William H. Willimon - "Harmless Hospitality" (July 23, 1989)

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	(organ music)	0:00
-	Grace and peace to you,	0:53
	in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.	0:54
	We welcome you to this service of worship	0:56
	here at Duke University Chapel	0:58
	on this tenth Sunday after Pentecost.	1:00
	We also extend greetings to those of you	1:03
	in our radio and television audiences,	1:05
	especially those patients and their families	1:08
	at Duke Hospital.	1:10
	Our preacher for this morning is	1:12
	the Reverend Dr. William H. Willimon, Dean of the Chapel.	1:13
	Our lector is Ms. Martha Simmons,	1:17
	newly appointed director of The Women's Center	1:20
	here at the university.	1:22
	Please note the remaining announcements	1:24
	as they are printed in your bulletins.	1:26
	And now, let us continue our worship.	1:28
	♪ [Choir] Praise ye the Lord of hosts, ♪	1:36
	♪ Sing His salvation, ♪	1:40
	♪ Bless His name, ♪	1:44
	♪ Show forth His praise in His holy house. ♪	1:46
	♪ (Muffled singing) ♪	1:53
	♪ Christ bringeth peace to the earth ♪	2:02
	♪ (Muffled singing) ♪	2:05
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:07
	(organ music)	2:14
	(muffled singing)	2:50
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪	3:13
	(organ drowns out music)	3:28
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪	3:51
	(muffled singing)	3:57
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪	4:30
	(muffled singing)	4:36
	(organ music)	4:43
	(muffled singing)	5:31
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia ♪	5:56
	(muffled singing)	6:02
-	Oh God, you see how busy we are, with many things.	6:14
	Turn us to listen to Your teachings,	6:19
	and lead us to choose the one thing	6:22
	which will not be taken from us.	6:24
	Jesus Christ, Our Lord.	6:27
	Amen.	6:29
-	Let us pray.	6:42
	Open our hearts and minds, Oh God,	6:46
	by the power of Your Holy Spirit,	6:50
	so that, as the Word is read and proclaimed	6:53
	we might hear with joy,	6:57
	what You say to us this day.	6:59
	Amen.	7:02
	The first lesson is taken from the Second Book of Kings.	7:04
	One day, Elijah went on to Shunem,	7:09
	where a wealthy woman lived,	7:13
	who urged him to eat some food.	7:15
	So whenever Elijah passed that way,	7:19
	he would turn in there to eat food.	7:22
	And she said to her husband,	7:25
	"Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God,	7:28
	who is continually passing our way.	7:33
	Let us make a small roof chamber, with walls,	7:36
	and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair,	7:40
	and a lamp, so that whenever Elijah comes to us,	7:44
	he can go in there."	7:48
	One day, Elijah came there and turned into the chamber,	7:51
	and rested there.	7:56
	And he said to Gehazi, his servant,	7:58
	"Call this Shunammite."	8:01
	When Gehazi had called her, she stood before him,	8:04
	and Elijah said to Gehazi,	8:08
	"Say now to her, see?	8:11
	You have taken all this trouble for us.	8:13
	What is to be done for you?	8:16
	Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the King,	8:19
	or to the commander of the army?"	8:23
	She answered, "I dwell among my own people."	8:26
	And Elijah said, "What then is to be done for her?"	8:30
	Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no heir,	8:35
	and her husband is old."	8:39
	Elijah said, "Call her."	8:42
	And when Gehazi had called her, she stood in the doorway,	8:45
	and Elijah said, "At this season, when the times come round,	8:49
	you shall embrace a child."	8:55
	And she said, "No, my lord, oh man of God.	8:58
	Do not lie to your servant."	9:02
	But the woman conceived, and she bore a child	9:04
	about that time the following spring,	9:08
	as Elijah had said to her.	9:10
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	9:13
-	Please stand for the reading of this alter.	9:22
	For You formed my inward parts.	9:30
	You knit me together in my mother's womb.	9:33
	I praise You, for You are fearful and wonderful.	9:37
	Wonderful are Your works.	9:40
Congregation	You know me quite well.	9:43
	My frame was not hidden from you.	9:46
	When I was being made in secret,	9:49
	intricately woven in the depths of the earth,	9:52
-	[Rev. Ferree-Clark] Your eyes beheld	9:55
	my unformed substance.	9:56
	In Your book were written everyone of them,	9:59
	the days that were formed for me,	10:02
	when as yet there was none of them.	10:05
-	How precious to me are Your thoughts, oh God.	10:08
	How vast is the sum of them.	10:11
	If I would count them, they are more than the sand.	10:14
	When I awake, I am still with You.	10:19
	(organ music)	10:22
	(muffled singing)	10:31
	(organ music)	11:49
	♪ Oh, sing unto the Lord, singing a new song ♪	12:00
	♪ Sing unto the Lord ♪	12:07
	♪ Oh sing unto the Lord ♪
	♪ Oh sing unto ♪	12:11
	♪ Singing a new song ♪
	♪ Oh sing unto ♪	12:17
	♪ Oh sing unto the Lord ♪	12:20
	♪ Oh sing unto the Lord ♪
	♪ Oh sing unto the Lord, blessing His holy name ♪	12:30
	♪ Oh sing unto the Lord, blessing His holy name ♪	12:37
	♪ Declare His glory ♪	12:44
	♪ Declare His glory ♪	12:46
	♪ In every nation ♪	12:48
	♪ Show forth His salvation ♪	12:51
	♪ His salvation, His salvation ♪	12:56
	♪ Declare His glory ♪	13:01
	♪ Declare His glory ♪	13:04
	♪ Declare His glory to the nations ♪	13:06
	♪ And to all people ♪	13:11
	♪ Declare to all people of His love and His glory ♪	13:15
	♪ Show His love ♪	13:24
	♪ Show His marvelous glory ♪	13:31
-	Today's gospel is from the Gospel according to Luke.	14:05
	Now, as they went on their way, He entered a village,	14:11
	and a woman named Martha received Him into her house.	14:16
	And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet	14:21
	and listened to His teaching.	14:26
	But Martha was distracted with much serving,	14:28
	and she went to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care	14:32
	that my sister has left me to serve alone?	14:36
	Tell her then, to help me."	14:40
	But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha,	14:42
	you are troubled with many things.	14:46
	One thing is needful, and Mary has chosen the good portion,	14:51
	which shall not be taken away from her."	14:56
	Here ends the lesson.	15:00
	A few weeks back I was invited to speak	15:07
	at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.	15:10
	And I left Durham on the last flight for Philadelphia.	15:16
	The plane was late in getting in.	15:20
	And then after a one hour, hair raising,	15:24
	fifty dollar cab ride	15:26
	through the darkened streets of Philadelphia,	15:27
	I was deposited at the front door of the Lutheran Seminary.	15:30
	Everything was dark.	15:37
	It was now nearly midnight.	15:39
	I had no idea where I was supposed to stay.	15:43
	And so I wandered through the drizzling rain,	15:46
	in the darkness, Willy Loman like, suitcase in hand,	15:48
	knocking on this door and then that door,	15:52
	hoping that someone would let me in.	15:54
	But everything was shut up tight, and it was dark.	15:58
	I saw one light still burning in a home	16:02
	on the edge of campus.	16:06
	And in desperation I went to that door,	16:08
	banged on the back door.	16:11
	A woman peered out at me through the closed door.	16:14
	And through the closed door I tried to explain to her	16:19
	who I was and what I was doing there.	16:21
	As it turned out, she opened the door,	16:25
	her husband was the only person I knew	16:29
	at the Lutheran Theological Seminary,	16:31
	John Vannorsdall, its president who had preached here.	16:33
	And Pat Vannorsdall graciously let me come in,	16:37
	and she made phone calls in my behalf,	16:41
	and eventually got me where I was supposed to go.	16:43
	But before she did, Pat said,	16:49
	"You know, this is a tough neighborhood,	16:51
	and I would never normally open the door for someone	16:53
	when John isn't at home.	16:57
	But I looked out and could tell that you were harmless."	16:59
	(laughter)	17:04
	Harmless.	17:11
	A Methodist preacher roaming around Philadelphia	17:11
	at midnight.	17:14
	Harmless.	17:15
	But I can tell you this, if you're a woman alone,	17:19
	you be careful how you open your door to strangers.	17:23
	For it can be great to be on the receiving end	17:29
	of hospitality offered a stranger,	17:33
	but sometimes it is not all that great	17:35
	to be on the giving end of hospitality.	17:38
	Which brings us to our scripture lessons for today.	17:45
	For both of the scripture lessons from the Old Testament	17:50
	and from the Gospel, speak of women	17:53
	who open their door to traveling strangers.	17:56
	And for these acts of hospitality they were surprised.	18:01
	First, there was this wealthy woman over in Shunem.	18:08
	And any time that Prophet Elisha happened to be in town,	18:14
	she always invited him over for lunch.	18:18
	For fried chicken, and gravy, and rice, and squash.	18:22
	It's in the Bible, Second Kings.	18:25
	One day she said to her husband, "I tell you Abe,	18:29
	this bald headed preacher is a prophet of God.	18:34
	We ought to do something nice for him,	18:40
	like build on a room.	18:42
	And then whenever he comes through town	18:44
	he can stay here with us."	18:45
	And this she did.	18:48
	And Prophet Elisha loved that room.	18:51
	Loved it as much as he loved that woman's cooking.	18:54
	In my grandmother's house there was a room,	18:59
	in the front of the home,	19:02
	that my grandmother used to refer to	19:04
	as the Prophet's Chamber.	19:06
	It had been built many many years ago,	19:09
	and it was a bedroom set aside	19:12
	for itinerating Methodist preachers	19:13
	who happened to be traveling across the country side.	19:16
	This is where they got the name, the Prophet's Chamber.	19:18
	Here from Second Kings,	19:21
	this room that the woman set aside for Prophet Elisha.	19:23
	And he loved that room.	19:26
	He loved it so much he said to the woman one day,	19:30
	"I want to repay you for your hospitality.	19:34
	You name anything you want and it's yours.	19:36
	If I can do a favor for you at court,	19:39
	or do something in your behalf."	19:41
	Now I told you that this woman was rich.	19:47
	She was well fixed.	19:49
	She was old.	19:51
	And she said, "What do I need?	19:52
	I live here. I got everything I need."	19:54
	So Elisha asked his servant in desperation,	19:57
	"Now what can you give an old lady whose got everything?"	20:01
	And the servant said, "Well, she's got everything,	20:05
	but she doesn't have children."	20:07
	And Elisha said, "Great idea.	20:13
	I'll give her a child.	20:17
	Call her in, I'll give her the news."	20:18
	And so Elisha says to her,	20:21
	"Before this year is out,	20:26
	you shall, when the time comes, embrace a son."	20:30
	"Embrace a what?" She said, as she turned up the volume	20:36
	on her hearing aid.	20:39
	"Young man, do you know how old I am?	20:41
	Have you ever gotten a look at my husband?"	20:43
	But nine months later, the Thursday afternoon book club	20:46
	really had something to talk about.	20:50
	(laughter)	20:52
	Moral of the first story,	20:53
	you be careful about being nice to prophets.	20:56
	Maybe a cup of tea, a light lunch,	21:00
	but you be wary of overnight sleepovers.	21:03
	Which brings us to the second story.	21:07
	There were a couple of sisters who lived over in Bethany.	21:10
	And one was named Mary, and Mary just loved to sit around	21:14
	and discuss the great ideas of the western world.	21:19
	And then there was Martha, who owned the house.	21:23
	Martha, who loved to throw big dinner parties	21:27
	and make cakes from scratch.	21:30
	Now Jesus was on the road traveling one day.	21:33
	And Martha invites Jesus in for a big meal.	21:36
	Does this remind you of the story of Shunammite woman?	21:41
	Now the first thing is to put this visit of Jesus	21:46
	to Martha's house in context.	21:49
	In the context of the Gospel of Luke.	21:51
	How many of you were here last Sunday?	21:53
	You remember what the story was last Sunday?	21:56
	The one immediately preceding this in the Gospel of Luke?	21:58
	The story of the Good Samaritan.	22:02
	Jesus says there was a man traveling,	22:04
	from Jerusalem to Jericho.	22:07
	He fell among thieves.	22:09
	They beat him up, they leave him in the ditch half dead.	22:10
	Down the road, also traveling, come a priest,	22:14
	and a pious lay person, who both pass by on the other side,	22:17
	leaving this man half dead.	22:23
	Then down the road comes a third traveler.	22:26
	A lousy, Samaritan.	22:30
	And surprise, it was the Samaritan who stopped	22:33
	and helped the man in the ditch.	22:36
	The Samaritan.	22:39
	And then Jesus ends the story by saying,	22:41
	"Now, go, and do likewise.	22:44
	Do likewise."	22:48
	So let's just say that maybe Martha heard that story	22:50
	of the Good Samaritan, and she took it to heart.	22:54
	Here is Jesus, a lonely traveler out on the road,	22:58
	down toward Jerusalem.	23:02
	And so Martha, taking the story to heart says,	23:05
	"Jesus, come over to our house.	23:07
	I'll fix you, in less than an hour,	23:09
	the best kosher meal you ever ate in your life."	23:11
	You see, Martha has simply done what Jesus said to do.	23:15
	She has gone and she has done likewise.	23:19
	She's received this hungry, needy, stranger into her home.	23:23
	And there she is in the kitchen, she's working like a dog.	23:28
	This was before the days of Cuisinart or Kenmore.	23:31
	But then there's her sister, Mary,	23:34
	lounging at Jesus' feet, as Jesus explains to her	23:37
	the finer points of the Nicene Creed.	23:40
	"Hey", says Martha, wiping her dishpan hands on her apron,	23:44
	as she comes out of the kitchen.	23:48
	"Hey, Jesus.	23:49
	Would you please tell that egghead sister of mine	23:51
	to get in here in the kitchen and help me with this meal.	23:55
	Remember, go, do likewise, right Jesus?"	23:58
	"Wrong, Martha", says Jesus.	24:04
	"Settle down.	24:08
	Let's talk.	24:10
	Now doing is okay,	24:12
	but there's sometimes as much to be said for doing nothing.	24:15
	For just listening.	24:20
	For getting the point.	24:23
	And Mary knows.	24:24
	Mary knows.	24:26
	I'm not just passing through town on my way to Jerusalem.	24:29
	I'm on my way to a place called Calvary.	24:34
	I'm passing through life, to death.	24:39
	A few weeks and I'm outta here for good.	24:45
	And then you're gonna need the Word	24:48
	more than you need food.	24:54
	Your fresh baked yeast rolls are great, Martha,	24:57
	but as somebody said, you can't live alone by bread."	25:01
	Now these are tough words to speak to your host.	25:09
	And Jesus has spoken these tough words to busy Martha	25:13
	just a few verses after Luke chapter nine.	25:16
	Jesus takes a sharp left turn and heads toward Jerusalem.	25:20
	Towards Calvary.	25:25
	Towards death.	25:27
	This strange man of God that Martha has invited in	25:30
	for dinner, happens to have a cross on his back.	25:33
	And what's more, in opening her door to Jesus,	25:38
	and asking Him in, this is more than just a matter	25:44
	of whipping up a few nice things for the visiting preacher.	25:46
	It's a matter of Martha taking up her cross, as well.	25:51
	Now does this story remind you at all	25:58
	of the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman?	26:00
	You open your door to a man of God, you might get surprised.	26:05
	Because unlike, say, my intrusions,	26:11
	God's intrusions are not harmless.	26:15
	"Look,	26:23
	all I wanted was a little food,	26:24
	a little polite conversation, the tinkling of crystal,	26:29
	linen napkins", said the old lady.	26:32
	But what she got was a trip from the geriatric ward	26:38
	to the maternity ward.	26:43
	"Jesus, look, we were supposed to have a nice,	26:47
	social evening, a little chit chat.	26:50
	Perhaps a collection of canned goods and old clothes	26:54
	for the less fortunate among us.	26:58
	But you have to go and spoil everything	26:59
	with this depressing talk of death.	27:01
	How much is this meal gonna cost me anyway, Jesus?"	27:06
	You open your door to God, that's okay.	27:12
	But just remember,	27:16
	this is a real God.	27:19
	This is a living, great God.	27:22
	Not some pale, make believe, tame, toned down,	27:24
	housebroken image of ourselves.	27:28
	This isn't some little deity you can bring over	27:32
	for cookies and a chat.	27:35
	You break bread at the table of the Living God,	27:37
	and you just don't know how you're gonna be surprised.	27:41
	It's in the Bible.	27:46
	That Shunammite woman.	27:48
	Suppose a lot like us.	27:51
	She was well fixed.	27:54
	She was well fixed.	27:58
	But her life was still fixed.	28:01
	Well fixed can be, well, fixed.	28:05
	The diamonds are nice,	28:11
	and the spring cruise to the Bahamas with the girls.	28:12
	But at her age, with no child,	28:16
	which in that part of the day, and that world	28:18
	meant absolutely no future.	28:21
	About all that was left for her was	28:25
	just to settle down with what is.	28:27
	To adjust to the status quo, put a new carpet in the den,	28:29
	add a wing on for the nice, new, young preacher.	28:33
	Her life was fixed.	28:37
	And then she opened her door one day	28:42
	to that bald headed prophet,	28:44
	and finds that Reverend Elisha is more a man of God	28:47
	even than she imagined.	28:52
	And Elisha gave her more than her heart's desire.	28:57
	He gave her what she did not ask for,	29:01
	because she dared not ask for it.	29:03
	She couldn't even conceive of a future different	29:05
	from the one that she was fixed in.	29:09
	God's presence sometimes intrudes,	29:13
	not always giving us what we ask for,	29:17
	but sometimes giving us more than even we conceived of.	29:19
	Martha opened her door to similar divine intrusion.	29:27
	Conventional rabbis in that day	29:34
	did not go to the homes of unmarried women.	29:37
	Much less	29:42
	spoil and throw away their sacred teaching	29:44
	on the ears of women.	29:49
	But there is Jesus, visiting in this woman's house,	29:53
	teaching them.	29:58
	In other words, He has just made Mary and Martha	30:00
	His disciples.	30:04
	And when He makes them His disciples,	30:06
	He's not going to patronize them.	30:08
	He isn't going to spoon feed them	30:10
	with a bunch of silly little religious platitudes.	30:12
	He's going to give them His teaching with both barrels.	30:15
	He is going to tell them everything there is to know.	30:19
	Even though what there is to know about Him,	30:24
	this truth is not easily followed or lived,	30:26
	is ambiguous, and sometimes difficult to understand,	30:30
	He's giving them what He has, as His disciples.	30:34
	And so Martha, just like her Shunammite sister,	30:40
	receives a gift from God.	30:43
	But like that given to the one woman in Shunem,	30:45
	it wasn't the gift that Martha expected.	30:52
	She just thought she was going to have this man over,	30:57
	and do what Near Eastern women	31:00
	are supposed to do for Near Eastern men.	31:01
	To serve them.	31:04
	But to her surprise, she ends up getting served.	31:06
	She, with her sister Mary, is taken seriously.	31:11
	Given opportunity to be a full disciple	31:18
	of the one who proclaims this intruding,	31:23
	barrier breaking truth of God.	31:26
	The living God.	31:31
	And so the moral of the lesson is,	31:34
	be careful to whom you open your door.	31:38
	Be careful whom you invite to sit at your table.	31:43
	A pastor in Florida told me of how her congregation	31:50
	had become involved with the city's homeless in her town.	31:54
	She said that we knew that we had a homeless problem.	32:01
	We often left church meetings in the evening,	32:03
	and we could see these homeless people	32:07
	sleeping on the sidewalk just outside of the church.	32:09
	One night there was a terrible tragedy	32:13
	and one of the homeless men was killed.	32:15
	Right outside our church door.	32:18
	So she said to her congregation,	32:21
	"Why don't we do something nice for homeless people?	32:24
	We got this big building here.	32:28
	We got this nice fellowship hall.	32:30
	Hey, why don't we just invite them into	32:33
	the fellowship hall in the evening and let them stay here?"	32:34
	Why not, it seemed like a good Christian thing to do.	32:38
	They opened the doors of their fellowship hall	32:42
	on that first evening,	32:44
	and fifty five homeless men showed up.	32:46
	Now she told me, she said,	32:52
	"You put fifty five homeless men	32:53
	in the basement of your church,	32:55
	and something's gonna happen."	32:58
	She said, "For the first thing we found out,	33:01
	is that we'd never actually met any homeless men.	33:03
	We could afford to go out and be so nice to them,	33:06
	'cause we didn't know who they were."	33:09
	"The first thing" she said, "we discovered is,	33:12
	that many of these people are homeless for a reason."	33:15
	Anybody else, a family would have said,	33:21
	"Uncle George, you're down on your luck,	33:24
	why don't you stay with us and the kids	33:26
	until you can get yourself back on your feet?"	33:28
	No, these were people who had been told by their families,	33:31
	"Uncle George, you're crazy.	33:34
	We have had it with you.	33:35
	Get out."	33:36
	So she said, "We had a basement full of fifty five	33:38
	Uncle George's."	33:41
	Somebody went down one night to fix some supper,	33:43
	had her pocket book stolen.	33:46
	Somebody else went down to kind of keep order,	33:48
	ended up being assaulted.	33:51
	It was tough.	33:53
	We drew back.	33:54
	We said, "Wait a minute, we just wanted to go out	33:56
	and do something nice for some deserving people.	33:59
	What are we gonna do?"	34:03
	She said, "Our church was faced with two options.	34:06
	Option one, kick them out of the church, lock the doors.	34:09
	Option two was,	34:15
	could we be the sort of church	34:18
	who is able to welcome in fifty five needy strangers	34:22
	into our house, and live through it?	34:26
	By the grace of God, she says, we chose the latter.	34:32
	In the next few weeks we devised medical care,	34:36
	and counseling services, and food bank,	34:39
	and hand holding,	34:42
	and our church got born again.	34:46
	We were transformed from just a nice little, pleasant,	34:50
	religious club, polishing our little club house,	34:53
	to an honest to God church, that could take bold,	35:00
	risky moves, and receive the stranger.	35:05
	Those homeless men forced us to be a church.	35:11
	And when we let them in the door of our fellowship hall	35:15
	somebody else came in with them.	35:18
	You know who it was?"	35:21
	And I said, "Was it the One who said,	35:24
	in as much as you've done it unto the least of these,	35:30
	my brothers, you do it to me?"	35:33
	"Right", she said.	35:38
	Now I wonder, if in your life right now,	35:44
	there could be a knock at the door?	35:51
	I wonder, I'm just asking, I wonder if where you're living	35:56
	there is some stranger waiting for you to open up.	36:02
	Maybe some tug at the heart, or tap upon your door.	36:08
	Would you let Him in?	36:18
	If you do, be careful.	36:22
	Behold, I stand at the door and I knock.	36:27
	Amen.	36:32
	(organ music)	36:39
	(muffled singing)	37:24
-	The Lord be with you.	39:51
Congregation	And also with you.	39:53
-	Let us pray.	39:55
	Oh God of earth and alter, Creator of the universe,	40:07
	we bow before Thee in humility and in hope.	40:12
	Thy ways have not been our ways,	40:17
	neither have Thy thoughts been our thoughts.	40:20
	We are too busy managing the affairs of our own lives	40:23
	to be receptive to Thy word.	40:27
	Yet Thou hast not forsaken us,	40:30
	even as we live in our tangled web of anxiety,	40:33
	and distractions.	40:37
	In Thy mercy grant us Thy light, and Thy truth.	40:40
	Let them lead us from the path of confusion,	40:44
	toward the way of the cross.	40:48
	Oh God, who are the hope of the ends of the earth,	40:51
	hear us while we pray.	40:54
	Let us pray for those who practice hospitality,	40:58
	and are sensitive to the needs of others.	41:02
	For all who live lives committed to service,	41:06
	and for those who provide every day services	41:09
	in our own communities, seen, but not often heard.	41:12
	Let us pray for all who are hindered in the race of life	41:19
	through no fault of their own.	41:22
	For the disabled, the handicapped, and the weak.	41:24
	Let us pray for all whose livelihood is insecure.	41:30
	For the hungry, the hopeless, and the destitute.	41:34
	For those who are overworked, downtrodden,	41:39
	and disappointed in life.	41:43
	Let us pray for children whose surroundings	41:47
	hide them from Your love and beauty.	41:49
	For those who suffer because of strife at home,	41:53
	and for those who struggle to maintain peace	41:57
	within their families.	42:01
	Let us pray for prisoners and captives,	42:04
	and for all who live within war torn countries.	42:07
	For all who are suffering	42:11
	because of their faithfulness to truth,	42:12
	and for those who have to bear their burdens alone.	42:16
	Let us pray for those who are in doubt,	42:21
	and must endure the dark night of the soul.	42:24
	For those who are blinded by mistrust and cynicism.	42:28
	And for those who suffer through their wrongdoing,	42:33
	or self pity.	42:36
	Let us pray for the sick, and the infirm.	42:39
	For all who are growing weary with the journey of life.	42:43
	For all who are passing through the valley of death.	42:47
	And for those who walk with them.	42:50
	Let us pray for those burdened with the weight of malice	42:55
	and ill will.	42:58
	For those harboring deep resentments,	42:59
	who know not the grace of forgiveness.	43:02
	Let us pray for all who suffer because of natural disasters	43:06
	or other unexpected hardships,	43:09
	and for the victims of recent air disasters	43:12
	on United and Philippines airlines	43:15
	and for their families.	43:18
	Let us pray for the unspoken needs of this congregation,	43:21
	and for all who are forgotten by us, but dear to Thee.	43:25
	Oh kind and gracious God, we beseech Thee to grant us hope,	43:31
	which will rise above frustration,	43:37
	patience which will endure the strain of waiting,	43:40
	and openness to Thy word,	43:44
	which enables us to open our hearts unto Thee.	43:46
	This we pray for Thy loves sake.	43:51
	Amen.	43:54
	And now in the spirit of Thanksgiving,	43:58
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves unto God.	43:59
	(organ music)	44:11
	♪ - Draw near all ye people ♪	45:25
	♪ Come to Me ♪	45:32
	(Organ music)	45:39
	♪ Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel ♪	46:09
	♪ This day let it be known ♪	46:21
	♪ That Thou art God ♪	46:26
	♪ And I am Thy servant ♪	46:33
	♪ Lord God of Abraham ♪	46:39
	♪ Oh shew to all this people ♪	46:48
	♪ That I have done these things ♪	46:56
	♪ According to Thy word. ♪	47:04
	♪ Oh hear me, Lord ♪	47:11
	♪ And answer me ♪	47:15
	♪ Lord hear me God, and answer me. ♪	47:21
	♪ Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel ♪	47:36
	♪ Oh hear me, oh hear me, and answer me ♪	47:46
	♪ And shew this people that Thou art Lord God ♪	47:58
	♪ And let their hearts again be turned. ♪	48:11
	♪ Oh shew this people that Thou art Lord God ♪	48:20
	♪ And let their hearts again be turned. ♪	48:32
	♪ Ohhhhhh ♪	48:48
	♪ And let their hearts, ♪	48:56
	♪ and let their hearts again be turned ♪	49:00
	♪ Cast thy burden upon the Lord ♪	49:22
	♪ And He shall sustain thee ♪	49:35
	♪ He never will suffer the righteous to fall ♪	49:46
	♪ He is at thy right hand ♪	49:58
	♪ Thy mercy, Lord, is great, ♪	50:11
	♪ and far above the heavens, ♪	50:21
	♪ Let none be made ashamed, ♪	50:32
	♪ that wait upon Thee. ♪	50:44
	(organ music)	51:04
	(muffled signing)	51:26
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia, ♪	51:39
	(muffled singing)	51:47
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia, ♪	52:01
	♪ Alleluia, Alleluia, ♪	52:07
	♪ Alleluia, ♪	52:15
	♪ Amen ♪	52:23
-	Accept oh Lord, our thanks and praise	52:33
	for all that You have done for us.	52:36
	We thank You for the splendor of the whole creation	52:39
	and for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life	52:42
	and for the mystery of love.	52:46
	We thank You for the blessing of family and friends,	52:48
	and for the loving care	52:52
	which surrounds us on every side.	52:53
	We thank You for setting us at tasks	52:55
	which demand our best efforts.	52:58
	And for leading us to accomplishments	53:00
	which satisfy and delight us.	53:02
	We thank You, also for those disappointments and failures	53:05
	that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on You alone.	53:09
	Above all, we thank You for your Son, Jesus Christ,	53:13
	and the truth of His word, and the example of His life,	53:16
	for His steadfast obedience,	53:21
	by which He overcame temptation.	53:23
	For His dying, through which He overcame death,	53:25
	and for His rising to life again,	53:28
	in which we are raised to the life of Your kingdom.	53:31
	Grant us the gift of Your spirit,	53:34
	that we may know Him, and make Him known,	53:36
	and through Him, at all times, and in all places,	53:39
	may give thanks to You in all things.	53:43
	This we pray in the name of the One	53:46
	who taught us boldly to pray.	53:48
	Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by They name,	53:51
	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,	53:55
	on earth, as it is in Heaven.	53:58
	Give us this day, our daily bread,	54:01
	and forgive us our trespasses,	54:03
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	54:05
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	54:09
	For Thine is the kingdom, the power,	54:13
	and the glory, forever, amen.	54:16
	(organ music)	54:20
	(muffled singing)	55:03
-	And now go forth in peace, and be of good courage.	58:08
	Hold fast that which is good,	58:12
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Sprit.	58:14
	And may the blessings of God,	58:17
	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,	58:19
	be with you all, now and forever more.	58:21
	Amen.	58:24
	♪ Alleluia, amen, amen ♪	58:26
	(organ music)	58:38

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "Harmless Hospitality" (July 23, 1989)

Description:

Sermon start time: 15:07. Sermon end time: 36:33.
The preacher parallels the hospitality of the Shunamite woman to the prophet Elisha with the hospitality of Martha to Jesus. He argues that although the act of hospitality might bring intrusion and inconvenience to one’s life, God always repays abundantly to those who show hospitality to the people of God. The sermon ends with a story of a church transformed by accommodating people who are homeless into their sanctuary. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “You open your door to God, that’s ok. But just remember, this is a real God. This is a living, great God…You break bread at the table of the living God, and you just don’t know how you’re gonna be surprised.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4fq9qm6d

Date:

July 23, 1989

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0141
ref8649_4ph
uachapelsermaud
duke:321453
dcrmv001137
ark:/87924/r4fq9qm6d
49a580f1-937a-422b-ad59-423b3f3b33bc

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 - "Harmless Hospitality" (July 23, 1989)

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1. William H. Willimon - "Harmless Hospitality" (July 23, 1989)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "Harmless Hospitality" (July 23, 1989)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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