Wade P. Huie, Jr. - "A Long Robe with Flowing Sleeves" (August 19, 1990)
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(organ music) | 0:02 | |
- | Welcome to this service of worship at Duke University | 4:54 |
Chapel on this the 11th Sunday after Pentecost. | 4:57 | |
I have been asked to invite anyone interested in singing | 5:02 | |
in the Duke Chapel Choir next Sunday, | 5:05 | |
to attend rehearsal on Saturday, August 25th, | 5:08 | |
at 2:45pm in the Chapel. | 5:12 | |
Auditions for the 1991 choir will begin on August 26th. | 5:16 | |
Our preacher for today is the Reverend Dr. Wade P. Huie Jr, | 5:24 | |
Peter Marshall professor of Homiletics, | 5:29 | |
at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. | 5:32 | |
Dr. Huie, a Presbyterian, has had a distinguished career | 5:37 | |
in the church in both preaching and teaching | 5:42 | |
in this country and abroad. | 5:46 | |
We welcome Dr. Huie to this pulpit today. | 5:49 | |
Our lector is Dr. Robert Durdan, professor of history | 5:54 | |
at Duke and a member of the congregation at Duke Chapel. | 5:58 | |
Our soloist is Miss Laura Baxter, a member of the | 6:03 | |
Duke Chapel Choir. | 6:07 | |
Let us continue our worship of God. | 6:10 | |
(organ music) | 6:16 | |
♪ Praise my soul the King of Glory ♪ | 6:49 | |
♪ To His feet thy tribute bring ♪ | 6:56 | |
♪ Ransomed healed restored forgiven ♪ | 7:01 | |
♪ Who like thee His praise should sing ♪ | 7:06 | |
♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪ | 7:12 | |
♪ Praise the everlasting King. ♪ | 7:17 | |
♪ Praise Him for His grace and favor ♪ | 7:25 | |
♪ To our fathers in distress ♪ | 7:32 | |
♪ Praise Him still the same for ever ♪ | 7:37 | |
♪ Slow to chide, and swift to bless ♪ | 7:42 | |
♪ Alleluia alleluia ♪ | 7:48 | |
♪ Glorious in His faithfulness. ♪ | 7:53 | |
♪ Father-like he tends and spares us ♪ | 8:02 | |
♪ Well our feeble frame He knows ♪ | 8:09 | |
♪ In His hands he gently bears us ♪ | 8:14 | |
♪ Rescues us from all our foes ♪ | 8:20 | |
♪ Aleluya ♪ | 8:25 | |
♪ Aleluya ♪ | 8:28 | |
♪ Widely as His mercy flows ♪ | 8:31 | |
♪ Frail as summer's flower we flourish ♪ | 8:39 | |
♪ Blows the wind and it is gone ♪ | 8:46 | |
♪ But while mortals rise and perish ♪ | 8:52 | |
♪ God endures unchanging one ♪ | 8:57 | |
♪ Alleluia alleluia ♪ | 9:03 | |
♪ Praise the high eternal one ♪ | 9:09 | |
- | Let us pray. | 9:21 |
O eternal God, in your presence we rejoice. | 9:23 | |
For by it our lives are given significance | 9:27 | |
and through it the passing moments are enriched. | 9:31 | |
Startle us so that we may receive | 9:36 | |
new bursts of understanding. | 9:38 | |
Open us so that we might behold your wonder and your glory. | 9:41 | |
Turn us to yourself so that we might move | 9:46 | |
from the lure of death to the joy of life | 9:51 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord, | 9:55 | |
who lives and reigns with you | 9:58 | |
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, amen. | 10:01 | |
Be seated. | 10:08 | |
- | Let us pray. | 10:22 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, by the power of your | 10:24 | |
Holy Spirit so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 10:28 | |
we might hear with joy what you say to us this day. | 10:34 | |
Amen. | 10:38 | |
The first reading is taken from the gospel according | 10:41 | |
to St. Matthew. | 10:44 | |
And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the | 10:48 | |
district of Tire and Sidon. | 10:50 | |
And a Canaanite woman from that region came out | 10:53 | |
and cried, have mercy on me Lord, son of David. | 10:56 | |
My daughter is severely possessed by a demon. | 11:00 | |
But Jesus did not answer her a word. | 11:04 | |
And the disciples came and begged Jesus, saying, | 11:09 | |
"Send her away for she is crying after us." | 11:12 | |
Jesus answered, | 11:17 | |
"I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." | 11:19 | |
But she came and knelt before Jesus saying, | 11:24 | |
"Lord, help me." | 11:27 | |
And Jesus answered. | 11:30 | |
"It is not fair to take the children's bread | 11:32 | |
and throw it to the dogs." | 11:36 | |
She said, | 11:39 | |
"Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs | 11:40 | |
that fall from their owners table." | 11:43 | |
Then Jesus answered her. | 11:47 | |
"O woman, great is your faith. | 11:49 | |
Be it done for you as you desire." | 11:52 | |
And her daughter was healed instantly. | 11:56 | |
This is the word of The Lord. | 12:00 | |
♪ Jesus loves me this I know ♪ | 12:16 | |
♪ For the bible tells me so ♪ | 12:23 | |
♪ Little ones to Him belong ♪ | 12:34 | |
♪ They are weak ♪ | 12:41 | |
♪ They are weak ♪ | 12:48 | |
♪ But He is strong ♪ | 12:54 | |
♪ Jesus love me He will stay ♪ | 13:07 | |
♪ Close beside me all the way ♪ | 13:16 | |
♪ If I love Him when I die ♪ | 13:24 | |
♪ He will take me home on high ♪ | 13:32 | |
♪ Ah ♪ | 13:43 | |
♪ Ah ♪ | 13:45 | |
♪ Ah ♪ | 13:48 | |
♪ Ah ♪ | 13:52 | |
♪ Ah ♪ | 13:56 | |
♪ Ah ♪ | 13:59 | |
♪ The bible ♪ | 14:09 | |
♪ The bible ♪ | 14:14 | |
♪ The bible ♪ | 14:22 | |
♪ Tells me so ♪ | 14:27 | |
- | Coming to the Duke Chapel this morning, | 15:02 |
reminded me of this that 18 years ago, | 15:06 | |
when my wife and I brought our first son | 15:11 | |
to spend his college years on this campus. | 15:15 | |
We are very grateful to what Duke did for our son. | 15:20 | |
I'm glad I don't have to keep sending those checks up | 15:25 | |
here though. | 15:28 | |
And I'm most grateful for the opportunity | 15:32 | |
of sharing in this service of worship with you. | 15:34 | |
And have that delightful surprise this morning | 15:39 | |
to find that the lector, Dr. Robert Durdan | 15:41 | |
was to be here | 15:46 | |
and to be reminded that we were fraternity brothers | 15:48 | |
together at Emory University, and he kept insisting | 15:52 | |
how much older I was than he was. | 15:57 | |
But that is a real pleasure. | 16:01 | |
In a couple of weeks I will be meeting | 16:05 | |
returning students at Columbia Theological Seminary | 16:08 | |
and will begin my 34th year teaching them. | 16:12 | |
Teaching preaching. | 16:16 | |
Sometimes I assigned a particular passage of scripture | 16:18 | |
for students in a class to preach from. | 16:21 | |
Once I asked all students in a class of about 50 | 16:25 | |
to preach from the Joseph story, some aspect of Joseph. | 16:29 | |
At the end of that term, I said never again | 16:35 | |
did I wanna hear a sermon on Joseph and certainly | 16:40 | |
I would never preach one. | 16:43 | |
Enough of Joseph. | 16:45 | |
But then I heard John Claypool of Birmingham | 16:47 | |
lead some bible studies on Joseph. | 16:50 | |
He led me to an experience that I've often talked about | 16:54 | |
that one can go to a very familiar passage of scripture | 16:57 | |
and one can be led deeper and find enrichment. | 17:02 | |
So with his help, I turn to that Joseph story | 17:08 | |
for our sermon this morning. | 17:12 | |
Now the whole story of Joseph comes in the last | 17:14 | |
14 chapters of the book of Genesis. | 17:17 | |
I shall not read all 14 chapters, | 17:20 | |
but I do wanna read a scene from the opening of his life | 17:24 | |
from the 37th chapter and then a scene from the | 17:28 | |
closing of his life in the 50th chapter. | 17:31 | |
Listen now, for the good news. | 17:35 | |
Joseph, a young man of 17 took care of the sheep | 17:40 | |
and goats with his brothers. | 17:44 | |
The sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's concubines | 17:47 | |
and he brought bad reports to his father about what | 17:52 | |
his brothers were doing. | 17:55 | |
Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, | 17:59 | |
because he had been born to him when he was old. | 18:03 | |
He made a long robe with full sleeves for him. | 18:08 | |
When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph | 18:13 | |
more than he loved them, they hated their brother | 18:15 | |
so much that they would not speak to him | 18:18 | |
in a friendly manner. | 18:21 | |
Now that's from the early part of his life, | 18:25 | |
a scene in Canaan and now we go to the latter part | 18:27 | |
of his life, a scene in Egypt. | 18:31 | |
After the death of their father, Joseph's brothers said, | 18:35 | |
"What is Joseph still hates us and plans to pay us back | 18:39 | |
for all the harm we did to him?" | 18:43 | |
So they sent a message to Joseph. | 18:46 | |
Before our father died he told us to ask you, | 18:49 | |
please forgive us the crime your brothers committed | 18:52 | |
when they wronged you. | 18:55 | |
Now please forgive us the wrong that we, | 18:58 | |
the servants of your father's God have done. | 19:00 | |
And Joseph cried when he received this message. | 19:05 | |
Then his brothers themselves came | 19:09 | |
and bowed down before him. | 19:11 | |
Here we are before you as your slaves, they said. | 19:13 | |
But Joseph said to them, | 19:17 | |
"Don't be afraid. | 19:19 | |
I can't put myself in the place of God. | 19:21 | |
You plotted evil against me, | 19:25 | |
but God turned it into good. | 19:29 | |
In order to preserve the lives of many people who are | 19:33 | |
alive today because of what happened. | 19:36 | |
You have nothing to fear, I will take care of you | 19:40 | |
and your children. | 19:43 | |
So he reassured them with kind words | 19:45 | |
that touched their hearts. | 19:50 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 19:52 | |
Now we turn to Romans the eighth chapter, | 19:59 | |
the 28th verse. | 20:05 | |
While the apostle Paul seems to be interpreting | 20:08 | |
the Joseph story or some other story like that. | 20:11 | |
Listen to the good news. | 20:18 | |
We know that in all things God works for good | 20:22 | |
with those who love God. | 20:26 | |
Those whom God has called, | 20:29 | |
according to God's purpose. | 20:32 | |
This is the word of The Lord. | 20:36 | |
Jacob usually did his shopping at the K-mart stores. | 20:48 | |
A sensible place for a man with 12 sons plus some | 20:54 | |
daughters, probably. | 20:57 | |
But when he wanted to buy clothes for Joseph, | 21:00 | |
he went to Nieman Marcus. | 21:02 | |
He could not stand for this special son to go | 21:04 | |
around in ordinary clothes. | 21:08 | |
One special birthday, he went to the designer section | 21:11 | |
of Neiman Marcus and picked out a special robe | 21:15 | |
for his son Joseph, it was something like a birthday | 21:18 | |
or some special occasion. | 21:22 | |
He picked out a robe of many colors. | 21:25 | |
According to the King James translation | 21:30 | |
which was the way I first heard the story. | 21:32 | |
Scholars tell us that's not a good translation, | 21:35 | |
it comes close to being as we read, | 21:39 | |
a long robe with full sleeves. | 21:43 | |
Now those who worked in the field, wore short sleeves | 21:49 | |
so they could do the manual labor so | 21:53 | |
a robe with full sleeves set Joseph apart from his brothers. | 21:55 | |
He didn't have to do the menial task that they had to do. | 22:00 | |
Indeed one report we have of his field activity | 22:04 | |
was that he came back reporting who was working | 22:07 | |
and who was not working, and of course | 22:10 | |
that really set him off with his brothers. | 22:12 | |
So the robe was a symbol of how special Joseph was | 22:16 | |
setting him apart from his eleven brothers, | 22:22 | |
it was Jacob's way of saying, you are very | 22:24 | |
special to me you are my favorite. | 22:27 | |
Now, Jacob should have known better. | 22:33 | |
He was a victim of family favoritism. | 22:37 | |
His brother Esau was his father's favorite, | 22:42 | |
Jacob was his mother's favorite and the tension | 22:45 | |
between them came out. | 22:49 | |
Then when he went courting, he got mixed up | 22:51 | |
with Laban's family with all their distortions. | 22:55 | |
Jacob should have knows better but like so many of us | 22:59 | |
fathers and mothers, he simply passed on to the next | 23:03 | |
generation this distortion in family relationships. | 23:08 | |
As someone has put it, the only thing we learn | 23:13 | |
from history is that we don't learn very much from history. | 23:17 | |
So Jacob gave to Joseph this long robe with full sleeves | 23:23 | |
a sign of his special care for this son of his old age. | 23:28 | |
I hear this and then I look. | 23:35 | |
A long robe with full sleeves. | 23:42 | |
A symbol of that I too have | 23:48 | |
received special care. | 23:53 | |
I belong to the small proportion of people on this planet | 23:56 | |
who've received a college education. | 24:00 | |
And I have received three more years in seminary | 24:04 | |
and I've been given even more post-graduate education. | 24:08 | |
And now I am paid to keep on reading and studying | 24:13 | |
and learning indeed at the seminary | 24:16 | |
our business is to put men and women into | 24:19 | |
long robes with full sleeves. | 24:23 | |
Also I belong to an organization, the church. | 24:28 | |
Which claims to have a book, which is the source | 24:33 | |
of the abundant life, the eternal life | 24:37 | |
the kind of life every human being longs for. | 24:39 | |
What a gift. | 24:43 | |
And I am a citizen of a nation which has many many | 24:47 | |
special gifts which even claims to offer | 24:51 | |
liberty and justice for all. | 24:55 | |
What a gift. | 24:59 | |
So I see this long robe of full sleeves, | 25:01 | |
I want to believe it's not a sign of partiality | 25:04 | |
or favoritism but here it is. | 25:09 | |
I wear it and I gather with you, | 25:12 | |
students who come here in order that you at least | 25:17 | |
for an hour can one day wear a long robe with full sleeves. | 25:22 | |
And you work with instructors and supporters | 25:26 | |
who wear their long robes with full sleeves. | 25:30 | |
Even though you may be a person who never wears a long | 25:34 | |
robe with full sleeves, you have your own symbol | 25:37 | |
of your special gifts. | 25:41 | |
And the question before us this morning is | 25:45 | |
how are we using these special gifts? | 25:48 | |
Well, how did Joseph manage the special gifts | 25:57 | |
that he received? | 25:59 | |
Well, one night he had a dream. | 26:02 | |
Next morning he put on his long robe with full sleeves | 26:05 | |
and came down for breakfast and said, | 26:08 | |
"I had a dream last night!" | 26:09 | |
And his brothers said, | 26:10 | |
"Yeah, what did you dream?" | 26:11 | |
"Well, I saw us tying up sheaves of wheat and | 26:14 | |
mine stood in the center and yours | 26:18 | |
gathered around it and bowed down to it." | 26:21 | |
"Yeah?" | 26:26 | |
To have such a dream is one thing but share your dream | 26:31 | |
with his brothers demonstrated the fine art of | 26:36 | |
losing friends and alienating people. | 26:40 | |
To strut in your dream is one thing but to strut | 26:44 | |
your dream about strutting before others, | 26:49 | |
then Joseph had another dream. | 26:59 | |
Next morning he put on his long robe of full sleeves | 27:01 | |
and came down to breakfast and he said, | 27:03 | |
I had a dream last night. | 27:05 | |
Yeah. | 27:07 | |
Last night I dreamed that the sun and the moon | 27:10 | |
and the stars fell down, bowed down before me. | 27:13 | |
Now, such arrogance was too much even for his father. | 27:19 | |
But for his brothers, this just incensed them and | 27:25 | |
poured oil on the fires of jealousy, | 27:29 | |
they were fed up with Joseph strutting around | 27:33 | |
with his long robe of full sleeves | 27:35 | |
and with all his gifts. | 27:37 | |
One day when his brothers were out in the field working | 27:41 | |
his father said to him, | 27:43 | |
"Son, now I hate for you to miss your happy hour. | 27:46 | |
But I do want a report on your brothers out in the field. | 27:51 | |
Will you go out and just check up and come back | 27:55 | |
and tell me who is working and who is not?" | 27:57 | |
"Shall I wear my robe?" | 28:01 | |
"Why not?" | 28:04 | |
So those brothers out in the field see Joseph coming | 28:08 | |
wearing that long robe with full sleeves, | 28:11 | |
strutting across the way, | 28:14 | |
there their anger just boiled up in them | 28:17 | |
like Cain's anger boiled up against his brother Abel, | 28:21 | |
they said, "Let's kill him!" | 28:25 | |
No, let's do it differently. | 28:29 | |
Let's sell him to these traders so he can be a slave | 28:32 | |
in Egypt and we will be through with him forever. | 28:36 | |
And the robe, they smeared it with animal's blood | 28:40 | |
and took it home and laid it before Jacob | 28:44 | |
and said, | 28:47 | |
"Do you recognize this?" | 28:48 | |
what grief, what pain they inflicted on their father | 28:51 | |
what a distortion in family relationships. | 28:55 | |
But at least they'd be through with Joseph, they thought. | 29:00 | |
In the meantime, Joseph was dragged across the | 29:05 | |
Gaza strip, sold into slavery in Egypt. | 29:09 | |
Bought by Potiphar, the captain of the palace guard. | 29:14 | |
Again Joseph is getting special treatment. | 29:19 | |
Not the slave of an ordinary citizen | 29:22 | |
but someone who has access to the Oval Office. | 29:24 | |
Not an ordinary slave but put in charge of everything | 29:28 | |
in Potiphar's household. | 29:31 | |
Potiphar liked him, and so did Mrs. Potiphar. | 29:33 | |
She really liked what she saw and she offered | 29:38 | |
Joseph very special treatment. | 29:43 | |
But Joseph kept resisting, no, no! | 29:48 | |
Until finally one day she lunged at him, | 29:52 | |
he got away but she got his robe and used it | 29:55 | |
as evidence against him. | 30:00 | |
Again it was his robe that got him into trouble | 30:02 | |
but this time not because he was strutting around. | 30:05 | |
But now the story begins to take a different twist | 30:10 | |
in the way her responds to special gifts. | 30:13 | |
Potiphar believed his wife's accusations, | 30:17 | |
threw Joseph out of the house. | 30:19 | |
He could have killed him, that would have been | 30:21 | |
a normal thing to do to a foreign slave but no, | 30:22 | |
he just put him in prison. | 30:24 | |
But not an ordinary prison, he put it into a prison | 30:26 | |
for the king's prisoners, I suppose it's like | 30:31 | |
one of those limited security prisons down on the | 30:34 | |
Florida beaches where we put some of the watergate | 30:37 | |
crowd and others went down. | 30:41 | |
Sometimes I say it's kind of a Presbyterian prison. | 30:43 | |
It wasn't long before Joseph began to make friend there. | 30:50 | |
First time we find him making friends of two prisoners. | 30:53 | |
The King's baker and the King's butler. | 30:57 | |
And evidently close friends because they share | 31:00 | |
their dreams with Joseph and Joseph shared his gift | 31:02 | |
of dream interpretation with them. | 31:05 | |
No longer now strutting with his gifts | 31:07 | |
but sharing his gifts with those in need. | 31:10 | |
The baker's dream, bad news, he was taken out and | 31:15 | |
executed but the butler, good news. | 31:18 | |
He restored to his place in the king's palace. | 31:21 | |
But before he left the prison he said, | 31:26 | |
Joseph, remember me when you get out. | 31:28 | |
But the butler did what I have done many many times. | 31:32 | |
He forgot his benefactor. | 31:36 | |
That is he forgot for two years until the king had a dream. | 31:39 | |
So traumatic that he tried to get people all around | 31:43 | |
to help interpret the dream, that jogged | 31:47 | |
the butler's memory. | 31:50 | |
And Joseph now was brought and had opportunity | 31:52 | |
to interpret the King's dream. | 31:55 | |
Seven years of plenty, seven years of famine | 31:59 | |
and you better get ready. | 32:04 | |
And the King chose this unknown nobody, | 32:08 | |
this foreign slave to head up the whole process | 32:12 | |
of getting ready during the seven years of famine, | 32:18 | |
seven years of plenty for the seven years of famine. | 32:22 | |
And in the appointment, he gave to Joseph | 32:27 | |
a royal ring for his finger and a gold necklace | 32:31 | |
around his neck and on his shoulders he put | 32:33 | |
a fine linen robe. | 32:37 | |
Joseph again, in a special robe. | 32:40 | |
But this time not to strut around. | 32:45 | |
But the robe becoming a symbol. | 32:49 | |
A symbol of the fact that Joseph now had | 32:53 | |
an opportunity to serve and he would serve. | 32:57 | |
He became the Prime Minister, the chief servant | 33:00 | |
of those in need, he poured out himself in feeding others. | 33:04 | |
As the story unfolds, his family up in Canaan, | 33:11 | |
were afflicted by the famine and they were brought | 33:16 | |
they finally came down to Egypt to get food. | 33:19 | |
Finally the whole family arrived, Jacob and all the | 33:21 | |
11 brothers and all their families. | 33:24 | |
They didn't recognize Joseph at first, | 33:28 | |
he revealed himself to them and their response, | 33:30 | |
shock, fear, oh yes, they were afraid, | 33:33 | |
they were afraid that Joseph might do to them | 33:38 | |
what they had done to him. | 33:43 | |
And when Jacob died they really became afraid, | 33:47 | |
now Joseph would really do it to them. | 33:49 | |
So they came and bowed down, like the dream said, | 33:53 | |
bowed down begging for mercy. | 33:56 | |
Joseph again in that special robe, | 34:00 | |
but this time not strutting around. | 34:03 | |
Not bragging about his gifts, certainly | 34:07 | |
not wanting to pay back, to get even. | 34:10 | |
Instead Joseph saw his gifts as an opportunity | 34:14 | |
to serve others. | 34:17 | |
"Don't be afraid" Joseph said to his brothers. | 34:20 | |
Don't be afraid, I'll take care of you and your children. | 34:22 | |
I won't hurt you, I'll take care of you and your children. | 34:25 | |
You did evil to me, yes. | 34:30 | |
But God , but God meant it for good. | 34:33 | |
So that you and many others could be fed. | 34:39 | |
Up in Canaan, Joseph was given a long robe with full | 34:47 | |
sleeves, in which he could just strut around. | 34:50 | |
With his many gifts. | 34:56 | |
Now down in Egypt, he was given another special robe, | 34:59 | |
but a robe this time that became a symbol | 35:04 | |
for feeding or serving those in need, | 35:07 | |
even prisoners and foreigners and enemies. | 35:09 | |
Now how do you account for the big change in Joseph? | 35:16 | |
Well, maybe something happened on the Gaza road | 35:20 | |
as he was traveling, maybe he had a kind of | 35:23 | |
conversion experience like a Damascus road experience | 35:26 | |
on the Gaza road, maybe, maybe. | 35:29 | |
Or perhaps the change came because Potiphar did something | 35:33 | |
that Jacob never did, he gave Joseph responsibility, | 35:38 | |
put him to work. | 35:43 | |
And that has a way of maturing some people. | 35:45 | |
Or perhaps Joseph was changed because of all the | 35:50 | |
suffering he had gone through. | 35:52 | |
Yes he was favored in Egypt but he had been a slave, | 35:53 | |
he was away from his family, he was put in | 35:56 | |
prison unjust, suffering has a way of changing people. | 35:58 | |
But whatever be the historical situation, | 36:03 | |
whatever be the human explanation | 36:05 | |
for the big change, we got a clue as to what | 36:09 | |
really happened as Joseph spoke to his brothers | 36:12 | |
in this final scene. | 36:16 | |
You meant it for evil, | 36:19 | |
but God meant it for good. | 36:24 | |
How did Joseph learn this? | 36:30 | |
It was as though Joseph finally became a part of the | 36:34 | |
story he had often heard form his father. | 36:38 | |
As they gathered around the fireside in the evening. | 36:42 | |
The story of how God | 36:47 | |
had come to great grandfather Isaac | 36:51 | |
of great grandfather Abraham. | 36:54 | |
And how something had passed on to | 36:58 | |
grandfather Isaac and to father Jacob. | 37:00 | |
And as they sat around the fireside, | 37:05 | |
Jacob would tell the story over and over | 37:07 | |
about grandfather Isaac, great grandfather Abraham. | 37:09 | |
How God had called Abraham and said, | 37:14 | |
I want you to start a new family, | 37:19 | |
I want you to start a new movement Abraham | 37:21 | |
and this will be the key to this new movement. | 37:25 | |
I will bless you and you will be a blessing to others. | 37:29 | |
I will bless you Abraham, and through you, | 37:34 | |
others will be blessed. | 37:38 | |
Now in Canaan, Joseph heard the first part, | 37:42 | |
I will bless you, I will bless you, I will bless you | 37:44 | |
but now down in Egypt, Joseph can hear the second part | 37:46 | |
of this key to this new movement. | 37:51 | |
I will bless you | 37:54 | |
so that you can be a blessing to others. | 37:57 | |
A gift received becomes a present for others. | 38:02 | |
A gift received becomes a present for others. | 38:08 | |
I, I Wade Huie need to hear this. | 38:13 | |
The church needs to hear this. | 38:18 | |
Our nation needs to hear this. | 38:23 | |
Joseph could hear it because his focus was not | 38:27 | |
on the evil around him or the evil within him | 38:30 | |
and certainly not on anything he had done, no. | 38:32 | |
Joseph could hear this because his focus was on God. | 38:38 | |
On the God who started this new movement, | 38:43 | |
on a God whose ultimate concern is for good. | 38:49 | |
On a God who can turn a strutter into a servant | 38:54 | |
to feed others. | 38:59 | |
On a God who can take all the evil | 39:02 | |
that humans can do and turn it into good. | 39:04 | |
On a God who can take evil, addressed even to God's own son | 39:11 | |
yes they tried to kill God on a cross. | 39:16 | |
And yet God took that evil and turned it | 39:22 | |
into eternal life for all. | 39:27 | |
I want to believe this with all my heart. | 39:35 | |
During the last 10 days I have found it | 39:40 | |
increasingly difficult to believe it, | 39:42 | |
but it's one thing I can get a hold of. | 39:47 | |
Hopefully it will get hold of me with all the evil | 39:52 | |
around us, even with all the evil within us. | 39:58 | |
God can turn that into good. | 40:04 | |
The book of Genesis begins with the story of creation | 40:11 | |
and God looking and saying it's good, | 40:14 | |
it's good, it's good all of it's good. | 40:16 | |
And now at the end of the book of Genesis | 40:20 | |
we hear, "You meant it for evil," | 40:25 | |
People mess up so much yes, they bring about | 40:28 | |
so much evil, yes | 40:32 | |
but God intends good for the whole creation, | 40:34 | |
yes God is still working God's purpose out. | 40:39 | |
And what begins in the book of the beginnings of Genesis, | 40:47 | |
echoes all through the bible, | 40:51 | |
whose message can be summed up in this words. | 40:56 | |
In everything, in everything, | 41:01 | |
God works for good. | 41:07 | |
God is working God's purpose out | 41:14 | |
even for us | 41:20 | |
who wear long robes with full sleeves. | 41:22 | |
In the name of the Father and the Son and The Holy Spirit. | 41:32 | |
Amen. | 41:37 | |
(organ music) | 41:46 | |
♪ O God our help in ages past ♪ | 42:11 | |
♪ Our hope for years to come ♪ | 42:17 | |
♪ Our shelter from the stormy past ♪ | 42:23 | |
♪ And our eternal home ♪ | 42:28 | |
♪ Under the shadow of thy throne ♪ | 42:36 | |
♪ Thy saints have dwelt secure ♪ | 42:42 | |
♪ Sufficient in thy arm alone ♪ | 42:48 | |
♪ And our defense is sure ♪ | 42:54 | |
♪ Before the hills in order stood ♪ | 43:02 | |
♪ Or earth received her frame ♪ | 43:08 | |
♪ From everlasting thou art God ♪ | 43:14 | |
♪ To endless years the same ♪ | 43:20 | |
♪ A thousand ages in thy sight ♪ | 43:29 | |
♪ Are like an evening gone ♪ | 43:35 | |
♪ Short as the watch that ends the night ♪ | 43:41 | |
♪ Before the rising sun ♪ | 43:50 | |
♪ Time like an ever-rolling stream ♪ | 43:56 | |
♪ Bears all it's sons away ♪ | 44:02 | |
♪ They fly forgotten as a dream ♪ | 44:08 | |
♪ Dies at the opening day ♪ | 44:14 | |
♪ O God our help in ages past ♪ | 44:23 | |
♪ Our hope for years to come ♪ | 44:29 | |
♪ Be thou our guide while life shall last ♪ | 44:36 | |
♪ And our eternal home ♪ | 44:42 | |
- | The Lord be with you | 44:55 |
Congregation | (mumbles) | 44:57 |
- | Let us pray. | 44:58 |
Oh holy and everlasting God, age after age | 45:08 | |
the living wait upon you and find that | 45:14 | |
your faithfulness has no end. | 45:17 | |
In the quietness of this morning moments, | 45:21 | |
we worship you as our God, near and far. | 45:24 | |
High and lifted up, drawing unto yourself | 45:29 | |
all of us in this place and in all places | 45:34 | |
where listening ears are found. | 45:37 | |
Manifestations of your grace abound in the world. | 45:42 | |
The sunshine and the rain, summer and autumn. | 45:46 | |
Morning and evening, food and flowers | 45:51 | |
family and friends. | 45:56 | |
O gracious God we thank you for the perfect way | 45:59 | |
you rule and overrule. | 46:02 | |
The perfect way you love. | 46:05 | |
The perfect way you redeem. | 46:07 | |
As we come before you O Lord, | 46:10 | |
we see the sin and sorrow in ourselves and in our world. | 46:13 | |
Without your heavenly vision of a kingdom | 46:18 | |
where no more tears, suffering or hatred will be found. | 46:21 | |
We would be lost. | 46:25 | |
Your promises sustain us with hope in the darkest hours | 46:27 | |
of trouble, heartbreak, sickness and death. | 46:31 | |
Thank you O God for being with us in all the famines | 46:35 | |
of soul and body, saving us from despair. | 46:39 | |
You are so merciful God as we turn to you in prayer | 46:45 | |
for ourselves and others. | 46:48 | |
We pray for the nations and leaders involved | 46:52 | |
in the middle east crisis where the amassing of troops | 46:54 | |
and war machines strike terror in our hearts. | 46:58 | |
And where the hot, arid desert reminds us of the | 47:03 | |
multiple enemies of body and spirit. | 47:06 | |
Bring a healthy solution to this hateful conflict, | 47:10 | |
so that war may be averted. | 47:15 | |
May compassion replace madness and might. | 47:18 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 47:22 | |
We pray O God for those frightened because of | 47:28 | |
loneliness and illness. | 47:31 | |
Befriend them so they may find a friend in you, | 47:34 | |
the best of friends, in your mercy, | 47:37 | |
hear our prayer. | 47:41 | |
We pray O God for those facing death | 47:45 | |
whom we name in this quiet time in our hearts. | 47:47 | |
May they find comfort for their pain | 47:55 | |
and assurance of your divine presence. | 47:57 | |
O Lord in your mercy, (congregation mumbles) | 48:01 | |
We pray for those who live without homes | 48:06 | |
and those who live in harsh, inhumane circumstances. | 48:08 | |
Prick the consciences of those of us who can make | 48:13 | |
a difference in the lives of these abandoned people. | 48:16 | |
May relief and sanctuary be found for these your children. | 48:20 | |
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. | 48:26 | |
For those who are in prison by confused, sick | 48:31 | |
or twisted minds and spirits. | 48:33 | |
For those growing weary of life, | 48:36 | |
grant them release from the scriptures that bind them. | 48:39 | |
Lord, in your mercy | 48:43 | |
- | (Congretation) Hear our prayer. | 48:45 |
Help us O living, giving God, to share the burdens | 48:48 | |
of all people everywhere. | 48:51 | |
Grant that we may be your holy people, the church. | 48:54 | |
Reliable witnesses in your gospel in word and deed. | 48:58 | |
God in your mercy, | 49:03 | |
- | (Congretation) Hear our prayer. | 49:06 |
Faithful God, cover us with your mantle | 49:08 | |
of righteousness and peace. | 49:11 | |
You are our hope, our joy and our salvation | 49:13 | |
and whose kingdom is forever and ever, | 49:18 | |
world without end. | 49:22 | |
Amen. | 49:24 | |
May our God free us to share without apology or arrogance | 49:28 | |
not only the gifts we have, but the gifts we are. | 49:33 | |
♪ Ah Turn me not away ♪ | 50:06 | |
♪ Receive me though unworthy ♪ | 50:11 | |
♪ Ah turn me not away ♪ | 50:18 | |
♪ Receive me though unworthy ♪ | 50:22 | |
♪ Hear Thou my cry ♪ | 50:27 | |
♪ Behold Lord, my distress ♪ | 50:30 | |
♪ Answer me from thy throne ♪ | 50:39 | |
♪ Haste Thee Lord to mine aid ♪ | 50:44 | |
♪ Thy pity shew in my deep anguish ♪ | 50:48 | |
♪ Thy pity show in my deep anguish ♪ | 50:54 | |
♪ Let not the sword of vengeance smite me ♪ | 50:59 | |
♪ Though righteous thine anger ♪ | 51:05 | |
♪ O Lord shield me in danger O regard me ♪ | 51:08 | |
♪ On Thee Lord alone will I call ♪ | 51:15 | |
♪ O Divine Redeemer ♪ | 51:25 | |
♪ O Divine Redeemer ♪ | 51:33 | |
♪ I pray Thee grant me pardon ♪ | 51:39 | |
♪ and remember not remember not my sins ♪ | 51:47 | |
♪ Forgive me O Divine Redeemer ♪ | 52:00 | |
♪ I pray Thee grant me pardon ♪ | 52:13 | |
♪ And remember not remember not ♪ | 52:19 | |
♪ O Lord my sin ♪ | 52:24 | |
♪ Night gathers round my soul ♪ | 52:32 | |
♪ Fearful I cry to Thee ♪ | 52:37 | |
♪ Come to mine aid O Lord ♪ | 52:42 | |
♪ Haste Thee Lord haste to help me ♪ | 52:47 | |
♪ Hear my cry ♪ | 52:54 | |
♪ Hear my cry ♪ | 52:56 | |
♪ Save me Lord in Thy mercy ♪ | 52:59 | |
♪ Hear my cry ♪ | 53:06 | |
♪ Hear my cry ♪ | 53:09 | |
♪ Come and save me O Lord ♪ | 53:12 | |
♪ O Divine Redeemer ♪ | 53:21 | |
♪ O Divine Redeemer ♪ | 53:29 | |
♪ I pray Thee grant me pardon ♪ | 53:35 | |
♪ And remember not ♪ | 53:43 | |
♪ Remember not ♪ | 53:45 | |
♪ O Lord my sin ♪ | 53:48 | |
♪ Save in the day of retribution ♪ | 53:56 | |
♪ From Death shield Thou me O my God ♪ | 54:00 | |
♪ O Divine Redeemer ♪ | 54:06 | |
♪ Have mercy ♪ | 54:12 | |
♪ Help me my Savior ♪ | 54:26 | |
(organ music) | 55:04 | |
♪ All creatures of our God and King ♪ | 55:25 | |
♪ Lift up your voice and with us sing ♪ | 55:30 | |
♪ Aleluya ♪ | 55:36 | |
♪ Aleluya ♪ | 55:39 | |
♪ Thou burning sun with golden beam ♪ | 55:44 | |
♪ Thou silver moon with softer gleam ♪ | 55:50 | |
♪ O praise Him O praise Him ♪ | 55:55 | |
♪ Aleluya, Aleluya ♪ | 56:01 | |
♪ Aleluya ♪ | 56:08 | |
- | O wondrous God, your divine love enfolds us | 56:21 |
into your everlasting arms. | 56:26 | |
Bringing us out of the drought of our barrenness | 56:28 | |
into the womb of the fruitfulness of your grace. | 56:31 | |
As we raise this gifts to you, | 56:35 | |
awaken in us gratitude for all of life | 56:38 | |
and your creation. | 56:42 | |
For joy and what is human and holy. | 56:43 | |
For challenges, which enable us to reach beyond ourselves | 56:46 | |
and for opportunities of new directions. | 56:51 | |
O keeper of promises, grant us joy in our hearts | 56:54 | |
even in the midst of our brokenness. | 56:59 | |
Give us prayers on our lips | 57:01 | |
songs for our journey, and a vision of your kingdom | 57:04 | |
may these offerings be used | 57:09 | |
to extend your liberating rain in this world | 57:12 | |
and in the world to come. | 57:15 | |
For we pray in the name of the one | 57:19 | |
who taught us to pray, saying | 57:21 | |
- | (Congregation) Our father who art in heaven | 57:24 |
hallowed be thy name | 57:27 | |
thy kingdom come | 57:29 | |
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven | 57:31 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 57:35 | |
And forgive us our trespasses | 57:38 | |
As we forgive those who trespass against us | 57:40 | |
And lead us not into temptation | 57:44 | |
But deliver us from evil | 57:46 | |
For thine is the kingdom | 57:49 | |
And the power | 57:50 | |
And the glory | 57:51 | |
Forever and ever | 57:53 | |
Amen. | 57:54 | |
- | And now may the eternal God | 57:56 |
who dwells in mystery and holiness | 57:58 | |
And who loves us with an everlasting love | 58:01 | |
Guide and sustain us in our times of trouble | 58:04 | |
As we go forth to care for the world around us | 58:08 | |
And to share the good news of that love | 58:11 | |
in the name of The Father and of the Son | 58:14 | |
and of The Holy Spirit, Amen. | 58:17 | |
(organ music) | 58:21 | |
♪ We've a story to tell to the nations ♪ | 59:05 | |
♪ That shall turn their hearts to the right ♪ | 59:10 | |
♪ A story of truth and mercy ♪ | 59:16 | |
♪ A story of peace and light ♪ | 59:21 | |
♪ A story of peace and light ♪ | 59:25 | |
♪ For the darkness shall turn to dawning ♪ | 59:31 | |
♪ And the dawning to noonday bright ♪ | 59:35 | |
♪ And Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth ♪ | 59:40 | |
♪ The kingdom of love and light ♪ | 59:46 | |
♪ We've a song to be sung to the nations ♪ | 59:52 | |
♪ That shall turn their hearts to The Lord ♪ | 59:57 | |
♪ A song that shall conquer evil ♪ | 1:00:03 | |
♪ And shatter the spear and sword ♪ | 1:00:08 | |
♪ And shatter the spear and sword ♪ | 1:00:13 | |
♪ For the darkness shall turn to dawning ♪ | 1:00:18 | |
♪ And the dawning to noonday bright ♪ | 1:00:23 | |
♪ And Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth ♪ | 1:00:28 | |
♪ The kingdom of love and light ♪ | 1:00:33 | |
♪ We've a message to give to the nations ♪ | 1:00:41 | |
♪ That The Lord who reigneth above ♪ | 1:00:45 | |
♪ Has sent us His son to save us ♪ | 1:00:50 | |
♪ And show us that God is love ♪ | 1:00:55 | |
♪ And show us that God is love ♪ | 1:01:00 | |
♪ For the darkness shall turn to dawning ♪ | 1:01:05 | |
♪ And the dawning to noonday bright ♪ | 1:01:10 | |
♪ And Christ's great Kingdom shall come on earth ♪ | 1:01:16 | |
♪ The Kingdom of love and light ♪ | 1:01:21 | |
♪ We've a Savior to show to the nations ♪ | 1:01:28 | |
♪ Who the path of sorrow has trod ♪ | 1:01:33 | |
♪ That all of the world's great peoples ♪ | 1:01:38 | |
♪ May come to the truth of God ♪ | 1:01:43 | |
♪ May come to the truth of God ♪ | 1:01:48 | |
♪ For the darkness shall turn to dawning ♪ | 1:01:54 | |
♪ And the dawning to noonday bright ♪ | 1:01:59 | |
♪ And Christ's great kingdom shall come on earth ♪ | 1:02:04 | |
♪ The kingdom of love and light. ♪ | 1:02:09 | |
- | Let us go forth in the name of The Lord | 1:02:21 |
- | (Congregation) Thanks be to God. | 1:02:25 |
(organ music) | 1:02:32 |