William H. Willimon - "A Song of Love" (October 31, 1993)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP4
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r46d5ps0j?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r46d5ps0j
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(gentle organ music)	0:00
-	Good morning.	4:08
	Welcome to this service of worship here in Duke Chapel.	4:09
	We have been led in worship by our soloist,	4:13
	Francis Reading, who is a Duke alumna,	4:19
	and that gives me an opportunity to welcome	4:22
	all of our alumni who are here today	4:25
	on this homecoming weekend.	4:27
	The lector for this service	4:31
	is our new president, Nan Keohane.	4:32
	Tonight at 5:00 p.m., we have a free organ concert here	4:36
	in Duke Chapel, and at 10:30 p.m. is our celebration	4:42
	of All Saints', a service much enjoyed by students	4:47
	and others, and we invite you to this solemn celebration	4:53
	on All Hallows' Eve.	4:57
	Let us continue our worship.	5:00
	(singing in foreign language)	5:09
	(majestic organ music)	6:05
	♪ A mighty fortress is our God ♪	7:04
	♪ A bulwark never failing ♪	7:10
	♪ Our helper he, amid the flood ♪	7:18
	♪ Of mortal ills prevailing ♪	7:24
	♪ For still our ancient foe ♪	7:32
	♪ Doth seek to work us woe ♪	7:38
	♪ His craft and power are great ♪	7:44
	♪ And armed with cruel hate ♪	7:51
	♪ On earth is not his equal ♪	7:57
	♪ Did we in our own strength confide ♪	8:06
	♪ Our striving would be losing ♪	8:13
	♪ Were not the right man on our side ♪	8:20
	♪ The man of God's own choosing ♪	8:27
	♪ Dost ask who that may be ♪	8:35
	♪ Christ Jesus, it is he ♪	8:41
	♪ Lord Sabaoth his name ♪	8:48
	♪ From age to age the same ♪	8:54
	♪ And he must win the battle ♪	9:01
	♪ And though this world, with devils filled ♪	9:10
	♪ Should threaten to undo us ♪	9:17
	♪ We will not fear, for God hath willed ♪	9:25
	♪ His truth to triumph through us ♪	9:31
	♪ The Prince of Darkness grim ♪	9:40
	♪ We tremble not for him ♪	9:46
	♪ His rage we can endure ♪	9:52
	♪ For lo, his doom is sure ♪	9:59
	♪ One little word shall fell him ♪	10:05
	(majestic organ music)	10:13
	♪ That word above all earthly powers ♪	11:11
	♪ No thanks to them abideth ♪	11:17
	♪ The Spirit and the gifts are ours ♪	11:25
	♪ Through him who with us sideth ♪	11:31
	♪ Let goods and kindred go ♪	11:40
	♪ This mortal life also ♪	11:46
	♪ The body they may kill ♪	11:53
	♪ God's truth abideth still ♪	11:59
	♪ His kingdom is for ever ♪	12:06
Debra	Let us pray.	12:20
	O Lord, we gather today,	12:26
	after we have been scattered to many places,	12:28
	We have come home, seeking to find something of our past,	12:33
	our youth, our vision, our hope.	12:38
	You are the God who searches hearts and minds,	12:43
	who knows why we have come.	12:47
	Meet us at our place of greatest need,	12:51
	that we might find restoration and renewal in you.	12:54
	We offer you our burdens and fears,	12:59
	our hopes and desires, knowing that your love	13:02
	lightens burdens and renews hope.	13:07
	Guide us in the paths that you would have us walk,	13:11
	for we long to lead lives worthy of you.	13:14
	Speak your word to us once more,	13:18
	that we might hear and obey,	13:20
	and send us out into the world as disciples,	13:23
	recognizable through our committed service and love.	13:27
	In the name of Jesus Christ who calls us home	13:32
	and sends us forth as new people, amen.	13:35
	You may be seated.	13:40
	(congregation shuffling)	13:41
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	13:48
All	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	13:52
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	13:56
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	13:58
	we may hear your message with joy this day, amen.	14:02
-	The first reading is taken from the second chapter	14:08
	of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians,	14:10
	starting with verse nine.	14:13
	You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters,	14:15
	we worked night and day so that we might not burden any	14:19
	of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.	14:23
	You are witnesses and God also, how pure, upright,	14:26
	and blameless our conduct was towards you believers.	14:31
	As you know, we dealt with each one of you	14:35
	like a father with his children,	14:37
	urging and encouraging you, and pleading	14:39
	that you lead a life worthy of God,	14:43
	who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.	14:46
	This is the Word of the Lord.	14:50
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	14:53
-	Today's psalm is number 107, verses one through nine,	15:02
	and 33 through 38, found on pages 830 and 831 in the hymnal.	15:06
	Please stand and sing the psalm responsively.	15:12
	(gentle organ music)	15:16
	♪ O give thanks to the Lord who is good ♪	15:22
	♪ Whose steadfast love endures forever ♪	15:26
	♪ Let the redeemed of the Lord say so ♪	15:32
	♪ Those he redeemed from trouble ♪	15:37
	♪ And gathered in from the lands ♪	15:43
	♪ From the east and from the west ♪	15:47
	♪ From the north and from the south ♪	15:51
	♪ Some wandered in the desert wastes ♪	15:55
	♪ Finding no way to a city in which to dwell ♪	15:59
	♪ Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them ♪	16:05
	♪ Then in their trouble they cried to the Lord ♪	16:14
	♪ Who delivered them from their distress ♪	16:19
	♪ Led them by a straight way ♪	16:24
	♪ Until they reached a city in which to dwell ♪	16:29
	♪ Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love ♪	16:35
	♪ For his wonderful works to humankind ♪	16:40
	♪ For the Lord satisfies those who are thirsty ♪	16:46
	♪ And fills the hungry with good things ♪	16:52
	♪ The Lord turns rivers into a desert ♪	16:58
	♪ Springs of water into thirsty ground ♪	17:03
	♪ A fruitful land into a salty waste ♪	17:08
	♪ Because of the wickedness of its inhabitants ♪	17:14
	♪ The Lord turns a desert into pools of water ♪	17:20
	♪ A parched land into springs of water ♪	17:26
	♪ The Lord lets the hungry dwell there ♪	17:31
	♪ And they establish a city in which to live ♪	17:36
	♪ They sow fields, and plant vineyards ♪	17:42
	♪ And get a fruitful yield ♪	17:46
	♪ They multiply greatly by the blessing of the Lord ♪	17:51
	♪ Who does not let their cattle decrease ♪	17:58
	(gentle organ music)	18:05
	♪ Glory be to our creator ♪	18:15
	♪ Praise to our redeemer, Lord ♪	18:22
	♪ Glory be to our sustainer ♪	18:29
	♪ Ever three and ever one ♪	18:37
	♪ As it was in the beginning ♪	18:45
	♪ Now and evermore shall be ♪	18:53
Nannerl	Please be seated.	19:05
	The second reading is from the Gospel According	19:11
	to Saint Matthew, chapter 23,	19:13
	beginning with the first verse.	19:15
	Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,	19:18
	"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,	19:21
	"therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it,	19:25
	"but do not do as they do,	19:29
	"for they do not practice what they teach.	19:31
	"They tie up heavy burdens hard to bear,	19:34
	"and lay them on the shoulders of others,	19:37
	"but they themselves are unwilling	19:40
	"to lift a finger to move them.	19:42
	"They do all their deeds to be seen by others,	19:44
	"for they make their phylacteries broad	19:47
	"and their fringes long.	19:49
	"They love to have the place of honor at banquets	19:51
	"and the best seats in the synagogues,	19:54
	"and to be greeted with respect in the marketplace,	19:56
	"and to have people call them rabbi.	19:59
	"But you are not to be called rabbi,	20:02
	"for you have one teacher, and you are all students.	20:04
	"And call no one your father on earth,	20:09
	"for you have one father, the one in heaven.	20:11
	"Nor are you to be called instructors,	20:15
	"for you have one instructor, the Messiah.	20:17
	"The greatest among you will be your servant,	20:21
	"all who exalt themselves will be humbled,	20:23
	"and all who humble themselves will be exalted."	20:27
	This is the Word of the Lord.	20:31
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	20:33
	("Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring")	20:49
	♪ Jesu, joy of man's desiring ♪	21:08
	♪ Holy wisdom, love most bright ♪	21:19
	♪ Drawn by thee, our souls aspiring ♪	21:43
	♪ Soar to uncreated light ♪	21:55
	♪ Word of God, our flesh that fashioned ♪	22:22
	♪ With the fire of life impassioned ♪	22:37
	♪ Striving still to truth unknown ♪	22:52
	♪ Soaring, dying round thy throne ♪	23:13
	♪ Through the way where hope is guiding ♪	23:41
	♪ Hark, what peaceful music rings ♪	23:53
	♪ Where the flock, in thee confiding ♪	24:17
	♪ Drink of joy from deathless springs ♪	24:30
	♪ Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure ♪	24:56
	♪ Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure ♪	25:12
	♪ Thou dost ever lead thine own ♪	25:27
	♪ In the love of joys unknown ♪	25:39
-	If you alumni have not been	26:33
	back here in Durham in recent years,	26:37
	then perhaps you do not know that one of the joys	26:42
	of living in Durham is reading	26:44
	the personals section of The Independent.	26:46
	(congregation chuckling)	26:50
	Nobody, of course, reads The Independent,	26:52
	but everybody reads the personals section,	26:54
	and don't let them lie to you, alumni.	26:57
	They all read the personals section,	26:59
	and here are some recent personals.	27:02
	Virgin brunette sought to bear my children,	27:08
	but I'll settle for a movie date with a blonde.	27:11
	Silliness aside, I'm looking for a serious relationship	27:14
	with a very very brainy feminine extrovert, 24 to 35.	27:17
	I am 5'7", a scientist with simple tastes	27:22
	who likes outdoor stuff, call 1047.	27:25
	Cuddling lady professional, 5'5".	27:31
	Vivacious, well-dressed blue-eyed beauty,	27:34
	passionate, worldly, good conversationalist,	27:37
	golfer, tennis, dancing, et cetera.	27:40
	Mentally and financially secure.	27:43
	Seeking gentleman with same.	27:46
	(congregation chuckling)	27:49
	Degreed businessman only,	27:51
	45 plus. Call 4299.	27:54
	27, committed to God,	27:59
	strong build, attractive.	28:02
	Likes kids, sports, romance,	28:06
	seeking spiritually committed woman from 18 to 35.	28:10
	(congregation chuckling)	28:15
	Call 1171.	28:16
	Love rendered by The Independent into a consumer commodity,	28:20
	20 words or less.	28:24
	Now, you wonder if say, some archeologist	28:27
	were puttering around the ruins of Durham	28:31
	a thousand years from now and happened	28:33
	on a tattered copy of The Independent,	28:36
	what would that person think	28:39
	of the way we make love	28:42
	in Durham, 1993?	28:45
	And what do we think of the way they made love	28:50
	in 6th century Jerusalem BC,	28:53
	which brings us	28:57
	to our lesson for today,	28:59
	a lesson from the Song of Solomon.	29:04
	I don't think I have ever preached a sermon	29:06
	from this book of the Bible.	29:08
	I don't think I've ever heard a sermon	29:09
	from this book of the Bible.	29:12
	Although this is Reformation Sunday,	29:13
	and this was one of Martin Luther's favorite books	29:15
	of the Bible, and here it is.	29:18
	(congregation chuckling)	29:22
	My beloved is like a gazelle, or a young stag.	29:24
	Behold, he stands behind our wall,	29:27
	gazing at the windows, looking through the lattice.	29:30
	My beloved speaks and says to me,	29:33
	arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.	29:36
	For lo, the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone.	29:40
	Flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come,	29:44
	the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.	29:49
	The fig tree puts forth its figs,	29:52
	vines are in blossom, they give forth fragrance.	29:55
	Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.	30:00
	O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,	30:04
	in the covert of the cliff,	30:07
	let me see your face,	30:09
	let me hear your voice,	30:11
	for your voice is sweet, and your face is comely.	30:13
	My beloved is mine and I am his,	30:18
	he pastures his flock among the lilies.	30:21
	This is the Word of the Lord.	30:25
All	Thanks be to God.	30:29
-	Now, for those of you who have never been so,	30:31
	ahem, those of you so unfortunate	30:34
	as never to have been in love first-hand,	30:37
	the words which I have just read from the Song of Solomon	30:40
	in the Old Testament are words of two people in love.	30:44
	And I know that there are those of you	30:48
	who are surprised to find words like this,	30:49
	these two ancient lovers speaking these words	30:54
	in holy scripture.	30:58
	Here, we have in the Song of Solomon,	31:01
	a kind of unabashed Hebrew love poem.	31:03
	It's, by the way, one of the only two books	31:08
	of the entire Bible that never mentions God.	31:11
	And preachers, as you can imagine,	31:15
	preachers down through the ages	31:17
	have puzzled over what in the world to do	31:19
	with this Hebrew love poetry.	31:21
	You give us clergy a rule, a law,	31:24
	some noble platitude or grim admonition,	31:28
	and we're off to the races.	31:31
	But you give us	31:33
	a languid fall afternoon,	31:35
	two adolescents on a blanket in Duke Gardens,	31:39
	and we get nervous.	31:42
	(congregation laughing)	31:44
	My beloved is like a gazelle, a young stag.	31:46
	Look, there he stands.	31:49
	The fig tree has put forth its figs.	31:51
	And this sort of poetic non sequitur	31:56
	is about, it's about love, it's about the exuberant,	32:00
	pointless, wonderful love.	32:05
	Not that clean, holy agape love of Christians	32:09
	and the church, but the messy, entangling eros	32:12
	of Hollywood and 16-year-olds at Riverside High	32:16
	and some 70-year-olds at the Forest at Duke.	32:21
	It's about that, it's about love,	32:24
	and this is a sermon that's all about love,	32:27
	and I must say that more than some of you may realize,	32:30
	this is a kind of prophetic word for us around here.	32:33
	I remember when I first came to Duke,	32:37
	and I was counseling a couple	32:40
	who came to me saying they wanted me to marry them.	32:43
	And they were both graduate students in chemistry here.	32:46
	And I said to them,	32:50
	now, tell me a little bit about yourself,	32:51
	what has brought you two together?	32:53
	And he said, chemistry.	32:56
	(congregation laughing)	32:59
	We met in the same graduate program.	33:02
	I said, okay, all right, but let's say like, you know	33:06
	when you're together, what is there that	33:09
	you like to do together?	33:11
	I mean, it's like you're spending time together,	33:13
	what kind of things do you do?	33:15
	And she said, well, we, on Fridays in the evenings,	33:17
	we will go over to the lab,	33:21
	and I'll be working on my project,	33:23
	and he'll come over and work on his project.	33:25
	And,	33:28
	I said, well now, what was it,	33:30
	say, that you liked about him?	33:33
	What was it that just really engaged you,	33:35
	that turns you onto him,	33:38
	that made you think that you might like to spend	33:41
	the rest of your life with him?	33:42
	What was that?	33:44
	And then she said,	33:45
	well, I respect so much the contribution that	33:46
	he's going to make to chemistry.	33:49
	And I said, look, marriage is about carnal desire,	33:52
	it's about lust, it's about.	33:56
	well, I said, wait a minute. that's not the speech	33:57
	I'm supposed to be giving.	33:59
	(congregation laughing)	34:01
	But, I didn't know that I would be around people like this.	34:02
	(congregation chuckling)	34:05
	And so,	34:07
	this from the Song of Solomon	34:09
	is a text about love,	34:12
	and Martin Luther says that he just loves God	34:15
	for leaving this in the Bible.	34:19
	Love,	34:22
	love in its early stages is an intense state	34:24
	that always displays familiar features.	34:28
	Being consumed with the thoughts of the other person.	34:32
	Wanting constantly to be together,	34:36
	losing sleep, resorting to poetry,	34:38
	even if you're not good at poetry.	34:41
	(congregation chuckling)	34:43
	Deliciously wasting hours	34:44
	gazing across the table at candlelit dinners,	34:46
	and behavior of this sort is an outward	34:50
	and visible sign of an inward	34:52
	and spiritual dislocation called,	34:55
	at this early stage, infatuation,	34:59
	which to those who are in love seems perfectly acceptable,	35:03
	but to everybody else who's not, crazy.	35:07
	For instance, last week I get this postcard	35:11
	from a student, I'm not going to identify the student,	35:15
	he's a junior from Florida,	35:17
	he's with the Duke at Berlin program.	35:19
	(congregation laughing)	35:21
	He says, Dr. Willimon,	35:25
	you can't imagine what an honor it is for me	35:27
	to be walking the streets here,	35:32
	studying in the same place where Albert Einstein taught,	35:35
	and I met a fantastic girl.	35:40
	(congregation chuckling)	35:42
	She graduated from UVA.	35:45
	She worked in Amsterdam, where I visited her for a week,	35:46
	until the day when she moved to Paris,	35:49
	where she'll be working until Christmas.	35:51
	Then she goes to New York, where she'll be working for good.	35:53
	I know it's complicated, but she really is interesting,	35:58
	believe me,	36:01
	don't tell me I'm a lovesick idiot in Europe,	36:03
	but on the other hand, I realize that you may make fun	36:07
	of me in one of your sermons,	36:10
	and I won't be at Duke to defend myself.	36:12
	Well.	36:15
	(congregation laughing)
	Now, if this initial period of infatuation endures,	36:20
	it will sometimes, but not always,	36:24
	transmute itself into something called romantic love.	36:26
	Or else it will disappear, thereafter to be regretted	36:32
	long afterwards when we say, I can't believe	36:36
	what a fool I made of myself in high school.	36:39
	Yet, if it is transmogrified into romance,	36:42
	then we call it love.	36:46
	Love depicted in these rich cadences,	36:49
	these redundant cadences of the Song of Solomon.	36:54
	Love is the term we use for that time	37:00
	when formally, two people will feel	37:03
	that they have united to form a new entity	37:07
	in the world called we.	37:10
	Harvard philosopher Robert Nozick,	37:13
	in a book The Examined Life says,	37:16
	the desire to form a "we"	37:20
	is intrinsic to the nature of love.	37:22
	Love is about a movement, about a movement,	37:26
	a movement that feels something like falling	37:28
	from a very great height into a pool of Jell-O.	37:31
	A gracious move in which we make a journey	37:34
	from the "I" to a "we",	37:37
	love is the move from "I" to "we."	37:40
	And when you're in love with someone,	37:45
	you will find that your whole being	37:47
	is caught up with that person,	37:48
	and you will report to people who don't care	37:50
	that she's going to Paris, and then she's going to New York,	37:53
	you will go over all the details,	37:56
	and if you read the Song of Solomon, you will find	37:58
	that every, we go over many details again and again.	38:00
	You care what that person cares about.	38:04
	You want to be where that person is,	38:07
	and we call people a couple who have formed a "we."	38:09
	Moreover they feel like a couple,	38:15
	they think and act like a couple,	38:16
	that is, they have formed a more distinct,	38:20
	complex identity than	38:24
	the formerly "I",	38:28
	now that they are a "we",	38:30
	they are much more than the merely "me."	38:32
	Surely this is what Jesus had in mind	38:36
	when, on occasion, he referred to Genesis 1,	38:38
	when he said, of marriage,	38:42
	the two shall become one flesh.	38:44
	And you will note that most of the action	38:49
	in the Song of Solomon is consumed	38:51
	with getting ready to be with the beloved,	38:54
	thrilled over being with the beloved,	38:57
	and then claiming to be near death	38:59
	when absent from the beloved.	39:01
	I've got to be "we".	39:03
	I also think this explains why so many lovers cling	39:06
	to the implausible notion	39:08
	that their beloved is just the one right person	39:11
	in the world, absolutely, for them.	39:13
	That is a thought, I think,	39:16
	that comes only after the "we" has been formed,	39:18
	after that time when they are now so naturally one flesh,	39:21
	that this other has become such an essential,	39:26
	comfortable part of who they are	39:30
	that they just can't imagine that life could be otherwise	39:31
	than with this one particular person.	39:35
	This other has become so successfully we	39:38
	that the other seems hardly other at all.	39:42
	It seems so right that it is virtually impossible	39:44
	to convince lovers that God did not take a day off	39:48
	from his attempts to intervene in the war in Bosnia	39:51
	and reach down from heaven	39:54
	and pair these two people just this way.	39:56
	Now, a word of caution,	40:00
	which is usually the last word that lovers	40:02
	will ever listen to, but a word of caution.	40:05
	Even though, now,	40:07
	through love this "we" is there,	40:10
	this "we" need not mean, indeed, it must not mean,	40:15
	the dissolution of the "I."	40:18
	When you're in love with another,	40:22
	you're in love with the other,	40:24
	not the other oozed into the me,	40:27
	but the other in all of his	40:31
	or her delightful particularities and oddities.	40:33
	If the we were merely to consume the other,	40:38
	there would be no other there to love,	40:41
	so the other must retain some sense	40:43
	of being another in all of his	40:45
	or her kinkiness and quirkiness.	40:48
	That's why people say, I want to be loved for myself.	40:51
	As I am, rather than as some reforming spouse	40:55
	someday might make me.	40:58
	And that's why we always love Joe,	41:00
	or we're crazy about Jill, and there's always a face,	41:03
	and there's always a name,	41:06
	and their distinctive characteristics,	41:07
	which we're just crazy about.	41:09
	And it's one reason I think here	41:12
	in the Song of Solomon, it just goes on and on,	41:13
	in rather ridiculous redundancy,	41:18
	of poetic descriptions of feet,	41:20
	breasts, neck, toes, fingers,	41:23
	which are compared to stags, gazelles,	41:27
	palm trees, figs, cattle in the field,	41:30
	various kinds of fruit.	41:34
	You, to the lover, you are so exactly,	41:37
	uniquely, lovably you, and every inch of you.	41:41
	And by the time the Song of Solomon finishes,	41:45
	we have covered just about every inch.	41:48
	(congregation chuckling)	41:50
	Jesus, in talking about the two shall become one flesh,	41:52
	was his way of pointing though,	41:58
	to the mystery of how the two,	42:01
	so particular, so unique,	42:05
	and all the more beloved because of the particularity	42:07
	and the uniqueness,	42:10
	down to the feet	42:12
	and the neck and the toes,	42:13
	of how these formerly two	42:14
	can feel so much like we.	42:18
	When the formerly just little old me	42:24
	becomes part of the loving "we",	42:27
	it's almost as if there is another, or a better me.	42:31
	Aristotle spoke of a true friend	42:38
	as someone who is your second self.	42:42
	And I feel certain that Aristotle	42:45
	would have included there friends who are also lovers.	42:47
	For, in the Aristotelian sense,	42:52
	to love somebody is	42:54
	to enjoy the luxury of another you,	42:57
	a second self, I mean,	43:00
	someone who enables you better to express yourself,	43:03
	who is able to bring out the neglected,	43:06
	uncultivated aspects of you	43:09
	and thereby becomes a path to your deepest self.	43:12
	I know people, for instance,	43:17
	who are just much better human beings,	43:19
	they will tell you this,	43:21
	because of their togetherness and their marriage,	43:22
	and therefore no wonder that romantic love quickly finds sex	43:27
	as a vehicle of expression.	43:32
	Because it is of the nature of love that it longs	43:35
	to reproduce itself, to populate the whole world	43:38
	with little carbon copies of the beloved.	43:42
	And nothing is more generous in wanting to share itself,	43:45
	to clone itself, than love.	43:50
	Nor is anything any greedier in wanting everything,	43:55
	toes, neck, arms, everything, all the way.	43:58
	And of course, the mention of sex reminds me.	44:03
	Nothing is more wonderful than being in love,	44:08
	nor is anything any more dangerous, than romantic love.	44:12
	We find that we are never more wonderful,	44:17
	never more self-giving and generous	44:20
	than when we are in love,	44:22
	and we are never more self-deceived and bigger liars	44:24
	than when we're in love.	44:29
	I remember commenting to Dr. Stuart Henry,	44:31
	professor of emeritus here,	44:33
	as we were discussing the strange machinations	44:35
	of a colleague of ours, and I said to him,	44:39
	as explanation for our colleague's behavior,	44:42
	well, you know, love is blind.	44:44
	And Dr. Henry says, love is not only blind,	44:46
	it is dumb, lame, and stupid.	44:49
	(congregation laughing)	44:52
	And,	44:53
	you've experienced this,	44:57
	and I wish I knew how to sort all of this out,	44:59
	I wish I could do some sort of mimeographed guidelines	45:04
	I could pass out for you on when it's really love,	45:08
	and then when it's only a kind of consuming,	45:12
	self-aggrandizing infatuation,	45:15
	but unfortunately, I can't.	45:18
	All I can say is that the church,	45:22
	having a healthy respect for the ambiguous,	45:25
	morally dangerous aspects of our declarations of love,	45:28
	has found it helpful to test intimate declarations of love	45:33
	with more public promises,	45:38
	before God and everybody else,	45:41
	of lifetime commitment.	45:43
	Because, as ethicist Paul Ramsey once said,	45:46
	because the words, I love you,	45:49
	can merely mean, look, I love me	45:54
	and want to use you to love me even more,	45:58
	we do well to test our declarations of love,	46:03
	test them with promises of lifetime exclusive commitment.	46:06
	But that's marriage and that's another sermon.	46:11
	(congregation chuckling)	46:13
	There is almost nothing any more gracious	46:15
	that you can do for another person than to love them,	46:18
	to expose yourself to the gaze of another,	46:22
	to risk being seen by that person	46:27
	in all of your psychic and physical nakedness,	46:30
	to let your life get all mixed up	46:33
	in the unfathomable reality of another human being.	46:36
	There isn't much more that one can do	46:42
	for another person than that.	46:46
	There isn't anything much more adventuresome	46:48
	or risky than that,	46:51
	and so maybe that's why, around here,	46:54
	we're notorious for avoiding romance	46:56
	like the plague, knowing in our heart of hearts,	46:59
	how much this stuff costs,	47:01
	how risky such entanglements are to our	47:04
	much-cherished autonomy,	47:06
	how fearfully complicated	47:09
	our relationships these days,	47:11
	which is at least one of the reasons	47:16
	why monogamy is invariably linked to romantic love,	47:18
	for in love we cannot bear the thought	47:22
	that anybody else has access to so unique,	47:25
	so intensely particular and intimate relationship	47:28
	in which we have thrown caution to the wind	47:31
	and in which we have so thoroughly enjoyed,	47:34
	for the first time in our lives,	47:37
	totally losing ourselves and not thinking about it.	47:38
	And I am fighting right now the tendency	47:43
	to claim that any of this is going	47:46
	to do any of you any good.	47:48
	You will note, if you'll sit down	47:51
	and read the Song of Solomon, and I bet some of you will,	47:53
	note that the Song of Solomon has, as far as I can tell,	47:57
	absolutely no edifying intent, no moral,	48:00
	no help with the MCATs,	48:05
	no thought for the day, no helpful hints for homemakers.	48:07
	None of that is there, and of course,	48:11
	it's because love tends to be utterly non-pragmatic,	48:13
	non-functional, non-utilitarian.	48:17
	For a lover to ask the beloved,	48:22
	now what have you done for me lately,	48:24
	is to demonstrate grim utilitarianism, not love.	48:28
	To ask of lovers engaged in a kiss,	48:32
	now, what good does that do?	48:38
	shows a stupidity so deep as to be pathetic.	48:40
	So there has not been much in today's sermon	48:45
	to help you make it through the week,	48:49
	to strengthen you in your struggles	48:50
	to be a Christian disciple.	48:53
	Come back next week, I'll work on you for that.	48:56
	This Sunday, this Sunday has been evoked	48:59
	by our first lesson, a lesson from the Song of Solomon,	49:02
	an invitation for us nice, serious, academically,	49:06
	upwardly mobile, liberated, autonomous people,	49:11
	for us to join with these anonymous lovers	49:14
	of nearly 3,000 years ago,	49:18
	and enjoy God's gift	49:22
	of romantic love.	49:26
	And it is a gift, and you gotta love the Hebrew people,	49:29
	for plopping a poem about something so pointless as love	49:33
	right here in the middle of serious scripture.	49:38
	And you got to love a God who is willing	49:42
	to lie low for eight chapters.	49:45
	(congregation chuckling)	49:47
	Just so his people could get together	49:49
	and talk about this great gift,	49:52
	and you've got to love a preacher,	49:54
	for giving you a Sunday off to talk about romance.	49:55
	(congregation laughing)	49:59
	Ah, you can see them there, you can see them locked	50:01
	in sweet, expectant embrace for all eternity,	50:06
	enjoying the union of the lonely "I"	50:11
	into the strengthened "we",	50:15
	quivering at the thought of the beloved	50:19
	sitting across a Hebrew classroom.	50:21
	She speaks, look, he comes,	50:24
	he's like a gazelle or a young stag.	50:28
	And he exclaims,	50:33
	arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.	50:36
	The winter is past, the rain is over and gone.	50:42
	Flowers appear on the earth,	50:47
	and the time for singing has come.	50:51
	(lofty organ music)	50:57
	♪ As man and woman we were made ♪	51:33
	♪ That love be found and life begun ♪	51:38
	♪ So praise the Lord who made us two ♪	51:43
	♪ And praise the Lord when two are one ♪	51:48
	♪ Praise for the love that comes to life ♪	51:54
	♪ Through child or parent, husband, wife ♪	52:01
	♪ Now Jesus lived and gave his love ♪	52:12
	♪ To make our life and loving new ♪	52:16
	♪ So celebrate with him today ♪	52:21
	♪ And drink the joy he offers you ♪	52:26
	♪ That makes the simple moment shine ♪	52:31
	♪ And changes water into wine ♪	52:38
	♪ And Jesus died to live again ♪	52:47
	♪ So praise the love that, come what may ♪	52:52
	♪ Can bring the dawn and clear the skies ♪	52:57
	♪ And waits to wipe all tears away ♪	53:02
	♪ And let us hope for what shall be ♪	53:07
	♪ Believing where we cannot see ♪	53:14
	♪ Then spread the table, clear the hall ♪	53:23
	♪ And celebrate till day is done ♪	53:28
	♪ Let peace go deep between us all ♪	53:33
	♪ And joy be shared by everyone ♪	53:38
	♪ Laugh and make merry with your friends ♪	53:43
	♪ And praise the love that never ends ♪	53:50
-	The Lord be with you.	54:02
-	And also with you.
Debra	Let us pray, please be seated.	54:05
	(congregation shuffling)	54:07
	We give you thanks and praise, O God,	54:20
	for all gifts of love we have received from you,	54:24
	and for your persistent grace through Jesus Christ,	54:28
	as you have loved us, so you have called us	54:34
	to love one another, as it is written in scripture,	54:37
	beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God.	54:43
	All who love are born of God and know God.	54:48
	All who do not love do not know God.	54:52
	We have struggled to understand what it means	54:58
	to love in all its fullness and all its meanings.	55:01
	Because you have so intimately known us,	55:08
	you know how deep and painful our loneliness can be.	55:12
	Perhaps this is the reason	55:18
	that you gave us the gift of romantic love.	55:20
	Truly, it is a precious gift to share deep intimacy	55:25
	with another person, and we are grateful for that experience	55:29
	of love that lessens our loneliness	55:33
	and enlarges our being from I to we.	55:37
	Yet, we also know that many among us have experienced	55:44
	the pain of romantic love,	55:48
	of lost love through death, divorce,	55:51
	or broken relationships,	55:57
	of forbidden love through gay, lesbian, and bisexual love	56:01
	that has been declared outside	56:08
	of what society deems acceptable,	56:10
	of denied love or rejection,	56:15
	of the loneliness of singlehood.	56:19
	It is at times like these that we remember romantic love	56:23
	is only one of the gifts of love that you give us.	56:27
	You have also given us the love of family and friends,	56:31
	of Christian fellowship and communion with you	56:35
	through the Holy Spirit.	56:39
	We give thanks that we may know wholeness	56:42
	and fullness individually and that we are not somehow less	56:45
	if we remain an I or become an I rather than a we.	56:51
	We remember too all the ways you have called us to love	56:59
	one another and we are mindful of those you call us to love.	57:03
	We lift some of these before you.	57:10
	Lord, we pray especially for family members	57:13
	and friends and acquaintances who we know are hurting.	57:18
	Lord, in your mercy,	57:23
-	Hear our prayer.
Debra	We pray for those who are sick in body or mind,	57:29
	and for those who care for them.	57:32
	Lord, in your mercy,	57:36
-	Hear our prayer.
-	We pray for those who are in danger,	57:41
	necessity, or trouble, especially for victims	57:44
	of violent crime or domestic abuse.	57:48
	Lord, in your mercy,	57:52
-	Hear our prayer.
-	For those who live in war-torn nations,	57:56
	especially for those in Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, and Burundi.	58:00
	Lord, in your mercy,	58:06
-	Hear our prayer.
-	For the refugee and the homeless,	58:10
	the widow and the orphaned, the unemployed,	58:13
	and those who are in despair,	58:17
	Lord, in your mercy,	58:21
-	Hear our prayer.
-	Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time,	58:26
	with one accord, to make our common supplication to you	58:30
	in this Christian fellowship.	58:35
	You have promised through your well-beloved Son	58:38
	that when two or three are gathered together	58:42
	in his name, you will be in the midst of them.	58:44
	Fulfill now, O Lord, the deepest longings	58:49
	of our hearts, as may be best for us,	58:53
	granting us knowledge of your truth and love,	58:57
	and the grace to live as a people	59:01
	who offer loved to one another	59:03
	because we have known the fullness of your love.	59:06
	In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.	59:10
	Let us present our gifts as signs	59:16
	of our love for God and one another.	59:19
	(uplifting organ music)	59:23
	(singing in foreign language)	1:00:17
	(majestic organ music)	1:04:50
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:05:12
	♪ Praise God, all creatures here below ♪	1:05:18
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:25
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:28
	♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪	1:05:32
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	1:05:39
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:45
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:55
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:05:58
-	Let us pray.	1:06:11
	Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise	1:06:15
	for all that you have done for us.	1:06:18
	We thank you for the splendor of creation,	1:06:21
	the wonder of life, and the mystery of love.	1:06:24
	May these gifts that we offer in gratitude to you	1:06:29
	bring light to those who walk in darkness	1:06:32
	and hope to those who live in despair.	1:06:36
	Accomplish your purposes, we pray,	1:06:39
	through these gifts, and in our lives, amen.	1:06:41
	Let us continue our prayers, as we pray together	1:06:47
	the prayer that Jesus taught us.	1:06:50
All	Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:06:53
	hallowed be thy name.	1:06:56
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:06:57
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:07:00
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:07:03
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:07:06
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:07:08
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,	1:07:12
	for thine is the kingdom and power	1:07:16
	and the glory forever, amen.	1:07:19
	(stately organ music)	1:07:24
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	1:07:47
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:07:51
	♪ Till all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:07:57
	♪ Come, Christians, follow this triumphant sign ♪	1:08:08
	♪ The hosts of God in unity combine ♪	1:08:17
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	1:08:29
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:08:34
	♪ Till all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:08:39
	♪ Each newborn servant of the crucified ♪	1:08:50
	♪ Bears on the brow the seal of him who died ♪	1:09:00
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	1:09:11
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:09:16
	♪ Till all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:09:21
	♪ O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree ♪	1:09:32
	♪ As thou hast promised, draw the world to thee ♪	1:09:42
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	1:09:54
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:09:58
	♪ Till all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:10:03
	♪ So shall our song of triumph ever be ♪	1:10:15
	♪ Praise to the crucified for victory ♪	1:10:24
	♪ Lift high the cross ♪	1:10:35
	♪ The love of Christ proclaim ♪	1:10:40
	♪ Till all the world adore his sacred name ♪	1:10:45
William	And now may the grace of our Lord and Savior.	1:11:02

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "A Song of Love" (October 31, 1993)

Description:

Sermon start time: 26:33. Sermon end time: 50:56.
This sermon speaks to the different facets of love: attraction and romance, commitment and community, sex and reproduction, exposure and reformation of self. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r46d5ps0j

Date:

October 31, 1993

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Song of Songs

Chapter and Verse:

Song of Songs 2:8-13

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0343
ref9325_bpq
uachapelsermaud
duke:321341
dcrmv001328
ark:/87924/r46d5ps0j
1657a048-2648-41e6-8af0-c2e9dab44f74

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Related Resources:

See below

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

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

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

William H. Willimon - "A Song of Love" (October 31, 1993)

Transcript

Item Info

Related Item

Duke University Archives