Manuel D. Wortman - "A Claim, a Commission, and a Promise" (May 21, 1978)

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-	Duke University Chapel service of worship.	0:04
	Sunday, May 21st, 1978.	0:07
	(child babbling)	0:20
	(child babbling)	0:26
	(child babbling)	0:33
	(child babbling)	0:36
	(footsteps echoing)	0:39
	(child babbling)	0:44
	(child babbling)	0:54
	(child babbling)	1:05
	(child babbling)	1:11
	(footsteps echoing)	1:25
-	Here, mommy.	1:32
	Here, mommy.	1:40
	(footsteps echoing)	1:44
	(solemn organ music)	1:45
	(solemn organ music)	2:30
	(solemn organ music)	3:30
	(cheerful organ music)	4:02
	(solemn organ music)	4:59
	(solemn organ music)	5:59
	(solemn organ music)	7:00
	(solemn organ music)	7:59
	(solemn organ music)	8:59
	(solemn organ music)	9:59
	(solemn organ music)	10:59
	(choir softly singing)	11:56
	♪ And in all things ♪	12:28
	♪ And in all things ♪	12:32
	♪ We praise you, our Father ♪	12:37
	(solemn organ music)	12:52
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	13:31
	♪ My God Almighty ♪	13:36
	♪ Early in the morning ♪	13:41
	♪ Our song shall rise to Thee ♪	13:46
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	13:52
	♪ Merciful and mighty ♪	13:57
	♪ God in three persons ♪	14:02
	♪ Blessed Trinity ♪	14:08
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	14:15
	♪ All the saints adore thee ♪	14:20
	♪ Casting down their golden crowns ♪	14:25
	♪ Around the glassy sea ♪	14:30
	♪ Cherubim and seraphim ♪	14:35
	♪ Falling down before Thee ♪	14:40
	♪ Which were and are and evermore shall be ♪	14:46
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	14:58
	♪ Though the darkness hide thee ♪	15:04
	♪ Though the eye of sinful man ♪	15:09
	♪ Thy glory may not see ♪	15:13
	♪ Only Thou art holy ♪	15:19
	♪ There is none beside Thee ♪	15:25
	♪ Perfect in power, in love, and purity ♪	15:30
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	15:44
	♪ Lord God Almighty ♪	15:49
	♪ All thy works shall praise Thy name ♪	15:54
	♪ In earth and sky and sea ♪	15:59
	♪ Holy, holy, holy ♪	16:05
	♪ Merciful and mighty ♪	16:09
	♪ God in three persons ♪	16:15
	♪ Blessed Trinity ♪	16:20
	♪ Amen ♪	16:27
	(announcer clears throat)	16:43
-	In coming before the altar of Almighty God,	16:49
	if we claim to be righteous and sinless,	16:54
	we deceive ourselves.	16:59
	We may come into His holy presence	17:02
	only if first we confess our sin.	17:06
	Let us pray.	17:11
	Oh God.	17:14
Unison	Lord of us all.	17:16
	Help us to acknowledge our own weaknesses.	17:18
	Our minds are darkened and by ourselves	17:23
	we cannot find and know the truth.	17:27
	Our wills are weak,	17:31
	and by ourselves we cannot resist temptation	17:33
	or bring to its completion that which we resolve to do.	17:38
	Our hearts are fickle, and by ourselves,	17:44
	we cannot give to you the loyalty which is your due.	17:48
	Our steps are faltering,	17:54
	and by ourselves, we cannot walk in your straight way.	17:57
	So, this day, we ask you to enlighten us,	18:02
	to strengthen us, to guide us,	18:07
	that we may know you and love and follow you	18:12
	all the days of our life,	18:18
	through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.	18:21
-	From the rising of the sun,	18:41
	until the going down of the same,	18:44
	the Lord's gracious mercy is ever at hand.	18:46
	Let us give thanks for God is good,	18:53
	and God's love is everlasting.	18:57
Unison	Thanks be to God who creates us.	19:02
	Thanks be to God whose tender love redeems us.	19:06
	Thanks be to God whose presence sustains us.	19:11
-	There are several announcements	19:27
	from the back of the order of service,	19:29
	to which we draw your attention.	19:34
	I've also been asked	19:37
	to request that any here who are in the summer sessions	19:39
	who would like to serve as ushers	19:45
	for the Sunday morning service of worship	19:49
	are needed and asked to volunteer their help.	19:53
	Also, there is need for volunteers to serve in the nursery	19:59
	during the Sunday morning hour of worship.	20:08
	We welcome to our pulpit this morning	20:16
	the Reverend Manuel Wortman,	20:21
	a graduate of our own divinity school here,	20:24
	and who has been, for a number of years,	20:30
	the director of the Wesley Foundation	20:33
	at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.	20:38
	As we come to the proclamation of the Word,	20:49
	let us pray for illumination.	20:54
	Open our minds and hearts, oh God,	21:04
	to listen for Thy word and learn from it	21:09
	even as it may cut against us.	21:14
	Let it bring wisdom and healing truth for our guidance	21:20
	along the paths of our life.	21:28
	Amen.	21:32
	Scripture lessons first from the Old Testament,	21:43
	from the Book of Exodus, the 34th chapter.	21:51
	"So Moses cut two tables of stone like the first,	21:59
	"and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai	22:08
	"as the Lord had commanded him,	22:12
	"and took in his hand two tables of stone.	22:15
	"And the Lord descended in the cloud	22:21
	"and stood with him there	22:23
	"and proclaimed the name of the Lord.	22:24
	"The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed,	22:29
	"The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious,	22:32
	"slow to anger and abiding,	22:38
	"abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.	22:42
	"And Moses made peace to bow his head toward the earth	22:49
	"and worshiped.	22:55
	"And he said, if now I have found favor	22:58
	"in Thy sight, O Lord,	23:01
	"let the Lord, I pray Thee, go in the midst of us,	23:04
	"although it is a stiff-necked people,	23:09
	"and pardon our iniquity and our sin,	23:13
	"and take us for Thy inheritance."	23:18
	(announcer clears throat)	23:25
	From 2 Corinthians, the 13th chapter.	23:31
	"Examine yourselves	23:39
	"to see whether you are holding to your faith.	23:42
	"Test yourselves.	23:45
	"Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you,	23:48
	"unless indeed you failed to meet the test?	23:54
	"I hope you will find out that we have not failed,	23:58
	"but we pray, God, that you may not do wrong,	24:03
	"not that we may appear to be have met the test,	24:08
	"but that you may do what is right,	24:12
	"though we may seem to have failed.	24:15
	"For we cannot do anything against the truth,	24:19
	"but only for the truth.	24:22
	"For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong.	24:26
	"What we pray for is your improvement.	24:30
	"I write this while I am away from you	24:36
	"in order that when I come,	24:39
	"I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority	24:41
	"which the Lord has given me for building up	24:46
	"and not for tearing down.	24:49
	"Finally, brethren, farewell!	24:53
	"Mend your ways, heed my appeal.	24:57
	"Agree with one another.	25:01
	"Live in peace, and the God of love and peace	25:03
	"will be with you.	25:08
	"Greet one another with a holy kiss.	25:11
	"All the saints greet you."	25:15
	Amen.	25:21
	(solemn organ music)	25:34
	♪ Teach me, oh Lord ♪	26:14
	♪ The way of thy statutes ♪	26:18
	♪ Teach me, teach me ♪	26:25
	♪ The way of thy statutes ♪	26:30
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	26:36
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	26:42
	♪ Unto the end ♪	26:49
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	26:55
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	27:00
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	27:06
	♪ Unto the end ♪	27:12
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	27:20
	♪ Unto the end ♪	27:25
	♪ Teach me, oh Lord ♪	27:33
	♪ Teach me, oh Lord ♪	27:36
	♪ Teach me, oh Lord ♪	27:39
	♪ The way of thy statutes ♪	27:43
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	27:49
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	27:55
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	28:00
	♪ Unto the end ♪	28:06
	♪ And I shall keep it ♪	28:13
	♪ Unto the end ♪	28:18
	♪ Unto the end ♪	28:27
-	Let us stand for the reading of the Gospel.	28:49
	From the 28th chapter of the Gospel	28:57
	according to Saint Matthew.	29:00
	"Now, the 11 disciples went to Galilee	29:04
	"to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.	29:07
	"And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.	29:12
	"And Jesus came and said to them,	29:18
	"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.	29:21
	"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,	29:27
	"baptizing them in the name of the Father	29:32
	"and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,	29:35
	"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.	29:40
	"And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."	29:46
	Amen.	29:54
	Glory be to God.	29:56
	(solemn organ music)	30:00
	(organ drowning out choral singing)	30:11
	♪ Amen ♪	30:52
-	I'm not sure exactly how much one is supposed to share	31:14
	about what goes on behind pulpits in terms of preparation.	31:17
	This is almost too good for me to pass up,	31:22
	so I'm going to share this with you.	31:24
	I arrived here and opened my	31:27
	envelope and discovered that	31:31
	I left two pages of my sermon on Chapel Hill,	31:33
	the first two pages.	31:36
	So, you'll understand when I start this morning	31:38
	that I'm sort of doing this off the top of my head	31:41
	from a recollection,	31:43
	and I'm sure that I can manage them.	31:44
	But, I thought that you should know that.	31:46
	(congregation laughs)	31:49
	We are in the season of the church year in which,	31:53
	(stammers) of Pentecost.	31:56
	It is the celebration of the beginning	31:58
	or the formation of the church.	32:00
	And to fully understand this	32:03
	and to put it into some sort of context	32:04
	of what all of this Scripture was about this morning,	32:06
	you need to be aware of something about the critical nature	32:09
	of the law the in the Jewish faith.	32:13
	The law was the cornerstone of the Jewish faith,	32:15
	and you should know, too, that Pentecost,	32:20
	that the day of Pentecost,	32:25
	the founders day, as it were, of the Christian church,	32:27
	falls on the very day that the Jewish faith	32:31
	celebrates the giving of the law to Moses at Mount Sinai.	32:35
	The implication of this is quite clear.	32:41
	That Christian church, that early Christian church,	32:45
	understood itself as a new Israel,	32:48
	based not on the old law, but on the law of Jesus.	32:52
	And therefore, we heard this morning	32:57
	from Scripture from Exodus	32:59
	that celebration of the account of God covenanting	33:02
	with the people of Israel by the gift of the law to Moses.	33:07
	And that sort of strange passage from 2 Corinthians,	33:11
	where we heard it said that the authority of God	33:15
	was passed on through Jesus	33:20
	to his followers.	33:25
	And so then, we come to the Matthew account,	33:27
	in which Matthew himself,	33:32
	it is believed by most scholars,	33:36
	was trying to write a new law.	33:38
	And the supporting evidence for that is the fact that	33:43
	Matthew sets his book up not in chronological fashion,	33:45
	but he sets it up in five major sections,	33:51
	which we believe was an intentional thing	33:56
	to correspond to the five books,	33:59
	first books of the Jewish bible.	34:03
	There is other supporting evidence.	34:06
	For example, when Jesus made	34:09
	his post-resurrection appearances,	34:12
	he did so on a mountain.	34:15
	And the implication of this is quite clear,	34:18
	that Matthew is trying to draw some connection	34:21
	between this Jesus person and this Moses,	34:24
	both of whom received the law of God	34:28
	on a mountaintop.	34:31
	We know too that Matthew is quite concerned	34:34
	to make the connection between not only the origins	34:36
	of the Christian faith in Jewish tradition,	34:40
	but also, the future of the Christian faith	34:43
	in the Gentile community.	34:45
	And so, this mountain on which the risen Christ appears	34:48
	is not in Judea, but in Galilee.	34:52
	And thence, there is a suggestion,	34:56
	a symbolic suggestion of movement from Judea to Galilee	34:58
	and thence to the world.	35:02
	And in this particular passage	35:05
	that you heard read from Matthew this morning,	35:07
	he builds this case to a final conclusion	35:09
	and he places this conclusion	35:13
	in the very final manifestation of the risen Christ	35:15
	to his followers.	35:19
	And it has three motifs:	35:22
	a claim, a commission, and a promise.	35:25
	First, the claim.	35:30
	"All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me."	35:32
	No such claim had been made about Jesus in earlier writings.	35:39
	And this was just a little bit shy	35:44
	of saying that Jesus is God.	35:46
	That statement was made a bit later	35:51
	in the Gospel according to John.	35:54
	Whatever else may be said about this,	35:57
	the author of Matthew hinges his work	36:00
	and buildss it to this conclusion in this claim	36:04
	that Jesus is the Messiah,	36:06
	that God has somehow come to live among us.	36:08
	And immediately following,	36:13
	we move from this indicative statement about a claim	36:15
	to an imperative statement.	36:19
	Having made the claim,	36:21
	the author then places in the risen Christ's mouth,	36:23
	his commission, his commissioning of his disciples	36:27
	to their task: make disciples of all nations,	36:32
	baptize and teach them.	36:37
	Make disciples is the key to that, it is meant to stand out.	36:41
	Make disciples by baptizing and by teaching.	36:45
	And finally, a promise:	36:48
	"I am with you always."	36:51
	The promise of a continued presence of the power of God	36:54
	even to the close of the age.	36:59
	The promise of the Spirit locating itself.	37:03
	Our task is before us, and the time of it is at hand.	37:07
	Now, I wrote a sermon last week	37:13
	and it turned into a rather, uh,	37:16
	extended theological journey,	37:20
	and it was hard enough to walk through	37:24
	that theological journey,	37:26
	much less sit through it.	37:28
	So, I really wanted to make the sermon fly,	37:30
	but I couldn't even make it sing.	37:35
	So I decided to change the nature of what I would do,	37:38
	and I have created a little narrative,	37:42
	and placed it in the setting	37:44
	of where Matthew might have written this Gospel.	37:46
	It is imaginary in every respect,	37:49
	though it has some historical material in it.	37:51
	It is meant to be suggestive of the theological themes	37:55
	and not, uh, exhaustive.	37:58
	The room was small and its sounds were enlivened.	38:04
	Its walls were stark but the place was enlivened	38:08
	by the conversation over food.	38:12
	It was Antioch.	38:13
	Times were bad.	38:15
	The Romans were rattling their swords	38:17
	and the Pharisees were revising Judaism.	38:19
	Since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem,	38:23
	the Pharisees were making the law	38:26
	and not the Temple the central feature of Jewish worship.	38:28
	And all those who were of Jewish heritage	38:33
	were being pushed to a strict obedience to the law.	38:36
	A little, counter-religious group had gathered.	38:40
	Their roots were mostly in the Jewish faith,	38:45
	but they had separated themselves from the main line	38:47
	because they had taken seriously	38:51
	the teachings of this person, Jesus.	38:53
	They gathered regularly to eat and to talk,	38:56
	especially about their remembrances of the person, Jesus.	38:58
	They were mostly poverty-stricken,	39:02
	but they found ways by which they could offer some support	39:04
	to this friend of theirs, Paul,	39:08
	in his wandering missionary journeys among the Gentiles.	39:11
	And in their very limited circle,	39:16
	they called themselves Christians.	39:18
	Among them was a very elderly person,	39:22
	one of the original followers of Jesus when he was alive.	39:24
	Sometime before, in a moment of musing,	39:29
	he had suggested that it might be a good thing	39:31
	if someone would write down	39:34
	the remembered teachings of Jesus,	39:36
	which sayings had become a form of new law	39:39
	for the lifestyle of this newly formed Christian community.	39:42
	And there was, in addition to this elderly person,	39:47
	a simpleton by the name of Simon, let's say,	39:50
	who was always near the conversation,	39:53
	and he had a way of parroting back to the group	39:56
	things that were said, but he always picked up	39:59
	the significant parts of the conversation.	40:01
	And so he yelped out the idea,	40:06
	"Write it down, write it down, write it down!"	40:09
	The group, upon reflection,	40:13
	decided that might not be a bad idea,	40:14
	especially for the sake of future generations.	40:17
	And they chose a young man named Matthew,	40:20
	who was named after that early disciple,	40:24
	to do the writing.	40:28
	And today was the day.	40:31
	Matthew had worked long and hard on his document,	40:33
	and he was going to review it before the group on this day.	40:36
	His work was carried forward	40:40
	and placed on the table before the group, and then,	40:42
	and he stood before them in a general way,	40:44
	commented on the five sections of his work,	40:47
	as he said, to roughly parallel	40:51
	the five first writings in the Torah.	40:53
	But quickly, he moved to share to his conclusions.	40:57
	That, he said, was the most important part.	41:00
	All that he had done hinged on these conclusions.	41:03
	He outlined for the group these three motifs,	41:07
	which we have described as a claim,	41:11
	a commission, and a promise.	41:14
	And Matthew began.	41:17
	"I've heard it said that	41:20
	"in the final manifestation of the risen Christ, he said,	41:21
	"all authority in heaven and on earth has been given me."	41:24
	Matthew went on to make it clear that in that phrase,	41:28
	Jesus was indicating that he, Jesus,	41:31
	revealed the very nature of God.	41:34
	"That," he said, "is the critical point.	41:37
	"There is no need for us to meet here,	41:39
	"and there will be no need	41:42
	"for future generations of Christians to meet	41:43
	"unless we agree that that is the central reality	41:47
	"of the life of this person, Jesus."	41:52
	And there was a doubter among them.	41:57
	He sat immediately in front of Matthew	42:00
	so as to be in the most appropriate place to confront him.	42:02
	And he demurred, "All authority?	42:08
	"Now, really, Matthew,	42:13
	"that's like saying that Jesus had greater authority	42:15
	"than Pilate, or Herod, or the Roman emperor,	42:19
	"even the Roman army, even Jewish tradition."	42:24
	All of which had contributed in some way	42:29
	to the putting to death of this person, Jesus.	42:32
	Matthew responded quickly,	42:36
	in the hopes of stemming the tides of disagreement	42:38
	which this doubter was capable of unleashing in the group.	42:42
	Matthew said, "Yes, yes, that is just the point.	42:46
	"Jesus is God, in some way or other,	42:51
	"and God has all authority."	42:56
	The doubter mumbled something about all the trouble	43:02
	that that could create if anyone in authority	43:06
	happened to hear such a claim,	43:10
	but he argued no more, at least for the moment.	43:13
	The elder disciple reflected,	43:19
	"I remember Jesus well.	43:22
	"He was indeed profound.	43:25
	"Those of us who followed him	43:27
	"would have gone with him anywhere.	43:29
	"But Matthew, you are saying more than he was profound.	43:32
	"You are saying that he was somehow the Messiah,	43:38
	"God himself come to live among us?"	43:43
	"Yes," replied an eager Matthew,	43:47
	grateful for an understanding hearing	43:50
	from this great patriarchal figure.	43:53
	But the doubter raised his eyebrows	43:58
	and in his most paternalizing voice, gruffed,	44:01
	"Now, Matthew, you are young.	44:05
	"Maybe you don't quite understand.	44:08
	"Most of us have been raised as good Jews.	44:12
	"And I learned at my father's knee	44:15
	"that one must never make any person or anything into a god,	44:17
	"lest that person or thing become an idol.	44:22
	"This Yahweh we have worshiped is beyond human expression.	44:27
	"Yahweh is completely and wholly	44:32
	other than human."	44:36
	Matthew responded quietly.	44:40
	"Yes, I know what I say is scandalous,	44:44
	"certainly blasphemous, at least for a Jew,	44:48
	"and perhaps some of you will think	44:53
	"that I am a bit loony.	44:55
	"But I am convinced that all of our searchings	44:58
	"for some spiritual transcendent purpose,	45:02
	"which we have always described	45:06
	"as the hopes for the Messiah,	45:07
	"I am convinced that that certain is answered	45:11
	"in the person of Jesus.	45:15
	"The insuperable obstacle between the human and the divine	45:19
	"is bridged in Jesus.	45:23
	"God has become person, the Word has become a child,	45:25
	"the immensity has accepted limitations.	45:30
	"The infinite has become finite.	45:34
	"The unknowable has made himself known.	45:37
	"Omnipotence has become a child.	45:41
	"The immutable has accepted suffering.	45:44
	"Life was attained through death.	45:48
	"Love was expressed as resurrection.	45:50
	"You see," Matthew went on,	45:54
	"the invisible, wholly other god that we have worshipped	45:57
	"is made visible in plain in this Jesus.	46:02
	"The way Jesus acts	46:08
	is the way God acts.	46:12
	"Who Jesus was is who God is."	46:15
	And in chimed Simple Simon,	46:21
	"Jesus acts the way God acts.	46:24
	"Jesus is who God is.	46:27
	"Jesus was poor, God is poor.	46:29
	"Jesus is kind, God is kind.	46:31
	"Jesus acted like a servant, God is a servant.	46:33
	"No, no," he protested.	46:38
	"God is supposed to be a king."	46:44
	"Ah, yes," replied the elder disciple.	46:49
	"So thought Judas.	46:52
	"He could not abide a Messiah	46:54
	"who chose to be a servant and not a king,	46:57
	"one who preferred poverty to riches, and mercy to judgment.	47:01
	"Interesting!	47:07
	"Go on, Matthew."	47:09
	But the doubter interrupted,	47:12
	"What about future generations, Matthew?	47:13
	"We have trouble enough believing this claim	47:15
	"and some of us can still remember Jesus.	47:18
	"What about my children and their children?	47:21
	"Will they remember this scandalous stuff?"	47:24
	Matthew replied quietly.	47:29
	"I don't know.	47:32
	"It will be more difficult for them	47:35
	"for they will not have firsthand experiences	47:38
	"like our friend here.	47:42
	"But they must struggle with their faith	47:44
	"as we have struggled with ours.	47:46
	"What more can I say?"	47:48
	"Go on Matthew," intoned the elder disciple.	47:53
	"What else have you said?"	47:55
	Matthew responded,	47:59
	"Well, I think that if we make the claim	48:01
	"that Jesus reveals the very nature of God,	48:05
	"we have only told a part	48:09
	"of what God's mission is for the world.	48:11
	"God was not just revealing Himself.	48:15
	"He had done that in many ways before,	48:18
	"burning bushes, Exodus, and so on.	48:21
	"He took no joy in just revealing Himself alone.	48:24
	"What He really wants is for us to create a new household,	48:28
	"one people of all nations living out His nature	48:33
	"revealed in Jesus.	48:38
	"And that explains why Jesus in his parting statement,	48:41
	"his last appearance said, make disciples of all nations,	48:45
	"baptizing and teaching them."	48:50
	The doubter raised his troubled voice.	48:55
	"But our group is big enough.	48:58
	"We can hardly find a place to meet now.	49:00
	"We can't take in more people."	49:03
	"No, no," replied Matthew.	49:06
	"That's not the point.	49:08
	"The commission is not to get more people into our group,	49:10
	"though some people in the future might misunderstand	49:15
	"that that's what this commission is about.	49:19
	"The intention of it is to show	49:22
	"that our task is to embody, to make visible,	49:24
	"the teachings of Jesus among all people.	49:29
	"If the group grows, fine.	49:34
	"New groups may even form,	49:37
	"as they have done under the ministry of Paul.	49:39
	"But the embodiment, the living out of the nature of God	49:42
	"as revealed in Jesus Christ, that is the point."	49:46
	"I think I see what you are saying,"	49:52
	said the elder disciple.	49:53
	"When Christian communities form,	49:55
	"they do not do so just for togetherness, or good food,	49:57
	"or even pretty music,	50:01
	"but they are bound together by their desire	50:05
	"to live in such a way as to be signs and symbols,	50:08
	"pointing beyond themselves to the very nature of God."	50:13
	"Signs, and symbols," cried Simple Simon.	50:20
	"I'm a walking, talking sign!	50:24
	"Don't plant me, I might shrivel.	50:27
	"I'm a walking, talking sign."	50:28
	"Even so," said the doubter.	50:33
	"If I could really believe your claim and your commission,	50:37
	"I still have moments when I would give it all up,	50:42
	"go back to my old ways, forget this Jesus thing,	50:46
	"and just survive to an old age."	50:51
	"Well, me too," sighed Matthew.	50:56
	"Except that I keep experiencing,	51:01
	"I keep bumping into some kind of sustaining presence,	51:04
	"which I can only explain as the spirit of the risen Christ.	51:09
	"Just when I am beaten by the robbers of our day,	51:14
	"and like some poor beggar stretched out	51:18
	"on the road to Jericho,	51:21
	"some strange Samaritan bandages my wounds,	51:23
	"and when my guilt pushes me to tell this stranger	51:26
	"or to rehearse before this stranger	51:31
	"how foolish my mistakes have been	51:34
	"to get caught in the grasp of these robbers,	51:36
	"and just when my guilt then tells me	51:39
	"that I must somehow pay this good pilgrim	51:42
	"for his services to me,	51:45
	"the Samaritan quietly hushes me	51:47
	"and urges me to pick myself up again and walk,	51:52
	"in spite of my weakness,	51:57
	"and whether or not I can make the claim	52:00
	that Jesus is God.	52:04
	"And all of these Samaritan experiences together,	52:09
	"they keep loving me.	52:12
	"And I believe that that is the continuing power	52:16
	"and presence of the risen Christ.	52:19
	"And so I have ended my Gospel	52:22
	with Christ's promise:	52:26
	"I am with you always,	52:29
	to the close of the age."	52:31
	"I agree," said the elder disciple.	52:35
	"Samaritan-like experiences haunt me	52:39
	"for some kind of explanation,	52:42
	"but perhaps, just as importantly,	52:45
	"they attract me to your claim	52:48
	that Jesus is God."	52:52
	And like the parrot that he was, Simple Simon piped in,	52:55
	"If we know who Jesus is, we know who God is.	52:59
	"Jesus acts the way God acts.	53:02
	"Jesus was poor, God is poor.	53:04
	"Jesus was a king, God is a king.	53:06
	"Jesus was a servant, God is a servant.	53:09
	"Jesus asks us to act the way he acts,	53:12
	for sure."	53:17
	What would I have you to take home with you?	53:23
	We live in an era	53:27
	of incredible rootlessness and uncertainty,	53:30
	leaving us without much sense of who we are.	53:35
	Christians are by no means excluded from this morass.	53:39
	The Church, too, as the corporate body of Jesus Christ	53:43
	has little sense of what its role is in the world today.	53:46
	The author of Matthew, too,	53:51
	lived during a very troubled time.	53:52
	The Jewish faith was in disarray	53:54
	with the destruction of the Temple	53:55
	and the consequent loss of faith.	53:56
	The mixing of cultures from Rome and Greece	53:59
	and the Oriental world created a mishmash of identity.	54:01
	And the Christian Church was birthed	54:05
	into that cultural chaos.	54:06
	And like our age, very much like our age,	54:09
	the peoples of those times were searching for their roots.	54:13
	And like our time, most were looking for	54:17
	some kind of spiritual reality	54:20
	which could tie meaning and purpose in life	54:24
	to some transcendent reference.	54:27
	And like us, these people were searching	54:30
	for some clear purpose, good and true,	54:33
	to which they could give their life and energies.	54:37
	And like us, and perhaps above all else,	54:40
	they needed hope and assurance	54:44
	and a promise that they could count on.	54:48
	Into that kind of world, the author of Matthew	54:52
	offered his simple but difficult answer.	54:57
	The God, the transcendent,	55:02
	the spiritual reality which we seek	55:06
	is already among us	55:10
	in the person and work of Jesus.	55:13
	And if we can believe this claim,	55:20
	then we are commissioned to live out our lives	55:24
	in such a way that they will reflect	55:29
	the nature of God in the world.	55:31
	And his Spirit will be there always	55:37
	to give us some experiential reference	55:43
	of the sustaining power and presence of God.	55:47
	In the name of our Creator,	55:57
	our Redeemer,	56:00
	and our Sustainer,	56:02
	Amen.	56:04
	(solemn organ music)	56:07
	(organ drowning out choral singing)	56:29
	♪ Amen ♪	58:04
-	Let us affirm what we believe.	58:14
Unison	We believe in God,	58:18
	who has created and is creating,	58:20
	who has come in the truly human Jesus,	58:24
	to reconcile and make new,	58:28
	who works in us and others by the Spirit.	58:31
	We trust God, who calls us to be the Church,	58:36
	to celebrate life in its fullness,	58:42
	to love and serve others,	58:46
	to seek justice and resist evil,	58:49
	to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,	58:53
	our judge and our hope.	58:57
	In life, in death, in life beyond death,	59:00
	God is with us.	59:06
	We are not alone.	59:08
	Thanks be to God.	59:11
-	The Lord be with you.	59:14
Congregation	And with your spirit.	59:17
-	Let us pray.	59:19
	Almighty God who has taught us that	59:34
	in returning and rest, we shall be saved,	59:37
	in quietness and confidence shall be our strength,	59:42
	alert now our souls before thee	59:49
	with the assurance of a wise trust.	59:52
	In this time of worship, grant us by Thy grace	59:59
	the healing amendment of life,	1:00:07
	a far perspective on near events,	1:00:11
	and the strength and consolation of Thy Holy Spirit.	1:00:17
	Eternal God of compassion,	1:00:27
	who dost care for the weak and oppressed,	1:00:31
	we ask Thy blessing upon all those known and unknown to us	1:00:36
	who suffer in anguish of spirit or body,	1:00:44
	who have been desolated by death,	1:00:50
	who are frightened in the face of danger or hard decision.	1:00:56
	Grant unto them, we pray Thee,	1:01:04
	the comfort of Thy grace,	1:01:08
	touching them with Thy healing wings	1:01:12
	as surely as our thought touches them just now.	1:01:16
	Through Jesus Christ, our Lord,	1:01:24
	who taught his followers to say when they pray.	1:01:26
Unison	Our Father, who art in heaven,	1:01:32
	hallowed be Thy name.	1:01:36
	Thy kingdom come.	1:01:39
	Thy will be done,	1:01:41
	on earth as it is in heaven.	1:01:43
	Give us this day our daily bread	1:01:46
	and forgive us our trespasses,	1:01:50
	as we forgive those who trespass against us.	1:01:53
	And lead us not into temptation,	1:01:58
	but deliver us from evil	1:02:01
	for Thine is the kingdom and the power	1:02:03
	and the glory forever.	1:02:07
	Amen.	1:02:10
	(solemn organ music)	1:02:14
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord always ♪	1:03:47
	♪ And again I say rejoice ♪	1:03:51
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord always ♪	1:03:57
	♪ And again and I say rejoice ♪	1:04:02
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord always ♪	1:04:07
	♪ And again I say rejoice ♪	1:04:11
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord always ♪	1:04:16
	♪ And again and I say rejoice ♪	1:04:21
	♪ Be careful for nothing ♪	1:04:27
	♪ Be careful for nothing ♪	1:04:30
	♪ But in every thing by prayer and supplication ♪	1:04:33
	♪ With thanksgiving ♪	1:04:40
	♪ Let your requests be made known unto God ♪	1:04:43
	♪ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding ♪	1:04:51
	♪ Shall keep your hearts and minds ♪	1:04:58
	♪ Through Jesus Christ the Lord ♪	1:05:02
	♪ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding ♪	1:05:08
	♪ Shall keep your hearts and minds ♪	1:05:16
	♪ Through Jesus Christ the Lord ♪	1:05:21
	♪ Through Jesus Christ the Lord ♪	1:05:27
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord always ♪	1:05:35
	♪ And again I say rejoice ♪	1:05:40
	♪ Rejoice in the Lord always ♪	1:05:45
	♪ And again ♪	1:05:51
	♪ Again ♪	1:05:53
	♪ Again and I say rejoice ♪	1:05:55
	♪ And again ♪	1:06:01
	♪ Again I say rejoice ♪	1:06:02
	♪ Again I say rejoice ♪	1:06:09
	(solemn organ music)	1:06:22
	(organ drowning out choral singing)	1:07:04
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:16
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:19
	♪ Praise God, hosannah in the highest ♪	1:07:24
	♪ Praise God, hosannah in the highest ♪	1:07:31
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:37
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:40
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:44
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:47
	♪ Alleluia ♪	1:07:52
	♪ Amen ♪	1:08:00
-	We return to Thee	1:08:13
	a portion of Thy bounty to us in praise and thanksgiving	1:08:16
	and ask that a renewed dedication to serve thee	1:08:22
	in the purposes of Thy kingdom move in our hearts,	1:08:28
	and in Thy world, in Christ's name.	1:08:34
	Amen.	1:08:37
	(solemn organ music)	1:08:39
	(organ drowning out choral singing)	1:09:13
-	Now, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,	1:11:49
	the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit	1:11:53
	be with you now and forever.	1:11:59
	Amen.	1:12:05
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:11
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:16
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:22
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:28
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:35
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:44
	♪ Amen ♪	1:12:55
	(cheerful organ music)	1:13:11
	(cheerful organ music)	1:14:11
	(cheerful organ music)	1:15:11
	(cheerful organ music)	1:16:00
	(cheerful organ music)	1:17:00
	(cheerful organ music)	1:18:00

Item Info

Title:

Manuel D. Wortman - "A Claim, a Commission, and a Promise" (May 21, 1978)

Description:

Sermon start time: 31:14. Sermon end time: 56:06.
The Great Commission includes a claim (Jesus is God), a commission (live out God's presence in the world), and a promise (the Holy Spirit) (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: We are commissioned to live out our lives in such a way that they will reflect the nature of God in the world.

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4wp9tm7t

Date:

May 21, 1978

Speaker:

Wortman, Manuel D.

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0957
ref7117_11m
uachapelsermaud
duke:320580
dcrau001837
ark:/87924/r4wp9tm7t
dcc1f2ac-b4e1-427c-9c46-802c88bef463

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

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Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

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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.

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Educational Use Permitted

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This material is made available for educational and non-commercial use. This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the license indicated here. Copyright in this material has not been transferred to Duke University. For other 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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Manuel D. Wortman - "A Claim, a Commission, and a Promise" (May 21, 1978)

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1. Manuel D. Wortman - "A Claim, a Commission, and a Promise" (May 21, 1978)

Duke University Archives

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Manuel D. Wortman - "A Claim, a Commission, and a Promise" (May 21, 1978)

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