Paula E. Gilbert - "Dreams and Journeys: From Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth" (January 2, 1983)

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Title:
Paula E. Gilbert - "Dreams and Journeys: From Bethlehem to Egypt to Nazareth" (January 2, 1983)
Description:

  • Sermon start time: (Part 1) 25:45. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 1:51.

  • Through the story of the flight into Egypt, necessitated by the cruel tyrant Herod and watched over by the ordinary but faithful Joseph, Gilbert reminds us that the joy of the nativity quickly gives way to harsh realities; Jesus is God-with-us and hence knows, like us, what it is to be forced to wander. Nevertheless, ordinary Joseph-types can be assured that there is a story going on beyond their own faithful actions and beyond tyrants' schemings: God is active in the world, Christ is still king while on the run, and Egypt is not the final word in the story. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

  • Key quotation: In the final analysis, the Gospel reading today from Matthew is not Herod's story. Herod's massacre of the children at Bethlehem was an empty victory, for he achieved nothing by it except another senseless atrocity. It is also not Joseph's story, though Joseph was a just and righteous servant of the Lord. It is the rather the story of dreams and journeys, of visions of God Almighty ruling the world he made and guiding all weary travelers through the darkness of the evil of the world, and it is the story of journeys, of journeys made by the faithful one, the Christ, and by all those who would be his disciples, a journey made from darkness into ultimate light.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4g44j48k
Date:
January 2, 1983
Speaker:
Gilbert, Paula E., 1952-
Liturgical Calendar:
Christmas
Biblical Book:
Matthew
Chapter and Verse:
Matthew 2:13-23
Subject:
Contributor:
Duke University. Chapel
Identifier:
  • UA.17.01.0003 CS-0124
  • ref7771_zth
  • uachapelsermaud
  • duke:320568
  • dcrau001115
  • ark:/87924/r4g44j48k
  • 63ea74a3-6451-4613-af11-8af07364ba1b
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
Educational Use Permitted
Rights Note:
This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.
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