Dennis M. Campbell - "Forever Beginning" Founders' Day (December 14, 1986)
MP4
Loading the media player...
Transcript
- Download transcript as:
-
Text
-
PDF
-
WebVTT (includes timecodes)
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
| (harmonic music) | 0:01 | |
| (congregation murmuring) | 0:04 | |
| (resonant music) | 3:23 | |
| (moves into energetic resonant music) | 4:11 | |
| ("Beautiful Savior") | 6:43 | |
| ♪ Beautiful Savior ♪ | 6:44 | |
| ♪ Lord of all nations ♪ | 6:50 | |
| ♪ Son of God ♪ | 6:57 | |
| ♪ And son of man ♪ | 7:02 | |
| ♪ Glory and honor ♪ | 7:11 | |
| ♪ Praise adoration ♪ | 7:18 | |
| ♪ Now and forevermore ♪ | 7:24 | |
| ♪ Be thine ♪ | 7:31 | |
| ♪ Now and forevermore ♪ | 7:36 | |
| ♪ Be thine ♪ | 7:49 | |
| (reverberant music) | 7:59 | |
| (symphonic choral singing) | 8:40 | |
| (moves into resonant music) | 11:07 | |
| (symphonic choral singing) | 12:17 | |
| (congregation murmuring) | 13:06 | |
| - | Thursday afternoon in this place | 13:15 |
| the university community took occasion | 13:18 | |
| on the anniversary of the signing | 13:20 | |
| of the Duke Indenture 62 years ago | 13:22 | |
| to reflect upon our heritage, | 13:25 | |
| to single out those who have made | 13:28 | |
| a significant contribution to the university | 13:30 | |
| and to recognize recipients of scholarships | 13:33 | |
| made possible by the founding family. | 13:35 | |
| Today, we pause as we do each year | 13:39 | |
| in memory of the Duke family. | 13:42 | |
| To honor all those who have given of themselves | 13:45 | |
| in service to the future | 13:48 | |
| by creating and recreating this university. | 13:50 | |
| We reaffirm here our pledge of this university | 13:54 | |
| to the ideal of service to humanity | 13:57 | |
| and we give thanks for those | 14:00 | |
| who unselfishly take responsibility | 14:02 | |
| for a future that is not theirs | 14:05 | |
| that belongs to other generations. | 14:07 | |
| We remember also that this university returns | 14:10 | |
| the wealth of the land to its people | 14:13 | |
| through respect for knowledge and for truth | 14:16 | |
| and through the continuing generosity | 14:19 | |
| of those who establish it for all time. | 14:22 | |
| - | Let us pray, be seated. | 14:28 |
| (clears throat) | 14:30 | |
| Almighty God, accept our prayers for all schools | 14:39 | |
| and colleges across this nation and around the world. | 14:43 | |
| We pray for all faculty and students | 14:47 | |
| in their study and in their research, | 14:51 | |
| in their work of learning and the task of expanding | 14:54 | |
| the mind and the horizons of the human spirit. | 14:58 | |
| We pray particularly for those who study | 15:02 | |
| and those who learn here at Duke University. | 15:05 | |
| And may our work here be a common search for wisdom, | 15:09 | |
| particularly for that wisdom | 15:13 | |
| which we greet during this advent season, | 15:15 | |
| the light of the world come to enlighten all humanity. | 15:18 | |
| Amen. | 15:23 | |
| Would you join me in the litany of commemoration. | 15:25 | |
| Almighty and eternal God | 15:32 | |
| in whom our mothers and fathers have trusted, | 15:34 | |
| we their children at this time of remembrance | 15:36 | |
| offer unto thee our prayers of thanksgiving. | 15:38 | |
| All | Hear us we beseech thee O Lord. | 15:42 |
| For the members of the Duke family, | 15:45 | |
| father, daughter, sons and their spouses, | 15:47 | |
| grandchildren and all others in continuing generations | 15:49 | |
| until this very day, | 15:53 | |
| who with concern and compassion, devotion and dedication, | 15:55 | |
| and by their generosity, | 15:59 | |
| built on a solid foundation, | 16:01 | |
| continued a worthy school, | 16:04 | |
| and provided for education and service | 16:05 | |
| beyond even their dreams and expectations. | 16:08 | |
| All | We give thee thanks and praise | 16:11 |
| Rev. Willimon | for the pioneering and persevering | 16:14 |
| men and women connected with this university. | 16:16 | |
| Methodists and Quakers, farmers and merchants, | 16:18 | |
| teachers and administrators, | 16:22 | |
| who in days gone by believed in education | 16:24 | |
| and made their beliefs prevail. | 16:27 | |
| All | We give thee thanks and praise. | 16:30 |
| Rev. Willimon | For the embodiment of their dreams | 16:33 |
| from private school to academy to college | 16:35 | |
| to great university, | 16:38 | |
| founded in hope, continued with sacrifice, | 16:40 | |
| growing in outreach, serving with effectiveness, | 16:43 | |
| All | We give thee thanks and praise. | 16:47 |
| - | For faculty and staff whose vision | 16:49 |
| was bolstered by their courage, | 16:52 | |
| whose patience was tested and found true | 16:55 | |
| and whose idealism was implanted in the hearts | 16:58 | |
| and minds of others. | 17:01 | |
| All | We give thee thanks and praise. | 17:03 |
| - | For the ongoing presence of noble ideas, | 17:06 |
| the blending of "Eruditio et Religio", | 17:09 | |
| the freedom for responsible academic research and teaching, | 17:12 | |
| the ongoing respect for both the body and the spirit, | 17:16 | |
| pursuit of knowledge in the sciences and the humanities, | 17:19 | |
| the realization that the old order changes | 17:23 | |
| and new times bring new responsibilities, | 17:26 | |
| All | We give thee thanks and praise. | 17:30 |
| - | For the future of Duke University, | 17:33 |
| established for thy glory and for the enlightenment | 17:35 | |
| of the human mind and spirit, | 17:38 | |
| for consecration to learning by the young | 17:40 | |
| for the best use of the wisdom of those in latter years | 17:43 | |
| and for the commitment to growth | 17:47 | |
| and enhancement of all persons, | 17:48 | |
| for a sense of humor, a spirit of cooperation, | 17:51 | |
| and a desire for understanding among all | 17:55 | |
| within our community and the world, | 17:57 | |
| All | We give thee thanks and praise. | 18:00 |
| And to thee O God, | 18:03 | |
| we shall ascribe as is most due | 18:04 | |
| all place and glory | 18:07 | |
| world without end. | 18:09 | |
| Amen. | 18:11 | |
| (congregation murmuring) | 18:13 | |
| - | I greet you on this third Sunday of Advent | 18:24 |
| and on the occasion of our university Founder's Sunday | 18:28 | |
| and we are pleased to have you at the chapel. | 18:33 | |
| This afternoon at 5:00 PM, | 18:38 | |
| our distinguished university organist Peter Williams | 18:40 | |
| will be presenting a concert here in the chapel | 18:44 | |
| in honor of the 10th anniversary | 18:48 | |
| of the dedication of our Flentrop organ | 18:51 | |
| and we invite you to this concert. | 18:55 | |
| This has been a weekend of celebration | 18:59 | |
| in the anniversary of the Flentrop. | 19:01 | |
| Today marks the first time that this Founder's Day service | 19:05 | |
| has been televised over the closed circuit system | 19:10 | |
| of Duke University. | 19:15 | |
| This service is being viewed by those patients | 19:16 | |
| in the Duke hospitals. | 19:20 | |
| This is a pioneering effort | 19:22 | |
| supported in great part by the Friends of Duke Chapel | 19:24 | |
| and we thank them for their generosity | 19:27 | |
| and we welcome those who join us today on the television. | 19:30 | |
| Would you stand as we pray together the Advent Prayer? | 19:38 | |
| (clears throat) | 19:42 | |
| Let us pray, | 19:51 | |
| All | O Lord God, heavenly king | 19:52 |
| in this holy season of Advent | 19:55 | |
| we beseech thee so to rule and guide us | 19:57 | |
| by the Holy Spirit | 20:00 | |
| that we may hear and receive the holy word | 20:02 | |
| with our whole heart | 20:05 | |
| and through thy word we may be sanctified | 20:07 | |
| and may learn to place all our trust and hope | 20:10 | |
| in Jesus Christ thy son | 20:13 | |
| and following him may be led safely through all evil | 20:15 | |
| until through thy grace we come to everlasting life | 20:20 | |
| through the same Jesus Christ thy son, our Lord. | 20:24 | |
| Amen. | 20:28 | |
| (resonant organ music) | 20:30 | |
| (harmonic choral singing) | 20:38 | |
| - | You may be seated. | 21:30 |
| Open our hearts and minds O God | 21:36 | |
| by the power of your Holy Spirit | 21:38 | |
| so that as the word is read and proclaimed | 21:41 | |
| we might hear with joy what you say to us this day. | 21:43 | |
| The first lesson is taken from Isaiah. | 21:48 | |
| Th wilderness and the dry land shall be glad. | 21:52 | |
| The desert shall rejoice and blossom | 21:55 | |
| like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly | 21:58 | |
| and rejoice with joy and with singing. | 22:01 | |
| The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, | 22:05 | |
| the majesty of Carmel and Sharon, | 22:07 | |
| they shall see the glory of the Lord, | 22:10 | |
| the majesty of our God. | 22:12 | |
| Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees, | 22:15 | |
| say to those who are of a fearful heart, | 22:19 | |
| "Be strong, fear not. | 22:21 | |
| "Behold your God will come with vengeance | 22:24 | |
| "with the recompense of God. | 22:27 | |
| "He will come and he will save you." | 22:29 | |
| Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened | 22:32 | |
| and the ears of the deaf unstopped. | 22:35 | |
| Then shall the lame leap like a heart | 22:38 | |
| and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy | 22:40 | |
| for water shall break forth in the wilderness | 22:43 | |
| and streams in the desert. | 22:46 | |
| The burning sand shall become a pool | 22:49 | |
| and the thirsty ground springs of water. | 22:51 | |
| The haunt of jackals shall become a swamp. | 22:55 | |
| The grass shall become reeds and rushes | 22:58 | |
| and a highway shall be there | 23:01 | |
| and it shall be called The Holy Way. | 23:03 | |
| The unclean shall not pass over it | 23:06 | |
| and fools shall not err therein. | 23:09 | |
| No lion shall be there, | 23:11 | |
| nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it. | 23:13 | |
| They shall not be found there, | 23:17 | |
| but the redeemed shall walk there. | 23:19 | |
| And the ransomed of the Lord shall return | 23:21 | |
| and come to Zion with singing. | 23:24 | |
| Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. | 23:26 | |
| They shall obtain joy and gladness, | 23:30 | |
| and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. | 23:33 | |
| This ends the reading of the first lesson. | 23:37 | |
| (melodious bell music) | 23:46 | |
| (melodious bell music) | 24:39 | |
| - | The gospel lesson is taken from Saint Matthew. | 27:38 |
| Now when John heard in prison about | 27:42 | |
| the deeds of the Christ, | 27:44 | |
| he sent word by his disciples and said to him, | 27:46 | |
| "Are you He who is to come, | 27:49 | |
| "or shall we look for another?" | 27:52 | |
| and Jesus answered them | 27:54 | |
| "Go and tell John what you hear and what you see, | 27:56 | |
| "the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, | 28:00 | |
| "lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear | 28:04 | |
| "and the dead are raised up | 28:07 | |
| "and the poor have good news preached to them | 28:09 | |
| "and blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." | 28:12 | |
| As they went away, Jesus began to speak | 28:16 | |
| to the crowds concerning John. | 28:19 | |
| "What did you go out into the wilderness to behold? | 28:21 | |
| "A reed shaken by the wind? | 28:24 | |
| "Why then did you go out, to see a prophet? | 28:26 | |
| "Yes I tell you, and more than a prophet. | 28:30 | |
| "This is He of whom it is written, | 28:33 | |
| "behold I send my messenger before thy face | 28:36 | |
| "who shall prepare thy way before thee. | 28:40 | |
| "Truly I say to you, among those born of women | 28:43 | |
| "there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. | 28:47 | |
| "Yet one who is least in the kingdom of heaven | 28:50 | |
| "is greater than he." | 28:53 | |
| This ends the reading of the gospel. | 28:55 | |
| ("Psalm 9: I Will Give Thanks to the Lord") | 29:00 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks to the Lord ♪ | 29:08 | |
| ♪ With my whole heart ♪ | 29:12 | |
| ♪ I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds ♪ | 29:18 | |
| ♪ I will be glad and exult in thee ♪ | 29:25 | |
| ♪ I will sing praise to thy name O Most High ♪ | 29:29 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks to the Lord ♪ | 29:43 | |
| ♪ With my whole heart ♪ | 29:46 | |
| ♪ I will tell of all thy wonderful deeds ♪ | 29:53 | |
| ♪ I will be glad and exult in thee ♪ | 30:00 | |
| ♪ I will gland and exult in thee ♪ | 30:04 | |
| ♪ I will sing praise to thy name O Most High ♪ | 30:08 | |
| ♪ Be gracious to me O Lord ♪ | 30:21 | |
| ♪ Behold what I suffer ♪ | 30:26 | |
| ♪ From those who hate me ♪ | 30:29 | |
| ♪ O thou who liftest me up ♪ | 30:33 | |
| ♪ From gates of death ♪ | 30:37 | |
| ♪ From gates of death ♪ | 30:40 | |
| ♪ That I may recount all ♪ | 30:43 | |
| ♪ All thy praises ♪ | 30:47 | |
| ♪ That in the gates of ♪ | 30:49 | |
| ♪ The daughter of Zion ♪ | 30:52 | |
| ♪ That I may recount all ♪ | 30:54 | |
| ♪ Daughter of Zion ♪ | 30:56 | |
| ♪ All of thy praises ♪ | 30:57 | |
| ♪ Daughter of Zion ♪ | 30:58 | |
| ♪ Daughter of Zion ♪ | 31:00 | |
| ♪ I may rejoice ♪ | 31:01 | |
| ♪ I may rejoice in thy ♪ | 31:02 | |
| ♪ Deliverance ♪ | 31:04 | |
| ♪ Be gracious to me O Lord ♪ | 31:10 | |
| ♪ Be gracious to me O Lord ♪ | 31:13 | |
| (moves into resonant music) | 31:19 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks ♪ | 31:29 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks ♪ | 31:30 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks unto the Lord ♪ | 31:32 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks ♪ | 31:39 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks ♪ | 31:41 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks unto the Lord ♪ | 31:42 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks to the Lord ♪ | 31:51 | |
| - | Hear now this lesson | 32:36 |
| taken from the book of Joshua chapter 24. | 32:39 | |
| Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem | 32:46 | |
| and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges | 32:51 | |
| and the officers of Israel. | 32:56 | |
| And they presented themselves before God. | 32:59 | |
| And Joshua said to all the people, | 33:03 | |
| "Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, | 33:06 | |
| "I gave you a land on which you had not labored, | 33:10 | |
| "and cities which you had not built and you dwell therein. | 33:14 | |
| "You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive yards | 33:21 | |
| "which you did not plant. | 33:24 | |
| "Now therefore fear the Lord | 33:27 | |
| "and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. | 33:30 | |
| "And if you be unwilling to serve the Lord, | 33:35 | |
| "choose this day whom you will serve. | 33:38 | |
| "But as for me, and my house we will serve the Lord." | 33:42 | |
| And the people answered, | 33:49 | |
| "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord." | 33:50 | |
| Then Joshua said to the people, | 33:55 | |
| "You are witnesses against yourselves | 33:57 | |
| "that you have chosen the Lord to serve Him." | 34:00 | |
| And they said, "We are witnesses." | 34:05 | |
| So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. | 34:09 | |
| Then he sent them away to their inheritance. | 34:14 | |
| The assembly described | 34:21 | |
| in this 24th chapter of Joshua | 34:24 | |
| represents a new beginning for the people of Israel. | 34:28 | |
| This ceremony of encounter with God and covenant renewal | 34:34 | |
| is illustrative of our perpetual human need | 34:38 | |
| for new beginnings. | 34:43 | |
| My title today is a phrase | 34:45 | |
| from Charles Wesley's 18th century hymn, | 34:48 | |
| "O God of all grace, | 34:52 | |
| "Thy goodness we praise, | 34:54 | |
| "For ever beginning what never shall end" | 34:57 | |
| New beginnings are a gift of God's grace. | 35:03 | |
| The events of Founder's Day at Duke University | 35:07 | |
| which really now stretch into a long weekend | 35:11 | |
| remind us that we, like the Israelites of old, | 35:15 | |
| are forever beginning. | 35:21 | |
| And we need our times of remembrance of the past | 35:24 | |
| appropriation for the present, | 35:29 | |
| and resolve for the future. | 35:32 | |
| Remembrance involves encountering the story | 35:36 | |
| that tells us who we are. | 35:40 | |
| On this Founder's Day, we rehearse again | 35:42 | |
| the story of Duke. | 35:46 | |
| Most of us know the story, | 35:48 | |
| but we need to hear it again and again. | 35:51 | |
| Next year marks the 20th anniversary | 35:56 | |
| of my graduation from Duke's Trinity College. | 35:59 | |
| When I was a freshman here, | 36:03 | |
| we still had to pass a test, | 36:05 | |
| a required test called The Tradition's Test. | 36:09 | |
| One of the questions was, | 36:14 | |
| "How many stones did it take to complete the Duke chapel?" | 36:16 | |
| Now in case you don't know, | 36:24 | |
| (congregation murmurs) | 36:27 | |
| the answer is one. | 36:28 | |
| (congregation laughs) | 36:32 | |
| Saturday morning classes were the rule then | 36:39 | |
| and class attendance was mandatory. | 36:42 | |
| The Tradition's Test is now gone | 36:46 | |
| and so are Saturday classes and required class attendance, | 36:49 | |
| but our traditions are not gone. | 36:54 | |
| The carillon is still played at five o' clock | 36:57 | |
| now by my classmate Sam Hammond, | 37:01 | |
| who looked the same then as he does now. | 37:05 | |
| (congregation murmurs) | 37:08 | |
| Distinguished faculty still take real interest | 37:10 | |
| in undergraduates even outside the classroom. | 37:13 | |
| I will never forget Richard White, | 37:18 | |
| now Dean of Arts and Sciences, | 37:20 | |
| in his first year at Duke | 37:22 | |
| working with me, then a freshman, | 37:25 | |
| to help me understand the life cycle of selaginella | 37:28 | |
| in botany. | 37:32 | |
| Just last night, our soccer team | 37:34 | |
| started what we trust is a new tradition. | 37:37 | |
| These traditions, some embodied in the university itself, | 37:41 | |
| some embodied in its people, | 37:46 | |
| shape us even though we may not realize it. | 37:50 | |
| Although I was away for graduate professional training | 37:56 | |
| and taught elsewhere before coming back to Duke, | 37:59 | |
| I am keenly aware that I am who I am in large measure | 38:03 | |
| because of this university. | 38:09 | |
| We here this morning are the recipients | 38:12 | |
| of a magnificent inheritance. | 38:15 | |
| Our story is rich and complex | 38:19 | |
| and this morning, I want to notice primarily | 38:23 | |
| Duke's religious tradition. | 38:27 | |
| Although our roots go back to a great foundation | 38:30 | |
| started by Methodist and Quaker farmers | 38:35 | |
| in Randolph County in 1838, | 38:38 | |
| and our trustee and presidential leadership | 38:41 | |
| was principally Methodist, | 38:44 | |
| the school was not formally and officially | 38:47 | |
| religiously affiliated until 1856. | 38:50 | |
| In that year, state government refused | 38:55 | |
| to give financial support for the college | 38:58 | |
| and President Braxton Craven appealed | 39:01 | |
| to the Methodist Church. | 39:03 | |
| He proposed that the church provide urgently needed funds | 39:05 | |
| in exchange for a perpetual agreement | 39:10 | |
| that its ministers would be educated at no cost. | 39:13 | |
| The church thus literally saved the college | 39:17 | |
| and so began our continuing | 39:20 | |
| formal relationship to Methodism. | 39:23 | |
| Duke University would not be what it is today | 39:26 | |
| apart from that relationship. | 39:30 | |
| President John Carlyle Kilgo strongly advanced | 39:33 | |
| the concept of Christian higher education | 39:36 | |
| and his preaching is given credit | 39:39 | |
| for inspiring the Duke family | 39:42 | |
| to continued support for the college. | 39:44 | |
| Kilgo was castigated by many North Carolinians | 39:48 | |
| including Josephus Daniels, | 39:51 | |
| the editor of the Raleigh News and Observer | 39:54 | |
| for what they regarded as his liberal views. | 39:56 | |
| He was an unpopular champion of academic freedom, | 40:00 | |
| the famous Bassett case occurred during his presidency. | 40:05 | |
| Kilgo's understanding of | 40:09 | |
| and commitment to academic freedom | 40:12 | |
| grew out of his Christian convictions. | 40:15 | |
| This is what he wrote, | 40:19 | |
| "From childhood, I was taught the doctrines | 40:20 | |
| "which belong to Methodism, | 40:24 | |
| "a church seemingly ordained to proclaim | 40:26 | |
| "the doctrine of human tolerance and freedom | 40:30 | |
| "at a time when ecclesiastical, civic and social intolerance | 40:34 | |
| "was arrogant and tyrannical." | 40:39 | |
| Kilgo's theological views thus shaped Trinity College | 40:44 | |
| at a crucial time in its academic development. | 40:49 | |
| William Preston Few, who would be | 40:53 | |
| the first president of the university | 40:55 | |
| and its brilliant and visionary leader | 40:58 | |
| during its most formative years, | 41:00 | |
| was Dean while Kilgo was President. | 41:03 | |
| Few was a deeply committed churchman who believed | 41:06 | |
| that religion provided the unity for education. | 41:09 | |
| We know from Few's letters and papers | 41:14 | |
| that he and James B. Duke | 41:17 | |
| spent a great deal of time together | 41:19 | |
| before Mr. Duke signed the famous Indenture | 41:21 | |
| of December 11th, 1924. | 41:25 | |
| Mr. Duke was clear about his desires | 41:28 | |
| concerning the religious commitment of the new university. | 41:31 | |
| And it is also clear that these desires | 41:36 | |
| coincided with Few's. | 41:38 | |
| In his splendid book, "The Architecture of Duke University", | 41:42 | |
| the late professor William Blackburn wrote, | 41:45 | |
| "The chapel was the building first in the mind | 41:48 | |
| "of James Buchanan Duke. | 41:52 | |
| "At the heart of his idea of education was religion, | 41:54 | |
| "and the physical center of the university | 41:58 | |
| "was to be the chapel. | 42:01 | |
| "I want the central building to be a church, | 42:03 | |
| "he used to say when making plans for the university. | 42:06 | |
| "A great towering church which will dominate | 42:10 | |
| "all the surrounding buildings, | 42:13 | |
| "because such an edifice would be bound | 42:16 | |
| "to have a profound influence on the spiritual life | 42:19 | |
| "of the young men and young women who come here." | 42:23 | |
| Now Duke University was not simply to have a chapel. | 42:27 | |
| Duke was to continue to stand for the union | 42:30 | |
| of education and religion. | 42:33 | |
| Our motto "Eruditio et Religio" | 42:36 | |
| derives from a proposition of Weslian theology | 42:39 | |
| expressed well in one of Charles Wesley's greatest hymns, | 42:43 | |
| "Unite the two so long disjoined, | 42:48 | |
| knowledge and vital piety." | 42:52 | |
| We know very clearly what the founders wanted. | 42:56 | |
| They wanted religion to be the formative influence | 43:01 | |
| on this university. | 43:04 | |
| The Christian theological commitments | 43:06 | |
| of Duke's early leadership | 43:08 | |
| determined the kind of university Duke was to become. | 43:10 | |
| They believed that Christian faith mandated higher education | 43:16 | |
| that was excellent, rigorous, free, | 43:20 | |
| inclusive and open. | 43:25 | |
| We who gather in this assembly today | 43:28 | |
| have been given a great inheritance. | 43:32 | |
| Inheritance from the past however, | 43:36 | |
| requires appropriation for the present. | 43:39 | |
| It's not enough just to remember. | 43:43 | |
| What responsibility do we have | 43:46 | |
| to our founders and benefactors? | 43:49 | |
| Now this question is an ever present one | 43:53 | |
| because we are forever beginning. | 43:56 | |
| Many of you here this morning | 44:00 | |
| are benefactors of this university. | 44:01 | |
| Gifts of service, money and concern | 44:05 | |
| all become part of our inheritance. | 44:08 | |
| How we treat our inheritance tells us who we are | 44:12 | |
| and whether we are worthy of that which is given to us. | 44:16 | |
| We must be faithful to the intentions of those | 44:21 | |
| who have brought us to this place. | 44:24 | |
| Being worthy of our inheritance | 44:27 | |
| requires us to attend to continuity. | 44:30 | |
| But it also requires us to attend to appropriate change. | 44:36 | |
| Real benefactors recognize that human communities | 44:42 | |
| and institutions cannot be static. | 44:47 | |
| Growth and development must take place. | 44:51 | |
| There must be a balance between continuity and change. | 44:56 | |
| Our world, our nation and our region | 45:01 | |
| are constantly changing, and so are we. | 45:06 | |
| We are forever beginning. | 45:11 | |
| Historically, Christian vision provided unity and purpose | 45:15 | |
| for higher education. | 45:21 | |
| The great universities of Europe and England | 45:23 | |
| were founded with such a vision | 45:26 | |
| as were our own major private universities. | 45:28 | |
| But the forces of secularization in western culture | 45:33 | |
| have destroyed that unity and purpose | 45:37 | |
| and left us with fragmentation and confusion. | 45:41 | |
| What meaning, if any, does the remembrance of our own story | 45:48 | |
| on Founder's Day have for us at Duke, | 45:52 | |
| in relation to this larger picture? | 45:56 | |
| We cannot return to a time when it was possible, | 46:01 | |
| whether or not it was true, | 46:06 | |
| to claim a Christian vision for the whole university. | 46:09 | |
| Nevertheless, our story as a university | 46:15 | |
| includes provision for the Christian vision | 46:19 | |
| of reality within the university. | 46:24 | |
| This chapel is the major embodiment of that tradition. | 46:28 | |
| Here, Christian truth is proclaimed | 46:33 | |
| even though not all in the university can, | 46:36 | |
| do, or necessarily should believe | 46:40 | |
| or espouse it. | 46:44 | |
| Duke University gives place to religion | 46:48 | |
| and accordingly recognizes the legitimacy of claims | 46:53 | |
| that there is unity, purpose, | 46:58 | |
| and meaning in education. | 47:01 | |
| In this special sense, we are not neutral. | 47:04 | |
| I think of Bishop Kenneth Goodson's remark | 47:09 | |
| that as he looks at the chapel, | 47:11 | |
| he is reminded that Duke University has taken sides. | 47:13 | |
| Openness and pluralism do not rule out the fact | 47:19 | |
| that our founder's vision persists | 47:24 | |
| and that it has a legitimate claim on us. | 47:28 | |
| What then of resolve for the future? | 47:34 | |
| Remembering who we are | 47:37 | |
| seeking to appropriate our tradition in the present. | 47:39 | |
| What does this mean for our future? | 47:44 | |
| There is great excitement in being at Duke just now. | 47:48 | |
| We all feel that as we walk these beloved | 47:54 | |
| halls of our buildings and sidewalks and lawns. | 48:00 | |
| There are very positive and hopeful signs. | 48:05 | |
| But because we are a part of the larger picture | 48:10 | |
| of American higher education, | 48:14 | |
| there are also concerns. | 48:17 | |
| As we think about the future, | 48:21 | |
| perhaps the chief concern ought to be that of purpose. | 48:23 | |
| What are we, in the end, here to do? | 48:28 | |
| That question is a moral question | 48:34 | |
| and if pursued deeply, a religious one. | 48:38 | |
| Indeed as Samuel Johnson suggested, | 48:42 | |
| "No one can think deeply without thinking religiously." | 48:46 | |
| Margaret Clapp, a former president of Wellesley College | 48:52 | |
| once observed that "Evidence can be amassed | 48:56 | |
| "that universities have been more effective | 48:59 | |
| "in scientific research to help the world wage war | 49:01 | |
| "than to wage peace." | 49:06 | |
| Interestingly, the McArthur Foundation last year | 49:10 | |
| announced massive funding for peace studies research | 49:14 | |
| by scholars in American Universities. | 49:19 | |
| I welcome that idea because it signals a recognition | 49:23 | |
| of our responsibility to participate | 49:27 | |
| in the shaping of the future. | 49:29 | |
| While asserting that the future belongs to God alone, | 49:32 | |
| through God's grace, we have the freedom to choose | 49:37 | |
| to make positive contributions to the human future. | 49:42 | |
| I like to describe Duke as a university whose character | 49:47 | |
| helps men and women learn to commit themselves | 49:53 | |
| to lives of service. | 49:57 | |
| Such service to human need can and does | 50:00 | |
| make a difference in this world | 50:04 | |
| that desperately needs such commitment. | 50:06 | |
| Recently, President Brodie gave me a copy | 50:12 | |
| of a remarkable speech given on Armistice Day 1948 | 50:16 | |
| by General of the Army Omar N. Bradley. | 50:21 | |
| General Bradley said this, | 50:27 | |
| "With the monstrous weapons man already has, | 50:29 | |
| "humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world | 50:34 | |
| "by its moral adolescence. | 50:39 | |
| "We are stumbling blindly through a spiritual darkness | 50:43 | |
| "while toying with the precarious secrets of life and death. | 50:48 | |
| "We have many men of science, | 50:54 | |
| "too few men of God." | 50:58 | |
| So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day. | 51:04 | |
| Then he sent them away to their inheritance. | 51:09 | |
| Amen. | 51:17 | |
| (congregation murmuring) | 51:22 | |
| ("Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates") | 51:27 | |
| ♪ Lift up your heads, ye might gates ♪ | 51:55 | |
| ♪ Behold the king of glory waits ♪ | 52:01 | |
| ♪ The king of kings ♪ | 52:08 | |
| ♪ Is drawing near ♪ | 52:12 | |
| ♪ The savior of the world is here ♪ | 52:15 | |
| ♪ Fling the portals of your heart ♪ | 52:25 | |
| ♪ Make it a temple, set apart ♪ | 52:31 | |
| ♪ From earthly use for heaven's employ ♪ | 52:38 | |
| ♪ Adorned with prayer and love and joy ♪ | 52:45 | |
| ♪ Redeemer come with us abide ♪ | 52:54 | |
| ♪ Our hearts to thee we open wide ♪ | 53:01 | |
| ♪ Let us thy inner presence feel ♪ | 53:08 | |
| ♪ Thy grace and love in us reveal ♪ | 53:15 | |
| - | Please remain standing as we join | 53:27 |
| in the historic confession of our faith, | 53:29 | |
| The Apostle's Creed. | 53:31 | |
| All | I believe in God, the father almighty, | 53:34 |
| maker of heaven and earth | 53:37 | |
| and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord | 53:39 | |
| who was conceived by the Holy Spirit | 53:42 | |
| born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, | 53:45 | |
| was crucified, dead and buried, he descended into hell. | 53:50 | |
| On the third day, he rose again from the dead. | 53:55 | |
| He ascended into Heaven | 53:57 | |
| and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty | 53:59 | |
| from this he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. | 54:03 | |
| I believe in the Holy Spirit, | 54:07 | |
| the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, | 54:09 | |
| the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, | 54:13 | |
| and the life everlasting. | 54:17 | |
| Amen. | 54:19 | |
| The Lord be with you. | 54:21 | |
| All | And with you also. | 54:23 |
| - | Let us pray. | 54:24 |
| How can we pray to thee, thou holy and hidden God | 54:39 | |
| whose ways are not our ways, | 54:44 | |
| who reignest in mystery beyond the realm of time and space? | 54:47 | |
| Yet, how can we not pray to thee, gracious God, | 54:52 | |
| who knowest what it is to be human | 54:57 | |
| because thou has come among us as one | 54:59 | |
| who took our common life upon himself | 55:01 | |
| to be like us in order that we might be like him. | 55:05 | |
| Hear us O God, both in our words and in our silence, | 55:11 | |
| for it is often the silence that speaks better of our need. | 55:16 | |
| Breathe thou life into our less than life, | 55:22 | |
| not for our sakes only, | 55:26 | |
| but for the sake of those to whom, with thy life in us, | 55:29 | |
| we may ourselves bring life. | 55:33 | |
| Hear now gracious God, | 55:38 | |
| the prayers of all thy children everywhere | 55:39 | |
| for forgiveness and healing, for courage, for faith, | 55:43 | |
| for hope in times of despair, | 55:50 | |
| for endurance in the midst of trial. | 55:53 | |
| Hear our prayers for the needs of others this day, | 55:57 | |
| for the homeless, the destitute, the imprisoned, | 56:01 | |
| the sick and the dying, | 56:08 | |
| for the hungry and for those who seek | 56:11 | |
| to battle the causes of hunger, | 56:13 | |
| for victims of violence everywhere | 56:16 | |
| and for those who know no other way than violence, | 56:20 | |
| for those who govern the nations of the world, | 56:25 | |
| especially those which are conflict torn, | 56:28 | |
| for women and men who suffer for the sake of conscience, | 56:32 | |
| for the unemployed who suffer want and anxiety | 56:37 | |
| from lack of work, | 56:40 | |
| for this university that it may be a center | 56:43 | |
| for sound learning and a pursuit of wisdom, | 56:46 | |
| and for the memory of its origins | 56:50 | |
| that a worthy vision of its mission might be nourished, | 56:52 | |
| for the entire human family that the walls which separate us | 56:58 | |
| may be broken down, | 57:02 | |
| and that in thy good time, | 57:04 | |
| all nations and races may serve thee in harmony | 57:06 | |
| around thy heavenly throne. | 57:10 | |
| Deep beneath all our asking O God, | 57:14 | |
| hear the secret song of every human heart | 57:18 | |
| lauding and magnifying thy name for being what thou art. | 57:21 | |
| Make strong and clear this song of praise | 57:27 | |
| within each of us until it burst forth at last | 57:30 | |
| to thy glory and our salvation. | 57:34 | |
| Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. | 57:39 | |
| Amen. | 57:42 | |
| We offer a special word of thanks | 57:46 | |
| to the Bell Ringers of the First Baptist Church | 57:48 | |
| of Hendersonville, North Carolina | 57:51 | |
| who are making their ninth annual Advent appearance | 57:54 | |
| here at the chapel. | 57:56 | |
| And now, in the spirit of thanksgiving | 57:59 | |
| for all that God has done, | 58:01 | |
| let us offer our gifts and ourselves onto God. | 58:03 | |
| (melodic bell music) | 58:16 | |
| (moves into "O Holy Night") | 1:02:55 | |
| (reverberant music) | 1:03:54 | |
| (melodic choral singing) | 1:04:13 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:45 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, ♪ | 1:04:51 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:57 | |
| ♪ Amen. ♪ | 1:05:05 | |
| O everliving God, we give thee thanks and praise | 1:05:17 | |
| for whatsoever thou hast given us richly to enjoy, | 1:05:20 | |
| for health and vigor, for the joys of friendship | 1:05:24 | |
| for our time and place in history | 1:05:28 | |
| and for every good gift of happiness and strength. | 1:05:31 | |
| We praise thee for all the servants | 1:05:35 | |
| who by their example and encouragement | 1:05:37 | |
| have helped us on our way, | 1:05:40 | |
| especially for the founders of this university | 1:05:42 | |
| and for every vision of thyself | 1:05:45 | |
| which thou hast given us in sacrament or prayer, | 1:05:47 | |
| and we humbly beseech thee that all these benefits | 1:05:51 | |
| we may use in thy service | 1:05:54 | |
| and to the glory of thy holy name. | 1:05:56 | |
| Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray | 1:05:59 | |
| who taught us boldly to say | 1:06:02 | |
| All | Our Father who art in heaven | 1:06:04 |
| hallowed be thy name | 1:06:07 | |
| thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 1:06:09 | |
| on Earth as it is in heaven, | 1:06:12 | |
| Give us this day our daily bread | 1:06:14 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses | 1:06:17 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us, | 1:06:19 | |
| and lead us not into temptation | 1:06:22 | |
| but deliver us from evil, | 1:06:25 | |
| for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. | 1:06:26 | |
| Amen. | 1:06:32 | |
| (reverberant music) | 1:06:35 | |
| (melodic choral singing) | 1:07:13 | |
| - | The grace of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ | 1:10:38 |
| the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit | 1:10:42 | |
| be among you now and always. | 1:10:44 | |
| (harmonious a capella music) | 1:10:54 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:10:55 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:11:00 | |
| (reverberant organ music) | 1:11:16 |
