Elizabeth Achtemeier - "What We Were Meant to Be" Extended Version - includes Raleigh Boys Choir Prelude (March 6, 1994)

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/r4d21s03t?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4d21s03t
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(choir singing in foreign language)	0:00
	(gentle organ music)	0:32
	(choir singing in foreign language)	0:39
	(choir singing in foreign language)	2:48
	(choir singing in foreign language)	4:54
	(choir singing in foreign language)	8:26
	(gentle organ music)	11:32
-	Would you please stand for the greeting.	16:08
	Create in me a clean heart, O God.	16:17
Congregation	And renew a right spirit within me.	16:21
-	Open my lips, O Lord.	16:24
Congregation	And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.	16:26
	(gentle organ music)	16:31
	(organ drowning out singing)	17:08
-	You may be seated.	19:21
	Would you please join me	19:30
	in the Prayer for Illumination.	19:32
All	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	19:38
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	19:41
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	19:43
	we may hear your message to us	19:47
	this Lenten season.	19:49
	Amen.	19:51
-	The Old Testament lesson comes from	19:53
	the Book of Exodus, Chapter 20,	19:55
	beginning with the first verse.	19:58
	Then God spoke all these words.	20:11
	"I am the Lord your God,	20:13
	"who brought you out to the land of Egypt,	20:15
	"out to the house of slavery.	20:18
	"You should have no other gods before me.	20:20
	"You shall not make for yourself an idol,	20:23
	"whether in the form of anything	20:26
	"that is in Heaven above or that is on the Earth beneath,	20:27
	"or that is in the water under the Earth.	20:31
	"You shall not bow down to them,	20:34
	"or worship them.	20:36
	"For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,	20:37
	"punishing children for the inequity of parents,	20:40
	"to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me.	20:43
	"But showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation,	20:48
	"of those who love me and keep my commandments.	20:52
	"You shall not make wrongful use of	20:56
	"the name of the Lord your God,	20:57
	"for the Lord will not aquitt anyone who misuses his name.	20:59
	"Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy,	21:04
	"six days you shall labor and do all your work,	21:07
	"but the seventh day is the Sabbath to the Lord your God.	21:11
	"You shall not do any work.	21:14
	"You, your son, or your daughter,	21:16
	"your male or female slave,	21:19
	"your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.	21:21
	"For, in six days, the Lord made Heaven and Earth,	21:25
	"the sea and all that is in them,	21:28
	"but rested the seventh day.	21:31
	"Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day	21:33
	"and consecrated it.	21:35
	"Honor your father and your mother,	21:38
	"so that your days may be long	21:40
	"in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.	21:42
	"You shall not murder.	21:45
	"You shall not commit adultery.	21:46
	"You shall not steal.	21:48
	"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.	21:50
	"You shall not covet your neighbor's house.	21:54
	"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,	21:57
	"or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey,	21:59
	"or anything that belongs to your neighbor."	22:02
	This is the word of the Lord.	22:06
All	Thanks be to God.	22:08
-	Please stand for the Response of Reading of the Psalm.	22:20
	The Heavens are telling the glory of God,	22:33
	and the firmament proclaims God's handiwork.	22:36
Congregation	Day to day pours out speech	22:40
	and night to night reveals knowledge.	22:43
-	There is no speech, nor are there words.	22:46
	Their voice is not heard.	22:50
Congregation	Their voice goes out	22:53
	through all the Earth,	22:55
	and their words to the end of the world.	22:56
-	In them, God has set a tent for the sun,	22:59
	which comes forth like a bridegroom	23:02
	leaving his chamber,	23:05
	and runs it's course with joy,	23:06
	like a strong man.	23:08
Congregation	It's rising is from	23:10
	the end of the Heavens,	23:12
	and it's circuit to the end of them,	23:14
	and there is nothing hidden from it's heat.	23:16
-	The law of the Lord is perfect,	23:20
	reviving the soul.	23:22
Congregation	The testimony of the Lord is sure,	23:24
	making wise the simple.	23:26
-	The precepts of the Lord are right,	23:29
	rejoicing the heart.	23:31
Congregation	The commandment of the Lord is pure,	23:33
	enlightening the eyes.	23:36
-	The fear of the Lord is clean,	23:38
	enduring forever.	23:41
Congregation	The rules of the Lord are true,	23:42
	and righteous altogether.	23:45
-	More to be desired are they than gold,	23:48
	even much fine gold.	23:51
Congregation	Sweeter also than honey,	23:53
	and drippings of the honeycomb.	23:56
-	Moreover, by them is your servant warned.	23:58
	In keeping them, there is great reward.	24:02
Congregation	Who can discern his errors?	24:05
	Declare me innocent from hidden faults.	24:08
-	Also, keep your servant from the insolent.	24:12
	Let them not have dominion over me.	24:14
Congregation	Then I shall be blameless,	24:17
	and innocent of great transgression.	24:20
All	Let the words of my mouth,	24:23
	and the meditation of my heart	24:25
	be acceptable in your sight,	24:27
	O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer.	24:30
	(gentle organ music)	24:34
	(organ drowning out singing)	24:42
-	The gospel lesson comes from the Book of John,	25:58
	the second chapter, beginning with the 13th verse.	26:01
	The Passover of the Jews was near,	26:09
	and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,	26:11
	in the Temple he found people	26:14
	selling cattle, sheep, and doves,	26:15
	and the money changes seated at their tables.	26:18
	Making a whip of cords,	26:21
	he drove all of them out of the Temple,	26:23
	both the sheep and the cattle.	26:25
	He also poured-out the coins of the money changers,	26:27
	and overturned their tables.	26:30
	He told those who were selling the doves,	26:33
	"Take these things out of here.	26:35
	"Stop making my father's house a marketplace."	26:37
	His disciples remembered that it was written:	26:41
	"Zeal for your house will consume me."	26:43
	The Jews then said to him,	26:47
	"What sign can you show us for doing this?"	26:49
	And Jesus answered them,	26:53
	"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."	26:54
	The Jews then said,	27:00
	"This temple has been under construction for 46 years,	27:02
	and will you raise it up in three days?"	27:06
	But he was speaking of the temple of his body.	27:09
	After he was raised from the dead,	27:12
	his disciples remembered that he had said this,	27:14
	and they believed the scripture,	27:17
	and the word that Jesus had spoken.	27:19
	This is the word of the Lord.	27:22
All	Thanks be to God.	27:24
	(gentle organ music)	27:52
	(choral singing in foreign language)	28:04
	(choral singing in foreign language)	29:37
-	Before I read the New Testament lesson	31:40
	from the Epistle to the Corinthians,	31:43
	just let me say it is always a pleasure and an honor	31:46
	for me to worship with you at Duke.	31:49
	Our Epistle lesson is taken from the	31:54
	first letter of Paul to the Corinthians,	31:57
	the first chapter, beginning at the 18th verse.	31:59
	For the word of the cross	32:04
	is folly to those who are perishing.	32:05
	But to us, who are being saved, it is the power of God.	32:09
	For is written,	32:15
	"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,	32:16
	"and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.	32:18
	"Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe?	32:22
	"Where is the debater of this age?	32:25
	"Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?	32:28
	"For since in the wisdom of God,	32:33
	"the world did not know God through wisdom,	32:35
	"it pleased God through the folly of what we preach,	32:37
	"to save those who believe.	32:40
	"For Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom.	32:44
	"But we preach Christ crucified,	32:48
	"a stumbling block to Jews and folly to gentiles.	32:52
	"But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks,	32:56
	"Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.	32:59
	"For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,	33:03
	"and the weakness of God is stronger than men."	33:07
	This is the word of the Lord.	33:11
	(mumbling Congregation response)	33:13
	When it comes to religion,	33:17
	times don't change very much.	33:19
	The Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church	33:23
	stated that when he preached among them,	33:26
	he had only one message.	33:28
	Jesus Christ and him crucified.	33:30
	And, of course, still today,	33:34
	that cross is at the center of our faith.	33:36
	The prominent, never-changing, universal symbol	33:39
	of the one Lord in whom we believe.	33:42
	But, says Paul, in our epistle lesson,	33:46
	that cross was regarded by his pagan world	33:48
	as a symbol of folly;	33:51
	as a stumbling block to the Jews,	33:53
	who could not believe that a true messiah	33:55
	would be crucified;	33:57
	and as foolishness to the Greeks.	34:00
	And maybe that is still the case in our Greek-like world.	34:04
	The cross still seems utterly foolish	34:09
	at the end of this 20th Century,	34:12
	a symbol to be eliminated from every public building;	34:13
	a fact never to be mentioned in a university classroom;	34:17
	a strange sign, never to be taken seriously,	34:22
	by those who run the print and broadcast media.	34:25
	It seems to be the case, these days,	34:30
	that every form of religion can find	34:32
	a ready hearing in our education institutions,	34:34
	except the traditional Christian faith.	34:37
	We will listen to every opinion	34:41
	about the animism of North American Indians,	34:43
	or about new age Monism,	34:47
	or about far eastern mysticism,	34:48
	indeed sometimes we will even use their liturgies.	34:50
	But mention Jesus Christ and Him crucified,	34:55
	and the audience shrinks to a faithful few.	34:57
	As for the media, well,	35:02
	they have decided to lump every Christian believer	35:04
	into a political group called The Religious Right.	35:06
	Oh, to be sure, the media-folk know	35:11
	that every politician should claim	35:13
	to be religious at election time.	35:15
	But then, they insist,	35:18
	the politician's religious faith	35:19
	must not have anything to do	35:21
	with decision-making in the government.	35:23
	Anyone who believe the scriptures	35:27
	is automatically named a fundamentalist,	35:29
	and is therefore thought to be dangerous.	35:31
	"And all such persons," wrote The Washington Post,	35:35
	"are largely uneducated, poor, and easy to command."	35:38
	Yes, the Christian faith is foolishness to our society,	35:43
	and the cross of Christ is folly.	35:48
	Judging by the way we think and act,	35:52
	I wonder if Christ's cross is not also foolishness	35:54
	to many of us here this morning.	35:57
	Foolishness, at least a lot of the time.	36:00
	For, the message of the cross, you see,	36:04
	is that you and I have something wrong with us,	36:06
	and that is not an announcement that we like to hear,	36:10
	not in this day and age.	36:13
	Ours, is a time of individual worth and autonomy,	36:17
	and self direction, is it not?	36:21
	A time when the individual's experience	36:23
	reigns supreme over all other authority.	36:26
	Said a speaker on this campus not too long ago,	36:30
	"Women do not need to be redeemed,	36:33
	"they just need to be affirmed."	36:36
	And that is what we all think we need, is it not?	36:40
	The affirmation that we are responsible, strong,	36:44
	self-governing individuals,	36:47
	who can make their own decisions	36:49
	about what is right and what is wrong,	36:50
	who can eliminate sexism, racism, militarism,	36:54
	all those -isms that have so undermined community.	36:57
	And yes, who have the ability to remake this world	37:02
	into the harmonious place that it was meant to be.	37:05
	And how do we self-governing individuals plan to do that?	37:10
	Well, so many of us think we can remake the world	37:16
	by fixing the system.	37:18
	That is, by restructuring the powers and institutions	37:21
	that constitute our society.	37:24
	It's the system that's out of joint these days,	37:26
	we think, and it has victimized us all.	37:29
	So, we will organize ourselves,	37:33
	and form a caucus, and exercise our rights.	37:35
	And by protests, and consciousness-raising,	37:40
	through courts, and media, and propaganda,	37:44
	we will gain enough power to	37:46
	put our own particular program into effect.	37:47
	And then, by Heaven, we will be able	37:51
	to right some wrongs in this society.	37:53
	Power.	37:57
	That's what we need to heal our world,	37:58
	in our estimation.	38:01
	And so, as Malcolm Muggeridge has written,	38:04
	"The dogma that our human condition	38:07
	"can be ameliorated by the exercise of power	38:09
	"has come to be almost universally accepted.	38:12
	"For then, you see, we can change the system,	38:17
	"and none of us will have to be good."	38:20
	Well, certainly, if that is the agenda	38:25
	we live by these days,	38:27
	it is no wonder that we reject the cross of Christ.	38:28
	For, that man hanging on the cross,	38:33
	is one totally without power.	38:35
	What should we call him, the Ultimate Victim,	38:39
	since this is an age of victims?	38:41
	The One Sacrificed to an Evil System?	38:44
	Bleeding, thirsting, dying,	38:48
	with no one to demand his rights for him,	38:50
	and no one picketing in protest of his execution.	38:54
	We live in an age of power play, friends,	38:59
	and the cross does not qualify.	39:02
	It's occupant is too lonely,	39:05
	too desolate, too impotent there on cavalries hill.	39:07
	He urged us once to take up our cross	39:12
	and be crucified with him,	39:15
	but that is not the way we secure our lives	39:18
	in a world such as ours.	39:20
	Or is it?	39:24
	Could it be that the truth is,	39:26
	as Paul says in our scripture lesson,	39:28
	that the foolishness of the cross is wiser	39:32
	than the wisdom of us mortals,	39:34
	and that the weakness of the cross is stronger	39:37
	than the power we seek for ourselves.	39:39
	For, clearly, the cross tells us	39:42
	that there is something wrong with us,	39:44
	and it does that by showing us what is right,	39:46
	and what we ought to be.	39:50
	You see, that dying man on the cross	39:54
	bears the image of God.	39:56
	To be sure, he is also the Son of God, incarnate.	39:59
	But in his human nature too, he bears the image of God.	40:02
	And amazingly enough, the scriptures tell us,	40:06
	so do you and I.	40:08
	We are made in the image of God,	40:11
	made like the image of Christ.	40:13
	Made to live in relationship with our Heavenly Father,	40:16
	and to glorify him, and to enjoy him forever.	40:19
	And the one thing that distinguishes	40:25
	Christ's human nature from ours,	40:27
	is that he will not give up that relationship.	40:29
	He will not deny his tie to his father,	40:34
	he will not go it on his own.	40:37
	Tempted in every way, as we are,	40:41
	he will not turn his back on God.	40:44
	Even when the mob comes out to arrest him,	40:46
	and Judas betrays him with a kiss.	40:49
	Even when Pilate tempts him with the possibility	40:53
	of avoiding a torturous death,	40:55
	even when the nails tear at his flesh	40:57
	and he thinks God himself has forsaken him to die alone.	41:00
	Jesus will not claim to be free of his Heavenly Father.	41:04
	No, he believes that God owns his life,	41:10
	and is working in him to accomplish his good purpose.	41:12
	He believes that the cross is to be accepted	41:17
	as the wisdom of God,	41:19
	and he believes that by that cross,	41:22
	God will exercise his power.	41:24
	And so, as Paul puts it,	41:28
	Jesus Christ empties himself of every glory	41:29
	and desire and goal of his own,	41:32
	and humbles himself, and becomes obedient, even to death.	41:35
	And that obedience, friends, shows us what is wrong with us.	41:41
	For here we are, aren't we?	41:48
	All of us, autonomous, independent,	41:52
	self-governing individuals,	41:54
	trying to live life on our own without God.	41:55
	So often breaking those commandments,	42:00
	that we heard for our Old Testament lesson,	42:02
	so often denying by our words and actions	42:06
	that we have any connection with God whatsoever.	42:09
	So often refusing to bear the image of God in Christ	42:14
	that we were meant to be.	42:17
	What shall we call ourselves?	42:20
	Runaway children?	42:23
	Like those thousands of homeless kids on our city streets?	42:26
	Oh, sure, we use the hotline once in a while	42:31
	to call home to make sure that the father is still there,	42:34
	but we do not return home,	42:36
	because we want to go it on our own.	42:40
	And so, shall we say that the Whiffenpoof song	42:45
	sums up what our destiny shall be?	42:46
	Songsters off on a spree,	42:50
	damned from here to eternity?	42:52
	Friends, apart from God, we do not even know who we are.	42:57
	Do you think that your human personality	43:03
	can be adequately described,	43:06
	except in relation to your maker?	43:07
	Can the psychologist, the sociologist,	43:12
	the economist, the humanist,	43:14
	accurately reveal your nature?	43:16
	No!	43:17
	Not if they leave out the fact that you were made	43:20
	to bear within you an image that points	43:23
	to a transcended glory.	43:25
	And so, apart from our relation to God,	43:30
	we are, indeed, damned to eternity;	43:32
	lost and forsaken.	43:36
	As Christopher Morley put it,	43:39
	"Comic and struggling human beings,	43:41
	"destined for agony and disappointment,	43:44
	"and bawdy stories."	43:47
	Or as Rosemary Ruether would have us believe,	43:51
	"Just dying dust.	43:53
	"Decayed compost to fertilize the gardens	43:56
	"of the next generation."	43:59
	But let's forget the figures of speech,	44:02
	let's put it in the traditional language	44:06
	of the Christian church,	44:08
	that language that seems so silly	44:10
	to our faithless age.	44:11
	We are sinners, friends.	44:14
	Sinners, because we have denied our	44:17
	relationship with God.	44:19
	Sinners, because we have refused to be	44:20
	what we were created to be: God's image,	44:23
	his obedient creatures who reflect his life,	44:26
	revealed to us in his son.	44:30
	That life of faithfulness,	44:34
	of sole concern for the father's will,	44:36
	that life that forgets itself and	44:40
	lives only to God.	44:42
	And because that is true, friends,	44:46
	because we want to be independent of our maker,	44:47
	you, and I, and every faithless soul like us,	44:50
	are just going to die.	44:54
	Die, eternally, far from home,	44:57
	like runaway kids whose spree has ended.	45:01
	There is no life apart from the God of Jesus Christ.	45:06
	He is the sole creator and owner	45:11
	of all life in this universe,	45:14
	and apart from him there are only	45:16
	death, void, the door closed forever.	45:17
	And yes, compost for the next generation.	45:22
	But the cross, good Christians,	45:27
	is the wisdom and power of God,	45:30
	and yes, it is also his love.	45:34
	And so God will not deny his relationship with us,	45:38
	though daily we try to deny ours with him.	45:41
	Indeed, in forgiveness, he sends is son to seek us out,	45:44
	to find all us runaway children,	45:50
	to take our flesh, to know our loneliness,	45:54
	to suffer our defeats and struggles,	45:56
	to be tempted in every respect	46:00
	as we are yet without sitting.	46:02
	And, yes, to descend into our death	46:05
	and to know the extinction of the grave.	46:07
	To find us, Christ had to come where we are,	46:10
	and he had to deal with the realities of our existence,	46:15
	because God, in his wisdom,	46:18
	knew that was the only way he could save us.	46:19
	And so Jesus Christ took on our sin	46:24
	and by his obedience, even unto death on Golgotha,	46:26
	he broke the power of sin!	46:30
	And the son of God suffered our death,	46:34
	and was raised in triumph over it.	46:36
	Now, that may sound like foolishness	46:40
	to a self-serving society,	46:42
	but to those of us who are being saved,	46:44
	it is the wisdom of God,	46:46
	and the power of God.	46:48
	And so, this morning, you see,	46:52
	we are invited to participate	46:54
	in the benefits of that wisdom and power.	46:56
	We are invited to become, once more,	47:00
	what we were meant to be,	47:03
	persons made in the image of God,	47:04
	who were created to live eternally	47:08
	in the company of our Heavenly father.	47:10
	But our Lord has told us what we must do	47:15
	to accept that invitation.	47:17
	"Take up your cross and follow me," he said.	47:19
	In other words, let your self will,	47:24
	your autonomy, your desire to run your own life,	47:27
	let all of that be crucified and done away forever.	47:30
	Die, to yourself, as Christ died to himself on the cross.	47:36
	Trust your life, and future, and welfare to God,	47:42
	as Christ trusted them there on Golgotha.	47:45
	And then cling to God, good Christians.	47:49
	Hold fast to your relationship with him,	47:54
	through prayer, through scripture study,	47:58
	through worship, through obedience,	48:01
	and every daily round and decision,	48:04
	refuse ever to give up your God,	48:06
	for God in Christ does not want to give up you.	48:11
	In his power and his wisdom,	48:16
	by the cross and resurrection,	48:18
	he wants you to have eternal life with him.	48:21
	Yes, he wants you to be	48:26
	what you were created to be.	48:30
	Amen.	48:33
	(gentle organ music)	48:39
	(organ drowning out singing)	49:19
-	[Brown Haired Female Minister] Lord be with you.	52:24
All	And also with you.	52:26
-	Let us pray.	52:28
	With all our hearts, and with all our minds,	52:41
	let us pray to the Lord, saying,	52:44
	"Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer."	52:47
	For the faithful witness of the church,	52:53
	that it may proclaim Christ crucified	52:56
	to a world that follows the folly of it's own devices,	52:59
	and that often times seeks to silence	53:04
	the good news of the gospel.	53:06
	Lord, in your mercy...	53:11
All	...hear our prayer.	53:13
-	For the unity of the Church throughout the world,	53:18
	for the fellowship of Christians across lines	53:22
	of race, ethnicity, and nation.	53:25
	That separating divisions and prejudices may decease,	53:30
	and that the spirit of peace may establish waring neighbors	53:34
	in the bonds of unity and love.	53:39
	Lord, in your mercy...	53:46
All	...hear our prayer.	53:48
-	For those who do not yet believe.	53:54
	For those drawing near the light of faith.	53:57
	And for those whose faith has dimmed.	54:01
	That they may come to the knowledge of your truth.	54:05
	Lord, in your mercy...	54:13
Congregation	...hear our prayer.	54:15
-	For the leaders of this land, and of all the nations,	54:20
	that they may govern with wisdom,	54:25
	that they may seek the common good,	54:28
	rather than the welfare of the few,	54:30
	and that they may encourage peace a justice	54:34
	among all peoples.	54:37
	Lord, in your mercy...	54:44
All	... hear our prayer.	54:46
-	For the earth,	54:50
	that we may respect it as part of your creation,	54:52
	and be fitting stewards of its many resources.	54:56
	Lord, in your mercy...	55:04
All	... hear our prayer.	55:06
-	For those of the Duke community,	55:10
	who this we give of themselves in ministry and mission.	55:12
	Lord, in your mercy...	55:21
All	... hear our prayer.	55:23
-	For those who are poor and oppressed.	55:29
	For those unemployed and homeless.	55:32
	For prisoners, and captives,	55:36
	and for all who remember and care for them,	55:40
	that they may find courage and comfort	55:43
	in your steadfast love.	55:46
	Lord, in your mercy...	55:53
All	... hear our prayer.	55:55
-	For those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit,	56:03
	especially our brothers and sisters in Duke Hospital,	56:08
	that they may find comfort, courage, and hope,	56:13
	and be delivered from their distress.	56:17
	Lord, in your mercy...	56:25
All	... hear our prayer.	56:28
-	For all who have died in the communion of your church,	56:36
	and for those whose faith is known to you alone,	56:40
	we give you thanks.	56:43
	May we be faithful like those who have gone before us,	56:47
	and bring us at last to the joy of your heavenly kingdom.	56:51
	Lord, in your mercy...	57:00
All	... hear our prayer.	57:01
-	Eternal God, accept these prayers of your people,	57:09
	and strengthen us to do your will	57:15
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord,	57:19
	Amen.	57:22
	With gladness, let us present our offerings	57:28
	of life and labor to the Lord.	57:31
	(gentle organ music)	58:04
	(choir singing in foreign language)	58:18
	(gentle organ music)	1:02:06
	(organ drowning out singing)	1:03:00
-	Let us pray.	1:03:44
	All things come from you, O God.	1:03:48
	You created all that is.	1:03:52
	With the care of a skillful potter,	1:03:55
	you lovingly formed us from the dust of the earth,	1:03:59
	into your image.	1:04:02
	You set us apart for faithful obedience,	1:04:05
	and gave us your law.	1:04:08
	Yet, when we disobeyed and turned from you,	1:04:11
	your love never failed.	1:04:14
	You gave us judges and prophets to show us the true way,	1:04:17
	and as the ultimate act of love,	1:04:23
	you gave your only son, Jesus Christ,	1:04:26
	to be our savior,	1:04:28
	that we might be remade into your likeness,	1:04:30
	and have abundant and eternal life.	1:04:34
	All that we are, and all that we have,	1:04:39
	is a trust from you.	1:04:42
	And so, with grateful hearts,	1:04:45
	we return to you what is yours.	1:04:47
	We offer ourselves and all that we have	1:04:51
	in praise and thanksgiving,	1:04:54
	in union with Christ's offering for us.	1:04:56
	By your Holy Spirit, make us one in Christ,	1:05:00
	one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.	1:05:04
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord,	1:05:08
	who taught us to pray, saying,	1:05:11
All	"Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:05:13
	"hallowed be thy name.	1:05:17
	"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:05:19
	"on Earth as it is in Heaven.	1:05:22
	"Give us this day, our daily bread,	1:05:25
	"and forgive us our trespasses,	1:05:28
	"as we forgive those who trespassed against us.	1:05:31
	"And lead us not into temptation,	1:05:35
	"but deliver us from evil,	1:05:37
	"for thine is the kingdom, the power,	1:05:40
	"and the glory forever."	1:05:43
-	Amen.	1:05:45
	(gentle organ music)	1:05:49
	(organ drowning out singing)	1:06:20
-	Go forth in peace.	1:08:08
	And may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:08:10
	the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:08:12
	be with you now, and forevermore.	1:08:16
	Amen.	1:08:18
	(gentle organ music)	1:08:20

Item Info

Title:

Elizabeth Achtemeier - "What We Were Meant to Be" Extended Version - includes Raleigh Boys Choir Prelude (March 6, 1994)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 33:17. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 48:33.
The preacher asserts that Christ’s cross is deemed foolish contemporarily because it is a symbol of powerlessness in an age when people want to claim power to change the world. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “And because that is true friends, because we want to be independent of our maker, you and I and every faithless soul like us are just going to die. Die eternally. Far from home like runaway kids whose spree has ended”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4d21s03t

Date:

March 6, 1994

Speaker:

Achtemeier, Elizabeth, 1926-2002

Liturgical Calendar:

Lent

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0360
ref9383_q0l
uachapelsermaud
duke:321649
dcrmv001345
ark:/87924/r4d21s03t
2780b969-1945-4639-957a-39090157a940

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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