Geoffrey Wainwright - Sermon Untitled (May 15, 1994)

Download
- Rights
- Limited Re-Use
  CC BY-NC 4.0
  More Rights Info
- Files (1)
- MP4
- Please be patient with media downloads. They are often large files.
Share

Embed Code
<iframe src='//idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4m902j4p?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4m902j4p
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	♪ Hail the day that sees him rise ♪	0:39
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:44
	♪ To his throne above the skies ♪	0:50
	♪ Alleluia ♪	0:55
	♪ Christ, awhile to mortals given ♪	1:00
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:06
	♪ Re-ascends his native heaven ♪	1:11
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:16
	♪ There the glorious triumph waits ♪	1:24
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:30
	♪ Lift your heads, eternal gates ♪	1:35
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:41
	♪ Christ hath conquered death and sin ♪	1:47
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:52
	♪ Take the King of glory in ♪	1:58
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:03
	♪ See, the heaven its Lord receives ♪	2:11
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:17
	♪ Yet he loves the earth he leaves ♪	2:22
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:27
	♪ Though returning to his throne ♪	2:33
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:38
	♪ Still he calls the world his own ♪	2:44
	♪ Alleluia ♪	2:49
	♪ See, he lifts his hands above ♪	3:12
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:18
	♪ See, he shows the prints of love ♪	3:24
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:29
	♪ Hark, his gracious lips bestow ♪	3:35
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:40
	♪ Blessings on his church below ♪	3:46
	♪ Alleluia ♪	3:52
-	Let us pray.	4:02
	O God, the king of glory,	4:07
	you have exalted your only Son, Jesus Christ,	4:09
	with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven.	4:12
	Do not leave us comfortless,	4:16
	but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us	4:18
	and exalt us to that place	4:22
	where our Savior Christ has gone before,	4:23
	who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,	4:27
	one God in glory everlasting.	4:31
	Amen.	4:34
	Please be seated.	4:36
Lector	Let us pray together the prayer for illumination.	4:51
Congregation	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	4:55
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	4:58
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed	5:01
	we might hear your word with joy this day, amen.	5:05
-	The first lesson is taken from Acts one,	5:10
	verses 15 through 17, and 21 through 26:	5:13
	"In those days, Peter stood up among the believers,	5:18
	"together the crowd numbered about 120 persons,	5:21
	"and said, 'Friends, the Scripture had to be fulfilled,	5:24
	"'which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning	5:28
	"'Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus,	5:32
	"'for he was numbered among us	5:36
	"'and was allotted his share in this ministry.	5:37
	"'So, one of the men who accompanied us during	5:40
	"'all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,	5:42
	"'beginning from the baptism by John	5:45
	"'until the day he was taken up from us,	5:48
	"'one of these men must become a witness with us	5:50
	"'to Jesus' resurrection.'	5:53
	"So, they proposed two,	5:56
	"Joseph called Barsabas,	5:58
	"who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.	6:00
	"Then they prayed and said,	6:03
	"'Lord, you know everyone's heart,	6:05
	"'show us which one of these two	6:08
	"'you have chosen to take the place	6:09
	"'in this ministry and apostleship,	6:11
	"'from which Judas turned aside	6:13
	"'to go in his own place.'	6:14
	"And they cast lots for them,	6:16
	"and the lot fell on Matthias.	6:18
	"And he was added to the eleven apostles."	6:20
	This is the word of the Lord.	6:23
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	6:25
Minister	Please stand for the reading of the Psalter.	6:33
	Blessed are those who do not walk	6:46
	in the counsel of the wicked.	6:48
Congregation	Or stand in the way of sinners,	6:50
	or sit in the seat of scoffers.	6:53
-	But their delight is in the law of the Lord.	6:55
Congregation	And on his law they meditate day and night.	6:58
-	They are like trees planted by streams of water	7:03
	that yield their fruit in season,	7:06
	and their leaves do not wither.	7:08
Congregation	In all that they do, they prosper.	7:11
-	The wicked are not so,	7:14
	but are like chaff which the wind drives away.	7:16
Congregation	Therefore the wicked will not stand	7:20
	in the judgment	7:22
	nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.	7:24
-	For the Lord knows the way of the righteous.	7:27
Congregation	But the way of the wicked will perish.	7:31
	(choral music with organ accompaniment)	7:43
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	8:46
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	8:49
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	8:51
	♪ Sing alleluia, praise his name ♪	8:54
	♪ Forevermore ♪	8:57
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	9:00
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	9:03
	(polyphonic singing)
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	9:05
	♪ Sing alleluia, praise his name ♪	9:08
	♪ Forevermore ♪	9:11
	♪ Shout, sing, dance, and celebrate ♪	9:14
	♪ Come dance and celebrate ♪	9:19
	♪ Rejoice ♪	9:22
	♪ Let all within us praise his name ♪	9:26
	♪ Shout, sing, and dance ♪	9:30
	♪ Come sing and celebrate ♪	9:34
	♪ Sing alleluia, praise his name ♪	9:38
	♪ Forevermore ♪	9:41
	♪ Shout, sing ♪	9:44
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	9:46
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	9:49
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	9:52
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	9:54
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	9:57
	♪ Sing alleluia, praise his name ♪	10:00
	♪ Forevermore ♪	10:02
	♪ Shout, sing ♪	10:06
	♪ Let songs of joy break forth ♪	10:08
	♪ Sing alleluia ♪	10:10
	♪ Sing alleluia ♪	10:13
	♪ Rejoice ♪	10:16
	♪ O praise his holy name ♪	10:22
	♪ Forevermore ♪	10:24
-	The second lesson is taken from the first epistle	10:48
	of John, the fifth chapter,	10:51
	verses nine through 13:	10:53
	"If we receive human testimony,	10:55
	"the testimony of God is greater,	10:58
	"for this is the testimony of God	11:00
	"that he has testified to his Son.	11:01
	"Those who believe in the Son of God	11:04
	"have the testimony in their hearts.	11:05
	"Those who do not believe in God	11:08
	"have made him a liar by not believing	11:09
	"in the testimony that God has given him,	11:11
	"concerning his Son.	11:14
	"And this is the testimony;	11:15
	"God gave us eternal life,	11:17
	"and this life is his Son.	11:19
	"Whoever has the Son has life.	11:21
	"Whoever does not have the Son of God	11:24
	"does not have life.	11:26
	"I write these things to you	11:27
	"who believe in the name of the Son of God,	11:29
	"so that you may know that you have eternal life."	11:31
	This is the word of the Lord.	11:34
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	11:37
-	The gospel is taken from John,	11:40
	the 17th chapter, verses six through 19:	11:42
	"I have made your name known to those	11:45
	"whom you gave me from the world.	11:47
	"They were yours and you gave them to me,	11:49
	"and they have kept your word.	11:52
	"Now, they know that everything	11:54
	"you have given me is from you.	11:55
	"For the words that you gave to me	11:57
	"I have given to them,	11:59
	"and they have received them	12:01
	"and know in truth that I came from you.	12:02
	"And as they believe	12:05
	"That they have believed that you sent me.	12:07
	"I ask on their behalf.	12:09
	"I am not asking on behalf of the world,	12:11
	"but on behalf of those whom you gave me,	12:13
	"because they are yours.	12:16
	"All I have is yours,	12:17
	"and all you have is mine.	12:19
	"I have been glorified in them.	12:21
	"And now I am no longer in the world,	12:23
	"but they are in the world,	12:25
	"and I am coming to you.	12:27
	"Holy Father, protect them in your name,	12:29
	"the name you have given me,	12:31
	"so that they may be one	12:33
	"as we are one.	12:34
	"While I was with them, I protected them	12:36
	"in the name you have given me.	12:38
	"I guarded them and not one of them was lost,	12:40
	"except the one destined to be lost,	12:42
	"so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.	12:45
	"But now I am coming to you,	12:47
	"and I speak these things in the world,	12:49
	"so that they may have joy made complete in themselves.	12:51
	"I have given them your word,	12:54
	"and the world has hated them, because they do not belong	12:56
	"to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.	12:58
	"I am not asking you to take them out of the world,	13:02
	"but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.	13:05
	"They do not belong to the world,	13:07
	"just as I do not belong to the world.	13:09
	"Sanctify them in the truth.	13:12
	"Your word is truth.	13:14
	"And as you have sent me into the world,	13:15
	"so I have sent them into the world.	13:17
	"And for their sake I sanctify myself,	13:20
	"so that they may also be sanctified in truth."	13:22
	This is the word of the Lord.	13:26
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	13:28
-	This past Thursday,	13:53
	we celebrated Ascension Day.	13:56
	At least, we did if we could find a church	14:00
	offering a service.	14:03
	Next Sunday, we shall be celebrating Pentecost.	14:08
	So here we are caught	14:14
	between the ascent of our Lord	14:17
	and the descent of the Holy Spirit.	14:20
	And in this in-between time,	14:26
	Scripture offers us for our reflection	14:30
	the episode of Matthias,	14:34
	Saint Matthias, about whom very little else,	14:38
	if anything, is known except the story	14:43
	of his election to join the band of the apostles.	14:47
	If you leave Jerusalem	14:56
	on the east side,	15:00
	and cross the Kidron Valley,	15:03
	and go up the Mount of Olives,	15:06
	before you get to the top,	15:10
	you will see a place where tradition has it	15:12
	that Jesus ascended into heaven.	15:16
	You could even see his last footprint	15:22
	that he left on the rock.	15:25
	But Jesus did not leave a footprint,	15:30
	or we better say Jesus did not leave	15:35
	just a footprint on a rock.	15:37
	Jesus, when he ascended into heaven,	15:42
	left behind a church,	15:45
	and that's where Matthias comes in,	15:50
	quite literally.	15:55
	That's when Matthias comes in.	15:56
	This morning, let us reflect	16:01
	about three features of this episode	16:03
	in the story of Saint Matthias.	16:07
	The first is this,	16:13
	Matthias comes in as a replacement for Judas.	16:16
	For Judas, whom Jesus calls, in the gospel story,	16:23
	the son of perdition.	16:29
	You may have read in the public press,	16:36
	in recent weeks,	16:39
	about a new version of the gospels,	16:42
	prepared by the so-called Jesus Seminar,	16:45
	a group of third-rate scholars,	16:50
	who have spent several years seeking to establish by vote,	16:53
	which of the material in the gospels	16:59
	Jesus actually did or said.	17:03
	They print their pages in different colors,	17:08
	giving an indication as to which material is	17:11
	probably authentic.	17:15
	They dismiss Judas altogether.	17:20
	Judas is seen as a figment	17:25
	of the primitive church's imagination,	17:28
	created, constructed as a scapegoat,	17:34
	or as someone on whom they could land the blame	17:39
	that belonged in other places.	17:44
	I just came back from Dublin,	17:49
	and there was on prized display there,	17:53
	in the National Gallery,	17:56
	a newly discovered painting by Caravaggio,	17:59
	a painting that is called	18:04
	the Taking of Christ.	18:06
	And with that marvelous vigor and luminosity	18:10
	that characterizes that Italian painter,	18:13
	he shows Judas	18:16
	leading the soldiers	18:19
	to take Christ in arrest.	18:23
	I know whom I'd rather believe,	18:29
	as between the Jesus Seminar and Caravaggio.	18:31
	Jesus pointed to Judas	18:39
	as the son of perdition,	18:45
	and he was called in our story from the Acts of the apostles	18:48
	the one who guided those who would arrest Jesus.	18:53
	As they gathered those remaining eleven,	19:03
	with Mary and other women	19:09
	and the remnant crowd of those who had followed Jesus,	19:13
	the earliest church,	19:18
	the church whom Jesus left behind	19:20
	decided that they had to find someone	19:24
	to fill the place of Judas.	19:26
	"Judas was numbered among us," they said.	19:31
	"He was allotted a share in this ministry,	19:37
	"but now he's gone to his own place."	19:42
	Let me read a couple of verses that compilers	19:49
	of the lectionary didn't think you had the stomach to hear,	19:51
	this morning.	19:55
	If you look at your bulletin, you'll see	19:56
	that they chopped out a couple of verses	19:58
	in the story from Acts chapter one.	20:00
	Now, this man, Judas, bought a field	20:05
	with the reward of his wickedness,	20:09
	and falling headlong,	20:12
	he burst open in the middle	20:13
	and all his bowels gushed out.	20:15
	And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,	20:19
	so that the field was called in their language Akeldama,	20:23
	that is Field of Blood.	20:28
	For it is written in the book of Psalms,	20:31
	"Let his habitation become desolate,	20:34
	"and let there be no one to live in it,	20:37
	"and his office let another take."	20:40
	From that blood-and-guts part of our story,	20:47
	I think the significant line is	20:50
	that last one, the quotation from a version of the Psalm,	20:53
	"His office let another take."	20:57
	Matthias was then the replacement for Judas.	21:03
	Judas is one of the most mysterious figures	21:10
	in the Scripture.	21:13
	How could this man, who had been so close to Jesus,	21:18
	turn right against him?	21:23
	How could the disciple become a traitor?	21:25
	Apostasy is in fact one of the most puzzling features	21:31
	in the history of the Christian faith.	21:36
	How can someone who has once been a believer,	21:39
	turn their backs on the Lord?	21:43
	How can they give up the one who has been	21:46
	at the center of their lives?	21:48
	It's a mystery; we do not know how.	21:50
	But it happens.	21:53
	It happens.	21:55
	And we may have in the story of Judas	21:59
	an indication of their fate.	22:03
	He went to his own place.	22:07
	Not only people, individual Christians,	22:14
	fall into apostasy	22:18
	in this strange and puzzling way,	22:20
	but whole Christian communities may do the same.	22:23
	I just wonder what is happening in old Christendom,	22:29
	in western Europe and North America.	22:35
	Figures of church attendance	22:40
	for certain western European countries are	22:42
	as low as 2% of the population.	22:44
	Two out of a hundred in church	22:48
	on a given Sunday morning.	22:51
	The figures are apparently higher in the United States.	22:56
	40% of people go to church	23:01
	on a Sunday morning, or at least	23:06
	they tell the people administering the questionnaire	23:08
	that they go to church.	23:12
	40% though think they ought to have been in church,	23:17
	let's say on a given Sunday morning.	23:21
	But even taking that high figure,	23:26
	what about the other 60%?	23:29
	And it's not just a question of course of church attendance,	23:35
	though I don't wish to trivialize that.	23:38
	Church attendance is the place	23:42
	where we gather to show that we mean it,	23:43
	but it is a matter of what we believe	23:48
	and of how we act.	23:51
	And can anyone looking around our North Atlantic societies,	23:55
	at least, fail to raise the question	24:01
	as to what is happening	24:05
	to the Christian presence among us?	24:09
	On the other hand, look around the world	24:14
	to other places, surprising places,	24:17
	not just Africa because we've got used	24:20
	to stories of church growth	24:25
	in sub-Saharan Africa.	24:27
	And we know that the churches are growing	24:30
	at a tremendous rate	24:32
	in black Africa.	24:35
	Just before Christmas, I was in Uganda.	24:36
	In Uganda the church in Uganda	24:39
	The Anglican church of Uganda is now the largest, active	24:42
	Anglican church in the world.	24:46
	The number of professing	24:49
	and worshiping and acting Christians	24:51
	in Uganda outnumbers those in England.	24:56
	Look though not just to Africa,	25:01
	but to Asia,	25:04
	to countries which have long resisted	25:05
	the announcement of the gospel.	25:10
	And you will find now sometimes under difficult conditions	25:13
	in Singapore and in Malaysia,	25:16
	in Korea, you will find the church is growing	25:20
	at a staggering rate.	25:25
	Are we being replaced by others?	25:30
	We can be sure that God will find	25:37
	replacements for us,	25:41
	if we depart.	25:44
	But I've not given up on us quite yet,	25:47
	and I would like us to see rather,	25:49
	in this story of Matthias,	25:52
	a summons	25:55
	to the churches of our parts of the world,	25:57
	to say, "No, we need not be left behind,	26:02
	"but that we can be part now	26:07
	"of a world-wide church."	26:08
	That is an opportunity never seen before in history,	26:11
	to bring the gospel to every creature.	26:15
	So then first of all,	26:21
	Matthias replaced Judas.	26:23
	Let's look now at the method	26:28
	of the election of Matthias.	26:30
	It's a very strange part of the story.	26:36
	In fact, there are so many odd features	26:39
	about the story, that's why it's attractive	26:41
	to think about it.	26:43
	But he was elected by lot.	26:44
	Now, this has nothing to do with whether Virginia	26:51
	or North Carolina or whoever it is has that sort	26:53
	of a lottery.	26:56
	The drawing of lots	27:00
	is a time-honored custom,	27:03
	among religious peoples and even in Christianity,	27:07
	for seeking divine guidance.	27:11
	John Wesley would open his Bible,	27:16
	as it were, at random	27:19
	and expect to be illuminated	27:22
	by the text that he found.	27:24
	The ancient Moravian community offer a text for reading	27:29
	for every day of the year.	27:35
	And they determine which text it should be by lot.	27:37
	That's what they call in German	27:43
	(speaks in foreign language).	27:44
	They are drawn out.	27:45
	They are lots.	27:46
	Now, what happened in the case of Matthias	27:52
	was that	27:56
	first of all the apostolic company deliberated	27:58
	and picked two people,	28:02
	and then said, "Look, we can't choose ourselves	28:04
	"between these two.	28:07
	"Let us offer the matter to God."	28:09
	And so they offered two names,	28:13
	not to the president but to God.	28:15
	That's a remarkable thing to do.	28:20
	It shows in fact how great was their trust in God.	28:23
	It shows how deeply they respected the sovereignty of God.	28:27
	God is in the control.	28:33
	Which God?	28:35
	The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.	28:36
	Going back just for a moment	28:44
	to those scholars in the Jesus Seminar,	28:46
	two of the words they actually allow Jesus	28:50
	to have said were our Father.	28:53
	And I suppose we must be grateful for that.	28:56
	Our Father.	29:01
	Our Father because Jesus' Father.	29:03
	The one who sent Jesus and about whom Jesus said,	29:08
	"Not a sparrow falls to the ground	29:11
	"without your Father."	29:14
	The Father of whom Jesus said,	29:18
	"The very hairs of your head	29:20
	are numbered by him."	29:23
	That is the God,	29:29
	whose living reality was confirmed	29:32
	by his resurrection of Jesus,	29:34
	his lifting him to his own right hand.	29:37
	And there is a message for us.	29:43
	Can we enjoy that same trust in God,	29:47
	the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,	29:52
	that will allow us to confide, to entrust,	29:55
	everything to him?	30:00
	Or if that sounds a little bit too Calvinistic	30:07
	for some of you, perhaps we can re-interpret the story	30:09
	just a little,	30:13
	and say that in entrusting the choice	30:17
	of the replacement for Judas	30:20
	to God by lottery,	30:24
	what the earliest believers were doing was saying,	30:27
	look, whoever gets the job	30:30
	God will see to it that it works out all right.	30:33
	That's a slightly watered down version,	30:38
	but if the other is too strong,	30:40
	then perhaps that is not too bad.	30:42
	But God does hold us in the palm of his hand,	30:46
	the God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,	30:51
	and not just each one of us as individuals,	30:55
	the very hairs of whose head are numbered,	30:57
	but God's whole church.	31:01
	The gates of hell will not prevail	31:05
	against God's church.	31:09
	The apostates will not finally win.	31:18
	But where then is this church?	31:26
	Who constitutes this church,	31:30
	that is under God's providential protection?	31:35
	There we need to look at the third feature,	31:42
	in the story of Matthias.	31:45
	What was the purpose	31:48
	of the election of Matthias?	31:51
	If we look carefully with that question in mind	31:56
	at out story again,	31:59
	we shall get clues as to the answer	32:02
	as to where is the church,	32:03
	what is the church, who makes up the church.	32:05
	What was the purpose	32:10
	of the election of Matthias?	32:12
	The purpose was to bear witness to Jesus Christ.	32:17
	Matthias was elected in order	32:23
	to complete the number of the apostolic company,	32:26
	those who would very shortly leave from Jerusalem,	32:30
	and go throughout Judea and Samaria,	32:35
	and away to the ends of the earth	32:38
	to be witnesses to Jesus Christ as he promised	32:41
	in the story of his ascension.	32:46
	Matthias was needed in order	32:51
	to complete the band of witnesses.	32:53
	There's a marvelous story.	33:00
	It goes back, I'm afraid, only to the fourth century	33:02
	as to how the apostles creed was composed.	33:06
	According to this story, just before they left Jerusalem	33:12
	on their apostolic journeys,	33:17
	the apostles got together in order	33:20
	to get their act together.	33:22
	They obviously had to decide	33:24
	as to exactly what they would preach	33:26
	and what would be the faith	33:28
	that they would summon people to.	33:30
	And the story runs that at that time	33:33
	as the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles,	33:35
	Peter rose first as always and said,	33:41
	"I believe in God the Father almighty,	33:43
	"maker of heaven and earth."	33:46
	And then Andrew got up and said,	33:48
	"And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord."	33:50
	And so through all the articles	33:54
	of the apostles creed,	33:56
	one apostle after another contributed his bit.	33:58
	And of course there would have been nobody to say,	34:04
	"And in the live everlasting," without Matthias.	34:06
	That's the phrase given to him	34:11
	at the very end of the list,	34:13
	and in the life everlasting.	34:17
	But the point is there we have the apostolic faith,	34:20
	belief in the one God,	34:24
	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,	34:26
	and that God's work of salvation	34:29
	and the fulfillment to which he invites us.	34:32
	Matthias had to fulfill certain conditions	34:38
	in order to be elected.	34:41
	They said, "We need someone who's been with us	34:44
	"from the beginning.	34:47
	"Someone who has witnessed the whole story,	34:48
	"beginning with the baptism of John	34:50
	"and on through the ministry of Jesus,	34:52
	"to the crucifixion and finally the resurrection."	34:55
	What we witness to is the story	35:00
	of what God has done in Christ,	35:03
	from his baptism in Jordan	35:06
	throughout his preaching and his teaching,	35:09
	his going about doing good,	35:12
	his suffering death on the cross for our salvation,	35:14
	his powerful raising from the dead by God,	35:17
	and his lifting to God's right hand.	35:21
	The church is composed of those people who believe that,	35:25
	and who bear witness to it.	35:31
	Our other Scripture reading say something	35:37
	about the witness	35:39
	that characterizes the church.	35:41
	The reading from John's gospel says,	35:47
	"It is a witness to the truth."	35:49
	Jesus himself, "The way,	35:52
	"the truth, and the life."	35:54
	He has brought the divine truth into the world.	35:56
	He has established those who believe in him in the truth.	35:59
	Not only truth is included in our witness	36:08
	but life, says the first letter of John in the passage	36:11
	that we heard read.	36:15
	Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.	36:18
	"This is eternal life," says saint John,	36:22
	"to know God and the one whom he sent,	36:27
	Jesus Christ."	36:32
	Truth and life,	36:36
	and it's also a way of joy.	36:39
	The 17th chapter of John,	36:43
	from which we heard the gospel reading,	36:45
	speaks of Jesus promising the fulfillment	36:47
	of the joy of his disciples.	36:51
	Truth and life and joy	36:57
	are bound up together	37:01
	in that story of what God in Christ has done	37:03
	and is doing for our salvation,	37:07
	and not our salvation alone but the salvation	37:12
	of all who will hear our witness.	37:15
	So, then	37:21
	God will replace, if necessary,	37:25
	a Judas.	37:30
	God will guide over the lives of	37:34
	each one of us and God's whole church,	37:38
	if we entrust ourselves to him.	37:42
	And God has called us together and sends us out	37:47
	to bear witness	37:51
	to the story of Jesus.	37:53
	Jesus departed,	37:58
	he went to be with his Father.	38:02
	And yet, he promised,	38:07
	"I am with you always	38:10
	"to the close of the age."	38:13
	How could that be?	38:17
	It could be because	38:19
	being at the right hand of the Father,	38:22
	Jesus shares in the divine sovereignty,	38:24
	and Jesus can appear	38:26
	sovereign over time and space,	38:29
	wherever he wills to do.	38:33
	And he promised that we should not be left orphans,	38:38
	but that in the Holy Spirit,	38:43
	he and the Father would come to us.	38:46
	Are you part of	38:52
	the church he left behind?	38:54
	Have you committed yourselves	39:01
	to God in Christ?	39:03
	Do you know the beginnings of salvation	39:08
	in your life?	39:12
	Are you faithful to his commission	39:16
	of witness to him?	39:19
	Come back next Sunday	39:25
	for the descent of the Holy Spirit.	39:26
	Dr. Willimon will be preaching.	39:28
	♪ Crown him with many crowns ♪	40:18
	♪ The Lamb upon his throne ♪	40:23
	♪ Hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns ♪	40:28
	♪ All music but its own ♪	40:33
	♪ Awake, my soul, and sing ♪	40:39
	♪ Of him who died for thee ♪	40:44
	♪ And hail him as thy matchless king ♪	40:50
	♪ Through all eternity ♪	40:55
	♪ Crown him the Lord of life ♪	41:03
	♪ Who triumphed o'er the grave ♪	41:08
	♪ And rose victorious in the strife ♪	41:13
	♪ For those he came to save ♪	41:19
	♪ His glories now we sing ♪	41:25
	♪ Who died and rose on high ♪	41:30
	♪ Who died eternal life to bring ♪	41:36
	♪ And lives that death may die ♪	41:42
	♪ Crown him the Lord of peace ♪	41:50
	♪ Whose power a scepter sways ♪	41:56
	♪ From pole to pole, that wars may cease ♪	42:01
	♪ And all be prayer and praise ♪	42:06
	♪ His reign shall know no end ♪	42:12
	♪ And round his pierced feet ♪	42:17
	♪ Fair flowers of paradise extend ♪	42:23
	♪ Their fragrance ever sweet ♪	42:29
	♪ Crown him the Lord of Love ♪	42:37
	♪ Behold his hands and side ♪	42:43
	♪ Those wounds, yet visible above ♪	42:48
	♪ In beauty glorified ♪	42:54
	♪ All hail, Redeemer, hail ♪	43:00
	♪ For thou has died for me ♪	43:06
	♪ Thy praise and glory shall not fail ♪	43:11
	♪ Throughout eternity ♪	43:18
Minister	The Lord be with you.	43:34
Congregation	And also with you.	43:36
-	Let us pray.	43:38
	Almighty God,	43:51
	in Jesus Christ, you taught us to pray.	43:53
	Guide us by your Holy Spirit,	43:57
	that our prayers for others may serve your will	44:00
	and show your steadfast love.	44:04
	Silently, let us pray for the unity	44:09
	and mission of the church.	44:11
	Almighty Father,	44:32
	your blessed Son before his passion prayed	44:35
	for his disciples that they might be one	44:37
	as you and he are one.	44:42
	Grant that your church,	44:45
	being bound together in love and obedience to you,	44:47
	may be united in one body	44:51
	by the one Spirit,	44:54
	that the world may believe in him	44:56
	whom you have sent,	44:58
	your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,	45:00
	who lives and reigns with you	45:04
	in the unity of the Holy Spirit,	45:06
	one God, now and forever.	45:08
	Let us pray for the peace of the world.	45:15
	Merciful God, in Jesus Christ,	45:35
	you have charged us to live as neighbors,	45:38
	though we are scattered in different lands,	45:41
	speak different languages	45:44
	or descend from different races,	45:46
	give us love and concern for all,	45:49
	so that we may become one people.	45:52
	Deliver us from divisions based on class,	45:56
	race, political allegiance,	45:59
	economic advantage, and all else	46:03
	that wounds the human family.	46:06
	Defend us from the ignorance that nourishes injustice	46:10
	and from the indifference that causes hearts to break.	46:14
	Teach us peace that we may learn to talk	46:19
	as brothers and sisters, in your love.	46:23
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord.	46:27
	Let us pray for this nation and its leaders.	46:34
	God of wisdom,	46:52
	the fountain of all goodness,	46:54
	bless all who hold public office in this land,	46:57
	that they may order all things in wisdom,	47:02
	righteousness, and peace to the honor of your holy name	47:06
	and the good of your church and people.	47:10
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord.	47:14
	Let us pray for our daily work.	47:21
	Elusive, yet eternally present, God,	47:40
	you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork	47:44
	in the heavens and in the earth.	47:47
	Deliver us in our various occupations	47:51
	from the service of self alone,	47:54
	that we may do the work you give us	47:57
	to fulfill in truth and beauty	47:59
	and for the common good.	48:02
	Give us godly, compassion to care	48:05
	for the hurt, the imprisoned, and the needy.	48:08
	Strengthen us to guide and encourage the young people	48:13
	of this nation,	48:16
	and particularly those young people	48:18
	of this city of Durham,	48:19
	that they may find hope	48:22
	where hopelessness prevails,	48:24
	and safety where fear abounds.	48:27
	For the sake of him who came among us	48:32
	as one who serves,	48:34
	Jesus Christ our Lord.	48:36
	Let us pray for the sick and the disabled.	48:43
	God of compassion,	48:59
	in Jesus Christ,	49:01
	you cared for those who were sick or stricken,	49:02
	blind or deaf, crippled or slow to learn.	49:06
	Though all of us need your help,	49:12
	give special care to those who are handicapped,	49:14
	particularly those we name in silence.	49:17
	By our concern,	49:31
	may they know the love you have for them	49:32
	and come to trust you.	49:34
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord,	49:37
	who came to heal.	49:39
	O God, the author of peace	49:43
	and lover of concord,	49:46
	to know you is eternal life	49:49
	and to serve you is perfect freedom.	49:52
	Guide us by your truth	49:56
	and order us in all your ways,	49:58
	that we may do what is right in your eyes.	50:02
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord.	50:06
	Amen.	50:08
	Now, let us with gladness offer	50:14
	our gifts of life and labor to the Lord.	50:16
	(gentle organ music)	50:20
	(peaceful choral music)	51:39
	(organ music)	51:39
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	55:04
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	55:11
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:18
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:21
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	55:27
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	55:34
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:41
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:44
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:48
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:52
	♪ Alleluia ♪	55:56
-	Let us pray.	56:07
	Almighty and merciful God,	56:10
	from whom comes every good	56:12
	and perfect gift,	56:14
	we praise you for your mercies,	56:16
	for your goodness that has created us,	56:19
	for your grace that has sustained us,	56:22
	for your discipline that has corrected us,	56:26
	for your patience that has borne with us,	56:29
	and for your love that has redeemed us.	56:33
	Help us to love you	56:37
	and to be thankful for all your gifts,	56:39
	by serving you and delighting to do your will.	56:41
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord,	56:45
	who taught us to pray saying	56:48
Congregation	Our Father who art in heaven,	56:50
	hallowed be thy name.	56:53
	Thy kingdom come.	56:55
	Thy will be done,	56:57
	on earth as it is in heaven.	56:59
	Give us this day our daily bread.	57:01
	And forgive us our trespasses	57:05
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	57:07
	And lead us not into temptation	57:11
	but deliver us from evil.	57:14
	For thine is the kingdom,	57:16
	the power, and the glory forever.	57:18
	Amen.	57:22
	♪ Rejoice, the Lord is King ♪	58:01
	♪ Your Lord and King adore ♪	58:06
	♪ Rejoice, give thanks, and sing ♪	58:11
	♪ And triumph evermore ♪	58:15
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	58:21
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	58:26
	♪ Rejoice, again I say, rejoice ♪	58:29
	♪ Jesus, the Savior, reigns ♪	58:40
	♪ The God of truth and love ♪	58:45
	♪ When he had purged our stains ♪	58:50
	♪ He took his seat above ♪	58:54
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	59:00
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	59:06
	♪ Rejoice, again I say, rejoice ♪	59:09
	♪ His kingdom cannot fail ♪	59:19
	♪ He rules o'er earth and heav'n ♪	59:24
	♪ The keys of death and hell ♪	59:30
	♪ Are to our Jesus giv'n ♪	59:33
	♪ Lift up your heart ♪	59:40
	♪ Lift up your voice ♪	59:46
	♪ Rejoice, again I say, rejoice ♪	59:48
	♪ Rejoice in glorious hope ♪	59:59
	♪ Jesus the Judge shall come ♪	1:00:05
	♪ And take his servants up ♪	1:00:10
	♪ To their eternal home ♪	1:00:14
	♪ We soon shall hear ♪	1:00:21
	♪ Th' archangel's voice ♪	1:00:27
	♪ The trump of God shall sound ♪	1:00:30
	♪ Rejoice ♪	1:00:35
Minister	Faithful witnesses to the gospel	1:00:45
	of Jesus Christ,	1:00:47
	the blessings of God almighty,	1:00:49
	Father, Son, and Holy Spirit	1:00:51
	be with you now and always.	1:00:54
	Amen.	1:00:56
	(organ music)	1:00:59

Item Info

Title:

Geoffrey Wainwright - Sermon Untitled (May 15, 1994)

Description:

In the story of Matthias' election to the office of Apostle, we see God's sovereign provision over the minsitry and witness of the Church to the story of Jesus Christ. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Sermon start time: (Part 1) 13:53. Sermon end time: (Part 1) 39:33.
Key quotation: “God will replace, if necessary, a Judas. God will guide over the lives of each one of us in God’s whole Church, if we entrust ourselves to Him. And God has called us together and sends us out to bear witness to the story of Jesus.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4m902j4p

Date:

May 15, 1994

Speaker:

Wainwright, Geoffrey

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0372
ref9416_yoq
uachapelsermaud
duke:321624
dcrmv001354
ark:/87924/r4m902j4p
834e08cb-2a4e-4dda-b909-c30e90337ea2

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

Geoffrey Wainwright - Sermon Untitled (May 15, 1994)

Transcript

Item Info

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options