Thomas B. Stockton - "Eating from Vineyards We Did Not Plant" Founders' Day (December 13, 1987)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP4
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4542jq4q?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4542jq4q
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(organ music)	0:00
	(organ music)	3:01
	(layered choral music)	6:52
	(organ music)	8:08
	(echoing hymnal music)	9:03
	(organ music)	11:55
	(echoing hymnal music)	12:42
-	You may be seated.	13:55
	Thursday afternoon in this place,	14:03
	the university community took occasion	14:05
	on the anniversary of the signing of the Duke Indenture,	14:07
	63 years ago, to reflect upon our heritage,	14:11
	to single out those who have made a significant	14:15
	contribution to the university	14:18
	and to recognize recipients of scholarships,	14:20
	made possible by the founding family.	14:23
	Today, we pause as we do each year,	14:26
	in memory of the Duke family.	14:30
	To honor all those who have given of themselves	14:32
	in service to the future, by creating and recreating	14:35
	this university.	14:39
	We reaffirm here our pledge of this university	14:41
	to the ideal of service to humanity.	14:45
	And we give thanks for those who unselfishly take	14:48
	responsibility for a future that is not theirs,	14:51
	that belongs to other generations.	14:55
	We remember also that this university returns	14:58
	the wealth of the land to its people,	15:01
	through respect for knowledge and truth.	15:04
	And through the continuing generosity	15:08
	of those who established it, for enduring existence.	15:10
-	Let us pray.	15:17
	Gracious God, we thank you for instilling	15:21
	in the human mind a quest for knowledge.	15:24
	We thank you for the creation of universities	15:27
	and schools throughout the world,	15:30
	particularly this day do we thank you for the creation	15:32
	of our beloved Duke University.	15:35
	And also the memory of those who have served here,	15:38
	their commitment to the truth and freedom of inquiry.	15:43
	We know this day that we are heirs of their gifts	15:48
	and as always, of your grace.	15:51
	Amen.	15:54
	Would you join me in the litany of commemoration.	15:56
	Almighty and eternal God, in whom our mothers	16:01
	and fathers have trusted, we their children at this time	16:04
	of remembrance offer unto thee our prayers of thanksgiving.	16:07
	(murmuring reply)	16:12
	For the members of the Duke family,	16:14
	father, daughter, sons and their spouses,	16:17
	grandchildren and all others in continuing generations	16:19
	until this very day, who with concern and compassion,	16:23
	devotion and dedication, and by their generosity,	16:28
	built on a solid foundation, continued a worthy school,	16:32
	and provided for education and service beyond even	16:37
	their dreams and expectations.	16:40
	(murmuring reply)	16:43
	For the pioneering and persevering men and women	16:46
	connected with this university, Methodists and Quakers,	16:47
	farmers and merchants, teachers and administrators,	16:51
	who in days gone by believed in education	16:55
	and made their beliefs prevail.	16:58
	(murmuring reply)	17:01
	For the embodiment of their dreams,	17:03
	from private school to academy,	17:06
	to college to great university, founded in hope,	17:08
	continued with sacrifice, growing in outreach,	17:12
	serving with effectiveness.	17:16
	(murmuring reply)	17:18
	For faculty and staff whose vision was bolstered	17:20
	by their courage, whose patience was tested	17:23
	and found true, and whose idealism was implanted	17:25
	in the hearts and minds of others.	17:29
	(murmuring reply)	17:32
	For the ongoing presence of noble ideas.	17:34
	The blending of (speaking Latin),	17:37
	the freedom for responsible academic research and teaching,	17:40
	the ongoing respect for both the body and the spirit.	17:44
	Pursuit of knowledge in the sciences and the humanities.	17:48
	The realization that the old order changes,	17:52
	and new times bring new possibilities.	17:55
	(murmuring reply)	17:59
	For the future of Duke University, established for thy glory	18:01
	and for the enlightenment of the human mind and spirit,	18:05
	for consecration to learning by the young,	18:08
	for the best use of the wisdom of those in later years,	18:11
	for the commitment to growth and enhancement of all persons.	18:15
	For a sense of humor, a spirit of cooperation,	18:19
	and a desire for understanding among all within	18:23
	our community and the world.	18:25
	We give thee thanks and praise, and to thee,	18:28
	O God, we shall ascribe as is most due	18:31
	all praise and glory, world without end.	18:35
	Amen.	18:40
	We welcome you to this Founders' Day celebration,	19:05
	and also for this service of worship	19:08
	on the third Sunday of Advent.	19:11
	Our preacher today is the Reverend Doctor Thomas Stockton,	19:14
	a product of this university and a continuing friend	19:19
	and present trustee.	19:24
	We welcome him to the pulpit of Duke Chapel this Sunday,	19:26
	and we await his message.	19:30
	One announcement, we welcome back to the chapel	19:33
	Francis Redding, who is our soloist today,	19:36
	and during the illness of Jay Hill,	19:39
	and she will be joining the Duke Chapel choir in the anthem.	19:42
	And now let us continue our worship.	19:47
-	Let us pray.	19:56
	O Lord God, heavenly king, in this holy season of Advent,	20:00
	we beseech thee so to rule and guide us by the Holy Spirit.	20:06
	That we may hear and receive	20:11
	thy holy word with our whole heart.	20:13
	That through thy word we may be sanctified,	20:16
	and learn to place all our trust and hope in Jesus Christ,	20:19
	thy son, and following him may be led safely	20:24
	through all evil, until through thy grace,	20:27
	we come to everlasting life.	20:31
	Through the same Jesus Christ, thy son, our Lord.	20:34
	Amen.	20:37
-	Let us pray.	20:47
	Open our hearts and minds, O God, by the power	20:49
	of your Holy Spirit, so that as the word is read	20:52
	and proclaimed, we might hear with joy	20:56
	what you say to us this day.	20:59
	Amen.	21:01
	The first lesson is taken from the book of Isaiah.	21:04
	The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,	21:08
	because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings	21:10
	to the afflicted, he has sent me to bind up	21:14
	the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,	21:17
	and the opening of the prison	21:21
	to those who are bound.	21:22
	To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,	21:24
	and the day of vengeance of our God.	21:27
	To comfort all who mourn, to grant to those who mourn	21:30
	in Zion, to give them a garland instead of ashes.	21:34
	The oil of gladness instead of mourning.	21:38
	The mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.	21:41
	That they may be called oaks of righteousness,	21:45
	the planting of the Lord, that the Lord may be glorified.	21:48
	They shall build up the ancient ruins,	21:53
	they shall raise up the former devastations,	21:55
	they shall repair the ruined cities,	21:59
	the devastations of many generations.	22:01
	For I, the Lord, love justice.	22:05
	I hate robbery and wrong.	22:08
	I will faithfully give them their recompense,	22:11
	and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.	22:14
	Their descendants shall be known among the nations	22:17
	and their offspring in the midst of the peoples,	22:20
	all who see them shall acknowledge them,	22:24
	that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.	22:26
	I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,	22:30
	my soul shall exalt in my God,	22:33
	for my God has clothed me with the garments of salvation.	22:36
	My God has covered me with the robe of righteousness.	22:40
	As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,	22:44
	and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.	22:47
	For as the Earth brings forth its shoots,	22:51
	and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,	22:54
	so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise	22:58
	to spring forth before all the nations.	23:02
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	23:06
	(organ music)	23:17
	(reverent choral music)	24:06
	The gospel lesson for today is from the first chapter	27:50
	of the Gospel According to Saint John.	27:52
	There was a man sent from God whose name was John.	27:55
	He came for testimony to bear witness to the light	27:59
	that all might believe through him.	28:02
	He was not the light,	28:04
	but he came to bear witness to the light.	28:07
	And this is the testimony of John.	28:10
	When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem	28:12
	to ask him: who are you?	28:15
	He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed:	28:17
	I am not the Christ.	28:20
	And they asked him: what then are you?	28:23
	Elijah?	28:25
	He said: I am not.	28:26
	Are you the prophet?	28:29
	And he answered: no.	28:30
	They said to him then: who are you?	28:32
	Let us have an answer for those who sent us.	28:34
	What do you say about yourself?	28:37
	He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.	28:40
	Make straight the way of the Lord,	28:45
	as the prophet Isaiah said.	28:47
	And they had been sent from the Pharisees.	28:50
	They asked him: then why are you not baptizing?	28:53
	If you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?	28:57
	John answered them: I baptize with water.	29:01
	But among you stands one whom you do not know.	29:04
	Even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal	29:08
	I am not worthy to untie.	29:12
	This took place in Bethany, beyond the Jordan,	29:15
	where John was baptizing.	29:18
	This ends the reading of the gospel.	29:21
-	One brief word to Ben Smith, Francis Redding	29:30
	and the choir for my favorite anthem today,	29:34
	and thanks to the choir and the preparation for exams	29:37
	for being here, sleepily, this morning.	29:40
	Another passage of scripture from the Old Testament.	29:44
	From the book of Joshua, the 24th chapter,	29:48
	selected verses beginning at the first.	29:51
	Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem,	29:55
	and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges,	29:59
	the officers of Israel, and they presented themselves	30:01
	before God, and Joshua said to all of the people:	30:05
	thus says the Lord, God of Israel,	30:09
	your fathers lived of old beyond the Euphrates,	30:11
	Terah, father of Abraham and of Nahor,	30:14
	and they served other gods.	30:18
	Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river	30:21
	and led him through the land of Canaan	30:23
	and made his offspring many.	30:26
	I gave him Isaac, and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.	30:29
	And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess.	30:33
	But Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.	30:38
	And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt	30:41
	with what I did in the midst of it.	30:44
	And afterwards, I brought you out.	30:46
	Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt,	30:49
	and you came to the sea.	30:51
	And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots	30:53
	and horsemen to the Red Sea, and when they cried	30:56
	to the Lord, he put darkness between you	30:59
	and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them	31:02
	and cover them, and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt.	31:05
	Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites,	31:10
	who lived on the other side of the Jordan.	31:12
	They fought with you, and I gave them into your hands.	31:14
	And you took possession of their land.	31:18
	I would not listen to Balaam, therefore he blessed you.	31:22
	So I delivered you out of his hand.	31:25
	And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho,	31:28
	and the men of Jericho fought against you.	31:32
	The Amorites, Perizzites, the Canaanites,	31:34
	the Hittites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.	31:37
	And I gave them into your hand.	31:43
	And I sent the haunted before you, which drove them out	31:46
	before you the two kings of the Amorites.	31:49
	It was not by your sword or your bow.	31:52
	I gave you a land on which you have not labored,	31:57
	and cities which you had not built.	32:01
	And you dwelt therein.	32:03
	You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive yards	32:06
	which you did not plant.	32:10
	Let us pray.	32:15
	God, because you are here in this service,	32:19
	may we experience the presence of living God,	32:24
	as we worship in this hour.	32:28
	Amen.	32:31
	When we came into the Duke Chapel this morning,	32:35
	many of us passed a statue there in the front quad.	32:38
	A statue that we have passed many times before.	32:41
	A statue of James Buchanan Duke,	32:45
	who in 1924 gave $40 million as an endowment	32:47
	for the roots of this university.	32:53
	Now on this Founders' Day, does this mean that we are here	32:57
	primarily to acknowledge him and his family,	33:01
	for all that is here?	33:04
	To praise James and Ben and Washington Duke	33:06
	for giving us our educational heritage?	33:09
	That's part of it.	33:13
	Part of our meaning today.	33:15
	But while not minimizing the amazing value	33:17
	of Mr. Duke's contributions to the roots of this university,	33:21
	his statue is a symbol.	33:24
	A symbol of an even deeper reality.	33:28
	A religious realization of a biblical understanding	33:32
	that is spelled out for us in the Old Testament	33:37
	book of Joshua.	33:40
	The book of Joshua is an oversimplified account	33:42
	of the conquest of the promised land by Israel,	33:46
	as they pulled themselves up out of slavery in Egypt.	33:49
	And went for some 40 years, moving through the wilderness	33:53
	to the land flowing with milk and honey.	33:57
	Israel's conquest of the promised land	34:01
	came many years after Joshua's death,	34:04
	and yet there were significant achievements	34:08
	under the rule of Joshua.	34:11
	And now, in the scripture that we read a few moments ago,	34:14
	Joshua's life is drawing to a close.	34:18
	And so he gathers all of the tribes of Israel there,	34:22
	in the valley of Shechem, for his last,	34:25
	has valedictory address; picture them there.	34:28
	All of the tribes gathered throughout that valley	34:33
	as he describes the mighty acts of God	34:36
	throughout the history of Israel from the days of Abraham,	34:40
	and then challenges them.	34:43
	He says to the people: choose.	34:46
	Choose your God.	34:50
	Choose whom you will worship and serve.	34:52
	As Joshua stands there on the hill,	34:57
	overlooking the people gathered in the valley of Shechem,	34:59
	he depicts God, reminding the people of all of those	35:02
	leaders of the past, whom he has raised up	35:06
	to lead Israel toward that promised land.	35:10
	And Joshua hears God saying to the people:	35:14
	look at Abraham, whom I led through the land of Canaan,	35:18
	toward the land of Canaan, and Isaac,	35:21
	Jacob and Esau, then I sent Moses to Egypt	35:25
	to lead you out of bondage.	35:29
	Then look at all of the men of valor	35:33
	who directed your battles against Balak and Balaam,	35:35
	the Amorites, the Canaanites, all of your enemies,	35:39
	I have given you leaders who have led you to victory.	35:42
	Then there comes the climax	35:47
	of God's message to the people through Joshua.	35:50
	The word rings in their ears:	35:54
	I have given you a land that you have not built.	35:57
	I have given you cities that you have not built.	36:01
	I have given you vineyards from which you eat,	36:05
	that you have not planted.	36:09
	Israel, living in cities, on land that they have	36:12
	not produced, eating and drinking	36:16
	from vineyards that they did not plant.	36:19
	The word of God, clear to Israel in that 13th century,	36:24
	but also clear to you and me in 1987.	36:28
	Life is given.	36:33
	On this Founders' Day Sunday, we know we have a university	36:36
	given by others, given by the Dukes	36:42
	and those who have followed along in their footsteps.	36:45
	Generosity enabling learning opportunities here,	36:48
	in this university.	36:53
	But then we move on to other aspects of life.	36:55
	We have a nation, a nation of freedom,	36:57
	given and preserved through the sacrifice of others.	37:01
	We have our physical bodies given to us	37:05
	through the suffering of others.	37:09
	Always we eat from vineyards that we have not planted.	37:11
	On this Founders' Day, not only do we acknowledge	37:19
	those of former days and those seated in our midst	37:24
	on this day, who have provided the buildings	37:28
	that we inhabit here at Duke,	37:31
	but we are also aware of those who have provided	37:34
	the trees from which we have eaten the fruit of knowledge.	37:38
	Perhaps today we may have, in our minds,	37:44
	professors who have instilled something within us	37:47
	that has been lasting, that has enriched our lives.	37:51
	Some of them may even have retired.	37:54
	Some of them, when they retired, may have had the feeling	37:57
	that is described by that principal of a high school,	38:00
	in the comic strip, Funky Winkerbean.	38:04
	The principal has come to his last graduating exercise,	38:10
	and he's speaking to the graduation class,	38:15
	and the principal says: as I come to retirement,	38:18
	I find that my career in education reminds me	38:23
	of the game of marbles I used to play as a child.	38:26
	You'd have a little sack of marbles,	38:30
	and you always continued to play,	38:32
	as long as your supply held out.	38:34
	Eventually, you would discover	38:38
	that you'd lost all your marbles.	38:40
	And that's when you know it's time to retire.	38:43
	Well, many people from whom we have learned	38:46
	have retired, some with all their marbles,	38:49
	and some without some marbles.	38:51
	But much of our knowledge has come	38:54
	from plantings that have involved self-denial and sacrifice,	38:57
	even suffering; for instance, literature which the world	39:01
	agrees to call great, has had heavy original cost.	39:06
	Carlisle repeated that there never was a person	39:11
	with prophet's insight, who had not	39:15
	eaten his bread in sorrow.	39:18
	It has been said of the great poets of old	39:22
	that they learned in suffering	39:26
	what they taught in songs.	39:29
	The wisdom of the ages, gifts, vineyards,	39:32
	which we have not planted.	39:38
	On and on we could go.	39:41
	In the total scope of life, others,	39:43
	other persons, have planted vineyards from which we eat.	39:48
	But then we stop a moment and we think more deeply.	39:54
	Throughout the whole statement of Joshua to the people	39:58
	of Israel, there is a truth that echoes over and over again,	40:01
	that the ultimate source of all of the vineyards,	40:07
	is God.	40:10
	Behind all of the benefactors of Israel,	40:12
	Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Moses, Aaron, Joshua,	40:15
	behind them all there is God, Yahweh, Jehovah, God.	40:21
	The word of God is very clear:	40:27
	I took Abraham out of the land beyond the river.	40:30
	I gave Isaac, I sent Moses.	40:34
	I brought you into the land, I gave you a land	40:38
	on which you have not labored.	40:42
	I have given you vineyards, that you did not plant.	40:44
	The history of Israel and our history, is God's story.	40:50
	And that's the ultimate reason why there has been	40:58
	the motivation of those who have provided Duke University,	41:00
	that is the insight of James B. Duke,	41:05
	when he set the School of Religion as a priority	41:08
	in establishing a university.	41:13
	When he stated that education is next to religion,	41:15
	the greatest civilizing influence.	41:20
	God motivating persons to be planters of our vineyards.	41:25
	But then today, on the third Sunday of Advent,	41:34
	we focus our attention upon the great gift of God,	41:37
	the activity of God in breaking into human history,	41:42
	in that birth in a manger, in his activity	41:46
	in Jesus, whom his followers call the Christ.	41:50
	In whose birth, life, teachings, death,	41:54
	resurrection and continuing impact,	41:58
	there have been millions who have discovered an intimate,	42:01
	forgiven, redeemed relationship with God.	42:03
	God, who in the midst of all of the scenarios of life,	42:07
	bring life with vitality and zest and true aliveness.	42:12
	About 18 months ago, my wife and I had the privilege	42:21
	of visiting with Abel and Frida Hendricks,	42:25
	in Cape Town, South Africa.	42:28
	The government in South Africa has labeled them: colored.	42:31
	Abel Hendricks has been imprisoned three times	42:38
	for his fight against the hell of Apartheid.	42:41
	He has received the World Methodist Peace Prize	42:45
	for his efforts to bring together people in harmony.	42:49
	In August of 1986, in a service in which we were blessed	42:55
	to be participants, he was awarded the Upper Room Citation,	43:00
	for his courageous faithfulness to his Lord.	43:04
	As Abel Hendricks rose to respond to the award,	43:09
	he looked out over that congregation,	43:13
	a congregation of blacks and whites and coloreds,	43:15
	gathered, filling that church in Cape Town,	43:18
	in the Cape Flats, he looked down and saw some 40 people,	43:22
	whom he realized had been imprisoned there in Cape Town.	43:27
	And he reminded them of his experience	43:32
	and their experience, how when they're in jail,	43:35
	one person in a cell would begin to sing,	43:39
	and then others would pick up the song	43:43
	until it would vibrate throughout the whole jail,	43:45
	throughout the prison in entirety,	43:48
	and they would be singing: what have we done?	43:50
	What have we done?	43:54
	Our only sin is the color of our skin.	43:56
	Our only sin, is the color of our skin.	44:02
	And there, that day, in that congregation,	44:07
	once again, that song rained throughout that congregation.	44:09
	What have we done, what have we done?	44:13
	Our only sin, is the color of our skin.	44:16
	And then Abel Hendricks said: yes, we're imprisoned,	44:20
	we are beaten, we are killed, but we have hope.	44:26
	In Jesus Christ, we have hope.	44:32
	There in Cape Town, South Africa, eating of vineyards	44:38
	which they had not planted, eating of the vineyard of life	44:44
	that Christ has planted, they have hope.	44:47
	Advent makes dramatically clear that there is divine	44:53
	presence in the midst of Apartheid in South Africa.	44:58
	In the midst of the prejudice here in America.	45:03
	In the midst of all of life,	45:07
	in the midst of the struggle in dealing with	45:09
	the preservation of the forest here at Duke University,	45:11
	in the midst of the secularization of a college campus,	45:15
	in the midst of students seeking to learn just enough	45:18
	more that they can make it through exams.	45:23
	In the midst of a hospital room where there is	45:27
	the deep despair of illness.	45:31
	In the midst of the struggle to deal with relationships	45:35
	that are broken, in it all, Advent says to us:	45:38
	there is divine presence at the heart of it all.	45:41
	As Frederick Buechner has put it:	45:47
	there is no event so commonplace but that God	45:50
	is present within it, always hiddenly,	45:54
	always leaving you room to recognize him	45:59
	or not recognize him, but all the more fascinatingly	46:03
	because of that, all the more compellingly and hauntingly.	46:07
	That, that's what we receive from the vineyard of life	46:15
	that he has planted.	46:21
	But then there's that final question:	46:26
	what difference does it make?	46:28
	So what, what are the consequences of it all?	46:30
	Joshua looked out over all of those people,	46:34
	and he recounted for the Israelites what it was	46:38
	that God had been doing all of that time,	46:41
	leading them on toward that land of their dreams.	46:43
	And then he says: now therefore,	46:48
	fear the Lord, love him, serve him in sincerity	46:53
	and faithfulness.	46:58
	Put away all other gods, serve the Lord, choose.	46:59
	And there is the challenge that come clearly to you	47:05
	and me today, as we're aware of all of the vineyards	47:07
	from which we eat that others have planted,	47:12
	that ultimately spring from the divine love	47:16
	that so invigorates life that we're alive,	47:20
	and in the midst of our partaking of the vineyard,	47:24
	there is that final question: whom will you serve?	47:27
	That final challenge: choose.	47:33
	Doctor R. Harrell Hipps of Nashville, Tennessee,	47:39
	quotes that humorous line from Blaylock:	47:43
	no matter what we do or say,	47:47
	this life is bound to ooze away.	47:50
	Happy then the one who chooses	47:54
	how to use it as it oozes.	47:56
	Choose.	48:00
	Who is master of life?	48:03
	Who, in reality, is God?	48:08
	Lee Iaccoca was interviewed by Barbara Walters.	48:12
	She asked him: do you belong to church?	48:17
	Lee Iaccoca said:	48:20
	yes, I belong to the Roman Catholic church.	48:21
	Do you go to confession?	48:24
	Yes, I go to confession every day when I'm able to do so.	48:26
	Why?	48:31
	I go to confession every day, because I need to be reminded	48:33
	that I am accountable.	48:38
	Yes, on this Founders' Day, we are accountable	48:42
	for those others, we're accountable to those others,	48:46
	who have planted vineyards from which we eat.	48:50
	Ultimately, in this Advent season, we are accountable	48:54
	to the one who is the source of all of our vineyards.	48:59
	And the word of challenge comes to you and to me.	49:03
	Choose.	49:07
	Who really is God, for us?	49:10
	Let us pray.	49:17
	God, you motivated people throughout the ages	49:21
	to provide all types of vineyards of life.	49:26
	We're grateful.	49:31
	You also have moved in special people to be leaders	49:34
	of your children in knowledge,	49:37
	in wisdom, in research, in probing to deeper life.	49:42
	We're thankful.	49:48
	At this Advent season, we're most grateful that you,	49:51
	God, have come in a very personal way, at this season.	49:54
	You came in that master of men, not only to teach us,	50:01
	but to enable us to know what it means	50:06
	to have your grace to live alive.	50:09
	Enable us so to trust and follow your leading.	50:14
	To be one with him, that we may experience the depth	50:19
	and the height and the fullness of the life	50:25
	you would give to us through the vineyards	50:29
	that you continually plant for us.	50:34
	In our master's name, amen.	50:39
	(organ music)	50:46
	(reverberating hymnal singing)	51:16
-	Let us unite in the affirmation of our faith.	52:54
	I believe in God, the Father Almighty,	52:58
	maker of heaven and Earth, and in Jesus Christ,	53:01
	his only son, our Lord, who was conceived	53:04
	by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,	53:07
	suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,	53:11
	dead and buried; he descended into Hell.	53:14
	The third day, he rose again from the dead.	53:18
	He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand	53:21
	of God the Father Almighty.	53:24
	From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	53:26
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church,	53:30
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,	53:34
	the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.	53:38
	Amen.	53:42
	The Lord be with you.	53:44
Congregation	And also with you.	53:46
-	Let us pray.	53:47
	O eternal God, mother and father to us all,	54:01
	who in love has made us and through love has kept us,	54:06
	and who by love would make us perfect.	54:11
	Once again, we turn unto thee, seeking thy help.	54:16
	Take us as we are, and help us in these moments	54:20
	to trust in thy love, as we remember the needs	54:24
	of this broken world, in which we live.	54:28
	In this season of expectation,	54:33
	we pray unto thee, Lord Jesus Christ,	54:36
	be born in us today.	54:39
	For all those who suffer in our world,	54:43
	for the masses of starving people,	54:47
	for citizens of war-torn nations,	54:50
	for those who are victims of poverty,	54:54
	prejudice, disease, or oppression.	54:58
	O heavenly king who came to us the son of a lowly virgin,	55:03
	be born in us today.	55:07
	For all those who have no place to call home,	55:11
	and no traditions to call their own,	55:15
	for those who roam the streets of our nation's cities,	55:18
	for refugees throughout the world,	55:23
	for those obliged to live within institutions,	55:26
	O holy child, thou son of the most high,	55:31
	be born in us today.	55:35
	For all those burdened not by too little, but by too much,	55:39
	for the leaders of all the nations throughout the world,	55:44
	for those who face so many choices as to be paralyzed	55:49
	by them, for those who claim so much power	55:52
	as to be oblivious to the needs of others,	55:57
	O savior of the world, prince of peace,	56:01
	be born in us today.	56:04
	For all those who feel unloved or unwanted,	56:08
	for those who seek to injure themselves or others,	56:12
	for those who indulge in material excesses,	56:17
	to fill an interior void,	56:21
	for those overwhelmed with loneliness,	56:23
	in this season of good cheer,	56:26
	for the deep and unspoken needs of this congregation.	56:29
	Lord Jesus Christ, thou long-expected one,	56:35
	be born in us today.	56:39
	Wherever there is pain, wherever there is despair,	56:42
	wherever there is anxiety about living,	56:48
	wherever there is bitterness of heart,	56:52
	come Lord Jesus, with healing in thy wings.	56:55
	Be born in us today, that we ourselves may be born,	56:59
	even as we seek thee, not knowing fully who thou art,	57:04
	may we come to know thy love that is beyond all knowing,	57:09
	and that makes us whole.	57:14
	We ask it in the holy child's name.	57:17
	Amen.	57:21
	And now in the spirit of thanksgiving,	57:26
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves to God.	57:28
	(organ music)	57:33
	(harmonious choral music)	1:00:09
	(organ music)	1:04:41
	(echoing hymnal music)	1:04:59
-	O God who does prepare the hearts and minds	1:06:04
	of men and women for the coming of they son,	1:06:06
	and whose spirit ever worketh to illumine our	1:06:10
	darkened lives with the light of the gospel,	1:06:12
	we thank thee for the gift of thy word,	1:06:16
	and for the gift of thy son, this blessed Advent.	1:06:19
	Consecrating these gifts and our lives to thy service,	1:06:22
	we pray: our Father, who art in heaven,	1:06:27
	hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done	1:06:31
	on Earth as it is in heaven.	1:06:37
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:06:39
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:06:42
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:06:44
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	1:06:48
	Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.	1:06:53
	Amen.	1:06:58
	(organ music)	1:07:01
	(echoing choral music)	1:07:42
	Now may the grace of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,	1:10:46
	the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:10:50
	be with you all.	1:10:52
	(harmonious choral singing)	1:10:59
	(organ music)	1:12:24

Item Info

Title:

Thomas B. Stockton - "Eating from Vineyards We Did Not Plant" Founders' Day (December 13, 1987)

Description:

We are constantly eating from vineyards which we did not plant. That is to say, all that we have is a gift. And, ultimately, all gifts come from God. We are, then, to live in a way that is accountable to those who have made our lives possible, most especially to God. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 32:35.
Key quotation: “Yes, on this Founder’s Day, we are accountable to those others who have planted vineyards from which we eat. Ultimately, in this Advent season, we are accountable to the one who is the sources of all of our vineyards.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4542jq4q

Date:

December 13, 1987

Speaker:

Stockton, Thomas B.

Liturgical Calendar:

Advent

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0062
ref8428_158
uachapelsermaud
duke:321658
dcrmv001062
ark:/87924/r4542jq4q
9403eff6-a0f1-44b6-b91c-11e5bf830145

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection