Dennis M. Campbell - "Witnesses to the Things" (April 26, 1992)

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	(pipe organ music)	0:00
	(pipe organ music)	1:32
	(pipe organ music)	2:34
	("Light's glittering morn bedecks the sky")	5:09
	♪ Light's glittering morn bedecks the sky ♪	5:10
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	5:18
	♪ Heaven thunders forth its victor cry ♪	5:23
	♪ Alleluia ♪	5:32
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	5:38
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ♪	5:46
	♪ The pains of hell are loosed at last ♪	5:54
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	6:03
	♪ The days of mourning now are past ♪	6:09
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:17
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	6:23
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ♪	6:30
	♪ All praise be yours O risen Lord ♪	6:39
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	6:48
	♪ From death to endless life restored ♪	6:54
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:02
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	7:08
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia ♪	7:15
-	All praise be yours oh risen Lord	7:29
	from death to endless life restored.	7:31
	Easter continues.	7:36
	We welcome you to this service of worship	7:37
	here at Duke Chapel.	7:40
	We thank our choir.	7:43
	This is their last Sunday singing with us	7:44
	before the summer recess.	7:48
	We thank them for a wonderful year	7:51
	and the leaders of the choir	7:53
	and bid Godspeed to those members of the Chapel Choir	7:55
	that will be graduating this year.	7:59
	If you're going to be in Durham for the summer	8:03
	and are a singer	8:06
	we invite you to apply for the Duke Chapel Summer Choir	8:07
	under the leadership of Donna Sparks.	8:12
	We welcome our guests today, our guest instrumentalists,	8:15
	our guest organist, Dr Thomas Clark,	8:20
	our preacher, Dean Dennis Cambell of the Divinity School.	8:22
	And now let us stand for the greeting.	8:28
	Christ is risen.	8:35
Congregants	The Lord is risen indeed.	8:37
-	Glory and honor, dominion and power	8:39
	be to God forever and ever.	8:42
Congregants	Christ is risen!	8:45
	Alleluia!	8:46
	("O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing")	8:50
	♪ O sons and daughters, let us sing ♪	9:20
	♪ The King of heaven, the glorious King ♪	9:27
	♪ O'er death and hell rose triumphing ♪	9:35
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	9:43
	♪ When Thomas first the tidings heard ♪	9:52
	♪ How they had seen the risen Lord ♪	10:00
	♪ He doubted the disciples' word ♪	10:08
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	10:17
	♪ "My pierced side, O Thomas, see ♪	10:26
	♪ "My hands, my feet, I show to thee ♪	10:34
	♪ "Not faithless but believing be" ♪	10:42
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	10:50
	♪ No longer Thomas then denied ♪	11:00
	♪ He saw the feet, the hands, the side ♪	11:08
	♪ "Thou art my Lord and God," he cried ♪	11:16
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	11:25
	(pipe organ extemporization)	11:38
	♪ How blest are they who have not seen ♪	13:38
	♪ And yet whose faith hath constant been ♪	13:46
	♪ For they eternal life shall win ♪	13:54
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	14:03
Margaret	Let us pray.	14:22
	Oh Jesus our redeemer,	14:24
	we thank you that our fears and sorrows	14:27
	are no barrier to your love.	14:30
	Whenever we've retreated behind closed doors	14:33
	behind our anxious fears and uncertainties	14:37
	you have sought us out to comfort and strengthen us	14:41
	even now you stand in our midst.	14:46
	As you breathe your breath upon us	14:50
	we experience new life	14:52
	and you wrest peace and devotion	14:55
	from our often lonely and fearful hearts.	14:59
	Gather us into one body of hope	15:04
	that we might with boldness	15:07
	proclaim your good news in both word and deed.	15:09
	Grant us fresh visions of you Lord Jesus	15:14
	our crucified and risen Savior.	15:19
	Amen.	15:23
Congregants	Amen.	15:24
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	15:33
Congregants	O Living God,	15:38
	bring us forth from death to life,	15:39
	so that as the scriptures are read	15:42
	and your word is proclaimed,	15:45
	we might be brought to a sure	15:47
	and living faith in your lordship,	15:50
	amen.	15:53
-	The first reading is taken from the book of Acts	15:55
	the fifth chapter starting with the 27th verse.	15:58
	When they had brought them,	16:04
	they had them stand before the council.	16:06
	The high priest questioned them, saying,	16:09
	"We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,	16:13
	"yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching	16:16
	"and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us."	16:20
	But Peter and the apostles answered,	16:24
	"We must obey God rather than any human authority.	16:27
	"The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus,	16:32
	"whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.	16:35
	"God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior	16:39
	"that he might give repentance to Israel	16:44
	"and forgiveness of sins.	16:46
	"And we are witnesses to these things,	16:49
	"and so is the Holy Spirit	16:52
	"whom God has given to those who obey him."	16:55
	This is the word of the Lord.	16:59
Congregants	Thanks be to God.	17:01
-	The Psalter this morning is Psalm number two	17:14
	found on page 739 in the hymnal.	17:16
	Please stand and sing responsively, Psalm number two.	17:19
	(pipe organ introduction)	17:24
	♪ Why do the nations conspire ♪	17:29
	♪ And the people plot in vain ♪	17:33
	♪ The kings of the earth rise up ♪	17:37
	♪ And the rulers take counsel together ♪	17:41
	♪ Against God and God's anointed, saying ♪	17:44
	♪ "Let us burst their bonds ♪	17:48
	♪ "And cast their cords from us." ♪	17:52
	♪ The One who sits in the heavens laughs ♪	17:56
	♪ And holds them in derision ♪	18:01
	♪ Then God will speak to them in anger ♪	18:04
	♪ And terrify them in fury, saying ♪	18:09
	♪ "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill." ♪	18:13
	♪ I will tell of the decree of the Lord ♪	18:21
	♪ Who said to me: "You are my son ♪	18:26
	♪ "Today I have begotten you ♪	18:29
	♪ "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage ♪	18:33
	♪ "And the ends of the earth your possession ♪	18:39
	♪ "You shall break them with a rod of iron ♪	18:45
	♪ "And dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." ♪	18:50
	♪ Now therefore, O kings, be wise ♪	18:56
	♪ Be warned, O rulers of the earth ♪	19:00
	♪ Serve the Lord with fear and trembling ♪	19:05
	♪ Humble yourselves before the Lord ♪	19:10
	♪ Lest God be angry, and you perish in the way ♪	19:14
	♪ For God's wrath is quickly kindled ♪	19:19
	♪ Blessed are all who take refuge in the Lord ♪	19:24
	♪ All glory be to you oh God ♪	19:32
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	19:35
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit ♪	19:39
	♪ As it was err time began ♪	19:45
	♪ Is now and will be forever more ♪	19:49
-	This reading is from the revelation to John	20:05
	the first chapter, beginning with the fourth verse.	20:09
	John to the seven churches that are in Asia:	20:13
	Grace to you and peace from him who is	20:17
	and who was and who is to come,	20:20
	and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,	20:23
	and from Jesus Christ,	20:28
	the faithful witness,	20:30
	the firstborn of the dead,	20:31
	and the ruler of the kings of the earth.	20:33
	To him who loves us	20:37
	and freed us from our sins by his blood,	20:39
	and made us to be a kingdom,	20:42
	priests serving his God and Father,	20:44
	to him be glory and dominion	20:47
	forever and ever.	20:50
	Amen.	20:52
	Look!	20:54
	He is coming with the clouds;	20:55
	every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;	20:57
	and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.	21:02
	So it is to be.	21:07
	Amen.	21:09
	"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,	21:11
	who is and who was and who is to come,	21:15
	the Almighty.	21:20
	This is the word of the Lord.	21:22
Congregants	Thanks be to God.	21:25
	("O, Clap Your Hands" by Ralph Vaughan Williams)	21:44
	♪ O clap your hands, all ye people ♪	21:47
	♪ Shout unto God with the voice of triumph ♪	21:52
	♪ For the Lord most high is terrible ♪	22:01
	♪ He is a great King over all the earth ♪	22:06
	♪ God is gone up with a shout ♪	22:21
	♪ The Lord with the sound of a trumpet ♪	22:26
	♪ Sing praises to God, sing praises ♪	22:33
	♪ Sing praises to God, sing praises ♪	22:38
	♪ Sing praises ♪	22:47
	♪ Sing praises ♪	22:51
	♪ Sing praises ♪	22:54
	♪ Sing praises unto our King ♪	22:59
	♪ Sing praises ♪	23:08
	♪ Sing praises ♪	23:12
	♪ Sing praises ♪	23:17
	♪ For God is the King of all the earth ♪	23:32
	♪ Sing praises ♪	23:39
	♪ Sing ye praises that hath understanding ♪	23:42
	♪ God reigneth over the heathen ♪	23:56
	♪ God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness ♪	24:06
	♪ Sing praises unto our King ♪	24:21
	♪ Sing praises ♪	24:29
	♪ Sing praises ♪	24:33
	♪ Sing praises ♪	24:37
	♪ Sing praises ♪	24:43
-	It is hard for me to believe	25:19
	that it is the last Sunday of the academic year.	25:22
	But it is so.	25:26
	And therefore before I read the Gospel and begin the sermon	25:28
	I wanted to just take a moment	25:32
	to express on behalf of myself and you	25:35
	and I think the whole university community	25:40
	our thanks and appreciation to the leadership	25:43
	that goes on week after week in this place.	25:47
	Today marks the end of the first year	25:51
	for Debra Brazzel as assistant dean of the chapel	25:55
	and she has carried on with real distinction.	25:59
	And this day also marks the conclusion	26:03
	for Margaret Via of years of service	26:07
	as pastor to the congregation of Duke Chapel.	26:09
	And we thank you Margaret for your service among us.	26:14
	And it marks the end of the academic year for the choir	26:19
	and for Rodney Wynkoop and David Arcus, my colleagues,	26:25
	who do such a magnificent job	26:30
	week after week.	26:33
	And then of course, to mention also Will Willimon	26:36
	with the superb leadership he gives in this pulpit	26:40
	and in this chapel and throughout the university.	26:45
	As one who travels a good bit across the country	26:49
	to campuses, colleges and universities	26:52
	I would remind us all	26:56
	that we must never take this place for granted.	26:58
	And of course we must never take Duke for granted.	27:03
	Now let us hear the Gospel for this day	27:10
	which is taken from John in the 21st chapter.	27:14
	It is set on the very night of the Resurrection.	27:20
	And we find the disciples gathered together	27:24
	in a house where they met.	27:27
	And Jesus appears to them.	27:29
	Jesus came and stood among them and said,	27:32
	"Peace be with you!"	27:35
	After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.	27:37
	Then disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.	27:41
	Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you!	27:45
	"As the Father has sent me, so I send you."	27:49
	When he said this he breathed on them and said to them,	27:54
	"Receive the Holy Spirit.	27:58
	"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;	28:00
	"if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."	28:04
	But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the 12,	28:09
	was not with them when Jesus came.	28:12
	So the other disciples told him,	28:15
	"We have seen the Lord."	28:18
	But he said to them,	28:20
	"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,	28:21
	"and put my finger in the mark of the nails	28:26
	"and my hand in his side, I will not believe."	28:30
	A week later his disciples were again in the house,	28:36
	and Thomas was with them.	28:39
	Although the doors were shut,	28:41
	Jesus came and stood among them and said,	28:42
	"Peace be with you."	28:45
	Then he said to Thomas,	28:47
	"Put your finger here and see my hands.	28:49
	"Reach out your hand and put it in my side.	28:52
	"Do not doubt but believe."	28:55
	Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"	29:00
	Jesus said to him,	29:04
	"Have you believed because you have seen me?	29:06
	"Blessed are those who have not seen	29:10
	"and yet have come to believe."	29:14
	This is the word of the Lord.	29:19
Congregants	Thanks be to God.	29:22
-	Last Sunday Christians all over the world	29:25
	celebrated the great Good News	29:28
	of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.	29:30
	Today, Orthodox Christians celebrate the triumph of Christ	29:33
	over sin and death.	29:37
	And of course the rest of us continue to do so as well.	29:38
	Have you ever asked yourself	29:43
	what it would've been like to be there?	29:45
	What would it have been like	29:49
	to witness the resurrected Lord?	29:50
	I remember a time about 15 years ago	29:55
	when a man came to see me.	29:57
	He was a successful, young businessman	30:00
	who had met me through the board of the local chapter	30:03
	of the Red Cross on which we both served.	30:06
	He came into my office one afternoon	30:10
	wearing a conservative business suit	30:12
	and a strikingly handsome and obviously expensive tie	30:14
	subtly expressing his sense of style and individuality.	30:19
	He wanted to talk about religion	30:25
	and specifically Christianity.	30:27
	He was sophisticated and engaging.	30:30
	There are people like him all over the Duke campus.	30:34
	"If I had only been a witness to the Resurrection," he said.	30:38
	"If only I could see the risen Lord,	30:44
	"then I could believe, then I could have faith."	30:48
	Now this is an age-old problem.	30:52
	How can one believe in something one has not seen?	30:55
	How can one have faith if one has not been a witness	31:00
	to the extraordinary claims of the Gospel?	31:05
	On the first Sunday after Easter	31:10
	every year scripture lessons deal with this problem.	31:12
	So this is a sermon about seeing and believing;	31:17
	about doubt and faith;	31:21
	about being witnesses to the Gospel.	31:24
	My first observation this morning	31:31
	is that there is no necessary relationship	31:33
	between seeing and believing.	31:37
	As I told that young man in my office	31:41
	seeing does not guarantee belief.	31:43
	The Gospel lesson for this Sunday	31:48
	is always the story of doubting Thomas.	31:50
	Now we should all be able to identify with him,	31:54
	I think we do.	31:58
	He's one of those characters in the Scriptures	31:59
	that we can imagine ourselves being like.	32:02
	He is quintessentially a modern man.	32:07
	He wants to witness the risen Jesus for himself.	32:11
	In fact I think he's a good research university man.	32:15
	I won't believe it unless I see it for myself.	32:19
	We learn from the story, however,	32:25
	that there is no simple relationship	32:27
	between seeing and faith.	32:30
	One can see and not see.	32:34
	In her autobiography Helen Keller tells about a boy	32:40
	who came up to her on one of her trips and said,	32:44
	"Ms. Keller, isn't it terrible not to be able to see?"	32:46
	She replied, "Not half so bad	32:54
	"as to have two good eyes	32:57
	"and still not see."	33:00
	She went on to say that she knew many sighted people	33:04
	who really couldn't see.	33:08
	Their souls voyaged through this enchanted world	33:11
	with a barren stare.	33:16
	One can see and still not be a witness.	33:20
	Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen	33:27
	"and yet have come to believe."	33:30
	The essential point is that seeing is no guarantee of faith,	33:34
	because faith involves a leap and a choice.	33:41
	The question then is not how does one believe	33:47
	if one has not seen,	33:51
	but how can one not believe	33:54
	having seen Christian truth manifested	33:59
	in his witnesses up to this very day?	34:03
	God gives you and me the possibility of faith.	34:10
	That is a gift from God:	34:14
	the possibility of faith.	34:16
	It is up to us to respond.	34:18
	And the way in which we carry on our lives,	34:24
	the very way in which we present ourselves to the world,	34:27
	will indicate something about the nature of our faith.	34:31
	I was reading not long ago a book by Charles Spurgeon	34:35
	the great 19th century preacher	34:38
	who was writing about how other preachers	34:41
	should talk about the faith	34:45
	and he was very interested not only in what the message was	34:48
	but how the message was communicated	34:51
	that is how we look when we communicate the faith.	34:53
	He said, "When you talk about heaven	34:57
	"and when you talk about the Good News of the Gospel	35:00
	"put a smile on your face	35:03
	"and look as though this is the redemption of the world."	35:05
	On the other hand he said,	35:11
	"When you talk about hell, your ordinary looks will do."	35:12
	(congregants laugh)	35:17
	In regard to faith,	35:20
	next point,	35:24
	in regard to faith	35:25
	the original disciples had no advantage over us.	35:27
	On the wall in my office here at Duke	35:34
	there hangs marvelous picture	35:36
	of the 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian	35:38
	Soren Kierkegaard.	35:43
	One of my favorite of his writings	35:45
	is a small book called Philosophical Fragments.	35:47
	In it he deals with this problem	35:51
	of the relationship between seeing and believing.	35:55
	"Did the original disciples," he asked,	35:59
	"who witnessed the risen Jesus	36:02
	"have a benefit over subsequent generations?	36:04
	"Was it easier for them	36:08
	"because they were eyewitnesses to the original event?"	36:09
	Kierkegaard concludes that the answer is no!	36:14
	The first disciples also had to come to faith	36:18
	in the same way we do.	36:23
	Faith as response to God's invitation and gift	36:26
	was no easier for them and it is no harder for us.	36:31
	Kierkegaard writes in that little book,	36:37
	"There is no disciple at second hand.	36:39
	"The first and the last are essentially on the same plane.	36:44
	"Only that a later generation finds its occasion	36:48
	"in the testimony of a contemporary generation."	36:52
	The testimony of a contemporary generation.	36:57
	We have the same possibility of relationship	37:03
	to the risen Lord as the first disciples.	37:06
	They too had to respond in faith.	37:09
	There was no obvious, simple reality.	37:14
	The truth of the Gospel was no easier to accept	37:17
	in the first century than in the 20th century.	37:20
	Real faith involves our willing choice	37:23
	and carries consequences.	37:27
	The believer becomes a witness.	37:30
	That in fact is my third point.	37:37
	All Christian disciples	37:40
	in any time or place	37:43
	are witnesses to the Gospel.	37:46
	The lesson from the book of Acts	37:50
	that Dr Woodard read this morning	37:52
	tells the story of an encounter between the disciples	37:55
	and the religious and governmental leaders of their day.	37:58
	This was after the Resurrection	38:03
	and the disciples were bearing witness to the Gospel.	38:05
	Their actions and teachings were causing crowds to gather.	38:09
	Authorities don't like crowds, maybe understandably so.	38:14
	The official leadership was worried	38:20
	and commanded these disciples to stop.	38:22
	They refused,	38:26
	insisting that God had called them to preach the Gospel.	38:27
	They recounted the message	38:31
	of Jesus' life, death and resurrection	38:33
	and asserted that we are witnesses to these things.	38:35
	Now there are two ways at least	38:44
	that we use the word witness.	38:46
	One is in relationship to witnessing action:	38:49
	I witnessed the accident.	38:54
	The other is to bear witness:	38:59
	I will witness to her innocence.	39:03
	Not long ago I was asked to bear witness.	39:09
	An IRS man called me up on the telephone	39:12
	and asked about a donor.	39:15
	He said, "This man claimed to give $5,000 last year.	39:18
	"Did he?"	39:24
	I thought for a moment and replied,	39:25
	"If he didn't he will."	39:27
	(congregants laugh)	39:30
	Christians are called to be witnesses of both kinds.	39:38
	We are called to be witnesses to the resurrected Lord	39:42
	on a first-hand basis.	39:46
	The first disciples had no advantage over us.	39:48
	They too had to make a leap of faith	39:52
	as a result of their choice through God's grace	39:55
	to believe.	39:59
	And we are called to witness to the Gospel	40:01
	by our actions and words	40:05
	so that we become occasions for others to believe.	40:08
	That's the point.	40:14
	We are called to be witnesses to these things.	40:17
	Men and women come to faith	40:22
	through the evidence of witnesses.	40:24
	That is what Kierkegaard meant	40:28
	by the testimony of a contemporary generation.	40:30
	Just two weeks ago my wife Lisa and I	40:36
	were in Rome on Duke business.	40:39
	For the first time we went out the Appian Way	40:41
	traveling on the original stones from Ancient Rome	40:46
	to visit the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus.	40:50
	Catacombs are burial places	40:54
	in the form of galleries or tunnels.	40:57
	There are mile after mile of them	41:01
	arranged in as many as five tiers or layers	41:05
	carved deep underground.	41:10
	Marble or terracotta slabs mark the openings	41:14
	where the bodies were laid to rest.	41:19
	Early Christians hid, worshiped, prayed,	41:22
	celebrated the Eucharist and were buried in them	41:26
	from the first through the fourth centuries.	41:31
	The persecutions visited upon the Christians	41:36
	were the occasion for incredible witness.	41:39
	These men and women were witnesses to the things of God.	41:43
	We learned	41:50
	that among the hundreds of thousands of Christians	41:51
	buried in the catacombs	41:54
	there were also thousands of unwanted Roman infants	41:56
	who had been left exposed to die.	42:00
	Christians believing that all human life is a gift of God	42:04
	would gather these little bodies and bury them.	42:08
	I think that no one can visit the catacombs	42:12
	without being overwhelmed	42:16
	with the profound sense of the witness and mission	42:18
	represented by the early Christians	42:22
	in a society which not only did not tolerate	42:25
	but actively persecuted them.	42:28
	They were witnesses to the things of God.	42:31
	You and I are called to be witnesses	42:38
	though it may not be in such a dramatic way.	42:41
	One of my favorite contemporary autobiographies	42:45
	is The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day.	42:48
	Some of you may know that Dorothy Day	42:53
	was the founder of the Catholic Worker movement.	42:55
	And because of her faith	42:59
	became one of the leading advocates for social	43:00
	and economic reform in the 20th century.	43:05
	She was not raised a Christian	43:08
	and did not join the church until she was an adult.	43:11
	She tells the story in her autobiography	43:15
	of her conversion.	43:17
	It was not dramatic.	43:19
	In fact she became a Christian, believe it or not,	43:21
	by watching Christians.	43:24
	At one point she commented on such a relatively simple thing	43:27
	as going to church.	43:32
	What impressed her was their choice for the church.	43:34
	She wrote, "They accepted the church.	43:40
	"It may have been an unthinking, unquestioning faith	43:44
	"and yet the chance certainly came again and again	43:47
	"'Do I prefer the Church to my own will,'	43:51
	"even if it was only the small matter	43:56
	"of sitting at home on a Sunday morning with the papers?	43:59
	"And the choice was the Church."	44:04
	Note her observation about our choice.	44:09
	More especially,	44:13
	note the fact that Christian witness can be powerful	44:15
	in undramatic ways.	44:19
	Even the decision to go to church is a witness.	44:23
	And that's hardly an act of martyrdom.	44:26
	No matter how dull the sermon,	44:30
	the choir will be superb.	44:33
	(congregants laugh)	44:35
	Like the early disciples in Acts	44:39
	we are called to be witnesses to these things.	44:41
	Not long ago I came across an article in The New York Times	44:46
	about an incident that happened in Philadelphia.	44:51
	On the front of a brick row house in Northeast Philadelphia	44:57
	a spray painted message appeared.	45:04
	It said, "We don't want no niggers,	45:07
	KKK."	45:11
	It was an all-white neighborhood	45:16
	and a black family had been considering buying that house.	45:18
	There had been some mob violence.	45:23
	And the spray painted message was the last straw.	45:27
	The black family was frightened off.	45:31
	Police went up and down the street seeking witnesses.	45:35
	No one had seen anything.	45:42
	But then there was one 13-year-old boy.	45:47
	John DeMarco came forward and told the truth.	45:52
	He and others had seen one of their 34-year-old neighbors	45:58
	spray paint the message.	46:05
	The man was brought to trial for racial intimidation	46:08
	and found guilty	46:12
	because John DeMarco was brave enough to tell the truth	46:14
	and be a witness.	46:19
	This single witness, a 13-year-old white boy,	46:23
	braved his neighbor's hostility	46:28
	by breaking the unwritten but very powerful	46:31
	code of silence.	46:36
	What especially interested me about the report	46:40
	was the reason given by John DeMarco for his witness.	46:43
	It was right there in The New York Times, it said,	46:48
	"The family are devout Christians	46:50
	"who take the Christian message seriously."	46:54
	John's mother was quoted in the paper as saying,	46:59
	"All my life I have seen things like that	47:02
	"and then here it is in my own backyard.	47:06
	"If you really care you have to do something about it,	47:10
	"if the opportunity comes."	47:16
	She said she gave her son one piece of advice:	47:19
	tell the truth.	47:24
	We live in a time of moral crisis.	47:28
	Our nation, our state, our own city	47:32
	are racked with problems.	47:37
	I don't need to specify them.	47:41
	You know them as well as I do.	47:43
	There are ways in which everyone of us	47:46
	is called to be a witness.	47:49
	We are called to witness to the love	47:53
	and power of the Christian message.	47:57
	We are called to witness	48:01
	that God's truth is greater and more sure	48:03
	than any human reality	48:09
	including any human sin.	48:12
	We are called to witness to the fact	48:16
	that Jesus' resurrection is the truth	48:19
	that ultimately will prevail	48:23
	despite all appearances to the contrary.	48:25
	We can witness the truth of the Resurrection	48:29
	in our time.	48:32
	There are examples everyday, and we can be witnesses.	48:33
	There's no necessary relationship	48:40
	between seeing and believing.	48:43
	We must make a leap and we have a choice.	48:45
	In these matters we have the same opportunity	48:51
	as the original disciples.	48:55
	All Christian disciples	48:58
	are called to be witnesses to these things.	49:01
	Amen.	49:07
	("Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise")	49:15
	♪ Hail the day that sees Him rise ♪	49:55
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:00
	♪ To His throne above the skies ♪	50:06
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:11
	♪ Christ, awhile to mortals given ♪	50:16
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:22
	♪ Reascends His native heaven ♪	50:27
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:33
	♪ There the glorious triumph waits ♪	50:40
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:45
	♪ Lift your heads, eternal gates ♪	50:50
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:55
	♪ Christ hath conquered death and sin ♪	51:01
	♪ Alleluia ♪	51:06
	♪ Take the King of glory in ♪	51:12
	♪ Alleluia ♪	51:17
	♪ See the heaven its Lord receives ♪	51:25
	♪ Alleluia ♪	51:30
	♪ Yet He loves the earth He leaves ♪	51:36
	♪ Alleluia ♪	51:41
	♪ Though returning to His throne ♪	51:47
	♪ Alleluia ♪	51:52
	♪ Still He calls mankind His own ♪	51:58
	♪ Alleluia ♪	52:03
	♪ See, He lifts His hands above ♪	52:11
	♪ Alleluia ♪	52:17
	♪ See, He shows the prints of love ♪	52:22
	♪ Alleluia ♪	52:27
	♪ Hark, His gracious lips bestow ♪	52:33
	♪ Alleluia ♪	52:38
	♪ Blessings on His church below ♪	52:44
	♪ Alleluia ♪	52:49
-	The Lord be with you.	52:58
Congregants	And also with you.	53:00
-	Let us pray.	53:02
	Lord Jesus,	53:12
	though we did not predict it	53:17
	nor expect it much less believe it	53:20
	Easter You broke the bonds of death	53:25
	You moved through locked doors	53:29
	came back to us	53:33
	breathed on us	53:35
	empowered us	53:38
	and we did not believe it.	53:42
	Make us Lord Jesus,	53:45
	to be not faithless but believing.	53:48
	Because of Easter things we thought impossible are possible.	53:54
	Because of Easter we pray,	54:01
	we pray for those who suffer,	54:06
	for the poor,	54:09
	the homeless,	54:12
	the victims of AIDS,	54:15
	the victims of Guadalajara,	54:19
	the many innocent sufferers of war	54:23
	and civil conflict in our world,	54:26
	in matters of peace, of food, of healthcare,	54:31
	of adequate housing,	54:37
	make us to be not faithless but believing.	54:39
	Because of Easter	54:47
	doors are open which presume to be forever locked.	54:50
	So we pray for the cancer that our medicine cannot cure;	54:56
	we pray against the addiction of someone we love	55:04
	to a substance which kills;	55:10
	the prejudice of bigotry,	55:15
	which is not eradicated merely by a university education;	55:18
	the marriage which seems all but lost;	55:25
	in matters close to us and the source of much pain	55:32
	make us to be not faithless but believing.	55:39
	Because of Easter	55:48
	we dare to lay upon you our burdens,	55:51
	our silent cares, our secret pain,	55:54
	because even in your resurrection	55:59
	you bore scars in hands and side	56:03
	you know.	56:07
	So we pray	56:11
	for sophomores preparing for exams;	56:13
	for seniors trying to figure out	56:18
	what to do after graduation;	56:19
	for the person in Duke Hospital awaiting surgery tomorrow;	56:23
	for the freshman who does not know	56:28
	what to do about her parents.	56:30
	In prayer we link our pain with yours Lord Jesus.	56:36
	Our scars	56:41
	which you have made your own,	56:45
	make us in word	56:49
	and in deed	56:52
	to be not faithless	56:54
	but believing.	56:58
	Amen.	57:02
	Dean Cambell has reminded us not to take for granted	57:07
	the gift that is ours in this chapel.	57:10
	The home for so many religious groups	57:13
	and so much good activity.	57:15
	We invite you to give generously to that fund	57:18
	which makes this possible.	57:20
	Our offertory today you will note	57:23
	is by our beloved chapel organist, David Arcus.	57:25
	Let us give as has been given to us.	57:29
	(Offertory by David Arcus)	57:57
	(pipe organ extemporization on Doxology)	1:03:29
	("Doxology")	1:04:09
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:04:23
	♪ Praise God, all creatures here below ♪	1:04:29
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	1:04:36
	♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪	1:04:43
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:04:49
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	1:04:55
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	1:04:59
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:05
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:09
-	Gracious God,	1:05:21
	You are the one who is and was and is to come.	1:05:23
	You are ever present with us	1:05:28
	throughout all of our moments, days and years of our lives.	1:05:30
	We praise you for your eternal love	1:05:36
	expressed in the death of your son, Jesus Christ.	1:05:39
	We thank you for these gifts	1:05:43
	which reflect your greatest gift	1:05:45
	the cleansing power Christ offers us.	1:05:48
	Oh creating God,	1:05:52
	you love all that is beautiful and true to your word.	1:05:54
	We thank you that this chapel continues to be a place	1:05:58
	reflective of your strength and goodness.	1:06:03
	We thank you for those who work here:	1:06:07
	for the ministers who counsel, teach and preach;	1:06:10
	for the great musicians and their gifts of song;	1:06:14
	for those who keep things in order and running smoothly;	1:06:18
	for those who work behind the scenes	1:06:22
	quietly helping others.	1:06:25
	Grant that all might continue to reveal	1:06:28
	your love and grace.	1:06:31
	Tender God look with kindness upon	1:06:34
	those who worship here week after week;	1:06:36
	those who come and quietly pray;	1:06:39
	those who pour out their anguish before you	1:06:43
	from the deep places of their hearts;	1:06:46
	those who are strangers in our midst.	1:06:49
	Remember those who have made solemn vows	1:06:53
	in this sacred place,	1:06:56
	that they may ever be faithful to you.	1:06:58
	God of all journeys be with us whenever we leave this place	1:07:02
	that we may not forget you	1:07:07
	in the name of the One who taught us to pray saying,	1:07:10
Congregants	Our Father who art in heaven,	1:07:14
	hallowed be thy name,	1:07:16
	thy kingdom come,	1:07:19
	thy will be done,	1:07:20
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:07:22
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:07:24
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:07:27
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	1:07:29
	and lead us not into temptation	1:07:33
	but deliver us from evil,	1:07:36
	for thine is the kingdom	1:07:38
	and the power	1:07:39
	and the glory forever.	1:07:40
	Amen.	1:07:42
-	And now may the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead	1:07:45
	and made him victor over the dark domain	1:07:48
	raise us all from our deadness and doubt	1:07:52
	and make us true disciples	1:07:55
	now and forever more.	1:07:57
	In the name of the Father, and of the Son,	1:07:59
	and of the Holy Spirit.	1:08:02
	♪ God be in my head ♪	1:08:07
	♪ And in my understanding ♪	1:08:13
	♪ God be in mine eyes ♪	1:08:26
	♪ And in my looking ♪	1:08:33
	♪ God be in my mouth ♪	1:08:46
	♪ And in my speaking ♪	1:08:54
	♪ God be in my heart ♪	1:09:09
	♪ And in my thinking ♪	1:09:20
	♪ God be at my end ♪	1:09:34
	♪ And in my departing ♪	1:09:49
	("Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain")	1:10:21
	♪ Come, ye faithful, raise the strain ♪	1:11:00
	♪ Of triumphant gladness ♪	1:11:05
	♪ God hath brought forth Israel ♪	1:11:10
	♪ Into joy from sadness ♪	1:11:15
	♪ Loosed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke ♪	1:11:20
	♪ Jacob's sons and daughters ♪	1:11:25
	♪ Led them with unmoistened foot ♪	1:11:30
	♪ Through the Red Sea waters ♪	1:11:35
	♪ 'Tis the spring of souls today ♪	1:11:42
	♪ Christ hath burst his prison ♪	1:11:47
	♪ And from three days' sleep in death ♪	1:11:52
	♪ As a sun hath risen ♪	1:11:57
	♪ All the winter of our sins ♪	1:12:02
	♪ Long and dark, is flying ♪	1:12:07
	♪ From his light, to whom we give ♪	1:12:13
	♪ Laud and praise undying ♪	1:12:18
	♪ Now the queen of seasons, bright ♪	1:12:25
	♪ With the day of splendor ♪	1:12:30
	♪ With the royal feast of feasts ♪	1:12:35
	♪ Comes its joy to render ♪	1:12:40
	♪ Comes to glad Jerusalem ♪	1:12:45
	♪ Who with true affection ♪	1:12:50
	♪ Welcomes in unwearied strains ♪	1:12:55
	♪ Jesus' resurrection ♪	1:13:01
	♪ Neither might the gates of death ♪	1:13:08
	♪ Nor the tomb's dark portal ♪	1:13:14
	♪ Nor the watchers, nor the seal ♪	1:13:19
	♪ Hold thee as a mortal ♪	1:13:24
	♪ But today amidst the 12 ♪	1:13:29
	♪ Thou didst stand, bestowing ♪	1:13:34
	♪ That thy peace which evermore ♪	1:13:40
	♪ Passeth human knowing ♪	1:13:45
	(trumpet fanfare)	1:13:51
	♪ Alleluia now we cry ♪	1:14:29
	♪ To our King immortal ♪	1:14:33
	♪ Who triumphant burst the bars ♪	1:14:39
	♪ Of the tomb's dark portal ♪	1:14:44
	♪ Alleluia with the Son ♪	1:14:50
	♪ God the Father praising ♪	1:14:55
	♪ Alleluia yet again ♪	1:15:01
	♪ To the Spirit raising ♪	1:15:06
	("Prelude and Fugue in G Major" BWV541 by JS Bach)	1:15:38

Item Info

Title:

Dennis M. Campbell - "Witnesses to the Things" (April 26, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: 29:25. Sermon end time: 49:08.
This sermon focuses on the relationship between faith and sight and the importance of Christian witness to the resurrection. The preacher asserts that there is no necessary relationship between faith and sight, that the original disciples had no advantage over contemporary Christians in terms of faith, and that all Christians are called to witness to the resurrection through their words and deeds. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “There is no simple relationship between seeing and faith.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4bn9xh8w

Date:

April 26, 1992

Speaker:

Campbell, Dennis M.

Liturgical Calendar:

Easter

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0279
ref9091_0ks
uachapelsermaud
duke:321705
dcrmv001266
ark:/87924/r4bn9xh8w
455c5b39-c430-4c41-887f-08dfd95573ba

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

Unknown Rights-Holder

Rights Note:

This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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