William H. Willimon - "That God Will Be God" (February 21, 1988)
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| (flowing organ music) | 0:03 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 0:26 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 0:57 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:38 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 2:43 | |
| - | Grace and peace to you in the name | 3:09 |
| of the Lord Jesus Christ. | 3:11 | |
| We welcome you to this service of worship | 3:13 | |
| at Duke University Chapel | 3:14 | |
| on this first Sunday in Lent and we pray | 3:16 | |
| that you will receive a blessing during this hour. | 3:18 | |
| We send special greetings to any of you | 3:21 | |
| who may be visiting our campus for the first time | 3:23 | |
| and also to those of you | 3:26 | |
| in our radio and television audiences. | 3:27 | |
| You are reminded that next Sunday afternoon | 3:30 | |
| at five o'clock pm | 3:32 | |
| the Duke Chapel Choir and Orchestra | 3:34 | |
| will perform The Sacred Service by Earnest Bloch. | 3:36 | |
| Tickets are still available at five dollars each | 3:40 | |
| and may be obtained at Page Box Office | 3:42 | |
| or by writing the Chapel Music Office. | 3:45 | |
| Please note the remaining announcements | 3:49 | |
| as they are printed in your bulletins | 3:50 | |
| and now let us continue our worship | 3:52 | |
| as we join in the Great Litany. | 3:54 | |
| Please rise. | 3:57 | |
| ♪ Maker of heaven and earth ♪ | 4:06 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:09 | |
| ♪ Oh God the sun, Redeemer of the world, ♪ | 4:13 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:17 | |
| ♪ Oh God, the Holy Ghost, ♪ | 4:21 | |
| ♪ Sanctifier of the faithful ♪ | 4:23 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:26 | |
| ♪ Oh Holy, Blessed, and glorious trinity, ♪ | 4:30 | |
| ♪ One God ♪ | 4:33 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 4:35 | |
| ♪ Remember not, Lord Christ, our offenses ♪ | 4:39 | |
| ♪ Nor the offenses of our fore bearers ♪ | 4:43 | |
| ♪ Neither reward us according to our sins ♪ | 4:46 | |
| ♪ Spare us good Lord ♪ | 4:49 | |
| ♪ Spare Thy people whom Thou has redeemed ♪ | 4:51 | |
| ♪ With Thy most precious blood ♪ | 4:54 | |
| ♪ And by Thy mercy preserve us forever ♪ | 4:56 | |
| ♪ Spare us oh Lord ♪ | 5:01 | |
| ♪ From all evil and wickedness ♪ | 5:04 | |
| ♪ From sin ♪ | 5:07 | |
| ♪ From the traps and assaults of the devil ♪ | 5:08 | |
| ♪ And from everlasting damnation ♪ | 5:10 | |
| ♪ Good Lord deliver us ♪ | 5:15 | |
| ♪ From all blindness of heart ♪ | 5:18 | |
| ♪ From pride, ♪ | 5:20 | |
| ♪ Vain glory and hypocrisy ♪ | 5:22 | |
| ♪ From envy, ♪ | 5:24 | |
| ♪ Hatred and malice ♪ | 5:26 | |
| ♪ And from all want of charity ♪ | 5:28 | |
| ♪ Good Lord deliver us ♪ | 5:31 | |
| ♪ From all inordinate and sinful affections ♪ | 5:35 | |
| ♪ And from all the deceits of the world, ♪ | 5:38 | |
| ♪ The flesh, and the devil ♪ | 5:40 | |
| ♪ Good Lord, deliver us ♪ | 5:44 | |
| ♪ From all false doctrine, ♪ | 5:47 | |
| ♪ Heresy and cism ♪ | 5:49 | |
| ♪ From hardness of heart ♪ | 5:51 | |
| ♪ And contempt of the word and commandment ♪ | 5:52 | |
| ♪ Good Lord, deliver us ♪ | 5:57 | |
| ♪ From all oppression, conspiracy ♪ | 6:00 | |
| ♪ And rebellion ♪ | 6:02 | |
| ♪ From violence, battle and murder ♪ | 6:04 | |
| ♪ And from dying suddenly and unprepared ♪ | 6:07 | |
| ♪ Good Lord, deliver us ♪ | 6:12 | |
| ♪ By the mystery of Thy holy incarnation, ♪ | 6:15 | |
| ♪ By Thy holy nativity ♪ | 6:18 | |
| ♪ And submission to the law ♪ | 6:20 | |
| ♪ By Thy baptism, fasting and temptation ♪ | 6:23 | |
| ♪ Good Lord, deliver us ♪ | 6:28 | |
| ♪ By Thine agony and bloody sweat ♪ | 6:32 | |
| ♪ By Thy cross and passion ♪ | 6:34 | |
| ♪ By Thy precious death and burial ♪ | 6:37 | |
| ♪ By Thy glorious resurrection and ascension ♪ | 6:40 | |
| ♪ And by the coming of the Holy Ghost ♪ | 6:43 | |
| ♪ Good Lord, deliver us ♪ | 6:46 | |
| ♪ In all time of our tribulation ♪ | 6:51 | |
| ♪ In all time of our prosperity ♪ | 6:53 | |
| ♪ In the hour of death ♪ | 6:56 | |
| ♪ And in the day of judgment ♪ | 6:57 | |
| ♪ Good Lord, deliver us ♪ | 7:01 | |
| ♪ We sinners do beseech Thee to hear us ♪ | 7:05 | |
| ♪ Oh Lord God ♪ | 7:07 | |
| ♪ And that it may please Thee to rule ♪ | 7:09 | |
| ♪ And govern Thy Holy church universal ♪ | 7:12 | |
| ♪ In the right way ♪ | 7:15 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 7:18 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to illumine all bishops, ♪ | 7:23 | |
| ♪ Priests and deacons ♪ | 7:26 | |
| ♪ With true knowledge and understanding of Thy word ♪ | 7:27 | |
| ♪ And that both by their preaching and living ♪ | 7:31 | |
| ♪ They may set it forth ♪ | 7:35 | |
| ♪ And show it accordingly ♪ | 7:37 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 7:40 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee ♪ | 7:45 | |
| ♪ to bless and keep all Thy people ♪ | 7:46 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 7:50 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to send forth laborers ♪ | 7:54 | |
| ♪ Into Thy harvest ♪ | 7:57 | |
| ♪ And to draw all people into Thy kingdom ♪ | 7:59 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 8:04 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to give to all people ♪ | 8:08 | |
| ♪ Increase of grace to hear and receive Thy word ♪ | 8:11 | |
| ♪ And to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit ♪ | 8:15 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 8:20 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee ♪ | 8:24 | |
| ♪ To bring into the way of truth ♪ | 8:25 | |
| ♪ All such as have erred and are deceived ♪ | 8:28 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 8:32 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to give us a heart ♪ | 8:37 | |
| ♪ To love and fear Thee ♪ | 8:39 | |
| ♪ And diligently to live after Thy commandments ♪ | 8:42 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 8:46 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee so to rule the hearts ♪ | 8:51 | |
| ♪ Of Thy servants, ♪ | 8:54 | |
| ♪ The President of the United States, ♪ | 8:56 | |
| ♪ And all others in authority ♪ | 8:59 | |
| ♪ That they may do justice and love mercy ♪ | 9:01 | |
| ♪ And walk in the ways of truth ♪ | 9:04 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 9:07 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee ♪ | 9:12 | |
| ♪ to make wars to cease in all the world ♪ | 9:14 | |
| ♪ To give to all nations unity, ♪ | 9:17 | |
| ♪ Peace and comfort ♪ | 9:19 | |
| ♪ And to bestow freedom upon all peoples ♪ | 9:21 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 9:26 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to show Thy pity ♪ | 9:30 | |
| ♪ Upon all prisoners and captives, ♪ | 9:33 | |
| ♪ The homeless and hungry ♪ | 9:36 | |
| ♪ And all who are desolate and oppressed ♪ | 9:38 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 9:41 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to give ♪ | 9:46 | |
| ♪ And preserve to our youth ♪ | 9:48 | |
| ♪ The bountiful fruits of the earth ♪ | 9:50 | |
| ♪ So that in due time all may enjoy them ♪ | 9:52 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 9:56 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to inspire us ♪ | 10:00 | |
| ♪ In our several callings ♪ | 10:03 | |
| ♪ To do the work which Thou givest us to do ♪ | 10:05 | |
| ♪ With singleness of heart as Thy servants ♪ | 10:08 | |
| ♪ And for the common good ♪ | 10:11 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 10:13 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to preserve ♪ | 10:18 | |
| ♪ All who are in danger ♪ | 10:20 | |
| ♪ By reason of their labor or their travel ♪ | 10:22 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 10:27 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to preserve ♪ | 10:31 | |
| ♪ And provide for all women in childbirth, ♪ | 10:33 | |
| ♪ Young women and orphans, ♪ | 10:37 | |
| ♪ Widowed, and all whose homes are broken ♪ | 10:39 | |
| ♪ Or torn by strife ♪ | 10:42 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 10:44 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to visit the lonely, ♪ | 10:49 | |
| ♪ To strengthen all who suffer in mind, ♪ | 10:52 | |
| ♪ Body and spirit ♪ | 10:54 | |
| ♪ And to comfort with Thy presence ♪ | 10:57 | |
| ♪ Those who are failing and infirm ♪ | 10:59 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 11:02 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to support, ♪ | 11:07 | |
| ♪ Help and comfort all who are in danger, ♪ | 11:08 | |
| ♪ Necessity and tribulation ♪ | 11:12 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 11:15 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to have mercy upon all people ♪ | 11:19 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 11:24 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to give us true repentance, ♪ | 11:29 | |
| ♪ To forgive us all our sins, ♪ | 11:31 | |
| ♪ Negligences and ignorances ♪ | 11:34 | |
| ♪ And to endue us with the grace ♪ | 11:36 | |
| ♪ Of Thy Holy Spirit ♪ | 11:38 | |
| ♪ To amend our lives according to Thy Holy word ♪ | 11:39 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 11:44 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to forgive our enemies, ♪ | 11:49 | |
| ♪ Persecutors and slanderers ♪ | 11:51 | |
| ♪ And to turn their hearts ♪ | 11:53 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 11:57 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee ♪ | 12:01 | |
| ♪ To strengthen such as do stand ♪ | 12:02 | |
| ♪ To comfort and help the weak-hearted ♪ | 12:05 | |
| ♪ And to raise up those who fail ♪ | 12:07 | |
| ♪ And finally to beat down Satan under our feet ♪ | 12:09 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 12:14 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to grant ♪ | 12:18 | |
| ♪ To all the faithful departed ♪ | 12:20 | |
| ♪ Eternal life and peace ♪ | 12:23 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 12:25 | |
| ♪ That it may please Thee to grant ♪ | 12:30 | |
| ♪ That in the fellowship of all the Saints ♪ | 12:32 | |
| ♪ We may attain to Thy heavenly kingdom ♪ | 12:35 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us oh Lord ♪ | 12:39 | |
| ♪ Son of God, ♪ | 12:43 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us ♪ | 12:44 | |
| ♪ Son of God, ♪ | 12:48 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee to hear us ♪ | 12:50 | |
| ♪ Oh Lamb of God ♪ | 12:53 | |
| ♪ That takest away the sins of the world ♪ | 12:55 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 12:59 | |
| ♪ Oh Lamb of God ♪ | 13:02 | |
| ♪ That takest away the sins of the world ♪ | 13:04 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 13:08 | |
| ♪ Oh Lamb of God ♪ | 13:11 | |
| ♪ That takest away the sins of the world ♪ | 13:12 | |
| ♪ Grant us your peace ♪ | 13:16 | |
| ♪ Oh Christ hear us ♪ | 13:19 | |
| ♪ Oh Christ hear us ♪ | 13:22 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy upon us ♪ | 13:25 | |
| ♪ Have mercy upon us ♪ | 13:29 | |
| ♪ Lord, have mercy upon us ♪ | 13:33 | |
| ♪ Our father ♪ | 13:39 | |
| ♪ Who art in heaven ♪ | 13:40 | |
| ♪ Hallowed be Thy Name ♪ | 13:42 | |
| ♪ Thy Kingdom come ♪ | 13:45 | |
| ♪ Thy Will be done, ♪ | 13:46 | |
| ♪ on earth as it is in Heaven ♪ | 13:49 | |
| ♪ Give us this day our daily bread ♪ | 13:51 | |
| ♪ And forgive us our trespasses, ♪ | 13:54 | |
| ♪ as we forgive those who trespass against us ♪ | 13:57 | |
| ♪ And lead us not into temptation, ♪ | 14:01 | |
| ♪ but deliver us from evil ♪ | 14:04 | |
| ♪ For Thine is the kingdom, ♪ | 14:06 | |
| ♪ The power, ♪ | 14:08 | |
| ♪ And the glory forever ♪ | 14:10 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 14:13 | |
| ♪ Oh Lord, ♪ | 14:16 | |
| ♪ Let Thy mercy be showed upon us ♪ | 14:17 | |
| (congregation chants) | 14:21 | |
| ♪ Let us pray ♪ | 14:25 | |
| ♪ Almighty God ♪ | 14:27 | |
| ♪ Who has promised to hear ♪ | 14:29 | |
| ♪ The petitions of those who ask ♪ | 14:30 | |
| ♪ In Thy Son's name ♪ | 14:32 | |
| ♪ We beseech Thee mercifully ♪ | 14:35 | |
| ♪ To incline Thy ear to us ♪ | 14:36 | |
| ♪ Who have now made our prayers ♪ | 14:39 | |
| ♪ And supplications unto Thee ♪ | 14:40 | |
| ♪ And grant that those things ♪ | 14:43 | |
| ♪ Which we have asked faithfully ♪ | 14:45 | |
| ♪ According to Thy will ♪ | 14:47 | |
| ♪ May be obtained effectually ♪ | 14:49 | |
| ♪ To the relief of our necessity ♪ | 14:50 | |
| ♪ And to the setting forth of Thy glory ♪ | 14:52 | |
| ♪ Through Jesus Christ our Lord ♪ | 14:55 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 14:58 | |
| ♪ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ♪ | 15:02 | |
| ♪ And the love of God ♪ | 15:04 | |
| ♪ And the fellowship of the Holy Ghost ♪ | 15:05 | |
| ♪ Be with us all evermore ♪ | 15:08 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 15:12 | |
| - | Let us pray. | 15:43 |
| Open our hearts and minds, oh God, | 15:47 | |
| by the power of your Holy Spirit | 15:49 | |
| so that as the word is read and proclaimed | 15:52 | |
| we might hear with joy what you say to us | 15:55 | |
| this first Sunday of Lent. | 15:58 | |
| Amen. | 16:00 | |
| Please be seated. | 16:02 | |
| The first lesson this morning | 16:13 | |
| is taken from the book of Genesis, | 16:14 | |
| the ninth chapter, verses eight through 17. | 16:16 | |
| Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him | 16:22 | |
| behold, I establish my covenant with you | 16:27 | |
| and your descendants after you | 16:30 | |
| and with every living creature that is with you. | 16:32 | |
| The birds, the cattle, | 16:35 | |
| and every beast of the earth with you, | 16:37 | |
| as many as came out of the ark. | 16:40 | |
| I establish my covenant with you | 16:43 | |
| that never again shall all flesh | 16:45 | |
| be cut off by the waters of a flood | 16:48 | |
| and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. | 16:51 | |
| And God said, | 16:55 | |
| this is the sign of the covenant | 16:58 | |
| which I make between me and you | 17:00 | |
| and every living creature that is with you | 17:02 | |
| for all future generations. | 17:05 | |
| I set my bow in the clouds | 17:07 | |
| and it shall be a sign of the covenant | 17:10 | |
| between me and the earth. | 17:12 | |
| When I bring clouds over the earth | 17:14 | |
| and the bow is seen in the clouds | 17:16 | |
| I will remember my covenant | 17:18 | |
| which is between me and you | 17:20 | |
| and every living creature of all flesh | 17:22 | |
| and the waters shall never again | 17:25 | |
| become a flood | 17:28 | |
| to destroy all flesh. | 17:29 | |
| When the bow is in the clouds I will look upon it | 17:33 | |
| and remember the everlasting covenant | 17:37 | |
| between God and every living creature of all flesh | 17:39 | |
| that is upon the earth. | 17:43 | |
| God said to Noah this is the sign of the covenant | 17:45 | |
| which I have established between me | 17:49 | |
| and all flesh that is upon the earth. | 17:52 | |
| Here ends the lesson. | 17:56 | |
| The second lesson | 18:00 | |
| is taken from the book of the prophet Ezekiel, | 18:03 | |
| the 26th chapter verses 22 through 32. | 18:05 | |
| Therefore, | 18:12 | |
| say to the house of Israel, | 18:14 | |
| thus says the Lord God. | 18:17 | |
| It is not for your sake, oh house of Israel, | 18:20 | |
| that I am about to act | 18:23 | |
| but for the sake of my holy name | 18:26 | |
| which you have profaned among the nations | 18:29 | |
| to which you came. | 18:31 | |
| And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name | 18:34 | |
| which has been profaned among the nations | 18:37 | |
| and which you have profaned among them | 18:39 | |
| and the nations will know that I am the Lord, | 18:42 | |
| says the Lord God | 18:45 | |
| when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. | 18:47 | |
| For I will take you from the nations | 18:52 | |
| and gather you from all the countries | 18:54 | |
| and bring you into your own land. | 18:57 | |
| I will sprinkle clean water upon you | 19:01 | |
| and you shall be clean from all your uncleanesses | 19:03 | |
| and from all your idols I will cleanse you. | 19:06 | |
| A new heart I will give you | 19:10 | |
| and a new spirit I will put within you. | 19:12 | |
| I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone | 19:15 | |
| and give you a heart of flesh | 19:20 | |
| and I will put my spirit within you | 19:23 | |
| and cause you to walk in my statutes | 19:25 | |
| and be careful to observe my ordinances. | 19:27 | |
| You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your ancestors | 19:31 | |
| and you shall be my people and I will be your God | 19:34 | |
| and I will deliver you from all your uncleanesses | 19:38 | |
| and I will summon the grain and make it abundant | 19:42 | |
| and lay no famine upon you. | 19:44 | |
| I will make the fruit of the tree | 19:48 | |
| and the increase of the field abundant | 19:50 | |
| that you may never again suffer the disgrace | 19:52 | |
| of famine among the nations. | 19:54 | |
| Then you will remember your evil ways | 19:58 | |
| and your deeds that were not good | 20:02 | |
| and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities | 20:04 | |
| and your abominable deeds. | 20:07 | |
| It is not for your sake that I will act | 20:10 | |
| says the Lord God. | 20:13 | |
| Let that be known to you. | 20:15 | |
| Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, | 20:18 | |
| oh house of Israel. | 20:20 | |
| Here ends the lesson. | 20:22 | |
| - | We have begun today's service | 20:37 |
| by chanting the words of the Great Litany | 20:40 | |
| and what an appropriate way to begin the season of Lent. | 20:47 | |
| In those ancient cadences | 20:52 | |
| we confess our manifold sins and faults, | 20:54 | |
| all the ways that we fall short | 20:59 | |
| and again and again we say good Lord, deliver us. | 21:02 | |
| And the Lord will deliver us, | 21:09 | |
| at least that is the testimony of Scripture. | 21:11 | |
| Our God hears | 21:16 | |
| and acts. | 21:19 | |
| God is deliverer. | 21:22 | |
| And today's Scripture from Ezekiel | 21:25 | |
| speaks of that divine deliverance. | 21:28 | |
| God says I will take you. | 21:32 | |
| I will gather. | 21:34 | |
| I will cleanse you. | 21:35 | |
| I will bring you. | 21:37 | |
| I will give you. | 21:38 | |
| As God delivered Noah and his family from the flood, | 21:40 | |
| God shall deliver Israel. | 21:44 | |
| The prophet speaks these words to exiles, | 21:48 | |
| people who had been cruelly deported | 21:53 | |
| from their country to another country. | 21:56 | |
| And to these exiles in an alien land, | 22:01 | |
| to people down and out having hit bottom. | 22:06 | |
| They hear this word. | 22:11 | |
| I will be your God. | 22:13 | |
| I will deliver you. | 22:16 | |
| And of course, you know that this message of hope | 22:20 | |
| is not original with Ezekiel. | 22:23 | |
| The prophets are unanimous in their assertion | 22:26 | |
| that ours is a God that hears and delivers. | 22:29 | |
| We pray because this God delivers. | 22:36 | |
| And as a pastor, I can tell you that I am glad | 22:42 | |
| that I have that word to speak, | 22:48 | |
| for as the Great Litany has reminded us there, | 22:51 | |
| there are always enough reasons for despair in this life | 22:56 | |
| to be grateful that God is deliverer. | 23:01 | |
| I am grateful that the prophetic word | 23:06 | |
| is that when you are like Israel, | 23:09 | |
| when you are down and out, | 23:12 | |
| when you are utterly without possibility, | 23:14 | |
| when you've hit bottom that there is hope. | 23:17 | |
| God will deliver. | 23:21 | |
| When every prayer uttered by a believer, | 23:26 | |
| every anguished cry for help from a faithful person | 23:31 | |
| is based upon that assertion. | 23:37 | |
| God delivers. | 23:39 | |
| Now that hope is not being debated in today's text. | 23:44 | |
| There is another issue behind today's text. | 23:50 | |
| Did you hear it? | 23:53 | |
| Thus says the Lord God. | 23:55 | |
| It is not for your sake, oh house of Israel, | 23:58 | |
| that I am about to act | 24:01 | |
| but rather for the sake of my holy name. | 24:04 | |
| which you have profaned among the nations. | 24:08 | |
| Through you I will vindicate the holiness of my great name. | 24:13 | |
| It is not for your sake that I will act says the Lord God. | 24:19 | |
| It is not for your sake that I will act. | 24:27 | |
| The question in today's text is not one about theodicy, | 24:33 | |
| whether or not God will act. | 24:37 | |
| The question being debated today is, | 24:39 | |
| Why? | 24:44 | |
| On what basis does God act to deliver? | 24:47 | |
| 'Cause it makes all the difference in the world | 24:52 | |
| when you pray, when you reach out. | 24:54 | |
| On what basis shall God deliver? | 24:56 | |
| Well, we answer God delivers because God is love, | 25:02 | |
| because God cares, God loves us. | 25:06 | |
| But Ezekiel doesn't say that. | 25:12 | |
| Nowhere is it said that God's great heart | 25:16 | |
| goes out to poor suffering Israel. | 25:19 | |
| Now Jeremiah said that and so did Isaiah. | 25:23 | |
| But Ezekiel says that God has come to such a low opinion | 25:29 | |
| of his own people, | 25:33 | |
| you have profaned, you are unclean, | 25:36 | |
| you idolaters, your deeds are no good. | 25:38 | |
| That God has come to such a low opinion of his people that | 25:42 | |
| if there is to be deliverance | 25:46 | |
| that Israel has absolutely nothing to contribute | 25:49 | |
| to that deliverance. | 25:52 | |
| By its behavior, the nation | 25:56 | |
| now waits empty handed | 25:59 | |
| for whatever God chooses to give. | 26:03 | |
| It is not for your sake, oh house of Israel, | 26:08 | |
| that I am about to act | 26:11 | |
| but for the sake of my holy name. | 26:13 | |
| Through you I will vindicate my holy name. | 26:18 | |
| The nations will know that I am God. | 26:25 | |
| Walter Brueggemann says, | 26:31 | |
| "I regard this text from Ezekiel | 26:35 | |
| "as one of the most dangerous | 26:38 | |
| "and stunning texts in the Bible | 26:42 | |
| "because it sets God's free, unfettered sovereignty | 26:46 | |
| "at a distance even from Israel." | 26:51 | |
| God will act, | 26:57 | |
| but God's action | 26:59 | |
| will have nothing to do with having pity | 27:02 | |
| or mercy or compassion on Israel or us. | 27:05 | |
| You can forget that motherly love business | 27:11 | |
| in Isaiah or Jeremiah. | 27:13 | |
| Ezekiel knows nothing of it. | 27:15 | |
| Oh I've preached about such a basis for God's intervention. | 27:19 | |
| I've heard the cry of my people in slavery | 27:24 | |
| and I will deliver them, Exodus. | 27:27 | |
| The Lord has anointed me to preach | 27:31 | |
| good news to the poor, deliverance to the captives, | 27:33 | |
| Isaiah, Luke. | 27:36 | |
| A friend of mine, working at a penitentiary | 27:43 | |
| where every week he observed parents of prisoners | 27:47 | |
| coming to visit their imprisoned sons | 27:51 | |
| and every week he watched as their sons | 27:54 | |
| refused to speak to them | 27:57 | |
| and yet every week the parents came back, | 27:59 | |
| and he said God is just like that only more so. | 28:02 | |
| But what happens, | 28:09 | |
| today's text asks, what happens | 28:11 | |
| when even God's compassion goes dry? | 28:17 | |
| What happens when God has gone the second, | 28:21 | |
| third, fourth, fifth mile with his people | 28:24 | |
| and still they disobey, what then? | 28:27 | |
| Ezekiel says God has had it with Israel. | 28:32 | |
| Took them back once, twice, 30 times. | 28:36 | |
| But now the mercy, the compassion, | 28:40 | |
| the pity of even God have gone dry. | 28:43 | |
| What then? | 28:46 | |
| Then, | 28:50 | |
| our text answers, | 28:52 | |
| then, there is holy God | 28:55 | |
| and all of God's unaccommodating, prickly self concern. | 28:59 | |
| God's reputation, God's good name are important to God | 29:05 | |
| even though they may not be important to us. | 29:10 | |
| The nations have watched God's treatment of Israel, | 29:14 | |
| and now the nations wonder what's God gonna do with Israel | 29:19 | |
| now that it's blown its 30th second chance | 29:22 | |
| to straighten up and fly right? | 29:26 | |
| What will God do now? | 29:27 | |
| God's reputation is on the line. | 29:30 | |
| Ezekiel is portraying God here like parents | 29:36 | |
| with their children in a restaurant | 29:40 | |
| with everybody watching them. | 29:43 | |
| The children are tired and they're not behaving very well. | 29:47 | |
| The parents are also tired | 29:51 | |
| and embarrassed. | 29:56 | |
| There's not much at stake for the children. | 29:57 | |
| They're behaving just like children. | 29:59 | |
| But a great deal is at stake for the parents | 30:02 | |
| because everybody is watching. | 30:04 | |
| Oh they might like to swat the children, | 30:08 | |
| really let them have it, | 30:10 | |
| but they can't or people in the restaurant | 30:12 | |
| will think that they're bad parents. | 30:14 | |
| How are they gonna look when word gets around town | 30:18 | |
| that they can't even cope with their own children? | 30:20 | |
| So what do they do? | 30:24 | |
| They become the very models of parental patience. | 30:25 | |
| Would you like to take the soup bowl off your head | 30:30 | |
| and get down off the table, dear? | 30:32 | |
| After all, people are looking. | 30:40 | |
| And Ezekiel says God got into the same kind of dilemma. | 30:44 | |
| Israel had thrown one long tantrum | 30:49 | |
| and God acted like the long suffering patient parent | 30:52 | |
| until God could just take it no longer. | 30:57 | |
| All the nations were watching to see what God would do | 31:02 | |
| now that Israel had pushed God just a little too far. | 31:06 | |
| Here, at the end of the rope, in utter desperation, | 31:13 | |
| here there's no more mushy talk about compassion, | 31:17 | |
| mercy, pity, | 31:22 | |
| the tolerance of God. | 31:25 | |
| Now there's nothing left but just God. | 31:29 | |
| There's nothing that Israel could repent of | 31:34 | |
| or vow this time to get right | 31:36 | |
| that could change things. | 31:40 | |
| It's a text about what you'd do | 31:43 | |
| when you have hit bottom and you have blown | 31:46 | |
| your 30th chance to straighten up and fly right. | 31:48 | |
| It's a text about that. | 31:51 | |
| What now? | 31:56 | |
| Now, Ezekiel says, God's gonna look after God for a change. | 31:59 | |
| Now that may sound hard-nosed. | 32:05 | |
| We are obsessed with what God thinks about us. | 32:08 | |
| What do we need to do right to get ourselves right with God? | 32:14 | |
| What do we need to do right on this first Sunday of Lent | 32:19 | |
| to set a few Lenten resolutions and to set things straight? | 32:22 | |
| So we come to church on Sunday morning | 32:28 | |
| and we feel as if we oughta get our money back | 32:30 | |
| if the preacher spends too much time talking about God | 32:32 | |
| and not enough time talking about us. | 32:35 | |
| We don't wanna know what God's doing. | 32:42 | |
| We only wanna know what we're supposed to do. | 32:45 | |
| And of course, that assumes that God actually needs | 32:49 | |
| something we're supposed to do. | 32:52 | |
| But Ezekiel says it's way too late for that. | 32:57 | |
| Now the future rests solely upon the hope | 33:02 | |
| that God will take seriously being God. | 33:07 | |
| I'm not going to deliver you because of you | 33:13 | |
| but because of me and my holiness | 33:18 | |
| that the nations will see that I am God. | 33:23 | |
| They will watch, and they will know | 33:29 | |
| it takes a really great God to love a people like you. | 33:32 | |
| Hope, our text suggests, | 33:38 | |
| hope is a byproduct | 33:41 | |
| of God's free, unfettered Godness. | 33:45 | |
| Our only hope when the chips are down | 33:51 | |
| is that God will remember to act like God. | 33:54 | |
| In today's text in the Noah story, | 34:00 | |
| Noah and his family get through the flood, | 34:02 | |
| and God establishes a covenant with Noah. | 34:05 | |
| And God says in effect to Noah, | 34:10 | |
| I know you're gonna forget your side of the covenant | 34:12 | |
| and I tell you when dealing with you people | 34:16 | |
| I might forget my side of the covenant. | 34:18 | |
| So I'm gonna put a rainbow in the sky, | 34:19 | |
| and every time I get ready to let you have it, | 34:22 | |
| I'm gonna glimpse at that rainbow | 34:24 | |
| and say oh, I remember. | 34:26 | |
| I made a promise to these people. | 34:28 | |
| The rainbow will be there as a reminder | 34:31 | |
| that God will be God. | 34:36 | |
| And I'll admit we're unaccustomed to that kind of thinking. | 34:40 | |
| There is hope for us | 34:44 | |
| because we think that after all, down deep, | 34:45 | |
| when the chips are down, | 34:49 | |
| we are very nice people who are at least, | 34:51 | |
| you have to give us credit, | 34:54 | |
| we're doing the best we can and after all, | 34:55 | |
| isn't that enough for God? | 34:57 | |
| We really don't mean to base our whole civilization | 34:59 | |
| on nuclear weapons. | 35:03 | |
| We really don't mean to be self-centered, | 35:05 | |
| violent, cruel to one another. | 35:08 | |
| So hope lies in our attempts to straighten up and fly right, | 35:11 | |
| to do better. | 35:17 | |
| Better education, more brightly lit city streets, | 35:19 | |
| a tighter national security, | 35:23 | |
| a new administration in Washington. | 35:25 | |
| Give us time, we can get get it together. | 35:27 | |
| Christ has no hands but our hands. | 35:31 | |
| You've heard that sermon. | 35:33 | |
| God just can't get along without good people like us. | 35:36 | |
| The worst sin of all, says Augustine, | 35:43 | |
| is the sin | 35:48 | |
| of the conceit of merit. | 35:51 | |
| The notion that somehow God's love is our entitlement. | 35:56 | |
| But if we are honest about ourselves, | 36:03 | |
| our motives, our reasons, | 36:05 | |
| the way we live and love with one another, | 36:07 | |
| the secret undisclosed desires of our hearts, | 36:12 | |
| we feel deep, deep guilt, | 36:18 | |
| and they're thereby driven to deep, deep despair. | 36:23 | |
| And today's text from Ezekiel speaks | 36:30 | |
| to that kind of despair. | 36:33 | |
| The despair of knowing that when the chips are down, | 36:36 | |
| we're not worth saving. | 36:39 | |
| That we've cashed in all our chips | 36:42 | |
| and called in all of our markers. | 36:44 | |
| That we have erred and strayed from Thy ways | 36:48 | |
| like lost sheep and what then? | 36:50 | |
| Maybe you've never come to that point in your life. | 36:57 | |
| So I think this text speaks only to the most honest | 37:01 | |
| of people who are drawn to that brand of despair. | 37:04 | |
| I tell you that one reason we are forever indebted to Israel | 37:11 | |
| is that Israel dared in its Scriptures | 37:16 | |
| to be so utterly self-critical. | 37:19 | |
| And this text stands as a rebuke to those in Israel | 37:25 | |
| in Ezekiel's day | 37:29 | |
| who assumed that their restoration as a people | 37:31 | |
| was a matter of their own merit. | 37:35 | |
| Oh there were those in Israel who thought that God | 37:38 | |
| just had to have a temple priesthood. | 37:40 | |
| God really wanted a royal dynasty. | 37:43 | |
| So God would of course deliver them. | 37:46 | |
| We are a Christian, a Democratic country. | 37:49 | |
| God really needs us. | 37:52 | |
| I have tithed. | 37:54 | |
| I've gotten up on a February morning and gone to church. | 37:55 | |
| I've never knowingly sinned since graduation. | 38:01 | |
| God must deliver me. | 38:04 | |
| How is God gonna save the Freshman class without me? | 38:06 | |
| God is my patron rather than my sovereign. | 38:11 | |
| And to this, | 38:17 | |
| Ezekiel puts forth the stunning assertion | 38:20 | |
| that hope depends upon God | 38:25 | |
| not having such commitments to us. | 38:27 | |
| That our hope is that God won't | 38:33 | |
| be committed to us. | 38:36 | |
| We want to believe that God is dependent on our goodness, | 38:39 | |
| on our ability to get things together, | 38:44 | |
| on the survival of Democratic capitalism | 38:47 | |
| or the defeat of racism | 38:50 | |
| or the establishment of socialism, | 38:52 | |
| because then, you see, we can manage the future. | 38:55 | |
| It's in our hands. | 38:57 | |
| Conversely, | 39:01 | |
| if God is free to be God, | 39:03 | |
| to play this thing any way God chooses, | 39:06 | |
| then maybe God might surprise us. | 39:09 | |
| That latter possibility | 39:13 | |
| requires of us not goodness | 39:16 | |
| but something I think even more difficult | 39:20 | |
| for us modern people than even goodness. | 39:23 | |
| It requires that we trust God. | 39:27 | |
| It requires that we trust the significance of our lives | 39:33 | |
| or the hope for our future | 39:38 | |
| and we place it in God's hands. | 39:40 | |
| Which of the two views offers a surer hope? | 39:46 | |
| I suppose it's all dependent on whether or not | 39:50 | |
| God can be trusted, | 39:52 | |
| or whether our best hope is in ourselves and our systems. | 39:54 | |
| And you know that we are just notorious for our attempts | 39:59 | |
| to harness God for our own schemes. | 40:03 | |
| You remember Jesus told a story | 40:07 | |
| about two men went to church to pray? | 40:09 | |
| A story, Jesus said, told to those--what? | 40:14 | |
| - | -who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. | 40:17 |
| The first man was a Pharisee, | 40:22 | |
| a good Bible-believing, church-going, tithing person. | 40:24 | |
| A religious liberal. | 40:26 | |
| The very embodiment of self trust. | 40:29 | |
| He was religiously confident, | 40:33 | |
| psychologically well-balanced, politically bold, | 40:35 | |
| and he prayed oh God, I thank you. | 40:40 | |
| I'm not like other people. | 40:42 | |
| The unjust, extortioners, adulterers, people like them. | 40:45 | |
| I fast twice a week. | 40:48 | |
| I give of everything I get. | 40:49 | |
| God, I thank Thee that I am not sexist | 40:52 | |
| or racist or materialist. | 40:55 | |
| God, I thank Thee for me. | 40:58 | |
| But oh, how such pretentious, posturing prayer | 41:02 | |
| crumbles before today's text. | 41:06 | |
| It is not for your sake | 41:09 | |
| but for the sake of my holy name that I act. | 41:12 | |
| Israel had hit bottom and languishing in exile | 41:16 | |
| began to see that hope is possible. | 41:22 | |
| Not because God has a preferential option | 41:26 | |
| for the poor in Israel. | 41:29 | |
| Not because the old man has finally gotten soft on sin. | 41:31 | |
| But because God wants to be God. | 41:37 | |
| I remind you that when we pray, | 41:42 | |
| first we say our Father who art in heaven, | 41:43 | |
| holy be your name, and it's only then that we dare to pray | 41:46 | |
| give us this day, | 41:53 | |
| forgive us our trespasses, deliver us. | 41:55 | |
| God is holy. | 42:01 | |
| Not us. | 42:04 | |
| Therefore we pray. | 42:05 | |
| The philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach argued | 42:09 | |
| that God is a mere projection of my ideal image of myself, | 42:12 | |
| Feuerbach said God has no real independent existence. | 42:18 | |
| When you pray to God, you see, | 42:24 | |
| you're merely speaking to your highest ideal | 42:25 | |
| of who you wish to God you really were. | 42:28 | |
| I got to admit that Feuerbach's charge | 42:33 | |
| is very difficult to refute today | 42:35 | |
| when many would make a virtue out of such projection. | 42:38 | |
| God is my father or my mother | 42:42 | |
| or my sister, my brother. | 42:45 | |
| The justification for my particular ideology | 42:47 | |
| of the right or the left. | 42:50 | |
| God is on the side of the poor. | 42:52 | |
| God is for the Contras. | 42:55 | |
| I can't relate to God unless God is my gender, | 42:58 | |
| my class, my race, my size. | 43:00 | |
| Narcissistic theology based upon my inflated ego | 43:04 | |
| is the order of the day. | 43:10 | |
| Theology isn't any good unless it does something good | 43:13 | |
| for me and my minority. | 43:16 | |
| God can be worshiped and prayed to | 43:19 | |
| only because God is a reflection of my ego. | 43:21 | |
| Therefore, God is drawn into and identified | 43:28 | |
| with my particular social commitments at the moment. | 43:31 | |
| Worship is a time for the preacher to identify | 43:35 | |
| which side God is on to we can all | 43:38 | |
| get on with the business of rushing over | 43:40 | |
| and standing on that side. | 43:42 | |
| Conservatives just know | 43:46 | |
| that God is against homosexuality and communism. | 43:48 | |
| Liberals just know that God is pro-choice, pro-blessing. | 43:52 | |
| Now it all sounds well and good | 43:59 | |
| that we should be about doing good things | 44:00 | |
| that God wants us to do. | 44:02 | |
| But ultimately, that leads to despair. | 44:06 | |
| We stagger out of church on a Sunday morning | 44:11 | |
| under the burden of thinking that because we know | 44:13 | |
| what God wants, and we are able to do what God wants, | 44:16 | |
| we've got to be like gods ourselves. | 44:21 | |
| What a reprimanding word is this from Ezekiel. | 44:27 | |
| Don't get confused. | 44:33 | |
| It's not for your sake | 44:34 | |
| but for the sake of my name that I act | 44:37 | |
| and surprisingly, what a word of hope. | 44:43 | |
| Hope. | 44:48 | |
| Because all of our feverish, desperate attempts to be right | 44:50 | |
| are put in perspective. | 44:53 | |
| We don't have to brag in our prayer like that Pharisee | 44:56 | |
| because finally, prayer is not a matter | 45:01 | |
| of cataloging my virtues | 45:05 | |
| but rather laying myself bare | 45:06 | |
| before a holy God | 45:10 | |
| and I tell you in this society, | 45:15 | |
| paralyzed by its guilt, | 45:17 | |
| immobilized by its fear, | 45:19 | |
| beset with survival issues on exile in an alien land, | 45:21 | |
| we need to hear this hopeful word | 45:29 | |
| that finally, when the chips are down, | 45:32 | |
| tomorrow is a matter of who God is | 45:35 | |
| rather than who we are. | 45:39 | |
| That finally tomorrow is something to be determined | 45:42 | |
| in God's own freedom to be God. | 45:45 | |
| Our best hope, | 45:50 | |
| in life or death, | 45:52 | |
| is that God will be God. | 45:55 | |
| Which I'll admit may sound threatening or ambiguous, | 46:00 | |
| or it may cause us to fall back | 46:05 | |
| on a power greater than our own | 46:08 | |
| which the Bible teaches | 46:12 | |
| is the path to true hope. | 46:15 | |
| Let us pray. | 46:20 | |
| From our anxious attempt to know | 46:25 | |
| and be and do, | 46:27 | |
| good Lord deliver us, | 46:31 | |
| not for our sake | 46:34 | |
| but for the sake of Thy holy name. | 46:37 | |
| Amen. | 46:42 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 46:49 | |
| (congregation singing hymn with organ) | 47:38 | |
| (congregation singing hymn with organ) | 48:13 | |
| (congregation singing hymn with organ) | 49:25 | |
| Woman | The Lord be with you. | 50:14 |
| Congregation | And also with you. | 50:16 |
| - | Let us pray. | 50:18 |
| Oh ever living God, | 50:33 | |
| who dwelleth at the same time in high places | 50:36 | |
| and in the hearts of those who are humble, | 50:39 | |
| we are gathered once again | 50:43 | |
| gratefully to acknowledge that Thou hast been | 50:44 | |
| and continues to be our God and our shepherd. | 50:48 | |
| We have not wanted. | 50:52 | |
| As our cup has overflowed, | 50:55 | |
| so now do our hearts with thanksgiving that we are alive | 50:58 | |
| and that the call to discipleship has been heard | 51:02 | |
| in this place. | 51:04 | |
| In response to Thy gracious word, | 51:06 | |
| we offer now these prayers for others | 51:09 | |
| as a sign of our oneness with our sisters and brothers | 51:14 | |
| around the world. | 51:16 | |
| Oh creator God, we pray for the needs | 51:18 | |
| of the entire human family. | 51:22 | |
| Look with kindness upon those | 51:26 | |
| who have separated themselves from one another | 51:27 | |
| and from Thee. | 51:30 | |
| Take away the self-righteousness | 51:32 | |
| which infects our hearts | 51:34 | |
| and unite us in bonds of love | 51:37 | |
| across the lines of nationality, | 51:39 | |
| of race or of creed. | 51:42 | |
| In Thy goodness and mercy, | 51:45 | |
| Lord, hear our prayer. | 51:48 | |
| Oh ever loving God, | 51:52 | |
| we pray for Thy holy Catholic church. | 51:54 | |
| Fill it with all truth and peace. | 51:57 | |
| Where it is corrupt, purify it. | 52:01 | |
| Where it is in error, direct it. | 52:05 | |
| Where in anything it is amiss, reform it. | 52:08 | |
| Where it is right, strengthen it. | 52:12 | |
| Where it is in want, provide for it. | 52:14 | |
| Where it is divided, reunite it. | 52:18 | |
| In Thy goodness and mercy, Lord, hear our prayer. | 52:22 | |
| Oh sustaining God, send down upon our bishops | 52:28 | |
| and other clergy and upon the congregations | 52:31 | |
| committed to their charge | 52:33 | |
| the healing spirit of Thy grace. | 52:35 | |
| Grant that your word may be truly preached and truly heard, | 52:38 | |
| your sacraments faithfully administered | 52:44 | |
| and gratefully received. | 52:46 | |
| By Thy spirit, inspire us to greater service | 52:48 | |
| according to the example of Thy Son | 52:51 | |
| and grant that our lives may reflect | 52:55 | |
| the light of Thy glory | 52:57 | |
| among all those with whom we live, | 52:59 | |
| work, and play. | 53:01 | |
| In Thy goodness and mercy, Lord, hear our prayer. | 53:04 | |
| Oh eternal God, we pray for all our relationships | 53:10 | |
| that we may cherish them without possessing them, | 53:14 | |
| challenge them without competing with them, | 53:17 | |
| believe in them without idolizing them, | 53:20 | |
| as Thou has loved us unconditionally, oh God, | 53:24 | |
| as revealed in Thy Son Jesus Christ. | 53:27 | |
| Strengthen us to love with such conviction, | 53:31 | |
| such freedom, such grace, | 53:34 | |
| not just those whom we already know and love | 53:37 | |
| but even our enemies. | 53:39 | |
| In Thy goodness and mercy, | 53:41 | |
| Lord, hear our prayer. | 53:43 | |
| These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ | 53:46 | |
| our Lord and Savior, amen. | 53:49 | |
| As a forgiven and reconciled people, | 53:54 | |
| let us make an offering of our gifts | 53:56 | |
| and ourselves unto God. | 53:58 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 54:02 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 55:01 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 55:40 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 56:19 | |
| (choir singing hymn in foreign language) | 56:35 | |
| (choir singing hymn in foreign language) | 57:09 | |
| (choir singing hymn in foreign language) | 57:26 | |
| (choir singing hymn in foreign language) | 57:51 | |
| (choir singing hymn in foreign language) | 58:54 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 59:39 | |
| ♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 1:00:08 | |
| ♪ Praise him, all creatures here below ♪ | 1:00:19 | |
| ♪ Praise him above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 1:00:27 | |
| ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 1:00:37 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:00:47 | |
| - | Almighty God, giver of all life, | 1:00:56 |
| we Thine unworthy servants | 1:01:00 | |
| do give Thee most humble and hearty thanks | 1:01:01 | |
| for all Thy goodness and loving kindness to us | 1:01:05 | |
| and to all men and women. | 1:01:07 | |
| We bless Thee for our creation, preservation, | 1:01:10 | |
| and all the blessings of this life | 1:01:12 | |
| but above all, for Thy gracious love | 1:01:15 | |
| and the redemption of the world | 1:01:17 | |
| by our Lord Jesus Christ | 1:01:18 | |
| for the means of grace and for the hope of glory | 1:01:20 | |
| and we beseech Thee, | 1:01:23 | |
| give us that due sense of awe, | 1:01:24 | |
| Thy mercies, that our hearts may be forever thankful | 1:01:26 | |
| and that we may show forth Thy praise | 1:01:30 | |
| not only with our lips but in our lives | 1:01:32 | |
| by giving up ourselves to Thy service | 1:01:35 | |
| and by walking before Thee in holiness | 1:01:38 | |
| and righteousness all our days. | 1:01:40 | |
| Through Jesus Christ our Lord | 1:01:43 | |
| to whom with Thee and the Holy Spirit | 1:01:45 | |
| be all honor and glory, | 1:01:47 | |
| world without end, amen. | 1:01:49 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:01:59 | |
| ♪ O God, our help ♪ | 1:02:23 | |
| ♪ in ages past, ♪ | 1:02:26 | |
| ♪ Our hope for years to come, ♪ | 1:02:29 | |
| ♪ Our shelter from the stormy blast, ♪ | 1:02:35 | |
| ♪ And our eternal home ♪ | 1:02:42 | |
| ♪ Under the shadow of Thy throne ♪ | 1:02:49 | |
| ♪ Thy saints have dwelt secure ♪ | 1:02:56 | |
| ♪ Sufficient is Thine arm alone, ♪ | 1:03:02 | |
| ♪ And our defense is sure ♪ | 1:03:08 | |
| ♪ Before the hills in order stood, ♪ | 1:03:15 | |
| ♪ Or earth received her frame, ♪ | 1:03:22 | |
| ♪ From everlasting Thou art God, ♪ | 1:03:30 | |
| ♪ To endless years the same ♪ | 1:03:35 | |
| ♪ A thousand ages in Thy sight ♪ | 1:03:43 | |
| ♪ Are like an evening gone ♪ | 1:03:49 | |
| ♪ Short as the watch ♪ | 1:03:56 | |
| ♪ that ends the night ♪ | 1:04:00 | |
| ♪ Before the rising sun ♪ | 1:04:03 | |
| ♪ Time, like an ever-rolling stream, ♪ | 1:04:10 | |
| ♪ Bears all its sons away ♪ | 1:04:17 | |
| ♪ They fly forgotten, ♪ | 1:04:25 | |
| ♪ as a dream ♪ | 1:04:28 | |
| ♪ Dies at the opening day ♪ | 1:04:31 | |
| ♪ O God, our help in ages past, ♪ | 1:04:40 | |
| ♪ Our hope for years to come, ♪ | 1:04:46 | |
| ♪ Be Thou our guard ♪ | 1:04:53 | |
| ♪ while life shall last, ♪ | 1:04:57 | |
| ♪ And our eternal home ♪ | 1:05:00 | |
| - | And now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:05:11 |
| the love of God, | 1:05:14 | |
| and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit | 1:05:15 | |
| be with you all now and forevermore. | 1:05:17 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:05:25 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:05:36 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:05:49 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:05:54 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:06:02 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:06:16 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:06:29 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:06:52 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:07:20 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:08:06 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:08:53 | |
| (flowing organ music) | 1:10:04 |
