William H. Willimon - "Who's in Charge Here?" (November 22, 1992)

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	(joyful organ music)	0:02
-	I welcome you on this Sunday of Christ the King	2:25
	to Duke Chapel.	2:28
	Call your attention to the fact that this afternoon at five,	2:30
	we have an organ recital,	2:33
	and at seven is our annual Messiah sing-along.	2:35
	You're invited to both of these events.	2:40
	Also, to note that in the service today,	2:43
	we will premiere a work by our chapel organist,	2:46
	David Arcus, psalm 150.	2:51
	We're very proud of Dr. Arcus	2:55
	and the service he renders here at the chapel,	2:57
	and we celebrate his creativity among us.	2:59
	There will also be some music by someone named Handel.	3:04
	Let us worship the king.	3:09
	♪ Praise the Lord who reigns above ♪	3:23
	♪ And keeps his court below ♪	3:27
	♪ Praise the holy God of love ♪	3:32
	♪ And all his greatness show ♪	3:37
	♪ Praise him for his noble deeds ♪	3:42
	♪ Praise him for his matchless power ♪	3:47
	♪ Him from whom all good proceeds ♪	3:53
	♪ Let earth and heaven adore ♪	3:58
-	Please stand for the greeting.	4:09
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	4:13
Congregation	And also with you.	4:18
-	Our Lord Christ reigns forever and ever.	4:20
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	4:24
	(solemn organ music)	4:27
	♪ All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine ♪	5:05
	♪ Didst yield the glory that of right was thine ♪	5:14
	♪ That in our troubled hearts thy grace might shine ♪	5:24
	♪ Alleluia ♪	5:32
	♪ Alleluia ♪	5:37
	♪ Thou came to us in lowliness of thought ♪	5:44
	♪ By thee the outcast and the poor were sought ♪	5:53
	♪ And by thy death was God's salvation wrought ♪	6:03
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:12
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:17
	♪ Let this mind be in us which was in thee ♪	6:23
	♪ Who was a servant that we might be free ♪	6:33
	♪ Humbling thyself to death on Calvary ♪	6:43
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:51
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:57
	♪ Wherefore, by God's eternal purpose ♪	7:03
	♪ Thou art high exalted ♪	7:10
	♪ Over all creatures now ♪	7:17
	♪ And given the name to which all knees shall bow ♪	7:23
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:36
	(solemn organ music)	7:42
	♪ Let every tongue confess with one accord ♪	9:21
	♪ In heaven and earth that Jesus Christ is Lord ♪	9:30
	♪ And God eternal be by all adored ♪	9:40
	♪ Alleluia ♪	9:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	9:53
-	Let us pray.	10:05
	Almighty God, in joyful music and hymns of praise,	10:09
	we sing out our gratitude for the gift of life,	10:14
	for companionship along life's journey,	10:18
	for the covenant that draws us together in faith	10:21
	and service to Jesus Christ.	10:24
	Though you are enthroned in the heavens,	10:27
	we draw near to worship you,	10:30
	even as you have drawn near to us	10:33
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord.	10:35
	Grant us grace to experience your presence with us today,	10:38
	that as we worship you,	10:42
	we may worship in spirit and in truth.	10:43
	Enable to us to do more perfectly	10:47
	the work to which you have called us,	10:49
	that our words are deeds may	10:51
	reflect the glory of our Lord and Savior.	10:53
	In the name of Christ, Amen.	10:57
	You may be seated.	11:00
-	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	11:11
Unison	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	11:17
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	11:20
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	11:23
	we may hear with joy what you say to us this day.	11:27
	Amen.	11:32
-	The first reading is taken from the second book of Samuel,	11:34
	the fifth chapter starting with the first verse.	11:38
	Then, all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron	11:44
	and said, look, we are your bone and flesh.	11:48
	For some time, while Saul was king over us,	11:53
	it was you who led out Israel and brought it in.	11:57
	The Lord said to you, it is you	12:02
	who will be shepherd of my people Israel,	12:06
	you who shall be ruler over Israel.	12:09
	So, all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron,	12:13
	and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron	12:19
	before the Lord,	12:23
	and they anointed David king over Israel.	12:25
	David was 30 years old when he began to reign,	12:29
	and he reigned for 40 years.	12:33
	This is the word of the lord.	12:37
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	12:39
	(solemn organ music)	13:00
	♪ Alleluia ♪	14:01
	♪ Alleluia ♪	14:11
	(solemn organ music)	14:19
	♪ Alleluia ♪	14:26
	♪ Alleluia ♪	14:27
	♪ Alleluia ♪	14:30
	♪ Praise God in his holy temple ♪	14:34
	♪ Praise him in the firmament of his power ♪	14:41
	♪ Praise him for his mightiness ♪	14:53
	♪ Praise him for his mightiness ♪	14:57
	(solemn organ music)	15:01
	♪ Praise the Lord with the sound of the trumpet ♪	15:13
	(solemn organ music)	15:18
	♪ Praise him with the lute and harp ♪	15:25
	♪ Praise him with the lute and harp ♪	15:35
	(solemn organ music)	15:42
	♪ Praise the Lord with cymbals ♪	15:53
	♪ Praise him with the cymbals ♪	15:59
	(solemn organ music)	16:03
	♪ Oh, praise him ♪	16:17
	♪ Praise the Lord on high ♪	16:24
	(solemn organ music)	16:27
	♪ Praise the Lord with resounding cymbals ♪	16:43
	♪ Praise the Lord with the cymbals ♪	16:50
	(solemn organ music)	16:56
	♪ Let everything that has breath ♪	17:17
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	17:24
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	17:29
	♪ Let everything that has breath ♪	17:34
	♪ That has breath ♪	17:41
	♪ That has breath ♪	17:46
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	17:51
	(solemn organ music)	17:56
	♪ Alleluia ♪	18:18
	(solemn organ music)	18:26
-	This reading is taken from the first chapter	18:49
	of Paul's letter to the Colossians,	18:52
	starting with the 11th verse.	18:55
	May you be made strong	18:58
	with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,	19:00
	and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience,	19:05
	while joyfully giving thanks to the Father,	19:10
	who has enabled you to share in the inheritance	19:14
	of the saints in light.	19:17
	He has rescued us from the power of darkness	19:20
	and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,	19:23
	in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.	19:28
	He is the image of the invisible God,	19:33
	the firstborn of all creation.	19:35
	For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,	19:38
	things visible and invisible.	19:43
	Whether thrones or dominions	19:46
	or rulers or powers,	19:49
	all things have been created through him and for him.	19:51
	He himself is before all things,	19:56
	and in him all things hold together.	19:59
	He is the head of the body, the church.	20:03
	He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,	20:07
	so that he might come to have first place in everything.	20:11
	For in him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,	20:15
	and through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself	20:21
	all things, whether on earth or in heaven,	20:26
	by making peace through the blood of his cross.	20:30
	This is the word of the Lord.	20:35
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	20:37
-	The Gospel for this Sunday is from John chapter 12.	20:49
	The next day, a great crowd who had come to the feast	20:56
	heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.	20:59
	So, they took palm branches	21:03
	and went out to meet him, crying,	21:05
	"Hosanna!	21:07
	"Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord,	21:08
	"the King of Israel!"	21:12
	And Jesus found a young ass	21:15
	and sat upon it, as it is written:	21:17
	"Fear not, daughter of Zion.	21:20
	"Behold, your king is coming, sitting on an ass's coat!"	21:21
	His disciples did not understand this at first,	21:28
	but when Jesus was glorified,	21:31
	then they remembered that this had been written of him	21:34
	and this had been done to him.	21:37
	The crowd that had been with him	21:40
	when he called Lazarus out of the tomb	21:42
	and raised him from the dead bore witness.	21:44
	The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that	21:47
	they had heard he had done this sign.	21:49
	The Pharisees then said to one another,	21:53
	"You see, you can do nothing.	21:57
	"Look, the whole world has gone after him!"	21:59
	This is the Word of the Lord.	22:06
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	22:09
-	If I were to characterize the conversation	22:15
	that has taken place on this campus	22:22
	over the past two weeks,	22:26
	it would be a question.	22:30
	The question that was, I think,	22:34
	beneath all of our questions was,	22:38
	who's in charge here?	22:44
	A couple of rapes,	22:49
	an escaped prisoner taking hostages,	22:52
	then shot to death by police at Duke Hospital.	22:55
	A first year student	22:59
	killed by the bus she was riding to class.	23:01
	I feel unsafe here, confessed one student.	23:07
	And you can understand how she feels.	23:11
	Now,	23:15
	no more some Gothic wonderland, academic ivory tower	23:18
	in the midst of safe, Southern pine forest.	23:23
	For her,	23:26
	Duke has lost some of its luster.	23:28
	Every student who was on the sidewalk that day	23:34
	or gazing from a dormitory window or riding on the bus,	23:38
	all who heard that awful sound	23:42
	and saw the terrible sight,	23:45
	grew old in an instant,	23:49
	moved all the way from naive 19	23:53
	to the cold, unsteady,	23:57
	uncertainty of mid-life.	24:00
	"There is one world and one planet,"	24:07
	The director of public safety Paul Dumas	24:12
	said in this morning's paper.	24:15
	"There is one world and one planet,	24:19
	"and Duke is on it, and Duke shares all the dangers	24:20
	"that go along with the rest of the world."	24:25
	Yes.	24:30
	If college students can be victims	24:33
	of such horror in their dorms, on a bus, for heaven's sake,	24:34
	what is happening in our world?	24:38
	Who's in charge here,	24:41
	for heaven's sake?	24:44
	And in the aftermath days of such daze,	24:49
	well, it's fine to ventilate one's feelings	24:54
	to the counselors of CAPS, as far as that goes.	24:57
	To set up a safety commission,	25:03
	to search for technological flaws in bus doors,	25:07
	to fire two deputies of the High Point police force	25:11
	for letting their prisoner loose,	25:14
	to install new lighting,	25:15
	to have a card system for opening the doors of the dorms,	25:17
	as far as that goes.	25:20
	But I have noted that people almost instinctively	25:24
	appear to want more,	25:27
	like, we want to know why,	25:29
	we want reasons.	25:32
	Well, there was this sensor on the bus door,	25:37
	and in some freak accident, that sensor was tripped,	25:40
	and the doors opened, and then they closed.	25:43
	But that's not a,	25:48
	that's not a reason.	25:51
	And notice in such moments how quick we are	25:54
	to blame tragedies on pilot error or	25:56
	on system malfunction,	26:01
	but we know down deep that's not a reason.	26:02
	CAPS has no answer	26:07
	sufficient to the awesomeness to the question,	26:11
	who is in charge here?	26:15
	Oh, if you could manage to go through your life,	26:21
	hermetically sealed from the chaos,	26:25
	safe in some neo-Gothic womb,	26:28
	insured, secure,	26:32
	well then, I suppose you would never ask,	26:36
	who is in charge here?	26:40
	Therefore, (clears throat)	26:43
	you would never need to listen to the Scripture,	26:45
	or sing the hymns or hear the music for today.	26:49
	You would never need to know Christ the King.	26:56
	All of today's Scripture, yes,	27:03
	all of today's music	27:04
	depicts Christ as King.	27:07
	In the first lesson today,	27:11
	David is enthroned as King of Israel.	27:13
	Colossians,	27:16
	a letter to a persecuted, frightened,	27:19
	threatened little church	27:21
	somehow summons the faith to sing of Jesus.	27:24
	He is the image of the invisible God,	27:29
	whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers,	27:33
	all things have been created through him and for him,	27:37
	in him, all things hold together.	27:42
	And the Gospel of John portrays Jesus,	27:49
	this carpenter,	27:54
	bouncing into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey,	27:56
	and his followers cut down palm branches and they wave them	28:01
	to welcome him in triumph,	28:06
	and they start singing about a king.	28:08
	And you know it's touchy because the big wigs,	28:13
	those in power and people in authority	28:17
	get edgy very quickly about this	28:20
	challenge to their control,	28:24
	and they say, nervously,	28:27
	"Look, the world has gone after him!"	28:29
	People, a claim has been made in these lessons.	28:35
	A claim about politics in the largest sense,	28:40
	a claim about power, about ultimate rule,	28:44
	an assertion about who is in charge here.	28:48
	The feast of Christ the King	28:57
	is a latecomer in the Church's year.	29:00
	It was a creation of Pope Pius IX in 1925,	29:05
	in his encyclical, Quas Primas.	29:09
	Of course, the Church had always celebrated	29:13
	images of Christ as king,	29:16
	but it was as if it took the Church	29:20
	1,925 years before it needed this festival	29:24
	in the way we needed it now.	29:29
	On the very first celebration of Christ the King,	29:35
	Mussolini had been head of Italy for three years.	29:40
	An obscure rebel rouser named Adolf Hitler	29:47
	had been out of jail for a year.	29:49
	His nascent Nazi party	29:52
	was gaining surprising strength in Germany,	29:55
	and the world lay in great depression.	29:59
	In such a time, Pius IX asserted,	30:05
	nevertheless,	30:09
	Christ is King of glory.	30:11
	In fact, this day became the Church's great nevertheless	30:17
	to the godlessness of the modern world.	30:22
	Despite the rise of dictators everywhere,	30:25
	despite the widespread modern notion	30:29
	that religion is something personal and private affair.	30:32
	Christ the King asserted that, nevertheless,	30:37
	Jesus Christ is Lord and	30:40
	he shall reign forever and ever.	30:42
	Christ the King thus stands as a critique	30:47
	to every form of earthly power,	30:51
	a vast, defiant relativization	30:55
	of all kingdoms and princes and principalities.	30:58
	But, my word for you this day	31:05
	is Christ the King also stands as	31:06
	a great comfort.	31:10
	A great comfort.	31:15
	The kingdoms of this world,	31:19
	in which we put such exaggerated trust,	31:22
	these kingdoms may totter and sway.	31:26
	Nevertheless,	31:30
	one realm endures forever and ever.	31:32
	Plans for human betterment rise and then,	31:37
	dribble off into nothing.	31:43
	Nevertheless,	31:47
	we are not without great hope.	31:49
	Those cancer cells spread throughout the body.	31:55
	The pain in your chest that you thought was nothing,	32:01
	turns out to be something.	32:05
	And when the doctor returns from your yearly physical,	32:09
	you know the words she is going to speak	32:12
	before she speaks them.	32:15
	We get up in the morning, and we gather our books.	32:20
	We trudge to class	32:25
	beside substantial looking Gothic buildings.	32:27
	But then, there's a screech of breaks,	32:32
	there is a scream,	32:35
	and suddenly, the whole world	32:37
	seems to shake on its foundations.	32:39
	Things fall apart, crumble to dust,	32:42
	and we are terribly, awesomely, dislocated.	32:45
	Nevertheless,	32:53
	it is great comfort at times	32:56
	when the world becomes unglued.	32:59
	It is great comfort in those times when	33:04
	we feel very vulnerable and exposed.	33:08
	It is great comfort to know who sits on the throne,	33:13
	who's in charge here.	33:17
	In the Jewish liturgy of mourning,	33:24
	when the congregation gathers at the synagogue	33:27
	to commemorate the death of the member of the congregation,	33:31
	the centerpiece for the liturgy	33:35
	is the mourner's Kaddish,	33:38
	the prayer for mourning.	33:41
	And it's always interested liturgical scholars	33:45
	that this prayer never mentions death.	33:47
	It never mentions the deceased.	33:54
	The prayer only talks about God.	33:58
	The prayer begins, blessed art thou, Lord God,	34:03
	King of the universe.	34:07
	Because in such moments, speculation about	34:12
	the person who's died, or ruminations about death or,	34:18
	or idle explorations in the what lies beyond death	34:23
	are sort of beside the point.	34:27
	The great comfort is knowing who's on the throne.	34:30
	These past days,	34:36
	God has given Satan a mighty long leash.	34:38
	Nobody who's lived through the past couple of weeks	34:46
	on this campus will dispute that.	34:48
	We live in a world,	34:51
	a world where things do not always work out for the best.	34:54
	We live in a world where the innocent do suffer, unjustly.	34:59
	And people don't do right.	35:05
	And humanity inches forward	35:08
	only to fall a century back.	35:11
	And there is a huge amount of unreasonable tragedy,	35:15
	unexplained pain, pointless suffering,	35:20
	and God neither wills nor plans	35:25
	every single thing that happens to us.	35:28
	Nevertheless, Christians are bold	35:33
	to sing with prophets and martyrs before us.	35:37
	He is the image of the invisible God,	35:41
	where the thrones, or dominions, or powers,	35:44
	all things have been created through him and in him.	35:48
	In him, all things hold together.	35:51
	A man emerged from a London bomb shelter one bleak morning	35:58
	in the darkest days of World War II.	36:04
	Devastation from the night before was all around.	36:09
	And as he made his way through the rubble,	36:15
	he was surprised to encounter an old newspaper vendor,	36:17
	there on the corner, amidst the ruin,	36:22
	selling his newspapers.	36:24
	Half in jest, the man said to the newspaper salesman,	36:28
	"Well, who do the papers say won the battle last night?"	36:32
	"I don't know," said the vendor.	36:39
	"I don't read the papers.	36:42
	"I have no need to say	36:46
	"who the papers say won the battle last night.	36:49
	"'Cause I already know	36:55
	"who won the war."	36:57
	And so the church gathered here last Monday	37:04
	at Amy's memorial service,	37:10
	and we sang a hymn requested by her parents.	37:14
	"The strife is o'er, the battle done,	37:20
	"The victory of life is won.	37:25
	"Alleluia!"	37:29
	We were able to such clenched-fisted, defiant Alleluia	37:32
	because we knew who won the war.	37:38
	Oh, let none of us deny the pain, the wreckage,	37:45
	the ruin and the rubble that affects many in this life,	37:48
	in this world, on this campus.	37:53
	The pain is real, the questions are large.	37:56
	The answers don't come easily,	37:59
	and defeat is more than merely apparent.	38:02
	Nevertheless, we have courage in the battle.	38:07
	We manage to go on even after our defeats	38:11
	because we know who sits on the throne.	38:17
	When Julian the Apostate's army	38:26
	was moving towards Persia,	38:29
	they encountered an old Christian believer,	38:32
	and for sport, the soldiers seized him	38:37
	and put him through	38:41
	horrible torture and torment for their amusement.	38:44
	For two days there in the camp,	38:49
	they tortured him in unspeakable ways.	38:51
	And as this old man's life was ebbing from him,	38:55
	one of his torturers said	39:00
	in a tone of infinite mocking,	39:03
	"Well,	39:07
	"where is your carpenter king now?"	39:08
	And summoning up his last ounce of strength,	39:16
	the old man replied,	39:20
	"Where is my carpenter king now?	39:22
	"He is building a coffin	39:29
	"for your emperor."	39:33
	He is the image of the invisible God,	39:38
	where the thrones, or dominions, or powers, or princes,	39:43
	all things have been created by him and through him.	39:47
	In him, all things hold together.	39:50
	Now, a year or so ago in Thailand, this peaceful country	39:59
	was just wrecked by horrible civil disturbance.	40:03
	A military government in Thailand	40:08
	had installed their own prime minister without voting.	40:10
	The people filed out in the streets in protest.	40:16
	The military government	40:19
	ordered their soldiers to mow down the protesters.	40:20
	There was a terrible massacre,	40:23
	and after the massacre, the people came	40:26
	and they burned down buildings,	40:29
	and there was chaos in the streets,	40:31
	and there was violence, and many were being killed.	40:32
	The king of Thailand	40:39
	summoned the ersatz prime minister,	40:42
	and the leader of the opposition forces to his palace.	40:46
	And almost instinctively, in deference to	40:51
	centuries of tradition and popular affection,	40:54
	these two powerful men came into the king's throne room,	40:57
	and they just hit their knees in deference.	41:01
	And the king sat upon his throne,	41:06
	and he looked at them and he said,	41:09
	"Stop it, stop the violence.	41:13
	"Stop the war.	41:18
	"I order you, work it out."	41:22
	And in less than 24 hours, the would-be prime minister	41:28
	was on his way out of the country in exile.	41:32
	The opposition had called off the riots,	41:35
	and there was peace.	41:40
	A CBS commentator said,	41:44
	this week has been a great victory	41:47
	for democracy in Thailand.	41:49
	I,	41:55
	school by Sundays like this one,	41:57
	and music like that that we've heard, and these Scriptures,	42:01
	I thought,	42:05
	it was a great victory for monarchy.	42:07
	(solemn organ music)	42:21
	♪ Crown him with many crowns ♪	43:01
	♪ The lamb upon the throne ♪	43:05
	♪ Hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns ♪	43:10
	♪ All music but its own ♪	43:15
	♪ Awake, my soul, and sing ♪	43:20
	♪ Of Him who died for thee ♪	43:24
	♪ And hail him as thy matchless King ♪	43:30
	♪ Through all eternity ♪	43:35
	♪ Crown him the Lord of life ♪	43:41
	♪ Who triumphed o'er the grave ♪	43:45
	♪ And rose victorious in the strife ♪	43:50
	♪ For those he came to save ♪	43:55
	♪ His glories now we sing ♪	44:01
	♪ Who died, and rose on high ♪	44:05
	♪ Who died, eternal life to bring ♪	44:11
	♪ And lives that death may die ♪	44:16
	♪ Crown Him the Lord of peace ♪	44:22
	♪ Whose power a scepter sways ♪	44:27
	♪ From pole to pole, that wars may cease ♪	44:32
	♪ And all be prayer and praise ♪	44:37
	♪ His reign shall know no end ♪	44:42
	♪ And round his pierced feet ♪	44:47
	♪ Fair flowers of paradise extend ♪	44:53
	♪ Their fragrance ever sweet ♪	44:58
	♪ Crown him the Lord of love ♪	45:05
	♪ Behold his hands and side ♪	45:08
	♪ Those wounds, yet visible above ♪	45:13
	♪ In beauty glorified ♪	45:18
	♪ All hail, Redeemer, hail ♪	45:24
	♪ For thou hast died for me ♪	45:29
	♪ Thy praise and glory shall not fail ♪	45:34
	♪ Throughout eternity ♪	45:39
Debra	The Lord be with you.	45:48
Congregation	And also with you.	45:51
-	Let us pray.	45:52
	Be seated.	45:53
	Jesus Christ, Almighty Lord, King of Kings.	46:06
	With hearts full of reverence and praise,	46:12
	we bow before your majesty and glory	46:16
	for you are the God who created	46:19
	the highest mountains and the deepest seas,	46:21
	the birds in the sky and the bees in the field.	46:26
	You have fashioned us after your own image,	46:31
	and given us dominion over the earth as your stewards,	46:34
	but sometimes, Lord, we forget that you,	46:39
	not we, are in control.	46:43
	Sometimes, we bow before graven images,	46:47
	works of our own hand,	46:51
	science, technology, art.	46:54
	We are amazed at the accomplishments of the 20th century,	46:58
	yet all our works are as dust in your sight.	47:02
	Not one thing that we have accomplished	47:07
	could be sustained for one second	47:11
	apart from your being and your will.	47:14
	In you, all things hold together.	47:17
	Everything that we've made	47:23
	is fashioned from the works of your hand.	47:24
	You've given us the resources of the universe,	47:28
	the gifts of self-awareness, intelligence, and creativity.	47:31
	And you've intended us to use them,	47:38
	but help us, Almighty God,	47:40
	to distinguish between the gifts and the giver,	47:43
	that we might rededicate ourselves to your faithful service.	47:47
	Sometimes, dear God, we bow down before other people,	47:54
	powerful people who have control over us,	47:58
	significant people we want to like us,	48:02
	famous people whom we admire,	48:05
	dangerous people whom we fear.	48:08
	Lord, teach us to be in relationship with one another	48:13
	as brothers and sisters in your family,	48:16
	where each person is valued for his or her uniqueness,	48:19
	and all members of the family serve one another	48:24
	as equals in your sight.	48:28
	But sometimes, oh God, we are bowed down by life.	48:31
	Our heads are bent by the weight of living,	48:36
	the losses we've suffered, the pain we've known,	48:39
	the sins we've committed.	48:43
	The anxiety and despair we've felt about the future.	48:46
	Sometimes, it seems that life is out of control,	48:51
	and we've no way out.	48:54
	Lift our heads, oh Christ,	48:57
	that we might gaze upon you and find renewal of our hope.	49:00
	Remind us that there is nothing in life or death	49:06
	that we have to fear, for you have gone before us.	49:10
	You faced the pain of life and death,	49:16
	and you've emerged victorious.	49:19
	You are in charge of the universe,	49:22
	even when the evidence of life would seem to deny that.	49:26
	You have died and been raised to life	49:30
	that we might live abundantly,	49:33
	knowing in life and in death, you have the final word.	49:36
	Help us accept this salvation you died to give us,	49:42
	and teach us to live in triumphant praise,	49:46
	that every tongue may confess with one chord,	49:50
	in heaven and in earth, that Jesus Christ is Lord,	49:54
	for it is in your name we pray, amen.	49:59
Congregation	Amen.	50:04
-	All that we have are gifts from the Creator.	50:06
	Let us share these gifts with one another.	50:09
	(solemn organ music)	50:13
	(joyful organ music)	51:20
	♪ Lift up your heads, oh ye gates ♪	51:28
	♪ And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors ♪	51:32
	♪ And the King of glory shall come in ♪	51:36
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	51:40
	♪ The King of glory ♪	51:45
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	51:47
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	51:49
	♪ The Lord strong and mighty ♪	51:51
	♪ The Lord strong and mighty ♪	51:53
	♪ Lord, mighty in battle ♪	51:55
	♪ Lift up your heads, oh ye gates ♪	51:57
	♪ And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors ♪	52:02
	♪ And the King of glory shall come in ♪	52:06
	♪ The King of glory shall come in ♪	52:10
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	52:15
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	52:17
	♪ Who is the King of glory ♪	52:19
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	52:21
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	52:25
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	52:29
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	52:32
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	52:34
	♪ The King of glory ♪	52:36
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	52:37
	♪ The King of glory ♪	52:38
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	52:39
	♪ The King of glory ♪	52:40
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	52:41
	(chorus singing polyphonically)	52:42
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	52:48
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	52:49
	(chorus singing polyphonically)	52:58
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:11
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:13
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	53:16
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	53:19
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	53:22
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:24
	(chorus singing polyphonically)	53:26
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:32
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:35
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	53:37
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	53:40
	♪ The Lord of hosts ♪	53:42
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:45
	♪ The King of glory ♪	53:51
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:54
	♪ He is the King of glory ♪	53:57
	♪ Of glory ♪	54:00
	(solemn organ music)	54:17
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	55:05
	♪ Praise God, all creatures here below ♪	55:11
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	55:17
	♪ Praise God above, ye heavenly host ♪	55:25
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	55:30
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	55:37
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:43
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:46
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:49
-	Let us pray.	56:02
	Oh, supreme Lord, King of the universe,	56:05
	you fill and sustain everything around us.	56:10
	With the touch of your hand, you turn chaos into order,	56:13
	darkness into light,	56:18
	unknown energies you hid in the heart of matter.	56:20
	From you burst forth the splinter of the sun	56:24
	and the mild radiance of the moon.	56:27
	Stars and planets, without number,	56:31
	you set an ordered movement.	56:33
	You are the source of the fire's heat and the wind's might,	56:35
	of the water's coolness and the earth's stability.	56:40
	Deep and wonderful are the mysteries of your creation.	56:45
	With gratitude for all your gifts,	56:50
	we offer ourselves and all that we have	56:53
	in union with Christ's offering for us.	56:57
	By your Holy Spirit, make us one with Christ,	57:00
	one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.	57:04
	Through Jesus Christ our savior,	57:08
	who taught us to pray together.	57:11
Unison	Our Father, who art in heaven,	57:13
	hallowed be thy name.	57:16
	Thy kingdom come.	57:18
	Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.	57:20
	Give us this day our daily bread	57:24
	and forgive us our trespasses,	57:27
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	57:30
	And lead us not into temptation,	57:33
	but deliver us from evil.	57:35
	For thine is the kingdom, and the power,	57:38
	and the glory forever.	57:41
	Amen.	57:43
	(solemn organ music)	57:46
	♪ Rejoice, the Lord is King ♪	58:20
	♪ Your Lord and King adore ♪	58:25
	♪ Mortals, give thanks and sing ♪	58:30
	♪ And triumph evermore ♪	58:34
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	58:40
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	58:45
	♪ Rejoice, again I say, rejoice ♪	58:47
	♪ Jesus, the Savior reigns ♪	58:57
	♪ The God of truth and love ♪	59:02
	♪ When he had purged our stains ♪	59:06
	♪ He took his seat above ♪	59:11
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	59:17
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	59:22
	♪ Rejoice, again I say, rejoice ♪	59:24
	♪ His kingdom cannot fail ♪	59:33
	♪ He rules o'er earth and heaven ♪	59:38
	♪ The keys of death and hell ♪	59:43
	♪ Are to our Jesus given ♪	59:48
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	59:54
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	59:59
	♪ Rejoice, again I say, rejoice ♪	1:00:01
	♪ Rejoice in glorious hope ♪	1:00:10
	♪ Our Lord and judge shall come ♪	1:00:15
	♪ And take his servants up ♪	1:00:20
	♪ To their eternal home ♪	1:00:24
	♪ We soon shall hear ♪	1:00:31
	♪ The archangel's voice ♪	1:00:36
	♪ The trump of God shall sound, rejoice ♪	1:00:38
	(joyful organ music)	1:00:47
Rev. Willimon	Grace of our Lord and Savior,	1:01:43
	Jesus Christ, the love of God,	1:01:45
	and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:01:47
	be with you now and always.	1:01:49
	♪ God be in my head ♪	1:01:54
	♪ And in my understanding ♪	1:02:01
	♪ God be in mine eyes ♪	1:02:10
	♪ And in my looking ♪	1:02:17
	♪ God be in my mouth ♪	1:02:27
	♪ And in my speaking ♪	1:02:34
	♪ God be in my heart ♪	1:02:45
	♪ And in my thinking ♪	1:02:54
	♪ God be at mine end ♪	1:03:03
	♪ And in the departing ♪	1:03:15
	(joyful organ music)	1:03:40

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Who's in Charge Here?" (November 22, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:15. Sermon end time: 42:13.
Preached on Christ the King Sunday, this sermon reminds its audience that Christ is the King of the universe, in charge of all things. His victory will surely come, regardless of the prevalency of despotisms. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4125qq8x

Date:

November 22, 1992

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0304
ref9181_22b
uachapelsermaud
duke:321584
dcrmv001290
ark:/87924/r4125qq8x
3d4bac4d-65e9-4e0d-87da-a56d5cd9758f

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

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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 - "Who's in Charge Here?" (November 22, 1992)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Who's in Charge Here?" (November 22, 1992)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "Who's in Charge Here?" (November 22, 1992)

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Duke University Archives

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