Duke Chapel Student Preacher Sermon to Focus on Faith and Hope

Sophomore David Ntim will deliver the sermon at the Sunday service on Feb. 25

David Ntim

Selected as this year’s Duke Chapel Student Preacher, sophomore David Ntim will deliver the sermon in the chapel’s worship service at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25.

A double major in biomedical engineering and computer science, Ntim will preach a sermon titled “Hope Against Hope” that explores the relationship between faith and hope in the biblical figure of Abraham.

The chapel service is open to the public; free parking is available in the Bryan Center Parking Garage at 125 Science Drive. The service will also be broadcast live on the radio on 620 AM and on channel 12 of the Duke Hospital television system. It will be streamed live on the chapel’s website at chapel.duke.edu.

Ntim’s sermon is based on the fourth chapter of the Letter of Paul to the Romans, which recounts how Abraham had faith in God’s promise to make him a father of many descendants even though he and his wife, into old age, had not conceived a child.

“Looking at Abraham’s example—and his trials, situation, circumstances—it took faith for him to trust in the plan God had for him, and he had to arrive at a point where he could be still and know that God is God,” Ntim said. “Following Abraham's example and the message that Paul was communicating, I believe you need to let God be God and know that he'll control your next steps.”

Ntim is active at Duke Chapel as a Chapel Scholar and Chapel Ambassador. He is also a member of the campus Religious Life group Every Nation Campus and serves as the director of religious affairs for Duke Student Government.

He first learned about the chapel’s Student Preacher program when he was in high school and his older brother Daniel was a student at Duke. He drafted the sermon over winter break at his family home in Charlotte, drawing on biblical commentaries and input from mentors. His sermon was selected by a committee that included the Rev. Bruce Puckett, assistant dean of the chapel. Since submitting the sermon, Ntim has been refining it based on guidance from Puckett as well as the Rev. Kathryn Lester-Bacon, director of Religious life at Duke Chapel, and Christine Parton Burkett, consulting faculty at Duke Divinity School.

“In his sermon, David’s own voice and experience along with the voice of the scriptures are present in ways that will help the congregation connect more deeply to their own faith journey,” Puckett said. “His calling to faith and hope are both encouraging and challenging for us as we journey through the season of Lent.”

Ntim says that he hopes his sermon is well received but even more important is that “people feel comforted and just able to trust that God can take care of every single need.”