William H. Willimon - "A Multitude Praising God" (December 20, 1992)

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	♪ Come all ye faithful ♪	0:01
	♪ Joyful and triumphant ♪	0:04
	♪ Oh come ye ♪	0:08
	(choir singing in foreign language)	0:22
	♪ Hallelujah, ♪	1:15
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:20
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:26
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:31
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:37
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:42
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:48
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:53
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	1:59
	♪ Hallelujah ♪	2:04
-	Good morning.	2:34
	Welcome to this service of worship here at Duke Chapel.	2:36
	We've been led in worship by our guest musicians,	2:39
	the North Carolina Boy Choir under the direction	2:42
	of Mr. Bill Grayem always a special time	2:44
	when they're in the chapel.	2:47
	They will be having their annual Christmas concert	2:49
	tomorrow night at 7:30 here in Duke Chapel	2:53
	and we welcome them.	2:56
	We call your attention to the various announcements	3:00
	of upcoming services this special week for Christians.	3:02
	Tonight and on Christmas eve, three very different services	3:07
	including a new service at 4:000 for children and we invite	3:14
	your presence at these times of worship.	3:20
	And now let us continue our praise of God.	3:27
	(bright music)	3:36
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪	3:43
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪	3:52
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo, Gloria ♪	3:56
	♪ Gloria ♪	4:03
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪	4:14
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪	4:26
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo, Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪	4:35
	♪ Gloria ♪	4:49
	♪ Gloria in excelsis Deo ♪	4:57
-	Show us your mercy, oh lord.	5:20
	(congregation murmuring)	5:23
	Truth shall spring up from the Earth.	5:26
	(congregation murmuring)	5:29
	(soft organ music)	5:48
	♪ Once in royal David's city ♪	6:16
	♪ Stood a lowly cattle shed ♪	6:22
	♪ Where a mother laid her baby ♪	6:28
	♪ In a manger for His bed ♪	6:34
	♪ Mary was that mother mild ♪	6:42
	♪ Jesus Christ her little child ♪	6:48
	♪ He came down to earth from heaven ♪	6:57
	♪ Who is God and Lord of all ♪	7:03
	♪ And His shelter was a stable ♪	7:10
	♪ And His cradle was a stall ♪	7:16
	♪ With the poor and meek and lowly ♪	7:23
	♪ Lived on earth our Savior holy ♪	7:29
	♪ For he is our childhood's pattern ♪	7:39
	♪ Day by day, like us He grew ♪	7:45
	♪ He was little, weak and helpless ♪	7:51
	♪ Tears and smiles like us He knew ♪	7:59
	♪ And He feeleth for our sadness ♪	8:06
	♪ And He shareth in our gladness ♪	8:13
	♪ And our eyes at last shall see Him ♪	8:23
	♪ Through His own redeeming love ♪	8:30
	♪ For that Child so dear and gentle ♪	8:37
	♪ Is our Lord in heaven above ♪	8:44
	♪ And He leads His children on ♪	8:52
	Let us pray.	9:11
	Mighty God whose saving grace is revealed	9:15
	in unexpected times and places.	9:18
	Invade our familiar routines and penetrate	9:22
	our bland expectations.	9:25
	Come to us here in this hour of worship in such glory	9:28
	and power that we cannot miss your visitation.	9:32
	Confront us with your truth and awaken us with your	9:37
	righteous judgment in the name of Bethlehem's babe	9:41
	who lived to save us from ourselves, amen.	9:47
-	Please pray with me the prayer for illumination.	9:58
	Open our hearts and minds, oh god, by the power	10:03
	of your holy spirit so that as a word is read and proclaimed	10:08
	we might be changed by your advent among us, amen.	10:14
	The old testament lesson this morning is from the prophecy	10:20
	of Isaiah, chapter seven.	10:24
	Again the lord spoke to Ahab saying ask a sign	10:29
	of the lord your god, let it be deep as shield	10:33
	or high as Heaven.	10:37
	But Ahab said "I will not ask and I will not put the Lord	10:39
	"to a test."	10:45
	Then Isaiah said, "Hear then oh house of David, is it too	10:46
	"little for you two weary mortals that you weary	10:52
	"my God also?	10:56
	"Therefore, the Lord will give you a sign.	10:58
	"Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear	11:03
	"a son and shall name him Emmanuel.	11:07
	"He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows	11:11
	"how to refuse the evil and choose the good.	11:14
	"For before the child knows how to refuse the evil	11:20
	"and choose the good, the land before whose two kings	11:23
	"you are in dread will be deserted.	11:27
	"The lord will be on you and on your people and on	11:29
	"your ancestral house such days as have not come	11:33
	"since that day in Ephraim, departed from Judah,	11:38
	"the king of Assyria."	11:41
	This is the word of the lord, thanks be to god.	11:45
	(soft music)	12:01
	♪ The angel Gabriel from heaven came ♪	12:08
	♪ His wings like drifted snow, his eyes like flame ♪	12:15
	♪ All hail to thee, O lowly maiden Mary ♪	12:22
	♪ Most highly favored lady, Gloria ♪	12:29
	♪ For know a blessed mother thou shalt be ♪	12:42
	♪ All generations laud and honor thee ♪	12:49
	♪ Thy son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold ♪	12:56
	♪ Most highly favored lady, Gloria ♪	13:03
	♪ Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head ♪	13:15
	♪ To me be as it pleaseth God, she said ♪	13:22
	♪ My soul shall laud and magnify God's holy name ♪	13:29
	♪ Most highly favored lady, Gloria ♪	13:37
	♪ Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born ♪	13:49
	♪ In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn ♪	13:56
	♪ And Christian folk through-out the world will ever say ♪	14:03
	♪ Most highly favored lady, Gloria ♪	14:11
-	Our gospel this morning is from the gospel	14:35
	according to Luke, chapter two.	14:38
	In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus	14:42
	that all the world shall be enrolled.	14:46
	This was the first enrollment when Quirinius was governor	14:49
	of Syria and all went to be enrolled each to his own city.	14:51
	Joseph also went up from Galilean, from the city	14:56
	of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David which is called	15:00
	Bethlehem because he was of the house and of the lineage	15:05
	of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed	15:09
	who was with child.	15:14
	And while they were there, the time for her to be delivered	15:16
	came and she gave birth to her firstborn son,	15:19
	then wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in	15:25
	a manger because there was no place for them at the inn.	15:27
	And in that region there were shepherds, out in the field	15:32
	keeping watch over their flock by night.	15:36
	And an angel of the lord appeared among them and the glory	15:39
	of the lord shown round about them and they were filled	15:43
	with fear, and the angels said unto them be not afraid	15:46
	for behold I bring you good news of great joy	15:52
	which shall come to all the people.	15:55
	For to you is born this day in the city of David a savior	15:59
	who is Christ the lord, and this will be a sign to you	16:02
	you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes	16:06
	and lying in a manger.	16:09
	And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude	16:11
	of heavenly hosts praising God and saying glory to god	16:14
	in the highest, and on Earth peace among all those	16:18
	with whom God is pleased.	16:22
	When the angels went away from them into Heaven,	16:25
	the shepherds said to one another let us go over	16:29
	to Bethlehem and see this thing which has happened	16:32
	which the lord has made known to us.	16:34
	And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph	16:38
	and the babe lying in a manger, and when they saw it,	16:41
	this thing which had made known to them concerning	16:46
	the child, they told it to all and all who heard it	16:49
	wondered what the shepherds told them, but Mary kept	16:52
	all these things, pondering them in her heart.	16:56
	And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising	17:01
	God for all that they had heard as it had been told to them.	17:04
	This is the word of the lord.	17:11
All	Thanks be to God.	17:15
-	I shall never forget my first Christmas eve	17:20
	here at Duke Chapel.	17:25
	Christmas eve past for me had always been a sort of	17:29
	quiet affair, just me and my congregation, couple of hundred	17:33
	or so, just us,	17:38
	just our church.	17:40
	But here,	17:44
	they began arriving about 8:00.	17:46
	By 9:30, the community volunteer choir	17:51
	had been billed,	17:55
	the director nearly caused a riot among the choir	17:56
	when he said there were no more robes and that would be	17:59
	all there would be in the choir.	18:01
	By 10:00 we had run out of seats and people began taking	18:03
	their places on the steps, in the hallway, leaning against	18:07
	the wall, anywhere they could find.	18:11
	The bulletins gave out by a quarter of 10:00	18:14
	and by quarter after 10:00 we were clearly in violation	18:16
	of the city fire code.	18:19
	People milled around in the stairways.	18:23
	They nursed babies in the hall, they took photographs	18:26
	of one another standing beside the creche, they smoked	18:29
	cigars in the vestry.	18:32
	The door to my office opened and in trooped	18:35
	a father with three children.	18:39
	"I'm sorry," he said, "this is little Arthur	18:42
	"and this is little Gloria and this Norma Sue,	18:44
	"Norma Sue, say hello to the preacher,	18:46
	"and we've come all the way from Virginia	18:49
	"and there's too long a line down at the restroom,	18:51
	"can we use yours?"	18:54
	(congregation laughing)	18:55
	"We drove all the way down here from Virginia,"	18:59
	Norma Sue said, and daddy wouldn't even let us stop	19:01
	at a gas station 'cause he said we wouldn't	19:03
	get good seats.	19:05
	Little Arthur, such a dear little tot, asked if I was Jesus	19:07
	or just someone who knew Jesus.	19:12
	I said that I worked for Jesus.	19:14
	(congregation laughing)	19:18
	Nancy and I were sitting there together, I said you know,	19:20
	this is unbelievable, I mean, if we had a live camel,	19:22
	if we had angles on high wires like Robert Schuller	19:25
	at the Crystal Cathedral, I could understand this.	19:29
	But here in Durham at 11:00, this is just unbelievable.	19:31
	I was thinking of the professor who told me that he	19:37
	didn't come to Duke Chapel on Christmas eve anymore	19:40
	because in his words, the whole thing has gotten	19:43
	quite out of hand.	19:45
	Someone's dog had bitten him right outside the Northex.	19:48
	At last I summoned up the courage to push my way	19:54
	through the throng and made my way to the microphone	19:56
	to give the welcome, the announcements as I was	20:01
	moving there, I heard someone say	20:03
	"Who is she?"	20:05
	I made my announcements, but then I couldn't get	20:09
	back out the door because they were so many people,	20:12
	I pushed my way back out the door to run around	20:14
	to try and get in the processional, but then I couldn't	20:16
	get back in, there were so many people in the door.	20:19
	Dr. Wilder pushed everybody out of the way, I finally	20:21
	got in the processional just as the choir was getting	20:24
	to the front steps of the chancel, luckily I knew	20:27
	the hymn because flashbulbs were going off in my eyes.	20:30
	I couldn't see the hymnal.	20:33
	We then treated the multitudes	20:37
	to nine lessons and carols	20:41
	and they loved it.	20:44
	When the sopranos stepped forward from	20:46
	the North Carolina Boy Choir,	20:48
	I think his name was Anthony that year as I remember	20:50
	and sang Ave Maria, I fully expected	20:53
	to have to resuscitate a large woman down on the front row.	20:57
	I noticed that she had given out tissues sometime between	21:00
	the second lesson and the third carol.	21:04
	I kept asking myself, now why are they here?	21:07
	As the evening service progressed, I kept asking myself	21:11
	why are they here?	21:13
	'Cause you see, we clergy, we know enough not to be	21:17
	impressed by these	21:21
	annual Yuletide throngs and their brief	21:24
	seasonal outbursts of religiosity.	21:28
	We know that they won't be back in January for epiphany,	21:32
	don't even know how to pronounce the word.	21:36
	We may see them on Easter, otherwise we're like that parson	21:39
	who stood up one Christmas eve at his church and at the end	21:42
	of the service and said "Well, see you same time,	21:45
	"same place next year."	21:49
	Now, what is the most difficult gospel imperative?	21:55
	It is difficult to fulfill Jesus' demands for wholehearted	22:00
	Christian commitment and sacrificial service to others,	22:06
	complete surrender.	22:10
	But every Christmas about this time of year, I'm also	22:13
	reminded that it is also tough,	22:18
	especially here,	22:23
	I'm reminded how tough it is to endure	22:26
	all of these fish,	22:29
	these assorted fish caught	22:31
	in the great gospel drag net	22:33
	that Jesus spoke of,	22:36
	and it can be tough living here in	22:38
	this kingdom where according to Jesus' parable,	22:40
	weeds and wheat flourish together.	22:43
	Together, where there are in Jesus words,	22:48
	sheep who are not of this fold.	22:53
	And I ask myself,	22:58
	now what is there about me	23:00
	that makes me speak of our church	23:03
	in a propriety sort of way?	23:08
	And I am reminded	23:12
	that the people who caused Jesus	23:14
	the greatest grief	23:16
	were the insiders, not the outsiders.	23:19
	The theologically sophisticated Jesus referred to as	23:23
	"you whitewashed tombs."	23:28
	Yet, it is said that the multitudes	23:32
	heard him gladly.	23:35
	I think that maybe this accounts for my discomfort	23:39
	about this time of year	23:44
	'cause these Christmas throngs have a	23:47
	way of reminding us, clergy,	23:49
	this place is his church,	23:54
	not ours, and this is his good news that the shepherds	23:57
	heard that night, not our good news.	24:01
	And this is joy to the world,	24:05
	not just the conechente of First Methodists.	24:08
	And that can be sort of embarrassing to be reminded of that,	24:13
	particularly when you know how to pronounce the word	24:17
	epiphany and know what it means.	24:21
	Did any of you see earlier this month	24:24
	Billy Graham's Moscow crusade?	24:28
	When it came time in the service	24:33
	for Dr. Graham's inepitble altar call	24:35
	and Dr. Graham asked people	24:39
	in the Moscow stadium to come down	24:41
	and accept Jesus as their personal savior,	24:43
	Dr. Graham said, "Now, when you come down to the altar,	24:46
	I want you to walk, please don't run.	24:48
	"You don't have to push anybody down, we're gonna take	24:51
	"all the time you need, just walk, you got plenty of time."	24:53
	It seems that the first time Dr. Graham gave the altar	24:57
	call in Moscow, people stampeded, people pushed each other	25:00
	down, they stepped over seats, they ran down to the front,	25:03
	just to get there.	25:06
	Now, that has never happened	25:10
	at the end of one of my sermons.	25:12
	(congregation laughing)	25:14
	When asked recently	25:18
	why my denomination is declining so rapidly	25:19
	in the part of the country	25:22
	where the population is expanding rapidly,	25:24
	an official of my denomination explained it to the press.	25:28
	Well, you see we're so theologically advanced,	25:32
	we're so socially committed,	25:36
	we're so forward thinking socially speaking,	25:38
	and there you have it.	25:44
	We can't reach this rabble	25:46
	because we're so spiritually elite.	25:49
	Unlike them,	25:53
	we know what the gospel is all about.	25:54
	All right,	26:01
	God forgives the sacrament sentimentality of the church,	26:02
	God forgives the crude adulteration of the gospel of Christ,	26:08
	particularly at this time of year	26:12
	in the more palatable and socially acceptable	26:14
	sentimental forms,	26:17
	but God also forgives	26:19
	the elitism of the church,	26:23
	the smug conceit of a church	26:26
	whose arid academic message, too rarely,	26:28
	causes a stampede among the multitudes.	26:32
	A church which has got a dozen alibis to explain politely	26:38
	why baby Jesus shouldn't expect	26:43
	sophisticated folk like us	26:46
	to care much for rabble like these toothless shepherds	26:50
	grinning at the manager,	26:54
	fumbling for Kleenex.	26:56
	A friend of mine was out on the west coast,	27:02
	teaching for a couple of weeks,	27:06
	had his family with him.	27:08
	And so they arrived in Berkeley on Saturday	27:10
	and as they drove up the street	27:13
	on their way to the apartment,	27:14
	they drove by the Berkeley First Methodist Church.	27:17
	And he said to his family,	27:20
	"Well, now we will be worshiping here Sunday."	27:22
	So Sunday morning they got up and they walked	27:25
	from their apartment down to the church.	27:27
	As they got closer to the church,	27:31
	they began hearing music, loud music.	27:33
	As they neared the church, they could hear guitars,	27:37
	they could hear drums, they could hear, it was sort of	27:39
	like rock music emanating from the church.	27:42
	His son said "Daddy, is this a Methodist church?"	27:46
	And he said "Well, it's California.)	27:51
	(congregation laughing)	27:55
	They walked up to the steps of the church just throbbing	27:58
	with this beat.	28:01
	An usher greeted them at the door, smiling and he said,	28:04
	"Is this the Methodist Church?"	28:09
	And the usher said "Oh, no, no, no, we rent this	28:13
	"from a Methodist church, no, no, I show you	28:16
	"where the Methodist church is, we only rent this,	28:18
	"they're around the corner in the chapel."	28:20
	And he led them around the corner to the little chapel	28:23
	where were gathered a handful	28:27
	of mostly older people	28:29
	in somber gathering.	28:34
	And after the service that day	28:39
	as they were going back to their apartment	28:42
	and they had to step out into the street	28:44
	and around the sidewalk,	28:46
	there were so many people coming out of the sanctuary,	28:47
	people of all ages,	28:49
	people of all colors,	28:52
	coming out onto the sidewalk from the church.	28:54
	As they got a little distance,	28:59
	he turned around and he said to his son,	29:00
	looking back on that throng,	29:04
	he said,	29:09
	"That was the Methodist Church."	29:12
	Sitting here on Christmas eve	29:20
	while the woman on the second row	29:24
	reaches for another tissue	29:26
	and the volunteer choir whoops it up	29:28
	on the second stance of the Hallelujah chorus,	29:30
	I am reminded deep in my memory of a church	29:34
	which once was not embarrassed to be a home for people	29:38
	who didn't know the difference	29:44
	between Bach and Fanny Crosby.	29:46
	A church willing to be hospitable to people.	29:50
	To those who only turn up at the 11th hour.	29:55
	A church willing to say on Christmas or Easter,	30:00
	any other time, come as you are.	30:03
	Culture bound faith, civic religion, Christmas,	30:07
	sentimental mush, well, yes,	30:10
	and I know that the woman down on the second row	30:12
	cannot be the norm for the church,	30:15
	the asset test of our worship	30:18
	and our Christian witness.	30:20
	But I am also reminded that this time of year,	30:22
	unless there is room even for her,	30:26
	then perhaps it's I who have misunderstood the gospel.	30:30
	It is I who have misunderstood	30:35
	what it meant for almighty God,	30:37
	the creator of the universe,	30:40
	to come among us as a babe with a face like our face,	30:43
	among a poor Jewish peasant couple	30:46
	in an out of the way dusty little place like Bethlehem,	30:50
	that means something.	30:53
	'Cause Luke says, we read it just a minute ago,	30:56
	Luke says that when the baby Jesus was born,	30:59
	there were shepherds out in the fields,	31:02
	out on the night shift.	31:04
	Shepherds, poor, those on the bottom	31:06
	of the occupational ladder	31:10
	doing the least respectable of work.	31:12
	Uneducated, common shepherds,	31:16
	and they were the only ones	31:20
	to hear the angels sing.	31:24
	They were the only ones who got the message,	31:27
	they were the only ones who dropped everything	31:30
	and came running and pushing into the manger	31:32
	to grin at the baby Jesus.	31:34
	These were people who had no access to the scriptures.	31:38
	Who had never been to a Bible study.	31:43
	They probably couldn't read.	31:45
	And they didn't quibble	31:48
	over the style of the angel's music,	31:49
	which according to some commentators	31:52
	sounded more like Reba McEntire than GF Handel.	31:54
	Like a magnet,	31:58
	this manger drew the whole world unto itself.	31:59
	Do you get my drift?	32:05
	Choir now moving to O Come All Ye Faithful,	32:10
	the people from Virginia slowly swaying,	32:15
	eyes closed,	32:18
	tears streaming down cheeks,	32:20
	little Arthur sleeping peacefully	32:21
	like the baby Jesus,	32:25
	as the choir moves out into a starlit Durham night.	32:27
	We stand on the steps of the chapel as the	32:32
	Carol of Nuer plays	32:35
	and then we head home.	32:39
	But not before a young man	32:42
	rushes up and grabs my hand and says,	32:43
	"Singing in that choir tonight	32:47
	"was the best experience of my life,	32:48
	"God bless you for it."	32:51
	And you're wise,	32:58
	if you know that the gospel is about that.	33:01
	Walking across the Duke campus one afternoon in the fall,	33:09
	on the weekend of Oktoberfest,	33:14
	standing somewhere in front of the chapel,	33:17
	looking at this Oktoberfest multitude,	33:19
	mostly students, mostly inebriated,	33:22
	buying and selling and eating and drinking,	33:27
	carousing, all this revelry out on the campus,	33:29
	standing there with my friend Stewart Henry,	33:32
	retired professor.	33:36
	Stewart turned around to me as we just stood, speechless,	33:38
	looking at all this multitude of rowdiness	33:40
	and Stewart turned around and he said to me,	33:43
	"Do you know what is for me	33:47
	"the chief proof of our lord's divinity?"	33:49
	And I said	33:53
	"Stewart, that's an odd question to ask me here."	33:53
	"Do you know," he asked,	33:58
	"what is for me, the chief proof	33:59
	"that our Lord was truly God and not like us?"	34:02
	And I said "No, I don't, what is it?"	34:07
	And gazing out upon this throng,	34:09
	he said it is a phrase in the scriptures	34:11
	which says of Jesus,	34:13
	"He looked on the multitudes	34:16
	"and he had compassion."	34:20
	(soft music)	34:31
	(congregation murmuring)	34:35
	♪ What Child is this who, laid to rest ♪	35:18
	♪ On Mary's lap is sleeping ♪	35:23
	♪ Whom angels greet with anthems sweet ♪	35:30
	♪ While shepherds watch are keeping ♪	35:35
	♪ This, this is Christ the King ♪	35:42
	♪ Whom shepherds guard and angels sing ♪	35:47
	♪ Haste, haste, to bring Him laud ♪	35:54
	♪ The Babe, the Son of Mary ♪	36:00
	♪ Why lies He in such mean estate ♪	36:07
	♪ Where ox and ass are feeding ♪	36:13
	♪ Good Christians, fear, for sinners here ♪	36:19
	♪ The silent Word is pleading ♪	36:25
	♪ This, this is Christ the King ♪	36:32
	♪ Whom shepherds guard and angels sing ♪	36:37
	♪ Haste, haste, to bring Him laud ♪	36:43
	♪ The Babe, the Son of Mary ♪	36:49
	♪ So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh ♪	36:58
	♪ Come peasant, King to own Him ♪	37:04
	♪ The King of Kings salvation brings ♪	37:10
	♪ Let loving hearts enthrone Him ♪	37:16
	♪ This, this is Christ the King ♪	37:22
	♪ Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing ♪	37:27
	♪ Haste, haste, to bring Him laud ♪	37:33
	♪ The Babe, the Son of Mary ♪	37:39
Nancy	The lord be with you.	37:51
Congregation	And also with you.	37:53
-	Let us pray.	37:55
	Oh eternal god, who brought forth all worlds from the rule	38:08
	of your being and nurtured creation to splendor	38:13
	in the cradle of your care.	38:17
	As we continue on our pilgrimage toward Bethlehem	38:21
	to greet the Christ child, we acknowledge that we are	38:24
	wayfarers, prone to erratic changes of course,	38:28
	to losing sight of our goals, to becoming lost	38:33
	and discouraged amidst the multitudes.	38:37
	Help us on our way oh god.	38:40
	If we change our course, let it be to share the love	38:43
	of Christ with another sojourner.	38:47
	If we grow weary and forget you are with us,	38:50
	let it lead to recognition of our dependence on you.	38:53
	As we travel in a sometimes bewildering world, enable us	38:58
	to find our rest in you.	39:02
	Lord, hear us as we pray, come oh come, Emmanuel.	39:06
	Oh god of peace, you came into the world not only to save	39:12
	a particular group but all the children of God.	39:17
	Deliver us from the sinfulness that divides nation	39:21
	against nation, race against race	39:24
	and sister against brother.	39:27
	In a world overrun by weapons, we are drowning in a sea	39:30
	of violence.	39:34
	Do not turn away from us when we place our trust	39:36
	in the use of force rather than your love, but empower us	39:39
	to be peacemakers in your name.	39:44
	Lord, hear us as we pray, come oh come Emmanuel.	39:47
	Oh god of justice, as an infant cradled in your mother's	39:53
	arms, you hungered for food.	39:57
	Help us always to remember that it is you whom you behold	40:01
	in the weakened bodies and haunting faces of the hungry	40:05
	of the world.	40:09
	Be they in Mogadishu, Sarajevo, or the streets of Durham,	40:11
	grant that we may not turn away from them but that we may	40:16
	serve as vessels of your love as we minister to the least	40:20
	of our sisters and brothers.	40:24
	Lord, hear us as we pray, come oh come Emmanuel.	40:27
	Oh god of hope, as a child born into poverty, we pray	40:33
	show us the poor, not just those who have been shoved	40:38
	aside in the race for financial security, but the ones	40:42
	who have no time to give to another, who have no friend,	40:47
	who have no faith to call their own.	40:51
	Open our eyes to see the poverty of the heart, where	40:54
	accumulating is more important than sharing.	40:58
	Help us to understand that in giving, we will receive.	41:01
	Lord, hear us as we pray, come on come Emmanuel.	41:07
	Oh god of mercy, as one who embodies love for the humble	41:12
	and the weak, you know the needs of the sick	41:17
	and the afflicted, comfort and relieve those stricken	41:20
	with physical, emotional, or mental illness and give your	41:24
	power of healing to whose who attend to their needs.	41:28
	May those for whom our prayers are offered be strengthened	41:32
	in their weakness and reassured by your loving care.	41:35
	Lord, hear us as we pray, come oh come Emmanuel.	41:40
	Oh god of love, you have shown us through the incarnation	41:46
	that love is revealed in particular acts of mercy	41:50
	and not in abstract ideas.	41:53
	We pray for all those who serve as living reminders	41:56
	of your incarnation in our world.	41:59
	For all who give you hands by serving a sister or brother,	42:02
	for all who give you a mouth by defending the weak	42:06
	and the oppressed, for all who give you eyes	42:09
	by seeing the true worth of every man, woman, and child.	42:12
	Lord, hear us as we pray, come oh come, Emmanuel.	42:18
	Oh god of the incarnation, as we survey the world that	42:24
	awaits the savior, lift the scales from our eyes, that we	42:27
	might behold the multitudes for whom Christ became flesh.	42:31
	As the word became flesh for us, let the word become	42:35
	flesh through us, amen.	42:39
	As a forgiven and reconciled people, let us offer our gifts	42:47
	and ourselves unto God with thanksgiving.	42:50
	(soft music)	43:08
	♪ In the bleak mid-winter ♪	43:16
	♪ Frosty wind made moan ♪	43:20
	♪ Earth stood hard as iron ♪	43:26
	♪ Water like a stone ♪	43:33
	♪ Snow had fallen, snow on snow ♪	43:41
	♪ Snow on snow ♪	43:46
	♪ In the bleak mid-winter ♪	43:52
	♪ Long ago ♪	43:59
	♪ Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him ♪	44:12
	♪ Nor earth sustain ♪	44:18
	♪ Heaven and earth shall flee away ♪	44:24
	♪ When He comes to reign ♪	44:30
	♪ In the bleak mid-winter ♪	44:38
	♪ A stable-place sufficed ♪	44:42
	♪ The Lord God Almighty ♪	44:49
	♪ Jesus Christ ♪	44:55
	(soft music)	45:07
	♪ Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day ♪	45:13
	♪ A breastful of milk, and a manger full of hay ♪	45:25
	♪ Enough for Him, whom angels fall before ♪	45:38
	♪ The ox and ass and camel which adore ♪	45:50
	♪ What can I give Him, poor as I am ♪	46:09
	♪ If I were a shepherd, I could bring a lamb ♪	46:21
	♪ If I were a Wise Man ♪	46:33
	♪ I would do my part ♪	46:40
	♪ Yet what I can I give Him ♪	46:45
	♪ Give my heart ♪	46:51
	♪ Give my heart ♪	46:58
	♪ On Christmas night all Christians sing ♪	47:21
	♪ to hear the news the angels bring ♪	47:23
	♪ on Christmas night all Christians sing ♪	47:27
	♪ to hear the news the angels bring ♪	47:30
	♪ News of great joy, news of great mirth ♪	47:34
	♪ News of our merciful King's birth ♪	47:39
	♪ Then why should men on earth be so sad ♪	47:46
	♪ since our Redeemer made us glad ♪	47:50
	♪ Then why should men on earth be so sad ♪	47:52
	♪ since our Redeemer made us glad ♪	47:55
	♪ when from our sin He set us free ♪	47:59
	♪ all for to gain our liberty ♪	48:04
	♪ When sin departs before Your grace ♪	48:12
	♪ Then life and health come in its place ♪	48:15
	♪ When sin departs before Your grace ♪	48:18
	♪ Then life and health come in its place ♪	48:21
	♪ Angels and men with joy may sing ♪	48:25
	♪ All for to see the newborn king ♪	48:30
	♪ All out of darkness we have light ♪	48:38
	♪ Which made the angels sing this night ♪	48:40
	♪ All out of darkness we have light ♪	48:44
	♪ Which made the angels sing this night ♪	48:48
	♪ Glory to God and peace to men ♪	48:51
	♪ Now and forevermore, amen ♪	48:57
	(triumphant choir music)	49:06
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	49:47
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	49:54
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	50:00
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ♪	50:08
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	50:14
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	50:20
	♪ Alleluia, alleluia ♪	50:26
	♪ Alleluia ♪	50:33
-	Gracious God, we thank you for the many blessings	50:46
	of this season.	50:49
	For family gatherings, for reunions among old friends,	50:51
	for the sounds of children's voices singing, for the times	50:55
	we find happiness in bringing happiness to others.	50:59
	Most especially we thank you for the greatest and best	51:02
	gift of all, Jesus Christ, our lord, that he took our	51:05
	common life upon him to be like us in order that we might	51:10
	be like him.	51:14
	May Christ be born again within the hearts of each	51:16
	of us, this we pray in the name of the one who taught	51:19
	us to pray, our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed	51:22
	be thy name.	51:27
	Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,	51:28
	on Earth as it is in Heaven.	51:31
	Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us	51:33
	our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.	51:36
	And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.	51:41
	For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.	51:46
	Amen.	51:50
	(bright organ music)	51:53
	♪ Angels we have heard on high ♪	52:19
	♪ Sweetly singing o'er the plains ♪	52:23
	♪ And the mountains in reply ♪	52:27
	♪ Echoing their joyous strains ♪	52:31
	♪ Gloria ♪	52:36
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	52:43
	♪ Gloria ♪	52:48
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	52:56
	♪ Shepherds, why this jubilee ♪	53:03
	♪ Why your joyous strains prolong ♪	53:08
	♪ What the gladsome tidings be ♪	53:11
	♪ Which inspire your heavenly song ♪	53:16
	♪ Gloria ♪	53:19
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	53:28
	♪ Gloria ♪	53:32
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	53:40
	♪ Come to Bethlehem and see ♪	53:48
	♪ Christ whose birth the angels sing ♪	53:52
	♪ Come, adore on bended knee ♪	53:56
	♪ Christ the Lord, the newborn King ♪	54:01
	♪ Gloria ♪	54:05
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	54:15
	♪ Gloria ♪	54:18
	♪ In excelsis Deo ♪	54:26
	♪ See Him in a manger laid ♪	54:34
	♪ Whom the choirs of angels praise ♪	54:38
	♪ Mary, Joseph, lend your aid ♪	54:42
	♪ While our hearts in love we raise ♪	54:47
	♪ Gloria ♪	54:51
	♪ in excelsis Deo ♪	55:00
	♪ Gloria ♪	55:03
	♪ in excelsis Deo ♪	55:13
Preacher	And now may the prince of peace	55:28
	bring peace to our world	55:31
	and to our hearts this day and always, amen.	55:33
	(soft music)	55:40
	♪ The Lord bless you and keep you ♪	55:46
	♪ The Lord make His face to shine upon you ♪	55:54
	♪ To shine upon you and be gracious ♪	56:01
	♪ And be gracious unto you ♪	56:07
	♪ The Lord bless you and keep you ♪	56:15
	♪ The Lord make His face to shine upon you ♪	56:22
	♪ To shine upon you and be gracious ♪	56:29
	♪ And be gracious unto you ♪	56:36
	♪ The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon you ♪	56:44
	♪ The Lord lift up the light of His countenance upon you ♪	56:58
	♪ And give you peace ♪	57:13
	♪ And give you peace ♪	57:20
	♪ And give you peace ♪	57:27
	♪ And give you peace ♪	57:33
	♪ Amen, amen ♪	57:42
	(choir vocalizing)	57:48
	♪ Amen, amen ♪	58:12
	(lively choir music)	58:29

Item Info

Title:

William H. Willimon - "A Multitude Praising God" (December 20, 1992)

Description:

Sermon start time: 17:20. Sermon end time: 34:25.
The preacher indicates that people who grew up in mainstream churches have the tendency to be indifferent to the gospel, for they are like the Pharisees, “religious insiders” who caused Jesus the most grief. He argues that it is usually the hearts of the multitude, the poorest of the poor, who are most open to the gospel. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4z60ch22

Date:

December 20, 1992

Speaker:

Willimon, William H.

Liturgical Calendar:

Advent

Biblical Book:

Luke

Chapter and Verse:

Luke 2:1-15

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 VHS-0307
ref9193_u6m
uachapelsermaud
duke:321596
dcrmv001293
ark:/87924/r4z60ch22
d02fac0b-e10f-47eb-809e-7fbeaee839af

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings, 1954-2005

Related Resources:

See below

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

Format:

Provenance:

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

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

CC BY-NC 4.0

Rights Note:

This recording may contain 3rd party materials, such as music or readings that are therefore not covered by the Creative Commons license indicated here. For more information see https://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/research/citations-and-permissions.

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William H. Willimon - "A Multitude Praising God" (December 20, 1992)

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1. William H. Willimon - "A Multitude Praising God" (December 20, 1992)

Duke University Archives

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William H. Willimon - "A Multitude Praising God" (December 20, 1992)

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Duke University Archives

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