Hans J. Hillerbrand - "Patron Saint of the University" (April 22, 1990)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(uplifting music) | 0:00 | |
- | Good morning. | 6:10 |
My name is Dennis Campbell. | 6:11 | |
I'm the Dean of the Divinity School at Duke. | 6:13 | |
And it's a pleasure to welcome all of you | 6:16 | |
to Duke University Chapel and to the university | 6:18 | |
and this weekend. | 6:21 | |
It's hard to believe, but this is the final service | 6:23 | |
during this academic year during which our | 6:28 | |
chapel choir will sing. | 6:30 | |
And it's also hard to believe that already | 6:33 | |
Rodney Wynkoop has completed his first year | 6:37 | |
as director of chapel music. | 6:41 | |
He has done a magnificent job and the choir | 6:44 | |
has done a magnificent job and we are grateful to them. | 6:46 | |
We're also especially pleased today to welcome | 6:51 | |
many alumni who are back. | 6:54 | |
There are members of my own undergraduate class, 1967. | 6:56 | |
Other undergraduate classes, but perhaps most significantly, | 7:00 | |
the 50th anniversary year class. | 7:05 | |
Those of you celebrating your golden anniversary | 7:07 | |
of the graduation as undergraduates at Duke. | 7:10 | |
We're glad to have you. | 7:14 | |
I'm particularly pleased, a word of personal privilege, | 7:16 | |
to welcome Bob and Margaret Vanderlinde | 7:20 | |
from Hanover, New Hampshire, special friends of ours | 7:23 | |
whom we came to know first on one of | 7:27 | |
Barbara Booth's alumni trips. | 7:29 | |
The Duke alumni family is very special. | 7:32 | |
Our lector this morning is John Jordan, | 7:36 | |
who is also a member of the 50th anniversary class. | 7:39 | |
Our preacher is Hans Hillerbrand, | 7:43 | |
chairman of the department of religion. | 7:46 | |
Professor Hillerbrand taught at Duke from 1959 to 1970 | 7:49 | |
in the Divinity School. | 7:54 | |
Then he went away to serve as dean of the | 7:55 | |
graduate school and provost at the | 7:58 | |
City University of New York | 8:00 | |
and later as provost to Southern Methodist University. | 8:02 | |
He came back to us last year as chairman | 8:05 | |
of the department of religion and has brought | 8:09 | |
new vitality and enthusiasm to that department | 8:10 | |
and its leadership. | 8:14 | |
And we are delighted to welcome him to the | 8:15 | |
pulpit of Duke Chapel this morning. | 8:17 | |
Now we're going to test your ability, | 8:20 | |
those of you who are Duke alumni, | 8:23 | |
those of you who are students, friends, | 8:25 | |
to figure out the first hymn. | 8:27 | |
The musicians told me to be sure to tell you | 8:29 | |
that you are to turn to hymn 324 | 8:33 | |
and to note that verses one, three, and five | 8:36 | |
are on the left hand page. | 8:39 | |
Verses two, four, and six are on the right hand page. | 8:41 | |
And that since this is the second Sunday of Easter, | 8:45 | |
we will sing the text marked Easter. | 8:49 | |
(uplifting music) | 8:58 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 9:17 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 9:21 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 9:27 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 9:31 | |
♪ All the fair beauty of earth ♪ | 9:37 | |
♪ From the death of the winter arising ♪ | 9:40 | |
♪ Every good gift of the year ♪ | 9:46 | |
♪ Now with its master returns ♪ | 9:51 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 9:56 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 10:00 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 10:06 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 10:09 | |
♪ Rise from the grave now, Oh Lord ♪ | 10:15 | |
♪ The author of life and creation ♪ | 10:19 | |
♪ Treading the pathway of death ♪ | 10:25 | |
♪ New life you give to us all ♪ | 10:29 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 10:35 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 10:39 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 10:45 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 10:48 | |
♪ God the Almighty, the Lord ♪ | 10:55 | |
♪ The ruler of earth and the heavens ♪ | 10:59 | |
♪ Guard us from harm without ♪ | 11:04 | |
♪ Cleanse us from evil within ♪ | 11:09 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 11:14 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 11:18 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 11:23 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 11:27 | |
♪ Jesus the health of the world ♪ | 11:33 | |
♪ Enlighten our minds, great redeemer ♪ | 11:36 | |
♪ Son of the Father supreme ♪ | 11:42 | |
♪ Only begotten of God ♪ | 11:46 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 11:52 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 11:56 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 12:01 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 12:05 | |
♪ Spirit of life and of power ♪ | 12:11 | |
♪ Now flow in us, fount of our being ♪ | 12:15 | |
♪ Light that enlightens us all ♪ | 12:20 | |
♪ Life that in all may abide ♪ | 12:25 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 12:30 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 12:34 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 12:39 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 12:43 | |
♪ Praise to the giver of good ♪ | 12:49 | |
♪ Oh lover and author of concord ♪ | 12:52 | |
♪ Pour out your balm on our days ♪ | 12:58 | |
♪ Order our ways in your peace ♪ | 13:02 | |
♪ Hail thee, festival day ♪ | 13:08 | |
♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪ | 13:12 | |
♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪ | 13:16 | |
♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪ | 13:21 | |
- | As Christian men and women in the light of Easter, | 13:45 |
we are called to recognize before God and one another | 13:49 | |
that we have fallen short and are in need | 13:53 | |
of confession and pardon. | 13:58 | |
Let us pray. | 14:01 | |
We have forgotten who we are. | 14:05 | |
We have alienated ourselves from | 14:08 | |
the unfolding of the cosmos. | 14:10 | |
We have become estranged from the movements of the earth. | 14:13 | |
We have turned our backs on the cycles of life. | 14:17 | |
Congregation | We have forgotten who we are. | 14:20 |
- | We have sought only our own security | 14:23 |
We have exploited simply for our own ends | 14:27 | |
We have distorted our knowledge | 14:31 | |
We have abused our power. | 14:34 | |
Congregation | We have forgotten who we are. | 14:37 |
- | Now the land is barren and the waters are poisoned | 14:39 |
and the air is polluted. | 14:43 | |
Congregation | We have forgotten who we are. | 14:45 |
- | Now the forests are dying and the creatures | 14:47 |
are disappearing and the humans are despairing. | 14:50 | |
Congregation | We have forgotten who we are. | 14:54 |
- | We ask forgiveness. | 14:56 |
We ask for the gift of remembering. | 14:58 | |
We ask for the strength to become | 15:01 | |
the people God would have us to be. | 15:04 | |
Congregation | We have forgotten who we are. | 15:08 |
- | Hear this good news. | 15:14 |
If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just | 15:16 | |
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us | 15:22 | |
from all unrighteousness. | 15:25 | |
Thanks be to God. | 15:27 | |
- | Let us pray and let's be seated, please. | 15:43 |
Let us pray together. | 15:55 | |
Open our hearts and minds, oh God, | 15:58 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit | 16:01 | |
so that as the word is read and proclaimed | 16:04 | |
we might hear with joy what you say to us today, amen. | 16:08 | |
The first lesson is taken from the Acts of the Apostles. | 16:14 | |
But Peter standing with the 11 lifted up his voice | 16:21 | |
and addressed them. | 16:25 | |
Men of Israel, hear these words. | 16:28 | |
Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God | 16:31 | |
with mighty works and wonders and signs, | 16:35 | |
which God did through him in your midst. | 16:39 | |
As you yourselves know, this Jesus delivered | 16:42 | |
up according to the definite plan | 16:46 | |
and foreknowledge of God you crucified and killed | 16:48 | |
by the hands of lawless men. | 16:53 | |
But God raised him up, having loosened the pangs of death, | 16:56 | |
because it was not possible for him to be held by it. | 17:01 | |
For David says concerning him, | 17:07 | |
I saw the Lord always before me, | 17:10 | |
for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken. | 17:14 | |
Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. | 17:19 | |
Moreover, my flesh will dwell in hope. | 17:25 | |
For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades | 17:29 | |
nor let thy holy one see corruption. | 17:33 | |
Thou hast made known to me the ways of life. | 17:38 | |
Thou wilt make me glad, | 17:43 | |
full of gladness with thy presence. | 17:45 | |
Brethren, I may say to you confidently of the | 17:50 | |
patriarch David that he both died and was buried | 17:55 | |
and his tomb is with us in this day. | 18:00 | |
Being therefore a prophet and knowing that God | 18:05 | |
has sworn with an oath to him that he would set | 18:08 | |
one of his descendants upon the throne, | 18:11 | |
he foresaw and spoke the resurrection of Jesus Christ, | 18:15 | |
that he was not abandoned to Hades, | 18:22 | |
nor did his flesh see corruption. | 18:26 | |
This Jesus God raised up, | 18:30 | |
and of that we are all witnesses. | 18:34 | |
This ends the reading of the first lesson. | 18:39 | |
Thanks be to God. | 18:42 | |
Woman | Please stand for the psalter, | 18:51 |
which may be found on page 750 of your hymnal. | 18:52 | |
♪ The heavens are telling the glory of God ♪ | 19:05 | |
♪ And the firmament proclaims God's handiwork ♪ | 19:09 | |
♪ Day to day pours forth speech ♪ | 19:14 | |
♪ And night to night declares knowledge ♪ | 19:18 | |
♪ There is no speech, nor are there words ♪ | 19:23 | |
♪ Their voice is not heard ♪ | 19:27 | |
♪ Yet their voice goes out through all the earth ♪ | 19:31 | |
♪ And their words to the end of the world ♪ | 19:36 | |
♪ In them God has set a tent for the sun ♪ | 19:41 | |
♪ Which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber ♪ | 19:46 | |
♪ And runs its course with joy like a strong man ♪ | 19:51 | |
♪ Its rising is from the end of the heavens ♪ | 19:57 | |
♪ And its circuit to the end of them ♪ | 20:02 | |
♪ And there is nothing hid from its heat ♪ | 20:06 | |
♪ The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul ♪ | 20:11 | |
♪ The decrees of the Lord are sure ♪ | 20:17 | |
♪ Making wise the simple ♪ | 20:20 | |
♪ The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart ♪ | 20:23 | |
♪ The commandment of the Lord is clear ♪ | 20:29 | |
♪ Enlightening the eyes ♪ | 20:33 | |
♪ The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever ♪ | 20:36 | |
♪ The ordinances of the Lord are true ♪ | 20:42 | |
♪ And righteous altogether ♪ | 20:46 | |
♪ More to be desired are they than gold, ♪ | 20:50 | |
♪ Even much fine gold ♪ | 20:53 | |
♪ Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb ♪ | 20:55 | |
♪ Glory be to our creator ♪ | 21:12 | |
♪ Praise to our redeemer Lord ♪ | 21:18 | |
♪ Glory be to our sustainer ♪ | 21:26 | |
♪ Ever three and ever one ♪ | 21:32 | |
♪ As it was in the beginning ♪ | 21:40 | |
♪ Now and ever more shall be ♪ | 21:47 | |
- | The second lesson is taken from the first letter of Peter. | 22:13 |
Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. | 22:23 | |
By his great mercy, we have been born anew | 22:28 | |
to a living hope through the resurrection | 22:32 | |
of Jesus Christ from the dead. | 22:35 | |
And to an inheritance which is imperishable, | 22:39 | |
undefiled, unfading. | 22:43 | |
Kept in heaven for you who by God's power | 22:46 | |
are guarded through faith or the salvation | 22:51 | |
ready to be revealed in the life's time. | 22:55 | |
In this you rejoice. | 22:59 | |
Though now for a little while, | 23:02 | |
you may have to suffer various trials | 23:05 | |
so that the genuineness of your faith | 23:09 | |
more precious than gold, | 23:12 | |
which though perishable is tested by fire, | 23:14 | |
may redound to praise and glory and honor | 23:19 | |
at the revelation of Jesus Christ. | 23:23 | |
Without having seen him, you love him. | 23:28 | |
Though you do not see him, you believe in him. | 23:33 | |
And rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy | 23:38 | |
as the outcome of your faith | 23:43 | |
you obtain the salvation of our souls. | 23:45 | |
This ends the reading of the second lesson. | 23:50 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 23:54 |
♪ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ♪ | 24:17 | |
♪ Which according to his abundant mercy ♪ | 24:38 | |
♪ Hath begotten us again ♪ | 24:52 | |
♪ Unto a lively hope ♪ | 24:59 | |
♪ By the resurrection of Jesus Christ ♪ | 25:05 | |
♪ From the dead ♪ | 25:16 | |
♪ To an inheritance ♪ | 25:26 | |
♪ Incorruptible and undefiled ♪ | 25:34 | |
♪ And that fadeth not away ♪ | 25:44 | |
♪ Reserved in heaven for you ♪ | 25:54 | |
♪ Who are kept by the power of God ♪ | 26:04 | |
♪ Through faith unto salvation ♪ | 26:12 | |
♪ Ready to be revealed in the last time ♪ | 26:19 | |
♪ But as he which hath called you is holy ♪ | 26:40 | |
♪ So be ye holy ♪ | 26:51 | |
♪ In all manner of conversation ♪ | 26:59 | |
♪ Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear ♪ | 27:09 | |
♪ Love one another with a pure heart fervently ♪ | 27:51 | |
♪ See that ye love one another ♪ | 28:02 | |
♪ Love one another with a pure heart fervently ♪ | 28:11 | |
♪ See that ye love one another ♪ | 28:22 | |
♪ Love one another with a pure heart fervently ♪ | 28:31 | |
♪ See that ye love one another ♪ | 28:54 | |
♪ See that ye love one another ♪ | 29:04 | |
♪ With a pure heart fervently ♪ | 29:13 | |
♪ See that ye love one another ♪ | 29:24 | |
♪ With a pure heart fervently ♪ | 29:34 | |
♪ Being born again, not of corruptible seed ♪ | 29:51 | |
♪ But of incorruptible by the word of God ♪ | 29:56 | |
♪ For all flesh is as grass and all the glory of man ♪ | 30:13 | |
♪ as the flower of grass ♪ | 30:20 | |
♪ The grass withereth ♪ | 30:27 | |
♪ And the flower thereof falleth away ♪ | 30:31 | |
♪ But the word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 30:48 | |
♪ But the word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 30:59 | |
♪ But the word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 31:10 | |
♪ The word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 31:15 | |
♪ The word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 31:20 | |
♪ The word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 31:26 | |
♪ The word of the Lord endureth forever, endureth forever ♪ | 31:28 | |
♪ The word of the Lord endureth forever ♪ | 31:35 | |
♪ Forever ♪ | 31:41 | |
(vocalizing) | 31:47 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 32:06 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 32:13 | |
- | The gospel lesson is from the book of John. | 32:42 |
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, | 32:49 | |
the doors being shut where the disciples were | 32:54 | |
for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them | 32:57 | |
and said to them, "Peace be with you." | 33:03 | |
When he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. | 33:09 | |
Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. | 33:15 | |
Jesus said to them again, peace be with you. | 33:20 | |
As the father has sent me, | 33:25 | |
even so I send you. | 33:29 | |
And when he had said this, he breathed on them | 33:33 | |
and said to them, "receive the Holy Spirit. | 33:37 | |
"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. | 33:42 | |
"If you retain the sins of any, they are retained." | 33:50 | |
Now, Thomas, one of the 12, called the twin, | 33:57 | |
was not with them when Jesus came. | 34:01 | |
So the other disciples told him. | 34:05 | |
We have seen the Lord. | 34:08 | |
But he said to them, unless I see in his hands | 34:11 | |
the prints of the nails and place my finger | 34:16 | |
in the mark of the nails and place my hand in his side, | 34:21 | |
I will not believe. | 34:28 | |
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house. | 34:34 | |
And Thomas was with them. | 34:39 | |
The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them | 34:45 | |
and said, "Peace be with you." | 34:50 | |
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here | 34:55 | |
"and see my hands. | 35:01 | |
"And put out hand and place it in my side. | 35:04 | |
"Do not be faithless, but believing." | 35:09 | |
Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God." | 35:14 | |
Jesus said to him, | 35:19 | |
"Have you believed because you have seen me? | 35:21 | |
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." | 35:25 | |
Now, Jesus did many other signs | 35:33 | |
in the presence of his disciples | 35:35 | |
which are not written in this book. | 35:37 | |
But these are written that you may believe | 35:41 | |
that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, | 35:44 | |
and that believing you may have life in his name. | 35:50 | |
This ends the reading of the gospel. | 35:55 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 35:58 |
- | Once upon a time, long, long ago, | 36:14 |
when the earth was flat | 36:20 | |
and the style of Duke Chapel was avant garde architecture | 36:23 | |
and when the university had its beginning, | 36:28 | |
the Christian universe was peopled by patron saints. | 36:32 | |
Everyone had one. | 36:38 | |
The butchers and bakers and candlestick makers, | 36:41 | |
students and professors, not to mention art dealers, | 36:44 | |
unhappily married husbands, and weak and penitent women. | 36:49 | |
Patron saints provided special favors | 36:54 | |
for a special category of people. | 36:59 | |
And it was the life of the saint that provided | 37:02 | |
the cue for the connection. | 37:05 | |
Since Saint Christopher had carried a boy Jesus | 37:08 | |
across a turbulent river, he was the natural | 37:13 | |
patron saint for travelers. | 37:16 | |
Joseph of Arimathea was a natural | 37:21 | |
patron saint for undertakers. | 37:23 | |
And Saint Cecilia, who reportedly invented the organ, | 37:26 | |
became the patron saint of musicians. | 37:31 | |
Now in some cases, alas, the connection | 37:36 | |
between saint and special group of people | 37:39 | |
was not so clear. | 37:44 | |
Thus Saint Catherine was the patron saint of philosophers | 37:46 | |
because so it was reported she had converted | 37:52 | |
some 50 learned heathen who had been sent | 37:56 | |
to her prison to repudiate her. | 37:59 | |
Well now, the world is no longer flat. | 38:04 | |
The architecture of Duke Chapel is hardly avant garde, | 38:10 | |
though still a weekday attraction for tourists | 38:14 | |
and school children whom buses endlessly | 38:19 | |
disgorge on the main quad. | 38:22 | |
And we reflect about what once was and now no longer is | 38:26 | |
all the way from the five cent ice cream cone | 38:31 | |
to a Duke tuition of $550 per year. | 38:34 | |
And patron saints have also disappeared. | 38:40 | |
Except for the Saint Christopher medallion | 38:44 | |
on the dashboard of cars, of course, of careless drivers | 38:47 | |
and the annual flourish of florists on Valentine's Day, | 38:52 | |
Saint Valentine being the patron saint of lovers. | 38:57 | |
Now, such vicissitudes notwithstanding, | 39:03 | |
I wish to propose a new patron saint this morning. | 39:06 | |
Thomas of our gospel story as patron saint | 39:11 | |
of the university. | 39:16 | |
And the point, of course, is that Thomas was a questioner, | 39:19 | |
was a doubter, was a skeptic. | 39:24 | |
Now, of course, it is a bit ludicrous that this story | 39:28 | |
of doubt follows right on the heels of Easter, | 39:31 | |
with all the fanfares and the hallelujahs and the trumpets. | 39:35 | |
It thus is heavy medicine. | 39:41 | |
No wonder that many Easter worshipers | 39:44 | |
tend to stay home this Sunday. | 39:48 | |
Because it was in the context of the jubilation | 39:51 | |
of Easter that Thomas says quite simply, | 39:54 | |
I don't believe it. | 39:58 | |
I need proof. | 40:00 | |
Or more precisely, unless I see, | 40:02 | |
I will not believe. | 40:07 | |
Now to be sure, our gospel story unfolds | 40:11 | |
with the predictable drama of a late night TV movie. | 40:15 | |
It ends as expected. | 40:20 | |
No uncertainty as in an Agatha Christie mystery. | 40:23 | |
No abrupt ending as in some of Will Willimon's sermons. | 40:27 | |
It is all neatly programmed. | 40:35 | |
The story surely does not rate as a cliffhanger suspense, | 40:39 | |
since its point, of course, is all too obvious. | 40:43 | |
In the span of 11 brief verses, | 40:48 | |
the doubting Thomas becomes the true believer. | 40:52 | |
Now, that is precisely where I think | 40:57 | |
some of us have a problem. | 40:59 | |
We understand the questioning and the doubt. | 41:02 | |
But 11 verses from doubt to certainty | 41:06 | |
are a bit too fast for us. | 41:09 | |
Doubt and uncertainty at times lie heavily on our souls, | 41:12 | |
much like final exams for you students, | 41:18 | |
and try as we will, we cannot escape them. | 41:21 | |
Unless I see, I will not believe. | 41:26 | |
We yearn for proof. | 41:33 | |
We yearn for seeing for certainty. | 41:35 | |
Wouldn't we all love to be at a wedding reception | 41:39 | |
or at a picnic, as happened 19 centuries ago, | 41:43 | |
with Jesus as one of the guests? | 41:49 | |
None of us I dare say traveling to Wellspring Grocery | 41:53 | |
or South Square Mall would mind be blinded | 41:57 | |
by a light from heaven flashing about us, | 42:00 | |
as happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. | 42:04 | |
So pity us, | 42:09 | |
the generations of women and men | 42:11 | |
that have followed the generation of the Bible. | 42:16 | |
Because we have not seen Jesus with our own eyes. | 42:21 | |
We were not spoken to like Nicodemus | 42:26 | |
nor were we touched like Thomas. | 42:30 | |
No wonder then that we have doubts about some of that | 42:34 | |
heavy and heady stuff associated with Christianity. | 42:38 | |
God in human form, | 42:43 | |
a physical resurrection from the dead, | 42:46 | |
God who is three but also one, | 42:49 | |
who is one but also three, | 42:52 | |
who is omnipotent and yet does not seem to be able | 42:55 | |
to control holocausts and cancer. | 43:00 | |
And if that were not enough, we face a tantalizing | 43:05 | |
cluster of religious options. | 43:09 | |
Liberal and conservative. | 43:11 | |
Evangelical and liberation. | 43:14 | |
Feminist and fundamentalist. | 43:16 | |
A bewildering panoply of theologians. | 43:18 | |
And the artfully spun tales and the real | 43:22 | |
and the counterfeit crowd the stage | 43:27 | |
and it is all very complicated and confusing. | 43:29 | |
And you and I yearn for a sign | 43:34 | |
just a little sign, a touch, a glimpse. | 43:39 | |
We yearn for proof. | 43:44 | |
Unless I see, I will not believe. | 43:48 | |
Now, doubt and proof are what a university is all about. | 43:54 | |
And in truth, we might well say that doubt | 44:00 | |
and proof have become institutionalized | 44:03 | |
in the modern university. | 44:07 | |
Now, to be sure, in its medieval beginnings, | 44:10 | |
the university sought to be a citadel of faith. | 44:14 | |
But for a long time now, the university has been | 44:19 | |
a monument to questioning and doubt. | 44:22 | |
And the ideal university as you and as I know it | 44:27 | |
is in perpetual motion, is an unceasing pursuit | 44:31 | |
of answers to questions and questions to the answers | 44:37 | |
and new questions arising out of those answers. | 44:42 | |
A university is a relentless asking why, | 44:46 | |
how do we know. | 44:51 | |
A university is the relentless repetition | 44:53 | |
of Thomas's statement, unless I see, I do not believe. | 44:58 | |
There are no sacred cows in a university. | 45:05 | |
The precepts and the notions of the natural | 45:09 | |
sciences change. | 45:13 | |
Scholarly paradigms are constantly replaced. | 45:15 | |
And indeed, critical theory is what | 45:20 | |
a university is all about, | 45:22 | |
even if that phrase is not capitalized, | 45:25 | |
as is the case here at Duke. | 45:28 | |
Each new cohort of scholars will have a different | 45:31 | |
perspective than did the previous one. | 45:35 | |
And younger members of the academy will always | 45:39 | |
see things differently than their seniors. | 45:43 | |
A university is questioning writ large. | 45:46 | |
And ask any professor on this or indeed on any campus | 45:51 | |
about the quality most desired in students, | 45:57 | |
and you will get but a simple answer. | 46:00 | |
A curious and a questioning mind. | 46:03 | |
So Thomas who wanted proof would be a perfect | 46:08 | |
colleague in any department on campus. | 46:12 | |
The university is a phalanx of doubting Thomases. | 46:16 | |
And so I propose him as our patron saint. | 46:21 | |
But more than that, | 46:26 | |
as patron saints for us humans. | 46:28 | |
Because after all, the notion seeing is believing | 46:33 | |
and that is exactly what Thomas said, | 46:37 | |
is all around us. | 46:40 | |
Some of you may have seen that outrageous and | 46:43 | |
outrageously funny movie "Roger and Me." | 46:46 | |
If Roger, also known as Mr. Roger Smith, | 46:50 | |
chairman of General Motors, | 46:54 | |
would only come to Flint, Michigan, | 46:57 | |
he would see how wrong the decision had been | 47:00 | |
to close the General Motors plant there. | 47:04 | |
Unless I see, I will not believe. | 47:08 | |
Now, that is the proof of the pudding, | 47:12 | |
the domino approach to life. | 47:15 | |
And we all know how it goes. | 47:17 | |
Life based on prerequisites, which usually start | 47:20 | |
with a preposition of if or unless, | 47:24 | |
if you really love me, blank. | 47:27 | |
If only you, unless. | 47:30 | |
Now, this is, of course, profoundly human. | 47:35 | |
Deep down, we want proof for everything, | 47:40 | |
not only in the university. | 47:41 | |
We want proof that we are in love. | 47:44 | |
We want proof that Duke is worth its tuition. | 47:47 | |
We want proof that the Soviets have really | 47:51 | |
changed their intentions. | 47:54 | |
We want proof that there really is a greenhouse effect. | 47:56 | |
And unless I see, I will not believe. | 48:01 | |
Or as the commercial has it, | 48:05 | |
satisfaction must be guaranteed or your money back. | 48:07 | |
Now, the trouble with this proof of the pudding | 48:14 | |
approach to life is that often life | 48:17 | |
doesn't work that way. | 48:21 | |
Often the fundamental aspects of our lives | 48:23 | |
work quite differently. | 48:26 | |
Human relationships work differently. | 48:29 | |
Vocational decisions are made differently. | 48:32 | |
And you and I surely remember that time | 48:36 | |
we stood beside the swimming pool and got ready | 48:40 | |
for the first time to jump into the water. | 48:44 | |
And all the proofs in the world from the swimming | 48:48 | |
instructor or our father or our mother | 48:51 | |
did not really help. | 48:54 | |
Why? | 48:57 | |
We had to risk. | 48:59 | |
Some things in life do not lend themselves to proof. | 49:02 | |
Can you really prove that a humanities major | 49:08 | |
is the best preparation for a professional career? | 49:11 | |
I seriously doubt it. | 49:16 | |
When the people of Israel on their exodus | 49:21 | |
after many, many years at long last | 49:26 | |
reached the borders of the promised land, | 49:28 | |
they sent scouts ahead to explore. | 49:31 | |
And in due time, those scouts came back | 49:35 | |
and they came back with a report that | 49:38 | |
was both splendid and terrifying. | 49:40 | |
They had found a wonderful land, a beautiful land | 49:43 | |
full of milk and honey, but horror of horrors. | 49:46 | |
They had found that land occupied by giants. | 49:51 | |
And they said | 49:57 | |
and we seemed unto them like grasshoppers. | 49:58 | |
They were frightened. | 50:04 | |
They wanted and needed proof. | 50:06 | |
But instead of risking, their suggestion and | 50:09 | |
their advice was to return to Egypt. | 50:12 | |
Now, you might call this life based on | 50:17 | |
the certainty principle. | 50:20 | |
We want certainty, and indeed, we want more than that. | 50:22 | |
We want the comfort that goes with it. | 50:24 | |
But the fact of the matter is, | 50:28 | |
I submit if we live our lives like that, | 50:29 | |
we will find that it is rather anemic and pale. | 50:32 | |
Because what will happen is we will be frightened | 50:36 | |
like the scouts of the people of Israel. | 50:39 | |
For there will be always giants ahead of us. | 50:43 | |
And then there will be no choice but to be frightened. | 50:47 | |
Don't fall in love because you might be disappointed. | 50:52 | |
Don't get married because there might be divorce. | 50:55 | |
Don't apply to law school because they might not admit you. | 50:58 | |
Don't trust the Russians, don't trust the Germans. | 51:02 | |
Don't trust anybody over 30. | 51:06 | |
Indeed, I submit that life based on the certainty | 51:12 | |
principle should have kept you at home this morning, | 51:17 | |
what with only the chairman of the department | 51:20 | |
of religion preaching. | 51:23 | |
Better yet, we all should have stayed at home | 51:26 | |
and stayed in bed and not even looked at | 51:29 | |
the morning paper because only then | 51:32 | |
could we have been sure that we would not slip | 51:36 | |
in the shower or find out what all distressing | 51:38 | |
news is going on in this world of ours. | 51:43 | |
And once you let yourself think that way, | 51:47 | |
then you would continue and say that Columbus | 51:50 | |
should have stayed at home, because after all, | 51:53 | |
he might have returned with an embarrassment on his face. | 51:56 | |
And Martin Luther King should have stayed at home, | 52:00 | |
because who knows, people don't change. | 52:02 | |
And Mother Theresa should have stayed at home | 52:05 | |
because Calcutta has always been like this | 52:08 | |
and will always be like that in the future. | 52:12 | |
There are never enough proofs around to satisfy | 52:15 | |
our yearning for certainty. | 52:18 | |
What lies ahead is always risk. | 52:20 | |
And even Dante in the middle ages knew already | 52:24 | |
that our paths are seldom straight | 52:27 | |
so that we can see. | 52:30 | |
But they are curved and meandering | 52:32 | |
and foggy to boot. | 52:35 | |
Ironically, it is what lies behind that seems | 52:38 | |
to be so safe and reassuring. | 52:43 | |
Like the Israelite scouts, we seem to prefer proof | 52:46 | |
even if proof means the return to the slavery | 52:50 | |
and bondage of Egypt. | 52:54 | |
Now, a long time before Thomas, | 52:59 | |
Moses also wanted proof and certainty. | 53:02 | |
I'm referring to that small little vignette | 53:07 | |
in the Hebrew Bible where Moses encounters | 53:12 | |
God at the burning bush and then Moses asks, | 53:16 | |
Lord, show me your face. | 53:19 | |
And according to the very ambivalent translation | 53:24 | |
of the Latin Vulgate version, | 53:28 | |
God responded by making fun. | 53:31 | |
What appears like making fun of Moses. | 53:35 | |
Because so we read in the Latin, | 53:39 | |
I will not show you my face. | 53:41 | |
I will show you my rear. | 53:44 | |
How shocking. | 53:48 | |
God's derriere. | 53:50 | |
Yet how profoundly true, because we do not see God. | 53:52 | |
And who knows, we might not have lost an important | 53:58 | |
Biblical truth if artists had depicted God | 54:02 | |
in terms of the response to Moses and not | 54:06 | |
the way we know so well, | 54:09 | |
say Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, | 54:12 | |
the grandfatherly type gray beard and all, | 54:16 | |
naked toes dangling over the clouds. | 54:20 | |
For again, the fact of the matter is, | 54:24 | |
we do not see God. | 54:27 | |
Nor, for that matter, do we see the son of God. | 54:28 | |
At most we see a baby in a manger, | 54:33 | |
a young man who cared, who hugged little children | 54:36 | |
and worried about the homeless and the disenfranchised, | 54:40 | |
who talked about sin and about reconciliation, | 54:45 | |
and who ended his life in an electric chair of 32 A.D. | 54:49 | |
Like the three card monte played in the streets | 54:56 | |
of Manhattan, what we see is not what we get. | 54:59 | |
What we see is a world in turbulence. | 55:03 | |
Oil spills and endangered rainforests. | 55:07 | |
Billions of discarded styrofoam cups. | 55:11 | |
Not to mention Lithuania, competing ideologies | 55:15 | |
in east and west, unresolved ambiguity | 55:20 | |
about the meaning of humane existence, | 55:23 | |
of the Holocaust, of cancer, of horrible diseases | 55:27 | |
eating away at the potential of the young, | 55:32 | |
and the meaning of the old. | 55:36 | |
The truly honest thing to do in face of all of this | 55:40 | |
is what Thomas did. | 55:45 | |
And that is to doubt. | 55:47 | |
Now, Thomas' question is answered in the New Testament | 55:52 | |
by the author of the letter to the Hebrews. | 55:57 | |
We're in the context of a long and it seems | 56:01 | |
at times somewhat boring string of names. | 56:05 | |
From the Hebrew tradition, the author talks about faith. | 56:09 | |
And we, you and I, thus have a practical way to go about it. | 56:14 | |
By faith, by faith in that wonderful definition | 56:19 | |
of the book of Hebrews, that is the evidence | 56:23 | |
of things not seen. | 56:27 | |
Faith that this is God's world, | 56:30 | |
faith that this world expresses God's purpose, | 56:34 | |
faith that this world and you and I have been | 56:38 | |
redeemed through Jesus Christ, | 56:42 | |
and above all, faith that God fills this world | 56:44 | |
and that you and I cannot take a single step, | 56:48 | |
cannot tumble out of bed in the morning | 56:52 | |
nor stumble into bed in the evening | 56:55 | |
without stumbling into God. | 56:58 | |
Wither shall I flee from your presence, | 57:02 | |
asked the Psalmist. | 57:05 | |
And the answer was, if I take the wings in the morning | 57:07 | |
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, | 57:10 | |
even there your hand shall lead me. | 57:14 | |
In the end, then, we are back at the beginning. | 57:18 | |
Doubt becomes a wonderful way to take us to faith. | 57:21 | |
The two go together. | 57:27 | |
You cannot have faith without doubt. | 57:30 | |
And Thomas is our patron saint. | 57:34 | |
And his special favor to us is his message | 57:39 | |
that to doubt is human and profoundly Christian as well. | 57:42 | |
Amen and amen. | 57:47 | |
(organ music) | 57:53 | |
♪ Oh breath of Life, come sweeping through us ♪ | 58:25 | |
♪ Revive your church with life and power ♪ | 58:34 | |
♪ Oh breath of life, come, cleanse, renew us ♪ | 58:41 | |
♪ And fit your church to meet this hour ♪ | 58:50 | |
♪ Oh wind of God, come, bend us, break us ♪ | 58:58 | |
♪ Till humbly we confess our need ♪ | 59:06 | |
♪ Then in your tenderness remake us ♪ | 59:13 | |
♪ Revive, restore, for this we plead ♪ | 59:22 | |
♪ Oh breath of love, come, breathe within us ♪ | 59:30 | |
♪ Renewing thought and will and heart ♪ | 59:38 | |
♪ Come, love of Christ, afresh to win us ♪ | 59:46 | |
♪ Revive your church in every part ♪ | 59:55 | |
Man | The Lord be with you. | 1:00:06 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 1:00:08 |
- | Let us pray, be seated. | 1:00:09 |
Oh God, we give thanks unto you for your word, | 1:00:28 | |
which has been read to us and proclaimed. | 1:00:31 | |
Let us hear and understand that we may go forth with faith. | 1:00:38 | |
Remember this university, oh God, | 1:00:47 | |
and the many men and women who through the years | 1:00:50 | |
have loved her and given of resources and time | 1:00:52 | |
and effort and lives that she may be what she is today. | 1:00:56 | |
Remember your church upon earth. | 1:01:03 | |
Deepen her influence and extend her power for good. | 1:01:07 | |
We pray this morning, oh God, for our own nation. | 1:01:14 | |
For our leaders and governors | 1:01:19 | |
and for all who have a part in public service. | 1:01:22 | |
Let the concern of the communal good | 1:01:27 | |
motivate them and us. | 1:01:30 | |
On this Earth Day, oh God, we pray that you would | 1:01:36 | |
look down in mercy upon this distraught and fevered world. | 1:01:40 | |
Forgive our mistaken ambitions, our selfish passions, | 1:01:46 | |
and our presumptuous claims. | 1:01:52 | |
Remove suspicion and bitterness from among the nations | 1:01:57 | |
and bring us to peace and concord | 1:02:03 | |
by the redeeming love of Christ. | 1:02:06 | |
Have mercy, oh God, upon those who are | 1:02:11 | |
passing through trial. | 1:02:14 | |
The poor, the sick, the anxious, the oppressed. | 1:02:17 | |
Those who are in danger from the elements | 1:02:23 | |
or from the violence of men and women. | 1:02:26 | |
Heal, protect, and strengthen us all | 1:02:31 | |
and those who are in need according to their need. | 1:02:37 | |
Comfort those in sorrow with the comfort | 1:02:43 | |
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. | 1:02:45 | |
We pray for everyone here assembled in this chapel | 1:02:51 | |
and for our dear ones, wheresoever they are, | 1:02:56 | |
that surrounded by your love they may be kept in | 1:03:00 | |
health and joy and abide in safety and peace. | 1:03:05 | |
And all of these things we pray in the name of | 1:03:10 | |
Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. | 1:03:13 | |
And now let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ | 1:03:19 | |
and how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. | 1:03:24 | |
(upbeat organ music) | 1:03:31 | |
♪ The heavens are telling the glory of God ♪ | 1:04:03 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:04:13 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:04:21 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:04:32 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:04:58 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:05:00 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:05:07 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:05:17 | |
♪ Never, never, never ♪ | 1:05:29 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:05:39 | |
♪ Never, never, never ♪ | 1:05:51 | |
♪ Never, never ♪ | 1:05:57 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:06:03 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:17 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:06:19 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:30 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:32 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:06:34 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:06:37 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:43 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:45 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:48 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:06:50 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:06:58 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:07:00 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:07:02 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:07:08 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:07:14 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:07:17 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:07:23 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:07:30 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:07:33 | |
♪ The wonders of his work ♪ | 1:07:41 | |
♪ The wonders of his work displays the firmament ♪ | 1:07:43 | |
(vocalizing) | 1:07:49 | |
♪ Displays the firmament ♪ | 1:08:10 | |
♪ Displays the firmament ♪ | 1:08:13 | |
(organ music) | 1:08:20 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 1:08:57 | |
♪ Praise God, all creatures here below ♪ | 1:09:02 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 1:09:08 | |
♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 1:09:15 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 1:09:21 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 1:09:26 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 1:09:32 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:09:38 | |
- | Oh God, it is from your bounty from which | 1:09:50 |
we have all received. | 1:09:53 | |
Accept this offering of your people | 1:09:56 | |
and follow it with your blessing that it may | 1:09:59 | |
promote peace and goodwill among men and women | 1:10:02 | |
and advance the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ | 1:10:05 | |
who taught us to say, | 1:10:10 | |
our father who art in heaven, | 1:10:12 | |
hallowed be thy name. | 1:10:15 | |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, | 1:10:17 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 1:10:20 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 1:10:22 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 1:10:25 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 1:10:27 | |
And lead us not into temptation | 1:10:31 | |
but deliver us from evil, | 1:10:33 | |
for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. | 1:10:35 | |
Amen. | 1:10:40 | |
Go in peace to serve God and your neighbor | 1:10:42 | |
in all that you do. | 1:10:45 | |
(congregation murmuring) | 1:10:47 | |
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:10:49 | |
the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit | 1:10:52 | |
be with you all. | 1:10:56 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 1:11:02 | |
♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 1:11:11 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:11:25 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:11:34 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:11:47 | |
(upbeat organ music) | 1:12:04 | |
♪ Joyful, joyful, we adore thee ♪ | 1:12:40 | |
♪ God of glory, Lord of love ♪ | 1:12:44 | |
♪ Hearts unfold like flowers before thee ♪ | 1:12:48 | |
♪ Opening to the sun above ♪ | 1:12:52 | |
♪ Melt the clouds of sin and sadness ♪ | 1:12:57 | |
♪ Drive the dark of doubt away ♪ | 1:13:01 | |
♪ Giver of immortal gladness ♪ | 1:13:06 | |
♪ Fill us with the light of day ♪ | 1:13:10 | |
♪ All thy works with joy surround thee ♪ | 1:13:17 | |
♪ Earth and heaven reflect thy rays ♪ | 1:13:21 | |
♪ Stars and angels sing around thee ♪ | 1:13:25 | |
♪ Center of unbroken praise ♪ | 1:13:29 | |
♪ Field and forest, vale and mountain ♪ | 1:13:34 | |
♪ Flowery meadow, flashing sea ♪ | 1:13:38 | |
♪ Singing bird and flowing fountain ♪ | 1:13:42 | |
♪ Call us to rejoice in thee ♪ | 1:13:46 | |
♪ Thou art giving and forgiving ♪ | 1:13:53 | |
♪ Ever blessing, ever blessed ♪ | 1:13:57 | |
♪ Wellspring of the joy of living ♪ | 1:14:01 | |
♪ Ocean depth of happy rest ♪ | 1:14:05 | |
♪ Thou our Father, Christ our brother ♪ | 1:14:10 | |
♪ All who live in love are thine ♪ | 1:14:14 | |
♪ Teach us how to love each other ♪ | 1:14:18 | |
♪ Lift us to the joy divine ♪ | 1:14:22 | |
♪ Mortals, join the happy chorus ♪ | 1:14:29 | |
♪ Which the morning stars began ♪ | 1:14:33 | |
♪ Father love is reigning over us ♪ | 1:14:37 | |
♪ Brother love binds man to man ♪ | 1:14:42 | |
♪ Ever singing, march we onward ♪ | 1:14:46 | |
♪ Victors in the midst of strife ♪ | 1:14:50 | |
♪ Joyful music leads us sunward ♪ | 1:14:54 | |
♪ In the triumph song of life ♪ | 1:14:58 | |
Man | Let us go forth in the name of Christ. | 1:15:22 |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 1:15:26 |
(energetic organ music) | 1:15:30 |