William H. Willimon - "A Sign of the Times" (February 3, 1991)

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/r4t14v46d?embed=true' height='500px' width='100%' frameborder='0' marginwidth='0' marginheight='0' scrolling='no' allowfullscreen></iframe>
Permalink

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4t14v46d
Skip to Item Info

Loading the media player...

Files for this Item

Transcript

Transcripts may contain inaccuracies.

	(lively organ music)	0:00
-	We welcome all of you to this service of worship here	4:04
	in Duke Chapel.	4:07
	We particularly give a warm welcome	4:09
	to those public officials	4:12
	who join on us on this biannual public officials service.	4:15
	We are happy to have these our leaders	4:22
	of the State of North Carolina with us again today.	4:24
	I call your attention to the announcements in the bulletin.	4:29
	The address that is being given	4:33
	to right those in service in the Persian Gulf,	4:37
	also the vigil that has been going on each day	4:41
	since early January on the steps of the Chapel,	4:47
	each afternoon, the evening choral vespers on Thursday	4:51
	and the other opportunities	4:57
	for worship and reflection occurring each week	4:58
	in the Chapel.	5:04
	Our president has declared this a national day of prayer.	5:06
	Therefore it is fitting	5:11
	that we gather to reflect	5:13
	upon our public values.	5:15
	It is also fitting that our music led by our choir	5:19
	and orchestra today	5:23
	is music of prayer	5:25
	from Mozart to lead us	5:26
	in our own reflection	5:29
	and turning towards God at this time.	5:31
	Please stand for the greeting.	5:36
	The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.	5:42
Congregation	And also with you.	5:46
William	The splendor of Christ shines upon us.	5:48
Congregation	Praise the Lord.	5:51
	(lively organic music)	5:54
	(congregation singing)	6:34
-	Please be seated.	10:47
	Let us pray.	10:58
	Oh God, your justice is like rock	11:02
	and your mercy like pure flowing water,	11:06
	judge and forgive us,	11:09
	if we have turned from you,	11:12
	return us to your way	11:14
	for without you, we are lost people.	11:17
	From the curse of war	11:21
	and the human sin that causes war.	11:22
	(congregation mumbling)	11:26
	From pride that turns its back on you	11:29
	and from unbelief that will not call you Lord.	11:32
	(congregation mumbling)	11:37
	From public deceptions that we can trust	11:39
	from self-seeking in high political places.	11:43
	(congregation mumbling)	11:47
	From divisions among us of class or race.	11:49
	From wealth that will not share	11:54
	and poverty that feeds on food of bitterness.	11:56
	(congregation mumbling)	12:01
	From neglecting the hurt,	12:03
	the imprisoned and the needy among us.	12:06
	(congregation mumbling)	12:09
	From a lust for money or power	12:12
	that drives people to sin,	12:14
	from everything that prevents the human family	12:17
	from fulfilling your promise of peace.	12:20
	(congregation mumbling)	12:24
All	Amen.	12:31
	(tranquil organ music)	12:41
	(choir singing)	13:18
-	If we confess our sins,	16:11
	God is faithful and just	16:12
	and will forgive our sins	16:16
	and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.	16:18
Congregation	Praise be to God.	16:22
-	Let us pray.	16:29
All	Open our hearts and minds, oh God.	16:31
	By the power of your Holy Spirit,	16:34
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	16:37
	we might hear with joy	16:40
	what you say to us this day.	16:42
	Amen.	16:45
-	The first reading is taken	16:47
	from the book of Isaiah.	16:49
	" Again the Lord speak to Ahaz saying	16:51
	"ask a sign of the Lord your God,	16:55
	"let it be deep as Sheol	16:57
	"or as high has heaven	17:00
	"but Ahaz said, I will not ask"	17:03
	"and I will not put the Lord to the test.	17:05
	"Then Isaiah said, hear then, oh house of David,	17:08
	"is it too little for you to weary mortals	17:13
	"that you will weary my God also?	17:16
	"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.	17:19
	"Look, the young woman is with child	17:24
	"and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.	17:27
	"He shall eat curds and honey	17:32
	"by the time he knows how to refuse the evil	17:33
	"and choose the good.	17:37
	"For before the child knows how to refuse the evil,	17:39
	"and choose the good, the land before whose two kings	17:42
	"you are in dread will be deserted."	17:47
	This is the word of the Lord.	17:51
Congregation	Praise be to God.	17:54
-	Please stand as we join in singing responsively Psalm 111	18:00
	found on page 832.	18:05
	(lively organ music)	18:09
	♪ Praise the Lord ♪	18:15
	(congregation singing)	18:17
	♪ Great are the works of the Lord ♪	18:29
	♪ Studied by all who have pleasure in them ♪	18:33
	(congregation singing)	18:38
	♪ Who has caused his wonderful works ♪	18:50
	♪ To be remembered ♪	18:53
	♪ The Lord is gracious and merciful ♪	18:56
	(congregation singing)	19:01
	♪ The Lord has shown his people the power ♪	19:10
	♪ Of his works ♪	19:13
	♪ By giving them the heritage of the nations ♪	19:15
	(congregation singing)	19:20
	♪ The Lord sent redemption to his people ♪	19:43
	♪ And has commanded his covenant forever ♪	19:46
	♪ Holy and wondrous is God's name ♪	19:52
	(congregation singing)	19:57
	♪ All glory be to you, oh God ♪	20:18
	♪ And to Jesus Christ our Savior ♪	20:21
	(congregation singing)	20:25
	♪ As it was since time began ♪	20:31
	(congregation singing)	20:36
-	This reading is from the Gospel according	20:52
	to Saint Matthew.	20:54
	"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place	20:56
	"in this way.	20:59
	" When his mother Mary had been engaged	21:00
	"to Joseph but before they lived together,	21:03
	"she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.	21:06
	"Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man	21:10
	"and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace planned	21:12
	"to dismiss her quietly	21:16
	"but just when he had resolved to do this,	21:18
	"an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream	21:21
	"and said, Joseph, son of David,	21:23
	"do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife	21:26
	"for the child conceived in her	21:30
	"is from the Holy Spirit.	21:32
	"She will bear a son	21:35
	"and you are to name him Jesus	21:36
	"for he will save his people from their sins.	21:39
	"All this took place	21:42
	"to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord	21:44
	"through the prophet.	21:46
	"Look, the virgin shall conceive	21:48
	"and bear a son	21:50
	"and they shall name him Immanuel	21:52
	"which means God is with us.	21:54
	"When Joseph awoke from sleep,	21:57
	"he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.	21:59
	"He took her as his wife	22:02
	"but had no marital relations with her	22:04
	"until she had born a son.	22:07
	"And he named him Jesus."	22:10
	This the word of the Lord.	22:13
Congregation	Thanks be to God.	22:15
-	As an old year ends and a new begins,	22:25
	news magazines often feature	22:29
	retrospective photographic essays	22:32
	that are said to catch up some	22:36
	of the images of the past year	22:38
	that become for us signs	22:41
	of our time.	22:44
	Signals for what this time meant.	22:48
	By what sign shall we remember these times?	22:52
	An old East German couple hobbling across the border	22:58
	to visit relatives for the first time in 50 years.	23:02
	Iraqi soldiers kicking Kuwaiti civilians,	23:09
	an army mother in Texas kissing her children goodbye	23:15
	as she leaves for deployment in the Gulf.	23:19
	Soviet tanks crushing civilians in Lithuania.	23:24
	A baby in a gas mask in Jerusalem.	23:29
	What times? What signs?	23:36
	Signs of the times give us our bearings,	23:43
	they stick in our brains, they motivate us	23:47
	or they disarm us.	23:50
	And I think one reason why you and I come to church	23:54
	is that we're looking for a sign,	23:56
	we're searching for some signal,	24:01
	a symbol which can give us our bearings	24:05
	and point us in the right direction	24:07
	and name these times rightly,	24:09
	tell us what's going on,	24:12
	put the world together for us.	24:13
	We want a sign.	24:15
	Today's stories from scripture	24:20
	come from the Near East.	24:22
	In the Old Testament text,	24:25
	we're in the middle of a war.	24:27
	Sound familiar?	24:29
	King Rezin and King Pekah	24:32
	have attacked Jerusalem and King Ahaz.	24:36
	So, it's a story about Near Eastern potentates	24:41
	and petty dictators	24:44
	with expansionist dreams.	24:45
	I think you've heard this story before.	24:48
	Ahaz, King of Jerusalem	24:52
	and all of his people are trembling behind Jerusalem's walls	24:54
	at the thought of being attacked	24:58
	by these two great world leaders.	24:59
	In the words of scripture, they are shaken	25:04
	just like with trees by the wind.	25:06
	And so, the prophet Isaiah speaks a word	25:11
	to shaky Ahaz, "Be calm, says the Lord.	25:14
	"Don't be afraid	25:19
	"because of these two smoldering stubs of firewood."	25:21
	And then the prophet	25:29
	says to still trembling Ahaz.	25:33
	"Ask a sign."	25:38
	You can make it a big sign,	25:39
	you can make it a little sign,	25:41
	go ahead, ask God for a sign.	25:42
	Ahaz is falsely pious, deferential,	25:46
	oh, I wouldn't dare trouble the great God Almighty	25:50
	for a sign.	25:53
	I wouldn't dare want to put God to a test	25:54
	by asking for a sign.	25:57
	And so God speaks directly to Ahaz.	26:02
	Sometimes you politicians wear me out.	26:09
	It's in the Bible.	26:13
	(laughing)	26:15
	Is it not enough that you try the patience	26:17
	of the voters, you try the patience of God as well.	26:19
	I'll give you a sign	26:24
	even if you don't have enough moxy or imagination	26:25
	to ask for a sign,	26:28
	I'm gonna ahead and give you one.	26:29
	A signal of what I'm planning to do for you.	26:32
	And then the prophet utters those words,	26:37
	those words which have had such a troublesome history	26:39
	among us. A young woman,	26:42
	doesn't call a name,	26:47
	a young woman will have a baby.	26:49
	And I want you to watch that baby.	26:52
	You'll get to watch that baby grow.	26:54
	That baby will answer to Immanuel,	26:58
	God with us.	27:02
	That's the baby's name, little God with us.	27:04
	And by the time that baby is two,	27:09
	and despite developmental theories	27:11
	of Piaget is able to discern right from wrong,	27:14
	the threat of your enemies will disappear.	27:21
	Watch that baby, the baby'll be a sign	27:24
	of how I'm busy behind the scenes.	27:28
	That baby will be a sign of how God works among us.	27:34
	Oh, Ahaz really wants a sign, we all do.	27:39
	But he wants some sign to help him stiffen his resolve	27:42
	and some battle plan	27:45
	or some means out of his shaky dilemma.	27:47
	The voters don't like wimps.	27:52
	If he could just get his hands one some new technology,	27:55
	some plan of attack,	27:58
	he could stop trembling behind the walls of Jerusalem,	27:59
	go on and out and join the superpowers.	28:04
	Ahaz wants a sign but he's too proud to admit it.	28:10
	Kings hate to look small or weak.	28:13
	Give me a sign	28:18
	that we'll be victorious.	28:19
	A new design for a chariot,	28:24
	a new super-steeled sword.	28:26
	A secret battle plan.	28:29
	Ahaz gets a sign,	28:32
	but it is the last sign he ever thought he wanted.	28:35
	A baby.	28:40
	And he's told to keep his eye on that baby,	28:44
	little God with us.	28:48
	In order to know what God is up to	28:51
	among the superpowers.	28:53
	You'll get a sign.	28:56
	A young woman's gonna have a baby, Immanuel.	28:58
	And you will note that our text	29:04
	from Matthew is also about a baby.	29:05
	The baby in Isaiah is called Immanuel,	29:13
	God with us.	29:16
	But this baby in Matthew is called Jesus,	29:19
	which means God saves.	29:22
	Now the baby in Matthew	29:27
	is not born in the time of war	29:28
	but in a time of peace.	29:31
	The pax Agustiana,	29:33
	the peace of Augustus	29:35
	when all the world was at peace.	29:40
	You know why all the world was at peace?	29:44
	Because all the world was under the heel	29:48
	of one of the most ruthless, efficient dictatorships	29:50
	the world had ever known.	29:53
	The heel of Augustus Caesar	29:56
	and his legions was on the neck of these Jews.	29:58
	And then there's this angel	30:04
	that appears to a group of poor Palestinians,	30:06
	telling them, "Be not afraid.	30:10
	"I bring you good news."	30:16
	You've heard this announcement before	30:19
	but you notice before,	30:21
	the messengers went to the king	30:23
	but in this case, the messengers	30:27
	are going out to poor shepherds out in the fields at night.	30:28
	Don't be afraid, I'm gonna give you a sign.	30:33
	This will be a sign for you,	30:36
	you'll find a baby wrapped	30:37
	in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.	30:40
	And this baby is born in awkward,	30:45
	kind of embarrassing circumstances.	30:48
	The mother is pregnant out of wedlock	30:52
	and when she and her fiance try	30:56
	to figure out what has happened,	30:59
	they thought of that ancient text from Isaiah,	31:02
	whereby the prophet spoke to King Ahaz.	31:07
	"A young woman will bear a child."	31:11
	And by some clever angelic exegesis of Isaiah,	31:16
	the announcing angels promote Isaiah's young woman	31:20
	to the level of a virgin.	31:24
	But you can understand why the angel	31:27
	would also think of that story from Isaiah.	31:28
	Because this baby Jesus just like his predecessor,	31:32
	baby Immanuel, has impinged,	31:36
	has intruded, has disrupted worldly realities	31:42
	in a way that is odd.	31:47
	So, here's a story that just inserts itself	31:52
	into the conventional flow of things.	31:55
	It's a story that just comes in and disrupts	32:00
	the conventional world of the superpowers	32:06
	of big and little, dictators of government	32:09
	bureaucrats collecting taxes,	32:12
	of war, of occupation forces	32:15
	and armies in the night.	32:18
	It is a story also about a way	32:23
	of measuring time	32:25
	and it's a story about reporting the news.	32:26
	The sign is an argument	32:32
	over what really is news.	32:35
	What's news?	32:39
	The story in Matthew like the one in Isaiah,	32:43
	oh it begins with kings,	32:45
	what was Augustus doing, what was Herod doing?	32:49
	It begins way up in the White House	32:51
	and in the Kremlin and ends way down	32:54
	in the ghetto	32:56
	with a baby born in the ghetto named Jesus.	33:02
	That's why the angels sing.	33:10
	The angels are messengers from the government of God.	33:13
	The governments of this world communicate	33:19
	through press releases,	33:21
	diplomatic double talk and CNN.	33:23
	But God's government speaks through song.	33:27
	The angels announce a new king.	33:33
	The advent of a new reign, a new reality	33:36
	beyond the old order of the eagle	33:40
	versus the bear or the new world order	33:43
	of tanks and scuds and UN resolutions.	33:46
	This baby, this baby is a sign	33:49
	that God is with us	33:52
	and that God saves.	33:54
	Not through guns and superpowers,	33:59
	but through a baby.	34:02
	Well, Herod knew.	34:09
	He could figure it out.	34:11
	He had not stayed in power this long	34:12
	by being dumb.	34:14
	When he got the news up at the palace	34:16
	about baby God saves,	34:19
	he trembled, he trembled more mightily I think	34:22
	than his older brother Ahaz.	34:25
	"Where is he?	34:29
	"What is his name?" he inquired	34:31
	of is intelligence network.	34:33
	And then how can we eliminate him?	34:36
	Just when we get our peace,	34:44
	a new world order under Rome,	34:48
	here comes this baby just wrecking the world.	34:51
	Wrecking the world order	34:59
	that we've established on our terms by our means.	35:00
	And so, Herod ordered all male Jewish babies	35:05
	to be murdered.	35:08
	We got to have our peace.	35:10
	And so, today's texts talk about two babies.	35:15
	Immanuel and Jesus.	35:19
	Little God with us and little God saves.	35:23
	And today's texts are about two mothers,	35:29
	a young Near Eastern woman	35:33
	whose name we do not know	35:35
	and a virgin pregnant, unplanned, named Mary.	35:37
	And today's texts are about threats	35:45
	to two world empires.	35:47
	And today's texts show how subtly power shifts	35:51
	from the empire	35:57
	to the baby.	36:00
	A friend of mine returned a few years ago	36:06
	from the Soviet Union	36:07
	on a trip sponsored by the National Council of Churches.	36:10
	And he came back to announce	36:15
	there's nobody in the churches there,	36:16
	there's nobody there except a bunch of little old ladies,	36:18
	that's all that's there.	36:21
	Little old ladies.	36:24
	Well, what good are they in the face	36:28
	of the empire?	36:29
	Well, now that that empire has crumbled,	36:35
	we are better able to assess the power	36:39
	of those little old ladies.	36:42
	And to say thank God they were there,	36:48
	praying, believing,	36:52
	subverting the status quo	36:58
	in their steadfast determination not	37:01
	to go with the Communist flow.	37:05
	It turns out that those little old ladies	37:10
	knew a lot more about what was going on	37:12
	in the future than did the people up at the Kremlin.	37:14
	When everybody else marched, lock stepped	37:18
	to Lenin's drum,	37:20
	those little old ladies were being used	37:23
	by God to mock the power of the party.	37:25
	From what I can tell from the Bible,	37:31
	this appears to be God's chief modus operandi.	37:33
	Old women.	37:38
	Young, unmarried women.	37:41
	Little babies.	37:44
	People who run the superpowers,	37:50
	great corporate executives,	37:54
	people who run great universities and big banks,	37:56
	and people who preach in tall-towered churches	38:01
	are accustomed to having things our way.	38:05
	'Cause it's always easier for us without Immanuel.	38:10
	It's always easier for us to do things our way	38:15
	when there's no baby.	38:18
	It is easier without God	38:20
	than with God with us.	38:23
	We would rather save ourselves	38:28
	with our patriots and our plans	38:30
	than with this baby,	38:33
	than with little God saves.	38:34
	But just when we get all things arranged,	38:41
	there comes this insertion.	38:43
	A couple of weeks ago I received a letter	38:50
	from one of last May's graduates.	38:53
	He graduated from here about a year ago in May.	38:56
	He was married in mid-July.	39:00
	And by mid-August he was in the Gulf.	39:04
	His letter is dated December 25th.	39:09
	Here's a portion of his letter.	39:15
	"Dear Will,	39:18
	"last night here in Saudi Arabia,	39:21
	"we had a Christmas pageant for my infantry battalion	39:24
	"for which I am the medical platoon leader.	39:29
	"I am calling the pageant Christmas with the Barbarians.	39:33
	"The chaplain, a strong, humble man,	39:39
	"wrote a rather hokey play	39:41
	"based on that story which never gets old.	39:44
	"I can tell you that poor old Mary got so hooted	39:48
	"and hollered at and Joseph	39:51
	"so exalted for his alleged premarital work,	39:52
	"I felt like standing up	39:57
	"and shouting, you dummies, you don't get it.	39:58
	"She's a virgin.	40:00
	"Oh well, I know that as always,	40:03
	"God has his way	40:08
	"with the few	40:11
	"whose hearts were hurting open and humble that night.	40:13
	"And I think all in all it was most touching	40:20
	"to see that brave, small group of Christians	40:22
	"daring to tell that story again."	40:26
	I'm going to remember that as a sign	40:36
	of Christmas 1990.	40:40
	It's all wrought in the fragility of a young woman,	40:46
	a little baby,	40:51
	inexplicable, unplanned, a gift.	40:53
	God dispatches his messengers to tell us	40:58
	that God intends to disrupt the world	41:02
	through a baby,	41:05
	to have his way with our hurting hearts.	41:08
	Now, I know you've come here this morning,	41:15
	hearts heavy, having been put through the emotional ringer	41:18
	for months now,	41:23
	expectant one day, depressed the next.	41:26
	I know that.	41:30
	I know that your thoughts are not here but there	41:31
	in the sands of a faraway desert	41:34
	but close to Bethlehem.	41:36
	You're yearning for a sign,	41:41
	you want a signal	41:43
	that we are not bereft,	41:47
	that we have not been left to our own devices,	41:51
	that we are not merely pawns of superpower politics	41:55
	and international shenanigans.	41:58
	We need a sign.	42:04
	Is there any way to get free,	42:07
	is any of the hope of the world offered	42:08
	other than that of Caesar's legions?	42:12
	We need a sign.	42:14
	This shall be a sign unto you.	42:20
	You shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes	42:24
	lying in a manger.	42:30
	There's your sign.	42:34
	Try to keep your eye on that baby.	42:37
	Where were you on the evening	42:44
	of January 16th?	42:47
	I was on my way to a 7 p.m. class	42:51
	when I heard these words over my car radio.	42:57
	The liberation of Kuwait has begun.	43:04
	Well, I had a class that night	43:11
	but nobody wanted a class.	43:12
	And at 9:30 on my way back home	43:16
	through a deserted campus,	43:18
	and through eerily empty downtown Durham streets,	43:21
	nobody there, everybody glued	43:27
	to the TV watching, looking, hoping for a sign.	43:29
	And then I remembered,	43:36
	though we were now deep in January,	43:40
	I remembered those words, those words	43:41
	that were spoken right here	43:44
	on Christmas Eve.	43:48
	The message of the angels.	43:52
	This should be a sign for you.	43:57
	A baby lying in a manger.	44:01
	The liberation of the world has begun.	44:08
	(lively organ music)	44:18
	(congregation singing)	44:48
Minister	The Lord be with you.	47:27
Congregation	And also with you.	47:29
-	Let us pray.	47:30
	Oh God of Earth and altar, creator of the universe,	47:42
	we bow before you	47:48
	in humility and in hope.	47:50
	Your ways have not been our ways,	47:54
	neither have your thoughts been our thoughts.	47:57
	Yet you have not forsaken us	48:01
	even as we have passed through the shadows	48:03
	of unbelief and despair.	48:06
	In your mercy, grant us signs of your truth	48:09
	that they may lead us from the road	48:13
	of destruction to the city of peace.	48:14
	Lord, in your mercy.	48:19
All	Hear our prayer.	48:21
-	Eternal God, shepherd of every hope,	48:24
	our hearts continue to cry out for peace	48:26
	in the Middle East.	48:29
	Console the innocent who suffer most from war,	48:31
	the homeless, the orphaned, the hungry,	48:35
	especially we pray for little children	48:40
	who do not understand but must endure the perils of war.	48:42
	Pour out your compassion upon us	48:47
	that the needs of all who suffer may be filled.	48:51
	Lord, in your mercy.	48:55
All	Hear our prayer.	48:57
-	God of mercy, refuge of every bewildered heart,	49:00
	we pray for soldiers who lay down their lives	49:04
	for others, keep them safe in times of danger	49:07
	and reassure them of your loving care.	49:11
	Especially we pray for all prisoners of war,	49:15
	isolated and vulnerable to despair.	49:18
	Strengthen family and friends left behind	49:22
	that they may keep the faith	49:25
	and pray for safe reunions with loved ones.	49:27
	Grant eternal peace and rest	49:30
	to all those who have died on each side	49:33
	in untold numbers as a result of the warfare.	49:35
	Lord, in your mercy.	49:40
All	Hear our prayer.	49:42
-	Oh God, Lord of all the nations of the world,	49:44
	we pray for countries at war with one another.	49:47
	Especially we pray for the people of Kuwait	49:51
	that they may be delivered from despair.	49:53
	For the people of Iraq as they witness death	49:57
	and destruction first hand,	49:59
	for the people of Israel and Saudi Arabia	50:02
	as they live in fear of the dreaded missile attacks.	50:05
	For people throughout the Persian Gulf region	50:09
	whose lives may be affected by ecological warfare.	50:11
	For the leaders of Iraq, the United States	50:15
	and the Allied Forces	50:19
	that they might restore justice	50:21
	and end the war without further death,	50:22
	injury or destruction of the environment.	50:25
	Lord, in your mercy.	50:29
All	Hear our prayer.	50:30
-	Oh God, the hope of the world,	50:33
	we pray your blessings upon the public officials	50:36
	gathered here today	50:38
	that you would grant them wisdom,	50:40
	mutual respect and a desire for the common good.	50:42
	Enable them to rise above political self-interest	50:46
	and to the larger spheres of human compassion	50:50
	and service to others.	50:52
	Especially we pray in memory of Senator James E. Eisel,	50:54
	whose absence we mourn today.	50:59
	Lord, in your mercy.	51:02
All	Hear our prayer.	51:03
-	Oh morning star whose truth beams brightly	51:06
	into our midst, hear the deep	51:08
	and unspoken needs of this congregation	51:11
	and all who are hungry, sick or forlorn.	51:14
	Grant us hope which will rise above frustration	51:19
	and patience to endure the strain of waiting	51:22
	as we seek to become instruments of your peace on Earth.	51:25
	Hurry the day when all your people shall dwell together	51:29
	in safety, free from want,	51:32
	free from fear, free to worship	51:35
	according to the guidance of your Holy Spirit.	51:37
	For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.	51:41
	Amen.	51:45
	And now a thanksgiving for signs of the Lord's presence	51:49
	among us, let us offer our gifts	51:53
	and ourselves unto God.	51:55
	(lively organ music)	52:02
	(choir singing)	52:44
	(tranquil classical music)	54:14
	(choir singing)	54:22
	(tranquil organ music)	57:43
	(congregation singing)	58:28
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	58:40
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	58:44
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:03
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:05
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:07
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:11
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	59:14
-	Eternal God, the alpha and the omega,	59:27
	you have called the world into being	59:31
	and the creatures which inhabit it	59:33
	and you have pronounced it good	59:35
	so now we thank you for your entire creation	59:38
	and for the opportunities for service	59:41
	which it affords each of us	59:43
	as we celebrate your goodness	59:45
	in presenting these gifts.	59:47
	Accept them as signs of our gratitude	59:49
	and our endless longing for you.	59:51
	This we pray in the name of Jesus Christ	59:54
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	59:57
All	Our father, who art in heaven,	59:59
	hallowed be thy name,	1:00:02
	they kingdom come,	1:00:04
	they will be done on Earth as it is in heaven.	1:00:05
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:00:09
	and forgive us our trespasses	1:00:11
	as we forgive those who trespass against us	1:00:14
	and lead us not into temptation	1:00:17
	but deliver us from evil	1:00:20
	for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.	1:00:21
	Amen.	1:00:27
-	And now go forth in peace	1:00:29
	and be of good courage.	1:00:31
	Hold fast that which is good,	1:00:33
	rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit	1:00:35
	and may the blessings of God,	1:00:38
	Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you all	1:00:40
	now and forever more.	1:00:42
	♪ Amen ♪	1:00:47
	(lively organ music)	1:01:08
	(congregation singing)	1:01:50
	(lively organ music)	1:04:49
	(dramatic organ music)	1:05:36

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "A Sign of the Times" (February 3, 1991)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:25. Sermon end time: 44:13.
In this sermon, the preacher reminds his audience that Jesus’ nativity is the sign God gives to the world of its liberation. Sharing the gospel is to tell the hurting world of God’s subversive act: the Savior was born through a virgin in a humble manger. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “God dispatches his messengers to tell us that God intends to disrupt the world through a baby, to have his way with our hurting hearts.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4t14v46d

Date:

February 3, 1991

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0220
ref8901_elk
uachapelsermaud
duke:321497
dcrmv001210
ark:/87924/r4t14v46d
a15ecd21-ad73-4b46-8ee3-708adac18e63

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.

Sponsor:

Sponsor this Digital Collection

William H. Willimon - "A Sign of the Times" (February 3, 1991)

Transcript

Item Info

1. William H. Willimon - "A Sign of the Times" (February 3, 1991)

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options

William H. Willimon - "A Sign of the Times" (February 3, 1991)

Transcript

Item Info

Related Item

Duke University Archives

More Info & Options