Sunday Service - 3/20/2011 - Sam Wells

A service of worship in Duke University Chapel. The Reverend Dr Samuel Wells delivers a sermon entitled "Our Tortured State."

Opening excerpt from the sermon: (40:37)

"There's one subject none of us want to think about, and few of us are willing to talk about. But it nonetheless remains at the center of our national imagination, and at the heart of our religious faith. So although it maybe doesn't impinge on the daily life of most Americans, I believe we have to talk about it. The subject is torture. I wonder if you've ever been truly afraid. I wonder if your stomach has twisted in knots and your throat run dry, your backside begun to quake and your forearms become too heavy to use -- because you realized something violent and painful and horrifying was about to happen and there was nothing you could do to stop it, because you realized there was no one you could call to for help. It's one thing to realize something dreadful's going to happen. But it's another thing entirely to realize there's someone who's actually trying to make it happen and to mean you genuine, physical harm"

Closing excerpt from the sermon: (1:00:24)

"Yes, we'd be afraid. Yes, we'd wonder if our body could withstand becoming part of the disappeared. Yes, we'd face pain, and degradation, and humiliation. But maybe then we'd truly see how radical Jesus truly is. Maybe then we'd truly see what following Jesus means. Maybe then we'd truly discover the political significance of the cross, as the Christian answer to torture. Maybe then we'd find it in ourselves to say, "These are our bodies, given for you." Maybe then, and only then, we'd truly be able to call ourselves the church."

Sermon begins at 40:37. John 3.1-17
Bulletin: http://bit.ly/eHC8yE
Sermon: http://bit.ly/gzfoaR

Category:

Education

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