Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (July 9, 1995)
MP4
Loading the media player...
Transcript
- Download transcript as:
-
Text
-
PDF
-
WebVTT (includes timecodes)
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
| - | Good morning, we'd like to welcome you to this service | 0:06 |
| of worship in Duke Chapel. | 0:08 | |
| I want to say a special word of thanks | 0:11 | |
| to the Reverend Doctor Karen Westerfield Tucker, | 0:13 | |
| assistant professor of liturgics at Duke Divinity School, | 0:16 | |
| who serves as our presiding minister today. | 0:19 | |
| And also to Miss Eleanor Ferguson, | 0:21 | |
| a member of the congregation at Duke Chapel | 0:24 | |
| who is serving as the lector. | 0:26 | |
| Next week I want to call to your attention | 0:29 | |
| that we will have the Reverend Doctor Kenneth Carter, | 0:31 | |
| Bishop of the United Methodist Church | 0:34 | |
| in the Nashville area, here preaching. | 0:36 | |
| And we hope that you will be able to return | 0:38 | |
| for that engagement. | 0:40 | |
| I also want to call to your attention | 0:42 | |
| a couple of musical announcements coming up. | 0:44 | |
| On July the 19th there will be a carillon demonstration, | 0:46 | |
| and July the 23rd a gospel choir from New Orleans | 0:51 | |
| will be joining us; we hope you will | 0:55 | |
| be able to attend those events. | 0:56 | |
| Please stand as we continue our worship with the greeting. | 0:59 | |
| Come, let us worship almighty God. | 1:05 | |
| Congregation | Let us lift up our song, | 1:09 |
| our prayers, our praises. | 1:11 | |
| - | Come, let us honor Christ Jesus. | 1:13 |
| Congregation | Let us love Christ with our hearts, | 1:17 |
| our minds, our spirits. | 1:20 | |
| - | Come, let us be filled with the spirit of the living God. | 1:23 |
| Congregation | Breathe in us, Breath of God, hallelujah. | 1:27 |
| (peaceful organ music) | 1:31 | |
| ♪ Christ for the world we sing ♪ | 2:00 | |
| ♪ The world to Christ we bring ♪ | 2:04 | |
| ♪ With loving zeal ♪ | 2:10 | |
| ♪ The poor and them that mourn ♪ | 2:14 | |
| ♪ The faint and overborne ♪ | 2:17 | |
| ♪ Sin-Sick and sorrow worn ♪ | 2:20 | |
| ♪ Whom Christ doth heal ♪ | 2:25 | |
| ♪ Christ for the world we sing ♪ | 2:30 | |
| ♪ The world to Christ we bring ♪ | 2:36 | |
| ♪ With fervent prayer ♪ | 2:41 | |
| ♪ The wayward and the lost ♪ | 2:44 | |
| ♪ By restless passions tossed ♪ | 2:48 | |
| ♪ Redeemed at countless cost ♪ | 2:52 | |
| ♪ From dark despair ♪ | 2:56 | |
| ♪ Christ for the world we sing ♪ | 3:01 | |
| ♪ The world to Christ we bring ♪ | 3:07 | |
| ♪ With one accord ♪ | 3:12 | |
| ♪ With us the work to share ♪ | 3:16 | |
| ♪ With us reproach to dare ♪ | 3:20 | |
| ♪ With us the cross to bear ♪ | 3:23 | |
| ♪ For Christ our Lord ♪ | 3:27 | |
| (joyous organ music) | 3:31 | |
| ♪ Christ for the world we sing ♪ | 4:03 | |
| ♪ The world to Christ we bring ♪ | 4:10 | |
| ♪ With joyful song ♪ | 4:15 | |
| ♪ The newborn souls whose days ♪ | 4:19 | |
| ♪ Reclaimed from error's ways ♪ | 4:23 | |
| ♪ Inspired with hope and praise ♪ | 4:27 | |
| ♪ To Christ belong ♪ | 4:31 | |
| - | Let us pray. | 4:40 |
| Oh Lord, our God, | 4:45 | |
| you are always more ready to bestow your good gifts | 4:47 | |
| upon us than we are to seek them. | 4:51 | |
| You are more willing to give than we desire or deserve. | 4:55 | |
| Help us so to seek, that we may truly find, | 5:01 | |
| so to ask that we may joyfully receive, | 5:06 | |
| so to knock that the door of mercy may be opened for us. | 5:11 | |
| Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. | 5:17 | |
| - | Let us pray together, the Prayer For Illumination. | 5:31 |
| Congregation | Open our hearts and bonds, oh God, | 5:36 |
| by the power of your Holy Spirit, so that as the Word | 5:39 | |
| is read and proclaimed, we may hear Your message | 5:43 | |
| with joy this day, amen. | 5:47 | |
| - | The Old Testament reading is taken | 5:52 |
| from the Second Book of Kings, Chapter five, | 5:54 | |
| verses one through 15A. | 5:57 | |
| Naaman, commander of the Army of the King of Aram, | 6:00 | |
| was a great man and in high favor with his master, | 6:04 | |
| because Bahim, the Lord had given victory to Aram. | 6:07 | |
| The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. | 6:12 | |
| Now, the Arameans on one of their raids | 6:15 | |
| had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel. | 6:18 | |
| And she served Naaman's wife. | 6:22 | |
| She said to her mistress, "If only my Lord | 6:25 | |
| "were with the prophet who is in Sumeria, | 6:27 | |
| "he would cure him of his leprosy." | 6:30 | |
| So, Naaman went in and told his Lord | 6:33 | |
| just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. | 6:36 | |
| And the King of Aram said, "Go then, | 6:39 | |
| "and I will send along a letter to the King of Israel." | 6:42 | |
| He went, taking with him 10 talents of silver, | 6:46 | |
| 6000 shekels of gold, and 10 sets of garments. | 6:50 | |
| He brought the letter to the King of Israel, | 6:54 | |
| which read: When this letter reaches you, | 6:57 | |
| know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, | 7:00 | |
| that you may cure him of your leprosy. | 7:04 | |
| When the King of Israel read the letter, | 7:07 | |
| he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God? | 7:09 | |
| "To give death or life, that this man sends word | 7:13 | |
| "to me to cure a man of his leprosy? | 7:16 | |
| "Just look, and see how he is trying | 7:19 | |
| "to pick a quarrel with me." | 7:21 | |
| But when Elisha, the man of God, | 7:23 | |
| heard that the King of Israel had torn his clothes, | 7:25 | |
| he sent a message to the king: | 7:28 | |
| Why have you torn your clothes? | 7:31 | |
| Let him come to me that he may learn | 7:33 | |
| that there is a prophet in Israel. | 7:36 | |
| So Naaman came with his horses and chariots | 7:39 | |
| and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. | 7:41 | |
| Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, | 7:44 | |
| "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, | 7:47 | |
| "and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." | 7:50 | |
| But Naaman became angry and went away saying, | 7:54 | |
| "I thought that for me he would surely come out | 7:57 | |
| "and stand and call on the name of the Lord, his God, | 8:00 | |
| "and would wave his hand over the spot | 8:04 | |
| "and cure the leprosy. | 8:07 | |
| "Are not Abana and Pharpar the rivers of Damascus | 8:08 | |
| "better than all the waters of Israel? | 8:11 | |
| "Could I not wash in them and be clean?" | 8:14 | |
| He turned and went away in a rage. | 8:17 | |
| But his servants approached and said to him, | 8:20 | |
| "Father, if the Prophet had commanded you | 8:23 | |
| "to do something difficult, would you not have done it? | 8:26 | |
| "How much more, when all he said to you was | 8:30 | |
| "'Wash and be clean'?" | 8:32 | |
| So he went down and immersed himself seven times | 8:35 | |
| in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God. | 8:38 | |
| His flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, | 8:42 | |
| and he was clean. | 8:45 | |
| Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company. | 8:48 | |
| He came and stood before him and said, | 8:52 | |
| "Now I know that there is no God in all the Earth, | 8:55 | |
| "except in Israel." | 8:59 | |
| This is the Word of the Lord. | 9:02 | |
| Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 9:04 |
| - | The Psalm appointed for this day is Psalm 30. | 9:11 |
| Found on page 762 and 763 in your hymnal. | 9:14 | |
| Please stand and sing the Psalm and Gloria responsively. | 9:19 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 9:25 | |
| ♪ I will extol you oh Lord ♪ | 9:31 | |
| ♪ For you have lifted me up ♪ | 9:34 | |
| ♪ And did not let my foes rejoice over me ♪ | 9:37 | |
| ♪ Oh Lord my God I cried to you for help ♪ | 9:44 | |
| ♪ And You healed me ♪ | 9:50 | |
| ♪ Oh Lord You brought up my soul from Sheol ♪ | 9:55 | |
| ♪ You restored me to life ♪ | 10:00 | |
| ♪ From among those in the pit ♪ | 10:03 | |
| ♪ Sing praises to the Lord all His faithful ones ♪ | 10:08 | |
| ♪ And give thanks to His holy name ♪ | 10:14 | |
| ♪ Surely for His anger is but for a moment ♪ | 10:19 | |
| ♪ But His favor is for a lifetime ♪ | 10:25 | |
| ♪ Weeping may tarry for the night ♪ | 10:32 | |
| ♪ But joy comes with the morning ♪ | 10:37 | |
| ♪ As for me, I said in my prosperity ♪ | 10:41 | |
| ♪ I shall never be moved ♪ | 10:48 | |
| ♪ By your favor, oh Lord ♪ | 10:53 | |
| ♪ You had established me as a strong mountain ♪ | 10:56 | |
| ♪ You hid your face ♪ | 11:01 | |
| ♪ I was dismayed ♪ | 11:04 | |
| ♪ To you, oh Lord, I cried ♪ | 11:07 | |
| ♪ And to the Lord I made supplication ♪ | 11:12 | |
| ♪ What profit is there in my death ♪ | 11:17 | |
| ♪ If I go down to the pit ♪ | 11:21 | |
| ♪ Will the dust praise you ♪ | 11:27 | |
| ♪ Will it tell your faithfulness ♪ | 11:30 | |
| ♪ Hear, oh Lord and be gracious with me ♪ | 11:35 | |
| ♪ Oh Lord, be my helper ♪ | 11:41 | |
| ♪ You have turned my mourning into dancing ♪ | 11:46 | |
| ♪ You have loosed my sackcloth ♪ | 11:51 | |
| ♪ And girded me with gladness ♪ | 11:54 | |
| ♪ That my soul may praise you and not be silent ♪ | 11:58 | |
| ♪ Oh Lord my God ♪ | 12:04 | |
| ♪ I will give thanks to You forever ♪ | 12:07 | |
| ♪ All glory be to You, Creator ♪ | 12:13 | |
| ♪ And to Jesus Christ, our savior ♪ | 12:16 | |
| ♪ And to the Holy Spirit ♪ | 12:20 | |
| ♪ Blessed Trinity ♪ | 12:23 | |
| ♪ As it was ere time began ♪ | 12:27 | |
| ♪ Is now and will be ♪ | 12:32 | |
| ♪ Forever more ♪ | 12:36 | |
| - | You may be seated. | 12:41 |
| - | The New Testament reading is from Galatians, | 12:50 |
| Chapter six, verses seven through 10. | 12:52 | |
| Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. | 12:56 | |
| For you reap whatever you sow. | 13:00 | |
| If you sow to your own flesh, | 13:03 | |
| you will reap corruption from the flesh. | 13:05 | |
| But if you sow to the spirit, | 13:08 | |
| you will reap eternal life from the spirit. | 13:10 | |
| So let us not grow weary in doing what is right. | 13:13 | |
| For we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up. | 13:17 | |
| So then, whenever you have an opportunity, | 13:22 | |
| let us work for the good of all, | 13:25 | |
| and especially for those of the family of faith. | 13:28 | |
| This is the Word of the Lord. | 13:34 | |
| Congregation | Thanks be to God! | 13:36 |
| (soft organ music) | 13:39 | |
| - | The Gospel reading is taken from the Book of Luke, | 13:50 |
| Chapter 10, verses one through 11, and 16 through 20. | 13:54 | |
| After this, the Lord appointed 70 others, | 14:01 | |
| and sent them on ahead of him in pairs | 14:04 | |
| to every town and place where he himself intended to go. | 14:07 | |
| He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, | 14:11 | |
| "but the laborers are few. | 14:14 | |
| "Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest | 14:16 | |
| "to send out laborers into his harvest. | 14:18 | |
| "Go on your way; see, I am sending you out like lambs | 14:22 | |
| "into the midst of wolves. | 14:26 | |
| "Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, | 14:28 | |
| "and greet no one on the road. | 14:32 | |
| "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house' | 14:34 | |
| "and if anyone is there who shares in peace, | 14:38 | |
| "your peace will rest on that person. | 14:42 | |
| "But if not, it will return to you. | 14:44 | |
| "Remain in the same house, eating and drinking | 14:48 | |
| "whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. | 14:50 | |
| "Do not move about from house to house. | 14:55 | |
| "Whenever you enter a town, and its people welcome you, | 14:58 | |
| "eat what is set before you, cure the sick who are there, | 15:01 | |
| "and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God has come near to you.' | 15:05 | |
| "But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, | 15:11 | |
| "go out into its streets and say, 'Even the dust | 15:14 | |
| "'of your town that clings to our feet, | 15:18 | |
| "'we wipe off in protest against you. | 15:20 | |
| "'Yet know this, the Kingdom of God has come near'. | 15:23 | |
| "Whoever listens to you, listens to me. | 15:29 | |
| "And whoever rejects you, rejects me. | 15:33 | |
| "And whoever rejects me, rejects the one who sent me." | 15:36 | |
| The 70 returned with joy saying, | 15:41 | |
| "Lord, in Your name, even the demons submit to us." | 15:44 | |
| He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from Heaven | 15:48 | |
| "like a flash of lightning. | 15:51 | |
| "See, I have given you authority to tread | 15:53 | |
| "on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power | 15:56 | |
| "of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. | 15:59 | |
| "Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, | 16:02 | |
| "that the spirits submit to you. | 16:06 | |
| "But rejoice that your names are written in Heaven." | 16:08 | |
| This is the Word of the Lord. | 16:13 | |
| Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 16:15 |
| (peaceful organ music) | 16:19 | |
| (ethereal choir music) | 17:04 | |
| (pews creaking) | 18:11 | |
| - | The story from Second Kings begins | 18:25 |
| with a character profile of an Aramean General, Naaman. | 18:27 | |
| He is a man who ranks highly, not only in position, | 18:33 | |
| but in respect and honor. | 18:37 | |
| Even his name means: pleasantness, charm. | 18:39 | |
| Naaman was a great man, well-liked by his King, | 18:44 | |
| the commander of the Aramean army, known for his victories | 18:48 | |
| and his mighty prowess in battle. | 18:52 | |
| But standing in stark contrast to the description | 18:55 | |
| of his influence, power, success, and strength | 18:59 | |
| was the fact that he suffered from leprosy. | 19:05 | |
| Naaman was a leper. | 19:09 | |
| For all his greatness, he was unable to rid himself | 19:12 | |
| of this accursed disease. | 19:15 | |
| Living in his home was a little servant girl. | 19:19 | |
| She had been taken captive on one of the army's | 19:23 | |
| successful raids into Israel. | 19:26 | |
| Naaman brought her to his house | 19:29 | |
| and gave her to his wife as a servant. | 19:31 | |
| The story doesn't tell us anything more | 19:34 | |
| about the girl than this: she's an Israelite, | 19:36 | |
| she's a child, she's a captive, she's anonymous, | 19:40 | |
| and she's a servant who serves Naaman's wife. | 19:45 | |
| There is a striking contrast drawn in the story | 19:50 | |
| between Naaman's high position in life, | 19:53 | |
| and this little servant girl. | 19:57 | |
| But she had noticed Naaman's leprosy, | 20:00 | |
| and one day she said to her mistress, | 20:03 | |
| "If only my Lord were to stand before the Prophet | 20:06 | |
| "in Sumeria, he would cure him of his leprosy." | 20:10 | |
| What prompted her to hold out the possibility | 20:15 | |
| of cure to Naaman? | 20:18 | |
| Was she moved by compassion? | 20:21 | |
| Did she hope to gain favor with Naaman or his wife? | 20:24 | |
| Was she asserting her faith in the greatness | 20:29 | |
| of her God, despite the lowliness of her position? | 20:32 | |
| We don't know what moved her to make such a bold claim, | 20:38 | |
| but she set in motion the chain of events | 20:43 | |
| that would have far-reaching consequences. | 20:46 | |
| Her mistress, clinging to the possibility of hope, | 20:50 | |
| rushed to find Naaman, to tell him | 20:54 | |
| of the Prophet in Sumeria. | 20:56 | |
| Immediately Naaman went to King Arem to tell him | 21:01 | |
| that the girl from the land of Israel | 21:04 | |
| had told him about a Prophet that might be able | 21:07 | |
| to cure him of his disease. | 21:10 | |
| It is an irony in the story that this lowly, | 21:13 | |
| no-name girl, this captive with no standing | 21:17 | |
| and no voice, spoke words that moved kingdoms. | 21:20 | |
| Naaman prepared for the journey with great anticipations; | 21:27 | |
| with chariots and horses, a company of soldiers, | 21:32 | |
| tents and caravans of gifts, including 10 talents of silver, | 21:35 | |
| 6000 shekels of gold, and 10 sets of garments. | 21:39 | |
| A gift worth more than $50,000, | 21:45 | |
| a gift worthy of a king. | 21:48 | |
| With a letter from his king to the King at Israel, | 21:52 | |
| and his gifts, with power and wealth, | 21:56 | |
| Naaman set off to seek a cure. | 21:59 | |
| Now, an uneasy peace existed between Aram and Israel. | 22:04 | |
| Roving bands of soldiers from Aram | 22:08 | |
| still raided Hebrew territory. | 22:11 | |
| In fact, it was on one of these recent raids | 22:13 | |
| that the little servant girl in Naaman's house | 22:16 | |
| had been taken. | 22:19 | |
| Aram was in a position of military strength. | 22:21 | |
| Although the story is careful to include | 22:25 | |
| one other background detail: | 22:27 | |
| The Lord stands behind Aram's success. | 22:30 | |
| God is responsible for Naaman's victory. | 22:34 | |
| There are theological dimensions to this story. | 22:39 | |
| God is at work behind the scenes, moving people, | 22:42 | |
| making things happen, shaping events. | 22:46 | |
| There's more to this story than first meets the eye. | 22:50 | |
| Naaman, this general who has so often been successful | 22:56 | |
| in his conflicts against Israel, | 23:00 | |
| enters the country seeking its King. | 23:04 | |
| Given the history between Israel and Aram, | 23:08 | |
| it isn't difficult to understand why the Israelite King | 23:11 | |
| was a bit nervous about receiving him. | 23:15 | |
| Naaman brought him the letter from the King of Aram, | 23:20 | |
| which read: When this letter reaches you, | 23:22 | |
| know that I have sent you my servant Naaman, | 23:26 | |
| that you may cure him of leprosy. | 23:30 | |
| It is interesting that the King of Aram | 23:34 | |
| didn't send the letter to the Prophet. | 23:37 | |
| He didn't even mention the Prophet in the letter. | 23:39 | |
| He sent it to the King, and he made the King responsible | 23:42 | |
| for the cure of Naaman. | 23:47 | |
| People in power know that the way to get results | 23:50 | |
| is to go to the top; don't bother with the secretaries, | 23:53 | |
| the deans, the vice-presidents; go to the president. | 23:57 | |
| The empire understands power and influence. | 24:01 | |
| The King of Aram knew how to get things done. | 24:07 | |
| He addressed his letter to the King. | 24:11 | |
| Well, the King of Israel was no fool. (chuckles) | 24:16 | |
| He knew a trap when it was under his nose. | 24:19 | |
| He could smell it. | 24:23 | |
| He was certain that the letter was a thinly veiled pretense | 24:25 | |
| for war; he was sure that Naaman's small company | 24:30 | |
| of soldiers would soon grow to a much | 24:34 | |
| superior military force. | 24:37 | |
| When the promised cure of leprosy was not forthcoming, | 24:41 | |
| in a gesture of absolute helplessness, | 24:47 | |
| he tore his clothes and said, | 24:51 | |
| "Am I God to give death or life? | 24:54 | |
| "That this man sends word to me | 24:58 | |
| "to cure a man of his leprosy. | 25:00 | |
| "Just look and see how he is trying | 25:03 | |
| "to pick a quarrel with me." | 25:06 | |
| The king knew that he was backed into a corner | 25:11 | |
| and that he was powerless to do what he was expected to do. | 25:13 | |
| But underneath his cry of despair is the assumption | 25:19 | |
| that God does indeed wield sufficient power. | 25:23 | |
| It turns our attention from human power to God's power, | 25:27 | |
| and prepares us for the appearance | 25:32 | |
| of Elisha, the man of God. | 25:34 | |
| When Elisha, the man of God heard that the King of Israel | 25:38 | |
| had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the King, | 25:41 | |
| saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? | 25:45 | |
| "Let him come to me, that he may learn | 25:48 | |
| "there is a Prophet in Israel." | 25:51 | |
| It's obvious that Naaman isn't the only one | 25:55 | |
| who needed to learn that there was a Prophet in Israel. | 25:57 | |
| It's curious that the King of Israel never considered | 26:01 | |
| calling upon Elisha, for the stories of his miracles | 26:04 | |
| had spread throughout the land, even to the children. | 26:07 | |
| The King of Israel also needed to be convinced | 26:12 | |
| that there was a Prophet in the land of Israel, | 26:16 | |
| who's authority he was called upon to recognize. | 26:20 | |
| Well, the King thought about it and decided | 26:25 | |
| that at least Elisha offered a way out | 26:27 | |
| of this dilemma and was someone to take the blame | 26:30 | |
| in case the cure didn't happen. | 26:34 | |
| So the King sent Naaman to Elisha. | 26:37 | |
| And Naaman went with all his horses and his chariots | 26:40 | |
| in an impressive display of power, | 26:43 | |
| and stopped at the entrance of Elisha's house, | 26:46 | |
| and waited for him to come out. | 26:49 | |
| Elisha sent a message to him saying, | 26:52 | |
| "Wash in the Jordan seven times | 26:56 | |
| "and your flesh shall be restored. | 26:59 | |
| "And you shall be clean." | 27:03 | |
| But Naaman became angry and went away saying, | 27:06 | |
| "I thought that for me, he would surely come out | 27:10 | |
| "and stand and call on the name of his Lord. | 27:14 | |
| "And he would wave his hand over the spot, | 27:17 | |
| "and cure me of this leprosy." | 27:20 | |
| Naaman was furious that only a messenger came out | 27:24 | |
| to greet him; it wasn't at all what he had expected. | 27:27 | |
| As a person of great wealth and power and influence, | 27:32 | |
| he expected to be treated with honor. | 27:35 | |
| To send an underling was a great insult to his dignity. | 27:38 | |
| He presumed that he was Elisha's social superior, | 27:45 | |
| and that he deserved his deference. | 27:48 | |
| When he didn't get it, he went away in a pout. | 27:51 | |
| It wasn't enough that he was treated with disrespect | 27:55 | |
| by the Prophet, but the cure that he had come all this way | 27:58 | |
| to receive, and for which he was prepared to pay | 28:01 | |
| an enormous sum of money, was no better | 28:04 | |
| than what the exorcist in Aram offered. | 28:07 | |
| No better than what the charlatans, | 28:11 | |
| who cured hardly anyone offered. | 28:13 | |
| To bathe in a sacred river was a commonly promised cure, | 28:17 | |
| that rarely had results. | 28:23 | |
| He had expected a dramatic cure, | 28:26 | |
| a display of Elisha's power. | 28:29 | |
| He had expected the Prophet to use his influence | 28:32 | |
| with God, on Naaman's behalf. | 28:36 | |
| He had expected an act of glory | 28:39 | |
| and what he got was a simple dictate from a servant: | 28:43 | |
| Bathe in the River Jordan seven times. | 28:48 | |
| If that could cure him, why couldn't he wash | 28:53 | |
| in one of the rivers of Damascus, the Abana or the Pharpar? | 28:55 | |
| These were better than all the waters of Israel combined. | 29:00 | |
| He felt like a fool for believing | 29:04 | |
| that anyone in Israel could cure him. | 29:06 | |
| He turned and went away in a rage. | 29:10 | |
| But then his servants approached him and said, | 29:16 | |
| "Father, if the Prophets had commanded you | 29:19 | |
| "to do something difficult, would you not have done it? | 29:23 | |
| "How much more, when all he said to you was wash | 29:28 | |
| "and be clean?" | 29:33 | |
| The thrust of their logic is that something small | 29:37 | |
| and simple is much easier to perform than something great. | 29:40 | |
| But for Naaman, the opposite was true. | 29:45 | |
| This great man left Aram prepared to do something great. | 29:48 | |
| If Elisha had asked him to do a great thing, | 29:54 | |
| he would've done it. | 29:58 | |
| The servant's question exposed the heart of the matter: | 30:01 | |
| Naaman's obsession with his own greatness. | 30:05 | |
| And in that moment of insightfulness, | 30:10 | |
| there was a transformation in his thinking. | 30:12 | |
| And Naaman went down and immersed himself seven times | 30:15 | |
| in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God. | 30:20 | |
| For Naaman, that meant more than a physical descent. | 30:25 | |
| It was also a descent from an attitude of superiority. | 30:29 | |
| As he lowered himself into the Jordan's muddy waters, | 30:34 | |
| he was also lowering himself | 30:38 | |
| in obedience to God's Prophet. | 30:41 | |
| And his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy. | 30:46 | |
| And he was clean. | 30:52 | |
| The Hebrew word for 'young boy' can also be translated: | 30:55 | |
| Little servant. | 31:01 | |
| It is significant that Naaman's comparison | 31:04 | |
| to a little servant boy, immediately follows the observation | 31:07 | |
| that he acted according to the word of the Prophet of God. | 31:12 | |
| The man who had only been willing to do something great, | 31:17 | |
| had made himself small. | 31:22 | |
| By bringing himself under the authority of the man of God, | 31:26 | |
| he had become a servant. | 31:30 | |
| Everything effectual in bringing Naaman to his healing | 31:34 | |
| comes from lowly sources. | 31:39 | |
| A little servant girl in his home becomes the model | 31:42 | |
| for what he will become in the River Jordan. | 31:46 | |
| A Prophet's servant, even his own servants, | 31:51 | |
| serve as the instruments which lead him to deliverance, | 31:54 | |
| to cure, to newness. | 32:00 | |
| The words of kings have come to nothing, | 32:04 | |
| while the words of the lowly have prevailed. | 32:07 | |
| Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company. | 32:13 | |
| He came and stood before him. | 32:19 | |
| His second encounter with the Prophet | 32:22 | |
| was radically different from the first one. | 32:24 | |
| Instead of waiting at the entrance for Elisha | 32:27 | |
| to come out to him, he went and he stood before Elisha. | 32:30 | |
| Naaman has at last fulfilled the words of the servant. | 32:36 | |
| He was standing before the Prophet of God. | 32:40 | |
| Naaman stood before Elisha as an obedient servant, | 32:44 | |
| and made his confession of faith: | 32:49 | |
| Now I know that there is no God in all the Earth, | 32:53 | |
| except in Israel. | 32:56 | |
| Naaman's transformation was complete. | 32:59 | |
| Not only was his skin restored, but he was made | 33:02 | |
| into a little servant, obedient to God, clean. | 33:06 | |
| Naaman started out trying to gain a cure | 33:12 | |
| through wealth and influence, but he discovered | 33:15 | |
| that you can't buy healing. | 33:19 | |
| Even after he was cured, he tried to pay Elisha. | 33:22 | |
| But he wouldn't accept one cent. | 33:25 | |
| God's blessings aren't for sale. | 33:28 | |
| The ways of the empire are not the ways of God. | 33:31 | |
| In this story, the powerful were unable to bring about | 33:36 | |
| the desired outcome with the resources that they controlled. | 33:40 | |
| Neither wealth, nor influence, nor prestige, | 33:44 | |
| nor power, were sufficient. | 33:47 | |
| These resources of royalty may hold sway in the empire, | 33:51 | |
| but they don't impress God or God's Prophet, | 33:55 | |
| and they were powerless to bring a cure to Naaman. | 33:58 | |
| In fact, the power to affect a cure in this story | 34:02 | |
| comes from the lowly, those with no power, | 34:06 | |
| no wealth, no prestige. | 34:09 | |
| The lowly servant girl, the wife, | 34:12 | |
| the un-credentialed Prophet, the Prophet's messenger, | 34:15 | |
| the servants of Naaman, even the lowly River Jordan. | 34:19 | |
| These were the instruments of God's healing. | 34:24 | |
| We should be familiar with God's ways | 34:28 | |
| of working in the world by now. | 34:31 | |
| For the theme of God's reversals, of lifting up the lowly | 34:33 | |
| and bringing down the mighty, | 34:37 | |
| has been repeated over and over in Scripture. | 34:40 | |
| The bows of the mighty are broken, | 34:45 | |
| but the feeble gird on strength. | 34:47 | |
| For the first shall be last, | 34:51 | |
| and the last shall be first. | 34:54 | |
| Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth. | 34:58 | |
| God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. | 35:03 | |
| God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. | 35:07 | |
| God chose what is low and despised in the world, | 35:12 | |
| things that are not, to reduce to nothing, things that are. | 35:16 | |
| But as many times as we've seen that blessing | 35:23 | |
| comes to the lowly and through the lowly, | 35:27 | |
| it's always a temptation to seek to secure | 35:31 | |
| the blessings of God for ourselves. | 35:35 | |
| This university exists to help you build your prestige, | 35:39 | |
| status, influence, and wealth. | 35:44 | |
| We want you to be successful, to excel, | 35:48 | |
| to build your stock in the world. | 35:51 | |
| For as your stock rises, so do ours. | 35:54 | |
| To say nothing of our endowments. | 35:58 | |
| Go ahead, build your accomplishments, | 36:03 | |
| strengthen your portfolio, | 36:05 | |
| but don't look to these for God's blessings. | 36:08 | |
| Before Naaman could receive God's blessing of a cure, | 36:13 | |
| he had to humble himself and become | 36:17 | |
| like a little servant boy. | 36:20 | |
| He had to go down, in power and influence. | 36:23 | |
| He had to be shaken loose from his sense of self-importance. | 36:28 | |
| He had to descend into the River Jordan. | 36:32 | |
| He had to let go of his visions of glory | 36:35 | |
| so that he could be simply, profoundly washed, | 36:38 | |
| made clean, given a new skin | 36:43 | |
| and a new identity. | 36:46 | |
| He went into the river a commander, | 36:50 | |
| but he came out a servant. | 36:53 | |
| What is called for, if we are to seek | 36:57 | |
| the blessings of God, is a willingness | 36:59 | |
| to obey without placing any conditions upon God. | 37:02 | |
| Perhaps the most difficult prayer we ever pray, | 37:07 | |
| is not 'my will', but 'Thy will' be done. | 37:11 | |
| We must trust ourselves to God's leading | 37:16 | |
| without qualification. | 37:18 | |
| He trained to be a lawyer; | 37:22 | |
| he was bright, ambitious, successful. | 37:25 | |
| His boss said he was the smartest lawyer | 37:28 | |
| who ever worked for her. | 37:30 | |
| He tried to keep religion as a hobby, | 37:32 | |
| working in the soup kitchen during his off hours. | 37:35 | |
| But God kept tugging on his sleeve. | 37:38 | |
| He thought he was too old for the Priesthood, | 37:42 | |
| but finally came to the decision, | 37:44 | |
| why don't you just grow up and do what you wanna do? | 37:46 | |
| What Christ is calling you to do. | 37:49 | |
| He was ordained a priest last year, | 37:52 | |
| and reflecting upon his experiences he said, | 37:54 | |
| "If you're open to the Holy Spirit, | 37:58 | |
| "it will take you where it will take you. | 38:00 | |
| "Not necessarily where you think you will go." | 38:04 | |
| Naaman got taken in directions that he didn't plan to go. | 38:10 | |
| He wanted to have his leprosy cured, | 38:15 | |
| but he got remade in the process. | 38:17 | |
| He wanted to be honored, but he became a servant. | 38:21 | |
| He wanted to use his power to influence Israel's God, | 38:26 | |
| but God's power influenced him. | 38:31 | |
| He wanted the Prophet to submit himself to him. | 38:34 | |
| But instead he gave his allegiance, | 38:38 | |
| his submission, to the Prophet's God. | 38:41 | |
| When we submit ourselves to God in obedience and trust, | 38:47 | |
| we too get remade in the process. | 38:51 | |
| We get washed, made clean. | 38:55 | |
| All our images of self, all our allegiances, | 38:59 | |
| our expectations of life get rearranged. | 39:03 | |
| One might even say that we die | 39:08 | |
| in order to be reborn. | 39:11 | |
| And in the process, we may get taken in directions | 39:16 | |
| that we never imagined. | 39:20 | |
| That is the promise | 39:24 | |
| and the risk | 39:26 | |
| of divine power and blessing. | 39:28 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 39:35 | |
| ♪ Whom shall I send ♪ | 40:06 | |
| ♪ Our Maker Cries ♪ | 40:11 | |
| ♪ And many when ♪ | 40:15 | |
| ♪ They hear God's voice ♪ | 40:19 | |
| ♪ Are sure where their ♪ | 40:22 | |
| ♪ Vocation lies ♪ | 40:26 | |
| ♪ But many shrink ♪ | 40:30 | |
| ♪ From such a choice ♪ | 40:34 | |
| ♪ For who can serve ♪ | 40:40 | |
| ♪ A God so pure ♪ | 40:45 | |
| ♪ Or claim to speak ♪ | 40:49 | |
| ♪ In such a name ♪ | 40:53 | |
| ♪ While doubt makes ♪ | 40:57 | |
| ♪ Every step unsure ♪ | 41:00 | |
| ♪ And self confuses ♪ | 41:04 | |
| ♪ Every aim ♪ | 41:09 | |
| ♪ And yet believing ♪ | 41:15 | |
| ♪ God who calls ♪ | 41:19 | |
| ♪ Knows what we are ♪ | 41:24 | |
| ♪ And still may be ♪ | 41:28 | |
| ♪ Our past defeats ♪ | 41:31 | |
| ♪ Our future falls ♪ | 41:35 | |
| ♪ We dare to answer ♪ | 41:40 | |
| ♪ Lord, send me ♪ | 41:43 | |
| ♪ Those who are called ♪ | 41:50 | |
| ♪ God purifies ♪ | 41:55 | |
| ♪ And daily gives ♪ | 41:59 | |
| ♪ Us strength to bend ♪ | 42:03 | |
| ♪ Our thoughts, our skills ♪ | 42:08 | |
| ♪ Our energies ♪ | 42:12 | |
| ♪ And life itself ♪ | 42:16 | |
| ♪ To this one end ♪ | 42:20 | |
| Reader | The Lord be with you! | 42:29 |
| Congregation | And also with you. | 42:31 |
| - | Let us pray. | 42:32 |
| As God's people, called to love one another, | 42:51 | |
| let us pray for the needs of the church, | 42:55 | |
| the whole human family, and all the world saying: | 42:58 | |
| Hear our prayer. | 43:02 | |
| That churches of all traditions may discover | 43:06 | |
| their unity in Christ and exercise their gifts | 43:09 | |
| in service of all. | 43:13 | |
| We pray to you, oh God. | 43:16 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 43:18 |
| Reader | That the Earth may be freed from war, | 43:24 |
| famine, and disease. | 43:27 | |
| And the air, soil, and waters cleansed of poison. | 43:30 | |
| We pray to you, oh God. | 43:35 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 43:38 |
| - | That those who govern and maintain peace in every land | 43:45 |
| may exercise their powers in obedience to Your commands. | 43:50 | |
| We pray to You, oh God. | 43:55 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 43:58 |
| - | That You will strengthen this nation, | 44:04 |
| to pursue just priorities, | 44:07 | |
| so that the races may be reconciled, | 44:10 | |
| the young educated, the old cared for, | 44:13 | |
| the hungry filled, | 44:18 | |
| and the homeless housed. | 44:21 | |
| And the sick comforted and healed. | 44:24 | |
| We pray to You, oh God. | 44:29 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 44:31 |
| - | That you will preserve in peace and safety | 44:42 |
| all who live and work in this city. | 44:46 | |
| We pray to You, oh God. | 44:50 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 44:52 |
| - | That You will comfort and empower those who face | 44:59 |
| any difficulty or trial, | 45:02 | |
| the sick, especially those in Duke Hospital. | 45:05 | |
| And also, the disabled, the poor, | 45:10 | |
| the oppressed, those who grieve, | 45:13 | |
| and those in prison. | 45:17 | |
| We pray to You, oh God. | 45:20 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 45:23 |
| - | That You will accept our thanksgiving | 45:30 |
| for all faithful servants of Christ now at rest. | 45:32 | |
| Who with us await a new Heaven and a new Earth, | 45:37 | |
| your everlasting Kingdom. | 45:40 | |
| We pray to You, oh God. | 45:44 | |
| Congregation | Hear our prayer. | 45:47 |
| - | Merciful God, | 45:55 |
| as a potter fashions a vessel from simple clay, | 45:57 | |
| you form us into a new creation. | 46:01 | |
| Shape us day by day through the cross of Christ, your son. | 46:06 | |
| Until we pray as continually as we breathe, | 46:12 | |
| and all our acts are prayer. | 46:16 | |
| Through Jesus Christ, and in the mystery | 46:20 | |
| of the Holy Spirit we pray, amen. | 46:23 | |
| And now let us present the gifts of our life | 46:30 | |
| and our labors to the Lord. | 46:32 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 46:36 | |
| (harmonious choir and organ music) | 48:16 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 49:16 | |
| (harmonious choir and organ music) | 49:40 | |
| (dramatic organ music) | 52:48 | |
| (joyous organ music) | 53:02 | |
| ♪ Praise God from whom all blessing flow ♪ | 53:43 | |
| ♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ | 53:50 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 53:56 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:00 | |
| ♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly host ♪ | 54:05 | |
| ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ | 54:11 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:18 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:21 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:24 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:27 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 54:31 | |
| - | Almighty and most merciful God, | 54:44 |
| from Whom comes all that is good, | 54:47 | |
| we praise You for Your mercies, | 54:50 | |
| for Your goodness that has created us, | 54:53 | |
| for Your grace that has sustained us, | 54:56 | |
| for Your discipline that has corrected us, | 54:59 | |
| for Your patience that has borne with us, | 55:03 | |
| and for Your love that has redeemed us. | 55:06 | |
| Strengthen our love for You, | 55:09 | |
| and grant that we may be thankful for all Your gifts. | 55:12 | |
| Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. | 55:17 | |
| And now, as our Lord Christ has taught us, | 55:23 | |
| we are bold to pray: | 55:25 | |
| Congregation | Our Father, who art in Heaven, | 55:27 |
| hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, | 55:31 | |
| on Earth as it is in Heaven. | 55:37 | |
| Give us this day our daily bread, | 55:40 | |
| and forgive us our trespasses | 55:43 | |
| as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 55:45 | |
| And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, | 55:49 | |
| for Thine is the Kingdom, the power, | 55:54 | |
| and the glory forever, amen. | 55:57 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 56:04 | |
| (majestic organ music) | 56:44 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 56:57 | |
| ♪ Go forth to the world in peace ♪ | 57:02 | |
| ♪ Be of good courage ♪ | 57:08 | |
| ♪ Armed with heavenly grace ♪ | 57:14 | |
| ♪ In God's good Spirit ♪ | 57:19 | |
| ♪ Daily to increase ♪ | 57:24 | |
| ♪ Till in the kingdom ♪ | 57:30 | |
| ♪ We see his true face ♪ | 57:35 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 57:41 | |
| ♪ Go forth to the world in strength ♪ | 57:46 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 57:54 | |
| ♪ Go forth to the world in love ♪ | 58:00 | |
| ♪ Strengthen the faint ♪ | 58:05 | |
| ♪ Give courage to the weak ♪ | 58:09 | |
| ♪ Help the afflicted ♪ | 58:16 | |
| ♪ Richly from above ♪ | 58:20 | |
| ♪ His love supplies ♪ | 58:26 | |
| ♪ The grace and power we seek ♪ | 58:31 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 58:38 | |
| ♪ Go forth to the world in joy ♪ | 58:43 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 58:52 | |
| ♪ Go forth to the world in strength ♪ | 58:57 | |
| ♪ Hold fast the good ♪ | 59:02 | |
| ♪ Be urgent for the right ♪ | 59:07 | |
| ♪ Render to no one evil ♪ | 59:14 | |
| ♪ Christ at length ♪ | 59:20 | |
| ♪ Shall overcome ♪ | 59:23 | |
| ♪ All darkness ♪ | 59:26 | |
| ♪ With his light ♪ | 59:29 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 59:34 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God in joy ♪ | 59:40 | |
| ♪ Sing praise to him ♪ | 59:49 | |
| ♪ Who brought us on our way ♪ | 59:54 | |
| ♪ Sing praise to him who ♪ | 1:00:01 | |
| ♪ Brought us with his blood ♪ | 1:00:07 | |
| ♪ Sing praise to him who ♪ | 1:00:14 | |
| ♪ Sacrifices every day ♪ | 1:00:17 | |
| ♪ To serve God's people ♪ | 1:00:23 | |
| ♪ Every day and hour ♪ | 1:00:29 | |
| ♪ Go forth for God ♪ | 1:00:35 | |
| ♪ Go forth to the world ♪ | 1:00:40 | |
| ♪ In joy ♪ | 1:00:43 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 1:00:48 | |
| - | Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:01:00 |
| the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit | 1:01:03 | |
| be with you and keep you. | 1:01:06 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah holly ♪ | 1:01:12 | |
| ♪ Holly ♪ | 1:01:16 | |
| (peaceful organ music) | 1:01:23 |