William H. Willimon - "Hell Is for Accountants" (September 23, 1990)

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	(dramatic organ music)	0:00
	(gentle organ music)	0:42
	(dramatic organ music)	0:54
	(gentle music)	1:18
-	Welcome to this service of worship here in Duke Chapel.	4:48
	We particularly welcome our alumni	4:52
	who are here for their reunion.	4:55
	A number of choir alumni	4:57
	will be joining our choir today,	4:59
	and we're glad to have them with us	5:01
	for this special service	5:04
	and also for the Cantata.	5:07
	We hadn't planned to do this Bach Cantata today,	5:10
	but after the travesty yesterday in Wallace Wade Stadium,	5:13
	we thought for the alumni we would	5:17
	(congregation laughing)	5:19
	invite in some musicians
	and try to give you a lift.	5:21
	Tonight at six o'clock there is a candlelight vigil	5:24
	for the world's children on the main quad,	5:28
	and we invite you to that service of praise and worship.	5:31
	Now let us continue this service of worship.	5:37
	Would you join me in the greeting?	5:40
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	5:43
Congregation	And also you.	5:46
-	The risen Christ is with us.	5:48
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	5:50
-	Stand for the hymn.	5:52
	("Praise, My Soul, The King of Heaven")	5:54
	♪ Praise my soul ♪	6:30
	♪ The King of Heaven ♪	6:33
	♪ To the throne thy tribute bring ♪	6:37
	♪ Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven ♪	6:42
	♪ Evermore God's praises sing ♪	6:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:53
	♪ Alleluia ♪	6:56
	♪ Praise the everlasting King ♪	6:59
	♪ Praise the Lord for grace and favor ♪	7:07
	♪ To all people in distress ♪	7:14
	♪ Praise God still the same as ever ♪	7:20
	♪ Slow to chide and swift to bless ♪	7:25
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	7:34
	♪ Glorious in his faithfulness ♪	7:37
	♪ Father-like God tends and spares us ♪	7:45
	♪ Well our feeble frame God knows ♪	7:52
	♪ Father-like God gently bears us ♪	7:58
	♪ Rescues us from all our foes ♪	8:04
	♪ Alleluia ♪	8:09
	♪ Alleluia ♪	8:12
	♪ Widely yet God's mercy flows ♪	8:15
	(dramatic organ music)	8:22
	♪ Angels help our hearts adore him ♪	10:48
	♪ You behold God face to face ♪	10:55
	♪ Heaven and Earth bow down adoring ♪	11:00
	♪ All who live from every place ♪	11:06
	♪ Alleluia ♪	11:11
	♪ Alleluia ♪	11:14
	♪ Praise with us the God of grace ♪	11:17
-	Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things,	11:29
	but to love things heavenly.	11:33
	And even now while we are placed among things	11:36
	that are passing away,	11:40
	to hold fast to those that shall endure.	11:42
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives	11:45
	and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit	11:48
	one God forever and ever, amen.	11:50
-	Let us pray.	12:05
Congregation	Open our hearts and minds, O' God,	12:08
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	12:12
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	12:15
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, amen.	12:19
-	The first lesson is from the book of Exodus.	12:26
	When the people saw that Moses delayed	12:30
	to come down from the mountain,	12:32
	the people gathered around Aaron,	12:34
	and said to him, "Come make gods for us	12:36
	"who shall go before us.	12:40
	"As for this Moses, the man who brought us up	12:42
	"out of the land of Egypt,	12:45
	"we do not know what has become of them."	12:46
	Aaron said to them, "Take off your gold rings	12:49
	"that are on the ears of your wives,	12:53
	"your sons, and your daughters,	12:55
	"and bring them to me."	12:58
	So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears	13:00
	and brought them to Aaron.	13:03
	He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold	13:05
	and cast an image of a calf.	13:08
	And they said, "These are your gods, O' Israel,	13:10
	"who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."	13:13
	When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it,	13:16
	and Aaron made proclamation and said,	13:20
	"Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord."	13:22
	They rose early the next day	13:25
	and offered burnt offerings	13:28
	and brought sacrifices of well being.	13:29
	And the people sat down to eat and drink	13:32
	and rose up to revel.	13:34
	The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once.	13:36
	"Your people, whom you have brought up	13:40
	"out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely.	13:41
	"They have been quick to turn aside	13:45
	"from the way that I commanded them	13:47
	"and have cast for themselves an image of a calf	13:50
	"and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it	13:53
	"and said these are your gods, O' Israel,	13:56
	"who brought you up out of the land of Egypt."	13:59
	The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people	14:02
	"how stiff-necked they are.	14:05
	"Now let me alone,	14:06
	"so that my wrath may burn hot against them	14:08
	"and I may consume them.	14:12
	"Of you, I will make a great nation."	14:14
	But Moses implored the Lord, his God, and said,	14:17
	"O' Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people	14:20
	"whom you brought out of the land of Egypt	14:25
	"with great power and with a mighty hand?	14:26
	"Why should the Egyptians say it was with evil intent	14:30
	"that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains	14:34
	"and to consume them from the face of the Earth.	14:37
	"Turn from your fierce wrath.	14:40
	"Change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.	14:42
	"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants,	14:45
	"how you swore to them by your own self saying to them	14:49
	"I will multiply your descendants like the stars of Heaven,	14:53
	"and all this land that I have promised	14:57
	"I will give to your descendants,	14:59
	"and they shall inherit it forever."	15:01
	And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster	15:04
	that he had planned to bring on his people.	15:06
	This is the word of the Lord.	15:11
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	15:14
-	The second lesson is from	15:17
	Paul's letter to the Philippians.	15:18
	For to me living is Christ and dying is gain.	15:21
	If I am to live in the flesh,	15:25
	that means fruitful labor for me,	15:28
	and I do not know which I prefer.	15:30
	I am hard pressed between the two.	15:33
	My desire to depart and be with Christ	15:35
	for that is far better,	15:38
	but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.	15:40
	Since I am convince of this,	15:44
	I know that I will remain	15:46
	and continue with all of you	15:49
	for your progress and joy in faith,	15:50
	so that I may share abundantly in your boastings	15:53
	in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.	15:56
	Only live your life in the manner	15:59
	worthy of the gospel of Christ,	16:01
	so that whether I come and see you	16:03
	or am absent and hear about you	16:06
	I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit	16:10
	striving side by side with one mind	16:13
	for the faith of the gospel.	16:16
	This is the word of the Lord.	16:18
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	16:20
	(soft music)	16:31
	(gentle music)	16:51
	(singing in foreign language)	16:58
-	Today's gospel is from Matthew.	19:14
	For the kingdom of Heaven is like a householder	19:21
	who went out early in the morning	19:24
	to hire laborers for his vineyard.	19:26
	After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day,	19:29
	he sent them into his vineyard,	19:33
	and going out about the third hour,	19:36
	he saw others standing idle in the marketplace.	19:38
	And to them he said, "You go to the vineyard too,	19:41
	"and whatever is right I will give you."	19:44
	And they went.	19:48
	Going out again about the sixth hour	19:49
	and the ninth hour, he did the same,	19:52
	and about the 11th hour he went out	19:55
	and found others standing and he said to them,	19:58
	"Why do you stand here idle all day?"	20:00
	and they said to him,	20:03
	"Because no one has hired us."	20:05
	He said to them too,	20:08
	"You go into the vineyard too."	20:10
	And when evening came,	20:13
	the owner of the vineyard said to his steward,	20:14
	"Call the laborers and pay them their wages,	20:16
	"beginning with the last up to the first."	20:20
	And when those hired about the 11th came,	20:24
	each of them received a denarius.	20:28
	Now when the first came,	20:31
	they thought they would receive more,	20:33
	but each of them also received a denarius.	20:34
	On receiving it they grumbled at the householder saying,	20:39
	"These last worked only one hour	20:42
	"and you've made them equal to us	20:44
	"who have born the burden of the day	20:45
	"and the scorching heat."	20:47
	He replied to them,	20:50
	"Friend, I am doing you no wrong.	20:51
	"Did you not agree with me to work for a denarius?	20:55
	"Take what belongs to you and go.	21:00
	"I choose to give to this last even as I give to you.	21:01
	"Am I not allowed to do what I choose	21:05
	"with what belongs to me?	21:08
	"Or do you begrudge my generosity"	21:10
	So the last will be first,	21:15
	and the first last.	21:19
	Herein's the lesson.	21:24
	This is the word of the Lord.	21:26
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	21:28
-	Okay, class knowing that	21:31
	all of you have read today's assigned case study,	21:34
	we don't have to go over it again.	21:38
	You didn't read today's case study?	21:41
	Look, this is the Fuqua school, one of the top 10.	21:44
	You think you're going to get an MBA just because I'm nice.	21:49
	This isn't the Divinity School. (laughter)	21:52
	Okay, let's go over the assigned case study today	21:56
	one more time for those of you who had more important	21:58
	business to do than your business homework.	22:01
	Here is our case:	22:04
	A man owned a vineyard.	22:08
	It's been a good year.	22:11
	The grapes are rich and full,	22:13
	and so Mr. Mondavi gets up early.	22:15
	He showers, he shaves,	22:18
	and he goes down to the village to hire workers.	22:21
	Now, unfortunately, ever other grower	22:25
	was down in the village looking for help too.	22:28
	So Mr. Mondavi must pay premium wage	22:30
	to get the help that he needs,	22:34
	say $150 a day.	22:36
	Yes, George?	22:40
	No, a $150 a day is not a ridiculous wage.	22:42
	I know that the RSV says a denarius a day,	22:45
	but this is 1990, a Republican administration.	22:48
	I'm making it a $150 a day, okay.	22:52
	Anyway, Mondavi loads the workers	22:56
	that he finds into his pickup.	22:59
	He heads back to the vines.	23:01
	But the harvest is so good, and the grapes are ripe.	23:03
	He quickly sees he's going to need more workers	23:07
	if he's to get the job done,	23:09
	and so he gets back in his pickup.	23:10
	He goes back downtown at nine,	23:11
	and he hires more workers.	23:14
	He goes back again at noon,	23:16
	and then again at 3:00 p.m.	23:19
	Giving them all the same line,	23:21
	"I'll pay you what's right, top dollar."	23:23
	Well, it's an hour before quitting time,	23:29
	and he sees that even with all the workers	23:31
	he's been bringing in, he still needs more	23:35
	to get the job done.	23:37
	And so he goes back downtown one more time.	23:39
	And by that time of the day	23:45
	there's really nobody left downtown,	23:47
	nobody but your usual group of losers	23:51
	hanging out on the corner	23:56
	shooting craps, drinking ripple.	23:58
	"But what the heck," thinks Bob.	24:02
	He goes up to them and he offers them work,	24:05
	"What the heck," they think.	24:08
	"It's only an hour before dark.	24:10
	"Maybe we can make enough to go halves on a six pack."	24:12
	They go.	24:15
	Okay, class, now go back over the story.	24:17
	What do you think happens	24:22
	when Mondavi drops off each successive group	24:25
	of laborers at the vineyard?	24:29
	Right.	24:32
	They ask the guys who got there first,	24:33
	"Hey, what'd the old man tell you he was gonna pay you?	24:36
	"A hundred and fifty bucks!	24:41
	"Wow, let's see.	24:43
	"$150 divided by twelve	24:44
	"Wow, that means that those of you who got here at noon	24:48
	"could get 75 bucks.	24:53
	"Even though those of you who just got here	24:56
	"an hour before quitting time	24:58
	"there could be $12.50 in it for you.	25:00
	"You can get two six packs."	25:02
	(laughter)	25:04
	Bob Mondavi, however, has a surprise for them.	25:06
	At the end of the day, with all of his grapes	25:09
	now safe in the vats, he's feeling good.	25:12
	He's been into a little of his Mondavi 1985.	25:16
	(laughter)	25:19
	He's feeling so good that	25:20
	he pays everybody off beginning with the first	25:24
	with those who got there last.	25:28
	Those shiftless losers.	25:32
	When these guys come up,	25:36
	the ones with the sunglasses, the gold earrings,	25:38
	one of these guys he opens his envelope	25:43
	and he finds fifteen tens in it.	25:45
	No, George, he doesn't say,	25:50
	"Mr. Mondavi, excuse me.	25:53
	"I've looked at what you've paid me	25:56
	"for working only one hour.	25:58
	"I believe you may have made a mistake here."	26:00
	No, he picks up his blue yule skins,	26:03
	and he starts walking as fast as he can.	26:07
	He's out of there before the old man realizes	26:10
	what he's done.	26:12
	When his friends catch up with him on the way back to town,	26:14
	the ones who've been there all day,	26:17
	and they open their envelopes,	26:20
	he can't wait to tell them what jerks they've been	26:23
	to be working there in the vineyard all day long	26:25
	and in the heat of the day, too,	26:28
	and yet he got the same money	26:30
	for just working one hour toward evening.	26:33
	You can imagine how those people felt	26:39
	who'd been there since dawn.	26:41
	They hightail it back to Mr. Mondavi	26:44
	screaming their heads off.	26:46
	"Is this anyway to run a vineyard?"	26:47
	"Look, pal," says Mondavi,	26:50
	who by this time is well into his second bottle	26:53
	of Mondavi Chablis. (laughter)	26:56
	"I don't recall that I hired you as chief bookkeeper.	26:58
	"You agreed to work for $150 a day.	27:02
	"You worked one day.	27:06
	"You got $150.	27:07
	"If I wanna give some guy in sunglasses	27:10
	"and a gold chain the same as I gave you, so what?	27:13
	"Why is your nose out of joint?	27:17
	"I'm only having a good time.	27:20
	"Because here there are no early insiders or late outsiders.	27:23
	"Here, at the end of the day, when the work is done,	27:29
	"I just want everybody to have a good time.	27:34
	"Why should you mope about my generosity?	27:39
	"Go on by the tasting room	27:43
	"and get a glass of chardonnay.	27:44
	"Drink up and get out."	27:46
	End of case.	27:51
	Now class, think hard.	27:55
	Would you say that this laborers in the vineyard parable,	27:58
	is a case study about the grace of God,	28:02
	or do here we have a case about the judgment of God?	28:09
	Okay, Gladys, yes, you say grace	28:17
	because the losers, the ones who got their last,	28:20
	got clobbered by the sheer	28:24
	undeserved extravagant grace of God.	28:26
	Okay, Gladys, can you think of any other	28:30
	extravagant, reckless parables?	28:32
	George?	28:36
	The Pharisee and the publican, okay.	28:38
	Where that one no-count, money-grabbing tax collector	28:40
	and the other was a Bible-believing,	28:43
	pious, Methodist person,	28:45
	and that tax collector was justified	28:47
	but not the pious Pharisee.	28:50
	Okay, good. Martha?	28:53
	The prodigal son, that's a good one.	28:56
	Where that no-count wine, women, and song	29:00
	hell-raiser was forgiven,	29:02
	and that good high SAT-scoring,	29:05
	Ivy league older brother came up short.	29:07
	Good, okay.	29:11
	Why don't we just put this down as a story about grace.	29:13
	God is good.	29:16
	God is gracious.	29:18
	Yes, Doris?	29:22
	Oh, you say not grace.	29:25
	You say judgment.	29:27
	How so?	29:30
	Because that outcome was great	29:32
	for the penitent but no-count publican,	29:35
	but lousy for that high-principled Pharisee.	29:40
	Because the father's forgiveness felt fine	29:45
	for the returning prodigal son,	29:49
	but it went down like caster oil for the older brother.	29:50
	Okay.	29:54
	Well, then could we say maybe	29:56
	that one person's grace is another's judgment?	29:58
	That God's love is heaven to one, hell to another.	30:04
	Okay, how many for putting this one down as good news?	30:09
	How many for putting it down as bad?	30:14
	Oh, George, you thought grace was a gift?	30:18
	You thought just because it's grace	30:22
	it's supposed to make everybody happy?	30:24
	That's interesting, George.	30:28
	Why is it that grace, the grace of God,	30:30
	why is it that it sometimes stings?	30:33
	John Wesley, on the occasion of getting kicked out	30:40
	of an English pulpit, said,	30:43
	"There are few matters more repugnant	30:47
	"to reasonable people	30:50
	"than the grace of God."	30:55
	Repugnant?	31:00
	How did you feel when you heard	31:02
	that Watergate crook Jeb Magruder	31:04
	was headed to Princeton Seminary to be a preacher?	31:07
	Were you elated when you heard	31:12
	that millionaire cocaine dealer	31:14
	John DeLorean had got born again?	31:15
	It does seem that when we insiders hear that these losers	31:21
	get the same reward which has been promised to us.	31:29
	Watergate crook Charles Colson	31:36
	while in prison got born-again,	31:38
	and there he started a prison ministry	31:41
	to prisoners and their families.	31:45
	And I heard him preach.	31:47
	And I thought maybe he out to be invited here.	31:49
	And somebody said, "If that crook sets foot in Duke Chapel,	31:52
	"I'll walk right out the door."	31:55
	"Hey, your older brother is back.	32:00
	"Why don't you put down the hoe and come on in?	32:01
	"The old man's throwing a party."	32:03
	"A party?	32:07
	"Did you say a party?	32:08
	"I wouldn't party with that dead beat.	32:10
	"Daddy never gave a party for me.	32:13
	"There I was sweating in the fields on top a John Deere	32:16
	"while that loser lounged on top	32:20
	"of the beach at Fort Lauderdale.	32:22
	"You can take your party."	32:26
	Surprise.	32:30
	This is a parable of judgment, as much--	32:33
	maybe more, so than it is a parable of grace.	32:38
	Because when the Lord of the vineyard,	32:43
	you will note in the story,	32:45
	when the lord of the vineyard,	32:46
	loses his cool and vents his anger,	32:48
	his anger is not for the losers.	32:52
	It's for the winners.	32:55
	He is fed up, not with these unacceptable outsiders,	32:58
	these deadbeats, do nothings, and losers,	33:02
	but he's fed up with the insiders	33:07
	who cannot accept the scope of the lord's acceptance.	33:10
	And so he asks them, "Why is your eye evil	33:16
	"because I am good?"	33:20
	It is this evil eye,	33:24
	in the Greek: the ophthalmos poneros,	33:28
	this evil bookkeeper's eye always fixed on the accounts,	33:32
	always keeping score, that's got God's goat.	33:37
	Bookkeeping, it appears, is a sin.	33:41
	Because there is no minimum balance	33:45
	below which you can go where God refuses to forgive.	33:48
	There is no debt so high that God can't cancel it.	33:52
	There is no worry about credits	33:56
	because we all are in the red	33:59
	as far as God is concerned, eternally indebted.	34:01
	So if we're gonna make it to the party,	34:06
	it appears we've got to get there because we were invited,	34:09
	not because we worked for it.	34:13
	Maybe that's why some of Jesus's harshest words	34:19
	of condemnation are for insiders,	34:24
	those who presumed that they were living in the black.	34:28
	If you will note that in his kingdom	34:33
	nobody appears to get kicked out,	34:35
	except those who are already in.	34:37
	The father said to the older brother,	34:41
	"Son, all that I have is yours.	34:42
	"You are always here with me."	34:45
	"Come on in.	34:51
	"Get that poneros out of your ophthalmos.	34:53
	"Let's party."	34:57
	And that story ends with that no-count loser	34:59
	of a prodigal younger brother inside,	35:02
	and that score-keeping CPA older brother	35:08
	outside, pouting about the father's prodigality.	35:10
	I tell you, if the world could've been saved by bookkeeping	35:16
	and settling accounts, God would've sent Moses, not Jesus.	35:20
	And the law was okay.	35:25
	It was okay as far as it went,	35:26
	but about all of 2,000 years that the law ever proved,	35:30
	according to Paul, was that there is no one righteous,	35:33
	no, not even one.	35:37
	God in Jesus gave up the job as accountant,	35:42
	closed the books, gathered up all our IOUs	35:46
	and nailed them to a cross,	35:49
	and after that, it appears that only winners get to lose	35:52
	and only losers win.	35:56
	One day Jesus was walking along,	36:01
	and a big crowd of people was trying to get to him.	36:03
	And there was this nasty little man named Zacchaeus,	36:07
	who was not only small in height, but also in morals,	36:10
	and he was trying to get a glimpse of Jesus	36:14
	but nobody would let him through, nobody in the crowd,	36:16
	because he had jilted and defrauded everybody in town.	36:19
	He had to climb up a tree,	36:23
	and Jesus stopped and he reached out through the crowd	36:27
	and said, "Zacchaeus, I'm coming to your house tonight."	36:30
	And I expect that invitation led to a good deal	36:38
	of the old ophthalmos poneros	36:41
	among the good people in the crowd that day.	36:44
	"What kind of Savior is this?" they asked.	36:48
	"I party only with losers," replied Jesus,	36:53
	arm and arm on his way to Zach's house, "Losers."	36:59
	The most scornful divisive thing they could say about Jesus	37:06
	when they really wanted to get nasty was,	37:09
	"This man eats and drinks with sinners.	37:12
	"He will party with anybody.	37:15
	"He will have fun with riffraff."	37:17
	Jesus replied, "Heaven is a party--	37:20
	for losers."	37:24
	Would you come to such a party?	37:26
	The parable suggests that God	37:31
	has given up salvation "by the books."	37:33
	That God quit keeping score on us a long time ago.	37:38
	And now the only way to get saved is to come to the party,	37:43
	to let go our accounting and be as reckless,	37:49
	as prodigal with the grace as God wants.	37:53
	Because finally, at the end of the day,	37:58
	when the owner of the vineyard	38:03
	becomes the judge of the court	38:05
	and puts on the wig, and the robe, and the gavel comes down,	38:07
	and the court is called to order,	38:10
	to pass judgment on our lives and to take account finally--	38:14
	our only hope, whenever we got here,	38:19
	in whatever condition we arrived,	38:24
	at whatever hour of the day, finally,	38:27
	our only hope is that Jesus	38:33
	will continue to party with riffraff,	38:36
	and eat and drink with sinners and love the losers	38:40
	and pay us what we do not deserve.	38:45
	Amen.	38:52
	(gentle violin music)	39:25
	(singing in foreign language)	39:58
	(singing in foreign language)	42:03
	(singing in foreign language)	42:43
	(gentle violin music)	43:21
	(singing in foreign language)	43:53
	(singing in foreign language)	46:01
-	The Lord be with you.	47:14
Congregation	And with your spirit.	47:15
-	Let us pray.	47:17
	Oh, ever loving God,	47:23
	as we turn to you in prayer,	47:26
	we remember that you run to greet us	47:29
	before we turn toward you.	47:32
	Even though we seek to flee from your presence,	47:35
	we know we will never succeed,	47:38
	and so we call upon your name, gracious God,	47:40
	acknowledging the self-centeredness	47:44
	which we have allowed to separate us from you	47:46
	while affirming that even in our blindness	47:50
	you are always near.	47:53
	Oh, Lord, our God, hear us now as we offer these prayers	47:56
	for our brothers and sisters	47:59
	remembering your great mercy toward us.	48:01
	We pray for the church of Jesus Christ	48:05
	that begun, maintained, and nurtured by your Spirit	48:08
	it may be true and life giving.	48:12
	We pray for those who serve the church	48:16
	that they may never lose heart	48:18
	but have all hope encouraged.	48:20
	Let the church be always faithful, O' God.	48:23
	Lord, in your mercy.	48:27
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	48:28
-	We pray for peace in our world.	48:31
	Disarm weapons and silence ancient hate	48:34
	that smolders at home and abroad.	48:37
	Create goodwill among every nation and race.	48:41
	Especially we pray for all who are caught	48:45
	in the Persian Gulf conflict	48:47
	that a peaceful resolution may soon be found.	48:49
	Bring peace to Earth, O' God.	48:53
	Lord, in your mercy.	48:57
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	48:58
-	We pray for poor people who are hungry,	49:01
	who are housed in inadequate places	49:04
	or no places at all.	49:06
	Especially we pray for refuges around the world,	49:09
	many of them children who have no place to call home.	49:12
	Care for those in distress, O' God.	49:17
	Lord, in your mercy.	49:21
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	49:22
-	We pray for all who labor	49:25
	especially those who's work leaves them	49:28
	empty, frustrated, or depressed.	49:30
	We pray for those whose labor has ended	49:34
	by retirement, illness, or other conditions.	49:36
	For those who feel unjustly compensated for their work	49:40
	and for those who are unable to find employment	49:44
	due to lack of opportunity.	49:46
	Give us meaningful work to do, O' God.	49:49
	Lord, in your mercy.	49:52
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	49:54
-	We pray for the sick who live with	49:56
	constant pain and discomfort	49:58
	or who struggle with demons of the mind	50:00
	and silently cry out for healing.	50:03
	May they be patient, brave, and trusting.	50:06
	Heal the sick and troubled, O' God.	50:10
	Lord, in your mercy.	50:13
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	50:15
-	We pray for the dying who face the final mystery.	50:17
	May they enjoy light and life intensely,	50:21
	keep dignity, and greet death unafraid.	50:25
	Have mercy on the dying, O' God.	50:29
	Lord, in your mercy.	50:33
Congregation	Hear our prayer.	50:35
-	Almighty and eternal God,	50:38
	ruler of all things in Heaven and Earth,	50:39
	mercifully accept the prayers of your people	50:43
	and strengthen us to do your will.	50:46
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	50:49
	And now in the spirit of thanksgiving	50:55
	for the mercies of our Lord,	50:57
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God.	50:59
	(gentle music)	51:29
	(singing in foreign language)	51:31
	(gentle symphonic music)	52:33
	(singing in foreign language)	52:58
	(singing in foreign language)	55:35
	(gentle solemn music)	55:41
	("Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow")	56:56
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	57:25
	♪ Praise God all creatures here below ♪	57:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:37
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:40
	♪ Praise him above ye heavenly host ♪	57:44
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	57:50
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:56
	♪ Alleluia ♪	57:59
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:02
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:05
	♪ Alleluia ♪	58:08
-	Our gracious God, we give you humble thanks	58:20
	for your boundless mercy toward us	58:23
	and to all whom you have made.	58:25
	We bless you for our creation, preservation,	58:28
	and all the blessings of this life,	58:31
	but above all, for your love,	58:33
	and the redemption of the world	58:35
	by our Lord Jesus Christ, which cannot be measured.	58:36
	Give us such an awareness of your mercies we pray	58:40
	that with truly thankful hearts	58:43
	we may show forth your praise	58:45
	not only with our lips but in our lives	58:47
	by giving up ourselves to your service	58:50
	and by walking before you in holiness	58:52
	and righteousness all our days.	58:54
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ	58:58
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	59:00
Congregation	Our Father, who art in Heaven,	59:02
	hallowed be thy name.	59:05
	Thy kingdom come.	59:07
	Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.	59:09
	Give us this day our daily bread,	59:12
	and forgive us our trespasses	59:15
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	59:17
	And lead us not into temptation	59:20
	but deliver us from evil.	59:23
	For thine is the kingdom, the power,	59:24
	and the glory forever, amen.	59:27
-	And now go forth in peace	59:32
	and be of good courage.	59:34
	Hold fast that which is good	59:36
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit,	59:38
	and may the blessings of God,	59:41
	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,	59:43
	be with you all now and forevermore.	59:45
	♪ Amen ♪	59:51
	("Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee")	1:00:12
	♪ Joyful, joyful, we adore thee ♪	1:00:50
	♪ God of glory, Lord of love ♪	1:00:54
	♪ Hearts unfold like flowers before thee ♪	1:00:59
	♪ Opening to the sun above ♪	1:01:03
	♪ Melt the clouds of sin and sadness ♪	1:01:08
	♪ Drive the dark of doubt away ♪	1:01:13
	♪ Giver of immortal gladness ♪	1:01:17
	♪ Fill us with the light of day ♪	1:01:22
	♪ All thy works with joy surround thee ♪	1:01:29
	♪ Earth and Heaven reflect thy rays ♪	1:01:33
	♪ Stars and angels sing around thee ♪	1:01:38
	♪ Center of unbroken praise ♪	1:01:42
	♪ Field and forest, vale and mountain ♪	1:01:47
	♪ Flowery meadow, flashing sea ♪	1:01:52
	♪ Singing bird and flowing fountain ♪	1:01:56
	♪ Call us to rejoice in thee ♪	1:02:01
	♪ Thou art giving and forgiving ♪	1:02:08
	♪ Ever blessing, ever blest ♪	1:02:12
	♪ Wellspring of the joy of living ♪	1:02:17
	♪ Ocean depth of happy rest ♪	1:02:21
	♪ Thou our Father, Christ our brother ♪	1:02:26
	♪ All who live in love are thine ♪	1:02:30
	♪ Teach us how to love each other ♪	1:02:34
	♪ Lift us to the joy divine ♪	1:02:39
	♪ Mortals, join the happy chorus ♪	1:02:46
	♪ Which the morning stars began ♪	1:02:51
	♪ Love divine is reigning over us ♪	1:02:55
	♪ Binding all within its span ♪	1:02:59
	♪ Ever singing, march we onward ♪	1:03:04
	♪ Victors in the midst of strife ♪	1:03:08
	♪ Joyful music leads us sunward ♪	1:03:12
	♪ In the triumph song of life ♪	1:03:17
	♪ Go in peace ♪	1:03:35
	♪ And serve the Lord ♪	1:03:37
	♪ In the name of Christ ♪	1:03:40
	♪ Amen ♪	1:03:44
	(powerful organ music)	1:03:52

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Hell Is for Accountants" (September 23, 1990)

Description:

Sermon start time: 21:31. Sermon end time: 38:57.
The preacher notices that when talking about forgiveness, it seems like one person's grace is another's judgment; that God's love is heaven to one and hell to another. He argues that the bookkeeping of others’ sins is a sin in itself, and that there is no balance that the grace of God refuses to forgive. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "The parable suggests that God has given up salvation 'by the books.' That God quit keeping score on us a long time ago. And now the only way to get saved is to come to the party, to let go our accounting and be as reckless, as prodigal with the grace as God wants."

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4348gx3r

Date:

September 23, 1990

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Matthew

Chapter and Verse:

Matthew 20:1-16

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0201
ref8841_jdy
uachapelsermaud
duke:321767
dcrmv001192
ark:/87924/r4348gx3r
ee25bbc4-48eb-4476-99b4-ec0dd58714f5

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 - "Hell Is for Accountants" (September 23, 1990)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Hell Is for Accountants" (September 23, 1990)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "Hell Is for Accountants" (September 23, 1990)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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