Thomas G. Long - "The Living Out of Dreams" (June 24, 1990)

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	(pipe organ music)	0:00
	(pipe organ music)	0:30
	(pipe organ music)	0:59
	(pipe organ music)	1:29
	(pipe organ music)	2:00
-	Good morning, and welcome to this	2:32
	service of worship here in Duke Chapel.	2:33
	Our guest preacher today is the Reverend Dr. Thomas Long,	2:37
	Professor of Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary,	2:42
	and always a very popular and well appreciated	2:46
	visitor here in Duke Chapel.	2:51
	Our lector is Chaplin Herbert Strange,	2:53
	who has been in residence at Duke Divinity School	2:55
	in a continuing education program this past year	2:59
	and has been active in the life of the chapel.	3:01
	We're glad you're here.	3:05
	We particularly welcome those who worship	3:06
	with us through the closed circuit	3:08
	television system in the Duke hospitals.	3:10
	And now, let us continue our worship of God.	3:14
	♪ Praise be O Lord above ♪	3:22
	♪ Sing His salvation ♪	3:27
	♪ Bless His name, Jehovah's grace ♪	3:31
	♪ In these holy halls ♪	3:35
	♪ Earth shall be glad ♪	3:40
	♪ All ye hands now be joyful ♪	3:43
	♪ Christ redeems the earth O the righteous King ♪	3:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:54
	(pipe organ music)	4:01
	♪ Sing praise to God who reigns above ♪	4:43
	♪ The God of all creation ♪	4:50
	♪ The God of power, the God of love ♪	4:56
	♪ The God of our salvation ♪	5:02
	♪ With healing balm my soul is filled ♪	5:08
	♪ And every faithless murmur stilled ♪	5:14
	♪ To God all praise and glory ♪	5:20
	♪ The Lord is never far away ♪	5:29
	♪ But through all grief distressing ♪	5:35
	♪ An ever present help and stay ♪	5:42
	♪ Our peace and joy and blessing ♪	5:48
	♪ As with a mother's tender hand ♪	5:54
	♪ God gently leads the chosen band ♪	6:00
	♪ To God all praise and glory ♪	6:07
	♪ Thus all my toilsome way along ♪	6:16
	♪ I sing aloud thy praises ♪	6:22
	♪ That earth may hear the grateful song ♪	6:28
	♪ My voice unwearied raises ♪	6:34
	♪ Be joyful in the Lord, my heart ♪	6:41
	♪ Both soul and body bear your part ♪	6:47
	♪ To God all praise and glory ♪	6:53
	♪ Let all who name Christ's holy name ♪	7:02
	♪ Give God all praise and glory ♪	7:09
	♪ Let all who own His power proclaim ♪	7:16
	♪ Aloud the wondrous story ♪	7:23
	♪ Cast each false idol from its throne ♪	7:29
	♪ For Christ is Lord and Christ alone ♪	7:36
	♪ To God all praise and glory ♪	7:43
-	Gracious God, Your people gather before You this day	7:57
	knowing that when we come into Your presence	8:04
	we are coming before the true God	8:06
	who lightens all darkness,	8:10
	the God who loves justice and commands mercy	8:12
	and acts of loving kindness.	8:16
	Therefore, in this hour of worship,	8:19
	we pray that each false idol might be	8:22
	cast out of our lives, that we might be drawn	8:26
	toward ever deepened allegiance	8:30
	to Your will through Your Word.	8:33
	Thus Your people pray. Amen.	8:37
	Be seated.	8:41
-	Let us pray.	8:52
	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	8:54
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit	8:57
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed	9:00
	we might hear with joy what You say to us this day. Amen.	9:04
	The first lesson is taken	9:11
	from Paul's letter to the Romans.	9:12
	"Therefore, as sin came into the world	9:16
	"through one human being and death through sin,	9:19
	"and so death spread to all humankind	9:23
	"because all sinned, sin indeed	9:26
	"was in the world before the law was given,	9:30
	"but sin is not counted where there is no law.	9:33
	"Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses,	9:38
	"even over those whose sins were not	9:42
	"like the transgression of Adam,	9:44
	"who was a type of the one who was to come.	9:47
	"But the free gift is not like the trespass.	9:51
	"For if many die through the trespass of one,	9:55
	"much more have the grace of God	9:59
	"and the free gift in the grace of that one person,	10:01
	"Jesus Christ, abounded for many.	10:04
	"And the free gift is not like the	10:08
	"effect of that one person's sin.	10:10
	"For the judgment following one trespass	10:13
	"brought condemnation, but the free gift	10:16
	"following many trespasses brings justification.	10:19
	"If because of the trespass of one,	10:24
	"death reigned through that one,	10:27
	"much more will those who receive	10:30
	"the abundance of grace and the free gift	10:32
	"of righteousness reign in life	10:34
	"through the one person, Jesus Christ.	10:37
	"Then, as the trespass of one led to condemnation for all,	10:41
	"so the act of righteousness of one leads	10:46
	"to acquittal and life for all.	10:49
	"For as by the disobedience of one,	10:52
	"many were made sinners, so by the obedience	10:55
	"of one many will be made righteous."	10:58
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	11:02
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	11:06
-	Please stand, and let us chant together the Psalm.	11:09
	(pipe organ music)	11:14
	♪ Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High ♪	11:22
	♪ Who abide in the shadow of the Almighty ♪	11:27
	♪ Will say to the Lord ♪	11:30
	♪ My refuge and my fortress ♪	11:34
	♪ My God in whom I trust ♪	11:38
	♪ For the Lord will deliver you ♪	11:42
	♪ From the snare of the fowler ♪	11:45
	♪ And from the deadly pestilence ♪	11:48
	♪ And will cover you with his pinions ♪	11:52
	♪ Under the Lord's wings you will find refuge ♪	11:55
	♪ God's faithfulness is a shield and buckler ♪	12:00
	♪ You will not fear the terror of the night ♪	12:06
	♪ Nor the arrow that flies by day ♪	12:11
	♪ Or the pestilence that stalks in darkness ♪	12:15
	♪ Or the destruction that wastes at noonday ♪	12:20
	♪ A thousand may fall at your side ♪	12:25
	♪ Ten thousand at your right hand ♪	12:28
	♪ But it will not come near you ♪	12:32
	♪ You will only look with your eyes ♪	12:36
	♪ And see the punishment of the wicked ♪	12:40
	♪ Because you have made the Lord your refuge ♪	12:45
	♪ The Most High your permutation ♪	12:49
	♪ No evil shall befall you ♪	12:53
	♪ No scourge come near your tent ♪	12:57
	(pipe organ music)	13:02
	♪ Glory be to our Creator ♪	13:13
	♪ Praise to our Redeemer ♪	13:19
	♪ Glory be to the Sustainer ♪	13:27
	♪ Ever three and ever one ♪	13:34
	♪ As it was in the beginning ♪	13:42
	♪ And now it ever shall be ♪	13:50
-	A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.	14:07
	"A disciple is not above the teacher,	14:13
	"nor a servant above the one who is served.	14:17
	"It is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher	14:21
	"and the servant like the one who is served.	14:24
	"If they have called the householder Beelzebul,	14:27
	"how much more will they malign those of that household.	14:31
	"So have no fear of them.	14:36
	"For nothing is covered that will not be revealed	14:39
	"or hidden that will not be known.	14:42
	"What I tell you in the dark, utter in the light.	14:46
	"And what you hear whispered, proclaim upon the housetops.	14:51
	"And do not fear those who kill	14:56
	"the body but cannot kill the soul.	14:57
	"Rather fear the one who can destroy	15:01
	"both soul and body in hell.	15:03
	"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?	15:07
	"And not one of them will fall to the ground	15:11
	"without the will of God.	15:13
	"But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.	15:16
	"Fear not, therefore, you are	15:20
	"of more value than many sparrows.	15:23
	"So everyone who acknowledges me before others,	15:26
	"I also will acknowledge before God	15:30
	"my Father who is heaven, but whoever denies	15:32
	"me before others, I also will deny	15:36
	"before God who is in heaven."	15:40
	This is the Gospel of Christ.	15:43
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	15:46
	(pipe organ music)	16:00
	♪ All people that on earth do dwell ♪	16:18
	♪ Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice ♪	16:27
	♪ Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell ♪	16:35
	♪ Come ye before Him and rejoice ♪	16:44
	♪ The Lord we know is God indeed ♪	16:55
	♪ Without our aid He did us make ♪	17:04
	♪ We are His folk, He doth us feed ♪	17:12
	♪ And for His sheep He doth us take ♪	17:21
	♪ O enter then His gates with praise ♪	17:33
	♪ Approach with joy His courts unto ♪	17:41
	♪ Praise, laud, and bless His name always ♪	17:50
	♪ For it is seemly so to do ♪	17:59
	♪ For why, the Lord our God is good ♪	18:12
	♪ His mercy is forever sure ♪	18:21
	♪ His truth at all times firmly stood ♪	18:29
	♪ And shall from age to age endure ♪	18:38
	(pipe organ music)	18:50
	♪ To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	18:59
	♪ The God whom heaven and earth adore ♪	19:07
	♪ From men and from the angel host ♪	19:15
	♪ Be praise and glory ever more ♪	19:23
	♪ Amen ♪	19:42
-	From the 28th chapter of Genesis,	20:06
	the familiar story of Jacob's ladder and Jacob's dream.	20:10
	"Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.	20:19
	"He came to certain place and stayed there	20:24
	"for the night, for the sun had set.	20:27
	"Taking one of the stones of the place,	20:32
	"he put it under his head and lay down in that place.	20:35
	"And he dreamed that there was a ladder	20:40
	"set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven,	20:43
	"and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.	20:46
	"And the Lord stood beside him and said,	20:53
	"'I am the Lord, the God of Abraham	20:56
	"'your father and the God of Isaac.	21:00
	"'The land on which you lie I will give	21:03
	"'to you and to your offspring.	21:06
	"'And your offspring shall be like	21:10
	"'the dust of the earth, and you shall	21:12
	"'spread abroad to the west and to the east	21:15
	"'and to the north and to the south.	21:18
	"'And all the families of the earth	21:20
	"'shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.	21:22
	"'Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go,	21:28
	"'and will bring you back to this land.	21:33
	"'For I will not leave you until I have	21:35
	"'done what I have promised to you.'	21:38
	"Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said,	21:42
	"'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.'	21:46
	"And he was afraid and said,	21:51
	"'How awesome is this place.	21:53
	"'This is none other than the house of God.	21:57
	"'This is the gate of heaven.'"	21:59
	The Word of the Lord.	22:03
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	22:06
-	Over the past few years, my good friend,	22:11
	Will Willimon, has on several occasions	22:15
	invited me to be the guest preacher here in Duke Chapel.	22:18
	I love this place.	22:23
	I love to come here.	22:25
	And every time he invites me, I eagerly accept.	22:27
	Now, what you may not know is that when you accept	22:32
	the responsibility of being the guest preacher	22:36
	in Duke Chapel for a Sunday, the next thing	22:39
	that happens is that you receive	22:41
	a packet of information from the Chapel office.	22:45
	It has a lot of things in it.	22:49
	For example, it has an exceedingly complicated memo	22:51
	about the rather apocalyptic acoustics in this room	22:55
	and how to handle them.	23:00
	Stand 12 to 15 inches away from the microphone.	23:02
	Speak loudly, but do not shout.	23:08
	That sort of thing.	23:10
	You also receive in the packet of information	23:13
	a letter that says, "Now the ecumenical	23:16
	"Lectionary scripture lessons for your Sunday	23:20
	"when you will preach are these."	23:24
	And then, there is a list of three scripture lessons	23:26
	chosen from the Lectionary.	23:30
	My letter received the ones that you found	23:32
	in your bulletin, the reading from Romans,	23:35
	the reading from Matthew, and the	23:37
	one I just did from Genesis.	23:38
	The letter goes on to say, "You don't	23:41
	"have to preach on one of those if you don't want to,	23:43
	"but it is the custom in this place to do so."	23:47
	(congregation laughing)	23:51
	I think it's a good custom, and I always choose to do so	23:53
	though I tease Will that he always	23:57
	seems to invite me on a Sunday	24:01
	when the Lectionary lessons are	24:04
	absolutely the driest, most obscure,	24:06
	and impenetrable passages in all of the bible.	24:09
	I secretly fear that he gives the other	24:14
	guest preachers the really nice passages.	24:17
	(congregation laughing)	24:20
	You know, the ones that soar.	24:21
	"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.	24:22
	"Faith, hope, love, these three,	24:26
	"but the greatest of these is love."	24:28
	I suspect the other preachers get those.	24:31
	I generally get the Levitical instructions	24:34
	for the construction of priestly garments.	24:37
	(congregation laughing)	24:40
	Or the requirements for the sacrifice of a young bullock.	24:44
	(congregation laughing)	24:48
	But today, Will, I can't complain.	24:51
	On this Sunday, I have no complaint.	24:56
	The Lectionary has given us magnificent	24:58
	and powerful passages, including this familiar	25:00
	and beloved story from the 28th chapter of Genesis.	25:04
	You know it well.	25:07
	We call it Jacob's ladder, and, in fact,	25:09
	many of us have even sung about it	25:12
	at church camp and in Sunday school.	25:14
	"We are climbing Jacob's ladder.	25:16
	"We are climbing Jacob's ladder.	25:19
	"We are climbing Jacob's ladder.	25:21
	"Soldiers of the cross."	25:25
	You know how the story goes.	25:29
	Jacob is traveling from Beer-sheba to Haran.	25:31
	It gets to be nightfall so he stops to rest for the night.	25:36
	He has no straw for a mattress	25:41
	so he lies down on the hard earth.	25:44
	He even takes a stone as his pillow.	25:47
	But even on this uncomfortable bed,	25:52
	he manages somehow to sleep,	25:54
	and not only to sleep but also to dream.	25:56
	Oh, does he ever dream.	26:02
	He sees a ladder extending all the way from earth to heaven	26:05
	with magnificent angels ascending and descending.	26:10
	And suddenly there is the very presence of God	26:15
	whispering to him the holy and ancient promise.	26:18
	"I am the God of your ancestors,	26:22
	"and I will be your God too.	26:26
	"I will remain with you forever."	26:30
	Forever. Forever. Forever.	26:34
	In the morning, Jacob wakes up and says,	26:42
	"How awesome is this place.	26:46
	"Surely God was in this place, and I didn't even know it.	26:50
	"I'm going to call this Bethel, the house of God."	26:53
	So, I've got a good text.	27:00
	In fact, there is an embarrassment of riches in this text.	27:02
	It's hard to know where to fasten	27:06
	our attention in this story.	27:08
	Students of the bible even have a debate	27:10
	about what is the most powerful aspect of this story.	27:14
	Some of them say the most powerful thing about this story	27:20
	is not what happened but to whom it happened.	27:24
	God is present all through the bible.	27:30
	God makes promises everywhere.	27:32
	The astounding thing about this story	27:34
	is that God is present and makes promises	27:37
	to that scruffy little shyster, Jacob.	27:39
	It's true, you know.	27:44
	Jacob is a con artist and a hustler.	27:45
	His name Jacob even means "grabber."	27:48
	Long before P.T. Barnum ever said it,	27:53
	Jacob could have said, "There's a sucker born every minute."	27:55
	In fact, according to the story,	28:00
	there was a sucker born just the minute before he was.	28:02
	His dim-witted,	28:06
	molasses brained twin brother Esau.	28:09
	And sure enough, if you put Jacob and Esau	28:13
	in the same room, you know what's going	28:15
	to happen, and it inevitably does.	28:17
	Jacob hustles Esau out of his blessing and his birthright.	28:20
	Step right up, Esau.	28:25
	Pick a card, any card.	28:27
	Some people think the most powerful thing	28:31
	about this story is that the presence	28:35
	and the promises of God come not to the pure	28:38
	and the holy but to the stained and the broken,	28:43
	like Jacob.	28:50
	Hasidic Jews have a story they love to tell.	28:53
	It's a story about three pious Jews	28:57
	who heard about a magnificent rabbi in a distant city	29:00
	who could teach all the wisdom of the Torah.	29:04
	So, they decided on the holiday Yom Kippur	29:08
	that they would travel to this	29:11
	distant city and sit at this rabbi's feet.	29:13
	They were so excited about their trip	29:17
	that they left on this journey far away	29:19
	without taking along any food, any water, or any money.	29:22
	And, sure enough, they had traveled	29:27
	only a day or so before they realized	29:28
	they were hungry and thirsty and tired and broke.	29:31
	And one of them said, "What are we going to do?	29:36
	"We're going to perish on this trip."	29:38
	And another said, "It's not a commandment	29:41
	"that a Jew should perish.	29:43
	"In fact, the Torah gives us permission	29:46
	"to do whatever we must do to preserve our lives.	29:48
	"Well, what shall we do?"	29:51
	After thinking about it, they came up with a scheme.	29:54
	One of them would pretend to be a rabbi.	29:57
	The others would pretend to be his assistants.	30:01
	They would go to the next village,	30:06
	surely thinking that a village would	30:08
	take care of a rabbi, a holy man.	30:10
	Well, none of them wanted to be the deceiver	30:14
	so they drew straws, and the one who got	30:16
	the short straw had to dress up as a fake rabbi.	30:18
	They went to the village, and, sure enough,	30:23
	no sooner had the village seen them coming	30:26
	at a distance that everyone in the village	30:28
	shouted with joy, "A rabbi is coming, a rabbi is coming."	30:30
	When they arrived in the village,	30:35
	the innkeeper gave them accommodations and spread	30:36
	before them a magnificent feast of meat and wine.	30:39
	When they had eaten, however, the innkeeper	30:45
	came up to the fraudulent rabbi and said,	30:49
	"Rabbi, I am so grateful to God that you are here.	30:53
	"My son is ill.	30:57
	"As a matter of fact, he is in his room	31:00
	"at this very moment upstairs dying.	31:02
	"Please go to him and pray.	31:07
	"God will not refuse the prayers of a holy rabbi."	31:10
	The pretend rabbi gulped and looked at his friends	31:17
	who looked back at him as if to say,	31:21
	"Don't back out on us now, go."	31:23
	So, reluctantly, he followed the father	31:27
	to the room of the dying boy.	31:29
	After a while, he came out.	31:32
	His face expressionless, and he said nothing.	31:36
	The next day the three friends	31:43
	traveled off on their journey,	31:44
	but the townspeople wouldn't let them walk.	31:46
	No, no, they gave them horses and a coach to take them	31:48
	so they could ride in style saying,	31:52
	"You can bring these back on your return."	31:53
	When they returned having had a magnificent Yom Kippur,	31:58
	they became very anxious and fearful	32:03
	as they approached this village,	32:05
	especially the one who had pretended to be the rabbi.	32:06
	Even more so, when they saw coming at a distance,	32:10
	the father of the boy waving his arms furiously in the air.	32:13
	But when he got close,	32:19
	he embraced the one who had pretended to be the rabbi	32:22
	saying, "Oh, rabbi, your prayers were answered.	32:28
	"Not an hour after you left,	32:31
	"my son got up from his bed healed."	32:34
	The friends looked at their companion.	32:40
	Is he really a rabbi?	32:44
	And when they got him in private,	32:47
	they said, "What did you do?"	32:48
	He said, "I didn't know what to do.	32:52
	"I stood beside the boy's bed.	32:53
	"I didn't know what to do, and then I felt	32:55
	"a silent prayer well up inside.	32:57
	"Oh, Master of the universe,	33:02
	"don't let this man and his son be punished because of me.	33:06
	"I am a deceit, a fraud, a pretender.	33:11
	"But, O God, they don't know, and they think	33:15
	"if they boy dies it will be because of You.	33:19
	"I am nothing, but for the sake of this man	33:22
	"and his boy would it hurt to heal him?"	33:27
	The Hasidim tell that story to remind us	33:34
	that no one of us can pray any prayer but that one.	33:37
	"I am a deceit and a fraud.	33:43
	"I am nothing, O God.	33:45
	"But not because of me, because of You, heal."	33:49
	Or as the apostle Paul put it,	33:56
	"We have this treasure in clay pots	33:58
	"so that it will be abundantly clear	34:02
	"that the extraordinary power belongs to God and not to us."	34:04
	Some people think the most powerful thing	34:11
	about this story is to whom it happened,	34:13
	that the presence and promise of God came to one like Jacob.	34:17
	Other people say, no, the most powerful thing	34:24
	about this story is not to whom it happened.	34:27
	The most powerful thing about this story	34:30
	is where it happened.	34:32
	If you read the text closely, the text	34:35
	makes it abundantly clear that this appearance of God	34:37
	happened in a place called nowhere.	34:41
	It happened it says "in a certain place" as if to	34:46
	underscore the fact that it is a place that has no name.	34:49
	As if to say the encounter with the living God	34:54
	does not always occur in the expected shrines,	34:57
	but in the place and at a time where we least expect it.	35:03
	Like the little boy who was chasing	35:09
	his sister around the dining room table	35:10
	trying to snatch her pigtails.	35:13
	She was squealing with fear and trying	35:16
	to get away from him, but he was gaining on her.	35:18
	And so, she suddenly wheeled around,	35:20
	looked him in the eye, and said,	35:23
	"Behold, the Lord is in this place."	35:25
	The purpose of this text say some is to startle us	35:32
	with precisely that sort of announcement,	35:35
	"Behold, the Lord is in this unexpected place."	35:37
	Not trapped behind stained glass,	35:41
	but expect to encounter the living God	35:44
	when the refrigerator is humming,	35:47
	the kids are off at school, and there is	35:48
	one more pot of coffee left on the stove.	35:51
	Or in a grungy room at a Holiday Inn	35:57
	on some journey to nowhere.	36:00
	That's Bethel, the house of God.	36:05
	Well, maybe so, but I think there is	36:12
	one more thing about this story	36:17
	that claims our interest.	36:21
	And that is that rather curious	36:24
	and fascinating line that says	36:26
	that on Jacob's ladder the angels	36:30
	were both ascending and descending.	36:33
	The angels of God were both traveling	36:37
	from earth to heaven and from heaven to earth.	36:40
	So what?	36:45
	In the biblical world, angels are messengers.	36:47
	And that picture makes it clear	36:51
	that in Jacob's dream there are messages	36:53
	not only being sent from earth to heaven, but there are also	36:57
	messages of God from heaven coming to earth.	37:01
	Most of our dreaming, you know, is a one way street.	37:08
	My daughter graduated from high school last week.	37:15
	And at her graduation, the commencement speaker	37:20
	gave one of the usual, "You must have a dream	37:23
	"and follow your dream" speeches.	37:26
	He even paraphrased Robert Kennedy when he said,	37:30
	"Some look at the world as it is and say why?	37:34
	"I dream of a world that isn't yet and say why not?	37:37
	"Have a dream," he told them, "and follow that dream."	37:43
	It was a noble speech, a courageous thought.	37:46
	But when you get right down to it,	37:52
	even our grandest dreams are only	37:55
	our best wishes cast large.	37:59
	As Walt Disney's Cinderella puts it,	38:05
	"A dream is what your heart wishes when you're fast asleep."	38:07
	Well, if that is true, than even our best dreams	38:14
	can only lead us, but they cannot	38:17
	transform us.	38:22
	And that is why it is important to note in this story,	38:25
	there are angels descending	38:30
	from heaven to earth.	38:35
	And Jacob may have a dream, but the God in his dream	38:38
	has him and will not let him	38:42
	go until he is transformed.	38:47
	At first, Jacob does not understand this.	38:54
	He wakes up from the dream, and he says basically,	38:56
	"If you will clothe me, and you will feed me,	39:00
	"and you will take care of me, and you will give me land,	39:02
	"I'll let you be my God."	39:06
	In other words, "Take a card, God, any card."	39:09
	Unchanged, but then there is that other night	39:17
	when the Holy One comes to wrestle with him by the river.	39:23
	And when Jacob walks away, he has a limp,	39:29
	and a new name, and a new mission to make	39:36
	peace with Esau, and he is transformed.	39:40
	I was back home in Atlanta recently and heard	39:48
	that Grace Thompson had passed away	39:52
	at 80-something years of age.	39:55
	You probably don't remember Grace Thompson.	39:58
	No reason for you to.	40:01
	She was the daughter of a streetcar conductor	40:03
	in Birmingham, Alabama who fell in love	40:06
	with an Atlanta boy, married him, moved to Atlanta.	40:08
	They had some children.	40:11
	She became a secretary at the state capital	40:12
	to help support the family.	40:15
	And she became interested in politics and law,	40:18
	and so when the children were old enough,	40:20
	she kept her day job.	40:22
	But she went to night school and got a law degree.	40:23
	And in 1954 she absolutely astonished	40:27
	her family by announcing that she	40:31
	was going to run for the Governor of Georgia.	40:33
	There were nine candidates in 1954, eight men and Grace.	40:37
	There were nine candidates, but there was one issue,	40:43
	the 1954 Supreme Court decision	40:46
	integrating the public schools.	40:49
	Eight of the candidates appealed	40:51
	to the worst instincts of the citizens of Georgia	40:53
	stirring up racial hatred.	40:56
	One candidate, Grace, said that she thought	40:59
	the decision was just and fair	41:03
	and that all citizens of goodwill should support it.	41:05
	She encouraged the people of Georgia	41:10
	to say Grace at the polls.	41:11
	Not many of them did.	41:15
	She ran dead last.	41:17
	In 1962 she decided to run for governor again.	41:21
	The tensions were high on the racial issue	41:26
	in Georgia, but Grace took her message	41:30
	of reconciliation out there into the state.	41:32
	And she ran dead last again.	41:35
	In fact, there were threats on her life as she campaigned,	41:40
	so much so that her family began to	41:43
	travel with her and to campaign with her.	41:44
	And on one campaign stop, she went to Louisville, Georgia.	41:46
	If you've ever been to Louisville,	41:50
	you know that the centerpiece of that town is not a	41:51
	courthouse, not a town square, but an old slave market.	41:54
	Grace chose to stand under the canopy of that place	42:00
	where human beings had been bought and sold	42:04
	to make her campaign speech to a gaggle	42:06
	of Georgia farmers and merchants.	42:10
	She pointed at the roof above her, and she said,	42:14
	"This has passed away, and the new has come.	42:17
	"And it is time for Georgians of all colors	42:23
	"to join hands and work together."	42:27
	Somebody in the crowd said, "Are you a communist?"	42:31
	"No," she shook her head.	42:38
	"Well, where'd you get those gall darn ideas?"	42:40
	She paused for a minute,	42:45
	pointed at the steeple of a nearby church,	42:49
	and said, "Over there in Sunday school."	42:53
	Grace had a dream, but more than that, she had a God	43:02
	who had her and transformed her	43:08
	and gave her the ministry of the cross of Jesus Christ.	43:14
	So, sing it loud.	43:22
	We are climbing Jacob's ladder.	43:24
	We are climbing Jacob's ladder.	43:26
	We are climbing Jacob's ladder.	43:28
	But don't forget the next line.	43:32
	Soldiers of the cross.	43:34
	(pipe organ music)	43:44
	♪ A charge to keep I have ♪	44:07
	♪ A God to glorify ♪	44:12
	♪ A never-dying soul to save ♪	44:17
	♪ And fit it for the sky ♪	44:22
	♪ To serve the present age ♪	44:29
	♪ My calling to fulfill ♪	44:35
	♪ O may it all my powers engage ♪	44:41
	♪ To do my Master's will ♪	44:46
	♪ Arm me with jealous care ♪	44:52
	♪ As in Thy sight to live ♪	44:58
	♪ And now Thy servant, Lord, prepare ♪	45:03
	♪ A strict account to give ♪	45:09
	♪ Help me to watch and pray ♪	45:16
	♪ And still on Thee rely ♪	45:22
	♪ O let me not my trust betray ♪	45:27
	♪ But press to realms on high ♪	45:33
-	[Rev. Dr. Willimon] The Lord be with you.	45:45
Congregation	And also with you.	45:46
-	Let us pray, be seated.	45:48
	O God,	46:04
	O God, who made ordinary folk like us,	46:08
	deceivers and incompetents though we may be,	46:14
	into Your people that we	46:20
	might be a royal priesthood,	46:27
	that we might offer intercession and prayer for all people.	46:33
	Hear us as we pray.	46:38
	Dear Lord, who has chosen and thought it a good thing	46:42
	to make a nation of priests out of nobodies,	46:45
	hear us as your priests pray.	46:51
	For all who toil in the burden and heat of the summer day	46:55
	in forest and on farm, in mine and factory, on land and sea,	47:02
	that they may enjoy the fruits of their industry,	47:10
	that they might not be defrauded of their rightful due,	47:15
	and that we may never cease to be mindful of our debt	47:19
	to so many remembering with gratitude	47:26
	the multitude of services which must be performed	47:30
	to make our life tolerable.	47:33
	We pray for all those who have authority over other people,	47:38
	whether it be in business or school or government,	47:43
	that they may never use it selfishly	47:48
	for themselves or their party, their class, their race,	47:50
	but may be guided to do justice and to love mercy,	47:56
	to walk humbly, remembering whose servants they are.	48:00
	We pray for those who have been worsted	48:07
	in the struggle of life, whether by the inhumanity	48:09
	of their fellows or their own limitations,	48:14
	or by those hazards of life which beset all people.	48:19
	We pray that they may contend against injustice	48:24
	without bitterness, that they might overcome	48:27
	their own weakness with diligence,	48:31
	that they might learn to accept with patience	48:35
	that which cannot be altered.	48:38
	We pray for the rulers of the nations	48:42
	that they may act wisely and without pride,	48:45
	seeking always to promote peace among the peoples	48:49
	and establish justice in our common life.	48:53
	Look with pity, our Father, upon the world and its sorrow	48:58
	and upon the sighing of Your children,	49:04
	for we are engulfed by the evil of our own contriving.	49:08
	May those who suffer because they are guilty	49:13
	learn the godly sorrow of true repentance	49:17
	and the freedom that it gives.	49:21
	May those who suffer innocently	49:24
	have a vision of the suffering of Christ	49:28
	and know that there is redemption in their pain.	49:30
	If we have mediated Your wrath to the guilty,	49:36
	help us also to be instruments of Your mercy to them.	49:40
	If the innocent sufferers of the world	49:46
	have brought the knowledge of mercy to us,	49:48
	help us now to be servants of your love toward them,	49:51
	binding up their wounds, stilling their hunger,	49:55
	restoring them to home and family.	50:00
	Grant, O Lord, that through Your grace	50:04
	the world which glorifies itself may die	50:07
	and a new world, a new world which we are fearful	50:12
	even to dream may be born,	50:17
	a world which gives You the glory.	50:21
	And now, O God, we pray for all	50:26
	who are in special need of Your grace,	50:28
	for the sick in Duke hospitals and those who care for them.	50:33
	O Lord, we commend to Your mercy	50:39
	all who are in anxiety or distressed,	50:41
	particularly hungry multitudes in Asia or Africa	50:44
	who suffer from want of daily bread.	50:48
	We pray for the people of Iran	50:52
	suffering terribly under recent earthquake.	50:55
	O God, before whom to bow is to stand,	51:02
	and whom to know is to know ourselves	51:08
	and what we are and what we ought to be,	51:11
	save us from all vain pretension about ourselves	51:17
	so that we might rightly intercede for others.	51:22
	And so, that under Your judgment	51:27
	and always by Your mercy, we may find our true selves.	51:30
	Amen.	51:37
	It is our custom in Duke University Chapel	51:41
	that all of the offering goes to alleviate human suffering	51:44
	here at home and around the world.	51:49
	This past year over $40,000 in gifts	51:52
	was sent from Duke Chapel to a wide array of human need.	51:55
	Therefore, we invite you to offer yourself	51:59
	and your gifts as we give generously.	52:01
	(pipe organ music)	52:07
	♪ Allelu ♪	54:20
	♪ Allelu ♪	54:39
	♪ Allelu, Allelu, ♪	54:50
	♪ Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Alleluia ♪	54:54
	♪ O praise ye the Lord ♪	55:09
	♪ Praise God in His temple ♪	55:14
	♪ Praise ye the Lord ♪	55:20
	♪ In the firmament of His power ♪	55:24
	♪ O praise Him for His might ♪	55:29
	♪ And the greatness of His wonders ♪	55:35
	♪ O praise Him, praise Him ♪	55:40
	♪ According to His majesty ♪	55:46
	♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪	55:52
	♪ With the sound of the trumpet ♪	55:54
	♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪	55:58
	♪ With the lute and the harp ♪	56:00
	♪ Praise the Lord with the lute and the harp ♪	56:02
	♪ Praise the Lord with the timbrel ♪	56:05
	♪ The timbrel and the dance ♪	56:08
	♪ O praise Him with the organ ♪	56:12
	♪ And the instrument of strings ♪	56:16
	(pipe organ music)	56:20
	♪ Praise Him, praise Him ♪	56:27
	♪ Upon the loud cymbals ♪	56:31
	(pipe organ music)	56:36
	♪ Praise Him, praise Him ♪	56:43
	♪ Upon the high sounding cymbals ♪	56:47
	♪ Let every thing that hath breath ♪	56:53
	♪ Every thing that hath breath ♪	56:57
	♪ Praise, praise the Lord ♪	57:02
	♪ Praise, praise the Lord ♪	57:07
	♪ O praise ye the Lord ♪	57:14
	♪ Praise God in His temple ♪	57:18
	♪ O praise ye the Lord ♪	57:24
	♪ In the firmament of His power ♪	57:29
	♪ O praise Him for His might ♪	57:34
	♪ And the greatness of His wonders ♪	57:39
	♪ O praise Him, O praise Him ♪	57:43
	♪ According to His majesty ♪	57:49
	♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪	57:55
	♪ With the sound of the trumpet ♪	57:56
	♪ Praise the Lord, praise the Lord ♪	58:00
	♪ With the lute and the harp ♪	58:02
	♪ Praise the Lord with the timbrel ♪	58:06
	♪ The timbrel and the dance ♪	58:10
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	58:14
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	58:18
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	58:22
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	58:26
	(pipe organ music)	58:43
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	59:00
	♪ Praise God all creatures here below ♪	59:06
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	59:12
	♪ Praise God above you heavenly hosts ♪	59:20
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	59:26
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪	59:33
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪	59:39
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:47
-	Almighty God, it is a good and joyous thing	59:59
	to give You thanks, to give You thanks	1:00:03
	by our presence here, by the words	1:00:07
	of our songs and our music,	1:00:10
	by the inspiration of Your Word, and by these gifts.	1:00:12
	We know that Your work is beyond our hearts,	1:00:19
	beyond our homes, beyond this place,	1:00:23
	that Your work is throughout the universe,	1:00:25
	the universe which You created and called good.	1:00:29
	You have continued to bless us to this day	1:00:33
	with Your Word, through Your daily gifts to us,	1:00:35
	our friends, our families, through bread,	1:00:39
	through opportunity and also by Your Word.	1:00:43
	In gratitude for all of your gifts, therefore,	1:00:48
	accept these our gifts and use them in Your work.	1:00:51
	Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:00:58
	hallowed by thy name,	1:01:01
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:01:04
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:01:07
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:01:10
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:01:13
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:01:15
	And lead us not into temptation	1:01:19
	but deliver us from evil.	1:01:22
	For thine is the kingdom, the power,	1:01:24
	and the glory forever. Amen.	1:01:27
	Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	1:01:33
	the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:01:36
	be with you now and always.	1:01:39
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:01:47
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:01:54
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:01:59
	♪ Amen. ♪	1:02:08
	(pipe organ music)	1:02:19
	♪ God of grace and God of glory ♪	1:02:58
	♪ On Your people pour Your power ♪	1:03:03
	♪ Crown Your ancient church's story ♪	1:03:08
	♪ Bring its bud to glorious flower ♪	1:03:13
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	1:03:19
	♪ For the facing of this hour ♪	1:03:24
	♪ For the facing of this hour ♪	1:03:30
	♪ Lo, the hosts of evil round us ♪	1:03:37
	♪ Scorn Thy Christ, assail his ways ♪	1:03:43
	♪ Fears that hath too long have bound us ♪	1:03:48
	♪ Free our hearts to faith and praise ♪	1:03:54
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	1:03:59
	♪ For the living of these days ♪	1:04:05
	♪ For the living of these days ♪	1:04:11
	♪ Cure Your children's warring madness ♪	1:04:18
	♪ Bend our pride to Thy control ♪	1:04:24
	♪ Shame our wanton, selfish gladness ♪	1:04:29
	♪ Rich in things and poor in soul ♪	1:04:35
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	1:04:40
	♪ Lest we miss Your kingdom's goal ♪	1:04:46
	♪ Lest we miss Your kingdom's goal ♪	1:04:52
	♪ Save us from weak resignation ♪	1:05:00
	♪ To the evils we deplore ♪	1:05:06
	♪ Let the gift of Your salvation ♪	1:05:12
	♪ Be our glory evermore ♪	1:05:17
	♪ Grant us wisdom, grant us courage ♪	1:05:24
	♪ Serving Thee whom we adore ♪	1:05:29
	♪ Serving Thee whom we adore ♪	1:05:35
-	[Rev. Dr. Willimon] Let us go forth in the name of Christ.	1:05:48
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	1:05:51
	(pipe organ music)	1:05:54
	(pipe organ music)	1:07:48

Item Info

Title:

Thomas G. Long - "The Living Out of Dreams" (June 24, 1990)

Description:

There are several interpretations regarding the importance of the story of Jacob's Ladder in Genesis. This sermon argues that the key idea from that story is found in the image of the angels ascending and descening on the ladder. This signifies that, not only are we able to communicate with God, but God communicates with us, and that communication is what transforms us. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 22:11. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 43:39.
Key quotation: “Even our best dreams can only lead us, but they cannot transform us…Jacob may have a dream, but the God in his dream has him and will not let him go until he is transformed.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4s46hn12

Date:

June 24, 1990

Speaker:

Long, Thomas G., 1946-

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0187
ref8802_4ke
uachapelsermaud
duke:321365
dcrmv001179
ark:/87924/r4s46hn12
06f54609-cb44-4416-a89d-9cc8a537dc04

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

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

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