♪ Raise your prayerful hearts on high ♪	55:42
	♪ And hope for mercy and trust in Him ♪	55:52
	♪ Raise your prayerful hearts on high ♪	56:04
	♪ And hope for mercy and trust in Him ♪	56:17
	♪ Great is Jehovah the Lord ♪	56:33
	♪ Great is Jehovah the Lord ♪	56:44
	(pipe organ music)	57:22
	♪ All creatures of our God and King ♪	57:39
	♪ Lift up your voice and with us sing ♪	57:45
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:54
	♪ Thou burning sun with golden beam ♪	57:59
	♪ Thou silver moon with softer gleam ♪	58:05
	♪ O praise him ♪	58:11
	♪ O praise Him ♪	58:14
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:18
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:21
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:25
	♪ Amen ♪	58:33
-	Giving us all things, will you now receive these gifts	58:45
	of your people?	58:49
	Help us to render unto you all that we have	58:50
	and all that we are,	58:54
	that we may praise you with our whole lives, amen.	58:56
	(pipe organ music)	59:02
	(muffled congregational singing)	59:23
	♪ Amen ♪	1:01:26
-	Dismiss us now, O Lord, with your blessing,	1:01:35
	and accompany us with your grace,	1:01:39
	that from this very moment,	1:01:41
	we may continue our journey through life	1:01:44
	with love, peace, and justice, amen.	1:01:47
	♪ Amen ♪	1:01:58
	♪ Amen ♪	1:02:04
	♪ Amen ♪	1:02:11
	♪ Amen ♪	1:02:19
	(pipe organ music)	1:02:31
	(congregation chattering)	1:03:05
	(faint speaking and laughing)	1:09:48

Item Info

Title:

Charles H. Mercer - "What Is the Cost" (June 21, 1981)

Description:

The grace of discipleship is costly. It requires us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus. But through this, God can and will transform our lives. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 23:15. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 43:27.
Key quotation: “To follow Christ is costly grace, made possible by his love, which claims us and redeems us.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4w669p5k

Date:

June 21, 1981

Speaker:

Mercer, Charles H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Pentecost

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-1163
ref7544_sx1
uachapelsermaud
duke:320658
dcrau002040
ark:/87924/r4w669p5k
6dc8a5c1-eb4d-40ce-94ef-f59cdc3daf0f

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

Educational Use Permitted

Rights Note:

This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Charles H. Mercer - "What Is the Cost" (June 21, 1981)

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Duke University Archives