Albert D. Mosley - "Spiritually Speaking" (May 27, 2001)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP3
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4kk94t4z?embed=true' height='125px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4kk94t4z
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

-	He speaks God's words	0:09
	for God's Spirit is upon him	0:12
	without measure or limit.	0:16
	Catch the spirit.	0:22
	That was the national promotional theme of the	0:24
	United Methodist Church several years ago.	0:27
	If you asked me, and no one did,	0:32
	this is a rather ambiguous byline for a church	0:35
	and not just any church, but the second largest	0:40
	Protestant denomination in this country.	0:43
	Were they referring to the Holy Spirit?	0:47
	If so, why not just say catch the Holy Spirit?	0:50
	Even still, the fact remains that this is	0:55
	a most curious pronouncement for a church.	0:58
	How does one catch the spirit?	1:03
	Is it more like catching a ball, catching a cold,	1:06
	or catching a plane?	1:11
	I suppose this ambiguity, it's not any different	1:15
	from the way other sectors of society uses the word spirit.	1:18
	Last fall, I found myself at one of our home football games	1:25
	and as I sat there in the stadium on a row all by myself,	1:29
	not by choice of course, I watched with amazement	1:33
	as our over-bubbly cheerleading squad screamed	1:38
	to the top of their lungs, "We've got spirit, yeah, yeah!"	1:42
	"We've got spirit, yeah, yeah."	1:47
	I wondered to myself, what do they mean by spirit?	1:52
	Judging by the season record, surely can't mean energy.	1:58
	Maybe I thought spirit for them means determination,	2:04
	but that doesn't make sense either considering the fact	2:09
	that nobody can seem to keep their hands on the ball	2:11
	or get past the 20 yard line.	2:14
	Finally, I figured it out.	2:18
	When those cheerleaders were shouting, "We've got spirit,"	2:20
	what they really meant was, we've got guts	2:24
	because in my view, that's what it would take	2:27
	to hit the field week after week without any wins.	2:30
	The word spirit, which in Hebrew is ruach and Greek	2:36
	is pneuma, has become a part of our common parlance.	2:39
	We use it in many different ways and it comes laden	2:45
	with a variety of connotations.	2:48
	Common to everyday speech or such expressions as	2:52
	getting the spirit or getting into the spirit,	2:55
	we speak of team spirit, school spirit, national spirit,	2:59
	the spirit of the electorate, or even more broadly,	3:03
	the human spirit.	3:07
	Convention and visitors bureaus advertise	3:10
	with such slogans as, "The spirit of Massachusetts	3:12
	"is the spirit of America," or a bit less assertively,	3:16
	"Discover the spirit of North Dakota,	3:19
	"then keep it a secret."	3:22
	As if that's something we really want to pass on.	3:25
	Despite its many connotations and the seemingly	3:31
	endless usages of the word spirit in our common vernacular,	3:35
	I want it to be clear in this sermon and the sermons	3:39
	that follow that I am referring to the Holy Spirit.	3:41
	Let there be no questions about it.	3:46
	In the scripture reference for today where John writes,	3:50
	The spirit is upon him without limit or measure,	3:52
	that is the Holy Spirit.	3:55
	It is the third person of the trinity, not the human spirit,	3:58
	not team spirit, not some inner spirit,	4:02
	but the spirit of the Lord.	4:06
	Oddly enough, it is the same spirit, the Holy Spirit	4:10
	that so many of us are so uncomfortable speaking about.	4:15
	The fact that the United Methodist Church was so vague	4:20
	in its promotional byline is evidence of how uncomfortable	4:23
	most mainline Protestants are when speaking of	4:26
	and about the Holy Spirit.	4:29
	It's extremely puzzling to me.	4:32
	What is there about the Holy Spirit that makes us so uneasy?	4:35
	If you're not convinced that the Holy Spirit is not	4:42
	at the top of our theological list of favorites,	4:43
	then let me share a few things with you.	4:47
	In almost every mainline Protestant hymnal,	4:51
	there are no more than 10 hymns	4:53
	with the Holy Spirit as their subject.	4:55
	On the other hand, the other two partners	4:58
	of the trinity each have over 100 hymns.	5:01
	Even in the lectionary, all there is to say about the	5:05
	Holy Spirit has been, for the most part,	5:09
	limited to one day, the day of Pentecost.	5:11
	Most peculiar, particularly considering Jesus promised	5:16
	that after him there would come a counselor, an advocate,	5:20
	the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, and an assist spirit	5:25
	that is supposed to be with us forever	5:29
	and is supposed to teach us all things.	5:32
	We gather here weekly and we mention the Holy Spirit	5:37
	on at least four occasions.	5:40
	We speak of it in the prayer for illumination,	5:42
	the gloria, the creed, the doxology,	5:45
	and the benediction.	5:49
	But beyond that, where else have you heard	5:51
	anything about the Holy Spirit?	5:54
	There may have been a sermon along the way,	5:58
	an anthem or some other special worship act	6:00
	with the Holy Spirit as its focus, but for the most part,	6:02
	the Holy Spirit is absent.	6:06
	If you ask me, and again, no one did,	6:09
	it's almost like a Duke student having a party	6:12
	without having a good time.	6:16
	The church of all places is where the Holy Spirit	6:20
	ought to be the subject of all we do.	6:24
	Our worship, our prayers, our service to others,	6:28
	our relationships with the world ought to be governed	6:31
	by the power of the Holy Spirit.	6:34
	There are some, however, within the body of faith	6:38
	who seem to think that they have	6:42
	a monopoly over the Holy Spirit.	6:43
	For example, in the Pentecostal church,	6:48
	one of the signs of a true believer is	6:50
	how many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit a person has.	6:52
	An even greater sign is when one	6:56
	has the gift of speaking in tongues.	6:58
	There's a story told of a group of new arrivals in heaven	7:01
	who met Saint Peter at the pearly gates.	7:04
	He began to show them around, pointing out areas of interest	7:07
	and filling them in on rules of the kingdom.	7:10
	There were many oohs and aahs from the crowd	7:13
	and they were obviously amazed	7:16
	and were obviously enjoying themselves.	7:19
	Suddenly Saint Peter stopped a short distance	7:22
	from a massive building, which was miles long, miles wide,	7:24
	miles high without doors and without windows.	7:29
	"While we pass this building," he said,	7:33
	"you must walk quietly and utter not so much as a sound."	7:36
	So the entourage tiptoed obediently	7:41
	past a building without a word.	7:43
	Once they were past, however, an inquisitive soul inquired,	7:46
	"Why did we have to be so quiet	7:50
	"when we passed that building?"	7:53
	Saint Peter responded, "God put the Pentecostals in there.	7:55
	"They think they're the only ones up here."	7:59
	I'm certain that if any of you have ever had an	8:04
	extended conversation with a Pentecostal,	8:06
	you've talked about the Holy Spirit and about its	8:08
	absence in your life and its absence in your church.	8:11
	What do we really know about the Holy Spirit?	8:18
	What do we really believe about the Holy Spirit?	8:22
	Augustus noted that the Holy Spirit is a gift of God's love.	8:27
	He went on to say, "There is no gift of God	8:31
	"more excellent than this."	8:33
	God the Father offers this gift of the Holy Spirit	8:37
	to His son Jesus Christ, as a part of handing	8:39
	over all things to Him.	8:42
	The Holy Spirit comes from the Father,	8:46
	but only through Jesus, and it is the same spirit	8:48
	that is upon Jesus without limit or without measure.	8:52
	The Holy Spirit is described as a guide into all truth,	8:57
	the declarer of things that are to come,	9:02
	even the many things Jesus has yet to say,	9:05
	which the disciples cannot presently hear.	9:08
	Even so, these things will all glorify Jesus	9:11
	because the Holy Spirit, as John relates in	9:15
	Jesus' farewell discourse, "Will take what is mine	9:17
	"and declare it to you."	9:21
	God's gift of the Holy Spirit to Jesus was confirmed	9:26
	in John the Baptist's account of the	9:28
	descent of the spirit at Jesus' baptism.	9:30
	The Holy Spirit as the Nicene Creed states,	9:34
	proceeds from the Father and the Son.	9:36
	It is a gift from the Father to the Son, who in turn	9:39
	breathes that gift upon us.	9:43
	It is a gift according to Karl Barth	9:46
	that is not available to all.	9:47
	Barth says that the Holy Spirit has to do with those who	9:51
	belong to Jesus Christ and the special way that they have	9:53
	the freedom to recognize His word, to recognize His work,	9:57
	to recognize His message.	10:02
	The Holy Spirit is thus affirmed in connection with the	10:05
	full scope of the life of faith, the holy life.	10:09
	This is more readily apparent in the original Latin version	10:14
	of the Apostle's Creed, where it says the Holy Spirit,	10:17
	the holy church, the communion of the holy together	10:22
	and everlasting life.	10:26
	The Holy Spirit then is upon Jesus	10:31
	without limit or without measure.	10:33
	It is also available to us without limit, without measure,	10:36
	as evidenced in Jesus' offering when He said to us,	10:40
	"Receive the Holy Spirit."	10:42
	But some, even those who call themselves Christians	10:46
	refuse to accept this gift in their lives.	10:51
	Perhaps they're afraid of what will happen if the	10:55
	Holy Spirit is really present in their lives.	10:57
	The opening prayer this morning indicates that the	11:01
	Holy Spirit has the power to cleanse us,	11:03
	to rid us of that which is wrong, to remove from our lives	11:06
	those things that cause us to be separated from God	11:10
	and separated from our brothers and sisters.	11:13
	This prayer also denotes that the Holy Spirit burns,	11:17
	it convicts, it converts, and quite frankly,	11:20
	some of us don't want these things done to us.	11:25
	A burning, a conviction, a conversion	11:30
	would be too much for some of us to handle.	11:33
	It would cause our lives to be turned right side up.	11:36
	This burning, this conviction, this conversion	11:40
	that the Holy Spirit brings about,	11:43
	it might upset our priorities.	11:44
	The Holy Spirit might just come as a wind and sweep away	11:48
	the hatred and the prejudice that	11:51
	so many of us harbor deep within.	11:53
	The Holy Spirit might just come as to do and refresh us,	11:57
	give us a new worldview, a new way of thinking	12:01
	about things politically, economically, and socially.	12:04
	A way more similar to the way of the one	12:08
	from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds.	12:10
	The Holy Spirit might just come as a fire	12:14
	and cause a great burning within,	12:17
	a renewal of our personal faith,	12:20
	a greater sense of urgency to heed	12:23
	the message of the Gospel.	12:25
	The late Baptist theologian James McLendon noted that	12:28
	it is by the Holy Spirit and only by the Holy Spirit	12:31
	that there can ever be a divine fellowship	12:35
	that overcomes all divisions between creature and creature,	12:40
	in between creature and creator.	12:43
	The mission of the Holy Spirit is to reconcile us	12:47
	to God and to one another.	12:49
	This is what happened at the first Pentecost.	12:52
	Pentecost showed us that one new human race redeemed	12:55
	and reconciled to God and thereby joined into one	12:58
	is possible, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit.	13:01
	I think they have knowledge as Daniel Iverson	13:08
	had a pretty good understanding of the Holy Spirit	13:09
	and what it does in the lives of believers.	13:12
	In almost what could be seen as a supplication,	13:16
	Iverson's hymn, Spirit of the Living God,	13:18
	implores the Holy Spirit to melt him, to mold him,	13:21
	to fill him and to use him.	13:25
	The Holy Spirit is available to us without limit	13:30
	and measure, just as it was available to Jesus.	13:33
	It has the power to destroy the old you	13:38
	and to bring about a new you.	13:41
	It has the power to reshape your character,	13:44
	to reshape your persona.	13:47
	I often hear college students and others speak of	13:50
	wanting to be a different person.	13:52
	They say, "If I could only change,	13:55
	"if I could only just not be this way,"	13:58
	well here's your chance.	14:01
	But let me caution you in advance,	14:04
	you and those around you might not like the end result.	14:06
	Amen.	14:12
	(organ music)	14:16

Item Info

Title:

Albert D. Mosley - "Spiritually Speaking" (May 27, 2001)

Description:

The Holy Spirit is regretfully ignored by most Christians and most churches, despite Jesus' promise that he would send the Spirit as a guide into all truth. The Holy Spirit is available to us without limit or measure, but perhaps we are afraid of the Spirit's power to convict and to change our lives. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 00:09. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 14:14.
Key quotation: “The church of all places is where the Holy Spirit ought to be the subject of all we do.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4kk94t4z

Date:

May 27, 2001

Speaker:

Mosley, Albert D.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-1069
ref10295_6pt
uachapelsermaud
duke:321206
dcrau001713
ark:/87924/r4kk94t4z
3864de59-0a0d-4c3c-9800-9fbb58055439

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

Albert D. Mosley - "Spiritually Speaking" (May 27, 2001)

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options