William H. Willimon - "The Judging, Redeeming Laugh of God" (December 4, 1994)

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	(light organ music)	0:14
-	Welcome to this service of worship	2:17
	on the second Sunday of Advent here in Duke Chapel.	2:19
	We have been led in worship by our guest	2:24
	the Southern Piedmont Children's Choir.	2:27
	Mr. John Simons is director.	2:30
	We welcome them for their now annual visit to Duke Chapel.	2:33
	And we welcome our guest musicians.	2:38
	Our countertenor from Messiah, Dale Terbeek,	2:41
	and our own Mary Comer will assist in the music today.	2:44
	We also welcome our guests from the Academy of Homiletics	2:48
	which is meeting in Durham and here at Duke this weekend.	2:53
	These are teachers of preaching throughout the seminaries	2:56
	in North America and in Europe,	2:59
	and we welcome them,	3:01
	and we welcome you all.	3:03
	I've been asked to announce that the Messiah performance	3:06
	for this afternoon has been sold out.	3:09
	I hope you got to see Messiah this year.	3:12
	If not, next year.	3:16
	And now let us stand for the greeting.	3:20
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	3:27
	The reign of God is breaking in upon us.	3:33
	("Hail to the Lord's Anointed")	3:44
	♪ Hail to the Lord's anointed ♪	4:22
	♪ Great David's greater Son ♪	4:27
	♪ Hail in the time appointed ♪	4:32
	♪ His reign on earth begun ♪	4:38
	♪ He comes to break oppression ♪	4:43
	♪ To set the captive free ♪	4:48
	♪ To take away transgressions ♪	4:53
	♪ And rule in equity ♪	4:59
	♪ He comes with succor speedy ♪	5:06
	♪ To those who suffer wrong ♪	5:11
	♪ To help the poor and needy ♪	5:16
	♪ And bid the weak be strong ♪	5:21
	♪ To give them songs for sighing ♪	5:27
	♪ Their darkness turned to light ♪	5:32
	♪ Whose souls, condemned and dying ♪	5:38
	♪ Are precious in His sight ♪	5:43
	♪ He shall come down like showers ♪	5:50
	♪ Upon the fruitful earth ♪	5:55
	♪ Love, joy, and hope, like flowers ♪	6:01
	♪ Spring in His path to birth ♪	6:06
	♪ Before Him, on the mountains ♪	6:11
	♪ Shall peace the herald go ♪	6:17
	♪ And righteousness in fountains ♪	6:22
	♪ From hill to valley flow ♪	6:27
	♪ For Him shall prayer unceasing ♪	6:59
	♪ And daily vows ascend ♪	7:03
	♪ His kingdom still increasing ♪	7:09
	♪ A kingdom without end ♪	7:13
	♪ The tide of time shall never ♪	7:19
	♪ His covenant remove ♪	7:24
	♪ His name shall stand forever ♪	7:30
	♪ That name to us is Love ♪	7:35
-	Let us pray.	7:45
	Eternal creator,	7:49
	with you, each moment of life	7:51
	is full of wonder and surprise.	7:54
	We pray you to make us watchful	7:57
	as we await the coming of Christ.	8:00
	Grant that we may not be found sleeping in sin,	8:03
	but awake and rejoicing in your newness of life,	8:07
	through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, amen.	8:12
	You may be seated.	8:17
-	Let us join together in the prayer for illumination.	8:30
Congregation	Open our hearts and minds oh God	8:36
	by the power of your Holy Spirit	8:39
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	8:42
	we may be prepared for your Advent among us, amen.	8:46
-	The first lesson is taken	8:54
	from Paul's letters to the Philippians.	8:55
	The first chapter, beginning with the third verse.	8:57
	I thank my God every time I remember you,	9:03
	constantly praying with joy	9:07
	in every one of my prayers for you	9:09
	because of your sharing in the gospel	9:12
	from the first day until now.	9:14
	I am confident of this,	9:18
	that the one who began a good work among you	9:21
	will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.	9:24
	It is right for me to think this way about all of you	9:29
	because you hold me in your heart.	9:32
	For all of you share in God's grace with me,	9:35
	both in my imprisonment,	9:38
	and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.	9:40
	For God is my witness.	9:45
	How I long for all of you	9:47
	with the compassion of Christ Jesus.	9:48
	And this is my prayer,	9:52
	that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge	9:54
	and full insight to help you to determine what is best	9:58
	so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless,	10:03
	having produced the harvest of righteousness	10:07
	that comes through Jesus Christ	10:10
	for the glory and praise of God.	10:12
	This is the word of the Lord.	10:16
Congregation	Praise be to God.	10:19
-	Please stand for the canticle of Zechariah.	10:22
	Blessed be the Lord,	10:41
	the God of Israel,	10:43
	who has come to set the chosen people free.	10:45
Congregation	The Lord has raised up for us	10:48
	a mighty Savior from the house of David.	10:51
-	Through the holy prophets,	10:55
	God promised of old to save us from our enemies,	10:57
	from the hands of all who hate us.	11:00
Congregation	To show mercy to our forebears	11:04
	and to remember the holy Covenant.	11:07
-	This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham.	11:09
Congregation	To set us free	11:14
	from the hands of our enemies,	11:15
	free to worship without fear,	11:17
	holy and righteous in the Lord's sight	11:20
	all the days of our life..	11:23
-	And you, child,	11:26
	shall be called the prophet of the most high.	11:28
	And you will go before the Lord to prepare the way.	11:31
Congregation	To give God's people knowledge of salvation	11:35
	by the forgiveness of their sins.	11:39
-	In the tender compassion of our God,	11:41
	the dawn from on high shall break upon us.	11:44
Congregation	To shine on those who dwell in darkness	11:48
	and the shadow of death,	11:51
	and to guide our feet in the way of peace.	11:53
	(light music)	12:04
	(singing in foreign language)	13:09
-	The second lesson is taken from the book of Malachi,	15:39
	the third chapter beginning with the first verse.	15:42
	See, I am sending my messenger	15:47
	to prepare the way before me.	15:50
	And the Lord who you seek	15:52
	will suddenly come to his temple.	15:54
	The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight.	15:56
	Indeed he is coming says the Lord of hosts.	16:00
	But who can endure the day of his coming?	16:04
	And who can stand when he appears?	16:06
	For he is like a refiner's fire,	16:10
	and like fullers' soap.	16:12
	He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver	16:14
	and he will purify the descendants of Levi	16:18
	and refine them like gold and silver	16:21
	until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.	16:24
	Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem	16:29
	will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old	16:32
	and as in former years.	16:36
	This is the word of the Lord.	16:39
Congregation	Praise be to God.	16:42
	(light organ music)	17:04
	♪ But who may abide the day of his coming ♪	17:22
	♪ And who shall stand when he appeareth ♪	17:32
	♪ Who shall stand ♪	17:39
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	17:44
	♪ But who may abide ♪	17:51
	♪ But who may abide ♪	17:54
	♪ The day of his coming ♪	17:57
	♪ And who shall stand when he appeareth ♪	18:04
	♪ And who shall stand ♪	18:14
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	18:19
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	18:33
	♪ For he is like a refiner's fire ♪	18:43
	♪ For he is like ♪	18:48
	♪ A refiner's fire ♪	18:51
	♪ Who shall stand when he appeareth ♪	18:57
	♪ For he is like a ♪	19:00
	♪ Refiner's fire ♪	19:03
	♪ For he is like a refiner's fire ♪	19:13
	♪ And who shall stand when he appeareth ♪	19:21
	♪ But who may abide the day of his coming ♪	19:29
	♪ And who shall stand ♪	19:42
	♪ And who shall stand ♪	19:46
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	19:49
	♪ When he ♪	19:56
	♪ Appeareth ♪	20:03
	♪ For he is like a refiner's fire ♪	20:10
	♪ A refiner's fire ♪	20:15
	♪ And who shall stand when he ♪	20:18
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	20:21
	♪ And who shall stand ♪	20:23
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	20:26
	♪ For he is like ♪	20:29
	♪ A refiner's fire ♪	20:31
	♪ And who shall stand ♪	20:34
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	20:36
	♪ When he appeareth ♪	20:39
	♪ For he is like ♪	20:42
	♪ A refiner's fire ♪	20:45
	♪ For he is like ♪	20:56
	♪ A refiner's fire ♪	21:00
-	But who can endure the day of his coming?	21:39
	And who can stand when he appears?	21:43
	I know of nothing more devastating than laughter,	21:52
	mocking laughter.	21:59
	When we are made to look the fool	22:03
	and our pretenses wilt,	22:07
	and we see ourselves reflected	22:10
	in the derisive mirth of others.	22:14
	Not as our polished persona,	22:19
	but as we really are.	22:23
	Small, trite, and bogus.	22:26
	This is judgment	22:33
	says the writer Camus.	22:37
	One evening, he heard a laugh behind him.	22:42
	Yes, a laugh.	22:47
	He turned around but no one was there.	22:49
	It was for Jean-Baptiste	22:54
	the laughter of judgment.	22:57
	Jean-Baptiste is a Paris lawyer,	23:01
	a self-described defender of noble causes,	23:04
	widows, and orphans as the saying goes.	23:10
	But on that night with that strange,	23:15
	from out of nowhere laughter at his back,	23:18
	self awareness began to dawn for Jean-Baptiste.	23:23
	And he sees that his whole life has been a pretense,	23:31
	that as a lawyer,	23:36
	he doesn't really want to help others,	23:37
	but rather to strut the stage in front of others.	23:41
	He hears in the echo of that laugh the truth	23:45
	that he has been a hypocrite,	23:52
	a lousy actor,	23:53
	a fake, a fraud.	23:55
	In Jean-Baptiste's own words,	23:58
	shortly after the laughter I discovered something.	24:02
	When I would leave a blind man on the corner	24:06
	to which I had conveyed him,	24:10
	I would always tip my hat to the man.	24:12
	Now obviously the hat tipping was not seen by the blind man.	24:18
	It wasn't intended for him.	24:24
	He couldn't see it.	24:25
	For whom was such a gesture intended?	24:27
	To the public.	24:31
	After playing my little part,	24:34
	I would take my bow.	24:37
	Thus is revealed to Jean-Baptiste	24:43
	that he is acting his part upon life's stage,	24:46
	playing the part before the admiring public	24:50
	of the concerned liberal lawyer,	24:53
	lover of the poor and the less fortunate.	24:57
	In honesty, he says,	25:02
	I was always bursting with myself.	25:04
	I, I, it was the refrain that could be heard	25:07
	from any of my speech, I.	25:10
	Now I ask you,	25:16
	what might be done to me	25:18
	in reading a story like Camus', The Fall?	25:22
	Am I not also being rendered	25:27
	in Jean-Baptiste's candid self revelation?	25:29
	You read a story like that,	25:34
	it's enough to make you ask,	25:36
	what are my motives for doing good?	25:40
	Why do I put money in the plate at the church?	25:44
	Why do I stand before you and preach?	25:47
	Do I do so solely on the basis of God's call?	25:53
	Or are other factors prompting my pulpit performance?	26:00
	My late friend, the Baptist Prophet Carlyle Marney	26:07
	told about leaving for some speaking engagement	26:11
	in the Midwest.	26:14
	And on the way out,	26:15
	his wife handed him his coat and his suitcase,	26:16
	and he heard her laugh to herself.	26:20
	And he said, what's so funny?	26:25
	And she said,	26:26
	you don't do what you do because you love Jesus.	26:28
	He said, if you're so smart,	26:34
	tell me why I do what I do.	26:35
	And she said well,	26:37
	because you're insecure,	26:42
	you're vain,	26:43
	you're ambitious,	26:44
	you're driven.	26:45
	He said, I staggered out of the house,	26:48
	staggered onto the train,	26:50
	and had my first nervous breakdown	26:51
	before I got to Louisville.	26:54
	Some dark December evening	26:58
	after I'm walking home to suburbia	27:00
	after a day of doing good in academia,	27:02
	were I to hear a laugh at my back,	27:07
	mocking laugh of judgment,	27:11
	what crisis might be provoked in my clerical self image?	27:16
	From whence comes this mocking laughter	27:24
	of self awareness?	27:29
	Is it the laughter of God?	27:33
	I told you didn't I,	27:37
	the man's name was Jean-Baptiste,	27:38
	John the Baptist.	27:42
	I told you that he was a defender of widows and orphans.	27:45
	See, God is slinking around in the shadows of this story	27:50
	by this French existentialist.	27:57
	The Fall.	28:00
	Have you ever known a moment in your life	28:04
	when in the words of Jean-Baptiste,	28:06
	the whole universe seemed to be laughing at me?	28:09
	I have a preacher friend who was telling me	28:20
	of the dissolution of his marriage.	28:22
	And over and over again, he said,	28:27
	I can't believe that something like this	28:31
	is happening to somebody like me.	28:34
	Confides Jean-Baptiste,	28:43
	I'll tell you a secret, mon cher.	28:46
	Don't wait for the last judgment.	28:50
	It happens every day.	28:55
	Oh but,	29:00
	you are modern people	29:02
	and you do not believe that you have any criterion	29:04
	for judgment outside yourselves.	29:07
	We won't admit to the reality of judgment,	29:13
	any kind of final accounting.	29:15
	The laugh, the mocking laugh,	29:19
	the cul-de-sac in the super ego.	29:21
	The harsh mirror in which we see ourselves reflected	29:24
	cruelly but truthfully.	29:29
	Then, says Jean-Baptiste,	29:33
	would you at least admit this,	29:35
	that today you are less pleased with yourself	29:39
	than you were three days ago?	29:43
	Well we are seven days	29:48
	into the Christian season of Advent.	29:51
	Four weeks of penitence,	29:54
	and judgment,	29:56
	and introspection.	29:57
	And my impression has always been	30:00
	that Advent is about your least favorite season	30:02
	of the church year.	30:04
	It certainly is mine.	30:06
	The somber hymns,	30:07
	the kind of down-ness of it all.	30:09
	We've got Sundays with old fire and brimstone	30:14
	John the Baptist.	30:17
	You brood of vipers,	30:18
	who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?	30:20
	Not one of your favorite preachers, John.	30:25
	And I know that if you were here last Sunday,	30:29
	the preacher beat up on you.	30:31
	So I do not want you this Sunday to get nervous though.	30:34
	Because though I might like to,	30:39
	I cannot assault you with the Bible this morning.	30:42
	Because the words from which I have to preach from Malachi,	30:46
	these tough words of judgment,	30:51
	who can endure the day of his coming?	30:53
	He's like a refiner's fire.	30:54
	These words are not meant for you, laity,	30:59
	though you may deserve it.	31:03
	These words which so prophetically slash and burn	31:06
	are meant for me, clergy.	31:10
	Malachi cries,	31:15
	this is the larger context.	31:17
	Malachi cries see,	31:18
	I am sending my messenger	31:20
	to prepare the way before me.	31:22
	Prophet Malachi is proclaiming,	31:25
	as many of Israel's prophets did,	31:27
	proclaiming the way of the Lord.	31:30
	God is coming.	31:32
	Malachi says the Lord on whom you await	31:34
	will suddenly come to the temple.	31:38
	Now at first that sounds like good news doesn't it?	31:43
	Because we're here in the temple,	31:45
	in the chapel awaiting the Advent of God.	31:49
	And Malachi says, God is coming.	31:54
	Great.	32:00
	Israel that had prayed, and hoped,	32:01
	and believed down through the millennia	32:04
	that God would come and save.	32:08
	God is coming.	32:10
	But, continues the prophet,	32:15
	but who can endure the day of his coming?	32:18
	Who can stand when he appears?	32:21
	He is like refiner's fire.	32:23
	He is like ley soap.	32:25
	He will sift, and refine,	32:27
	and he will purify like fire.	32:30
	Now we would like God to be with us,	32:36
	but who wants refinement by fire?	32:40
	Who wants to be scrubbed down with Old Dutch Cleanser?	32:45
	But don't worry, as I said to you,	32:50
	the prophet's not talking about you.	32:53
	An angry Lord is coming to the temple,	32:58
	but he's not after you.	33:00
	God is coming for those who make their living at the temple.	33:04
	He's coming for the clergy.	33:08
	The prophet says he will purify	33:11
	the descendants of Levi,	33:14
	refine them until they present right offerings	33:16
	to the Lord in righteousness.	33:20
	Descendants of Levi.	33:22
	You know who the descendants of Levi are?	33:25
	The priests.	33:30
	The tribe of Levi were the priests,	33:32
	the clergy of Israel.	33:34
	Those who lived off religion,	33:37
	praying, and prophesying,	33:39
	and preaching on behalf of the people.	33:41
	Malachi, alas,	33:46
	is meant mostly for minsters.	33:47
	Priests, Malachi says,	33:52
	who despise God's name.	33:55
	You say, mocking the priest,	33:58
	you say how have I despised God's name?	34:01
	I have no pleasure in you says the Lord.	34:05
	I won't accept an offering from your hands.	34:07
	God says to the clergy, Malachi 1:13,	34:11
	you priests wear me out.	34:14
	Malachi says,	34:19
	the lips of the priest should guard knowledge.	34:21
	The people ought to seek instruction from his mouth.	34:24
	He is the messenger of the Lord.	34:27
	But you have turned aside from the way.	34:29
	You have caused many to stumble by your instruction.	34:32
	And here of course,	34:37
	the prophet is speaking of clergy	34:38
	who are also professors of theology in seminaries.	34:40
	And after the prophet takes a swipe at priests	34:45
	who have committed adultery	34:48
	and fooled around with various members of the choir,	34:49
	Malachi 2:14, 16, you can look it up.	34:53
	Then begins today's lesson for Malachi.	34:56
	Who can endure the day of the Lord's coming?	35:00
	He's like a refiner's fire.	35:02
	He's like soap.	35:04
	He will purify the descendants of Levi.	35:06
	You won't reform yourselves.	35:10
	God will come and reform you.	35:12
	And it will not be painless.	35:15
	Sometime shortly after I was ordained as a minister,	35:21
	pharmacists beat out clergy	35:26
	in the list of the most admired professions.	35:29
	Then the next year it was letter carriers,	35:34
	Amway distributors.	35:38
	At the beginning of each year,	35:43
	The Christian Sentry has a list	35:44
	of the most noteworthy religious news of the year.	35:46
	This past January,	35:51
	the most noteworthy religious news	35:52
	was a story of a number of prominent priests	35:55
	convicted of child abuse.	35:59
	Another told about embezzlement of funds	36:03
	in a major church in the Midwest,	36:06
	malfeasance at the National Council of Churches.	36:08
	Well we mainline liberal clergy snickered	36:11
	at the sexual shenanigans of the TV evangelist.	36:15
	But this stuff was beginning to hit close to home.	36:18
	And I don't recall any of us laughing.	36:24
	A friend of mine, an economist,	36:31
	was asked to be on the board	36:34
	of a Christian charitable organization.	36:36
	And his first weeks on the board	36:41
	were just like some kind of religious conversion.	36:43
	So impressed was he with the work,	36:45
	the good work of this organization.	36:48
	But then being an economist,	36:53
	he could read a spreadsheet.	36:55
	He started snooping around.	36:56
	He found out the salaries of the administrators,	36:58
	the clergy administrators of the organization,	37:01
	the real salaries.	37:05
	He began asking questions.	37:07
	He charged malfeasance.	37:09
	He was removed from the board.	37:13
	I asked him later what he had learned from this experience.	37:18
	And he said to me,	37:21
	I think clergy,	37:24
	because they tell themselves	37:27
	that they are doing the work of God,	37:29
	are particularly susceptible to self-deceit.	37:33
	Did you learn anything else, I said.	37:41
	(congregation laughing)	37:43
	Says Camus' Jean-Baptiste,	37:46
	on a really beautiful night, occasionally,	37:50
	when I'm alone,	37:55
	I still hear that laugh,	37:59
	that mocking laugh.	38:03
	Last fall,	38:10
	I had a few choir members over to the house after chapel	38:12
	and we were sitting around on my patio,	38:18
	and it was looking out.	38:20
	Beautiful day, fall day.	38:21
	And one of them said what a nice patio I had,	38:24
	and what a nice house we had,	38:27
	how beautiful it was.	38:29
	And I said, well thank you.	38:30
	Then one said,	38:31
	you know as a Christian minister,	38:32
	how do you deal with having such a nice house?	38:36
	(congregation laughing)	38:40
	I said, look,	38:45
	the president has got a lot nicer house than I've got.	38:46
	He said, well she isn't a preacher.	38:50
	I hate laity sometimes.	38:55
	(congregation laughing)	38:58
	Now why am I airing such clerical dirty laundry	39:00
	in front of you,	39:03
	Malachi bearing down on the clergy or not?	39:04
	Perhaps to demonstrate that when the Lord comes	39:11
	to ignite the fierce refiner's fire in judgment,	39:15
	to put the ax to the root,	39:21
	to separate the wheat from the chaff,	39:23
	all words of John the Baptist,	39:26
	each of us here has reason to ask:	39:31
	But who can endure the day of his coming?	39:35
	Who can stand if he should appear?	39:39
	If the clergy are gonna be so ruthlessly scrubbed,	39:44
	I mean what hope is there for you lowly laity?	39:47
	When that day of God's judgment is yours	39:53
	and you stand before the harsh mirror of truth.	39:56
	Well you've got your sin.	40:01
	I've got mine.	40:03
	I who stand up here week after week	40:06
	presuming to speak God's word.	40:09
	If my knees don't knock,	40:14
	if I have never heard in preaching the scripture to you	40:18
	some distant mocking laugh of God	40:23
	upon my pitiful efforts,	40:26
	then I am beyond hope of healing.	40:30
	And you, you,	40:35
	before you rush headlong into the affirming yuletide	40:39
	where all of us appear generous,	40:45
	and beneficent,	40:48
	and kind in the candle glow of Christmas,	40:49
	it can be invigorating	40:55
	to gather here and to pause	40:58
	in the darkness of Advent and consider	41:01
	the seriousness of our sin.	41:04
	The depth of our self-deceit.	41:08
	The ways large and small	41:12
	through which we betray the love of God	41:17
	by the way we live.	41:20
	My Lord, we will even use Christmas	41:24
	as a means of posturing and preening ourselves.	41:29
	Do you know how rare it is on this campus,	41:37
	in this culture?	41:41
	Do you know what a phenomenon,	41:44
	weird it is in this I'm okay,	41:46
	you're okay,	41:49
	all is forgiven and nothing is sacred moral ooze	41:50
	in which we sink?	41:53
	To gather and dare to hear words of a prophet like Malachi.	41:56
	A God who would first make us look at ourselves	42:02
	before we can see God.	42:06
	Do you know heroic it is	42:12
	for just five minutes to be honest in this culture?	42:16
	Large matters are being worked out here	42:23
	this Advent before this holy altar.	42:26
	If God should come,	42:31
	if Christ should be present among us	42:32
	as we believe him to be,	42:34
	who can endure the day of his coming?	42:37
	Who could stand?	42:41
	You remember that episode in the gospels	42:46
	where Peter is standing face to face with Jesus	42:48
	and Jesus says something to Peter?	42:51
	And it hits and Peter says,	42:53
	depart from me.	42:55
	I am a sinful man.	42:57
	But you know he doesn't.	43:03
	He won't depart.	43:06
	He just sticks with us.	43:08
	He keeps coming to us year after year.	43:09
	He won't let us be.	43:13
	He isn't done with us yet.	43:17
	He's still got some smelting,	43:19
	and hammering,	43:20
	and refinement to do	43:21
	until we more closely resemble	43:23
	the people he's meant us to be.	43:25
	That's the good news.	43:29
	Malachi not only warns of the judging Advent	43:32
	of a God into our lives,	43:35
	but also God's gracious refinement.	43:38
	The good news,	43:43
	if there's a promise,	43:46
	if there is hope that God will one day refine,	43:48
	and smelt, and hammer into righteousness clergy like me,	43:51
	then there's got to be even more hope for you, right?	43:57
	The good news.	44:04
	He's not done with you yet.	44:07
	("Of The Father's Love Begotten")	44:19
	♪ Of the Father's love begotten ♪	44:54
	♪ Ere the worlds began to be ♪	45:00
	♪ He is Alpha and Omega ♪	45:06
	♪ He the source, the ending He ♪	45:12
	♪ Of the things that are, that have been ♪	45:18
	♪ And that future years shall see ♪	45:26
	♪ Evermore and evermore ♪	45:32
	♪ Oh ye heights of heaven adore Him ♪	45:41
	♪ Angel hosts, His praises sing ♪	45:47
	♪ Powers, dominions, bow before Him ♪	45:52
	♪ And extol our God and King ♪	45:57
	♪ Let no tongue on earth be silent ♪	46:03
	♪ Every voice in concert ring ♪	46:10
	♪ Evermore and evermore ♪	46:15
	♪ Christ, to Thee with God the Father ♪	46:24
	♪ And, oh Holy Ghost, to Thee ♪	46:30
	♪ Hymn and chant with high thanksgiving ♪	46:36
	♪ And unwearied praises be ♪	46:41
	♪ Honor, glory, and dominion ♪	46:47
	♪ And eternal victory ♪	46:55
	♪ Evermore and evermore ♪	47:00
-	The Lord be with you.	47:18
-	And also with you.
-	Let us pray.	47:22
	You may be seated.	47:23
	Oh holy God,	47:35
	we have prayed for your Advent among us.	47:37
	But have we really expected it?	47:41
	We have given lip service to our desire to be saved.	47:45
	But we haven't acted as if we believe	47:50
	that your judgment and salvation are near.	47:53
	In the brilliance of your light,	47:58
	we see the darkness in our lives.	48:01
	We see the places in our hearts	48:05
	where we have refused you entrance.	48:07
	People we have refused to love,	48:11
	habits we never get around to changing,	48:13
	good things we have left undone,	48:18
	ways in which we have hurt you,	48:21
	ourselves, and others.	48:24
	In your mocking laugh,	48:28
	we recognize the depth of our self-deceit,	48:30
	and the illusion of our goodness.	48:34
	How can we stand before you?	48:38
	Remind us that we stand not through our own goodness	48:43
	but through your great love for us.	48:48
	Shine into the darkness	48:51
	and cleanse us of all that is impure and sinful.	48:54
	Refine us in the fire of your love.	48:59
	Show us new ways to live.	49:03
	Sweep clean the rooms of our hearts	49:07
	that Christ may find a home among us	49:10
	and we might live in ways that are worthy of your love.	49:14
	Keep us alert in this Advent season	49:20
	that we may recognize with gratitude	49:24
	every blessing that announces your constant love.	49:27
	Especially we thank you for the good news	49:32
	of forgiveness and salvation	49:34
	that we have been given to proclaim through your church,	49:36
	the blessings of love and kindness we have received,	49:41
	promises kept,	49:46
	and signs of hope for the future,	49:48
	opportunities to show your love,	49:52
	and those who act out the compassion of Christ.	49:56
	Ever-present God,	50:01
	you are always at work in the world	50:03
	to overcome evil with good.	50:06
	As you have come to us in Jesus Christ,	50:09
	enable us to go to others	50:12
	in ministries of caring and healing	50:14
	that we might prepare the way	50:17
	for the day of your coming again.	50:19
	Especially we pray for peacemakers	50:23
	in the councils of nations.	50:25
	The homes of those, single or married,	50:30
	the poor and needy,	50:35
	the oppressed and outcast,	50:39
	those in mental or physical pain,	50:43
	those who grieve and mourn,	50:48
	Christ's church throughout the world,	50:53
	those gathered in this place.	50:59
	Eternal God and Jesus Christ,	51:05
	you poured out your love for us	51:07
	and claimed us as your own.	51:09
	Keep us secure in your gracious embrace,	51:13
	this day and in every tomorrow	51:16
	by the power of your spirit,	51:19
	in the name of Christ our risen Lord,	51:22
	who has come and will come again, amen.	51:25
	How shall we present right offerings to God?	51:33
	What does God expect of those who are blessed and forgiven,	51:37
	purified in the refiner's fire?	51:41
	May our gifts confirm our partnership in the gospel	51:44
	and our gratitude for God's abundant mercy.	51:48
	(light organ music)	51:54
	♪ How beautiful are the feet of them ♪	53:26
	♪ That bring the gospel of peace ♪	53:32
	♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪	53:39
	♪ How beautiful are the feet ♪	53:45
	♪ Of them that preach the gospel of peace ♪	53:49
	♪ How beautiful are the feet of them ♪	54:02
	♪ That preach the gospel of peace ♪	54:09
	♪ And bring glad tidings ♪	54:15
	♪ And bring glad tidings ♪	54:20
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	54:26
	♪ That bring glad tidings ♪	54:32
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	54:38
	♪ And bring glad tidings ♪	54:43
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	54:50
	♪ Glad tidings of good things ♪	54:54
	(lively piano music)	55:44
	♪ All things bright and beautiful ♪	55:57
	♪ All creatures great and small ♪	56:01
	♪ All things wise and wonderful ♪	56:06
	♪ The Lord God made them all ♪	56:10
	♪ Each little flower that opens ♪	56:14
	♪ Each little bird that sings ♪	56:18
	♪ He made their glowing colors ♪	56:21
	♪ He made their tiny wings ♪	56:26
	♪ All things bright and beautiful ♪	56:30
	♪ All creatures great and small ♪	56:34
	♪ All things wise and wonderful ♪	56:38
	♪ The Lord God made them all ♪	56:41
	♪ The purple-headed mountains ♪	56:49
	♪ The river running by ♪	56:53
	♪ The sunset and the morning ♪	56:57
	♪ That brightens up the sky ♪	57:01
	♪ The cold wind in the winter ♪	57:05
	♪ The pleasant summer sun ♪	57:09
	♪ The ripe fruits in the garden ♪	57:13
	♪ He made them every one ♪	57:18
	♪ All things bright and beautiful ♪	57:24
	♪ All creatures great and small ♪	57:27
	♪ All things wise and wonderful ♪	57:32
	♪ The Lord God made them all ♪	57:36
	♪ He gave us eyes to see them ♪	57:40
	♪ And lips that we might tell ♪	57:44
	♪ How great is God Almighty, ♪	57:48
	♪ Who has made all things well ♪	57:51
	♪ All things bright and beautiful ♪	57:56
	♪ All creatures great and small ♪	57:59
	♪ All things wise and wonderful ♪	58:04
	♪ The Lord God made them all ♪	58:11
	("Doxology")	58:38
	♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪	59:13
	♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪	59:20
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	59:25
	♪ Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts ♪	59:34
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	59:40
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	59:47
	♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪	59:53
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:00:00
-	Let us pray.	1:00:12
	Almighty and merciful God	1:00:14
	from whom comes all good and every perfect gift,	1:00:17
	we praise you for your mercies,	1:00:21
	for your goodness that has created us,	1:00:23
	your grace that has sustained us,	1:00:26
	your discipline that has corrected us,	1:00:29
	your patience that has borne with us,	1:00:32
	and your love that has redeemed us	1:00:35
	and which continues to purify us	1:00:38
	to make us worthy of your love.	1:00:41
	Help us to love you and to be thankful for all your gifts	1:00:44
	by serving you and delighting to do your will	1:00:48
	through Jesus Christ our Lord	1:00:51
	who taught us to pray together saying.	1:00:53
Congregation	Our Father who art in heaven,	1:00:56
	hallowed be thy name.	1:00:59
	Thy kingdom, thy will be done,	1:01:01
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:01:05
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:01:07
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:01:10
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:01:13
	Lead us not into temptation,	1:01:16
	but deliver us from evil.	1:01:19
	For Thine is the kingdom,	1:01:21
	and power,	1:01:23
	and the glory forever, amen.	1:01:24
	(lively organ and choral music)	1:01:29
-	The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,	1:04:36
	the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:04:40
	be with you now and always, amen.	1:04:43
	(energetic organ music)	1:04:55

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "The Judging, Redeeming Laugh of God" (December 4, 1994)

Description:

Sermon start time: 21:39. Sermon end time: 44:10.
Speaking to clerical failures, the preacher argues that the book of Malachi tells that God will refine and restore clergy into righteousness. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “Before you rush headlong into the affirming yuletide, where all of us appear generous and beneficent and kind in the candle glow of Christmas, it can be invigorating to gather here and to pause in the darkness of Advent and consider the seriousness of our sin.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4n873d8v

Date:

December 4, 1994

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Advent

Biblical Book:

Malachi

Chapter and Verse:

Malachi 3:1-4

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0401
ref9505_p1d
uachapelsermaud
duke:321349
dcrmv001383
ark:/87924/r4n873d8v
67c1304f-283d-46d2-acfd-b9ef7b2ef367

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

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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.

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William H. Willimon - "The Judging, Redeeming Laugh of God" (December 4, 1994)

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Item Info

1. William H. Willimon - "The Judging, Redeeming Laugh of God" (December 4, 1994)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "The Judging, Redeeming Laugh of God" (December 4, 1994)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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