Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 12, 1994)
Loading the media player...
Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(organ music) | 0:01 | |
- | [Debra K. Brazzel] Good morning. | 0:36 |
We'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel. | 0:37 | |
We are especially grateful this morning | 0:38 | |
to the Reverend Sue Fricks, | 0:41 | |
who is the Presbyterian campus minister at Duke | 0:42 | |
for her worship leadership as presiding minister. | 0:45 | |
I'd like to call to your attention today at five o'clock PM, | 0:49 | |
there will be an anniversary organ recital | 0:53 | |
presented by Dr. David Auckus, | 0:56 | |
and we hope you'll be able to join us for that. | 0:58 | |
At the end of the service, | 1:01 | |
the directory for the congregation members at the chapel | 1:03 | |
will be available at the back on the table | 1:06 | |
just on the right hand side of the chapel. | 1:09 | |
Please stand as we continue our worship with the greeting. | 1:12 | |
The earth, and all that is in it, belongs to God. | 1:21 | |
(congregation responding) | 1:25 | |
- | [Debra K. Brazzel] So let us rejoice in God | 1:33 |
and in all creation. | 1:35 | |
(congregation responding) | 1:37 | |
- | [Debra K. Brazzel And Congregation] Lift up your heads | 1:42 |
oh gates, lift them high oh everlasting doors. | 1:44 | |
For the God of glory shall enter and reign over us all. | 1:48 | |
(organ music) | 1:58 | |
(congregation singing) | 2:39 | |
Rev. Sue Fricks | Let us pray. | 6:18 |
Awesome, holy God, we gather to praise and worship you. | 6:20 | |
To acclaim your mighty deeds throughout all time. | 6:27 | |
To acknowledge the mystery of your ways and will, | 6:31 | |
and to confess our failure to live as you have taught us. | 6:36 | |
Sharpen our awareness of your presence here with us. | 6:40 | |
Arouse us from our apathy and self satisfaction. | 6:45 | |
Kindle compassion and a thirst for righteousness | 6:50 | |
and justice in our hearts. | 6:53 | |
In Jesus name we pray, amen. | 6:56 | |
Jamie Balboa | Let us pray together | 7:11 |
the Prayer for Illumination. | 7:13 | |
Open our hearts and minds, oh God, | 7:17 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 7:20 | |
so that as the word is read and proclaimed | 7:22 | |
we may hear your message with joy this day. | 7:26 | |
Amen. | 7:30 | |
The first lesson comes from the first book of Samuel, | 7:32 | |
chapters 15 and 16. | 7:36 | |
"Then Samuel went to Ramah, | 7:39 | |
"and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. | 7:41 | |
"Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, | 7:46 | |
"but Samuel grieved over Saul. | 7:50 | |
"And the Lord was sorry | 7:53 | |
"that he had made Saul king over Israel. | 7:55 | |
"The Lord said to Samuel, | 7:58 | |
"'How long will you grieve over Saul? | 8:00 | |
"I have rejected him from being king over Israel. | 8:03 | |
"Fill your horn with oil and set out. | 8:06 | |
"I will send you to Jesse, the Bethlehemite, | 8:10 | |
"for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.' | 8:15 | |
"Samuel said, 'How can I go? | 8:19 | |
"If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.' | 8:22 | |
"And the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, | 8:27 | |
"'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' | 8:30 | |
"Invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will show you | 8:34 | |
"what you shall do. | 8:38 | |
"And you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.' | 8:40 | |
"Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. | 8:45 | |
"The elders of the city came to meet him, | 8:50 | |
"trembling and said, 'Do you come peaceably?' | 8:52 | |
"He said, 'Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. | 8:56 | |
"Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' | 9:00 | |
"And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, | 9:04 | |
"and invited them to the sacrifice. | 9:07 | |
"When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, | 9:10 | |
"'Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord.' | 9:15 | |
"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance | 9:20 | |
"or on the height of his stature, | 9:23 | |
"because I have rejected him. | 9:25 | |
"For the Lord does not see as mortal sees. | 9:27 | |
"They look on the outward appearance, | 9:31 | |
"but the Lord looks on the heart.' | 9:33 | |
"And Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. | 9:35 | |
"He said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' | 9:42 | |
"Then Jesse made Shammah pass by, | 9:46 | |
"and he said, 'Neither has the Lord chosen this one.' | 9:48 | |
"Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, | 9:52 | |
"and Samuel said to Jesse, | 9:56 | |
"'The Lord has not chosen any of these.' | 9:57 | |
"Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' | 10:01 | |
"And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, | 10:04 | |
"but he is keeping the sheep.' | 10:07 | |
"And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and bring him, | 10:10 | |
"for we will not sit down until he comes here.' | 10:13 | |
"He sent and brought him in. | 10:17 | |
"Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. | 10:19 | |
"The Lord said, 'Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.' | 10:25 | |
"Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him | 10:29 | |
"in the presence of his brothers. | 10:32 | |
"And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David | 10:34 | |
"from that day forward. | 10:38 | |
"Samuel then set out and went to Rammah." | 10:39 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 10:43 | |
(congregation responding in unison) | 10:46 | |
Male Singer | Today's Psalm is number 72, | 10:56 |
found on page 795 in the hymnal. | 10:58 | |
Please join in singing the Psalm and Gloria responsively. | 11:01 | |
(organ music) | 11:07 | |
♪ Give the King your justice, oh God. ♪ | 11:15 | |
(congregation singing) | 11:19 | |
♪ May he judge your people with righteousness. ♪ | 11:26 | |
(congregation singing) | 11:31 | |
♪ Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people ♪ | 11:37 | |
♪ and the hills in righteousness. ♪ | 11:42 | |
(congregation singing) | 11:46 | |
♪ May he live while the sun endures ♪ | 12:01 | |
♪ and as long as the moon throughout all generations. ♪ | 12:05 | |
(congregation singing) | 12:12 | |
♪ In his days, may righteousness flourish, ♪ | 12:24 | |
♪ and peace abound til the moon be no more. ♪ | 12:29 | |
(congregation singing) | 12:35 | |
♪ May his foes bow down before him ♪ | 12:47 | |
♪ and his enemies lick the dust. ♪ | 12:51 | |
♪ May the kings of Tarshish and the isles ♪ | 12:56 | |
♪ Render him tribute. ♪ | 12:59 | |
♪ May the kings and Sheba and Seba bring gifts. ♪ | 13:02 | |
(congregation singing) | 13:08 | |
♪ For he delivers the needy when they call. ♪ | 13:18 | |
♪ The poor and those who have no helper. ♪ | 13:23 | |
(congregation singing) | 13:28 | |
♪ And saves the lives of the needy. ♪ | 13:34 | |
(congregation singing) | 13:38 | |
♪ Long may he live! ♪ | 13:52 | |
♪ May gold of Sheba be given to him. ♪ | 13:54 | |
♪ May prayer be made for him continually, ♪ | 13:58 | |
♪ And blessings invoked for him all the day. ♪ | 14:02 | |
(congregation singing) | 14:07 | |
♪ And may the blossom forth in the cities, ♪ | 14:23 | |
♪ Like the grass of the field. ♪ | 14:27 | |
(congregation singing) | 14:31 | |
♪ All glory be to you, Creator, ♪ | 14:55 | |
♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior. ♪ | 14:57 | |
(congregation singing) | 15:02 | |
♪ As it was when time began. ♪ | 15:08 | |
(congregation singing) | 15:13 | |
Jamie Balboa | A reading from the second book | 15:32 |
of Corinthians, the fifth chapter. | 15:34 | |
"So we are always confident, even though we know that | 15:40 | |
"while we are at home in the body, | 15:43 | |
"we are away from the Lord. | 15:46 | |
"For we walk by faith, not by sight. | 15:48 | |
"Yes, we do have confidence, | 15:52 | |
"and we would rather be away from the body | 15:54 | |
"and at home with the Lord. | 15:57 | |
"So whether we are at home or away, | 15:59 | |
"we make it our aim to please him. | 16:03 | |
"For all of us must appear before | 16:06 | |
"the judgment seat of Christ. | 16:08 | |
"So, that each may receive recompense | 16:11 | |
"for what has been done in the body, | 16:15 | |
"whether good or evil. | 16:18 | |
"For the love of Christ urges us on, | 16:20 | |
"because we are convinced that one has died for all. | 16:22 | |
"Therefore, all have died. | 16:27 | |
"And he died for all so that those who live | 16:30 | |
"might live no longer for themselves, | 16:34 | |
"but for him who died and was raised for them. | 16:36 | |
"From now on, therefore, | 16:41 | |
"regard no one from a human point of view, | 16:43 | |
"even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view. | 16:46 | |
"We know him no longer in that way. | 16:52 | |
"So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. | 16:56 | |
"Everything old has passed away. | 16:59 | |
"See, everything has become new." | 17:02 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 17:05 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 17:08 |
(organ music) | 17:12 | |
(choir singing) | 18:00 | |
Jamie Balboa | The Gospel reading is taken from the fourth | 22:10 |
chapter of Mark verses 26 through 34. | 22:12 | |
"He also said, 'The kingdom of God is as if someone | 22:17 | |
"would scatter seed on the ground and would sleep | 22:22 | |
"and rise, night and day. | 22:25 | |
"And the seed would sprout and grow. | 22:27 | |
"He does not know how. | 22:30 | |
"The earth produces of itself first the stalk, | 22:33 | |
then the head, then the full grain in the head. | 22:38 | |
"But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in | 22:41 | |
"with his sickle because the harvest time has come.' | 22:44 | |
"He also said, 'With what can we compare | 22:49 | |
"the kingdom of God? | 22:52 | |
"Or what parable will we use for it? | 22:54 | |
"It is like the mustard seed, which, | 22:57 | |
"when sown upon the ground is the smallest of the seeds | 22:59 | |
"on the earth. | 23:04 | |
"Yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes | 23:05 | |
"the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches | 23:08 | |
"so that the birds of the air | 23:14 | |
"can make their nests in its shade.' | 23:16 | |
"With many such parables, he spoke the word to them, | 23:19 | |
"as they were able to hear it. | 23:23 | |
"He did not speak to them except in parables, | 23:25 | |
"but he explained everything in private to his disciples." | 23:28 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 23:32 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 23:34 |
- | [Debra K. Brazzel] In Jesus's day, a mustard seed was | 23:47 |
proverbial for the smallest conceivable thing. | 23:50 | |
Had he told this parable today, | 23:55 | |
he might have used a different image, | 23:56 | |
perhaps a subatomic particle. | 23:58 | |
But in the time that the parable was first told, | 24:01 | |
his audience would have understood that this was small, | 24:04 | |
very small. | 24:09 | |
The smallest possible thing. | 24:10 | |
The kingdom of God was like this, | 24:14 | |
like starting out with the smallest possible thing, | 24:17 | |
the tiniest seed that you can imagine, | 24:22 | |
and planting it and watching in wonder as it becomes | 24:25 | |
the biggest possible shrub. | 24:29 | |
It looks insignificant and trivial to begin with. | 24:33 | |
There's no way that anyone would expect great things | 24:36 | |
from such a small beginning. | 24:40 | |
But it grows to be big, very big. | 24:42 | |
More than eight feet tall | 24:45 | |
so that it towers over all other shrubs. | 24:47 | |
It grows so much that it spreads out with big branches | 24:51 | |
and birds come and make their nests in its shade. | 24:55 | |
In fact, birds love the little black seeds | 24:59 | |
that cover it so much | 25:02 | |
that they often hover over it as a cloud, | 25:03 | |
finding nourishment and protection in its branches. | 25:06 | |
There's nothing else quite like it. | 25:11 | |
It starts with one tiny seed. | 25:14 | |
But it holds within it the promise of greatness. | 25:17 | |
That's what the kingdom of God is like. | 25:21 | |
This parable was somewhat confusing | 25:26 | |
for Jesus's Jewish listeners, | 25:28 | |
for it was traditional in Judaism to compare | 25:31 | |
the kingdom to a tree, not a shrub. | 25:33 | |
Ezekial and Daniel described the powerful restoration | 25:38 | |
of David's kingdom as a mighty cedar of Lebanon. | 25:41 | |
Now anyone knows that a cedar is much greater than a shrub, | 25:46 | |
even if it is the greatest shrub. | 25:50 | |
In fact, when Luke told the same story in his gospel, | 25:53 | |
he said the mustard seed grew up to become a tree. | 25:58 | |
Matthew hedged a bit, | 26:02 | |
and said it's a shrub that becomes a tree. | 26:03 | |
But in Mark, Jesus said the kingdom of God is like | 26:06 | |
a tiny seed, a mustard seed, | 26:10 | |
that becomes a shrub, | 26:14 | |
the greatest shrub, but a shrub nonetheless. | 26:16 | |
He thereby confronted his listeners with their expectations | 26:21 | |
about the kingdom of God. | 26:25 | |
He distinguished between God's kingdom and the kingdom | 26:27 | |
that Israel was looking for. | 26:31 | |
They expected power and demonstration of God's might, | 26:35 | |
but Jesus told them that the kingdom of God | 26:38 | |
god planted through the lowly and the insignificant. | 26:41 | |
It grew big enough and strong enough to do the important | 26:46 | |
work of nurturing and sheltering others, | 26:49 | |
but without a lot of fan fare and show. | 26:52 | |
For the lowly and insignificant, | 26:57 | |
this parable became a great parable of hope | 26:59 | |
and encouragement about what God was doing in the world | 27:02 | |
and in their lives. | 27:06 | |
This parable about the mustard seed, | 27:08 | |
the tiniest thing imaginable, | 27:10 | |
becoming a mighty shrub capable of sheltering many | 27:13 | |
reassured the disciples that even though Jesus | 27:18 | |
hadn't used his power as they had expected | 27:20 | |
to establish a political reign, | 27:24 | |
that the kingdom of God would come through him | 27:27 | |
and that their small, seemingly insignificant movement | 27:31 | |
would have a role in that kingdom. | 27:36 | |
It was also an encouraging parable to early Christians | 27:40 | |
who were persecuted for their beliefs. | 27:42 | |
Even though it might appear that they were defeated, | 27:45 | |
these tiny seeds of faith, even through their deaths, | 27:49 | |
scattered throughout the world to become mighty | 27:54 | |
signs of God's kingdom, | 27:57 | |
capable of nurturing many in the faith. | 27:59 | |
The history of the Christian church is a testimony | 28:03 | |
to the courage of this tiny band of believers | 28:06 | |
and the mighty church that God | 28:09 | |
was able to grow through them. | 28:11 | |
And it is an encouraging parable for us individually | 28:14 | |
and as a community of faith. | 28:18 | |
It tells us that God is at work in the world, | 28:21 | |
taking small, insignificant people and things | 28:24 | |
and growing them up to become productive, | 28:28 | |
important instruments of God's kingdom. | 28:32 | |
It reminds us that maybe it's the small things | 28:36 | |
and the insignificant beginnings that matter most, | 28:39 | |
for the outcomes belong to God. | 28:43 | |
It makes us wonder what small seeds of the kingdom of God | 28:46 | |
are being planted in our lives? | 28:51 | |
Perhaps the seed of faith is growing within us. | 28:56 | |
Some of us attended church as a child, | 29:00 | |
but drifted away in adulthood. | 29:02 | |
Others never had a religious upbringing, | 29:05 | |
but find ourselves searching for something greater | 29:07 | |
than self to believe in. | 29:10 | |
Dan Wakefield talks about this in his book, | 29:14 | |
"Returning: A Spiritual Journey." | 29:17 | |
Though he had been raised a Christian | 29:20 | |
and had a strong spirituality as a child, | 29:22 | |
he drifted away from the church and from any relationship | 29:25 | |
to God as a young adult. | 29:28 | |
Then through the trials of his adult life, | 29:30 | |
he discovered within himself a growing desperation, | 29:33 | |
a need to find something outside of himself to hang onto. | 29:37 | |
In faltering, unsure steps, he made his way back to church. | 29:43 | |
His occasional attendance grew to regular participation, | 29:49 | |
and then to a hungering for a deeper relationship with God. | 29:53 | |
This led him to Sunday School, and then to Bible Study, | 29:57 | |
and then to a prayer group, and daily prayer, | 30:01 | |
and finally to a Spiritual Director and spiritual retreats, | 30:04 | |
and a genuine engagement with the life of the spirit. | 30:09 | |
The seed of faith had been dormant within him for years, | 30:13 | |
but as he became aware that he needed more from life | 30:17 | |
than career and self, | 30:21 | |
the seed began to take root and grow. | 30:23 | |
The seed of faith can start very small, | 30:28 | |
but it is nourished when we discover from within | 30:32 | |
a hunger for God. | 30:35 | |
We may be unsure how to proceed | 30:37 | |
or even what it means to have faith, | 30:40 | |
but the desire to know and be known by God | 30:42 | |
is all that it takes. | 30:46 | |
God can take this small beginning and nourish it | 30:48 | |
and grow it until we have faith beyond measure. | 30:52 | |
There are other seeds that get sown in God's kingdom, | 30:58 | |
like the seed of forgiveness. | 31:02 | |
I worked with a woman in counseling who was going through | 31:06 | |
an extremely painful divorce. | 31:08 | |
Her husband left her for a younger woman, | 31:11 | |
and she felt bitter and angry about all the years | 31:14 | |
that she had given to the marriage. | 31:17 | |
She felt that she had given everything she had to give, | 31:19 | |
and that there was nothing left for herself or anyone else. | 31:22 | |
She couldn't think about starting over because she was | 31:26 | |
in so much pain about the marriage. | 31:30 | |
She relived scenes from her life together | 31:32 | |
over and over until it began to disrupt her sleep. | 31:36 | |
Her anger was legitimate, | 31:41 | |
but it was hurting her more than anyone else. | 31:44 | |
We discussed the need for her to begin to forgive | 31:47 | |
her husband so that she could start the process | 31:50 | |
of healing in her own life. | 31:53 | |
He was moving on with his life, | 31:56 | |
but hers was stuck in resentment and bitterness. | 31:57 | |
Each time we met, we would pray for the gift of forgiveness | 32:02 | |
to lift the veil of anger. | 32:06 | |
In the beginning, the anger was all that she felt, | 32:09 | |
but slowly she started to feel less bitter. | 32:12 | |
She would forget her hurt for hours at a time, | 32:15 | |
and then days at a time. | 32:18 | |
And then one day the anger was gone. | 32:21 | |
There was sadness about the divorce | 32:24 | |
and the loss of the relationship, | 32:27 | |
but there was no more anger, no more bitterness. | 32:29 | |
The mustard seed had grown and forgiveness had blossomed. | 32:33 | |
Perhaps God has sown the seed of forgiveness in us. | 32:40 | |
We may know that we've been harboring a hurt | 32:44 | |
for much too long, | 32:46 | |
or we may be racked with guilt about some pain | 32:48 | |
that we've caused someone else. | 32:51 | |
God can nurture the smallest desire | 32:54 | |
to give or receive forgiveness | 32:57 | |
until it blooms in full force. | 33:00 | |
Another seed that is sewn in the kingdom | 33:05 | |
is the seed of love. | 33:07 | |
When asked about the greatest commandment, | 33:09 | |
Jesus responded, "Love the Lord your God | 33:11 | |
"with all your heart, and all your mind, | 33:14 | |
"and all your soul, and your neighbor as yourself." | 33:15 | |
Love is at the heart of the kingdom of God. | 33:20 | |
Our ability and desire to love may begin very small. | 33:23 | |
We might start out by putting a few dollars | 33:28 | |
in the collection plate. | 33:30 | |
Then signing up for Habitat for Humanity work day. | 33:32 | |
Then making a monthly pledge to the church. | 33:37 | |
Then volunteering twice a month at the soup kitchen. | 33:40 | |
The point is, the seed of love, once planted, | 33:44 | |
moves us to ever greater acts of loving service. | 33:47 | |
Giving our money can no longer take the place | 33:51 | |
of our self giving. | 33:54 | |
Occasional service projects no longer feel like enough. | 33:55 | |
We start to look at people differently. | 33:59 | |
We start to think about our role in the world differently. | 34:02 | |
The seed of love can be dangerous to our | 34:07 | |
well-laid plans and ambitions. | 34:10 | |
I know a student who went on a couple of mission projects | 34:14 | |
who's now living in the L'Arche Community | 34:18 | |
for mentally handicapped, | 34:20 | |
and another student who deferred a medical career | 34:23 | |
to work at a community center in Washington D.C., | 34:25 | |
and a doctor who agreed to lead a medical mission team | 34:29 | |
one time, but who is now coordinating a course | 34:32 | |
on medical missions and a much larger | 34:36 | |
medical center initiative. | 34:39 | |
They didn't start out looking for big ways to love, | 34:41 | |
but the seed of love got planted and it grew | 34:44 | |
and they became lovers in the kingdom of God. | 34:48 | |
Another seed that starts small but grows great | 34:54 | |
in the kingdom is the seed of courage. | 34:57 | |
Throughout the centuries, ordinary men and women | 35:00 | |
of faith have shown extraordinary courage | 35:03 | |
in the face of adversity. | 35:06 | |
But none of them ever set out to be extraordinary. | 35:08 | |
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the great Christian witnesses | 35:12 | |
during World War II didn't want to become a martyr. | 35:15 | |
But he left the safety of exile in the United States | 35:20 | |
to return to Germany because he said, | 35:23 | |
"I shall have no right to participation in the | 35:25 | |
"reconstruction of Christian life in Germany | 35:28 | |
"after the war if I don't share in the trials | 35:31 | |
"of my people now. | 35:34 | |
"Christians in Germany will face the alternative of | 35:36 | |
"either willing the defeat of their nation in order | 35:39 | |
"that Christian civilization might survive, | 35:42 | |
"or willing the destroying of our civilization. | 35:45 | |
"I know which of those two alternatives I must choose, | 35:52 | |
"but I can't make that choice in safety." | 35:56 | |
Bonhoeffer never regretted his decision to return, | 36:02 | |
not even in prison where he wrote prior to his death, | 36:06 | |
"I'm sure of God's hand and guidance. | 36:09 | |
"You must never doubt that I am thankful | 36:13 | |
"and glad to go the way that I am being led." | 36:16 | |
His courage was an inspiration to all with whom | 36:20 | |
he came in contact, | 36:22 | |
and continues to be a great witness to the world. | 36:24 | |
Another woman of courage, Elvia Alvarado, was unlikely. | 36:29 | |
She is an illiterate Honduran who would have been | 36:34 | |
content to raise her children and tend the fields | 36:36 | |
to provide food for her family, | 36:39 | |
but the living conditions in Honduras were so difficult | 36:41 | |
that she found herself pulled into the role of leadership. | 36:44 | |
She was first recruited by the Catholic Church | 36:48 | |
to organize women's groups to improve health and sanitation | 36:51 | |
in the villages, | 36:55 | |
but after many years, she and others began to ask questions | 36:56 | |
about why their living conditions were so poor | 36:59 | |
and never got any better. | 37:03 | |
They began to seek ways to find comprehensive solutions | 37:05 | |
to their problems. | 37:09 | |
She became active organizing communities to work | 37:10 | |
for land reform. | 37:13 | |
She was disowned by the church, | 37:15 | |
and persecuted by government authorities. | 37:17 | |
She has been frequently arrested and sometimes tortured, | 37:19 | |
and her life has often been threatened. | 37:23 | |
And yet, she continues her work. | 37:27 | |
In her book, "Don't Be Afraid Gringo", | 37:29 | |
written from oral transcripts, she says, | 37:32 | |
"I don't think God says go to church and pray all day | 37:35 | |
"and everything will be fine. | 37:38 | |
No, for me, God says go out and make the changes that | 37:41 | |
need to be made, and I'll be there to help you." | 37:46 | |
The seed of courage in Elvia has grown very strong indeed. | 37:51 | |
Sometimes, we are called to take a stand | 37:57 | |
on a difficult issue, | 37:59 | |
and maybe something we would rather avoid. | 38:01 | |
We don't have to start out doing anything heroic. | 38:05 | |
One small act of faithfulness is all that is necessary, | 38:09 | |
for as the seed of courage is planted in us, | 38:13 | |
we will be strengthened, first to know what we ought to do, | 38:16 | |
and second to have the courage to do it. | 38:21 | |
As the seed of courage grows to fruition, | 38:25 | |
then we become ever greater witnesses to God's kingdom. | 38:28 | |
I've talked about just four small seeds that God plants | 38:35 | |
to grow the kingdom within us: | 38:39 | |
faith, forgiveness, love, and courage. | 38:42 | |
Each of them may start small, | 38:47 | |
a nagging thought, a desire, a tiny step. | 38:50 | |
But God can use the smallest seed to grow us up | 38:55 | |
into mighty witnesses to the kingdom of God. | 38:59 | |
Perhaps other seeds not mentioned are being planted in you, | 39:03 | |
like hope or healing or trust or obedience. | 39:07 | |
The good news is that God does great things | 39:12 | |
from small beginnings. | 39:16 | |
Be encouraged wherever you see the seeds of the kingdom | 39:18 | |
being sewn in you, | 39:22 | |
for God can take you where you are and nurture you | 39:24 | |
and grow you up to realize the seeds of the kingdom | 39:27 | |
that are within you. | 39:32 | |
And when you become the person that God envisions, | 39:34 | |
you will be as a great mustard shrub that nurtures others | 39:37 | |
and shelters them within your shade. | 39:41 | |
And as a community of faith, we should also be encouraged | 39:45 | |
that God doesn't sew just one seed, but many seeds. | 39:49 | |
The kingdom of God gets planted in many people | 39:53 | |
and many places. | 39:56 | |
It isn't one might tree, | 39:58 | |
but many shrubs grown up from small, insignificant, | 40:00 | |
inconspicuous beginnings. | 40:04 | |
From seeds, even as small as a mustard seed, | 40:08 | |
the kingdom of God is sewn in you and in me, | 40:11 | |
in Durham and Los Angeles, | 40:15 | |
in the United States and Honduras and Africa. | 40:18 | |
From millions of small, inconspicuous beginnings, | 40:22 | |
the kingdom grows to be a mighty thing indeed. | 40:27 | |
The seeds have been sewn. | 40:31 | |
The kingdom of God is at hand. | 40:33 | |
(organ music) | 40:41 | |
(congregation singing) | 41:20 | |
Rev. Sue Fricks | The Lord be with you. | 44:37 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 44:39 |
Rev. Sue Fricks | Let us pray. | 44:42 |
- | Gracious God, | 44:56 |
we are amazed and humbled by the ways you work among us. | 44:58 | |
Though you call us to speak | 45:05 | |
and do deeds of justice and mercy, | 45:07 | |
yet you work in hidden and mysterious ways | 45:11 | |
to effect your purposes, | 45:16 | |
even while we sleep. | 45:18 | |
Though the world is beset with conflict and injustice. | 45:22 | |
Though your people, our sisters and brothers, | 45:27 | |
in Rwanda, Zaire, Bosnia, Hayti, and the Middle East | 45:31 | |
are suffering. | 45:37 | |
And though our beautiful planetary home is threatened | 45:39 | |
by pollution and greed motivated human development, | 45:43 | |
you teach us not to be discouraged. | 45:48 | |
When our efforts seem puny and fruitless, | 45:53 | |
and we are paralyzed by indecision, | 45:58 | |
you remind us of the seeds that grow | 46:02 | |
even when the sewer sleeps, | 46:06 | |
and of the little mustard seed that each year | 46:09 | |
starts out small but grows into a large and useful shrub. | 46:13 | |
You encourage us to trust in your perennial promises. | 46:22 | |
Fill us with hope. | 46:28 | |
Let us see the world beyond, around, and within ourselves | 46:32 | |
with open eyes. | 46:38 | |
Having seen, enable us to respond appropriately | 46:40 | |
with compassion, justice, and mercy. | 46:46 | |
Having responded, gift us with faith in your mysterious | 46:51 | |
and marvelous ways. | 46:56 | |
Fill us with hope. | 46:58 | |
In spite of the homeless, the hungry, the poor, | 47:02 | |
the sick, the dying, the imprisoned, | 47:05 | |
who are always and increasingly with us. | 47:08 | |
In spite of our concerns for those we love, | 47:13 | |
our families and our friends. | 47:17 | |
In spite of our rightful concerns about ourselves, | 47:20 | |
our state of mind and body, | 47:24 | |
all of which we pray for earnestly. | 47:27 | |
In spite of all of these, give us eyes and ears | 47:32 | |
to see and hear the signs of your coming kingdom. | 47:37 | |
In South Africa, the Middle East, Sarajevo, Russia, | 47:42 | |
in Durham and in our immediate neighborhoods, | 47:47 | |
in our loved ones, in ourselves. | 47:51 | |
Teach us to celebrate small victories | 47:54 | |
and tiny new beginnings. | 47:58 | |
Fill us with hope. | 48:02 | |
Fill us with hope. | 48:04 | |
In Jesus name we pray, amen. | 48:08 | |
God invites us to give as we have been given unto. | 48:18 | |
Let us respond as we are called, | 48:25 | |
remembering that God loves a cheerful giver. | 48:28 | |
(organ music) | 48:36 | |
(choir singing) | 49:56 | |
(organ music) | 53:50 | |
(congregation singing) | 54:28 | |
Let us pray. | 55:28 | |
Beneficent God, you gift us beyond measure with life. | 55:35 | |
This lovely planet and all of its plants and animals, | 55:44 | |
especially our human family and our personal gifts | 55:50 | |
and talents and so many material blessings. | 55:55 | |
You teach us to be generous with the fruits of our labor | 55:59 | |
and with our time and talents. | 56:04 | |
Bless our offerings of this day | 56:07 | |
to the service of your kingdom in this place, | 56:10 | |
this community, and in the wider world. | 56:14 | |
May they and we bring you glory. | 56:18 | |
Amen. | 56:22 | |
And now, let us be bold and pray | 56:23 | |
as Jesus taught his disciples. | 56:26 | |
- | [Rev. Sue Fricks And Congregation] Our Father, | 56:29 |
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | 56:31 | |
They kingdom come, they will be done, | 56:35 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 56:39 | |
Give us this day our daily bread, | 56:43 | |
forgive us our debts | 56:46 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 56:49 | |
Lead us not into temptation, | 56:53 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 56:56 | |
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, | 56:58 | |
and the glory forever. | 57:01 | |
Amen. | 57:04 | |
(organ music) | 57:08 | |
(congregation singing) | 57:42 | |
- | [Debra K. Brazzel] Now may the grace | 1:00:24 |
of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:00:26 | |
the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit | 1:00:27 | |
be with you and keep you always in God's kingdom. | 1:00:29 | |
Amen. | 1:00:34 | |
♪ Allelujah. ♪ | 1:00:37 | |
♪ Amen. ♪ | 1:00:39 | |
♪ Amen. ♪ | 1:00:41 | |
(organ music) | 1:00:48 |