Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (July 18, 1993)
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Transcript
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(soft organ music) | 0:05 | |
- | Good morning and welcome to this service of worship | 1:28 |
here at Duke University Chapel. | 1:31 | |
Summer provides us a time to greet lots of visitors | 1:33 | |
and friends here at the chapel. | 1:37 | |
And if you're visiting today, we welcome you. | 1:39 | |
Our guest organists today, | 1:42 | |
are Dr. Thomas Lee Clarke, Assistant State Pathologist. | 1:44 | |
And Sam Hammond, our university carillonneur. | 1:49 | |
Tomorrow at 5:00, Sam Hammond will be giving a carillon | 1:54 | |
demonstration here at the chapel. | 1:59 | |
This will provide you a rare opportunity to go up and see | 2:01 | |
the chapel carillon and hear and see it played. | 2:04 | |
And then tomorrow night at 7:30 the Bisnobruker Youth Choir | 2:10 | |
will be giving a concert here in the chapel, | 2:15 | |
and you're cordially invited. | 2:19 | |
Our preacher today is the assistant Dean of the Chapel | 2:24 | |
and Director of Religious Life here at Duke, | 2:27 | |
the Reverend Debra Brazzel. | 2:30 | |
And assisting in the leadership of the service today | 2:34 | |
is the Reverend Dr. Paula Gilbert. | 2:37 | |
Let us stand for the greeting. | 2:40 | |
Come together disciples of Jesus, | 2:46 | |
who dwell in the shadow of the most high. | 2:47 | |
(congregation responds) | 2:51 | |
- | God promises to keep you wherever you go. | 2:57 |
There is nowhere you can go that God is not. | 3:00 | |
(congregation responds) | 3:04 | |
When God calls us we will answer. | 3:12 | |
With our whole lives we will serve God. | 3:16 | |
(organ) | 3:20 | |
♪ God the Spirit, guide and guardian, ♪ | 4:25 | |
♪ wind-sped flame and hovering dove, ♪ | 4:33 | |
♪ breath of life and voice of prophets, ♪ | 4:42 | |
♪ sign of blessing, power of love: ♪ | 4:50 | |
♪ Give to those who lead your people ♪ | 4:59 | |
♪ fresh anointing of your grace. ♪ | 5:07 | |
♪ Send them forth as bold apostles ♪ | 5:16 | |
♪ to your church in every place. ♪ | 5:24 | |
♪ Christ our Savior, sovereign, shepherd, ♪ | 5:36 | |
♪ Word made flesh, Love crucified, ♪ | 5:44 | |
♪ teacher, healer, suffering servant, ♪ | 5:54 | |
♪ friend of sinners, foe of pride: ♪ | 6:02 | |
♪ in your tending may all pastors ♪ | 6:11 | |
♪ learn and live a shepherd's care; ♪ | 6:20 | |
♪ grant them courage and compassion ♪ | 6:29 | |
♪ shown through word and deed and prayer. ♪ | 6:38 | |
♪ Great Creator, life-bestower, ♪ | 6:50 | |
♪ truth beyond all thought's recall, ♪ | 6:58 | |
♪ fount of wisdom, womb of mercy, ♪ | 7:07 | |
♪ giving and forgiving all: ♪ | 7:16 | |
♪ as you know our strength and weakness, ♪ | 7:25 | |
♪ so may those the church exalts ♪ | 7:34 | |
♪ oversee its life steadfastly, ♪ | 7:42 | |
♪ yet not overlook its faults. ♪ | 7:51 | |
♪ Triune God, mysterious being, ♪ | 8:02 | |
♪ undivided and diverse, ♪ | 8:11 | |
♪ deeper than our minds can fathom, ♪ | 8:20 | |
♪ greater than our creeds rehearse: ♪ | 8:28 | |
♪ help us in our varied callings ♪ | 8:37 | |
♪ your full image to proclaim, ♪ | 8:45 | |
♪ that our ministries uniting ♪ | 8:55 | |
♪ may give glory to your name. ♪ | 9:03 | |
- | When we gather in God's presence, | 9:27 |
we realize that we are a people of unclean lips | 9:29 | |
and unclean hands. | 9:33 | |
Therefore let us join together in | 9:35 | |
the prayer of confession, #890. | 9:37 | |
Let us pray. | 9:41 | |
Most merciful God, we confess that we have | 9:45 | |
sinned against you in thought, word and deed. | 9:49 | |
By what we have done, and by what we have left undone. | 9:53 | |
We have not loved you with our whole heart. | 9:59 | |
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. | 10:02 | |
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, | 10:06 | |
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, | 10:11 | |
have mercy on us and forgive us. | 10:14 | |
So that we may delight in your will | 10:18 | |
and walk in your ways, | 10:20 | |
to the glory of your name. | 10:23 | |
Amen | 10:26 | |
(silence) | 10:29 | |
Almighty God, have mercy on you, | 10:43 | |
forgive all your sins through our Lord, Jesus Christ. | 10:46 | |
Strengthen you in all goodness, | 10:50 | |
and by the power of the Holy Spirit, | 10:53 | |
keep you in eternal love. | 10:56 | |
Amen. | 10:59 | |
- | Let us pray together, the prayer for illumination. | 11:13 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 11:18 | |
by the power of Your Holy Spirit, | 11:22 | |
so that as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 11:25 | |
we may hear Your message with joy this day. | 11:28 | |
Amen. | 11:33 | |
This reading is taken from the 28th chapter of the | 11:36 | |
Book of Genesis, starting with verse 10. | 11:39 | |
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. | 11:44 | |
He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, | 11:48 | |
because the sun had set. | 11:53 | |
Taking one of the stones of the place, | 11:56 | |
he put it under his head and lay down in that place. | 11:58 | |
And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, | 12:03 | |
the top of it reaching to heaven; | 12:07 | |
and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. | 12:10 | |
And the Lord stood beside him and said, | 12:14 | |
"I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father | 12:17 | |
and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie | 12:21 | |
I will give to you and to your offspring; | 12:25 | |
and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, | 12:29 | |
and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east | 12:32 | |
and to the north and to the south; | 12:36 | |
and all families of the earth shall be blessed in you | 12:40 | |
and in your offspring. | 12:43 | |
Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, | 12:46 | |
and will bring you back to this land; | 12:49 | |
for I will not leave you until I have done | 12:53 | |
what I have promised you. | 12:56 | |
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, | 12:59 | |
"Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!" | 13:01 | |
And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! | 13:06 | |
This is none other than the house of God, | 13:11 | |
and this is the gate of heaven." | 13:13 | |
So Jacob rose early in the morning, | 13:17 | |
and he took the stone that he had put under his head and | 13:19 | |
he set it up for a pillar and poured oil on top of it. | 13:22 | |
He called that place Bethel; | 13:27 | |
but the name of the city was Luz at the first. | 13:30 | |
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, | 13:34 | |
"If God will be with me, and will keep me | 13:37 | |
in this way that I go, | 13:40 | |
and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, | 13:42 | |
so that I come again to my father's house in peace, | 13:46 | |
then the Lord shall be my God, | 13:50 | |
and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, | 13:53 | |
shall be God's house; and of all that you give me | 13:55 | |
I will surely give one-tenth to you. | 14:00 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 14:05 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 14:08 |
- | This reading is from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, | 14:12 |
Chapter 13, beginning with the 24th verse. | 14:16 | |
He put before them another parable: | 14:22 | |
"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone | 14:25 | |
who sowed good seed in his field; | 14:29 | |
but while everybody was asleep, | 14:32 | |
an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, | 14:35 | |
and then went away. | 14:38 | |
So when the plants came up and bore grain, | 14:41 | |
then the weeds appeared as well. | 14:45 | |
And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, | 14:48 | |
'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? | 14:50 | |
Where, then, did these weeds come from?' | 14:55 | |
He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' | 14:58 | |
The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us | 15:01 | |
to go and gather them?' But he replied, | 15:05 | |
'No; for in gathering the weeds you would | 15:08 | |
uproot the wheat along with them. | 15:12 | |
Let both of them grow together until the harvest; | 15:15 | |
and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, | 15:19 | |
"Collect the weeds first and bind them | 15:21 | |
in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn. | 15:24 | |
Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. | 15:29 | |
And his disciples approached him, saying, | 15:33 | |
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." | 15:36 | |
He answered, "The one who sows the good seed | 15:41 | |
is the Son of Man; the field is the world, | 15:46 | |
and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; | 15:51 | |
the weeds are the children of the evil one, | 15:54 | |
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; | 15:57 | |
the harvest is the end of the age, | 16:01 | |
and the reapers are angels. | 16:03 | |
Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, | 16:06 | |
so will it be at the end of the age. | 16:09 | |
The Son of Man will send his angels, | 16:12 | |
and they will collect out of his kingdom | 16:15 | |
all causes of sin and all evildoers, | 16:17 | |
and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, | 16:20 | |
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. | 16:22 | |
Then the righteous will shine like the sun | 16:26 | |
in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! | 16:28 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 16:34 | |
Congregation | Praise be to God. | 16:38 |
- | I'll never forget the first time I saw Duke Chapel. | 16:49 |
I had flown in from Dallas to be interviewed for the | 16:53 | |
position of Assistant Dean. | 16:56 | |
And when I walked into the Chapel my eyes were | 16:59 | |
drawn up in awe as I looked around at the beauty | 17:02 | |
of this place. | 17:06 | |
I was moved by the gracefulness of the arches. | 17:09 | |
The intricate stonework, the elaborate wood carvings, | 17:14 | |
and beautiful stained glass. | 17:19 | |
It was an awe-filled moment for me, and I knew that | 17:22 | |
this was a special place, a holy place. | 17:27 | |
Now they say that familiarity breeds contempt, | 17:32 | |
but in the two years that I have been here, I have come | 17:36 | |
to experience this as an even more special place. | 17:40 | |
For at the beginning, I was awed and impressed by the | 17:44 | |
beauty of Duke Chapel. | 17:47 | |
But now my memories and my experience of this place | 17:49 | |
are also filled with the worship of God. | 17:52 | |
Truly Duke Chapel is a holy place. | 17:57 | |
I think it's hard to come and worship here without being | 18:01 | |
aware of the glory and the majesty of God. | 18:04 | |
This is a holy place. | 18:09 | |
As religious people, we are drawn to holy places. | 18:13 | |
Every year millions of pilgrims travel long distances | 18:18 | |
to visit holy places around the world. | 18:23 | |
Mecca, Jerusalem, Lourdes, the Vatican. | 18:26 | |
Each of these has been set aside as a place that is | 18:32 | |
special, unique, holy. | 18:36 | |
This past winter, the Duke Chapel choir and the | 18:41 | |
Duke chorale had the opportunity to travel to | 18:44 | |
Jasna Gora, one of the world's holy places in Poland. | 18:47 | |
In spite of the brutal cold, there were bus loads of | 18:52 | |
pilgrims there, and we were amazed by the lines of | 18:56 | |
the faithful, processing on their knees around the | 19:00 | |
Chapel to get a glimpse of the Black Madonna. | 19:02 | |
And none of us will ever forget the faithful lying | 19:07 | |
prostrate on the floor in that cold stone building. | 19:11 | |
Jasna Gora is a holy place. | 19:17 | |
In our scripture from Genesis, | 19:22 | |
Jacob also found himself in a holy place, | 19:25 | |
a place he called Bethel. | 19:30 | |
Historically, Bethel was one of the most important | 19:33 | |
centers of Israel's worship; mentioned in the | 19:36 | |
Old Testament more often than any other cities | 19:39 | |
except Jerusalem and Samaria. | 19:42 | |
It is believed that at one time, Bethel rivaled | 19:44 | |
Jerusalem in it's significance as a religious center. | 19:48 | |
But when Jacob first arrived at that place, | 19:53 | |
he had no idea he was standing on holy ground. | 19:56 | |
In fact, the only reason he stopped there was | 20:00 | |
because the sun was setting, so he tethered his camel, | 20:02 | |
found a nice comfortable rock, and laid down for a rest. | 20:07 | |
Jacob didn't sleep well that night. Have you ever tried | 20:13 | |
using a pillow for a rock? | 20:17 | |
It certainly didn't measure up to the standards | 20:20 | |
Jacob was used to. | 20:22 | |
But Jacob was on the run, and he hadn't had much time | 20:24 | |
to prepare for the journey. | 20:28 | |
You see he had stolen the birthright and | 20:30 | |
the blessing from his brother, | 20:32 | |
and when Esau found out, he was killing mad. | 20:34 | |
So Jacob was on the run. | 20:39 | |
Running for his life. | 20:41 | |
Not certain how close his brother might be behind him, | 20:42 | |
or what might lie ahead of him. | 20:46 | |
As he tossed and turned in his sleep, he had a dream, | 20:50 | |
in which he saw a ladder reaching from heaven to earth, | 20:54 | |
with angels ascending and descending upon it. | 20:58 | |
Then God stood beside him; the same God he had | 21:02 | |
always heard about but never experienced. | 21:05 | |
And God promised to him the same thing that He had promised | 21:09 | |
to his grandfather Abraham, and his father, Isaac. | 21:13 | |
He promised him land and descendants, and protection. | 21:18 | |
But He also made to Jacob one promise that was unique. | 21:23 | |
He promised to bring him back safely to the | 21:27 | |
land that he was fleeing. | 21:30 | |
And when Jacob woke up from the dream he was amazed. | 21:32 | |
"Surely the Lord was in this place, and I did not know it." | 21:36 | |
And he was afraid, and he said, "How awesome is this place!" | 21:43 | |
This is none other than the house of God, | 21:48 | |
and this is the gate of Heaven. | 21:52 | |
As soon as he got up he took the stone | 21:57 | |
that had been his pillow and he turned it on it's | 21:59 | |
end for a pillar, and he poured oil over the top of it. | 22:02 | |
And he called that place Bethel, which means house of God. | 22:07 | |
Then he made a vow that if God would do with him everything | 22:13 | |
He had promised, and if God would bring him back safely, | 22:17 | |
that he would worship God in that place, | 22:22 | |
and give tithes of all the God gave him. | 22:25 | |
God was indeed faithful to Jacob, | 22:30 | |
and years later he returned to Bethel | 22:33 | |
and built a sanctuary in that place. | 22:35 | |
And this place was revered in the history of Israel | 22:38 | |
as a holy place. | 22:42 | |
What is it that makes a place holy? | 22:46 | |
Is there something sacred about the place? | 22:50 | |
Is it that we build a chapel or sanctuary | 22:54 | |
on that place and set it aside? | 22:56 | |
What is it that makes a place holy? | 23:00 | |
When Jacob stopped to rest for the night, | 23:06 | |
he had no idea that the place where he was standing | 23:09 | |
was holy ground. | 23:14 | |
In fact, there was nothing special about it at all. | 23:15 | |
It looked like the land around him, | 23:19 | |
it was hilly, and rocky and desolate. | 23:21 | |
And yet for him, that everyday, common place, | 23:25 | |
that place he encountered on the run became a holy place. | 23:30 | |
It became holy for Jacob because he knew that in that | 23:36 | |
place he had been encountered by nothing | 23:41 | |
and no one less than Almighty God. | 23:43 | |
Naming it Bethel, house of God, was Jacob's way | 23:48 | |
of acknowledging that though he had not recognized it, | 23:53 | |
God was in that place all along, and it was a holy place. | 23:56 | |
Holy places are places where | 24:03 | |
heaven has come close to earth. | 24:06 | |
Places where the divine has touched the profane. | 24:09 | |
Places where human beings have been encountered | 24:12 | |
by Almighty God. | 24:16 | |
An encounter with God is an awe-filled experience. | 24:19 | |
Anyone who has been touched by the divine is moved | 24:25 | |
like Jacob to reverence and worship. | 24:29 | |
Throughout history human beings have honored the places | 24:33 | |
where God has been encountered as holy places. | 24:36 | |
And when a place is named holy, like Bethel, | 24:41 | |
it's only natural that others will come to that place | 24:44 | |
and revere it | 24:47 | |
because they too desire to touch holiness. | 24:49 | |
So it is that millions of pilgrims flock every year | 24:54 | |
to our holy places around the world, | 24:57 | |
hoping for an encounter with holiness. | 25:00 | |
They stand in long lines, get herded through quick tours, | 25:03 | |
buy the cheap souvenirs hoping for a brush with the divine. | 25:07 | |
It is amazing what importance we have attached | 25:15 | |
to holy places. | 25:19 | |
How many wars have been fought to determine | 25:22 | |
who would control holy places? | 25:25 | |
And yet, there is power in controlling holy places. | 25:30 | |
If you have control you can build a beautiful | 25:35 | |
chapel, or a temple, or a mosque there, and | 25:37 | |
go to it as often as you desire. | 25:41 | |
Even Jacob tried to regain control of the holy place where | 25:44 | |
he encountered God, by vowing to worship God in that place | 25:48 | |
only if God would fulfill the vows he made to him. | 25:53 | |
Even then, Jacob was bargaining with God, | 25:58 | |
vying for control. | 26:02 | |
When you have control over holy places, then you get | 26:06 | |
to say who goes in and who is kept out. | 26:10 | |
You have access to the holy place anytime that you desire, | 26:14 | |
and you can petition the holy one to work for you | 26:18 | |
and against your enemies. | 26:23 | |
When you have control of holy places | 26:25 | |
they also don't demand very much of you. | 26:29 | |
You can go there to enjoy the beautiful art, | 26:31 | |
be inspired by the lovely music, worship, | 26:35 | |
but go home without being changed. | 26:41 | |
As much as we might want to think that access | 26:45 | |
to holy places guarantees access to holy ones, | 26:49 | |
we are wrong. | 26:53 | |
God is not controlled or limited by our holy places. | 26:55 | |
Jacob's encounter with God was not something | 27:00 | |
he had any control over. | 27:02 | |
Jacob, more than any other biblical character, | 27:04 | |
was known for planning and scheming to get ahead | 27:07 | |
and get what he wanted, but he had nothing to do with | 27:10 | |
God's appearance to him. | 27:14 | |
In fact it came when he was most out of control, | 27:16 | |
on the run, exiled from his homeland, | 27:19 | |
with no assurance of his future. | 27:22 | |
God also came to this schemer in his sleep, | 27:26 | |
when he was most vulnerable. | 27:30 | |
Through holy places we hope to encounter the divine | 27:34 | |
in predictable and controllable ways. | 27:37 | |
But God just doesn't operate that way. | 27:40 | |
Jacob was in between home and an uncertain future | 27:44 | |
when God came to him in a dream. | 27:49 | |
Moses was tending his flock on the mountainside | 27:52 | |
when God appeared to him in a burning bush. | 27:56 | |
The Samaritan woman was at the well when | 28:00 | |
she was encountered by the one who knew all about her. | 28:03 | |
Lazarus was in the tomb when the Holy One | 28:08 | |
called him forth from death to life. | 28:11 | |
And Paul was on the road to Damascus when | 28:16 | |
he was blinded by the light of the Holy. | 28:18 | |
You see, God never acts in predictable, | 28:24 | |
controllable ways. | 28:28 | |
God can come to us at any place at any time. | 28:30 | |
And God rarely appears on demand. | 28:37 | |
God can't be controlled or limited by our holy places. | 28:42 | |
Now I'm not saying that we shouldn't have holy places. | 28:49 | |
Any place that moves us to worship in reverence of God | 28:53 | |
is indeed holy, and we need such places for they remind us | 28:57 | |
of God's power to bring heaven close to earth. | 29:02 | |
They cause us to look up in awe and reverence. | 29:07 | |
But when we begin to think we have control over God | 29:12 | |
in the holy place, or when we begin to revere the holy place | 29:16 | |
more than the Holy One, then we have missed the point. | 29:20 | |
The amazing thing is that the world is a place where | 29:26 | |
God takes the initiative | 29:30 | |
to intrude into human life. | 29:33 | |
Jacob saw it as a ladder connecting heaven and earth. | 29:38 | |
He experienced it as a direct encounter with the Holy One | 29:42 | |
who called him to a new future | 29:47 | |
that he had not even imagined. | 29:49 | |
He experienced it as promise, blessing and hope. | 29:53 | |
Indeed you and I should be encouraged that | 30:00 | |
the initiative lies with God, and that God refuses | 30:04 | |
to be limited to holy places. | 30:07 | |
After all, we don't always have access to holy places, | 30:11 | |
but God always has access to us. | 30:15 | |
God can come to us at any time and any place. | 30:21 | |
And through Christ our Lord, God has come closer | 30:27 | |
to us than ever before. | 30:30 | |
Jacob saw a ladder joining heaven and earth, | 30:33 | |
and in Christ this ladder is fixed. | 30:37 | |
Heaven and earth are forever joined in Christ. | 30:41 | |
John 1:51 quotes Jesus as saying, | 30:45 | |
"Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened, | 30:49 | |
and angels of God ascending and descending | 30:53 | |
upon the Son of Man." | 30:57 | |
In Christ, God has access decisively | 31:01 | |
to intrude into human life. | 31:05 | |
In Christ, God has acted to connect heaven and earth | 31:08 | |
and to call us forth to a new future of promise, | 31:12 | |
and blessing and hope. | 31:16 | |
The experience of God's intrusion into life is always | 31:19 | |
unexpected and transformative. | 31:23 | |
As Walter Brueggemann describes God's coming to Jacob, | 31:25 | |
a non-place was transformed by the coming of God into | 31:29 | |
a crucial place, and a non-crucial person who was | 31:33 | |
exiled and threatened was transformed by the coming of God | 31:35 | |
into a person crucial for the promise of God. | 31:40 | |
An encounter with the God who intrudes is always unexpected, | 31:44 | |
awe-inspiring, and life changing. | 31:50 | |
I remember well a hotel room when I traveled | 31:58 | |
as a sales person in the oil industry. | 32:01 | |
I was in prayer one night as I had been other times, | 32:04 | |
asking for all things that I wanted in life. | 32:08 | |
And suddenly I knew that I was not alone. | 32:12 | |
And suddenly what I ask for and what I wanted | 32:17 | |
had been redefined. | 32:22 | |
And in that moment for me, that hotel room, | 32:25 | |
room 205 at the Ramada Inn, became a holy place. | 32:29 | |
Margaret sat in the pew where she has sat | 32:37 | |
for the last twenty years. | 32:40 | |
Weekly worship was a comforting ritual, | 32:42 | |
but she had learned not to expect very much. | 32:45 | |
Then suddenly, something was different. | 32:50 | |
She felt an almost tangible presence get hold of her, | 32:54 | |
shattering her complacency. | 32:59 | |
And for Margaret, | 33:04 | |
that pew had become a holy place. | 33:05 | |
John sat in the family room waiting to hear | 33:13 | |
whether his son would live or die. | 33:16 | |
And the assurance came to him, | 33:20 | |
"I am with you." | 33:23 | |
And for John, that waiting room | 33:28 | |
became a holy place. | 33:32 | |
As we come forward to receive communion | 33:37 | |
in this holy place, | 33:40 | |
let us remember that in Jesus Christ, heaven has | 33:45 | |
come close to earth, and through the transforming | 33:48 | |
power of God in Christ, | 33:52 | |
anyplace can become a holy place. | 33:54 | |
And when it does, we will know that surely the Lord | 33:59 | |
was in this place, and we did not know it. | 34:04 | |
And this is the house of God, | 34:07 | |
and this is none other than the gate of heaven. | 34:12 | |
Thanks be to God. | 34:17 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 34:39 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 34:40 |
- | Let us pray. | 34:42 |
O Lord our God, you hear our prayers before we speak, | 34:46 | |
and you answer our prayers before we know our needs. | 34:51 | |
May your Holy Spirit pray in us, drawing us to you and | 34:55 | |
toward our neighbors in this community and around the world. | 35:00 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 35:04 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 35:06 |
- | We pray for all people whose lives have been changed | 35:09 |
forever by floods and drought and earthquakes and fire. | 35:13 | |
May they, in the midst of these events that threaten to | 35:19 | |
overwhelm, find you and be found by you, | 35:22 | |
that they may be sustained. | 35:27 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 35:30 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 35:32 |
- | We pray for all people who suffer pain of body, | 35:35 |
or struggle with demons of the mind. | 35:39 | |
Who cry out aloud or who cry silently | 35:42 | |
for healing and release. | 35:46 | |
Grant healing where that is your will, | 35:49 | |
and may you give to all your grace to sustain | 35:52 | |
and to give courage and trust. | 35:54 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 35:59 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 36:01 |
- | We pray for all people who are alone, or who are lonely. | 36:04 |
We pray for people whose tears flow for their loss. | 36:08 | |
May those who are alone or lonely be remembered, | 36:13 | |
and befriended, and know your care for them. | 36:17 | |
And may those who know loss, be kept mindful | 36:21 | |
of your promises in Jesus Christ. | 36:24 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 36:27 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 36:29 |
- | We pray for peace in our world, in South Africa, | 36:32 |
and northern Ireland, and in Somalia and in Bosnia | 36:38 | |
and India, and in this, our own country. | 36:41 | |
Disarm our weapons, silence our guns, quiet the fear | 36:45 | |
and extinguish the hate that smolders in our hearts. | 36:50 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 36:55 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 36:57 |
- | We pray for your church that it may be lively and | 37:00 |
faithful and bold in it's mission. | 37:03 | |
And we pray for Christian educators and for ministers, and | 37:06 | |
for those who witness to Christ in ministries of service. | 37:10 | |
Grant to your church and to these who serve within it, | 37:14 | |
insights from your holy wisdom, | 37:19 | |
and power from your Holy Spirit. | 37:21 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 37:25 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 37:27 |
- | We pray for all who are named by Christ's name, | 37:30 |
and we pray for ourselves. | 37:34 | |
May we all be strengthened in faith, sustained and heard, | 37:37 | |
and made perfect in your love made known to us | 37:42 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord. | 37:45 | |
Lord, in your mercy, | 37:48 | |
Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 37:50 |
- | Holy Lord, you make yourself known to us in prayer, | 37:52 |
and in your Holy Word, and at this holy table. | 37:57 | |
Help us to receive you in all your fullness, and grant us | 38:02 | |
your grace that in the world, we might be good seed, | 38:06 | |
growing toward the final harvest. | 38:11 | |
We ask this in the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. | 38:14 | |
Amen. | 38:18 | |
Christ our Lord invites to His table all who love Him, | 38:24 | |
and who desire to live in peace with one another. | 38:27 | |
Let us stand and greet one another in the name of Christ, | 38:31 | |
and offer to each other these words, | 38:34 | |
"The peace of Christ be with you." | 38:36 | |
(congregation members greeting each other) | 38:39 | |
- | Let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God. | 38:58 |
(soft organ music) | 39:03 | |
(choir singing) | 40:52 | |
(organ) | 45:09 | |
♪ Praise God from Whom all blessing flow. ♪ | 45:19 | |
♪ Praise Him all creatures here below. ♪ | 45:24 | |
♪ Alleluia, alleluia. ♪ | 45:31 | |
♪ Praise Him above ye heav'nly host, ♪ | 45:39 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. ♪ | 45:46 | |
♪ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. ♪ | 45:53 | |
- | Please join me in the great thanksgiving. | 46:20 |
The Lord be with you. | 46:25 | |
Congregation | And also with you. | 46:26 |
- | Lift up your hearts. | 46:28 |
Congregation | We lift them unto You. | 46:29 |
- | Give thanks to the Lord our God. | 46:31 |
Congregation | It is right to give Him thanks and praise. | 46:33 |
- | It is right and a good and joyful thing, always, | 46:37 |
everywhere to give thanks to you, Father almighty, | 46:39 | |
creator of heaven and earth. | 46:42 | |
By your appointment the seasons come and go. | 46:44 | |
You bring forth bread from the earth | 46:47 | |
and create fruit from the vine. | 46:49 | |
You made us in Your image, and gave us dominion | 46:52 | |
over the world. | 46:54 | |
Earth has yielded it's treasure and from Your hand | 46:56 | |
we have received blessing. | 46:59 | |
And so with your people on earth and all the company | 47:01 | |
of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn: | 47:03 | |
♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow'r and might; ♪ | 47:18 | |
♪ Heaven and earth are full of Your glory, ♪ | 47:29 | |
♪ Hosanna in the highest. ♪ | 47:35 | |
♪ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, ♪ | 47:40 | |
♪ Hosanna in the highest. ♪ | 47:47 | |
- | Holy are You and blessed is Your Son Jesus Christ, | 48:00 |
though he was rich, for our sake he became poor. | 48:02 | |
When hungry and tempted he refused to make bread for himself | 48:08 | |
that he might be the bread of life for all. | 48:10 | |
He broke bread with the outcast and drove the greedy | 48:15 | |
from the temple. | 48:18 | |
By a baptism of his suffering death and resurrection | 48:20 | |
you gave birth to your church, and delivered us from | 48:22 | |
slavery, sin and death. | 48:25 | |
On the night in which he gave himself up for us, | 48:28 | |
he took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, | 48:30 | |
gave it to his disciples, and said: | 48:33 | |
"Take, eat; this is my body given for you. | 48:35 | |
Do this in remembrance of me. | 48:38 | |
And when the supper was over, he took the cup, | 48:41 | |
gave thanks, gave it to his disciples, and said: | 48:43 | |
"Drink from this, all of you; | 48:46 | |
this is the blood of the new covenant, | 48:47 | |
poured out for you and many for the forgiveness of sins. | 48:49 | |
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. | 48:52 | |
In remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, | 48:56 | |
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving | 49:00 | |
as a holy and living sacrifice, | 49:02 | |
as we proclaim the mystery of faith. | 49:04 | |
♪ Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. ♪ | 49:15 | |
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, | 49:29 | |
and on these gifts of bread and wine. | 49:30 | |
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, | 49:33 | |
that we may be for the world the body of Christ. | 49:35 | |
By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, | 49:39 | |
and one in ministry to all the world, | 49:43 | |
until Christ comes in final victory | 49:45 | |
and we feast at his heavenly banquet. | 49:47 | |
Through your Son, Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit | 49:50 | |
and Your holy church, honor, glory is Yours, | 49:53 | |
Almighty Father, now and forever. | 49:56 | |
♪ Amen. ♪ | 50:05 | |
- | Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, | 50:17 |
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, | 50:21 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 50:23 | |
Give us this day our daily bread. | 50:26 | |
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those | 50:28 | |
who trespass against us. | 50:32 | |
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 50:33 | |
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, | 50:37 | |
for ever. | 50:41 | |
Amen. | 50:43 | |
Because there is one loaf, we many though we are, | 50:44 | |
become one, for it is one loaf of which we all partake. | 50:46 | |
When we break the bread is it not a means of sharing | 50:50 | |
in the body of Christ. | 50:53 | |
When we give thanks over the cup, is it not a means | 50:55 | |
of sharing in the blood of Christ. | 50:58 | |
Come to the Lord's table. | 51:01 | |
(melodic organ music) | 51:09 | |
(choir singing) | 56:01 | |
- | Most loving God, you have given us a share in the | 1:00:44 |
one bread and the one cup. | 1:00:47 | |
And You make us one in Jesus Christ our Lord. | 1:00:50 | |
Help us to bring Your salvation | 1:00:53 | |
and Your joy to all the world. | 1:00:56 | |
We ask this in the name of Christ our Lord. | 1:00:59 | |
Amen. | 1:01:02 | |
♪ Rejoice, O pure in heart, ♪ | 1:01:42 | |
♪ rejoice, give thanks, and sing; ♪ | 1:01:47 | |
♪ your festal banner wave on high, ♪ | 1:01:52 | |
♪ the cross of Christ your King. ♪ | 1:01:58 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks, and sing! ♪ | 1:02:04 | |
♪ Bright youth and snow-crowned age, ♪ | 1:02:17 | |
♪ both men and women, raise ♪ | 1:02:23 | |
♪ on high your free, exulting song, ♪ | 1:02:29 | |
♪ declare God's wondrous praise. ♪ | 1:02:35 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks, and sing! ♪ | 1:02:42 | |
♪ Still lift your standard high, ♪ | 1:02:55 | |
♪ still chanting as you go, ♪ | 1:03:02 | |
♪ from youth to age, by night and day, ♪ | 1:03:07 | |
♪ in gladness and in woe. ♪ | 1:03:13 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks, and sing! ♪ | 1:03:20 | |
♪ At last the march shall end; ♪ | 1:03:34 | |
♪ the wearied ones shall rest, ♪ | 1:03:40 | |
♪ the pilgrims reach their home at last, ♪ | 1:03:46 | |
♪ Jerusalem the blest. ♪ | 1:03:53 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks, and sing! ♪ | 1:03:59 | |
♪ Praise God, who reigns on high, the Lord whom we adore: ♪ | 1:04:15 | |
♪ the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God forevermore. ♪ | 1:04:27 | |
♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice, give thanks, and sing! ♪ | 1:04:40 | |
- | The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, | 1:04:57 |
the love of God and the fellowship of Holy Spirit, | 1:05:00 | |
be with you now and always. | 1:05:03 | |
Amen. | 1:05:07 | |
♪ Alleluia, amen. ♪ | 1:05:09 | |
(uplifting organ music) | 1:05:22 |