Ann I. Hoch - "Through Thick and Through Thin" (June 21, 1992)

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	(dramatic organ music)	0:00
	(organ crescendo)	0:51
	(organ decrescendo)	1:20
	(final organ note)	2:03
-	[Debra Brazzel Assistant Dean] Good morning.	2:23
	We welcome you to do chapel,	2:23
	and would like to extend a special welcome	2:25
	to the fathers who are in our midst.	2:28
	As we give thanks for the many ways	2:30
	that they have blessed and touched our lives.	2:33
	Our guest preacher today is the Reverend Anne Hoque.	2:36
	She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church	2:40
	and a graduate of Austin College	2:43
	and Austin Presbyterian Seminary.	2:44
	She's in the process of completing her PhD	2:48
	at Princeton Theological Seminary	2:50
	and currently serves as an administrator	2:52
	in the Duke Divinity School.	2:55
	It is our pleasure to welcome her	2:57
	in a return visit to Duke Chapel.	2:58
	Please stand as we continue our worship with a greeting.	3:01
	"We gather, not as rigid keepers of the law,	3:11
	"but as responsible people of faith."	3:15
Congregation	We gather not as (murmurs) and saints	3:18
	but as sinners (murmurs).	3:22
-	"As many of you as were baptized into Christ,	3:26
	"have put on the character and outlook of Jesus."	3:29
Congregation	We are spiritual offspring (murmurs)	3:34
	heirs to Christ according to His promise.	3:38
-	"In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek,	3:42
	"slave nor free, male nor female."	3:45
Congregation	(murmur)	3:50
	We are all one in Christ Jesus.	3:53
	(soft organ "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart")	3:58
	♪ Rejoice, ye pure in heart ♪	4:30
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	4:36
	♪ Your festal banner wave on high ♪	4:41
	♪ The cross of Christ your King ♪	4:46
	♪ Rejoice ♪	4:51
	♪ Rejoice ♪	4:54
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	4:57
	♪ Bright youth and snow-crowned age ♪	5:04
	♪ Both men and women, raise ♪	5:09
	♪ On high your free, exulting song ♪	5:14
	♪ Declare God's wondrous praise ♪	5:19
	♪ Rejoice ♪	5:25
	♪ Rejoice ♪	5:27
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	5:30
	♪ Still lift your standard high ♪	5:37
	♪ Still chanting as you go ♪	5:42
	♪ From youth to age ♪	5:47
	♪ By night and day ♪	5:50
	♪ In gladness and in woe ♪	5:53
	♪ Rejoice ♪	5:58
	♪ Rejoice ♪	6:01
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	6:04
	♪ At last the march shall end ♪	6:11
	♪ The wearied ones shall rest ♪	6:16
	♪ The pilgrims reach their home at last ♪	6:22
	♪ Jerusalem ♪	6:27
	♪ The blest ♪	6:30
	♪ Rejoice ♪	6:33
	♪ Rejoice ♪	6:35
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	6:38
	(dramatic organ music)	6:45
	♪ Praise God, who reigns on high ♪	7:05
	♪ The Lord whom we adore ♪	7:10
	♪ The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	7:16
	♪ One God forevermore ♪	7:22
	♪ Rejoice ♪	7:28
	♪ Rejoice ♪	7:30
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	7:33
-	Let us pray.	7:45
	Oh, God of Creation's beauty and power.	7:49
	Creator of all things and time and space.	7:53
	We praise you.	7:57
	Jesus Christ, who had power on earth to calm the seas,	7:59
	the winds, and the human spirit.	8:05
	We worship you.	8:09
	Holy Spirit, source of new creation in our souls.	8:12
	We open ourselves to you.	8:17
	May our amazement at your creative power	8:20
	move us to live on this earth as heirs	8:24
	according to your promise.	8:27
	As your children, according to your love.	8:29
	In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray.	8:33
	Amen.	8:36
	You may be seated.	8:38
	(shuffling)	8:40
-	Let us pray together	8:52
	the prayer for illumination.	8:53
-	[Congregation And Speaker]	8:55
	"Open our hearts and minds, oh God,	8:56
	"by the power of your Holy Spirit.	8:59
	"So that, as the Word is read and proclaimed,	9:02
	"we might hear with joy what You say to us this day.	9:06
	"Amen."	9:11
	The first reading is taken	9:14
	from the third chapter of Paul's letter to the Galatians,	9:15
	starting with the 23rd verse.	9:19
	"Now before faith came,	9:24
	"we were imprisoned and guarded under the law	9:25
	"until faith would be revealed.	9:29
	"Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came,	9:33
	"so that we might be justified by faith.	9:37
	"But now that faith has come,	9:41
	"we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian,	9:44
	"for in Christ Jesus	9:48
	"you are all children of God through faith.	9:50
	"As many of you as were baptized into Christ	9:54
	"have clothed yourselves with Christ.	9:58
	"There is no longer Jew or Greek,	10:02
	"there is no longer slave or free,	10:05
	"there is no longer male or female;	10:09
	"for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.	10:13
	"And if you belong to Christ,	10:17
	"then you are Abraham's offspring,	10:19
	"heirs according to the promise."	10:22
	This is the Word of the Lord.	10:25
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	10:28
	(steps approaching)	10:43
-	Today's Psalm is Psalm 42.	10:47
	Verses 1 through 12 on page 777 in the hymnal.	10:49
	Please stand and sing responsively.	10:54
	(slow organ music)	10:57
	♪ As a deer longs for flowing streams ♪	11:03
	♪ So longs my soul for you, oh God ♪	11:08
	♪ My soul thirsts for God, for the living God ♪	11:14
	♪ When shall I come and behold the face of God ♪	11:21
	♪ My tears have been my food day and night ♪	11:28
	♪ While people say to me continually ♪	11:33
	♪ Where is your God ♪	11:36
	♪ These things I remember as I pour out my soul ♪	11:40
	♪ How I would go in procession ♪	11:47
	♪ To the house of God ♪	11:53
	♪ With glad shouts and songs of His praise ♪	11:57
	♪ A multitude keeping festival ♪	12:03
	♪ Why are you cast down ♪	12:09
	♪ O my soul ♪	12:11
	♪ And why are you disquieted within me ♪	12:13
	♪ Hope in God ♪	12:19
	♪ Who yet I shall praise ♪	12:21
	♪ My help and my God ♪	12:25
	♪ My soul is cast down within me ♪	12:30
	♪ Therefore I remember you ♪	12:33
	♪ From the land of Jordan and of the Hermon ♪	12:37
	♪ from Mount Mizar ♪	12:40
	♪ Deep calls to deep ♪	12:43
	♪ At the noise of your cataracts ♪	12:45
	♪ All your waves and billows ♪	12:50
	♪ Are gone over me ♪	12:54
	♪ By day the Lord commands His steadfast love ♪	12:58
	♪ And at night God's song is with me ♪	13:03
	♪ A prayer to the God of my life ♪	13:07
	♪ I say to God, my rock ♪	13:11
	♪ Why have you forgotten me ♪	13:15
	♪ Why do I mourn ♪	13:20
	♪ because of the oppression of the enemy ♪	13:22
	♪ Like a deadly wound in my body ♪	13:28
	♪ My adversaries taunt me ♪	13:31
	♪ They say to me continually ♪	13:35
	♪ Where is your God ♪	13:38
	♪ Why are you cast down ♪	13:42
	♪ O my soul ♪	13:44
	♪ And why are you disquieted within me ♪	13:47
	♪ Hope in God ♪	13:52
	♪ For because I shall praise ♪	13:54
	♪ My help and my God ♪	13:58
	♪ All glory be to You ♪	14:03
	♪ Creator ♪	14:06
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	14:07
	♪ And to the Holy Spirit ♪	14:11
	♪ As Trinity ♪	14:14
	♪ As it was ere time began ♪	14:17
	♪ It now and will be forever more ♪	14:21
	(organ decrescendo)	14:28
-	This reading is from the Gospel	14:44
	according to Saint Luke, Chapter 9.	14:46
	Beginning with the 18th verse.	14:48
	"Once when Jesus was praying alone	14:52
	"with only the disciples near Him, he asked them,	14:54
	"'Who do the crowds say that I am?'	14:57
	"They answered, 'John the Baptist; but others Elijah;	15:01
	"and still others, that one of the ancient prophets	15:06
	"has arisen.'	15:09
	"He said to them, 'But, who do you say that I am?'	15:10
	"Peter answered, 'The Messiah of God.'	15:15
	"He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone.	15:19
	"Saying, 'The Son of Man must undergo great suffering	15:23
	"and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes,	15:28
	"and be killed and on the third day be raised.'	15:32
	"Then he said to them all:	15:37
	"'If any want to become my followers,	15:39
	"let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily	15:42
	"and follow me.	15:46
	"For those who want to save their life will lose it,	15:48
	"and those who lose their life for my sake, will save it.'"	15:52
	This is the Word of the Lord.	15:57
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	16:00
	(soft organ music)	16:03
	(angelic voices in chorus)	16:51
-	This lesson is from the first book of Kings,	20:45
	the 19th Chapter, beginning to read at the 9th verse.	20:49
	"At Mount Horeb he came to a cave	20:59
	"and spent the night there.	21:04
	"Then the Word of the Lord came to Elijah saying,	21:07
	"'What are you doing here, Elijah?'	21:12
	"He answered, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord,	21:16
	"the God of Hosts.	21:21
	"For the Israelites have forsaken your covenant,	21:23
	"thrown down your altars,	21:26
	"and killed your prophets with the sword.	21:29
	"I alone, am left,	21:33
	"and they are seeking my life to take it away.'	21:35
	"He said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord,	21:42
	"for the Lord is about to pass by.'	21:47
	"Now, there was a great wind.	21:51
	"So strong that it was splitting mountains	21:53
	"and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord.	21:56
	"But the Lord was not in the wind.	22:01
	"And after the wind an earthquake,	22:05
	"but the Lord was not in the earthquake.	22:09
	"And after the earthquake a fire,	22:13
	"but the Lord was not in the fire.	22:16
	"And after the fire	22:21
	"the sound of sheer silence.	22:24
	"When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle	22:29
	"and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.	22:35
	"Then there came a voice to him that said,	22:39
	"'What are you doing here, Elijah?'	22:43
	"He answered, 'I have been very zealous for the Lord	22:47
	"the God of Hosts.	22:52
	"For the Israelites have forsaken your covenant,	22:54
	"thrown down your altars,	22:58
	"and killed your prophets with the sword.	23:00
	"I alone am left and they are seeking my life	23:04
	"to take it away.'	23:08
	"Then Lord said to him,	23:11
	"'Go. Return on your way,	23:13
	"to the wilderness of Damascus.'"	23:17
	This is the Word of the Lord.	23:21
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	23:25
-	Earth quake, wind, and fire;	23:33
	they are the stuff of religious drama.	23:40
	Earth quake, wind and fire;	23:45
	they are the environment of God.	23:49
	Violently heaving earth,	23:54
	madly rushing wind,	23:57
	wildly raging fire	24:00
	are the heralds of God's presence.	24:04
	The advanced announcers of God.	24:07
	Like the drum roll that announces a star entertainer,	24:12
	they are the advanced notice.	24:18
	Straight from the holocaust of Mount Carmel,	24:21
	LIVE: Here is God.	24:25
	Through the thick of it,	24:30
	and it is like that sometimes,	24:34
	I suppose.	24:37
	Did not some people hear the rolling thunder	24:40
	when Jesus could have sworn it was God talking?	24:45
	According to the Gospel of John.	24:50
	And sober citizens of Jerusalem	24:53
	thought the followers of Jesus	24:57
	had been drinking too much 'fire water',	24:59
	when the disciples just knew.	25:03
	It was the tongues of fire	25:06
	alighting as God's Spirit burned within them.	25:09
	And did not God	25:15
	chase Jonah all over the sea?	25:18
	Hurling a great wind	25:22
	and hauling Jonah in after a 'fishy' trip.	25:25
	Yes,	25:32
	sometimes the voice of God.	25:34
	The word of the Lord.	25:38
	God's tangible presence,	25:41
	is thick.	25:45
	Almost touchable.	25:47
	The psalmist knew it.	25:51
	Then the earth reeled and rocked.	25:54
	The foundations, also, of the mountains	25:58
	trembled and quaked	26:01
	because God was angry.	26:05
	Smoke went up and devouring fire,	26:07
	glowing coals flamed forth.	26:12
	Is there any doubt about Whom the psalmist is speaking?	26:16
	God rode on a cherub, flew through the air,	26:23
	swooped on the wings of the wind.	26:27
	God made darkness, His covering.	26:30
	His canopy, thick clouds dark with water.	26:34
	Out of the darkness there broke through the clouds	26:38
	hailstones and coals of fire.	26:42
	The Lord also thundered in the Heavens,	26:47
	and the Most High uttered His voice.	26:51
	Earth quake,	26:57
	wind,	26:59
	and fire.	27:01
	You bet, the heralds of God warn us,	27:03
	shake us up	27:09
	and God's presence is thick and heavy.	27:11
	Elijah knew such thick times of God's presence.	27:19
	In the Mount Carmel holocaust appearance of God,	27:23
	it was fantastically thick, this presence.	27:29
	Elijah was locked in contest with the prophets of Ba'al.	27:34
	To see who's god was real.	27:40
	The prophets of Ba'al tried all day	27:45
	to get fire to come out of the heavens	27:49
	and burn up their sacrificial offering.	27:53
	They danced.	27:57
	They shouted, and they cut themselves.	27:58
	And nothing.	28:04
	"Although, it was like beating a dead horse"	28:07
	writes Frederick Buechner in "Peculiar treasures".	28:11
	Elijah couldn't resist getting in a few digs.	28:16
	"Maybe Ba'al has flown away for the weekend."	28:22
	He said, "Maybe, Ba'al is taking a nap."	28:28
	The prophets whipped themselves	28:33
	into greater and greater frenzies under Elijah's goading,	28:35
	but by mid-afternoon	28:41
	the sacrificial offering had begun to get a little high	28:43
	and there was still no sign of fire from above.	28:48
	Then, it was Elijah's turn	28:54
	to show what Yahweh could do.	28:58
	First, he had a trench dug around the fire,	29:03
	the altar;	29:08
	and he filled it with water.	29:10
	Then he organized a bucket brigade.	29:14
	And just to make sure that pile was wet,	29:18
	he had them douse it.	29:21
	Not once, but three times.	29:24
	By the time they'd finished,	29:29
	the whole place was awash	29:31
	and Elijah looked like he'd been swimming.	29:33
	He then gave Yahweh the signal	29:38
	to put on a show	29:43
	and he jumped out of the way.	29:45
	Lightning flashed,	29:49
	the water in the trench fizzed	29:51
	like spit on a hot stove.	29:54
	Nothing was left of the offering	29:58
	but a pile of ashes	30:02
	and a scent like the fourth of July.	30:05
	The onlookers were beside themselves with enthusiasm;	30:10
	and at the signal from Elijah,	30:15
	all of those prophets were demolished,	30:19
	to the very last one.	30:23
	Nobody could say who's victory	30:27
	was the most magnificent.	30:31
	Yahweh's or Elijah's.	30:34
	Earthquake, wind and fire.	30:40
	They are indeed the stuff of religious drama	30:44
	and the environment of God.	30:50
	And through thin,	30:55
	sometimes,	30:59
	yes sometimes,	31:02
	through thick.	31:06
	And then there is always	31:08
	the rest of that old expression	31:12
	that traces back to Chaucer.	31:15
	"Through thick and through thin."	31:20
	Elijah is now going to learn	31:25
	about the thinness, too.	31:28
	God's abiding presence with us	31:33
	is not always in the thickness of things.	31:35
	In the midst of life, heavy with God's voice	31:40
	and a sense of God's guidance,	31:44
	there is that other side,	31:48
	that thin edge.	31:52
	Elijah is on the run.	31:56
	The prophets of Ba'al	31:59
	were also the prophets of Queen Jezebel,	32:01
	and she isn't hot on Elijah's trail.	32:06
	Elijah is scared.	32:12
	Convinced that he alone is faithful	32:15
	and upset that God is apparently	32:19
	not staying with the:	32:23
	earthquake, wind and fire routine;	32:25
	which was so successful at Mount Carmel.	32:29
	So, like Moses before him and Jesus after him,	32:34
	Elijah wanders in the desert wastes	32:40
	for 40 days.	32:44
	He wanders,	32:48
	but not aimlessly.	32:50
	He knows exactly where he is going,	32:52
	Mount Horeb.	32:55
	Why, Horeb?	32:58
	Because that is where God spoke before,	33:00
	and God's silence is driving Elijah wild.	33:04
	Maybe at Mount Horeb God will speak,	33:08
	as God spoke to Moses before.	33:14
	Elijah crawls into a cave,	33:19
	probably very similar to the cliff Moses hid in	33:22
	when he was hiding from God's powerful,	33:27
	awesome presence.	33:31
	And Elijah waits.	33:35
	Waits for God to speak.	33:39
	To say anything,	33:43
	and then almost as if on queue, it started.	33:46
	The earthquake, the wind and the fire;	33:51
	his old friends, were there.	33:55
	"And behold, the Lord passed by.	34:01
	"And a great and strong wind rent the mountains.	34:05
	"And broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord.	34:11
	"But the Lord was not in the wind.	34:18
	"And after the wind an earthquake,	34:23
	"but the Lord was not in the earthquake.	34:25
	"And after the earthquake a fire,	34:29
	"but the Lord was not in the fire."	34:35
	The old ways were useless.	34:41
	The mighty climatic events had failed to teach Elijah	34:43
	what God wants all of us to learn.	34:48
	Elijah had a job to do,	34:52
	but he was hiding.	34:56
	Earthquake, wind and fire.	34:59
	God was not in any of them,	35:02
	truly.	35:06
	"And after the fire	35:09
	a still small voice."	35:13
	A still small voice.	35:19
	What did Elijah hear?	35:23
	Different translations of the Bible put it differently,	35:26
	"After the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze."	35:30
	"A low murmuring sound."	35:37
	Another translation puts it even better.	35:42
	"And after the fire	35:47
	"the sound of thin silence."	35:50
	What they all are saying	35:58
	is that Elijah heard utter silence.	36:02
	There are times like that.	36:07
	Many of them	36:11
	when God's voice,	36:13
	God's word to us	36:16
	is thin silence.	36:19
	Would it not be better if we faced that?	36:23
	Would it not be more helpful	36:27
	to admit that there are thin times as well as thick times?	36:30
	And in those thin times,	36:36
	the thin edge of utter silence	36:40
	is what we all hear from God.	36:44
	And what do we do then?	36:50
	Well,	36:54
	we go on the last word we heard from the Lord	36:55
	if we have no knew word.	37:00
	Or we listen to our reaction to the situation	37:03
	and do what we can.	37:07
	What Elijah heard, according to one commentator,	37:10
	was his own gut response to the silence.	37:15
	And, he knew he better get back down off the mountain	37:20
	and into Damascus to do his job.	37:23
	The point of the story is, I believe,	37:30
	to help us see	37:35
	that we are not to expect	37:37
	the supernatural and spectacular	37:40
	in-breaking of God into history.	37:43
	Anticipated in the storm	37:46
	and wind and fire.	37:50
	Rather,	37:53
	we find it in intelligible revelation.	37:55
	It is God's direction	38:02
	in the ordinary course of our daily lives.	38:05
	It is in the thin silence of ordinary living	38:13
	that we are called upon	38:19
	to act upon God's last word.	38:22
	God's word of love	38:27
	in Jesus Christ to us.	38:30
	After all, has not humanity learned,	38:35
	really learned	38:40
	from all the earth quake, wind and fire	38:41
	of the 20th century holocausts,	38:45
	that God is not in them?	38:48
	"And behold,	38:53
	"the Lord passed by."	38:56
	Last week, a group was in Kentucky	39:01
	helping a family repair their home.	39:06
	The husband and father	39:11
	is a victim of three different debilitating diseases.	39:14
	I was shocked at how a robust looking man	39:21
	could not even use his hands.	39:26
	I was angry at the diseases	39:33
	and what they were doing	39:37
	to a gentle poor mountain man.	39:39
	I was offended	39:46
	because I was reminded	39:48
	of my own frailty and weakness.	39:51
	I thought I heard the Lord pass by	39:56
	in the silence of that man's wonderful smile.	40:02
	A sibling who lives a long distance,	40:10
	calls to say,	40:14
	"Dad had a heart attack, but he's going to be all right."	40:16
	And, in knowing that a trip is impossible	40:23
	and "what could you do if you got there anyway?"	40:28
	Maybe the Lord passes by	40:33
	in all our 'could not's.	40:38
	The sad and somewhat homely person who works the day,	40:44
	next to you, is waiting for a smile.	40:49
	Some encouragement,	40:55
	an acknowledgment of worth from you.	40:58
	And behold,	41:03
	the Lord is passing by.	41:05
	We want to hear and meet God in the music of the anthem.	41:09
	The sound of the mighty organ.	41:14
	The pios moments of prayer.	41:18
	The uplifting movements of worship.	41:21
	The rushing wind.	41:25
	The raging fire.	41:28
	And the reeling and heaving of earth.	41:31
	And that is not always the way God comes to us.	41:38
	And behold,	41:45
	the Lord passes by.	41:48
	And we still have a job to do.	41:52
	The Lord passes by	41:57
	in another's need.	42:00
	In the thin edge of someone's desperation.	42:04
	And behold, the Lord passes by	42:12
	and God is with us,	42:17
	as with Elijah	42:20
	through the thick and through the thin.	42:24
	Amen.	42:29
	(cheerful organ music)	42:36
	(choir and congregation sing)	45:19
	(organ music crescendo)	45:23
Debra Brazzel	The Lord be with you.	45:28
Congregation	And also be with you.	45:30
Debra Brazzel	Let us pray.	45:31
	Oh, God of awesome power and disquieting silence.	45:43
	We bow in adoration before You.	45:49
	How often we have sought Your voice	45:54
	in the wind, the earthquake and the fire.	45:57
	In heavenly displays of power and might,	46:02
	yet You most often wait for us in silence	46:07
	and stillness.	46:13
	Help us, oh God, to slow the pace of our lives	46:18
	so that we might learn how to listen.	46:22
	So that we might learn to hear Your small still voice	46:26
	in the ordinary times and places of our lives.	46:31
	Teach us the beauty of silence, especially in Your presence,	46:36
	until we learn the ways of divine human dialogue.	46:42
	Break down the barriers which separate us from You,	46:47
	so that You might become a very real	46:51
	and guiding force in our lives.	46:54
	For we know that as the barriers	46:58
	between You and us are broken down,	46:59
	so also will the barriers between all Your human children,	47:03
	come tumbling down.	47:08
	Only then will the vision of humanity	47:11
	that You have revealed to us through Jesus Christ our Lord,	47:13
	become a reality.	47:19
	We pray this morning	47:21
	for that time when all people will be one in Christ.	47:23
	When all people will live as Your children.	47:28
	Oh God, we also come before You, thanking You	47:33
	for Your faithfulness to us through thick and through thin.	47:36
	When things are going well in our lives,	47:43
	it's easy to believe in Your providential care.	47:45
	It's easy to give You thanks	47:50
	for our abundance,	47:52
	health,	47:55
	jobs,	47:57
	families.	47:59
	For, we know that none of this would be possible	48:01
	a part from You.	48:04
	It is harder for us to recognize Your presence	48:07
	and Your providential care	48:10
	when things aren't going well in our lives.	48:12
	When we've lost our jobs.	48:16
	When we face illness or want.	48:19
	When our families betray us.	48:23
	When we feel loneliness and despair.	48:26
	Oh God, remind us that You stand waiting for us	48:31
	with arms outstretched to give comfort and strength	48:35
	in these difficult times of our lives.	48:39
	We often forget or deny that our faithfulness to You	48:44
	and Your faithfulness to us,	48:49
	does not mean freedom from pain or trouble.	48:51
	Pain and trouble are part of life just as the wind,	48:55
	the earthquake and the fire are part of life.	48:59
	Jesus told His disciples	49:03
	that all who would become His followers	49:05
	must pick up their cross daily and follow Him.	49:08
	All of us have crosses that we must bear,	49:13
	but You have also promised that we do not bear them alone.	49:16
	And, Jesus the Christ has shown us the way of the cross	49:21
	that leads through the pain, through the suffering,	49:26
	even through death; to life abundant.	49:30
	Help us to trust in Your providential care	49:35
	through thick and through thin.	49:39
	In the name of our Lord and Savior, we pray.	49:42
	Amen.	49:45
	As heirs of God, all thing are ours.	49:49
	God makes it possible for us to be generous.	49:53
	Bring your gifts with joy.	49:56
	(soft organ music)	50:09
	(communion tray rustling)	50:44
	(soft organ music)	50:50
	(male choir singing)	51:21
	(angelic choir singing crescendos)	51:50
	(sopranos dramatically sing)	52:38
	(angelic choir sings softly)	52:59
	(organ decrescendo)	57:24
	(organ music crescendo)	58:12
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	59:10
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	59:18
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:25
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:28
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host ♪	59:33
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	59:39
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:46
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:49
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:53
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:56
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:00:00
-	Let us pray.	1:00:14
	Oh God, we give thanks for all that You have given to us.	1:00:16
	We come to Your altar, grateful that You are with us	1:00:21
	in all the circumstances of our lives,	1:00:24
	through thick and through thin.	1:00:27
	We want to lend our support	1:00:30
	to others facing trying days and difficult decisions.	1:00:32
	Use our offerings to that end, we pray.	1:00:36
	And equip us to be instruments of Your truth and Your love.	1:00:40
Congregation	"Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:00:44
	"hallowed be Thy Name,	1:00:47
	"Thy kingdom come,	1:00:49
	"Thy will be done,	1:00:51
	"on earth as it is in heaven.	1:00:53
	"Give us this day our daily bread.	1:00:55
	"And forgive us our trespasses,	1:00:58
	"as we forgive those	1:01:00
	"who trespass against us.	1:01:02
	"Lead us not into temptation,	1:01:04
	"but deliver us from evil.	1:01:06
	"For thine is the kingdom,	1:01:08
	"and the power, and the glory,	1:01:10
	"for ever.	1:01:12
	"Amen."	1:01:14
	God sends us into the world to accept the cost	1:01:16
	and to discover the joy of being God's children.	1:01:20
	Therefore go, carrying with you the peace of Christ,	1:01:23
	the love of God, and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.	1:01:28
	(organ music)	1:01:33
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:01:36
	♪ Amen ♪	1:01:39
	♪ Amen ♪	1:01:40
	(organ music "Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer")	1:01:46
	♪ Guide me, O thou great redeemer ♪	1:02:27
	♪ Pilgrim through this barren land ♪	1:02:33
	♪ I am weak, but thou art mighty ♪	1:02:38
	♪ Hold me with thy powerful hand ♪	1:02:43
	♪ Bread of heaven, bread of heaven ♪	1:02:49
	♪ Feed me till I want no more ♪	1:02:55
	♪ Feed me till I want no more ♪	1:03:00
	♪ Open now the crystal fountain ♪	1:03:09
	♪ Whence the healing stream doth flow ♪	1:03:14
	♪ Let the fire and cloudy pillar ♪	1:03:20
	♪ Lead me all my journey through ♪	1:03:26
	♪ Strong deliverer, strong deliverer ♪	1:03:32
	♪ Be thou still my strength and shield ♪	1:03:37
	♪ Be thou still my strength and shield ♪	1:03:43
	♪ When I tread the verge of Jordan, ♪	1:03:52
	♪ Bid my anxious fears subside; ♪	1:03:58
	♪ Death of death, and hell's destruction ♪	1:04:04
	♪ Land me safe on Canaan's side ♪	1:04:10
	♪ Songs of praises ♪	1:04:16
	♪ Songs of praises ♪	1:04:19
	♪ I will ever give to thee ♪	1:04:22
	♪ I will ever give to thee ♪	1:04:28
	(organ crescendo)	1:04:36
	(soft joyful organ music)	1:04:42

Item Info

Title:

Ann I. Hoch - "Through Thick and Through Thin" (June 21, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 23:33. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 42:31.
Preacher emphasizes that faith guides us through thick and through thin. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: Would it not be more helpful to admit that there are thin times as well as thick times? And in those thin times, the thin edge of utter silence is what we all hear from God. And what do we do then? Well, we go on the last word we heard from the Lord if we have no new word. Or we listen to the reaction of the situation and do what we can.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4j960r27

Date:

June 21, 1992

Speaker:

Hoch, Ann I.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0285
ref9114_4z6
uachapelsermaud
duke:321659
dcrmv001272
ark:/87924/r4j960r27
3fe9ff1e-19b6-471b-b514-23693290a479

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

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Limited Re-Use

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This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For 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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Ann I. Hoch - "Through Thick and Through Thin" (June 21, 1992)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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