Elizabeth Achtemeier - "The Word of the Kingdom" (July 15, 1990)
Loading the media player...
Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(organ music) | 0:00 | |
(upbeat organ music) | 1:12 | |
- | Grace and peace to you in the name | 2:07 |
of the Lord Jesus Christ. | 2:08 | |
We welcome you to this service of worship here | 2:10 | |
at Duke University Chapel on the | 2:12 | |
sixth Sunday after Pentecost. | 2:14 | |
Recognizing that many of you may be visitors | 2:16 | |
to our campus for the first time, | 2:18 | |
we wish you a pleasant stay and offer our assistance | 2:20 | |
to you in any way that we may be helpful here at the chapel. | 2:23 | |
Our guest preacher for this morning's service | 2:27 | |
is the Reverend Doctor Elizabeth Achtemeier, | 2:28 | |
who is adjunct professor of Bible and Homiletics | 2:31 | |
at Union Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. | 2:34 | |
She is no stranger to this pulpit, | 2:37 | |
having preached here on a number of occasions. | 2:38 | |
The author of 15 books, she is a well-known | 2:41 | |
preacher and lecturer. | 2:44 | |
We also welcome her son Mark, who is currently enrolled | 2:46 | |
at the doctoral program here in the Department | 2:49 | |
of Religion, as our lector for today. | 2:51 | |
We are indebted to Ms. Jane Lynch, who is serving | 2:55 | |
as our guest conductor of the Summer choir | 2:57 | |
for the next three Sundays, | 2:59 | |
and to Doctor Thomas B Clark III our guest organist. | 3:01 | |
The flowers in front of the altar today | 3:05 | |
are given by Chuck and Susan Vansant, | 3:07 | |
in honor of their grandparents. | 3:10 | |
And now let us continue our worship. | 3:12 | |
♪ O come ye servants of the Lord ♪ | 3:20 | |
♪ And praise his holy name ♪ | 3:25 | |
♪ From early morn to setting sun ♪ | 3:30 | |
♪ His might on earth proclaim ♪ | 3:36 | |
♪ His might on earth proclaim ♪ | 3:39 | |
♪ O come ye servants of the Lord ♪ | 3:44 | |
♪ And praise his holy name ♪ | 3:50 | |
♪ From early morn to setting sun, ♪ | 3:55 | |
♪ His might on earth proclaim ♪ | 4:01 | |
♪ His might on earth proclaim ♪ | 4:04 | |
♪ His laws are just and glad the heart ♪ | 4:09 | |
♪ He makes his mercies known ♪ | 4:15 | |
♪ Ye princes come, ye people too ♪ | 4:21 | |
♪ And bow before his throne. ♪ | 4:28 | |
♪ And bow before his throne. ♪ | 4:33 | |
(organ music) | 4:45 | |
♪ Ye servants of God, ♪ | 5:19 | |
♪ Your Master proclaim. ♪ | 5:22 | |
♪ And publish abroad, His wonderful name. ♪ | 5:26 | |
♪ The name all-victorious of Jesus extol. ♪ | 5:34 | |
♪ His Kingdom is glorious, and rules over all. ♪ | 5:42 | |
♪ God ruleth on high, ♪ | 5:52 | |
♪ Almighty to save ♪ | 5:56 | |
♪ And still he is nigh, ♪ | 6:00 | |
♪ His presence we have. ♪ | 6:04 | |
♪ The great congregation his triumph shall sing. ♪ | 6:09 | |
♪ Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King. ♪ | 6:17 | |
♪ Salvation to God, who sits on the throne ♪ | 6:28 | |
♪ Let all cry aloud, ♪ | 6:36 | |
♪ And honor the Son. ♪ | 6:40 | |
♪ The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim ♪ | 6:44 | |
♪ Fall down on their faces, ♪ | 6:52 | |
♪ And worship the Lamb. ♪ | 6:56 | |
(organ music) | 7:01 | |
♪ Then let us adore, and give him his right ♪ | 7:45 | |
♪ All glory and power, all wisdom and might ♪ | 7:51 | |
♪ All honor and blessing with angels above ♪ | 8:00 | |
♪ And thanks never ceasing and infinite love. ♪ | 8:08 | |
- | O Lord, God, mercifully receive the prayers | 8:25 |
of your people who call upon you. | 8:29 | |
And grant that they may know and understand | 8:32 | |
what things they ought to do, | 8:36 | |
and also may have grace and power, | 8:38 | |
faithfully to accomplish them. | 8:41 | |
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, | 8:44 | |
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, | 8:46 | |
One God, now and forever, Amen. | 8:49 | |
- | Let us pray. | 9:04 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 9:07 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 9:10 | |
so that as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 9:13 | |
we might hear with joy what you say | 9:17 | |
to us this day, Amen. | 9:20 | |
Our first lesson is from the Book of Exodus. | 9:27 | |
This is a description of the early life | 9:32 | |
of Moses, setting the stage for God's call, | 9:35 | |
which would result in his leading the Children | 9:39 | |
of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. | 9:42 | |
Listen for the Word of the Lord. | 9:44 | |
One day, after Moses had grown up, | 9:48 | |
he went out to his people, and saw their forced labor. | 9:51 | |
He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, | 9:55 | |
one of his kinsfolk. | 9:58 | |
He looked this way and that, | 10:00 | |
and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian, | 10:02 | |
and hid him in the sand. | 10:05 | |
When he went out the next day, | 10:07 | |
he saw two Hebrews fighting, | 10:09 | |
and he said to the one who was in the wrong, | 10:12 | |
why do you strike your fellow Hebrew? | 10:14 | |
He answered, who made you a ruler and judge over us? | 10:18 | |
Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? | 10:22 | |
Then Moses was afraid, and he thought, | 10:27 | |
surely, the thing is known. | 10:30 | |
When Pharaoh heard of it he sought to kill Moses. | 10:32 | |
But Moses fled from Pharaoh, he settled | 10:36 | |
in the land of Midian and sat down by a well. | 10:39 | |
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. | 10:43 | |
They came to draw water and fill the troughs | 10:46 | |
to water their father's flock. | 10:50 | |
But some shepherds came and drove them away. | 10:52 | |
Moses got up and came to their defense, | 10:56 | |
and watered their flock. | 10:59 | |
When they returned to their father Roel, | 11:01 | |
he said, how is it that you have come back so soon today? | 11:03 | |
They said, an Egyptian helped us against the shepherds. | 11:07 | |
He even drew us water and watered the flock. | 11:12 | |
He said to his daughters, well where is he? | 11:16 | |
Why did you leave the man? | 11:18 | |
Invite him to break bread. | 11:20 | |
Moses agreed to stay with the man, | 11:23 | |
and he gave Moses his daughter, Zipporah in marriage. | 11:25 | |
She bore a son, and he named him Gershom, | 11:29 | |
for he said, I have been an alien | 11:33 | |
residing in a foreign land. | 11:35 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 11:38 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 11:41 |
- | Please stand as we join together | 11:48 |
in singing responsibly Psalm 31, | 11:50 | |
verses nine through 16, found | 11:53 | |
on page 765 in your hymnal. | 11:55 | |
(organ music) | 12:01 | |
♪ Be gracious to me, O Lord, ♪ | 12:11 | |
♪ For I am in distress, ♪ | 12:14 | |
♪ My eyes wasted from grief ♪ | 12:16 | |
♪ My soul and body also ♪ | 12:19 | |
♪ For my life is spent with sorrow ♪ | 12:24 | |
♪ And my years with sighing, ♪ | 12:28 | |
♪ My strength fails because of my iniquity, ♪ | 12:33 | |
♪ And my bones waste away ♪ | 12:39 | |
♪ I am the scorn of all my adversaries ♪ | 12:44 | |
♪ A horror to my neighbors ♪ | 12:49 | |
♪ An object of dread to my acquaintances ♪ | 12:52 | |
♪ Those who see me in the street flee from me ♪ | 12:57 | |
♪ I have been forgotten like one who is dead ♪ | 13:03 | |
♪ I have become like a broken vessel ♪ | 13:09 | |
♪ For I hear the whispering of many ♪ | 13:15 | |
♪ Terror all around ♪ | 13:18 | |
♪ As they scheme together against me ♪ | 13:21 | |
♪ As they plot to take my life ♪ | 13:25 | |
♪ But I trust in you, O Lord ♪ | 13:29 | |
♪ I say, you are my God ♪ | 13:34 | |
♪ My times are in your hand ♪ | 13:39 | |
♪ Deliver me from the hand of my enemies ♪ | 13:43 | |
♪ And persecutors ♪ | 13:47 | |
♪ Make your face shine on your servant ♪ | 13:50 | |
♪ Save me in your steadfast love ♪ | 13:55 | |
(organ music) | 14:02 | |
♪ Glory be to our Creator ♪ | 14:10 | |
♪ Praise to our Redeemer, Lord ♪ | 14:17 | |
♪ Glory be to our Sustainer ♪ | 14:25 | |
♪ Ever Three and ever One ♪ | 14:32 | |
♪ As it was in the beginning ♪ | 14:40 | |
♪ Now and evermore shall be. ♪ | 14:48 | |
- | Our second reading is taken | 15:11 |
from Paul's letter to the Church in Rome. | 15:13 | |
This passage forms part of an extended discussion | 15:17 | |
of life in the flesh, which is life centered | 15:20 | |
on a sinful self in rebellion against God, | 15:24 | |
as opposed to life in the Spirit, | 15:28 | |
which is a life founded on the grace | 15:30 | |
of God in Jesus Christ. | 15:31 | |
Listen for the Word of God. | 15:34 | |
But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, | 15:39 | |
since the Spirit of God dwells in you. | 15:43 | |
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ | 15:47 | |
does not belong to him, | 15:50 | |
but if Christ is in you, though the body is dead | 15:52 | |
because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. | 15:56 | |
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead | 16:01 | |
dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead | 16:05 | |
will give life to your mortal bodies also | 16:09 | |
through his Spirit that dwells in you. | 16:12 | |
So then, brothers and sisters, | 16:15 | |
we are debtors not to the flesh, | 16:17 | |
to live according to the flesh, | 16:19 | |
for if you live according to the flesh, you will die. | 16:22 | |
But if, by the Spirit, you put to death the deeds | 16:25 | |
of the body, you will live. | 16:29 | |
For all who are led by the Spirit | 16:32 | |
of God are children of God. | 16:34 | |
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery, | 16:37 | |
to fall back into fear, | 16:41 | |
but you have received a spirit of adoption. | 16:43 | |
When we cry, Abba, Father, it is that very Spirit | 16:46 | |
bearing witness with our spirit, | 16:52 | |
that we are children of God. | 16:54 | |
And if children, then heirs. | 16:56 | |
Heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ. | 16:59 | |
If in fact we suffer with him, | 17:02 | |
so that we may also be glorified with him. | 17:05 | |
The Word of God for the people of God. | 17:09 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 17:13 |
(organ music) | 17:30 | |
♪ Let all the world ♪ | 17:48 | |
♪ In every corner sing ♪ | 17:52 | |
♪ My God and King ♪ | 17:57 | |
♪ The heavens are not too high ♪ | 18:04 | |
♪ God's praise may thither fly ♪ | 18:09 | |
♪ The earth is not too low ♪ | 18:15 | |
♪ God's praises there may grow ♪ | 18:20 | |
♪ Let all the world ♪ | 18:26 | |
♪ In every corner sing ♪ | 18:31 | |
♪ My God and King ♪ | 18:36 | |
♪ The church with psalms must shout ♪ | 18:43 | |
♪ No door can keep them out ♪ | 18:48 | |
♪ But more than all the heart ♪ | 18:54 | |
♪ Must bear the longest part ♪ | 18:59 | |
♪ Let all the world ♪ | 19:06 | |
♪ In every corner sing ♪ | 19:11 | |
♪ My God and King. ♪ | 19:16 | |
- | Our Gospel lesson is taken from the 13th chapter | 19:40 |
of Matthew's Gospel. | 19:44 | |
It is the parable of the sower, told by Jesus | 19:46 | |
and also Jesus' private explanation | 19:50 | |
of the parable to his disciples. | 19:53 | |
Listen for the Word of God. | 19:56 | |
That same day, Jesus went out | 20:00 | |
of the house and sat beside the sea. | 20:02 | |
Such great crowds gathered around him, | 20:06 | |
that he got into a boat and sat there, | 20:09 | |
while the whole crowd stood on the beach. | 20:12 | |
And he told them many things in parables | 20:15 | |
saying listen, a sower went out to sow. | 20:18 | |
And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, | 20:23 | |
and the birds came and ate them up. | 20:26 | |
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, | 20:30 | |
where they did not have much soil, | 20:33 | |
and they sprang up quickly, since they had | 20:35 | |
no depth of soil, but when they sun rose, | 20:38 | |
they were scorched, and since they had | 20:41 | |
no root, they withered away. | 20:43 | |
Other seeds fell among thorns, | 20:46 | |
and the thorns grew up and choked them. | 20:49 | |
Other seeds fell on good soil, | 20:53 | |
and brought forth grain, some 100 fold, some 60, some 30. | 20:55 | |
Let anyone with ears listen. | 21:01 | |
Jesus told his disciples hear then the parable of the sower. | 21:07 | |
When anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom, | 21:13 | |
and does not understand it, the evil one comes | 21:15 | |
and snatches away what is sown in the heart. | 21:18 | |
This is what was sown on the path. | 21:22 | |
As for what was sown on rocky ground, | 21:25 | |
this is the one who hears the Word | 21:28 | |
and immediately receives it with joy, | 21:30 | |
and yet such a person has no root, | 21:33 | |
but endures only for awhile, and when trouble | 21:36 | |
or persecution arise, on account of the Word, | 21:39 | |
that person immediately falls away. | 21:42 | |
As for what was sown among thorns, | 21:45 | |
this is the one who hears the Word | 21:48 | |
but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth | 21:51 | |
choke the Word and it yields nothing. | 21:54 | |
But as for what was sown on good soil, | 21:57 | |
this is the one who hears the Word | 22:00 | |
and understands it, who indeed bears fruit, | 22:02 | |
and yields in one case 100 fold, | 22:06 | |
in another 60, and in another 30. | 22:09 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 22:13 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 22:16 |
- | Just let me say that it is always a pleasure | 22:27 |
to be invited to fill this pulpit. | 22:30 | |
And it is an honor to be worshiping | 22:33 | |
with you this Sunday morning. | 22:36 | |
This parable of the sower that we heard | 22:41 | |
for our Gospel lesson this morning | 22:43 | |
is one of a whole series of parables | 22:45 | |
about the Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke. | 22:48 | |
And that are now contained for us | 22:52 | |
in this 13th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew. | 22:54 | |
We find in that chapter, not only this parable of the sower, | 22:59 | |
but also that of the wheat and the tares, | 23:02 | |
of the mustard seed, of the treasure in a field, | 23:05 | |
and of the pearl of great price, | 23:08 | |
all concerning the Kingdom. | 23:10 | |
Jesus came preaching the Kingdom of God. | 23:14 | |
That was the content of his teaching. | 23:18 | |
And so to understand our Gospel lesson | 23:21 | |
we need to know what the Kingdom is. | 23:23 | |
Now perhaps we will best understand the meaning | 23:27 | |
of the Kingdom of God if we try to get rid | 23:30 | |
of our usual definitions of it. | 23:32 | |
For that Kingdom of Heaven is not so much a place, | 23:35 | |
not so much a place off there | 23:39 | |
in Heaven as we usually think. | 23:41 | |
Rather, the Kingdom of God is a rule. | 23:44 | |
It is the kingship of God, | 23:48 | |
the exercise of God's sovereignty over us. | 23:50 | |
Jesus came preaching the kingship of God. | 23:54 | |
That was the content of his message. | 23:57 | |
God rules over my life, he rules over yours. | 24:00 | |
God is the monarch over our lives, Jesus taught. | 24:04 | |
And so the word which the sower sows | 24:10 | |
in our parable, you see, is that Word of the Kingdom. | 24:12 | |
That God is in charge, that he is sovereign. | 24:16 | |
That he rules your life and mine. | 24:20 | |
Well if God does rule over our lives, | 24:24 | |
that is not evident most of the time, is it? | 24:27 | |
I can think of a dozen other influences | 24:31 | |
that seem to run our lives. | 24:34 | |
All of those schedules with their tyrannical deadlines | 24:36 | |
that we feel ourselves obligated to meet. | 24:39 | |
Or the demands of home and family, | 24:43 | |
or of job and calling, that always hang over us. | 24:44 | |
Or perhaps even the stereotypes of race or sex, | 24:49 | |
or economic status, that others impose upon us. | 24:53 | |
Or we might even say, in our society, | 24:58 | |
that the so-called experts run our lives. | 25:00 | |
The nutrition experts tell us what | 25:04 | |
to eat so we won't develop cancer. | 25:06 | |
The psychology experts tell us how to raise our kids, | 25:10 | |
or how to avoid stress and burnout. | 25:12 | |
The fashion experts dictate what we wear. | 25:16 | |
The sex experts invade our bedroom lives. | 25:20 | |
And from every t.v. screen our thought | 25:24 | |
is guided and influenced. | 25:27 | |
It is no wonder that so many ideologies | 25:29 | |
and philosophies these days are searching for freedom. | 25:31 | |
For autonomy, for self-determination, | 25:35 | |
for the chance to run our own lives. | 25:38 | |
And when some movement or cause | 25:42 | |
offers us freedom, we go rushing to sign up and join. | 25:44 | |
But the Word of the Kingdom that Jesus sows | 25:49 | |
for us is that God rules our lives. | 25:51 | |
He is in charge. | 25:54 | |
He is sovereign over you and me. | 25:56 | |
Now I suppose that could seem oppressive, | 26:01 | |
and to some even tyrannical, if it were not | 26:02 | |
for the fact that Jesus says it. | 26:05 | |
But the God he presents to us, | 26:09 | |
indeed the God he incarnates for us | 26:11 | |
in his person is a God of such undimmed love. | 26:13 | |
He does not care a whit how we dress, | 26:18 | |
or what we possess, or how important | 26:20 | |
other people think we are. | 26:23 | |
He does not care whether we are female or male, | 26:25 | |
yellow, or black, or white, or brown. | 26:29 | |
No, as in our Epistle lesson he says to us, | 26:32 | |
I am your loving father, and you are | 26:35 | |
my beloved son or daughter. | 26:37 | |
And he cares desperately what happens to us. | 26:40 | |
And what kind of persons we are becoming. | 26:44 | |
Every moment he watches over us | 26:48 | |
and accompanies our steps, and sees our future. | 26:50 | |
And he plans that future, you see. | 26:55 | |
He plans our future, working, prodding, guiding, | 26:58 | |
weeping, and judging, and forgiving, | 27:02 | |
all in order that we may finally have life | 27:05 | |
and have it more abundantly. | 27:07 | |
I remember so vividly the day that | 27:11 | |
the young woman sat in my office with tears of hurt | 27:13 | |
and disappointment coursing down her cheeks. | 27:17 | |
The man she had thought she was going to marry | 27:21 | |
had turned his back on her and left. | 27:23 | |
Well I think we all have some kind | 27:27 | |
of devastating moments like that, do we not? | 27:29 | |
When a love fails us, or a job offer falls through, | 27:33 | |
or a plan for the future that we so cherished goes awry. | 27:38 | |
But in those moments, Jesus tells us, | 27:43 | |
we are nevertheless being guided. | 27:45 | |
God has a planned future for us, God rules our life. | 27:48 | |
And you see, we know that because | 27:54 | |
it is Jesus who assures us of it. | 27:55 | |
For if ever a life seemed to end | 27:59 | |
in shattered dreams and futility it was his. | 28:01 | |
His mission of love and healing and teaching | 28:06 | |
come to naught but the thirst and pain and blood of a cross. | 28:08 | |
Denied by his inner circle. | 28:13 | |
Deserted by those whom he had called his friends. | 28:16 | |
But God ruled his life. | 28:20 | |
God was in charge. | 28:23 | |
And so Golgotha gave way to Easter morn. | 28:26 | |
And that which had seemed futility turned | 28:30 | |
into God's resurrection victory for us all. | 28:32 | |
A cross which had been a symbol of death | 28:37 | |
became the way to God's life eternal. | 28:40 | |
And I wonder if we can remember that | 28:44 | |
when the futility and suffering and daily disappointments | 28:47 | |
of life walk in our front door | 28:51 | |
and sit down in our living room. | 28:53 | |
Can we remember that God in Jesus Christ rules our lives? | 28:57 | |
And has a future for us all. | 29:02 | |
Can we recall it when we worry about our kids? | 29:06 | |
And can we trust that God nevertheless watches | 29:11 | |
over them every moment and guides and plans their destinies? | 29:14 | |
Will we think of it when we cannot sleep | 29:20 | |
at night, and remember that God never slumbers nor sleeps. | 29:22 | |
Can we trust in the good sovereignty | 29:27 | |
of God when pain seems to rule? | 29:29 | |
Or when we weep beside a fresh dug grave. | 29:33 | |
God is in charge. | 29:37 | |
God rules your life and mine. | 29:39 | |
Indeed, I wonder if we can remember that Word of the Kingdom | 29:43 | |
when we watch the tortured progress of nations. | 29:46 | |
Few decades have seen the upheavals in international | 29:51 | |
affairs that we have witnessed in the last two years. | 29:54 | |
And all of it leaves us wondering just | 29:58 | |
what is going to happen next. | 29:59 | |
But then who would've thought in the time | 30:02 | |
of our Old Testament lesson, that the Pharaoh | 30:04 | |
Ramses II of Egypt could be challenged? | 30:08 | |
Ramses, there with his slaves and his vast building projects | 30:12 | |
and his picked army of horses and chariots. | 30:16 | |
Ramses, with his counselors and magicians | 30:20 | |
and over 2,000 years of Egyptian culture behind him. | 30:22 | |
Would you challenge such an Empire | 30:28 | |
with a herder of sheep from the desert named Moses? | 30:30 | |
With one who was a fugative and murderer, at that? | 30:35 | |
But God ruled Moses' life, you see, | 30:40 | |
and that of the Empire of Egypt also. | 30:43 | |
And we need to remember that midst the confusion | 30:47 | |
of international affairs, when it seems that | 30:49 | |
only the politicians and military, | 30:52 | |
and multinational corporations are in charge. | 30:54 | |
No, God rules, God is sovereign, | 30:58 | |
that is the Word of the Kingdom from our Lord. | 31:00 | |
And that word is the source of our hope, | 31:05 | |
and of our courage, and of our joy, | 31:09 | |
and of peace that passes understanding. | 31:13 | |
But Jesus tells us, when he interprets his parable, | 31:17 | |
that three things can take that Word away from us. | 31:20 | |
Three conditions can leave us bereft of hope | 31:23 | |
and courage and joy in this world. | 31:26 | |
And the first is that we can simply fail | 31:29 | |
to understand that God rules our life. | 31:31 | |
When anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom | 31:36 | |
and does not understand it, Jesus explains, | 31:38 | |
the evil one comes and snatches | 31:41 | |
away what is sown in his heart. | 31:43 | |
We can just fail to understand that God is in charge. | 31:45 | |
I wonder sometimes just where we are gaining | 31:51 | |
any understanding in the ways of God these days. | 31:54 | |
That knowledge used to be communicated to us | 31:58 | |
by a largely Christian culture. | 32:00 | |
When every school child read from McGuffey's Readers | 32:03 | |
that God had created him or her. | 32:06 | |
But we cannot count on the cultural support | 32:09 | |
of our faith anymore in this pluralistic society. | 32:12 | |
Rightly or wrongly the ACLU has seen to that. | 32:15 | |
And the churches you see are left on their own | 32:21 | |
to educate us in the ways of God. | 32:23 | |
Certainly some of them are doing a magnificent job | 32:27 | |
and are teaching us, but some of them are not. | 32:30 | |
Some of them are preaching instead merely mental health, | 32:34 | |
or political opinions, or the latest | 32:37 | |
fads from their pulpits. | 32:39 | |
As one cynic remarked, Jesus came preaching the Kingdom | 32:43 | |
of God, and what he got was the Church. | 32:46 | |
A distinct disappointment. | 32:49 | |
Yes, some of our churches are failing us. | 32:52 | |
But on the other hand, are we ourselves | 32:56 | |
seeking that understanding of the rule | 32:58 | |
of God that can undergird our life? | 33:00 | |
Have you ever read a simple textbook that explains | 33:04 | |
the basic doctrines of the Christian faith? | 33:08 | |
Or do you ever study one book of the Bible at a time? | 33:12 | |
With a study Bible or a commentary at hand? | 33:16 | |
Harper and Row has an excellent one volume commentary | 33:21 | |
on the Bible out now. | 33:24 | |
And for the price of a dinner out and a few minutes | 33:26 | |
a day, you can begin to educate yourself | 33:29 | |
in the wondrous ways of this God who rules your life. | 33:32 | |
Or for that matter, do you ever demand | 33:37 | |
yes, demand, and I use that word advisedly, | 33:40 | |
do you ever demand that your minister, | 33:43 | |
or your Christian educator, or your church school teachers | 33:46 | |
feed you and your family with the Word of the Living God? | 33:49 | |
Heaven knows if we do not do those things | 33:55 | |
there are, as Jesus says in his parable, | 33:57 | |
those evil ones waiting to snatch | 33:59 | |
away the Word of God's rule. | 34:01 | |
Those post-Christian feminists who try to tell us | 34:04 | |
that we are our own gods or goddesses. | 34:07 | |
Or those supposed sophisticates who say that | 34:11 | |
the Christian faith is nothing but a myth. | 34:13 | |
Or those ever-present cultists | 34:17 | |
who claim to have some better knowledge of God. | 34:20 | |
You know them, the mystic gurus, | 34:22 | |
the New Age religionists, the Muslims, Moonies, | 34:25 | |
Hare Krishnas, and God help us, even Shirley McLaine. | 34:28 | |
We understand the Word of the Kingdom in this day and age, | 34:35 | |
or we fall victim to the fad and follies of our time. | 34:38 | |
Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, Jesus taught. | 34:42 | |
We have to learn. | 34:47 | |
We have to learn what it means that God rules our life. | 34:49 | |
And learning that every day in the second place, | 34:54 | |
and growing in our knowledge of the ways of God, | 34:56 | |
then Jesus tells us that in order | 34:59 | |
to have hope and courage and joy and peace | 35:01 | |
we must also be willing to trust. | 35:04 | |
There are some who endure for awhile, | 35:08 | |
he says in our parable. | 35:11 | |
But then when tribulation or persecution | 35:13 | |
arises on account of that word, they fall away. | 35:15 | |
You know it's not easy to be a Christian in our society. | 35:20 | |
To forego all the ways we are expected | 35:25 | |
to act by our faithless culture. | 35:27 | |
To work at a marriage, to cling to it and refuse a divorce | 35:31 | |
and the trust that God is working in it. | 35:36 | |
To shun easy sexual relations when they seem | 35:40 | |
so acceptable on the soaps. | 35:43 | |
To act toward the poor and weak and non-influential | 35:47 | |
as if they were the chairman of the board. | 35:50 | |
To believe that life is more than Nouvelle cuisine | 35:54 | |
and the latest Bill Blass fashions. | 35:56 | |
Christians in their lifestyle sometimes live | 36:00 | |
on the tenuous edge of ruin. | 36:03 | |
And they sometimes suffer for their beliefs | 36:06 | |
when there are so many easy ways out of suffering. | 36:09 | |
If only, if only they would give up that notion | 36:13 | |
that they are responsible to God. | 36:17 | |
Do you remember Sir Thomas Moore, | 36:22 | |
that man for all seasons in Robert Bolt's play? | 36:24 | |
Who by one little word, approving Henry the VIII's | 36:29 | |
faithless marriage could've escaped the executioner's ax? | 36:32 | |
Just before he was beheaded he | 36:38 | |
explained his stand to his daughter. | 36:40 | |
If we lived in a state where virtue was profitable, | 36:44 | |
he says, well then common sense would make us good, | 36:47 | |
and greed would make us saintly. | 36:51 | |
But no, since avarice, anger, envy, | 36:55 | |
pride, sloth, lust, and stupidity | 36:58 | |
are far more profitable in our world. | 37:01 | |
And we have to choose, in order to be human at all. | 37:05 | |
Why then, perhaps we must stand fast a little. | 37:10 | |
We must stand fast a little. | 37:16 | |
He knew, you see, that a person could gain | 37:20 | |
the whole world and lose his own soul, | 37:22 | |
because God rules and is in charge. | 37:25 | |
And so in the third place, Jesus tells us that | 37:31 | |
Word of the Kingdom of hope and courage and joy | 37:34 | |
can be taken away from us if we fail to make up our minds. | 37:36 | |
If we fail to decide that we are going | 37:41 | |
to let God rule our lives. | 37:44 | |
The cares of the world and the delight in riches | 37:47 | |
choke the Word and it proves unfruitful, our Lord explains. | 37:50 | |
We just get too busy and too preoccupied | 37:53 | |
with other things, don't we? | 37:56 | |
And somehow we never get around | 37:59 | |
to making up our minds about God. | 38:01 | |
After all, life is comfortable. | 38:04 | |
Some personal crisis has passed. | 38:07 | |
And we're getting along pretty well, all things considered. | 38:11 | |
And so paraphrasing Scarlett O'Hara, | 38:15 | |
we'll think about God tomorrow. | 38:17 | |
And then, each tomorrow somehow creeps | 38:21 | |
by unnoticed, and becomes the past. | 38:24 | |
And suddenly we are at the end of our years. | 38:28 | |
And we look back in memory and in regret. | 38:33 | |
And we find that our living has actually signified nothing. | 38:37 | |
That it really has been unfruitful | 38:42 | |
and devoid of worth in the eternal scheme of things. | 38:44 | |
Tell me, how many tombstones in the cemetery | 38:48 | |
do you think could God mark with a zero? | 38:52 | |
A woman in Richmond called me some time ago | 38:58 | |
after I had spoken on a local radio station. | 39:01 | |
I've got to get my life in shape, | 39:04 | |
was her only explanation. | 39:07 | |
In other words, to decide, friends. | 39:10 | |
To vote for God's kingship in your heart, | 39:14 | |
and then to live as if he rules everyday. | 39:16 | |
Yes, that is the way to peace and joy | 39:19 | |
and courage and hope in this sin-marred world of ours. | 39:21 | |
And it is the way to a life of meaning | 39:27 | |
and purpose that bears abundant fruit. | 39:29 | |
For you see, Jesus promised it, didn't he? | 39:33 | |
And then he proved it true. | 39:37 | |
He never doubted that God ruled his life, | 39:40 | |
even when that cross loomed before him. | 39:43 | |
And so that trust in the kingship | 39:47 | |
of God now shines as a light in this darkened world. | 39:49 | |
Where we despair of ourselves and our wrong, | 39:54 | |
Christ's forgiveness sheds hope of new beginnings. | 39:56 | |
Where we find ourselves weak and powerless | 40:01 | |
to go on, Christ's strength undergirds us. | 40:03 | |
Where we cry out in pain, or weep beside a coffin, | 40:08 | |
Christ's resurrection proclaims an eternal life | 40:14 | |
and Kingdom that shall not pass away. | 40:17 | |
That is the Word of the Kingdom, good Christian friends. | 40:21 | |
God is in charge of this wayward world of ours. | 40:25 | |
God rules your life and mine. | 40:30 | |
And blessed are those who hear the Word, | 40:35 | |
and understand it, and trust it, and live it. | 40:38 | |
For their lives will bear fruit. | 40:45 | |
30 fold, and 60, | 40:47 | |
and yes 100. | 40:51 | |
Amen. | 40:54 | |
(organ music) | 41:03 | |
♪ For the beauty of the earth ♪ | 41:35 | |
♪ For the glory of the skies ♪ | 41:40 | |
♪ For the love which from our birth ♪ | 41:45 | |
♪ Over and around us lies ♪ | 41:50 | |
♪ Lord of all to thee we raise ♪ | 41:55 | |
♪ This our hymn of grateful praise ♪ | 42:01 | |
♪ For the beauty of each hour ♪ | 42:08 | |
♪ Of the day and of the night ♪ | 42:13 | |
♪ Hill and vale and tree and flower ♪ | 42:19 | |
♪ Sun and moon and stars of night ♪ | 42:24 | |
♪ Lord of all to thee we raise ♪ | 42:30 | |
♪ This our hymn of grateful praise ♪ | 42:35 | |
♪ For the joy of ear and eye ♪ | 42:44 | |
♪ For the heart and mind's delight ♪ | 42:49 | |
♪ For the mystic harmony ♪ | 42:54 | |
♪ Linking sense to sound and sight ♪ | 42:59 | |
♪ Lord of all to thee we raise ♪ | 43:05 | |
♪ This our hymn of grateful praise ♪ | 43:11 | |
♪ For the joy of human love ♪ | 43:19 | |
♪ Brother, sister, parent, child ♪ | 43:24 | |
♪ Friends on earth and friends above ♪ | 43:29 | |
♪ For all gentle thoughts and mild ♪ | 43:35 | |
♪ Lord of all to thee we raise ♪ | 43:40 | |
♪ This our hymn of grateful praise ♪ | 43:46 | |
♪ For the church that evermore ♪ | 43:54 | |
♪ Lifteth holy hands above ♪ | 44:00 | |
♪ Offering up on every shore ♪ | 44:05 | |
♪ Her pure sacrifice of love ♪ | 44:11 | |
♪ Lord of all to thee we raise ♪ | 44:16 | |
♪ This our hymn of grateful praise ♪ | 44:22 | |
♪ For thyself, best Gift Divine ♪ | 44:29 | |
♪ To the world so freely given ♪ | 44:35 | |
♪ For that great, great love of thine, ♪ | 44:41 | |
♪ Peace on earth and joy in heaven ♪ | 44:46 | |
♪ Lord of all to thee we raise ♪ | 44:51 | |
♪ This our hymn of grateful praise. ♪ | 44:57 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 45:07 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 45:08 |
- | Let us pray. | 45:10 |
Most gracious God, | 45:22 | |
in Jesus Christ you taught us to pray, | 45:25 | |
that our roots may grow deep and | 45:29 | |
we may be firmly grounded in your Word. | 45:31 | |
You promised that what we ask | 45:34 | |
in his name will be given us. | 45:36 | |
For he is the ruler of the earth. | 45:38 | |
Guide us by your Holy Spirit, | 45:41 | |
that our prayers for others may serve your will, | 45:43 | |
and reveal your steadfast love. | 45:46 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 45:50 | |
Almighty God, you call us into the church | 45:55 | |
that with women and men of different races, | 45:59 | |
color, language, diverse experiences, | 46:02 | |
and varying traditions, we may be one body, | 46:05 | |
to the glory of Christ on earth. | 46:09 | |
Help us to be all that you have called us to be. | 46:12 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 46:16 | |
O creating God, you give us wealth in the earth, | 46:21 | |
and in the oceans, forest and fertile plains, | 46:25 | |
air to breathe, water to drink, | 46:29 | |
and all that is necessary for human life. | 46:32 | |
We pray for the wisdom to care for your creation, | 46:36 | |
and for all its inhabitants, especially | 46:39 | |
we pray for those who know little of your bounty, | 46:43 | |
for whom existence is a constant struggle | 46:47 | |
against overwhelming odds. | 46:49 | |
We acknowledge that we share a common humanity. | 46:52 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 46:56 | |
O redeeming God, you have called us to love one another, | 47:02 | |
but because we do not know how to love everyone, | 47:06 | |
you tell us to start with the brother or sister at our side. | 47:09 | |
We pray for any from whom we are estranged. | 47:14 | |
Bless them and bless us in our | 47:17 | |
future relationships with them. | 47:20 | |
We pray for our families, our friends, | 47:23 | |
and all whom we meet and with whom we work day by day. | 47:26 | |
Their particular needs we ask you to bless them. | 47:31 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 47:35 | |
O sustaining God, you are present | 47:39 | |
in every part of human existence. | 47:43 | |
We lift before you the infant lying in a parent's arms, | 47:46 | |
all newlyweds planning their future together, | 47:50 | |
young graduates searching for a life's vocation, | 47:54 | |
the sick and the infirm battling with weakness and disease, | 47:57 | |
and the dying, soon to experience your new creation. | 48:02 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 48:06 | |
O reconciling God, we pray for those lands | 48:11 | |
where brother and sister fight sister and brother, | 48:14 | |
divided by arbitrary borders, ideology, or religion. | 48:18 | |
We pray for those lands where extremes | 48:22 | |
of wealth and poverty are bitterly divisive. | 48:24 | |
We pray for those lands where power is abused, | 48:28 | |
and the dispossessed bear the heaviest burdens. | 48:31 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 48:35 | |
O eternal God, we remember before you all who have died. | 48:40 | |
As we all received from you the gift of life, | 48:45 | |
so we pray that you will bring us to life eternal. | 48:49 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 48:53 | |
O Lord our God, accept the fervent | 48:57 | |
prayers of all your people. | 48:59 | |
In your boundless love, look with compassion on us | 49:02 | |
and all who turn to you for help. | 49:04 | |
For you are gracious, O lover of souls. | 49:08 | |
And to you we give glory, O Blessed Trinity, | 49:11 | |
now and forever, Amen. | 49:14 | |
And now in the spirit of thanksgiving | 49:19 | |
for the mighty acts of God, let us offer | 49:21 | |
our gifts and ourselves unto God. | 49:23 | |
(gentle organ music) | 49:30 | |
(organ music) | 50:46 | |
♪ My eyes for beauty pine ♪ | 50:54 | |
♪ My soul for God's grace ♪ | 51:00 | |
♪ No other prayer nor hope is mine ♪ | 51:08 | |
♪ To heaven I turn my face ♪ | 51:16 | |
♪ One splendor thence is shed ♪ | 51:43 | |
♪ From all the stars above ♪ | 51:50 | |
♪ 'Tis named when God's name is said ♪ | 51:59 | |
♪ 'Tis love, 'tis heavenly love ♪ | 52:09 | |
♪ And every gentle heart ♪ | 52:38 | |
♪ That burns with true desire ♪ | 52:46 | |
♪ Is lit from eyes that mirror part ♪ | 52:55 | |
♪ Of that celestial fire. ♪ | 53:04 | |
(powerful organ music) | 53:20 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 53:56 | |
♪ Praise him all creatures here below ♪ | 54:02 | |
♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪ | 54:08 | |
♪ Praise him above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 54:17 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 54:23 | |
♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪ | 54:30 | |
♪ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia ♪ | 54:37 | |
- | Holy God, we praise your name. | 55:04 |
Let the heavens be joyful and the earth be glad. | 55:06 | |
We bless you for creating the whole world | 55:10 | |
and for your promises to your people Israel | 55:12 | |
and for the life we knew in Jesus Christ your son. | 55:15 | |
Born of Mary, he shares our life. | 55:19 | |
Eating with sinners, he welcomes us. | 55:21 | |
Leading his followers, he guides us. | 55:24 | |
Dying on the cross, he rescues us. | 55:27 | |
Risen from the dead, he gives us new life. | 55:29 | |
Send us your Holy Spirit, that your people may become one. | 55:32 | |
Unite us in faith, inspire us to love, | 55:36 | |
encourage us with hope, that being made one | 55:40 | |
with Christ, we may be one with each other, | 55:43 | |
and one in ministry to all the world, | 55:46 | |
until Christ comes in final victory. | 55:48 | |
We praise you, Almighty Father, | 55:51 | |
through Christ your Son, in the Holy Spirit, Amen. | 55:53 | |
And now let us pray as children of God. | 55:58 | |
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | 56:01 | |
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, | 56:05 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 56:08 | |
Give us this day our daily bread, | 56:11 | |
and forgive us our trespasses, | 56:13 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 56:15 | |
And lead us not into temptation, | 56:18 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 56:21 | |
For thine is the Kingdom, the power, | 56:23 | |
and the glory, forever, Amen. | 56:25 | |
The peace of God, which passes all understanding. | 56:30 | |
Keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, | 56:34 | |
and of God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, | 56:37 | |
and the blessing of God Almighty, | 56:41 | |
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, remain with you always. | 56:43 | |
♪ Amen, Amen, Amen. ♪ | 56:53 | |
(organ music) | 57:13 | |
♪ Praise to the Lord, the Almighty ♪ | 57:52 | |
♪ The King of creation ♪ | 57:57 | |
♪ O my soul praise him for he is thy health and salvation ♪ | 58:03 | |
♪ All ye who hear now to his temple draw near ♪ | 58:15 | |
♪ Join me in glad adoration ♪ | 58:25 | |
♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ | 58:34 | |
♪ Who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth ♪ | 58:37 | |
♪ Bears thee on eagle's wings ♪ | 58:45 | |
♪ E'er in his keeping maintaining ♪ | 58:49 | |
♪ God's care enfolds all whose true good he upholds ♪ | 58:57 | |
♪ Hast thou not known his sustaining? ♪ | 59:07 | |
♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ | 59:16 | |
♪ Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee ♪ | 59:18 | |
♪ Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee ♪ | 59:27 | |
♪ Ponder anew what the Almighty can do ♪ | 59:38 | |
♪ Who with his love doth befriend thee ♪ | 59:48 | |
♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ | 59:58 | |
♪ Who doth nourish thy life and restore thee ♪ | 1:00:01 | |
♪ Fitting thee well for the tasks ♪ | 1:00:09 | |
♪ That are ever before thee ♪ | 1:00:14 | |
♪ Then to thy need ♪ | 1:00:21 | |
♪ God as a mother doth speed ♪ | 1:00:25 | |
♪ Spreading the wings of grace o'er thee ♪ | 1:00:31 | |
♪ Praise to the Lord ♪ | 1:00:41 | |
♪ O let all that is in me adore him ♪ | 1:00:44 | |
♪ All that hath life and breath ♪ | 1:00:52 | |
♪ Come now with praises before him ♪ | 1:00:56 | |
♪ Let the amen sound from his people again ♪ | 1:01:04 | |
♪ Gladly forever adore him. ♪ | 1:01:14 | |
- | Let us go forth in the name of the Lord. | 1:01:33 |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 1:01:37 |
(upbeat organ music) | 1:01:41 |