Joseph B. Bethea - "What Is Eternal Life" (May 27, 1990)
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Transcript
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(organ music) | 0:00 | |
- | Good morning and welcome to this service | 5:21 |
of worship here in Duke Chapel. | 5:23 | |
It's a special Sunday because today we begin | 5:25 | |
the summer here in the chapel, | 5:30 | |
and we welcome our summer choir | 5:31 | |
under the direction of Ms. Donna Sparks. | 5:34 | |
If you're in Durham for the summer, | 5:37 | |
we invite you to consider joining our summer choir. | 5:39 | |
There's information on that in the bulletin. | 5:44 | |
Today at 5 PM there will be a free organ recital | 5:47 | |
by Mr. Shane Dotey here on the Flentrop organ at the chapel. | 5:51 | |
We welcome as our guest preacher today | 5:57 | |
Bishop Joseph Bethea, the Resident Bishop | 6:00 | |
of the South Carolina area | 6:03 | |
of the United Methodist Church and good friend of Duke. | 6:05 | |
A couple of years ago when Bishop Bethea | 6:09 | |
was named the bishop, he was meeting | 6:11 | |
with his pastors in South Carolina, | 6:13 | |
talking to them about his dreams and hopes | 6:17 | |
for the future of the church under his leadership. | 6:21 | |
And after he finished this very inspiring address, | 6:25 | |
he asked the pastors if any of them had any questions | 6:27 | |
they would like to put to the bishop. | 6:29 | |
And one of them, the first question was, | 6:32 | |
"Bishop, can we have your Duke basketball tickets | 6:35 | |
"when you're not using them?" | 6:38 | |
Bishop Bethea said that our Lord has told us | 6:42 | |
to give the coat off our backs | 6:45 | |
but not our Duke basketball tickets. | 6:48 | |
I tell you that, to show you that, | 6:51 | |
he has his priorities firmly in line, | 6:52 | |
and he has been a frequent visitor to Duke Chapel, | 6:56 | |
and we welcome him back again. | 6:58 | |
And now, let us continue the worship of God. | 7:00 | |
Choir | ♪ Praise ye the Lord of hosts ♪ | 7:08 |
♪ Sing his salvation ♪ | 7:12 | |
♪ Bless his name ♪ | 7:17 | |
♪ Show forth His praise ♪ | 7:19 | |
♪ In His holy house ♪ | 7:22 | |
♪ Earth shall be glad ♪ | 7:26 | |
♪ All the earth now be joyful ♪ | 7:29 | |
♪ Christ may his glory be all o'er the earth ♪ | 7:35 | |
♪ All earth shall sing hallelujah ♪ | 7:39 | |
(organ music) | 7:48 | |
♪ Crown Him with many crowns ♪ | 8:23 | |
♪ The Lamb upon His throne ♪ | 8:27 | |
♪ Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns ♪ | 8:31 | |
♪ All music but its own ♪ | 8:36 | |
♪ Awake my soul and sing ♪ | 8:40 | |
♪ of Him who died for thee ♪ | 8:45 | |
♪ And hail Him as thy matchless King ♪ | 8:50 | |
♪ Through all eternity ♪ | 8:54 | |
♪ Crown Him Lord of life ♪ | 9:02 | |
♪ Who triumphed o'er the grave ♪ | 9:06 | |
♪ And rose victorious in the strife ♪ | 9:11 | |
♪ For those He came to save ♪ | 9:15 | |
♪ His glories now we sing ♪ | 9:20 | |
♪ Who died and rose on high ♪ | 9:25 | |
♪ Who died eternal life to bring ♪ | 9:30 | |
♪ And lives that death may die ♪ | 9:35 | |
♪ Crown Him Lord of peace ♪ | 9:43 | |
♪ Whose power a scepter sways ♪ | 9:47 | |
♪ From pole to pole that wars may cease ♪ | 9:52 | |
♪ And all be prayer and praise ♪ | 9:56 | |
♪ His reign shall know no end ♪ | 10:01 | |
♪ And round His piercèd feet ♪ | 10:06 | |
♪ Fair flowers of paradise extend ♪ | 10:11 | |
♪ Their fragrance ever sweet ♪ | 10:15 | |
♪ Crown Him Lord of love ♪ | 10:23 | |
♪ Behold His hands and side ♪ | 10:27 | |
♪ Those wounds yet visible above ♪ | 10:32 | |
♪ In beauty glorified ♪ | 10:37 | |
♪ All hail Redeemer hail ♪ | 10:41 | |
♪ For Thou hast died for me ♪ | 10:46 | |
♪ Thy praise and glory shall not fail ♪ | 10:51 | |
♪ Throughout eternity ♪ | 10:57 | |
- | You pour out your love upon us, O God. | 11:17 |
You give us eternal life. | 11:20 | |
In gratitude and thanksgiving we come before You, | 11:23 | |
offering our gifts, our prayers, | 11:26 | |
our questions, our yearning to You. | 11:32 | |
Accept what we offer as signs of our great thanksgiving | 11:36 | |
for all that You do on our behalf. | 11:40 | |
And during this time of worship, | 11:43 | |
make us useful servants of Christ | 11:45 | |
in bringing all Your sons and daughters | 11:49 | |
to a greater sense of Your glory. Amen. | 11:51 | |
Be seated. | 11:56 | |
- | Let us pray. | 12:07 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God... | 12:12 | |
Congregation | By the power of Your Holy Spirit, | 12:14 |
so that as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 12:17 | |
we might hear with joy what You say to us this day. | 12:20 | |
Amen. | 12:24 | |
- | Our first lesson comes from the Acts of the Apostles, | 12:29 |
chapter one, verses 6-14. | 12:32 | |
"So when the apostles had come together, | 12:39 | |
"they asked Jesus, 'Lord, will you at this time | 12:42 | |
"'restore the realm to Israel?' | 12:46 | |
"Jesus said, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons | 12:50 | |
"'which have been fixed by God's own authority. | 12:55 | |
"'But you shall receive power | 12:59 | |
"'when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. | 13:00 | |
"'And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, | 13:03 | |
"'and in all Judea, and Samaria, | 13:07 | |
"'and to the end of the earth.' | 13:10 | |
"And having said this, as the apostles | 13:13 | |
"were looking on, Jesus was lifted up | 13:16 | |
"and carried on a cloud out of their sight. | 13:20 | |
"And while they were gazing into Heaven as Jesus went, | 13:24 | |
"two figures stood by them in white robes and said, | 13:28 | |
"'People of Galilee, why do you stand looking into Heaven? | 13:32 | |
"'This Jesus who was taken up from you into Heaven | 13:37 | |
"'will come in the same way as you saw Him go into Heaven.' | 13:41 | |
"Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem | 13:47 | |
"from the mount called Olivet, | 13:49 | |
"which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath's day journey away. | 13:52 | |
"And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room | 13:56 | |
"where they were staying, Peter, and John, | 13:59 | |
"and James, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, | 14:02 | |
"Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, | 14:06 | |
"and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. | 14:10 | |
"All these with one accord devoted themselves | 14:15 | |
"to prayer together with the women, | 14:18 | |
"and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with Jesus' brothers." | 14:21 | |
Here ends the reading of the first lesson. | 14:28 | |
Thanks be to God. | 14:31 | |
- | Let us stand for the Psalm. | 14:34 |
♪ Let God arise ♪ | 14:44 | |
♪ Let God's enemies be scattered ♪ | 14:46 | |
♪ Let those who hate God flee ♪ | 14:49 | |
♪ As smoke is driven away ♪ | 14:54 | |
♪ So drive them away ♪ | 14:57 | |
♪ As wax melts before fire ♪ | 15:00 | |
♪ Let the wicked perish before God ♪ | 15:03 | |
♪ But let the righteous be joyful ♪ | 15:09 | |
♪ Let them exalt before God ♪ | 15:12 | |
♪ Let them be jubilant with joy ♪ | 15:16 | |
♪ Sing to God sing praises to God's name ♪ | 15:19 | |
♪ Lift up a song for Him who rides upon the clouds ♪ | 15:25 | |
♪ Exalt before Him whose name is God ♪ | 15:31 | |
♪ In the holy habitation God is father of orphans ♪ | 15:37 | |
♪ And protector of widows ♪ | 15:43 | |
(congregation sings) | 15:46 | |
♪ O God, when you went forth before your people ♪ | 16:02 | |
♪ When you marched through the wilderness ♪ | 16:07 | |
(congregation sings) | 16:11 | |
♪ Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad ♪ | 16:27 | |
♪ You restored your heritage as it languished ♪ | 16:32 | |
(congregation sings) | 16:37 | |
(organ music) | 16:49 | |
(congregation sings) | 16:58 | |
William | Be seated. | 17:43 |
- | The Epistle Lesson comes from the first letter of Peter, | 17:55 |
chapter four, verses 12-14, chapter five, verses 6-11. | 17:58 | |
"Beloved, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal | 18:07 | |
"which comes upon you to prove you, | 18:10 | |
"as though something strange were happening to you. | 18:13 | |
"But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, | 18:17 | |
"that you may rejoice also and be glad | 18:22 | |
"when Christ's glory is revealed. | 18:24 | |
"If you are reproached for the name of Christ, | 18:28 | |
"you are blessed because the Spirit of glory | 18:30 | |
"and of God rests upon you. | 18:34 | |
"Humble yourselves, therefore, | 18:38 | |
"under the mighty hand of God, that | 18:39 | |
"in due time, God may exalt you. | 18:42 | |
"Cast all your anxieties on God, for God cares about you. | 18:46 | |
"Be sober, be watchful. | 18:52 | |
"Your adversary, the Devil, prowls like a roaring lion, | 18:56 | |
"seeking someone to devour. | 19:00 | |
"Resist the Devil, firm in your faith, | 19:03 | |
"knowing that the same experience of suffering | 19:06 | |
"is required of the Christian community | 19:08 | |
"throughout the world. | 19:10 | |
"And after you have suffered a little while, | 19:13 | |
"the God of all grace, who has called you | 19:15 | |
"to eternal glory in Christ, will restore, | 19:18 | |
"establish, and strengthen you. | 19:22 | |
"To God, be the Dominion, forever and ever. Amen" | 19:25 | |
Here ends the reading of the Epistle Lesson. | 19:32 | |
Thanks be to God. | 19:34 | |
(organ music) | 19:46 | |
(choir sings) | 20:01 | |
- | "When Jesus had spoken these words, | 23:47 |
"he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, | 23:50 | |
"'Father, the hour has come. | 23:54 | |
"'Glorify thy son that the son may glorify thee. | 23:57 | |
"'Since thou has given him power over all flesh, | 24:02 | |
"'to give eternal life to all that thou hast given him. | 24:07 | |
"'And this is eternal life, that they know thee | 24:13 | |
"'the only true God, and Jesus Christ, | 24:17 | |
"'whom thou hast sent. | 24:21 | |
"'I glorify the honor, having accomplished the work | 24:25 | |
"'which thou gavest me to do. | 24:29 | |
"'And now, Father, glorify thou me in they own presence, | 24:33 | |
"'with the glory of which I had with thee | 24:38 | |
"'before the world was made. | 24:41 | |
"'I have manifested thy name to the men | 24:45 | |
"'whom thou gavest me out of the world. | 24:47 | |
"'Thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, | 24:51 | |
"'and they have kept thy word. | 24:56 | |
"'Now they know that everything | 25:00 | |
"'that thou hast given me is from thee, | 25:02 | |
"'for I have given them the words | 25:05 | |
"'which thou gavest to me, and they have received them | 25:08 | |
"'and know in truth that I came from thee. | 25:12 | |
"'And they have believed that thou didst send me. | 25:18 | |
"'I am praying for them. | 25:24 | |
"'I am not praying for the world | 25:27 | |
"'but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine. | 25:29 | |
"'All mine are thine, and thine are mine, | 25:36 | |
"'and I am glorified in thee. | 25:40 | |
"'And now, I am no more in the world, | 25:46 | |
"'but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. | 25:51 | |
"'Holy Father, keep them in thy name | 25:58 | |
"'which thou hast given me, that they may be one | 26:02 | |
"'even as we are one.'" | 26:07 | |
I have read from the Gospel according to John, | 26:13 | |
the seventeenth chapter and the first 11 verses. | 26:18 | |
It is the word of God for the people of God. | 26:23 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 26:28 |
It's good to come again to this place. | 26:34 | |
A place which holds so many fond memories | 26:40 | |
for Shirley and me. | 26:48 | |
For part of our life lived here. | 26:54 | |
And I must say that, | 27:00 | |
in response to Will's words, | 27:04 | |
that being an Iron Duke | 27:08 | |
is not quite commensurate | 27:16 | |
with membership in the kingdom of God, | 27:20 | |
though it's not far from the kingdom. | 27:26 | |
And I have told this minister to the university | 27:35 | |
that he must arrange, in the future, | 27:41 | |
that the Bishop of South Carolina, his bishop, | 27:46 | |
will have tickets to the ACC tournament. | 27:55 | |
That will be a part of his assignment | 28:03 | |
from his annual conference. | 28:07 | |
It's good to be here; I've already seen many friends. | 28:10 | |
And greeted many that I have worked with | 28:16 | |
and glanced at others as | 28:21 | |
this service has progressed. | 28:25 | |
Please bow in a moment of prayer. | 28:27 | |
Master, speak in thy servant hereth, | 28:32 | |
waiting for thy gracious word, | 28:37 | |
longing for thy voice that shareth, | 28:40 | |
Master, let it now be heard. | 28:43 | |
I am listening, Lord, for thee. | 28:46 | |
What hast thou to say to me? | 28:51 | |
May the words of my mouth and the meditations | 28:56 | |
of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, | 28:59 | |
our rock and our redeemer. Amen. | 29:03 | |
What is eternal life? | 29:10 | |
For many people, if not for most of us, | 29:16 | |
eternal life is an endless existence | 29:23 | |
which has its beginning | 29:29 | |
when this life is over. | 29:32 | |
Of course, it is thought to be a life | 29:39 | |
much better than this life, | 29:44 | |
than life in this world. | 29:47 | |
Beginning, as I said, when this life is over | 29:53 | |
but without termination. | 29:58 | |
Indeed, for some, it is pie in the sky, | 30:04 | |
when I die, by and by. | 30:12 | |
And one must say that | 30:20 | |
such views of eternal life | 30:24 | |
are not altogether bereft of relevance | 30:28 | |
to a host of people | 30:34 | |
and conditions in our world. | 30:37 | |
As a matter of fact, | 30:42 | |
it is quite a powerful image, | 30:46 | |
especially to those for whom | 30:51 | |
life in this world | 30:55 | |
is so often hard and difficult | 30:57 | |
and filled with bitter experiences. | 31:01 | |
I've gone to churches | 31:09 | |
across this land, | 31:13 | |
observed people in their worship, | 31:17 | |
and for so many people, | 31:21 | |
the religious life, | 31:26 | |
the Christian life, is no more | 31:30 | |
than an effort to guarantee a life that is better | 31:36 | |
when this life is over. | 31:42 | |
They look for and they search for | 31:46 | |
and they long for | 31:50 | |
an existence, a condition, | 31:55 | |
that is different and better | 32:00 | |
than conditions in this world. | 32:05 | |
And if eternal life is indeed | 32:09 | |
no more than | 32:14 | |
an endless duration for what they experience | 32:17 | |
day by day in this life, | 32:21 | |
they would probably rather pass. | 32:26 | |
Well, then, what is eternal life? | 32:32 | |
Most proponents of the Christian faith are agreed | 32:37 | |
that eternal life is indeed | 32:40 | |
an endless existence in a future world. | 32:45 | |
But in this Gospel according to John, | 32:51 | |
while eternal life is spoken of | 32:55 | |
as a future existence | 33:00 | |
in concert with other proponents of the faith, | 33:02 | |
John gives the concept an added dimension. | 33:07 | |
And this added dimension seems to be | 33:14 | |
the whole theme of this Gospel. | 33:18 | |
As of it the writer wrote, | 33:24 | |
"Now Jesus did many other signs | 33:30 | |
"in the presence of the disciples which are not written | 33:33 | |
"in this book, but these are written | 33:38 | |
that you may believe | 33:44 | |
"that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, | 33:45 | |
"and that believing you may have life, | 33:51 | |
"life, life, | 33:57 | |
in his name." | 34:03 | |
It seems to be the whole theme of the Gospel. | 34:06 | |
Life. And there seems to be little | 34:11 | |
or no distinction in John's gospel | 34:16 | |
between life and eternal life. | 34:22 | |
Jesus came | 34:29 | |
that we may have abundant life. | 34:33 | |
Jesus is the bread of life in this gospel. | 34:37 | |
The Son gives life. | 34:44 | |
Oh, and you are familiar with that | 34:50 | |
great verse of scripture, | 34:55 | |
"God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, | 34:57 | |
"that whoever believes in Him should not perish | 35:01 | |
"but have eternal life." | 35:04 | |
Life. Who believes | 35:09 | |
in the Son has life. | 35:13 | |
And who does not believe and obey the Son | 35:20 | |
has not eternal life, | 35:25 | |
shall not see life. | 35:29 | |
Who hears my words and believes | 35:34 | |
Him who sent me has life, has eternal life. | 35:40 | |
You search the scriptures because you think | 35:44 | |
from them you have eternal life. | 35:48 | |
Yet you refuse to come to me | 35:53 | |
that you may have life. | 35:57 | |
All in the gospel of John, life, life, | 36:00 | |
life is the theme, | 36:04 | |
life and eternal life, on and on. | 36:06 | |
The theme is life and life eternal. | 36:14 | |
And here in the Gospel Lection for today, | 36:20 | |
in this so-called high priestly prayer | 36:24 | |
attributed to Jesus at the Last Supper, | 36:29 | |
Jesus proclaims eternal life, | 36:33 | |
not so much as an existence | 36:40 | |
into which we go | 36:44 | |
when this life is over, | 36:46 | |
but as a present reality. | 36:49 | |
A present reality. | 36:55 | |
And that's the added dimension. | 36:59 | |
This is life eternal. | 37:04 | |
Not something promised way off in some future. | 37:09 | |
But this is life eternal, | 37:15 | |
now, today. | 37:19 | |
The present reality as well as a state | 37:23 | |
which the righteous will attain | 37:28 | |
when this life is over. | 37:31 | |
Jesus, according to John, did not say, | 37:36 | |
"This will be eternal life," though it will. | 37:41 | |
Jesus uses the present tense. | 37:47 | |
"This is..." | 37:51 | |
Life. | 37:54 | |
Life we are called to live today. | 37:56 | |
And he tells us what it is. | 38:03 | |
He tells us what it is. | 38:07 | |
It is to know the true God | 38:10 | |
and Jesus Christ whom God has sent. | 38:18 | |
And that's the answer. | 38:24 | |
What is eternal life? | 38:28 | |
Eternal life is knowing God. | 38:32 | |
Eternal life is knowing Jesus Christ. | 38:37 | |
Now that verb, "to know," that verb "to know" | 38:41 | |
has a variety of meanings | 38:46 | |
and implications. | 38:50 | |
In some sense, | 38:54 | |
it's simply a matter of acquaintance. | 38:58 | |
You know some things | 39:04 | |
and you know some people. | 39:07 | |
You've simply been introduced to them. | 39:12 | |
But then on a deeper level, | 39:17 | |
to know means | 39:21 | |
to have personal | 39:24 | |
involvement and personal experience, | 39:28 | |
to become saturated, | 39:33 | |
to become a part of. | 39:39 | |
And in the biblical sense, | 39:44 | |
that verb "to know" | 39:50 | |
is more than mere historic knowledge | 39:54 | |
of a subject, | 39:59 | |
it's more than mere acquaintance with or awareness | 40:00 | |
with what is taught about a subject, | 40:06 | |
it's more, it's more. | 40:10 | |
Minister went to visit a man in prison | 40:13 | |
on the day before the man was tried | 40:16 | |
for having committed a serious crime. | 40:20 | |
And in the course of their conversation, | 40:26 | |
the man said to the minister, | 40:28 | |
"I believe everything you believe, Reverend. | 40:33 | |
"I believe in God, I believe in the incarnation | 40:39 | |
"and in the virgin birth. | 40:43 | |
"I believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ | 40:45 | |
"and in the atonement required for salvation. | 40:49 | |
"I believe in immortality, life after death, | 40:53 | |
"the inspiration of scripture, | 40:58 | |
"I believe everything that Christians believe. | 41:01 | |
"You've got nothing on me, Reverend. | 41:05 | |
"I've believed all these things since I was a child." | 41:08 | |
But you see, the man was in prison, | 41:13 | |
and the next day he was tried, | 41:18 | |
convicted of committing a serious crime, | 41:22 | |
and given a long prison sentence. | 41:27 | |
Told that story to suggest that | 41:33 | |
mere historical knowledge | 41:37 | |
of Christ and the Christian faith, | 41:42 | |
doctrine, teachings and all of these, | 41:49 | |
while they are important, that's not enough. | 41:53 | |
Knowledge at that level is not enough. | 42:00 | |
Acquaintance with what is taught about God and Jesus Christ | 42:04 | |
and on a doctrinal belief, | 42:09 | |
all of that's important, | 42:13 | |
but that's not enough. | 42:16 | |
That's not enough. | 42:18 | |
Group of college students was discussing | 42:21 | |
what is the matter with religion. | 42:25 | |
And they had picked to pieces, | 42:29 | |
with all of the wisdom of the ages, | 42:34 | |
the Church, the ministry, the faith, | 42:38 | |
the creeds, and all the rest. | 42:40 | |
When finally a student stood and said | 42:43 | |
with a kind of finality, | 42:48 | |
hopefully to settle the matter, | 42:53 | |
he said, "Why, I don't think | 42:55 | |
"there is anything the matter with religion. | 42:58 | |
"I believe in God and practically everybody | 43:02 | |
"believes in God." | 43:06 | |
And the discussion leader, the discussion leader | 43:11 | |
put two questions to the students. | 43:16 | |
"How many of us in this room," he said, "believe in God?" | 43:18 | |
Almost every hand went up. | 43:24 | |
And then the leader said, "To how many in this room | 43:32 | |
"is God a living reality?" | 43:37 | |
Scarcely a hand went up. | 43:43 | |
That's it. | 43:49 | |
That's it. | 43:52 | |
To know God, to really know God, | 43:56 | |
is to experience God as a living reality. | 44:01 | |
A living presence. | 44:06 | |
It is to know God by living in a reverent, | 44:08 | |
faithful, loyal, | 44:14 | |
obedient relationship. | 44:19 | |
Relationship in which we then | 44:25 | |
continuously receive the life of God. | 44:28 | |
Which is the power and the grace | 44:36 | |
to live as God wants us to live. | 44:42 | |
To do as God wants us to do. | 44:47 | |
To know God is to live | 44:50 | |
in a vital relationship, | 44:54 | |
a living fellowship with God. | 44:59 | |
And it has to do, it has to do not so much | 45:03 | |
with the quantity of life, | 45:07 | |
it has to do with the quality of life. | 45:09 | |
The quality of life. | 45:14 | |
And it makes a difference. | 45:17 | |
It makes a difference. | 45:21 | |
It calls us out of this world | 45:23 | |
so that while we live | 45:30 | |
in this world we are not of this world. | 45:32 | |
In that vital relationship with God, | 45:41 | |
we have the grace and the power | 45:45 | |
to live a different life, | 45:53 | |
to march to a different drummer. | 45:57 | |
It makes all of the difference in the world. | 46:03 | |
But it is the free gift of God, the free gift of God, | 46:05 | |
to those who believe | 46:11 | |
and who make the total commitment. | 46:14 | |
Dale Honey has a book called, | 46:20 | |
"The Inside Story," | 46:24 | |
in which he tells the story of 31 persons, | 46:26 | |
their faith journeys. | 46:31 | |
And one of them is the | 46:35 | |
story of Buddy Scathier, | 46:39 | |
who runs a shoe repair shop in Chattanooga, Tennessee. | 46:43 | |
She said that when you walk into that shop, | 46:50 | |
there is a kind of light | 46:56 | |
and joy and spirit | 47:01 | |
that you begin to feel when you first walk in. | 47:04 | |
She walked in and she said, one day, | 47:11 | |
and he said to her, "What can I do for you today?" | 47:15 | |
And she said, "Well, I don't have any shoes to be fixed | 47:19 | |
"today, but I've just come to talk with you | 47:22 | |
"about the uniqueness of this place. | 47:28 | |
"There's something about this place, | 47:31 | |
"a joy and a freedom and an atmosphere of love | 47:35 | |
"that's different." | 47:40 | |
And he said to her, "Well, I've heard that, | 47:43 | |
"I've heard that said by many people who come here." | 47:46 | |
And she said, "Why do you believe it's so?" | 47:50 | |
And he said he remembered the day, | 47:55 | |
he remembered the day... | 47:59 | |
He said so many people had come in earlier, | 48:04 | |
and they seemed to have something that he didn't have, | 48:11 | |
and he said to them, | 48:14 | |
"I profess the Christian faith. | 48:19 | |
"I believe in the Bible, | 48:22 | |
I believe in prayer | 48:26 | |
"and daily Bible study," he said, "but you seem | 48:28 | |
"to have something I don't have. | 48:32 | |
"And I want that something." | 48:36 | |
And someone suggested to him one day | 48:42 | |
that he give his life | 48:45 | |
to God without reservation, | 48:50 | |
and he would come to know God. | 48:54 | |
It was nine years later, he said, | 48:58 | |
but he remembered the day, he remembered the day | 49:02 | |
that he said, "God, you can have | 49:06 | |
all there is of me | 49:11 | |
"to do with me what you will." | 49:15 | |
And he said, "I came to know God. | 49:23 | |
"I came to know God, and that knowledge | 49:27 | |
"is ever-growing and ever-increasing. | 49:32 | |
"It's brought joy to my life. | 49:38 | |
"It's made this shoe shop | 49:41 | |
a place of peace, | 49:45 | |
"a place of serenity. | 49:48 | |
"Not only that," he said, "but it sustains me, | 49:52 | |
"it has sustained me when life has been hard, | 49:56 | |
"such as the time when I lost my daughter. | 50:04 | |
"My ever-increasing knowledge of God. | 50:12 | |
"Giving myself over and over to God | 50:18 | |
"and letting God's life | 50:22 | |
live in and through me | 50:27 | |
"is what makes this place what it is, | 50:31 | |
"and it's what makes my life | 50:35 | |
what it is." | 50:40 | |
To know God | 50:45 | |
is eternal life. | 50:51 | |
Not some state of being | 50:57 | |
which we will ascend to | 51:01 | |
when this life is over. | 51:05 | |
Not will be; to know God is eternal life. | 51:09 | |
A life totally committed. | 51:16 | |
Not something we hope to get when we die. | 51:22 | |
It's life we have now, | 51:29 | |
life that may be ours today. | 51:33 | |
And when we have it, | 51:41 | |
we live in that quality of existence, | 51:45 | |
day by day in the presence of God, | 51:49 | |
doing his will. | 51:55 | |
And when the end comes, | 52:03 | |
to die | 52:09 | |
will simply be going home. | 52:13 | |
This is eternal life, | 52:18 | |
to know thee, the only true God, | 52:23 | |
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. | 52:30 | |
Amen. | 52:34 | |
(organ music) | 52:44 | |
(congregation sings "In Thee Is Gladness") | 53:14 | |
William | The lord be with you. | 55:30 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 55:32 |
- | Let us pray. Be seated. | 55:33 |
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord. | 55:40 | |
Here you put a song in our hearts | 55:45 | |
and give us lips to praise your name. | 55:46 | |
The ordeals that we face in our lives are nothing | 55:51 | |
compared to the blessings you have in store for your people. | 55:56 | |
So if we be cast down, let it be because we seek | 56:01 | |
to follow your way and not because of the burdens | 56:06 | |
of our own selfishness. | 56:12 | |
You have sent Jesus Christ into the world | 56:15 | |
to make yourself known, and he has called us | 56:18 | |
and named us as your chosen people. | 56:22 | |
So by your strengthening spirit, | 56:26 | |
help us to face boldly the task assigned to us, | 56:30 | |
give us courage to translate confession | 56:35 | |
into acts of reconciling love. | 56:37 | |
Make us unafraid to follow the example | 56:42 | |
Christ set before us, and to be encouraged | 56:45 | |
by his constant intercession on our behalf, | 56:50 | |
submitting our lives to you, | 56:56 | |
Yoked in harmony with what you command us to do, | 56:59 | |
make all our acts an outburst of praise to your name | 57:03 | |
and all our thoughts to be in tune | 57:09 | |
with the harmony that you seek among us. | 57:11 | |
We yearn to be filled with the embracing presence | 57:16 | |
of your sprit. | 57:18 | |
We yearn for a present taste of eternal life. | 57:20 | |
With our senses dulled by decisions | 57:25 | |
that demand our attention, focus us | 57:27 | |
on what you want us to do. | 57:30 | |
Give us discipline to determine your desire, | 57:34 | |
and equip us to fulfill your demands. | 57:38 | |
Our hands droop at times | 57:42 | |
when they should reach out to support others. | 57:45 | |
Our knees become weak when our feet seek your straight path. | 57:49 | |
So by your spirit jar us out of our listless ways. | 57:56 | |
Enliven us with your quickening power. | 58:01 | |
Chasten our wrong choices by your judgment. | 58:05 | |
Replace our schemes with your design. | 58:09 | |
Deliver us from undue need to control our own destiny | 58:15 | |
and from anxiety when our fate is uncertain. | 58:19 | |
May this time of worship be for us preparation | 58:25 | |
to be responsive to the council of your spirit, | 58:29 | |
and thereby led to new ventures of faith. | 58:33 | |
O God, secure in your love we pray for ourselves, | 58:38 | |
and we pray for others, that in all our deeds | 58:44 | |
your will may be done in us and in our world. Amen. | 58:50 | |
Let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God. | 58:59 | |
(organ music) | 59:05 | |
(choir sings) | 1:00:55 | |
(congregation sings "Praise God From Whom All Blessings") | 1:03:48 | |
- | Gracious God, we praise your name, | 1:04:40 |
particularly for the gift of your Spirit | 1:04:43 | |
which comforts us, prods us, and enlivens us | 1:04:45 | |
for the taste of eternity that you have put in our minds | 1:04:49 | |
and for your presence with us we give thanks, | 1:04:53 | |
offering our gifts to thee, praying as we have been taught, | 1:04:56 | |
Our Father... | 1:05:01 | |
Congregation | Who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. | 1:05:02 |
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done | 1:05:06 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 1:05:08 | |
Give us this day our daily bread, | 1:05:11 | |
and forgive us our trespasses, | 1:05:14 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 1:05:16 | |
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 1:05:19 | |
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, | 1:05:24 | |
and the glory, forever. Amen. | 1:05:27 | |
Now may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ | 1:05:34 | |
be with us and remain with us now and always. Amen. | 1:05:37 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 1:05:49 | |
(organ music) | 1:06:22 | |
(congregation sings) | 1:06:52 | |
William | Let us go forth in the name of Christ. | 1:09:16 |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 1:09:20 |
(organ music) | 1:09:26 |