Hans J. Hillerbrand - "On Commemorating the 70th Anniversary: Or, A Manual for Risk Takers" Founders' Day (December 11, 1994)

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	(uplifting organ music)	0:00
-	Thursday afternoon in this place,	2:47
	the University community celebrated the anniversary	2:49
	of the signing of the Duke indenture 70 years ago.	2:52
	We took that occasion to reflect upon our heritage,	2:57
	to single out those who have made significant contributions	3:00
	to the University,	3:04
	and to recognize recipients of scholarships made possible	3:05
	by the founding family.	3:09
	Today we pause, as we do each year,	3:11
	in honor of the Duke family	3:15
	to recognize all those who have given of themselves	3:17
	in service to the future	3:20
	by creating and recreating this University,	3:23
	both those who are here with us today	3:27
	and those whom we honor in memory.	3:29
	We reaffirm here our pledge for Duke University,	3:33
	to the ideal of service to humanity,	3:37
	and we give thanks	3:41
	for those who unselfishly take responsibility	3:42
	for a future that belongs to other generations.	3:44
	We remember that Duke University was founded	3:49
	to return the wealth of the land to its people	3:51
	through the dissemination of knowledge and respect for truth	3:55
	and through the continuing generosity	3:59
	of those who established it for all time.	4:01
-	Please be seated.	4:09
	Let us pray.	4:12
	Almighty and ever living God,	4:17
	at this time of year we pause to consider	4:20
	the wealth of your gifts and blessings upon us	4:24
	in the founding of Duke University,	4:26
	for our dear founders and their vision	4:30
	for all of those talented youth	4:33
	whose lives have been formed here,	4:36
	for faculty and administrators who dreamed and worked	4:39
	to make this dream of a great University a reality.	4:43
	We give thanks this day,	4:48
	naming all of this a sign of your blessing upon us, amen.	4:52
	Please join me in the litany of commemoration.	4:58
	Almighty and eternal God	5:05
	in whom our mothers and fathers have trusted,	5:07
	we, their children, at this time of remembrance	5:10
	offer unto thee our prayers of thanksgiving.	5:12
	(congregation murmurs)	5:16
	For members of the Duke family, father, daughter,	5:19
	sons and their spouses, grandchildren and all others	5:23
	in continuing generations until this very day,	5:26
	who with concern and compassion,	5:30
	devotion and dedication, and by their generosity	5:34
	built on a solid foundation	5:38
	continue to worthy school,	5:41
	and provided for education and service	5:43
	beyond even their dreams and expectations.	5:46
	(congregation murmurs)	5:50
	For the pioneering and persevering men and women	5:53
	connected with this University, Methodists and Quakers,	5:55
	farmers and merchants, teachers and administrators,	6:00
	who in days gone by believed in education	6:03
	and made their beliefs prevail.	6:06
	(congregation murmurs)	6:09
	For the embodiment of their dreams,	6:12
	from private school to academy to college	6:14
	to great University, founded in hope,	6:16
	continued with sacrifice, growing an outreach,	6:19
	serving with commitment.	6:23
	(congregation murmurs)	6:26
	For faculty and staff,	6:28
	whose vision was bolstered by their courage,	6:30
	whose patience was tested and found true,	6:34
	and whose idealism was implanted	6:37
	in the hearts and minds of others.	6:39
	(congregation murmurs)	6:42
	For the ongoing presence of noble ideas,	6:44
	the blending of (speaks in foreign language),	6:47
	for freedom, for responsible academic research and teaching,	6:52
	the ongoing respect for both the body and the spirit,	6:56
	pursuit of knowledge in the sciences and humanities,	7:00
	the realization, that the old order changes	7:04
	and new times bring new opportunities.	7:06
	(congregation murmurs)	7:10
	For the future of Duke University,	7:12
	established for thy glory and for the enlightenment	7:15
	of the human mind and spirit,	7:17
	for consecration to learning by the young,	7:20
	for the best use of the wisdom of those in latter years.	7:22
	For the commitment to growth and enhancement of all persons,	7:28
	for a sense of humor, a spirit of cooperation,	7:31
	and a desire for understanding among all	7:35
	within our community and the world.	7:38
	(congregation murmurs)	7:42
All	And to thee, O God, we shall ascribe	7:45
	as is most due,	7:48
	all praise and glory, world without end, amen.	7:50
-	I welcome you to this service of worship	8:12
	here on the third Sunday in the Christian season of Advent.	8:15
	Our preacher today is the chair of our Religion Department,	8:21
	Doctor Hans Hillerbrand.	8:25
	Remind you that at 4 p.m. the Durham Civic Choral	8:28
	will give their annual Christmas concert here in the chapel.	8:32
	This Sunday we bid farewell to our chapel choir.	8:36
	Over the holiday break our choir,	8:40
	an ensemble of our choir, will be touring in England	8:43
	right after Christmas and New Year's,	8:47
	and we wish them well on this journey.	8:50
	Next Sunday, we will feature	8:53
	the North Carolina Boy Choir here in this service.	8:55
	Let us stand for the hymn.	8:59
	(dramatic organ music)	9:03
	(choir vocalizes)	9:36
	(dramatic organ music)	11:47
	(choir vocalizes)	12:24
-	You may be seated.	13:01
	Please join me in the Advent prayer.	13:10
	Merciful God, You sent Your messengers the prophets	13:14
	to preach repentance and prepare the way for Your salvation.	13:19
	Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,	13:25
	that we may celebrate aright	13:30
	the commemoration of the nativity	13:33
	and may await with joy the coming in glory	13:36
	of Jesus Christ our Redeemer,	13:40
	who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,	13:42
	one God, for ever and ever, amen.	13:47
-	Let us pray together the prayer for Illumination.	13:59
	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	14:03
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit,	14:06
	so that, as the Word is read and proclaimed,	14:09
	we might be prepared for Your Advent among us.	14:12
	The Old Testament lesson for this morning	14:17
	comes from the third chapter of the Book of Zephaniah,	14:18
	beginning with the 14th chapter.	14:21
	Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel!	14:24
	Rejoice and exult with all your heart,	14:28
	O daughter of Jerusalem!	14:31
	The Lord has taken away the judgments against you,	14:33
	He has turned away your enemies.	14:36
	The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst.	14:39
	You shall fear disaster no more.	14:42
	On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:	14:45
	"Do not fear, O Zion,	14:48
	"do not let your hands grow weak.	14:50
	"The Lord your God is in your midst,	14:52
	"a warrior, who gives victory.	14:55
	"He will rejoice over you with gladness,	14:58
	"He will renew you in His love,	15:00
	"He will exult over you with loud singing	15:02
	"as on a day of festival.	15:05
	"I will remove disaster from you,	15:07
	"so that you will not bear reproach for it.	15:09
	"I will deal with all your oppressors at that time,	15:12
	"I will save the lame and gather the outcast,	15:15
	"and I will change their shame into praise	15:18
	"and renown into all the earth.	15:21
	"At that time I will bring you home,	15:23
	"at the time when I gather you,	15:26
	"for I will make you renowned and praised	15:28
	"among all the peoples of the earth,	15:30
	"when I restore your fortunes	15:32
	"before your eyes," says the Lord.	15:34
	This is the Word of the Lord.	15:37
	(congregation murmurs)	15:39
	The Gospel for this morning comes from Saint Luke	15:41
	in the third chapter, beginning with the seventh verse.	15:44
	John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,	15:48
	"You brood of vipers!	15:52
	"Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?	15:54
	"Bear fruits worthy of repentance.	15:57
	"Do not begin to say to yourselves,	15:59
	"We have Abraham as our ancestor,	16:02
	"for I tell you,	16:04
	"God is able from these stones	16:06
	"to raise up children to Abraham.	16:07
	"Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees.	16:10
	"Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit	16:14
	"is cut down and thrown into the fire."	16:17
	And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"	16:19
	In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats	16:23
	"must share with anyone who has none,	16:27
	"and whoever has food must to do likewise."	16:29
	Even tax collectors came to be baptized	16:33
	and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"	16:35
	He said to them,	16:39
	"Collect no more than the amount prescribed to you."	16:40
	Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?"	16:43
	He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone	16:47
	"by threats or false accusation,	16:50
	"and be satisfied with your wages."	16:53
	As the people were filled with expectation,	16:56
	and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John,	16:58
	whether he might be the Messiah,	17:01
	John answered all of them by saying,	17:03
	"I baptize you with water,	17:05
	"but one who is more powerful than I is coming,	17:07
	"I am not worthy to untie the throngs of His sandals.	17:10
	"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.	17:14
	"His winnowing fork is in His hand,	17:17
	"to clear His threshing floor	17:20
	"and to gather the wheat into his granary,	17:22
	"but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."	17:25
	So, with many other exhortations	17:28
	he proclaimed the good news to the people.	17:30
	This is the Word of the Lord.	17:33
	(congregation murmurs)	17:36
	(peaceful organ music)	17:38
	(choir vocalizes)	18:20
	(joyful organ music)	20:55
	The Epistle for today	21:33
	comes from Paul's letter to the Philippians	21:34
	in the fourth chapter, beginning with the fourth verse.	21:37
	Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, rejoice.	21:40
	Let your gentleness be known to everyone.	21:45
	The Lord is near.	21:48
	Do not worry about anything,	21:49
	but in everything by prayer	21:51
	and supplication with thanksgiving	21:53
	let your requests be made known unto God.	21:55
	And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,	21:58
	will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.	22:02
	This is Word of the Lord.	22:06
	(congregation murmurs)	22:08
-	I really should begin with an acknowledgement.	22:20
	My own assignment on this festive occasion	22:25
	is assuredly far easier than those	22:29
	of the University president, and the University Marshall,	22:32
	and the dean of the Chapel.	22:36
	After all, all I must do is discover	22:39
	some sermonic connection between Founders' Day	22:43
	and the third Sunday of Advent,	22:48
	thereby giving you two sermons	22:52
	for the price of one and all of that	22:55
	in the obligatory 20 minutes.	22:58
	And in fact, as you heard,	23:01
	I have no less than three scripture passages	23:02
	to establish this connection.	23:06
	But alas, this is where my problem begins	23:09
	because none of them seems very helpful.	23:13
	Now, there is Luke who tells us about John the Baptist,	23:18
	and John the Baptist's rather brash and abusive language	23:22
	which I suppose forms hardly a model for me this morning,	23:29
	and I confess I shudder to think of the possible headline	23:35
	in tomorrow's Durham Morning Herald.	23:38
	(congregation chuckles)	23:41
	"Latter-Day John the Baptist	23:42
	"Preachers Founders' Day Sermon at Duke,	23:44
	"Congregation Upset."	23:47
	(congregation chuckles)
	And imagine the Duke Annual Fund using John's language	23:52
	in its Alumni Appeal,	23:57
	so I submit to you	23:59
	that John is a non-starter.	24:01
	Now, on the other hand,	24:04
	Zephaniah and Paul seem to be an improvement.	24:06
	If you listened carefully,	24:11
	you heard that their simple message is rejoice.	24:12
	Or, as the Jerusalem Bible puts it so nicely, be happy.	24:17
	Now, what would be a better motto for Founders' Day	24:24
	and for Duke University	24:28
	and in fact, perhaps, for life in general than be happy?	24:30
	Rejoice for our Founders,	24:34
	this after all is a happy celebration of gratitude.	24:36
	And Paul's language is upbeat and he continues	24:42
	and again I'm using the New Jerusalem Bible,	24:46
	he says "There is no need to worry	24:50
	"if there is anything you need, pray for it."	24:52
	So not all of the cost for our new science research center	24:58
	have been raised.	25:03
	So, Arts and Sciences funding is falling short	25:05
	of need and ambition.	25:09
	So there is an ambitious plan	25:12
	to change residential life on our campus.	25:14
	But the Apostles Paul's word to you, president Cohan,	25:20
	is be happy.	25:24
	(congregation laughs)
	There is no need to worry.	25:28
	(congregation laughs)
	I suspect there will be some difference of opinion	25:34
	among the trustees and our president,	25:37
	whether or not Duke University can be run that way	25:40
	because if it could, then the job of the president	25:43
	and of our senior VP for development,	25:47
	and the job of the deans would be immeasurably easier.	25:49
	Of course, they would need to learn to pray	25:54
	rather well I suspect.	25:58
	And indeed I presume that their faith in praying	26:02
	will need to be much greater	26:05
	than the faith that is nowadays necessary	26:08
	to get logged on to Duke internet.	26:10
	(congregation chuckles)	26:13
	But to tell the truth,	26:15
	the trouble I think with Paul's exhortation is	26:17
	that it's just a little bit too obvious	26:22
	and just a little bit too self-evident,	26:26
	reminiscent of that famous story about Calvin Coolidge	26:30
	who was asked, what the minister,	26:34
	who had preached about sin had said,	26:36
	and his answer was, he was against it.	26:38
	So we full well know,	26:41
	(congregation chuckles)	26:42
	we full well know that we should rejoice,	26:44
	we should be happy,	26:47
	but I submit to you, an occasion such as this	26:49
	ought challenge us to get away from the obvious.	26:52
	So it seems better then for me to begin with Founders' Day,	26:58
	because after all we celebrate the 70th anniversary	27:02
	of Mister Duke's indenture which created our University.	27:06
	And in this founder we indeed celebrate all founders	27:12
	and for a very good reason.	27:16
	Because remove from this University	27:19
	the long shadow of the multitude of its founders,	27:23
	and very little would be left.	27:27
	Just think of it.	27:31
	The very first thing to go would be our very name.	27:33
	We would be Durham University or some such thing,	27:38
	and the name that holds such deep meaning would be gone.	27:43
	Also gone would be Mister Duke's statue	27:48
	right in front of this chapel,	27:50
	with a cigar in his hand,	27:53
	final victory, some might say, of the anti-smoking lobby.	27:55
	But gone would also be the sentimental statue	27:59
	of Washington Duke on East,	28:03
	and gone would be also the names of most of our buildings,	28:06
	of Gray, and Bryan, and Carr, and Baldwin, and Allen,	28:10
	and in Allen Building the portrait of the architect	28:14
	of this chapel would be gone,	28:17
	as would be the pictures of the former presidents	28:19
	of this University in the boardroom.	28:22
	And so would that modest marker	28:25
	right between Perkins and Union there on the sidewalk.	28:28
	But I fear for most of us,	28:33
	that marker is gone already anyhow.	28:34
	And instead of the Cameron Crazies	28:39
	we would have the Indoor Stadium Crazies,	28:41
	a bit awkward, but we would learn to live with that too.	28:43
	But ours would be a faceless and nameless university,	28:47
	an institution pretending	28:53
	that there is no history, no legacy, no debt, no founders,	28:55
	and therefore no gratitude and also no inspiration.	29:00
	Our founders in short are all around us,	29:06
	and we in truth cannot take a single step on this campus	29:10
	without becoming aware of them,	29:15
	and in truth some of them	29:18
	are this morning right in this chapel.	29:20
	And perhaps it is the foremost purpose	29:24
	of celebrating Founders' Day to alert us	29:26
	to their ubiquitous presence.	29:30
	And now, if we ask what these founders had in common,	29:35
	then the answer surely is not that they were wealthy.	29:39
	Of course, James B Duke was, but many, many others were not.	29:45
	Flowers was not, and Abele was not, and Cleland was not,	29:50
	and it would be indeed a pity,	29:55
	if you had to be wealthy to be a founder.	29:58
	What founders do have in common is something quite different	30:02
	and something very, very simple.	30:08
	They take risks.	30:12
	They believe in something and they take risk.	30:16
	Our founders believed in this institution	30:20
	and they risked that their commitment and their generosity,	30:23
	large or small, would bear fruit	30:28
	and somehow make a difference.	30:31
	It is their risk that in the final analysis	30:35
	made them our founders.	30:38
	Now once you think about it, you will quickly realize,	30:43
	that risk is not one of our common virtues.	30:46
	It is a rare commodity indeed.	30:51
	Remember what happened, when the children of Israel	30:56
	after their long, long journey	30:59
	at long last had reached the Promised Land.	31:01
	Moses sent 12 men ahead to explore,	31:05
	and when they returned,	31:09
	it was as if they had just seen Spielberg's "Jurassic Park,"	31:10
	their eyes were popping.	31:14
	It was truly a land of milk and honey, they reported,	31:16
	but alas it was fortified	31:21
	and it was inhabited by fierce giants.	31:24
	And in the face of these giants, so these scouts reported,	31:29
	and I quote them,	31:33
	"We seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers."	31:35
	And then we read	31:41
	that the whole community raised their voices and cried,	31:42
	"Would that we have Died in the Land of Egypt!"	31:46
	And then they said to one another "Let us appoint a leader	31:50
	"and return to Egypt."	31:55
	So here they were, at the border of the Promised Land	31:59
	and they were ready to turn around and return to Egypt,	32:03
	the land of their bondage.	32:07
	"Why?" you ask.	32:11
	Because "We seem to ourselves like grasshoppers."	32:13
	And understandable it is,	32:20
	when you think you are facing giants	32:22
	and when you seem to yourself like a grasshopper,	32:26
	you won't take risks,	32:31
	and rather than venturing	32:34
	into what might be a glorious unknown,	32:36
	the children of Israel preferred to retreat	32:40
	to the horrible known.	32:43
	And that's when risk is replaced by certainty and security.	32:46
	Now, there's something winsome about security and certainty,	32:53
	because it is comfortable and it is cozy.	32:57
	For most of us, I fear, it's the preferred approach.	33:01
	It's not no risk, no gain, but rather no risk, no loss.	33:06
	And we all know how it goes: if you don't fall in love,	33:11
	you won't be disappointed,	33:15
	if you don't get married, you won't get divorced,	33:18
	if you don't apply to law school, you won't get rejected,	33:21
	if you don't drive through East Durham,	33:25
	you won't encounter poverty.	33:27
	We might call this the Doctrine of Comfortable Certainty	33:31
	or the Wear Both Belt and Suspenders philosophy of life.	33:36
	If you don't take risks, you know,	33:42
	you don't set out for the unknown,	33:45
	you stay at home.	33:49
	That's what Martin Luther King might have done	33:53
	in his little church in Atlanta,	33:57
	and he could have well spent his days with church dinners,	34:00
	and endless committee meetings, and sermons.	34:04
	And had he done that,	34:09
	there would be no Letter from Birmingham Jail,	34:11
	Selma would be an unknown town in Alabama,	34:14
	and the words "I have a dream"	34:19
	would not be deeply rooted in this nation's conscience.	34:23
	And Galileo might have sat in a rocking chair	34:28
	and contemplated the sunset rather than examine the sun.	34:32
	Darwin could have stayed literally at home.	34:36
	C. S. Lewis could have written children's stories.	34:39
	Anton Schindler could have spent his days	34:43
	checking his bank statements.	34:46
	And Mother Teresa could have gotten a PhD in religion.	34:49
	And all of them would have lived comfortable lives	34:56
	because none of them would've risked.	34:59
	And that I think is very good to hear	35:03
	on a University campus,	35:06
	especially on a University campus,	35:09
	because ever since universities	35:12
	were founded in the Middle Ages,	35:14
	they prided themselves	35:17
	for their own sacred space of academic freedom	35:19
	which was to give the members of the University community	35:24
	the freedom for all manner of risk.	35:28
	But, alas, history tells us	35:32
	that universities through the centuries	35:36
	generally have been sanctuaries for established orthodoxies	35:38
	rather than bastions for risk-takers.	35:45
	Not many risk-takers there.	35:50
	And many of the giants of moral	35:53
	and of intellectual achievement,	35:56
	the Kierkegaards and the Thoreaus,	35:59
	and the Martin Luther Kings were not University professors	36:02
	but they were risk-takers.	36:07
	And so Founders' Day holds the special reminder	36:10
	that risk-taking must be forever	36:14
	at the very heart of society and of the University.	36:17
	The right and the acceptable place	36:21
	for the pursuit of independent thought, the crazy idea,	36:24
	and the unpopular notion.	36:30
	Founders take risks because they do not know	36:33
	if their generosity will be spent wisely.	36:38
	They do not know what direction scholarship	36:41
	or an institution might take even 10 brief years hence,	36:44
	but they risk as Mr. Duke did,	36:49
	when he declared Trinity College	36:53
	to be the principal object of his philanthropy.	36:55
	In 1923 and 24, and 25,	37:00
	it was risky, I think, to believe that a southern college	37:05
	could become a major research University.	37:09
	Risk is the courage to be, and the courage to do.	37:14
	Risk is when a baby takes her first step.	37:21
	Risk is whenever you say "I love you."	37:25
	Risk is when you prefer to light a candle	37:28
	rather than curse the darkness.	37:32
	Risk is when teachers are leaders of an exploring party	37:35
	rather than conductors of a tour.	37:38
	Risk indeed is when you build	37:41
	an interdisciplinary research facility	37:44
	because you are convinced,	37:47
	that that is the direction science is going.	37:49
	You know, there's a Christmas carol about risk,	37:54
	you all know it, of course,	37:57
	and it's called "The 12 Days of Christmas,"	37:58
	that cumulative song,	38:01
	where the list of things to be remembered and repeated,	38:03
	gets longer with each round, and we all get out of breath	38:06
	and have a good time.	38:10
	And in our exuberance we forget	38:12
	what a crazy song it really is.	38:15
	Of course you know how it goes,	38:18
	you could sing it in fact:	38:21
	"On the first day of Christmas	38:22
	"My true love gave to me	38:23
	"A partridge in a pear tree."	38:26
	And then, as you all remember,	38:29
	comes a string of the most inappropriate	38:32
	and totally ludicrous gifts: "Two turtle doves,"	38:35
	"three French hens", whatever they are,	38:40
	"four calling birds," and on and on and on.	38:43
	The question is, have you ever thought these days	38:50
	of Christmas shopping, of giving your true love	38:55
	a partridge in a pear tree or six geese a-laying?	39:00
	(congregation chuckles)	39:06
	I will refrain from requesting a show of hands,	39:08
	but just imagine the surprise on the 25th,	39:13
	because after all we expect something from the catalogs	39:17
	of Lands' End, or Neiman Marcus, or Victoria's Secret,	39:21
	or something for the house like a Broan bread maker,	39:25
	or an exercise (mumbles),	39:29
	but surely not, surely not a partridge in a pear tree,	39:30
	because that would be risky.	39:37
	There is a profound philosophy there,	39:41
	because every time you give,	39:45
	even as every time you love, you risk.	39:49
	You risk disappointment, you risk rejection,	39:53
	and that is true for all of us, for founders no less,	39:57
	than for women and men of faith, giving is always a risk.	40:01
	There is a legend that tells us how it was,	40:08
	when the angel Gabriel came to tell Mary	40:12
	that she was to be with child.	40:16
	And when Gabriel was just about to fly off,	40:19
	Mary grabs him at the tip of his wings,	40:23
	holds him back and says "Excuse me,	40:26
	"but this thing, that is happening to me,	40:31
	"is that a miracle?"	40:35
	"Oh yes," answered Gabriel, and then,	40:38
	just as he was ready to fly off, again she grabs him	40:41
	and asks him a second time "And this baby,	40:45
	"that I'm going to give birth to, is that a miracle too?"	40:48
	"Oh yes," Gabriel said, "That is always a miracle,	40:53
	"but this birth will be the greatest of all.	40:59
	"You know, Madonna, miracles are all around us."	41:04
	But life is too short to sit around and wait for them.	41:10
	We are the ones who must seek them out.	41:15
	But seeking out miracles means to believe in them,	41:20
	and that's a risk.	41:24
	And now, once you think about it, you realize	41:27
	that that is indeed what the Christian faith is all about.	41:30
	Risk is not merely a synonym for our founders,	41:34
	it is also a synonym for Advent and Christmas.	41:39
	The Advent season,	41:45
	which we observe these weeks before Christmas,	41:46
	is in truth a preparation for risk-taking	41:49
	and it is surely not for nothing,	41:54
	that in earlier centuries Christians observed Advent	41:55
	as a time of reflection and even as a time of penance,	41:59
	because they realized,	42:04
	that the Christmas story at it's heart,	42:06
	is not a simple story.	42:09
	And so Christmas always has been associated with risk taking	42:12
	even at the first Christmas,	42:16
	when there were quite a few risk-takers around:	42:19
	Zechariah who kept his mouth shut, and Elizabeth,	42:23
	and Mary, and Joseph.	42:27
	There is a beautiful line in Joseph's meditation	42:32
	in W. H. Auden Christmas poem "For the Time Being,"	42:35
	where Auden has Joseph say:	42:39
	"All I ask is one important and eloquent proof,	42:43
	"all I ask is one important and elegant proof."	42:50
	But proof, you know, is the very opposite of risk,	42:57
	but you do risk when you prepare to make so much fuss	43:01
	about a little baby in a manger,	43:05
	so much fuss because Christian theologians through the ages	43:07
	have told us that the meaning of human existence	43:12
	lies right in that cradle.	43:15
	And in a way all that fuss about that baby is kids stuff,	43:19
	sound silly, doesn't it?	43:23
	Of course, but then once you consider it, not any more	43:25
	then a partridge in a pear tree.	43:30
	So the word then is that we become risk-takers,	43:35
	that we risk in our teaching,	43:40
	that we risk in our conviction,	43:44
	that the human community can be different	43:46
	despite our evil,	43:48
	that we risk faith and that we risk in our giving.	43:51
	And if we so risk	43:56
	we will find that we are in truth in splendid company,	43:58
	the women and men depicted on the windows of this chapel	44:01
	and on the buildings and the reminders	44:06
	throughout this campus.	44:09
	Well now, if you're still baffled	44:13
	with only 13 shopping days left until Christmas,	44:17
	remember the partridge in a pear tree.	44:21
	And if you think that's too risky,	44:25
	I have an easier tip:	44:28
	take the Ebenezer Scrooge in your life out to lunch,	44:30
	because you may then well, as the book of Hebrews say it,	44:35
	"entertain angels unawares,"	44:40
	and I suspect that not many of us are fully booked,	44:44
	and a risky Advent to us all.	44:48
	(slow dramatic orchestral music)	45:04
	(choir vocalizes)	45:51
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	48:47
	I believe in God, the Father Almighty,	48:52
	maker of Heaven and Earth,	48:55
	and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,	48:57
	who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,	49:01
	born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	49:04
	was crucified, dead and buried,	49:08
	He descended into Hell.	49:11
	The third day He rose again from the dead.	49:14
	He ascended into Heaven,	49:17
	And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,	49:19
	From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	49:23
	I believe in the Holy Spirit,	49:27
	the holy catholic Church,	49:29
	the communion of the saints,	49:31
	the forgiveness of sins,	49:33
	the resurrection of the body,	49:35
	and the life everlasting, amen.	49:37
	The Lord be with you.	49:42
	(congregation murmurs)	49:44
	Let us pray.	49:45
	Be seated.	49:46
	Lord Christ, who are nearer to us than we know,	49:55
	we have been taught by the Scriptures	50:02
	that with prayer and supplication	50:05
	we are to let our needs be known to You.	50:09
	And so this day Your people pray.	50:15
	For those who suffer due to war and inhumanity,	50:20
	especially the people of Bosnia,	50:26
	for those who tremble during these cold December days,	50:31
	because of their poverty and want,	50:37
	for those who are ill,	50:42
	and for those who care for the sick and the infirm,	50:44
	particularly those in Duke Hospitals,	50:47
	for students and exams,	50:53
	and for faculty who administering grade their exams,	50:56
	for the many needs, silent, unspoken,	51:03
	nevertheless real needs	51:09
	of this gathered congregation, we pray.	51:13
	Come to us, O Savior of the nations,	51:21
	Savior of love and care, O Christ,	51:25
	who risk all for us.	51:29
	Bless us with Your presence	51:34
	and with Your holy incarnation among us,	51:38
	we pray, amen.	51:42
	As a people who have been richly blessed,	51:48
	let us offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	51:50
	(gentle calm music)	52:04
	(dramatic orchestral music)	53:37
	(choir vocalizes)	53:43
-	Let us pray.	1:01:39
	We praise You with our offering, Gracious God,	1:01:43
	and honor You with our gifts.	1:01:47
	Keep us from resting in comfort	1:01:50
	and accepting more than our share of the world's resources,	1:01:52
	or from thinking we have achieved all our successes	1:01:57
	by our own efforts.	1:02:00
	Remind us of our debt of gratitude to those	1:02:02
	who have gone before us,	1:02:05
	whose vision and willingness to take risks	1:02:08
	enabled them to build the foundations	1:02:11
	upon which our future was built.	1:02:13
	Give us the courage to be risk-takers	1:02:17
	inspired by Your vision, to acts of courage and love,	1:02:19
	that we might become the foundation	1:02:24
	upon which Your future will be built.	1:02:26
	Take control of our lives	1:02:31
	in ways that will draw us nearer to You,	1:02:33
	yet increase our sense of responsibility	1:02:36
	towards Your children.	1:02:39
	Take these gifts and multiply them,	1:02:41
	to bring about miracles of change and healing in our world.	1:02:44
	We pray all these things in the name of the one,	1:02:49
	who taught us to pray together, saying	1:02:51
	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	1:02:54
	hallowed be thy Name,	1:02:57
	thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	1:02:59
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	1:03:03
	Give us this day our daily bread.	1:03:05
	And forgive us our trespasses,	1:03:08
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:03:10
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	1:03:14
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	1:03:19
	and the glory, for ever, amen.	1:03:22
	(somber organ music)	1:03:27
	(choir vocalizes)	1:03:48
-	And now may the peace of God	1:08:34
	which passes all understanding	1:08:36
	keep your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.	1:08:38
	(choir vocalizes)	1:08:48
	(dramatic organ music)	1:10:43

Item Info

Title:

Hans J. Hillerbrand - "On Commemorating the 70th Anniversary: Or, A Manual for Risk Takers" Founders' Day (December 11, 1994)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:20. Sermon end time: 44:51.
The founders of Duke University held one virtue in common: they were all risk takers, willing to act in faith on a vision for the university. Advent also prepares us to be risk takers as Christians. Rather than securing ourselves in the comforts of certainty, we must be willing to risk it all on a small baby, born in a manger. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Our founders believed in this institution, and they risked that their commitment and their generosity, large or small, would bear fruit and somehow make a difference. It is their risk that in the final analysis made them our founders.”

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4vh5cz9b

Date:

December 11, 1994

Speaker:

Hillerbrand, Hans J.

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Duke University. Chapel

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UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0402
ref9508_5fb
uachapelsermaud
duke:321512
dcrmv001384
ark:/87924/r4vh5cz9b
34dfa264-d8f3-4507-873f-2cd24c125b76

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Hans J. Hillerbrand - "On Commemorating the 70th Anniversary: Or, A Manual for Risk Takers" Founders' Day (December 11, 1994)

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