William E. Smith - "Must We Be Born Again?" (May 26, 1991)
MP4
Loading the media player...
Transcript
- Download transcript as:
-
Text
-
PDF
-
WebVTT (includes timecodes)
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
| (solemn music) | 0:01 | |
| (regal music) | 1:34 | |
| - | Good morning. | 5:07 |
| Welcome to this service of holy communion | 5:09 | |
| here at Duke University Chapel on this Trinity Sunday. | 5:10 | |
| In the upper right-hand corner of your bulletin, | 5:14 | |
| you'll notice a symbol for the Trinity, the fleur-de-lis, | 5:16 | |
| which is prominent throughout our building. | 5:20 | |
| I invite you to take advantage of this opportunity | 5:22 | |
| to be aware of the visual imagery which the chapel employs | 5:24 | |
| to tell the Christian story throughout the year. | 5:28 | |
| As our guest preacher this morning, | 5:31 | |
| we welcome the Reverend Dr. William E. Smith, | 5:33 | |
| Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry | 5:36 | |
| at Duke Divinity School. | 5:38 | |
| Dr. Smith is a United Methodist pastor | 5:40 | |
| who has served churches in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Ohio | 5:42 | |
| and who has taught at Boston and American universities | 5:47 | |
| in addition to Duke. | 5:49 | |
| He also has served on the faculty | 5:51 | |
| of Wesley Theological Seminary | 5:53 | |
| where he was vice president for four years. | 5:55 | |
| Our lector is Dr. James Jacobs, | 5:59 | |
| Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology | 6:01 | |
| and Biomedical Engineering | 6:03 | |
| and treasurer of the congregation at Duke Chapel. | 6:05 | |
| We also welcome the Summer Chapel Choir back to the chapel | 6:08 | |
| for its first Sunday of this new season. | 6:12 | |
| Interested singers are reminded that no audition is required | 6:14 | |
| and rehearsals begin each Sunday morning at 9:25. | 6:18 | |
| You are invited to an organ recital | 6:23 | |
| this afternoon at five o'clock p.m. given by Dr. James Good | 6:24 | |
| of Southeastern Baptist Seminary here at the chapel. | 6:28 | |
| Please note the remaining announcements | 6:32 | |
| as they are printed in your bulletins, | 6:34 | |
| and now please stand for the greeting. | 6:36 | |
| In the name of the Father | 6:44 | |
| and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. | 6:45 | |
| Congregation | Amen. | 6:49 |
| (elegant music) | 6:51 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy ♪ | 7:19 | |
| ♪ Lord God Almighty ♪ | 7:23 | |
| ♪ Early in the morning ♪ | 7:28 | |
| ♪ Our song shall rise to thee ♪ | 7:32 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy ♪ | 7:38 | |
| ♪ Merciful and mighty ♪ | 7:43 | |
| ♪ God in three persons ♪ | 7:47 | |
| ♪ Blessed Trinity ♪ | 7:52 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy ♪ | 7:58 | |
| ♪ All the saints adore thee ♪ | 8:03 | |
| ♪ Casting down their golden crowns ♪ | 8:08 | |
| ♪ Around the glassy sea ♪ | 8:12 | |
| ♪ Cherubim and seraphim ♪ | 8:18 | |
| ♪ Falling down before thee ♪ | 8:23 | |
| ♪ Who wert and art ♪ | 8:27 | |
| ♪ And evermore shalt be ♪ | 8:31 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy ♪ | 8:39 | |
| ♪ Though the darkness hide thee ♪ | 8:44 | |
| ♪ Though the eye of sinful man ♪ | 8:49 | |
| ♪ Thy glory may not see ♪ | 8:53 | |
| ♪ Only thou art holy ♪ | 8:58 | |
| ♪ There is none beside thee ♪ | 9:03 | |
| ♪ Perfect in power ♪ | 9:08 | |
| ♪ In love and purity ♪ | 9:13 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy ♪ | 9:20 | |
| ♪ Lord God Almighty ♪ | 9:25 | |
| ♪ All Thy works shall praise thy name ♪ | 9:30 | |
| ♪ In earth and sky and sea ♪ | 9:34 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy ♪ | 9:40 | |
| ♪ Merciful and mighty ♪ | 9:45 | |
| ♪ God in three persons ♪ | 9:50 | |
| ♪ Blessed Trinity ♪ | 9:55 | |
| - | Lead us by your spirit, O God, that we may become | 10:06 |
| in every way your sons and daughters. | 10:10 | |
| We stand in awe before your majesty | 10:13 | |
| and bow in fear before your power. | 10:16 | |
| Yet we also are assured by your promises | 10:19 | |
| and lifted up by your strength. | 10:22 | |
| Meet us now in the midst of our earthly concerns | 10:25 | |
| to point us toward the eternal | 10:28 | |
| as we feast at your heavenly table, Amen. | 10:30 | |
| - | Let us pray together. | 10:46 |
| Congregation | Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 10:49 |
| by the power of your Holy Spirit | 10:52 | |
| so that as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 10:56 | |
| we might hear with joy what you say to us this day. | 10:59 | |
| Amen. | 11:05 | |
| The first reading is taken from the book of Isaiah. | 11:09 | |
| "In the year that King Uzziah died, | 11:14 | |
| "I saw the Lord, | 11:18 | |
| "sitting on a throne, high and lofty, | 11:19 | |
| "and the hem of his robe filled the temple. | 11:23 | |
| "Seraphs were in attendance above him. | 11:28 | |
| "Each had six wings. | 11:31 | |
| "With two they covered their faces, | 11:33 | |
| "and with two they covered their feet, | 11:36 | |
| "and with two they flew. | 11:39 | |
| "And one called to another and said, | 11:42 | |
| "'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; | 11:44 | |
| "'the whole earth is full of his glory.' | 11:47 | |
| "The pivots on the thresholds shook | 11:52 | |
| "at the voices of those who called, | 11:55 | |
| "and the house filled with smoke. | 11:57 | |
| "And I said, 'Woe is me. | 12:00 | |
| "'I am lost, | 12:03 | |
| "'for I am a man of unclean lips, | 12:05 | |
| "'and I live among a people of unclean lips. | 12:07 | |
| "'Yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.' | 12:12 | |
| "Then one of the seraphs flew to me, | 12:17 | |
| "holding a live coal | 12:20 | |
| "that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. | 12:22 | |
| "The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, | 12:26 | |
| "'Now that this has touched your lips, | 12:30 | |
| "'your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.' | 12:33 | |
| "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, | 12:38 | |
| "'Whom shall I send and who will go for us?' | 12:41 | |
| "And I said, 'Here am I, send me.'" | 12:46 | |
| This is the Word of the Lord. | 12:51 | |
| All | Thanks be to God. | 12:54 |
| - | The Psalm is number 29 found on page 761. | 13:03 |
| Please stand as we join in singing responsively. | 13:07 | |
| (stately music) | 13:12 | |
| ♪ Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings ♪ | 13:21 | |
| ♪ Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength ♪ | 13:26 | |
| ♪ Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name ♪ | 13:32 | |
| ♪ Worship the Lord in holy splendor ♪ | 13:38 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters ♪ | 13:44 | |
| ♪ The God of glory thunders ♪ | 13:49 | |
| ♪ The Lord, upon many waters ♪ | 13:52 | |
| 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful | 13:56 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord is full of majesty ♪ | 14:01 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars ♪ | 14:08 | |
| ♪ The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon ♪ | 14:13 | |
| ♪ The Lord makes Lebanon to skip like a calf ♪ | 14:19 | |
| ♪ And Sirion like a young wild ox ♪ | 14:24 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire ♪ | 14:29 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness ♪ | 14:35 | |
| ♪ The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh ♪ | 14:40 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord makes the oaks to whirl ♪ | 14:46 | |
| ♪ And strips the forest bare ♪ | 14:50 | |
| ♪ And in his temple all cry glory ♪ | 14:54 | |
| ♪ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood ♪ | 15:00 | |
| ♪ The Lord sits enthroned as ruler forever ♪ | 15:05 | |
| ♪ May the Lord give strength to his people ♪ | 15:11 | |
| ♪ May the Lord bless his people with peace ♪ | 15:16 | |
| ♪ All glory be to you, O God ♪ | 15:23 | |
| ♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪ | 15:26 | |
| ♪ And to the Holy Spirit, blessed Trinity ♪ | 15:31 | |
| ♪ As it was since time began ♪ | 15:38 | |
| ♪ Is now and shall be forever more ♪ | 15:42 | |
| - | This reading is from the gospel according to St. John. | 16:02 |
| "Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, | 16:07 | |
| "a leader of the Jews. | 16:11 | |
| "He came to Jesus by night and said to him, | 16:13 | |
| "'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher | 16:17 | |
| "'who has come from God, | 16:21 | |
| "'for no one can do these signs that you do | 16:23 | |
| "'apart from the presence of God.' | 16:28 | |
| "Jesus answered him, 'Very truly, I tell you, | 16:31 | |
| "'no one can see the kingdom of God | 16:35 | |
| "'without being born from above.' | 16:38 | |
| "Nicodemus said to him, | 16:43 | |
| "'How can anyone be born after having grown old? | 16:44 | |
| "'Can one enter a second time | 16:49 | |
| "'into the mother's womb and be born?' | 16:51 | |
| "Jesus answered, 'Very truly, I tell you, | 16:55 | |
| "'no one can enter the kingdom of God | 16:58 | |
| "'without being born of water and Spirit. | 17:01 | |
| "'What is born of the flesh is flesh, | 17:05 | |
| "'and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. | 17:09 | |
| "'Do not be astonished that I said to you | 17:13 | |
| "'you must be born from above. | 17:15 | |
| "'The wind blows where it chooses | 17:18 | |
| "'and you hear the sound of it, | 17:20 | |
| "'but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. | 17:22 | |
| "'So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.' | 17:27 | |
| "Nicodemus said to him, 'How can these things be?' | 17:33 | |
| "Jesus answered him, 'Are you a teacher of Israel, | 17:37 | |
| "'and yet you do not understand these things? | 17:41 | |
| "'Very truly, I tell you, | 17:45 | |
| "'we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen. | 17:46 | |
| "'Yet you do not receive our testimony. | 17:52 | |
| "'If I have told you about earthly things | 17:56 | |
| "'and you do not believe, | 17:58 | |
| "'how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? | 18:01 | |
| "'No one has ascended into heaven | 18:05 | |
| "'except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. | 18:07 | |
| "'And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, | 18:11 | |
| "'so must the Son of Man be lifted up, | 18:16 | |
| "'that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. | 18:18 | |
| "'For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, | 18:23 | |
| "'so that everyone who believes in him | 18:29 | |
| "'may not perish but may have eternal life. | 18:31 | |
| "'Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world | 18:36 | |
| "'to condemn the world, | 18:40 | |
| "'but in order that the world might be saved through him.'" | 18:42 | |
| This is the Word of the Lord. | 18:48 | |
| Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 18:51 |
| - | It's a joy to be here this morning | 18:57 |
| and share this service of worship with you | 18:59 | |
| on Trinity Sunday. | 19:02 | |
| I'm especially pleased to be here | 19:05 | |
| when the choir is making its debut. | 19:06 | |
| I'd like to debut with you if you would accept me. | 19:10 | |
| I understand no tryout is needed. (laughs) | 19:13 | |
| Then I'm in. (laughs) | 19:18 | |
| And I'm delighted to see all of you on this holiday weekend. | 19:21 | |
| Nicodemus is a strange and mysterious man. | 19:28 | |
| Outwardly his identity is clear. | 19:34 | |
| Distinguished teacher, religious leader, | 19:38 | |
| member of the powerful Sanhedrin, | 19:42 | |
| the Supreme Court of Judaism, | 19:45 | |
| coming to Jesus by night. | 19:48 | |
| Why not in the daylight? | 19:52 | |
| Why not on the temple steps? | 19:53 | |
| The time, the clandestine setting simply add to the mystery. | 19:56 | |
| What is Nicodemus up to? | 20:04 | |
| That is not so clear. | 20:07 | |
| He begins the encounter with an ingratiating remark. | 20:09 | |
| "Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher come from God | 20:13 | |
| "for no one could do the things you do | 20:16 | |
| "unless God were with him." | 20:18 | |
| Now that's quite a concession | 20:22 | |
| coming from a PhD gradate of the University of Jerusalem. | 20:24 | |
| Jesus responds with talk about new birth. | 20:30 | |
| The ancient fathers had a saying, | 20:35 | |
| a proselyte just converted is like a child just born. | 20:37 | |
| Nicodemus is mystified. | 20:44 | |
| How can one be born when he is old? | 20:47 | |
| Jesus uses the metaphor of wind. | 20:52 | |
| The wind is unpredictable, | 20:56 | |
| bringing cool, refreshing breezes | 20:57 | |
| or hot, sultry blasts which send the temperatures soaring. | 21:00 | |
| We never know whence it comes and where it goes. | 21:05 | |
| And so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. | 21:10 | |
| Nicodemus seems even more confused, | 21:14 | |
| and the encounter ends with a stalemate. | 21:18 | |
| Now this is quite in contrast | 21:23 | |
| with an encounter with Christ in the next chapter of John | 21:25 | |
| beside a Samaritan well. | 21:30 | |
| They talk about water and refreshment for the soul, | 21:33 | |
| and here a woman receives | 21:37 | |
| Jesus' word with great joy | 21:40 | |
| and is brought into the kingdom immediately. | 21:42 | |
| But new birth, the new birth of which Jesus speaks | 21:47 | |
| is very much in the air these days. | 21:52 | |
| Recently I was invited to have lunch with a faculty member | 21:56 | |
| of a leading conservative theological seminary. | 21:59 | |
| We were both visiting the same community at holiday time, | 22:04 | |
| and our relatives thought it would be nice | 22:09 | |
| if we could get together. | 22:11 | |
| Well, we had hardly gotten seated | 22:14 | |
| and put our napkins in place | 22:16 | |
| when he turned to me and said, | 22:18 | |
| "How is it with your soul?" | 22:20 | |
| Now that came as quite a shock. | 22:25 | |
| It's almost like asking | 22:28 | |
| and what kind of deodorant do you use? | 22:30 | |
| But it is clear that he was not interested | 22:35 | |
| in intellectual banter. | 22:37 | |
| He went for the jugular. | 22:39 | |
| And if he seemed a bit abrupt, | 22:42 | |
| even possibly a bit impolite, | 22:46 | |
| one has to understand where he was coming from. | 22:48 | |
| Now here's a man who was trained, | 22:53 | |
| indeed with a graduate degree, in electrical engineering, | 22:56 | |
| had a very good job, he had a home and a family, | 23:01 | |
| he had all of the signs of stability. | 23:04 | |
| And then in the mid-30s | 23:09 | |
| in the context of a very charismatic congregation, | 23:12 | |
| he experienced new birth, | 23:15 | |
| and he promised the Lord that he would give himself | 23:20 | |
| in Christian service. | 23:23 | |
| And so he went to a seminary and then on to graduate school, | 23:26 | |
| and now he is on the faculty | 23:29 | |
| of this very influential seminary as Professor of Missions. | 23:32 | |
| Here is no fly-by-night Christian. | 23:37 | |
| He is for real. | 23:40 | |
| How should we respond to a growing number of people like him | 23:43 | |
| who speak of being born again | 23:48 | |
| or from above as the New Revised Standard version | 23:52 | |
| correctly translates it? | 23:55 | |
| How do we respond? | 23:58 | |
| In a recent Gallup poll, | 24:01 | |
| people were asked have you ever had a religious experience | 24:03 | |
| that is a particularly powerful insight or awakening | 24:07 | |
| that changed the direction of your life? | 24:12 | |
| 34%, that is a little more than one in three, | 24:16 | |
| answered yes. | 24:21 | |
| I watched the telecast of a Billy Graham crusade | 24:25 | |
| in the Long Island Stadium recently. | 24:29 | |
| As hundreds of people poured into the aisles | 24:32 | |
| in response to his invitation | 24:36 | |
| that came at the end of a sermon on this very text, | 24:38 | |
| a very good sermon | 24:42 | |
| though not necessarily high-pitched or emotional. | 24:43 | |
| But when he gave the invitation, | 24:48 | |
| people flooded down the aisles | 24:51 | |
| so eager were they for the new birth. | 24:54 | |
| Now let's he honest. | 24:59 | |
| Many of us are uncomfortable with such displays of emotion. | 25:01 | |
| We're embarrassed when some zealous soul | 25:07 | |
| holds up a sign in the end zone | 25:10 | |
| in a nationally televised football game, | 25:13 | |
| and every time the ball goes over the goalpost, | 25:15 | |
| the sign goes up reading John 3:16. | 25:18 | |
| We all know that verse from Sunday School. | 25:24 | |
| "God so loved the world that God gave his only Son | 25:26 | |
| "that whoever believes will have eternal life." | 25:31 | |
| "This," said Luther, "is the whole Gospel in miniature." | 25:35 | |
| New birth, you better believe it. | 25:41 | |
| Nicodemus, being well-educated, | 25:46 | |
| having wealth and status and power | 25:50 | |
| do not make you a child of God. | 25:53 | |
| You need to experience the cleansing waters of baptism, | 25:56 | |
| the renewing, empowering presence of the Spirit | 26:01 | |
| if your life would be made whole. | 26:06 | |
| Now it needs to be said | 26:10 | |
| that this experience is more easily talked about | 26:12 | |
| if one has had it | 26:17 | |
| than it is explained in theory. | 26:19 | |
| "Lord, I know I've been changed," says the old spiritual. | 26:24 | |
| "Lord, I know I've been changed. | 26:27 | |
| "The angels in heaven done signed my name." | 26:30 | |
| I listened to a golf pro the other day | 26:35 | |
| at a meeting of the Fellowship for Christian Athletes. | 26:39 | |
| This was a breakfast meeting | 26:45 | |
| in connection with a major PGA Tour | 26:47 | |
| attended by several 100 young people | 26:51 | |
| from high schools all across that large city. | 26:55 | |
| And the golf pro talked to them | 27:00 | |
| in very simple and plain but very moving language | 27:02 | |
| about his experience of the Spirit. | 27:07 | |
| He met and married a devout Christian. | 27:12 | |
| She deeply influenced his life, | 27:18 | |
| and on the very first Sunday of their married life, | 27:20 | |
| they went to church | 27:23 | |
| and when the minister gave the invitation, | 27:24 | |
| he went forward and from that moment | 27:27 | |
| he said his life had never been the same. | 27:29 | |
| In that same meeting, | 27:34 | |
| a member of the varsity team of a university golf team | 27:37 | |
| got up and gave essentially the same testimony. | 27:44 | |
| Everyone listened attentively as he spoke | 27:49 | |
| of the power of the Spirit in his life. | 27:53 | |
| And I was struck that this may well be | 27:58 | |
| the most powerful way to communicate the Gospel. | 28:03 | |
| People whose lives have been changed witnessing to others. | 28:07 | |
| A letter arrived just this week | 28:12 | |
| from a member of a church that I served in Columbus, Ohio | 28:14 | |
| telling of her experience on the Emmaus Walk, | 28:18 | |
| a very intensive weekend spiritual retreat | 28:22 | |
| in which she said she met again the risen Christ. | 28:26 | |
| One could give many examples such as this | 28:32 | |
| in which people's lives have been changed | 28:36 | |
| either suddenly or progressively | 28:39 | |
| as the Holy Spirit has touched their lives. | 28:42 | |
| Now I submit, dear friends, | 28:47 | |
| and this is the thesis of my sermon this morning. | 28:50 | |
| I submit that it is time for us in the mainline tradition | 28:55 | |
| to reclaim our belief | 29:00 | |
| in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit | 29:02 | |
| rather than leaving it to fringe groups | 29:06 | |
| or so-called Pentecostals or Evangelicals. | 29:09 | |
| The new birth of which Christ speaks | 29:13 | |
| is open to all, | 29:16 | |
| anytime, anywhere, | 29:18 | |
| but especially in the company of the committed. | 29:21 | |
| And that is precisely why we have Trinity Sunday | 29:25 | |
| following on the heels of Pentecost, | 29:30 | |
| to remind us | 29:33 | |
| of the personal presence | 29:35 | |
| of an imminent God, | 29:37 | |
| a God revealed not only in the mystery of creation, | 29:40 | |
| not only in the history of a chosen people, | 29:45 | |
| not only through prophets, martyrs, and saints, | 29:49 | |
| and supremely and uniquely | 29:54 | |
| in the life and death of Jesus Christ | 29:56 | |
| and in his resurrection, | 29:59 | |
| but also through one who is God with us | 30:02 | |
| for guidance, for comfort, and for strength. | 30:08 | |
| And this is good news | 30:13 | |
| for those burdened by guilt | 30:15 | |
| who feel that they cannot please God. | 30:18 | |
| This is good news | 30:23 | |
| for those who are going through tough times | 30:24 | |
| and feel that God has let them down. | 30:28 | |
| This is good news | 30:30 | |
| for those who have lost hope | 30:33 | |
| and dread what the future may bring. | 30:35 | |
| "Draw us in the Spirit's tether, | 30:39 | |
| "for when humbly in thy name | 30:42 | |
| "two or three are met together, | 30:44 | |
| "thou art in the midst of them. | 30:47 | |
| "Hallelujah, Hallelujah. | 30:50 | |
| "Touch we now thy garment's hem." | 30:53 | |
| How do we respond to the gift of the Holy Spirit? | 30:57 | |
| For some, it's a very personal experience | 31:02 | |
| with no outward show of emotion. | 31:06 | |
| John Wesley sitting quietly in a Moravian prayer meeting | 31:09 | |
| in London one evening in May | 31:13 | |
| said that he felt his heart strangely warmed. | 31:15 | |
| No one in that meeting knew what was happening in his life. | 31:21 | |
| But he said, "I felt I was forgiven by Christ, | 31:26 | |
| "that he'd taken away my sins | 31:31 | |
| "and delivered me from the fear of sin and death." | 31:34 | |
| Other people raise their hands and moved to the beat | 31:41 | |
| of powerful, pulsating music. | 31:46 | |
| Others speak in tongues as at Pentecost. | 31:49 | |
| And still others testify publicly | 31:54 | |
| to what God has done for them. | 31:56 | |
| Again, we mainliners tend to be a bit wary | 31:58 | |
| of too much emotion. | 32:03 | |
| We prefer order to ardor. | 32:06 | |
| We like predictability. | 32:11 | |
| We like to keep things under control. | 32:13 | |
| But, dear friends, emotion is back even for us. | 32:17 | |
| You have only to examine the New United Methodist Hymnal | 32:20 | |
| and look under the themes of the power of the Holy Spirit, | 32:26 | |
| the sanctifying and perfecting grace, | 32:31 | |
| to discover this is so. | 32:34 | |
| We've discovered in our worship | 32:38 | |
| at the Divinity School Chapel a delightful freedom, | 32:40 | |
| especially when we worship in the Black tradition. | 32:44 | |
| We had a wonderful service a few weeks ago | 32:50 | |
| in which Dr. William Turner | 32:53 | |
| preached with the eloquence and power | 32:55 | |
| that he possesses, | 32:59 | |
| accompanied by loud shouts of encouragements and loud Amen. | 33:01 | |
| The message was followed | 33:07 | |
| by the sacrament of Holy Communion as it will be here, | 33:09 | |
| and there was a marvelous sense of unity, | 33:14 | |
| the unity in Christ. | 33:17 | |
| And when we came to the end of the sacrament, | 33:20 | |
| there was a moment of silence. | 33:22 | |
| And then someone began singing, | 33:26 | |
| "There's a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, | 33:30 | |
| "and I know that it's the Spirit of the Lord." | 33:35 | |
| It was a transcendent moment. | 33:40 | |
| There is no right or wrong way | 33:44 | |
| to celebrate the Spirit's presence. | 33:47 | |
| Those sects which threaten be born or be damned | 33:50 | |
| or insist that if you've not jumped | 33:55 | |
| through the same spiritual hoops as they, | 33:57 | |
| you're not accepted by God, | 34:01 | |
| are wide of the mark. | 34:02 | |
| The Spirit moves where it will, | 34:05 | |
| and wherever there is genuine repentance | 34:09 | |
| and a desire to give oneself | 34:14 | |
| in obedience and service to God, | 34:16 | |
| new life appears. | 34:20 | |
| Now one final note. | 34:24 | |
| If our experience of the Holy Spirit has been genuine, | 34:25 | |
| it will make us more sensitive to the needs of others. | 34:31 | |
| We cannot keep God's love to ourself. | 34:35 | |
| Which is to say, | 34:40 | |
| once we have met God in a life-changing encounter, | 34:42 | |
| once, in the words of Isaiah, | 34:46 | |
| "mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts," | 34:49 | |
| there is no way we can avoid the call that followed, | 34:52 | |
| "Whom shall I send and who shall go for us?" | 34:57 | |
| That's, especially in our broken and bleeding world | 35:03 | |
| with pictures of violence and poverty and hunger | 35:07 | |
| and debilitating disease | 35:11 | |
| flashed on our TV screens every night, | 35:13 | |
| that question, who will go for us, | 35:16 | |
| is a very haunting one indeed. | 35:18 | |
| George Hartwell used to be a successful mortgage banker | 35:23 | |
| in Grand Rapids, Michigan. | 35:28 | |
| Today, he's a pastor who presides over a storefront church | 35:31 | |
| and a social center | 35:36 | |
| ministering to the needs of street people | 35:38 | |
| in the toughest district of that city. | 35:40 | |
| What happened? | 35:45 | |
| After graduating from college, he joined his father | 35:47 | |
| at the helm of the Hartwell Mortgage Corporation | 35:50 | |
| writing millions of dollars | 35:53 | |
| every year in mortgages. | 35:57 | |
| He was active in his church, | 36:00 | |
| in the social life of the community. | 36:03 | |
| He had a lovely wife and family. | 36:05 | |
| He lived in a spacious home. | 36:06 | |
| Who could ask for anything more? | 36:08 | |
| And then he went on a mission trip to Haiti. | 36:13 | |
| And one day he was accompanied | 36:17 | |
| by a representative of Church World Service | 36:19 | |
| into the countryside, | 36:22 | |
| and there he saw people living in wretched conditions. | 36:25 | |
| He saw poverty and deprivation and hopelessness | 36:30 | |
| as he'd never seen before. | 36:34 | |
| And they placed in his arms | 36:38 | |
| a three-year-old child, | 36:41 | |
| and as he looked at that little girl, | 36:45 | |
| so helpless, | 36:49 | |
| with distended stomach, with glazed eyes, | 36:51 | |
| with arms no bigger in diameter than his own finger, | 36:54 | |
| he said, | 37:00 | |
| "I experienced the presence of Christ. | 37:02 | |
| "I'm convinced I looked into the eyes of the living God. | 37:07 | |
| "You cannot do that without being changed." | 37:12 | |
| "The poor," he says, | 37:17 | |
| "know so much more than most of us | 37:19 | |
| "about the providence of God." | 37:25 | |
| Must we be born again? | 37:30 | |
| Indeed so. | 37:34 | |
| Again, again, and again. | 37:37 | |
| Thanks be to God, Amen. | 37:43 | |
| - | You're invited to join in singing the prayer response | 37:55 |
| found on page 485 in your hymnal. | 37:57 | |
| The Lord be with you. | 38:02 | |
| Congregation | And also with you. | 38:04 |
| ♪ In peace let us pray to the Lord ♪ | 38:08 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy ♪ | 38:12 | |
| Gracious God, behold us and hear us now, | 38:18 | |
| your erring children who turn to you in prayer. | 38:23 | |
| Gifted with sight, we miss your glory which surrounds us. | 38:27 | |
| Gifted with imagination, we plod along | 38:31 | |
| afraid to dream or to hope for miracles. | 38:33 | |
| Gifted with the power of love, | 38:37 | |
| we fail to reach out to sisters and brothers in distress. | 38:39 | |
| Forgive us our misuse of life, O God, | 38:44 | |
| and help us find the courage to open ourselves | 38:47 | |
| to your healing presence. | 38:50 | |
| ♪ Let us pray to the Lord ♪ | 38:52 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy ♪ | 38:55 | |
| God of all, you surround us with wealth | 39:01 | |
| more bountiful than we can comprehend, | 39:03 | |
| air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, | 39:06 | |
| and all that is needful for human life. | 39:10 | |
| We pray for those who know little of your bounty, | 39:13 | |
| for whom mere existence is a constant struggle, | 39:16 | |
| especially for the hundreds of thousands of people | 39:20 | |
| in the Horn of Africa | 39:23 | |
| whose lives are endangered by hunger and malnutrition | 39:25 | |
| and for the Kurdish refugees still seeking to find a home. | 39:28 | |
| ♪ Let us pray to the Lord ♪ | 39:33 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy ♪ | 39:35 | |
| O creating God, you are present | 39:41 | |
| in every part of human experience. | 39:44 | |
| You hold before you the newborn infant | 39:47 | |
| cuddled in a parent's arms, | 39:48 | |
| young men and women struggling to make life decisions, | 39:51 | |
| families seeking to resolve painful conflicts, | 39:55 | |
| the sick and the infirm | 39:59 | |
| battling with sickness and incapacity, | 40:01 | |
| and the dying soon to experience your new creation. | 40:04 | |
| ♪ Let us pray to the Lord ♪ | 40:09 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy ♪ | 40:11 | |
| O redeeming God, we pray for those lands | 40:17 | |
| where brother and sister fight sister and brother, | 40:20 | |
| divided by arbitrary borders, ideology, or religion. | 40:23 | |
| We pray for those lands | 40:28 | |
| where extremes of wealth and poverty are bitterly divisive. | 40:29 | |
| We pray for innocent victims everywhere | 40:34 | |
| who fall prey to senseless violence | 40:36 | |
| and for those who mourn their loss, | 40:39 | |
| especially the people of India | 40:42 | |
| after the assassination of their prime minister. | 40:44 | |
| ♪ Let us pray to the Lord ♪ | 40:47 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy ♪ | 40:50 | |
| O sustaining God, we pray for all | 40:55 | |
| who have grown bitter or weary in the race of life, | 40:58 | |
| for those who weep and for those who can no longer weep, | 41:02 | |
| for those who live within prisons, on death row, | 41:06 | |
| in mental institutions, in homeless shelters, | 41:10 | |
| shelters for battered women, | 41:14 | |
| and for runaway youth on the streets of our cities. | 41:16 | |
| ♪ Let us pray to the Lord ♪ | 41:20 | |
| ♪ Lord have mercy ♪ | 41:22 | |
| O living Lord, you told us | 41:28 | |
| truly, truly, unless one is born anew, | 41:29 | |
| one cannot see the kingdom of God. | 41:32 | |
| Teach us how to see through your eyes, | 41:35 | |
| to walk through your shoes, | 41:37 | |
| to feel through your senses, | 41:39 | |
| to love through your heart. | 41:42 | |
| O giver of life, help us to be born to new life | 41:44 | |
| that we may answer your call, hear am I, send me, | 41:48 | |
| for it is in your holy name we pray, Amen. | 41:52 | |
| Christ invites to his table all who love him | 41:59 | |
| and who desire to live in peace with one another. | 42:02 | |
| Therefore let us stand as we offer one another | 42:05 | |
| signs of peace and reconciliation. | 42:07 | |
| (congregation chatters) | 42:12 | |
| As a forgiven and renewed people, | 42:26 | |
| let us offer our gifts and ourselves to God. | 42:28 | |
| (solemn music) | 42:33 | |
| (singing in foreign language) | 43:44 | |
| (stately music) | 48:25 | |
| ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 48:44 | |
| ♪ Praise him, all creatures here below ♪ | 48:51 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 48:57 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:00 | |
| ♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 49:05 | |
| ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 49:11 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:18 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:21 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:25 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:28 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:32 | |
| - | Please join with me in praying the great thanksgiving | 49:43 |
| found on page 17 in your hymnals. | 49:46 | |
| The Lord be with you. | 49:53 | |
| Congregation | And also with you. | 49:54 |
| - | Lift up to your hearts. | 49:56 |
| Congregation | We lift them up to the Lord. | 49:58 |
| - | Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. | 50:00 |
| Congregation | It is right to give our thanks and praise. | 50:03 |
| - | It is right and a good and joyful thing | 50:06 |
| always and everywhere to give thanks to you, | 50:09 | |
| God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. | 50:12 | |
| You formed us in your image | 50:15 | |
| and breathed into us the breath of life. | 50:17 | |
| When we turned away and our love failed, | 50:20 | |
| your love remained steadfast. | 50:23 | |
| You delivered us from captivity, | 50:25 | |
| made covenant to be our sovereign God, | 50:27 | |
| and spoke to us through your prophets. | 50:30 | |
| And so with your people on earth | 50:32 | |
| and all the company of heaven, | 50:34 | |
| we praise your name and join their unending hymn. | 50:36 | |
| (regal music) | 50:40 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy Lord ♪ | 50:49 | |
| ♪ God of power and might ♪ | 50:54 | |
| ♪ Heaven and earth are full of your glory ♪ | 50:59 | |
| ♪ Hosanna in the highest ♪ | 51:03 | |
| ♪ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord ♪ | 51:08 | |
| ♪ Hosanna in the highest ♪ | 51:15 | |
| - | Holy are you and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. | 51:25 |
| Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, | 51:30 | |
| to proclaim release to the captives | 51:33 | |
| and recovering of sight to the blind, | 51:35 | |
| to set at liberty those who are oppressed, | 51:38 | |
| and to announce that the time had come | 51:41 | |
| when you would save your people. | 51:43 | |
| He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. | 51:45 | |
| By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection, | 51:50 | |
| you gave birth to your church, | 51:53 | |
| delivered us from slavery to sin and death, | 51:55 | |
| and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. | 51:57 | |
| When the Lord Jesus ascended, | 52:01 | |
| he promised to be with us always | 52:03 | |
| in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit. | 52:05 | |
| On the night in which he gave himself up for us, | 52:09 | |
| he took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, | 52:11 | |
| gave it to his disciples, and said, | 52:15 | |
| "Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. | 52:18 | |
| "Do this in remembrance of me." | 52:22 | |
| When the supper was over, he took the cup, | 52:25 | |
| gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said, | 52:28 | |
| "Drink from this, all of you. | 52:31 | |
| "This is my blood of the new covenant, | 52:34 | |
| "poured out for you and for many | 52:36 | |
| "for the forgiveness of sins. | 52:38 | |
| "Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." | 52:40 | |
| And so in remembrance of these | 52:45 | |
| your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, | 52:47 | |
| we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving | 52:49 | |
| as a holy and living sacrifice | 52:52 | |
| in union with Christ's offering for us | 52:55 | |
| as we proclaim the mystery of faith. | 52:57 | |
| (solemn music) | 53:00 | |
| ♪ Christ has died ♪ | 53:09 | |
| ♪ Christ is risen ♪ | 53:12 | |
| ♪ Christ will come again ♪ | 53:14 | |
| - | Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here | 53:21 |
| and on these gifts of bread and wine. | 53:24 | |
| Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ | 53:26 | |
| that we may be for the world the body of Christ, | 53:29 | |
| redeemed by this blood. | 53:32 | |
| By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, | 53:34 | |
| one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world | 53:36 | |
| until Christ comes in final victory | 53:40 | |
| and we feast at his heavenly banquet. | 53:43 | |
| Through your Son Jesus Christ, | 53:45 | |
| with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, | 53:47 | |
| all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, | 53:49 | |
| now and forever. | 53:53 | |
| (solemn music) | 53:54 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 54:03 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 54:06 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 54:08 | |
| - | And now we are bold to pray | 54:16 |
| the prayer that Jesus has taught us. | 54:17 | |
| Our Father, | 54:19 | |
| All | Who art in heaven, | 54:20 |
| hallowed by thy name. | 54:22 | |
| Thy kingdom come. | 54:23 | |
| Thy will be done | 54:25 | |
| on Earth as it is in heaven. | 54:26 | |
| Give us this day our daily bread | 54:28 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses | 54:31 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us | 54:33 | |
| and lead us not into temptation. | 54:36 | |
| Deliver us from evil | 54:39 | |
| for thine is the kingdom, | 54:40 | |
| the power, and the glory forever, Amen. | 54:42 | |
| - | The gifts of God for the people of God. | 54:55 |
| (dignified music) | 55:19 | |
| ♪ We all believe in one true God ♪ | 56:44 | |
| ♪ Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 56:50 | |
| ♪ Ever-present help in need ♪ | 56:57 | |
| ♪ Praised by all the heav'nly host ♪ | 57:03 | |
| ♪ By whose mighty power alone ♪ | 57:10 | |
| ♪ All is made and wrought and done ♪ | 57:16 | |
| ♪ We all believe in Jesus Christ ♪ | 57:25 | |
| ♪ Son of God and Mary's son ♪ | 57:32 | |
| ♪ Who descended from his throne ♪ | 57:39 | |
| ♪ And for us salvation won ♪ | 57:45 | |
| ♪ By whose cross and death are we ♪ | 57:52 | |
| ♪ Rescued from all misery ♪ | 57:59 | |
| ♪ We all confess the Holy Ghost ♪ | 58:09 | |
| ♪ Who from both fore'er proceeds ♪ | 58:15 | |
| ♪ Who upholds and comforts us ♪ | 58:22 | |
| ♪ In all our trials, fears, and needs ♪ | 58:29 | |
| ♪ Blest and Holy Trinity ♪ | 58:36 | |
| ♪ Praise forever be to thee ♪ | 58:42 | |
| (dignified music) | 58:55 | |
| ♪ God loved the world ♪ | 59:33 | |
| ♪ So that he gave ♪ | 59:38 | |
| ♪ His only Son the lost to save ♪ | 59:43 | |
| ♪ That all who would in him believe ♪ | 59:51 | |
| ♪ Should everlasting life receive ♪ | 59:59 | |
| ♪ Christ Jesus is the ground of faith ♪ | 1:00:09 | |
| ♪ Who was made flesh and suffered death ♪ | 1:00:18 | |
| ♪ All who confide in Christ alone ♪ | 1:00:27 | |
| ♪ Are built on this chief cornerstone ♪ | 1:00:35 | |
| ♪ God would not have the sinner die ♪ | 1:00:45 | |
| ♪ His Son with saving grace is nigh ♪ | 1:00:54 | |
| ♪ His Spirit in the Word doth teach ♪ | 1:01:03 | |
| ♪ How man the blessed goal may reach ♪ | 1:01:11 | |
| ♪ If you are sick ♪ | 1:01:21 | |
| ♪ If death is near ♪ | 1:01:26 | |
| ♪ This truth your troubled heart can cheer ♪ | 1:01:30 | |
| ♪ Christ Jesus saves your soul from death ♪ | 1:01:39 | |
| ♪ That is the firmest ground of our faith ♪ | 1:01:48 | |
| ♪ Glory to God the Father, Son ♪ | 1:01:57 | |
| ♪ And Holy Spirit, three in one ♪ | 1:02:07 | |
| ♪ To you, O blessed Trinity ♪ | 1:02:15 | |
| ♪ Be praise now and eternally ♪ | 1:02:24 | |
| (regal music) | 1:02:42 | |
| ♪ Holy Spirit, come confirm us ♪ | 1:03:06 | |
| ♪ In the truth that Christ makes known ♪ | 1:03:12 | |
| ♪ We have faith and understanding ♪ | 1:03:17 | |
| ♪ Through your helping gifts alone ♪ | 1:03:23 | |
| ♪ Holy Spirit, come console us ♪ | 1:03:31 | |
| ♪ Come as advocate to plead ♪ | 1:03:37 | |
| ♪ Loving Spirit from the Father ♪ | 1:03:43 | |
| ♪ Grant in Christ the help we need ♪ | 1:03:50 | |
| - | Please stand for the benediction. | 1:04:04 |
| Go forth in peace. | 1:04:12 | |
| The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ | 1:04:14 | |
| and the love of God | 1:04:16 | |
| and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. | 1:04:18 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:04:28 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:04:31 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 1:04:33 | |
| (solemn music) | 1:04:40 | |
| ♪ Holy God, we praise thy name ♪ | 1:05:08 | |
| ♪ Lord of all, we bow before thee ♪ | 1:05:15 | |
| ♪ All on earth thy scepter claim ♪ | 1:05:22 | |
| ♪ All in heaven above adore thee ♪ | 1:05:29 | |
| ♪ Infinite thy vast domain ♪ | 1:05:36 | |
| ♪ Everlasting is thy reign ♪ | 1:05:43 | |
| ♪ Hark the loud celestial hymn ♪ | 1:05:52 | |
| ♪ Angel choirs above are raising ♪ | 1:05:59 | |
| ♪ Cherubim and seraphim ♪ | 1:06:06 | |
| ♪ In unceasing chorus praising ♪ | 1:06:13 | |
| ♪ Fill the heavens with sweet accord ♪ | 1:06:20 | |
| ♪ Holy, Holy, Holy Lord ♪ | 1:06:27 | |
| ♪ Lo the apostolic train ♪ | 1:06:37 | |
| ♪ Joins the sacred name to hallow ♪ | 1:06:44 | |
| ♪ Prophets swell the glad refrain ♪ | 1:06:51 | |
| ♪ And the white-robed martyrs follow ♪ | 1:06:58 | |
| ♪ And from morn to set of sun ♪ | 1:07:05 | |
| ♪ Through the church the song goes on ♪ | 1:07:12 | |
| ♪ Holy Father, Holy Son ♪ | 1:07:21 | |
| ♪ Holy Spirit, three we name you ♪ | 1:07:28 | |
| ♪ While in essence only one ♪ | 1:07:36 | |
| ♪ Undivided God we claim you ♪ | 1:07:43 | |
| ♪ And adoring bend the knee ♪ | 1:07:50 | |
| ♪ While we own the mystery ♪ | 1:07:57 | |
| ♪ Thou art king of glory, Christ ♪ | 1:08:07 | |
| ♪ Son of God, yet born of Mary ♪ | 1:08:14 | |
| ♪ For us sinners sacrificed ♪ | 1:08:21 | |
| ♪ And to death a tributary ♪ | 1:08:28 | |
| (lively music) | 1:08:54 |