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