William H. Willimon - "When the Small Is Great, and the Great Is Small" (November 6, 1994)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP4
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jm23x0b?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jm23x0b
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

William	We're glad that you're here.	0:00
	We remind you that you're invited to a coffee	0:02
	as the guest of the congregation of Duke Chapel	0:04
	downstairs immediately after the service.	0:07
	It's helpful for those of you	0:12
	who are seated on the center pews,	0:13
	if there's any room for you to slide toward the center,	0:14
	please do so.	0:17
	That gives us some more room.	0:18
	And any vacant spaces, if you'll slide toward the center,	0:20
	that will be helpful.	0:23
	And now, let us join in the greeting.	0:26
	Stand.	0:31
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	0:35
Congregation	And also with you.	0:39
-	The risen Christ is with us.	0:41
	His saints pray with us.	0:43
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	0:46
	(soft organ music)	0:48
	♪ For all the saints ♪	1:27
	♪ Who from their labors rest ♪	1:30
	♪ Who thee by faith ♪	1:36
	♪ Before the world confessed ♪	1:40
	♪ Thy name, O Jesus ♪	1:45
	♪ Be forever blest ♪	1:50
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:54
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:00
	♪ Thou wast their rock ♪	2:06
	♪ Their fortress and their might ♪	2:09
	♪ Thou Lord, their captain ♪	2:15
	♪ In the well-fought fight ♪	2:20
	♪ Thou in the darkness drear ♪	2:25
	♪ Their one true light ♪	2:30
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:33
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:39
	♪ O may thy soldiers ♪	2:45
	♪ Faithful, true, and bold ♪	2:49
	♪ Fight as the saints who ♪	2:55
	♪ Nobly fought of old ♪	2:59
	♪ And win with them ♪	3:04
	♪ The victor's crown of gold ♪	3:09
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:13
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:18
	♪ O blest communion ♪	3:26
	♪ Fellowship divine ♪	3:30
	♪ We feebly struggle ♪	3:35
	♪ They in glory shine ♪	3:39
	♪ Yet all are one in thee ♪	3:45
	♪ For all are thine ♪	3:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:54
	♪ Alleluia ♪	4:00
	♪ And when the strife is fierce ♪	4:07
	♪ The warfare long ♪	4:12
	♪ Steals on the ear ♪	4:16
	♪ On distant triumph song ♪	4:20
	♪ And hearts are brave again ♪	4:26
	♪ And arms are strong ♪	4:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	4:35
	♪ Alleluia ♪	4:40
	(soft organ music)	4:46
	♪ From earth's wide bounds ♪	7:14
	♪ From ocean's farthest coast ♪	7:18
	♪ Through gates of pearl streams ♪	7:23
	♪ In the countless host ♪	7:28
	♪ Singing to Father ♪	7:33
	♪ Son and Holy Ghost ♪	7:37
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:42
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:47
-	Please join me in the opening prayer.	7:58
	Eternal God, we praise you for the great company	8:02
	of all those who have finished their course in faith	8:05
	and now rest from their labors.	8:09
Congregation	We praise you for those dear to us	8:13
	whom we now name before you.	8:15
-	Let us name the saints.	8:18
	(congregation members mumbling)	8:21
	To all of these, grant your peace.	8:28
Congregation	Let perpetual light shine upon them,	8:33
	and help us so to believe where we have not seen,	8:37
	that your presence may lead us through our years.	8:41
-	And bring us at last with them	8:45
	into the joy of your home,	8:47
	not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens.	8:50
Congregation	Through Jesus Christ our Lord.	8:54
	Amen.	8:57
-	You may be seated.	8:58
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	9:07
Everyone	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	9:11
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	9:14
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	9:17
	we may hear with joy	9:21
	what you have to say to us this day.	9:23
	Amen.	9:26
-	The first reading is taken from the book of Revelation.	9:29
	Chapter 21, verses one through six.	9:32
	"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,	9:37
	"for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,	9:39
	"and the sea was no more,	9:44
	"and I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem,	9:46
	"coming down out of heaven for God,	9:49
	"prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.	9:52
	"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,	9:55
	"'See the home of God is among mortals.	9:58
	"'He will dwell with them as their God.	10:01
	"'They will be his peoples,	10:04
	"'and God himself will be with them.	10:06
	"'He will wipe every tear from their eyes.	10:09
	"'Death will be no more.	10:12
	"'Mourning and crying and pain will be no more,	10:15
	"'for the first things have passed away.'	10:19
	"And the one who was seated on the throne said,	10:23
	"'See, I am making all things new.'	10:25
	"Also he said, 'Write this,	10:28
	"'for these words are trustworthy and true.'	10:31
	"And then he said to me,	10:34
	"'It is done.	10:36
	"'I am the Alpha and the Omega.	10:37
	"'The Beginning and the End.'"	10:40
	This is the Word of the Lord.	10:43
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	10:45
-	The second reading is from the gospel	10:47
	according to St. Mark.	10:49
	Chapter 12, verses 38 through 44.	10:51
	"As he taught, he said,	10:55
	"'Beware of the scribes who like to walk around	10:57
	"'in long robes and to be greeted with respect	10:59
	"'in the marketplaces,	11:02
	"'and to have the best seats in the synagogues	11:04
	"'and places of honor at banquets.	11:06
	"'They devour widows' houses,	11:09
	"'and for the sake of appearance, say long prayers.	11:10
	"'They will receive the greater condemnation.'	11:14
	"He sat down opposite the treasury	11:17
	"and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury.	11:19
	"Many rich people put in large sums.	11:22
	"A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,	11:25
	"which are worth a penny.	11:29
	"Then he called his disciples and said to them,	11:32
	"'Truly I tell you,	11:34
	"'this poor widow has put in more than all those	11:35
	"'who are contributing to the treasury.	11:38
	"'For all of them have contributed	11:41
	"'out of their abundance,	11:42
	"'but she, out of her poverty,	11:44
	"'has put in everything she had.	11:47
	"'All she had to live on.'"	11:50
	This is the Word of the Lord.	11:52
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	11:54
-	I have reached that age	12:07
	when it is tough to see.	12:09
	First, a few years ago,	12:14
	it was being forced to buy	12:15
	a pair of cheap reading glasses.	12:19
	Scarcely two years later, it was bifocals.	12:23
	Then trifocals, then contacts.	12:28
	This for someone who 30 years of my life	12:32
	had 20 20 vision, it's tough.	12:35
	You parents will know of what I speak.	12:37
	I have this irrational fear of being	12:43
	lost in the Days Inn in Des Moines.	12:48
	And I can't find my glasses and I'm there forever.	12:52
	(congregation laughing)	12:55
	It's tough to see.	12:58
	It is tough to see certain people.	12:59
	I have a friend who lives in New York	13:05
	who refers to what she calls the Manhattan stare.	13:06
	She says it's a self-defense mechanism	13:13
	that one naturally develops	13:15
	walking to work each morning,	13:17
	past the panhandlers and the street people.	13:19
	You're able to walk blocks, she says,	13:22
	without ever really seeing anybody.	13:25
	It is tough to see certain people.	13:32
	Jesus enters the temple with his disciples.	13:37
	And we have entered the temple, so to speak,	13:43
	disciples of Jesus.	13:48
	And Jesus watches the rich	13:52
	and important people as they drop their money	13:55
	into the temple offering.	13:58
	Of course, everybody is probably watching	13:59
	the rich and the important people.	14:01
	For the heavy money clanking into the plates,	14:05
	calling attention to itself.	14:08
	The text says everybody noticed.	14:10
	But Jesus notices someone who people do not see,	14:15
	a poor widow.	14:20
	He sees her offering her two pennies,	14:22
	all that she had.	14:24
	I daresay that probably no one else that day noticed her.	14:27
	I say that from my own observation of myself	14:30
	and the way that there are just,	14:34
	there are certain people I do not notice.	14:35
	A poor widow.	14:42
	She was small.	14:45
	By definition, she was sociologically,	14:47
	legally insignificant.	14:50
	Jesus attacks the scribes	14:52
	for the way they devour the widow's offering.	14:55
	She is on the bottom of society.	14:58
	She is small.	15:00
	Nobody notices her act of generosity.	15:01
	Nobody but Jesus.	15:04
	And it's interesting what Jesus	15:08
	brings out of focus and what he brings into focus.	15:10
	He does not take special note	15:13
	of the meant to be impressive acts	15:16
	of the scribes and the rich.	15:18
	He castigates these pretentious religious leaders	15:22
	who love to march about in long robes,	15:26
	and who preach long prayers in public worship assemblies.	15:31
	Now let me hasten to add that this Sunday,	15:38
	we are privileged to have with us	15:40
	the deans of all the United Methodist seminaries,	15:41
	and we've reserved them seats down here at the front.	15:44
	(congregation laughing)	15:47
	But I'm sure, I want to assure you,	15:49
	Jesus could not have been referring	15:51
	to the deans of the Methodist seminaries.	15:53
	And I'm sure he was referring,	15:58
	he was not, people wearing long-sleeve robes,	15:59
	wasn't referring to any of that.	16:04
	But then Jesus turns to this poor widow	16:07
	and her act of generosity.	16:11
	In Jesus' eyes, her pennies are the most	16:13
	significant gifts to the temple that day.	16:16
	When we look at such effusive generosity,	16:23
	our lives can look,	16:28
	and our sacrifices can look puny.	16:30
	This poor widow seems extravagant beyond measure.	16:35
	Something has hold of her life,	16:39
	which leads to this sort of carefree effusiveness.	16:41
	And so, we thought.	16:48
	I thought that in this sermon that by	16:51
	overlooking those nasty remarks	16:54
	Jesus makes about people with long robes	16:55
	and the scribes and the rich,	16:58
	and just focusing on this sweet widow,	17:00
	I thought we could avoid Jesus the prophet.	17:03
	But no.	17:07
	He becomes the prophet as he forces us to look	17:09
	in the mirror of this woman	17:11
	and her life and her gift to the temple.	17:14
	Her two coins.	17:17
	And we see.	17:19
	Statistics show that Americans with incomes	17:25
	of under $15,000 a year	17:28
	give a larger percentage of their income to charity	17:31
	than people with incomes of over $100,000 per year.	17:36
	Jesus healed people.	17:44
	And he healed a lot of blind people.	17:47
	And sometimes he would heal by	17:49
	mixing up a little spittle in the mud	17:51
	and dabbing it on the eyes.	17:53
	And sometimes, he healed blindness	17:55
	by forcing people to look	17:59
	where we would overlook.	18:03
	The little people.	18:06
	And when we measure our big lives	18:07
	by their little lives,	18:10
	our sight is restored.	18:12
	And though sometimes the operation is painful, we see.	18:14
	Look at our giving.	18:19
	What we call giving.	18:20
	Most of us give from our surplus.	18:21
	An hour a week tutoring inner city kids at school.	18:25
	A pint of blood a month to the Red Cross.	18:29
	Three percent after taxes to the church.	18:32
	All of this we can easily afford.	18:34
	But this poor widow,	18:38
	see the widow, she gave all.	18:39
	It reminds you of all those little people	18:44
	that crop up in the gospels.	18:46
	People, little people with forgettable names.	18:48
	Joseph of Arimathea,	18:51
	Simon Cyrene, Martha.	18:52
	This widow who isn't even named.	18:55
	They had no leadership positions.	19:00
	They make no big speeches.	19:01
	They are not martyred for the faith.	19:03
	But the story of Jesus can't be told without them.	19:05
	The little people.	19:10
	And this All Saints reminds us	19:13
	that if you were telling your story,	19:15
	you couldn't tell your story	19:18
	without reference to the little people.	19:20
	A few years back, I was visiting the widow	19:26
	of my old Scout Master, Art Delaney.	19:30
	Art had one of the best scout troupes in Greenville.	19:34
	We went camping every other weekend.	19:36
	Come rain, snow, whatever.	19:38
	Generations of boys were led toward adulthood	19:41
	by the hours of attention that Art gave us.	19:45
	And in conversation with his widow,	19:49
	I heard her say,	19:52
	"Art loved that troop.	19:54
	"Maybe he loved you too much for his own good."	19:57
	I said, "Well, what do you mean,	20:03
	"loved us too much for his own good?"	20:04
	She said, "Well, Art neglected his business.	20:08
	"You know that he was always in financial trouble	20:13
	"because of you boys.	20:16
	"You can't be away from your work that much	20:18
	"without your business suffering."	20:20
	And then suddenly, I saw.	20:26
	All those hours given to us	20:28
	were hours that this struggling	20:32
	small businessman could ill afford.	20:33
	Every hour that he gave us boys	20:36
	was an hour of financial loss.	20:39
	He paid a price for us.	20:41
	It was, you see, over 30 years before I could see	20:47
	the extravagance of Art's gift.	20:53
	And I have been known to ponder	20:58
	as I lounge like a lizard in the sun	21:00
	on the podium at commencement each May.	21:03
	As the names are called	21:07
	and as degrees are given here at Duke,	21:08
	I have looked out upon the sea of our graduates	21:11
	and I have thought.	21:14
	We professors don't really put them there.	21:17
	We work with what we get.	21:21
	We do a little fine tuning here and there.	21:23
	But if the role call were named all those coaches	21:25
	and piano teachers and history teachers	21:30
	and ice cream vendors and maids and janitors,	21:33
	all those nameless people	21:36
	that led to this bright achievement of our graduates.	21:39
	And I'll tell you students	21:49
	something I have noted that	21:51
	the more you grow up,	21:53
	the higher you climb up the ladder,	21:55
	the greater you become,	21:58
	the more difficult it is to see	22:03
	the little people and their sacrifice.	22:06
	Yet sometimes, when we do, our lives look small	22:13
	placed next to their great gifts.	22:18
	When you were asked a few moments ago	22:22
	to name the saints,	22:25
	I hope you named some of the little people.	22:29
	And one thing Jesus often did was to teach by comparison.	22:35
	To make us look somewhere we wouldn't have looked	22:41
	without his guiding, healing hand.	22:43
	When I was a young pastor,	22:48
	we had a disaster one January.	22:51
	Worst time in the church year	22:56
	to raise money, January.	22:58
	The heating system went out.	23:00
	We had to have $10,000 or we would just have	23:02
	to close the church until spring.	23:05
	So, the stewardship chair person stood up one Sunday	23:08
	at my urging and he pled for people	23:11
	to give money for the heating system.	23:15
	And he said, "I figured it out.	23:17
	"We've got a couple hundred families in this church,	23:19
	"and if every family would just give, say,	23:21
	"$100 more a week, we could be well on the way	23:25
	"to paying off this expense."	23:30
	Well, my heart sunk because I knew	23:32
	that only half the families in the church	23:35
	gave anything to the church.	23:36
	And I went, "No, Joel, that won't work.	23:38
	"They need to give more than $100,	23:40
	"the ones who are giving."	23:42
	That afternoon, I was visiting in the home	23:45
	of one of our members.	23:48
	A little cottage, a retired schoolteacher.	23:49
	And during the conversation that afternoon, she said,	23:54
	"Did you hear Joel ask us to give $100 more this year?"	23:56
	I said, "Yeah, I heard him.	24:01
	"I believe that laypeople don't always	24:02
	"do what they're supposed to do."	24:05
	(congregation laughing)	24:06
	She said, "That's a lot of money	24:09
	"but I prayed about it after church.	24:12
	"While I was having my soup.	24:16
	"And it was like God showed me a way.	24:18
	"I pay $40 a year for the newspaper.	24:22
	"I've just been up the street.	24:26
	"I asked my neighbor up the street,	24:28
	"when she gets through with her newspaper,	24:29
	"before she goes to work,	24:31
	"she's gonna leave it on her porch.	24:33
	"I'll read her newspaper.	24:34
	"I went down the street.	24:37
	"The only other magazine I subscribe	24:38
	"to is National Geographic.	24:39
	"There's nothing in there you've got to read immediately.	24:41
	"My neighbor down the street	24:45
	"is gonna give me his National Geographic.	24:46
	"I'm gonna cancel both subscriptions.	24:49
	"That gives me $100 to give to the church."	24:51
	And I was ashamed.	24:58
	Here I was, quibbling about what was, for me,	25:03
	a relatively small amount of money.	25:07
	And this widow was giving everything.	25:12
	It's in such moments that me and my long robe,	25:19
	long sleeves, searching for seats of honor	25:23
	and well-phrased prayers,	25:27
	I shrink by comparison.	25:29
	Jesus told us,	25:37
	in his kingdom,	25:40
	the first are the last	25:42
	and the greatest are the smallest.	25:45
	And this widow reminds me on this Sunday of All Saints	25:50
	of the little people.	25:53
	The small, vulnerable, anonymous folk.	25:54
	Saints.	25:58
	In whose faithful lives we have seen a reflection	26:00
	of the costly love of Christ.	26:05
	Look at this poor widow,	26:09
	offering all she has at the temple.	26:12
	This gift, I believe,	26:15
	is a kind of foreshadowing	26:17
	of Jesus' great gift.	26:21
	Because if you know the rest of the story,	26:24
	you know that in just a few days,	26:26
	the scribes and the people in long robes	26:27
	and the rich are gonna have enough of Jesus' attacks.	26:31
	And they're gonna get together	26:34
	and they're going to move.	26:35
	And Jesus will make a large offering.	26:39
	Not at the plate in the temple,	26:44
	but on a cross at Calvary.	26:48
	And I think this story of the widow	26:52
	prepares us for that act	26:55
	of reckless extravagance.	26:58
	That act which we will shortly re-enact	27:02
	with just a bit of bread and a bit of wine.	27:05
	Look at her.	27:09
	Her faithful exuberance, reckless extravagance.	27:11
	If we can stoop to see,	27:17
	she can show us the way.	27:20
-	The Lord be with you.	27:37
Congregation	And also with you.	27:38
-	Let us pray.	27:40
	Almighty God,	27:48
	you have knit together your elect	27:50
	in one communion and fellowship.	27:52
	In the mystical body of your Son, Christ our Lord.	27:56
	Grant us grace so to follow your holy saints	28:01
	in all virtuous and godly living,	28:06
	that we may come to those unspeakable joys	28:09
	which you have prepared for those who love you.	28:13
	Lord, in your mercy--	28:17
Everyone	Hear our prayer.	28:19
-	We remember with gratitude the little people.	28:22
	The unnamed saints who have had	28:26
	inestimable impact upon our lives.	28:29
	We are grateful for all they have given us,	28:32
	and for what they have taught us	28:36
	about what is good and true and honorable in life.	28:38
	Help us so to live that we may follow their example	28:45
	of extravagant faithfulness.	28:48
	Lord, in your mercy--	28:52
Everyone	Hear our prayer.	28:54
-	Give us the courage to examine our lives	28:58
	in the light of the saints,	29:01
	that we might see the truth about ourselves.	29:03
	Where there is pride, subdue it.	29:07
	Where there is greed, release it.	29:11
	Where there is error, direct it.	29:15
	Where there is anything amiss, reform it.	29:18
	Make us anew that we might become those	29:24
	who reflect the very image of Jesus Christ.	29:27
	Lord, in your mercy--	29:32
Everyone	Hear our prayer.	29:35
-	Give us eyes to see what you would have us see.	29:37
	That we might discern what is real	29:42
	from what is simply pretentious.	29:45
	Grant us sincerity that we may persistently seek	29:48
	the things that endure,	29:52
	refusing those which perish.	29:54
	Lord, in your mercy--	29:57
Everyone	Hear our prayer.	30:00
-	Give us hearts to love as you love,	30:03
	that we might reach out to the little people	30:06
	whom we so often overlook.	30:09
	May we be so bound up in love for them	30:13
	that we may feel their needs	30:16
	as acutely as our own,	30:18
	and intercede for them with sensitivity,	30:21
	understanding, and imagination.	30:24
	Lord, in your mercy--	30:29
Everyone	Hear our prayer.	30:31
-	Give us hands to serve as we have been served.	30:33
	That our whole lives may honor you	30:37
	and witness to your love.	30:40
	Give us grace to go out with courage,	30:43
	knowing that wherever we go and whatever we do,	30:46
	your hand is leading us	30:51
	and your love is supporting us	30:53
	and your eyes are enlightening us.	30:56
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord.	31:00
	Amen.	31:02
	As people who share in God's abundant love,	31:06
	let us stand and exchange signs of God's	31:09
	peace and love with one another.	31:12
	(members chatting)	31:15
	You may be seated.	31:42
	As we know, when we give, we serve Christ.	31:51
	Let us serve the Lord with gladness.	31:55
	(inspirational band music)	32:21
	♪ I was glad ♪	33:01
	♪ Glad when they said unto me ♪	33:07
	♪ We will go, we will go ♪	33:13
	♪ We will go ♪	33:18
	♪ We will go ♪	33:21
	♪ Into the house ♪	33:26
	♪ Of the Lord ♪	33:30
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	33:41
	♪ In thy gates ♪	33:44
	♪ Our feet shall stand in thy gates ♪	33:46
	♪ O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem ♪	33:50
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	33:55
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	33:59
	♪ Shall stand in thy gates ♪	34:02
	♪ Shall stand in thy gates ♪	34:06
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	34:10
	♪ Our feet shall stand ♪	34:14
	♪ They shall stand in thy gates ♪	34:19
	♪ O Jerusalem ♪	34:23
	♪ Jerusalem ♪	34:39
	♪ Is built as, is built as ♪	34:45
	♪ Is built as, is built as ♪	34:50
	♪ As a city, as a city ♪	34:54
	♪ As a city ♪	34:57
	♪ As a city ♪	35:00
	♪ That is, that is ♪	35:07
	♪ At unity ♪	35:10
	♪ With thyself ♪	35:14
	(inspirational band music)	35:21
	♪ O pray for the peace ♪	35:53
	♪ Of Jerusalem ♪	35:57
	♪ They shall prosper ♪	36:02
	♪ They shall prosper ♪	36:05
	♪ That love thee ♪	36:08
	♪ They shall prosper ♪	36:14
	♪ For the peace of Jerusalem ♪	36:19
	♪ They shall prosper, they shall prosper ♪	36:24
	♪ They shall prosper ♪	36:29
	♪ That love thee ♪	36:35
	♪ Peace ♪	36:47
	♪ Be within thy walls ♪	36:55
	♪ And plenteousness ♪	37:04
	♪ Within thy palaces ♪	37:11
	♪ And plenteousness ♪	37:18
	♪ Within thy palaces ♪	37:21
	♪ And plenteousness ♪	37:25
	♪ Within thy ♪	37:28
	♪ Palaces ♪	37:33
	(inspirational band music)	37:38
	(soft organ music)	38:01
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	39:19
	♪ Praise God all creatures here below ♪	39:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	39:31
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	39:34
	♪ Praise God above ye heavenly host ♪	39:39
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	39:45
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	39:51
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	39:55
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	39:58
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	40:01
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	40:04
-	Let us pray together the prayer of thanksgiving.	40:18
	The Lord be with you.	40:23
Congregation	And also with you.	40:25
-	Lift up your hearts.	40:26
Congregation	We lift them to the Lord.	40:28
-	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.	40:30
Congregation	It is our right to give thanks and praise.	40:32
-	Blessed are you, God of creation and all beginnings,	40:36
	God of Abraham and Sarah,	40:39
	God of Miriam and Moses, Ruth and David,	40:41
	God of priests and prophets,	40:45
	God of apostles and martyrs,	40:47
	God of our mothers and our fathers,	40:49
	God of our children to all generations.	40:52
	You made us in your image.	40:56
	And though we all sin and fell short of your glory,	40:58
	you love the world so much.	41:02
	You gave your only Son Jesus Christ as our Savior.	41:04
	Through his suffering and death,	41:09
	resurrection, ascension,	41:11
	you gave birth to your church,	41:13
	delivered us from slavery to sin and death	41:15
	and made with us a new covenant.	41:18
	And so, with your people in all ages	41:20
	and all the company of heaven,	41:24
	we, your people, praise your name	41:27
	and join in their unending hymn.	41:30
	(soft organ music)	41:33
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	41:42
	♪ Lord God of host ♪	41:46
	♪ Heaven and earth are full of your glory ♪	41:51
	♪ Hosanna in the highest ♪	41:57
	♪ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord ♪	42:01
	♪ Hosanna in ♪	42:08
	♪ The highest ♪	42:13
-	On the night he offered himself for us,	42:19
	he took bread, gave thanks to you,	42:22
	broke the bread, gave it to his disciples and said,	42:25
	"Take, eat.	42:27
	"This is my body given for you.	42:29
	"Do this in remembrance of me."	42:31
	When the supper was over, he took the cup.	42:34
	Gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples and said,	42:36
	"Drink from this, all of you.	42:39
	"This is my blood of the new covenant	42:42
	"poured out for you and many	42:44
	"for the forgiveness of sin.	42:46
	"Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me."	42:48
	And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts	42:52
	in Jesus Christ,	42:57
	we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving.	42:59
	As a holy and living sacrifice in union	43:03
	with Christ offering for us	43:06
	as we proclaim the mystery of faith.	43:09
	(soft organ music)	43:13
	♪ Christ is come ♪	43:16
	♪ Christ is risen ♪	43:18
	♪ Christ will come again ♪	43:21
-	Send the power of your Holy Spirit on us	43:27
	and on these gifts,	43:29
	that in the breaking of bread and drinking of wine,	43:31
	we may know anew the presence of the Living Christ.	43:33
	Renew our communion with all the saints,	43:37
	that we may run with perseverance the race	43:41
	that is set before us, looking to Jesus,	43:43
	the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.	43:46
	Through him, with him and the unity of the Holy Spirit,	43:50
	all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God,	43:54
	now and forever.	43:57
	(soft organ music)	43:59
	♪ Amen ♪	44:03
	♪ Amen ♪	44:05
	♪ Amen ♪	44:08
-	Let us pray the prayer our Lord has taught us.	44:17
Everyone	Our Father who art in heaven,	44:20
	hallowed be thy name.	44:22
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	44:24
	on earth as it is in heaven.	44:27
	Give us this day our daily bread	44:29
	and forgive us our trespasses,	44:32
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	44:34
	And lead us not into temptation,	44:37
	but deliver us from evil.	44:40
	For thine is the kingdom and the power	44:42
	and the glory forever.	44:44
	Amen.	44:46
-	When we break the bread,	44:48
	is it not a means of sharing in the body of Christ.	44:50
	When we give thanks over the cup,	44:54
	is it not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ.	44:56
	Come to the Lord's table.	45:01
	(soft organ music)	45:26
	(choir members singing)	46:27
	(soft organ music)	49:38
	(choir members singing)	51:15
	(soft organ music)	53:58
	(choir members singing)	55:11
	(soft organ music)	59:30
-	Let us stand for the prayer.	1:01:17
	Lord, you renew us at your table	1:01:22
	with the bread of life.	1:01:24
	May this food strengthen us in love	1:01:26
	and help us to serve you and one another.	1:01:29
	We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.	1:01:32
	Amen.	1:01:37
	(inspirational band music)	1:01:42
	♪ Sing with all the saints in glory ♪	1:02:21
	♪ Sing the resurrection song ♪	1:02:25
	♪ Death and sorrow, earth's dark story ♪	1:02:30
	♪ To the former days belong ♪	1:02:35
	♪ All around the clouds are breaking ♪	1:02:40
	♪ Soon the storms of time shall cease ♪	1:02:44
	♪ In God's likeness we awaken ♪	1:02:49
	♪ Knowing everlasting peace ♪	1:02:54
	♪ O what glory, far exceeding ♪	1:03:02
	♪ All that eye has yet perceived ♪	1:03:06
	♪ Holiest hearts, for ages pleading ♪	1:03:11
	♪ Never that full joy conceived ♪	1:03:16
	♪ God has promised, Christ prepares it ♪	1:03:20
	♪ There on high our welcome waits ♪	1:03:25
	♪ Ev'ry humble spirit shares it ♪	1:03:30
	♪ Christ has passed the eternal gates ♪	1:03:34
	♪ Life eternal, heaven rejoices ♪	1:03:42
	♪ Jesus lives who once was dead ♪	1:03:47
	♪ Shout with joy, oh deathless voices ♪	1:03:51
	♪ Child of God, lift up your head ♪	1:03:56
	♪ Patriarchs from distant ages ♪	1:04:01
	♪ Saints all longing for their heaven ♪	1:04:05
	♪ Prophets, psalmists, seers, and sages ♪	1:04:10
	♪ All await the glory giv'n ♪	1:04:15
	♪ Life eternal, oh what wonders ♪	1:04:23
	♪ Crowd on faith what joy unknown ♪	1:04:27
	♪ When amid earth's closing thunders ♪	1:04:32
	♪ Saints shall stand before the throne ♪	1:04:37
	♪ Oh, to enter that bright portal ♪	1:04:41
	♪ See that glowing firmament ♪	1:04:46
	♪ Know with you, oh God immortal ♪	1:04:50
	♪ Jesus Christ whom you have sent ♪	1:04:55
	(inspirational organ music)	1:05:01
-	The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ	1:05:45
	and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:05:48
	be with you now and always.	1:05:51
	(choir members singing)	1:05:58
	(inspirational organ music)	1:07:54

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "When the Small Is Great, and the Great Is Small" (November 6, 1994)

Description:

Sermon start time: 12:07. Sermon end time: 27:23.
Reflecting on the widow’s tithe, the preacher argues that people in the Bible like the widow are our role-models of discipleship who give to God with extravagance. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Jesus told us, in his kingdom, the first are the last. and the greatest are the smallest. And this widow reminds me on this Sunday of All Saints of the little people. The small, vulnerable, anonymous folk, saints, in whose faithful lives we have seen a reflection of the costly love of Christ. Look at this poor widow, offering all she has at the temple. This gift, I believe, is a kind of foreshadowing of Jesus’ great gift.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4jm23x0b

Date:

November 6, 1994

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

Mark

Chapter and Verse:

Mark 12:38-44

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0397
ref9493_70i
uachapelsermaud
duke:321736
dcrmv001379
ark:/87924/r4jm23x0b
9bd95064-2c86-4b4d-82f2-b9fd7f1e7183

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Related Resources:

See below

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

William H. Willimon - "When the Small Is Great, and the Great Is Small" (November 6, 1994)

Transcript

Item Info

Related Item

Duke University Archives