Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (January 9, 1994)
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| - | Grace and peace to you | 0:22 |
| in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. | 0:23 | |
| Welcome to this service of worship | 0:25 | |
| at Duke University Chapel | 0:27 | |
| on this first Sunday after Epiphany. | 0:29 | |
| We are delighted to welcome all students | 0:31 | |
| back to campus for this new semester, | 0:34 | |
| as well all the members of our chapel choir, | 0:36 | |
| and our conductor, Rodney Wynkoop, | 0:39 | |
| who have been away for the holiday break. | 0:40 | |
| Today's preacher is the Reverend Debra K. Brazzel, | 0:45 | |
| who is assistant dean of the chapel, | 0:47 | |
| and director of religious life. | 0:49 | |
| And our lector is Ms. Betsy Close, | 0:51 | |
| who is a member of the congregation at Duke Chapel. | 0:53 | |
| This afternoon, there will be an organ recital at 5:00 p.m. | 0:57 | |
| performed by Wolfgang Rubsam on the Flentrop organ. | 1:01 | |
| Admission is free. | 1:05 | |
| You are also invited this week | 1:07 | |
| to attend the Taize evening prayer, | 1:10 | |
| and choral vespers services, | 1:12 | |
| which will resume according to their usual schedule. | 1:13 | |
| Please note also that Ruth Overman | 1:16 | |
| will be assisting chapel organist David Arcus | 1:18 | |
| in accompanying the first choir anthem for today's service. | 1:21 | |
| Please note the remaining announcements | 1:25 | |
| as they are printed in your bulletins. | 1:26 | |
| Please stand, as we join together in the greeting. | 1:29 | |
| The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. | 1:37 | |
| Congregation | And also with you. | 1:41 |
| - | The splendor of Christ shines upon us. | 1:43 |
| Congregation | Praise the Lord. | 1:46 |
| (reverential organ music) | 1:49 | |
| ♪ Oh, morning star, how fair and bright ♪ | 3:00 | |
| ♪ Thou beamest forth in truth and light ♪ | 3:07 | |
| ♪ Oh, sovereign meek and lowly ♪ | 3:14 | |
| ♪ Thou root of Jesse, David's son ♪ | 3:24 | |
| ♪ My lord and master, thou hast won ♪ | 3:31 | |
| ♪ My heart to serve thee solely ♪ | 3:38 | |
| ♪ Thou art holy ♪ | 3:47 | |
| ♪ Fair and glorious, all-victorious ♪ | 3:53 | |
| ♪ Rich in blessing ♪ | 4:01 | |
| ♪ Rule and might o'er all possessing ♪ | 4:07 | |
| ♪ Thou heavenly brightness, light divine ♪ | 4:18 | |
| ♪ Oh, deep within my heart now shine ♪ | 4:25 | |
| ♪ And make thee there an altar ♪ | 4:33 | |
| ♪ Fill me with joy and strength to be ♪ | 4:42 | |
| ♪ Thy member, ever joined to thee ♪ | 4:49 | |
| ♪ In love that cannot falter ♪ | 4:57 | |
| ♪ Toward thee longing ♪ | 5:05 | |
| ♪ Doth possess me, turn and bless me ♪ | 5:13 | |
| ♪ Here in sadness ♪ | 5:20 | |
| ♪ Eye and heart long for thy gladness ♪ | 5:26 | |
| ♪ What joy to know, when life is past ♪ | 5:37 | |
| ♪ The Lord we love is first and last ♪ | 5:45 | |
| ♪ The end and the beginning ♪ | 5:52 | |
| ♪ He will one day, oh, glorious grace ♪ | 6:02 | |
| ♪ Transport us to that happy place ♪ | 6:09 | |
| ♪ beyond all tears and sinning ♪ | 6:17 | |
| ♪ Amen, amen ♪ | 6:25 | |
| ♪ Come, Lord Jesus, crown of gladness ♪ | 6:33 | |
| ♪ We are yearning ♪ | 6:40 | |
| ♪ For the day of your returning ♪ | 6:46 | |
| - | Almighty God, whose son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, | 7:02 |
| is the light of the world, | 7:07 | |
| having seen a great light which guides us | 7:09 | |
| in our darkened world, | 7:11 | |
| we have gathered to search diligently | 7:13 | |
| for all that you would reveal to us. | 7:15 | |
| Send upon us your grace, | 7:19 | |
| for you have called us to be its stewards. | 7:21 | |
| Speak to us your word, | 7:25 | |
| for you have summoned us to be its witnesses. | 7:26 | |
| Show us your body, | 7:31 | |
| for you have made us to be its members. | 7:32 | |
| Let the working of your power | 7:36 | |
| be made manifest among us, oh God, | 7:37 | |
| that our works might declare | 7:39 | |
| your presence among the nations. | 7:42 | |
| In the name of Jesus, | 7:44 | |
| in whose baptism we, too, are baptized, amen. | 7:46 | |
| - | Let us pray together the prayer for illumination. | 8:06 |
| Everyone | Open our hearts and minds, oh God, | 8:12 |
| by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 8:16 | |
| so that, as the Word is read and proclaimed, | 8:19 | |
| we may hear your message with joy this day. | 8:24 | |
| - | Amen. | 8:27 |
| From the Old Testament, | 8:31 | |
| I will read from the first chapter of the book of Genesis, | 8:33 | |
| starting with verse 1. | 8:38 | |
| In the beginning, | 8:42 | |
| when God created the heavens and the earth, | 8:43 | |
| the earth was a formless void, and darkness covered deep, | 8:47 | |
| while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. | 8:54 | |
| Then God said, "Let there be light", and there was light, | 9:00 | |
| and God saw that the light was good, | 9:07 | |
| and God separated the light from the darkness. | 9:11 | |
| God called the light day, and the darkness he called night, | 9:16 | |
| and there was evening and there was morning, the first day. | 9:22 | |
| This is the word of the Lord. | 9:30 | |
| Everyone | Thanks be to God. | 9:32 |
| - | Let us sing responsively Psalm 29, on page 761. | 9:45 |
| Please stand for the psalm and Gloria. | 9:52 | |
| (reverential organ music) | 9:56 | |
| ♪ Ascribe to the Lord, oh, heavenly beings ♪ | 10:02 | |
| ♪ Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength ♪ | 10:07 | |
| ♪ Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name ♪ | 10:13 | |
| ♪ Worship the Lord in all his splendor ♪ | 10:19 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord is upon the waters ♪ | 10:25 | |
| ♪ The God of glory thunders ♪ | 10:30 | |
| ♪ The Lord upon many waters ♪ | 10:34 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord is powerful ♪ | 10:38 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord is full of majesty ♪ | 10:44 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars ♪ | 10:51 | |
| ♪ The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon ♪ | 10:56 | |
| ♪ The Lord makes Lebanon to skip like a calf ♪ | 11:03 | |
| ♪ And Sirion like a young wild ox ♪ | 11:08 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire ♪ | 11:14 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness ♪ | 11:21 | |
| ♪ The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh ♪ | 11:26 | |
| ♪ The voice of the Lord makes the oaks to whirl ♪ | 11:32 | |
| ♪ And strips the forests bare ♪ | 11:36 | |
| ♪ And in his temple all cry, "Glory" ♪ | 11:40 | |
| ♪ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood ♪ | 11:46 | |
| ♪ The Lord sits enthroned as ruler forever ♪ | 11:51 | |
| ♪ May the Lord give strength to his people ♪ | 11:57 | |
| ♪ May the Lord bless his people with peace ♪ | 12:03 | |
| ♪ Oh, glory be to you, Creator ♪ | 12:10 | |
| ♪ And to Jesus Christ, our Savior ♪ | 12:14 | |
| ♪ And to the Holy Spirit, the Trinity ♪ | 12:19 | |
| ♪ As it was at time began ♪ | 12:26 | |
| ♪ Is now and will be forevermore ♪ | 12:31 | |
| - | This reading is from the book of Acts, | 12:55 |
| the first seven verses from chapter 19: | 12:58 | |
| While Apollos was in Corinth, | 13:03 | |
| Paul passed through the interior regions | 13:06 | |
| and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. | 13:09 | |
| He said to them, | 13:14 | |
| "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" | 13:17 | |
| They replied, | 13:22 | |
| "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." | 13:24 | |
| Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" | 13:30 | |
| They answered, "Into John's baptism." | 13:34 | |
| Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, | 13:39 | |
| "telling the people to believe in the one | 13:46 | |
| "who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." | 13:48 | |
| On hearing this, | 13:54 | |
| they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. | 13:56 | |
| When Paul had laid his hands on them, | 14:00 | |
| the Holy Spirit came upon them, | 14:04 | |
| and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. | 14:06 | |
| Altogether there were about 12 of them. | 14:10 | |
| This is the word of the Lord. | 14:15 | |
| Everyone | Thanks be to God. | 14:17 |
| ♪ This is the day of light ♪ | 14:33 | |
| ♪ Let there be light ♪ | 14:49 | |
| ♪ Let there be light ♪ | 15:05 | |
| ♪ Today ♪ | 15:21 | |
| ♪ This is the day of light ♪ | 15:48 | |
| ♪ Let there be light ♪ | 15:57 | |
| ♪ Let there be light ♪ | 16:06 | |
| ♪ Today ♪ | 16:16 | |
| - | This reading is from the first chapter | 16:45 |
| of the Gospel According to St. Mark, beginning with verse 4: | 16:48 | |
| John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, | 16:56 | |
| proclaiming a baptism of repentance | 17:00 | |
| for the forgiveness of sins. | 17:02 | |
| And people from the whole Judean countryside | 17:05 | |
| and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, | 17:09 | |
| and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, | 17:14 | |
| confessing their sins. | 17:18 | |
| Now, John was clothed with camel's hair, | 17:20 | |
| with a leather belt around his waist, | 17:25 | |
| and he ate locusts and wild honey. | 17:27 | |
| He proclaimed, | 17:32 | |
| "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me. | 17:33 | |
| "I am not worthy to stoop down | 17:40 | |
| "and untie the thong of his sandals. | 17:42 | |
| "I have baptized you with water, | 17:46 | |
| "but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." | 17:50 | |
| In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee | 17:54 | |
| and was baptized by John in the Jordan. | 18:01 | |
| And just as he was coming up out of the water, | 18:05 | |
| he saw the heavens torn apart, | 18:09 | |
| and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. | 18:12 | |
| And a voice came from heaven, | 18:17 | |
| "You are my son, the Beloved. | 18:21 | |
| "With you I am well pleased." | 18:25 | |
| This is the word of the Lord. | 18:29 | |
| Everyone | Thanks be to God. | 18:32 |
| - | 1994. | 18:45 |
| Even though it may take a while to get the date right, | 18:48 | |
| the new year has begun. | 18:52 | |
| The beginning of a new year can be such a hopeful time, | 18:55 | |
| when the world is full of potential, | 18:59 | |
| and everything is possible. | 19:01 | |
| I really can lose 25 pounds if I start right away, | 19:03 | |
| exercise three times a week, and lower the fat in my diet, | 19:07 | |
| and if I stick to my budget, | 19:12 | |
| I really can afford the vacation that I've dreamed about. | 19:13 | |
| The new year brings new hope and resolve to meet goals, | 19:18 | |
| realize potential, and accomplish dreams. | 19:23 | |
| What was on your list this year? | 19:28 | |
| Or are you one of those people | 19:31 | |
| who stopped making resolutions | 19:33 | |
| because of last year's broken list? | 19:35 | |
| So often our new beginnings | 19:39 | |
| quickly become tainted with disappointments | 19:41 | |
| and bad habits acted out again and again. | 19:44 | |
| It can become embarrassing to tote out | 19:49 | |
| the same list of resolutions year after year, | 19:52 | |
| clinging to the hope, | 19:56 | |
| maybe this year something will be different, | 19:57 | |
| maybe this year I'll be able | 20:00 | |
| to keep the promises I make to myself. | 20:01 | |
| We all need new beginnings, | 20:05 | |
| times when the slate is wiped clean, | 20:08 | |
| and we have the chance to start anew. | 20:12 | |
| All our scripture texts today deal with new beginnings. | 20:15 | |
| In the passage from Genesis, | 20:20 | |
| we remember God's creation in the beginning, | 20:23 | |
| when the earth was formless and void, chaotic and dark. | 20:26 | |
| The Spirit of God moved over the face of the waters, | 20:32 | |
| and brought forth light and life. | 20:36 | |
| God spoke, and the world was redefined in new ways. | 20:40 | |
| The passage from Acts depicts Paul's encounter | 20:46 | |
| with disciples who were followers of John, | 20:50 | |
| lacking in a full understanding of the Christian faith. | 20:53 | |
| He baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ, | 20:57 | |
| and they received the Holy Spirit. | 21:00 | |
| They were transformed by their encounter | 21:03 | |
| with the Spirit of God, | 21:05 | |
| and given a new beginning, | 21:07 | |
| and a new identity as followers of Christ, | 21:09 | |
| who knew both the form and the power of faith. | 21:13 | |
| The Gospel of Mark tells us of Jesus' baptism by John. | 21:18 | |
| When the Spirit of God, | 21:23 | |
| descending like a dove upon him, proclaimed, | 21:25 | |
| "You are my son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.", | 21:28 | |
| in Mark's Gospel, | 21:35 | |
| this is the first declaration of who Jesus was, | 21:36 | |
| and it marked the beginning of his ministry, | 21:40 | |
| as he was led immediately by the Spirit into the desert. | 21:43 | |
| On this first Sunday after Epiphany, | 21:48 | |
| it is traditional for the Christian church | 21:52 | |
| to celebrate and remember the baptism of Christ | 21:54 | |
| and our own baptism, | 21:58 | |
| for Jesus' baptism was an epiphany, | 22:00 | |
| a defining moment when God's claim upon him was revealed. | 22:04 | |
| It was also the beginning, | 22:09 | |
| the starting point for his ministry. | 22:11 | |
| Likewise, our baptism was also a defining moment, | 22:15 | |
| when God's claim upon us was proclaimed, | 22:19 | |
| and our membership in the community of faith was begun. | 22:23 | |
| Each of these lectionary texts | 22:27 | |
| reflect upon beginnings in the faith, | 22:30 | |
| and the share in common the baptismal elements | 22:33 | |
| of water and the Spirit. | 22:36 | |
| In Genesis, the chaotic power of water is untamed | 22:39 | |
| until the Spirit of God moves over the water, | 22:43 | |
| creating a new order. | 22:46 | |
| And in Mark and Acts, | 22:49 | |
| water and the Spirit are the essential elements | 22:51 | |
| through which the baptism is enacted | 22:54 | |
| for Jesus and the disciples. | 22:58 | |
| In each of these scriptures, | 23:00 | |
| it is God who acts to bring about some new creation | 23:02 | |
| that did not exist before God created it. | 23:06 | |
| These scriptures call us at the beginning of a new year | 23:10 | |
| to remember our own baptism through water and the Spirit. | 23:14 | |
| It invites us to examine how faithful we've been | 23:19 | |
| to our call to follow Christ as baptized disciples, | 23:22 | |
| and to wonder again what new thing | 23:27 | |
| God might want to create in us and through us. | 23:30 | |
| What does it mean to be baptized Christians in 1994? | 23:36 | |
| Does it make a difference in who we are, | 23:41 | |
| and what we hope for, and how we live? | 23:44 | |
| As Christians, our baptism should be | 23:48 | |
| the single most important | 23:51 | |
| defining characteristic in our lives. | 23:53 | |
| Let me say that again. | 23:56 | |
| As Christians, our baptism | 23:59 | |
| should be the single most important | 24:02 | |
| defining characteristic in our lives. | 24:04 | |
| It isn't something peripheral | 24:08 | |
| that can get tacked onto our lives | 24:10 | |
| after taxes and vacations. | 24:12 | |
| It is central, the defining element. | 24:15 | |
| Baptism is the initiatory act | 24:19 | |
| when we are claimed by God and the community of faith | 24:21 | |
| as members of Christ in God's own beloved family. | 24:25 | |
| In our baptism, as in Christ's baptism, | 24:31 | |
| the heavens are torn open, and a voice proclaims, | 24:34 | |
| "You are my beloved, and in you I am well pleased." | 24:38 | |
| How we understand ourselves is forever changed | 24:44 | |
| by this primal identification as a beloved child of God, | 24:47 | |
| and an inheritor of God's Kingdom, | 24:52 | |
| with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. | 24:54 | |
| As baptized Christians, | 24:58 | |
| we understand ourselves to have a unique identity, | 25:00 | |
| which must come before any other identifying characteristic. | 25:03 | |
| Christian, female, Debra, 35, married, | 25:08 | |
| Caucasian, homeowner. | 25:14 | |
| Christianity is the primary identity | 25:18 | |
| which shapes and directs the other qualities of our being | 25:21 | |
| and gives meaning and coherence to the whole. | 25:26 | |
| However, as much as we are shaped | 25:30 | |
| individually by our baptism, | 25:32 | |
| baptism is never a private gift, but a communal one. | 25:35 | |
| In the sacrament of baptism found in your hymnbook, | 25:40 | |
| the opening words of the baptismal rite proclaim: | 25:44 | |
| Brothers and sisters in Christ, | 25:47 | |
| through the sacrament of baptism | 25:50 | |
| we are initiated into Christ's holy church. | 25:51 | |
| We are incorporated into God's mighty acts of salvation, | 25:55 | |
| and given new birth through water and the Spirit. | 26:00 | |
| All this is God's gift, offered to us without price. | 26:04 | |
| In these few words are summed up so much of the meaning | 26:10 | |
| of Christian baptism in the Christian faith. | 26:14 | |
| First, through the sacrament of baptism, | 26:18 | |
| we are initiated into Christ's holy church. | 26:20 | |
| Baptism is not a private act of salvation, | 26:24 | |
| but a corporate act that brings us into the body of Christ. | 26:27 | |
| Hence, the baptismal rite begins, | 26:32 | |
| "Brothers and sisters in Christ." | 26:34 | |
| Baptism is something we are meant to share | 26:37 | |
| with Christ and with each other. | 26:40 | |
| Baptism is given to bring us into closer fellowship | 26:42 | |
| as members of one family. | 26:46 | |
| As we enter this new year, | 26:49 | |
| we must ask ourselves how faithful we have been | 26:51 | |
| to our brothers and sisters in Christ. | 26:54 | |
| Have we acted like members of one family | 26:57 | |
| who care about one another? | 27:00 | |
| The baptismal covenant goes on to charge us | 27:02 | |
| with the responsibility to nurture one another | 27:05 | |
| in the Christian faith and life, | 27:08 | |
| to so live that we surround our brothers and sisters | 27:11 | |
| in a community of love and forgiveness | 27:14 | |
| that empowers them to grow in their trust of God, | 27:17 | |
| and in their service to humanity. | 27:21 | |
| As baptized Christians, | 27:24 | |
| we are accountable for how we live in community, | 27:26 | |
| for the example we set and the care we give to one another. | 27:29 | |
| Our world is in such need of the caring communities | 27:34 | |
| that baptized Christians are called to offer. | 27:37 | |
| There are signs of the breakdown | 27:41 | |
| in our fundamental human relatedness everywhere around us. | 27:43 | |
| We live as lonely strangers surrounded by people. | 27:48 | |
| Without the sustaining support | 27:52 | |
| of family and friends and community, | 27:55 | |
| more and more people are losing their ability to cope, | 27:58 | |
| and taking out their frustration on strangers | 28:02 | |
| through acts of violence. | 28:05 | |
| We're seeing countless examples of despair | 28:07 | |
| erupting over the past year, | 28:10 | |
| on the commuter train, in the schoolyard, | 28:13 | |
| at the grocery store, in courtrooms. | 28:16 | |
| We must reach out to one another | 28:20 | |
| to bear one another's joys and sorrows | 28:22 | |
| as brothers and sisters in Christ. | 28:26 | |
| Let us remember that our baptism | 28:29 | |
| calls us first into community, | 28:31 | |
| the community of students who give time every week | 28:35 | |
| to help Duke employees improve | 28:38 | |
| their reading and writing skills, | 28:40 | |
| the community of a professor who organizes people | 28:42 | |
| who visit prisoners every weekend in the jails, | 28:46 | |
| the community of secretaries and housekeepers | 28:50 | |
| who hold and rock children with AIDS, | 28:53 | |
| the community of countless volunteers | 28:56 | |
| who provide the food and do the cooking to feed | 28:58 | |
| the countless homeless people in soup kitchens every day. | 29:02 | |
| There are so many ways to serve | 29:07 | |
| in Christ's ministry of love. | 29:09 | |
| Baptism also incorporates us | 29:13 | |
| into Gods' mighty acts of salvation. | 29:16 | |
| In other words, no one and nothing less than almighty God | 29:19 | |
| has acted to save us. | 29:24 | |
| Baptism is not a trivial, outmoded rite of the church, | 29:27 | |
| but a mighty act of recreation | 29:31 | |
| accomplished by the divine power of God. | 29:34 | |
| Our baptism, whether received as an infant or as an adult, | 29:37 | |
| reminds us that no matter how we feel, | 29:42 | |
| in God's eyes, we have been judged worthy to be saved. | 29:46 | |
| And no matter how powerless we may be, | 29:51 | |
| our God is a mighty god who acts on our behalf. | 29:54 | |
| Through baptism we're given the gift | 29:59 | |
| of new birth through water and the Spirit. | 30:01 | |
| As God's Spirit moved over the waters of chaos | 30:05 | |
| in the beginning of creation, | 30:08 | |
| in baptism, God's Spirit moves over the chaos of our lives, | 30:10 | |
| to make us into new beings, | 30:15 | |
| to bring forth new possibilities | 30:17 | |
| we haven't even begun to dream. | 30:20 | |
| In baptism, water is the symbol | 30:23 | |
| of God's ability to cleanse and renew us. | 30:25 | |
| It washes over us to remove the stain of guilt | 30:29 | |
| built up for years of broken promises and broken lists. | 30:32 | |
| It revitalizes us and quenches our deep thirst | 30:37 | |
| as we're filled with the ever-flowing life of God. | 30:42 | |
| The Spirit of God is the power of God | 30:46 | |
| to break the habits of the past. | 30:49 | |
| Whatever grip sin has had on our life, | 30:52 | |
| whatever has shown up on the broken promises list | 30:55 | |
| year after year, | 30:58 | |
| whatever things we keep hidden in shame, | 31:00 | |
| these are the things that are transformed | 31:03 | |
| by the Spirit of God in baptism. | 31:06 | |
| The Spirit is God's will and power | 31:09 | |
| to recreate us into new beings | 31:12 | |
| who look a lot more like Christ | 31:15 | |
| than we ever though possible. | 31:17 | |
| Remembering our baptism reminds us of God's power | 31:20 | |
| to refresh and renew us whenever we're dried out, | 31:24 | |
| and whenever we're far away | 31:28 | |
| from the person God calls us to be. | 31:30 | |
| Remembering our baptism reminds us | 31:34 | |
| of both the power and the form of faith. | 31:37 | |
| After being released from a Japanese | 31:43 | |
| prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, | 31:45 | |
| Leonard Wilson broadcast these remarks: | 31:48 | |
| I remember Archbishop Temple in one of his books | 31:52 | |
| writing that if you pray for any particular virtue, | 31:55 | |
| whether it be patience or courage or love, | 31:59 | |
| one of the answers that God gives | 32:01 | |
| is to give us the opportunity for exercising that virtue. | 32:04 | |
| After my first beating, | 32:09 | |
| I was almost afraid to pray for courage, | 32:11 | |
| lest I should have another opportunity for exercising it. | 32:15 | |
| But my unspoken prayer was there, and without God's help, | 32:20 | |
| I doubt whether I could've come through. | 32:24 | |
| Long hours of humiliating pain were a severe test. | 32:28 | |
| In the middle of the torture they asked me | 32:33 | |
| if I still believed in God, | 32:35 | |
| when by God's help I said, "I do." | 32:38 | |
| They asked me why God did not save me. | 32:42 | |
| By the help of the Holy Spirit I said, "God does save me. | 32:46 | |
| "He does not save me by freeing me from pain or punishment, | 32:51 | |
| "but he saves me by giving me | 32:55 | |
| "the spirit that I need to bear it." | 32:57 | |
| And when they asked me why I did not curse them, | 33:00 | |
| I told them it was because I was a follower of Jesus Christ, | 33:04 | |
| who has taught us that we are all brethren. | 33:08 | |
| Mr. Wilson went on to become Bishop of Singapore, | 33:13 | |
| then Bishop of Birmingham. | 33:16 | |
| And one Sunday, he found himself | 33:19 | |
| confirming some candidates in a church, | 33:21 | |
| and laying his hands on someone he recognized from the past. | 33:23 | |
| It was his principal torturer | 33:29 | |
| to whom he had spoken those words. | 33:31 | |
| Baptism is God's gift, freely offered to us. | 33:36 | |
| There is nothing that we can do to earn it. | 33:43 | |
| There is nothing that anyone else can do to earn it, | 33:46 | |
| or to be denied it. | 33:50 | |
| The desire to be baptized and to be like Christ | 33:53 | |
| is all that is required. | 33:57 | |
| But while baptism is God's free gift, | 34:00 | |
| it is also the most costly gift we could ever receive, | 34:02 | |
| for in being baptized with Christ, | 34:06 | |
| we also must die with Christ, | 34:08 | |
| in order that we might live with Christ. | 34:12 | |
| What does this mean to baptize Christians? | 34:15 | |
| It means that we never live for self alone, | 34:18 | |
| that we live with the awareness | 34:22 | |
| that Christ lives in us as we live in Christ. | 34:24 | |
| It means that whatever we do, wherever we go, | 34:28 | |
| we are part of the mission and the work for Jesus Christ. | 34:31 | |
| Everything we do has greater meaning and greater possibility | 34:35 | |
| because we are part of Christ's ministry | 34:40 | |
| of love and service. | 34:43 | |
| It also means that whatever we do and wherever we go, | 34:46 | |
| Christ is with us. | 34:51 | |
| We are empowered to live as followers of Christ | 34:53 | |
| by the same Holy Spirit who accomplishes our baptism. | 34:57 | |
| It means that we need never be enslaved | 35:01 | |
| to the power of habits, | 35:04 | |
| or to the limits of our own willpower, | 35:06 | |
| to accomplish dreams and goals. | 35:09 | |
| When we remember our baptism, | 35:14 | |
| our goals and dreams get redefined, | 35:17 | |
| but we also get empowered to walk in the way of Christ. | 35:21 | |
| As baptized Christians, | 35:27 | |
| we can face 1994 and whatever the future may hold | 35:29 | |
| with hope and the power of faith, | 35:34 | |
| knowing that we are members together | 35:39 | |
| of the one body of Christ. | 35:41 | |
| Let us rejoice and give thanks for our baptism. | 35:44 | |
| (reverential organ music) | 35:55 | |
| ♪ When Jesus came to Jordan ♪ | 36:41 | |
| ♪ To be baptized by John ♪ | 36:46 | |
| ♪ He did not come for pardon ♪ | 36:52 | |
| ♪ But as his Father's Son ♪ | 36:57 | |
| ♪ He came to share repentance ♪ | 37:03 | |
| ♪ With all who mourn their sins ♪ | 37:08 | |
| ♪ To speak the vital sentence ♪ | 37:14 | |
| ♪ With which good news begins ♪ | 37:19 | |
| ♪ He came to share temptation ♪ | 37:26 | |
| ♪ Our utmost woe and loss ♪ | 37:32 | |
| ♪ For us and our salvation ♪ | 37:38 | |
| ♪ To die upon the cross ♪ | 37:43 | |
| ♪ So when the Dove descended ♪ | 37:49 | |
| ♪ On him, the Son of Man ♪ | 37:54 | |
| ♪ The hidden years had ended ♪ | 38:00 | |
| ♪ The age of grace began ♪ | 38:05 | |
| ♪ Come, Holy Spirit, aid us ♪ | 38:13 | |
| ♪ To keep the vows we make ♪ | 38:18 | |
| ♪ This very day invade us ♪ | 38:24 | |
| ♪ And every bondage break ♪ | 38:29 | |
| ♪ Come, give our lives direction ♪ | 38:35 | |
| ♪ The gift we covet most ♪ | 38:41 | |
| ♪ To share the resurrection ♪ | 38:47 | |
| ♪ That leads to Pentecost ♪ | 38:52 | |
| - | The Lord be with you. | 39:03 |
| Congregation | And also with you. | 39:05 |
| - | Let us pray. | 39:06 |
| From the beginning, eternal God, | 39:21 | |
| your Spirit has moved over the face of the waters | 39:24 | |
| to create order out of chaos. | 39:26 | |
| You breathed into us the breathe of life, | 39:30 | |
| and called us by name to be your people. | 39:33 | |
| As women and men of different races, | 39:37 | |
| traditions, cultures, and experiences, | 39:40 | |
| we come together in response to your call | 39:44 | |
| to form one body to the glory of Christ on earth. | 39:47 | |
| Help us as we stand in the life-giving waters of our baptism | 39:52 | |
| to embrace fully the new creation | 39:56 | |
| which you have called us to be. | 39:59 | |
| Oh, God, who art the hope of the ends of the earth, | 40:03 | |
| hear us while we pray. | 40:06 | |
| Let us pray for all who are striving | 40:09 | |
| to follow in the steps of Christ, | 40:11 | |
| and for those who are longing for the gift of faith. | 40:14 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 40:19 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 40:21 |
| - | Let us pray for the church, | 40:24 |
| that we may be directed in the ways of unity, | 40:26 | |
| of service, and of praise. | 40:30 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 40:34 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 40:36 |
| - | Let us pray for prisoners and captives, | 40:39 |
| and for all who live within war-torn countries. | 40:42 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 40:47 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 40:49 |
| - | Let us pray for all those charged | 40:51 |
| with the responsibilities of governance. | 40:53 | |
| Grant them the wisdom to forge new paths | 40:56 | |
| to peace and reconciliation among the world's peoples. | 40:59 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 41:05 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 41:06 |
| - | Let us pray for those whose work | 41:09 |
| is exhausting and unrewarding, | 41:11 | |
| for those who can find no work, | 41:14 | |
| and for those who decide who will work and who will not. | 41:17 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 41:22 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 41:24 |
| - | Let us pray for the sick and the infirm, | 41:26 |
| for all who are growing weary with the journey of life, | 41:30 | |
| and for all who walk with them. | 41:34 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 41:37 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 41:39 |
| - | Let us pray for all who are blinded by anxiety | 41:43 |
| and self doubt at the beginning of a new semester. | 41:45 | |
| Grant them the ability to discern | 41:49 | |
| your loving guidance in their lives. | 41:51 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 41:55 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 41:56 |
| - | Let us pray for those who suffer | 41:59 |
| most acutely from the cold | 42:01 | |
| due to a lack of heat or adequate shelter. | 42:04 | |
| Teach us the ways to truly care for those in distress. | 42:07 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 42:13 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 42:15 |
| - | Let us pray for children whose surroundings | 42:18 |
| are filled with violence and destruction. | 42:20 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 42:25 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 42:27 |
| - | Let us pray for artists and musicians, | 42:30 |
| for researchers and scholars. | 42:33 | |
| May their works serve the wellbeing | 42:36 | |
| of all humankind to the glory of God. | 42:37 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 42:43 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 42:43 |
| - | Let us pray for all hurt or oppress us. | 42:46 |
| Forgive us for the times when we have hurt others. | 42:50 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 42:55 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 42:57 |
| - | Let us pray for the unspoken needs of this congregation, | 43:00 |
| and for all who are forgotten by us, | 43:03 | |
| but are dear to you. | 43:06 | |
| Lord, in your mercy. | 43:10 | |
| Everyone | Hear our prayer. | 43:11 |
| - | Oh, morning star, | 43:15 |
| who beamest life and light into our world, | 43:16 | |
| help us to reclaim our baptism, | 43:20 | |
| that you may say to us, | 43:21 | |
| "This is my beloved daughter, this my beloved son. | 43:24 | |
| "With them I am well pleased." | 43:27 | |
| Make your voice plain as you enable us | 43:31 | |
| to discern your will for our lives, | 43:33 | |
| and not simply our own. | 43:36 | |
| Grant us your strength, and bless us with your peace. | 43:38 | |
| In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. | 43:44 | |
| As a forgiven and reconciled people, | 43:50 | |
| refreshed by the cleansing waters of our baptism, | 43:52 | |
| let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God. | 43:55 | |
| (reverential organ music) | 43:59 | |
| ♪ Father God ♪ | 44:50 | |
| ♪ Grant to us ♪ | 44:57 | |
| ♪ The Holy Spirit ♪ | 45:03 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:25 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 45:34 | |
| ♪ Father God ♪ | 46:06 | |
| ♪ Grant to us ♪ | 46:13 | |
| ♪ The Holy Spirit ♪ | 46:19 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 46:40 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 46:48 | |
| ♪ Come ♪ | 47:19 | |
| ♪ Come, all good people ♪ | 47:23 | |
| ♪ And praise the Lord ♪ | 47:30 | |
| ♪ With gladness ♪ | 47:41 | |
| ♪ Come, good people, praise the Lord ♪ | 47:47 | |
| ♪ Come, good people ♪ | 47:51 | |
| ♪ Praise the Lord ♪ | 47:53 | |
| ♪ With gladness ♪ | ||
| ♪ Come, good people, praise the Lord ♪ | 47:57 | |
| ♪ Come, good people, praise the Lord ♪ | 48:02 | |
| ♪ With gladness ♪ | 48:09 | |
| ♪ With gladness ♪ | 48:13 | |
| ♪ Oh, Lord, shine ♪ | 48:21 | |
| ♪ In the dark, Lord ♪ | 48:26 | |
| ♪ Shine forth ♪ | 48:34 | |
| ♪ Oh, shine forth, Lord ♪ | 48:37 | |
| ♪ To darkness ♪ | 48:47 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 48:59 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:03 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:08 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:14 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:21 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 49:30 | |
| ♪ Father God ♪ | 49:54 | |
| ♪ Grant to us ♪ | 49:59 | |
| ♪ Grant the Holy Spirit ♪ | 50:03 | |
| ♪ Come ♪ | 50:31 | |
| ♪ Come, all good people ♪ | 50:35 | |
| ♪ And praise the Lord ♪ | 50:45 | |
| ♪ With gladness ♪ | 50:53 | |
| ♪ Father God ♪ | 51:04 | |
| ♪ Grant us peace, oh, Lord ♪ | 51:11 | |
| ♪ Shine forth, oh, shine ♪ | 51:22 | |
| ♪ To all men ♪ | 51:33 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 51:53 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 52:02 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 52:17 | |
| (reverential organ music) | 52:41 | |
| ♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 53:40 | |
| ♪ Praise God, all creatures here below ♪ | 53:47 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 53:53 | |
| ♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪ | 54:01 | |
| ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 54:07 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 54:13 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 54:20 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:27 | |
| - | Gracious God, we have followed the star | 54:40 |
| which revealed a sign to all the world. | 54:43 | |
| Having heard the good news of Christ's reign among us, | 54:46 | |
| we offer these gifts in the spirit of those who long ago | 54:50 | |
| presented precious gifts to the infant king, | 54:54 | |
| singing with gladness, "Allelujah, allelujah." | 54:57 | |
| Lead us, who know you now by faith, | 55:01 | |
| to your eternal presence, | 55:05 | |
| where we may see your glory face to face. | 55:06 | |
| This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, | 55:09 | |
| who taught us boldly to pray. | 55:12 | |
| Everyone | Our Father who art in heaven, | 55:14 |
| hallowed be thy name. | 55:16 | |
| Thy kingdom come. | 55:18 | |
| Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | 55:20 | |
| Give us this day our daily bread, | 55:24 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses, | 55:26 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us, | 55:28 | |
| and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 55:32 | |
| For thine is the kingdom, the power, | 55:36 | |
| and the glory, for ever, amen. | 55:39 | |
| (reverential organ music) | 55:44 | |
| ♪ Break forth, oh, beauteous heavenly light ♪ | 56:50 | |
| ♪ And usher in the morning ♪ | 56:58 | |
| ♪ Oh, shepherds, shrink not with affright ♪ | 57:06 | |
| ♪ But hear the angel's warning ♪ | 57:14 | |
| ♪ This child, now weak in infancy ♪ | 57:22 | |
| ♪ Our confidence and joy shall be ♪ | 57:30 | |
| ♪ The power of Satan breaking ♪ | 57:39 | |
| ♪ Our peace eternal making ♪ | 57:47 | |
| ♪ This night of wonder, night of joy ♪ | 57:57 | |
| ♪ Was born the Christ, our brother ♪ | 58:06 | |
| ♪ He comes, not mighty to destroy ♪ | 58:14 | |
| ♪ To bid us love each other ♪ | 58:22 | |
| ♪ How could he quit his kingly state ♪ | 58:32 | |
| ♪ For such a world of greed and hate ♪ | 58:40 | |
| ♪ What deep humiliation ♪ | 58:48 | |
| ♪ Secured the world's salvation ♪ | 58:56 | |
| ♪ Come, dearest child, into our hearts ♪ | 59:07 | |
| ♪ And leave your crib behind you ♪ | 59:15 | |
| ♪ Let this be where the new life starts ♪ | 59:24 | |
| ♪ For all who seek and find you ♪ | 59:32 | |
| ♪ To you the honor, thanks, and praise ♪ | 59:41 | |
| ♪ For all your gifts this time of grace ♪ | 59:49 | |
| ♪ Come, conquer and deliver ♪ | 59:58 | |
| ♪ This world, and us, forever ♪ | 1:00:06 |