Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 18, 1995)

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-	Good morning I'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel.	0:14
	We'd also like to extend a word of welcome	0:18
	and gratitude to Dr. Richard Hays, a professor	0:20
	of New Testament in the Divinity School who is assisting	0:24
	as the presiding minister for today's service.	0:27
	Would you please stand as we continue	0:31
	our worship with the greeting?	0:33
	Come let us worship Almighty God.	0:39
	Come let us honor Christ Jesus.	0:48
	Come let us be filled with the spirit of the living God.	0:57
	(calm orchestral music)	1:09
	(congregation singing indiscernible lyrics)	1:44
-	Almighty God to you all hearts are open,	4:54
	all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden.	4:58
	Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration	5:04
	of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you,	5:07
	and worthily magnify your holy name.	5:12
	Through Christ our Lord, amen.	5:16
	You may be seated.	5:22
-	Together let us pray for illumination.	5:32
	Open our hearts and minds oh God	5:35
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	5:38
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed	5:42
	we may hear your message with joy this day, amen.	5:45
	Our first lesson this morning comes from the first book	5:50
	of Kings, beginning with the first verse of chapter 21	5:52
	through the beginning of verse 21.	5:58
	Later the following events took place.	6:03
	Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel,	6:07
	beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.	6:10
	And Ahab said to Naboth, give me your vineyard	6:14
	so that I may have it for a vegetable garden	6:18
	because it is near my house.	6:21
	I will give you a better vineyard for it.	6:23
	Or if it seems good to you,	6:26
	I will give you it's value in money.	6:28
	But Naboth said to Ahab, the Lord forbids	6:31
	that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.	6:35
	Ahab went home resentful and sullen	6:39
	because of what Naboth, the Jezreelite had said to him.	6:42
	For he had said I will not give	6:45
	you my ancestral inheritance.	6:48
	He laid down on his bed,	6:51
	turned away his face, and would not eat.	6:53
	His wife Jezebel came to him and said	6:57
	why are you so depressed that you will not eat?	7:01
	He said to her because I spoke to Naboth, the Jezreelite	7:04
	and said to him give me your vineyard for money, or else	7:08
	if you prefer I will give you another vineyard for it.	7:12
	But he answered I will not give you my vineyard.	7:16
	His wife Jezebel said to him, do you now govern Israel?	7:21
	Get up eat some food and be cheerful.	7:26
	I will give you the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite.	7:29
	So she wrote letters in Ahab's name	7:33
	and sealed them with his seal.	7:36
	She sent the letters to the elders and the nobles	7:38
	who lived with Naboth in his city.	7:41
	She wrote in the letters proclaim a fast,	7:45
	and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly.	7:49
	Seat two scoundrels opposite him,	7:52
	and have them bring a charge against him saying	7:55
	you have cursed God and the king.	7:58
	Then take him out and stone him to death.	8:01
	The men of his city, the elders,	8:07
	and the nobles who lived in his city	8:10
	did as Jezebel had sent word to them.	8:11
	Just as it is written in the letters that	8:14
	she had sent to them, they proclaimed a fast	8:16
	and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly.	8:19
	The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him.	8:22
	And the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth	8:25
	in the presence of the people saying	8:28
	Naboth cursed God and the king.	8:30
	So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.	8:34
	Then they sent to Jezebel saying	8:39
	Naboth has been stoned, he is dead.	8:42
	And soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth	8:46
	had been stoned, and was dead, she said Ahab	8:48
	go take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite	8:52
	which he refused to give you for money.	8:55
	For Naboth is not alive, but dead.	8:58
	As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead,	9:02
	Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard	9:04
	of Naboth, the Jezreelite to take possession of it.	9:07
	Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah,	9:11
	the Tishbite saying go down to meet	9:13
	King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria.	9:17
	He is now in the vineyard of Naboth,	9:21
	where he has gone to take possession.	9:24
	You shall say to him, thus says the Lord,	9:26
	Have you killed and also taken possession?	9:31
	You shall say to him thus says the Lord,	9:35
	in the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,	9:38
	dogs will lick up also your blood.	9:42
	Ahab said to Elijah, have you found me oh my enemy?	9:46
	He answered, I have found you.	9:51
	Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil	9:54
	in the sight of the Lord, I will bring disaster on you.	9:57
	This is the word of the Lord.	10:03
-	This morning's psaltar is Psalm five,	10:13
	verses one through eight, found on page 742 in your hymnal.	10:15
	Please stand and join me in singing	10:21
	the psalter ingloria responsively.	10:23
	(calm orchestral music)	10:29
	♪ Give ear to my words O Lord ♪	10:36
	♪ Give heed to my sighing ♪	10:40
	♪ Listen to the sound of my cry ♪	10:44
	♪ My King and my God for to you I pray ♪	10:49
	♪ Oh Lord in the morning you hear my voice ♪	10:57
	♪ In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch ♪	11:03
	♪ For you are not a God who delights in wickedness ♪	11:09
	♪ Evil will not sojourn with you ♪	11:15
	♪ The boastful may not stand before your eyes ♪	11:21
	♪ You hate all evildoers ♪	11:26
	♪ You destroy those who speak lies ♪	11:31
	♪ The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful ♪	11:35
	♪ But through the abundance of your steadfast love ♪	11:43
	♪ I will enter your house ♪	11:48
	♪ I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you ♪	11:53
	♪ Lead me oh Lord in your righteousness ♪	12:03
	♪ Because of my enemies ♪	12:07
	♪ Make your way straight before me ♪	12:10
	♪ Oh glory be to you creator ♪	12:17
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior ♪	12:20
	(choir singing indiscernible lyrics)	12:24
	♪ As it was at time began ♪	12:31
	(choir singing indiscernible lyrics)	12:35
	You may be seated.	12:45
-	The second lesson this morning comes to us	12:56
	from Paul's letter to the Galatians,	12:58
	chapter 3 verses 15 through 21.	13:01
	We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.	13:07
	Yet we know that a person is justified not	13:12
	by the works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.	13:14
	And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus	13:19
	so that we might be justified by faith in Christ,	13:22
	and not by doing the works of the law.	13:26
	Because no one will be justified by the works of the law.	13:29
	But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ,	13:33
	we ourselves have been found to be sinners,	13:37
	is Christ then a servant to sin?	13:41
	But if I build up again the very things that I once	13:44
	tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor.	13:47
	For through the law I died to the law,	13:52
	so that I might live in God.	13:56
	I have been crucified with Christ,	13:59
	and it is no longer I who live,	14:01
	but it is Christ who lives in me.	14:04
	And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith	14:08
	in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.	14:12
	I do not nullify the grace of God.	14:17
	For if justification comes through the law,	14:20
	then Christ died for nothing.	14:24
	This is the word of the Lord.	14:28
	(calm orchestral music)	14:52
	(choir singing indiscernible lyrics)	15:34
	Our third reading this morning comes from the Gospel	20:04
	according to Luke chapter seven, verses 36 through 50.	20:07
	One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him.	20:15
	And he went into the Pharisees house,	20:19
	and took his place at the table.	20:21
	And a woman in the city, who was a sinner,	20:23
	having learned that he was eating in the Pharisees house,	20:26
	brought an alabaster jar of ointment.	20:29
	She stood behind him at his feet weeping	20:32
	and began to bathe his feet with her tears,	20:35
	and to dry them with her hair.	20:38
	Then she continued kissing his feet,	20:41
	and anointing them with the ointment.	20:43
	Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it,	20:46
	he said to himself if this man were a prophet,	20:50
	he would have known who and what kind of woman	20:54
	this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.	20:56
	Jesus spoke up and said to him,	21:02
	Simon I have something to say to you.	21:05
	Teacher, he replied, speak.	21:08
	A certain creditor had two debtors.	21:12
	One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50.	21:14
	When they could not pay he canceled the debts	21:19
	for both of them, now which of them will love him more?	21:21
	Simon answered, I suppose the one	21:26
	for whom he canceled the greater debt.	21:29
	And Jesus said to him, you have judged rightly.	21:32
	Then turning to the woman he said	21:36
	to Simon, do you see this woman?	21:38
	I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet.	21:41
	But she has bathed my feet with her tears	21:45
	and dried them with her hair.	21:47
	You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in	21:50
	she has not stopped kissing my feet.	21:53
	You did not anoint my head with oil.	21:56
	But she has anointed my feet with ointment.	21:59
	Therefore I tell you her sins, which are many,	22:02
	have been forgiven, hence she has shown great love.	22:05
	But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.	22:10
	Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven.	22:15
	But those who are at the table with him began to say	22:19
	among themselves, who is this who even forgives sins?	22:21
	And he said to the woman,	22:27
	your faith has saved you, go in peace.	22:29
	This is the word of the Lord.	22:34
-	Word had gotten around town that there would be	22:52
	a dinner at Simon the Pharisees house,	22:55
	and that Jesus of Nazareth had been invited.	22:58
	I went to the banquet hall early hoping to get a good seat.	23:02
	Though I wasn't on the guest list, it's Palestinian custom	23:06
	to allow uninvited strangers to come and go during a feast.	23:10
	They even provided us with cushions against the wall.	23:14
	And as I looked around I saw several people I recognized,	23:18
	a shopkeeper, a weaver, a tax collector, a fisherman,	23:21
	several women from the marketplace.	23:26
	It was an unusual mix of people,	23:29
	but this was an unusual guest of honor,	23:32
	an enigma loved by some and hated by others.	23:35
	He was known for stirring up controversy.	23:39
	It was sure to be an interesting evening.	23:42
	As the servants prepared for the feast,	23:48
	you could tell that Simon was an important man.	23:51
	The room was exquisitely decorated,	23:55
	and no expense had been spared.	23:58
	The low table was set with fine china and silver,	24:00
	and there were embroidered silk cushions	24:05
	for the guests to recline on.	24:07
	The smell of fresh flowers and incense filled the air.	24:10
	Just before the guests were due to arrive,	24:14
	Simon strode into the room, and it was obvious	24:16
	that he was a man used to power.	24:20
	Tall, and confident in his Pharisaic robes,	24:23
	he was a commanding presence.	24:27
	He called the head servant over to him to make sure	24:31
	that everything had been arranged as planned.	24:33
	Then I heard him speak to one of his underlings.	24:38
	I've arranged to have Jesus seated near the front.	24:41
	We will question him and find out	24:45
	for ourselves just who he is.	24:47
	There have been many stories of his miraculous healings.	24:51
	Some say he is a prophet, others a charlatan, a blasphemer.	24:56
	But we will question him and decide for ourselves.	25:00
	As the guests began to arrive, Simon greeted them	25:06
	with the customary kiss, the servants brought over	25:09
	a fresh basin of water for each guest to wash their feet.	25:13
	And as they reclined at the table, their heads were anointed	25:18
	with olive oil as a sign of blessing.	25:20
	The customs of hospitality were observed with impeccable	25:24
	perfection, with Simon overseeing every detail.	25:29
	Other uninvited strangers slipped into the room.	25:34
	I was astounded by one of them.	25:39
	The murmuring gossip along the wall said that	25:42
	she was a woman of the streets,	25:44
	whom Jesus had forgiven the day before.	25:46
	I watched her carefully as she huddled unobtrusively	25:50
	along the wall, fearing discovery and exposure.	25:53
	Surely a woman like that would never	25:57
	be allowed in Simon, the Pharisee's house.	25:59
	Her demeanor showed that the years had not been kind to her.	26:03
	But there was a fierce radiance in her eyes.	26:08
	I wouldn't want to be the one	26:12
	to tell her that she had to leave.	26:13
	Suddenly there was a great stir among	26:16
	the banquet hall as Jesus of Nazareth entered.	26:19
	He was smiling and there was a quiet peace about him.	26:24
	But I wondered if he knew what	26:31
	he was getting himself into.	26:32
	Simon got up to greet him, but when Jesus leaned forward	26:35
	for the customary kiss, I saw Simon stiffen and pull back.	26:39
	And when the servant started forward with	26:45
	the basin of water to wash his feet,	26:47
	he gave an imperceptible nod and motioned him away.	26:50
	With the thinnest courtesy Jesus was shown to his seat.	26:54
	But unlike the other guests no oil of blessing was offered.	27:00
	The tension in the air was palpable.	27:06
	It was obvious to all of us that Jesus had been insulted.	27:09
	What would he do?	27:14
	As he took his seat, Jesus looked at Simon.	27:17
	He didn't say a thing, he just looked at him.	27:24
	And I could see Simon begin to squirm.	27:30
	He had meant to get the best of Jesus,	27:35
	to put him in his place.	27:38
	But instead he just looked rude, disrespectful.	27:41
	I felt embarrassed for him.	27:48
	Finally he bid his guests to begin eating,	27:51
	and the awkward moment passed.	27:54
	I was so taken by what had happened,	27:58
	that I hadn't noticed that the woman,	28:00
	the one that Jesus had forgiven had moved away from the wall	28:02
	and was standing behind him, weeping.	28:06
	She dropped to his feet, and she had	28:11
	a flask of perfume around her neck.	28:14
	She took it off of her neck and opened it,	28:17
	and poured it on his feet, and as her tears	28:19
	continued to fall she let down her hair	28:23
	and wiped his feet with her hair.	28:26
	I had never seen anything like it.	28:29
	A stunned silence fell over the room.	28:33
	But instead of sending her away,	28:38
	Jesus lifted her head and looked into her eyes.	28:40
	And even from where I was sitting I could see	28:43
	that there was no condemnation in that look,	28:47
	only acceptance, even gratitude.	28:51
	Simon on the other hand looked like he could spit nails.	28:57
	You could see the anger in his white knuckles.	29:02
	And it didn't take a mind reader	29:05
	to figure out what he was thinking.	29:06
	He looked like he was ready to throw	29:09
	both of them out into the street.	29:10
	I think he'd already made up his mind that Jesus	29:12
	wasn't a prophet, otherwise he would have known	29:15
	who this woman was and would not	29:18
	have allowed her to touch him.	29:21
	But then Jesus looked up at him and said,	29:25
	Simon I've got something to say to you.	29:27
	Through clenched teeth he said, teacher speak.	29:33
	I'd heard that Jesus often spoke in stories,	29:40
	and that sometimes they made a lot of sense,	29:44
	and that sometimes they were hard to understand.	29:46
	This looked like my chance to hear for myself.	29:49
	He said, a certain creditor had two debts, two debtors.	29:53
	One owed 500 denarii, and the other 50.	30:00
	When they couldn't pay he canceled the debts	30:06
	for both of them, now which one will love him more?	30:09
	Well it didn't seem to me that there was	30:15
	but one possible answer to the story.	30:17
	But Simon took a very long time to make up his mind.	30:19
	He looked like he would rather not answer at all.	30:24
	But finally he said, I suppose the one	30:27
	for whom he canceled the greater debt.	30:32
	And Jesus said to him, you have judged rightly.	30:36
	Every eye in that banquet hall was fixed on Jesus.	30:41
	He turned toward the woman who was still there at his feet	30:47
	and said Simon, do you see this woman?	30:51
	We had all looked at her but I got the distinct	30:56
	impression that that wasn't what he was asking.	30:59
	We had looked, but had we seen?	31:03
	He continued, I entered your house,	31:08
	you gave me no water for my feet.	31:11
	But she has bathed my feet with her tears	31:14
	and dried them with her hair.	31:17
	You gave me no kiss.	31:19
	But from the time I came in she	31:21
	has not stopped kissing my feet.	31:23
	You did not anoint my head with oil,	31:26
	but she has anointed my feet with ointment.	31:29
	Therefore I tell you her sins, which were many,	31:33
	have been forgiven, hence she has shown great love.	31:38
	But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.	31:44
	As he spoke, his voice had risen in intensity.	31:53
	And not one other sound could be	31:56
	heard throughout the banquet hall.	31:59
	I waited to see what Simon would do.	32:02
	Would he apologize, ask for forgiveness for not extending	32:04
	the most common courtesies to his guest of honor?	32:08
	In the silence, his tight lips and crossed arms	32:16
	proclaimed that there would be no apology.	32:21
	As Jesus stood to leave, his final words	32:28
	were not to Simon, but to the woman.	32:32
	With a voice tender, and full of mercy	32:35
	he said your sins are forgiven,	32:38
	your faith has saved you, go into peace.	32:42
	As the banquet broke up, I could hear	32:50
	the different conversations around the room.	32:53
	Some of the guests at the table were saying,	32:57
	who does he think he is to forgive sins?	32:59
	Simon said he's nothing to me, certainly no prophet.	33:02
	Others were talking about the woman,	33:07
	noticing how different she was.	33:09
	Almost overnight she was a totally new woman.	33:11
	What did it mean?	33:15
	We could all see the new dignity in the way	33:18
	the woman carried herself as she left the banquet hall.	33:20
	It's rare to witness love that is so real,	33:25
	so visible you can almost touch it.	33:29
	And I realized that I had seen pure love	33:34
	acted out between Jesus and this woman.	33:37
	Something about the encounter she had had with him	33:40
	touched her so deeply that she had come to the banquet	33:42
	with an irrepressible need to express her gratitude.	33:46
	I had never seen such shameless thanksgiving.	33:50
	As I thought about it, it made me aware that	33:55
	I have rarely, if ever, expressed such gratitude	33:57
	to anyone for anything in my life.	34:01
	It made me wonder what could make a person	34:04
	feel like that, or act like that.	34:07
	That woman didn't care what anybody thought about her.	34:10
	She had so much love bubbling up from deep	34:14
	down inside of her that it had to come out.	34:17
	How did she get so filled up?	34:20
	I think the story Jesus told offers a clue.	34:25
	At first I thought that he must mean	34:29
	that she was like the debtor who was forgiven 500 denarii.	34:31
	A denari was a day's wages,	34:36
	so 500 denarii was a lot of money.	34:38
	Obviously someone forgiven a lot,	34:41
	would love a lot in return.	34:43
	And since she was a known sinner, a prostitute,	34:45
	she had a lot to be forgiven for.	34:49
	And that's why she was so grateful.	34:51
	It would follow that Simon, a Pharisee,	34:53
	was like the debtor who had been forgiven only 50 denarii.	34:56
	He had sinned less, and had less to be forgiven for,	35:00
	and therefore was less grateful.	35:03
	But after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion	35:07
	that that was just too simple an interpretation.	35:11
	They say that Jesus's stories are like that,	35:15
	they have several layers of meaning	35:18
	that keep coming towards you over time.	35:21
	I think the key to understanding this story	35:26
	is that the woman was able to acknowledge her sin,	35:30
	and her need for God's forgiveness,	35:34
	so that her debt could be forgiven.	35:37
	It doesn't really matter whether it was 50 denarii,	35:40
	or 500 denarii, or 5000 denarii.	35:44
	Only God who searches the depths of the human heart	35:48
	knows the debt of sin that each one of us owes.	35:53
	When we stand before the piercing eyes of Jesus,	35:59
	we are seen through, seen into,	36:02
	and known for who we really are.	36:05
	Every nook and cranny of our being is exposed.	36:09
	This woman had had the experience of being seen	36:16
	and judged by Christ, and having the fullness,	36:22
	every dot, every iota of her debt canceled.	36:27
	Judgment had been given, but not on the basis	36:34
	of who she was, but of who God was.	36:38
	It was the experience of having her debt	36:43
	fully acknowledged, and then canceled that emptied her	36:46
	from the self judgment, and shame, and condemnation.	36:51
	It was love so deep and so costly that filled her	36:56
	to the brim, so that she had to express her gratitude.	37:00
	She was shameless because there was no shame left in her.	37:05
	On the other hand, Simon never could	37:15
	acknowledge that he did anything wrong.	37:17
	He had passed judgment upon Jesus, and upon the woman,	37:20
	and was ready to dismiss them as totally unimportant.	37:24
	Even when his failure to extend hospitality	37:29
	was made visible to everyone,	37:33
	his pride wouldn't allow him to admit his fault.	37:35
	I tell you when I was watching all this,	37:41
	I was sitting there thinking what a fool Simon was.	37:43
	But as I've had a little distance,	37:48
	I've come to see a lot of myself in Simon.	37:49
	He didn't say a lot, but you could almost hear	37:54
	the voice of judgmentalism in his head.	37:57
	I know that voice, maybe you've heard it too.	38:00
	It's the one that evaluates other people	38:04
	and points out their shortcomings.	38:07
	It's the one that judges us too, relentlessly,	38:10
	and reminds us that no matter what,	38:15
	we could have been, should have been better.	38:17
	It's the voice that tells us we can't let	38:21
	other people see us as we really are,	38:24
	or they will reject us as we know we deserve to be rejected.	38:27
	Simon listened to the voice of his judgment	38:33
	rather than the voice of God's mercy.	38:37
	In the story about the debtors,	38:42
	it wasn't that Simon's debt was so small.	38:45
	For what sin is worse than the sin of pride,	38:50
	and a heart that is closed to love?	38:52
	His sin may have been greater than the woman's.	38:56
	But it wasn't the size of the debt that mattered,	39:00
	but the fact that Simon wasn't able to admit his debt,	39:02
	and accept that he could never pay it.	39:06
	He thought he should pay it off,	39:09
	that he could pay it off on his own.	39:11
	So he rejected the gift of grace.	39:15
	He couldn't accept the love	39:18
	and forgiveness God offered to him.	39:20
	That's why he had no love in his heart,	39:22
	and no mercy for others.	39:25
	That's why he couldn't extend even	39:28
	the appearance of hospitality to Jesus.	39:30
	I've heard it said that the acid test	39:35
	of our closeness to God will be our praise.	39:37
	If we don't think we have anything to be forgiven for,	39:41
	or anything to be grateful for, it's a sure sign	39:44
	that we've closed ourselves off to God's love.	39:48
	And if we think we have to earn God's love,	39:52
	or prove our worthiness, then just as certainly	39:54
	we will hide our hearts from the probing eyes of God.	39:57
	We will learn to reject so that we will not be rejected.	40:01
	Anyone who cannot accept God's love,	40:08
	won't have much love to give, for you have to receive love	40:11
	before you can give love, that is simply a fact of life.	40:16
	Because the woman had received love and forgiveness,	40:22
	she could offer love with unashamed gratitude.	40:26
	Because Simon had closed his heart to God's love	40:31
	and forgiveness, he couldn't receive it for himself,	40:33
	and he couldn't offer it to anyone else.	40:37
	We all owe a debt of sin to God.	40:43
	But it's not ours to tally the score,	40:48
	and try to figure out whose debt is greater or smaller.	40:50
	The truth is that none of us can pay.	40:56
	But we can face the prospect of our debt with our eyes open,	41:01
	not because we're confident in our own goodness,	41:06
	but because we're confident in God's goodness.	41:10
	Jesus Christ has canceled your debts and mine.	41:14
	No matter how large or how small you think they are,	41:18
	you can't repay it on your own.	41:22
	The choice we have is whether to reject,	41:26
	or accept God's gift of forgiveness and love.	41:29
	It is offered freely so that love may be restored.	41:34
	May you accept the gift with gratitude and love.	41:39
	(calm orchestral music)	41:49
	(choir singing indiscernible lyrics)	42:28
-	The Lord be with you.	45:40
	Let us pray, you may be seated.	45:43
	Lord God we come to you offering up	45:55
	the prayers and petitions of our hearts,	45:58
	longing for your justice and grace in our lives.	46:03
	We pray for justice.	46:09
	We recognize in the story of Naboth's vineyard,	46:13
	the old story of injustice and	46:21
	ill gotten gains, of the abuse of power.	46:23
	We pray that the justice of	46:28
	your kingdom would come on Earth.	46:30
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	46:35
	We pray for witnesses to the word.	46:41
	We thank you for witnesses like Elijah and Paul	46:47
	who speak the truth to confront wrong.	46:52
	We pray that you would send us in our time prophets,	46:59
	and those who would utter your word	47:07
	to call all of us to repentance.	47:09
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	47:14
	Lord we pray for the church,	47:20
	that it might become a community of forgiveness,	47:23
	a community in which your word of grace	47:28
	is proclaimed, and heard, and lived.	47:32
	We pray for those who bear the guilt of the past.	47:37
	We ask that you would so move in their lives	47:44
	that they would be able to receive	47:48
	and appropriate your love and grace,	47:51
	so that there would be truly no shame left.	47:55
	And we pray as well for those	47:59
	who cling to anger and bitterness,	48:03
	and who resist the gospel of your forgiving grace.	48:07
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	48:13
	We pray for those places in the world riddled by war.	48:19
	We pray for the people in Bosnia,	48:28
	Chechnya, all the places where violent conflict	48:33
	has torn the fabric of people's lives.	48:38
	We pray as well for those places	48:42
	which are no longer so much in the headlines,	48:46
	but which have experienced violence and hatred	48:50
	that have left terrible effects, such as Oklahoma City.	48:54
	We ask that your healing power would be at work	49:02
	and bring peace among and within the nations.	49:07
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	49:12
	We pray for those who suffer ill health,	49:15
	sickness, those who are in the hospital,	49:19
	those who confront the prospect of operations.	49:22
	Be present with them by your grace	49:27
	to bring consolation and healing.	49:30
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	49:33
	And finally, we pray for families.	49:37
	While we give you thanks for the families	49:43
	in which you've placed us, we pray particularly on this day	49:47
	that those who our fathers would discharge	49:50
	their fatherly responsibilities faithfully,	49:56
	in love, and joy, and tenderness.	50:01
	We pray for the healing for those from broken families,	50:06
	and ask that all of us would come to know	50:13
	your fatherly love more perfectly.	50:16
	Lord in your mercy hear our prayer.	50:20
	We lift up all these concerns and more	50:24
	to you, those spoken and unspoken.	50:27
	In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen.	50:32
	Let us now offer ourselves and our gifts to God.	50:38
	(calm orchestral music)	50:44
	♪ How beautiful are the feet of them ♪	52:29
	♪ That bring the gospel of peace ♪	52:35
	♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪	52:41
	♪ How beautiful are the feet of them ♪	52:47
	♪ That bring the gospel of peace ♪	52:53
	♪ How beautiful are the feet of them ♪	53:05
	♪ That bring the gospel of peace ♪	53:12
	♪ And bring glad tidings ♪	53:19
	♪ And bring glad tidings ♪	53:24
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	53:31
	♪ And bring glad tidings ♪	53:37
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	53:43
	♪ And bring ♪	53:49
	♪ Glad tidings ♪	53:53
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	53:56
	♪ Glad tidings of ♪	54:02
	♪ Good things ♪	54:09
	(calm orchestral music)	54:40
	(choir singing indiscernible lyrics)	55:23
-	God we thank you for all your gifts.	56:24
	You have provided for us in abundance	56:29
	beyond all that we can ask or think.	56:31
	We thank you and praise you for the lavish beauty	56:36
	of your creation that surrounds us.	56:39
	We thank you for our daily bread and sustenance.	56:44
	We thank you for the homes in which you have placed us,	56:50
	for our families on this day, especially for our fathers	56:56
	and for all who have cared for us, and nurtured us.	57:01
	And we thank you most of all	57:06
	for your overflowing love and forgiveness,	57:10
	which has reached out and touched our lives	57:13
	and made us whole in Christ.	57:16
	And so now we offer ourselves,	57:19
	and these tokens of our service to you.	57:22
	We ask you to accept them, and use them	57:28
	for the purposes of your kingdom.	57:31
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray,	57:34
	our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.	57:40
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	57:45
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	57:49
	Give us this day our daily bread,	57:51
	and forgive us our trespasses	57:54
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	57:57
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	58:00
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	58:05
	and the glory forever, amen.	58:08
	(calm orchestral music)	58:14
	(choir singing indiscernible lyrics)	58:55
-	Go into peace.	1:02:43
	May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:02:44
	the love of God, and the communion of	1:02:47
	the Holy Spirit be with you and keep you.	1:02:49
	♪ Hallelujah amen amen ♪	1:02:55
	(calm orchestral music)	1:03:06

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 18, 1995)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:52. Sermon end time: 41:44.
All of us have a debt of sin that we cannot pay on our own. It is not, however, the amount that is important but, rather, our willingness or unwillingness to acknowledge our debt and accept the forgiveness God so graciously offers. The woman from the passage in Luke was able to express great love for Jesus, because she was willing to acknowledge her sin and receive forgiveness. Simon, however, showed no love, because, blinded by pride, we was not able to receive love. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “I think the key to understanding this story is that the woman was able to acknowledge her sin, and her need for God’s forgiveness, so that her debt could be forgiven. It doesn’t really matter whether it was 50 denarii, or 500 denarii, or 5000 denarii. Only God who searches the depths of the human heart knows the debt of sin that each one of us owes. When we stand before the piercing eyes of Jesus, we are seen through, seen into, and known for who we really are. Every nook and cranny of our being is exposed.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4c53fg5d

Date:

June 18, 1995

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0429
ref9593_tr9
uachapelsermaud
duke:321556
dcrmv001407
ark:/87924/r4c53fg5d
b10165f5-6f06-472d-b34e-fdc58e23ad7c

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

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

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