Gustav Krieg - "Our Hope, God's Future" (October 10, 1993)

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	(tranquil organ music)	0:01
-	Good morning.	0:50
	We're pleased to welcome to our pulpit today	0:51
	Dr. Gustav Krieg who has been designated	0:53
	as the James T. Cleland Distinguished Guest Preacher.	0:57
	Dr. Krieg comes to us by way of Bonn University,	1:01
	the Cologne School of Music	1:05
	and Dusseldorf School of Music.	1:06
	He is a distinguished teacher of theology	1:09
	and music and we're glad to welcome him today.	1:11
	I also want to call to your attention	1:15
	that there is an organ recital this afternoon at five	1:16
	by Dr. David Arcus	1:20
	and we hope you'll be able to attend.	1:22
	Please stand as we continue worship with the greeting.	1:24
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	1:32
Congregation	God be with you.	1:35
-	The risen Christ is with us.	1:36
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	1:39
	(lively organ music)	1:41
	(congregation sings)	2:16
	(lively organ music)	4:08
	(congregation sings)	6:15
-	Let us pray.	6:55
	Into our hearts, gracious God,	7:02
	to quiet the clamor of our busy days	7:05
	and fill the emptiness of aching hearts.	7:09
	Help us to put aside our work, our worries	7:13
	and all distractions to focus on you.	7:17
	Bring eternal values to the center of our attention.	7:22
	May this hour be filled with all that is true,	7:27
	honorable, just, pure,	7:30
	pleasing, commendable and excellent.	7:34
	We are ready to learn what you wish to teach us.	7:39
	In the name of Christ, amen.	7:43
	You may be seated.	7:47
-	Let us pray together the prayer of illumination.	7:56
-	[Heather And Congregation] Open our hearts	8:02
	and minds, oh God by the power of your Holy Spirit	8:04
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed	8:08
	we may hear your message with joy this day, amen.	8:11
	This reading is taken from the 22nd chapter	8:18
	of the gospel according to St. Matthew	8:21
	starting with verse one.	8:24
	Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables	8:27
	saying the kingdom of Heaven may be compared	8:31
	to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.	8:35
	He sent his slaves to call those	8:40
	who had been invited to the wedding banquet	8:42
	but they would not come.	8:46
	Again, he sent other slaves saying tell those	8:48
	who have been invited look,	8:52
	I have prepared my dinner, my oxen	8:55
	and my fat calves have been slaughtered	8:58
	and everything is ready.	9:00
	Come to the wedding banquet but they made light of it	9:02
	and went away, one to his farm,	9:06
	another to his business,	9:10
	while the rest seized his salves,	9:12
	mistreated them and killed them.	9:15
	The king was enraged.	9:18
	He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers	9:20
	and burned their city.	9:24
	Then he said to his salves,	9:26
	the wedding is ready but those invited	9:28
	were not worthy.	9:31
	Go therefore into the main streets	9:33
	and invite everyone you see to the wedding banquet.	9:36
	Those slaves went out into the streets	9:41
	and gathered all whom they found,	9:44
	both good and bad, so the wedding hall	9:47
	was filled with guests	9:51
	but when the king came in to see the guests,	9:54
	he noticed a man there who was not wearing	9:57
	a wedding robe and he said to him,	10:01
	friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?	10:04
	And he was speechless.	10:09
	Then the king said to the attendants,	10:11
	bind him hand and foot	10:14
	and throw him into the outer darkness	10:16
	where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	10:18
	For many are called but few are chosen.	10:22
	This is the word of the Lord.	10:27
Congregation	Thank you, Lord.	10:30
-	Today's Psalm is number 106 verses one through five	10:37
	found on page 829 in your hymnal.	10:42
	Please stand and join in singing this Psalm	10:46
	and Gloria responsibly.	10:49
	(lively organ music)	10:52
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	10:59
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	11:01
	(congregation sings)	11:05
	♪ Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord ♪	11:13
	♪ Or show forth all God's grace ♪	11:18
	(congregation sings)	11:24
	♪ Remember me, oh Lord ♪	11:34
	♪ When you show favor to your people ♪	11:37
	♪ Help me when you deliver them ♪	11:41
	(congregation sings)	11:46
	♪ For glory be to you, creator ♪	12:04
	♪ And to Jesus our Savior ♪	12:08
	(congregation sings)	12:13
	♪ As it was at time began ♪	12:19
	(congregation sings)	12:23
-	You may be seated.	12:33
	(tranquil organ music)	12:56
	(choir soloist sings)	13:04
	(choir sings)	13:28
-	The letter of St. Paul to the Philippians,	15:10
	chapter four verse one to nine.	15:14
	Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for,	15:20
	my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.	15:27
	I entreat Euodia	15:35
	and I entreat Syntyche	15:38
	to agree in the Lord	15:41
	and I ask you also two yolk fellows,	15:44
	help these women for thy have labored side by side	15:49
	with me in the gospel together with Clement	15:54
	and the rest of my fellow workers	16:01
	whose names are in the Book of Life.	16:03
	Rejoice in the Lord always.	16:08
	Again, I will say rejoice.	16:11
	Let all man know your forbearance.	16:14
	The Lord is at hand.	16:18
	Have no anxiety about anything	16:21
	but in everything, by prayer and supplication,	16:24
	with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.	16:28
	And the peace of God which passes all understanding	16:34
	will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.	16:39
	Finally, brothers, whatever is true,	16:45
	whatever is honorable,	16:49
	whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,	16:52
	whatever is gracious,	17:00
	if there is any excellence,	17:03
	if there is anything worth your fate,	17:06
	think about these things.	17:10
	What you have learned, and received and heard	17:13
	and seen in me, do.	17:16
	And the God of peace will be with you.	17:20
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:27
	(congregation mumbles)	17:29
-	Dear sisters and brothers,	17:36
	perhaps this is one of the most touching elements	17:43
	of the letters of St. Paul.	17:48
	Sometimes this lonely,	17:52
	somewhat bitter theologian	17:56
	becomes quite personal.	17:58
	Christians are a family	18:03
	and Paul describes them as a family.	18:06
	He has quarrels with them.	18:12
	Sometimes he is unhappy about them	18:15
	yet he regards them as a community of sisters and brothers	18:21
	with envy every day road.	18:26
	Take care of one another,	18:30
	show regard to one another.	18:33
	I would like to spend a moment on this thought.	18:41
	It takes us out of the higher realm	18:48
	of theological speculation	18:51
	down into the daily reality of life.	18:54
	Christians are humans.	19:00
	They are quite a normal part of our human civilization.	19:03
	Universal integrity is difficult to achieve in this world,	19:10
	so it is important to reflect about what integrity is.	19:16
	Justice is difficult to achieve,	19:23
	so reflect on justice.	19:28
	Where is love in this world?	19:32
	Think about it.	19:34
	If human civilization has a desire	19:38
	for a really human and a really humane life,	19:41
	Christians should not stand on the sidelines.	19:46
	Nevertheless, our text does not present	19:53
	a handbook for a humanitarian ideal.	19:58
	On the one hand, we draw from the text,	20:04
	strive for things that are true, noble, right, lovely.	20:07
	On the other hand, we hear your names	20:14
	are written in the Book of Life.	20:18
	On the one hand, we hear reflect on what is good	20:24
	for this world.	20:28
	At the same time, we hear the Lord is coming.	20:30
	Don't worry about anything.	20:36
	In all your prayers, ask God for what you need.	20:39
	Apparently our Christian family	20:47
	is a very special type of a family.	20:52
	It is part of human civilization	20:58
	and Christians should show a gentle attitude to one another,	21:04
	they should strive for more human dignity	21:11
	but at the same time,	21:16
	they should look upon the coming of the Lord.	21:19
	He has written their names in the Book of Life.	21:23
	He will bring peace.	21:27
	In Jesus we meet the God of peace.	21:31
	Suddenly the Christian family leaves its place	21:38
	within our society and goes beyond.	21:42
	But dear Christians, dear sisters and brothers,	21:50
	this is nothing new for us.	21:56
	We have heard a text like this many times.	22:00
	We own many books about the future of Christianity	22:04
	and we know a lot of things theologically	22:10
	about the coming of the Lord.	22:14
	We confess it in the profession of faith	22:18
	but do we really believe it?	22:23
	Let me for a moment observe the Christian family	22:30
	from a distance.	22:34
	I'm not speaking about America now,	22:38
	but especially about Europe.	22:41
	And I observe that we in Europe	22:46
	endeavor to participate in the virtues of humanity	22:49
	but nothing more.	22:54
	Oh no, I do not attack any human desire for truth.	22:57
	I do not attack our Christian desire	23:03
	for common experiences either.	23:07
	We all know the hidden sympathies	23:11
	of many Christians for early Christianity.	23:14
	Surely these people had a calamity	23:18
	of which we can only dream about.	23:22
	And certainly I am not criticizing	23:27
	our desperate struggle for a just society.	23:31
	Nevertheless, I hear St. Paul saying very plainly	23:36
	that's not enough.	23:43
	Where is your confidence	23:48
	in the coming of the Lord?	23:53
	Well, where is it?	23:57
	Sometimes I fear	24:04
	that we have lost this hope to the sectarian groups	24:07
	in our society.	24:12
	They huddle together in small congregations	24:15
	and they live the expectation of the coming of the Lord.	24:19
	But for good reasons we distrust their rejoicing.	24:25
	Their rejoicing is the happiness of a small separate group	24:31
	against the rest of the world.	24:35
	They hold back God's love from humankind	24:39
	and the coming Christ becomes a prisoner	24:42
	of egotistic interest	24:47
	and beside, we know how quickly empires	24:50
	to last 1,000 years vanish from the face of the Earth.	24:55
	Humankind yearns for Heaven	25:01
	and it creates hell.	25:05
	But perhaps you might say	25:12
	we have the Lord's supper.	25:15
	In this our daily reality, Christ comes to us	25:18
	in bread and wine.	25:23
	I think many of us are familiar	25:26
	with the traditional liturgy of the Catholic mass	25:28
	and the benedictus,	25:33
	God bless those who come in the name of the Lord.	25:36
	But in early Christianity,	25:42
	this benedictus was not spoken	25:44
	before the Holy Communion	25:49
	but afterwards.	25:53
	St. Paul agrees with this interpretation	25:58
	when he says every time you eat this bread	26:01
	and drink from this cup,	26:05
	you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.	26:08
	But what are we waiting for	26:16
	after we have eaten the bread and shared in the wine?	26:19
	Very often we leave church then	26:29
	and we reenter the blinding light of our secular reality	26:34
	so that our experiences with the coming Christ disappear	26:40
	and the misery of the world	26:47
	and all struggle for humanity begins a new.	26:50
	What shall we do?	27:00
	St. Paul says remind yourself of what?	27:03
	Paul says remind yourself of the risen Christ.	27:10
	You don't set your hope on the coming of the Lord	27:15
	because you're again and again so forgetful.	27:19
	Your desire for his coming remains so feeble	27:25
	because you, just as the women did,	27:30
	because you go to the grave of Christ	27:33
	and ask who could draw away the stone from the tomb?	27:36
	And you ponder and ponder what can we do?	27:42
	How can we save a fraction of civilization	27:48
	in this world of death?	27:51
	How can we at least save a small amount of hope?	27:55
	How can we get a bit of integrity,	28:01
	of justice, of humanity	28:04
	and of love into our lives?	28:07
	And suddenly, it is this angel who stands there	28:11
	and is laughing at us.	28:17
	Hey, folks,	28:20
	the stone has been removed from the tomb,	28:22
	not to worry.	28:27
	Do the words of the angel resound in our ears?	28:33
	They certainly did in Paul's ears.	28:39
	For him, the hope of the coming of Christ	28:44
	had a firm basis.	28:48
	It could be helpful to remind ourselves	28:52
	of this basis time and again	28:55
	for it sheds a different light	28:59
	on the virtues of our civilization we strive for.	29:01
	Of course, the Jews remains,	29:07
	Christians remain strong	29:10
	in faith and community with one another,	29:13
	be honorable, just, strive for a life	29:17
	that is worth living for.	29:23
	But there is also another truth.	29:27
	This new life has already been created.	29:31
	It has already begun in the resurrection of Christ.	29:38
	Of course, we are still confronted	29:45
	with our reality of death	29:48
	and sometimes we might envy the sectarian groups	29:52
	and their confidence and their community.	29:57
	But since this resurrection life in Christ	30:03
	has already been created,	30:09
	it cannot be destroyed by death	30:13
	nor by cosmic catastrophes	30:18
	nor by the end of time.	30:23
	Whatever we intend to realize	30:27
	within the Christian family	30:30
	and the ideas of humankind,	30:33
	our strivings are fulfilled	30:38
	even when this world no longer exists.	30:43
	What does this all mean for our daily life?	30:52
	In particular, we Europeans experience	30:57
	the restrictiveness of language	31:01
	to express the hope for the coming of the Lord.	31:03
	We know about the risen Christ	31:08
	and yet we are burdened by this passing rod.	31:11
	And we do not have the same feelings	31:16
	as the early Christians had.	31:19
	Sometimes we really can't understand	31:23
	Paul's realistic descriptions of Christ's coming.	31:26
	Yet perhaps it is not that important	31:34
	to speculate on how the Lord will appear.	31:37
	It is more relevant for us	31:42
	to live this hope and to pass it unto others.	31:44
	But how can we do that?	31:53
	I think we cannot huddle together in small groups	31:58
	and close ourselves off	32:03
	from the world around us.	32:07
	We cannot live in private circles.	32:11
	For Christ rose not only for us Christians	32:15
	but for the entire secular world.	32:19
	And this all rejoicing has nothing to do	32:24
	with the malicious enjoyment	32:29
	of those people who feel superior to others.	32:31
	On the contrary, our rejoicing should be a rejoicing	32:36
	of all humankind.	32:41
	Paul says be gentle toward everyone.	32:44
	What does such rejoicing really mean?	32:53
	First, let me say,	32:57
	this rejoicing means being free from fear.	33:00
	Not to worry.	33:07
	Be honorable and strive for truth	33:12
	but keep an untroubled relationship to world.	33:16
	Your integrity and your struggle for truth	33:23
	are only a weak reflection of the future	33:27
	which has long since been created by God.	33:31
	But I hesitate.	33:40
	Do we not also have to speak	33:44
	about this particular future?	33:48
	Can we really mediate hope without explaining	33:51
	what Christian hope is?	33:55
	The Christian world	34:00
	often contemplated	34:05
	the image of the new Heaven and the new Earth.	34:07
	And also, we are familiar with the words	34:14
	of the revelation of St. John.	34:16
	There will be no more death, no more grief	34:19
	or crying or pain.	34:23
	The old things have passed away	34:28
	but we know our thoughts	34:32
	are born of the old Earth	34:35
	and even God speaks to us in the images	34:39
	of our old Earth.	34:42
	We have no superior language	34:45
	and so, we can't speak about this,	34:49
	so that's the truth only within a rod of life	34:52
	and about a celestial joy only in a world of fear.	34:57
	So, I must lower my voice.	35:05
	Once more I will call your thoughts	35:10
	to the family of Christians St. Paul speaks about	35:14
	and I remember one of his visions	35:22
	about the future of earth.	35:26
	The situations of the early Christians	35:35
	was not different from our situation.	35:37
	St. Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians,	35:43
	we all see but in a mirror,	35:49
	obscure and clouded.	35:53
	And when we try to imagine the new Heaven	35:58
	and the new Earth, our images shatter.	36:01
	And then Paul sees the mirror break into pieces	36:06
	and then he adds in a very careful manner,	36:13
	trying to find words for the unexplainable,	36:20
	then we shall see face to face.	36:25
	Amen.	36:31
	(tranquil organ music)	36:43
	(congregation sings)	37:29
Dean	The Lord be with you.	40:40
Congregation	God be with you.	40:42
-	Let us pray.	40:44
	You may be seated.	40:45
	Oh God, in mystery and silence,	40:58
	you are present in our lives,	41:02
	seen and unseen,	41:05
	bringing new life and hope.	41:09
	Help us perceive your unseen hand	41:13
	in the unfolding of our lives	41:16
	and attend to the gentle guidance of your spirit	41:19
	that we may know the joy you give your people.	41:23
	Lord, in your mercy.	41:28
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	41:30
-	We give thanks for your bountiful blessings,	41:33
	for the beauty of creation and the intricate ways	41:36
	you have provided for every human and non-human creature.	41:40
	Lord, in your mercy.	41:46
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	41:48
-	Though we have so many reasons to be grateful,	41:51
	we often get bogged down by the day-to-day concerns of life.	41:55
	Free us from the anxieties and fears	42:00
	that grip us and sap our energies.	42:03
	Remind us that all things are ultimately in your hands.	42:08
	Teach us to seek you in hope,	42:14
	through prayer that we might know the peace	42:16
	that only you can give	42:19
	and give us confidence in the coming of the Lord	42:22
	and your power to transform all reality	42:26
	according to your purposes.	42:29
	Lord, in your mercy.	42:32
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	42:34
-	Lord, show us how to live as rejoicing people,	42:37
	a people who know that you are near to us,	42:41
	a people who know that the second coming is real,	42:45
	a people who know	42:50
	that you have already resurrected our future.	42:51
	Keep our minds and hearts and souls and bodies	42:56
	centered on you that we may seek what is true,	43:00
	honorable, just, pure, excellent and pleasing	43:04
	in your sight.	43:10
	Lord, in your mercy.	43:12
-	[Dean And Congregation] Hear our prayer.	43:14
-	Help us live as a people who remember	43:17
	that Jesus Christ has already arisen from the dead	43:20
	and that he offers new life to each one of us.	43:25
	Help us live as a people who offer hope	43:30
	and peace and joy to a world	43:33
	in the grip of hopelessness and war and despair.	43:36
	Help us reach out in gentleness and compassion	43:42
	as you have reached out to us	43:47
	that all the world might know the hope of your salvation.	43:50
	In the name of our Savior, amen.	43:54
	We have been blessed with resources	44:01
	that we are privileged to share.	44:05
	Let us give with joy.	44:07
	(lively organ music)	44:18
	(choir sings)	44:56
	(lively organ music)	45:12
	(choir sings)	45:58
	(lively organ music)	46:15
	(choir sings)	46:20
	(lively organ music)	49:00
	(choir sings)	49:34
	(lively organ music)	49:49
	(choir sings)	50:04
	(lively organ music)	50:39
	(choir sings)	51:15
-	Let us pray.	52:11
	Accept, oh Lord, our thanks and praise	52:13
	for all that you have done for us.	52:16
	May these gifts that we offer in gratitude to you	52:20
	bring light to those who walk in darkness	52:23
	and hope to those who live in despair.	52:27
	Accomplish your purposes, we pray	52:30
	through these gifts and in our lives.	52:33
-	[Dean And Congregation] Our Father, who art in Heaven,	52:39
	hallowed be thy name,	52:41
	thy kingdom come,	52:43
	thy will be done on Earth on as it is in Heaven.	52:45
	Give us this day our daily bread	52:49
	and forgive us our trespasses	52:52
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	52:54
	Lead us not into temptation	52:58
	but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom,	53:00
	and the power and the glory forever.	53:04
	Amen.	53:08
	(lively organ music)	53:10
	(choir sings)	53:47

Item Info

Title:

Gustav Krieg - "Our Hope, God's Future" (October 10, 1993)

Description:

As Christians our work of justice in the world must always be tethered to a living hope in the coming of the Lord. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 17:36. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 36:31.
Key quotation: “Perhaps it is not that important to speculate on how the Lord will appear. It is more relevant for us to live this hope and to pass it unto others.”

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r46q1sz13

Date:

October 10, 1993

Speaker:

Krieg, Gustav

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Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0337
ref9316_sre
uachapelsermaud
duke:321609
dcrmv001323
ark:/87924/r46q1sz13
4612bb8f-f709-45ac-9f71-5b5f6ee70f49

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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English

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Gustav Krieg - "Our Hope, God's Future" (October 10, 1993)

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