Les and Hazel Watson were that year’s Fletcher Visiting Professors of Missions and Emeritus Missionaries to Japan. Les and Hazel Watson are announced as Chapel speakers (0:00-0:16). A hymn is played (0:17-2:31). It is announced as the second missionary address day of the semester, and a word of prayer is given (2:32-5:09). Another hymn is played (cut) (5:10-5:13). Scripture reading for the day comes from Acts 16:8-10 (5:14-5:52). The Watsons are introduced (7:31-11:35). The choir sings an anthem (11:36-17:28). Hazel Watson speaks of the missionary opportunities, especially for women, as well as commitment and prayer (17:29-27:08). She ends with a word on how discipleship, discipline, and obedience bring us closer to God and how women are needed over seas (27:09-27:55). Les Watson begins with rereading some of the Scripture reading from Acts 16, focusing on how God can change our plans to fit His plans (27:56-29:30). He strongly emphasizes the answering of God’s call to missions and highlights the many priority requests of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board for 1989 (34:12-35:22). He then discusses when he answered the call and how God provided for him and his family (35:23-37:39). Dr. Watson reassures that God will supply for the needs of His followers (37:40-39:56). He reads the Great Commission and invites people to come forward in answer to God’s call as a hymn is sung (cut) (39:57-43:07). A word of prayer closes the service (43:08-43:42).
Edwin Luther Copeland was Visiting Professor of Missions. A call to remember certain members is made (0:00-1:18). A word of prayer is followed by a hymn (cut) (1:19-3:25). Dr. Copeland is introduced (3:26-8:43). An anthem is sung (8:44-11:28). The Scripture reading is from Luke 10 (11:29-13:18). Dr. Copeland begins his sermon with recounting the sending out of the seventy to spread the Gospel to the Gentile world and how they received the power to liberate evil (13:19-16:58). However, Jesus informs us not to rejoice over having the power over demonic sources (16:59-17:27). Dr. Copeland explains that rejoicing over these victories can lead to pride, conceit, and arrogance, which can ultimately lead to the manipulation of people (17:28-17:50). He further states that succumbing to such arrogance of power means joining the enemy (17:51-19:15). He mentions that because we are not always victorious over evil, we should not make victories a source of rejoicing (19:16-20:15). Though Jesus said nothing can hurt us, we can still experience the power of the enemy and defeat (20:16-22:06). Dr. Copeland quotes Charles W. Ransom, regarding not allowing others to dissuade you from the call of ministry (22:07-25:31). He expresses that we should rejoice that we are saved and that we are spreading the Word (25:32-26:19). The Word is our drink, food, air, and life and it should bring us joy (26:20-27:01). A word of prayer closes the service (27:02-27:25).
The service opens with a word of prayer (00:00-00:54). The speaker and audience read from the prayer of confession, and there is a time of private confession followed by a public word of prayer (00:55-03:37). The choir leads in a song of worship (03:38-07:01). The speaker reads from John 6:25-35 and gives a word of prayer (07:02-10:10). The speaker delivers a sermonette on the importance of Jesus being the bread of life (10:11-25:50). He delivers a closing statement and gives a word of prayer (25:51-27:28). The elements of communion are distributed to the audience (27:29-31:05). The speaker leads the audience in the partaking of the elements and ends with a word of prayer (31:06-32:10). The service ends with a prolonged period of silence (32:11-36:53).
Donald E. Cook was Professor of New Testament. The service begins with organ music (00:00-05:50). Donald Cook gives a liturgical reading and a word of prayer (05:51-08:21). The choir sings a song of worship (08:22-10:20). Cook’s sermon is a series of poetry about community, the person of Christ, and experiencing God and his creation (10:21-32:20). Cook ends the service with a word of prayer (32:21-33:16).
Dr. William H. Willimon was Minister to the University and Professor of the Practice of the Christian Ministry at Duke University in Durham, NC. The subject of this message was "The Church and the World: For, not Of." In this message, Willimon addresses the relationship of the church to politics in America, social work, and morality. In particular, Willimon offers his appraisal of the Moral Majority movement in the United States.
Elizabeth B. Barnes was SEBTS Assistant Professor of Theology. Barnes is announced as Chapel speaker (0:00-0:08). A hymn is played (0:09-4:18). The choir sings a song of worship (4:19-7:09). A hymn is played (cut) followed by a word of prayer (7:10-8:51). There is Scripture reading from Psalm 51:1-2, Matthew 18:21-22, and Colossians 3:12-15a (8:52-10:30). A soloist sings (10:31-15:57). Psalm 1:10-12 is the day’s words of assurance (15:58-16:49). Barnes focuses on forgiveness as the greatest form of love (16:50-17:52). She speaks of the theme of forgiveness in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden (17:53-20:20). We can only forgive truly when we understand God’s forgiveness and receive His forgiveness (20:21-20:41). Barnes discusses five characteristics of God’s forgiveness: it is genuine, social, extravagant, restorative, and receptive (20:42-21:20). First, God forgives us for genuine injuries against Him and others, and He forgives completely (21:21-22:22). Second, God’s forgiveness is social as it is for all people, and we are to mimic this forgiveness to others as well (22:23-24:38). Third, God forgives extravagantly just as the father did to his son in the parable of the prodigal son (24:39-26:13). Fourth, God’s forgiveness restores people through the resurrected Christ by making them His new sons and daughters (26:14-27:27). Fifth, God’s forgiveness is receptive: just as we receive His forgiveness, He receives our acceptance to His call to ministry (27:28-30:34). Barnes returns to East of Eden to explain that “the forgiven is dialogically related to the forgiver” (30:35-32:10). She conveys that both the forgiven and the forgiver receive something in return when these five characteristics of forgiveness, which represent God’s love and our love for one another, are displayed (32:11-32:46). The choir sings another song of worship (32:47-36:39). The congregation is told to go with their “words made holy” (36:40-36:51).
Thomas Furman Hewitt was Professor of Christian Ethics. C. Michael Hawn was Professor of Church Music (these two names were not announced in the recording, but were in the description section). The service begins (abruptly) with a recitation regarding the saints of God (0:00-0:40). A prayer of confession follows (0:41-1:41). A statement is given concerning how nothing can separate us in Christ (1:42-2:11). The choir sings a song of worship (2:12-5:52). Scripture reading is taken from the books of Revelation, Colossians, and John (5:53-9:26). Another song is sung (9:27-10:07). An affirmation of faith is recited followed by a word of prayer (10:08-14:28). The Chapel speaker begins his message by recounting the correspondence between a German professor and soldier during World War II on All Saint’s Day with a focus on death as the enemy (14:29-18:14). He explains that Christians are assured that death is not the end, evident by the celebration of All Saint’s Day—a day commemorating those already living in Jesus’ resurrected presence (18:15-19:32). Our personal fellowship with God gives us hope and assurance that death has no power (19:33-21:33). The speaker conveys that Jesus destroyed the power of death so that it cannot separate us from God, as he quotes the writer of Hebrews (21:34-23:51). He returns to his account of the German professor and the soldier to reinforce that in Christ we can overcome death (23:52-26:22). The choir sings another song of worship (26:23-28:28). The service ends with a prayer of commemoration and commitment (28:29-30:47).
Leon Smith was the pastor of First Baptist Church in Goldsboro, NC and the President of the NC Baptist State Convention. Smith is announced as Chapel speaker (0:00-0:12). A hymn is played (0:13-7:32). A word of prayer is followed by another hymn (cut) (7:33-8:40). Smith is introduced (8:41-10:43). He thanks SEBTS for allowing him to speak (10:44-11:46). He begins with reading the story of the Samaritan woman at the well from John 4 (11:47-16:03). Smith speaks of how uncommon things reveal new truths, such as the story of the woman at the well (16:04-17:26). First, he highlights the story’s unusual scene: a Jew traveling in Samaria, a woman drawing water at mid-day, and a Jewish man speaking to a Samaritan woman (17:27-19:27). Jesus made His uncommon encounter common for His ministry by not judging someone by their race or gender as He has called all to be saved and to serve Him (19:28-21:50). Second, Smith delves into the unexpected conversation that begins in the physical realm with Jesus asking for a drink of water and transitions onto a more spiritual level with Jesus offering the woman His water of life (21:51-25:02). Third, Smith recognizes the woman’s unfulfilled life as she had had five husbands; her brokenness represents today’s relationships (25:03-26:44). Last, he speaks of the story’s uncommon joy, focusing on the woman’s realization that Jesus was the Christ who had come to save all (26:45-28:46). This uncommon joy is a result of the redemption made possible by Jesus who accepts all, despite their sins (28:47-29:34). Smith ends his message with comparing Jesus to a bridge since He is the one who connects us to God through His sacrifice (29:35-31:51). A word of prayer closes the service (31:52-32:40).
