Robert E. Cushman - "All the City Was Stirred" (April 11, 1976)

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	(Choir singing)	0:14
	(Instrumental music)	1:26
	(Choir singing)	2:10
-	Blessed	7:06
	is the King	7:08
	who comes in the name	7:09
	of the Lord.	7:11
	(congregation affirming)	7:13
	The Psalmist writes.	7:26
	The Lord looks down from heaven,	7:30
	upon the children	7:32
	of the earth,	7:33
	to see if there are any	7:36
	that act wisely,	7:37
	that seek	7:40
	after God,	7:41
	they have all	7:43
	gone astray.	7:44
	They are all alike,	7:46
	corrupt.	7:48
	There is none that does good.	7:50
	No,	7:53
	not	7:53
	one.	7:54
	Therefore,	7:56
	let us	7:58
	confess our sins	7:59
	to Almighty God,	8:01
	let us pray.	8:03
	Oh God,	8:06
	we who proclaim with loud Hosannas,	8:07
	that Jesus is our Lord.	8:10
	Our people	8:13
	who like Peter	8:14
	will deny you three times	8:16
	and more.	8:18
	We sing your glory and praise,	8:20
	but have difficulty being obedient to your love	8:23
	and goodwill .	8:26
	We comfort	8:28
	ourselves	8:29
	with a thousand easy slogans	8:30
	and heroic fantasies.	8:32
	We forget those who suffer because of us.	8:35
	We do not see our involvement in social crime.	8:39
	We substitute benign indifference	8:43
	for active love.	8:45
	Teach us the joy of gratitude	8:48
	expressed in waving of the Palm branches.	8:50
	May this joy replace	8:54
	the bitterness of resentment	8:56
	in all our lives.	8:58
	Amen.	9:01
-	Psalmist gives us these words of assurance.	9:32
	If it had not been the Lord,	9:37
	who was on our side,	9:39
	then the flood would have swept us away.	9:42
	The torrent,	9:46
	would have gone over us.	9:47
	Blessed	9:50
	be the Lord,	9:51
	our help	9:53
	is in the name of the Lord	9:55
	who made heaven	9:58
	and earth.	10:00
	Amen.	10:02
	(Choral instrumental music)	11:00
	(Choir singing)	11:11
-	Let the congregation stand,	15:04
	for the reading of the gospel.	15:06
	(Congregation standing)	15:09
	And when they drew near	15:14
	to Jerusalem	15:16
	and came to	15:18
	Beth-phage	15:19
	to the Mount of olives,	15:21
	then Jesus sent two disciples,	15:24
	saying to them,	15:28
	go into the village,	15:30
	opposite you.	15:32
	And immediately	15:34
	you will find an ass	15:36
	tied	15:37
	and a colt with her.	15:39
	Untie them	15:42
	and bring them to me.	15:44
	If anyone says	15:47
	anything to you,	15:48
	you shall say	15:50
	the Lord has need of them,	15:52
	and he will send them immediately.	15:54
	This took place	15:59
	to fulfill	16:00
	what was spoken by the prophet	16:02
	saying,	16:04
	tell the Daughter of Zion.	16:06
	Behold,	16:08
	your King is coming to you,	16:10
	humble	16:12
	and mounted on an ass	16:13
	and on a colt,	16:15
	the foal of an ass.	16:17
	The disciples went	16:20
	and did as Jesus had directed them,	16:22
	they brought the ass	16:26
	and the colt	16:28
	and put their garments on them,	16:29
	and He sat thereon.	16:32
	Most of the crowd,	16:35
	spread their garments	16:37
	on the road	16:39
	and others	16:41
	cut branches	16:42
	from the trees	16:44
	and spread them	16:46
	on the road.	16:47
	And the crowds	16:49
	that went before him	16:50
	and that followed him,	16:52
	shouted	16:54
	Hosanna	16:56
	to the son	16:57
	of David!	16:58
	Blessed be he,	17:00
	who comes in the name of the Lord!	17:02
	Hosanna	17:05
	is in the highest!	17:06
	And when he entered Jerusalem,	17:09
	all of the city was stirred saying,	17:11
	"Who is this?"	17:15
	And the crowd said,	17:17
	"This is the prophet	17:18
	Jesus	17:20
	from Nazareth of Galilee."	17:21
	(Choir singing)	17:26
-	We are not alone.	18:10
	We live	18:12
	in God's world.	18:13
	We believe in God,	18:15
	who has created	18:17
	and is creating,	18:18
	who has come into truly human Jesus,	18:20
	reconciled and made new.	18:24
	Who works in us	18:27
	and others by the Spirit,	18:28
	we trust God,	18:30
	who calls us to be the Church,	18:33
	to celebrate life and it's fullness,	18:35
	to love and serve others,	18:39
	to seek justice and resist evil.	18:41
	Proclaim Jesus,	18:45
	crucified and risen,	18:46
	our judge	18:48
	and our hope,	18:50
	in life,	18:51
	in death,	18:52
	in life beyond death,	18:54
	God is with us.	18:56
	We are not alone.	18:58
	Thanks be to God.	19:00
-	The Lord be with you.	19:04
	(congregation responding)	19:06
	Let us pray.	19:07
	Hear our prayer,	19:19
	Oh Lord.	19:20
	Give ear	19:25
	to our cries.	19:26
	Oh Lord, our God.	19:30
	In the beauty of this day	19:34
	and the glory of this	19:38
	holy	19:39
	season	19:40
	and the majesty of this	19:42
	moment,	19:44
	we come to pray,	19:46
	with gratitude	19:51
	for life	19:52
	it self,	19:53
	for purpose	19:56
	to live	19:57
	for course	19:59
	to serve	20:00
	for a Lord	20:03
	to follow,	20:04
	for others,	20:06
	to love	20:07
	we give you thanks,	20:10
	Oh God.	20:12
	With the cry for those	20:17
	in need.	20:18
	For those who are confused	20:22
	and bewildered,	20:24
	sick	20:27
	and suffering,	20:28
	weary	20:31
	and tired,	20:32
	lost	20:35
	and lonely,	20:36
	we ask	20:39
	your mercy,	20:40
	oh God,	20:42
	with the plea for your presence,	20:47
	to become	20:52
	more near,	20:53
	your way	20:57
	to become	20:58
	more clear,	20:59
	your will	21:02
	to become	21:04
	more dear,	21:05
	for all of us,	21:08
	we ask	21:11
	your love,	21:13
	oh God.	21:14
	With Palm branches in our hands,	21:19
	with	21:23
	steady purposes in our minds,	21:24
	with	21:28
	passionate desires to love	21:28
	and to give	21:31
	in our various souls,	21:33
	remake us,	21:36
	now oh God,	21:37
	into faithful	21:39
	obedient,	21:40
	whole	21:42
	children	21:43
	of your love	21:45
	and peace.	21:46
	Oh God,	21:50
	speak,	21:52
	now,	21:53
	as we listen.	21:54
	Come	21:57
	now,	21:58
	as we yearn.	21:59
	Lead	22:02
	now,	22:04
	as we follow,	22:06
	in the name of Christ,	22:11
	who teaches us to pray,	22:13
	Our Father	22:16
	who art in heaven,	22:18
	Hallowed be thy name.	22:20
	Thy kingdom come.	22:23
	Thy will be done	22:25
	on earth,	22:27
	as it is in heaven.	22:28
	Give us this day our daily bread.	22:30
	Forgive us, our trespasses,	22:34
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	22:36
	Lead us, not into temptation,	22:40
	but deliver us from evil.	22:43
	For thine is the kingdom,	22:46
	power and the glory.	22:48
	Amen.	22:51
-	We began	22:57
	on this day,	22:59
	the most	23:05
	significant week	23:06
	in the Christian year.	23:10
	This	23:13
	Palm Sunday,	23:15
	I invite your attention	23:20
	to the announcements	23:22
	in the bulletin	23:24
	and invite you to worship with us,	23:27
	at every opportunity you have this week,	23:31
	on Wednesday	23:36
	at 8:00 a.m.	23:38
	and 6:00 p.m.	23:40
	Thursday evening, on Monday, Thursday at 7:30,	23:43
	on Good Friday from 12 to noon,	23:49
	with a special service	23:51
	and from one to three,	23:53
	with music	23:54
	or quiet	23:58
	and meditation,	23:59
	one week from today	24:02
	on Easter day	24:03
	at seven o'clock	24:06
	with the sunrise service.	24:07
	And then again, either at nine o'clock or at 11 o'clock.	24:10
	And then next Sunday evening,	24:16
	the very moving and majestic Mahler's resurrection symphony,	24:19
	being	24:25
	presented to us	24:26
	by the North Carolina symphony	24:28
	and the chapel choir.	24:30
	I invite you to worship God	24:34
	and to celebrate	24:37
	this	24:39
	holy week	24:40
	in your own way.	24:42
	And then in the company of others,	24:44
	it is our privilege on this	24:47
	Palm Sunday	24:49
	and my privilege to welcome	24:52
	to the pulpit,	24:54
	the Reverend Dr.	24:57
	Robert	24:58
	E.	24:59
	Kuchman	25:00
	research professor of	25:01
	systematic theology	25:03
	and the divinity school	25:06
	here at Duke.	25:08
-	All the city was stirred.	25:25
	Of the first	25:32
	Palm Sunday,	25:33
	the Gospel of St. Matthew,	25:35
	reports.	25:37
	And when he had entered into Jerusalem,	25:41
	all the city was stirred,	25:44
	saying,	25:48
	"Who is this?"	25:49
	The crowd said,	25:52
	"This is the prophet Jesus	25:54
	of Nazareth,	25:57
	of Galilee."	25:58
	The action of that day,	26:02
	the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem,	26:06
	had the appearance it would seem	26:09
	of a triumphal	26:12
	procession,	26:14
	the site of procession,	26:17
	it was not unfamiliar to the people of the ancient world.	26:19
	So all the city was stirred	26:25
	and the question was on the lips,	26:29
	as in the minds of many.	26:31
	The question of the identity of Jesus.	26:36
	Who is this?	26:40
	It was not unlike the question	26:44
	of John the Baptist	26:46
	through his disciples	26:48
	to Jesus in the earlier days of Jesus's ministry.	26:49
	Are you He who is to come,	26:54
	or shall we look for another?	26:58
	The question persists	27:01
	to this very day,	27:03
	but Christians have been those	27:07
	and are those who answered the question	27:08
	of John the Baptist,	27:11
	in the affirmative.	27:13
	This is He	27:15
	who was to come,	27:17
	more over on Palm Sunday	27:20
	and for centuries now,	27:23
	Christians incorporate	27:26
	that moment of exultant public acclaim	27:28
	of Jesus,	27:31
	into their act of worship.	27:33
	They live it over again.	27:36
	They mean to re-enact	27:38
	the moment of celebration	27:40
	of recognition.	27:42
	They do so,	27:45
	because they are persuaded	27:47
	that the acclaim of the crowd on that day	27:48
	long ago,	27:51
	was truly	27:53
	appropriate to the occasion.	27:54
	They believe the city of Jerusalem	27:58
	was	28:00
	that day suitably stirred	28:01
	and	28:03
	remains so	28:04
	even to this,	28:05
	but not because of the excited throng	28:07
	or the shouts of acclaim,	28:10
	but because of the real presence	28:13
	of Him that cometh.	28:17
	Now today, then our celebration and worship,	28:21
	presupposes and looks back	28:25
	upon this gladsome	28:27
	but	28:28
	puzzling event	28:29
	of our Christian path.	28:30
	By the measure of the days that followed however	28:33
	and led Jesus to Calvary	28:38
	and the triumph,	28:41
	the triumph of Palm Sunday,	28:42
	seems aborted,	28:44
	devastated	28:47
	on good Friday.	28:48
	Even the name good Friday	28:51
	is paradoxic.	28:53
	The cross is the dastardly deed of man.	28:55
	What is good about evil,	28:59
	is not the triumphal entry into Jerusalem,	29:03
	also paradox	29:08
	for whom	29:11
	is the triumph?	29:13
	And so today we ask ourselves	29:16
	three questions.	29:18
	First,	29:22
	what are the facts?	29:23
	What are the facts of the matter?	29:25
	Secondly,	29:29
	was Palm Sunday, truly triumphant and for whom,	29:31
	was it an accidental event	29:36
	or the outcome of a prearranged drama	29:38
	or both?	29:41
	And three,	29:44
	if we have the slightest discontent	29:46
	with our world or better with ourselves,	29:49
	what may this event of long ago	29:53
	say to us?	29:55
	these are portentous questions,	29:59
	questions of portent.	30:02
	If we understand that Christian faith	30:05
	is in part	30:08
	interpretation of a history	30:10
	in which the story of a whole people is climaxed,	30:12
	in which indeed the divine destiny of a people	30:16
	is fulfilled in a living person	30:20
	in a real presence.	30:23
	First then,	30:27
	What are the facts of the matter?	30:30
	And the facts of history are often will of the wisps	30:33
	and fugitive	30:37
	hard to lay hold off.	30:39
	This is because	30:42
	the so-called facts of history,	30:44
	have as it were,	30:46
	an outside	30:47
	and an inside,	30:48
	the outside is what happens	30:50
	or what occurs we say,	30:53
	it is datable,	30:55
	partly describable,	30:57
	but every description is all with simplistic.	30:58
	The inside is what is meant	31:02
	or what is intended.	31:04
	And the two	31:06
	do not always,	31:07
	may often agree.	31:08
	Moreover, the intentions may be mixed	31:11
	even at odds,	31:14
	as when there are many participants	31:15
	with different and even conflicting motivations.	31:18
	So every historical event involving persons is therefore,	31:23
	a resultant,	31:27
	not really simple,	31:29
	but defiantly complex.	31:31
	And that is why historical knowledge	31:34
	is an art,	31:37
	commanding imagination,	31:40
	never data processing.	31:43
	Great historians	31:47
	are those possessed of genius to read,	31:49
	as Jesus said, the signs of the times,	31:51
	They are not statisticians primarily,	31:57
	they are more nearly dramatic critics	32:01
	for history is more like drama.	32:04
	The acclamation of the throng, that accompany Jesus.	32:08
	Then down the Western slope of the Mount of Olives,	32:11
	across	32:15
	the Brook Kidron	32:16
	and up	32:19
	the rough slope,	32:20
	to the Lion gate	32:22
	of the Eastern wall of the city	32:23
	into the temple precincts	32:25
	is dealt within,	32:28
	something like a fact,	32:30
	probably	32:33
	the route	32:34
	is the route	32:35
	actually taken.	32:37
	Almost certainly also is the outward fact that Jesus,	32:39
	rode astride a donkey.	32:43
	That still	32:46
	omnipresent beast of burden	32:47
	of the Eastern Mediterranean world.	32:49
	Further,	32:52
	the synoptic gospels are unanimous	32:54
	that Jesus borrowed a colt,	32:57
	the foal of an ass,	32:59
	for the short journey	33:02
	from Bethany	33:03
	and that he,	33:05
	as he approached the city,	33:06
	his band was swelled	33:08
	by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem.	33:09
	And that from the throng there	33:12
	emerged,	33:14
	there arose	33:15
	a cry of recognition	33:16
	and then of acclamation.	33:18
	Following	33:21
	St. Mark's account,	33:22
	Matthew's witness reads	33:24
	and the multitude that went before Him	33:27
	and that followed cried saying,	33:29
	Hosanna to the son of David	33:31
	blessed is he that com meth in the name of the Lord.	33:34
	Hosanna	33:38
	in the highest!	33:39
	Now whether or not	33:43
	the crowd was fully apprised	33:44
	of the figure on donkey back,	33:46
	it is rather clear	33:50
	both	33:51
	to whom they referred	33:52
	and	33:54
	what they intended	33:55
	by these words.	33:56
	Hosanna	33:59
	is an outcry	34:01
	of praise.	34:02
	It is acclamation.	34:04
	It also enjoins our illicit	34:07
	acclaim	34:10
	and to the son of David,	34:12
	quite plainly	34:15
	it points	34:16
	to the one in the midst,	34:17
	Jesus,	34:19
	the prophet, of Nazareth of Galilee	34:20
	in a day,	34:24
	that day	34:26
	when the voice of prophecy	34:27
	was counted as silent.	34:30
	To identify Jesus	34:32
	as	34:34
	a prophet	34:35
	was tantamount to a claiming	34:35
	the presence	34:37
	or the onset of messianic times.	34:38
	This is then	34:43
	soundly affirmed,	34:45
	in the exultant	34:47
	words,	34:48
	Blessed is he that	34:49
	cometh in the name of the Lord.	34:51
	Now,	34:54
	John the Baptist has his answer	34:56
	in public	34:58
	declaration	35:00
	in this acclimation of the throng,	35:03
	the son of David	35:06
	and he that cometh in the name of the Lord,	35:07
	are so conjoined	35:10
	as to give	35:11
	unmistakable,	35:12
	messianic denotation	35:13
	to the exhortation of the throng.	35:16
	This is confirmed	35:21
	by the concluding	35:23
	cry of exultation,	35:24
	Hosanna in the highest	35:26
	or to the highest.	35:28
	It is little wonder,	35:32
	that is Matthew testifies.	35:34
	All the city	35:36
	was stirred	35:37
	or that such a claim should evoke	35:39
	the question on every side.	35:42
	Who is this?	35:44
	The question of the identity of Jesus,	35:47
	nor is it at all strange,	35:52
	according to Luke's account	35:54
	that as He says,	35:57
	some of the Pharisees	35:59
	in the multitude said to Him,	36:01
	Teacher,	36:04
	Rabbi,	36:05
	rebuke your disciples.	36:06
	To them,	36:10
	the import of the words of acclimation were unmistakable	36:12
	and equally	36:15
	preposterous	36:16
	on the face of it.	36:17
	The followers of Jesus were playing the exuberant	36:19
	with a delusion,	36:22
	not only a delusion,	36:25
	but evidently a grave impiety.	36:28
	Why	36:32
	the latter	36:33
	was so	36:34
	a grave impiety?	36:36
	It has never become clear.	36:39
	But in the contemporary context,	36:42
	the explanation	36:44
	must lie	36:46
	in a constellation	36:47
	of intricate partisan dynamics,	36:49
	partly religious,	36:52
	partly political,	36:54
	partly ideological	36:56
	and partly just human,	36:58
	of the last.	37:01
	Here is a maze of contractibility,	37:03
	ranging	37:06
	from and through fascination,	37:07
	revulsion	37:10
	and ambivalence.	37:12
	After all,	37:15
	how do you know the Messiah has come,	37:17
	when you do not agree on who he would resemble if he came?	37:19
	Now secondly,	37:26
	was Jesus entry into Jerusalem truly triumphant,	37:29
	and for whom?	37:33
	We can answer quickly for all his opponents,	37:37
	Pharisees,	37:41
	Sadducees	37:42
	and	37:43
	the Roman officialdom,	37:44
	it was a disaster.	37:46
	It pushed the panic button,	37:50
	it instilled fears	37:53
	and crystallized	37:54
	their opposition.	37:56
	And they went on the defensive	37:58
	and took steps that led them in the end,	38:00
	to the desperate reaction of Golgotha,	38:02
	and it appears to	38:05
	an un	38:06
	repentant	38:08
	guilt.	38:10
	What of the followers of Jesus,	38:13
	who cut branches from the trees	38:14
	and spread their garments in the way	38:16
	and cried Hosannah?	38:18
	Christians believed they were right,	38:21
	but discerning Christians also know that	38:25
	they were right for the wrong reasons.	38:27
	They did not see it so	38:31
	and seemingly could not know it	38:34
	until they stood proven deserters and recreants.	38:36
	On the other side of Calvary,	38:40
	in the un,	38:43
	in the	38:44
	unanticipated	38:45
	light	38:46
	of the resurrection.	38:48
	Till then they confounded the person of Jesus	38:51
	with that of a Messianic King,	38:54
	and earthly Monarch.	38:56
	They had to learn	39:00
	the other paradox,	39:01
	that his kingdom was not of this world.	39:03
	The world which Saint Augustine	39:06
	was to characterize	39:09
	by the love	39:11
	of rule,	39:11
	rather than	39:13
	the rule of love.	39:14
	They would have to learn what their master had meant	39:17
	when he rebuked them all on the way to Jerusalem saying,	39:20
	you know,	39:24
	that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles,	39:26
	lorded over them	39:30
	and their great men,	39:32
	exercise authority over them,	39:33
	but it shall not be so	39:35
	among you.	39:36
	But whoever would be great among you, must be your servant	39:39
	and whoever would be first among you	39:44
	must be slave	39:48
	doers	39:49
	of all.	39:51
	John Wesley 200 years ago	39:54
	was holy right,	39:56
	in seeing	39:58
	and saying	39:59
	that before Calvary and Easter,	40:01
	the faith of the disciples	40:04
	was undiscerning,	40:06
	imperfect	40:07
	and confused.	40:08
	Accordingly, their claim was short lived	40:11
	even the best of them.	40:14
	In the extremity they all forsook him and fled,	40:16
	and or worse	40:19
	as with Peter,	40:21
	they denied Him thrice.	40:22
	So their claim on Jesus	40:25
	entry into Jerusalem was hollow.	40:27
	It was right,	40:30
	but plainly	40:32
	for the wrong reasons.	40:33
	But now	40:37
	one of the profits of Nazareth of Galilee?	40:38
	It is impossible,	40:44
	not just problematic	40:45
	to try to read the mind of	40:48
	the Son of God,	40:49
	as it has required centuries	40:53
	to probe the mind of	40:55
	absolute genius	40:57
	such as a play on a Shakespeare,	41:00
	so that of Jesus	41:04
	is finely	41:05
	unfathomable.	41:06
	One thing, however, seems to me quite clear,	41:09
	after the manner of Jeremiah the prophet,	41:13
	Jesus donkey ride into Jerusalem	41:16
	was intentional	41:18
	and parabolic.	41:20
	This was so,	41:23
	although the throng	41:24
	failed to grasp the	41:26
	symbolism	41:27
	and however much the authorities were miscued	41:28
	by the crowds	41:32
	acclamation,	41:33
	Matthew is on beam,	41:36
	I think in finding	41:38
	the scripture antecedent and sufficient	41:39
	warrant in the words of the prophet Zachariah,	41:42
	tell the daughter of Zion.	41:46
	Behold your King is coming to you,	41:49
	humble	41:52
	and mounted on an ass	41:55
	and a colt,	41:58
	the foal of an act.	42:00
	There are two things to say here	42:03
	and the implicate one another,	42:07
	A King	42:11
	coming into his kingdom,	42:13
	as heir presumptive	42:14
	does not ride	42:16
	the humblest beast of burden	42:17
	ordinarily,	42:20
	which every shepherd rides	42:22
	in Palestine,	42:25
	even today,	42:26
	Jesus selection of such a mount	42:29
	is plainly parabolic	42:31
	and even gentle satire.	42:33
	It was satire upon	42:37
	the popular and prevailing notion	42:38
	of the expected son of David	42:40
	and earthly monitor.	42:43
	The second thing,	42:45
	and the other side	42:47
	is found in Jesus concluding words to the disciple,	42:50
	back then on the way to Jerusalem.	42:52
	For the son of man	42:58
	also	43:00
	came not	43:01
	to be served,	43:02
	but to serve	43:04
	and to give his life	43:07
	ransom for many.	43:08
	Now, if these two things stand	43:12
	thus in conjunction	43:15
	and ourself,	43:17
	then Jesus entry into Jerusalem,	43:19
	and the manner of it was wholly consistent	43:21
	with even exemplary of his purpose.	43:24
	It was there for the triumph	43:29
	of his purpose,	43:31
	or be it misconceived	43:33
	delight by friend and foe,	43:35
	and each	43:36
	for the wrong reasons.	43:38
	That in teaching by parable enact,	43:41
	he failed to be understood,	43:45
	takes nothing	43:47
	from his continuing victory	43:48
	over the satanic temptations,	43:51
	which afflict us.	43:54
	And that	43:59
	would be	43:59
	for him	44:02
	to take his preeminence	44:03
	and have it	44:06
	the right and the claim to rule	44:07
	rather than to be ruled	44:10
	by the love of God	44:12
	and concern for the neighbor.	44:13
	More and more.	44:18
	I am convinced,	44:20
	that victory over temptation,	44:23
	the satanic temptation,	44:25
	the lust of rule	44:28
	as Saint Augustine called it,	44:29
	is the key	44:31
	to understanding the career of our Lord.	44:33
	Ministry is the word	44:38
	for it.	44:39
	And ministry	44:41
	Diakonia	44:44
	fulfills, God's calling	44:46
	and election of the people of God,	44:49
	But between what we call Palm Sunday	44:54
	and Easter,	44:57
	lie the climactic events of Holy week,	45:00
	the cleansing of the temple,	45:04
	the controversy with lawyers,	45:07
	the last supper,	45:10
	the betrayal of Judas,	45:11
	the consummate temptation of the garden of Gethsemane,	45:15
	the flight of the disciples,	45:19
	the trial before the Sanhedrin,	45:22
	the scourging of the Praetorian Guard,	45:25
	and the last extremity of the cross.	45:29
	All this in faithfulness to the father's will	45:33
	and there	45:38
	on the cross	45:39
	itself,	45:40
	Jesus meets the final temptation,	45:41
	Father, forgive them	45:45
	for they know not	45:47
	what they do.	45:50
	Divine graciousness	45:52
	at its Zenith,	45:54
	overcomes	45:56
	takes into itself	45:57
	and redeems	45:59
	man's evil.	46:00
	The cross was the dreadful deed of man,	46:03
	that Jesus Christ turned into the everlasting deed of God.	46:05
	Here was the final victory	46:11
	and here the ultimate triumph	46:14
	of the great commandment.	46:16
	Thou shalt love	46:20
	the Lord thy God	46:21
	with all thy heart	46:22
	and with all thy soul	46:24
	and with all thy mind	46:25
	and thy neighbor	46:28
	as	46:30
	even more	46:31
	than thy self.	46:33
	Is it any wonder that	46:36
	for those who have	46:37
	had eyes to see,	46:38
	Isaac Watch	46:42
	should write.	46:43
	When I	46:45
	survey	46:46
	the wondrous cross,	46:48
	on which the prince of glory died,	46:51
	my richest gain,	46:54
	I count	46:57
	but loss	46:58
	and poor	46:58
	contempt	47:00
	and all my pride.	47:03
	The third.	47:06
	This brings us	47:09
	to the final question.	47:10
	What does this triumph	47:14
	and this victory of long ago,	47:16
	say to us	47:18
	today?	47:19
	Be sure it may say	47:22
	many things	47:23
	and	47:24
	too many to take account of	47:26
	here this morning.	47:30
	What it may say	47:33
	depends upon the measure of our understanding,	47:34
	both of ourselves	47:39
	and of the strident	47:40
	world	47:42
	in which we live.	47:43
	And whether or not Christ	47:46
	may make a triumphal entry	47:48
	into my heart and life and yours,	47:50
	will in great part,	47:54
	I think	47:55
	depend upon,	47:56
	whether we can endure,	47:57
	the awful contrast,	48:01
	between our world	48:03
	and ourselves	48:05
	and what is being portrayed in	48:08
	word and worship	48:10
	today,	48:11
	And	48:12
	in this coming Holy week.	48:13
	If I'm not mistaken	48:19
	behind the civility we posture,	48:21
	the masks we wear,	48:24
	the anxieties we	48:27
	try to hide,	48:29
	the games we play,	48:31
	the goals which we aspire to,	48:33
	behind these,	48:36
	is an advancing	48:38
	spirit of alienation,	48:39
	predatory,	48:43
	fearful	48:44
	and distrustful.	48:45
	We are in a world of claims	48:48
	and counterclaims	48:50
	of partisan contest,	48:51
	violence	48:53
	and recurrent explosion.	48:54
	Our secular creed is	48:58
	social mobility	48:59
	by way of money, power, and status.	49:01
	That's what we live by,	49:05
	and good politics seems to be that which	49:07
	can	49:10
	promise most	49:11
	the quickest	49:13
	to the greatest number.	49:14
	Profound therefore,	49:19
	is the contrast between our world	49:22
	and the inner meaning.	49:25
	The inside	49:27
	of that triumphal entry into Jerusalem.	49:29
	The real event,	49:33
	was the one	49:35
	who would yield to no vocation,	49:37
	say to that	49:41
	which God the father had laid upon Him.	49:42
	I pray that for my salvation and yours	49:48
	and for the World's,	49:52
	we may unite to acclaim,	49:55
	but with larger understanding	49:58
	than they have all the time.	50:00
	Blessed	50:03
	is He	50:04
	that cometh in the name of the Lord.	50:06
	That the city of this world,	50:09
	may be stirred.	50:12
	To renewed life	50:14
	and enduring	50:18
	promise.	50:19
	May the God of hope,	50:22
	fill you with all joy and peace and believing.	50:23
	So that by the power of the Holy Spirit,	50:27
	you may abound in hope,	50:30
	both now and evermore.	50:32
	Amen.	50:36
	(Choir singing)	50:40
	(Instrumentals playing)	53:20
	(Choir singing)	56:46
	Praise Lord	1:04:39
	from whom	1:04:41
	all blessings	1:04:42
	flow.	1:04:45
	Praise Him all creatures	1:04:46
	here below.	1:04:50
	Praise Him	1:04:54
	above the heavenly hosts.	1:04:56
	Praise Father,	1:05:02
	Son	1:05:05
	and Holy Ghost.	1:05:06
	Amen.	1:05:12
-	Oh Lord, our God.	1:05:25
	You have given	1:05:28
	to us,	1:05:29
	now	1:05:31
	we give to you.	1:05:32
	You have called	1:05:35
	to us,	1:05:36
	now we come	1:05:38
	to you.	1:05:40
	You have loved	1:05:42
	even us,	1:05:44
	now we go	1:05:47
	to love	1:05:48
	even You	1:05:50
	and our neighbors,	1:05:52
	through Jesus	1:05:55
	Christ,	1:05:56
	our Lord.	1:05:58
	Amen.	1:06:00
	(Instrumentals playing)	1:06:03
	(Choir singing)	1:06:45
-	I'm sure that	1:11:57
	many of you will want to speak	1:11:58
	with those	1:11:59
	who have made this service today,	1:12:01
	rich	1:12:05
	and memorable,	1:12:06
	through the spoken word	1:12:09
	and the song word	1:12:11
	and the interpreted word.	1:12:13
	I am asking	1:12:16
	those who	1:12:17
	did the interpretive dance,	1:12:18
	to greet you	1:12:21
	or for you to greet them,	1:12:21
	in the front	1:12:24
	of the chapel	1:12:25
	in front of the chancel	1:12:27
	Dr. Kuchman and Dr. Anderson will be at the entrance.	1:12:29
	And you, if you would like a Palm branch as your	1:12:33
	momento	1:12:37
	of this time of worship,	1:12:39
	one of the ministers on the religious life staff	1:12:41
	will be available	1:12:44
	to hand one to you.	1:12:46
	Now, will you receive	1:12:50
	this blessing.	1:12:51
	The grace	1:12:54
	of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ,	1:12:56
	the love of God,	1:13:00
	the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit,	1:13:03
	be with you	1:13:07
	this day	1:13:09
	and forever	1:13:11
	(Choir singing)	1:13:14
	Amen!!	1:13:16
	Amen!!	1:13:30
	(Instrumental music)	1:14:16

Item Info

Title:

Robert E. Cushman - "All the City Was Stirred" (April 11, 1976)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4xd0vz8b

Date:

April 11, 1976

Speaker:

Cushman, Robert E.

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0827
ref6854_f7j
uachapelsermaud
duke:628131
dcrau002786
ark:/87924/r4xd0vz8b
47642adf-5bd2-4f27-9ed4-26a58c314a0b

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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Robert E. Cushman - "All the City Was Stirred" (April 11, 1976)

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