Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 5, 1994)

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	(lively organ music)	0:00
-	Good morning.	1:18
	Welcome to Duke University Chapel	1:19
	for this joyous service of worship.	1:21
	This begins a week of celebration	1:25
	of Duke employees	1:27
	and if you're an employee of Duke,	1:28
	we welcome you today.	1:30
	We're particularly grateful to have present with us those	1:31
	for whom this weekend is a time of great celebration	1:35
	in their lives.	1:40
	This is Cancer Survivors Weekend at Duke	1:41
	and we are grateful for all of those	1:45
	who are part of that grand celebration	1:48
	who are present with us.	1:51
	We dedicate this service to you,	1:53
	to the celebration of your lives,	1:56
	for strength during adversity	1:59
	and for all of the goodness of God	2:01
	that we experience even in times of adversity.	2:04
	We're glad to have you with us.	2:08
	Tonight, there will be a concert here	2:10
	by the North Carolina Boy Choir	2:12
	and information on that concert is in your bulletin.	2:15
	Our preacher today is the Reverend Debra Brazzel,	2:19
	the Associate Dean of Duke Chapel.	2:23
	And now let us stand for the greeting.	2:27
	Christ is risen.	2:33
Congregation	Glory be.	2:35
-	Glory and honor and dominion and power	2:37
	be to God forever and ever.	2:39
Congregation	Christ be with you always.	2:42
	(lively organ music)	2:46
	♪ Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, ♪	3:26
	♪ The King of creation ♪	3:32
	♪ O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy ♪	3:38
	♪ Health and salvation ♪	3:44
	♪ All ye who hear ♪	3:50
	♪ Now to His temple draw near ♪	3:54
	♪ Sing now in glad adoration ♪	4:00
	♪ Praise to the Lord, who o'er all ♪	4:11
	♪ Things so wondrously reigneth ♪	4:16
	♪ Who, as on wings of an eagle ♪	4:23
	♪ Uplifteth, sustaineth ♪	4:27
	♪ Hast thou not seen ♪	4:34
	♪ How thy desires all have been ♪	4:39
	♪ Granted in what He ordaineth ♪	4:45
	♪ Praise to the Lord, who hath fearfully ♪	4:55
	♪ Wondrously, made thee ♪	5:01
	♪ Health hath vouchsafed and, when ♪	5:08
	♪ Heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee ♪	5:13
	♪ What need or grief ♪	5:21
	♪ Ever hath failed of relief ♪	5:25
	♪ Wings of His mercy did shade thee ♪	5:31
	♪ Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper ♪	5:41
	♪ Thy work and defend thee ♪	5:47
	♪ Who from the heavens the streams ♪	5:54
	♪ Pf His mercy doth send thee ♪	5:59
	♪ Ponder anew ♪	6:07
	♪ What the Almighty can do ♪	6:11
	♪ Who with His love doth befriend thee ♪	6:17
	♪ Praise to the Lord ♪	6:28
	♪ Oh, let all that is in me adore Him ♪	6:31
	♪ All that hath life and breath, come ♪	6:41
	♪ Now with praises before Him ♪	6:46
	♪ Let the Amen ♪	6:54
	♪ Sound from His people again ♪	6:58
	♪ Gladly for aye we adore Him ♪	7:05
-	Let us pray.	7:20
	Lord, we pray not for tranquility,	7:24
	nor that our tribulations may cease.	7:29
	Lord, we pray for thy Spirit	7:33
	and thy love to enfold us	7:36
	during all the days of our lives.	7:39
	We've come here to this service of worship seeking	7:42
	that you would grant us strength	7:45
	and grace to overcome adversity.	7:48
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord	7:53
	who lives and reigns with you	7:56
	and the Holy Spirit one God now and forever.	7:58
	Amen.	8:03
	Be seated.	8:04
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	8:18
All	Open our hearts and mind, oh God	8:23
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	8:27
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	8:30
	we might hear your word with joy this day.	8:34
	Amen.	8:39
-	The first lesson is taken from I Samuel,	8:42
	the eighth chapter, verses four through 20.	8:46
	Then all the elders of Israel gathered together	8:54
	and came to Samuel at Ramah.	8:58
	And said to him,	9:01
	you are old and your sons do not follow in your ways.	9:04
	Appoint for us then a king	9:09
	to govern us like other nations.	9:11
	But the thing displeased Samuel	9:15
	when they said give us a king to govern us.	9:18
	Samuel prayed to the Lord	9:23
	and the Lord said to Samuel,	9:26
	listen to the voice of the people	9:29
	and all that they say to you	9:32
	for they have not rejected you	9:34
	but they have rejected me	9:38
	from being king over them.	9:40
	Just as they have done to me	9:43
	from the day I brought them up out of Egypt	9:46
	to this day, forsaking me	9:49
	and serving other gods,	9:52
	so also they are doing to you.	9:55
	Now then, listen to their voice.	9:59
	Only you shall solemnly warn them	10:02
	and show them the ways of the king	10:06
	who shall reign over them.	10:08
	So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord	10:11
	to the people who were asking him for a king.	10:15
	He said, these will be the ways of the king	10:19
	who will reign over you.	10:23
	He will take your sons	10:26
	and appoint them to his chariots	10:28
	and to be his horsemen	10:30
	and to run before his chariots	10:33
	and he will appointment for himself commanders	10:35
	of thousands and commanders of 50s	10:39
	and some to plow his ground	10:43
	and to reap his harvest	10:45
	and to make his implements of war	10:48
	and the equipment of his chariots.	10:50
	He will take your daughters	10:54
	to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.	10:55
	He will take the best of your fields	11:00
	and vineyards and olive orchards	11:02
	and give them to courtiers.	11:04
	He will take 1/10 of your grain	11:08
	and of your vineyards	11:10
	and give it to his officers	11:12
	and his courtiers.	11:14
	He will take your male	11:16
	and the female slaves	11:18
	and the best of your cattle	11:20
	and donkeys and put them to his work.	11:21
	He will take 1/10 of your flocks	11:26
	and you shall be his slaves	11:29
	and on that day you will cry out	11:32
	because of your king	11:35
	whom you have chosen for yourselves	11:37
	but the Lord will not answer you in that day.	11:40
	But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel.	11:45
	They said no but we are determined	11:49
	to have a king over us	11:54
	so that we also may be like other nations	11:56
	and that our king may govern us	12:00
	and go out before us and fight our battles.	12:03
	This is the word of the Lord.	12:08
All	Thanks be to God.	12:12
-	Today's Psalm is number 138 found on page 853	12:23
	in the hymnal.	12:27
	Please stand and sing the Psalm	12:28
	and Gloria responsively.	12:31
	(tranquil organ music)	12:35
	♪ I give you thanks, oh Lord ♪	12:41
	♪ With my whole heart ♪	12:44
	♪ Before the gods, I sing your praise ♪	12:48
	♪ I bow down toward your holy temple ♪	12:53
	♪ And give thanks to thee ♪	12:59
	♪ For thy steadfast love and faithfulness. ♪	13:02
	♪ For you have exulted your name ♪	13:08
	♪ And your word above everything ♪	13:12
	♪ On the day I called ♪	13:18
	♪ You answered me ♪	13:20
	♪ Your strength and my life ♪	13:23
	♪ All the waters of the Earth shall praise you, O Lord ♪	13:29
	♪ For they have heard the words of your mouth ♪	13:35
	♪ And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord ♪	13:42
	♪ For great is the glory of the Lord ♪	13:47
	♪ For the Lord is high ♪	13:54
	♪ But regards the lowly ♪	13:56
	♪ Yet knows the haughty from afar ♪	14:00
	♪ Though I walk in the midst of trouble ♪	14:06
	♪ You preserve my life ♪	14:10
	♪ You stretch out your hand ♪	14:15
	♪ Against the wrath of my enemies ♪	14:18
	♪ And your right hand delivers me ♪	14:23
	♪ O Lord, fulfill your purpose for me ♪	14:30
	♪ O Lord, make your steadfast love endure forever ♪	14:35
	♪ Do not forsake ♪	14:43
	♪ The works of your hands ♪	14:46
	♪ All glory be to you, creator ♪	14:52
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	14:55
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit, blessed Trinity ♪	15:00
	♪ As it was at time began ♪	15:07
	♪ Is God and will be forever more ♪	15:11
-	You may be seated.	15:22
	(choir singing)	15:45
-	The second lesson is taken from II Corinthians,	18:23
	chapter four, beginning with verse 13	18:27
	through chapter five verse one.	18:30
	But just as we have the same spirit of faith	18:35
	that is in accordance with scripture,	18:38
	I believed and so I spoke,	18:41
	we also believe	18:44
	and so we speak because we know	18:46
	that the one who raised the Lord Jesus	18:49
	will raise us also with Jesus	18:52
	and will bring us with you into his presence.	18:55
	Yes, everything is for your sake	18:59
	so that grace as it extends	19:03
	to more and more people	19:06
	may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God.	19:08
	So we do not lose heart.	19:14
	Even though our outer nature is wasted away,	19:17
	our inner nature is being renewed day by day.	19:20
	For this slight momentary affliction	19:26
	is preparing us for an eternal wait of glory	19:29
	beyond all measure	19:33
	because we look not at what can be seen	19:35
	but at what cannot be seen.	19:39
	For what can be seen as temporary	19:42
	but what cannot be seen is eternal.	19:45
	For we know that if the earthly tent we live in	19:49
	is destroyed, we have a building from God,	19:53
	a house not made with hands,	19:57
	eternal in the heavens.	20:00
	This is the word of the Lord.	20:03
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	20:06
-	The Gospel is taken from Mark,	20:10
	the third chapter, verses 20 through 35.	20:13
	And the crowd came together again	20:19
	so that they could not even eat.	20:21
	When his family heard it,	20:24
	they went out to restrain him	20:26
	for people were saying he has gone out of his mind.	20:29
	And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said,	20:33
	he has Beelzebub	20:37
	and by the ruler of the demons,	20:40
	he casts out demons	20:42
	and he called to him	20:45
	and spoke to them in parables.	20:47
	How can Satan cast out Satan?	20:50
	If a kingdom is divided against itself,	20:53
	that kingdom cannot stand.	20:57
	And if a house is divided against itself,	21:00
	that house will not be able to stand.	21:04
	And if Satan has risen up against himself	21:08
	and is divided,	21:11
	he cannot stand but his end has come.	21:13
	But no one can enter a strong man's house	21:18
	and plunder his property	21:21
	without first tying up the strong man.	21:23
	Then indeed, the house can be plundered.	21:27
	Truly I tell you,	21:31
	people will be forgiven for their sins	21:33
	and whatever blasphemies they utter.	21:37
	But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit	21:40
	can never have forgiveness	21:44
	for is guilty of an eternal sin.	21:46
	For they had said he has an unclean spirit.	21:50
	Then his mother and his brothers came	21:55
	and standing outside, they sent to him	21:58
	and called him.	22:02
	A crowd was sitting around him	22:04
	and they said to him,	22:06
	your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside	22:09
	asking for you.	22:14
	And he replied,	22:16
	who are my mother and my brothers?	22:18
	And looking at those who sat around him,	22:21
	he said, here are my mother and my brothers.	22:24
	Whoever does the will of God	22:29
	is my brother and sister and mother.	22:32
	This is the word of the Lord.	22:36
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	22:39
-	So we do not lose heart	22:54
	even though our outer nature is wasting away,	22:57
	our inner nature is being renewed day by day.	23:01
	For this slight momentary affliction	23:05
	is preparing us for an eternal wait of glory	23:08
	beyond all measure	23:12
	because we look not at what can be seen	23:14
	but at what cannot be seen.	23:18
	For what can be seen is only temporary	23:21
	but what cannot be seen is eternal.	23:24
	Had I searched the scriptures for an appropriate word,	23:29
	I could not have found a more poignant passage	23:35
	than this lectionary text	23:38
	for today when we celebrate life	23:41
	and hope as we remember National Cancer Survivors Day.	23:44
	There are many cancer survivors among us today	23:50
	who have much to teach us about what it means	23:53
	to not lose heart.	23:58
	For you have learned what it means	24:00
	to keep on believing in life and health	24:02
	even when the outer nature is wasting away.	24:06
	You know what it means	24:09
	to look beyond what is seen	24:11
	to what cannot be seen	24:12
	but only hoped for.	24:15
	You know what it means to triumph against the odds	24:17
	and to cherish every day	24:22
	in spite of the afflictions you endure.	24:24
	The scripture has much to say to cancer survivors	24:29
	but not to you alone.	24:33
	For the loss of heart is a threat to everyone.	24:35
	All of us get discouraged from one time or another.	24:40
	Sometimes things don't turn out the way we expected.	24:43
	Perhaps we didn't get the job we wanted	24:47
	or got the job and lost it.	24:50
	Maybe someone we cared about let us down	24:52
	or a relationship turned sour.	24:55
	Maybe we disappointed a parent or friend.	24:58
	Maybe the cancer treatment wasn't as effective	25:03
	as we'd hoped or perhaps the scientific breakthrough	25:05
	we'd been working on in the lab turned out	25:08
	to be a dead end.	25:11
	There are many things that cause us to be discouraged	25:13
	and discouragement is hard to deal with	25:17
	but it isn't the same as loss of heart.	25:20
	Loss of heart is much more devastating	25:24
	because it is connected to the will,	25:26
	the will to strive for goals,	25:29
	the will to care about the outcomes	25:31
	and finally, the will to live.	25:33
	Loss of heart results in despair	25:37
	and it is the most difficult thing to overcome	25:39
	in a relationship, in business,	25:42
	in a community, in medical treatment	25:45
	and in faith.	25:48
	When a person or community loses heart,	25:50
	they despair that anything can get better	25:54
	and they quit trying	25:57
	and they abdicate responsibility for life.	25:58
	Loss of heart is one of the greatest challenges	26:02
	that humanity faces because it threatens our will	26:05
	to make a difference in the world.	26:09
	Paul knew that loss of heart	26:13
	was the very worst threat	26:15
	that he and other Christians faced	26:17
	for it, more than anything else,	26:20
	could cause them to despair of the faith.	26:22
	He had known persecution, ridicule,	26:27
	imprisonment, beatings, illness	26:29
	and even the threat of death.	26:32
	In fact, in the beginning of his letter,	26:34
	he told the Corinthians	26:36
	that in Asia, he and his colleagues	26:37
	were so utterly and unbearably crushed	26:39
	that they despaired of life itself.	26:42
	They felt they had received the sentence of death	26:45
	so that they had nothing left	26:48
	to fall back upon except the God	26:49
	who raises the dead.	26:52
	As one who was then delivered from the brink of death,	26:55
	Paul had an unshakable hope	26:59
	in the power of God.	27:01
	He had learned not to trust his external circumstances	27:04
	but to hold fast to the knowledge	27:09
	that he was being renewed from within day by day,	27:11
	each day given the power and the courage sufficient	27:15
	to that day's need.	27:19
	Most of us haven't faced such drastic hardship as this	27:22
	and yet sometimes our spirits lag and sag	27:26
	as if our life and faith were oppressive burdens.	27:29
	Keeping our heart and hope in the midst	27:34
	of whatever hardship we face	27:37
	is just as important for us	27:39
	as it was for Paul.	27:41
	What causes us to lose heart?	27:44
	One of the things that most burdens humanity	27:47
	in the 20th century is fear.	27:50
	Fear of the present, fear of the future,	27:52
	fear of the consequences of the past.	27:55
	Fear is rampant.	27:57
	One of the fears that most pervades modern life	28:00
	is fear of violence.	28:04
	Given the pervasiveness and inclusiveness	28:06
	of crime, there's no place that seems safe anymore.	28:08
	I have a good friend who told me	28:13
	that she didn't feel comfortable at work	28:14
	because a colleague had been attacked there	28:16
	and then recently she had an intruder in her home.	28:19
	Even though she was able to get away safely,	28:22
	the sanctuary of her home had been violated.	28:25
	We cry together in anger	28:28
	at the loss of her safe haven.	28:30
	When we don't feel safe at home or at work	28:33
	or shopping or jogging,	28:36
	our spirits get sick	28:38
	and it's easy to lose heart.	28:40
	The threat of violence is very real.	28:43
	We see its consequences nightly	28:46
	over the local news.	28:48
	We've been sick at heart witnessing the carnage	28:51
	in Rwanda and Bosnia.	28:55
	We're fed up with the daily violence in Durham	28:57
	and we're angry at our sense of helplessness.	29:01
	Violence is a global threat	29:03
	that has come to haunt us.	29:06
	How do we keep from losing heart and hope	29:08
	because of the fear and reality of violence?	29:12
	Paul also knew what it was like	29:16
	to be afraid of violence.	29:18
	For him, the threat had too often become a reality	29:20
	but no matter what was done to him,	29:24
	he never lost hope.	29:26
	In his words, we are afflicted in every way	29:28
	but not crushed, perplexed	29:30
	but not driven to despair.	29:33
	Persecuted but not forsaken,	29:37
	struck down but not destroyed.	29:38
	Always carrying in the body the death of Jesus	29:42
	so that the life of Jesus also may be made visible in us.	29:46
	He didn't lose heart because he believed	29:52
	that Christ lived in him and every believer,	29:54
	because he believed that we carry both the death	29:57
	and resurrection of Christ	30:00
	in our bodies, he believed that the final victory	30:02
	had already been determined in our favor.	30:05
	God will raise us up with Christ.	30:09
	Violence and death have already been faced	30:12
	and overcome by Christ.	30:15
	Any experience of violence,	30:18
	any threat of death that we face now must be viewed	30:19
	in the light of that eternal victory.	30:23
	But the danger of a text like this	30:27
	is that we can use it to trivialize life	30:29
	and deny suffering.	30:33
	Don't worry about violence or injustice or pain,	30:35
	everything will be made right in the next world.	30:38
	This other worldly theology	30:42
	has been used through the ages to justify	30:44
	and maintain all sorts of oppression.	30:46
	In the movie "The Color Purple,"	30:49
	Celie was often beaten by her husband Mister.	30:51
	And she told her son-in-law to beat his wife, Sophia.	30:56
	When Sophia found out about it,	30:59
	she was furious and she went to Celie	31:01
	to ask why, why would a sister betray another sister	31:04
	in this way?	31:08
	Celie, reflecting upon her own beatings,	31:10
	responded, "This world be over soon,	31:12
	"Heaven last forever."	31:16
	And Sophia said,	31:19
	"You oughta bust Mister's head	31:20
	"and think about Heaven later."	31:21
	Belief in the eternal	31:24
	is not an excuse to tolerate injustice today.	31:26
	Nor does it trivialize the beauty	31:31
	or the suffering of this life.	31:33
	Every person is unique,	31:35
	each life is a precious gift,	31:37
	every day is meant to be lived fully and enjoyed.	31:39
	Every person's pain matters.	31:44
	Indeed, it matter eternally because this isn't all there is	31:47
	and the final judgment about worth	31:52
	and value and justice will be made.	31:54
	Life has even more meaning	31:58
	when we live it in the light of eternity.	32:01
	So don't let fear of violence	32:06
	or the reality of violence cause you to lose heart.	32:08
	When we aren't paralyzed by fear,	32:13
	we can have the will and the power	32:15
	to do something about it.	32:18
	Like the students at Duke	32:20
	who've created the Safe Haven	32:22
	as a safe place for women and men.	32:23
	Or the jogging club or the neighborhood watches	32:26
	or the marches to claim back our streets	32:29
	or the parents and teachers committed	32:32
	to teaching non-violence	32:34
	or the Red Cross and UN relief workers	32:36
	who continue to offer humanitarian aid	32:39
	in spite of the violence.	32:42
	When we aren't controlled by fear,	32:44
	then we may find the courage to act	32:47
	to stop the violence one day at a time	32:50
	as we are renewed and empowered from within.	32:53
	Another fear that can cause us to lose heart	33:00
	is the fear of death.	33:03
	Many of us fear our own death	33:05
	or the death of those we love.	33:07
	We may fear death by accident, quick and unexpected	33:09
	or by slow, lingering degrees.	33:13
	This is especially relevant for cancer survivors	33:16
	and their families	33:19
	but death is a fact that all of us must face.	33:22
	Many of us deny the reality of death	33:25
	by avoiding anything that reminds us	33:28
	that we must one day die.	33:30
	Others of us obsess about it	33:32
	until it consumes our thoughts	33:34
	and haunts our dreams.	33:36
	Death is inevitable	33:39
	but the fear of death can be demoralizing.	33:41
	Elizabeth Kubler-Ross who made the study of death	33:46
	and dying her life's work says	33:49
	that those who have the strength	33:52
	and the love to sit with a dying patient	33:54
	in the silence that goes beyond words	33:58
	will know that this moment is neither frightening	34:01
	nor painful but a peaceful cessation	34:04
	of the functioning of his or her body.	34:07
	But the fear of death tragically demeans the care	34:10
	of the dying	34:14
	for when family members or doctors	34:15
	or nurses deny death,	34:17
	they can't be fully present to the dying	34:19
	so that they fall short	34:23
	of giving the care that is needed and deserved.	34:24
	In her work with patients	34:29
	who've had an out-of-body experience,	34:30
	either while near death	34:33
	or while being resuscitated from death,	34:34
	Dr. Ross found that no one is afraid to die again ever.	34:37
	In more than 25,000 cases studied worldwide,	34:42
	this was a common characteristic of children	34:46
	and adults across racial, religious	34:48
	and cultural lines.	34:51
	Whatever the circumstances of death,	34:53
	each person described incredible peace,	34:55
	love, wholeness and joy.	34:59
	They described this feeling	35:04
	as their immortal self	35:05
	was separated from their physical body,	35:08
	the temporary home.	35:10
	Paul describes our immortality in this text	35:13
	in a very similar way.	35:16
	What can be seen is temporary	35:19
	but what cannot be seen is eternal.	35:21
	For we know that if the earthly tent we live in	35:24
	is destroyed, we have a building from God,	35:27
	a house not made with hands,	35:31
	eternal in the heavens.	35:34
	Paul often faced death	35:37
	but he didn't fear death	35:40
	because he knew that death didn't have the final word.	35:41
	We have the courage to face death,	35:45
	both our own and that of loved ones,	35:47
	when we have the assurance that death	35:50
	is not the end but only a transition	35:52
	to another reality fashioned by God.	35:55
	When we trust the end to God,	35:58
	then we are also freed to live fully	36:01
	with nothing held back	36:03
	knowing that death, as life, is in God's hands.	36:06
	Another thing that can cause us to lose heart	36:12
	is guilt about the past.	36:15
	We can worry ourselves sick	36:17
	by reliving every mistake we've ever made.	36:19
	Sin is a fact of human existence.	36:23
	Everyone has made decisions	36:27
	that we have lived to regret.	36:29
	Acknowledgement of our mistakes	36:31
	and confession of our sin	36:33
	is necessary if we're to move beyond them	36:34
	but that's the key.	36:38
	Forgiveness is God's gift to empower us	36:39
	to move beyond the past,	36:42
	to put it behind us	36:44
	so that we may be free to live another way.	36:45
	If Paul had obsessed	36:49
	about the ways he had persecuted the Christians,	36:51
	he would have been of no use in God's ministry.	36:55
	Guilt can cause us to lose heart	36:58
	and to despair of our worthiness.	37:00
	It can cause us to reject God's love	37:03
	and the ways that God is calling us to Christian service.	37:05
	Forgiveness is God's gift of unconditional love	37:10
	that renews us from within	37:13
	and frees us from the past.	37:16
	We also can lose heart	37:20
	because of anxiety about the future.	37:21
	We're bombarded by news of daily catastrophe	37:24
	on a worldwide basis	37:27
	and many of us have come live	37:29
	with an overwhelming, unspecified sense	37:31
	of anxiety about life.	37:34
	We worry about the survival of our planet,	37:36
	we worry about the ability of humankind	37:38
	to deal with the scope and number of problems we face,	37:41
	we worry about our own inability	37:44
	to find our place and role	37:46
	in a changing world.	37:48
	We worry about a future that we can't control	37:50
	and the loss of security.	37:53
	A sense of anxiety can sap all the joy out	37:56
	of living and tempt us to lose heart.	37:59
	During the Depression, the business tycoon,	38:04
	J.C. Penney suffered tremendous financial losses.	38:06
	He worried so much	38:10
	that he had a nervous breakdown	38:11
	and was confined to a sanitarium for months.	38:13
	Though the doctors worked with him,	38:16
	he became steadily worse	38:18
	until one night he was so near death,	38:20
	he wrote farewell notes to those he loved.	38:22
	The next morning, he was surprised to find	38:26
	that he was still breathing	38:28
	and he awoke to the sound of music.	38:30
	When he struggled down the corridor,	38:33
	he found a group of people	38:35
	in a prayer meeting singing,	38:36
	be not dismayed what'ver betide.	38:39
	God will take care of you.	38:41
	Beneath wings of love abide.	38:44
	God will take care of you.	38:47
	He remembered the song from his childhood	38:50
	and it evoked an overwhelming sense of the care,	38:53
	the kindness, the love of Almighty God.	38:56
	Suddenly, he began to get better.	39:00
	He remembered the family, friends,	39:02
	and business associates who had stood by him.	39:04
	He thought of the opportunities	39:07
	that still lay ahead	39:08
	and he began to replace fear	39:11
	of the future with faith in a God	39:13
	who would take care of him no matter what.	39:16
	From that moment, his healing became so rapid	39:19
	that the doctors marveled at his recovery.	39:22
	When we're focused on controlling the outer circumstances	39:26
	of our lives, it is easy to lose heart	39:30
	because so much happens in life	39:33
	that is beyond our control.	39:35
	But when we can live with the trust	39:37
	that it is not up to us alone	39:40
	to hold our lives and the world together,	39:43
	when we can really believe that there is a God	39:46
	who is sovereign over all creation,	39:49
	then we have the kind of hope	39:53
	that can withstand the uncertainty	39:54
	and difficulty of life.	39:57
	It is this kind of hope	40:00
	that gives us the will to overcome paralyzing fear.	40:01
	It is this kind of faith	40:05
	that gives us the courage	40:07
	in the face of death,	40:08
	whether our own or someone we love,	40:10
	it is this assurance that frees us	40:13
	from the numbing power of guilt	40:15
	and it is this confidence that empowers us	40:18
	to move into the future	40:21
	trusting the outcomes to God.	40:24
	Brothers and sisters,	40:29
	hold fast to the faith we share.	40:30
	And do not lose heart.	40:34
	(tranquil organ music)	40:39
	(congregation singing)	41:29
-	The Lord be with you.	44:19
Congregation	And also with you.	44:21
-	Let us pray.	44:22
	Be seated.	44:23
	Gracious God,	44:31
	whom to know is to love	44:35
	and to love is to serve.	44:36
	We come before you this bright summer morning seeking	44:41
	to praise you,	44:44
	desiring to hear you	44:47
	and wanting to follow you.	44:50
	Lord, hear our prayer.	44:53
	Hear us as we commit our lives to you today.	44:57
	Bless the work done here at Duke University	45:02
	so that all who labor and learn here	45:07
	may walk worthily in each of our vocations.	45:09
	Rekindle in each of us the flame	45:14
	of dedication to our work,	45:17
	realizing the treasure	45:20
	which has been committed to our care	45:21
	in our work here at Duke.	45:24
	This beautiful campus,	45:28
	bright, young minds,	45:30
	sophisticated research, honorable athletic endeavor.	45:33
	May each of us to realize the importance	45:39
	of the part which each of us plays in the mission	45:43
	of this university.	45:46
All	Lord, hear our prayer.	45:49
-	Particularly do we pray	45:53
	for those doctors and nurses and orderlies	45:56
	and clerical workers and others	45:58
	who work in the Duke hospitals.	46:00
	Oh Lord, and giver of life,	46:04
	use their gifts.	46:06
	Enliven their spirits	46:08
	in the service of your healing arts	46:10
	so that your holy work of healing	46:13
	and wholeness might occur through them.	46:16
	Lord.	46:20
All	Hear our prayer.	46:21
-	This day do we especially pray	46:24
	for those among us who struggle with cancer.	46:26
	In this life, as beautiful as it is,	46:31
	there is still occasion for pain,	46:36
	for fear and for struggle.	46:38
	We thank you for your sustenance	46:44
	of those who struggle with cancer,	46:47
	for the care of their doctors	46:50
	and the support of their families and friends.	46:51
	And for their quiet courage	46:55
	in the face of threatening illness.	46:57
	Lord.	47:02
All	Hear our prayer.	47:03
-	Gracious God, take our pain	47:06
	and our fear,	47:09
	our diverse troubles and minister to us.	47:11
	Help us to use even these dark aspects of earthly life	47:18
	to draw us toward your light.	47:24
	Make our awareness of the fragility	47:28
	and the impermanence of life	47:30
	to teach us to value	47:34
	and to glory each moment of life.	47:35
	May our experiences of pain	47:40
	and our need make us more sensitive	47:43
	to the needs and the pains of others.	47:48
	Lord.	47:53
All	Hear our prayer.	47:54
-	And now we pray in the silent secrecy of our hearts	47:58
	for those whom we love and hold dear,	48:02
	who have need this morning.	48:06
	Praying also for sisters and brothers	48:09
	who though they are not near to us,	48:11
	are still made dear to us	48:14
	through your love of them	48:17
	by the way you have made each of us part	48:21
	of your family and your kingdom.	48:24
	Hear us as we pray now	48:26
	for those whose needs have been laid upon our hearts.	48:29
	Lord.	48:40
All	Hear our prayer.	48:42
-	Amen.	48:44
	As is the custom at Duke Chapel,	48:47
	all of today's offering goes directly	48:50
	to alleviate human misery and need at home and afar.	48:53
	We invite you to give generously.	48:58
	(tranquil organ music)	49:03
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	50:34
	♪ Amen ♪	50:39
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	50:40
	♪ Amen ♪	50:44
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	50:45
	♪ Amen ♪	50:48
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	50:50
	♪ Amen ♪	50:57
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	50:59
	♪ Amen ♪	51:02
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	51:03
	♪ Amen ♪	51:07
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice ♪	51:09
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice ♪	51:14
	♪ Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice ♪	51:17
	(choir singing)	51:21
	♪ Hallelujah, halle-halle-hallelujah ♪	51:45
	♪ Amen ♪	51:49
	♪ Amen ♪	51:54
	♪ Amen ♪	52:00
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	52:03
	♪ Amen ♪	52:08
	(tranquil organ music)	52:20
	♪ Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow ♪	53:52
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	53:58
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	54:05
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	54:13
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	54:20
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	54:27
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	54:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	54:40
-	Gracious God,	54:55
	we have moved in this hour	54:57
	from silence to listening	55:00
	to questions to offering	55:03
	and now unto thanksgiving.	55:07
	We give you thanks for all the ways	55:10
	that you bless us in this life,	55:13
	ways that we too easily take for granted,	55:16
	except during times of worship	55:19
	when we are made to see how precious are our lives	55:21
	and our good are your gifts.	55:25
	We thank you	55:28
	for the blessings you have given us,	55:30
	for our jobs,	55:33
	for our friends, our health, our children,	55:35
	for summer, for vacations	55:41
	and all the other means, large and small,	55:45
	whereby you enrich our lives	55:49
	and strengthen us for the task ahead.	55:52
	We give you thanks,	55:56
	praying as our Lord and Savior Jesus has taught us	55:58
	boldly to pray.	56:01
All	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	56:03
	hallowed be thy name.	56:07
	They kingdom come,	56:09
	thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.	56:10
	Give us this day our daily bread	56:15
	and forgive us our trespasses	56:18
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	56:20
	and lead us not into temptation	56:24
	but deliver us from evil	56:27
	for thine is the kingdom,	56:29
	and the power and the glory forever.	56:31
	Amen.	56:35
	(tranquil organ music)	56:38
	(congregation singing)	57:21
-	The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	1:01:17
	the love of God and the fellowship	1:01:20
	of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always.	1:01:22
	Amen.	1:01:25
	♪ Hallelujah, amen ♪	1:01:28
	♪ Amen ♪	1:01:32
	(lively organ music)	1:01:39

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 5, 1994)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:54. Sermon end time: 40:38.
There is safety in the promise of Jesus Christ and the resurrection, even if one is facing violence presently. This must not be used to dismiss suffering and justify oppression, however. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Belief in the eternal is not an excuse to tolerate injustice today. Nor does it trivialize the beauty or the suffering of this life.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4q81571d

Date:

June 5, 1994

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Mark

Chapter and Verse:

Mark 3:20-25

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0375
ref9425_b5y
uachapelsermaud
duke:321588
dcrmv001357
ark:/87924/r4q81571d
4b1b89b0-38ae-4a1c-b604-913b899b7a88

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.

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