Sunday Service - 12/11/2011 - Sam Wells

A service or worship in Duke University Chapel. The Reverend Dr Samuel Wells delivers a sermon entitled "Who Are You?."

Opening excerpt from the sermon: (28:32)

"I wonder what you feel like when you see a photograph of yourself. I know a number of people who claim they always look bad in photographs. Think about the logic of such a conviction for a moment. You see yourself in a photograph. You think, "That person doesn't look as beautiful, charming, witty, relaxed and cool as I like to think I look. Either the equipment is faulty, or the photographer is hopeless, or I have a gene that makes me drop all my fine qualities the moment someone points a camera lens at me -- or, and this is the most likely, I have the kind of warm and effusive personality that's just impossible to capture in a single two‐dimensional image." We could simply say, "That's what the photograph shows, so I guess that's what I look like, and maybe I should deal with it." But no. We say, "I always look terrible in photographs." In other words, "I know who I am. No one else does. Least of all that cruel, distorting, cold‐hearted camera." "I know who I am." Do you? Fair enough, you know you're more wonderful, more exquisite in looks, intelligence, character, taste, talent and style than anyone could describe or capture. But do you really know who you are?"

Closing excerpt from the sermon :(48:14)

"Without Jesus, we don't know who we are. Sure, we can discover our home, our tastes, our dreams, our sexuality, our colors, our rhythms, our learning styles, our psychological metrics, our star sign, our DNA, our genes, our ancestors' dwelling place, our voice, our family tree. These can all be helpful in their own way. But none of them disclose the most important thing about us. Like John, what really matters about us is to what and to whom we are a witness. What is a witness? A twentieth‐century French cardinal [Emmanuel Suhard] had the answer to that question. He said, "To be a witness consists not in engaging in propaganda, nor even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one's life would not make sense if God did not exist." That's the answer. John was a mystery to his interrogators. But he knew who he was. He was a living mystery whose life made no sense if Jesus was not coming. Maybe you feel your life makes no sense right now. Maybe you don't know who you are. Maybe your life is a mystery even to yourself. But Jesus has carved your name beside his into the trunk of a tree. Jesus is calling you to be a witness. Jesus is kneeling beside you, whispering your memory and imagination into a life that he has searched you out for and made possible for you to enter. Jesus is the living mystery in whom alone you can discover who you are."

Sermon begins at 28:32. Bulletin: http://bit.ly/sDZIj0

Category:

Education

Tags:

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• mystery