Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 9, 1996)

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	(organ music)	0:03
	(organ music)	2:54
-	Good morning. We'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel.	6:07
	Let me call a couple of musical events	6:10
	in Duke Chapel to your attention.	6:12
	This Thursday, on June 13th at seven o'clock p.m.,	6:14
	J. Samuel Hammond, the university carillonneur,	6:19
	will present a carillon demonstration.	6:21
	And then on Sunday, June 16th at five o'clock p.m.,	6:24
	Dr. Rodney Wynkoop will direct	6:29
	the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Durham	6:31
	in Songs Of A Summer Night.	6:33
	You are warmly invited to attend these events.	6:36
	Now, let us continue with the call to worship.	6:39
	Please stand.	6:42
	Rejoice in the Lord, oh people of the Lord.	6:49
	(congregation chanting in unison)	6:53
-	Our souls wait for God.	6:56
	(congregation chanting in unison)	6:59
	(organ music)	7:03
	(congregation sings in unison)	7:43
	(organ music)	9:53
	(congregation sings in unison)	10:14
-	Eternal God, who provides for us	11:02
	beyond our greatest expectations,	11:06
	remind us of your mighty works	11:09
	amid the drama of human history.	11:12
	We have journeyed from near and far,	11:15
	seeking nourishment for our weary souls.	11:17
	As we search for a resting place,	11:21
	we trust in your forgiving reconciling presence.	11:23
	Open our eyes to the miracles which surround us	11:28
	each and every day.	11:31
	Open our hearts to the healing balm of your holy word.	11:33
	Hear our prayer, oh Lord.	11:39
	Amen.	11:42
-	Let us pray the prayer for illumination.	11:55
	Open our hearts and minds oh God.	12:00
	By the power of your holy spirit.	12:03
	So that as the word is read and proclaimed,	12:06
	we may hear your message of joy this day.	12:10
	Amen.	12:13
	The first lesson is from the book of Genesis,	12:16
	chapter 12, verses one through 12.	12:20
	Hear the word of the Lord.	12:25
	Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country	12:30
	and your kindred and your father's house	12:36
	to the land that I will show you.	12:39
	I will make of you a great nation	12:43
	and I will bless you and make your name great	12:46
	so that you will be	12:50
	a blessing.	12:53
	I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you,	12:56
	I will curse.	13:00
	And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.	13:02
	So Abram went as the Lord had told him	13:09
	and a lot went with him.	13:12
	Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.	13:15
	Abram took his wive Saray and his brother's son Lot	13:20
	and all the possessions that they had gathered	13:24
	and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran.	13:27
	And they set forth to go to the land of Canaan.	13:31
	When they had come to the land of Canaan,	13:36
	Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem,	13:38
	to the oak of Moreh.	13:43
	At that time the Canaanites were in the land.	13:46
	Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said,	13:50
	"To your offspring I will give this land."	13:54
	So,	13:58
	he built there an altar to the Lord	14:00
	who had appeared to him.	14:02
	From there, he moved on to the hill country	14:04
	on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent	14:08
	with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.	14:12
	And there he built an altar to the Lord	14:16
	and invoked the name of the Lord.	14:19
	And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.	14:22
	This is the word of the Lord.	14:28
	Thanks be to God.	14:31
-	The psalm appointed for this Sunday is Psalm 33,	14:37
	verses one through 12, found on page 767 and 768	14:40
	in your hymnal.	14:44
	Please stand and sing the Psalm in glory and responsively.	14:46
	(organ music)	14:51
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord, all you righteous ♪	14:58
	♪ Delight in praise for you are bright ♪	15:02
	(congregation sings in unison)	15:07
	♪ Sing to the Lord a new song ♪	15:19
	♪ Play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts ♪	15:23
	(congregation sings in unison)	15:28
	♪ The Lord loves righteousness and justice ♪	15:39
	♪ The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord ♪	15:44
	(congregation sings in unison)	15:50
	♪ The Lord gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle ♪	16:03
	♪ and put the deeps in storehouses ♪	16:09
	(congregation sings in unison)	16:14
	♪ For the Lord spoke and it came to be ♪	16:27
	♪ The Lord commanded and it stood forth ♪	16:32
	(congregation sings in unison)	16:38
	♪ The council of the Lord stands forever ♪	16:51
	♪ The thoughts of God's heart to all generations ♪	16:55
	(congregation sings in unison)	17:02
	♪ All glory be to you, creator ♪	17:17
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our savior ♪	17:20
	(congregation sings in unison)	17:24
	♪ As it was as time began ♪	17:31
	(congregation sings in unison)	17:36
	Please be seated.	17:47
-	The New Testament reading is from the words of Paul	17:57
	in a letter written to the Romans, chapter four,	18:03
	verses 13 through 25.	18:06
	Hear the word of the Lord.	18:11
	Paul writes,	18:15
	For the promise	18:18
	that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham	18:19
	or his descendants through the law.	18:23
	But through righteousness of faith.	18:26
	If it is the adherence of the law who are to be the heirs,	18:30
	faith is null and the promise is void.	18:36
	For the law brings wrath but where there is no law,	18:42
	neither is there violation.	18:47
	For this reason, it depends on faith	18:50
	in order that the promise rest may on grace	18:53
	and be guaranteed to all his descendants.	18:57
	Not only to the adherence of the law,	19:02
	but also to those who share the faith of Abraham	19:03
	for he is the father of us all.	19:10
	As it is written,	19:14
	I have made you the father of many nations.	19:15
	In the presence of the God in whom he believed,	19:19
	who gives life to the dead and calls into existence	19:23
	the things that do not exist.	19:27
	Hoping against hope, Abraham believed that he would become	19:32
	the father of many nations according to what was said.	19:36
	So numerous shall your descendants be.	19:40
	He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body,	19:45
	which was as good as dead, for he was about 100 years old,	19:48
	or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.	19:53
	No distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God,	20:00
	but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,	20:04
	being fully convinced that God was able to do	20:10
	what God had promised.	20:15
	Therefore,	20:17
	his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness.	20:19
	Now the words, it was reckoned to him,	20:25
	were not written for his sake alone	20:28
	but for ours also.	20:32
	It will be reckoned to us who believe in God	20:36
	who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.	20:40
	Who was handed over to death for our trespasses	20:44
	and was raised for our justification.	20:48
	This the word of the Lord.	20:53
	Thanks be to God.	20:56
	(organ music)	21:18
	(choir sings)	21:25
	(organ music)	21:57
	(choir sings)	22:00
	(organ music)	22:18
	(choir sings)	22:23
-	The gospel reading is from the Book of Matthew,	24:08
	chapter nine, verses nine through 13	24:11
	and 18 through 26.	24:15
	Hear the word of the Lord.	24:19
	As Jesus was walking along,	24:24
	he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth.	24:26
	And he said to him,	24:31
	"Follow me."	24:33
	And he got up and followed him.	24:36
	And as Jesus sat at dinner in the house,	24:39
	many tax collectors and sinners came	24:42
	and were sitting with him and his disciples.	24:45
	When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples,	24:50
	"Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"	24:56
	But when he heard this, he said,	25:01
	"Those who are well have no need of a physician,	25:05
	but those who are sick.	25:09
	Go and learn what this means.	25:11
	I desire mercy, not sacrifice.	25:14
	For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners."	25:19
	While he was saying these things to them,	25:26
	suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in	25:28
	and knelt before him saying, "My daughter has just died	25:32
	"but come and lay your hand on her and she will live."	25:39
	And Jesus got up and followed him with his disciples.	25:44
	Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering	25:49
	from hemorrhages for 12 years came up behind him	25:52
	and touched the fringe of his cloak.	25:56
	For she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak,	26:02
	"I will be made well."	26:09
	Jesus turned	26:13
	and seeing her, he said,	26:15
	"Take heart, daughter.	26:19
	"Your fate has made you well."	26:21
	And instantly the woman was well.	26:25
	When Jesus came to the leader's house	26:29
	and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion	26:32
	he said,	26:36
	"Go away, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."	26:38
	And they laughed at him.	26:44
	But when the crowd had been put outside,	26:47
	he went in and took her by the hand	26:53
	and the girl got up.	26:59
	And the report of this spread throughout that district.	27:03
	This is the word of the Lord.	27:09
	Thanks be to God.	27:12
-	As some of you know, I recently returned	27:27
	from taking a group of students	27:29
	to the Taizé Community in France.	27:31
	This is a monastic community of protestants	27:34
	and Catholics which was started by Brother Roger	27:37
	during World War 2 as a community of reconciliation	27:40
	and hope within the church.	27:44
	Over the years they have developed a tremendous ministry	27:47
	of outreach to young people, many of whom are unchurched.	27:50
	During the week we were there,	27:55
	we saw this community grow from 300 people	27:57
	at the beginning of the week to more than 2,500.	28:00
	Mostly teenagers and young adults from all over the world.	28:04
	During the summer, they receive five	28:08
	to six thousand young people a week	28:10
	from more than 100 different countries.	28:13
	Offering them a ministry of hospitality and hope	28:15
	in Jesus Christ.	28:20
	It was a remarkable experience of the universal church	28:22
	as we worship to God together in many tongues,	28:27
	Russian, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, French,	28:30
	German, Spanish, English.	28:34
	And though we could not always understand one another,	28:38
	through song and heartfelt prayer,	28:42
	we spoke a common language of both praise	28:46
	and hopeful longing for communion with God and each other.	28:50
	As Christians together from all over the world,	28:56
	we studied the Bible.	28:59
	In small group discussions, we shared our faith stories	29:01
	and struggles as well as our shared hope	29:05
	for newness of life through Jesus Christ our Lord.	29:08
	In one of his writings, Brother Roger says,	29:13
	"That hidden within every human being,	29:16
	"there is a life that rouses our hope.	29:20
	"It opens up ahead of us a way of transformation,	29:23
	"both for ourselves and others.	29:27
	"This is not a sheer projection of our own desires,	29:30
	"it is a hope that insights us to live the unhoped for.	29:34
	"Even in situations that appear to be dead ends.	29:39
	"Living with hope, even in the face of dead ends,	29:45
	"is one of the greatest challenges of the Christian life.	29:49
	"This is not simply optimism of a naive confidence	29:53
	"that everything will turn out as we had desired.	29:58
	"It is something much deeper.	30:02
	"It has to do with an unshakeable confidence	30:04
	"that God acts decisively in the world	30:08
	"to accomplish God's purposes.	30:11
	"In spite of the evidence to the contrary."	30:14
	From the Russians, we learned that it meant	30:19
	hoping against hope.	30:23
	That the oppression of the church would end	30:25
	and that they would be free to worship God without fear.	30:28
	From the Yugoslavians, we learned that it meant believing	30:33
	in the possibility of peace and reconciliation	30:36
	even in the midst of war.	30:40
	From the Germans, we learned that it meant	30:43
	a deep desire for unity even when	30:45
	the wall loomed large between them.	30:48
	For all of us, it is an abiding faith	30:52
	that no matter what difficulty we face,	30:56
	the one in whom we hope is steadfast	31:00
	and worthy to be believed.	31:03
	In the Romans and Genesis scripture readings for today,	31:08
	Abraham and Sarah are lifted up as paradigms	31:12
	of this kind of hope and parents of our faith.	31:15
	Not because they were perfectly obedient to God,	31:19
	but because God was perfectly faithful to them.	31:22
	Listen to their story.	31:27
	In Genesis, God called Abram and promised to lead him	31:29
	to a new land and bless him and to make of him	31:33
	a great nation in whom all the families	31:37
	of the earth would be blessed.	31:40
	The promises of God are big, cosmic.	31:42
	The blessing is for Abram and his family	31:45
	but not for them alone.	31:48
	God has much more in mind than the well being of one family.	31:50
	Through Abram, all the families of the earth	31:55
	are to be blessed.	31:57
	Now, we might imagine that Abram had many thoughts	32:00
	about God's call and promise but there's no discussion.	32:02
	In a simple act of obedience,	32:08
	Abram took the risk of leaving everything familiar	32:10
	at the age of 75.	32:14
	He uprooted his family and possessions	32:17
	and went forward into an unknown land,	32:20
	trusting that God would fulfill the promise	32:23
	that God had made.	32:26
	We can only imagine his surprise	32:28
	at discovering that the land that God had intended	32:30
	to give him was already occupied	32:33
	and would remain so throughout his life.	32:36
	Yet God spoke to him again, "To your offspring,	32:41
	I will give this land."	32:45
	Of course, that complicated the promise even more	32:49
	because Abram and Saray had no children.	32:52
	And for many years,	32:56
	it seemed that theirs was a fruitless hope.	32:57
	But then the Lord visited Abram yet again	33:02
	to establish a covenant with him and his offspring.	33:05
	Abram and Sarai were given new names,	33:10
	Abraham, father of the multitude of nations.	33:14
	Sarah, mother of kings.	33:18
	And the promise was made even more explicit,	33:23
	"Sarah will bear a son for you."	33:27
	Sarah could be hear laughing in the background,	33:31
	and with good reason.	33:34
	It had been many, many years since she	33:36
	and Abraham had enjoyed	33:40
	that kind of relationship.	33:42
	Abraham was 99 years old and half dead.	33:45
	At 90, she had been post-menopausal for many decades!	33:49
	And yet, she was to bear a child.	33:54
	Abraham was to become the father of a multitude of nations.	33:56
	It was a ludicrous promise, it was ridiculous.	34:01
	It was impossible.	34:05
	And that was exactly the point.	34:08
	The promises of God are often spoken	34:12
	to the most unlikely people,	34:16
	in the midst of the most unlikely, impossible circumstances.	34:18
	There is nothing logical about it.	34:24
	It can't be calculated or anticipated	34:27
	according to our human standards of what is possible	34:29
	and likely to happen.	34:33
	It is illogical,	34:35
	unexpected and full of grace.	34:37
	When Isaac is born, there can be no doubt	34:42
	about who is responsible for the fulfillment of the promise.	34:45
	There can be no doubt when the impossible happens,	34:50
	that one is in the presence of the God	34:54
	who gives life to the dead,	34:56
	even an impotent old man and a barren old woman.	34:58
	And who calls into existence the things that did not exist.	35:03
	This story of God's promise to Abraham and Sarah	35:09
	nourished the hope of Israel for many generations.	35:13
	Through times of exile and struggle,	35:17
	when it seemed as if the Lord of Israel was powerless	35:20
	to contend against the powers that threaten to crush them.	35:23
	It served as a sign to them of God's faithfulness	35:28
	in the past and of God's power to make a way out of no way.	35:31
	When they were backed into a dead end,	35:37
	they remembered that Abraham hoped against hope,	35:40
	believing against all the evidence to the contrary	35:44
	that God was able to fulfill God's promise.	35:48
	And as the people of the covenant,	35:54
	and inheritors of the promise,	35:56
	their own faith was strengthened.	35:59
	This faith	36:03
	in God's power to do what God has promised,	36:06
	this hope against all evidence to the contrary,	36:09
	that God is able to call into existence	36:14
	the things that do not exist,	36:17
	even to give life to the dead,	36:20
	is the essence	36:23
	of the Christian faith.	36:26
	So even though Abraham doesn't know Christ Jesus,	36:30
	Paul sees his faith as paradigmatic	36:33
	for Christian believers.	36:37
	What matters is that he trusted God hoping against hope,	36:40
	believing the promise even though it didn't make any sense.	36:46
	That was the challenge that the early church faced as well.	36:53
	Trusting God when it didn't make sense.	36:57
	Hoping against hope that they would be victorious	37:00
	even when they faced persecution and suffering.	37:03
	Clinging to the promise of new life,	37:08
	even in the face of death and persecution.	37:10
	So much depended upon whether they believed	37:15
	that God was able to do what God had promised.	37:18
	If God had resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead,	37:23
	then they had nothing to fear	37:27
	because death had lost its steam.	37:29
	But if the promise was untrue, then their faith was untrue,	37:34
	and their hope was futile.	37:38
	Against all evidence to the contrary,	37:43
	the Christian faith proclaims that in Jesus Christ,	37:46
	God defeated the power of darkness	37:51
	through death on a cross.	37:55
	We believe that in Jesus Christ,	37:59
	God offers us the promise of life that cannot be defeated.	38:01
	Life where death can hold no sway.	38:06
	Life that hopes the unhoped for	38:10
	even in the midst of the dead end	38:14
	where you can see no way out.	38:16
	To Christians, this is the hope of the promise.	38:20
	To the world, this is folly and naivete.	38:24
	But it doesn't mean that we turn a blind eye	38:30
	to the reality of evil and death around us.	38:32
	We recognize the forces of darkness at work	38:36
	and the violence on our streets and in our homes.	38:39
	We see the forces of hate which burn black churches,	38:43
	in which kindle wars of ethnic cleansing.	38:47
	We are aware of the forces of destruction	38:52
	which exploit the human creation.	38:54
	We remember that Jesus was crucified,	38:59
	but also that in him,	39:03
	the forces of death were forever limited.	39:06
	Because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead,	39:10
	death no longer has the last word.	39:14
	As the gospel of John says,	39:18
	"What has come into being in him was life.	39:20
	Life that was the light of people	39:24
	and the light shines in the darkness	39:28
	and the darkness could not overcome it."	39:31
	So hoping against hope,	39:36
	we can look at the tragic deaths of three Duke students,	39:38
	who died in the past month through a drowning,	39:42
	an accident, and a mysterious illness	39:46
	and proclaim with confidence	39:50
	that death does not have the last word.	39:52
	It is not the end of the story of these three young lives.	39:58
	Their life has meaning that endures	40:03
	beyond their few short years.	40:06
	They and we participate	40:09
	in the eternal life of Jesus Christ.	40:13
	Despite all the evidence	40:16
	that says when you're dead, you're dead,	40:17
	we believe the promise and we hold on to	40:20
	the hope of eternal life.	40:24
	Henri Nouwen tells of a young Salvadorian woman who stands	40:28
	in front of the casket of her,	40:33
	holding the body of her executed husband.	40:35
	She stands alone near the grave	40:40
	into which the casket will be lowered.	40:42
	Her eyes are closed, her arms folded across her body.	40:45
	She stands there barefoot,	40:51
	poor,	40:54
	empty,	40:56
	still.	40:58
	A deep quiet surrounds her.	41:00
	No shouts of grief, no cries of protest, no angry voices.	41:03
	It seems as if this young widow	41:09
	is enveloped in a cloud of peace.	41:11
	All is over, all is quiet, all is well.	41:15
	Everything has been taken from her	41:20
	but the powers of greed and violence	41:24
	that robbed her of her lover,	41:26
	can't reach the deep solitude of her heart.	41:28
	She understands something	41:34
	that the powers of death cannot understand.	41:36
	There is a trust and confidence in her,	41:41
	vastly more powerful than the weapons	41:44
	that killed her husband.	41:47
	She knows that the forces of evil and death	41:50
	that killed her husband will not win in the end.	41:54
	That God's purpose is revealed in Jesus Christ	41:58
	to preach the good news to the poor	42:02
	and proclaim the release to the captives, will be fulfilled.	42:04
	In spite of the evidence to the contrary,	42:10
	she is fully convinced that God is able to do	42:13
	what God has promised.	42:16
	Hoping against hope, we believe that God has the power	42:21
	to bring newness of life to whatever circumstances we face.	42:26
	It might be a dead end job, a terminal illness,	42:31
	the loss of a loved one, unemployment,	42:36
	a crippling addiction, a painful relationship,	42:40
	a life of sin.	42:45
	The promises of God are trustworthy.	42:49
	It doesn't mean that our lives are suddenly trouble-free,	42:53
	but that God is powerful and able to bring life	42:57
	where before there was only death.	43:01
	Whatever dead end we face, we're invited to share	43:05
	in a sure and abiding faith in God's promises.	43:10
	We believe that God is able to make a way out	43:14
	of no way for us.	43:18
	We believe against all the evidence, that people can change,	43:20
	unjust governments topple, walls that divide people	43:25
	can be torn down, captives can be set free,	43:30
	love can conquer hate, sinners can get saved,	43:35
	disease can get healed, the barren can bear fruit,	43:40
	and promises can be fulfilled.	43:45
	We dared to hope against hope	43:49
	because this is the God who gives life to the dead	43:52
	and who brings into existence, the things that do not exist.	43:56
	(organ music)	44:10
	(congregation sings in unison)	45:06
-	Please be seated.	48:15
	The Lord be with you.	48:24
Congregation	And also with you.	48:27
-	Let us pray.	48:28
	Oh ever living God, creator of the universe,	48:32
	we bow before you in humility and hope.	48:36
	Your ways have not been our ways.	48:41
	Nor have our thoughts been your thoughts.	48:44
	Yet even in all your greatness,	48:47
	you have shown compassion on us.	48:50
	You understand us in our weariness, our weakness,	48:54
	our brokenness and have offered us a place of rest.	48:59
	Strengthen us to take your yoke upon ourselves,	49:05
	that we too may follow in the path of gentleness	49:08
	and in the way of peace.	49:12
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	49:15
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	49:18
-	Oh God, you are the hope of the ends of the earth.	49:20
	Hear us while we pray for our sisters and brothers.	49:23
	For all who hunger and thirst for your grace,	49:27
	as they wander through a spiritual desert.	49:31
	For all who are weary from the race of life	49:34
	and are desperate for renewal.	49:38
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	49:40
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	49:43
-	For the church, your body on earth,	49:45
	that we may be true to our calling.	49:48
	Living as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.	49:51
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	49:56
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	49:58
-	For all who hunger for food, for decent clothing,	50:01
	for a safe place to live, for meaningful employment.	50:05
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	50:11
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	50:12
-	For all who practice hospitality	50:15
	and provide a place of rest and refreshment for others.	50:18
	For all who live lives committed to service	50:22
	and for those who provide everyday services	50:25
	in our communities.	50:28
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	50:30
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	50:32
-	For parents and teachers and all those entrusted	50:35
	with the care of children and young people.	50:39
	For families in turmoil.	50:43
	For those who are separated from their families.	50:45
	For all who feel lonely, longing for family relationships.	50:49
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	50:55
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	50:57
-	For all who suffer in any way due to racial prejudice	51:00
	and other forms of hatred.	51:03
	For the overcoming of barriers of fear, resentment	51:05
	and distrust.	51:09
	For all who work for racial harmony and reconciliation	51:11
	in our own community and around the world.	51:15
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	51:19
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	51:20
-	For all who are outwardly,	51:23
	who outwardly appear optimistic	51:25
	but inwardly are anxious and afraid.	51:27
	For the sick and for those unwilling to face up to illness.	51:30
	For those who cannot afford to obtain adequate healthcare.	51:35
	For all who are walking through the valley of death	51:40
	and for those who walk with them.	51:43
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	51:46
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	51:48
-	For the unspoken needs of this congregation	51:51
	and for all who are forgotten by us.	51:54
	Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.	52:00
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	52:01
-	Oh loving God, we are convinced	52:05
	that all is as you say it is.	52:07
	That you number every hair in every head,	52:10
	and know our every need.	52:13
	Strengthen us never to despair but to love you	52:16
	and our neighbor to the end.	52:19
	That we may find eternal rest	52:21
	and peace in your heavenly kingdom.	52:22
	These things we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ,	52:26
	our risen Lord.	52:29
	Amen.	52:31
	Ascribe to the Lord, the honor due his name,	52:35
	bring offerings and come into his courts.	52:38
	Let us now present the offerings of our life	52:42
	and our labor unto the Lord with thanksgiving.	52:44
	(organ music)	52:53
	(organ music)	53:43
	(choir sings)	53:58
	(organ music)	54:30
	(choir sings)	54:45
	(organ music)	55:14
	(choir sings)	55:30
	(organ music)	56:01
	(choir sings)	56:16
	(organ music)	56:53
	(choir sings)	57:14
	(organ music)	58:04
	(congregation sings)	58:49
-	All things come from you, oh God,	59:47
	and with gratitude we return to you what is yours.	59:49
	You created all that is and with love,	59:53
	formed us in your image.	59:56
	When our love failed, your love remained steadfast.	59:58
	You gave your only son, Jesus Christ, to be our savior.	1:00:01
	All that we are and all that we have, is a trust from you.	1:00:05
	And so, in gratitude for all your gifts,	1:00:10
	we offer you ourselves and all that we have	1:00:13
	in union with Christ's offering for us.	1:00:15
	By your holy spirit, make us one with Christ,	1:00:19
	one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.	1:00:22
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ,	1:00:26
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	1:00:28
Congregation	Our father, who art in heaven,	1:00:31
	hallowed be thy name.	1:00:33
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done	1:00:35
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:00:38
	Give us this day, our daily bread	1:00:40
	and forgive us our trespasses.	1:00:43
	As we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:00:45
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	1:00:49
	For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.	1:00:53
	Amen.	1:00:57
	(organ music)	1:01:00
	(congregation sings)	1:01:27
-	Go forth in faith, trusting in the promises of God	1:04:01
	that are worthy to be believed.	1:04:05
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,	1:04:08
	and the communion of the Holy Spirit	1:04:11
	be with you and keep you.	1:04:13
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:04:18
	♪ Amen ♪	1:04:21
	♪ Amen ♪	1:04:22
	(organ music)	1:04:30

Item Info

Title:

Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (June 9, 1996)

Description:

Sermon start time: 27:27. Sermon end time: 44:00.
We dare to hope against hope because of God's promise. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “The promises of God are trustworthy. It doesn’t mean that our lives are suddenly worry-free, but that God is powerful and able to bring life where before there was only death.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r40p0x55s

Date:

June 9, 1996

Speaker:

Brazzel, Debra K.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0479
ref9751_p11
uachapelsermaud
duke:321474
dcrmv001454
ark:/87924/r40p0x55s
cee9c333-9ad9-4d2d-bf24-44806b6cbdcb

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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