Otis C. Edwards, Jr. - Sermon Untitled (May 19, 1996)
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Transcript
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(solemn organ music) | 0:00 | |
- | Grace and peace to you | 2:09 |
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 2:11 | |
and welcome to this service of worship | 2:13 | |
at Duke University Chapel on the seventh Sunday of Easter. | 2:15 | |
Our preacher for today is the Rev. Dr. O. C. Edwards, | 2:19 | |
chaplain and scholar in residence | 2:23 | |
at the College of Preachers in Washington, D.C. | 2:24 | |
Dr. Edwards has been a visiting professor | 2:28 | |
here at Duke Divinity School this semester, | 2:30 | |
and he is a well known author | 2:33 | |
and conference and retreat leader. | 2:35 | |
We are delighted to welcome him back to our pulpit. | 2:36 | |
I'd also like to thank Mr. James Jirdle | 2:40 | |
for his musical offering in today's service. | 2:41 | |
James is no stranger to us here at the chapel | 2:44 | |
having performed on a number of different occasions. | 2:47 | |
We are always deeply appreciative of his contribution | 2:50 | |
to our worship. | 2:52 | |
He and his family are also members | 2:54 | |
of the congregation in Duke Chapel. | 2:55 | |
The Duke Chapel Summer Choir is open | 2:58 | |
to all interested singers without audition. | 3:00 | |
Their first rehearsal will be held | 3:03 | |
this Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM. | 3:05 | |
And now would you please stand for the call to worship? | 3:08 | |
Sing praises to our God. | 3:18 | |
Sing praises. | 3:20 | |
Congregation | Sing praises to our Lord. | 3:23 |
Sing praises. | 3:25 | |
- | For God reigns over the nations. | 3:26 |
Congregation | Sing praises of the psalm. | 3:30 |
Hallelujah. | 3:32 | |
(solemn organ music) | 3:35 | |
(organ music overpowers singing) | 4:18 | |
- | Everlasting God, | 7:34 |
we are seldom moved by the sound of great words | 7:37 | |
or visions of fire and clouds, | 7:40 | |
our doubts are often more compelling than our faith. | 7:43 | |
Yet You break through our reservations | 7:47 | |
to baptize us with the Holy Spirit | 7:50 | |
and we are surprised by joy. | 7:54 | |
In this hour, we would look up to know You | 7:57 | |
and then go out to serve all whom You love. | 8:01 | |
In Jesus' name we pray. | 8:05 | |
Amen. | 8:07 | |
- | Let us pray the prayer for illumination. | 8:21 |
Open our hearts and minds, O God, | 8:26 | |
by the power of Your Holy Spirit | 8:29 | |
so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 8:32 | |
we may hear Your message with joy this day. | 8:36 | |
Amen. | 8:41 | |
The first lesson is from 1 Peter 4:12 through 14, | 8:44 | |
and 5:6 through 11. | 8:51 | |
Hear the word of the Lord. | 8:56 | |
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal | 9:00 | |
that is taking place among you to test you | 9:05 | |
as though something strange were happening to you. | 9:09 | |
But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's suffering | 9:13 | |
so that you may also be glad and shout for joy | 9:19 | |
when His glory is revealed. | 9:23 | |
If you are reviled for the name of Christ, | 9:27 | |
you are blessed, | 9:31 | |
because the spirit of glory which is the spirit of God | 9:33 | |
is resting on you. | 9:36 | |
Humble yourselves therefore | 9:40 | |
under the mighty hand of God so that God | 9:43 | |
may exalt you in due time. | 9:46 | |
Cast all your anxiety on God because God cares for you. | 9:50 | |
Discipline yourselves. | 9:58 | |
Keep alert. | 10:00 | |
Like a roaring lion, your adversary, the Devil, | 10:03 | |
prowls around looking for someone to devour. | 10:06 | |
Resist the devil. | 10:11 | |
Steadfast in your faith for you know | 10:13 | |
that your brothers and sisters in all the world | 10:16 | |
are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. | 10:19 | |
And after you have suffered for a little while, | 10:23 | |
the God of all grace who has called you | 10:27 | |
to God's eternal glory in Christ | 10:31 | |
will restore, support, | 10:35 | |
strengthen and establish you. | 10:38 | |
To God be the power forever and ever. | 10:42 | |
Amen. | 10:46 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 10:47 | |
All | Thanks be to God. | 10:50 |
- | The second lesson is from | 10:54 |
the Acts of the Apostles 1:6 through 14. | 10:56 | |
Hear the word of the Lord. | 11:04 | |
So when they had come together, they asked him, | 11:09 | |
"Lord, is this the time when you will restore | 11:12 | |
"the kingdom of Israel?" | 11:15 | |
He replied, | 11:18 | |
"It is not for you to know the times or periods | 11:21 | |
"that the Father has set by his own authority. | 11:24 | |
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit | 11:28 | |
"has come upon you and you will be my witnesses | 11:31 | |
"in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Sumeria, | 11:34 | |
"and to the ends of the Earth." | 11:39 | |
When he had said this, as they were watching, | 11:43 | |
he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. | 11:48 | |
While he was going and they were gazing up | 11:55 | |
toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes | 11:58 | |
stood by them. | 12:01 | |
They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand | 12:04 | |
"looking up toward heaven? | 12:08 | |
"This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven | 12:10 | |
"will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." | 12:14 | |
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount | 12:20 | |
called Olivet which is near Jerusalem, | 12:23 | |
a Sabbath's day's journey away. | 12:26 | |
When they had entered the city, they went | 12:30 | |
to the room upstairs where they were staying. | 12:32 | |
Peter and John and James and Andrew, | 12:35 | |
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, | 12:40 | |
James, son of Alpheus, and Simon the Zealot, | 12:44 | |
and Judas, son of James. | 12:49 | |
All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, | 12:53 | |
together with certain women including | 12:56 | |
Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. | 12:59 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 13:05 | |
All | Thanks be to God. | 13:08 |
- | Please stand as we join in reading responsibly | 13:17 |
selected verses from Psalm 68. | 13:19 | |
Let God arise. | 13:27 | |
Let God's enemies be scattered. | 13:30 | |
Let those who hate God flee. | 13:33 | |
Congregation | (mumbles) as wax melts before the fire, | 13:37 |
may the wicked perish before God. | 13:38 | |
- | But let the righteous be joyful. | 13:47 |
Let them exalt before God. | 13:50 | |
Let them be jubilant with joy. | 13:52 | |
Congregation | Sing to God, sing praises in God's name. | 13:56 |
We extol Him, the one who rides upon the clouds. | 14:00 | |
Rejoice before Him, His name is the Lord. | 14:04 | |
- | In the Holy Habitation, God is father of orphans | 14:08 |
and protector of widows. | 14:13 | |
Congregation | (mumbled response). | 14:16 |
- | Oh God when You went forth before Your people, | 14:27 |
when You marched through the wilderness. | 14:30 | |
Congregation | The earth quaked, | 14:34 |
the heavens poured down water, | 14:35 | |
in the presence of God, the One of Sinai, | 14:38 | |
in the presence of God, the God of Israel. | 14:41 | |
- | Reign in abundance, Oh God, You shed abroad. | 14:46 |
You restored Your heritage as it languished. | 14:50 | |
Congregation | Your flock found a dwelling in it; | 14:54 |
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. | 14:57 | |
- | Sing to God, oh kingdoms of the Earth. | 15:02 |
Sing praises to the Lord. | 15:05 | |
Congregation | Who ride in the heavens, | 15:07 |
the ancient heavens; | 15:09 | |
thunderous is His voice, His mighty voice. | 15:11 | |
- | Ascribe power to God whose majesty is over Israel | 15:15 |
and whose power is in the skies. | 15:20 | |
Congregation | Wondrous God in His sanctuary, | 15:24 |
the God of Israel. | 15:27 | |
He gives power and strength to the people. | 15:29 | |
(organ music overpowers singing) | 15:42 | |
♪ Little Lamb who made thee ♪ | 16:52 | |
♪ Dost thou know who made thee ♪ | 16:58 | |
♪ Gave thee life ♪ | 17:05 | |
♪ And bid thee feed ♪ | 17:08 | |
♪ By the stream and o'er the mead ♪ | 17:11 | |
♪ Gave thee clothing of delight ♪ | 17:21 | |
♪ Softest clothing wooly bright ♪ | 17:28 | |
♪ Gave thee such a tender voice ♪ | 17:36 | |
♪ Making all the vales rejoice ♪ | 17:46 | |
♪ Little Lamb who made thee ♪ | 17:57 | |
♪ Dost thou know ♪ | 18:05 | |
♪ Who made thee ♪ | 18:09 | |
♪ Little Lamb I'll tell thee ♪ | 18:17 | |
♪ Little Lamb I'll tell thee ♪ | 18:27 | |
♪ He is called by thy name ♪ | 18:35 | |
♪ For he calls himself a Lamb ♪ | 18:44 | |
♪ He is meek and he is mild ♪ | 18:53 | |
♪ He became ♪ | 19:03 | |
♪ A little child ♪ | 19:09 | |
♪ I a child ♪ | 19:18 | |
♪ And thou a lamb ♪ | 19:24 | |
♪ We are called by his name ♪ | 19:32 | |
♪ Little Lamb God bless thee ♪ | 19:44 | |
♪ Little Lamb ♪ | 19:57 | |
♪ God bless thee ♪ | 20:02 | |
- | The gospel reading is from John 17:1 through 11. | 20:30 |
Hear the word of the Lord. | 20:38 | |
After Jesus had spoken these words, | 20:43 | |
He looked up to heaven and said, | 20:45 | |
"Father, the hour has come; | 20:50 | |
"glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, | 20:53 | |
"since you have given him authority over all people, | 20:58 | |
"to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. | 21:01 | |
"And this is eternal life, that they may know you, | 21:07 | |
"the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. | 21:12 | |
"I glorified you on earth by finishing the work | 21:18 | |
"that you gave me to do. | 21:21 | |
"So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence | 21:24 | |
"with the glory that I had in your presence | 21:29 | |
"before the world existed. | 21:32 | |
"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me | 21:35 | |
"from the world. | 21:39 | |
"They were yours, and you gave them to me, | 21:42 | |
"and they have kept your word. | 21:48 | |
"Now they know that everything you have given me | 21:52 | |
"is from you; for the words that you gave to me | 21:55 | |
"I have given to them, and they have received them | 22:01 | |
"and know in truth that I came from you; | 22:04 | |
"and they have believed that you sent me. | 22:08 | |
"I am asking on their behalf; | 22:13 | |
"I am not asking on behalf of the world, | 22:15 | |
"but on behalf of those whom you gave me, | 22:19 | |
"because they are yours. | 22:22 | |
"All mine are yours, and yours are mine; | 22:25 | |
"and I have been glorified in them. | 22:29 | |
"And now I am no longer in the world, | 22:34 | |
"but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. | 22:37 | |
"Holy Father, protect them in your name | 22:43 | |
"that you have given me, so that they may be one, | 22:48 | |
"as we are one." | 22:54 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 22:58 | |
All | Thanks be to God. | 23:01 |
- | The name of the Father, and of the Son, | 23:14 |
and of the Holy Spirit. | 23:17 | |
There are some passages of Scripture that seem to expect | 23:21 | |
that sermons on them will be on one topic | 23:26 | |
and one alone. | 23:29 | |
My old bishop down in Louisiana once told me | 23:32 | |
that the during the Civil Rights Movement in the late '60s | 23:35 | |
it took no more than reading | 23:40 | |
the Parable of the Good Samaritan to cause some people | 23:42 | |
to walk out of church. | 23:46 | |
So confident were they that the sermon would inevitably be | 23:48 | |
on Christian racial relations. | 23:53 | |
Our gospel for this morning is the same sort of passage. | 23:57 | |
It is taken from the prayer that Jesus prayed | 24:01 | |
at the Last Supper. | 24:05 | |
His High Priestly Prayer as it is called | 24:07 | |
which is written in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of John. | 24:11 | |
The portion we hear ends with our Lord praying | 24:17 | |
for His followers and saying, Holy Father, | 24:21 | |
protect them in Your name that You have given me | 24:26 | |
so that they may be one, as we are one. | 24:30 | |
So that they may be one, as we are one. | 24:37 | |
Thus it appears to be almost inevitable | 24:47 | |
that sermons preached on this passage will be exhortations | 24:51 | |
to Christians of all denominations to involve themselves | 24:56 | |
in unity negotiations. | 25:01 | |
As devoted as I am to the cause of Christian unity, | 25:05 | |
I nevertheless must confess that such sermons | 25:09 | |
often show a serious misunderstanding of the text. | 25:14 | |
In calling for greater human effort to overcome | 25:20 | |
our separation into several hundred Christian bodies, | 25:25 | |
preachers fail to notice that their motto | 25:29 | |
that they all may be one is a prayer. | 25:33 | |
Thus our Lord is not looking for reunion to result | 25:37 | |
from the increased activity of Christians, | 25:42 | |
rather he seems to recognize that such a difficult | 25:45 | |
and blessed accomplishment can only come about | 25:50 | |
through a gift of God. | 25:55 | |
At the supper, He has told His chosen band | 25:58 | |
that He is going to prepare a place for them. | 26:03 | |
And the unity prayed for is ultimately that | 26:07 | |
of the heavenly city. | 26:10 | |
Indeed it is the unity of the Godhead itself, | 26:12 | |
what later theologians would call the perfect society | 26:17 | |
of the Holy Trinity. | 26:22 | |
And our gospel for today seems to expect that the unity | 26:28 | |
of the heavenly city, participation, and the inner life | 26:33 | |
of the Godhead is something that our Lord's followers | 26:37 | |
to begin to enjoy right then | 26:42 | |
and that it would be enjoyed by others | 26:47 | |
who were to come later. | 26:50 | |
Jesus said to the Father, I ask not only in behalf of these | 26:53 | |
but also in behalf of those who believed on Me | 26:59 | |
through their word. | 27:03 | |
Thus we appear among those prayed for. | 27:06 | |
Among those for whom the gift of unity is besought. | 27:10 | |
The fact that the unity prayed for is to be a gift of God | 27:16 | |
rather than a human achievement does not mean, | 27:20 | |
however, that it should be preached about. | 27:24 | |
It only means that the unity should not be treated | 27:27 | |
as something that human beings could achieve | 27:31 | |
if only they worked a little harder. | 27:34 | |
I would therefore like to spend some of our time | 27:38 | |
together this morning sketching in a little of the history | 27:40 | |
and the present state of the ecumenical movement | 27:45 | |
telling you how far it seems to me that God has gone | 27:49 | |
in restoring unity to Christ body, the church. | 27:55 | |
The great turning point seems to have occurred | 28:00 | |
about a century ago. | 28:03 | |
If I am correct in remembering that centrifugal | 28:06 | |
means movement away from the center | 28:11 | |
and centripetal means movement back toward it. | 28:14 | |
We can say that church history had a centrifugal movement | 28:19 | |
before 1900 and has had a centripetal movement since. | 28:22 | |
For most of the first two millennia of the Christian Era, | 28:30 | |
it seems like we were growing farther and farther | 28:35 | |
and farther apart, breaking into progressively | 28:39 | |
more numerous sects. | 28:45 | |
At first glance that pattern may seem like a bad thing. | 28:48 | |
Why can't the followers of the Prince of Peace | 28:53 | |
get along with one another? | 28:57 | |
And it is certainly true that human arrogance, | 29:00 | |
greed, lust for power, envy, pride, and uncharitableness | 29:04 | |
have had far too large of share in the development | 29:12 | |
of this pattern of splendoring. | 29:18 | |
I don't believe, however, | 29:22 | |
that that's all there's been to it. | 29:23 | |
A great representative of my own tradition, | 29:27 | |
Frederick Denison Maurice once said a very wise thing. | 29:29 | |
He said that people are generally right | 29:36 | |
in what they affirm and wrong in what they deny. | 29:39 | |
I think that principle can be observed in the reasons why | 29:47 | |
the Christian church spent its first 2,000 years | 29:51 | |
in dividing into more and more denominations. | 29:55 | |
Each group which split away to form a new body | 29:59 | |
generally had one value they were trying to pursue, | 30:04 | |
an aspect of the glory of God that they felt | 30:09 | |
called to explore. | 30:15 | |
This value to which they were committed the principle | 30:18 | |
they wish to affirm was usually something real and valuable. | 30:24 | |
Where they went wrong was in the negative implication | 30:32 | |
they drew from the truth that they wish to assert. | 30:36 | |
They assumed that if their values were true | 30:41 | |
then the values of those who disagreed with him | 30:45 | |
had to be false. | 30:49 | |
And so they were right in what they affirmed | 30:51 | |
and wrong in what they denied. | 30:54 | |
But a result of all the splitting up | 30:58 | |
has been that Christian bodies have been available | 31:03 | |
for devoting their corporate lives | 31:07 | |
to the exploration of different aspects | 31:10 | |
of the glory of God. | 31:14 | |
What each group will be able to bring to the reunited church | 31:17 | |
is the value that it has come to know intimately | 31:22 | |
during the years of its separated existence. | 31:28 | |
The rest of us need to know what each other group | 31:33 | |
has spent its life learning. | 31:37 | |
Thus I think we will all be enriched, | 31:41 | |
our horizons will be stretched, | 31:44 | |
our blessings will be multiplied | 31:47 | |
when we all get back together and each group | 31:51 | |
brings its gift to the rest | 31:54 | |
what it has learned about its aspect of the goodness | 31:57 | |
of the God we all worship. | 32:02 | |
That's why I believe that the first two millennia | 32:05 | |
of growing farther and farther apart were not all bad. | 32:08 | |
Nevertheless, I rejoice that just about 100 years ago, | 32:14 | |
the centrifugal movement seemed to stop. | 32:19 | |
The cream separator was shifted into reverse | 32:23 | |
and a centripetal movement was set on operation. | 32:27 | |
It began in the foreign mission field. | 32:32 | |
Representatives of different denominations there | 32:35 | |
were told by the people they wish to convert | 32:38 | |
that there was so many kinds of missionaries in the field | 32:42 | |
the people didn't know who the real representatives | 32:46 | |
of Christianity were. | 32:49 | |
Christians were told in effect that they had to get | 32:52 | |
their act together if they wanted to be believed. | 32:55 | |
Thus the first efforts in Christian cooperation | 32:59 | |
were in the area of missions. | 33:04 | |
Soon, however, it was seen that when Christians | 33:07 | |
address society about moral issues, | 33:10 | |
they would be better heard if they spoke with one voice. | 33:14 | |
This realization was the occasion of conferences | 33:21 | |
on the life and work of the churches. | 33:26 | |
Next it was seen that churches needed to discuss | 33:30 | |
their differences and what they believed in the ways | 33:33 | |
in which they were organized. | 33:36 | |
Meetings to discuss these issues | 33:39 | |
were called Faith and Order Conferences. | 33:42 | |
Gradually, these impulses were given institutional form. | 33:46 | |
The federal council of churches which is now called | 33:53 | |
the National Council of Churches was formed in this country | 33:56 | |
early in this century as a vehicle for enabling churches | 34:01 | |
to cooperate on practical projects. | 34:06 | |
Then a few years after World War II, | 34:10 | |
the World Council of Churches was formed as a great umbrella | 34:14 | |
under which the life and work and the faith and order | 34:18 | |
programs could be continued more efficiently. | 34:22 | |
During all this time there were also | 34:27 | |
denominational mergers going on. | 34:29 | |
For instance, in 1939, | 34:32 | |
three of the largest American Methodist denominations, | 34:36 | |
the Methodist Episcopal Churches, north and south, | 34:40 | |
and the Methodist Protestant Church got back together. | 34:43 | |
Then in 1968, this reunited body joined with | 34:47 | |
the Evangelical United Brethren | 34:53 | |
to form the United Methodist Church. | 34:56 | |
At this point we need to say something about the major | 35:00 | |
families of Christians to help clarify later developments. | 35:03 | |
Often people are willing to sort everyone into two heaps, | 35:09 | |
Catholics and protestants and let it go with that, | 35:16 | |
but the reality is really much more complex than that. | 35:21 | |
For instance there are two major Catholic communions, | 35:27 | |
the Eastern Orthodox, who are not under the pope, | 35:32 | |
and the Roman Catholics, who are. | 35:36 | |
To make it even more complicated there are some | 35:40 | |
Eastern Catholics who have communion with the pope | 35:42 | |
and some others who are not on the network of either | 35:47 | |
Rome or Constantinople. | 35:51 | |
And then there is my own anomalous tradition, the Anglicans | 35:55 | |
including Episcopalians in the Church of England | 36:00 | |
who claim to be both Catholic and protestant. | 36:03 | |
The term protestant refers first and foremost | 36:09 | |
to the churches of the Reformation. | 36:12 | |
Mainly all varieties of Lutheran and all the heirs | 36:14 | |
of John Calvin including the Presbyterians, | 36:19 | |
the United Church of Christ, and the Dutch Reform. | 36:23 | |
To these must be added the churches | 36:27 | |
of the Radical Reformation in Europe, peace churches | 36:30 | |
like the Mennonites and the Brethren, | 36:34 | |
and others who do not really fit the pattern | 36:37 | |
of what we call mainline protestants. | 36:40 | |
They tend to be more counter-cultural than that. | 36:43 | |
Yet on the other hand there, there are the Methodists | 36:48 | |
who do not go back to the 16th Century Reformation | 36:50 | |
but instead broke away from the Anglicans | 36:54 | |
about the time of the American Revolution | 36:56 | |
who are very mainstream. | 36:58 | |
In addition to protestants, however, | 37:02 | |
we must also take account of those | 37:04 | |
who are called evangelicals. | 37:07 | |
This is a very diverse group with roots in many traditions | 37:10 | |
including most of the protestant churches | 37:16 | |
but American-born churches as well. | 37:19 | |
The necessity to consider them separately | 37:23 | |
goes back to changes that have been taking place | 37:26 | |
in Protestantism over the course of the last century. | 37:29 | |
Through most of the 19th century, | 37:33 | |
American religious life was characterized | 37:38 | |
by literal interpretation of the bible | 37:40 | |
and emphasis of the conversion experience. | 37:44 | |
Since then mainline churches have drawn back | 37:48 | |
from both of these emphases using historical critical | 37:52 | |
interpretation of the bible and stressing baptism | 37:57 | |
and nurture rather than born again experience | 38:02 | |
as the normal entry into the church. | 38:06 | |
Evangelicals then could be defined negatively | 38:09 | |
as Christians who have resisted both of these trends. | 38:13 | |
One way in which their resistance has been manifested | 38:18 | |
has been their unwillingness to join either | 38:22 | |
The National or The World Council of Churches. | 38:25 | |
Instead they have formed | 38:29 | |
the National Evangelical Association | 38:30 | |
and The World Evangelical Fellowship. | 38:33 | |
Finally there is another major Christian family, | 38:37 | |
the Pentecostals. | 38:41 | |
The Modern Pentecostal Movement traces itself | 38:44 | |
to the Revival on Azusa Street in Los Angeles | 38:47 | |
and to other outpourings early in this century. | 38:52 | |
Often identified too exclusively | 38:57 | |
in terms of speaking in tongues these charismatic Christians | 39:01 | |
insist on all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit | 39:06 | |
as being available today including prophecy and healing. | 39:11 | |
As young as the modern Pentecostal Movement is, | 39:17 | |
it has grown very rapidly not least in Latin America | 39:21 | |
but in this country and elsewhere as well. | 39:26 | |
Well, that concludes this taxonomy of major Christian | 39:29 | |
families that should enable us to carry on our story. | 39:34 | |
The first point to be made is that the Councils of Churches, | 39:37 | |
both national and world, already included more than one | 39:42 | |
of these families. | 39:47 | |
In addition to the Protestants | 39:49 | |
they included both Orthodox and Anglicans. | 39:51 | |
Nevertheless, the absence of Roman Catholics | 39:55 | |
meant that half of the world's Christians, | 39:59 | |
half of the world's Christians were not represented. | 40:03 | |
While Roman Catholics do not yet belong fully | 40:10 | |
to these councils of churches, | 40:14 | |
they have been much more involved since | 40:16 | |
the Second Vatican Council in the early '60s. | 40:20 | |
Indeed, Vatican, too, seemed to give the ecumenical movement | 40:25 | |
as a whole a new lease on life for a while. | 40:29 | |
Many bodies seemed to feel the thrill | 40:34 | |
of new possibilities then. | 40:36 | |
It was during that period of euphoria for instance | 40:39 | |
that the ColCU, the Council on Church Unity, | 40:42 | |
union, was begun. | 40:46 | |
This was a plan for achieving Ante-Communion between | 40:49 | |
the Presbyterians, the Methodists, | 40:53 | |
the United Church of Christ, Disciples of Christ, | 40:56 | |
Episcopalians, and several of the historic black churches. | 40:59 | |
Many bilateral dialogues, | 41:05 | |
dialogues between two denominations, | 41:08 | |
were also begun at that time | 41:11 | |
between a wide variety of traditions, | 41:14 | |
both on national and international levels. | 41:17 | |
During the Pontificate of John Paul II, however, | 41:22 | |
Roman Catholic ecumenical enthusiasm seemed to wane. | 41:26 | |
And indeed the struggle of most churches | 41:31 | |
with loss of members, loss of money, | 41:35 | |
and internal dissension, seemed generally to have reduced | 41:39 | |
everybody's priority for ecumenism. | 41:45 | |
There are, however, hopeful signs. | 41:49 | |
Let me call your attention to just a few. | 41:52 | |
One has to do with the way that | 41:55 | |
it is now being recognized that the ecumenical dialogue | 41:57 | |
must be brought to include the full spectrum | 42:02 | |
of Christian families. | 42:06 | |
It started out dealing chiefly with mainline protestants. | 42:09 | |
But recently both Conrad Riser and John Campbell, | 42:13 | |
general secretaries respectively of the World | 42:18 | |
and National Councils of Churches, | 42:22 | |
have begun to hope for what Campbell has called | 42:25 | |
the far horizon of ecumenism | 42:28 | |
which will provide a forum in which their councils | 42:32 | |
can meet with Roman Catholics, evangelicals, | 42:37 | |
and Pentecostals, so that they can all make together | 42:40 | |
a common Christian witness to the world. | 42:45 | |
Another international development involves | 42:51 | |
two documents of world faith and order, | 42:54 | |
one called "Confessing to One Faith", | 42:57 | |
and the other called "Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry", | 43:00 | |
to which the response has shown a far greater agreement | 43:05 | |
on major doctrines than anyone would have imagined. | 43:09 | |
But let me speak of a couple of personal experiences | 43:14 | |
that have cheered my heart with ecumenical hopes. | 43:19 | |
One has to do with my serving as an episcopal delegate | 43:24 | |
to the American Faith and Order Commission. | 43:27 | |
There I've had the opportunity to get to know well | 43:31 | |
representatives of traditions that I would not | 43:35 | |
ordinarily have come in contact with, | 43:38 | |
especially evangelicals and Pentecostals. | 43:41 | |
And here I have to confess to my shame | 43:46 | |
prejudices that I used to have. | 43:50 | |
I had assumed that these traditions were not | 43:52 | |
very sophisticated and that they could not | 43:55 | |
have learned theologians. | 43:57 | |
I am happy to say that I could not have been more mistaken. | 44:00 | |
In fact, time and again I have pointed out to me | 44:05 | |
my own naivety, ignorance, and faulty logic | 44:08 | |
by some of them. | 44:14 | |
At least as important, I have discovered | 44:17 | |
in these friends a depth of faith | 44:20 | |
and holiness of life that have made me | 44:22 | |
yearn to become closer to the and more like them. | 44:26 | |
A result has been that I at any rate | 44:34 | |
can never be ultimately satisfied with any plan of union | 44:37 | |
that does not include these traditions. | 44:42 | |
as long as they are missing from the table, | 44:45 | |
I know that God will still have wonderful gifts for us | 44:49 | |
that we have not yet been ready to receive. | 44:53 | |
The other experience is very simple. | 44:58 | |
The episcopal church in Newton, North Carolina | 45:01 | |
is between priest right now, | 45:04 | |
and I agreed to go over and take the service | 45:06 | |
for them on Palm Sunday. | 45:08 | |
I'd been told, however, that I wouldn't have to preach. | 45:11 | |
Three congregations in the neighborhood | 45:14 | |
had a tradition of celebrating the liturgy | 45:16 | |
of the palms together | 45:18 | |
before going to their own churches for the parts | 45:21 | |
of the service that they could not share. | 45:24 | |
When I got to Newton, I discovered | 45:27 | |
that the three churches were the only buildings | 45:29 | |
in one block and that the service would begin | 45:32 | |
out the doors and that we would process | 45:35 | |
with our palms into our church | 45:39 | |
for the bible readings and sermon | 45:42 | |
before going our separate ways. | 45:44 | |
There was a wonderful spirit to the joint service, | 45:47 | |
and members of all three groups told me | 45:51 | |
that they thought that this was the best thing | 45:54 | |
their church did each year. | 45:57 | |
What amazed me was that one of the other churches | 46:00 | |
was Roman Catholic, and that other | 46:03 | |
was Southern Baptist. | 46:07 | |
I don't think I ever expected to see a service | 46:10 | |
in which three local congregations | 46:14 | |
of such different traditions | 46:16 | |
would worship together so naturally and so joyfully. | 46:19 | |
This shows me that the cause of Christian unity | 46:24 | |
is alive and well in North Carolina. | 46:27 | |
I could go on, but this is enough to remind you | 46:32 | |
of how Christ's prayer that his followers may be one | 46:38 | |
is being answered in our time. | 46:43 | |
The conclusion I draw from this | 46:47 | |
is that the Holy Spirit has the church by the tail, | 46:51 | |
and God is going to reunite us | 46:55 | |
whether we want God to do that or not. | 46:58 | |
Therefore to this only wise God we ascribe | 47:02 | |
as is most justly due all might, | 47:05 | |
majesty, dominion and power both now and forever. | 47:07 | |
Amen. | 47:12 | |
(solemn organ music) | 47:15 | |
(organ music overpowers singing) | 47:55 | |
- | You may be seated. | 50:54 |
Gracious God, You hear our prayers before we speak | 51:04 | |
and answer before we know our need, | 51:08 | |
though we know not how to pray, | 51:13 | |
may Your spirit pray in us. | 51:15 | |
Forgive us when we behave as though Your presence in life | 51:19 | |
were a past event rather than a contemporary encounter. | 51:22 | |
Help us when we envision our task as preserving | 51:28 | |
the status quo rather than taking risk for Your sake. | 51:32 | |
Empower us, the church, to follow Your call | 51:38 | |
to be one in Christ. | 51:41 | |
Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer. | 51:44 | |
Let us pray for all who cry out for healing | 51:49 | |
that You will give patience, courage, and faith | 51:54 | |
to all who are disabled by injury or sickness, | 51:59 | |
that you will comfort those who endure continual pain, | 52:03 | |
that you will provide for those who suffer | 52:09 | |
from inadequate food, clothing or shelter. | 52:11 | |
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. | 52:16 | |
Let us pray for all suffer mental and emotional distress | 52:20 | |
that You will abide with all who are depressed | 52:25 | |
or despondent, that You will comfort those | 52:27 | |
who mourn the loss of loved ones, | 52:31 | |
that You will reassure those who are paralyzed by anxiety, | 52:35 | |
that You will draw near to all who are required to live | 52:41 | |
within institutions. | 52:44 | |
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. | 52:46 | |
Let us pray for all those charged | 52:51 | |
with the responsibilities of governing, | 52:53 | |
that You will grant them the wisdom to discern | 52:56 | |
what is right and the strength to do it, | 52:59 | |
that You will restore a sense of respect and meaning | 53:03 | |
to our political processes, | 53:06 | |
that You will make our elected officials mindful | 53:09 | |
of their calling to serve with integrity. | 53:11 | |
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. | 53:14 | |
Let us pray for our enemies, | 53:19 | |
not by naming their sins but by remembering our own. | 53:22 | |
Save us from resignation to violence. | 53:27 | |
Forgive us from becoming hardened | 53:30 | |
to the suffering of others. | 53:32 | |
Remind us that we are all created by the same Lord | 53:34 | |
and have children for whom we have | 53:39 | |
the same high hopes. | 53:41 | |
Empower us to pray without ceasing for peace | 53:44 | |
and for reconciliation in our community and our world. | 53:47 | |
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. | 53:52 | |
Let us pray for our families. | 53:57 | |
Awaken us to the times our careless words | 54:00 | |
or thoughtless actions inflict hurt or pain. | 54:03 | |
Renew us when exhaustion and preoccupation blind us | 54:07 | |
to the needs of our loved ones. | 54:11 | |
Help us when stubbornness and inflexibility | 54:14 | |
prevent us from forgiving. | 54:18 | |
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer. | 54:21 | |
Oh Lord, our God, accept the fervent prayers of Your people | 54:27 | |
in the greatness of Your mercy. | 54:31 | |
Look with compassion on us and all who turn to You for help | 54:33 | |
for You are gracious, O lover of souls, | 54:39 | |
and to You we give glory now and forever. | 54:42 | |
Amen. | 54:47 | |
As a generous child one brought forth loaves | 54:51 | |
and fishes to feed the multitudes, | 54:54 | |
so Christ calls us to give what we have, | 54:56 | |
and so do we, we are made instruments of His peace. | 55:00 | |
Therefore let us offer our gifts and ourselves to God | 55:03 | |
with thanksgiving. | 55:07 | |
(solemn organ music) | 55:23 | |
♪ I came forth from the mouth of the Most High ♪ | 55:33 | |
♪ And covered the earth as a mist ♪ | 55:39 | |
♪ I dwelt in high places ♪ | 55:46 | |
♪ And my throne is in a pillar of cloud ♪ | 55:51 | |
♪ Alone I compassed the circuit of heaven ♪ | 56:05 | |
♪ And walked in the depths of the abyss ♪ | 56:13 | |
♪ In the waves of the sea ♪ | 56:19 | |
♪ And in all of the earth ♪ | 56:24 | |
♪ And in every people and nation ♪ | 56:30 | |
♪ I got a possession ♪ | 56:37 | |
♪ With all these I sought rest ♪ | 56:44 | |
♪ Rest ♪ | 56:53 | |
♪ Rest ♪ | 56:58 | |
♪ And I took root in a people that was glorified ♪ | 57:04 | |
♪ In the portion of the Lord's own inheritance ♪ | 57:10 | |
♪ I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus ♪ | 57:16 | |
♪ And as a cypress on the mountains of Hermon ♪ | 57:23 | |
♪ I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore ♪ | 57:29 | |
♪ And as a fair olive tree ♪ | 57:35 | |
♪ In the plain ♪ | 57:41 | |
♪ And my branches are branches of glory and grace ♪ | 57:47 | |
♪ And my flowers are the fruit of glory and riches ♪ | 57:53 | |
♪ Come unto me ♪ | 58:04 | |
♪ Ye that are desirous of me ♪ | 58:10 | |
♪ And ye be filled ♪ | 58:16 | |
♪ Filled with my fruits ♪ | 58:24 | |
♪ And I came out as a stream from a river ♪ | 58:32 | |
♪ I said, I will water my garden ♪ | 58:38 | |
♪ And will water abundantly my garden-beds ♪ | 58:43 | |
♪ And lo, my stream became a river ♪ | 58:53 | |
♪ And my river became a sea ♪ | 59:00 | |
♪ For my thoughts are filled from the sea ♪ | 59:08 | |
♪ And my counsels ♪ | 59:14 | |
♪ From the great deep ♪ | 59:21 | |
♪ I came forth from the mouth of the Most High ♪ | 59:39 | |
♪ And my throne is in a pillar ♪ | 59:49 | |
♪ Of cloud ♪ | 59:57 | |
(solemn organ music) | 1:00:18 | |
(organ music overpowers singing) | 1:00:42 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:16 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:19 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:22 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:26 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:01:29 | |
Ever living God beneath whose rule we live | 1:01:43 | |
and in whose grace we stand, | 1:01:46 | |
with all that is within us, we bless Your holy name. | 1:01:48 | |
We thank You for all that is constant in our life, | 1:01:53 | |
that day follows night, that the seasons march | 1:01:57 | |
in predictable succession, that the gates of mercy | 1:02:00 | |
are ever opened to us in our need. | 1:02:03 | |
So, too, we thank You for all that is new | 1:02:06 | |
and changing in our life, | 1:02:09 | |
for the voices of people too long silent, | 1:02:12 | |
for life-giving discoveries in the sciences, | 1:02:15 | |
and experimentation in the arts, | 1:02:18 | |
for new people whom we meet at home, at school, | 1:02:20 | |
or at work, and for the challenge of accepting change. | 1:02:23 | |
O thou whose ways are of old yet whose works are ever new, | 1:02:28 | |
make us grateful for our past yet open toward the future. | 1:02:33 | |
Teach us the truth of Your word | 1:02:38 | |
and grant us the gift of Your spirit | 1:02:40 | |
that we may know you and make Your name known | 1:02:43 | |
throughout the Earth. | 1:02:46 | |
These things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, | 1:02:47 | |
who taught us boldly to pray. | 1:02:51 | |
All | Our Father, who art in heaven, | 1:02:54 |
hollowed be thy Name, | 1:02:57 | |
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, | 1:02:58 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 1:03:02 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 1:03:04 | |
And forgive us our trespasses, | 1:03:06 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 1:03:08 | |
And lead us not into temptation, | 1:03:12 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 1:03:14 | |
For thine is the kingdom, the power, | 1:03:16 | |
and the glory for ever. | 1:03:19 | |
Amen. | 1:03:21 | |
(solemn organ music) | 1:03:24 | |
(organ music overpowers singing) | 1:04:01 | |
And now go forth in peace and be of good courage. | 1:08:07 | |
Hold fast that which is good, rejoicing in the power | 1:08:10 | |
of the Holy Spirit. | 1:08:13 | |
And may the blessings of God, Father, Son, | 1:08:15 | |
and Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always. | 1:08:17 | |
Amen. | 1:08:22 | |
(solemn organ music) | 1:08:26 |