Walter Wangerin, Jr. - "The Witnesses of These Things" (April 17, 1988)

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	(organ music)	0:01
-	Grace and peace to you	2:36
	in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ.	2:37
	We welcome you to this service of worship	2:39
	here at Duke University chapel	2:41
	on this third Sunday in Easter	2:43
	and invite you to join us again very soon.	2:45
	We also extend greetings to those of you	2:48
	in our radio and television audiences.	2:50
	Our preacher for this morning	2:53
	is the Reverend Dr. Walter Wangerin Jr.,	2:55
	pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Evansville, Indiana.	2:57
	He is also adjunct professor of theology and literature	3:01
	at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.	3:04
	Dr. Wangerin is a widely acclaimed preacher	3:07
	and author, with two of his best known works including	3:10
	The Book of the Dun Cow and Ragman and Other Cries of Faith.	3:14
	We welcome Dr. Wangerin to our pulpit today.	3:18
	We are also pleased to announce,	3:22
	on behalf of Duke campus ministry,	3:23
	the recipient of the 1987-88	3:26
	Duke Humanitarian Service Award, Miss Linda Hankins-Dukes.	3:29
	We welcome her and her family to our service.	3:34
	The presentation of this award	3:37
	will be held later in today's service.	3:38
	Please note the remaining announcements	3:42
	as they are printed in your bulletins.	3:43
	And now let us continue our worship.	3:46
	(choir singing)	3:56
	(organ music)	5:15
	(choir singing)	5:54
-	Almighty and everlasting God,	9:58
	whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples	10:02
	in the breaking of bread,	10:05
	open the eyes of our faith,	10:08
	that we may behold him in all his redeeming work,	10:10
	who lives and reigns with you	10:15
	in the unity of the Holy Spirit,	10:16
	one God now and forever.	10:19
	Amen.	10:22
-	Let us pray.	10:35
	Open our hearts and minds, O God.	10:38
	By the power of your Holy Spirit, so that his Word	10:41
	is read and proclaimed, we might hear with joy	10:45
	what you say to us this day. Amen.	10:49
	The first lesson is taken from the Book of Acts.	10:53
	And when Peter saw it, he addressed the people,	10:57
	Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this,	11:00
	or why do you stare at us, as though by our power or piety,	11:03
	we had made him walk?	11:06
	The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob,	11:08
	the God of our fathers glorified his servant Jesus,	11:12
	we delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate,	11:15
	when he had decided to release him.	11:18
	But you denied the Holy and Righteous One,	11:21
	and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,	11:23
	and killed the Author of life,	11:25
	whom God raised from the dead.	11:27
	To this, we are witnesses.	11:30
	And his name, by faith in his name,	11:32
	has made this man strong whom you see and know,	11:35
	and the faith which is through Jesus	11:38
	has given this man perfect health	11:39
	in the presence of you all.	11:41
	And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance,	11:44
	as did also your rulers.	11:47
	But what God foretold by the mouth of all the Prophets,	11:49
	that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.	11:53
	Repent, therefore, and turn again,	11:56
	that your sins may be blotted out,	11:59
	that times refreshing may come	12:00
	from the presence of the Lord.	12:02
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	12:04
	(organ music)	12:20
	♪ The Lord is my light. ♪	12:34
	♪ The Lord is my refuge. ♪	12:38
	♪ Of whom shall I be afraid? ♪	12:42
	♪ The Lord is the stronghold of my life. ♪	12:50
	♪ I will never be afraid ♪	12:55
	♪ When people once tried to kill me, ♪	13:00
	♪ It is they who stumble and fall. ♪	13:04
	♪ The Lord is my light. ♪	13:10
	♪ The Lord is my refuge. ♪	13:13
	♪ Of whom shall I be afraid? ♪	13:18
	♪ What army marches against me? ♪	13:26
	♪ I will have no fear in my heart. ♪	13:31
	♪ The war breaks out against me. ♪	13:36
	♪ Even then would I trust in the Lord. ♪	13:40
	♪ The Lord is my light. ♪	13:46
	♪ The Lord is my refuge. ♪	13:50
	♪ Of whom shall I be afraid? ♪	13:54
	♪ There is one thing that I ask of the Lord. ♪	14:02
	♪ For this only do I long. ♪	14:08
	♪ To live in the Lord's house all my life, ♪	14:12
	♪ To sing the Glory of the Lord. ♪	14:17
	♪ The Lord is my light. ♪	14:23
	♪ The Lord is my refuge. ♪	14:27
	♪ Of whom shall I be afraid? ♪	14:32
	♪ In the time of trouble, ♪	14:40
	♪ I shall be saved. ♪	14:43
	♪ I will hide in your sheltering tent. ♪	14:46
	♪ I shall be lifted up. ♪	14:52
	♪ Lifted high above the rock. ♪	14:56
	♪ The Lord is my light. ♪	15:02
	♪ The Lord is my refuge. ♪	15:05
	♪ Of whom shall I be afraid? ♪	15:10
	♪ I shall triumph over my foes. ♪	15:17
	♪ I will offer a sacrifice of joy. ♪	15:22
	♪ I will sing a song. ♪	15:28
	♪ I will sing praises to the Lord. ♪	15:31
	♪ The Lord is my light. ♪	15:36
	♪ The Lord is my refuge. ♪	15:40
	♪ Of whom shall I be afraid? ♪	15:45
	(organ music)	15:54
	(choir singing)	16:03
-	The second lesson is taken from the First Letter of John.	17:02
	See what love the Father has given us,	17:06
	that we should be called children of God,	17:09
	and so we are.	17:12
	The reason why the world does not know us	17:13
	is that it did not know him.	17:16
	Beloved, we are God's children now.	17:17
	It does not yet appear what we shall be,	17:21
	but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him,	17:23
	for we shall see him as he is.	17:25
	And everyone who thus hopes in him,	17:29
	purifies himself as he is pure.	17:31
	Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness.	17:33
	Sin is lawlessness.	17:37
	You know that he appeared to take away sins,	17:39
	and in him, there is no sin.	17:41
	No one who abides in him sins.	17:43
	No one who sins has either seen him or known him.	17:46
	Little children, let no one deceive you.	17:49
	He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous.	17:52
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	17:57
	(organ music)	18:06
	(woman singing hymn)	18:51
-	The Gospel lesson for this third Sunday of Easter	24:16
	is found in Luke chapter 24.	24:20
	It's appropriate, before I read it to you,	24:24
	to signal how much like the first lesson,	24:27
	which Leslie just read to you a little while ago,	24:32
	is this Gospel lesson.	24:35
	So that you might watch as I read this to you,	24:37
	listen how both of them use the same word,	24:41
	"witnesses."	24:45
	And listen how together, these two lessons name	24:48
	and define	24:53
	and illustrate	24:56
	what the witness is.	24:58
	It's a good thing for you to know	25:02
	that the Greek word for witness or witnesses	25:04
	is "marturioy."	25:09
	That's our word, martyr.	25:12
	Seems right.	25:16
	By these lessons, you begin to know that	25:19
	the witnesses are involved in suffering	25:21
	in at least three ways.	25:24
	They know the suffering of Jesus, that's one.	25:27
	They themselves suffer the sufferings in their witnessing,	25:33
	that's two.	25:36
	Please know the third.	25:38
	The third is that when the witnesses descend upon us,	25:41
	they bring with them also a holy therapeutic	25:46
	suffering for us	25:50
	that we too in their presence	25:53
	might recognize our sin	25:55
	and repent.	25:58
	And this is the therapy and this is the holiness.	26:00
	And be forgiven.	26:04
	So does Christ become real among us.	26:06
	"Then they told what had happened on the road,"	26:16
	these are the two Emmaus disciples	26:19
	returned to the other disciples on Sunday evening	26:20
	when Jesus rose from the dead,	26:24
	"and how Jesus was made known to them"	26:27
	"at the breaking of the bread."	26:29
	"As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them,"	26:32
	"but they were startled and frightened,"	26:36
	"and supposed that they saw a spirit."	26:39
	"He said to them, why are you troubled	26:42
	"and why do questionings rise in your hearts?"	26:44
	"See my hands and my feet that it is I, myself."	26:47
	"Handle me and see,"	26:51
	"for a spirit has not flesh and bones	26:53
	"as you see that I have."	26:54
	"And while they still disbelieved for joy and wondered,"	26:58
	"he said to them, have you anything here to eat?"	27:01
	"They gave him a piece of boiled fish"	27:06
	"and he took it and ate it before them."	27:08
	"Then he said to them, these are my words"	27:12
	"which I spoke to you while I was still with you,"	27:15
	"that everything written about me and the law of Moses"	27:18
	"and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."	27:21
	"Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures"	27:25
	"and said to them, thus it is written"	27:28
	"that the Christ should suffer,"	27:31
	"and on the third day, rise from the dead."	27:33
	"And that repentance and forgiveness of sins"	27:37
	"should be preached in his name to all nations"	27:41
	"beginning from Jerusalem."	27:45
	"You are witnesses of these things."	27:49
	So far the Gospel lesson.	27:55
	Oh, you people.	28:06
	You are so many.	28:08
	My parish is a very tiny little parish	28:13
	in the inner city of Evansville, Indiana.	28:15
	We've got 20 pews.	28:17
	And each pew holds six adults.	28:23
	You look to me like a tide itself in front of me,	28:27
	a tide, I say, of brothers and sisters.	28:30
	I pray, of brothers and sisters.	28:34
	And the tide surrounds me with music	28:42
	on my left and on my right.	28:44
	And the tide sweeps so high above me with grandeur.	28:46
	I hope, I hope you don't mind if I speak	28:49
	as a child to you this morning,	28:54
	in the midst of all this grandeur	28:57
	and a little bit informally, as a child.	28:59
	This is true that sometimes there is a child in me,	29:03
	and it's a curious thing	29:06
	that the child appears	29:08
	when I'm supposed to be most an adult.	29:09
	The child cries out	29:13
	when I have responsibilities of other people	29:14
	and the kingdom of god on me,	29:18
	when I have grown exhausted by being in charge	29:20
	and in control. Then the child,	29:25
	then the child blinks inside of me.	29:27
	I hope you don't mind if I sound simple-minded	29:31
	in the midst of all of this grandeur and sophistication.	29:34
	But I tell you the truth, people,	29:40
	sometimes I just want to see Jesus.	29:43
	Sometimes I yearn for my own Easter.	29:50
	Sometimes, no matter where I am,	29:56
	especially when I have these burdens of adulthood	29:58
	upon my shoulders, when I am parent	30:01
	and pastor, authority.	30:04
	Then I want Jesus just to appear where I am,	30:08
	and to startle me. I don't mind.	30:12
	I don't mind being frightened a little bit	30:14
	so that to the very ends of my nerves,	30:16
	I know that it is Jesus and I know that Jesus is near.	30:18
	And I want Jesus to talk to me, to me,	30:22
	personal, intimate Easter.	30:25
	I want Jesus to say, why are you troubled, Walt?	30:27
	I want Jesus to put out his hands and his feet	30:32
	so that I can handle them, so that I,	30:35
	so that I can touch them.	30:38
	And check the nail prints, and check underneath his nails	30:40
	and see whether or not there's still a little bit of dirt	30:43
	from Gethsemane there.	30:46
	This is the truth.	30:49
	I wanna say, just a minute, Jesus!	30:51
	And then I wanna go boil him a fish	30:54
	or a hamburger.	30:57
	I wanna feed him. I want him to sit down at my table,	31:00
	and I wanna see him eat in the flesh	31:03
	and I wanna see whether he chews	31:05
	with his mouth open or shut.	31:07
	I'd like to see the juice from my hamburger,	31:10
	my own Walt hamburger, dribble down his chin.	31:12
	I wanna see Jesus.	31:17
	I'm not kidding you.	31:19
	Yearning like a child inside of me, I wanna see Jesus.	31:21
	But there is an adult in me.	31:24
	I am a pastor.	31:27
	I have grown up, I've gone to the seminary,	31:29
	and I know that I will not see Jesus just like that.	31:31
	He has ascended into Heaven higher than this chapel.	31:35
	I won't see the juice dribble down his chin.	31:40
	Well, that makes these lessons terribly, terribly	31:44
	important to me, who wants so badly	31:47
	to see Jesus in his life.	31:50
	This is the love of the Lord, dear people,	31:53
	if any of you have that same yearning in your own souls,	31:55
	sometimes to look so adult,	31:59
	and sometimes to feel so childish.	32:01
	This is the love of the Lord,	32:04
	that that same Jesus has left witnesses behind him.	32:07
	Not only in Jerusalem,	32:10
	but through all of the nations.	32:13
	Which means Evansville, Indiana.	32:16
	And Durham, North Carolina.	32:21
	Witnesses behind him	32:25
	who, listen to me,	32:27
	who bear the message so clearly in their persons,	32:29
	that whether they say it and preach it,	32:33
	or whether they simply are it,	32:36
	they make Jesus present where they are.	32:38
	That's what a witness is.	32:45
	A witness is somebody who,	32:48
	incorporated in their own being and by what they do,	32:52
	listen to me, by how they relate to the people around them,	32:54
	listen, initiate that drama	32:58
	which persuades the other one that Jesus is dearly present	33:01
	in tower, in might, in love, in mercy, in caring.	33:05
	Well, and our lessons are very clear	33:10
	on how those witnesses go about it.	33:12
	You didn't hear it because it came before	33:15
	what Leslie read to you,	33:18
	but John and Peter had just healed a crippled person.	33:20
	I think that that's very proper.	33:26
	It is the witnesses who go about healing the crippled souls.	33:29
	And the pattern of that healing is very clear.	33:33
	It is this, please listen,	33:36
	it is that in the presence of these witnesses,	33:40
	we begin to know our sin,	33:43
	which is our crippledness.	33:47
	Our sin, Peter makes it very clear in that sermon,	33:49
	Jesus says right clearly what it is the witnesses to preach.	33:52
	Our sin of denying the Lord at various times.	33:56
	So you see, the first thing that these witnesses do	34:01
	is to make this sin surface in our lives.	34:04
	Very personal and intimate, just not a good thing first.	34:08
	Not comfort and boiled fish first.	34:12
	First the distress that I have denied Jesus.	34:14
	Second, the repentance.	34:18
	Go about and preach repentance. And third,	34:22
	the forgiveness of sins.	34:25
	That that which I repent is truly forgiven me	34:27
	of God, in Jesus, through this witness,	34:31
	whatever this witness looks like.	34:34
	Oh, the witnesses are present.	34:36
	They are here.	34:39
	And if I don't see the juice of my hamburger	34:41
	dribble down the chin of Jesus,	34:43
	yet these witnesses enflesh the presence of Jesus,	34:45
	and I can reach out and literally touch bone and flesh	34:48
	and say, in this one, by this one, in the face of this one,	34:51
	my wife, my children, my parishioners, folk off the street,	34:55
	in this one is my Lord.	35:00
	Let me serve you a hamburger, please.	35:03
	Do you like boiled fish?	35:04
	Nevertheless,	35:09
	as clear as my adult head is on what these lesson promise,	35:11
	nevertheless, I find myself going through	35:15
	long, vast periods of desolation, when I am so adult.	35:18
	Now, this is a huge place.	35:24
	I've got a tiny little church with 20 pews,	35:25
	but we are in the inner city.	35:27
	And I find myself working very, very hard to, to,	35:29
	to bring about the kingdom of God	35:36
	for all of the people around me. Oh, what a burden!	35:38
	I preach on Sunday morning.	35:43
	I yearn that the people should hear the word of the Lord.	35:46
	I suffer whether they hear it or not.	35:49
	But do you understand? I am the pastor,	35:50
	that's very important stuff.	35:53
	I try so hard to be right and proper in that preaching.	35:54
	And then I'm in this desolation.	35:59
	Strange irony.	36:01
	Throughout the week, we take care	36:02
	of the people in our neighborhood	36:04
	who are hungry, who need help with their electrical bill,	36:05
	who need help paying their rent, who come and come and come	36:09
	through our doors, who don't always change,	36:12
	and I grow tired with my adulthood.	36:14
	I grow exhausted with the work that I do	36:17
	in the kingdom of God. Being in charge,	36:19
	making all things right. I'm a Lutheran.	36:21
	That's even harder.	36:24
	When we worship on Sunday morning,	36:27
	gotta know when to stand up.	36:29
	Gotta know when to sit down.	36:31
	We've got a book with rubrics in it,	36:33
	says, this is how you worship, please.	36:35
	And I am so much in charge, making it right.	36:39
	I, important, in the kingdom of God.	36:41
	And I'm a parent.	36:43
	That's as hard as being a Lutheran.	36:46
	All of my children are teenagers.	36:49
	Depend on me, I am in charge.	36:52
	Depend on me, I am in control, I am so responsible	36:53
	for all these people. There is a fellow	36:56
	who lives down from Grace Church	36:59
	in a shotgun house. His name is Robert.	37:01
	He exhausts me.	37:04
	I don't know how old Robert is, but he comes to the mission	37:05
	of Grace again and again, and receives help.	37:08
	Robert stands, can you see me back there?	37:11
	I know I'm so small.	37:13
	Robert stands about this tall, smaller than me.	37:15
	I always know when Robert is coming.	37:19
	I can sense him.	37:22
	Robert is like a planet with its own atmosphere around it.	37:25
	Planet, that's a good word.	37:30
	He is the wandering star.	37:31
	Nothing bothers Robert, he is protected by this atmosphere.	37:33
	You can't see this atmosphere, but you can smell it.	37:36
	He comes down the street, and he has a cane,	37:41
	but it's not a cane.	37:44
	Robert has an umbrella	37:46
	from which he has taken off the cloth,	37:49
	off the ribs,	37:52
	it is just a skinny, little umbrella left alone naked,	37:53
	and with that umbrella, Robert walks down the street,	37:56
	tippy tippy tap tap, tippy tippy tap.	37:59
	Robert is one who makes me wish to God I saw Jesus.	38:04
	I will walk by Robert's house,	38:09
	and if I have sharp enough eyes,	38:11
	I will see Robert stand out in front of his door,	38:13
	and I will see Robert see me,	38:16
	and that's when I begin to walk faster.	38:17
	I look very important at that point.	38:20
	Very adult, pastor and parent.	38:22
	I look as though maybe I'm too busy for Robert to hail me.	38:24
	Do you understand what I'm saying?	38:27
	I walk very, very fast, and there has been a time, however,	38:30
	where Robert has found the word before I passed by.	38:33
	Exploded, he said, what's happenin'?	38:36
	You see, he calls me Reverend, he says,	38:40
	Reverend, what's happenin'?	38:41
	And he can do that with such explosive vigor that I turn	38:44
	and I look at Robert and I'm caught.	38:46
	I'm a Christian, you see.	38:49
	I have to answer what's happenin'?	38:51
	I have to walk over to Robert.	38:55
	He invites me into his house.	38:56
	He did this.	38:58
	He's got a box underneath his sink.	39:00
	It's only a one room house, he only has one room to himself.	39:02
	He pulls the box out from underneath the sink.	39:05
	He stands back.	39:09
	He says, Reverend, and I look in that box.	39:11
	I see aluminum cans.	39:15
	I see broken Bic lighters.	39:17
	I see radios without cords.	39:20
	Do you understand what I'm telling you?	39:23
	I see trivets with two legs.	39:25
	I see Robert's treasures.	39:28
	Robert stands back and he says,	39:30
	Reverend, anything.	39:31
	Anything you want.	39:35
	Robert is gonna pay us back for all the good that we've done	39:38
	to him from the mission of Grace.	39:41
	And I am important.	39:43
	I am working in the kingdom of God	39:45
	that people should know God.	39:47
	I am striving to be a witness,	39:48
	therefore I say to Robert,	39:50
	oh, thank you Robert, but we don't take pay	39:52
	for the good we do.	39:55
	That's all right, Robert, and I pat him on the shoulder,	39:57
	and the dust rises from his shoulder.	40:00
	And I bow my head and I sneak out,	40:02
	leaving Robert with his wide eyes goggling,	40:03
	trying to figure some way to thank me	40:06
	and to thank the mission of Grace, but I'm shed of Robert.	40:08
	It's during those periods, people,	40:11
	that I look most adult and I feel most like a child,	40:15
	and I wish to God I saw the witnesses.	40:19
	I wish to God Jesus was near enough	40:21
	to show the hands and put the arms around and hold me dear.	40:24
	I want to see Jesus.	40:27
	And when I am so adult, I do not.	40:30
	Listen to me, please, I will just say it clearly.	40:34
	I know why I do not see the witnesses then.	40:38
	The problem is not that there are not witnesses.	40:45
	The problem is never that there are not witnesses.	40:51
	God has surrounded each one of us with clouds of witnesses	40:55
	who will make Jesus present by the drama I told you before.	40:59
	The problem is that sometimes people like me	41:04
	and our positions of authority are unwilling to see	41:08
	the witnesses that are sent.	41:12
	The problem is that I am sometimes so busy being the witness	41:16
	for my children, for my parish, for Robert down the street,	41:25
	listen to me, that I deny the witnesses sent unto me.	41:30
	I deny them their witness ability.	41:35
	I deny the divinity in them.	41:38
	I deny the Jesus in them.	41:40
	Because it couldn't be them, no, it couldn't be them.	41:43
	And besides that, if it were them,	41:45
	I would have to accept that my sin is denial	41:47
	and repent.	41:53
	And so be forgiven.	41:55
	O ye parents among you,	41:57
	preachers,	42:00
	leaders, teachers,	42:02
	any one of you who have roles of authority,	42:04
	'tis a dangerous place to be.	42:07
	Especially since you say, I am a Christian in authority,	42:09
	and it is my job	42:12
	to be a witness.	42:15
	Watch it!	42:17
	There is an arrogance of witness-ship	42:19
	that makes us blind to the true witnesses	42:23
	who are denied	42:27
	day after day.	42:28
	Do you understand?	42:31
	Well, Robert figured out how to thank us. True.	42:36
	Robert decided	42:42
	to come to church.	42:45
	Now, I preach in Grace in the aisle.	42:48
	That means very, very close to the people.	42:52
	And there is only one aisle at Grace,	42:54
	that's how little it is.	42:55
	We don't have side aisles.	42:56
	And on a particular Sunday, I had begun to preach	43:00
	and all the people were listening to me.	43:04
	That's what they're supposed to do.	43:06
	I was the witness, don't you understand?	43:08
	Paid witness.	43:10
	Worked on it witness. Good sermon, witness.	43:12
	Lutheran sermon, I believe.	43:14
	Three points.	43:16
	Intellectual.	43:19
	I think that I was about into the first point of my sermon,	43:21
	and I raised my eyes,	43:24
	and standing at the very back of the aisle	43:25
	was Robert.	43:29
	He'd come to church.	43:31
	He dressed up.	43:32
	He picked hair out.	43:33
	He had picked his hair out	43:34
	so that it stood up in two twin towers on his head.	43:36
	He held that little tippy tippy tap tap cane at his side.	43:39
	He had dressed Goodwill, I did not smell his atmosphere.	43:42
	And he had a shocked expression on his face,	43:45
	like it was a marvel to him that Robert was in church.	43:48
	There was no place for him to sit in the back of our church.	43:53
	I don't know if you all do that sort of a thing,	43:57
	but in our church, first you fill the back.	43:59
	Then you move up.	44:01
	I think that's a holy gesture.	44:03
	I think they teach it in confirmation,	44:06
	first sit in the back, then move up.	44:08
	Well, Robert looked to the left,	44:13
	and Robert looked to the right,	44:14
	and there was no place to sit and that didn't bother Robert.	44:15
	While I preached, Robert started walking down the aisle,	44:17
	nodding on everybody beside him,	44:20
	waving his two twin towers.	44:23
	Gleeful that he was in church.	44:25
	He thought this was a marvelous thing	44:26
	that he was doing for us.	44:28
	He was coming to our church.	44:29
	Robert walked all the way up to me, nodded at me,	44:31
	waved his twin towers at me.	44:34
	There was a seat, second pew from	44:36
	the front on the left hand side of me,	44:38
	and Robert moved in, excused himself, sat down on the pew,	44:41
	laid his cane on the floor, folded his arms, and sat back	44:44
	to hear some preachin'.	44:46
	I didn't mind.	44:49
	I would preach.	44:51
	So I kept on preaching.	44:52
	Point one,	44:54
	point two.	44:55
	Sub-point A underneath two.	44:58
	I began to gather my proof texts together,	45:00
	it was a very intellectual sermon.	45:02
	I was working it out well.	45:03
	My homiletician would have been proud of me.	45:04
	Except that while I was preaching,	45:07
	I begin to hear a commotion to my left hand side,	45:10
	second pew from the front.	45:12
	I'm preaching.	45:15
	Robert's hearing a sermon.	45:16
	But I don't know which sermon Robert's listening to.	45:19
	He's begun to move.	45:22
	Pull his left foot up, put it down.	45:23
	Pull his right food up, pull it down.	45:25
	Nod his head at the same time.	45:27
	There's a rhythm in Robert's sermon.	45:28
	And no rhythm in my Lutheran sermon, I'll tell you.	45:31
	This made me very uncomfortable.	45:33
	Do you understand?	45:37
	I was losing control.	45:38
	I didn't know where Robert was going to go.	45:41
	I had not looked at Robert's sermon first.	45:42
	I preached faster and I preached harder.	45:47
	They were intellectual points, but I gave 'em a bite.	45:50
	I wanted the people to watch me.	45:53
	Nobody should watch Robert, but do you understand?	45:54
	The faster and the harder I preached,	45:56
	the faster and the harder went Robert's sermon.	45:58
	He began to nod his head. He had his eyes closed.	46:01
	Terrifying thing if you have your eyes closed.	46:03
	He began to stomp his feet, little by little like that.	46:06
	And now I'm sweating.	46:08
	There's a trickle going down	46:10
	very privately underneath my alb.	46:11
	All of a sudden, Robert begins that	46:15
	fretful Baptist practice,	46:17
	clapping. (Dr. Wangerin claps)	46:20
	Nobody told him it's a Lutheran church!	46:24
	He's not listening to a Lutheran sermon.	46:27
	I think maybe I will modulate my sermon.	46:29
	I will look tall so all the people in my parish look at me	46:32
	and not clappin', swayin', rockin' Robert.	46:35
	I look at about how much time I have	46:40
	before I can get down to the sermon,	46:41
	and we feel like we're in a race,	46:42
	Robert's sermon and the Lutheran sermon together.	46:44
	And then all the sudden, all of the sudden,	46:46
	Robert threw up his two hands into the air.	46:48
	Threw them up and he shouted in Grace Lutheran Church,	46:51
	I'm going to pray!	46:54
	And we both froze.	46:57
	I froze because I didn't know	47:02
	what to do with Robert's prayer.	47:03
	Robert froze because he had shocked himself.	47:04
	It was as though he'd considered the thing that he'd said	47:07
	and he'd found it good, and he repeated it a second time.	47:10
	He said, Yup, I'm going to pray!	47:13
	And it was as though I responded by the Holy Spirit,	47:16
	I said from the aisle, Robert, don't!	47:18
	He said it for the third time.	47:25
	He began to nod,	47:27
	his twin towers with his hands up in the air.	47:28
	He said, Yup, yup, I'm going to pray!	47:30
	This is the truth.	47:33
	But he was close to me.	47:34
	I went to him as fast as I could.	47:36
	I put my hands on his shoulders.	47:37
	I looked him dead in the eye, and I said,	47:39
	Robert, you can't pray.	47:42
	His eyes flew open, and he looked at me.	47:46
	He said, Why not?	47:48
	And I said, I said this before I thought it,	47:50
	the words came to me as a gift, I said,	47:53
	Because there's a time to pray.	47:58
	Rubrics, control, I'm in charge.	48:02
	Robert looked at me and his hands came down.	48:06
	His whole being came down.	48:10
	He said, A time to pray?	48:11
	Poor man had never heard of such a thing before.	48:15
	A time to pray? He said.	48:18
	I said, Yes, Robert, a time to pray.	48:21
	And he was still.	48:25
	Do you know how sometimes	48:27
	after you've worked very hard to get the child to sleep,	48:28
	you tip-toe out of the bedroom	48:32
	so not to wake the child?	48:34
	I tip-toed backward so as not to	48:36
	shake loose any more Baptist sermons in Robert.	48:38
	I gathered my little pieces of Lutheran sermon	48:42
	from the floor, and I sweated my way through to the end.	48:44
	I finished. It was time to finish.	48:47
	I went back into our little chancel and we sang a hymn.	48:50
	It was time to sing a hymn.	48:53
	I am in control, dear God.	48:55
	After the hymn, it was time to take the offering.	48:59
	This is the truth.	49:02
	I took the plates off of the altar	49:04
	and I came to the front of our steps,	49:06
	and there in front of me	49:07
	was Robert.	49:10
	Twin peaks on high,	49:13
	umbrella cane by his side,	49:15
	he looked at me and he said, No.	49:18
	He said,	49:22
	no, I ain't gonna pray for you no more.	49:22
	He said, For me.	49:29
	Do you understand?	49:33
	He looked at the plates that were in my hand. This is true.	49:37
	Reached through, through his Goodwill jacket,	49:41
	pulled him out a dollar bill soft as a handkerchief,	49:43
	dropped it in the plate, turned around with that cane,	49:45
	tippy tippy tap tap, walked out of the church.	49:48
	I know what such a skinny cane can hold up.	49:54
	I stood behind him and I saw it.	49:59
	Such a cane under two twin towers	50:02
	holds up dignity	50:04
	and the Holy Spirit	50:09
	and the presence of Jesus.	50:13
	This was my martyr.	50:17
	This was my witness	50:22
	before whom I should bow my head for denial	50:26
	and repent.	50:30
	And in whose glorious grace	50:34
	I may hear the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.	50:36
	Ah, the problem is not the lack of witnesses, people,	50:39
	ye who are in some sort of authority,	50:43
	the problem is lack of sight.	50:46
	I went to Robert's house.	50:51
	I knocked on his door.	50:53
	This is like two weeks later.	50:56
	Reverend, he said, what's happenin'?	50:58
	But he said it kindly.	51:01
	Come in, he said, and I came in.	51:04
	I said, can I have one of...	51:06
	What's ever in your box?	51:10
	Robert pulled the box from under the sink,	51:13
	threw a grand gesture to it.	51:17
	He said, Anything, Reverend, anything.	51:18
	And I tell you the truth,	51:21
	it was a trivet with two legs forgave me.	51:24
	And the grease of the Lord Jesus Christ	51:30
	dribbled down the chin of an indigent man	51:33
	who smells of alcohol.	51:36
	I saw the Lord.	51:39
	I saw Jesus.	51:42
	(organ music)	51:53
	♪ The strife is o'er, the battle done; ♪	52:23
	♪ The victory of life is won; ♪	52:30
	♪ The song of triumph has begun. ♪	52:38
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	52:46
	♪ The powers of death have done their worst, ♪	52:53
	♪ But Christ their legions has dispersed. ♪	53:01
	♪ Let shouts of holy joy outburst. ♪	53:09
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	53:17
	♪ The three sad days are quickly sped; ♪	53:24
	♪ He rises glorious from the dead. ♪	53:32
	♪ All glory to our risen Head. ♪	53:40
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	53:49
	♪ Lord, by the stripes which wounded thee, ♪	53:56
	♪ From death's dread sting thy servants free, ♪	54:04
	♪ That we may live and sing to thee. ♪	54:11
	♪ Alleluia! ♪	54:19
-	Let us unite as we confess our faith.	54:30
	I believe in God the Father Almighty,	54:34
	Maker of Heaven and Earth,	54:37
	and in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord,	54:39
	who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	54:43
	born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	54:46
	was crucified, dead, and buried.	54:50
	The third day he rose from the dead.	54:53
	He ascended into Heaven	54:55
	and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty,	54:57
	from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	55:01
	I believe in the Holy Spirit,	55:05
	the holy Catholic Church,	55:07
	the communion of Saints,	55:09
	the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,	55:11
	and the life everlasting. Amen.	55:15
	The Lord be with you.	55:20
Crowd	And also with you.	55:21
-	Let us pray.	55:23
	Eternal giver,	55:37
	in mystery and in silence, you are present in our lives.	55:39
	You bring new life out of destruction,	55:45
	hope out of despair,	55:48
	growth out of trials.	55:51
	We thank you that you do not desert us,	55:54
	but that you labor with us,	55:56
	that we may become new creatures in you.	55:58
	Help us to slow down,	56:04
	to open our eyes, that we may perceive your unseen hand	56:06
	in the unfolding of our lives.	56:11
	Help us to join hands with you,	56:15
	like little children,	56:18
	as we attend to the gentle guidance of your spirit,	56:20
	that we may receive the kingdom with the willingness	56:25
	of a little child.	56:28
	Let us pray for the needs of our entire human family.	56:32
	Look with kindness, O God, on those	56:38
	who have separated themselves from each other	56:41
	and from you.	56:44
	Take away the hatred and self-righteousness	56:47
	which overwhelm our hearts	56:50
	and unite us in bonds of love.	56:53
	Let us pray for all those who suffer from lack of food,	56:58
	shelter,	57:02
	or other necessities of life.	57:04
	Use us as your body, the church, to ease their affliction	57:08
	and renew their hope.	57:12
	Increase our diligence,	57:15
	strengthen our desire to follow Christ's example	57:18
	of feeding the hungry	57:21
	and healing the sick and visiting the imprisoned.	57:23
	Let us pray, gracious God, for all those	57:29
	who live with injustice, violence, disease,	57:33
	or death as their constant companions.	57:38
	Especially we pray for those hostages being held	57:43
	on the hijacked Kuwaiti jet and their families	57:47
	and for those victims of increased violence	57:51
	in the Middle East.	57:53
	Strengthen, O God, all those who keep vigil	57:56
	for the causes of justice and of peace.	57:59
	Let us pray for the future of our world	58:04
	and especially for children everywhere.	58:07
	Increase our reverence before the sacred mystery	58:11
	which is life.	58:14
	Give us new understanding of your purposes	58:17
	for our existence, O God,	58:20
	and grant us new wisdom and determination	58:23
	for making provisions for its future	58:25
	in accordance with your will.	58:28
	Recognizing that you have given us dominion over the Earth,	58:31
	we pray that you would grant us the spirit of thanksgiving,	58:36
	to do so with compassion	58:40
	and in service to others.	58:42
	These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.	58:46
	Having heard the Word read and proclaimed,	58:55
	we offer our thanks to God.	58:58
	It is our privilege to do so in the spirit of thanksgiving	59:01
	at this point in our service as we award	59:06
	the Duke Humanitarian Service Award	59:09
	to Miss Linda Hankins-Dukes.	59:11
	Could you step forward at this time?	59:13
	The Duke Humanitarian Service Award is an annual award	59:16
	presented by Duke Campus Ministry	59:18
	to a member of the Duke community whose life represents	59:21
	an outstanding example of service.	59:24
	Miss Dukes was chosen as this year's recipient	59:27
	as one whose commitment to service has been demonstrated	59:29
	through sustained involvement in the field of education	59:33
	and who demonstrates a lifestyle of simplicity.	59:37
	This award includes a $1000 cash gift.	59:40
-	Linda Hankins-Dukes graduated from Duke University	59:54
	in 1971, and in 1975 received her M.A. in Asian Studies	59:56
	from the University of Michigan.	1:00:01
	In addition to her job as an instructor for the	1:00:03
	Adult Basic Education Center of the	1:00:05
	Charlottesville Public Schools,	1:00:08
	she devotes countless hours to volunteer work.	1:00:09
	Among other things, she has been very instrumental	1:00:12
	in the development of the Charlottesville chapter	1:00:14
	of the Literacy Volunteers of America.	1:00:16
	Miss Dukes also serves on the board of directors	1:00:19
	of the Virginia Literacy Coalition.	1:00:21
	It is with great pleasure that we present her	1:00:24
	with this award.	1:00:26
	(applause)	1:00:34
-	In thanksgiving for the mercies of God, let us	1:00:45
	contribute our gifts and ourselves now to his service.	1:00:48
	(organ music)	1:00:52
	♪ Shall we gather at the river, ♪	1:03:26
	♪ Where bright angel feet have trod; ♪	1:03:33
	♪ With its crystal tide forever ♪	1:03:39
	♪ Flowing by the throne of God? ♪	1:03:45
	♪ Yes, we'll gather at the river, ♪	1:03:52
	♪ The beautiful, the beautiful river; ♪	1:03:58
	♪ Gather with the saints at the river ♪	1:04:05
	♪ That flows by the throne of God. ♪	1:04:11
	♪ Of the boots above the river, ♪	1:04:25
	♪ Where the Savior deeply holds, ♪	1:04:31
	♪ We shall be dressed of the river, ♪	1:04:38
	♪ In the glory of the Lord. ♪	1:04:43
	♪ Yes, we'll gather at the river, ♪	1:04:51
	♪ The beautiful, the beautiful river; ♪	1:04:58
	♪ Gather with the saints at the river ♪	1:05:04
	♪ That flows by the throne of God. ♪	1:05:10
	♪ Ere we reach the shining river, ♪	1:05:25
	♪ Lay we every burden down; ♪	1:05:32
	♪ Grace our spirits will deliver, ♪	1:05:39
	♪ And provide a robe and crown. ♪	1:05:45
	♪ Yes, we'll gather at the river, ♪	1:05:53
	♪ The beautiful, the beautiful river; ♪	1:06:00
	♪ Gather with the saints at the river ♪	1:06:07
	♪ That flows by the throne of God. ♪	1:06:13
	♪ Soon we'll reach the shining river, ♪	1:06:30
	♪ Soon our pilgrimage will cease; ♪	1:06:37
	♪ Soon our happy hearts will quiver ♪	1:06:44
	♪ With the melody of peace. ♪	1:06:50
	♪ Yes, we'll gather at the river, ♪	1:06:58
	♪ The beautiful, the beautiful river; ♪	1:07:04
	♪ Gather with the saints at the river ♪	1:07:11
	♪ That flows by the throne of God. ♪	1:07:16
	(organ music)	1:07:41
	(choir singing 'Hallelujah')	1:08:01
-	Almighty God, giver of all mercies, we thine	1:09:09
	unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks	1:09:12
	for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us	1:09:15
	and to all people.	1:09:19
	We bless thee for our creation, preservation,	1:09:21
	and all the blessings of this life,	1:09:24
	but above all for thine inestimable love	1:09:26
	and redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ,	1:09:29
	who taught us that to love thee is to serve our neighbor.	1:09:33
	Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name,	1:09:37
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:09:41
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	1:09:44
	Give us, this day, our daily bread	1:09:46
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:09:49
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	1:09:51
	and lead us not into temptation,	1:09:54
	but deliver us from evil	1:09:57
	for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.	1:09:58
	Amen.	1:10:03
	(organ music)	1:10:05
	♪ O sons and daughters, let us sing! ♪	1:10:39
	♪ The King of Heaven, the Glorious King, ♪	1:10:46
	♪ O'er death today rose triumphing. ♪	1:10:54
	♪ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪	1:11:02
	♪ That Easter morn, at break of day, ♪	1:11:12
	♪ The faithful women went their way ♪	1:11:19
	♪ To seek the tomb where Jesus lay. ♪	1:11:27
	♪ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪	1:11:36
	♪ An angel clad in white they see, ♪	1:11:45
	♪ Who sat, and spake unto the three, ♪	1:11:53
	♪ Your Lord doth go to Galilee. ♪	1:12:01
	♪ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪	1:12:09
	♪ How blessed are they who have not seen, ♪	1:12:19
	♪ And yet whose faith has constant been, ♪	1:12:27
	♪ For they eternal life shall win. ♪	1:12:35
	♪ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪	1:12:43
	♪ On this most holy day of days, ♪	1:12:53
	♪ To God your hearts and voices raise ♪	1:13:01
	♪ In laud and jubilee and praise. ♪	1:13:09
	♪ Hallelujah! Hallelujah! ♪	1:13:17
-	And now go forth in peace,	1:13:31
	and be of good courage.	1:13:33
	Hold fast to that which is good,	1:13:35
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit,	1:13:37
	and may the blessing of God,	1:13:41
	Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit be with you all	1:13:43
	now and forevermore.	1:13:47
	(choir singing)	1:13:51
	♪ Amen ♪	1:13:52
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:03
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:15
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:24
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:30
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:43
	♪ Amen ♪	1:14:56
	(organ music)	1:15:18

Item Info

Title:

Walter Wangerin, Jr. - "The Witnesses of These Things" (April 17, 1988)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 24:16. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 51:47.
Focuses on the word "witnesses". Witnesses are involved in suffering in 3 ways 1) they know the suffering of Jesus 2)they themselves suffer the sufferings in their witnessing. 3) when the witnesses descend upon us, they bring with them also a holy therapeutic suffering for us. that we too in their presence may recognize our sin and repent and be forgiven. Witneses always come to our lives to present us Jesus but we, especially those who hold any authority (pastors, preachers, parents), are mostly too busy to recognize them. He then acts out an anecdote to demonstrate how a witness in his life was a homeless man that attended his church but he ignored him first to later realize that in this man, he was seeing Jesus. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The problem is never that there are not witnesses. God has surrounded each one of us with clouds of witnesses who will make Jesus present by the drama I told you before. The problem is that sometimes people like me and our positions of authority are unwilling to see the witnesses that are sent….The problem is that I am sometimes so busy being the witness for my children, for my parish, for Robert down the street”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4833nd0z

Date:

April 17, 1988

Speaker:

Wangerin, Walter, Jr.

Liturgical Calendar:

Easter

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0077
ref8465_lby
uachapelsermaud
duke:321475
dcrmv001077
ark:/87924/r4833nd0z
557bb057-f1da-4980-a863-3e8fcb475486

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

Educational Use Permitted

Rights Note:

This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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