Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (July 3, 1994)
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| - | The birth of our nation. | 0:00 |
| Please stand as we join in worship with the greeting. | 0:02 | |
| The beginning of wisdom is to give reverence to God. | 0:08 | |
| Congregation | God grant us wisdom and worship | 0:13 |
| to live with reverence. | 0:16 | |
| - | The wise delight to meditate on God's will and way. | 0:17 |
| Congregation | They are like a tree, | 0:23 |
| planted by streams of water, | 0:24 | |
| that yields fruit in its season. | 0:27 | |
| Its leaf does not wither. | 0:30 | |
| All | We come to worship God with reverence, | 0:32 |
| hoping to send down the roots of righteousness. | 0:36 | |
| (religious music) | 0:40 | |
| (singing in foreign language) | 0:46 | |
| - | Let us pray. | 4:48 |
| Oh, God, who makes us glad with the weekly remembrance | 4:53 | |
| of your glory resurrection. | 4:57 | |
| We, your children, come gathered here | 5:01 | |
| to worship you, oh God, in spirit | 5:04 | |
| and in truth. | 5:08 | |
| We pray today that as we raise our psalms of Zion, | 5:10 | |
| and as we sing songs of praise to your glory name, oh God, | 5:16 | |
| that indeed all that we do and say will be to your name's | 5:21 | |
| honor and glory. | 5:27 | |
| Grant us blessing in worship, | 5:30 | |
| that this day and ever more, | 5:33 | |
| earth will proclaim thee blessed Lord of peace, amen. | 5:36 | |
| - | Let us pray together the prayer for illumination. | 5:55 |
| All | Open our hearts and minds, oh God, | 5:59 |
| by the power of your holy spirit, | 6:02 | |
| so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 6:05 | |
| we might hear your word with joy this day, amen. | 6:08 | |
| - | The first lesson is taken from the second book | 6:14 |
| of Samuel, chapter five, verses one through five | 6:16 | |
| and verses nine through, nine and 10. | 6:21 | |
| "Then all the tribes of Israel came | 6:26 | |
| "to David at Hebron and said, | 6:28 | |
| "look, we are your bone and flesh, | 6:31 | |
| "for some time while Saul was king over us, | 6:35 | |
| "it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. | 6:37 | |
| "The Lord said to you, | 6:42 | |
| "it is you who shall be shepherd of my people, Israel. | 6:43 | |
| "You who shall be ruler over Israel. | 6:47 | |
| "So all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. | 6:51 | |
| "And king David made a covenant with them at Hebron | 6:55 | |
| "before the Lord and they anointed David king over Israel." | 6:58 | |
| David was 30 years old when he began | 7:04 | |
| to reign and he reigned 40 years. | 7:06 | |
| At Hebron, he reigned over Judah seven years | 7:09 | |
| and six months. | 7:11 | |
| And at Jerusalem, he reigned over all Israel | 7:13 | |
| and Judah 33 years. | 7:16 | |
| David occupied the stronghold | 7:19 | |
| and named it the city of David. | 7:22 | |
| David built the city all around from the Millo inward, | 7:24 | |
| and David became greater and greater, | 7:28 | |
| for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. | 7:30 | |
| This is the word of the Lord. | 7:33 | |
| All | Thanks be to God. | 7:35 |
| - | Today's Psalm is Psalm 48, found on page 782 | 7:50 |
| in the hymnal. | 7:54 | |
| Please stand and sing the Psalm and glory responsively. | 7:55 | |
| (organ music) | 8:03 | |
| ♪ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised ♪ | 8:14 | |
| ♪ In the city of our God ♪ | 8:20 | |
| ♪ His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation ♪ | 8:26 | |
| ♪ He's the joy of all the earth ♪ | 8:33 | |
| ♪ Mount Zion in the far north, the city ♪ | 8:39 | |
| ♪ Of the great ruler ♪ | 8:43 | |
| ♪ Within its citadels, God has proven a sure defense ♪ | 8:47 | |
| ♪ For lo, the kings assembled ♪ | 8:57 | |
| ♪ They marched together ♪ | 9:00 | |
| ♪ As soon as they saw it, they were astounded ♪ | 9:03 | |
| ♪ They were in panic, they took to flight ♪ | 9:08 | |
| ♪ Trembling took hold of them there ♪ | 9:15 | |
| ♪ Anguish as of a woman in travail ♪ | 9:20 | |
| ♪ As when an east wind shatters ♪ | 9:24 | |
| ♪ The ships of Tarshish. ♪ | 9:27 | |
| ♪ As we have heard, so have we seen ♪ | 9:31 | |
| ♪ In the city of the Lord of hosts ♪ | 9:35 | |
| ♪ In the city of our God ♪ | 9:39 | |
| ♪ Which God establishes forever ♪ | 9:42 | |
| ♪ We have thought on your steadfast love, oh God ♪ | 9:48 | |
| ♪ In the midst of your temple ♪ | 9:55 | |
| ♪ As your name, oh God, so your praise reaches ♪ | 10:01 | |
| ♪ To the ends of the earth ♪ | 10:06 | |
| ♪ Your right hand is filled with victory ♪ | 10:10 | |
| ♪ Let Mount Zion be glad ♪ | 10:15 | |
| ♪ Let the daughters of Judah rejoice ♪ | 10:20 | |
| ♪ Because of your judgements ♪ | 10:23 | |
| ♪ Walk about Zion, go round about it ♪ | 10:27 | |
| ♪ Number its towers ♪ | 10:32 | |
| ♪ Consider well its ramparts, go through its citadels ♪ | 10:38 | |
| ♪ That you may tell the next generation ♪ | 10:45 | |
| ♪ This is God, our God forever and ever ♪ | 10:52 | |
| ♪ God will be our guide forever ♪ | 11:00 | |
| ♪ Oh glory be to you, creator ♪ | 11:08 | |
| ♪ And to Jesus Christ, our savior ♪ | 11:11 | |
| ♪ And to the holy spirit, blessed will it be ♪ | 11:16 | |
| ♪ As it was when time began, he is God ♪ | 11:24 | |
| ♪ And will be forever more ♪ | 11:32 | |
| - | You may be seated. | 11:40 |
| - | The epistle reading is from second Corinthians, | 11:51 |
| chapter 12, verses two through 10. | 11:53 | |
| "I know a person in Christ, who 14 years ago was caught | 11:59 | |
| "up to the third heaven, whether in the body | 12:02 | |
| "or out of the body, I do not know. | 12:05 | |
| "God knows and I know that such a person, | 12:08 | |
| "whether in the body or out of the body, | 12:11 | |
| "I do not know, God knows was caught up | 12:13 | |
| "into paradise and heard things that are not to be told, | 12:15 | |
| "that no mortal is permitted to repeat. | 12:20 | |
| "On behalf of such a one, I will boast, | 12:23 | |
| "but on my own behalf, I will not boast | 12:25 | |
| "except of my weaknesses. | 12:29 | |
| "But, if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, | 12:32 | |
| "for I will be speaking the truth. | 12:35 | |
| "But I refrain from it so that no one may think better | 12:38 | |
| "of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, | 12:40 | |
| "even considering the exceptional character | 12:44 | |
| "of the revelations. | 12:46 | |
| "Therefore to keep me from being too elated, | 12:48 | |
| "a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger | 12:51 | |
| "of Satan to torment me, to keep me | 12:54 | |
| "from being too elated. | 12:57 | |
| "Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, | 13:00 | |
| "that it would leave me, but he said to me, | 13:03 | |
| "my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect | 13:05 | |
| "in weakness, so I will boast all the more gladly | 13:09 | |
| "of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ | 13:13 | |
| "may dwell in me. | 13:15 | |
| "Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, | 13:18 | |
| "hardships, persecutions and calamities | 13:21 | |
| "for the sake of Christ. | 13:25 | |
| 'For whenever I am weak, then I am strong." | 13:27 | |
| This is the word of the Lord. | 13:31 | |
| ♪ I got a crown up in that kingdom ♪ | 13:56 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 13:59 | |
| ♪ I got a crown up in that kingdom ♪ | 14:01 | |
| ♪ I'm gonna lay down this world ♪ | 14:06 | |
| ♪ Gonna shoulder up my cross ♪ | 14:09 | |
| ♪ Gonna take it home to my Jesus ♪ | 14:12 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 14:14 | |
| ♪ I got a robe up in that kingdom ♪ | 14:17 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 14:19 | |
| ♪ I got a robe up in that kingdom ♪ | 14:22 | |
| ♪ I got a crown up in that kingdom ♪ | 14:24 | |
| ♪ I'm gonna lay down this world ♪ | 14:28 | |
| ♪ Gonna shoulder up my cross ♪ | 14:31 | |
| ♪ Gonna take it home to my Jesus ♪ | 14:34 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news, good news ♪ | 14:36 | |
| ♪ I got a savior in that kingdom ♪ | 14:39 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 14:42 | |
| ♪ I got a savior in that kingdom ♪ | 14:44 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 14:47 | |
| ♪ I'm gonna lay down this world ♪ | 14:49 | |
| ♪ Gonna shoulder up my cross ♪ | 14:52 | |
| ♪ Gonna take it home to my Jesus ♪ | 14:54 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 14:57 | |
| ♪ Good news, good news, good news ♪ | 14:58 | |
| ♪ Good news my lord ♪ | 15:02 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news, good news, my lord ♪ | 15:08 | |
| ♪ Ain't that good news ♪ | 15:13 | |
| - | Our gospel lesson this morning is from Mark, chapter six, | 15:30 |
| verses one through 13. | 15:35 | |
| "He left that place and came to his home town | 15:39 | |
| "and his disciples followed him. | 15:42 | |
| "On the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue. | 15:45 | |
| "And many who heard him were astounded, | 15:48 | |
| "they said, where did this man get all this? | 15:51 | |
| "What is this wisdom that has been given to him? | 15:54 | |
| "What deeds of power are being done by his hands? | 15:58 | |
| "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary? | 16:01 | |
| "And brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon | 16:04 | |
| "and are not his sisters here with us? | 16:09 | |
| "And they took offense at him. | 16:12 | |
| "And Jesus said to them, | 16:14 | |
| "prophets are not without honor, except in their home towns, | 16:16 | |
| "And among their own kin and in their own house. | 16:20 | |
| "And he could do no deed of power there, | 16:24 | |
| "except he laid his hands on a few sick people | 16:26 | |
| "and cured them. | 16:28 | |
| "And he was amazed at their unbelief, | 16:30 | |
| "then he went about among the villages teaching. | 16:33 | |
| "He called the 12 and began to send them out, two by two, | 16:35 | |
| "and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. | 16:40 | |
| "He ordered them to take nothing for their journey | 16:43 | |
| "except a staff. | 16:46 | |
| "No bread, no bag, no money in their belts, | 16:47 | |
| "but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. | 16:51 | |
| "He said to them wherever you enter a house, stay there | 16:56 | |
| "until you leave the place. | 17:00 | |
| "If any place will not welcome you, | 17:02 | |
| "and they refuse to hear you, as you leave | 17:04 | |
| "shake off the dust that is on your feet | 17:07 | |
| "as a testimony against them. | 17:10 | |
| "So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. | 17:13 | |
| "They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many | 17:16 | |
| "who were sick and cured them." | 17:19 | |
| This is the word of the Lord, thanks be to God. | 17:22 | |
| - | One of the things we learned at a very early age, | 17:40 |
| is that we are judged on the basis | 17:44 | |
| of our strengths and weaknesses. | 17:46 | |
| She's so pretty, he's smart as a whip. | 17:50 | |
| You're so stupid, God, what a wimp. | 17:54 | |
| Strengths are good, weaknesses are bad. | 17:59 | |
| Strengths bring praise, weaknesses condemnation. | 18:01 | |
| We learn very early to lead with our strengths, | 18:07 | |
| to show these proudly to the world | 18:11 | |
| and to work to overcome our weaknesses, | 18:14 | |
| or failing that to hide them in shame. | 18:16 | |
| Our entire educational system, beginning with preschool | 18:21 | |
| is designed to enhance strengths and minimize weaknesses. | 18:24 | |
| At the university level, we strive to help students | 18:29 | |
| develop their intellectual, emotional, physical, spiritual, | 18:32 | |
| and social skills. | 18:36 | |
| We believe that college should strengthen them | 18:38 | |
| to face the challenges of life, | 18:41 | |
| through education we hope they will learn to recognize | 18:44 | |
| and overcome their weaknesses. | 18:47 | |
| We hope that they will leave Duke smarter, stronger, better | 18:49 | |
| than when they came to us. | 18:54 | |
| Our success as a university is based upon how much | 18:57 | |
| we enhance our strengths as an institution | 19:01 | |
| and how much we develop the strengths of our students. | 19:05 | |
| The successes of our alumni have a lot to say | 19:11 | |
| about our success as an institution. | 19:15 | |
| The judgment of your success as an individual is usually | 19:20 | |
| based upon how well you have developed your strengths. | 19:24 | |
| The number of degrees that follow your name is | 19:29 | |
| an indication of your intellectual prowess. | 19:31 | |
| The prestige of your job reveals how well you measured | 19:35 | |
| up against other people. | 19:38 | |
| The significance of your research, the quantity | 19:41 | |
| and the quality of your publications speaks | 19:44 | |
| to your ability to produce. | 19:47 | |
| The size of your bank account shows your business savvy. | 19:49 | |
| The duration of your marriage is an indication | 19:53 | |
| of your skill in relationships, | 19:56 | |
| the achievements of your children tell | 19:58 | |
| what kind of parent you've been. | 20:02 | |
| You and I are judged every day on the basis | 20:05 | |
| of our strengths and weaknesses. | 20:08 | |
| Knowing that, we work very hard to maximize our strengths | 20:11 | |
| and minimize our weaknesses. | 20:15 | |
| In the church, at Corinth, Paul was also being judged | 20:19 | |
| for his strengths and weaknesses. | 20:23 | |
| The church wasn't so much concerned with his educational | 20:26 | |
| or economic background, but with his strength | 20:29 | |
| and power as an apostle. | 20:31 | |
| After he founded the church at Corinth, some other apostles | 20:34 | |
| came to them who were much more impressive. | 20:37 | |
| They had much better credentials than Paul. | 20:40 | |
| They performed miracles and told of mysterious | 20:44 | |
| and dramatic religious experiences. | 20:47 | |
| They were charismatic leaders and powerful speakers, | 20:49 | |
| in fact, beside them, Paul looked weak and ineffective. | 20:53 | |
| He never performed any miracles for them. | 20:58 | |
| He never talked about visions, he was an awful, | 21:00 | |
| stumbling speaker, painful to listen to. | 21:03 | |
| He was in and out of jail all the time. | 21:07 | |
| If he was truly an apostle of Christ, | 21:10 | |
| one of the chosen favorites, one of the chosen few, | 21:12 | |
| then why did he seem so pathetic, beside these others? | 21:16 | |
| This gave rise to a debate about which apostle | 21:21 | |
| they should follow? | 21:24 | |
| Who was best? | 21:26 | |
| Who had the most spiritual strength? | 21:27 | |
| Who had the best credentials? | 21:29 | |
| Paul was being asked to prove himself as an apostle, | 21:32 | |
| or lose the church to the influence of someone else. | 21:37 | |
| Our text is Paul's response to that demand. | 21:41 | |
| Earlier in the letter he told them that he thought | 21:44 | |
| it was ridiculous to boast about himself, | 21:46 | |
| that they ought to be able to judge him | 21:49 | |
| on the basis of what they had seen and heard in him, | 21:51 | |
| but if it was necessary, if they forced him to, | 21:54 | |
| he would boast and make a fool of himself like the others. | 21:57 | |
| He told them, you want me to boast about my visions, | 22:01 | |
| I'll tell you about a vision. | 22:04 | |
| I had a vision where I went up to the third Heaven, | 22:06 | |
| I saw things that can never be repeated to anyone. | 22:10 | |
| But what good does that do you? | 22:14 | |
| I didn't have anything to do with it. | 22:16 | |
| God did it. | 22:17 | |
| And it does you no good whatsoever. | 22:19 | |
| You want me to boast about my miracles? | 22:23 | |
| I'll tell you about my miracles. | 22:25 | |
| I have this thorn in my flesh, that I prayed to be removed | 22:27 | |
| from me, three times I prayed for the thorn | 22:31 | |
| to be removed from me. | 22:34 | |
| And the answer to my prayer was, live with your thorn. | 22:36 | |
| My grace is sufficient for you, | 22:42 | |
| for power is made perfect in weakness. | 22:44 | |
| You want me to boast about my strength, | 22:48 | |
| I'll tell you what I boast in, I boast in my weakness. | 22:51 | |
| This was some answer that Paul gave to his critics. | 22:57 | |
| Instead of giving them the litany of his accomplishments | 23:01 | |
| and strengths, his apostle resume, so to speak, | 23:04 | |
| he held up the mirror image of their expectations. | 23:07 | |
| They wanted proof of his spiritual credentials, | 23:12 | |
| dramatic descriptions of visions and revelations, | 23:15 | |
| but he told them that his vision, any vision, | 23:18 | |
| was God's doing. | 23:22 | |
| They wanted proof of his spiritual power, | 23:24 | |
| of healings and miracles, but he told them | 23:27 | |
| of his own failure to be healed. | 23:30 | |
| They wanted to know about his strengths, | 23:34 | |
| but he told them about his weaknesses. | 23:38 | |
| He boasted of his weaknesses. | 23:40 | |
| What does this mean? | 23:44 | |
| Does it mean that Paul gloried in his weaknesses? | 23:45 | |
| Was he glad for the thorn in the flesh, | 23:49 | |
| which scholars have speculated was anything | 23:52 | |
| from epilepsy to depression, to an eye disorder. | 23:54 | |
| We all know people, people who take a kind | 23:59 | |
| of perverse pleasure in their sufferings, | 24:03 | |
| folks who talk about them all the time. | 24:07 | |
| Who see life as one long pity party. | 24:09 | |
| Is that what Paul meant? | 24:13 | |
| Look at me, look at all I've suffered, | 24:15 | |
| nobody has suffered as much as I have, | 24:17 | |
| I am the best because I've suffered the most. | 24:19 | |
| Was that what Paul meant? | 24:23 | |
| Or could it be that he saw weakness as the most true | 24:27 | |
| expression of faith. | 24:30 | |
| Power is made perfect in weakness, when I'm weak, | 24:33 | |
| then I am strong. | 24:36 | |
| What does it mean to be strong in weakness? | 24:39 | |
| This very concept goes against everything | 24:42 | |
| we've been taught since birth. | 24:45 | |
| Strength, self mastery, competence is the goal. | 24:47 | |
| Weaknesses are to be avoided, | 24:53 | |
| or when they can't be avoided, to be hidden from view. | 24:55 | |
| We spend our whole lives trying to strengthen | 24:59 | |
| our strengths and lessen our weaknesses. | 25:02 | |
| So what does it mean to say when I am weak, | 25:06 | |
| I am strong? | 25:10 | |
| I must confess that I've been struggling | 25:13 | |
| with this text for some time. | 25:15 | |
| The truth is, I don't like to be weak. | 25:18 | |
| I like to be strong, in control. | 25:21 | |
| I am a child of my culture, and I have learned well | 25:24 | |
| the lessons of strength and weakness. | 25:27 | |
| Everything within me rebels against the concept | 25:31 | |
| that to be faithful, I must be weak. | 25:35 | |
| As a woman, I've also learned to be suspicious | 25:40 | |
| of anything or anyone that tells me I need to forfeit | 25:42 | |
| my strength, give away my power. | 25:47 | |
| I know too many women who lead with their weakness | 25:50 | |
| because they've never learned to trust their power. | 25:53 | |
| What does this scripture say to them? | 25:58 | |
| What does it say to the battered wife, | 26:01 | |
| or the sexually abused child? | 26:02 | |
| She knows what it's like to be weak and powerless | 26:05 | |
| to stop the violence against her. | 26:09 | |
| There's nothing to boast about in that. | 26:12 | |
| What does it say to the men, the women, and children | 26:15 | |
| in Rwanda who've seen atrocities that no one should ever | 26:18 | |
| have to witness? | 26:21 | |
| As hundreds of thousands have died at the butchering hands | 26:23 | |
| of the powerful. | 26:27 | |
| What does it mean to say to them, when I am weak, | 26:29 | |
| then I am strong? | 26:33 | |
| I cannot, I will not tell the battered, | 26:36 | |
| abused, war-torn | 26:41 | |
| powerless that God desires their weakness and powerlessness. | 26:43 | |
| I don't believe in a God like that. | 26:49 | |
| So what does this text mean? | 26:53 | |
| Power is made perfect in weakness. | 26:56 | |
| When I am a weak, then I am strong. | 26:58 | |
| Paul was certainly a person who understood | 27:03 | |
| what it meant to be weak. | 27:06 | |
| He knew what it felt like to be powerless | 27:07 | |
| to stop the violence against him. | 27:11 | |
| He'd been beaten, he'd been stoned, he'd been | 27:14 | |
| in prison, he'd been starved. | 27:17 | |
| This was not a lofty spiritual principle for Paul. | 27:19 | |
| It touched very close to home. | 27:24 | |
| In his life as an apostle, Paul had learned | 27:27 | |
| that the mountaintop experiences of the third heaven | 27:29 | |
| were few and far between. | 27:32 | |
| It was easy to believe in the power of God | 27:35 | |
| at times like that. | 27:37 | |
| But his life was much more marked by times | 27:39 | |
| of weakness and danger. | 27:42 | |
| The pivotal question for Paul was to discover where | 27:46 | |
| the power of God was when he faced the 40 lashes minus one. | 27:50 | |
| Not one time, but five separate times. | 27:55 | |
| Where was the power of God in that? | 27:59 | |
| Where was the power of God when he was adrift at sea | 28:01 | |
| for a night and a day? | 28:04 | |
| Where was the power of God when stones were being hurled | 28:07 | |
| at him and he feared for his life? | 28:10 | |
| Where was the power of God | 28:14 | |
| when he wasn't healed of the thorn in his flesh? | 28:16 | |
| Where was the power of God in that? | 28:20 | |
| This was the pivotal question. | 28:24 | |
| The answer that Paul received | 28:28 | |
| allowed him to make sense out of his life | 28:31 | |
| and empowered him to face hardships | 28:35 | |
| with unshakeable confidence. | 28:38 | |
| The key for Paul was God's answer to his request | 28:43 | |
| that the thorn in his flesh be removed from him. | 28:47 | |
| God's answer was, | 28:52 | |
| my grace is sufficient for you, | 28:54 | |
| for power is made perfect in weakness. | 28:58 | |
| The key is not the fact of our weakness, | 29:02 | |
| weakness is part of the inescapable human reality. | 29:05 | |
| The key, the key is the sufficiency | 29:10 | |
| of God's grace and power. | 29:14 | |
| Power and grace which are known perfectly, | 29:18 | |
| made fully present, fully known, fully realized, | 29:21 | |
| fully sufficient in moments of our weakness. | 29:26 | |
| God didn't will the sufferings of Paul, | 29:31 | |
| but when Paul had no strength of his own, | 29:35 | |
| when he had no personal resources left, | 29:38 | |
| he discovered that the grace and power of God | 29:42 | |
| were present with him and that they were sufficient, | 29:45 | |
| enough, nothing more required. | 29:49 | |
| When there was no question about his strength, | 29:55 | |
| or his confidence or his power, when he had nothing left | 29:57 | |
| to rely upon, Paul discovered that the God of power | 30:01 | |
| was perfectly present in his weakness and that was enough. | 30:05 | |
| In those moments, when he could no longer depend | 30:11 | |
| on his own power, he was strengthened by the very power | 30:15 | |
| of Christ dwelling within. | 30:19 | |
| That is what he boasted in. | 30:23 | |
| Not his weakness, but that through his weakness the God | 30:25 | |
| of power was made perfectly present, perfectly sufficient, | 30:29 | |
| perfectly visible, perfect. | 30:33 | |
| It isn't that God's power isn't present all the time, | 30:37 | |
| all the time God's power is present for not one of us | 30:42 | |
| could live one single moment apart from the power | 30:46 | |
| of God, which sustains the whole creation. | 30:48 | |
| It isn't that God's power isn't present, it's just | 30:52 | |
| that it's so easy for us to overlook God's power | 30:56 | |
| in moments when we're filled with our own strength. | 30:59 | |
| When everything's going great, when we often believe | 31:03 | |
| that we're in control of the situation, | 31:06 | |
| everything's going our way, | 31:08 | |
| it's easy for us to feel responsible | 31:10 | |
| for the blessings that we enjoy. | 31:12 | |
| Self made is the highest praise you can have in America. | 31:15 | |
| When our power is at its height, it's difficult | 31:20 | |
| to make room for God. | 31:24 | |
| Perhaps that's why so many of us only become aware | 31:27 | |
| of the presence of God in times of weakness, | 31:31 | |
| when we have no inner resources left. | 31:33 | |
| God doesn't set out to prostrate us, | 31:37 | |
| but when we find ourselves through the vicissitudes | 31:41 | |
| and the troubles of life, laid out flat | 31:44 | |
| with no resources of our own left to turn to, | 31:47 | |
| we discover that the power and grace of God have been there | 31:50 | |
| all along and they are | 31:54 | |
| sufficient for us. | 31:58 | |
| Whatever our need, whatever our pain, | 32:01 | |
| whatever our suffering, God's grace | 32:05 | |
| and power is sufficient. | 32:09 | |
| They are sufficient for the battered wife, | 32:12 | |
| sufficient for the abused child, | 32:14 | |
| sufficient for the tortured and murdered, | 32:16 | |
| sufficient for the grieving, sufficient for the hurting, | 32:19 | |
| God's grace is sufficient, God's power is made perfect, | 32:23 | |
| perfectly present in our weakness. | 32:28 | |
| That doesn't mean God wants us to give away our strength | 32:32 | |
| or wallow in our weaknesses. | 32:35 | |
| Paul kept on preaching the gospel in spite | 32:37 | |
| of the persecution, in spite of the pain that he lived | 32:40 | |
| with every day of his life. | 32:43 | |
| He used every ability, every skill that God gave him | 32:46 | |
| in his mission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. | 32:50 | |
| More than any other than Christ, Paul was responsible | 32:54 | |
| for the spread of Christianity throughout the world. | 32:58 | |
| He was a man of tremendous power and he continues | 33:01 | |
| to have an incredible influence upon our world | 33:06 | |
| 2000 years later. | 33:09 | |
| But, the power of Paul was the power of Christ, | 33:12 | |
| dwelling within him. | 33:15 | |
| God doesn't diminish or take away our strength, | 33:18 | |
| indeed when the power of Christ dwells within us, | 33:22 | |
| we have more strength than we could ever attain | 33:25 | |
| on our own. | 33:28 | |
| The difference is whether we look to our own power | 33:30 | |
| or to the power of God. | 33:33 | |
| What matters is where we place our trust, | 33:35 | |
| where is our confidence? | 33:38 | |
| What do we rely upon? | 33:39 | |
| Is it self or God? | 33:41 | |
| What Paul was trying to convey to the Corinthians | 33:44 | |
| is that the center of our life and the focus | 33:46 | |
| of our trust, ought not be our own strength, | 33:50 | |
| but God's strength. | 33:54 | |
| Our power is limited, no matter how impressive | 33:56 | |
| our credentials may be. | 33:59 | |
| But, God's power is inexhaustible. | 34:02 | |
| He had learned that the in dwelling Christ, | 34:06 | |
| was the source, the only source of authentic power. | 34:08 | |
| And that is what gave him the strength to endure | 34:14 | |
| and triumph through all the difficult and weak situations | 34:18 | |
| of his life. | 34:23 | |
| What matters is what we put at the center of life, | 34:25 | |
| what we base our confidence upon. | 34:28 | |
| Will we rely solely upon our own | 34:31 | |
| strength and accomplishments? | 34:33 | |
| Or upon the power of God? | 34:36 | |
| The world teaches that we should cultivate our strengths | 34:38 | |
| because self is all that there is to rely upon. | 34:41 | |
| But, Christ teaches a better way, a way that sustains | 34:46 | |
| even in times of greatest weakness. | 34:51 | |
| My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made | 34:55 | |
| perfect in weakness. | 34:59 | |
| Thanks be to the God of sufficient grace and power, | 35:03 | |
| amen. | 35:08 | |
| (organ music) | 35:17 | |
| (singing in foreign language) | 36:15 | |
| - | The Lord be with you. | 39:30 |
| - | And also with you. | |
| - | Let us pray. | 39:35 |
| Some trust in chariots, | 39:50 | |
| and some in horses. | 39:53 | |
| But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. | 39:57 | |
| Dear God, we call upon your name | 40:03 | |
| because we recognize you as creator and preserver | 40:06 | |
| of our lives. | 40:12 | |
| We humbly beseech thee to pour down all mercies upon | 40:14 | |
| your people here assembled. | 40:19 | |
| We come today lifting our supplication | 40:24 | |
| for the church universal. | 40:28 | |
| We pray, oh God, that the church throughout the world | 40:31 | |
| would be guided and governed by your holy spirit. | 40:35 | |
| So that all who profess your name, oh God, | 40:40 | |
| might be led in the ways of truth and righteousness. | 40:44 | |
| So that we may hold a faith in unity of spirit, | 40:49 | |
| in bond of peace, | 40:53 | |
| and the righteousness of life. | 40:56 | |
| We commend to you all those who are in affliction, | 41:01 | |
| we remember especially the sick and the suffering, | 41:08 | |
| and pray, oh God, that today you would visit | 41:13 | |
| their beds of afflictions | 41:16 | |
| and cause them to be aware of your ever healing presence. | 41:19 | |
| To assure, to touch, and to heal. | 41:26 | |
| We lift before you the needy and the poor, | 41:32 | |
| the homeless and the destitute, | 41:40 | |
| help us, oh God, to see your face in their faces. | 41:44 | |
| And grant to us love and confession to minister | 41:49 | |
| to them faithfully as brothers and sisters | 41:53 | |
| in your creation. | 41:58 | |
| Today we remember the nations of the world, | 42:02 | |
| and we pray that everywhere your people might be led, | 42:07 | |
| in righteousness and truth, | 42:12 | |
| and this our anniversary of independence, oh God, | 42:16 | |
| we remember this nation of America. | 42:20 | |
| And we pray as we celebrate the spirit of birth, | 42:24 | |
| that you might remind us of what it means | 42:29 | |
| to be born in you. | 42:33 | |
| Help us not to put our trust in military | 42:36 | |
| or economic powers, but to trust in your truth | 42:40 | |
| and in your righteousness. | 42:46 | |
| So that as a nation, oh God, we might proclaim | 42:49 | |
| to the world what it means, oh God, | 42:53 | |
| to truly trust in you. | 42:57 | |
| As we continue to think of the world, we think especially | 43:01 | |
| of troubled parts of the world. | 43:04 | |
| Remember your people in Palestine and Israel. | 43:08 | |
| We lift up especially the cities of Gaza and Jericho | 43:13 | |
| and Jerusalem and pray, oh God, | 43:18 | |
| that your spirit of peace would reign. | 43:21 | |
| We remember your people in Haiti, and Rwanda and Columbia. | 43:25 | |
| Oh God of deliverance, cause us to know | 43:32 | |
| and cause your people who are oppressed to know | 43:37 | |
| that you are a God who identifies with your press | 43:41 | |
| and that in their weakness, oh God, | 43:45 | |
| you will make them strong. | 43:47 | |
| Grant them hope, grant them to see in you justice | 43:49 | |
| and peace, and live ever more reassured | 43:54 | |
| that you are faithful to deliver. | 44:00 | |
| Hear our prayer today, oh God, and grant these petitions | 44:03 | |
| through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. | 44:08 | |
| And amen. | 44:13 | |
| Let us prepare ourself to continue to worship God | 44:19 | |
| with our offertories as the choir leads us in an anthem. | 44:23 | |
| (organ music) | 44:28 | |
| (singing in foreign language) | 45:40 | |
| (organ music) | 49:35 | |
| (singing in foreign language) | 50:21 | |
| - | Almighty God, father of all mercies. | 51:21 |
| We your unworthy servants | 51:29 | |
| give you most humble and hearty thanks, | 51:31 | |
| we thank you for all your goodness | 51:36 | |
| and loving kindness. | 51:39 | |
| We pray, oh God, that you might accept our thanks | 51:42 | |
| for being the blessed God of creation. | 51:46 | |
| Preserve us, oh God, with all your blessing | 51:51 | |
| in this life. | 51:55 | |
| We also pray that you will accept our thanks | 51:58 | |
| for the redemption you gave us | 52:01 | |
| through Jesus Christ, your son. | 52:04 | |
| That through him we might have life | 52:08 | |
| and have it more abundantly. | 52:11 | |
| Accept these and all our gifts. | 52:15 | |
| We recognize, oh God, that what we bring to you is | 52:18 | |
| but a reasonable service, | 52:23 | |
| but we present ourselves to you, oh God, | 52:25 | |
| as living sacrifices, hear us today | 52:29 | |
| and accept our thanks as we ask all these things | 52:34 | |
| through Jesus Christ, our Lord, | 52:39 | |
| who taught us when we pray, to say. | 52:42 | |
| All | Our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, | 52:46 |
| thy kingdom come, thy will be done, | 52:52 | |
| on earth as it is in Heaven. | 52:56 | |
| Give us this day, our daily bread | 52:59 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses, | 53:02 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us | 53:05 | |
| and lead us not to temptation, | 53:09 | |
| but deliver us from evil, | 53:12 | |
| for thine is the kingdom, | 53:15 | |
| the power and the glory, forever. | 53:17 | |
| (organ music) | 53:23 | |
| (singing in foreign language) | 54:06 | |
| - | May the God of sufficient grace and power be with you | 57:20 |
| and keep you always, amen. | 57:24 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah, amen ♪ | 57:28 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 57:32 | |
| (organ music) | 57:40 |