William H. Willimon - "This Ain't the Way It's Supposed to Be" (January 24, 1993)

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	(organ instrumental)	0:00
-	Good morning.	2:58
	Welcome to this service, for elected officials	3:00
	here at Duke Chapel.	3:03
	This has been a tradition going back for more than a decade	3:05
	to honor our State's elected officials to begin	3:09
	a new administration in a time	3:13
	of Christian reflection and prayer.	3:17
	We're glad that you're with us for this service of worship.	3:21
	This afternoon at five o'clock, Jerry Hancock will be	3:25
	giving a recital here in Duke Chapel	3:29
	and all are cordially invited.	3:33
	Let's stand for the greeting.	3:36
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	3:41
Congregation	And also with you.	3:44
-	Our Lord Christ reigns forever and ever.	3:45
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	3:49
	(organ instrumental)	3:51
	♪ Hope of the world, ♪	4:30
	♪ Thou Christ of great compassion ♪	4:34
	♪ Speak to our fearful hearts ♪	4:40
	♪ By conflict rent ♪	4:45
	♪ Save us thy people ♪	4:50
	♪ From consuming passion, ♪	4:54
	♪ Who by out own false hopes and aims ♪	4:59
	♪ Are spent. ♪	5:05
	♪ Hope of the world, ♪	5:10
	♪ God's gift from highest heaven ♪	5:14
	♪ Bringing to hungry souls ♪	5:21
	♪ The bread of life ♪	5:25
	♪ Still let thy Spirit ♪	5:30
	♪ Unto us be given ♪	5:35
	♪ To heal earth's wounds ♪	5:41
	♪ And end our bitter strife. ♪	5:43
	♪ Hope of the world, ♪	5:51
	♪ Afoot on dusty highways ♪	5:56
	♪ Showing to wand'ring ♪	6:02
	♪ Souls the path of light ♪	6:07
	♪ Walk thou beside us ♪	6:13
	♪ Lest the tempting byways ♪	6:17
	♪ Lure us away from thee ♪	6:23
	♪ To endless night. ♪	6:26
	♪ Hope of the world ♪	6:34
	♪ Who by the cross didst save us ♪	6:38
	♪ From death and dark despair, ♪	6:44
	♪ From sin and guilt ♪	6:50
	♪ We render back ♪	6:54
	♪ The love thy mercy gave us; ♪	6:58
	♪ Take thou our lives ♪	7:04
	♪ And use them as thou wilt. ♪	7:07
	♪ Hope of the world ♪	8:43
	♪ O Christ, o'er death victorious, ♪	8:47
	♪ Who by this sign ♪	8:53
	♪ Didst conquer grief and pain ♪	8:57
	♪ We would be faithful ♪	9:03
	♪ To thy Gospel glorious ♪	9:07
	♪ Thou are our Lord! ♪	9:12
	♪ Thou dost forever reign! ♪	9:15
-	Please join me in the Litany.	9:26
	Mighty God, the earth is yours and all nations are your	9:31
	people, take way our pride and bring to mind your goodness	9:35
	so that living together in this land, we may enjoy your	9:40
	gifts and be thankful.	9:44
Congregation	Amen.	9:46
-	For clouded mountains, steels and woodland, for shore land	9:47
	and running streams and for all that makes our nation	9:51
	good and lovely.	9:54
Congregation	We thank you God.	9:56
-	For farms and villages of our beloved North Carolina,	9:57
	where food is gathered to feed our people.	10:01
Congregation	We thank you God.	10:04
-	For cities where women and men talk and work together	10:05
	in factories and shops to shape those things we need	10:08
	for living.	10:11
Congregation	We thank you God.	10:12
-	For schools, colleges and universities of our state,	10:14
	and for their work of enlightenment and formation of those	10:18
	who study there.	10:21
Congregation	We thank you God.	10:23
-	For explorers, planners, public officials, for prophets	10:24
	who speak out and for silent, faithful people,	10:28
	for all who love our land, who seek justice	10:32
	and guard freedom.	10:36
Congregation	We thank you God.	10:37
-	For vision, to see your purpose hidden in our nation's	10:39
	history, and courage to seek your will.	10:43
Congregation	We thank you God.	10:47
	(mumbles)	10:50
-	Amen.	10:57
	Be seated.	10:58
-	Let us pray together, the prayer for illumination.	11:15
	Open our hearts and minds oh God,	11:20
	by the power of your Holy Spirit so that as the word	11:23
	is read and proclaimed we may be enabled to hear your word	11:28
	with joy this day.	11:33
	Amen.	11:35
	This reading comes from the prophecy of Isaiah the ninth	11:38
	chapter beginning with the second verse.	11:41
	The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.	11:46
	Those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them,	11:51
	light has shined.	11:56
	You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy,	11:59
	they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest.	12:04
	As people exalt when dividing plunder.	12:09
	For the yolk of their burden, and the bar across their	12:13
	shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken	12:16
	as on the day of Midian.	12:21
	For all the boots of the tramping warriors,	12:24
	and all the garments rolled in blood,	12:27
	shall be burned as fuel for the fire.	12:30
	For a child has been born for us,	12:34
	a son given to us, authority rests upon his shoulders	12:38
	and he is named wonderful councilor, mighty God,	12:44
	everlasting father, Prince of Peace,	12:49
	this is the word of the Lord.	12:54
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	12:57
	(organ instrumental)	13:08
	♪ Unto us a child is born, ♪	13:22
	♪ Unto us, a son is given ♪	13:27
	♪ Unto us a son is given ♪	13:31
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	13:35
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	13:38
	♪ Unto us ♪	13:41
	♪ A son is given ♪	13:43
	♪ Unto us ♪	13:45
	♪ A son is given ♪	13:47
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	13:50
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	13:52
	♪ Unto us a son is given ♪	13:55
	♪ Unto us a son is given ♪	13:59
	♪ Unto us ♪	14:03
	♪ Unto us ♪	14:04
	♪ A son is given ♪	14:05
	♪ A son is given ♪	14:06
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	14:08
	♪ His shoulders ♪	14:10
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	14:13
	♪ His shoulders ♪	14:15
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	14:17
	♪ His shoulder; ♪	14:19
	♪ And His name shall be called ♪	14:20
	♪ Wonderful, ♪	14:23
	♪ Counselor, ♪	14:25
	♪ The mighty God, ♪	14:27
	♪ The everlasting Father, ♪	14:30
	♪ The Prince of Peace ♪	14:32
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	14:34
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	14:36
	♪ Unto us ♪	14:38
	♪ A son is given ♪	14:40
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	14:42
	♪ Unto us a son is given ♪	14:44
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	14:46
	♪ His shoulder ♪	14:49
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	14:51
	♪ His shoulder ♪	14:54
	♪ And his name ♪	14:56
	♪ And his name ♪	14:57
	♪ Shall be called ♪	14:58
	♪ Wonderful ♪	15:00
	♪ Counselor ♪	15:02
	♪ The mighty God ♪	15:05
	♪ The everlasting Father ♪	15:06
	♪ The Prince of Peace ♪	15:08
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	15:11
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	15:12
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	15:15
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	15:17
	♪ Unto us ♪	15:20
	♪ A son is given ♪	15:22
	♪ Unto us ♪	15:24
	♪ A son is given ♪	15:26
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	15:28
	♪ His shoulder ♪	15:31
	♪ The government shall be upon ♪	15:33
	♪ His shoulder ♪	15:36
	♪ The government shall be upon ♪	15:37
	♪ his shoulder ♪	15:39
	♪ And his name shall be called ♪	15:41
	♪ Wonderful ♪	15:43
	♪ Counselor ♪	15:45
	♪ The mighty God ♪	15:48
	♪ The everlasting Father ♪	15:50
	♪ The Prince of Peace ♪	15:53
	♪ And unto us a child is born ♪	15:54
	♪ Unto us a child is born ♪	15:56
	♪ Unto us ♪	15:59
	♪ A son is given ♪	16:01
	♪ Unto us ♪	16:03
	♪ A son is given ♪	16:05
	♪ Unto us ♪	16:07
	♪ A son is given ♪	16:09
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	16:10
	♪ His shoulder ♪	16:14
	♪ And the government shall be upon ♪	16:16
	♪ His shoulder ♪	16:19
	♪ And his name shall be called ♪	16:20
	♪ Wonderful ♪	16:23
	♪ Counselor ♪	16:25
	♪ The mighty God ♪	16:27
	♪ The everlasting Father ♪	16:29
	♪ The Prince of Peace ♪	16:32
	♪ The everlasting Father ♪	16:34
	♪ The Prince of Peace ♪	16:36
	(organ instrumental)	16:40
-	Will the congregation please stand and sing Psalm	17:22
	number 27 verses 1-6 found on pages	17:24
	758 and 759 in the hymnal.	17:28
	♪ The Lord is my light and my salvation ♪	17:40
	♪ Whom shall I fear? ♪	17:44
	♪ The Lord, the stronghold of my life ♪	17:47
	♪ From whom shall I be afraid? ♪	17:52
	♪ When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh, ♪	17:57
	♪ My adversaries and foes shall stumble and fall ♪	18:02
	♪ Though an army encamp against me, ♪	18:08
	♪ My heart shall not fear; ♪	18:12
	♪ Though war rise up against me, ♪	18:17
	♪ Yet I will be confident. ♪	18:21
	♪ One thing I asked of the Lord, ♪	18:26
	♪ That will I seek after ♪	18:30
	♪ To live in the house of the Lord ♪	18:34
	♪ All the days of my life, ♪	18:39
	♪ To behold the beauty of the Lord, ♪	18:43
	♪ And to inquire in his temple. ♪	18:48
	♪ The Lord will hide me in his shelter ♪	18:53
	♪ In the day of trouble ♪	18:56
	♪ Will conceal me under the cover of his tent; ♪	18:59
	♪ And will set me high upon a rock. ♪	19:02
	♪ Now my head is lifted up ♪	19:07
	♪ Above my enemies all around me, ♪	19:12
	♪ And I will offer in his tent sacrifices ♪	19:17
	♪ With shouts of joy; ♪	19:22
	♪ I will sing and make melody to the Lord. ♪	19:25
	♪ All glory be to you creator and to Jesus Christ ♪	19:32
	♪ Our savior. ♪	19:36
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit we will receive ♪	19:38
	♪ As it was as at time began ♪	19:45
	♪ Is now and will be forever more ♪	19:48
	Please be seated.	19:58
-	This reading is taken from the first chapter	20:11
	of Paul's letter to the Romans starting with verse 18.	20:14
	For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven	20:20
	against all godliness and wickedness of those who by	20:23
	their wickedness, suppress the truth.	20:27
	But what can be known about God is playing to them,	20:31
	because God has shown it to them.	20:35
	Ever since the creation of the world, his eternal power	20:38
	and divine nature invisible though they are,	20:43
	have been understood in saying to the things he has made.	20:47
	So they are without excuse for though they knew God,	20:53
	they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him	20:58
	but they became futile in their thinking	21:03
	and their senseless minds were darkened.	21:07
	Claiming to be wise, they became fools.	21:11
	They exchanged the glory of the immortal God,	21:16
	for images resembling a mortal human being	21:19
	or birds or four footed animals or reptiles.	21:23
	Therefore God gave them up and the lust of their hearts	21:29
	to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among	21:33
	themselves and since they did not see fit to acknowledge	21:37
	God, God gave them up to a debase mind	21:42
	and the things that should not be done.	21:47
	They were filled with every kind of wickedness,	21:50
	evil, greediness and malice.	21:53
	Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness.	21:58
	They are gossips, slanders, God haters, insolent,	22:04
	haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward	22:10
	parents, foolish, faithless,	22:15
	heartless, ruthless.	22:18
	They know God's decree, but those who practice such things	22:22
	deserve to die.	22:26
	Yet, they not only do them but they even applaud others	22:28
	who practice them.	22:33
	This is the word of the Lord.	22:36
Congregation	Thank be to God.	22:38
-	This reading is from the gospel according to Saint Matthew	22:48
	the fourth chapter, beginning with the twelfth verse.	22:51
	Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested,	22:55
	he withdrew to Galilee, he left Nazareth and made his home	22:59
	in Caperanum by the sea and the territory of Zebulun	23:02
	and Naphtali so that what had been spoken through	23:06
	the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.	23:10
	Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea,	23:14
	across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,	23:18
	the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.	23:23
	And for those who sat in the region and shadow of death,	23:27
	light has dawned.	23:30
	From that time, Jesus began to proclaim repent for the	23:32
	kingdom of heaven has come near.	23:37
	This is the word of the Lord.	23:40
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	23:43
-	I never quite know what to do on this Sunday.	23:57
	It's an honor of course, to have our states public servants	24:02
	here with us, in the chapel.	24:07
	And yet, as I'm sure they would be quick to remind me	24:10
	I am neither politician or expert nor public policy,	24:13
	so what do I say?	24:19
	When I shared what I thought I might say, with a member	24:23
	of our states supreme court a couple of weeks ago,	24:26
	his advice to me was, don't.	24:28
	(laughs)	24:31
	Well what am I to say to our states public officials	24:33
	and those who elected them?	24:38
	And yet, when I read the epistle lesson	24:42
	which is appointed for this Sunday	24:46
	after epiphany,	24:50
	God gave them up to a debased mind and the things that	24:54
	should not be done, every kind of wickedness, evil,	24:56
	covertness, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, gossip,	24:59
	slanderous, insolent, haughty, boastful,	25:01
	why was it that I thought of you?	25:06
	(laughs)	25:08
	And I noticed that our lieutenant governor read this text	25:11
	with such gusto I thought he was going to start naming names	25:14
	(laughs)	25:17
	I was on my way to a sermon.	25:21
	No, I am humbled by the task ahead	25:24
	because I'm a preacher,	25:28
	and you as Christians,	25:30
	are here the way you're here on any Sunday.	25:35
	You're not here to hear me on public policy.	25:37
	But you're here to hear God on fidelity.	25:41
	And I want to talk to you about God.	25:46
	But before we talk about God, let's talk bout us.	25:50
	Paul begins his letter to the Romans,	25:52
	by talk about us.	25:56
	We are those Paul says, who suppress the truth	25:59
	about ourselves.	26:04
	Our claims of wisdom demonstrate only what fools we are.	26:06
	We are idolaters who will bow down to anything,	26:11
	birds, reptiles images of ourselves.	26:15
	In fact, you will note in this text that Paul says	26:18
	our big problem is we are idolaters.	26:21
	We will worship something, anything else,	26:25
	whether it be our bodily desires, or our possessions	26:29
	or other people, in place of God.	26:34
	We worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator	26:38
	Paul says.	26:43
	God's response?	26:46
	God gave them up.	26:48
	God didn't punish, didn't have to.	26:51
	God just gave us enough rope and we gleefully hung ourselves	26:53
	says Paul.	26:57
	And the results of God's letting go are all around us.	26:58
	Envy, murder, strife, deceit, foolishness,	27:03
	heartlessness, ruthlessness.	27:07
	Ran a hell of a mess.	27:10
	What we so deceitfully call the democratic experiment	27:13
	or by whatever names we suppress the truth about	27:17
	ourselves this is just the bitter harvest of idolatry.	27:20
	God doesn't condemn us to hell, no we built it for ourselves	27:24
	and we called it home.	27:29
	You see Paul is making a claim here.	27:32
	I don't know if you will go with him or not.	27:34
	But he is making a claim that the key human	27:37
	may laze is idolatry.	27:40
	Placing lords of our creation in place of the creator.	27:43
	The one true Lord and the punishment we receive is simply	27:49
	God letting us go.	27:54
	Having our own way, just pick up the Durham Herald Sun.	27:57
	Or if you must, the News Observer.	28:02
	And you will see the terrifying results of God's just	28:05
	letting us go.	28:08
	It's on the front page of the paper.	28:10
	Paul has got empirical evidence in this morning's paper	28:12
	that in his words, for though they knew God,	28:16
	they didn't honor God, they became fools, exchange the glory	28:21
	of the immortal God for images and God gave them up.	28:24
	And though our sins be many in this exhausting list	28:31
	that Paul makes here,	28:36
	though our sins	28:39
	and the results of our idolatry be many,	28:40
	would you understand why I,	28:43
	living in the third most violent county in North Carolina,	28:46
	thank you for sight in Cumberland,	28:50
	choose to focus this Sunday	28:54
	upon our violence,	28:58
	as the chief result of our idolatry.	29:02
	Dostoyevsky said that without God,	29:08
	everything is possible.	29:12
	And without God,	29:16
	just in the space it takes me to deliver this sermon,	29:18
	in our state,	29:23
	there will be two violent crimes committed	29:26
	or by the end of the day,	29:30
	two murders	29:32
	and seven rapes.	29:34
	The southern states lead the nation,	29:37
	we account for 43% of all murders	29:42
	and the largest numbers of reported rapes.	29:46
	Right here on this campus, this year, the number of rapes,	29:50
	robberies and assaults on the Duke Campus doubled.	29:54
	And the claim that Paul is making is that	30:01
	in worshiping animals, we have become animals.	30:04
	Which may be a front to wolves, who at least refuse	30:07
	to devour their own.	30:11
	Violence is but one of the forms of judgment	30:14
	which Paul lists	30:19
	when we are free to follow our own devices.	30:21
	It's ironic that sometimes people accuse the Bible	30:26
	of being violent.	30:29
	The Bible, with it's wars and it's massacres.	30:30
	But this is surely an arrogant judgment on by those	30:35
	who have lived through the most violent century	30:38
	humanity has ever known, at least the most efficiently	30:42
	and systematically violent.	30:46
	Four weeks ago,	30:49
	I stood with the chapel choir, in the snow,	30:51
	at Auschwitz.	30:56
	The Bible,	31:00
	considers war to be the typical state	31:03
	of humanity without God.	31:05
	In fact, in the Bible, instances of peace are so rare	31:08
	that I can only find three in the entire old testament	31:12
	mentioned.	31:15
	War, is a biblical name	31:17
	for a world living as if there were no God.	31:21
	And though we do not name what happens	31:26
	on our nations streets as war,	31:29
	the toll being extracted there is greater	31:32
	than any war we've ever fought.	31:34
	If South Africans were killing themselves at the rate	31:37
	that New Yorkers are murdering themselves,	31:41
	we'd call it Race War	31:45
	or we'd call it Tribal Violence.	31:48
	If Bosnians and Serbs were murdering themselves	31:51
	at the rate that young black males	31:56
	are being murdered on our streets,	31:58
	Slobodan Milošević would call it Ethnic Cleansing.	32:02
	Paul says,	32:07
	because they exchange the truth about God for lie	32:10
	and worship the creature rather than the creator,	32:13
	God gave them up.	32:16
	Envy, murder, strife.	32:18
	Last may, Marian Wright Edelman,	32:25
	head of the Childrens Defense Fund,	32:28
	told our graduates,	32:31
	that in their first four years out of Duke,	32:33
	16,000 American children under 19	32:37
	will die by the gun.	32:41
	3,000 children will die by homicide,	32:45
	10,000 will commit suicide,	32:49
	nearly 4 million will start their lives in poverty.	32:52
	Everyday, everyday,	32:59
	135,000 children bring a gun to school.	33:02
	In the next four years, there will be 8 million abortions.	33:07
	And maybe the greatest tragedy of all is that	33:14
	you and I have come to accept such war	33:17
	as normal, as natural,	33:23
	as impervious to change.	33:27
	But Paul wants to make the point in today's scripture	33:31
	that this was not the world that God created.	33:34
	No, we got the world that we created.	33:38
	We don't remember voting for this war, but it is our war.	33:43
	It will take somewhere over a $100 billion dollars	33:50
	to bail out savings and loans associations.	33:53
	And yet last year	33:58
	there was only a $100 million dollar increase	33:58
	in Operation Head Start.	34:02
	But we blew $500 million dollars every day	34:05
	in Operation Desert Storm	34:11
	I quote that great deal Dwight Eisenhower,	34:17
	who said,	34:21
	every gun that is made, every warship launched,	34:24
	every rocket fired,	34:27
	signals a theft from those who hunger,	34:28
	from those who are cold.	34:32
	This world in arms is not spending money alone,	34:35
	it is spending the sweat of it's laborers,	34:38
	the genius of its scientists, the hope of its children.	34:41
	Or as Jesus said on occasion,	34:46
	where you put your money is where your heart is.	34:50
	Or as Martin Luther said,	34:55
	whatever you would sacrifice your daughter for,	34:57
	that is your God.	35:01
	Or as Paul said,	35:05
	having bowed before beasts,	35:07
	we become bestial.	35:11
	We are sacrificing our own children upon the altar of gods	35:14
	of our creation.	35:18
	When financial achievement	35:21
	is the soul measure of human success	35:23
	in athletics, at law schools,	35:25
	at universities, in life,	35:30
	there always gonna be those who will murder	35:34
	in order to be successful.	35:39
	When subtle but powerful coercion is used against women,	35:42
	in the classroom or in the office, or on the assembly line,	35:47
	there gonna be those who will assault women on the streets	35:52
	or in a bedroom.	35:56
	When the gun is the foreign policy of choice for nations,	35:59
	a major facet of our national economy,	36:04
	folk on the street are gonna get the message	36:08
	that a gun is the way to get things done.	36:11
	Our gods are having their bestial way with us.	36:18
	A couple of weeks before Christmas,	36:26
	Wesley Cheek went early to his little store	36:29
	on South Alston Avenue here in Durham.	36:33
	He went to cook a turkey that would be used	36:37
	in his family's ministry to the poor.	36:40
	Maybe you read about the Cheek family here in Durham	36:42
	and they were featured in USA Weekend magazine last April.	36:45
	They have developed an independent Christian ministry	36:50
	that feeds the poor and homeless in Durham.	36:54
	Shortly after entering his store,	37:01
	to begin cooking this turkey for the poor,	37:03
	Wesley Cheek was shot.	37:08
	He was the second storekeeper in three days	37:12
	to be murdered in Durham.	37:16
	Upon hearing of her brother's murder, Donnie Mason	37:20
	collapsed on the sidewalk,	37:23
	crying over and over and over.	37:27
	This ain't the way it's supposed to be.	37:32
	When friends spoke of avenging her son's death,	37:38
	mother Gertrude Cheek, held up her Bible and she declared	37:42
	no, this is my weapon.	37:47
	These are tough resistant women, Gertrude and Donnie.	37:53
	They just don't bow to our gods.	37:57
	And you aren't gonna remember the crime statistics that	38:04
	I have quoted to you in this sermon.	38:06
	Our eyes just glazed over when we hear these numbers now.	38:07
	We become so numbed by it all.	38:12
	And you may not remember Paul' argument in Romans	38:16
	about how there's a cause effect relationship between	38:19
	our idolatry and our moral chaos.	38:22
	But I pray that you will take away from here,	38:28
	Donnie Mason's prophetic, faithful rebuke.	38:33
	This ain't the way it's supposed to be.	38:40
	In fact you might think of Jesus,	38:46
	you might think of Jesus as God's great	38:48
	cosmic prophetic rebuke to our world.	38:51
	Jesus in the flesh was God's	38:55
	"this aint the way it's supposed to be."	38:59
	Jesus intensified God's command, thou shalt not kill,	39:02
	telling us even to turn the other cheek when attacked.	39:07
	When arrested, Jesus refuse to let	39:11
	his own followers take up the sword to defend him.	39:15
	"No more of this" was his rebuke to them.	39:18
	Like Gertrude Cheek,	39:22
	Jesus, had another weapon.	39:24
	And if you're a Christian,	39:28
	it means that you claim that God so loved the world,	39:30
	as to refuse forever to give up on us.	39:34
	That in Jesus, God refused to let the world go.	39:39
	God came to us in Jesus to show us the way.	39:44
	Jesus was God's great "no more of this"	39:48
	to a world at war.	39:52
	This past fall, my Bishop in South Carolina, Joseph Bethea,	39:56
	who founded the Black Church Studies program	40:01
	at Duke Divinity School,	40:03
	was stabbed repeatedly	40:05
	as he went out of a Methodist church	40:08
	in Columbia, South Carolina	40:09
	and just before he collapsed there on the steps,	40:11
	just before the ambulance got to him,	40:15
	his last words were, "it's got to stop."	40:17
	Now I've already told you I don't know,	40:25
	what this means	40:28
	for those of you who make laws	40:29
	and those of you who administer laws.	40:31
	But I do know that as Jesus disciples in our own lives,	40:36
	in the way we live in our families	40:41
	and the way we go to work	40:42
	and the way we conduct ourselves in our neighborhoods,	40:44
	in the way we relate as women and men,	40:47
	in the precepts we teach our children,	40:50
	we are to be part of God's great "no more of this."	40:53
	A president cannot say when we have just bombed Iraq,	40:59
	this is God's work.	41:05
	Yet, Mrs. Donnie Mason does speak with Jesus,	41:09
	When she declares, this ain't the way	41:13
	it's supposed to be.	41:18
	Alas we have come to accept violence as normal,	41:22
	as the only means available to us,	41:26
	Paul says it is not	41:30
	normal, it is the beastly result of our idolatry.	41:32
	'Cause now that the Prince of Peace and Lord of Lords	41:37
	as our choir sung has come to our waring world,	41:40
	we are free to live changed lives.	41:43
	We don't march to the same drummer.	41:46
	We've got to do our part as Christians to witness,	41:50
	to signal, to the world	41:53
	that the worship of the true God	41:57
	can change us and can change our world.	41:59
	There is no area of human sin that is beyond his power	42:03
	to redeem.	42:07
	Christians have no way of proving the truthfulness of our	42:10
	claims about Jesus.	42:13
	Except by demonstration of his lordship in the way we live.	42:15
	Practically and concretely, I think that this means	42:21
	that as a Christian parent I got to care deeply about the TV	42:26
	that my children watch.	42:30
	There some jokes that just aren't funny.	42:33
	There some designations for other human beings like	42:36
	nigger, broad, whitey, chink, fag.	42:39
	These will not be used by us.	42:42
	There is certain behavior in the assembly line or in the	42:46
	classroom, or in the office that will not be tolerated	42:49
	no more of this.	42:53
	At his inauguration this year, Governor Hunt said,	42:57
	"our problems as North Carolinians are due more	43:02
	"to the cycle of poverty,	43:07
	"it's a cycle of drugs and violence and neglect	43:11
	"and abuse and irresponsibility and	43:14
	"too many families, it is a cycle of epathy,	43:15
	"and cynicism and hopelessness in too much of our society.	43:19
	"If we don't change this, nothing else we do will make	43:25
	"much difference."	43:28
	Let's think about what the governor said.	43:32
	Let's think about our neighborhoods and our communities,	43:35
	and what a difference it can make.	43:39
	Let's think about it.	43:43
	I don't know, maybe even Governor Hunt doesn't yet know,	43:46
	what this means in terms of public policy.	43:49
	But I do know that social change is preceded by	43:53
	each of us being faithful to Jesus imperative,	43:58
	no more of this.	44:02
	By each of us, believing with all of our hearts,	44:07
	Donnie Mason's	44:12
	"this ain't the way it's supposed to be."	44:16
-	Please join me now as we pray together the prayer	44:35
	of confession.	44:38
	O God, your justice is like rock,	44:42
	and your mercy like pure flowing water.	44:45
	Judge and forgive us.	44:48
	If we have turned from you, return us to your way.	44:51
	For without you, we are lost people.	44:56
	From brassy patriotism and a blind trust in power,	44:59
All	Deliver us O God.	45:04
-	From public deceptions that weaken trust,	45:07
	from self seeking in high political places.	45:10
All	Deliver us O God.	45:14
-	From divisions among us of class or race.	45:16
	From wealth that will not share and poverty that feeds	45:20
	on food of bitterness.	45:24
All	Deliver us O God.	45:27
-	From neglecting the hurt, the imprisoned and the needy	45:29
	among us.	45:34
All	Deliver us O God.	45:35
-	From a lack of concern for other lands and peoples,	45:38
	from narrowness of national purpose.	45:42
	From failure to welcome the peace you promise on earth.	45:45
All	Deliver us O God.	45:49
	Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy upon us.	45:51
	Amen.	45:56
-	Here the good news, Christ died for us while we were	45:59
	yet sinners, that is God's own proof of his love	46:03
	towards us, in the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.	46:07
Congregation	In the name of Jesus Christ,	46:13
	we are forgiven.	46:15
	(organ instrumental)	46:18
	♪ Heralds of Christ, ♪	47:05
	♪ Who bear the King's commands, ♪	47:08
	♪ Immortal tidings ♪	47:14
	♪ In your mortal hands, ♪	47:19
	♪ Pass on and carry ♪	47:25
	♪ Swift the news you bring; ♪	47:30
	♪ Make straight, make straight ♪	47:35
	♪ The highway of the King. ♪	47:39
	♪ Through desert ways, ♪	47:50
	♪ Dark fen, and deep morass, ♪	47:55
	♪ Through jungles, sluggish seas, ♪	48:00
	♪ And mountain pass, ♪	48:06
	♪ Build now the road, ♪	48:11
	♪ And falter not, nor stay; ♪	48:16
	♪ Prepare across ♪	48:22
	♪ The earth the King's highway. ♪	48:27
	♪ Lord, give us faith ♪	48:37
	♪ And strength the road to build, ♪	48:42
	♪ To see the promise ♪	48:47
	♪ Of the day fulfilled, ♪	48:52
	♪ When war shall be no more, ♪	48:58
	♪ And strife shall cease ♪	49:04
	♪ Upon the highway ♪	49:09
	♪ Of the Prince of Peace. ♪	49:13
-	The Lord be with you.	49:21
Congregation	And also with you.	49:23
-	Let us pray, you may be seated.	49:25
	God of mercy, we come before you humbled,	49:35
	with gratitude that you have not abandoned us	49:39
	once and for all, to the consequences of our idolatries.	49:42
	We are eternally grateful that through Jesus Christ	49:48
	you show us a better way to live.	49:52
	Offering us the hope of transformed lives, and a society	49:55
	ruled by love rather than hate.	50:00
	Teach us Lord to love as you love.	50:04
	Show each one of us the ways that we might offer	50:07
	compassion and kindness everyday.	50:11
	Mold us into your disciples and build us into communities	50:14
	that reflect your glory.	50:19
	Make us especially mindful dear God,	50:22
	of those in our communities and in the world that are	50:25
	victims of violence.	50:29
	We pray for those who are victims of domestic violence,	50:31
	that they may know security in their own home.	50:35
	We pray for the abusers, that they may be freed from the	50:39
	need to hurt others as a means of control.	50:42
	Teach them healthy ways to express their anger.	50:46
	We pray for those who are victims of crime.	50:51
	That our streets and homes may be safe once again.	50:54
	We pray for those who resort to crime for survival,	50:59
	that they may know real economic opportunity	51:03
	and the satisfaction of meaningful work.	51:07
	We pray for those who suffer the violence of racism,	51:10
	that they may be treated with dignity and respect.	51:14
	We pray for racists, that they may feel secure enough	51:18
	not to need someone else to look down upon.	51:23
	We pray for those who suffer the violence of poverty,	51:27
	that they may be given the opportunity to create better	51:32
	lives for themselves and their families.	51:35
	We pray for those who benefit from the poverty of others,	51:39
	that they may find the courage and generosity to share	51:43
	their abundance with those who have not enough.	51:47
	We pray for those who are victims of war, that they may	51:52
	know peace.	51:56
	We pray for those who profit from war, that their resources	51:58
	and creativity may be shifted from weapons of destruction	52:02
	to the task of enhancing life.	52:07
	Lord, all of us, both contribute to and suffer from	52:11
	the consequences of violence in our society,	52:16
	but that ain't the way it's supposed to be.	52:20
	Move us to say with Jesus, no more of this.	52:24
	For you have desired so much better for us.	52:29
	Help up say yes to the abundant life Jesus died to give us.	52:33
	For we acknowledge you as the almighty God,	52:38
	the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace,	52:41
	and Lord of our lives and it is in your name that we pray.	52:46
	Amen.	52:51
	As God has given to us, we invite each of you to give	53:07
	generously.	53:11
	(organ instrumental)	53:14
	(vocalist sings)	54:47
	(choir sings)	56:48
	(organ instrumental)	58:09
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	59:13
	♪ Praise him, all creatures here below; ♪	59:19
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:25
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:28
	♪ Praise God the the mighty heavenly host ♪	59:33
	♪ Praise God the Son and Holy Ghost ♪	59:39
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:45
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:55
	♪ Alleluia ♪	59:58
	Let us pray.	1:00:10
	O God, through the offering of these gifts, may we become	1:00:13
	a more open people.	1:00:16
	Open minded in hearing your word and wisdom,	1:00:19
	open hearted in healing a world broken by violence.	1:00:23
	Open handed, and heeding your call for charity	1:00:28
	and an act of love.	1:00:32
	With thanks for all your gifts, we present a portion	1:00:34
	of our substance and the whole of ourselves	1:00:37
	as we pray together, our father who art in heaven,	1:00:41
	hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done	1:00:46
	on earth as it is in Heaven.	1:00:52
	Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our	1:00:54
	trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;	1:00:58
	lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	1:01:03
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory	1:01:08
	forever, amen.	1:01:12
	(organ instrumental)	1:01:16
	♪ All who love ♪	1:01:47
	♪ And serve your city, ♪	1:01:51
	♪ All who bear its daily stress, ♪	1:01:56
	♪ All who cry for peace and justice, ♪	1:02:03
	♪ All who curse and all who bless. ♪	1:02:11
	♪ In your day of loss and sorrow, ♪	1:02:20
	♪ In your day of helpless strife, ♪	1:02:28
	♪ Honor, peace, and love retreating, ♪	1:02:35
	♪ Seek the Lord, who is your life. ♪	1:02:43
	♪ In your day of wealth and plenty, ♪	1:02:52
	♪ Wasted work and wasted play, ♪	1:03:01
	♪ Call to mind the word of Jesus, ♪	1:03:08
	♪ 'Work ye yet while it is day'. ♪	1:03:16
	♪ For all days are days of judgment, ♪	1:03:26
	♪ And the Lord is waiting still, ♪	1:03:34
	♪ Drawing near His friends who spurn Him, ♪	1:03:41
	♪ Off'ring peace from Calv'ry's hill. ♪	1:03:49
	♪ Risen Lord, shall yet the city ♪	1:03:59
	♪ Be the city of despair? ♪	1:04:07
	♪ Come today, our judge, our glory; ♪	1:04:15
	♪ Be its name the Lord is there ♪	1:04:22
-	And now may the grace of our Lord and Savior,	1:04:35
	Jesus Christ bring you peace now and always.	1:04:38
	Amen.	1:04:43
	(choir sings)	1:04:47

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "This Ain't the Way It's Supposed to Be" (January 24, 1993)

Description:

Sermon start time: 23:57. Sermon end time: 44:21.
The preacher argues that the core of human malaise is idolatry, placing lords of our creation in place of the one true Lord; only worship of the true God can change us and our world. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4416td83

Date:

January 24, 1993

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Epiphany

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0311
ref9209_2n3
uachapelsermaud
duke:321404
dcrmv001297
ark:/87924/r4416td83
9d445985-2d3b-40f2-b010-0f1f9e9fe45f

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings

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Language:

English

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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

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

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William H. Willimon - "This Ain't the Way It's Supposed to Be" (January 24, 1993)

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