Felton E. May - Sermon Untitled (February 12, 1995)

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-	We'd like to welcome you to Duke Chapel.	0:00
	We have a number of special guests with us today	0:02
	that I would like to mention to you.	0:05
	Our preacher is the Reverend Doctor Felton May.	0:07
	He is the resident bishop	0:10
	of the Central Pennsylvania Conference	0:12
	of the United Methodist Church in the Harrisburg area.	0:14
	Bishop May is known best for his work	0:18
	in social justice ministries.	0:20
	He is the national chair of the Communities of Shalom,	0:22
	and the coordinator of the Task Force	0:26
	Dealing with Chemical Dependency, Alcoholism and Violence.	0:28
	He is also the father of two children,	0:32
	and the proud grandparent of two grandchildren,	0:35
	with a third expected any minute,	0:38
	and we trust that that call won't come	0:40
	while he's preaching today, but will wait	0:42
	until he has a chance to return this afternoon.	0:45
	We are also privileged to welcome with us Brother Pedro	0:47
	from the Brothers of Taize, and Sister Joel	0:51
	from the Little Sisters of Jesus.	0:54
	They have been sharing with us in a wonderful week	0:56
	of worship, we've had services three times a day	0:59
	in the chapel, and an all day retreat yesterday,	1:02
	and we welcome them and are glad	1:04
	they can share this time with us.	1:06
	Also, as you've already heard, we have	1:09
	the Wake Forest Concert Choir, with their director,	1:11
	Dr. Brian Gorelick, we are pleased to welcome them	1:15
	and to have them share their music with us.	1:18
	Let us continue our worship with the greeting	1:21
	as we stand.	1:23
	(crowd rumbling)
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ	1:30
	be with you.	1:31
-	And also with you.
-	The splendor of Christ shines upon us.	1:34
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	1:38
	(majestic organ music)	1:41
	♪ O for a thousand tongues to sing ♪	2:05
	♪ My great Redeemer's praise ♪	2:10
	♪ The glories of my God and king ♪	2:16
	♪ The triumphs of his grace ♪	2:21
	♪ My gracious master and my God ♪	2:29
	♪ Assist me to proclaim ♪	2:35
	♪ To spread through all the earth abroad ♪	2:41
	♪ The honors of thy name ♪	2:46
	♪ Jesus the name that charms our fears ♪	2:54
	♪ That bids our sorrows cease ♪	2:59
	♪ Tis music in the sinners ear ♪	3:05
	♪ Tis life and health and peace ♪	3:11
	♪ He breaks the power of canceled sin ♪	3:18
	♪ He sets the prisoner free ♪	3:24
	♪ His blood can make the foulest clean ♪	3:30
	♪ His blood availed for me ♪	3:35
	♪ He speaks and listening to his voice ♪	3:44
	♪ New life the dead receive ♪	3:49
	♪ The mournful broken hearts rejoice ♪	3:55
	♪ The humble poor believe ♪	4:00
	♪ Hear him ye deaf ♪	4:09
	♪ His praise ye dumb ♪	4:11
	♪ Your loosened tongues employ ♪	4:13
	♪ Ye blind behold your savior come ♪	4:20
	♪ And leap ye lame for joy ♪	4:26
	(majestic organ music)	4:33
	♪ In Christ your head you then shall know ♪	5:43
	♪ Shall feel your sins forgiven ♪	5:48
	♪ Anticipate your heaven below ♪	5:55
	♪ And own that love is heaven ♪	6:01
Debra	Let us pray.	6:13
	Almighty and everlasting God,	6:18
	in whom we live and move and have our being,	6:21
	you created us for yourself,	6:25
	so that our hearts are restless	6:28
	until they find rest in you.	6:31
	Grant to us such piety of heart	6:34
	and strength of purpose	6:37
	that no selfish passion may hinder us	6:39
	from knowing your will,	6:42
	and no weakness from doing it.	6:44
	In your light, may we see life clearly,	6:47
	and in your service find perfect freedom	6:51
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	6:54
	You may be seated.	6:59
	(congregation rumbling)	7:02
-	Please join me with the prayer for illumination.	7:12
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	7:18
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	7:22
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed	7:24
	we may hear with joy what you say to us this day, amen.	7:28
-	From the book of the prophet Jeremiah,	7:39
	chapter 17, verses five to 10.	7:42
	Thus says the Lord,	7:50
	"Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals	7:52
	"and make mere flesh their strength,	7:57
	"whose hearts turn away from the Lord.	8:01
	"They shall be like a bush in the desert,	8:06
	"and shall not see when relief comes.	8:10
	"They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,	8:15
	"in a desolate salt land.	8:20
	"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,	8:25
	"whose trust is the Lord.	8:29
	"They shall be like a tree planted by water,	8:32
	"sending out its roots by the stream.	8:36
	"It shall not fear when heat comes,	8:40
	"and its leaves shall stay green;	8:45
	"in the year of drought it is not anxious,	8:50
	"and it does not cease to bear fruit.	8:54
	"The heart is devious above all else;	8:59
	"it is perverse, who can understand it?	9:03
	"I the Lord test the mind and search the heart,	9:08
	"to give to all according to their ways,	9:13
	"according to the fruit of their doings."	9:17
	This is the word of the Lord.	9:22
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	9:26
	(soft organ music)	9:42
	♪ Blessed are the men who fear him ♪	9:50
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	9:55
	♪ Blessed are the men who fear him ♪	10:01
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	10:06
	♪ Blessed are the men who fear him ♪	10:12
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	10:24
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	10:30
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	10:37
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	10:43
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	10:53
	♪ Through darkness riseth light ♪	11:02
	♪ Light to the upright ♪	11:06
	♪ Through darkness riseth light to the upright ♪	11:10
	♪ Through darkness riseth light ♪	11:19
	♪ Riseth light ♪	11:23
	♪ To the upright ♪	11:28
	♪ He is gracious ♪	11:32
	♪ Compassionate ♪	11:34
	♪ Compassionate ♪	11:37
	♪ He is righteous ♪	11:39
	♪ Blessed are the men who fear him ♪	11:45
	♪ Blessed are the men who fear him ♪	11:50
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	11:57
	♪ Through darkness riseth light to the upright ♪	12:11
	♪ Blessed are the men who fear him ♪	12:22
	♪ They ever walk in the ways of peace ♪	12:27
	♪ Blessed ♪	12:44
	♪ Blessed ♪	12:47
	♪ Blessed ♪	12:50
-	Today's psalm is Psalm One, found on page 738	13:17
	in the hymnal, please stand and sing the psalm	13:20
	and the Gloria response of it.	13:23
	(majestic organ music)	13:27
	♪ Blessed are those who do not walk ♪	13:33
	♪ In the counsel of the wicked ♪	13:36
	♪ Or stand in the way of sinners ♪	13:40
	♪ Or sit in the seat of scoffers ♪	13:44
	♪ But their delight is in the law of the Lord ♪	13:49
	♪ And on God's law they meditate day and night ♪	13:55
	♪ They are like trees planted by streams of water ♪	14:02
	♪ That yield their fruit in season ♪	14:09
	♪ And their leaves do not wither ♪	14:14
	♪ In all that they do they prosper ♪	14:18
	♪ The wicked are not so ♪	14:25
	♪ But are like chaff which the wind drives away ♪	14:29
	♪ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment ♪	14:36
	♪ Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous ♪	14:43
	♪ For the Lord knows the way of the righteous ♪	14:51
	♪ But the way of the wicked will perish ♪	14:57
	♪ All glory be to you Creator ♪	15:04
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	15:08
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit ♪	15:12
	♪ Blessed trinity ♪	15:16
	♪ As it was as time began ♪	15:21
	♪ Is now and will be forevermore ♪	15:25
-	You may be seated.	15:37
-	A reading from the first letter of Paul	16:00
	to the Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 12 to 20.	16:02
	Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,	16:12
	how can some of you say there is	16:18
	no resurrection of the dead?	16:19
	If there is no resurrection of the dead,	16:24
	then Christ has not been raised.	16:29
	And if Christ has not been raised,	16:33
	then our proclamation has been in vain	16:37
	and your faith has been in vain.	16:41
	We are even found to be misrepresenting God	16:46
	because we testified of God that he raised Christ	16:53
	whom he did not raise, if it is true	17:00
	that the dead are not raised.	17:02
	For if the dead are not raised,	17:08
	then Christ has not been raised.	17:11
	If Christ has not been raised,	17:16
	your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.	17:20
	Then, those also who have died in Christ hath perished.	17:31
	If for this life only we have hoped in Christ,	17:39
	we are of all people most to be pitied.	17:45
	But, in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead,	17:53
	the firstfruits of those who have died.	17:59
	This is the word of the Lord.	18:05
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	18:09
-	A reading from the holy gospel	18:18
	according to Luke, chapter six, verses 17 to 26.	18:20
	He came down with them and stood on a level place,	18:29
	with a great crowd of his disciples	18:35
	and a great multitude of people	18:39
	from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.	18:41
	They had come to hear him and to be healed	18:51
	of their diseases, and those who were troubled	18:55
	with unclean spirits were cured.	19:00
	And all in the crowd were trying to touch him,	19:06
	for power came out from him and healed all of them.	19:11
	Then he looked up at his disciples and said,	19:18
	"Blessed are you who are poor,	19:25
	"for yours is the kingdom of God.	19:29
	"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.	19:33
	"Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.	19:43
	"Blessed are you when people hate you,	19:52
	"and when they exclude you, revile you,	19:55
	"and defame you on account of the Son of Man.	19:58
	"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy,	20:05
	"for surely your reward is great in heaven,	20:11
	"for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.	20:17
	"But woe to you who are rich,	20:24
	"for you have received your consolation.	20:30
	"Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.	20:35
	"Woe to you who are laughing now,	20:43
	"for you will mourn and weep.	20:48
	"Woe to you when all speak well of you,	20:53
	"for that is what their ancestors	20:59
	"did to the false prophets."	21:00
	This is the word of the Lord.	21:07
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	21:10
-	Good morning, a greeting that is as old	21:22
	as the church itself, grace to you	21:27
	and peace from God our Creator	21:31
	and our Lord Jesus Christ.	21:35
	And to that, all of you could have said amen,	21:39
	so allow me to try it again.	21:44
	Grace to you and peace	21:48
	from God our Creator	21:52
	and our Lord Jesus Christ.	21:55
-	Amen.
-	After the Duke experience yesterday,	22:00
	at that game,	22:03
	I think you are a bit quiet.	22:08
	For if the dead are not raised,	22:18
	then Christ has not been raised.	22:26
	If Christ has not been raised,	22:30
	your faith is futile	22:35
	and you are still in your sins.	22:39
	Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished,	22:45
	if for this life only we have hope in Christ,	22:52
	we are of all persons most to be pitied.	22:57
	But, in fact,	23:04
	Christ has been raised from the dead,	23:06
	the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.	23:11
	This is the word of the Lord.	23:17
	Thanks be to God.	23:21
	To choose or not to choose,	23:24
	that is the dilemma.	23:28
	Let us pray.	23:31
	Breathe on me, breath of God	23:35
	till I am wholly thine,	23:39
	till all this earthly part of me	23:43
	glows in your fire divine.	23:48
	May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart	23:53
	be acceptable unto you, O Lord,	24:00
	my strength and my redeemer,	24:03
	amen.	24:08
	The choice really is ours.	24:12
	The choice to have communities of shalom	24:17
	or to have communities of chaos.	24:23
	The choice is ours: to be blessed of God	24:28
	with health and wholeness and wellbeing,	24:34
	over and against pestilence and poison and fear.	24:40
	The choice is ours.	24:47
	And that choice, as United Methodists,	24:49
	grows out of who we are and whose we are	24:52
	and what it is that we believe.	24:58
	There has been a small bit of controversy	25:03
	in our denomination over the past several months	25:08
	about what we believe and in whom we believe,	25:11
	but I want you to join me this morning	25:16
	in this not so trivial exercise,	25:18
	but to proclaim together what we believe	25:22
	to set the context from	25:26
	which I shall share a few thoughts.	25:28
	Join me, won't you, in the historic creed of our faith.	25:33
All	I believe in God the father almighty,	25:38
	maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus	25:42
	his only son, our Lord, who was conceived	25:46
	by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,	25:49
	suffered under Pontius Pilate,	25:54
	was crucified, dead and buried.	25:56
	The third day, he arose from the dead,	25:59
	he ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand	26:02
	of God the father almighty.	26:05
	From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.	26:07
	I believe in the Holy Spirit,	26:11
	the holy catholic church,	26:14
	the communion of saints,	26:16
	the forgiveness of sins,	26:18
	the resurrection of the body,	26:20
	and life everlasting, amen.	26:22
	You remember, you know.	26:27
	We remember and we know who we are	26:32
	and whose we are, that we are held together	26:34
	by one Lord, one faith, one baptism,	26:38
	and one way to eternal life.	26:44
	Oh, there are many modes of transportation	26:47
	on the road to eternal life, many variations	26:52
	of that mode, but only one way.	26:56
	And for me, that way is Jesus Christ	27:00
	our Lord, our risen savior.	27:05
	It would not surprise you if I would say to you	27:09
	on this Sunday morning, a Christ is risen.	27:12
	What would your response be?	27:18
	Oh, I know it's not Easter Sunday morning,	27:21
	and when we're outside of our liturgical rubric,	27:23
	we somehow tend to forget the responses,	27:26
	but I'll try it one more time.	27:31
	Christ is risen.	27:33
-	He is risen indeed.
-	Now yesterday I saw those marvelous cheerleaders	27:38
	and students who seemed to have rehearsed	27:42
	their choreography in such a way	27:45
	that no one missed a beat and everyone knew	27:48
	the response except me,	27:51
	Christ is risen.	27:55
Congregation	He is risen indeed.	27:57
Felton	We really do not have a choice.	28:00
	If we believe that Christ is risen from the dead	28:03
	or we are God's people	28:07
	and we are the sheep of his pasture.	28:11
	Our task, then, without equivocation,	28:15
	is to bring wholeness and healing and wellbeing	28:20
	to that which God has created and called good,	28:23
	to establish communities of shalom	28:29
	all over the land.	28:33
	There is a Baptist Sunday school teacher	28:36
	from Plains, Georgia, who happened to have been,	28:41
	at one point in his life, the president	28:45
	of the United States of America.	28:48
	In an article written by Jim Wooten,	28:51
	that appeared recently in the New York Times,	28:54
	under a rather cryptic title,	28:57
	sometimes calling him a meddler,	29:03
	an interventionist,	29:08
	a moralizer,	29:12
	President Carter writes these words.	29:14
	I have one life and one chance	29:19
	to make it count for something.	29:23
	I'm free to choose what that something is.	29:27
	And the something I've chosen	29:33
	is my faith.	29:37
	Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion,	29:40
	and requires considerable work and effort.	29:45
	My faith demands, this is not optional,	29:50
	my faith demands that I do whatever I can,	29:55
	wherever I can, whenever I can,	30:01
	for as long as I can,	30:06
	with whatever I have,	30:09
	to try to make a difference.	30:12
	Sounds a little bit like John Wesley,	30:16
	but we'll forgive him for that.	30:18
	But what he was coming to was that, as a man of faith,	30:22
	who understands that he was molded and shaped	30:27
	in the image of God, that his choice	30:30
	was not to simply consume the goods of the world,	30:34
	but to make every effort to bring shalom.	30:40
	He made a choice,	30:46
	and so the choice is also ours	30:48
	as the people of God.	30:53
	Choosing to be God's person can be difficult.	30:56
	Several years ago, Mrs. May and I,	31:02
	as a part of the Council of Bishops Concerned	31:05
	For Chemical Dependency and Alcoholism and Violence,	31:09
	I went to Edmond, Oklahoma, which is a bedroom	31:15
	community of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.	31:18
	We were field testing some newly written curriculum	31:22
	entitled Born Free, Stay Free.	31:27
	It is marvelous material that involves youngsters	31:32
	from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade,	31:36
	and their parents or older brothers and sisters	31:40
	or an adult, bonding them together	31:44
	to choose to live lives	31:48
	free of addiction.	31:53
	Although we focus on alcohol	31:55
	and drugs,	32:01
	we also talk about those addictions	32:03
	that all of us possess in one form or another.	32:05
	Greed and sex and racism and ageism,	32:11
	those things that we have coveted	32:17
	for ourselves as we have forgotten	32:19
	that we belong to God and God belongs to us,	32:21
	that which stands between us and God	32:25
	that gives us momentary satisfaction,	32:28
	becomes an addiction.	32:31
	In order for the young people to be involved, their parents	32:36
	interacted in the 72 hour period over a weekend.	32:40
	I was field testing the junior high material.	32:44
	I love junior highs, because they speak their mind,	32:47
	unashamedly, and sometimes very painfully,	32:51
	but yet they speak.	32:55
	And on Saturday afternoon, the parents of the junior highs,	32:58
	about 17 of them, gathered in a circle	33:02
	for a conversation with the bishop.	33:05
	It was an interesting conversation	33:10
	coming from some very well-heeled leaders	33:12
	of the community of Edmond, Oklahoma.	33:17
	Doctors and nurses and teachers, a federal court judge,	33:21
	all highly acclaimed and	33:27
	prosperous.	33:33
	As the conversation intensified,	33:36
	a woman looked at me intently and said,	33:39
	"Bishop, I have a question for you."	33:42
	I took a deep breath, looked as wise	33:44
	as I could possibly look in the afternoon,	33:47
	and I said, "Yes, may I help you?"	33:50
	She said, "I wanna tell you about my daughter.	33:53
	"We had an awful time getting her to come to this event.	33:55
	"In fact, this child of ours was absolutely outrageous.	34:01
	"I mean, she rebelled, she did not want to come,	34:06
	"and we just forced her to do so.	34:10
	"She talked back to us, bishop.	34:14
	"I mean, we've trained," she said,	34:17
	"This child to be polite, we've given her ballet lessons	34:19
	"and tennis lessons, she's traveled to Europe,	34:23
	"she wears designer clothes, she goes to a private school,	34:26
	"she lives in a good community,	34:30
	"and she does not appreciate it.	34:32
	"She talked back to us in no uncertain terms.	34:35
	"She said, Why should I go to that blankety-blank program?	34:39
	"You and dad, mom, drink and you're probably doing drugs	34:45
	"and you seem to be all right,	34:49
	why do I need to go?"	34:53
	Then she took a deep breath and said,	34:58
	"Bishop, what should I have said to her?	35:00
	"How would you deal with this child of mine?	35:07
	"We're adults, if we want to take a little alcohol,	35:13
	"or even if we're at a party and we want to sniff	35:19
	"just a little bit of pure unadulterated cocaine,	35:24
	"what difference should it make to you	35:29
	or to the world?	35:34
	"This child is a minor, we are adults	35:35
	"and we know how to live, and bishop, we live well."	35:40
	I said, "I'll give you the answer tomorrow morning."	35:47
	I consulted with the staff, and tossed and turned overnight,	35:51
	because I really did not know how to enter	35:56
	into the lives of that rather well heeled group of adults	36:00
	raising children that seemed to be	36:06
	just a little bit off center, but quite wise.	36:08
	The next day came, and there they were,	36:15
	looking at me with eyes of real interest,	36:17
	and she said to me, "Bishop, do you have an answer for us?"	36:22
	And I said, "Yes, I think it is something of an answer.	36:25
	"The child," I said, "has chosen to emulate you	36:34
	"without knowing the full effect	36:38
	of that which you do.	36:42
	"There's no way for you to share with a child	36:45
	"all of the dangers inherent in the behavior	36:48
	"that she is emulating, and so I'm wondering	36:51
	"if, as her parents, you would be willing	36:56
	"to give up your drinking	37:00
	and your drugging?	37:05
	"If you would be able to give up your behavior	37:07
	"that she is trying to mimic without taking on	37:11
	"the full responsibility for the next 10 years,	37:15
	"so that your daughter would have a healthy,	37:20
	"vibrant, God-fearing mother to emulate.	37:23
	"Would you change your lifestyle	37:28
	"so that your child might live?"	37:30
	She dropped her head,	37:37
	and the tears came.	37:41
	And she did not choose	37:46
	to answer.	37:51
	Could it be that our young people,	37:56
	that the world is looking for,	37:59
	not just a role model, but that the world	38:02
	is looking for the people of God	38:06
	who claim Jesus Christ not only is Lord, but is risen,	38:08
	they are looking for us to act like it,	38:13
	and to behave like it, and to follow the way	38:17
	that comes only through knowing that	38:23
	Christ belongs to us,	38:27
	and we belong to Christ.	38:29
	There is no other way that I can explain	38:35
	what is taking place in our nation.	38:37
	One nation under God,	38:42
	with liberty and justice for all.	38:46
	We're building more prisons,	38:53
	and hiring more police persons,	38:57
	and we are politically maneuvering the poor,	39:02
	depressed and the oppressed as political pawns	39:06
	that makes for a woeful life,	39:13
	all under the banner of peace	39:16
	and prosperity.	39:21
	And there shall be no peace.	39:25
	There shall be no ultimate prosperity	39:28
	if we do not change	39:33
	our way of life	39:37
	and remember who we are	39:41
	and whose we are.	39:45
	The world is waiting for us to be Christ.	39:48
	Two young missionaries invited us to visit	39:54
	the drug park in Zurich, Switzerland.	39:56
	I was not prepared for it, I had taken several days	40:00
	extra time before I would engage the folk in Zurich	40:04
	around their horrendous drug problem.	40:09
	A young missionary called a day early	40:13
	and asked if I would go with her to the needle park.	40:15
	Four to five thousand young adults inhabit the park	40:20
	at any given time, more than 10,000 needles a day	40:25
	are distributed to the addicts in the park.	40:30
	Every drug known to humankind is sold there,	40:34
	and God's children, laying on the ground	40:39
	and on park benches and beside trees,	40:43
	perhaps overdosed or simply nodding,	40:46
	the young missionary led me around,	40:49
	stepping over bodies to a young man	40:52
	who several days earlier had claimed	40:55
	that Christ was indeed Lord and had taken on	40:57
	a new life because he had chosen rightly.	41:02
	They protected him day and night,	41:06
	until they were able to find a bed for him.	41:08
	He was seated cross legged on the ground,	41:12
	sort of rocking back and forth, as if he was in a trance.	41:15
	The young missionary said to me,	41:19
	"Bishop, will you have a prayer with George?"	41:21
	I said, "Yes, I'll have prayer with George,"	41:26
	and because I had on my Levi's and could not bend easily,	41:29
	I sort of leaned over him,	41:33
	and began to intone a prayer,	41:37
	when she said, "No, sit down, bishop, sit down."	41:39
	I have a habit of carrying my New Testament	41:43
	in my back pocket, so I sat on it for a cushion,	41:46
	and looked George in the face.	41:50
	He opened his eyes and as he rocked back and forth,	41:53
	he said, "Speak Bible to me, speak Bible to me."	41:56
	He was part German and part Spanish.	42:01
	As I gazed into his eyes, I said,	42:06
	"What Bible verse will I recite to him?"	42:08
	And then, in the twinkling of an eye,	42:11
	I remembered this man that has this wonderful travel budget	42:14
	that goes all over the country to every game of basketball	42:18
	or football, carrying the sign, John 3:16.	42:22
	I looked for him yesterday, but he was not there.	42:27
	(congregation laughs)	42:29
	On this moment of inspiration, I intoned	42:32
	in my best Episcopal voice, "For God so loved the world,	42:37
	"that he gave his only begotten son	42:41
	"that whosoever believeth in him	42:44
	"should not perish, but have everlasting life."	42:47
	And he closed his eyes, and he rocked backwards	42:51
	and forwards, and he opened his eyes again	42:55
	and he said, "Say more Bible to me."	42:57
	The missionaries were listening,	43:02
	I said, "For God did not send his son	43:05
	"into the world to condemn the world,	43:08
	"but that the world might be saved through him."	43:10
	And he closed his eyes and rocked backwards and forwards,	43:15
	and I said, Oh my goodness,	43:19
	I've done John 3:16 and 17,	43:21
	and I don't remember John 3:18 and 19,	43:25
	and these missionaries will say, You see,	43:30
	a bishop can't even remember scripture?	43:32
	So I broke out into a perspiration,	43:35
	trying to think of what I was gonna say if he said	43:37
	say more Bible to me, I thought I would go	43:40
	to the 23rd Psalm or to the Lord's Prayer,	43:43
	or something, and sure enough, he opened his eyes,	43:46
	and he said, "Say Bible to me,"	43:51
	and in a bit of inspiration, I for some reason	43:54
	remembered John 3:14 and 15,	43:57
	As Moses lifted up	44:02
	the serpent in the wilderness,	44:04
	so the Son of Man must also be lifted up.	44:06
	Ah, he closed his eyes again, and I said, I'm done for.	44:11
	I waited and sure enough, he opened his eyes,	44:16
	and I said, All right, I'm ready for you,	44:20
	I'll start the Lord's Prayer, and he looked at me	44:21
	with intent eyes and he said,	44:26
	"Will you be the Son of Man	44:29
	for me?"	44:35
	That is the question	44:46
	that the world is asking, in no uncertain terms.	44:48
	Will you be the Son of Man for the world?	44:54
	The body of Christ, to be lifted up	45:00
	that all might find wholeness	45:04
	and healing and wellbeing?	45:07
	How will you choose?	45:12
	The world is waiting.	45:18
	Mrs. May and I visited this year, Zaire,	45:24
	we were there to look at the one million refugees	45:30
	and to see what we could do for the children of refugees	45:32
	that came streaming out of Rwanda and Burundi.	45:36
	We visited Uvira and Bukavu and then,	45:41
	that hell spot, by virtue of environment	45:44
	and pain and pestilence, called Goma.	45:48
	We encountered a Zaire doctor, a woman	45:53
	who gave up her lucrative practice	45:56
	and came to Goma to care especially for the children.	45:59
	On her first day there, she said,	46:06
	by her own count, that she collected 28.	46:08
	Pitched a tent and brought them in	46:13
	and began to care for their serious illnesses.	46:15
	Within 30 days, she had more than 2,700.	46:20
	They had created a triage, those who were going	46:27
	to surely die were placed by themselves,	46:32
	and then gradations that made it possible	46:35
	for some to live, and she pointed	46:40
	to what she called a small clinic, across a clearing	46:43
	of gravel and volcanic rock,	46:47
	and she said, "If you want to see the children, go there."	46:50
	So with photographers, I trekked across	46:55
	the volcanic rock toward this shed,	46:58
	and looked at what appeared	47:01
	to be little puppies running around	47:03
	and squatting, but they were children.	47:07
	Children browned from the mud	47:12
	and browned from their own body waste,	47:15
	in and around a shed.	47:21
	Children inside, 14 to a cot,	47:24
	with dysentery and meningitis.	47:28
	I have never been so horrified in all my life.	47:34
	I exited, mind stretched,	47:41
	heart pounding,	47:45
	not knowing, really, how to come to grips with it.	47:49
	A few weeks later, we journeyed to Zimbabwe	47:54
	to do four days of a revival for the United Methodist women.	47:56
	5,000 women gather in an encampment	48:01
	from early morning till late at night,	48:05
	in rather cool weather, the mornings	48:07
	are no warmer than 45 degrees,	48:10
	so coats and sweaters are needed.	48:13
	The first morning, the women gathered	48:16
	in their coats and sweaters at about 8:00 a.m.	48:18
	to hear the sermon, and as I was in the midst of the sermon,	48:21
	this horrific vision of Zaire came to mind,	48:25
	and I began to share it more graphically	48:30
	than I shared it this morning.	48:33
	And then, from that sharing, I went into the powerful	48:36
	scripture of Matthew 25, and said, cryptically,	48:39
	as the translator was trying to keep up with me,	48:43
	that it was Jesus who was naked and we did not clothe him	48:46
	and it was Jesus who was hungry and we did not feed him	48:50
	and it was Jesus who was sick and we did not care for him.	48:54
	And as I was moving through that scripture,	48:58
	all of a sudden, a woman stood,	49:02
	took off her coat and brought it	49:06
	and laid it at the altar.	49:09
	And then three, and then five, and then 40	49:12
	and then a hundred, and then 200, and then,	49:15
	these women, in the cold of the morning,	49:19
	took off their sweaters and coats	49:22
	and brought them to the chancel area	49:25
	and piled them up around us because they wanted	49:28
	the children of Zaire to be warm.	49:33
	And as they did it, song broke forth.	49:39
	Joyous, exuberant singing came up from the earth	49:44
	with the dust and these women began to sing	49:48
	and dance for blessed are the poor.	49:52
	They are indeed happy	49:59
	and they decided,	50:03
	they made a choice,	50:06
	to share all that they had on.	50:08
	For the next morning, they were wrapped in plastic	50:13
	and newspaper to stave off the cold.	50:17
	They believed that the risen savior	50:23
	did not intend for the children of Zaire	50:27
	or the children of the world to suffer,	50:29
	let alone the children of our own	50:33
	nation under God.	50:36
	To choose or not to choose,	50:41
	that is the dilemma	50:45
	for those who claim Christ as Lord	50:47
	and believe that he is indeed our risen savior.	50:49
	And it's really no choice, when we clearly understand	50:55
	the great love that God has for us through Christ.	51:00
	Tuesday is St. Valentine's Day.	51:07
	And I've got a string tied around my mental finger	51:11
	not to forget that which will please,	51:15
	and sometimes on Valentine's Day, I get very corny.	51:22
	I can't remember the lyrics to the raps,	51:27
	or to anything else that's being played these days,	51:30
	so my mind goes back to the ancient of times,	51:33
	and at dinner, I will reach out	51:37
	and take hold of Phyllis's hand,	51:40
	the one that I have chosen, because she chose me first.	51:42
	(congregation laughs)	51:47
	And I'll recite this lyric that I never get right,	51:49
	but it comes to mind now,	51:53
	I'll be loving you always,	51:56
	with a heart that's true, always,	52:00
	things may not be grand,	52:04
	but I'll understand	52:08
	not for just an hour, not for just a day,	52:10
	not for just a year,	52:13
	but always, always.	52:16
	The church, the body of Christ	52:21
	has an opportunity to be a community of shalom.	52:23
	The church has an opportunity	52:32
	to become role models, even if it means	52:35
	changing our lifestyles so that	52:39
	the children of God might live.	52:43
	The church of Christ, the supreme example of love,	52:48
	has the opportunity to sing that love song	52:56
	in behalf of Jesus everywhere we go,	53:00
	for it is true,	53:05
	that God does love us always	53:09
	with a heart that's true, always.	53:14
	Things may not be grand, but God understands	53:18
	not for just an hour, not for just a day,	53:22
	not for just a year, but always.	53:24
	No contract.	53:32
	But a covenant,	53:36
	signed and sealed by the blood of Jesus.	53:39
	What's holding us back?	53:45
	What's stopping us	53:51
	from creating peace on earth	53:54
	and goodwill toward all of humankind?	53:58
	The words of Paul to the church at Rome,	54:06
	If we have chosen Christ who has risen,	54:13
	then we know beyond a shadow of a doubt	54:18
	that if Christ is for us,	54:21
	then who is against us?	54:26
	Who can separate us from the love of God	54:30
	that is in Christ Jesus?	54:35
	Because I have chosen Christ as my Lord,	54:39
	and because you have chosen Christ as your Lord,	54:44
	I am convinced that neither death nor life,	54:47
	nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present,	54:50
	nor things to come, nor heighth nor depth,	54:54
	nor anything in all creation,	54:57
	will be able to separate us from the love of God	55:00
	that is in Christ Jesus, and then peace	55:05
	shall be ours	55:10
	until Christ comes again,	55:12
	for he has chosen to come to claim us	55:17
	as we have chosen to claim him.	55:22
	In the name of the Father,	55:26
	the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.	55:27
	(majestic organ music)	55:36
	♪ How can we sinners know ♪	55:59
	♪ Our sins on earth forgiven ♪	56:05
	♪ How can my gracious Savior show ♪	56:11
	♪ My name inscribed in heaven ♪	56:18
	♪ What we have felt and seen ♪	56:23
	♪ With confidence we tell ♪	56:30
	♪ And publish to the ends of earth ♪	56:36
	♪ The signs infallible ♪	56:42
	♪ We who in Christ believe ♪	56:50
	♪ That he for us hath died ♪	56:56
	♪ We all his unknown peace receive ♪	57:02
	♪ And feel his blood applied ♪	57:07
	♪ We by his Spirit prove ♪	57:15
	♪ And know the things of God ♪	57:21
	♪ The things which freely of his love ♪	57:27
	♪ He hath on us bestowed ♪	57:33
	♪ The meek and lowly heart ♪	57:41
	♪ That in our Savior was ♪	57:46
	♪ To us that Spirit doth impart ♪	57:53
	♪ And signs us with his cross ♪	57:59
	♪ Our nature's turned ♪	58:07
	♪ Our mind transformed in all its powers ♪	58:10
	♪ And both the witnesses are joined ♪	58:20
	♪ The Spirit of God with ours ♪	58:26
-	You may be seated.	58:38
	(congregation rumbling)
	In the past week, we've had	58:45
	three Taize prayer services daily	58:46
	and it has been a time of great healing	58:48
	and renewal for this community.	58:51
	To share that experience with you, we'd like to incorporate	58:53
	a Taize prayer response into our worship.	58:57
	If you'll turn to page 484 in your hymnbook,	59:01
	you'll see the Taize prayer response Kyrie Eleison.	59:05
	In order to teach this to you,	59:10
	the organ will play it through once,	59:11
	the choir will sing it.	59:13
	When you get comfortable with that,	59:15
	please join in, and then we'll sing it	59:17
	a third time through together.	59:19
	For each response, I'll lead into the end	59:21
	of the prayer with Lord, we pray,	59:25
	and you'll respond one time through with the Kyrie Eleison.	59:27
	We hope that this will become familiar enough	59:32
	so that you don't have to look at the music	59:35
	through the prayer and the prayer, the sung response	59:37
	is truly part of the prayer.	59:39
	David, if you can play that through for us, thank you.	59:43
	(gentle organ music)	59:47
	♪ Kyrie ♪	59:56
	♪ Kyrie ♪	59:58
	♪ Eleison ♪	1:00:00
	♪ Kyrie ♪	1:00:05
	♪ Kyrie ♪	1:00:07
	♪ Eleison ♪	1:00:09
-	The Lord be with you.	1:00:16
-	And also with you.
-	Let us pray.	1:00:20
	Eternal God, you created us in your image,	1:00:22
	and you saved us through your son Jesus Christ.	1:00:28
	Look with compassion upon the entire human family.	1:00:33
	Lord, we pray.	1:00:37
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:00:39
-	Eternal God, source of justice and peace,	1:00:50
	establish peace among the nations,	1:00:54
	the fruit of your salvation, that all peoples	1:00:57
	may sing your praises, Lord, we pray.	1:01:01
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:01:05
-	Eternal God, your love brings healing	1:01:16
	to our hatred and our sadness.	1:01:19
	Bring peace to your church, to the nations,	1:01:22
	to families, and bring inner peace	1:01:28
	to each of us, Lord, we pray.	1:01:32
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:01:35
-	Eternal God, your Spirit of life dwells	1:01:47
	within every human being.	1:01:50
	May the Spirit enable us to tear down walls	1:01:53
	of mistrust and fear, Lord, we pray.	1:01:56
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:02:01
-	Christ Jesus, you came to proclaim	1:02:13
	the joyful news of peace.	1:02:15
	Help us bring an end to depravation,	1:02:18
	poverty and oppression in our societies, Lord, we pray.	1:02:20
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:02:27
-	Eternal God, you walk alongside	1:02:38
	the people of every land, show the leaders of nations	1:02:41
	how to follow the road of justice and peace, Lord, we pray.	1:02:45
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:02:51
-	Christ Jesus, you wish to reconcile the whole human race.	1:03:01
	Teach us to welcome refugees and immigrants,	1:03:07
	to form with them a single people	1:03:10
	that belongs to you, Lord, we pray.	1:03:12
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:03:17
-	Christ our Lord, you have said that whatever we ask for	1:03:28
	in your name, you would grant.	1:03:32
	Therefore, we offer you our own petitions	1:03:34
	in the silence of our hearts.	1:03:37
	Lord, we pray.	1:03:50
	♪ Kyrie kyrie eleison ♪	1:03:53
-	In following you, oh Christ,	1:04:04
	we choose to love and not to harden our hearts,	1:04:08
	even when the incomprehensible happens,	1:04:12
	as we remain in your presence with perseverance,	1:04:15
	day after day, and pray with simplicity of heart,	1:04:18
	you calm and make us into people who are a leaven	1:04:23
	of confident trust by the way we live,	1:04:26
	and all that your gospel calls us to,	1:04:30
	all that you ask of us, you give, amen.	1:04:33
	And now, as an expression of our gratitude,	1:04:42
	let us offer our gifts to the Lord with thanksgiving.	1:04:44
	(somber organ music)	1:04:51
	(choir sings "When David Heard" by Eric Whitacre)	1:06:37
	♪ When David heard ♪	1:06:38
	♪ When David heard ♪	1:06:43
	♪ That Absalom was slain ♪	1:06:48
	♪ He went up into his chamber over the gate ♪	1:07:05
	♪ He went up into his chamber over the gate ♪	1:07:21
	♪ And wept ♪	1:07:42
	♪ And wept ♪	1:07:45
	♪ And thus he said ♪	1:07:51
	♪ And thus he said ♪	1:07:57
	♪ And thus he said ♪	1:08:00
	♪ And thus he said ♪	1:08:03
	♪ Oh ♪	1:08:12
	♪ Oh ♪	1:08:14
	♪ Oh my son ♪	1:08:17
	♪ Absalom my son ♪	1:08:22
	♪ My son ♪	1:08:28
	♪ Absalom my son ♪	1:08:30
	♪ My son ♪	1:08:39
	♪ My son ♪	1:08:43
	♪ Would God I had died ♪	1:08:49
	♪ Would God I had died for thee ♪	1:08:54
	♪ Would God I had died for thee ♪	1:09:08
	♪ Would God ♪	1:09:15
	♪ I had died for thee ♪	1:09:20
	♪ Oh Absalom ♪	1:09:28
	♪ My son ♪	1:09:54
	♪ My son ♪	1:09:59
	♪ My son ♪	1:10:04
	(majestic organ music)	1:10:15
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	1:10:57
	♪ Praise God all creatures here below ♪	1:11:04
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:10
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:13
	♪ Praise God above ye heavenly host ♪	1:11:18
	♪ Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost ♪	1:11:24
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:34
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:38
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:41
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:11:45
Debra	Let us pray.	1:11:58
	Oh God, most merciful and gracious,	1:12:01
	of whose bounty we have all received,	1:12:04
	accept this offering of your people.	1:12:07
	Remember in your love those who have brought it	1:12:10
	and those for whom it is given,	1:12:13
	and so follow it with your blessing,	1:12:15
	that it may promote peace and goodwill	1:12:18
	among all peoples and advance the kingdom	1:12:20
	of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.	1:12:23
	And now let us continue our prayers	1:12:26
	with confidence, as the children of God.	1:12:29
All	Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:12:32
	hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come,	1:12:35
	thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.	1:12:39
	Give us this day our daily bread,	1:12:43
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:12:45
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:12:48
	Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,	1:12:51
	for thine is the kingdom, and the power,	1:12:56
	and the glory forever, amen.	1:12:59
	(organ plays "Assurance" by Phoebe Knapp)	1:13:05
	♪ Blessed assurance ♪	1:14:06
	♪ Jesus is mine ♪	1:14:09
	♪ O what a foretaste of glory divine ♪	1:14:13
	♪ Heir of salvation ♪	1:14:20
	♪ Purchase of God ♪	1:14:24
	♪ Born of his Spirit ♪	1:14:28
	♪ Washed in his blood ♪	1:14:32
	♪ This is my story ♪	1:14:35
	♪ This is my song ♪	1:14:39
	♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪	1:14:43
	♪ This is my story ♪	1:14:50
	♪ This is my song ♪	1:14:55
	♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪	1:14:59
	♪ Perfect submission ♪	1:15:08
	♪ Perfect delight ♪	1:15:12
	♪ Visions of rapture now burst on my sight ♪	1:15:15
	♪ Angels descending bring from above ♪	1:15:23
	♪ Echoes of mercy ♪	1:15:30
	♪ Whispers of love ♪	1:15:34
	♪ This is my story ♪	1:15:38
	♪ This is my song ♪	1:15:42
	♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪	1:15:46
	♪ This is my story ♪	1:15:53
	♪ This is my song ♪	1:15:57
	♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪	1:16:03
	♪ Perfect submission ♪	1:16:11
	♪ All is at rest ♪	1:16:14
	♪ I in my Savior am happy and blest ♪	1:16:20
	♪ Watching and waiting ♪	1:16:26
	♪ Looking above ♪	1:16:30
	♪ Filled with his goodness ♪	1:16:35
	♪ Lost in his love ♪	1:16:38
	♪ This is my story ♪	1:16:44
	♪ This is my song ♪	1:16:47
	♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪	1:16:50
	♪ This is my story ♪	1:16:58
	♪ This is my song ♪	1:17:03
	♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪	1:17:07
-	Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.	1:17:22
	May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,	1:17:25
	the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit	1:17:27
	be with you and keep you.	1:17:31
	♪ God be in my head ♪	1:17:35
	♪ And in my understanding ♪	1:17:41
	♪ God be in mine eyes ♪	1:17:53
	♪ And in my looking ♪	1:18:01
	♪ God be in my mouth ♪	1:18:13
	♪ And in my speaking ♪	1:18:20
	♪ God be in my heart ♪	1:18:35
	♪ And in my thinking ♪	1:18:43
	♪ God be at mine end ♪	1:18:55
	♪ And in my departing ♪	1:19:08

Item Info

Title:

Felton E. May - Sermon Untitled (February 12, 1995)

Description:

Sermon start time: 21:22. Sermon end time: 55:32.
The world is looking to the Church to be the body of Christ lifted up that all creation might find wholeness, healing, and well-being. Let us, then, choose to live into the truth that Jesus is the risen Lord. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Could it be that our young people, that the world is looking for not just a role model, but that the world is looking for the people of God who claim Jesus Christ not only is Lord but is risen, they are looking for us to act like it?”

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4ff3mf3f

Date:

February 12, 1995

Speaker:

May, Felton E.

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Duke University. Chapel

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UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0413
ref9540_u8f
uachapelsermaud
duke:321541
dcrmv001392
ark:/87924/r4ff3mf3f
c81dd188-8782-4c40-8342-26564b06def9

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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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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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CC BY-NC 4.0

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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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Felton E. May - Sermon Untitled (February 12, 1995)

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