William H. Willimon - "Doubt, Wonder, Witness - Worship" (April 17, 1994)

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Wynkoop	Dedicated hymn to explain it a little bit.	0:00
	And to let you sing it together with the choir	0:03
	in the side aisles.	0:06
	Hymn 324: Hail Thee Festival Day.	0:07
	A setting by Ralph Von Williams.	0:11
	What's complicated about it is really mostly	0:14
	the layout on the page; there is a refrain	0:17
	which we sing at the beginning, at the end,	0:21
	and between every set of verses.	0:25
	So, I'd like to have us sing that refrain first.	0:28
	Hail thee festival day, blessed day to be hallowed forever.	0:32
	And then the text that is notated as Easter Text,	0:36
	where the Easter season is not yet complete.	0:39
	The day when our Lord was raised,	0:43
	breaking the kingdom of death.	0:45
	Can we sing that, please?	0:48
	(peaceful organ music)	0:50
	And ready, go!	0:54
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	0:56
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	1:00
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	1:06
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	1:10
Wynkoop	And now comes the complicated part.	1:16
	Verses one, three, and five begin in the next measure,	1:18
	but verses two, four, and six begin over	1:23
	on the right-hand page.	1:26
	And there are three different versions of verse one.	1:28
	We need to use, again, the Easter Text for verse one,	1:31
	and the Easter Text for verse two.	1:35
	And after that we'll go to verse three on the left-hand page	1:38
	and verse four on the right-hand page, and so forth.	1:43
	With a refrain between every verse.	1:46
	Anybody confused yet?	1:48
	(congregation laughing)	1:49
	Now, just to make it sort of, sporting,	1:52
	we thought we would divide the congregation	1:55
	and the choir into two.	1:58
	So that nobody has to do all of the verses.	1:59
	And nobody has to learn both of the melodies.	2:02
	Because the melodies are different	2:04
	for verses one, three, five.	2:06
	So we're going to ask this side, the left side	2:07
	of the congregation, to sing verses one, three, and five	2:10
	when they come; and this side, the right side,	2:13
	to sing stanzas two, four, and six when they come.	2:17
	Now, the right side has a little bit harder music.	2:21
	But we thought the right side just looked	2:24
	more musically 'with it' this morning.	2:27
	(congregation laughing)	2:29
	So, what I'd like to suggest is that we try	2:32
	that now with singing the refrain again	2:35
	and then going into Easter verse one with the left side,	2:37
	sing the refrain, and then Easter verse two	2:40
	with the right side.	2:43
	From Hail Thee Festival, ready, go!	2:44
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	2:48
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	2:52
-	Sing it lustfully, loudly!	2:57
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	3:00
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	3:02
-	Okay, all the fair beauty.	3:06
	♪ All the fair beauty of earth ♪	3:09
	♪ From the death of the winter arising ♪	3:13
	♪ Every good gift of the year ♪	3:19
	♪ Now with its Master returns ♪	3:24
-	Everybody, refrain, Hail thee!	3:26
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	3:29
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	3:34
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	3:40
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	3:44
-	Rise from the grave.	3:48
	♪ Rise from the grave now oh Lord ♪	3:50
	♪ The author of life and creation ♪	3:54
-	Treading.	4:00
	♪ Treading the pathway of death ♪	4:01
	♪ New life you give to us all ♪	4:05
-	And everybody, refrain!	4:09
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	4:11
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	4:16
Wynkoop	Day when our Lord was raised.	4:21
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	4:22
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	4:26
-	And let's stop.	4:29
	Good start, and now just remember,	4:32
	that the next thing that happens is verse three.	4:34
	And not one of those other verse ones.	4:37
	God the almighty, the Lord, from the left side.	4:39
	Isn't it going to be fun?	4:42
	(congregation laughing)	4:44
	Let us worship God with good humor as well as good music	4:46
	as we tackle this complicated hymn.	4:50
-	Thank you, Doctor Wynkoop.	5:00
	There are congregations that couldn't handle that hymn,	5:02
	but you're not one of them, I'm sure.	5:05
	(congregation laughing)	5:07
	We're delighted here, for the worship of God	5:10
	on this third Sunday of Easter.	5:13
	And we do thank our choir.	5:15
	As their last Sunday here before next fall.	5:19
	They have meant so much to us this year.	5:22
	This afternoon at four o'clock there's going	5:25
	to be a magnificent concert by our choir	5:27
	here in the Chapel, and we invite you all	5:30
	to be back for that.	5:31
	Four o'clock today; you're going to get a taste	5:33
	of some of the glorious music that they will be singing.	5:36
	It'll be in the service today.	5:39
	And now let us stand for the greeting.	5:43
	Let me just remind you, it's not printed in the bulletin,	5:49
	but as every Sunday, we will have communion	5:51
	in Memorial Chapel at the close of the service.	5:54
	Christ is risen!	5:59
Congregation	He is risen indeed!	6:00
-	Glory and honor, dominion and power be to God	6:03
	forever and ever.	6:06
Congregation	Christ is risen, hallelujah!	6:07
	(peaceful organ music)	6:12
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	6:34
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	6:39
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	6:45
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	6:49
	♪ All the fair beauty of earth ♪	6:55
	♪ From the death of the winter arising ♪	6:59
	♪ Every good gift of the year ♪	7:05
	♪ Now with its Master returns ♪	7:08
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	7:15
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	7:20
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	7:25
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	7:29
	♪ Rise from the grave now oh Lord ♪	7:36
	♪ The author of life and creation ♪	7:39
	♪ Treading the pathway of death ♪	7:46
	♪ New life you give to us all ♪	7:50
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	7:56
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	8:01
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	8:07
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	8:11
	♪ God the Almighty the Lord ♪	8:17
	♪ The Ruler of earth and the heavens ♪	8:21
	♪ Guard us from harm without ♪	8:27
	♪ Cleanse us from evil within ♪	8:32
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	8:37
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	8:41
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	8:47
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	8:51
	♪ Jesus the health of the world ♪	8:58
	♪ Enlighten our minds great Redeemer ♪	9:01
	♪ Son of the Father supreme ♪	9:07
	♪ Only begotten of God ♪	9:11
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	9:18
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	9:22
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	9:28
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	9:32
	♪ Spirit of life and of power ♪	9:38
	♪ Now flow in us fount of our being ♪	9:42
	♪ Light that enlightens us all ♪	9:48
	♪ Life that in all may abide ♪	9:51
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	9:57
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	10:02
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	10:08
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	10:12
	♪ Praise to the giver of good ♪	10:18
	♪ Oh lover and author of concord ♪	10:21
	♪ Pour out your balm on our days ♪	10:28
	♪ Order our ways in your peace ♪	10:32
	♪ Hail thee festival day ♪	10:38
	♪ Blessed day to be hallowed forever ♪	10:42
	♪ Day when our Lord was raised ♪	10:48
	♪ Breaking the kingdom of death ♪	10:52
	(joyous organ music)	10:58
-	Oh God, who's blessed Son made himself known to us	12:16
	in the breaking of bread.	12:19
	Surprise us this day.	12:21
	Take from us the presumption that leans on our strength	12:24
	instead of Yours, that mistakes our wisdom for Yours,	12:28
	and equates our will with Yours.	12:33
	Use our troubled, questioning spirits	12:37
	to open the eyes of our faith,	12:40
	that we might not only see Jesus in our midst,	12:44
	but that we might discern the true meaning of Your word.	12:47
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord,	12:52
	who lives and reigns with You in the Holy Spirit,	12:54
	one God forever and ever, amen.	12:57
-	Let us pray together, the Prayer For Illumination.	13:17
Congregation	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	13:21
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit,	13:24
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	13:27
	we may hear Your message with joy this day, amen.	13:31
-	The first lesson is taken from the Book of Acts,	13:39
	the third chapter beginning with the 12th verse.	13:42
	When Peter saw it, that is, the healing of the blind man,	13:46
	he addressed the people, "You Israelites,	13:50
	"why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us?	13:54
	"As though by our own power or piety we had made him walk.	13:59
	"The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,	14:04
	"the God of our ancestors, has glorified His servant Jesus	14:09
	"whom you handed over and rejected	14:14
	"in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided	14:16
	"to release him; but you rejected the holy	14:19
	"and righteous one, and asked to have a murderer	14:23
	"given to you; and you killed the author of life,	14:26
	"whom God raised from the dead.	14:29
	"To this we are witnesses.	14:32
	"And by faith in His name, His name itself	14:35
	"has made this man strong, whom you see and know.	14:39
	"And the faith that is through Jesus	14:44
	"has given him this perfect health	14:46
	"in the presence of all of you.	14:48
	"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance,	14:51
	"as did also your rulers.	14:56
	"In this way, God fulfilled what he had foretold	14:59
	"through all the prophets, that His messiah would suffer.	15:02
	"Repent therefore, and turn to God	15:07
	"so that your sins may be wiped out."	15:09
	This is the word of the Lord.	15:13
Congregation	Praise be to God.	15:16
-	The Psalm appointed for this Sunday	15:24
	is number 133, found on page 850 in your Hymnal.	15:26
	Please rise, as we sing both the Psalm	15:32
	and the Gloria, responsively.	15:34
	(peaceful organ music)	15:37
	♪ Behold how good and pleasant it is ♪	15:43
	♪ When we live together in unity ♪	15:48
	♪ It is like the precious oil on the head ♪	15:53
	♪ Running down on the beard ♪	15:58
	♪ On the beard of Aaron ♪	16:03
	♪ Running down on the collar of his robes ♪	16:05
	♪ It is like the dew of Hermon ♪	16:11
	♪ Which falls on the mountains of Zion ♪	16:14
	♪ For there the Lord has commanded the blessing ♪	16:19
	♪ Life forevermore ♪	16:24
	♪ Oh glory be to you Creator ♪	16:28
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior ♪	16:31
	♪ Thanks to the Holy Spirit blessed is thee ♪	16:34
	♪ As it was ere time began ♪	16:41
	♪ Is now and will be forevermore ♪	16:46
Psalm Reader	Please be seated.	16:55
	(joyous organ music)	17:04
	(harmonious organ and choral music)	17:52
	(joyous organ music)	18:51
	(harmonious organ and choral music)	19:13
	(joyous organ music)	19:37
	(harmonious organ and choral music)	20:00
	(joyous organ music)	20:25
	(harmonious organ and choral music)	20:31
	(joyous organ music)	21:34
-	I received a letter from someone	22:39
	who was in last Sunday's service.	22:41
	The letter began:	22:46
	Being at the chapel last Sunday and hearing your sermon	22:49
	reminded me why I don't go to church.	22:53
	And after that the letter got uncomplimentary.	22:59
	(congregation laughing)	23:02
	Why are you here?	23:09
	Why do you go to church?	23:11
	I often ask myself that as I look	23:14
	out on you on Sunday morning.	23:16
	Why are they here?	23:20
	I suppose that is the most frequent question I receive	23:22
	from first-time visitors here, when they see all of you	23:26
	and they ask me, "Well, why are they here?"	23:28
	I always say, "Well, they appreciate good preaching."	23:32
	And then they say, "No, no, why are they here?"	23:35
	Now, I wasn't born yesterday.	23:41
	I know that many of you are here	23:44
	for less than theological reasons.	23:47
	Say, you're 16 years old,	23:53
	and because your mother doesn't believe	23:55
	in democracy, you're here.	23:57
	You were made to be here.	24:01
	We parents sometimes work out our parental inability	24:02
	to control you on Saturday night	24:05
	by controlling you on Sunday morning.	24:07
	"Why do I have to go to church?" the child asks.	24:12
	Well, because you live in this house,	24:15
	and you don't make mortgage payments.	24:17
	That's why you have to go to church.	24:18
	But that's hardly a theological explanation.	24:21
	Now, I know that there are others of you	24:26
	who may be here because although church is not your cup	24:29
	of tea, church means much to somebody whom you love.	24:32
	She thinks church is a good idea,	24:38
	and you think she is a good idea, and so, you're here.	24:40
	Now, I suppose the day is long passed when anybody	24:46
	is here because it will help you in business.	24:49
	Or to 'be seen' at church.	24:53
	It's been a long time since the right people,	24:56
	the people on top, were in church.	24:59
	Habit?	25:05
	Childhood holdover?	25:07
	Or why-ever you're here, I want you to know,	25:11
	from me, it doesn't bother me a bit	25:13
	that you may be here for less than theological reasons.	25:17
	Because as a preacher, I take you as I get you.	25:21
	Furthermore, I think that one of the major reasons	25:25
	that I'm here as your preacher is to help you	25:30
	name why you're here.	25:34
	To help you theologically to articulate the reasons	25:38
	beneath your stated reasons for being here.	25:43
	'Cause as Augustine once said,	25:49
	"Sometimes...	25:51
	"the real reasons	25:55
	"are better than the reasons that you know."	25:58
	Now, today's Gospel lesson occurs on a Sunday.	26:04
	It occurs on an Easter Sunday.	26:09
	The grieving disciples are gathered	26:13
	just like we're gathered today.	26:16
	And what happens then is a shock.	26:20
	Hear today's Gospel, from the 24th Chapter of Luke.	26:25
	Jesus himself stood among them and he said,	26:30
	"Peace be with you."	26:35
	And they were startled and terrified.	26:39
	They thought they were seeing a ghost.	26:41
	He said to them, "Why are you frightened?	26:43
	"And why do doubts arise in your hearts?	26:46
	"Look at my hands and my feet.	26:50
	"See it is myself.	26:52
	"Touch me and see.	26:55
	"For a ghost does not have flesh and bones	26:57
	"as you see that I have."	27:00
	And when He had said this, He showed them His hands.	27:02
	He showed them His feet.	27:05
	While in their joy they were disbelieving	27:08
	and still wondering, He said to them,	27:11
	"Have you anything here to eat?"	27:12
	They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and He took it	27:16
	and ate it in their presence.	27:18
	Then He said to them, "These are my words	27:20
	"that I spoke to you while I was still with you.	27:23
	"That everything written about me in the Law of Moses,	27:27
	"in the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."	27:29
	Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.	27:33
	And He said, "Thus it is written,	27:38
	"that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead	27:41
	"on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness	27:45
	"of sins is to be proclaimed.	27:48
	"In His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem,	27:51
	"and you,	27:55
	"you are witnesses to these things."	27:58
	This is the Word of the Lord.	28:04
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	28:08
-	Now, I want to walk you through this Bible story,	28:10
	because I'm convinced that	28:13
	this is your story.	28:16
	This is you,	28:18
	on Sunday morning.	28:20
	I believe that this story is a kind of a parable,	28:23
	a revelation of us at worship.	28:28
	This happened on a Sunday.	28:31
	First, what,	28:34
	what is the catalyst for the story?	28:37
	Jesus	28:40
	stood among them	28:42
	and said, "Peace."	28:43
	Sunday happens whenever Jesus comes and stands among us.	28:46
	Now, I know this cuts against some of the reasons	28:52
	that you thought you were here.	28:55
	We've been conditioned to think	28:57
	that worship is mostly about us.	28:58
	Titillation of my feelings, meeting of my needs,	29:02
	answering of my questions.	29:07
	No.	29:10
	There's a popular expression today	29:13
	in the Church Growth Movement which speaks	29:15
	of the need to create 'User Friendly Churches'.	29:18
	That church is mostly here for the meeting	29:24
	of peoples' 'felt needs', as they say.	29:27
	Me.	29:32
	Me.	29:33
	Me.	29:34
	We think worship begins about 11 o'clock,	29:37
	when we all get here.	29:39
	No, worship's true beginning	29:42
	is whenever Jesus gets here.	29:45
	When He stands among us, when He speaks to us.	29:48
	We're here because we've been called, we've been convened.	29:53
	I know that you may think you're here	29:59
	out of a sense of personal duty,	30:01
	or because your mother dragged you here	30:03
	to please your boyfriend, or get a psychological boost	30:04
	for the rest of the week.	30:07
	Forget it, you're here, even if you didn't know	30:09
	that's why you're here because Jesus	30:12
	has graciously called you.	30:15
	It's His presence that makes worship, not yours.	30:18
	It's His presence; I suppose if Jesus had not come	30:23
	and stood among them that day,	30:27
	they would've just gotten together,	30:29
	and they would've grieved, they'd of had a little	30:30
	memorial service, they'd of all gone back home.	30:31
	But no, Jesus came and stood among them.	30:34
	And there was worship.	30:37
	When Jesus gets here, that's when it's worship.	30:39
	This is what differentiates church from Rotary.	30:42
	This is why this is not a pep rally	30:47
	for the denomination's latest social crusade,	30:49
	or group grope therapy, or the League of Women Voters.	30:53
	It's Jesus; He comes, He stands among us.	30:56
	Easter is what makes all this happen.	30:59
	And I stress this because in the modern world,	31:03
	particularly in the modern academic world,	31:06
	we're often inept at naming our lives, theologically.	31:09
	If you feel a tug on your innermost heart,	31:16
	you call it heartburn.	31:19
	Or a mild bout with depression.	31:21
	You feel something is missing in your life.	31:24
	You go out to Blockbuster and rent a video.	31:29
	When you celebrate, you pour yourself a drink.	31:34
	When you've got a deep, deep question about yourself,	31:39
	you call in to Doctor Joe Graydon on Saturday morning.	31:43
	So quite naturally, it's easy to get confused.	31:48
	It's easy to get the impression that all this is about you.	31:51
	No; like the story says, Sunday starts when Jesus comes,	31:56
	stands among us and says, "Peace."	32:01
	Now, I would secondly have you note the disciples reaction.	32:06
	Maybe you always thought it was like good news	32:11
	when Jesus gets here.	32:14
	No, look at their reaction in the story.	32:16
	No, they were startled, and they were terrified.	32:19
	And they thought they were seeing a ghost.	32:22
	Someone emerged from the Chapel during Holy Week,	32:26
	said indignantly, "I come to church to feel better,	32:30
	"to receive a lift for the week.	32:33
	"Now I'm leaving depressed and down."	32:35
	She asked for her dollar back.	32:38
	(congregation laughing)	32:40
	But you will notice, if you've been here	32:43
	on past Sundays, like in the Easter Scriptures	32:45
	we've been reading, you will notice that one	32:48
	of the weird things about the Gospel stories of Easter	32:50
	is that on that first Easter there were a few people	32:53
	who felt unadulterated joy	32:57
	that dead Jesus	33:01
	had come back to them and stood among them	33:03
	and spoke to them as the risen Christ.	33:05
	You see it right here, they were startled,	33:08
	they were terrified, they didn't know what to think.	33:10
	And I suppose, as your preacher I should be asking myself	33:16
	right now: when is the last time I've preached a sermon	33:19
	that terrified somebody in church?	33:22
	It's sort of startling that I ever,	33:26
	I hardly ever get startled reactions to my preaching.	33:29
	Now, I've noticed that I seem to get more startled reactions	33:34
	like when I'm preaching at Baccalaureate services.	33:37
	End of the school year, everybody gathers here,	33:40
	parents, grandparents, and we have a service.	33:43
	Thank the Lord we're graduating.	33:47
	But I seem to get a high percentage of negative reactions.	33:50
	And I wonder why, and I wonder if it's that maybe	33:54
	at a Baccalaureate service you get a high percentage	33:57
	of people who've never been in church in their lives.	34:00
	Maybe they've come for a show or a pretty ceremony.	34:04
	They don't come to be startled or terrified,	34:06
	much less, to think.	34:08
	It takes sort of, training,	34:11
	to know how to appropriate what goes on	34:14
	here on Sunday morning.	34:17
	As we said, worship begins when Jesus arrives.	34:20
	And when the risen Christ stands among us,	34:25
	as those of you who've been here on previous Sundays	34:29
	may testify,	34:32
	anything can happen.	34:35
	Sometimes you do feel joy.	34:37
	Sometimes you do feel a sense of peace	34:40
	to help you make it through the week.	34:42
	But I bet there have been occasions	34:45
	when you've been startled, when you've been terrified.	34:47
	As the Psalmist says, it is a fearful thing	34:52
	to fall into the hands of a living God.	34:54
	It's an easy thing to fall in the hands of a dead God.	34:59
	But a living God who comes back to us on Easter,	35:03
	oh, that's a fearful thing!	35:06
	And so Jesus asked his people, "Why are you frightened?"	35:09
	That's what he asked the disciples.	35:13
	"Why are you frightened?	35:14
	"Why do doubts arise in your hearts?"	35:16
	And I want a number of you to note,	35:20
	that at the first Easter, even with the risen Christ	35:23
	standing right there in front of them,	35:27
	there were a lot of people there who doubted.	35:29
	And I say this because I know that there's some of you	35:33
	out there this morning who doubt.	35:36
	And you think that because you doubt,	35:40
	maybe you're not supposed to be here.	35:42
	Would you please note, right here, first Easter,	35:45
	the 12 people who'd spent the most time with Jesus,	35:50
	they doubted.	35:53
	What makes us any better at believing	35:56
	than those disciples?	35:59
	There is doubt.	36:01
	But then would you note that,	36:04
	if you doubt,	36:07
	if maybe you're here this morning desiring visible,	36:09
	tangible proof,	36:11
	well, in a way you've come to the right place,	36:15
	says this story.	36:16
	If you will note, Jesus doesn't rebuke anybody	36:18
	for their doubt.	36:21
	Rather, he gives these doubters what they need	36:24
	in order to believe.	36:27
	You need physical, tangible, empirical proof?	36:29
	Okay, touch me and see.	36:33
	Here are my hands and my feet.	36:37
	Give me that fish over there; let me eat it.	36:40
	A willingness to focus	36:45
	on something other than yourself	36:48
	and your needs.	36:52
	An eagerness to be startled.	36:54
	A willingness to be shocked.	36:59
	To admit to your doubts.	37:02
	These are, according to the story from Luke,	37:04
	Sunday morning prerequisites.	37:07
	Luke says that Jesus gave His startled,	37:11
	terrified, doubting disciples what they needed.	37:14
	So this means that you can go ahead.	37:20
	You can go ahead and come as you are on Sunday morning.	37:23
	He'll give you what you need.	37:30
	He doesn't rebuke us for the wrong reasons.	37:34
	He doesn't rebuke us for the desire not to doubt.	37:38
	He gives us what we need.	37:42
	And that's important.	37:45
	'Cause sometimes the things of faith	37:47
	seem so amorphous, they seem so vague,	37:49
	you can't get your hands around them.	37:52
	But you come here, you come here to this big,	37:57
	beautiful, solid-stone of this building.	38:00
	Or you look upon the faces of the choir as they're singing.	38:05
	You hear the rumbling music of the organ.	38:09
	Or maybe you pick up something in the words of the hymn,	38:14
	and you are given the visible, tangible reassurance	38:18
	that you need; you believe.	38:24
	Sometimes we try to out-spiritualize Jesus.	38:29
	By that I mean, we act like,	38:34
	I run into people and they say,	38:37
	"I'm not very religious; I don't feel close to God."	38:38
	What do you do?	38:43
	When have you tried to be close to God?	38:45
	Physical closeness is important.	38:49
	To touch, to see, to feel,	38:51
	this is a very material kind of religion.	38:54
	He doesn't leave us out there with faith,	38:57
	just something floating around in our minds, an idea.	38:59
	You come here to stuff you can touch and see and feel.	39:02
	And then Luke says,	39:09
	"He opened their minds	39:11
	"to understand the Scriptures."	39:14
	He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.	39:18
	And I love that.	39:22
	Now, I know that many of you here are educated,	39:24
	intelligent people, and you like to think	39:27
	of yourself as already being open-minded.	39:30
	Madonna having relations with small animals,	39:34
	don't you think that's terrible?	39:36
	Well, being at Duke, I do try to keep an open mind	39:38
	about those things.	39:41
	No, Luke says, "Jesus came and stood among them."	39:45
	In their worship, and He opened their minds!	39:52
	He had to open their minds about Easter.	39:55
	They weren't ready with their minds for Easter.	39:58
	Didn't we say here on Easter Sunday and then	40:02
	on the Sunday after, that modern people tend	40:04
	to be open-minded about everything	40:07
	except religion?	40:11
	Didn't we demonstrate a kind of weird closed-mindedness	40:13
	about any data which does not fit into our Baconian,	40:18
	cause-effect, technology-rendered world?	40:21
	Strange, but there are a lot of non-religious people	40:27
	who are fond of caricaturing religious people	40:32
	as being closed-minded.	40:35
	No, the story says, a man returning from the dead,	40:39
	standing among them; well, they thought it was a ghost.	40:45
	Most of them, I suppose, didn't' know what to think.	40:49
	So the risen Christ had to get in there	40:52
	and open their minds, had to sabotage their little universe.	40:55
	Had to blow their minds before they could get it.	41:02
	So don't think of Sunday as a time to come down here	41:06
	and get confirmed what you already knew.	41:09
	To bolt down your belief like the pews	41:12
	that you're sitting in.	41:14
	To get it all sealed in concrete.	41:16
	No, no, no, no, you have to get up on Sunday morning	41:20
	and get all dressed up and come over here to the Chapel,	41:24
	and get into the kind of stuff we get into	41:27
	on Sunday morning, in order to blow your mind.	41:29
	In order to open your mind.	41:33
	'Cause what goes on here is not common knowledge.	41:35
	What goes on here is not what is affirmed	41:38
	by nine out of 10 average Americans.	41:40
	Somebody comes in here to the Chapel.	41:45
	They come out Sunday morning, they say to me	41:47
	on the way out the door, "Well, I have never heard anything	41:50
	"like that before in my life!"	41:53
	And I usually say, "Well, what did you make on the SAT?"	41:58
	(congregation laughing)	42:01
	And then they'll say, "Why, 1350!"	42:05
	And I said, "Well, that's only average around here.	42:09
	"You know, stick with it, it may come to you."	42:13
	(congregation laughing)	42:15
	Don't come out of here complaining you've never heard	42:20
	any of this stuff before!	42:21
	What do you expect?	42:23
	Look at where you live.	42:26
	Look at the age in which we dwell.	42:28
	Church is a place to get your mind blown.	42:31
	Not an escape from reality,	42:34
	but a penetration further into reality.	42:37
	Reality you would've never known	42:41
	if Jesus had not come into your life and opened your mind.	42:43
	And then there's one last word.	42:49
	What's the last thing Jesus says	42:53
	to his people at the end of the story?	42:55
	He says, "You are	42:58
	"witnesses to these things."	43:02
	You're witnesses to these things.	43:05
	Maybe the real test of Sunday is not how you come in,	43:09
	but how you go out.	43:14
	We come here on Sunday, called by the risen Christ.	43:18
	He comes, He stands among us.	43:21
	He stupefies some, He startles others,	43:24
	offers peace to others.	43:27
	And then He gives us what we need:	43:30
	Tangible, visible reassurance.	43:33
	To others He gives a fitly spoken word of comfort.	43:38
	He opens our minds so that we might	43:42
	understand the Scriptures.	43:45
	And then He sends us forth into the world	43:49
	to be His witnesses.	43:51
	You're a witness.	43:55
	If you notice, in a court of law,	43:57
	when a witness is called forward,	43:59
	we aren't interested in the personal history	44:02
	of the witness or the personal characteristics,	44:05
	we just ask the witness, "What have you seen?	44:07
	"What have you heard?	44:09
	"Tell the court about it."	44:10
	You're a witness.	44:14
	So, tomorrow, say at work, or somewhere in the library	44:17
	or something, somebody'll ask you,	44:20
	"Well, how was church yesterday?"	44:22
	And you say, "Well, it's hard to say.	44:25
	"You kinda had to be there to believe it."	44:29
	But remember, you're a witness.	44:32
	A witness simply tells what's been seen	44:37
	and what's been heard.	44:39
	And maybe before the court of the world,	44:42
	the story's implying that you and I	44:45
	are the only witnesses Jesus has.	44:47
	So go ahead, be a witness.	44:51
	Try to tell and show what this has meant.	44:54
	Do you, a nice intelligent person like you,	45:00
	do you believe in the risen Christ?	45:03
	Do you believe that in this world of death,	45:07
	there can be the triumph of life?	45:11
	Believe it? (chuckles)	45:18
	I don't only believe it,	45:20
	I mean, I've witnessed it!	45:21
	I was there	45:25
	on Sunday.	45:28
	(joyous organ music)	45:33
	♪ Christ is alive let Christians sing ♪	46:04
	♪ His cross stands empty ♪	46:10
	♪ To the sky ♪	46:14
	♪ Let streets and homes ♪	46:17
	♪ With praises ring ♪	46:21
	♪ His love healed ♪	46:25
	♪ And shall never die ♪	46:27
	♪ Christ is alive ♪	46:35
	♪ No longer bound ♪	46:38
	♪ To distant years ♪	46:42
	♪ In Palestine ♪	46:45
	♪ But comes to pray ♪	46:49
	♪ Both here and now ♪	46:53
	♪ And touching every ♪	46:57
	♪ Place and time ♪	47:01
	♪ Not throned afar ♪	47:07
	♪ Remotely high ♪	47:10
	♪ Untouched unmoved ♪	47:14
	♪ By human pains ♪	47:17
	♪ But daily in ♪	47:21
	♪ The midst of life ♪	47:25
	♪ Our Savior in ♪	47:29
	♪ The Godhead reigns ♪	47:33
	♪ In every insult ♪	47:39
	♪ Rift and war ♪	47:42
	♪ Where color scorn ♪	47:46
	♪ Or wealth divide ♪	47:49
	♪ He suffers still ♪	47:54
	♪ Yet loves the more ♪	47:57
	♪ And lives for heaven ♪	48:01
	♪ Rules divine ♪	48:05
	♪ Christ is alive ♪	48:11
	♪ And comes to bring ♪	48:14
	♪ Good news to this ♪	48:18
	♪ And every age ♪	48:21
	♪ Till earth and all ♪	48:25
	♪ Creation ring ♪	48:29
	♪ With joy with justice ♪	48:33
	♪ Love and praise ♪	48:37
Reader	The Lord be with you.	48:44
Congregation	And also with you.	48:47
-	Let us pray.	48:49
	Oh eternal God,	49:04
	singing Christ Is Alive, we gather as your people,	49:06
	proclaiming You as our Lord, and a great God above all Gods.	49:11
	We acknowledge that You have drawn us to worship	49:17
	for reasons greater than we ourselves understand.	49:20
	Having heard the good news of Your resurrection,	49:25
	our eyes have been opened, not only to the reality	49:29
	of Your presence, but to the necessity	49:32
	of witnessing to that truth in the world around us.	49:35
	We confess to the times we have failed	49:41
	to be faithful to Your purposes.	49:43
	We may be quick to hail the power of Jesus' name,	49:47
	but we are slow to spread our trophies at His feet.	49:49
	He has opened our minds that we may	49:54
	understand the Scriptures, but we have hardened our hearts	49:56
	against His interpretation of them.	50:00
	He has enacted the role of the Lord's suffering servant,	50:04
	but our faith becomes skeptical	50:08
	when things don't go our way.	50:10
	We sing that there is a cross for everyone,	50:13
	but we wait for Jesus to carry not only His,	50:16
	but ours as well.	50:20
	Forgive us, oh God, for mocking the message	50:23
	of our Lord's resurrection when we feign belief	50:26
	but fail to live out our faith.	50:30
	Remembering the suffering Christ had to endure	50:35
	before He could rise again, we offer our prayers	50:37
	this day for all those who suffer.	50:41
	For those who must endure trauma in body or mind.	50:45
	For all those who's livelihood is insecure,	50:52
	the overworked, the hungry,	50:56
	the homeless, those driven to despair.	51:00
	For little children who's surroundings hide them	51:06
	from Your love and Your beauty.	51:10
	For those who have to bear their burdens alone.	51:14
	And for all who have lost those whom they love.	51:18
	For those who are overextended, overwhelmed	51:24
	with responsibility, who doubt their own abilities,	51:28
	or are oversensitive or afraid.	51:33
	For those who are surrounded by warfare,	51:39
	civil unrest, or other forms of violence.	51:42
	Give us the peace and the power that flow	51:48
	from You alone, oh God.	51:50
	Rule our hearts, that we will make You known	51:54
	not only in the breaking of bread,	51:57
	but in the sharing of the bread.	51:59
	That we shall shoulder the cross You carried	52:02
	for the suffering, the poor, and the oppressed.	52:04
	That we shall recognize that repentance,	52:08
	like charity, must begin at home.	52:10
	Deliver us from the lure of cheap grace.	52:14
	Make us as willing to pay the cost of Your victories	52:17
	as we are to claim them for ourselves.	52:21
	This we pray, in the name of our resurrected Lord,	52:25
	Jesus Christ, amen.	52:29
	Let us present the offerings of our life	52:35
	and our labor to the Lord with thanksgiving.	52:37
	(peaceful organ music)	52:41
	(dramatic organ music)	54:17
	(harmonious choral and organ music)	54:28
	(peaceful organ music)	54:51
	(harmonious choral and organ music)	54:59
	(peaceful organ music)	55:23
	(harmonious choral and organ music)	55:30
	(peaceful organ music)	56:54
	(harmonious choral and organ music)	56:58
	(peaceful organ music)	58:33
	(joyous organ music)	58:59
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	59:21
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	59:27
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	59:33
	♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪	59:40
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	59:46
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	59:52
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	59:58
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:00:04
-	Oh Lord, our God, the author and giver	1:00:16
	of all good things, we thank You for all Your mercies,	1:00:19
	and for Your loving care, over all Your creatures.	1:00:23
	We bless You for the gift of life.	1:00:27
	For Your protection round about us.	1:00:29
	For Your guiding hand upon us.	1:00:32
	And for the tokens of Your love within us.	1:00:34
	We thank you for friendship and duty,	1:00:38
	for good hopes and precious memories.	1:00:40
	For the joys that cheer us, and the trials	1:00:43
	that teach us to trust in You.	1:00:46
	Most of all we thank You for the saving knowledge	1:00:48
	of Your Son, our savior.	1:00:51
	For the living presence of Your Spirit,	1:00:53
	the comforter for Your church, the body of Christ.	1:00:55
	For the ministry of Word and Sacrament,	1:00:59
	and for all the means of grace.	1:01:01
	In all these things, oh heavenly God,	1:01:04
	make us wise for a right use of Your benefits.	1:01:06
	That we may render an acceptable thanksgiving	1:01:09
	unto You all the days of our lives.	1:01:12
	These things we pray in the name of the one	1:01:14
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	1:01:17
Congregation	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	1:01:19
	hallowed by Thy name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,	1:01:22
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	1:01:27
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:01:29
	and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those	1:01:32
	who trespass against us.	1:01:35
	And lead us not into temptation,	1:01:37
	but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom,	1:01:40
	the power, and the glory forever, amen.	1:01:43
	(peaceful organ music)	1:01:49
	♪ Come ye faithful raise the strain ♪	1:02:32
	♪ Of triumphant gladness ♪	1:02:37
	♪ God hath brought forth Israel ♪	1:02:42
	♪ Into joy from sadness ♪	1:02:47
	♪ Loosed from Pharaoh's bitter yoke ♪	1:02:52
	♪ Jacob's sons and daughters ♪	1:02:57
	♪ Led them with unmoistened foot ♪	1:03:02
	♪ Through the Red Sea waters ♪	1:03:07
	♪ 'Tis the spring of souls today ♪	1:03:14
	♪ Christ hath burst his prison ♪	1:03:20
	♪ And from three days' sleep in death ♪	1:03:25
	♪ As a sun hath risen ♪	1:03:30
	♪ All the winter of our sins ♪	1:03:35
	♪ Long and dark, is flying ♪	1:03:41
	♪ From his light, to whom we give ♪	1:03:46
	♪ Laud and praise undying ♪	1:03:51
	♪ Now the queen of seasons, bright ♪	1:03:59
	♪ With the day of splendor ♪	1:04:04
	♪ With the royal feast of feasts ♪	1:04:09
	♪ Comes its joy to render ♪	1:04:14
	♪ Comes to glad Jerusalem ♪	1:04:19
	♪ Who with true affection ♪	1:04:24
	♪ Welcomes in unwearied strains ♪	1:04:29
	♪ Jesus' resurrection ♪	1:04:35
	♪ Neither might the gates of death ♪	1:04:42
	♪ Nor the tomb's dark portal ♪	1:04:47
	♪ Nor the watchers nor the seal ♪	1:04:53
	♪ Hold thee as a mortal ♪	1:04:58
	♪ But today amidst thine own ♪	1:05:03
	♪ Thou didst stand bestowing ♪	1:05:08
	♪ That thine peace is evermore ♪	1:05:14
	♪ Passeth human knowing ♪	1:05:19
	♪ Hallelujah now we cry ♪	1:05:27
	♪ To our King immortal ♪	1:05:32
	♪ Who, triumphant, burst the bars ♪	1:05:37
	♪ Of the tomb's dark portal ♪	1:05:42
	♪ Hallelujah with the Son ♪	1:05:47
	♪ God the Father praising ♪	1:05:52
	♪ Hallelujah yet again ♪	1:05:58
	♪ To the Spirit raising ♪	1:06:03
-	The grace of our Lord and Father, Jesus Christ,	1:06:12
	the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you	1:06:17
	now and always.	1:06:21
	(harmonious choral music)	1:06:26
	(joyous organ music)	1:08:25
	(congregation murmuring)

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Doubt, Wonder, Witness - Worship" (April 17, 1994)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:39. Sermon end time: 45:30.
The preacher talks about the three elements of worship: the presence of Jesus Christ, open-mindedness to the knowledge of God, and being a witness of the gospel to the world. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Sunday happens whenever Jesus comes and stands among us.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4s757088

Date:

April 17, 1994

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Easter

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 24:36b-48

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0365
ref9399_f00
uachapelsermaud
duke:321351
dcrmv001350
ark:/87924/r4s757088
128453dd-1619-48da-bbee-049c38053fc8

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

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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.

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William H. Willimon - "Doubt, Wonder, Witness - Worship" (April 17, 1994)

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Duke University Archives