William H. Willimon - "The Writing on the Wall" (September 19, 1993)

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	(organ playing)	0:00
	(traditional hymn singing)	0:18
	(traditional hymn singing)	0:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:16
	(traditional hymn singing)	1:45
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:48
	(traditional hymn singing)	1:55
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	2:20
	(organ playing)	2:27
	(organ playing)	2:59
	(organ playing)	3:30
	(organ playing)	3:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	4:14
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	4:40
-	Let us pray.	4:51
	Eternal God, as we lift our voice to sing Your praise,	4:55
	we confess that we love Thee, yet not with perfect hearts.	4:59
	We long for Thee, yet not with our full strength.	5:04
	We trust in Thee, yet not with our whole selves.	5:08
	Oh Lord our Christ,	5:14
	grant us Thy mind and Thy spirit.	5:15
	Have mercy upon us that we might be renewed	5:18
	from our sinful selves into new men and new women,	5:21
	according to Thy will and for the sake of Thy glory,	5:25
	Amen.	5:30
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	5:44
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	5:50
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit	5:53
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	5:56
	we may hear your message with joy this day, Amen.	6:00
	This reading is taken from the 20th chapter of the gospel	6:07
	according to St. Matthew starting with verse one.	6:12
	For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out	6:18
	early in the morning to hire laborers.	6:22
	After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage,	6:25
	he sent them into his vineyard.	6:30
	When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others	6:32
	standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them	6:37
	you also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you	6:40
	whatever is right so they went.	6:44
	When he went out again about noon	6:48
	and at about three o'clock, he did the same,	6:50
	and about five o'clock, he went out and found others	6:54
	standing around, and he said to them	6:58
	why are you standing here idle all day?	7:01
	They said to him because no one has hired us.	7:05
	He said to them you also go into the vineyard.	7:09
	When evening came, the owner of the vineyard	7:13
	said to his manager, call the laborers	7:17
	and give them their pay beginning with the last	7:20
	and then going to the first.	7:24
	When those hired about five o'clock came,	7:27
	each of them received the usually daily wage.	7:30
	Now, when the first came,	7:35
	they thought they would receive more,	7:37
	but each of them also received the usual daily wage,	7:40
	and then, when they had received it, they grumbled	7:45
	against the landowner saying these last	7:49
	worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us	7:52
	who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.	7:57
	But he replied to one of them	8:01
	friend, I am doing you no wrong.	8:04
	Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?	8:08
	Take what belongs to you and go.	8:12
	I chose to give this last the same as I give to you.	8:15
	Am I not allowed to do what I choose	8:21
	with what belongs to me?	8:23
	Or are you envious because I am generous?	8:25
	So, the last will be first, and the first will be last.	8:30
	This is the Word of the Lord.	8:35
Congregation	Praise be to God.	8:38
-	Today's Psalm is number 78, verse one through four	8:47
	found on page 799 in your hymnal.	8:51
	Please stand and sing the Psalm in glory and responsively.	8:54
	(organ playing)	8:59
	♪ Heed thee, all my people, to my teaching ♪	9:05
	♪ Incline your ears to the words of my mouth ♪	9:11
	(traditional hymn singing)	9:17
	♪ Sing that we have heard and known ♪	9:29
	♪ That our forbearers have told us ♪	9:33
	(traditional hymn singing)	9:40
	♪ All glory be to You, Creator ♪	10:02
	♪ And to Jesus Christ, Our Savior ♪	10:05
	(traditional hymn singing)	10:10
	♪ As it was at time began ♪	10:16
	(traditional hymn singing)	10:22
-	Please be seated.	10:32
	(organ playing)	10:37
	(traditional hymn singing)	10:58
	(traditional hymn singing)	11:29
	(traditional hymn singing)	11:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	12:30
-	This reading from the Old Testament includes	12:58
	selected verses from the fifth chapter	13:01
	of the Book of Daniel.	13:04
	Listen for God's Word.	13:07
	King Belshazzar made a great festival for a thousand	13:09
	of his lords, and he was drinking wine in the presence	13:13
	of a thousand.	13:17
	Under the influence of the wine,	13:19
	Belshazzar commanded that they bring in the vessels	13:21
	of gold and silver that his father Nebuchadnezzar	13:25
	had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem	13:28
	so that the king and his lords, his wives,	13:30
	and his concubines might drink from them.	13:34
	So, they brought in the vessels of gold and silver	13:38
	that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God	13:40
	in Jerusalem, and the king, and his lords, his wives,	13:44
	and his concubines drank from them.	13:48
	They drank the wine and praised the gods	13:52
	of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.	13:55
	Immediately, the fingers of a human hand appeared	14:01
	and began writing on the plaster of the wall	14:06
	of the royal palace next to the lamp stand.	14:09
	The king was watching the hand as it wrote.	14:13
	Then, the king's face turned pale,	14:18
	and his thoughts terrified him.	14:21
	His limbs gave way, and his knees knocked together.	14:24
	The king cried aloud to bring in the enchanters,	14:29
	the Chaldeans, and the diviners, and the king said	14:32
	to the wisemen of Babylon whoever can read this writing	14:37
	and tell me its interpretation shall be clothed in purple,	14:41
	have a chain of gold around his neck, and rank third	14:47
	in the kingdom.	14:50
	Then, all the king's wisemen came in, but they could not	14:53
	read the writing or tell the king the interpretation.	14:56
	Then, King Belshazzar became greatly terrified,	15:01
	and his face turned pale, and his lords were perplexed.	15:04
	The queen, when she heard the discussion of the king	15:10
	and his lords came into the banqueting hall.	15:14
	The queen said oh king, live forever.	15:17
	Do not let your thoughts terrify you or your face grow pale.	15:21
	There is a man in your kingdom who is endowed	15:26
	with the spirit of the holy gods.	15:30
	In the days of your father,	15:32
	he was found to have enlightenment, understanding,	15:34
	and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods.	15:37
	Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar made him chief	15:41
	of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and diviners	15:44
	because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding	15:49
	to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems	15:53
	were found in this Daniel, who the king named Belteshazzar.	15:59
	Now, let Daniel be called,	16:05
	and he will give the interpretation.	16:07
	Then, Daniel was brought in before the king.	16:11
	The king said to Daniel, so you are Daniel,	16:14
	one of the exiles of Judah, who my father, the king,	16:19
	brought from Judah?	16:22
	I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you,	16:25
	and that enlightenment, understanding, and excellent wisdom	16:29
	are found in you.	16:32
	Now, the wisemen, the enchanters have been brought in	16:35
	before me to read this writing and tell me	16:38
	its interpretation, but they were not able	16:41
	to give the interpretation of the matter.	16:44
	But I have heard that you can give interpretations	16:47
	and solve problems.	16:50
	Now, if you are able to read the writing and tell me	16:53
	its interpretation, you shall be clothed in purple,	16:57
	have a chain of gold around your neck, and rank third	17:01
	in the kingdom.	17:05
	Then, Daniel answered in the presence of the king	17:08
	let your gifts be for yourself or give your rewards	17:10
	to someone else.	17:15
	Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king,	17:18
	and let him know the interpretation.	17:21
	You have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven.	17:24
	The vessels of His temple have been brought in before you,	17:29
	and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines	17:33
	have been drinking wine from them.	17:38
	You have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze,	17:40
	iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know,	17:45
	but the God in whose power is your very breath	17:52
	and to whom belong all your ways, you have not honored.	17:56
	So, from his presence, the hand was sent,	18:02
	and this writing was inscribed, and this is the writing	18:05
	that was inscribed	18:09
	Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.	18:11
	This is the interpretation of the matter.	18:14
	Mane, God has numbered the days of your kingdom	18:18
	and brought it to an end.	18:22
	Tekel, you have been weighed on the scales	18:23
	and have been fouund wanting.	18:27
	Upharsin, your kingdom is divided and given to the (mumbles)	18:30
	and Persians.	18:35
	Then, Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed	18:37
	in purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck,	18:41
	and a proclamation was made concerning him	18:45
	that he should rank third in the kingdom.	18:48
	That very night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king was killed,	18:52
	and the (mumbles) received the kingdom,	18:59
	bein' about 62 years old.	19:04
	This is the Word of the Lord.	19:08
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	19:12
-	A few years ago,	19:24
	Rabbi Harold Kushner made religious publishing history	19:26
	with his phenomenally successful book	19:30
	When Bad Things Happen to Good People,	19:33
	and yet, there were those who said that Rabbi Kushner	19:39
	has sidestepped the toughest moral question,	19:42
	and that is,	19:46
	why on earth do good things happen to bad people?	19:47
	And, surely that explains, that's one reason	19:54
	why we love Bible stories	19:59
	like this one from the Book of Daniel	20:02
	because in the Book of Daniel,	20:06
	people get what they deserve.	20:08
	That's a rare occurrence in life,	20:13
	but a virtually everyday one in the Bible,	20:15
	particularly in the Book of Daniel.	20:17
	In real life,	20:20
	real creeps are rarely visibly,	20:23
	swiftly punished.	20:27
	Creeps get elected to public office,	20:30
	become presidents of large corporations,	20:33
	pastors of large churches,	20:35
	officers in fraternities,	20:37
	but in the Bible,	20:40
	in the Bible, creeps get incinerated in fiery furnaces.	20:42
	They get eaten by lions.	20:46
	They get drowned in floods.	20:48
	They get their heads off or worse,	20:50
	and don't lie to me, you just love that	20:53
	because everybody longs for a world in which	20:58
	there shall be justice.	21:01
	Even if the workings of justice are sometimes gruesome.	21:05
	Maybe particularly if the workings of justice are gruesome	21:11
	because justice seems so rare	21:16
	in real life,	21:20
	but not in the Bible.	21:23
	No, the Bible,	21:25
	particularly something like the Book of Daniel,	21:26
	the Bible just loves to take some sleazy person,	21:29
	let him strut about his hour upon the stage,	21:33
	and then zap! There's fire, or there's a flood,	21:37
	or there's a lion, and then, he's history,	21:40
	and how it is (illegible) to see the bad get	21:46
	what they deserve,	21:51
	and who could be more bad than King Belshazzar?	21:54
	Belshazzar throws a great party.	21:58
	He invites in a thousand of his friends and cronies,	22:00
	and under the influence of the wine, listen up Delta Sigs,	22:04
	under the influence of the wine,	22:08
	Belshazzar gets a great idea.	22:10
	Belshazzar says bring me those temple vessels,	22:12
	the ones that we stole from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem	22:15
	when we ransacked it, and let me take them,	22:18
	and drink from them, and pass them around in order to mock	22:21
	these impotent Jews that we have here in exile	22:24
	and their stupid God.	22:27
	And, thus, Belshazzar would show how great he is,	22:30
	and immediately, you don't have to wait long	22:36
	for these things in the Bible.	22:41
	Immediately,	22:42
	the great, detached, grizzly hand	22:46
	began silently writing	22:51
	these strange words on the palace wall,	22:54
	there in the banquet hall.	22:58
	Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin,	23:01
	and the king's mocking countenance changed,	23:03
	and he grows pale,	23:07
	had seen the large letters written upon the wall,	23:11
	and everyone in the great hall now could hear	23:16
	his royal knees knocking in terror,	23:19
	and he called his enchanters, and he called his diviners,	23:23
	his dream interpreters.	23:26
	For those of you who've been here on previous Sundays	23:27
	know that these people are not worth the money the king	23:29
	is paying them.	23:32
	They can't figure out a thing about the writing on the wall,	23:33
	and the queen a Lady Macbeth figure says	23:38
	oh king, stand up, and act like a man.	23:42
	Stiffen your resolve.	23:46
	Go, call that exile little Jew, Daniel.	23:49
	You knew this was coming.	23:54
	He's good at reading dreams.	23:56
	He's good at figuring out weird things, interpreting,	23:57
	figuring out problems, and little Daniel,	24:01
	19 years old, we've determined,	24:06
	is brought into the great banquet hall right then.	24:09
	Little exile Jewish Daniel.	24:13
	So, you're the smart kid I've heard about.	24:16
	Daniel, I've heard about you.	24:20
	Interpret the writing on the wall, and I'll give you	24:22
	a whole new wardrobe, jewelry, a cushy government position.	24:25
	Daniel, little Daniel, sophomore Daniel, exile Jew, says	24:32
	oh king, you can take your job and keep it.	24:37
	(laughter)	24:41
	I'll read the words on the wall.	24:43
	Any God-fearing person could figure this out,	24:46
	and before he reads,	24:51
	little Daniel launches into this unbelievable tirade	24:54
	against the king.	24:57
	He tells the king God gave this kingdom	24:59
	to your father Nebuchadnezzar.	25:00
	He gave him a long leash to act like he pleased,	25:03
	but then when he got too big for his royal britches,	25:07
	God brought him low, reduced him to the level	25:09
	of just eating grass like a cow, like an ox.	25:13
	His kingdom was stripped from him, and then, Daniel turns	25:16
	on King Nebuchadnezzar and says, turns on Belshazzar	25:21
	and says remember your daddy Nebuchadnezzar,	25:25
	oh Belshazzar, you exalted yourself above the Lord	25:29
	of heaven.	25:33
	You made a fool out of yourself bowing down,	25:33
	scraping before these false gods of gold, and iron,	25:36
	and stone, and silver, and now, your wives, and you,	25:39
	and your concubines have been drinking this wine	25:44
	out of the sacred vessels of the temple,	25:47
	and it was the handwriting on the wall.	25:52
	And, Daniel reads the words,	25:57
	written that mysterious hand	26:00
	mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.	26:03
	Roughly translated as,	26:06
	"God says the time is up for you	26:09
	"and your arrogant kingdom.	26:13
	God has weighed you in the scales of justice	26:16
	and found you a lightweight, and now your kingdom	26:19
	is going to be given over to the Persians.	26:22
	And, little Daniel, age of some of you,	26:27
	little Daniel has become a prophet of God,	26:32
	speaking truth to the powerful,	26:35
	and Belshazzar keeps his part of the bargain,	26:40
	giving Daniel a new wardrobe, a gold chain,	26:43
	a good paying government job,	26:45
	and God keeps His part of the bargain.	26:48
	That very night Belshazzar was killed,	26:51
	and that's the nice thing about this part of the Bible.	26:58
	You don't have to wait long for divine judgment.	27:02
	Good little believer Daniel gets a gold chain,	27:06
	a nice new wardrobe,	27:10
	and bad Belshazzar gets a shroud and a coffin.	27:13
	Victim of the handwriting on the wall.	27:16
	Now, something tells me that	27:25
	even though you would like to,	27:28
	you don't believe this story	27:31
	because we're modern, sophisticated, educated people,	27:34
	and we don't believe this bit about the hand,	27:38
	the grizzly hand writing, the handwriting on the wall.	27:41
	That is, we in our sophistication,	27:47
	doubt the possibility of swift, sure retribution	27:50
	or swift, sure reward.	27:57
	This is the way Rabbi Kushner explains it	28:02
	look, there's a kind of randomness to life.	28:05
	A lot of times good people get bad,	28:08
	and sometimes bad people get good,	28:10
	and life is kind of like a big roulette wheel,	28:12
	and sometimes good numbers come up,	28:14
	and sometimes bad numbers come up, and it just goes around.	28:16
	It's all luck. It's all chance.	28:19
	Nobody means anything by it.	28:22
	It's just the way life is.	28:23
	There's a kind of randomness there,	28:25
	and we make a great deal out of our observation	28:29
	that righteous rebels like little Daniel	28:32
	more often get the noose	28:35
	than a gold chain and a promotion,	28:37
	and scumbags like Belshazzar get away with it.	28:42
	And, occasionally, we will whine to God that this is so,	28:46
	but it is interesting how comfortable we have come	28:53
	with that realization that this is so,	28:56
	and so, we turn up our noses	29:01
	at this primitive story	29:06
	of a great mighty king who in one night is brought down low	29:09
	by the writing on the wall,	29:13
	and this lowly little Daniel, who is lifted up.	29:15
	We don't care if it's a Bible story.	29:22
	We say that's not the way the world works.	29:24
	I wasn't born yesterday.	29:27
	I know how these work.	29:29
	They don't work,	29:31
	but sometimes,	29:36
	life does work that way.	29:38
	Oh, not every day, but sometimes, it does work that way.	29:43
	Sometimes, say,	29:49
	not often as the first six chapters of the Book of Daniel,	29:51
	but sometimes, there really does seem to be	29:54
	a kind of justice built into the way life works.	29:58
	A kind of moral law to which we must answer,	30:03
	and I think if Rabbi Kushner had written about that,	30:11
	he would have sold a lot less books	30:13
	because that scares the wits out of us,	30:18
	and our knees shake at the thought	30:22
	of a kind of justice in the world.	30:26
	It was a physician who told me	30:33
	that he estimated that about	30:36
	80% of the people who come to him as a doctor,	30:38
	come to him not because some strange bacteria	30:42
	has invaded their body,	30:45
	but they come to him for simple lifestyle reasons,	30:46
	and I'm not gonna stand up here and argue	30:53
	some kind of moral cause effect in life.	30:55
	You do this, you get that,	30:58
	but still, according to this doctor,	31:02
	there does seem to be	31:04
	a kind of wages,	31:06
	to be paid for our sin,	31:08
	and there's something in us that denies that,	31:13
	that flees from that story.	31:16
	As a pastor,	31:21
	I find it interesting	31:24
	that I have never visited a parishioner in the hospital	31:26
	who has suffered from emphysema	31:30
	or is suffering from lung cancer, two horrible diseases.	31:33
	I have never visited anybody in my church in the hospital	31:37
	who ever had emphysema or had lung cancer	31:41
	because that person smoked.	31:43
	My doctor tells me that I have a different kind	31:47
	of lung cancer.	31:49
	This is not the kind you get by smoking two packs a day.	31:50
	This is another kind,	31:54
	and I think I'd probably told you the same thing.	31:58
	I didn't say we always reap what we sow.	32:04
	I didn't say there's always wages to be paid for our sin,	32:08
	but I'm saying it is curious how often we do,	32:12
	and there's something about us modern people	32:17
	that clings to the notion that life is just a great cosmic	32:20
	roulette wheel, a kind of randomness to life,	32:24
	and there is no moral cause effect of any kind.	32:27
	There's no dues to be paid, and,	32:30
	there's no even modicum of justice	32:33
	built into the way the world works.	32:35
	But this ancient story	32:40
	of Daniel interpreting Belshazzar's dream	32:40
	invites us to consider,	32:44
	that sometimes, not always,	32:49
	but sometimes,	32:51
	there is for each of us,	32:53
	handwriting on the wall,	32:56
	in which we do reap what we sow.	33:00
	That prophetic truthful moment,	33:03
	in which we realize	33:07
	that our chickens have come home to roost	33:09
	and that justice has been done.	33:12
	And, one of the worst aspects of people getting	33:18
	what they deserve	33:21
	and justice being done	33:23
	is when I get some of what I deserve	33:26
	and the handwriting on the wall is for me.	33:31
	You alumni back for your reunions,	33:37
	I remember a professor at my college who said to me,	33:40
	you may get some	33:44
	education here at this college,	33:47
	but you will never get wisdom	33:50
	until you come back for your 20th reunion.	33:51
	Now, why is that I asked.	33:56
	He said you're gonna learn more about life that weekend	33:58
	than we can teach you here in four years I'll tell ya that.	34:00
	Now, what was he talking about?	34:04
	A friend of mine had a friend from college who died	34:09
	this past summer, and at lunch, we were talking.	34:14
	He said you know, I always envied that guy.	34:18
	We grew up together.	34:20
	Our houses were near each other.	34:22
	We were kids together.	34:23
	Went through high school.	34:25
	He was always so good looking and so popular,	34:26
	and all the girls just loved him,	34:30
	and he played tennis great,	34:32
	and then, we went to college together,	34:33
	and there, all the girls loved him,	34:35
	and he played tennis even better,	34:37
	and he was just Mr. Big,	34:40
	but he was one of those people who always felt the rules	34:42
	were made for everybody else but him.	34:46
	He didn't have to abide by the same standards of judgment	34:51
	all the rest of us lowly people did,	34:55
	and I just despised him for it.	34:59
	And, I got to know, I went to his wedding,	35:02
	and then, there were two children,	35:06
	and the next thing you know,	35:08
	there was a divorce, and he had left his wife.	35:09
	His daughters refused to have any contact with him.	35:13
	They wouldn't speak to him because of the way he behaved	35:15
	during that episode, and I kinda lost touch with him.	35:18
	All the while, I kept in contact with his former wife,	35:21
	his two daughters,	35:25
	and this summer when I was home,	35:26
	I learned that he had died,	35:29
	in an old house in town,	35:34
	watched over by his aging aunt.	35:37
	The last person who would have anything to do with him	35:41
	after he had cheated, and swindled, and broken promises.	35:44
	He died alone.	35:50
	And, I suppose that those of us,	35:57
	who are not attractive,	35:58
	and not that good at tennis, or adultery,	36:01
	should take heart in a story like that.	36:05
	That image of that lonely man now bereft of family,	36:10
	of children, of friends, dying alone,	36:13
	there, staring at nothing but the writing on the wall,	36:16
	but I don't take too much comfort from that story.	36:23
	As little as I take from the story of Daniel	36:28
	and Belshazzar because	36:31
	if it's true,	36:34
	as I think Daniel 5 claims it to be,	36:38
	if it's true that God is not mocked,	36:41
	if it's true that we are not forever unaccountable	36:48
	for our lives and the way we live them,	36:52
	then I've got plenty of reason like King Belshazzar	36:57
	to tremble	37:02
	for there is the possibility of the handwriting	37:06
	on the wall for me.	37:09
	I, who in my affluence, and my power, and smug sense	37:13
	of self-security,	37:18
	more resemble King Belshazzar	37:20
	than little Daniel,	37:25
	and what would the handwriting on the wall say to me?	37:30
	No, I think you've all heard the message of the Book of Job.	37:39
	Rabbi Kushner talks about it.	37:42
	The message of Job that there is no necessary correlation	37:45
	between the good that you do in this life and the good	37:48
	that happens to you in this life or vice versa,	37:52
	and yet, here is my question.	37:57
	Have you also the imagination to hear this message?	38:01
	The message that what comes around comes back around,	38:07
	and that you reap what you sow,	38:12
	and that the hand that writes upon the wall is God's,	38:17
	and that God is not mocked,	38:22
	and the prophetic words of the little Jew	38:28
	become a wake up call for all of us.	38:31
	This old message,	38:37
	this old story bears a message	38:39
	that is simple, and trite, and conventional, and proverbial,	38:42
	and often true.	38:48
	Is it really so surprising that we love the message	38:52
	of Rabbi Kushner in his interpretation of Job?	38:54
	Well, sorry people.	38:58
	Life is just sort of a big roulette wheel,	38:59
	and sometimes, your number comes up,	39:01
	and sometimes, it doesn't, and the world is a mess.	39:02
	It's morally confusing, and evil gets out ahead sometimes,	39:04
	and the good get shafted, and.	39:08
	More than we love the message of little Daniel	39:13
	to the rich, powerful Belshazzar	39:15
	that God is not forever mocked.	39:17
	Some of you have heard me tell the story about early	39:24
	in my ministry, serving a little church in rural Georgia,	39:27
	and we went out one Saturday to a funeral	39:32
	of a person who was a relative of somebody in my church,	39:36
	and it was in a little country church,	39:40
	not of my denomination,	39:41
	and I grew up in a big downtown church.	39:43
	I had never been to a funeral like this one.	39:46
	They had the body out there. The casket was open,	39:48
	and the funeral consisted of this sermon,	39:51
	this sermon by their preacher,	39:53
	and the preacher would pound on the pulpit,	39:55
	and he'd look over that casket, and he would say,	39:58
	it's too late for Joe.	40:00
	It's too late for Joe.	40:02
	He mighta wanted to get his life together.	40:04
	He mighta wanted to spend more time with his family.	40:06
	He mighta wanted to do, but he's dead now.	40:08
	Too late for him,	40:12
	but it is not too late for you.	40:14
	There is still time for you. You still can decide.	40:16
	You still are alive. It is not too late for you.	40:18
	Today is the day of decision,	40:21
	and then the preacher told about how a Greyhound bus	40:22
	had run into a funeral procession on the way out	40:26
	to the cemetery, and that can happen to you today.	40:28
	You need to decide today.	40:31
	Today is the day to get your life, too late for ol' Joe,	40:32
	but it's not too late for you.	40:35
	I was so angry at that preacher,and	40:40
	on the way home, I told Patsy,	40:45
	have you ever seen anything as manipulative and	40:47
	as insensitive to that poor family,	40:51
	and just as manipulative	40:53
	and just, I found it disgusting,	40:56
	and she said I've never heard anything like that.	40:59
	It was manipulative.	41:03
	It was disgusting.	41:04
	It was insensitive.	41:05
	And, worst of all, it was also true.	41:08
	(laughter)	41:13
	(organ playing)	41:18
	(organ playing)	41:45
	(traditional hymn singing)	41:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	42:30
	(traditional hymn singing)	42:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	43:30
	(traditional hymn singing)	43:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	44:29
	♪ We worship Thee ♪	44:46
Nancy	The Lord be with you	44:55
Congregation	And also with you.	44:56
-	Let us pray.	44:58
	Most gracious God, in Jesus Christ, you taught us to pray	45:12
	and promise that what we ask in His name	45:18
	will be given to us.	45:21
	Guide us by Your Holy Spirit	45:23
	that our prayers may serve Your will	45:25
	and reveal Your steadfast love.	45:28
	Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.	45:32
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	45:35
-	Let us pray for the peace of the world,	45:37
	especially among all Palestinians and Israelis	45:39
	that this week's history Peace Accord might inspire	45:43
	true and lasting reconciliation	45:47
	among all the world's peoples.	45:50
	Lord, in Your mercy.	45:54
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	45:56
-	Let us pray for our President, and for the leaders	46:00
	of all the nations that they may work to establish justice	46:03
	and freedom in their own countries and around the globe.	46:06
	Lord, in Your mercy.	46:11
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	46:13
-	Console those who are bereaved or in sorrow	46:16
	over the loss of a loved one, especially the families	46:19
	of Brian Wright and Charles Close.	46:23
	Lord, in Your mercy.	46:27
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	46:30
-	Let us pray for those who are poor and oppressed,	46:33
	for those who are unemployed, destitute, or hungry,	46:36
	for all who live within institutions, and for those	46:41
	who remember and care for them.	46:45
	Lord, in Your mercy.	46:49
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	46:50
-	Let us pray for the sick, the aged, and the infirm,	46:54
	and for those who live in constant pain.	46:58
	Lord, in Your mercy.	47:03
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:05
Nancy	Let us pray for those who struggle	47:08
	with demons of the mind that they might know inner peace	47:10
	and tranquility.	47:14
	Lord, in Your mercy.	47:16
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:18
Nancy	Let us pray for parents, and teachers,	47:21
	and all those entrusted with the care and guidance	47:24
	of children and young people.	47:27
	Lord, in Your mercy.	47:29
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:31
Nancy	Let us pray for all who are separated	47:34
	from their families and for those who have no home	47:35
	or family.	47:39
	Lord, in Your mercy.	47:42
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:44
Nancy	Support those who meet with difficulty	47:46
	and disappointment, whether at home, at work, or at school.	47:48
	Renew their confidence and sense of purpose.	47:54
	Lord, in Your mercy.	47:58
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	47:59
Nancy	Let us pray for all who are striving to follow	48:03
	in the steps of Christ and for those who are longing	48:05
	for the gift of faith.	48:09
	Lord, in Your mercy.	48:11
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	48:14
Nancy	All these things and whatever else you see	48:17
	that we need, grant us, oh God, for the sake of Him	48:19
	who died and rose again, and now lives and reigns with You	48:24
	in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, Amen.	48:28
	Let us present the offering of our lives and our labor	48:35
	to the Lord with thanksgiving.	48:39
	(organ playing)	48:42
	(organ playing)	49:15
	(traditional hymn singing)	49:50
	(traditional hymn singing)	50:30
	(traditional hymn singing)	50:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	51:29
	(traditional hymn singing)	52:00
	(organ playing)	52:12
	(organ playing)	52:45
	(organ playing)	53:14
	(traditional hymn singing)	53:43
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:56
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	53:59
	(traditional hymn singing)	54:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	54:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	54:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	54:24
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	54:27
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	54:31
-	Our gracious God, creator of the universe,	54:43
	and giver of all good things, we thank you for our home	54:46
	on earth and for the joy of living, for the challenges	54:50
	You give us, and the work we have to do,	54:54
	as we acknowledge You as owner of all we posses.	54:58
	We return to You now the fruits of our labor	55:01
	in joyous thanksgiving for the gift of life.	55:04
	Put these gifts, our time, and our talents to work	55:08
	in your vineyard as we dedicate ourselves to the purposes	55:12
	of Your kingdom.	55:15
	These things we pray in the name of the One who taught us	55:17
	boldly to pray, our Father who art in heaven,	55:20
	hallowed be Thy name,	55:23
	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done	55:26
	on earth as it in heaven.	55:29
	Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us	55:32
	our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,	55:35
	and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	55:40
	For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever,	55:45
	Amen.	55:49
	(organ playing)	55:52
	(traditional hymn music)	56:26
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:48
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	56:51
	(traditional hymn singing)	56:54
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	57:24
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	57:27
	(traditional hymn singing)	57:30
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	58:01
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	58:04
	(traditional hymn singing)	58:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	58:38
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	58:41
	(traditional hymn singing)	58:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:18
	(traditional hymn singing)	59:21
-	Now, may the grace of our Lord and Savoir,	59:35
	Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship	59:37
	of the Holy Spirit be with you now and always.	59:41
	(traditional hymn singing)	59:47
	(traditional hymn singing)	1:00:14
	(traditional hymn singing)	1:00:44
	(traditional hymn singing)	1:01:14
	(organ playing)	1:01:44

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "The Writing on the Wall" (September 19, 1993)

Description:

Sermon start time: 19:24. Sermon end time: 41:13.
Using King Belshazzar’s story, the preacher argues that though God does not always punish evil doers right away, everyone is indeed held accountable to the moral cause and effect principle of life. All people should repent and do good while they still have time. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r40p0x60t

Date:

September 19, 1993

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Daniel

Chapter and Verse:

Daniel 5:1-17,23-30

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0334
ref9307_jg5
uachapelsermaud
duke:321367
dcrmv001320
ark:/87924/r40p0x60t
40f7e071-fee7-44d8-aa7d-012800532948

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

See below

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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William H. Willimon - "The Writing on the Wall" (September 19, 1993)

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1. William H. Willimon - "The Writing on the Wall" (September 19, 1993)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "The Writing on the Wall" (September 19, 1993)

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Duke University Archives

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