Preacher Unknown - Episcopal Service of Missionary Witness (November 1, 1962)
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Transcript
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(liturgical music) | 0:04 | |
- | You shall receive power after that | 14:29 |
the holy ghost has come upon you | 14:32 | |
and you shall be witnesses on to me, | 14:35 | |
both in Jerusalem and then all Judea | 14:38 | |
and in Sumeria and onto the outermost part of the earth. | 14:41 | |
Oh Lord open thou our lips, | 14:46 | |
- | (indistinct) | 14:49 |
- | Our redeemer, the Father, | 14:53 |
unto the son, unto the Holy Mouth, | 14:55 | |
- | (indistinct) | 14:57 |
- | Here begineth at the 43rd chapter | 15:13 |
of the book of the prophet, Isaiah. | 15:16 | |
But now thus says the Lord, | 15:20 | |
he who created you oh Jacob, | 15:24 | |
he who formed you oh, Israel. | 15:27 | |
Fear not for I have redeemed you. | 15:30 | |
I have called you by name. | 15:34 | |
You are mine. | 15:37 | |
When you pass through the waters, | 15:39 | |
I will be with you | 15:41 | |
and through the rivers | 15:44 | |
they shall not overwhelm you. | 15:45 | |
When you walk forth through fire, you shall not be burned | 15:48 | |
and the flames shall not consume you | 15:53 | |
for, I am the Lord, your God, | 15:57 | |
the holy one of Israel, your savior, | 16:00 | |
I give Egypt as your ransom, | 16:04 | |
Ethiopia and Sheba in exchange for you | 16:07 | |
because you are precious in my eyes | 16:12 | |
and honored and I love you. | 16:15 | |
I give men in return for you, | 16:19 | |
peoples in exchange for your life. | 16:22 | |
Fear not for I am with you. | 16:26 | |
I will bring your offspring from the east | 16:29 | |
and from the west I will gather you. | 16:33 | |
I will say to the north, give up, | 16:36 | |
unto the south, do not withhold. | 16:40 | |
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters | 16:43 | |
from the ends of the earth, | 16:47 | |
every one who is called by my name, | 16:49 | |
whom I created for my glory, | 16:52 | |
whom I formed and made. | 16:56 | |
Bring forth the people who are blind | 16:59 | |
yet have eyes, | 17:02 | |
who are deaf yet have hears, | 17:04 | |
that all the nations gather together | 17:07 | |
and let the people assemble | 17:09 | |
who among them can declare this | 17:12 | |
and show us the form of things. | 17:15 | |
Let them bring their witnesses to justify them | 17:18 | |
and let them hear and say, it is true. | 17:22 | |
You are my witnesses, says the Lord, | 17:27 | |
and my servant whom I have chosen | 17:30 | |
that you may know and to believe me | 17:33 | |
and understand that I am he. | 17:37 | |
Before me no God was formed | 17:40 | |
nor shall there be any after me. | 17:43 | |
I am the lord, | 17:47 | |
and besides me, there is no savior. | 17:49 | |
I declared and saved and proclaimed | 17:53 | |
when there was no strange God among you | 17:57 | |
and you are my witnesses, says the Lord. | 18:01 | |
Here endeth the first lesson | 18:05 | |
(liturgical music) | 18:10 | |
- | Here begineth the 10th chapter of the gospel | 21:16 |
according to St. Luke. | 21:18 | |
After this, the Lord appointed 70 others | 21:21 | |
and sent them on ahead of him, | 21:24 | |
two by two, into every town and place | 21:26 | |
where he himself was about to come. | 21:29 | |
And he said to them, | 21:32 | |
"The harvest is plentiful, | 21:34 | |
"but the laborers are few. | 21:37 | |
"Pray therefore, the Lord of the harvest | 21:40 | |
"to send out laborers into his harvest. | 21:42 | |
"Go your way. | 21:45 | |
"Behold, I sent you out as lambs in the midst of wolves, | 21:48 | |
"carry no purse, no bag, | 21:52 | |
"no sandals, | 21:56 | |
"and salute no one on the road. | 21:58 | |
"Whatever house you enter, | 22:01 | |
"first, say, peace be to this house | 22:02 | |
"and if a son of peace is there, | 22:06 | |
"your peace shall rest upon him | 22:09 | |
"but if not, it shall return to you. | 22:12 | |
"And remain in the same house, | 22:15 | |
"eating and drinking what they provide | 22:17 | |
"for the laborer deserves his wages. | 22:20 | |
"Do not go from house to house. | 22:23 | |
"Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, | 22:25 | |
"eat what is set before you. | 22:29 | |
"Heal the sick in it | 22:31 | |
"and say to them, | 22:33 | |
"the kingdom of God has come near to you." | 22:35 | |
Here unto the second lesson. | 22:40 | |
(liturgical music) | 22:44 | |
- | The Apostle's creed. | 25:13 |
- | I believe in God, the father almighty, | 25:16 |
creator of heaven and earth | 25:19 | |
and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord | 25:21 | |
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, | 25:25 | |
born of the virgin Mary, | 25:27 | |
suffered under Pontus Pilate, | 25:29 | |
was crucified died and buried, | 25:31 | |
he descended into hell, | 25:34 | |
on the third day he rose again from the dead, | 25:36 | |
he ascended into heaven | 25:39 | |
and sat upon the right hand of God the Father, all mighty, | 25:41 | |
from there he shall come to judge the living and the dead. | 25:45 | |
I believe in the Holy Ghost, | 25:47 | |
the Holy Catholic Church, | 25:50 | |
the communion of saints, | 25:52 | |
the forgiveness of sins, | 25:54 | |
the resurrection of the body, | 25:55 | |
and the life everlasting. | 25:58 | |
Amen. | 26:00 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 26:02 |
- | (indistinct) | 26:03 |
- | Let us pray. | 26:04 |
Our father, who art in heaven, | 26:12 | |
hallowed be thy name, | 26:15 | |
thy kingdom come, | 26:17 | |
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | 26:19 | |
Give us this day, our daily bread | 26:22 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 26:25 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us | 26:27 | |
and lead us not into temptation, | 26:31 | |
but deliver us from evil | 26:33 | |
for thine is the kingdom | 26:35 | |
and the power and the glory | 26:37 | |
forever and ever. | 26:38 | |
Amen. | 26:40 | |
Oh Lord, show thy mercy upon us. | 26:42 | |
- | (indistinct) | 26:45 |
- | Oh, God make clean our hearts within us. | 26:47 |
- | (indistinct) | 26:49 |
- | All mighty God who has knit together thine elect | 26:59 |
in one communion and fellowship, | 27:01 | |
in the mystical body of the thy son, Christ our Lord, | 27:04 | |
grant us grace so to follow thy blessed saints | 27:07 | |
and all virtuous and godly living, | 27:10 | |
that we may come to those unspeakable joys | 27:13 | |
which thou has prepared for those | 27:15 | |
who unfaintedly love thee, | 27:17 | |
through the same thy son, | 27:19 | |
Jesus Christ our Lord. | 27:21 | |
- | Amen. | 27:23 |
- | Oh God, from whom all holy desires, | 27:26 |
all good councils and all just works do proceed | 27:28 | |
give unto thy servants that peace | 27:31 | |
which the world cannot give, | 27:33 | |
that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments. | 27:36 | |
And also that by thee, | 27:39 | |
we being defended from the fear of our enemies | 27:41 | |
may pass our time and rest in quietness | 27:43 | |
through the merits of Jesus Christ, our savior. | 27:46 | |
- | Amen. | 27:49 |
- | Lighten our darkness we beseech thee oh Lord, | 27:51 |
and by thy great mercy defend us | 27:54 | |
from all perils and dangers of this night | 27:56 | |
for the love of thy only son, our savior, Jesus Christ. | 27:59 | |
- | Amen. | 28:03 |
- | Oh God, the father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, | 28:08 |
our only savior, the prince of peace. | 28:10 | |
Give us grace seriously to later heart | 28:13 | |
the great dangers we are in | 28:16 | |
by our unhappy divisions. | 28:17 | |
Take away all hatred and prejudice | 28:20 | |
and whatsoever else may hinder us | 28:23 | |
from godly union and concord | 28:25 | |
that as there is but, | 28:28 | |
that there is | 28:29 | |
but one body and one spirit, | 28:31 | |
and one hope of our calling, | 28:33 | |
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, | 28:35 | |
one God and Father of us all | 28:38 | |
so we may be all of one heart and a one soul, | 28:41 | |
united in one holy bond of truth and peace, | 28:44 | |
of faith and charity, | 28:47 | |
and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee | 28:49 | |
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. | 28:53 | |
- | Amen. | 28:55 |
- | Oh God who has made of one blood, all nations of men | 28:59 |
for to dwell on the face of the whole earth | 29:01 | |
and did send thy blessed son | 29:04 | |
to preach peace to them that are far off | 29:06 | |
and to them that are not. | 29:08 | |
Grant that all men, everywhere, | 29:11 | |
may seek after thee and find thee. | 29:12 | |
Bring the nations into thy fold, | 29:15 | |
pour out thy spirit upon all flesh | 29:17 | |
and hasten thy kingdom | 29:20 | |
through the same thy son, Jesus Christ our Lord. | 29:22 | |
- | Amen. | 29:26 |
- | The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ | 29:28 |
and the love of God | 29:31 | |
and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost | 29:32 | |
be with us all evermore. | 29:34 | |
Amen. | 29:36 | |
- | On behalf of the Durham Orange County Episcopal council, | 29:47 |
I welcome all of you | 29:51 | |
to this great service of witness to our mission | 29:54 | |
in Jesus Christ. | 29:57 | |
In welcoming you, | 30:01 | |
I particularly welcome those who | 30:02 | |
in the front pews of this great chapel | 30:05 | |
come representing lay man and lay women | 30:09 | |
from all over the diocese. | 30:13 | |
It is the leadership of people like this | 30:15 | |
that will make us a great missionary church. | 30:19 | |
I would like to announce that the offering at this service | 30:25 | |
will go to the presiding Bishop's fund for world relief, | 30:29 | |
with the request | 30:33 | |
that it may be used among Cuban refugees | 30:35 | |
in the diocese of South Florida. | 30:38 | |
Finally, I would like to thank | 30:44 | |
the university, the great university | 30:47 | |
on whose campus we meet. | 30:49 | |
Duke University, very graciously, | 30:52 | |
let us use this great chapel. | 30:56 | |
I would like to express this thanks | 30:59 | |
to a man who here represents Duke University, | 31:03 | |
and introduce him at the same time to you. | 31:08 | |
The chaplain to Duke University, | 31:11 | |
the Reverend Howard Wilkinson. | 31:14 | |
- | Brothers and sisters in Christ, | 31:25 |
a few years ago, | 31:28 | |
the late (indistinct) who was professor of preaching | 31:30 | |
at Yale University Divinity School | 31:34 | |
was invited to deliver the sermon | 31:38 | |
in the chapel of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. | 31:41 | |
As he rose to begin his sermon, | 31:47 | |
he noticed that not an eye | 31:50 | |
in the congregation | 31:53 | |
was pointed in his direction, | 31:55 | |
but everyone of the midshipmen | 31:58 | |
was looking at something directly beneath the pulpit. | 32:02 | |
And so Dr. (indistinct) leaned forward | 32:07 | |
to see what it was | 32:11 | |
that they were concentrating upon so wholeheartedly. | 32:13 | |
And there, directly in front of the pulpit, | 32:18 | |
was a bird dog. | 32:22 | |
Well, he knew he didn't have a Chinaman's chance | 32:25 | |
of getting their attention unless somehow | 32:28 | |
he could get their minds off of the bird dog | 32:31 | |
and so he said | 32:34 | |
in a startled voice | 32:36 | |
to these midshipmen of the Naval Academy, | 32:39 | |
"Who let in this west pointer?" | 32:42 | |
(laughter) | 32:45 | |
Well, with apologies to Henry Stever and (indistinct), | 32:49 | |
I tell this story | 32:53 | |
to draw your attention | 32:55 | |
to the question that has earlier been in your mind | 32:57 | |
as the procession of the clergy came down the center isle, | 33:00 | |
what is this non Episcopalian clergyman doing | 33:04 | |
in our sacred precincts coming up the center aisle? | 33:08 | |
Well, this west pointer are representing the Lord's army, | 33:13 | |
I say on behalf of my Methodist brethren, | 33:17 | |
has come here to welcome this gathering of the Lords Navy, | 33:21 | |
I say for your welfare, | 33:24 | |
to welcome you to the chapel of Duke University. | 33:28 | |
Duke University, whom I officially represent tonight | 33:34 | |
as chaplain to the university, | 33:37 | |
is very delighted | 33:39 | |
that you have chosen to use this sacred chapel | 33:41 | |
as the place of your great insignificant rally this evening. | 33:45 | |
This is not something | 33:50 | |
which is invading Duke | 33:52 | |
or something tacked on to the university, | 33:54 | |
for from the very beginning of this institution, | 33:58 | |
one of the twin aims of this university has been | 34:02 | |
the fostering and the development | 34:07 | |
and the cultivation of religion. | 34:08 | |
The motto of this school | 34:12 | |
is Eruditio et Religio. | 34:14 | |
Education and religion. | 34:18 | |
When the service has been concluded | 34:21 | |
and you make your way toward the entrance, | 34:24 | |
you will notice on the great jam, | 34:27 | |
which is on either side of the great arch, two figures. | 34:31 | |
One of these represents wisdom, | 34:36 | |
the other represents piety | 34:38 | |
and thus does the twin aim | 34:42 | |
of the university stand out in the symbols. | 34:44 | |
However, these symbols will be empty and meaningless | 34:49 | |
unless we make them warm and alive. | 34:53 | |
And it is by such gatherings as this tonight | 34:56 | |
that we put content into the symbol | 34:59 | |
and make it meaningful. | 35:03 | |
The Episcopalians should feel very much at home at Duke. | 35:08 | |
Among this great congregation tonight | 35:13 | |
are a number of the members | 35:16 | |
of the faculty of Duke University, | 35:18 | |
who are not here as I am, | 35:20 | |
representing another denomination, | 35:22 | |
but are here because this is your meeting. | 35:25 | |
Not only are a number | 35:29 | |
of the members of the faculty Episcopalians, | 35:32 | |
but Episcopalians are among | 35:34 | |
the most distinguished faculty members of Duke University. | 35:38 | |
And what I have just now said of the faculty members | 35:42 | |
is also true of the student body. | 35:45 | |
It has always been true | 35:48 | |
that a great many of our most distinguished students, | 35:50 | |
whether they're considered academically | 35:54 | |
or considered in their extracurricular activities, | 35:56 | |
we have numbered Episcopalians. | 35:59 | |
Duke is proud of its members of the faculty | 36:03 | |
who are members of your church. | 36:07 | |
It is proud of its students | 36:08 | |
who are members of your church. | 36:11 | |
The university is delighted to have you here this evening | 36:14 | |
and wishes for this gathering | 36:18 | |
every success which God wants it to have. | 36:20 | |
Thank you. | 36:24 | |
- | Now it is my pleasure as | 36:32 |
a clergyman from Chapel Hill | 36:35 | |
in the diocese of North Carolina, | 36:38 | |
to introduce to you | 36:42 | |
the bishop coadjutor of the diocese of North Carolina, | 36:43 | |
a man who has brought new vigor | 36:48 | |
to the missionary work of our church in this diocese. | 36:50 | |
A man who, with unusual skill, | 36:56 | |
manages to bind together, | 36:58 | |
good humor and firmness | 37:01 | |
as he leads us in our missionary work in this diocese, | 37:05 | |
the right Reverend Thomas Augustus Fraser Jr. | 37:10 | |
- | In the name of the diocese of North Carolina, | 37:23 |
it gives me a great deal of pleasure | 37:27 | |
to welcome you to this service of witness. | 37:29 | |
As Episcopalians, we believe that whenever we gather | 37:36 | |
to worship our blessed Lord | 37:38 | |
we are involved in missionary effort. | 37:40 | |
But this particular service of witness was created | 37:44 | |
and conceived and arranged | 37:48 | |
by a group of people known as | 37:52 | |
the Durham Orange County Episcopal Council. | 37:55 | |
The diocese is grateful to them | 37:59 | |
for this witness and for inviting us to participate in it. | 38:03 | |
Especially are we grateful to the clergy involved | 38:09 | |
and to Mr. | 38:13 | |
Clifford Liongue, P. Liongues, | 38:16 | |
who read the second lesson this evening. | 38:18 | |
I know that behind any service of witness of this kind, | 38:22 | |
there are many, many people involved in arrangements | 38:26 | |
and details from choir mothers | 38:29 | |
to choir directors | 38:31 | |
and mothers and fathers at home | 38:33 | |
who had to prepare children | 38:35 | |
to get them ready to come. | 38:36 | |
And I am grateful to all of them | 38:39 | |
and especially am I grateful to the clergy who sit here, | 38:42 | |
many of whom have come | 38:46 | |
a good number of miles this evening | 38:50 | |
to be present with us. | 38:52 | |
I pray God that he will bless those | 38:55 | |
who have arranged this service | 38:59 | |
and that he will bless our church in this diocese | 39:02 | |
as we strive to witness with courage and with faith | 39:06 | |
to the life and teachings of our Lord and his church. | 39:13 | |
I would feel very remiss if I did not reiterate | 39:19 | |
what Mr. Mead has said in expressing our gratitude | 39:24 | |
to the chaplain and to Duke University, | 39:28 | |
we have always been most graciously welcomed on this campus. | 39:32 | |
We appreciate deeply | 39:37 | |
the encouragement which they have given us, | 39:40 | |
the opportunities that they have provided for us | 39:43 | |
and their willingness to include them | 39:47 | |
in their religious life. | 39:50 | |
We have several bishops with us this evening, | 39:55 | |
whom I would like to introduce to you. | 39:59 | |
One Bishop that was to be present with us, | 40:04 | |
the suffragan bishop of Colorado | 40:07 | |
was taken ill and was unable to come | 40:09 | |
and he said, | 40:12 | |
"Please tell those good people of North Carolina, | 40:14 | |
"that I will be praying for them." | 40:16 | |
We have two really native sons of North Carolina | 40:20 | |
with us this evening, | 40:24 | |
the Right Reverend Bravid Harris, | 40:26 | |
Bishop of Liberia. | 40:28 | |
The Right Reverend George Henry, | 40:31 | |
Bishop of Western North Carolina. | 40:33 | |
We are very happy to have them | 40:36 | |
witnessing with us in this service. | 40:38 | |
Our preacher this evening | 40:42 | |
is a man whom many of us have known and respected | 40:48 | |
for many years. | 40:51 | |
He is the Right Reverend Henry Irving Louttit. | 40:53 | |
There are many things which I could say | 40:58 | |
in a very sincere vein in listing his accomplishments, | 41:00 | |
but may I recommend him to you | 41:07 | |
as a strong leader in the house of bishops | 41:09 | |
of the Episcopal Church, | 41:13 | |
an aggressive evangelist | 41:16 | |
and a wise and respected father in God, | 41:19 | |
the Bishop of South Florida will preach for us | 41:24 | |
following the next hymn. | 41:28 | |
(liturgical music) | 41:33 | |
- | May the words of my mouth | 44:39 |
and the meditation of my heart | 44:40 | |
be always acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, | 44:42 | |
my strength and my Redeemer. | 44:45 | |
Amen. | 44:48 | |
Now, I say, first of all, | 44:57 | |
how privileged I feel | 44:58 | |
to have a part in this service of missionary witness. | 45:01 | |
I might say that I feel very much at home | 45:05 | |
because I too live in Orange county. | 45:07 | |
It happened to be in a different state, | 45:11 | |
but I have a tougher connection than that. | 45:13 | |
I, one time, had the great privilege of supplying in Durham. | 45:16 | |
During World War Two, | 45:21 | |
I was a patient in the Camp Burtner Hospital. | 45:22 | |
That was the first opportunity I ever had to attend | 45:27 | |
the services at this very beautiful chapel | 45:29 | |
and I'd never thought | 45:33 | |
that I would attain the position | 45:35 | |
that I might speak from this pulpit. | 45:37 | |
I would do as a rare privilege for me. | 45:41 | |
11th verse of the first chapter | 45:44 | |
of the book of the prophet Malachi. | 45:46 | |
From the rising of the sun, | 45:49 | |
even under the going dawn are the same, | 45:51 | |
my name shall be great among the Gentiles. | 45:54 | |
And in every place incense shall be offered under my name | 45:59 | |
and the pure offerings | 46:02 | |
for my name shall be great among the heathen | 46:05 | |
sayeth the Lord of hosts. | 46:10 | |
From our vantage point in history, | 46:15 | |
this proclamation of the prophet Malachi | 46:19 | |
is clearly seen as setting forth one, | 46:23 | |
the meaning and purpose | 46:30 | |
of the history of the people of Israel | 46:33 | |
that God might be known | 46:37 | |
in all the world. | 46:41 | |
Two, | 46:44 | |
the mission of the Christian Church | 46:46 | |
that all men everywhere | 46:51 | |
might pay him honor. | 46:54 | |
And three, | 46:57 | |
the expressed will of God. | 46:59 | |
The motivation | 47:06 | |
for all of his ceaseless, | 47:08 | |
creative, | 47:11 | |
redemptive, | 47:13 | |
sanctifying activity | 47:15 | |
in this world of men. | 47:18 | |
And yet when it first was uttered | 47:24 | |
five centuries before the time of Christ, | 47:28 | |
it seemed literally impossible | 47:32 | |
of fulfillment. | 47:37 | |
Addressed to the people of Israel, | 47:41 | |
it spoke of a God | 47:45 | |
known only unto them. | 47:48 | |
They had just returned from | 47:53 | |
exile in Babylon, | 47:56 | |
and were still under Persian dominance. | 47:59 | |
Why should | 48:04 | |
the stronger, victorious world outside | 48:07 | |
pay homage do their deity? | 48:12 | |
From a people enslaved in Egypt | 48:17 | |
to a subject province of the Roman empire, | 48:21 | |
the history of this helpless nation | 48:25 | |
was largely a succession | 48:29 | |
of defeats | 48:32 | |
as stronger nations | 48:34 | |
battled for the control of the crossroad | 48:38 | |
between Europe, Asia, and Africa, | 48:42 | |
where they dwelt. | 48:47 | |
Almost constantly assaulted by stronger power from without | 48:50 | |
they were in fact | 48:55 | |
victims of fatal weaknesses within. | 48:59 | |
Constantly, | 49:04 | |
they wavered in their loyalty to Jehovah. | 49:06 | |
Just as constantly | 49:11 | |
they forgot the highest standard | 49:15 | |
of his moral law | 49:18 | |
in both individual and social applications. | 49:20 | |
Finally, they | 49:27 | |
repudiated and crucified their messiah | 49:29 | |
when he came. | 49:34 | |
The one hope of their salvation. | 49:36 | |
But Gods will may not be thwarted. | 49:43 | |
Their very failure | 49:51 | |
to accept the gospel as a fulfillment | 49:54 | |
of the long promises of their history | 49:58 | |
and of their religion | 50:03 | |
led directly | 50:05 | |
to his proclamation, | 50:08 | |
to the heathen world | 50:11 | |
outside. | 50:14 | |
The glad promise of a world redeemed | 50:21 | |
seemed impossible | 50:27 | |
of fulfillment | 50:30 | |
through the Messiah when he came. | 50:32 | |
He came the savior, son of God, | 50:37 | |
not in power, | 50:42 | |
with angelic hosts surround him, | 50:45 | |
the conquering son of David | 50:49 | |
to rule the world. | 50:53 | |
He was born of Mary, | 50:57 | |
a helpless babe, | 51:00 | |
his throne a manger cradle, | 51:03 | |
his palace, | 51:07 | |
the stable of an inn at Bethlehem. | 51:08 | |
The story of the wise men from the east | 51:13 | |
who caught a vision of a star, | 51:17 | |
who journeyed far to worship | 51:21 | |
and to offer gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, | 51:25 | |
told to symbolize the fulfillment of this prophecy, | 51:31 | |
seemed a burlesque, a travesty. | 51:35 | |
As they go home another way | 51:40 | |
to outwit Herod | 51:43 | |
who in his wrath slaughtered the innocent | 51:46 | |
that he born king of the Jews might be destroyed. | 51:49 | |
The hope raised in the hearts | 51:56 | |
of the less favored folk in Israel. | 51:58 | |
The simple ones who followed him, | 52:03 | |
that he might in truth | 52:07 | |
be the anointed one sent of God, | 52:11 | |
to save, | 52:15 | |
was crushed and shattered | 52:18 | |
when evil nailed him to the cross of Calvary. | 52:22 | |
But God's will may not be thwarted. | 52:30 | |
He raised him from the dead | 52:38 | |
that he might ascend to heaven. | 52:42 | |
To reign forever. | 52:45 | |
The mediator between fallen men in all his failure, | 52:49 | |
on the eternal God | 52:55 | |
who wills to save. | 52:58 | |
For Gods name | 53:06 | |
should be great among the Gentile heathen, | 53:10 | |
seemed a prophecy, impossible of fulfillment. | 53:16 | |
When the little handful of pathetic folk | 53:21 | |
stood on the ascension mount | 53:25 | |
to receive the promise and the command. | 53:29 | |
Yee shall receive power, | 53:33 | |
after that, the holy ghost has come upon you | 53:37 | |
and yee shall be witnesses unto me, | 53:41 | |
both in Jerusalem and all Judea | 53:44 | |
and in Samaria | 53:48 | |
and onto the outermost parts of the earth. | 53:50 | |
You see the fulfillment of that promise | 53:55 | |
rested on a tiny group of men, | 54:00 | |
whom he had chosen. | 54:05 | |
A group, which even them, | 54:09 | |
did not fully grasp the teaching. | 54:12 | |
Of these, one already had betrayed him. | 54:16 | |
The leader already had denied him | 54:20 | |
and all of them ran away | 54:24 | |
in the hour of his trial. | 54:27 | |
(indistinct) | 54:31 | |
the prestige and the power | 54:33 | |
of both state and church in Israel. | 54:36 | |
All that the future promised | 54:42 | |
was persecution | 54:44 | |
if not martyrdom. | 54:47 | |
The chief of the persecutors | 54:51 | |
saw, | 54:55 | |
converted, | 54:57 | |
gave new life | 54:59 | |
to the faltering movement. | 55:01 | |
That he journeyed to preach the gospel in Cyprus, | 55:05 | |
Asia Minor, Macedonia, | 55:08 | |
against hopeless odds. | 55:12 | |
Few of his co-religionists | 55:16 | |
could be converted, | 55:19 | |
while, to the pagan Greek and Roman world. | 55:22 | |
the whole movement was at one time ludicrous, | 55:26 | |
at another, illegal and dangerous | 55:31 | |
to be left on a court | 55:35 | |
or to be destroyed. | 55:38 | |
Before five centuries, | 55:43 | |
that helpless helpless movement | 55:48 | |
had become the religion | 55:53 | |
of the great mass of people | 55:56 | |
in the Roman empire. | 56:00 | |
The cross | 56:05 | |
was preached | 56:07 | |
from Ireland on the west | 56:09 | |
to India (indistinct) | 56:11 | |
on the East. | 56:17 | |
Then came the barbarian invasions. | 56:21 | |
The fall of Rome, | 56:24 | |
the collapse of civilization, | 56:25 | |
the beginning of the dark ages. | 56:28 | |
Could the church possibly survive? | 56:32 | |
God's will may not be thwarted. | 56:37 | |
Always, | 56:42 | |
there were men to offer themselves, | 56:44 | |
their very lives if necessary | 56:48 | |
to pierce the darkness and the cruelty of this world, | 56:51 | |
that the light might shine | 56:57 | |
and that love might reign. | 57:00 | |
But obviously time will not allow | 57:07 | |
a review of the full history of the church. | 57:11 | |
It's air been flow, | 57:15 | |
the tidy's time, rising higher, | 57:19 | |
the tale of a | 57:24 | |
complice theories of discouragement, | 57:27 | |
failures, | 57:30 | |
defeat, | 57:32 | |
more than offset always | 57:34 | |
by minor | 57:38 | |
and major victories. | 57:40 | |
The same theme is repeated all over | 57:46 | |
in our own particular | 57:50 | |
church. | 57:54 | |
It seemed absolutely impossible | 58:00 | |
that the church of England should ever find itself at home | 58:05 | |
upon these shores. | 58:09 | |
It was feared and hated | 58:14 | |
by the settlers in new England, | 58:17 | |
who came here to escape its influence | 58:21 | |
and its practices. | 58:24 | |
It was at the most, | 58:28 | |
but accepted in the central colonies, | 58:30 | |
were established in the crown colonies of the south. | 58:34 | |
It had no bishops to lead, | 58:39 | |
to defend the faith, | 58:42 | |
to ordain a native ministry. | 58:44 | |
Hence it was utterly dependent | 58:49 | |
on the missionary zeal | 58:53 | |
of clergy who dared to come out from England to pioneer | 58:57 | |
and on the missionary giving of the church back there, | 59:02 | |
which supported through its missionary societies, | 59:07 | |
this then | 59:12 | |
foreign and overseas field | 59:14 | |
of the church's work. | 59:18 | |
The very victory of the | 59:22 | |
colonies in the revolutionary war | 59:25 | |
seem to sound it's death now. | 59:30 | |
Scores of its most faithful servants, | 59:35 | |
both clerical and like, | 59:40 | |
have remained loyalist | 59:44 | |
and fled these shores | 59:47 | |
to Canada, | 59:50 | |
the West Indies | 59:52 | |
and back to England. | 59:54 | |
Showing of support | 59:58 | |
where it had been established | 1:00:01 | |
for in doubt | 1:00:04 | |
everywhere suspect | 1:00:07 | |
as an offshoot of the English church, | 1:00:10 | |
the very office of bishop hated | 1:00:14 | |
because of its relationship to the crown. | 1:00:19 | |
It seemed a hopeless task | 1:00:23 | |
to try to organize the Protestant Episcopal Church | 1:00:27 | |
of the United States of America | 1:00:31 | |
or to secure Epistolic succession | 1:00:35 | |
for it | 1:00:39 | |
through the consecration of bishops | 1:00:41 | |
to serve the dioceses | 1:00:44 | |
of the American church. | 1:00:47 | |
Can we not see God's hand | 1:00:52 | |
in the consecration of Samuel Seabury for Connecticut, | 1:00:57 | |
then White and Provoost for | 1:01:01 | |
Pennsylvania and New York. | 1:01:04 | |
Dare we deny God's will being done | 1:01:07 | |
in the raising up Bishop Provoost | 1:01:11 | |
in New York, Mead in Virginia, | 1:01:15 | |
Ravenscroft here in North Carolina, | 1:01:16 | |
Griswold in Eastern diocese, | 1:01:20 | |
(indistinct) a missionary Bishop for the West, | 1:01:23 | |
all done | 1:01:30 | |
in the first quarter of the last century, | 1:01:32 | |
which marked the awakening | 1:01:35 | |
of the Episcopal church and its | 1:01:40 | |
subsequent outreach | 1:01:42 | |
even unto today. | 1:01:45 | |
Which brings us to the seemingly impossible task at hand, | 1:01:51 | |
even from this brief | 1:01:58 | |
and over-simplified review of history, | 1:02:02 | |
no one possibly could think | 1:02:06 | |
that there seemed any possibility of fulfillment, | 1:02:10 | |
that the world | 1:02:13 | |
may really be one to him. | 1:02:15 | |
On every side, we hear these days, | 1:02:20 | |
prize of warning. | 1:02:23 | |
The language that we use, | 1:02:27 | |
the gospel language we are told | 1:02:29 | |
is no longer relevant | 1:02:31 | |
to our day in time. | 1:02:34 | |
It falls on ears that cannot even hear, | 1:02:36 | |
and consequently cannot heed. | 1:02:40 | |
Far too frequently, we hear the phrase | 1:02:45 | |
descriptive of our time as a | 1:02:49 | |
post Christian era. | 1:02:51 | |
I only have one criticism. | 1:02:55 | |
This seems to imply that there was a time | 1:02:56 | |
that was a Christian era | 1:03:00 | |
somewhere in the world. | 1:03:03 | |
That, I have never been able to find in the history books. | 1:03:06 | |
Always, | 1:03:15 | |
always and ever, | 1:03:17 | |
from the human point of view, | 1:03:20 | |
the mission of the church has been impossible. | 1:03:25 | |
Always we are outnumbered, | 1:03:31 | |
always we are weak and failing. | 1:03:34 | |
Well, it is our responsibility | 1:03:38 | |
as a church, | 1:03:44 | |
as Christian hope | 1:03:47 | |
to strive that | 1:03:50 | |
the prophecy | 1:03:53 | |
we are using as a text | 1:03:55 | |
may be increasingly fulfilled. | 1:03:58 |