Nancy Ferree-Clark - "The Journey Is Our Home" (December 28, 1986)

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	(organ prelude music)	0:03
-	Good morning and welcome to Duke Chapel	5:35
	on this first Sunday after Christmas.	5:37
	This past week at the various services here in the chapel,	5:42
	nearly 9,000 people worshiped with us.	5:46
	And all this past week,	5:50
	the chapel choir's annual presentation of Handel's Messiah	5:52
	has been broadcast each evening into the patient rooms	5:58
	of the Duke Hospital	6:02
	and we're glad that you will help us celebrate	6:04
	the ending of Christmas week here in the chapel today.	6:08
	Our soloist is Miss Laura Baxter	6:13
	who is a distinguished member of the chapel choir	6:16
	and our preacher today is the Reverend, Ms. Nancy Ferree,	6:19
	Assistant Minister to the University	6:23
	and the Director of the Student Religious Activities	6:25
	here on the Duke campus.	6:29
	We welcome those who worship with us this morning	6:31
	in the patient rooms of Duke Hospital,	6:33
	on your television and all of you who are with us today.	6:35
	Let us continue our worship.	6:41
	(organ music)	6:45
	♪ Angels from the realms of glory ♪	7:14
	♪ Wing your flight o'er all the earth ♪	7:18
	♪ Ye who sang creation's story ♪	7:23
	♪ now proclaim Messiah's birth ♪	7:27
	♪ Come and worship, come and worship ♪	7:32
	♪ Worship Christ the newborn King ♪	7:37
	♪ Shepherds in the field abiding ♪	7:44
	♪ Watching o'er your flocks by night ♪	7:49
	♪ God with us is now residing ♪	7:54
	♪ Yonder shines the infant light ♪	7:59
	♪ Come and worship, come and worship ♪	8:04
	♪ Worship Christ the newborn King ♪	8:08
	♪ Sages, leave your contemplations ♪	8:16
	♪ Brighter visions beam afar ♪	8:21
	♪ Seek the great desire of nations ♪	8:26
	♪ Ye have seen His natal star ♪	8:31
	♪ Come and worship, come and worship ♪	8:36
	♪ Worship Christ the newborn King ♪	8:41
	♪ Saints, before the altar bending ♪	8:48
	♪ Watching long in hope and fear ♪	8:53
	♪ Suddenly the Lord, descending ♪	8:58
	♪ In His temple shall appear ♪	9:03
	♪ Come and worship, come and worship ♪	9:08
	♪ Worship Christ the newborn King ♪	9:13
	Let us pray.	9:24
	O God you make us this glad with the yearly remembrance	9:26
	of the birth of thine only Son, Jesus Christ.	9:29
	Grant that as we joyfully receive him for our Redeemer,	9:33
	so we may with sure confidence behold him	9:38
	when he shall come to be our judge,	9:41
	who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,	9:43
	one God, world without end, now and forever, Amen.	9:46
	Be seated.	9:52
-	Let us pray.	10:03
All	Open our hearts and minds, O God,	10:06
	by the power of your Holy Spirit,	10:09
	so that as the Word is read and proclaimed,	10:12
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, Amen.	10:16
-	The first lesson is taken from Isiah.	10:24
	The prophet says,	10:29
	I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,	10:31
	the praises of the Lord,	10:35
	according to all that the Lord has granted us	10:38
	and the great goodness to the house of Israel	10:41
	which God had granted them according to God's mercy,	10:45
	according to the abundance of God's steadfast love.	10:50
	For God said, surely they are my people,	10:56
	children who will not deal falsely	11:00
	and God became their savior.	11:04
	In all their affliction, God was afflicted	11:07
	and the angel of His presence saved them.	11:11
	In His love and in His pity, He redeemed them.	11:15
	He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.	11:20
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	11:27
	Would you stand and read responsively the Psalter.	11:32
	Praise the Lord,	11:41
	I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,	11:43
	in the company of the upright in the congregation.	11:47
Congregation	Great are the works of the Lord,	11:52
	studied by all who pleasure in Him.	11:55
	Full of honor and majesty in God's work,	11:58
	and God's righteousness endures forever.	12:01
-	God has caused such wonderful works to be remembered.	12:05
	The Lord is gracious and merciful.	12:09
Congregation	God provides food for those who fear Him.	12:12
	He is ever mindful of His covenant.	12:16
-	He has shown His people the power of His works,	12:19
	in giving them the heritage of the nations.	12:22
Congregation	God sent redemption to His people.	12:26
	The Lord is commanding His covenant forever.	12:29
	Holy and terrible is God's name.	12:33
-	The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom	12:36
	and good understanding have all those who practice it.	12:40
All	God's praise endures forever.	12:44
	("Westminster Abbey" by Henry Purcell)	12:48
	(choral singing)	12:56
-	The second lesson is taken from Hebrews.	13:54
	For it was fitting that God,	13:59
	for whom and by whom all things exist,	14:01
	in bringing many sons and daughters to glory	14:05
	should make the pioneer of their salvation	14:09
	perfect through suffering.	14:12
	For Christ who sanctifies and those who are sanctified	14:15
	have all one origin.	14:20
	That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers	14:22
	and sisters, saying, I will proclaim thy name to my people.	14:27
	In the midst of the congregation, I will praise thee.	14:33
	And again, I will put my trust in God.	14:37
	And again, here I am and the children God has given me.	14:43
	Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,	14:50
	he himself likewise partook of the same nature	14:54
	that through death, he might destroy him,	14:58
	who has the power of death, that is, the devil,	15:02
	and deliver all those who through fear of death	15:06
	were subject to lifelong bondage.	15:10
	For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned	15:14
	but with the descendants of Abraham and Sarah.	15:18
	Therefore he had to be made like his brothers	15:22
	and sisters in every respect	15:25
	so that he might become a merciful	15:28
	and faithful high priest in the service of God,	15:31
	to make expiation for the sins of the people.	15:35
	For because Jesus himself has suffered and been tempted,	15:41
	he is able to help those who are tempted.	15:46
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	15:51
	(organ music)	16:00
	♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪	16:14
	♪ How Jesus the Savior did come for to die ♪	16:25
	♪ For poor on'ry people like you and like I ♪	16:36
	♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪	16:47
	♪ When Mary birthed Jesus 'twas in a cow's stall ♪	17:03
	♪ With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all ♪	17:13
	♪ But high from God's heaven a star's light did fall ♪	17:24
	♪ And the promise of ages it then did recall ♪	17:36
	♪ If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing ♪	17:50
	♪ A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing ♪	17:59
	♪ Or all of God's angels in heav'n for to sing ♪	18:10
	♪ He surely could have it, 'cause he was the King ♪	18:21
	♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪	18:36
	♪ How Jesus the Savior did come for to die ♪	18:47
	♪ For poor on'ry people like you and like I ♪	18:57
	♪ I wonder as I wander out under the sky ♪	19:10
-	A reading from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew.	19:50
	Now when the magi had departed,	19:56
	behold an angel of the Lord appeared	19:59
	to Joseph in a dream and said, rise,	20:01
	take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt	20:05
	and remain there till I tell you	20:09
	for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.	20:12
	And he rose and took the child and his mother by night	20:17
	and departed to Egypt	20:21
	and remained there until the death of Herod.	20:23
	This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,	20:27
	out of Egypt, have I called my Son.	20:31
	Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked	20:36
	by the wise men was in a furious rage	20:38
	and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem	20:42
	and in all that region who were two years old or under,	20:47
	according to the time which he had ascertained	20:51
	from the wise men.	20:53
	Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah,	20:56
	a voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation,	21:00
	Rachel weeping for her children.	21:05
	She refused to be consoled because they were no more.	21:09
	But when Herod died,	21:15
	behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph	21:16
	in Egypt saying, rise, take the child and his mother	21:19
	and go to the land of Israel	21:25
	for those who sought the child's life are dead.	21:27
	And he rose and took the child and his mother	21:31
	and went to the land of Israel.	21:34
	But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea	21:37
	in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.	21:40
	And being warned in a dream,	21:44
	he withdrew to the district of Galilee.	21:46
	And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth,	21:50
	that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled,	21:55
	he shall be called a Nazarene.	21:59
	This is the Word of the Lord.	22:03
	Among the many wonderful things about the Christmas season,	22:11
	it seems one of the most precious	22:14
	is the opportunity to be at home,	22:16
	surrounded by friends and loved ones.	22:19
	I cherish the occasions these days	22:22
	between Christmas and Epiphany afford,	22:24
	for the simple joys of rereading Christmas cards	22:27
	from long lost friends.	22:29
	Or simply sitting around a crackling fire	22:32
	with those whom we love the most.	22:34
	Many families seem to have their own traditions	22:37
	which celebrate the gathering of the clan,	22:39
	whether that be decorating the tree, caroling with friends	22:42
	or dining around a table which is groaning under the weight	22:46
	of a home-cooked holiday feast.	22:50
	Home represents, ideally at least,	22:53
	a sense of security, a belonging,	22:57
	of feeling loved and accepted.	22:59
	We all look to it as a haven,	23:03
	a place of rest and restoration,	23:06
	at the midst of a chaotic world in which we live.	23:09
	Even when home has not been all of those things for us,	23:13
	we can't help longing for them	23:17
	and so we return home, especially at this time of year	23:19
	to make sense of our origins.	23:23
	It's no wonder that people traverse entire continents,	23:26
	through wind, sleet and snow to partake of the strength	23:30
	and nurture of home at Christmas.	23:34
	Unfortunately this was not an option for the Holy Family	23:39
	as we heard in today's lesson.	23:43
	Did for instance, Mary and Joseph even have a house?	23:46
	Whereas Matthew indicates that they did,	23:50
	Luke implies that they did not.	23:52
	In either case, today's Gospel lesson	23:55
	completely obliterates any image of a home	23:58
	which we might imagine that a newborn infant	24:01
	ought to have had.	24:04
	December 28th, the Feast of the Holy Innocence,	24:07
	like hot coals, these verses sear our memories.	24:12
	Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt,	24:17
	proclaimed an angel of the Lord to Joseph in a dream.	24:22
	For Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.	24:27
	As he massacres all the little boys	24:31
	two years of age and under	24:33
	in Bethlehem and surrounding region.	24:34
	How appalled we are at these words of scripture.	24:38
	How angry we become that God should allow such a scene	24:42
	to be interjected onto the placid nativity.	24:46
	The world needs more peace, more joy, more love we say,	24:49
	not bloodshed, terror, displacement.	24:54
	What kind of a God would allow the reverie of new parents	24:58
	to be shattered by a call to leave their home,	25:02
	the comforts of which we all hold so dear,	25:06
	to go forth into the night into a strange land?	25:09
	Couldn't even the story of a newborn babe	25:14
	surrounded by proud parents and adoring admirers	25:16
	have a happy ending?	25:19
	We want to shout at God.	25:21
	Roger Rosenblatt, a writer for Time Magazine,	25:25
	took it upon himself to travel	25:30
	around the world to interview children	25:31
	who had spent their entire lives in war zones.	25:33
	Like any of us who watch the evening news week after week,	25:39
	Mr. Rosenblatt was struck by the television image	25:42
	of an Iraqi boy, three or four years of age,	25:46
	standing alone and wailing in the rubble	25:50
	after an Iranian bombing of Baghdad.	25:53
	The boy appeared to be crying,	25:56
	not so much out of physical pain	25:59
	as out of sudden and vast bewilderment.	26:02
	Almost simultaneously,	26:06
	Rosenblatt recalled another famous photograph	26:07
	which you may remember, taken during the war in Vietnam	26:10
	of a Vietnamese girl, her clothing burned away by napalm,	26:14
	running toward the cameras screaming terror and indictment.	26:18
	Rosenblatt decided to undertake this journey	26:23
	where he would interview such children.	26:25
	Their brutal honesty, their powers of observation	26:29
	and their unwillingness to rationalize death,	26:34
	would make them intriguing sources of information	26:37
	about the impact of homelessness, of violence	26:40
	and a revenge on human lives.	26:43
	What and how do they think about the world?	26:47
	What opinions do they hold of their parents,	26:50
	of adults in general, of each other?	26:52
	Who is their God?	26:55
	These were the kinds of questions he wanted to raise	26:58
	with these children of war.	27:00
	Rosenblatt tells the story of Ahmed, a 15-year-old leader	27:03
	in several PLO youth groups.	27:08
	One such group trains gorillas from the ages of eight to 16,	27:11
	when they may graduate to the rank of full commando.	27:15
	I was a child in 1970 when the war began, Ahmed explains.	27:20
	Our family was thrown out of our house.	27:26
	We lived in a school for many days	27:29
	then we lived some place else.	27:33
	Afterward we moved back to our house	27:36
	but we were evicted again.	27:39
	Once the war started, every place was dangerous	27:41
	and no place seemed safer than another.	27:44
	Still, Ahmed says he was not afraid	27:48
	even at so young an age	27:50
	because he figured out that a man could only die once.	27:52
	Ahmed hopes to study medicine one day.	27:58
	He is presented with a hypothetical situation,	28:01
	you are a doctor fighting in Israel.	28:04
	A wounded Israeli comes to you for help.	28:08
	Are you a Palestinian or a doctor?	28:12
	He replied without hesitation, a doctor.	28:16
	What is the saddest thing you have ever seen,	28:21
	the interviewer asked Ahmed.	28:23
	The sight of children without parents, he replies.	28:26
	Ahmed once came upon three such children	28:31
	wandering dazed in the streets after ain air raid.	28:33
	He took them to his house where they lived	28:38
	until a home was found for them.	28:40
	Ahmed did not talk with these children very much	28:43
	because they were crying most of the time.	28:46
	Ahmed is asked if he believed in God.	28:50
	Yes, he answers.	28:53
	Do you ever think how could God	28:55
	allow such a thing to happen?	28:57
	No, he says.	29:00
	There is no relationship between God	29:02
	and the people who do such things.	29:04
	God does His work and man does his.	29:06
	A similar sentiment is expressed by Elizabeth,	29:13
	a Belfast adolescent who suffered three deaths	29:16
	in her family, including her mother,	29:19
	who was killed mistakenly in a crossfire	29:23
	between the IRA and the army.	29:25
	When asked if such tragedy shook her faith in God,	29:28
	Elizabeth replied, not in God, in man.	29:31
	Do you think one side is more right than the other,	29:37
	Rosenblatt asked Elizabeth.	29:40
	No, she replies, neither is wrong	29:43
	but they need something to bring them together.	29:46
	I really don't know where fighting gets anybody,	29:50
	it's only going to bring more death	29:53
	and more sadness to the families.	29:56
	Don't you want revenge, he ask.	30:00
	Elizabeth, stunned by such a question,	30:03
	replies simply, against whom?	30:06
	Ty Kim Seng is a 10-year-old Cambodian boy	30:13
	who suffered under the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime.	30:17
	Rosenblatt met him	30:20
	at one of the border refugee camps in Thailand.	30:22
	Ty Kim Seng, upon his arrival at the camp	30:25
	had drawn a picture of a bright orange skeletal figure	30:28
	with a grim mouth an open frown,	30:33
	with round tear drops falling from the skeleton's eyes.	30:36
	It referred to the time when he was eight	30:40
	when he was forced to join one of the mobile work teams,	30:42
	instituted by Pol Pot	30:45
	for the Khmer children's education and wellbeing.	30:47
	When Ty Kim Seng first walked into the camp,	30:51
	he was nearly dead from malnutrition.	30:54
	Ty Kim Seng told the story of his parents.	30:58
	His father was shot to death by a Pol Pot firing squad	31:01
	for no other reason than that he was a doctor.	31:05
	The policies of the Khmer Rouge included the execution	31:09
	of all Cambodian intellectuals,	31:13
	including anyone who wore eyeglasses,	31:15
	a signal that one might be able to read.	31:18
	At the age of five, Ty Kim Seng watched his father	31:22
	being taken away in a helicopter.	31:25
	A few days later, his body was returned to his village,	31:28
	also by helicopter.	31:31
	And so for a long while in the camp,	31:34
	Ty Kim Seng only drew pictures of helicopters.	31:37
	A few years later, his mother died of starvation.	31:42
	Ty Kim Seng walked to the house of a neighbor	31:45
	and asked the man to burry his mother beside his father	31:47
	in the village cemetery.	31:50
	He offered his shirt as payment.	31:53
	The neighbor and his wife carried Ty Kim Seng's mother	31:56
	in their arms to the burial ground,	31:59
	the boy walking several paces behind them,	32:02
	himself quite weak and thin.	32:05
	Do you feel your parents' spirit inside you now,	32:08
	Rosenblatt asked Ty Kim Seng.	32:11
	Yes, it talks to me.	32:13
	It tells me that I must gain knowledge and get a job.	32:16
	Does your spirit tell you to take revenge?	32:21
	Yes, he solemnly replied.	32:24
	So will you go back to Cambodia one day	32:27
	and fight the Khmer Rouge?	32:30
	No, that is not what I mean by revenge.	32:32
	To me, revenge means that I must make the most of my life.	32:37
	It's the spirit that makes you strong,	32:42
	that of your mother and father?	32:44
	Yes, my spirit told me how to find my way	32:46
	to the border when I escaped.	32:49
	Before making his way to Thailand,	32:52
	Ty Kim Seng had walked more than 60 miles alone	32:54
	to Phnom Penh, hoping for news of his brother,	32:57
	traveling mainly at night to avoid detection.	33:01
	Asked if he believed his spirit will guide him	33:05
	toward the right destination,	33:08
	he answers in the affirmative, one day it will lead me home.	33:10
	What kind of a God would call the Savior of the world	33:17
	to take flight into Egypt under the cover of night,	33:21
	would call his parents to leave their home,	33:26
	never to return, to live lives full of unknowns,	33:28
	hardships, bewilderment?	33:33
	Only one who intended to be with us	33:36
	in the fullest sense of the word,	33:40
	including the Ahmeds, the Elizabeths,	33:42
	the Ty Kim Sengs of the world.	33:45
	Indeed, the one who from the beginning	33:49
	was with God and who was God	33:52
	was not afraid to take every aspect	33:54
	of humanity onto himself.	33:57
	He revealed himself as a small innocent child,	34:00
	as a refugee in Egypt,	34:04
	as an obedient adolescent, an inconspicuous adult,	34:07
	as a penitent disciple of the Baptizer,	34:11
	as a preacher followed by some simple fishermen,	34:14
	as a man who ate with sinners and talked with strangers,	34:18
	as an outcast, a criminal, a threat to his own people	34:22
	with no place to call home.	34:28
	Thus, Jesus' initial displacement as a tiny baby	34:31
	from Bethlehem, into Egypt, on to Galilee,	34:34
	was but a foretelling of a lifetime of displacement	34:39
	which would be his to lead.	34:42
	His entire life became a journey	34:45
	with a distinctly downwardly mobile trend.	34:47
	He went from power to powerlessness,	34:51
	from strength to weakness, from glory to dishonor.	34:54
	Matthew therefore captures for us	35:00
	in the short 10 verses of today's lesson,	35:02
	a miniature version of the entire Gospel.	35:05
	Finally Jesus had to leave literally everything behind	35:09
	after proclamation and revelation,	35:12
	which produced passion and rejection.	35:15
	He had to leave all of that behind	35:18
	under the watchful eye of an angel	35:19
	when he could return to proclaim the power of God,	35:22
	a foreshadowing of the ultimate victory,	35:26
	he would proclaim in the Resurrection.	35:28
	And so to hear this Gospel story,	35:32
	with the protagonist, a mere infant,	35:34
	does seem especially upsetting.	35:37
	For children in their vulnerability	35:40
	bring out our own gentler, more vulnerable	35:42
	and perhaps more admirable selves.	35:45
	A newborn babe provokes a smile	35:48
	from even the most determined scrooge	35:50
	but remember the bloated belly of a starving child,	35:54
	especially poignantly.	35:57
	We lament the tragedy of a child	35:59
	who must endure the trials of war, especially deeply.	36:01
	Yet it is the power of a mere child	36:06
	which embodies the power of the incarnation.	36:08
	God with us does not mean only	36:12
	when we're on our best behavior,	36:14
	dressed up for services at Duke Chapel,	36:16
	or for that matter, in security of our own homes,	36:19
	that we are in the presence of God.	36:22
	God with us means in our most vulnerable times	36:25
	and the most treacherous places,	36:29
	God comes to show the strength that is found	36:32
	in weakness through love.	36:35
	Ask Ahmed, Elizabeth, Ty Kim Seng.	36:37
	Their journeys model the journey of Christ	36:43
	in our day and age.	36:45
	They suffered rejection and displacement,	36:48
	they're vulnerable to the forces of evil,	36:51
	they are familiar with death	36:54
	yet they refuse to seek revenge.	36:56
	They have learned for the entire world	37:00
	a difficult lesson to learn.	37:03
	Security and safety are never to be assumed in this life	37:05
	for the world is far too fickle, far too violent a place,	37:10
	a home may be here today and gone tomorrow.	37:15
	In the manner of Christ,	37:20
	our true home is the journey on which we embark	37:22
	as we seek to answer God's call to discipleship.	37:25
	Consider Joseph, Matthew's prime example	37:29
	of faithfulness in this story.	37:32
	Whatever the angel told him to do, he did it.	37:35
	No matter how far beyond reason it may have seemed,	37:38
	regardless of his questions, his fears, his sacrifices.	37:42
	In place of a home in Bethlehem,	37:47
	Joseph chose a journey of faith,	37:49
	living a life of failure over success, of love over revenge.	37:52
	All for the love of God, his journey became his home.	37:59
	What kind of a God would call young parents	38:05
	to leave their own home with a tiny baby	38:08
	to go forth into the night, into a strange land?	38:10
	The kind who acknowledges the tragedy of children in exile	38:16
	from their own home by becoming one himself.	38:19
	Thanks be to God.	38:24
	(organ music)	38:38
	(choral singing)	39:19
-	Let us unite in this historic confession	42:20
	of the Christian faith.	42:22
	I believe in God, the Father Almighty,	42:25
	maker of Heaven and Earth	42:28
	and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord,	42:31
	who is conceived by the Holy Spirit,	42:34
	born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,	42:37
	was crucified, dead and buried.	42:41
	The third day he rose from the dead.	42:44
	He ascended into Heaven	42:47
	and sitteth at the right hand	42:49
	of the God the Father Almighty.	42:51
	From thence he shall come to judge quick and the dead.	42:54
	I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,	42:57
	the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,	43:01
	the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.	43:05
	The Lord be with you.	43:11
Congregation	And also with you.	43:13
-	Let us pray.	43:14
	Almighty God, how wonderfully you created	43:29
	and yet more wonderfully restored	43:34
	the dignity of human nature	43:37
	by coming to live among us in the Christ child.	43:40
	Because he came to share our earthly lot,	43:45
	he knows our weakness, our temptations,	43:48
	our toils and cares.	43:51
	Therefore we are bold to pray for human need.	43:55
	O God, Prince of Peace, guide the nations of the world	44:02
	into ways of justice and truth	44:07
	and establish among them the peace	44:11
	which is the fruit of righteousness,	44:14
	that they may become the kingdom	44:17
	of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.	44:18
	O God, it is your will to hold	44:24
	both Heaven and Earth in single peace.	44:25
	Let the design of your great love shine	44:29
	on the waste of our wrath and sorrow	44:31
	and give peace to your church, peace among nations,	44:34
	peace in our homes and peace in our hearts,	44:41
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	44:49
	O God, you made us in your own image	44:54
	and even became part of this human family.	44:57
	Look with compassion on the whole human family.	45:02
	Take away the arrogance and distrust	45:06
	which infect our hearts.	45:09
	Break down the walls that separate us.	45:12
	Unite us in bonds of love	45:17
	and through our struggle and confusion,	45:20
	work to accomplish your purposes on Earth,	45:23
	that in your good time, all nations and races	45:28
	may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne,	45:32
	through Jesus Christ our Lord.	45:36
	Heavenly Father, we remember before you	45:41
	those who suffer want and anxiety from lack of work,	45:45
	those for whom our Christmas celebration	45:51
	is but a reminder of their poverty.	45:55
	Guide the people of this land	45:59
	so to use our wealth and resources,	46:01
	that all persons may find suitable and fulfilling employment	46:04
	and receive just payment for their labors,	46:09
	through your Son, our Lord.	46:13
	Almighty and most merciful God,	46:18
	we call to mind before you all those	46:22
	whom it would be easy to forget	46:25
	in our Christmas celebration and joy,	46:28
	the homeless, the destitute, the sick, the aged	46:33
	and all who have none to care for them.	46:41
	Help us to heal those who are broken in body or spirit	46:45
	and to turn their sorrow into joy.	46:49
	Grant this, for the love of your Son	46:53
	who for our sakes became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord.	46:56
	O God, give us holiday times of refreshment and peace	47:04
	in the course of our busy lives.	47:09
	Grant that we may so use our leisure	47:13
	to rebuild our bodies and to renew our minds,	47:16
	that our spirits may be open	47:19
	to the goodness of your creation,	47:20
	through Jesus Christ our Lord, our Lord,	47:25
	who came to live among us to share our earthly life,	47:31
	that he might fit us for Heaven,	47:37
	that he might make us into the new creations	47:41
	that he had called us to be.	47:45
	Jesus Christ, the babe of Bethlehem,	47:48
	the Lord and Savior of all humanity,	47:53
	in his name we pray, Amen.	47:57
	This is a season of the year when we acknowledge	48:04
	God's great gifts to us.	48:07
	Let us be generous in our giving	48:09
	for God's work in the world.	48:12
	(organ music)	48:17
	(organ music)	49:33
	♪ Oh, holy night ♪	49:39
	♪ The stars are brightly shining ♪	49:43
	♪ It is the night of the dear Savior's birth ♪	49:49
	♪ Long lay the world in sin and error pining ♪	50:02
	♪ Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth ♪	50:13
	♪ A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices ♪	50:24
	♪ For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn ♪	50:33
	♪ Fall on your knees ♪	50:42
	♪ Oh hear the angel voices ♪	50:51
	♪ Oh night divine ♪	50:59
	♪ Oh night when Christ was born ♪	51:07
	♪ Oh night, divine ♪	51:16
	♪ Oh night, oh night divine ♪	51:25
	(organ music)	51:34
	♪ Led by the light of faith serenely beaming ♪	51:53
	♪ With glowing hearts by his cradle we stand ♪	52:02
	♪ So led the light of a star sweetly gleaming ♪	52:14
	♪ Here led the wise men from the Orient land ♪	52:24
	♪ The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger ♪	52:33
	♪ In all our trials born to be our friend ♪	52:41
	♪ He knows our need ♪	52:50
	♪ He guards us from all danger ♪	52:58
	♪ Behold your King ♪	53:06
	♪ Before him lowly bend ♪	53:15
	♪ Behold your King ♪	53:23
	♪ Before him lowly bend ♪	53:32
	(organ music)	53:40
	♪ Truly he taught us to love one another ♪	53:59
	♪ His law is love and his gospel is peace ♪	54:08
	♪ Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother ♪	54:19
	♪ And in his name all oppression shall cease ♪	54:28
	♪ With hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we ♪	54:38
	♪ Let every heart adore his holy name ♪	54:46
	♪ Christ is the Lord ♪	54:54
	♪ Then ever, ever praise we ♪	55:02
	♪ His power and glory evermore proclaim ♪	55:09
	♪ His power and glory evermore proclaim ♪	55:25
	(organ music)	55:45
	(organ music)	56:07
	(choral singing)	56:52
William	Gracious God, we give you thanks	57:59
	that you love the world so much	58:02
	that you sent your only Son to be our Savior,	58:04
	to be born among us, to live among us,	58:08
	to share the toils and trials of this life.	58:11
	We thank you that you revealed his advent to the lowly,	58:14
	to shepherds, to little ones,	58:20
	to the poor and the meek of the Earth,	58:22
	that you have hidden these things from the wise	58:24
	and the mighty.	58:27
	We give you thanks for all of his works of salvation	58:30
	after his coming among us	58:34
	and we pray that you would make us better disciples	58:37
	as we follow him down the path where he leads us,	58:40
	the narrow way of discipleship	58:45
	which leads to the glory of the Kingdom.	58:48
	And we pray all of this	58:52
	as our Lord and Savior Jesus taught us.	58:54
All	Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.	58:58
	Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done,	59:03
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	59:07
	Give us this day our daily bread	59:09
	and forgive us our trespasses	59:12
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	59:15
	And lead us not into temptation	59:19
	but deliver us from evil	59:22
	for thine is the Kingdom and the power	59:24
	and the glory forever, Amen.	59:27
	(organ music)	59:33
	♪ The first Noel, the angels did say ♪	1:00:03
	♪ Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay ♪	1:00:11
	♪ In fields where they lay keeping their sheep ♪	1:00:18
	♪ On a cold winter's night that was so deep ♪	1:00:26
	♪ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♪	1:00:33
	♪ Born is the King of Israel ♪	1:00:41
	♪ They looked up and saw a star ♪	1:00:51
	♪ Shining in the east beyond them far ♪	1:00:58
	♪ And to the earth it gave great light ♪	1:01:06
	♪ And so it continued both day and night ♪	1:01:13
	♪ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♪	1:01:21
	♪ Born is the King of Israel ♪	1:01:29
	♪ And by the light of that same star ♪	1:01:39
	♪ Three wise men came from country far ♪	1:01:46
	♪ To seek for a King was their intent ♪	1:01:54
	♪ And to follow the star wherever it went ♪	1:02:02
	♪ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♪	1:02:10
	♪ Born is the King of Israel ♪	1:02:18
	♪ This star drew nigh to the northwest ♪	1:02:28
	♪ O'er Bethlehem it took its rest ♪	1:02:35
	♪ And there it did both stop and stay ♪	1:02:43
	♪ Right o'er the place where Jesus lay ♪	1:02:50
	♪ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♪	1:02:58
	♪ Born is the King of Israel ♪	1:03:07
	♪ Then entered in those wise men three ♪	1:03:16
	♪ Fell reverently upon their knee ♪	1:03:24
	♪ And offered there in his presence ♪	1:03:32
	♪ Their gold and myrrh and frankincense ♪	1:03:39
	♪ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♪	1:03:47
	♪ Born is the kind of Israel ♪	1:03:56
-	And now may the grace of our Lord and Savior,	1:04:09
	Jesus Christ, the love of God	1:04:11
	and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit	1:04:14
	be with you now and forever more, Amen.	1:04:16
	(organ postlude music)	1:04:24

Item Info

Title:

Nancy Ferree-Clark - "The Journey Is Our Home" (December 28, 1986)

Description:

Sermon start time: 22:11. Sermon end time: 38:24.
God calls us to difficult times and places throughout our lives, but all of these places can be our home. Like Christ, traveling leads us closer to God and God’s love. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: “God with us means in our most vulnerable times in the most treacherous places, God comes to show the strength that is found in weakness through love.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4vm43c2p

Date:

December 28, 1986

Speaker:

Ferree-Clark, Nancy

Liturgical Calendar:

Epipahy

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0014
ref8272_d41
uachapelsermaud
duke:321751
dcrmv001014
ark:/87924/r4vm43c2p
195f9a30-15a2-4df2-b3b1-294e1bfb1f50

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

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This material is made available for research, scholarship, and private study. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For reuses of this material beyond those permitted by fair use or otherwise allowed under the Copyright Act, please see our page on copyright and citations: https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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Nancy Ferree-Clark - "The Journey Is Our Home" (December 28, 1986)

Transcript

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Duke University Archives

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