Debra K. Brazzel - Sermon Untitled (September 22, 1996)
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Transcript
Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.
(dramatic organ music) | 0:02 | |
(footsteps walking slowly) | 0:24 | |
- | Good morning, we'd like to welcome you to the service | 0:57 |
of worship in Duke Chapel. | 1:00 | |
There are few announcements | 1:02 | |
I'd like to call to your attention. | 1:03 | |
Immediately following the service, | 1:06 | |
the congregation of Duke Chapel | 1:07 | |
will provide refreshments in the south arcade. | 1:09 | |
This evening, the congregation's annual service | 1:13 | |
will be held at five o'clock p.m., | 1:15 | |
followed by a potluck dinner in the chapel basement. | 1:18 | |
In honor of the occasion, | 1:22 | |
members of the congregation are wearing blue ribbons today. | 1:24 | |
And we hope that you will return | 1:28 | |
for this occasion this evening. | 1:30 | |
There is one correction to the bulletin. | 1:33 | |
The healing service listed | 1:35 | |
is scheduled for October 6th instead of today. | 1:37 | |
We will be offering a healing service | 1:42 | |
on the first Sunday of each week, of each month. | 1:44 | |
I'd like to point out one feature of our service today. | 1:49 | |
During communion today and for the rest of the year, | 1:53 | |
we will sing the music of Taize, | 1:56 | |
which is known for its meditative and prayerful quality. | 1:59 | |
We invite you to enter into the spirit of this music. | 2:03 | |
Now, let us continue with the call to worship, | 2:07 | |
please stand. | 2:09 | |
We have heard the stories of our God. | 2:16 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 2:19 | |
We will not hide them from our children. | 2:22 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 2:25 | |
We will tell the glorious deeds of the Lord. | 2:28 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 2:31 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 2:35 | |
(congregation singing with dramatic organ music) | 3:13 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 5:19 | |
(congregation singing with dramatic organ music) | 7:50 | |
- | God helps the afflicted and is near to the broken-hearted. | 8:36 |
Let us confess our sins together | 8:40 | |
using 180 at the back of the hymn book. | 8:42 | |
Most merciful God, | 8:47 | |
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, | 8:50 | |
word and deed. | 8:54 | |
By what we have done and what we have left undone. | 8:56 | |
We have not loved you with our whole heart. | 9:01 | |
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. | 9:05 | |
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. | 9:09 | |
For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, | 9:13 | |
have mercy on us and forgive us, | 9:16 | |
that we may delight in your will and walk in your names, | 9:19 | |
to the glory of your name, Amen. | 9:24 | |
Almighty God have mercy on you, | 9:39 | |
forgive all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. | 9:42 | |
Strengthen you in all goodness | 9:45 | |
and by the power of the Holy Spirit, | 9:47 | |
keep you in eternal life, Amen. | 9:49 | |
You may be seated. | 9:55 | |
(congregation taking their seats) | 9:58 | |
(coughing loudly) | 10:07 | |
- | Let us pray the prayer for illumination. | 10:12 |
Open our hearts and minds oh, God, | 10:15 | |
by the power of your Holy Spirit. | 10:19 | |
So that, as the Word is read ans proclaimed, | 10:22 | |
we may hear your message with joy this day. | 10:25 | |
The New Testament reading | 10:33 | |
is from Saint Paul's Letter to the Philippians. | 10:34 | |
For to me, | 10:40 | |
living is Christ and dying is gain. | 10:42 | |
If I am to live in the flesh, | 10:46 | |
that means, fruitful labor for me. | 10:49 | |
And I do not know which I prefer. | 10:52 | |
I am hard-pressed between the two. | 10:56 | |
My desire is to depart and be with Christ. | 11:00 | |
For that is far better. | 11:04 | |
But, to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. | 11:07 | |
Since I am convinced of this, | 11:13 | |
I know that I will remain and continue | 11:16 | |
with all of you for your progress and joy and faith. | 11:19 | |
So that, I may share abundantly in your boasting | 11:24 | |
in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. | 11:28 | |
Only, live your life in a manner | 11:33 | |
worthy of the Gospel of Christ. | 11:36 | |
So that, | 11:39 | |
whether I come and see you, | 11:40 | |
or am absent and hear about you, | 11:43 | |
I will know that you are standing firm | 11:47 | |
in one spirit, | 11:51 | |
striving side-by-side | 11:53 | |
with one mind, | 11:55 | |
for the faith of the Gospel. | 11:57 | |
And are in no way intimidated by your opponents. | 12:00 | |
For them, this is evidence of their destruction | 12:05 | |
but of your salvation. | 12:10 | |
And this is God's doing. | 12:12 | |
For He has graciously granted you the privilege | 12:15 | |
not only of believing in Christ | 12:19 | |
but of suffering for Him as well. | 12:22 | |
Since you are having the same struggle | 12:26 | |
that you saw I had, | 12:28 | |
and now, hear that I still have. | 12:30 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 12:34 | |
Thanks be to God. | 12:37 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | ||
The second reading is from the Gospel | 12:41 | |
according to Saint Matthew. | 12:44 | |
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner | 12:48 | |
who went out early in the morning | 12:52 | |
to hire laborers for his vineyard. | 12:54 | |
After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, | 12:57 | |
he sent them into his vineyard. | 13:02 | |
When he went out about nine o'clock, | 13:05 | |
he saw others standing idle in the marketplace | 13:09 | |
and he said to them, | 13:13 | |
you also go into the vineyard | 13:15 | |
and I will pay you whatever is right. | 13:18 | |
So, they went. | 13:22 | |
Went he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, | 13:24 | |
he did the same. | 13:29 | |
And about five o'clock, | 13:32 | |
he went out and found others standing around | 13:33 | |
and he said to them, | 13:37 | |
why are you standing here idle all day? | 13:39 | |
They said to him, | 13:43 | |
because no one has hired us. | 13:45 | |
He said to them, | 13:48 | |
you also go into the vineyard. | 13:49 | |
When evening came, | 13:53 | |
the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, | 13:55 | |
call the laborers and give them their pay, | 13:58 | |
beginning with the last and then, | 14:01 | |
going to the first. | 14:04 | |
When those hired about five o'clock came, | 14:07 | |
each of them received the usual daily wage. | 14:10 | |
Now, when the first came, | 14:14 | |
they thought they would receive more. | 14:17 | |
But, each of them also received the usual daily wage. | 14:19 | |
And when they received it, | 14:25 | |
they grumbled against the landowner saying, | 14:26 | |
these last worked only one hour | 14:29 | |
and you have made them equal to us, | 14:32 | |
who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat. | 14:35 | |
But he replied to one of them, | 14:40 | |
friend, I am doing you no wrong. | 14:43 | |
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? | 14:47 | |
Take what belongs to you and go. | 14:52 | |
I choose to give to this last, | 14:56 | |
the same as I give to you. | 14:58 | |
Am I not allowed to do what I choose | 15:01 | |
with what belongs to me? | 15:04 | |
Or are you envious because I am generous? | 15:08 | |
So, the last will be first and the first will be last. | 15:13 | |
This is the Word of the Lord. | 15:20 | |
Thanks be to God. | 15:23 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | ||
(footsteps walking slowly) | 15:27 | |
- | The New Yorker carried a cartoon | 15:36 |
of a father in church sleeves, | 15:39 | |
slumped down in his easy chair, | 15:41 | |
a drink on the side table. | 15:43 | |
He's attempting to relax while his 10-year-old son ask, | 15:46 | |
say, Pa, where do you stand in pecking order? | 15:52 | |
Peter asked Jesus a similar question | 15:59 | |
that would prompt him to tell the parable of the landowner. | 16:01 | |
Peter said, look, we've left everything and followed you. | 16:05 | |
What then, will we have? | 16:10 | |
What will it get us? | 16:13 | |
Where do we stand in the pecking order? | 16:15 | |
And just after this parable, | 16:19 | |
the mother of James and John came to Jesus | 16:21 | |
to negotiate the position of her two sons. | 16:24 | |
She wanted Jesus to assure her that one of them would sit | 16:27 | |
on his right hand and the other on his left. | 16:31 | |
Even these that had given their lives to follow Jesus | 16:36 | |
were concerned with the pecking order. | 16:39 | |
They wanted to know how they stood in relation to others. | 16:43 | |
Would they come out on top? | 16:47 | |
Would they be winners in the end? | 16:49 | |
Would they get the grand prize | 16:52 | |
for all that they had given up to follow Jesus? | 16:54 | |
Jesus assured them that they would gain 100-fold | 16:58 | |
what they had given up, | 17:02 | |
as well as eternal life. | 17:03 | |
But He added those disturbing, cryptic words, | 17:06 | |
many who are first will be last | 17:12 | |
and the last will be first. | 17:16 | |
And then, He told the parable which ends | 17:19 | |
with that same formula. | 17:21 | |
So, the last will be first and the first will be last. | 17:24 | |
The parable of the landowner | 17:31 | |
and the workers in the vineyard | 17:32 | |
has to be one of the most unsettling parables | 17:35 | |
that Jesus ever told. | 17:38 | |
When we hear it, | 17:40 | |
it immediately strikes us as unfair. | 17:41 | |
One group of laborers got up at the crack of dawn | 17:46 | |
to be the first ones waiting in line at the marketplace, | 17:49 | |
to be hired as day laborers. | 17:53 | |
They took the initiative to get there early. | 17:56 | |
And they were the type of workers | 17:59 | |
who would've been the backbone of any labor force. | 18:01 | |
They were self-starters and hard workers | 18:05 | |
who could be depended upon to do a good job. | 18:07 | |
They negotiated a fair wage with the landowner | 18:10 | |
and immediately went to the vineyard to get to work. | 18:13 | |
They worked diligently from six a.m. until six p.m., | 18:17 | |
through the scorching heat of the day. | 18:21 | |
And there's nothing in the parable | 18:24 | |
to suggest that the landowner was displeased | 18:26 | |
with either the quality or the quantity of their work. | 18:29 | |
But realizing that the work could not be finished | 18:34 | |
by the first laborers hired, | 18:37 | |
the landowner returned to the marketplace at nine a.m. | 18:40 | |
And when he saw workers standing idle, | 18:43 | |
he added them to this workforce, | 18:46 | |
agreeing to pay them whatever was right. | 18:48 | |
He returned again at noon and at three o'clock | 18:51 | |
and did the same thing. | 18:55 | |
At five o'clock, | 18:57 | |
he went once again to the marketplace. | 18:58 | |
And when he found others standing around idle, | 19:01 | |
he asked them why they were still there idle? | 19:04 | |
They said, no one had hired them. | 19:08 | |
So, he sent them to his vineyard | 19:11 | |
at the eleventh hour of the day. | 19:12 | |
Well, everything was fine up to this point. | 19:18 | |
We can only imagine that those who had been working | 19:21 | |
as hard as they could, | 19:24 | |
as fast as they could, | 19:25 | |
through the heat of the day, | 19:26 | |
were glad for the help. | 19:27 | |
It meant that the workload would be shared | 19:29 | |
and their burden would be a little bit easier. | 19:32 | |
But then, came the time for the wages to be given out. | 19:36 | |
It was customary for those who were hired first | 19:42 | |
to be paid first. | 19:45 | |
So, they were surprised | 19:47 | |
when they were asked to line up backwards, | 19:48 | |
from the last hired to the first hired. | 19:51 | |
And when the manager started giving out the pay, | 19:54 | |
a rumble of shock | 19:59 | |
and then excitement went down the line. | 20:01 | |
Those who had worked only one hour, | 20:05 | |
about a twelfth of the day, | 20:08 | |
were given a denarius instead of the usual 1/12 sum. | 20:10 | |
Doing a little quick calculation, | 20:16 | |
the workers who had worked the longest, | 20:18 | |
figured they would go home with a bundle. | 20:19 | |
But then, those hired at three o'clock also got a denarius, | 20:24 | |
which was certainly generous but somehow, | 20:29 | |
not quite fair. | 20:32 | |
Then, those hired at noon, got a denarius. | 20:35 | |
And the workers hired first, | 20:39 | |
began to see the handwriting on the wall. | 20:40 | |
Their anger grew white hot, | 20:44 | |
as those who were hired at nine a.m., | 20:48 | |
were given a denarius. | 20:51 | |
And when the manager handed them a single denarius, | 20:53 | |
it was more than they could take. | 20:57 | |
They were furious and grumbling amongst themselves. | 21:00 | |
Until one of them got up the nerve | 21:04 | |
to speak out to the landowner. | 21:06 | |
These last had only worked one hour | 21:09 | |
and you have made them equal to us who have borne | 21:14 | |
the burden of the day and the scorching heat. | 21:17 | |
It's not fair. | 21:22 | |
It goes against every principle of justice | 21:24 | |
and fair play that we live by. | 21:27 | |
We're considering filing a class action lawsuit. | 21:29 | |
But the landowner said, | 21:34 | |
I haven't done anything wrong to you. | 21:36 | |
I paid you what you bargained for. | 21:39 | |
I've met the terms of our contract. | 21:41 | |
So, take what belongs to you and go. | 21:44 | |
It's none of your business | 21:48 | |
if I choose to pay these others what I paid you. | 21:49 | |
It's my money and I can do what I choose with it. | 21:53 | |
Are you envious because I'm generous? | 21:58 | |
You bet they were, | 22:04 | |
and with good reason. | 22:06 | |
Who wouldn't be envious | 22:08 | |
of someone who received the same pay | 22:09 | |
for working 1/12 of the day | 22:12 | |
in the coolness of the afternoon. | 22:14 | |
Even a child could figure out the injustice of that. | 22:17 | |
Equal pay for equal work is fair. | 22:22 | |
Equal pay for unequal work is not fair. | 22:26 | |
Rewarding those who do the most work is fair. | 22:31 | |
Rewarding those who do the least work is not fair. | 22:35 | |
Treating everyone the same is fair. | 22:40 | |
But treating everyone the same | 22:43 | |
when they are not the same, | 22:45 | |
is not fair. | 22:47 | |
Can you imagine anyone running a business like that? | 22:51 | |
After the first day, | 22:55 | |
no one would show up for the first shift. | 22:56 | |
You'd have a labor force made up of slackers | 22:58 | |
who would do as little as possible, | 23:01 | |
as late as possible, | 23:03 | |
trusting that they would be rewarded | 23:05 | |
regardless of what work they done, | 23:07 | |
because of the benevolence of the owner. | 23:09 | |
Our whole economy would be turned upside down. | 23:12 | |
But that isn't the world we live in, is it? | 23:18 | |
Thank goodness or nothing would ever get done. | 23:20 | |
No, we trust that as long as we work hard | 23:24 | |
and play by the rules, | 23:27 | |
we will be fairly rewarded. | 23:29 | |
We know our place in the pecking order | 23:32 | |
and what to do to move ahead a few notches. | 23:35 | |
We're good at playing the game. | 23:38 | |
We've studied hard, | 23:41 | |
gotten the right grades, | 23:42 | |
joined the right clubs, | 23:44 | |
gotten the right credentials and the right jobs, | 23:46 | |
moved into the right neighborhoods. | 23:48 | |
We are first in line, | 23:51 | |
first hired, | 23:54 | |
first rewarded. | 23:56 | |
But, Jesus said, | 24:00 | |
the last will be first and the first will be last. | 24:01 | |
That's why a parable like this is so disturbing to us. | 24:07 | |
It threatens the prerogatives of privilege. | 24:12 | |
Jesus seems to be saying that all our hard work, | 24:16 | |
the position and the credentials that we have earned, | 24:20 | |
count for nothing with God. | 24:23 | |
The Lord of the vineyard | 24:27 | |
refuses to be bound by our value system. | 24:28 | |
And our method of judging | 24:33 | |
one person's worth over against another's. | 24:35 | |
There's another set of criteria at work. | 24:40 | |
We can't secure God's favor | 24:44 | |
on the same quid pro quo basis that we use everyday. | 24:46 | |
In the parable, | 24:54 | |
Jesus is speaking against any legalistic | 24:55 | |
understanding of religion. | 24:59 | |
He's opposing the popular notion | 25:02 | |
that one can pray enough | 25:04 | |
or sacrifice enough or work enough | 25:07 | |
to earn a place in heaven. | 25:09 | |
According to this view, | 25:13 | |
at the end of life, | 25:14 | |
God tallies our good deeds and our bad deeds | 25:15 | |
and determines what our reward or punishment should be. | 25:19 | |
It sees God as the great score keeper in the sky | 25:24 | |
who can be trusted above all things | 25:28 | |
to be objective and fair. | 25:30 | |
If this were God's way of dealing with humanity, | 25:36 | |
it would be shameful and unjust | 25:40 | |
for the person to entered God's service at the end of life, | 25:43 | |
to receive the same as those who had toiled and worked | 25:47 | |
all through their lives. | 25:51 | |
But, Jesus has been trying to get across to the disciples, | 25:55 | |
every way | 25:59 | |
that he knew how. | 26:01 | |
That, God is not a dispassionate score keeper, | 26:03 | |
tallying up their losses and gains. | 26:07 | |
But, a caring father concerned for their well-being. | 26:12 | |
God is not a hard-edged business owner | 26:17 | |
interested only in the bottom line. | 26:19 | |
But, a compassionate friend who values their relationship | 26:23 | |
more than that outcome of their efforts. | 26:26 | |
God is not a judging tyrant | 26:31 | |
doling out rewards and punishments. | 26:33 | |
But, a loving Savior offering Himself | 26:37 | |
as a means to abundant life, | 26:41 | |
now and eternally. | 26:44 | |
And for most of us, | 26:49 | |
that is very good news. | 26:50 | |
For if you're like me, | 26:55 | |
you're much better off not being judged | 26:57 | |
on the basis of what you you deserved. | 27:00 | |
Because when I think about what I've done in God's vineyard, | 27:04 | |
I'm much more like the workers | 27:08 | |
who showed up at the end of the day | 27:09 | |
than those who began at dawn | 27:12 | |
and worked diligently all day long. | 27:14 | |
There's so many things | 27:17 | |
that I've meant to do that I somehow | 27:18 | |
never got around to doing. | 27:21 | |
And there were so many things | 27:23 | |
that I meant not to do but wound up doing anyway. | 27:24 | |
In God's pecking order, | 27:29 | |
I'm afraid, I'd be somewhere way toward the back | 27:31 | |
of the line. | 27:34 | |
The prayer of confession that we prayed, | 27:37 | |
fairly describes most of us. | 27:40 | |
Most merciful God, | 27:44 | |
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, | 27:45 | |
word and deed, | 27:49 | |
by what we have done and by what we have left undone. | 27:51 | |
Thank goodness, God is not fair. | 28:00 | |
God is merciful. | 28:04 | |
For reasons we may never know, | 28:07 | |
God seems to love us indiscriminately | 28:09 | |
and seems also to enjoy | 28:14 | |
reversing the systems that we set up, | 28:16 | |
to explain why God | 28:18 | |
should love some of us more than others. | 28:20 | |
In the parable, | 28:24 | |
the landowner returns to the marketplace | 28:26 | |
again and again and again, | 28:28 | |
inviting people to come into the vineyard. | 28:31 | |
Through Christ, God seeks us again and again and again | 28:36 | |
and calls us into relationship. | 28:41 | |
For it is only as we accept the invitation | 28:44 | |
to come into the vineyard with Christ, | 28:47 | |
that we can begin to share in the healing | 28:50 | |
and reconciling work of the kingdom. | 28:53 | |
This work is not a means to an end. | 28:56 | |
It is an end, in and of itself. | 29:00 | |
It is itself our participation | 29:04 | |
in salvation and abundant life now. | 29:08 | |
And it doesn't matter when when we were invited | 29:12 | |
to become part of God's vineyard. | 29:14 | |
Or, how much work we've done. | 29:16 | |
Or, how many people follow behind us. | 29:19 | |
Or, how we measure up to others. | 29:21 | |
What matters is that early or late, | 29:24 | |
we get to be in relationship with God. | 29:27 | |
We get to work side-by-side with Christ, | 29:30 | |
in doing God's caring, loving, | 29:34 | |
reconciling work in the world. | 29:37 | |
And when we jockey for position or negotiate for rewards, | 29:40 | |
we entirely miss the point. | 29:44 | |
Do you get it? | 29:48 | |
Everyone in the parable was paid a denarius. | 29:50 | |
A denarius was a wage sufficient for that day's need. | 29:55 | |
In other words, | 30:00 | |
no matter what they contributed, | 30:01 | |
everyone was given what they needed. | 30:03 | |
Those who came into the vineyard early | 30:07 | |
and those who came in the middle of the day | 30:09 | |
and those who came at the end of the day, | 30:10 | |
they all received not what they deserved | 30:13 | |
but what they needed. | 30:17 | |
And in the garden of Gethsemane, | 30:20 | |
Jesus didn't ask, | 30:22 | |
what do they deserve? | 30:25 | |
But, what do they need? | 30:28 | |
And then, he offered himself up to be a Savior | 30:30 | |
sufficient for all the world. | 30:33 | |
When we eat the bread | 30:37 | |
and drink from the cup in the Holy Eucharist, | 30:40 | |
God does not ask whether we deserve to receive | 30:43 | |
this gift of God's own Son. | 30:47 | |
God does not ask whether we should receive | 30:49 | |
only a small portion of salvation. | 30:52 | |
The body and blood of Christ | 30:56 | |
are poured out for us in full measure. | 30:57 | |
No matter whether we've known the joy | 31:02 | |
of working in God's kingdom most of our lives | 31:04 | |
or whether we've just accepted the invitation. | 31:07 | |
The fullness of God's love in Jesus Christ | 31:10 | |
is poured out as a reward for all of us. | 31:14 | |
And it is sufficient for our need. | 31:18 | |
Thanks be to God. | 31:23 | |
(footsteps walking slowly) | 31:26 | |
(coughing loudly) | 31:30 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 31:31 |
- | And also with you. | 31:33 |
- | Let us pray. | 31:35 |
Generous God of the first and the last, | 31:41 | |
the greatest and the least. | 31:44 | |
We come before you on this fine fall morning | 31:46 | |
to pray on behalf of all people | 31:49 | |
who have labored in your vineyards. | 31:51 | |
For those who work hard | 31:54 | |
and for those who cannot work as hard as they'd like. | 31:57 | |
And for those who do not choose to work | 32:01 | |
as hard as they should. | 32:03 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 32:05 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 32:08 | |
Teaching Savior, life's lessons are difficult to discern. | 32:10 | |
Often, we differ in our abilities to understand. | 32:16 | |
And our experiences of living, | 32:19 | |
frequently bring us to a variety of conclusions | 32:21 | |
about what is true and where justice is served. | 32:24 | |
As we approach another presidential election, | 32:29 | |
as we face another year | 32:32 | |
of living together in community here at Duke University. | 32:33 | |
As we consider our places, | 32:38 | |
brothers and sisters in the family of God. | 32:39 | |
We pray for that much needed common ground | 32:43 | |
upon which we can walk. | 32:45 | |
Teach us, Lord, | 32:48 | |
how to value our differences | 32:49 | |
while at the same time, | 32:50 | |
treasuring our unity. | 32:52 | |
Instruct us, Jesus, | 32:55 | |
in the things that will bring us all to live in peace. | 32:56 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 33:01 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 33:03 | |
Spirit of healing, | 33:06 | |
you know better than we do, | 33:08 | |
the suffering of this world. | 33:09 | |
From the physical world | 33:12 | |
of threatened plants and endangered animals. | 33:13 | |
To the human world of fragile hearts, | 33:17 | |
imperfect bodies and troubled minds. | 33:19 | |
Come, Holy Spirit, come. | 33:23 | |
Visit all that is afflicted and hurting. | 33:26 | |
And when possible, | 33:29 | |
show us how we can join you to bring healing and hope | 33:30 | |
to your creation and your creatures who are in pain. | 33:34 | |
We pray especially for all who are still recovering | 33:39 | |
from Hurricane Fran's devastation. | 33:42 | |
And most especially, | 33:45 | |
for those in the Kinston area who have endured | 33:46 | |
yet another round of tornadoes and flooding. | 33:49 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 33:52 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 33:54 | |
Generous God of the first and the last, | 33:57 | |
the greatest and the least. | 34:00 | |
Thank you that whether we are the first or the last, | 34:02 | |
the greatest or the least or somewhere in between. | 34:06 | |
We all have a place to work in your vineyard. | 34:11 | |
Grant to us a generous spirit, God. | 34:15 | |
And sustain us with your love. | 34:17 | |
Then, when others join us in our labor, | 34:19 | |
we will not be found complaining and jealous. | 34:21 | |
But, joyful for the extra hands | 34:25 | |
and glad for the new companionship | 34:28 | |
and better equipped | 34:30 | |
to do the work of your kingdom in this world. | 34:32 | |
Lord, in your mercy. | 34:35 | |
(congregation reciting prayer) | 34:37 | |
Amen. | 34:39 | |
I invite you to pass the peace of Christ to one another. | 34:41 | |
(congregation rising from their seats) | 34:46 | |
You may be seated. | 35:09 | |
You know the love of our Savior. | 35:18 | |
That, though he was rich, | 35:20 | |
for our sakes became poor that we might be made rich. | 35:21 | |
Let's being to God the gifts of our life and our labor. | 35:27 | |
Let us worship God with our tithes and our offerings. | 35:30 | |
(coughing loudly) | 35:38 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 35:54 | |
(choir singing with dramatic organ music) | 35:57 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 40:22 | |
(slow dramatic organ music) | 40:31 | |
(congregation singing with organ music) | 41:02 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 42:01 |
Congregation | And also with you. | 42:03 |
- | Lift up your hearts. | 42:05 |
Congregation | We lift them up to the Lord. | 42:07 |
- | Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. | 42:09 |
Congregation | It is right to give our thanks and praise. | 42:12 |
- | It is right and a good and joyful thing | 42:16 |
always and everywhere to give thanks to you, | 42:18 | |
Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth. | 42:21 | |
You formed us in your image | 42:25 | |
and breathed into us the breath of life. | 42:26 | |
When we turned away and our love failed, | 42:29 | |
your love love remained steadfast. | 42:32 | |
You delivered us from captivity, | 42:35 | |
made covenant to be our Sovereign God | 42:37 | |
and spoke to us through the prophets. | 42:40 | |
And so, with your people on earth | 42:42 | |
and all the company of heaven, | 42:44 | |
we praise your name and join their unending hymn. | 42:46 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 42:49 | |
♪ Holy, holy, holy Lord ♪ | 42:58 | |
♪ God of power and might ♪ | 43:03 | |
♪ Heaven and earth are full of your glory ♪ | 43:07 | |
♪ Hosanna in the highest ♪ | 43:11 | |
♪ Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord ♪ | 43:16 | |
♪ Hosanna ♪ | 43:22 | |
♪ In ♪ | 43:25 | |
♪ The highest ♪ | 43:27 | |
- | Holy are you and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ. | 43:35 |
Your Spirit anointed Him to preach good news to the poor, | 43:39 | |
to proclaim release to the captives | 43:43 | |
and recovering of sight to the blind. | 43:45 | |
To set at liberty those who are oppressed | 43:48 | |
and to announce that the time had come | 43:51 | |
when you would save your people. | 43:53 | |
He healed the sick, | 43:56 | |
fed the hungry and ate with sinners. | 43:57 | |
By the baptism of His suffering, | 44:00 | |
death and resurrection, | 44:03 | |
you gave birth to you Church, | 44:05 | |
delivered us from slavery to sin and death | 44:07 | |
and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit. | 44:10 | |
When the Lord ascended, | 44:15 | |
He promised to be with us always, | 44:16 | |
in the power of your Word and Holy Spirit. | 44:19 | |
On the night in which He gave Himself up for us, | 44:23 | |
He took bread, | 44:26 | |
gave thanks to you, | 44:27 | |
gave it to His disciples and said, | 44:29 | |
take, eat, this is my body given for you. | 44:32 | |
Do this in remembrance of me. | 44:37 | |
And when the supper was over, | 44:41 | |
He took the cup, | 44:43 | |
gave thanks to you, | 44:45 | |
gave it to His disciples and said, | 44:48 | |
drink from this, | 44:51 | |
all of you. | 44:52 | |
For this is the blood of the new covenant | 44:53 | |
poured out for you and for many, | 44:56 | |
for the forgiveness of sins. | 44:58 | |
Do this as often as you drink it, | 45:01 | |
in remembrance of me. | 45:03 | |
And so, in remembrance of these, | 45:09 | |
your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, | 45:11 | |
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving | 45:14 | |
as a holy and living sacrifice | 45:18 | |
in union with Christ offering for us as we proclaim | 45:21 | |
the mystery of faith. | 45:24 | |
♪ Christ has died ♪ | 45:27 | |
♪ Christ is risen ♪ | 45:29 | |
♪ Christ will come again ♪ | 45:31 | |
- | Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, | 45:40 |
and on these gifts of bread and wine. | 45:43 | |
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, | 45:47 | |
that we may be for the world the body of Christ, | 45:50 | |
redeemed by His blood. | 45:54 | |
By your Spirit, | 45:56 | |
make us one with Christ, | 45:57 | |
one with each other | 45:59 | |
and one in ministry to all the world | 46:01 | |
until Christ comes in final victory | 46:03 | |
and we feast at His heavenly banquet | 46:06 | |
through your Son, Jesus Christ. | 46:08 | |
With the Holy Spirit and your holy Church, | 46:11 | |
all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, | 46:13 | |
now and forever. | 46:17 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 46:20 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 46:22 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 46:25 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 46:30 | |
- | And now, with the confidence of the children of God, | 46:34 |
let us pray together. | 46:36 | |
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. | 46:38 | |
Thy kingdom come, | 46:43 | |
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. | 46:45 | |
Give us this day our daily bread | 46:49 | |
and forgive us our trespasses | 46:51 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 46:54 | |
And lead us not into temptation, | 46:57 | |
but deliver us from evil. | 47:00 | |
For thine is the kingdom | 47:02 | |
and the power and the glory forever, Amen. | 47:04 | |
When we break the bread, | 47:10 | |
is it not a means of sharing in the body of Christ? | 47:12 | |
When we drink from the cup, | 47:20 | |
is it not a means of sharing in the blood of Christ | 47:22 | |
which cleanses us from sin and makes us whole? | 47:25 | |
The body of Christ given for you. | 47:34 | |
The blood of Christ shed for you. | 47:40 | |
(mumbles) | 47:54 | |
Won't you come to the Lord's table? | 48:12 | |
(footsteps slowly walking) | 48:17 | |
(coughing loudly) | 48:20 | |
(footsteps slowly walking) | 48:21 | |
(coughing loudly) | 48:32 | |
(footsteps slowly walking) | 48:34 | |
(slow organ music) | 48:50 | |
(choir singing gently) | 48:53 | |
(slow organ music) | 49:58 | |
(choir singing gently) | 50:12 | |
(footsteps walking slowly and organ music) | 51:57 | |
(footsteps walking slowly) | 52:16 | |
(choir singing gently) | 52:23 | |
(slow organ music) | 55:09 | |
(coughing loudly) | 55:14 | |
(footsteps walking slowly) | 55:16 | |
(coughing loudly) | 55:33 | |
(footsteps walking slowly) | 55:37 | |
(coughing loudly) | 56:19 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 56:50 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 56:54 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 56:58 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 57:06 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 57:10 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 57:14 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 57:23 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 57:27 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 57:31 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 57:40 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 57:45 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 57:50 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 58:00 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 58:05 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 58:09 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 58:19 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 58:24 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 58:29 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 58:39 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 58:44 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 58:48 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 58:58 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 59:03 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 59:07 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 59:18 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 59:23 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 59:28 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 59:37 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 59:42 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 59:47 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 59:59 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:00:02 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 1:00:07 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:00:17 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:00:22 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 1:00:27 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:00:37 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:00:42 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 1:00:46 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:00:56 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:01:01 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 1:01:06 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:01:17 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:01:21 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 1:01:25 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:01:35 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:01:40 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 1:01:45 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:01:55 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:02:00 | |
♪ Come to me and never be hungry ♪ | 1:02:04 | |
♪ Eat this bread ♪ | 1:02:14 | |
♪ Drink this cup ♪ | 1:02:19 | |
♪ Trust in me and you will not thirst ♪ | 1:02:25 | |
- | Please rise. | 1:02:39 |
Gracious God, you have made us one with all your people | 1:02:46 | |
in heaven and on earth. | 1:02:49 | |
You have fed us with the bread of life | 1:02:51 | |
and renewed us for your service. | 1:02:53 | |
We give ourselves to you and ask that our daily living | 1:02:56 | |
may be part of the life of your kingdom. | 1:03:00 | |
May our love be your love, | 1:03:03 | |
reaching out into the life of the world | 1:03:06 | |
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. | 1:03:08 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 1:03:15 | |
(congregation and choir singing with organ music) | 1:03:54 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 1:06:35 | |
- | Now, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, | 1:07:43 |
the love of God | 1:07:45 | |
and the communion of the Holy Spirit | 1:07:46 | |
be with you and keep you. | 1:07:48 | |
(footsteps walking slowly) | 1:07:52 | |
(choir singing gently) | 1:07:55 | |
(dramatic organ music) | 1:09:56 |