Ed Wheeler was the Associate Director of the Department of Cooperative Ministries with National Baptists with the Home Mission Board. The service opens with a word of prayer (00:00-01:26). The choir leads in a song of worship (01:27-01:51). The audio cuts to an announcement about community concerns, and the speaker reads from Luke 19:1-10 (01:52-05:30). Ed Wheeler is introduced as the missionary day chapel speaker (05:31-08:30). The choir leads in a song of worship (08:31-14:36). Ed Wheeler opens his sermon with a word of recognition to people in the audience who have been influential in his life, a joke about preaching overtime, and a word of prayer (14:37-17:35). He recounts a story where he encountered a drunk man in Atlanta, G.A. for the purpose of urging the audience to show the love of Christ to the worst of sinners (17:36-24:30). Moving to Luke 19:1-10, Wheeler presents a character synopsis of Zacchaeus as the great example of a man who escaped the satisfaction of his “small” life situation to look upon Jesus (24:31-29:53). After presenting Zacchaeus, he moves to characterizing the crowd who he describes as a group marked by hatred and condemnation (29:54-32:26). Wheeler concludes his sermon by describing the character of Jesus, and he challenges the audience to have a love and concern for sinners like Jesus (32:27-36:58). The service finishes with an announcement and a closing benediction by Wheeler (36:59-38:57).
James Wood was the Director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University. The service begins with a word of prayer (0:00:00-0:01:55). James Wood is introduced as the Carver-Barnes Lecturer (0:01:56-0:03:47). Wood begins his lecture by stating his theme of the historical perspective of religion and politics in America (0:03:48-0:04:16). Wood describes the paradox of the American relationship between religion and politics, and he says that the nation’s people are deeply religious yet believe in the separation between church and state (0:04:17-0:15:13). Wood spends most of his lecture tracing the history of the relationship between religion and politics in America all way before the founding of the country to the rise of the religious right in the modern day (0:15:14-1:00:02). The service ends with the speaker dismissing the audience (1:00:03-1:00:34).
William Randall Lolley was the 3rd president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. The service begins with Lolley speaking about a broken table, and he gives a word of prayer (00:00-02:56). Lolley speaks about the four women sexually assaulted around Southeastern campus, he warns the students to be alert and act wisely, and he thanks Wake Forest Baptist Church for letting Southeastern use their sanctuary for chapel (02:57-06:44). A pastor of Wake Forest Baptist reads Genesis 18:9-15, and he gives a word of prayer (06:45-09:14). The pastor preaches a brief sermon comparing the story of Abraham and Sarah and the story of Jesus’ crucifixion, and he says that dark times in Scripture are always followed by deep hope and joy (09:15-19:42).
Chevis F. Horne was Visiting Professor of Preaching. The scripture reading was from Matthew 25:31-46. The subject of the message was "Surprised by Judgment," and it focused on the scripture that was read as well as the implications of salvation on the life of the believer, particularly in the area of providing for the needy.
Linda Morgan was a Master of Divinity student who went on to become a United Methodist minister. She briefly speaks on the idea of commencement and how it is connected to change (00:00-06:43). She closes the service with a benediction (06:44-07:25).