Peter J. Gomes - "The Quality of Life" (September 26, 1993) / Duke Chapel Recordings / Duke Digital Repository

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The feature today is Dr. Peter Gomes,

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from Harvard University.

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He is the plumber professor of Christian morals,

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and minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard.

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He's also serving his sabbatical semester here,

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at Duke University, as a visiting professor of homiletics

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in the Divinity School.

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We welcome him once again to our pulpit today,

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as our Clyde and Lenell Boyle's speaker.

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I'd like to turn the service over at this point to

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Dr. Rodney Winecoupe, who will lead us in preparing

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for the music for today's service.

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Good morning.

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This is the third and final of a series of three times

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when I've been asked to step in front of you,

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and offer a little bit of musical guidance

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in some of the music in the service.

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And we mark this conclusion today

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with a choir anthem that involves congregation.

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You'll see printed on the second page of your bulletin,

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this anthem, which is At The Name of Jesus,

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arranged by Ralph Vonn Williams.

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This is probably a well know tune to most of you,

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and you probably need a little encouragement

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to sing with the choir on this.

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And all you really need to do is to sing the melody.

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Since the melody isn't printed in our bulletins,

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we thought we'd go through the first verse just to be sure

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everybody knows the melody.

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So

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one, two, three.

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♪ At the name of Jesus ♪

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♪ Every knee shall bow ♪

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♪ Every tongue confess ♪

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♪ Him King of glory now ♪

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♪ 'Tis the father's pleasure ♪

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♪ We should call him Lord ♪

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♪ Who from the beginning ♪

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♪ Was the might word ♪

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Okay, and maybe this isn't quite as familiar

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as we might have thought.

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Let's-- (laughs)

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Let's do it a second time, please,

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with that first verse text.

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At the name, ready.

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And go.

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♪ At the name of Jesus ♪

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Every knee.

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♪ Every knee shall bow ♪

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Every tongue.

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♪ Every tongue confess ♪

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♪ Him King of glory now ♪

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'Tis the father.

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♪ 'Tis the Father's pleasure ♪

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♪ We should call him Lord ♪

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♪ Who from the beginning ♪

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♪ Was the mighty Word ♪

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Good.

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Great, and we get to do that five more times, I think.

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All on that melody.

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It'll get better and better, I'm sure.

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The only thing I'd caution you is to,

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the last notes of some of the verses are long,

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and you might find that the next verse doesn't start

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as soon as you think.

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So look up here.

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I'll be up where I always am,

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and I can get everybody started.

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I'll do a nice big beat, that you can see,

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even if you're squinting.

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(laughter)

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Okay.

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We are introducing furthermore a hymn,

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as our precessional hymn, which I'd love for you to look at.

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Hymn 161.

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Rejoice Ye Pure In Heart.

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This was composed by the long time music director,

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at National Cathedral, in Washington DC.

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And it looks awful on the page.

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And even some of the choir members said,

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I don't like this hymn.

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But it's a joyous hymn, and it looks a lot worse than it--

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I shouldn't say that.

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But it looks hard, and it's not that hard.

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Let's sing one phrase at a time.

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Choir first, and then the congregation.

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First phrase choir, ready, go.

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♪ Rejoice ye pure in heart ♪

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Congregation try that.

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♪ Rejoice ye pure in heart ♪

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Choir.

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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Congregation.

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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Choir.

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♪ Your glorious banner wave on ♪

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Stop.

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Okay.

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And with that note there, it's hard,

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and it' higher than we expect it to be.

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That's painting the text.

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♪ Wave on high ♪

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So don't shy away from it, rejoice in it.

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Choir again that phrase.

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Your glorious banner.

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Ready, go.

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♪ Your glorious banner ♪

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♪ Waves on high ♪

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Congregation.

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♪ Your glorious banner ♪

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Wave it, wave it.

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♪ On high ♪

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And choir.

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♪ The cross of Christ your King ♪

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Congregation, the cross.

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♪ The cross of Christ your King ♪

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Choir, hosannas.

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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Congregation.

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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Choir.

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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Congregation.

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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Choir.

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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And congregation.

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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Let's put it all together.

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Ready, go.

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♪ Rejoice ye pure in heart ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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And even higher.

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♪ Your glorious banner ♪

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♪ Wave on high ♪

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♪ The cross of Christ your King ♪

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Shout it.

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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Let us rejoice, give thanks, and sing.

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Please stand as we continue our worship with a greeting.

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(background chatter)

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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

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Congregation

And also with you.

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The risen Christ is with us.

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Congregation

Praise the Lord.

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("Rejoice Ye Pure in Heart" by E.H. Plumptre)

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(congregation singing)

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♪ Rejoice ye pure in heart ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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♪ Your glorious banner ♪

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♪ Wave on high ♪

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♪ The cross of Christ your King ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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♪ Your clear hosannas raise ♪

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♪ And alleluias loud ♪

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♪ Whilst answering echoes upward float ♪

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♪ Like wreaths of incense cloud ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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♪ Yes on through life's long path ♪

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♪ Still chanting as ye go ♪

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♪ From youth to age by night and day ♪

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♪ In gladness and in woe ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Hosannas ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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♪ At last the march shall end ♪

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♪ The wearied ones shall rest ♪

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♪ The pilgrims find their heavenly home ♪

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♪ Jerusalem the best ♪

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♪ Hosanna ♪

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♪ Hosanna ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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♪ Praise God who reigns on high ♪

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♪ The Lord whom we adore ♪

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♪ The Father Son and Holy Ghost ♪

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♪ One God forevermore ♪

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♪ Hosanna ♪

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♪ Hosanna ♪

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♪ Rejoice give thanks and sing ♪

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Let us pray.

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Enter our hearts gracious God.

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To quiet the clammer of our busy days.

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And fill the emptiness of aching hearts.

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Help us to put aside our work, our worries,

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and all distractions to focus on you.

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Bring eternal values to the center of our attention.

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May this hour be filled with all that is true, honorable,

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just, pure,

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pleasing, commendable, and excellent.

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We are ready to learn what you wish to teach us.

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Amen.

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You may be seated.

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(background chatter)

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Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.

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Open our hearts and minds, oh God,

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By the power of your Holy Spirit.

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So that as the word is read and proclaimed,

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we may hear your message with joy this day.

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Amen.

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This reading is taken from chapter 30,

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of the book of Deuteronomy, starting with the first verse.

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When all these things have happened to you,

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the blessings and the curses that I have set before you,

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if you call into mind among all the nations,

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where the Lord your God has driven you,

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and return to the Lord you God,

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and you and your children obey him,

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with all your heart, and with all your soul.

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Just as I am commanding you today,

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then the Lord your God will restore your fortune,

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and have compassion on you.

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Gathering you again, from all the peoples,

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among whom the Lord, your God has scattered you.

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Even if you are exiled to the ends of the world,

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from there, the Lord, your God, will gather you.

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And from there, he will bring you back.

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The Lord, your God, will bring you into the land

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that your ancestors possessed, and you will possess it.

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He will make you more prosperous and numerous

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than your ancestors.

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Moreover, the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart,

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and the heart of your descendant,

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so that you will love the Lord, your God,

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with all your heart, and with all your soul,

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in order that you may live.

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The Lord, your God, will put all these curses

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on your enemies, and on the adversaries

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who took advantage of you.

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Then you shall again obey the Lord,

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observing his commandments that I am commanding you today.

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And the lord, your God, will make you abundantly prosperous

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in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body,

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in the fruit of your livestock,

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and in the fruit of your soil.

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For the Lord will again take the light in prospering you,

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just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors.

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When you obey the Lord, your God,

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by observing his commandments and decree,

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that are written in this book of the law,

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because you turn to the lord, your God, with all your heart,

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and with all your soul.

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Surely this commandment, that I am commanding you today,

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is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away.

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It is not in heaven that you should say,

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who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us,

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so that we may hear it, and observe it?

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Neither is it beyond the seas, that you should say,

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who will cross to the other side of the sea for us,

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and get it for us, so that we may hear it, and observe it?

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Know the word is very near to you.

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It is in your mouth, and in your heart, for you to observe.

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See, I have set before you today, life, and prosperity,

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death, and adversity.

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If you obey the commandment of the Lord, your God,

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that I am commanding you today,

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by loving the Lord, your God,

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walking in his ways, and observing his commandments,

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decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live,

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and become numerous.

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And the Lord, your God, will bless you

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in the land that you entering to posses.

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But if your heart turns away, and you do not hear,

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but are led astray to bow down to other gods,

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and serve them, I declare to you today,

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that you shall perish.

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You shall not live long in the land,

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that you are crossing the Jordan, to enter and possess.

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I call heaven and Earth to witness against you today,

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that I have set before you life, and death,

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blessings, and curses.

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Choose life, so that you, and your descendants, may live.

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This is the word of the Lord.

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Congregation

Thank you Jesus Christ.

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Today's Psalm is never 78, versus nine through 16,

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found on page 799 in the hymnal.

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Please stand and sing the Gloria responsibly.

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♪ The Ephraimite armed with a bow ♪

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♪ Turned back on the day of battle ♪

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(congregation sings)

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(congregation sings)

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♪ They forgot the deeds of the Lord ♪

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♪ The miracles that God had shown them ♪

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(congregation sings)

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♪ The Lord divided the sea ♪

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♪ And let them pass through it ♪

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♪ And made the waters stand like a heap ♪

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(congregation sings)

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♪ Left rocks in the wilderness ♪

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♪ And gave them drink abundantly as from the deep ♪

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(congregation sings)

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♪ All glory be to you creator ♪

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♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪

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(congregation sings)

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♪ As it was our time began ♪

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(congregation sings)

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-

Please be seated.

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-

The second lesson is written is in St. Paul's epistle,

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to the Ephesians, the fourth chapter,

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beginning at the first verse.

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I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,

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beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling,

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to which you have been called.

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With all humility and gentleness,

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with patience bearing with one another in love,

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making every effort to maintain the unity of the spirit,

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in the bond of peace.

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There is one body, and one spirit,

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just as you were called, to the one hope of your calling,

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one Lord, one faith,

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one baptism, one God,

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and father of all, who is above all,

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and through all, and in all.

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But each of us was given grace

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according to the measure of Christ's gift.

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Therefore it is said, when he ascended on high,

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he made captivity itself a captive.

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He gave gifts to his people.

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The gifts he gave, were that some would be apostles,

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some prophets, some evangelists,

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some pastors, and teachers,

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to equip the saints for the work of ministry,

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for building up the body of Christ,

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until all of us come to the unity of the faith,

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and of the knowledge of the son of God, to maturity,

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to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

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We must no longer be children,

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tossed to and fro,

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and blown about by every wind of doctrine,

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by people's trickery, by their craftiness

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in deceitful scheming.

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But speaking the truth in love,

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we must grow up in every way into him,

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who is the head, into Christ,

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from whom the whole body joined, and knit together,

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by every ligament with which it is equipped,

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as each part is working properly,

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promotes the body's growth

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in building itself up in love.

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This is the word of the Lord.

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Congregation

Amen Father.

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(background chatter)

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("At the Name of Jesus" by Caroline M. Noel)

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♪ At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow ♪

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♪ Every tongue confess him King of glory now ♪

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♪ 'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord ♪

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♪ Who from the beginning was the mighty Word ♪

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♪ At his voice creation sprang at once to sight ♪

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♪ All the angel faces all the hosts of light ♪

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♪ Thrones and dominations stars upon their way ♪

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♪ All the heavenly orders in their great array ♪

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♪ Humbled for a season to receive a name ♪

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♪ From the lips of sinners unto whom he came ♪

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♪ Faithfully he bore it spotless to the last ♪

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♪ Brought it back victorious when from death he passed ♪

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♪ Bore it up triumphant with its human light ♪

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♪ Through all ranks of creatures to the central height ♪

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♪ To the throne of Godhead to the Father's breast ♪

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♪ Filled it with the glory of that perfect rest ♪

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♪ Name him brothers name him ♪

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♪ With love strong as death ♪

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♪ But with awe and wonder ♪

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♪ And with bated breath ♪

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♪ He is God the Savior ♪

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♪ He is Christ the Lord ♪

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♪ Ever to be worshiped ♪

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♪ Trusted and adored ♪

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♪ In your hearts enthrone him ♪

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♪ There let him subdue ♪

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♪ All that is not holy ♪

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♪ All that is not true ♪

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♪ Crown him as your captain ♪

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♪ In temptation's hour ♪

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♪ Let his will enfold you ♪

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♪ In its light and power ♪

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♪ Brothers, this Lord Jesus ♪

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♪ Shall return again ♪

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♪ With his Father's glory ♪

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♪ With his angel train ♪

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♪ For all wreaths of empire ♪

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♪ Meet upon his brow ♪

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♪ And our hearts confess him ♪

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♪ King of Glory now ♪

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-

This reading is from the gospel according to St. Matthew,

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chapter 21, beginning with the verse 23.

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When he entered the temple, the chief priests,

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and the elders of the people, came to him,

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as he was teaching, and said,

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by what authority are you doing these things,

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and who gave you this authority?

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Jesus said to them, I will also ask you one question.

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If you tell me the answer,

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then I will also tell you

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by what authority I do these things.

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Did the baptism of John come from heaven,

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or was it of human origin?

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And they argued with one another.

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If we say from heaven, he will say to us,

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why then did you not believe him?

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But if we say, of human origin, we are afraid of the crowd,

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for all regard John as a prophet.

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So they answered Jesus, we do not know.

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And he said to them, neither will I tell you

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by what authority I am doing these things.

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What do you think?

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A man had two sons.

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He went to the first and said,

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son, go and work in the vineyard today.

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He answered, I will not.

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But later he changed his mind and went.

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The father went to the second, and said the same.

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And he answered, I go sir, but he did not.

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Which of the two, did the will of his father?

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They said, the first.

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Jesus said to them, truly I tell you,

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the tax collectors, and the prostitutes,

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are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.

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For John came to you in the way of righteousness,

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and you did not believe him.

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But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him.

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And even after you saw it, you did not change your minds,

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and believe him.

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This is the word of the Lord.

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Congregation

Thanks be to God.

31:54

(background chatter)

31:56

-

Let us pray.

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Help us Lord to become masters of ourselves.

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That we may become a servants of others.

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Take our hands, and work through them.

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Take our minds, and think through them.

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Take our lips, and speak through them.

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And take our hearts, and set them on fire,

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for Christ's sake.

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Amen.

32:42

The dean Willimon and I, are continuing our happy custom

32:54

of many years,

32:59

of not preaching in one another's presence.

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(laughter)

33:05

It's one of the best ways

33:06

to maintain a theological friendship.

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And he is my closest theological friend.

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At the moment, he is somewhere in the orient,

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and our prayers are with him, and with Patsy,

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and with the other members of the Duke community,

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who are traveling with them.

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I come to you this morning,

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in a slightly different capacity,

33:32

than has been the custom in the past.

33:35

In the past,

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I have usually flown in on Saturday afternoon.

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I have dropped the word of God upon you on Sunday morning.

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And I have fled, before I could stand to face the music,

33:50

of the various bombs I may have dropped, in your presence.

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That's the best way of being a visiting preacher.

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Don't visit for long.

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But now, at least for this term, I am among you.

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I am not one of you, make no mistake about that.

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And I'm sure none of you will.

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But I am with you for the time being.

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I live happily in the Divinity School, across the way.

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I take my meals in the grand array of dining rooms,

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and cafeteria, and facilities over here in this vast temple,

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to student pleasure.

34:37

(laughter)

34:39

And I read your newspapers,

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and I try to keep up on all of the great events.

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And I do not speak, in the presence of my hosts,

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of the events of yesterday in Virginia.

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So I'm with you for a while,

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and I take some responsibility

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for what I say in your presence.

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And so you should be relieved that I am not going to preach

35:03

on the gospel appointed for today.

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You should regard that, if nothing else,

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as the kindest thing I could do for you this morning.

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Because it's a very nasty gospel, and an unpleasant one,

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and I should leave it for the dean to deal with.

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(laughter)

35:24

but when I did preach on this text, in my own congregation,

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some years ago, that particularly nasty verse

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in the gospel, where it says, truly I tell you,

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the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going

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into the kingdom of God ahead of you.

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I illustrated it with the fact that it was very likely,

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that in fact, Duke graduate, Richard Nixon,

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would make it into the kingdom of heaven

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before 95% of my university congregation.

35:53

Tenure is a wonderful thing.

35:59

(laughter)

36:01

So I shall spare you that.

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But I do want to direct your attention to the epistle.

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To Paul's fourth chapter, of his letter to the Roman,

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the Ephesians, the very first verse,

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where the apostle says

36:20

in almost romantic language,

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I, therefore a prisoner of the Lord, beseech you,

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entreat you, beg you, urge you,

36:31

to lead a life worthy,

36:36

of the calling, to which you have been called.

36:39

This is a sermon about vocation.

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About the life to which you have been called.

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The life which you live in response

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to the call of God.

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One of my favorite questions as a child was to be asked,

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what are you going to do when you grow up?

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I loved that question.

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Because the possibilities were limitless.

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They were beyond comprehension, or imagination.

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I could be anything I wanted to be.

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I could be anything I articulated.

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I could be anything I thought of, on the spur of the moment,

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doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, you name it, I could be it,

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because I could indulge my imagination.

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Why?

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Because my imagination had not yet been limited,

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or intimidated by my experience.

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I could be anything I wanted to be.

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And I suspect if I went down into the bowels of this chapel,

37:53

through which I came earlier this morning,

37:57

and talked with these kids in the Sunday school,

37:59

these little people down there.

38:02

And I asked them, what are you going to be when you grow up?

38:03

What extraordinary answers that they would give us.

38:07

Far more interesting, I'm sure,

38:13

than the lives their poor parents lead.

38:15

Far more interesting even,

38:18

than the lives that their parents, this stage of the game,

38:21

might be able to imagine.

38:25

What are you going to do when you grow up?

38:26

Now if you ask that very same question of an undergraduate

38:33

in college, either in Cambridge, or in Durham,

38:39

the scene changes, shifts, ever so slightly.

38:44

What are you going to do when you grow up?

38:49

I don't know.

38:51

I'm not sure.

38:53

I can't say.

38:55

It use to be thought a polite, and even civil question,

38:57

to say to seniors in college,

39:01

and what are you going to do next year?

39:03

But I have learned not to ask, for fear of embarrassment,

39:06

or violence, or both.

39:11

(laughter)

39:13

I don't know what I'm going to do next semester, they say.

39:15

Let alone, with the rest of my life.

39:18

And this usually brings the vocational conversation,

39:22

with undergraduates, to a short, sharp close.

39:27

And then again, the scene changes.

39:33

At my 25th college reunion now, a few years ago,

39:36

we all submitted ourselves to a poll.

39:40

The usual gallop curiosity, how many children,

39:44

how many divorces, how many mortgages,

39:49

the usual sort of thing that people want to know about

39:52

after 25 years.

39:55

And one of the questions was,

39:56

how happy are you

39:59

with what you do for a living?

40:01

And a surprising 47% of my classmates replied,

40:05

that they were miserable.

40:11

They felt trapped.

40:14

They felt locked into decisions, that either they had made,

40:16

or somebody else had made for them a long time ago,

40:20

and that if they could change things, they would,

40:23

but they couldn't change things.

40:26

They had made something of a miscalculation,

40:29

something of a mistake.

40:32

And could they do it all over again, they wouldn't.

40:35

But they would do something else.

40:39

A class full of Willy Lohmens and Walton Mittys.

40:43

You Duke undergraduates, especially in English, I fear,

40:49

will have to look those two references up.

40:53

(laughter)

40:55

But the libraries here are very good.

40:56

Now many of these contemporaries, of mine and yours,

41:01

parents, many of you of the present college generation,

41:07

many of us felt that they had been falsely lured

41:11

into their vocations of the past 20 or 25 years.

41:15

Others felt cheated or deprived, undervalued,

41:20

underappreciated, under stimulated.

41:24

nobody, by the way, mentioned that they felt underpaid,

41:26

or under compensated.

41:30

Pay, fame, or glory, these were not the causes

41:32

of these problems.

41:37

They were all well paid, at least most of them were,

41:39

far better paid than I am.

41:42

But they did report on a sense that something was amiss.

41:45

Something was missing.

41:49

And all mentioned such elusive things as value, worth,

41:52

purpose, identity, and integrity.

41:57

Now those are usually things that get talked about

42:02

in Cambridge in June, and at Duke in May.

42:05

Usually by hired outsiders, to capacity congregations,

42:10

in this chapel at Baccalaureate,

42:14

and it's usually too late.

42:17

Too late.

42:21

Too late for those herded undergraduates,

42:22

about to be spat out in the world,

42:26

like so many watermelon seeds.

42:28

It's too late for them to hear that word.

42:29

And so it is in September, that it seemed to me worthwhile,

42:34

to say a word or two about vocation.

42:40

And about living a life worthy of the calling,

42:44

to which you have been called.

42:49

I told you that I have been following something of your

42:55

life, your high moments, and your moments of joy.

42:57

And I must confess,

43:00

that I also followed with enormous sadness, a few weeks ago,

43:01

one of your moments of great sadness, great tragedy,

43:05

when an undergraduate member of this college,

43:09

perished in a drowning accident.

43:13

I did not know this young man,

43:16

nor do I know any of his friends, or his teachers.

43:19

But I do know the experience of such terrible loss,

43:23

and the effect that it his upon a college community.

43:29

When death invades life,

43:33

and the community of immortality,

43:37

and limitless opportunity that college always appears to be,

43:39

is invaded, and interrupted,

43:45

and that is always tragic.

43:49

We had just such a death, last fall in Cambridge,

43:53

a man of bright promise, high hopes,

43:57

who out of an unfathomable despair,

44:01

took his own life.

44:05

And when his host of young friends,

44:08

met to mourn this inexplicable death,

44:10

the chief consolation that emerged,

44:15

was the notion that in this very

44:17

short life of 21 years,

44:20

they had seen a quality

44:25

that transcended its quantity.

44:28

It is not how much you have,

44:33

it is what you do with what you have, that counts.

44:36

That was the final word, of one of his friends,

44:42

through his tears.

44:46

It is not how much you have,

44:48

it is what you do with what you have that counts.

44:52

That is a lesson in vocation.

44:58

St. Paul could not have said it better, and didn't.

45:03

But he says the same thing, essentially,

45:07

when he speaks of our life here, in Ephesians,

45:10

as a calling to quality.

45:14

A vocation which has less to do with what we do,

45:19

and more to do with who we are, and what we do,

45:24

with what we have.

45:28

Your life's work is not what you do.

45:32

Your life's work is who you are.

45:37

In another place, St. Paul would say, I am my credential.

45:42

And you would need, and want to say the same thing,

45:47

if you took this call to the quality of life seriously.

45:50

You are not what you do.

45:56

You are not where you happen to be.

45:59

You are not what you possess.

46:02

You are

46:06

what you are in Christ Jesus.

46:08

You are your credential.

46:14

You are your vocation.

46:17

You are being itself.

46:21

So when somebody asks you, who are you,

46:26

as the caterpillar asks Alice in Wonderland,

46:30

wreathed in smoke, remember who are you?

46:34

You are not a freshmen.

46:38

You are not a Dukey.

46:40

You are not a Greek.

46:42

You are not a professor.

46:43

You are not secretary, or an astronomer,

46:45

or an auto mechanic.

46:48

You are not even a South Carolinian, or a southerner,

46:50

or a Democrat.

46:54

You're not even an American.

46:56

You are a child of God.

46:58

That is your primary identity.

47:03

That is your vocation.

47:08

That is your worth.

47:10

And that is the only thing that could

47:11

possibly bring together, as motley,

47:15

and peculiar, a crew

47:19

as you are this morning.

47:22

There's nothing else that brings you together.

47:25

You are not all Duke graduates,

47:27

though you all pretend you are.

47:29

You are not all Duke graduates.

47:31

You are not all undergraduates,

47:34

though we would all wish we were.

47:35

You are not all scholars, or professors, or academics.

47:36

You are not all bright.

47:39

You're not all dull.

47:40

You're not all interesting.

47:42

And you're not all clever.

47:43

But you're all here.

47:46

And what is the thing that is the common denominator,

47:48

that holds this group together?

47:54

People probably don't know one another.

47:56

And if they do, probably don't like one another.

47:58

What holds you together, what holds us all together,

48:02

is our vocation, and that is the fact

48:06

that we are a child of God.

48:10

And therefore, the work that you are given to do,

48:15

the opportunities that come your way, the failures,

48:19

and the frustrations, all of these are sub-sets

48:22

of your fundamental identity.

48:25

You're fundamental profession.

48:27

You're fundamental calling, which is a child of God.

48:29

And one of the great heresies,

48:33

one of the great heresies in the church,

48:36

one of the great heresies in the West,

48:38

one of the great heresies in America,

48:40

is to confuse your fundamental identity

48:42

with various accidents of circumstance.

48:45

You're a child of God first, not an American first.

48:50

You're a child of God first, and not a Southerner,

48:54

or a white man or woman, or a black man or woman.

48:56

You are a child of God

48:59

before any other form of identification.

49:00

And that is your worth.

49:04

That is your work.

49:07

That is your identity, and the quality of life

49:09

has to do with the way you live out that identity.

49:13

The way you live out that vocation.

49:19

And since God has called you, to be his own representative,

49:24

and St. Paul's words to be his ambassador,

49:29

your task, our task, our responsibility,

49:32

is to live up to the calling.

49:37

To respond to that vocation.

49:41

Because that's what vocation is, an old Latin word Vocare,

49:45

a call, to respond to that call,

49:48

to respond to this identification,

49:51

this being in Christs.

49:54

So Paul entreats us, he beseeches us, he uses the language,

49:59

not of command, but of intimacy,

50:03

to invite us to live lives worthy

50:08

of the sons and daughters of God.

50:12

Worthy of that fundamental identity.

50:15

He doesn't mean just be a good professional, a good lawyer,

50:20

a good teacher, or worker.

50:24

He means rather live up as best you can,

50:27

to the best expectation that is placed in you,

50:31

by God himself.

50:35

No matter what you do, no matter how much time you have

50:38

in which to do it, no matter how clever,

50:42

or how dull you are,

50:46

that is your life's work.

50:49

It's not what you do, or where you do it.

50:53

It is who you are,

50:56

and whose you are that counts.

50:58

In my home in Plymouth,

51:05

our old faded, but now restored,

51:08

photographs of certain of my mother's people.

51:12

And some of these photographs go back

51:17

as far as the 1860's,

51:20

and 1870's.

51:24

And in certain aspects of this family,

51:27

these are the immediate children of slaves,

51:30

manumitted by Abraham Lincoln.

51:35

And in these photographs there's an extraordinary dignity,

51:40

even elegance,

51:45

in these people from rural Virginia,

51:48

whose first adventure, in many ways in the new world,

51:52

was to have their pictures taken.

51:55

My mother used to say to me,

52:00

as I looked at those pictures as a child,

52:01

she'd say don't you ever think that your people

52:05

were born slaves.

52:10

They were born into slavery,

52:13

but they were not born slaves.

52:16

They were born children of God.

52:19

They never forgot it.

52:24

You never forget it.

52:27

And I haven't.

52:30

To be born a child of God,

52:33

is to be born with God's mark on you,

52:35

and that mark transcends your circumstances.

52:38

My people were not born into slavery,

52:45

they were born children of God.

52:48

And y'all people were not born slave holders.

52:50

They were born children of God.

52:54

And you and I, their descendants,

52:57

we are not merely their descendants,

53:01

we are the descendants of God.

53:03

We are the children of God,

53:05

and the quality of life requires

53:07

that we live up to that expectation.

53:10

An expectation

53:16

that transcends experience.

53:19

Now I'm all for experience.

53:24

When I go out to hire somebody, to make an appointment

53:26

in the university church, or somewhere else,

53:30

or I sit on a search committee in the Divinity School,

53:32

I'm very keen on experience.

53:34

I know how to read a CV as well as anybody else.

53:37

I've made up a few in my time.

53:40

I know what to look for.

53:42

And I look for experience.

53:43

What has this person done, what have they written,

53:46

what have they written about, who has written about them,

53:49

where have they served, how long have they served,

53:52

how well have they served wherever they have served,

53:55

and so on, and so forth.

53:57

You know all of this.

53:58

Experience is an important thing,

53:59

but it's not the only thing.

54:03

And imagination, which is the chief quality

54:06

one ought to look for in life.

54:08

Imagination is the compacity

54:10

to transcend your experiences,

54:14

and live by great expectations.

54:19

That is what the quality of life is all about.

54:23

And that's why, when you ask that little child,

54:26

who's had no experience of life at all,

54:29

and who says extraordinary things to the question,

54:31

what are you going to do when you grow up.

54:34

That is part of the sense of the good news.

54:37

That is part of a sense of the gospel,

54:41

not this careful plotting pre-professional careerism,

54:44

that tends to intimidate, and overwhelm,

54:49

and even seduce the young, and rot their imaginations.

54:53

No it is the capacity to see things,

54:58

in their broadest stroke, and to live life accordingly.

55:02

That is what a vocation is.

55:06

That is what the quality of life is all about.

55:09

And how is that going to happen?

55:13

It's going to happen because God enables it.

55:15

And why does God enable it?

55:18

Because God does not wish to waste an investment in you,

55:19

or me.

55:23

If we truly believe that we are created

55:26

in the image of God,

55:29

and if you don't believe that,

55:32

you have committed a grave heresy,

55:34

and should be expelled straight away.

55:36

If you believe you are created in the image of God,

55:40

then you know that God has invested something in you,

55:43

which God is not going to throw away.

55:47

And neither should you.

55:50

God has already placed confidence in you and me,

55:53

first by our creation,

55:58

and secondly by our baptism.

56:01

And it becomes our vocation in life,

56:05

to live up to that investment,

56:09

in creation and in baptism.

56:13

Now you may say, I'm not good enough to do this,

56:18

though university congregations rarely say

56:22

that they're not good enough.

56:25

They say, well they are not good enough

56:26

to do this sort of thing.

56:28

And some of you may be infected one of those extraordinary

56:30

Methodistical doctrines of perfectionism.

56:35

Some of you may think that I must be perfect,

56:38

before I do anything.

56:40

Well my God, if we waited for everybody to be perfect

56:43

to do anything, nothing would be done.

56:46

I mean the world has been filled with Methodists,

56:50

for nearly 200 years, and there's still a lot to do.

56:52

(laughter)

56:55

And something to be undone too, in certain cases.

56:56

So this is not an invitation to perfectionism.

57:00

Think of the people to whom Paul wrote at Ephesus,

57:04

and at Corinth, and at Rome,

57:08

and in all those other interesting places.

57:10

What a mealy lot they were, just like you.

57:13

Arrogant, difficult, faithless, ambitious, confused,

57:17

bewildered, not certain of their calling in life,

57:22

and yet, responding in a certain way

57:26

to a call that was unavoidable.

57:31

They were invited as you are,

57:35

to live lives worthy

57:38

of their calling in Christ.

57:41

And in Ephesians,

57:44

that calling takes a wide variety of forms.

57:45

You can remember that far back, in Ephesians four,

57:49

where they are called to be apostles, and evangelists,

57:52

and doctors, and pastors, and teachers,

57:56

the whole household of faith.

57:59

But in all this variety,

58:02

all of this variety was for the work of the kingdom.

58:05

The up keeping of the church.

58:10

The varieties of living, loving,

58:13

working, and believing.

58:16

Quality of life is not how much you have of it,

58:21

but rather how you use what you have of it.

58:26

And you are not too young, or too old, to begin now.

58:31

And because we are children of God,

58:37

created not in the image of our job,

58:39

but in the image of God,

58:43

we need fear no adversary, or circumstance.

58:45

For we are more than our circumstances,

58:51

though our circumstances may often overwhelm us.

58:53

We are more than our experiences, though our experiences,

58:57

may from time to time, intimidate us.

59:00

We are more than history, though history may,

59:04

from time to time, disappoint us.

59:06

We are more than our contexts.

59:09

And when you look at the extraordinary events

59:15

of the last week or so, in the world where we thought

59:17

the bleakest determinism would effect the way things

59:21

would happen in South Africa, or in the middle East.

59:25

And in one week, you have Nelson Mandela,

59:30

and present the clerk at the UN,

59:34

and you have Arabs and Jews kissing one another

59:36

at the time of the Jewish new year.

59:39

What an extraordinary triumph

59:42

of expectation over experience.

59:46

Our vocation, the quality of our living,

59:50

calls us to transcend

59:54

our mere experience.

59:58

To live a life worthy of the calling, is to do just that.

1:00:01

And as Paul brings this passage to a close,

1:00:05

he uses the metaphor of growing up, to mature,

1:00:08

to be knitted together,

1:00:11

to have a new sense of identity,

1:00:13

that goes with this old sense of vocation.

1:00:17

It is to grow up,

1:00:22

to mature in the knowledge,

1:00:23

that we are part of something good, part of something great,

1:00:26

part of something lasting and holy,

1:00:30

that transcends our poor capacity simply to describe it.

1:00:33

Willa Cather describes happiness in her novel, My Antonia.

1:00:40

Happiness, that is happiness, she says.

1:00:44

To be part of something that is truly great,

1:00:47

and truly good.

1:00:51

And so it is, to be lost in a way,

1:00:53

in wonder, love, and praise.

1:00:57

This then is quality, living, you are not too late.

1:01:03

You are in the right place, at the right time.

1:01:07

It is how well you respond, to that opportunity in Christ,

1:01:11

that will determine the quality of living.

1:01:16

Now if we were in a different place,

1:01:23

you were a different congregation,

1:01:25

I were a different kind of preacher,

1:01:28

this would be the moment where I would

1:01:31

give you the invitation.

1:01:33

This would be the opportunity,

1:01:36

where you would have a chance to respond,

1:01:37

to that call of the quality of life,

1:01:41

which is given you by this good news.

1:01:43

But I am not going to embarrass you, or intimidate you,

1:01:49

or embarrass God, because suppose an invitation was given,

1:01:53

and none of you accepted.

1:01:56

That'd be a terrible embarrassment all around.

1:01:58

This is not an invitation, but it is an opportunity,

1:02:01

to consider the vocation that is yours and Christ,

1:02:07

to consider the life that you have been given,

1:02:11

and the life that you now lead.

1:02:13

To consider the quality of that life as a pure,

1:02:15

and living sacrifice, holy,

1:02:20

acceptable to God,

1:02:23

which is your reasonable worship.

1:02:25

Nothing to do with quantity.

1:02:30

Everything to do with quality.

1:02:33

I beseech you.

1:02:37

I beg you.

1:02:38

I entreat you, by everything that is in me,

1:02:39

to lead a life worthy

1:02:45

of the calling that is yours.

1:02:49

Let us pray.

1:02:53

Oh God, you have formed us in your own image.

1:02:59

You have made us as your own in this world.

1:03:04

Now fill us with the joy of that gift,

1:03:09

that we may live lives worth the living.

1:03:13

For the sake of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

1:03:18

Amen.

1:03:21

(hymnal music)

1:03:26

(choir and congregation singing)

1:03:47

-

The Lord be with you.

1:07:31

Congregation

And also with you.

1:07:33

-

Let us pray.

1:07:34

You may be seated.

1:07:35

Gracious God,

1:07:43

we give thanks for the many ways you have blessed us.

1:07:45

You have touched everyone of us

1:07:50

with your life giving spirit,

1:07:52

and molded us in your own image.

1:07:55

You have endowed us each with gifts that are unique.

1:07:59

Help us to see ourselves as you see us,

1:08:05

special beloved children.

1:08:09

Lord in your mercy,

1:08:15

All

Hear our prayer.

1:08:17

-

Eternal God, you know each one of us from head to toe,

1:08:20

inside and out.

1:08:24

You know what our strengths are,

1:08:26

and you know our weaknesses.

1:08:29

We so often fail to live up to our own expectations,

1:08:32

much less yours.

1:08:37

Forgive us Lord for the ways we let you down.

1:08:39

And help us trust, and accept, the forgiveness

1:08:44

that you offered to us, through Christ.

1:08:47

That we may be free from sin and guilt.

1:08:50

Lord in your mercy,

1:08:54

All

Hear our prayer.

1:08:56

-

Give us the courage to accept your calling

1:08:59

as beloved children.

1:09:02

May the identity, child of God, shape our vocations,

1:09:04

our self understanding, our relationships, our lives.

1:09:10

Free us from all that keeps us from living,

1:09:15

up to the higher identity, and higher calling,

1:09:18

that we have received through Christ, our Lord.

1:09:23

Make us worthy of our calling as children,

1:09:27

who embody humility, gentleness, patience, and love.

1:09:30

Lord in your mercy,

1:09:36

All

Hear our prayer.

1:09:38

-

Mold us as a Christian community into the body of Christ,

1:09:41

where all your members are treated with respect, and love,

1:09:46

and valued for the contributions they make.

1:09:51

Give us discernment to know the depth of your truth,

1:09:55

that we may overcome the divisions between us.

1:09:58

And send us your spirit to lead us to full unity,

1:10:02

offering the love of Christ to all the world,

1:10:07

and obedience to your will, through Christ our Lord.

1:10:10

Amen.

1:10:14

Let us give freely of the gifts God has entrusted to us.

1:10:18

(background chatter)

1:10:23

(hymnal music)

1:10:37

(hymnal music)

1:11:42

(choir singing)

1:11:44

(hymnal music)

1:13:48

(choir and congregation singing)

1:14:59

-

Let us pray.

1:16:00

Thank you God for the generosity

1:16:03

that makes us all that we are, and enables us to share.

1:16:05

We are rich in so many ways.

1:16:10

Help us to live up to our higher calling,

1:16:13

as your beloved children.

1:16:17

Even as we pour out these gifts of gratitude.

1:16:19

We dedicate our offerings, and ourselves,

1:16:22

to shaping that community you intend.

1:16:25

In the spirit of Christ, who makes us one with you,

1:16:28

Amen.

1:16:32

Let us pray together as Jesus taught us.

1:16:34

All

Our father who art in heaven.

1:16:37

Hallowed be thy name.

1:16:40

Thy kingdom come,

1:16:42

thy will be done,

1:16:43

on Earth as it is in heaven.

1:16:45

Give us this day our daily bread.

1:16:47

And forgive us our trespasses,

1:16:50

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

1:16:52

Lead us not in to temptation,

1:16:56

but deliver us from evil.

1:16:58

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.

1:17:00

Amen.

1:17:05

(hymnal music)

1:17:07

(inaudible)

1:17:19

(inaudible)

1:18:02

(choir singing)

1:19:19

(choir and congregation singing)

1:19:26

-

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love God,

1:23:03

and the communion holy spirit be with you all.

1:23:08

(hymnal music)

1:23:16

Peter J. Gomes - "The Quality of Life" (September 26, 1993)

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Duke University Archives