Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (August 6, 1995)

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	(tranquil organ music)	0:03
	(dramatic organ music)	0:44
-	Good morning, we'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel.	3:44
	Our scheduled preacher today	3:47
	was Bishop Bevel Jones	3:49
	but he will not be able to be with us	3:50
	due to illness and we ask that you keep him	3:52
	in your prayers.	3:55
	We'd like to welcome today the Reverend Dr. Paula Gilbert,	3:56
	the assistant director	4:00
	of Continuing Education	4:02
	and the university summer programs at Duke.	4:03
	Also, Ms. Colleen Haithcock,	4:06
	a member of the congregation at Duke Chapel	4:08
	and Dr. Mary Comer, our guest organist.	4:10
	We thank all of them	4:13
	for their participation in today's service.	4:14
	Let us continue our worship with the greeting.	4:17
	Please stand.	4:20
	Gather before God, people of the covenant.	4:26
	Listen for God's words, oh faithful ones.	4:29
	(congregation mumbling)	4:33
	Come to honor God and give thanks.	4:39
	Seek to learn and follow in God's ways.	4:42
	(congregation mumbling)	4:46
	God calls us as workers for justice.	4:54
	God sends us out as advocates for the dispossessed.	4:57
	(congregation mumbling)	5:01
	(lively organ music)	5:10
	(congregation singing)	5:51
-	Let us pray.	8:06
	Almighty God,	8:10
	you are the fountain of our every blessing.	8:12
	The streams of your mercy to us	8:16
	and upon us are never ceasing.	8:18
	Your grace towards us demands our loudest songs of praise.	8:22
	May your spirit attune our hearts	8:27
	to sing your grace	8:29
	and pour out your spirit upon us	8:31
	that we may think and do what is right	8:33
	and pleasing in your sight.	8:36
	That we who cannot exist without you	8:39
	may have the strength to live according	8:42
	to your will through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	8:44
-	Let us pray the prayer for illumination.	9:04
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God	9:08
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	9:11
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	9:14
	we may hear your message with joy this day.	9:18
	Amen.	9:21
-	The Old Testament reading	9:24
	is from the book of Hosea, chapter 11,	9:25
	verses one through 11.	9:29
	When Israel was a child, I loved him	9:33
	and out of Egypt I called my son.	9:37
	The more I called them, the more they went from me.	9:41
	They kept sacrificing to the veils	9:45
	and offering incense to the idols.	9:48
	Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk.	9:51
	I took them up in my harms	9:55
	but they did not know that I healed them.	9:57
	I led them with chords of human kindness,	10:02
	with bands of love.	10:05
	I was to them like those who lift infants	10:07
	to their cheeks.	10:11
	I bent down to them and fed them.	10:13
	They shall return to the land of Egypt	10:17
	and Assyria shall be their king	10:20
	because they have refused to return to me.	10:23
	The sword rages in their cities.	10:27
	It consumes their oracle priests	10:30
	and devours because of their schemes.	10:33
	My people are bent on turning away from me.	10:36
	To the Most High they call	10:40
	but he does not raise them up.	10:43
	How can I give you up, Ephraim?	10:46
	How can I hand you over, oh Israel?	10:49
	How can I make you like Admah?	10:53
	How can I treat you like Zeboyim?	10:56
	My heart recoils within me.	11:00
	My compassion grows warm and tender.	11:02
	I will not execute my fierce anger.	11:06
	I will not again destroy Ephraim	11:09
	for I am God and no mortal.	11:12
	The holy one in your midst	11:15
	and I will not come in wrath.	11:17
	They shall go after the Lord	11:21
	who roars like a lion.	11:22
	When he roars, his children shall come trembling	11:24
	from the west.	11:27
	They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt	11:29
	and like doves from the land of Assyria	11:32
	and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.	11:35
	This is the word of the Lord.	11:40
All	Thanks be to God.	11:43
-	This morning's Psalter is Psalm 107	11:52
	verses one through nine found on page 830 and 31	11:55
	in your hymnal.	11:59
	Please stand and sing the Psalm and Gloria responsively.	12:01
	(tranquil organ music)	12:08
	♪ O give thanks to the Lord who is good ♪	12:17
	♪ Whose steadfast love endures forever ♪	12:21
	♪ Let the redeemed of the Lord say so ♪	12:27
	♪ Whom God has redeemed from the hand of the enemy ♪	12:31
	♪ And gathered them out of the lands, from the east ♪	12:37
	♪ And from the west, from the north, and from the south ♪	12:43
	♪ Some wandered in the desert wastes ♪	12:50
	♪ Finding no way to a city in which to dwell ♪	12:55
	♪ Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them ♪	13:01
	♪ Then in their trouble, they cried to the Lord ♪	13:11
	♪ Who delivered them from their distress ♪	13:15
	♪ And he led them forth by the right way ♪	13:21
	♪ That they might go to a city in which to live ♪	13:26
	♪ Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love ♪	13:32
	♪ For his wonderful works to humankind ♪	13:37
	♪ For he satisfies the longing soul ♪	13:43
	♪ And fills the hungry soul with goodness ♪	13:49
	♪ All glory be to you, creator ♪	13:55
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	13:59
	♪ Such as is in darkness ♪	14:03
	♪ As it was at time began ♪	14:10
	(congregation singing)	14:14
-	You may be seated.	14:23
-	The New Testament lesson	14:33
	is from the book of Colossians, chapter three	14:35
	verses one through 11.	14:38
	So if you have been raised with Christ,	14:41
	seek the things that are above	14:44
	where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.	14:46
	Set your mind on things	14:50
	that are above, not on the things	14:52
	that are on the Earth	14:54
	for you have died	14:56
	and your life is hidden with Christ in God.	14:57
	When Christ, who is your life, is revealed,	15:01
	then you also will be revealed with him in glory.	15:05
	Put to death therefore whatever in you is earthly,	15:10
	fornication, impurity, passion,	15:15
	evil desire and greed which is idolatry.	15:19
	On account of these, the wrath of God is coming	15:24
	on those who are disobedient.	15:27
	These are the ways you also once followed	15:29
	when you were living that life	15:32
	but now you must get rid of all such things.	15:35
	Anger, wrath, malice, slander	15:38
	and abusive language from your mouth.	15:42
	Do not lie to one another.	15:45
	Seeing that you have stripped off the old self	15:48
	with its practices	15:51
	and have clothed yourselves with a new self	15:52
	which is being renewed in knowledge	15:56
	according to the image of its creator.	15:59
	In that renewal, there is no longer Greek and Jew,	16:02
	circumcised and uncircumcised,	16:08
	barbarian, Scythian, slave and free	16:11
	but Christ is all and in all.	16:16
	This is the word of the Lord.	16:20
All	Thanks be to God.	16:23
	(tranquil organ music)	16:42
	(choir singing)	16:57
-	The Gospel lesson	22:48
	is from the book of Luke, chapter 12,	22:50
	verses 13 through 21.	22:54
	Someone in the crowd said to him,	22:59
	teacher, tell my brother	23:02
	to divide the family inheritance with me.	23:05
	But he said to them,	23:09
	friend, who sent me to be judge or arbitrator over you?	23:11
	And he said to them,	23:18
	take care, be on your guard	23:20
	against all kinds of greed	23:23
	for one's life does not consist	23:26
	in the abundance of possessions.	23:28
	Then he told them a parable.	23:32
	The land of a rich man produced abundantly	23:34
	and he thought to himself,	23:39
	what should I do	23:41
	for I have no place to store my crops.	23:43
	Then he said, I will do this.	23:47
	I will pull down my barns	23:51
	and build larger ones.	23:52
	And there I will store all my grain	23:54
	and my goods.	23:57
	And I will say to my soul,	23:59
	soul, you have ample goods laid up	24:02
	for many years.	24:05
	Relax, eat, drink, be merry.	24:07
	But God said to him,	24:11
	you fool, this very night,	24:13
	your life is being demanded of you.	24:17
	And the things you have prepared,	24:22
	whose will they be?	24:25
	So it is with those who store up treasures	24:27
	for themselves but are not rich toward God.	24:30
	This is the word of the Lord.	24:36
All	Thanks be to God.	24:39
-	A family member dies,	24:54
	the funeral is over	24:56
	and the quarreling begins.	24:58
	I want that, no, I want that,	25:01
	you took the silver.	25:04
	You already have more than your share.	25:06
	Well, I deserve it, after all, I did more of the work.	25:08
	Where have you been the past few months?	25:10
	It can get ugly when families slug it out	25:14
	over the inheritance.	25:16
	A man wanted Jesus to settle his family dispute.	25:19
	Teacher, tell my brother	25:24
	to divide the family inheritance with me.	25:25
	After the death of his father,	25:29
	when the property, money and possessions were divided,	25:31
	he felt that he'd gotten a raw deal.	25:34
	Ancient inheritance law stipulated	25:38
	that the older son would receive a double share	25:41
	of the inheritance.	25:44
	Well, it's not hard to guess	25:46
	that this was the younger son	25:47
	and he didn't like the terms of the will at all.	25:49
	He wanted Jesus to use his authority	25:53
	to demand that he got what he thought he deserved.	25:55
	But Jesus didn't question the inheritance laws	26:01
	and he didn't allow himself to be drawn	26:05
	into a family dispute.	26:07
	Instead he addressed the underlying issue,	26:10
	the much more serious issue.	26:14
	He said take care.	26:17
	Be on your guard against all kinds of greed	26:21
	for one's life does not consist	26:25
	in the abundance of possessions.	26:27
	Then he told a parable.	26:31
	The land of a rich man produced abundantly	26:33
	and he thought to himself,	26:36
	what should I do	26:38
	for I have no place to store my crops.	26:39
	Then he said I will do this.	26:43
	I will pull down my barns	26:45
	and build larger ones	26:47
	and there I will store all my grains	26:48
	and all my goods	26:50
	and I will say to my soul,	26:52
	soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years.	26:53
	Relax, eat, drink, be merry.	26:58
	But God said to him,	27:02
	you fool, this very night your life	27:03
	is being demanded of you.	27:06
	And the things you have prepared,	27:08
	whose will they be?	27:11
	So it is with those	27:13
	who store up treasures for themselves	27:14
	but are not rich toward God.	27:17
	In his desire to increase his wealth,	27:21
	the man had asked Jesus to intervene	27:23
	in a family dispute.	27:26
	But Jesus answered him with a warning	27:28
	about greed and the foolishness of basing a life	27:30
	upon transitory possessions.	27:33
	The moral of the story is clear.	27:36
	This isn't a vague or baffling scripture	27:39
	that needs interpretation	27:42
	in order to be understood.	27:44
	I dare say that we all understand the meaning	27:45
	of this parable.	27:48
	The question is do we believe it?	27:51
	Do we believe that life does not consist	27:55
	in the abundance of possessions?	27:59
	You and I live in the most materialistic age	28:03
	the world has even known	28:06
	in the most materialistic culture the world has ever known.	28:08
	We are surrounded by things	28:13
	and working harder to accumulate more things.	28:15
	Bigger houses, better cars,	28:18
	more credentials, more money, more power.	28:21
	This is the dream our world teaches us to pursue.	28:24
	This it the good life	28:27
	that we have learned to desire.	28:29
	But we are material beings	28:34
	who must survive and thrive in a material world.	28:37
	Is it wrong to want to improve our circumstances in life?	28:41
	Is it wrong to want to provide a life	28:45
	of comfort and plenty for ourselves and our families?	28:48
	Are we meant to ignore our material needs	28:52
	in order to pursue spiritual values?	28:55
	No.	29:00
	As Christians, we serve an incarnate Lord.	29:01
	The word became flesh and dwelt among us.	29:06
	Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding.	29:11
	This is the one who ate and drank with sinners	29:15
	and fed the multitudes with bread and fish.	29:18
	Jesus experienced our physical needs	29:22
	and attended to the material needs	29:25
	and comforts of those who came to him.	29:27
	So is it wealth that is wrong?	29:31
	The accumulation of a lot of money and things.	29:34
	Neither did Jesus indiscriminately condemn wealth.	29:40
	It is truth that he bade a rich, young ruler	29:44
	to sell all and follow him	29:47
	but then he was describing an individual surgery,	29:49
	not a universal rule.	29:53
	Never did he make a sweeping indictment of wealth.	29:56
	And yet, he spoke often about the danger	30:01
	that wealth could pose.	30:04
	How hard it is for those	30:07
	who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God.	30:09
	Indeed, it easier for a camel	30:11
	to go through the eye of a needle	30:13
	than for someone who is rich	30:15
	to enter the kingdom of God.	30:18
	He said you cannot serve God and wealth.	30:21
	Also, where your treasure is,	30:25
	there your heart will be also.	30:29
	Jesus doesn't say that wealth is evil,	30:33
	but it is dangerous.	30:37
	Wealth can be put to good or bad purposes	30:40
	but the one who peruses wealth	30:43
	is at great risk.	30:46
	The problem with wealth	30:48
	or the pursuit of wealth	30:49
	is that it so easily tempts us to desire more.	30:51
	It can so easily infect us with greed.	30:56
	Accumulating more becomes the most important thing,	31:00
	the goal toward which our life is directed.	31:03
	It becomes the reason for our existence,	31:07
	the why that drives us	31:10
	and the what we hope for.	31:12
	That is the reason that Jesus warned be on guard	31:15
	against all kinds of greed.	31:19
	Beware of the consuming destruction of life	31:22
	by avarice, the insatiable desire	31:26
	for more leads to a false understanding	31:31
	and a false foundation for life.	31:35
	The pursuit and accumulation of wealth tempts us	31:38
	to believe several devastating lies.	31:41
	Lie number one,	31:45
	the more you have, the more you are worth.	31:47
	Wealth tempts us to believe the lie	31:51
	that whoever owns the most barns wins.	31:53
	However we measure our wealth,	31:57
	cash, gold, stocks, bonds, lands, houses, cars,	31:58
	wealth is the measuring stick we use	32:04
	to determine our personal worth.	32:06
	This is not a difficult lie to believe	32:09
	because our entire culture and economy	32:12
	is based upon it.	32:14
	You don't have to look far for abundant evidence	32:16
	that our society values those who have more	32:18
	than those who have not.	32:22
	It two weeks for Susan Smith's trial	32:25
	to come to completion	32:27
	while OJ's goes on day after day.	32:29
	Court appointed defense attorneys all over the nation	32:33
	are having to explain why their clients	32:36
	can't have access to DNA testing.	32:38
	When a wealthy person gets killed,	32:42
	it's shocking, front-page news.	32:44
	But the murder of a poor person	32:48
	is so commonplace it hardly deserves mention.	32:50
	The world teaches that the value of a person's life	32:55
	is measured by the size of their net worth.	32:58
	But Jesus teaches that that is a lie.	33:02
	Each person is endowed with an estimable worth	33:06
	as God's own beloved.	33:09
	Eternal worth is the gift	33:11
	that each one of us receives.	33:14
	We can choose to live out of that understanding	33:17
	and knowledge of life or not.	33:20
	But we cannot add to the worth	33:22
	that we have already received through Jesus Christ.	33:24
	Least of all by the size of our bank book.	33:27
	Jesus teaches us to measure ourselves	33:32
	and others by God's standards.	33:34
	Life is more than possessions.	33:36
	Lie number two that wealth tempts us to believe,	33:42
	you have earned what you have.	33:46
	The rich man said soul, you have laid up ample goods	33:49
	for your future, relax, eat, drink, be merry.	33:54
	He was a man who had had	34:00
	an exceptionally good year in business.	34:01
	Now, I want you to note	34:04
	that there was no suggestion	34:05
	that he had cheated, mistreated workers	34:07
	or been unjust in any way.	34:10
	When his harvest exceeded the capacity of his barns,	34:12
	he built bigger barns.	34:16
	He was thinking ahead,	34:18
	planning for the future.	34:19
	He had worked hard	34:22
	and now he was looking forward to a well-earned rest.	34:24
	He was proud of all that he had accomplished	34:28
	and ready to enjoy the fruits of his labor.	34:30
	But that's just where the problem lies.	34:34
	My fruits, he called them, my grain.	34:36
	But in what sense were they his?	34:40
	Could he command the sap in the tree,	34:42
	the fertility of the soil?	34:44
	Were the sunrise and the sunset under his control?	34:47
	Was the faithfulness of returning seasons his merit?	34:50
	If the rain had been withheld,	34:54
	where then would have been his wealth?	34:56
	The land produced abundantly.	34:59
	All the man could do was to take nature's tides	35:02
	at the flood.	35:06
	He was carried to fortune in grace,	35:07
	in the light, the heat, the constancy in nature's cycles	35:10
	which are boundless mysteries of blessing.	35:15
	And he called them mine.	35:19
	But Jesus called him a fool.	35:22
	He was ready to take credit	35:26
	for all the benefits he enjoyed	35:27
	without awareness of the creator's contributions	35:29
	or anyone else	35:32
	but wealth is always an achievement more	35:34
	of society than an individual.	35:36
	However industrious he may have been,	35:39
	his contribution was slight compared with the vast fund	35:41
	of labor and ideas which the living and the dead poured out	35:45
	on his behalf.	35:49
	What of the parents who gave him birth	35:51
	and nurtured him to adulthood?	35:53
	What of the teachers and mentors	35:56
	who sharpened his mind	35:57
	and taught him the skills of farming?	35:59
	What of the workers who plowed his fields	36:02
	and harvested his crops	36:04
	and built his barns?	36:06
	What of the ancestors who acquired the land?	36:09
	When are successful in accumulating wealth,	36:14
	it's so easy to believe the lie	36:16
	that we have earned all that we have	36:19
	but each of us have received countless blessings	36:23
	that we didn't do a thing to deserve	36:26
	and we'll be held accountable for how we use them.	36:29
	Like the rich man, we may be tempted	36:33
	to call them mine	36:35
	but that is to be seduced by a lie.	36:37
	Lie number three,	36:41
	what matters is taking care of number one.	36:43
	The rich man knew a lot about taking care	36:47
	of number one.	36:49
	He used the pronouns I and my six times each	36:50
	in this short parable.	36:53
	He was engaged in a monologue.	36:56
	He talked to himself, planned for himself,	36:59
	congratulated himself, celebrated himself.	37:01
	He was an egotist	37:06
	who had no thought for God	37:07
	and none for other people.	37:08
	He never considered who else might benefit	37:10
	from a share of his bounty.	37:12
	What about the workers who helped harvest his land?	37:14
	What about the needy in his community	37:17
	or in his own family?	37:20
	Was there no sickness to heal,	37:21
	no nakedness to clothe?	37:23
	His thought was only for himself.	37:26
	When the only thing that matters	37:30
	is taking care of number one,	37:32
	our interests become narrowed,	37:34
	our sympathies wither	37:37
	and our imaginations become deadened	37:38
	to other people's needs.	37:40
	Our world gets very small	37:43
	and our own counsel is the only one	37:46
	that we consult, the only one that we trust.	37:48
	The rich man thought	37:54
	he was taking care of number one	37:55
	by stockpiling his wealth.	37:57
	But in the end, he lost not only his wealth	38:00
	but everything that mattered.	38:02
	Lie number four,	38:06
	you can secure the future with wealth.	38:09
	The rich man thought he could secure his future	38:14
	in the possessions that he laid up for himself.	38:16
	He thought he was amply supplied for many years	38:20
	and decided that he'd finally made it.	38:24
	He could stop all the hard work,	38:27
	relax, eat, drink and be merry.	38:29
	But God said to him,	38:33
	you fool, this very night,	38:34
	your life is being demanded of you.	38:37
	The rich man wasn't a bad man.	38:42
	By modern standards, he was a prudent man	38:45
	who capitalized on his investment	38:48
	and planned wisely for the future.	38:51
	Who of us doesn't do the same	38:54
	with our savings accounts,	38:56
	social security, health insurance,	38:58
	life insurance, accident insurance, IRAs	39:00
	and pension plans?	39:03
	Isn't it prudent to put something aside	39:05
	for a rainy day?	39:08
	Isn't it wise to plan for the future?	39:09
	Why did God call him a fool?	39:14
	He was a fool because he thought	39:18
	that the stockpiling of possessions gave him control	39:21
	over the future.	39:25
	He looked to the things	39:28
	that he had acquired for the meaning of his life.	39:29
	And the means to secure his goal,	39:32
	to relax, eat, drink and be merry.	39:35
	He sought security	39:39
	in the wrong place,	39:40
	trusting ultimately in things that could not last.	39:42
	The man traveled one way, his property traveled another way	39:47
	beyond his control.	39:51
	Bereft of the world without,	39:54
	his only treasure was the world within.	39:56
	That treasure he had despised	39:59
	and he was destitute.	40:02
	The stockpiling of possessions against insecurity	40:05
	was not only an act of disregard	40:08
	for those in need	40:10
	but idolatry, putting possessions in the place of God.	40:12
	He looked for meaning and control	40:16
	of his destiny through his wealth	40:20
	but in the process he squandered his real treasure, life.	40:22
	So it is with those who store up treasure for themselves	40:28
	but are not rich toward God.	40:31
	Or as another translation says it,	40:34
	those who are paupers in the sight of God.	40:37
	The future cannot be secured with abundant possessions	40:41
	for sooner or later,	40:45
	each one of us must face the limits of time.	40:46
	When death knocks, each of us must answer	40:50
	for what we've done with the gift,	40:53
	the treasures of life.	40:55
	Have we stored up treasures for ourselves believing	40:57
	that life consists of possessions	41:00
	or have we sought to become rich towards God?	41:03
	Jesus told this narrative	41:08
	because he wanted us to believe,	41:10
	truly believe that life does not consist	41:13
	in the abundance of possessions.	41:18
	The pursuit of wealth as the meaning of life	41:22
	and the source of one's security leads only	41:24
	to a poverty of soul	41:28
	and a thin imitation of life.	41:29
	The Greek word for life is (speaking in foreign language)	41:33
	which means essential life.	41:35
	Jesus came to give us more essential life,	41:38
	the composite of the soul	41:42
	and spirit and mind,	41:44
	the intellectual, emotional and volitional person within us.	41:46
	It is that immortal person within us	41:50
	which the death of the body cannot destroy.	41:53
	The essential being	41:57
	which has an everlasting relationship with God.	41:58
	Essential, abundant life	42:03
	is what God offers each one of us through Christ.	42:06
	When we pursue this life,	42:10
	when it is the source of our meaning	42:12
	and security, when it is the goal	42:14
	that we live for and the means	42:16
	by which we seek to live,	42:17
	then we become rich toward God.	42:20
	Then we have the life that is more than possessions,	42:23
	the essential life which can never be taken from us.	42:27
	So dear friends, take care.	42:33
	Be on guard against all kinds of greed.	42:37
	And remember that one's life	42:41
	does not consist in the abundance of possessions.	42:43
	Cultivate the abundant essential life	42:49
	that you may be rich toward God.	42:52
	(tranquil organ music)	43:00
	(congregation singing)	43:48
-	The Lord be with you.	46:26
All	And also with you.	46:28
-	Let us pray.	46:29
	Oh God,	46:43
	in the shadow of your cross	46:45
	and the glory of your resurrection	46:48
	in the mighty wind of Pentecost,	46:51
	we take our place before you this morning.	46:54
	And it is in and by that power of the cross	46:58
	that resurrection and that Pentecost	47:02
	that we pray in this moment.	47:05
	Hear us for the sake of your Son,	47:08
	our Lord Jesus Christ.	47:11
	Oh Savior of the world,	47:15
	by your cross and passion	47:17
	you have redeemed us but in the afflictions	47:19
	of your people, you are yourself afflicted.	47:22
	We pray for those who suffer.	47:27
	For all those whose livelihood is insecure,	47:30
	for the hungry, the homeless, the jobless.	47:35
	For those who were downtrodden by the pressures of life,	47:41
	for those who work many jobs to make ends meet.	47:45
	For those who despair of ever knowing security.	47:50
	Lord, in your mercy.	47:54
All	Hear our prayer.	47:57
-	For all who are hindered in this race of life,	48:01
	for the weak, the impaired,	48:06
	the handicapped, Lord, in your mercy.	48:10
All	Hear our prayer.	48:16
-	For children whose surroundings hide from them knowledge	48:19
	of your love and vision of your creation's beauty,	48:22
	for the fatherless and the motherless,	48:28
	the unwanted, the abandoned, the abused,	48:32
	Lord in your mercy.	48:37
All	Hear our prayer.	48:39
-	For those who bear their burdens alone,	48:43
	for those who are in doubt	48:46
	and anguish of soul,	48:47
	for all those who lack the prayers of others,	48:50
	for all those who do not know the power	48:54
	of your love	48:56
	and the wonder of your compassion.	48:58
	Lord, in your mercy.	49:01
All	Hear our prayer.	49:03
-	For all the sick of body, mind or spirit,	49:05
	in the hospitals, in homes or on the streets	49:11
	of our community, Lord, in your mercy.	49:15
All	Hear our prayer.	49:20
-	Oh Savior of the world,	49:23
	give ear to these our prayers	49:25
	and answer them in your compassion.	49:27
	And grant that we who have been baptized	49:31
	into your suffering and death	49:33
	be empowered by our baptisms	49:36
	and the mighty wind of your spirit	49:38
	so that we are strengthened in love toward one another	49:41
	that we may serve you as the one true living Lord	49:45
	of Heaven and Earth.	49:51
	All this we pray in the name of the one	49:54
	who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,	49:57
	one God forever and forever, amen.	50:00
	With joyful and thankful hearts,	50:10
	let us give of ourselves	50:13
	and our gifts to God.	50:14
	(tranquil organ music)	50:19
	(choir singing)	52:04
	(lively organ music)	55:33
	♪ Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow ♪	56:06
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	56:13
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	56:19
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	56:26
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	56:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:39
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:41
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:45
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:48
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:52
-	Let us pray.	57:05
	Oh gracious God,	57:09
	the brightness of your face	57:11
	is hidden from our sight.	57:13
	Yet you do not abandon us to the darkness	57:16
	of the world.	57:19
	We thank you that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ	57:21
	to be the light of a dark world,	57:26
	to pierce the eternal mystery	57:28
	so that in seeing him	57:30
	we might also see you	57:32
	and behold your glory.	57:35
	We give thanks that your Gospel finds voice	57:38
	through us and through our gifts.	57:41
	May our gifts honor you	57:44
	and may our lives serve you and your kingdom.	57:47
	Use us and use our gifts	57:52
	to feed the hungry,	57:55
	to heal the sick, to clothe the naked	57:58
	and to give comfort to those who sorrow	58:02
	for you bestow upon us every good	58:06
	and perfect gift.	58:08
	Help us to thank you not only with our lips	58:11
	but also with our lives	58:14
	and with our spirits	58:16
	so that always and everywhere,	58:18
	we recognize you and love you.	58:21
	We know you and see you	58:26
	and we see your glory in our Lord Jesus Christ.	58:29
	And we know how to pray to you	58:33
	because he taught us	58:35
	to say as we pray.	58:37
All	Our Father who art in Heaven,	58:40
	hallowed be thy name.	58:44
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	58:46
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	58:50
	Give us this day our daily bread	58:53
	and forgive our trespasses	58:56
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	58:59
	and lead us not into temptation	59:03
	but deliver us from evil	59:06
	for thine is the kingdom and the power	59:08
	and the glory forever.	59:12
	Amen.	59:14
	(tranquil organ music)	59:18
	(congregation singing)	1:00:09
-	Go forth for God to live in abundant life.	1:03:43
	May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:03:47
	the love of God	1:03:49
	and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you	1:03:50
	and keep you.	1:03:53
	Amen.	1:03:54
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:03:58
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:00
	♪ Amen ♪	1:04:03
	(lively organ music)	1:04:07

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (August 6, 1995)

Description:

Sermon start time: 24:54. Sermon end time: 42:57.
The preacher wonders if we really believe that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions? She speaks to the obsession with hoarding wealth rather than focusing on developing a relationship with Jesus Christ. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The world teaches that the value of a person’s life is measured by the size of their net-worth. But Jesus teaches that that is a lie.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r46t0hb3b

Date:

August 6, 1995

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 12:13-21

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0435
ref9613_o0r
uachapelsermaud
duke:321520
dcrmv001413
ark:/87924/r46t0hb3b
49a8269e-75fe-434b-aa0a-bacdef1b5f59

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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