Richard L. Sommers - "The Game Plan" (August 27, 1972)

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	(bright church music)	0:05
	(bright church music continues)	1:36
-	When we gather to praise God, we remember	2:45
	that we are his people who have preferred our wills to his	2:49
	accepting his power to become new persons in Christ.	2:54
	Let us confess our sin before God and one another.	2:58
	Eternal father we confess	3:03
	that often we have failed to be an obedient church.	3:07
	We have not done your will.	3:11
	We have broken your law.	3:13
	We have rebelled against your love.	3:16
	We have not heard the cry of the needy.	3:19
	Forgive us we pray.	3:22
	Free us for joyful obedience	3:25
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.	3:28
	Hear the good news Christ died for us	3:32
	while we were yet sinners.	3:36
	That is God's own proof of his love towards us.	3:38
	In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven	3:42
	Glory be to God, amen.	3:49
	Let us pray together the Lord's prayer.	3:52
	Our father who art in heaven	3:55
	hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come	3:58
	thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.	4:02
	Give us this day our daily bread	4:07
	and forgive us our trespasses	4:10
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	4:12
	and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil	4:16
	for thine is the kingdom and the power	4:21
	and the glory forever and ever, amen.	4:24
	(slow church music)	4:37
	(choir singing)	5:34
	(choir singing continues)	6:32
	The scripture lesson for today	8:31
	is taken from Judges 7:16-22.	8:33
	And he divided the 300 men into three companies	8:42
	and put trumpets into the hands of all of them	8:47
	and empty jars with torches beside the jars.	8:50
	And he said to them, look at me and do likewise.	8:55
	When I come to the outskirts of the camp do as I do.	8:59
	When I blow the trumpet I and all who are with me	9:04
	then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp	9:08
	and shout for the Lord and for Gideon.	9:12
	So Gideon and the three,	9:17
	and the 100 men who were with him came	9:18
	to the outskirts of the camp	9:22
	at the beginning of the middle watch.	9:24
	And when they had just set the watch	9:26
	and they blew the trumpets	9:29
	and smashed the jars that were in their hands	9:31
	and the three three companies blew the trumpets	9:35
	and broke the jars holding in their left hand the torches	9:37
	and in their right hands, the trumpets to blow.	9:42
	And they cried a sword for the Lord and for Gideon.	9:44
	They stood every man in his place around about the camp	9:49
	and all the army ran.	9:53
	They cried out and fled.	9:55
	When they blew the 300 trumpets,	9:57
	the Lord said every man sword against his fellow	10:00
	and against all the army and the army fled.	10:04
	That's the end of the reading of the scripture.	10:10
	(choir singing)	10:13
	Let us say together, an affirmation of faith.	10:55
	We believe in God who has created and is creating	11:00
	who has come in the true man, Jesus	11:05
	to reconcile and make new,	11:08
	who works in us and others by his spirit.	11:11
	We trust him.	11:15
	He calls us to be in his church, to celebrate his presence	11:17
	to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil,	11:23
	to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen,	11:29
	our judge and our hope, in life, in death,	11:32
	in life beyond death, God is with us.	11:37
	We are not alone.	11:41
	Thanks be to God.	11:43
	The Lord be with you and with your spirit.	11:51
	Let us pray.	11:55
	Almighty and most glorious God	11:58
	we, your most unworthy people give you most humble	12:02
	and hearty thanks for all your goodness	12:06
	and loving kindness to us and to all people.	12:09
	Our blessings go forth to you	12:13
	for our creation, preservation, and all the wonders of life,	12:16
	the means of grace and the glory of hope, but above all	12:21
	for your incredible and overwhelming love for each of us.	12:26
	We praise you our God for our friend the sun who is our day,	12:31
	and who brings us the light	12:36
	who is fair and radiant with a very great splendor.	12:38
	We praise you for our friend, the moon	12:43
	and for the stars which are clear	12:46
	and lovely through our sky.	12:48
	We praise you for the wind, the air and the clouds,	12:50
	the calms, and the storms,	12:55
	for water who is very serviceable to us	12:57
	and humble and precious and chaste,	13:00
	for the earth and its creatures we praise you most of all.	13:03
	For the earth sustains us and all its creatures	13:08
	and grows fruit and flowers of many colors.	13:11
	For all these wonders we loud and go glorify you, our God.	13:15
	Our thoughts move now to our sisters and brothers	13:21
	and to the society in which we participate.	13:23
	We offer our prayers of intercession.	13:26
	We pray most fervently for all people everywhere	13:30
	who have to make war.	13:33
	Heal the madness of the nations, comfort the broken hearted,	13:35
	bind up the wounds of the sick	13:40
	and bring peace to the spirits of the dying.	13:42
	Teach all of us the ways of making peace	13:46
	instead of the ways of making aggression	13:49
	and commit us to the actualization of peace in all times.	13:52
	We pray for all people who suffer	13:57
	from oppression and competition.	13:59
	We earnestly long for a world	14:02
	where some people do not relegate other people	14:04
	to the poverty and misery of the underdog	14:07
	and for a world where no one has to lose.	14:11
	Be with us God as we go about creating a better society	14:14
	for all people.	14:18
	We pray for our brothers and sisters	14:20
	who are, or soon will be in new situations	14:22
	and with new people.	14:25
	Convert their fear into excitement	14:27
	and enable them to be open and joyous	14:30
	in their new possibilities.	14:33
	We pray for our friends and loved ones	14:35
	as well as people we do not know	14:38
	who suffer the pain of sickness.	14:40
	Be with our healers, dear God	14:43
	so that wherever possible, people may be restored to health.	14:46
	Most sincerely, we pray for ourselves,	14:51
	that each and every one of us may come	14:54
	to know and love ourselves	14:56
	for each of us is beautiful and precious	14:59
	but we are hard-pressed to believe this.	15:03
	Instill in us the desire to take ourselves seriously	15:06
	and finally be with us so that all living will be wonder	15:10
	and all wonder living.	15:15
	This is our prayer, oh God, our creator and sustainer.	15:17
	Amen.	15:22
-	It is an honor and a privilege for me to be in this place	15:48
	on this occasion when the 1972 Duke University football team	15:53
	is being recognized.	16:00
	Having myself experienced in the past	16:03
	the rigors of pre-season practice at this very institution,	16:07
	I can say that I know something	16:13
	of the trials and the tribulations of you athletes	16:15
	and I'm well aware that sore muscles	16:20
	are the rule of the day.	16:24
	Our topic for the morning is the game plan.	16:29
	Let us pray.	16:35
	Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts	16:39
	be acceptable in your sight oh Lord,	16:46
	our strength and our redeemer, amen.	16:49
	The game of plan.	16:58
	How many times will you and I hear this term	17:01
	in the weeks and months to come?	17:05
	In less than two weeks the Duke University football team	17:10
	will engage on the grid iron the University of Alabama.	17:13
	What will be the game plan of Duke	17:18
	to move the ball offensively	17:21
	and what will be the game plan	17:24
	to contain the Alabama offense?	17:26
	What will be the game plan	17:31
	to contain Alabama guard John Hannah and tackle Jim Craft?	17:33
	Then very shortly thereafter,	17:41
	Duke will engage the University of Washington.	17:43
	What will be the game plan to contain the Herald quarterback	17:47
	of the University of Washington	17:52
	sunny sixth killer and in the ensuing weeks?	17:54
	What will be the game plan	18:00
	to contain North Carolina state's Willy Burton,	18:02
	Wake Forest, Ken Garrett	18:07
	and North Carolina's Ike Oglesby?	18:10
	Also what will be the game plan	18:15
	wherein Steve Jones will be enabled to run toward daylight?	18:18
	What will be the game plan	18:25
	wherein quarterback Johnson will have time to throw	18:27
	and complete forward passes?	18:31
	Looking at Duke's football schedule it would seem to me	18:36
	that Duke better have some excellent game plans this year.	18:42
	Many of us throughout the United States	18:50
	have become somewhat familiar and have tuned into	18:53
	what is known as "Monday Night Football".	18:58
	Much to the distress it would seem to me of many housewives.	19:02
	This is Howard Cosell	19:08
	with still another Monday night of NFL football.	19:11
	With me is Dandy Don Meredith and fabulous Frank Gifford.	19:17
	Then Cosell will turn to Meredith	19:24
	and say what is the game plan of the Chiefs tonight	19:28
	or of the Falcons or of the Redskins?	19:33
	What is the game plan to make sure	19:37
	that Bob Hayes does not get open or to make sure	19:39
	that Sunny Jorgensen does not throw	19:43
	or complete the long bomb?	19:46
	If ever a term Cosell overworks	19:50
	it is this term the game plan.	19:54
	Now I dare say that for most of us here, this term,	19:59
	the plan is most familiar,	20:03
	but to those who are not familiar with this term,	20:07
	let it be said that the game plan is a plan of action.	20:10
	The plan of attack.	20:16
	It is the strategy by which a team prepares for a game	20:18
	with the hope that such strategy, such a game plan	20:25
	will bring victory.	20:30
	Did you pick up the game plan	20:34
	in the scripture that was just read a few moments ago?	20:36
	The excellence of Gideon's game plan,	20:42
	its planning, its timing, its use of personnel	20:46
	has been praised down through the centuries by tacticians.	20:51
	The call of God to Gideon that he should become	20:58
	the player coach of the Israelite team occurred	21:02
	while Gideon was about his business of threshing wheat.	21:07
	Gideon and his people, the Israelites	21:13
	were at this time living in the promised land,	21:16
	the land flowing with milk and honey	21:20
	and yet it was also a land flowing with fierce enemies.	21:24
	The Midianites were making life miserable	21:29
	for Gideon and his people.	21:32
	On their swift camels, they would come across	21:35
	the planes and the valleys plundering the crops,	21:39
	stealing and killing.	21:45
	The situation is exemplified in the fact that Gideon	21:49
	instead of threshing wheat	21:53
	on the top of a mountain with oxen is threshing his wheat	21:55
	in the cramped and secret quarters of a wine press.	22:02
	It was as he was about his work, his business	22:09
	that the call of God came to Gideon to be the player coach.	22:12
	32,000 responded to pre-season practice.	22:19
	32,000, however Israelites versus 135,000 Midianites.	22:27
	The odds were not too good.	22:35
	And yet then the head coach, God did a rather strange thing.	22:39
	He spoke to Gideon the player coach	22:44
	and said that he was afraid	22:46
	that the players might get the idea	22:48
	that through their strength and through their might,	22:52
	they would think they had won the victory	22:57
	rather than realizing that it was through	23:00
	the might and power of God that victory was to come.	23:03
	And so he suggested to Gideon	23:08
	that he cut some members off of the team.	23:10
	I'm sure that Gideon had a few words with the head coach	23:16
	but the head coach prevailed.	23:22
	And so Gideon said to his 32,000,	23:25
	if there are a number of you	23:29
	who do not want to undergo the rigors	23:31
	and trials and tribulations of pre-season practice,	23:33
	then now is a good time to go home.	23:39
	22,000 thought that it was a good idea	23:44
	and this left Gideon with 10,000 versus 135,000.	23:49
	And yet the head coach, God was still not satisfied saying	23:56
	to Gideon, there are still too many.	24:00
	And through the rigors of preseason practice,	24:04
	another 9,700 fell by the wayside	24:08
	leaving Gideon with a team of 300 members.	24:13
	These were the odds that the head coach turned over	24:20
	to Gideon, the player coach.	24:23
	It would appear to me	24:27
	that Gideon better have a very good game plan	24:28
	and that, he did.	24:35
	The 135,000 Midianites were camped in the valley.	24:37
	Their camels were so numerous	24:43
	that they could not even be counted	24:46
	but Gideon went about devising his game plan.	24:49
	To each of his 300 team members,	24:54
	he gave a trumpet, a jar and a torch.	24:58
	Timing would be essential.	25:04
	He divided his 300 into three groups of 100 men each	25:07
	and he placed these men, his team members	25:15
	on the hillside surrounding	25:18
	the Midianites there in the valley.	25:23
	And then as the change of the watch came	25:27
	in the middle of the night,	25:31
	the prescribed signal was given.	25:33
	Each of the 300 men blew his trumpet, smashed the jar,	25:37
	held aloft the torch, and shouted.	25:44
	The Midianites awoke.	25:50
	And as they looked up, all they saw were torches lights	25:53
	on the surrounding hillside and shouts and noise.	25:58
	They panicked, they drew their swords	26:05
	and in the darkness of the night,	26:09
	as they fled, they killed each other.	26:10
	It was as if the Israelites had kicked off.	26:15
	The Midianites defeated themselves.	26:21
	What a game plan.	26:24
	Now this account of Gideon is recorded for us	26:29
	at one point in the New Testament.	26:33
	Why is the account of Gideon and the 300 remembered	26:36
	by the New Testament church?	26:44
	Obviously the New Testament church needed	26:48
	to hear this word of faith.	26:52
	That the God who acts in history uses men of faith	26:56
	for his purpose and through such men,	27:03
	performs unbelievable accomplishments.	27:08
	And this, my friends is exactly what	27:15
	the almighty, the God who acts in history	27:18
	is saying in and through the game plan	27:21
	of Jesus Christ to you and to me.	27:25
	Why God chose such a game plan?	27:31
	To say to you and to me that he wants us on his team,	27:35
	I don't know.	27:40
	Surely he could have chosen some other game plan	27:43
	but he chose to say in Jesus Christ	27:49
	I who created you care for you.	27:53
	And even though you turn your back on me,	27:57
	even though you spit in my face, I love you.	27:59
	My care, my concern, my love for you is not just in word	28:06
	but it is in flesh and blood.	28:13
	It is alive, it is warm.	28:16
	It is my understanding	28:23
	that senior linebacker, Jack Childress	28:24
	and his wife, Donna have a little girl, Christie.	28:27
	Now, how does Jack go about conveying	28:33
	to his daughter that he loves her?	28:36
	Does he just have to practice, pick up the phone	28:40
	and get his wife, Donna on the phone	28:43
	and say to her, Donna please tell Christie,	28:46
	convey to her in word that I love her?	28:50
	No, Jack goes to Christie	28:55
	and he takes Christie into his arms	29:01
	and he holds her and he caresses her.	29:04
	And in such a way through warmth and flesh and blood	29:11
	he is saying to her, I love you.	29:16
	Likewise is God's love for you and for me.	29:21
	Throughout the ages, he has spoken with words, I love you,	29:28
	but in Jesus Christ, his game plan,	29:35
	God has become flesh, taking mankind	29:39
	into his arms, holding us.	29:43
	Christ is God's word of love made flesh.	29:50
	It is the word of love alive with warmth to it.	29:55
	Christ is God's game plan conveying to you and to me	30:01
	that he accepts us on his team	30:07
	though we fumble the ball, though we miss the block	30:10
	though we drop the touchdown pass.	30:15
	Christ is God's game plan conveying to us	30:20
	that he accepts us on his team.	30:26
	The following is a letter received	30:32
	by a chaplain who was serving in Vietnam.	30:35
	Dear chaplain, I ain't much with words	30:40
	and I get the little tongue tied	30:44
	when I try to say what I mean	30:46
	about something that's really important.	30:49
	I'd like to say this to you face to face	30:53
	but maybe I can do it better in a letter.	30:57
	First off, you know the kind of guy I've been.	31:00
	I'm not gonna try to hide that.	31:05
	Everybody in the unit knows, old Gus, a big man.	31:08
	That's what I've tried to be.	31:13
	I guess I fooled about everybody.	31:16
	The only thing really big about me has been my bluff	31:20
	but chaplain, you and God saw through me	31:25
	and you made me see myself and what I saw made me sick.	31:30
	You showed me one thing.	31:36
	I talked a lot about the hell of Vietnam.	31:38
	It was in me.	31:43
	I didn't find it over here.	31:45
	I brought it with me.	31:47
	Chaplin, I don't know how to pray	31:51
	but last night told God to count me in.	31:54
	I've been such a slob.	32:00
	I didn't want to ask	32:02
	a regular preacher like you to baptize me.	32:03
	So when nobody was watching, I baptized myself in the creek.	32:08
	When I prove that I ain't kidding about all this,	32:16
	I want you to do it again the way it should be done.	32:21
	And Gus signed this letter,	32:28
	the letter which reached the chaplain after Gus was killed,	32:31
	he signed it, a new member on God's team.	32:36
	How do you react when you become aware	32:45
	that you are on the team,	32:51
	that you are on the traveling squad?	32:54
	Why, a good feeling goes through you.	32:58
	You are excited.	33:02
	You share the fact that you are on the team	33:04
	with your friends and perhaps you even call loved ones	33:07
	and say I am on the team with excitement.	33:11
	You share this knowledge.	33:17
	So the news that you and I	33:20
	are on God's team right now is good news.	33:23
	It is cause for rejoicing and excitement.	33:29
	And as the New Testament church needed	33:37
	to hear this word of faith,	33:42
	that God uses men of faith for his purposes	33:46
	and through such men	33:51
	can perform unbelievable accomplishments such	33:53
	as Gideon and the 300.	33:57
	So we need today to hear this word	34:01
	that we just as we are right now are members of God's team.	34:07
	And through us, he can perform unbelievable accomplishments.	34:15
	Being members then of God's team,	34:25
	let us make sure that we do not hinder but help the team.	34:29
	Coach Zaki was making his concluding remarks to his team	34:39
	in the final moments of halftime.	34:49
	The first half had not gone too well for the team.	34:54
	And during the halftime,	34:58
	some adjustments had been made in the game plan	35:00
	and coach Zaki was giving the final touch to his pep talk.	35:06
	He was reaching the very height of excitement within himself	35:14
	and his players were reacting with emotion	35:18
	and with the desire to get out on the field	35:22
	and the second half to play harder and to emerge victorious	35:25
	and coach Zaki concluded his talk	35:31
	with now gentleman move through that door to victory.	35:35
	The only problem is he pointed toward the wrong door	35:42
	but the team members and their excitement and thrill ready	35:49
	to get with it ran through the doors straight dab	35:53
	into the indoor swimming pool.	35:57
	Being aware anew, that it is God who brings victory	36:04
	and that you and I right now are on God's team.	36:14
	Let us go through the doors of this chapel, into the world.	36:21
	Not to live (indistinct) and incipit lives	36:27
	but to go through the doors of this chapel into the world	36:33
	to live lives of true joy,	36:37
	elation, excitement and celebration.	36:40
	Conscious that the God who acts in history	36:48
	has us on his team right now	36:54
	and as members of his team, we are victors, so be it.	36:59
	Let us pray.	37:11
	Almighty God in your game plan,	37:19
	you accept us as we are on your team.	37:23
	We would share in that victory	37:29
	which is yours and ours in Jesus Christ	37:31
	in whose name we pray, amen.	37:36
	(bright church music)	37:47
	(bright church music continues)	39:17
	(slow music)	40:49
	(soprano voices singing)	41:22
	(soprano voices singing continues)	43:54
	(slow music)	48:40
	(bright music)	49:17
	(bright music continues)	49:44
-	Oh God, of whose gifts we have all received	50:42
	accept this offering of your people.	50:46
	Remember in your love those who have brought it	50:50
	and those for whom it is given.	50:54
	And so follow it with by blessing	50:56
	that it may promote justice and peace among all people.	50:59
	The Lord bless you and keep you.	51:12
	The Lord give you strength and courage	51:14
	and enable your works to be a blessing to his people, amen.	51:17
	(bells chiming)	51:25
	(bright music)	51:38
	(bright music continues)	55:56
	(footsteps plodding)	58:31
-	Good heavens.	59:32
	What is this a player on it?	59:33
-	It's an old piano that hasn't worked for years.	59:34
-	Huh?	59:37
	Agree, yeah it is a piano.	59:39
	It's real short keyboard.	59:42
-	Yeah.	59:43
-	Ah!	59:45
	(footsteps plodding)	59:48
	(distant whistling)	1:00:01
	(indistinct chattering)	1:01:09
	(bright music)	1:02:31
	(indistinct chattering)	1:02:40

Item Info

Title:

Richard L. Sommers - "The Game Plan" (August 27, 1972)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4pr7rv6q

Date:

August 27, 1972

Speaker:

Sommers, Richard L.

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0630
ref6463_3xo
uachapelsermaud
duke:628045
dcrau002615
ark:/87924/r4pr7rv6q
44ada205-f975-4066-8aad-717e3f28f705

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Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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English

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United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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

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CC BY-NC 4.0

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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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Richard L. Sommers - "The Game Plan" (August 27, 1972)

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