William H. Willimon - "R.S.V.P" (October 14, 1990)

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	(formal orchestra music )	0:00
	(organ begins playing)	2:09
	(opera choir sings)	2:17
-	We have already been led in our worship	8:19
	by our guest choir The Alamance Chorale	8:22
	under the direction of Mr. Sam Doyle.	8:24
	They are annual visitors to the chapel.	8:28
	And we welcome them again,	8:31
	and they mean so much to our service	8:33
	along with our guest instrumentalists.	8:35
	Today, we honor the life and the work	8:40
	of Dr. William Preston Few, first president	8:43
	of Duke University and a man,	8:47
	whose shadow is cast over this chapel.	8:49
	It was Dr. Few who helped develop this chapel	8:53
	in its first years and had a vision of this church.	8:56
	Which would serve not only the campus	9:00
	and his beloved Duke students,	9:03
	but also the University and the nation as well.	9:06
	We honor his memory with gratitude this Sunday,	9:12
	on the anniversary of his death.	9:16
	And we are pleased to have members of the Few family	9:17
	with us as our honored guests today.	9:21
	Honoring the memory of Dr. Few reminds us	9:25
	that we gather today as beneficiaries	9:28
	of those saints who have given to the church and its work	9:31
	over the years.	9:36
	And we remember them, particularly we remember Dr. Few,	9:38
	with great gratitude.	9:42
	Now let us stand for the reading.	9:47
	The grace of the the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	9:56
Audience	And also with you.	10:00
-	The risen Christ is with us.	10:01
	(Audience responds)	10:03
	(trumpet music)	10:05
	(organ begins playing)	10:28
	(congregation and choir sings)	10:39
-	Almighty and everlasting God,	13:38
	in Christ you have revealed Your glory among the nations.	13:41
	Preserve the works of your mercy,	13:45
	that Your church throughout the world may persevere	13:48
	with steadfast faith in the confession of Your name.	13:51
	Through Jesus Christ our Lord,	13:55
	who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.	13:57
	One God forever and ever, amen.	14:00
-	Let us pray.	14:13
Congregation	Open our hearts and minds oh God,	14:15
	by the power of your Holy Spirit.	14:19
	So that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	14:22
	we might hear with joy what You say to us this day.	14:26
	Amen.	14:31
-	The epistle lesson is taken	14:34
	from Paul's letter to the Philippians.	14:35
	Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say rejoice.	14:39
	Let your gentleness be known to everyone.	14:46
	The Lord is near.	14:50
	Do not worry about anything.	14:54
	But in everything, by prayer	14:57
	and supplication with thanksgiving,	15:00
	let your requests be made known to God.	15:03
	And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding	15:07
	will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.	15:13
	Finally beloved, whatever is true,	15:20
	whatever is honorable,	15:25
	whatever is just, whatever is pure.	15:28
	Whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable.	15:33
	If there is any excellence,	15:37
	and if there is anything worthy of praise,	15:40
	think about these things.	15:43
	Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received,	15:46
	and heard and seen in me.	15:51
	And the God of peace will be with you.	15:54
	This is the Word of the Lord.	15:58
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	16:01
-	And today's gospel lesson from the gospel of Matthew.	16:12
	Again Jesus spoke to them in parables.	16:20
	The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king	16:25
	who gave a marriage feast for his son.	16:27
	And he sent his servants to call those	16:32
	who were invited to the marriage feast,	16:34
	but they would not come.	16:37
	Again, he sent out his servants saying,	16:39
	"tell those who were invited, behold,	16:41
	"I have made ready my dinner, my oxen, my fat calves,	16:45
	"and everything is ready.	16:48
	"Come to the marriage feast."	16:49
	But they made light of it and went off,	16:52
	one to his farm, another to his business.	16:55
	While the rest seized his servants	16:58
	and treated them shamefully and killed them.	17:00
	The king was angry.	17:03
	He sent his troops and destroyed these murderers,	17:06
	and burned their city.	17:09
	Then he said to his servants, "the wedding is ready	17:12
	"but those who were invited were not worthy.	17:15
	"Go, therefore, to the thoroughfares,	17:19
	"and invite to the marriage feast	17:21
	"as many as you find."	17:24
	And those servants went out into the streets,	17:27
	and they gathered all that they found,	17:30
	both bad and good.	17:33
	So the wedding hall was filled with guests.	17:36
	But when the king came in to look at the guests	17:40
	he saw there was a man with no wedding garment.	17:43
	And he said, "friend, how did you get in here	17:45
	"without a wedding garment?"	17:48
	And the man was speechless.	17:50
	Then the king said to his attendants,	17:54
	"bind him hand and foot and cast him	17:56
	"into the outer darkness, for there people weep	17:58
	"and gnash their teeth.	18:01
	"For many are called, but few are chosen."	18:04
	This is the Word of God.	18:11
	"At Duke," she said, "we work hard and we play hard."	18:17
	A visitor to campus from Thursday evening through Sunday,	18:23
	might get the impression	18:27
	that we are one of those infamous party schools.	18:29
	And at last, here we have a piece of Scripture	18:36
	that speaks to the taste of party people.	18:40
	Unfortunately it occurs in the lectionary	18:44
	on a recess Sunday,	18:47
	when all the party people are out partying somewhere else.	18:48
	Nevertheless, let us forge ahead.	18:52
	"The kingdom of heaven," Jesus says,	18:55
	"the kingdom of heaven is like a king	18:57
	"who gave a wedding feast for his son."	19:02
	Heaven's kingdom, according to Jesus,	19:07
	is a feast, it's a party.	19:10
	And sitting here in church on Sunday morning,	19:14
	we're apt to overlook how often Jesus speaks	19:17
	about parties, how often he goes to parties.	19:21
	In the beginning of John's gospel,	19:23
	the very first miracle Jesus performs	19:25
	is turning thirty gallons of water into Mogen David	19:28
	to keep a wedding reception from falling.	19:31
	And then he told stories about parties.	19:36
	Parties like the one thrown for that prodigal son	19:39
	when he returned home at last.	19:44
	And then, there was the criticism of Jesus.	19:49
	This man, this Jesus, eats and drinks,	19:54
	that is, parties, with sinners.	19:58
	And he ends his ministry at the Last Supper.	20:02
	All in preparation for that great bash,	20:05
	the Marriage Supper of the Lamb	20:08
	(Revelation 19).	20:11
	The gospel goes to great lengths to demonstrate	20:15
	that in Jesus the world is invited to party.	20:17
	The king isn't sore at anybody.	20:23
	He doesn't bear a grudge, he's not in the business	20:27
	of striking anybody off the guest list.	20:30
	Because the king's son is here,	20:33
	and when the king's son is here, the king is happy.	20:35
	And when the king is happy,	20:37
	the king wants everybody to be happy.	20:39
	And so he sent his servants out to invite people	20:42
	to come to the marriage feast.	20:47
	And thus the parable begins.	20:50
	Well, as things turned out, it wasn't that easy.	20:54
	Those who were invited to the marriage feast refuse to come.	20:59
	They were music majors, and the only night	21:03
	they could get the practice room was Saturday evening.	21:06
	They were chemistry freaks,	21:10
	they needed a 4.0 to get in John Hopkins Graduate School.	21:12
	Nerds, pencil geeks.	21:17
	"The world," says Jesus,	21:19
	"is unfortunately just full of fools,	21:21
	"who don't know a good thing when they hear it,	21:24
	"who would trade an evening of watching reruns	21:26
	of Masterpiece Theater rather than get down and party.	21:30
	Free grace, undying love, total acceptance to the contrary.	21:35
	As Robert Capon says,	21:41
	"We will sooner accept a God we will be fed to,	21:45
	"than a God that we will be fed by."	21:51
	But Jesus is on a roll.	21:56
	The king, undeterred from his desire	21:58
	to throw a big party for his son,	22:02
	sends out even more servants.	22:04
	"Tell the uninvited, behold the feast is ready,	22:08
	"come to the marriage party."	22:12
	And these invited guests, we are told,	22:15
	make light of the invitation.	22:18
	Not only that, but they kill the king's servants.	22:22
	Such behavior seems excessive.	22:27
	"Oh certainly Jones, I would just love to come to	22:31
	"one of your wakes. I mean, parties.	22:34
	"But you see, we've got to bathe the dog next Saturday,	22:36
	"and we just couldn't possibly--"	22:39
	That's how we would handle it, the polite put-off.	22:42
	But no, Jesus I think, has got to resort to hyperbole	22:48
	to show how really dumb these blue-blooded wallflowers	22:53
	and stuffed shirts are.	22:58
	They don't just forget to RSVP,	23:00
	they murder the mailman.	23:03
	And then the story moves into a veritable orgy	23:06
	of death and destruction.	23:09
	The king was angry, says Jesus.	23:11
	Boy, and how.	23:13
	He sent his soldiers, and they destroyed those murderers.	23:15
	And they burned their city.	23:18
	This isn't the old country club snub,	23:22
	this is crossing people off your guest list for good.	23:26
	And so scene one of the parable ends	23:30
	with dead debutantes, and slaughtered socialites,	23:33
	and bullet-riddled tuxedos,	23:36
	and bloodstained Bill Blass orginals.	23:38
	And it's ugly.	23:41
	But before we are too tough on the king's angry response,	23:46
	let's ponder the identity	23:50
	of these country club corpses.	23:55
	These were the beautiful people,	23:59
	these who were first invited to come party.	24:01
	They were first invited, in fact,	24:04
	they had been first at everything.	24:06
	They were always first at all the good schools,	24:08
	first with every opportunity in life;	24:12
	they were first at Palm Beach in the winter	24:14
	and first at Newport in the summer.	24:16
	They had always been first.	24:18
	They were the right sort of people,	24:22
	whose very presence at the wedding	24:24
	would make things look better.	24:25
	They had style.	24:27
	But they lacked one thing in their beauty: trust.	24:31
	They preferred their own devices	24:37
	and their own agenda.	24:40
	Maybe it was because they had been so successful in life,	24:41
	in getting everything they had ever wanted.	24:45
	And so, trusting their way of doing things	24:52
	rather than the king's way of doing things,	24:55
	they now join Jesus' long list--	24:59
	growing longer with each parable--	25:02
	of winners who become losers.	25:07
	The right people who end up wrong.	25:12
	They are the Pharisees standing before the temple,	25:17
	congratulating themself on what a success	25:20
	he's been of his religion.	25:23
	They are the elder brother pouting out in the darkness,	25:27
	because he's too good to go in and party	25:30
	with his prodigal kid brother.	25:33
	They are all those good, religious, liberal,	25:36
	consciousness-raised, do-gooding people	25:40
	that went through the roof when this notoriously sinful	25:43
	working woman comes in and lets down her hair,	25:48
	and makes such a fuss with Jesus at another party.	25:50
	In other words, they are you and they are me.	25:55
	They are those of us who believe that somehow	26:01
	it's our good deeds, or our clean looks	26:05
	that somehow get us in to the king's house--	26:08
	should we have an evening free to go.	26:12
	And the king is so good-natured	26:17
	that he won't take offense if we don't show up.	26:19
	Jesus makes the king's response so awful and violent,	26:24
	I think, to show that we're wrong.	26:28
	We're just dead wrong	26:31
	if we trust ourselves and our goodness to get us in,	26:35
	or it's somehow the king's forbearance	26:38
	that get us out of the consequences	26:42
	of our rejection of the invitation.	26:44
	Salvation--do we have to go over this again?	26:48
	Salvation is not by works,	26:51
	not by our clean looks.	26:56
	We are saved by our attendance at a party	27:01
	that's already in progress.	27:05
	A party that's already been paid for	27:09
	by the death of his own Son.	27:11
	And since God works by grace, that's gifts,	27:16
	and asks only trust,	27:21
	outside this free party there is for us nothing.	27:25
	Which is why Jesus says, the king moves to party plan B.	27:32
	Then the king said to his servants,	27:38
	"The wedding party is ready but, believe it or not,	27:40
	"those who were first invited were not worthy.	27:43
	"In their great worthiness they were not worthy.	27:47
	"Go, go therefore into the thoroughfares of the city	27:52
	"and invite to my feast anybody you can find."	27:57
	And the servants go out, and they get out in the streets.	28:02
	And they invite--get this--	28:06
	the bad and the good.	28:11
	Wait a minute. You say you thought Jesus	28:14
	wanted to be around good people?	28:17
	Get with the program, didn't Jesus tell the story	28:20
	about the sower who allowed the weeds,	28:23
	those bad weeds, to grow right alongside the good wheat.	28:26
	Don't you remember that story about that lousy Samaritan	28:31
	who came down that road.	28:35
	Or that prodigal son who went out into the far country	28:38
	and wasted everything he had.	28:41
	Or that Pharisee and the publican	28:43
	who came to church one Sunday.	28:45
	Jesus seems to go out of his way	28:50
	to make life's winners look like losers.	28:52
	Bad people don't seem to be a problem in this kingdom.	28:57
	Since at the cross, God has already dealt	29:02
	with the problem of bad.	29:05
	The problem in this kingdom	29:08
	is non-acceptance of the invitation.	29:12
	An invitation that is given to the undeniably bad	29:17
	and the allegedly good.	29:21
	Here's a king who doesn't invite the good,	29:26
	and then snub the bad.	29:28
	He invited all.	29:31
	The way Paul said it,	29:37
	while we were yet sinners,	29:39
	(have we ever been anything else?)	29:43
	at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.	29:46
	Back to the story, so there they are	29:53
	and off the streets.	29:55
	At the king's mansion.	29:57
	We've got now, at the banquet,	29:59
	all of the bag ladies, and the old men on Ripple,	30:01
	and the young kids on cocaine.	30:04
	All at the wedding.	30:06
	And Jesus says with great satisfaction,	30:07
	"Now the wedding hall was filled with guests."	30:12
	And some guests they are.	30:15
	I told you, this king is out to party.	30:18
	And he's not going to let a little thing,	30:21
	like being snubbed by the entire	30:22
	New York City social register, keep him from partying.	30:24
	But Jesus is on a roll, and so the story isn't over yet.	30:31
	There is this strange matter of this guest	30:35
	who shows up without a wedding garment.	30:37
	And gets booted out because he hasn't	30:41
	got a wedding garment on.	30:43
	What does that mean?	30:44
	I don't know but,	30:47
	let's follow Robert Capon's suggestion	30:50
	that the king, this extravagant king,	30:52
	not only invited all these good and bad	30:55
	off the streets to come to the party.	30:58
	But let's say he went all the way,	31:00
	and he has purchased wedding garments	31:02
	for everybody to wear at the party.	31:06
	Now none of the people at the party	31:09
	had ever been near a tuxedo or an original Dior.	31:11
	But the king says, "What the heck.	31:18
	"I said I wanted to party,	31:21
	"and what good's a party if everybody doesn't look	31:23
	"like they're at a party.	31:25
	"So it's only another 20000 bucks,	31:26
	"wedding garments for everybody."	31:28
	And so they've all entered now,	31:31
	and the King surveys the scene.	31:34
	And he just loves what he sees.	31:36
	There's this woman, been living off the streets for months,	31:40
	this bag lady, and the way she looks now	31:43
	she could pass for a queen.	31:45
	And there's a shiftless young hoodlum that they	31:49
	picked off of some street corner.	31:52
	He looks like he's just come from Rodeo Drive.	31:55
	And the king loves what he sees.	31:59
	But then his eye falls on this guy over there,	32:02
	whose odor and the way he's dressed	32:05
	just spoil the whole wonderful scene.	32:10
	"You jerk, how did you get in here without a tux?"	32:15
	And Jesus says the shabby guy was, well, speechless.	32:20
	The invitation to the party, this pure gifted grace,	32:27
	is also terrible judgment.	32:34
	The invitation, "come on in, you're okay in my book!",	32:37
	when it is rejected by that first group,	32:42
	becomes their terrible judgment.	32:44
	Because all the king ever wanted was to party.	32:49
	And if they won't party,	32:53
	it's no sweat off the king's nose.	32:55
	He'll go look for somebody else	32:57
	who's out looking for a good time.	32:59
	Likewise, that second group that entered the banquet hall.	33:03
	The king's already demonstrated that he doesn't care,	33:08
	if they are social misfits who don't know	33:13
	beluga caviar from black eyed peas.	33:16
	He just wants everybody in at the party.	33:19
	Because he is a king who makes all of the outsiders	33:23
	look like insiders--	33:26
	and as far as the king is concerned,	33:29
	everybody's in.	33:31
	The only thing that can put a person out	33:35
	is refusal to party.	33:37
	It's hell to be on the outside,	33:41
	but as far as the king is concerned everybody is in.	33:43
	Nobody, would you note this in Jesus' stories,	33:47
	nobody ever gets kicked out--	33:50
	except those who are already in.	33:53
	The only person who ends up outside	33:58
	is the person who's always thought of him or herself	34:01
	as on the inside.	34:04
	Who refused to get dressed and party.	34:07
	And even then, I suppose if this guy gives up	34:12
	his stuffed shirt ways, he's still welcome to party.	34:15
	Because as Paul says, the gifts and the call,	34:20
	the invitation of God are irrevocable.	34:24
	This is a king that never withdraws an invitation.	34:30
	Look at the trouble this king went through to party.	34:34
	"He who did not spare his own son, will he not also...?"	34:39
	"God sent His son into the world, not to condemn the world,	34:45
	"but that the world through his son might be saved."	34:49
	Nothing, neither life nor death,	34:54
	nor no height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,	34:57
	can separate us from this love.	35:00
	The reason this guy is speechless,	35:07
	this guy without the garment,	35:10
	is precisely because there are no good reasons	35:12
	for rejection of such a gracious invitation.	35:15
	Though the bad reasons are plenty.	35:21
	But let's say, maybe this,	35:25
	let's say, what if this guy had not been speechless?	35:27
	Let's pretend that when confronted by the king	35:32
	he blurted out something like,	35:35
	"I'm not going to put on a rented tuxedo	35:37
	"and fraternize with these no-count deadbeats."	35:39
	Or, "I want to be accepted for who I really am,	35:43
	"and for what I've already done in life.	35:48
	"Not because somebody put some silly monkey suit on me."	35:51
	If he just said that, then the king	35:56
	could have responded with something like,	35:58
	"Oh shut up, and have some more Chateau Rothschild '58.	36:00
	"You'll like these people after you've had a few drinks."	36:04
	Or, "hey what fun is a party	36:07
	"if you're not dressed for a party.	36:11
	"Relax, this whole thing is free."	36:13
	If he'd said something, if he'd said anything at all.	36:17
	If he had raged, or he'd cried out,	36:20
	then the king could have said something to reassure him.	36:23
	Maybe the king could have told him	36:26
	a parable or something.	36:28
	But he just sat there in quiet, dull desperation.	36:30
	And he ended up, insider though he was, on the outside.	36:35
	"Bind him hand and foot,	36:40
	"throw him out into the outer darkness."	36:42
	Judgment falls with thundering gavel	36:47
	upon rejection of the invitation.	36:51
	Hell is where we are	36:55
	when we will not accept our acceptance.	36:59
	We with our thirty-eight dollar Sears suit.	37:03
	Clutching our miserable little virtues	37:06
	as if they were something beautiful.	37:09
	Pathetically standing out in the darkness	37:12
	with our self righteousness,	37:15
	while the party goes on inside.	37:17
	Hell is for the silent majority.	37:21
	The last words, "Many are called,	37:28
	"but few are chosen."	37:34
	The silent majority who play it safe,	37:38
	and stay dignified	37:41
	rather than risk the party.	37:45
	If heaven is a great glorious party,	37:49
	like Jesus says it is, then hell must be for the silent	37:52
	and the very serious.	37:58
	Ah, but why end on such a somber note?	38:02
	The main point of the parable is good news.	38:05
	All is ready, the feast has been prepared.	38:11
	And it just wouldn't be right without you.	38:16
	Amen.	38:22
-	The Lord be with you.	38:34
Congregation	And also with you.	38:36
-	Let us pray.	38:37
	Our kind and gracious God,	38:41
	the hope of all who seek You and the joy	38:44
	of all who find.	38:47
	We thank You for the gift of Your Word,	38:50
	which proclaims the good news of heaven's party.	38:52
	You have not only issued us invitations	38:57
	to be your guests at the heavenly banquet,	38:59
	but you have promised to dress us in finest array.	39:02
	We pray that you will make us willing	39:07
	and grateful recipients of the honor you bestow upon us.	39:09
	For those who can only cry,	39:14
	teach us to sing once again.	39:15
	For those given too much, to decency and order,	39:18
	teach us to dance once again.	39:22
	For those worn weary by the trials of faith,	39:26
	enliven us that our spirits may soar once again.	39:30
	To the glory of Your name.	39:34
	Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer.	39:37
	As we gather in joyous fellowship	39:42
	around the communion table,	39:43
	we remember to pray not only for ourselves,	39:45
	but for our sisters and brothers.	39:48
	We pray for all who have no joy,	39:51
	for the sick and the suffering.	39:54
	The bereaved and the friendless,	39:56
	for all who are rejected or who are consumed	39:59
	by anxiety or ill will.	40:02
	For all who are frustrated or joyless in their work.	40:05
	Lord in Your mercy hear our prayer.	40:10
	As we feast on the bounty of God's table	40:14
	we pray for all who hunger.	40:16
	For food, for understanding, for opportunities,	40:19
	for education or employment.	40:23
	For companionship, for deeper meaning in their lives.	40:26
	Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer.	40:31
	As we join hands in search of reconciliation	40:35
	with you and one another, let us pray	40:38
	for all embroiled in conflict which knows no end.	40:41
	For Israelis and Palestinians.	40:45
	For the people of South Africa.	40:48
	For the Iraqi and American governments,	40:50
	and those who prepare to fight for them.	40:53
	For husbands and wives in domestic turmoil,	40:56
	and for their children.	40:59
	Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.	41:02
	As we gather in the hope of the resurrection,	41:06
	let us pray for all who have no hope.	41:09
	For runaway and abandoned children,	41:13
	for battered wives, for the imprisoned,	41:15
	for victims of AIDS or other terminal illness.	41:19
	For substance abusers, for the homeless,	41:22
	both at home and abroad.	41:26
	Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer.	41:28
	Oh loving God, you have called us	41:33
	to Your kingdom with the promise never to forsake us.	41:34
	We accept Your invitation, with the assurance	41:38
	that you want neither silver nor gold from us	41:41
	but simply ourselves.	41:44
	And thus we humbly offer You our gifts,	41:47
	in the spirit of celebration and thanksgiving.	41:49
	For Your love's sake we pray, amen.	41:53
	Christ invites to His table all who love Him,	41:59
	and who desire to live in peace with one another.	42:01
	Let us stand and offer each other signs	42:04
	of God's peace and love.	42:07
	As a people called to rejoice in the Lord always,	42:29
	let us offer our gifts and ourselves	42:32
	unto God with thanksgiving.	42:34
	(organ begins playing)	42:51
	(orchestra plays)	42:54
	(choir sings)	42:55
	(congregation sings)	47:23
-	Let us join in the great thanksgiving.	48:35
	The Lord be with you.	48:41
Congregation	And also with you.	48:44
-	Lift up your hearts.	48:45
Congregation	We lift them to the Lord.	48:47
-	Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.	48:48
Congregation	It is right to give our thanks and praise.	48:52
-	It is truly right to glorify You oh God	48:54
	and to give You thanks.	48:57
	You alone are God living and true.	48:59
	Fountain of life, source of all goodness,	49:02
	you made all things and filled them with your blessing.	49:05
	You created all creatures to rejoice	49:09
	in the splendor of Your radiance.	49:12
	Countless throngs of angels stand before You	49:14
	night and day, beholding the glory	49:17
	of Your presence and rejoicing.	49:20
	They offer You unceasing praise.	49:23
	And so with Your people on earth,	49:26
	and all the company of heaven,	49:28
	we praise Your name and we join their unending hymn.	49:30
	(orchestra begins playing)	49:35
	(congregation sings "Holy Holy Holy")	49:45
-	We remember with joy, the grace by which	50:22
	you created everything.	50:24
	We rejoice that You called the people in covenant	50:26
	to be a light to the nations.	50:29
	We rejoice that even when we rebel against Your will,	50:32
	You continue to love us.	50:36
	In the fullness of time You sent Your only Son,	50:39
	to invite us and save us.	50:42
	He reconciled us to Your love.	50:45
	At the Jordan Your Spirit descended upon Him	50:48
	anointing Him to preach the good news	50:50
	of Your invitation to all.	50:53
	It was He who sought the lost and broke bread with sinners.	50:56
	Witnessing to the fullness of Your grace.	51:00
	So that we beheld His glory.	51:03
	On the night before He died for us	51:06
	the Lord Jesus took bread,	51:08
	and giving thanks to you He broke the bread	51:10
	and offered it to His disciples saying	51:12
	"Take, eat, this is my body given for you	51:14
	"and for remembrance of me."	51:17
	And taking the cup, again He gave thanks to You	51:20
	and shared the cup with His disciples	51:23
	and said, "this is the cup of the new covenant in my blood.	51:25
	"Drink from this all of you.	51:30
	"This is poured out for you and for many,	51:32
	for the forgiveness of sins."	51:34
	Through him You have bestowed the gift of Your Spirit,	51:37
	uniting Your church, empowering its mission.	51:42
	And leading us, and giving us each the responsibility	51:45
	to issue Your joyous invitation to the whole world.	51:49
	In the name of Christ.	51:53
	And so, in remembrance of these,	51:55
	your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,	51:58
	we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving	52:01
	as a holy and living sacrifice.	52:03
	In union with Christ's offering for us.	52:06
	As we proclaim the mystery of faith.	52:09
	(orchestra begins playing)	52:13
	(congregation sings)	52:23
	Loving God pour out Your Holy Spirit on us	52:35
	and upon these gifts.	52:37
	That they may be for us the body and blood	52:38
	of our Savior Jesus Christ.	52:41
	And granted we may be for the world	52:43
	the body of Christ redeemed through His blood	52:46
	serving and reconciling all people to You.	52:48
	Through Your son, Jesus Christ,	52:53
	with the Holy Spirit, in Your holy church.	52:56
	All honor and glory is Yours, almighty God.	52:59
	Now and forever.	53:03
	(organ plays)	53:05
	(orchestra plays)	53:12
	(congregation sings)	53:14
	Our Father, who art in heaven.	53:28
	Hallowed be Thy Name.	53:30
Congregation	Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.	53:32
	On earth as it is in heaven.	53:35
	Give us this day our daily bread,	53:38
	and forgive us our trespasses	53:40
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	53:42
	And lead us not into temptation,	53:46
	but deliver us from evil.	53:48
	For Thine is the kingdom, and the power,	53:50
	and the glory, forever.	53:53
	Amen.	53:56
	When we break the bread is it not a means	53:58
	of sharing in the body of Christ.	54:00
	When we give thanks over the cup is it not	54:02
	a means of sharing in the blood of Christ.	54:05
	Come to the Lord's table.	54:09
	(Trumpet and orchestra music)	54:17
	(choir sings)	57:42
	Please stand for the benediction.	1:06:21
	Go in peace to serve God and your neighbor	1:06:25
	in all that you do.	1:06:28
	(congregation responds)	1:06:30
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ	1:06:32
	and the love of God and the communion	1:06:34
	of the Holy Spirit be with you all.	1:06:36
	(choir singing)	1:06:45
	(trumpet music)	1:08:33
	(choir singing)	1:08:57
	(organ music)	1:10:39
	(choir singing)	1:10:45
	(organ music)	1:11:22
	(orchestra music)	1:11:38

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "R.S.V.P" (October 14, 1990)

Description:

Sermon start time: 18:17. Sermon end time: 38:27.
The preacher delicately uses the wedding party as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God, which is not achieved by works. He argues that the world is invited to the party for free, since the cost has been paid for by the death of Jesus Christ. Whoever rejects the party invitation or shows up at the party wearing disrespectful shabby clothes denies themselves the grace of God. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "He is a king who makes all of the outsiders look like insiders--and as far as the king is concerned, everybody's in. The only thing that can put a person out is a refusal to party."

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4pg1j35v

Date:

October 14, 1990

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Matthew

Chapter and Verse:

Matthew 22:1-14

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0204
ref8850_57q
uachapelsermaud
duke:321375
dcrmv001195
ark:/87924/r4pg1j35v
e2d339ce-ff84-437a-972e-81b0778f68ce

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

See below

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

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 - "R.S.V.P" (October 14, 1990)

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1. William H. Willimon - "R.S.V.P" (October 14, 1990)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "R.S.V.P" (October 14, 1990)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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