38 24 1045 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d8caa428286a4759af1078248f0287b2.mp3 1e012a31e7137b1046d245a1338ef139 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Christmastide I Scripture Text Luke 2:10-11 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871227 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-12-27 Title A name given to the resource So Don't Be Afraid Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 27, 1987 entitled "So Don't Be Afraid", on the occasion of Christmastide I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Luke 2:10-11. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/283823ecfc84917cad143f51f4e074c5.mp3 21e72bfb05cd2f9da2cc186bc77afc98 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent IV Scripture Text John 1:14, Revelation 21:3 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871220 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-12-20 Title A name given to the resource The Divine Intervention Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 20, 1987 entitled "The Divine Intervention", on the occasion of Advent IV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: John 1:14, Revelation 21:3. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/42707d2c7055bdde81718f0adb062e26.mp3 1a3b89171662bab7a140b07f56fe7164 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent III Scripture Text Psalm 16:8-11, I Corinthians 13:12 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871213 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-12-13 Title A name given to the resource The Encounter with God at our Death Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on December 13, 1987 entitled "The Encounter with God at our Death", on the occasion of Advent III, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 16:8-11, I Corinthians 13:12. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a817c782479ca12d6cfd6b5654152b09.mp3 5954e4ee847dad2e0ade818324a2316f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Advent I Scripture Text Isaiah 40:8, Luke 3:2, 15 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871129 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-11-29 Title A name given to the resource The Word in History: A Vision Beyond History Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 29, 1987 entitled "The Word in History: A Vision Beyond History", on the occasion of Advent I, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 40:8, Luke 3:2, 15. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/66e24cf6e69ea60e531bbbc1beeac8d1.mp3 53f83e2d528be47c8c5fe5448503cd6e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Thanksgiving Day Scripture Text Psalm 116:1, II Corinthians 9:15 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871126 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-11-26 Title A name given to the resource I Love the Lord Because... Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 26, 1987 entitled "I Love the Lord Because...", on the occasion of Thanksgiving Day, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 116:1, II Corinthians 9:15. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a4e5db175de709457eecab9345c84a0c.mp3 a6949bd343da36aff3a45510f90bf6d9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4d03c4545629a83364750b13233ae1aa.pdf 98767bdf0b18267aa147b4f60e33cac8 PDF Text Text Free to Care From the series: The One Covenant of Grace – The Salvation of the World Text: Galatians 6:2, 9-10 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Thanksgiving Sunday, November 22, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon Help one another to carry these heavy loads, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ… So let us never tire of doing good…let us work for the good of all… Galatians 6:2, 9-10 I am all excited again about being Christ's Community. You may respond, "You have been excited about it for nearly 17 years," and, of course, you would be right; I have been. But one goes through stages; sometimes the vision is clear and the movement strong. At other times the direction seems less clear. Sometimes the energy flows with great spontaneity; at other times it seems like an uphill grind. Sometimes the focus is clear; at times I get sidetracked with peripheral matters and I lose focus. These past weeks have been rather difficult for me. The preparation to preach has been a struggle. I take this business very seriously and I have experienced more of the agony than the ecstasy of preaching. We have been wrestling with the very center of what Christ Community is all about. We have a unique identity. It is not the only possible identity for a congregation. Every congregation has a distinct personality. Every congregation has its niche. When I say we have a unique identity, I am not boasting. I am saying, however, that for us, identity has been worked at intentionally and deliberately. We are self-conscious, self-aware. We have worked at that biblically and theologically over the past decade and a half. We re-named ourselves in May of 1971 and we did that in the midst of an explosion of the Spirit's power and grace. The name spoke a vision of what we wanted to become and it became a formative influence in our becoming what we are – Christ Community. Not a community church which represented the lowest common denominator of biblical and theological understanding. Rather - Christ's Community - a community of people united in Jesus Christ. Both words are significant: © Grand Valley State University   �Free to Care Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Christ - The one through whom the grace of God has come to us. Community - A fellowship of mutual love and support in which we share life together. A community of openness and healing for all persons needing the grace of God; a community consciously seeking to transcend the limits and barriers to fellowship - ethnic barriers, denominational barriers, confessional barriers, social barriers. A radio jingle we used for a long time said it well - "A community that cares about people." That community finds its source in the radical grace of God. Radical grace is an old, familiar theme here. Yet in these weeks I have wrestled with it anew. For whatever reason, the messages have not come easily. But, now at the end of this series, I sense a deeper grasp or a new conviction about the nature of what we are and what we must continue to become. For me the focus has become very sharp again. We are called by Jesus Christ to be a community of care. If radical grace is our theme, then radical love issuing in radical care must be our life. I was struck with the power of the insight that came clear to me last week. Just as we find in Paul's Galatians letter the statement of a radical grace issuing in freedom, so we find in that same letter a statement of our radical obligation. Galatians is about freedom and obligation. Grace sets us free. There is no hedging on that. Paul's strenuous defense and exposition of God's radical grace issues in his climactic charge: Christ has set us free, to be free people. Stand firm, then, and refuse to be tied to the yoke of slavery again. You, my friends, were called to be free persons. Free! That is our state in the grace of God - God's unilateral action binding us to Himself quite apart from anything we are or any performance on our part. But, is that not dangerous? Will we not take advantage of such grace that asks nothing but simply sets us free? Certainly we might do that; we do do that! Paul was not unaware of the possible abuse of grace. He anticipated the objection to his understanding of grace in his letter to the Romans. He raises the objector's question: What shall we say, then? Shall we persist in sin, so that there may be all the more grace? (Romans 6:1) His answer is swift and direct: © Grand Valley State University �Free to Care Richard A. Rhem Page 3   By no means! Recognizing the danger, however, does not cause Paul to moderate his insistence on radical grace. He will not tolerate a compromise – a mixture of law and grace. Rather, he speaks of the obligation of the person set free by grace in as radical terms as he had spoken of grace. God's people are called to be free, but, Paul adds: …Only do not turn your freedom into license for the flesh, or, for the selfprinciple, but be servants to one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Radical grace issues in freedom to love radically. The parallel is very interesting. In relating his own experience of grace and thereby pointing to the fundamental experience of grace, Paul wrote: I have been crucified with Christ: The life I now live is not my life, but the life which Christ lives in me. Paul died. The old Paul who so strenuously sought to fulfill the obligations of the law, thereby justifying himself, was dead. He looked away from self; he looked to God Who justifies by grace. Now he is equally dead to self when it comes to the life he now lives. He looks away from self to the neighbor. Self-ish existence is past in terms both of selfjustification and self-serving. Freed from self, the one graced by God is free for the neighbor. Only a free person can give self away. A person engaged in a self-project, a project aimed at self-justification, self-validation, self-vindication has self at the center. There is always the compulsion in a multitude of ways to guard, defend, enhance and authenticate the self. A person who has died to self, having been given the gift of life by the grace of God, no longer focuses on the self. The graced self has no need to prove itself, defend itself, promote itself. The selfprotecting, promoting, validating project is over and done with. The terrible driving, compelling need to be liked, recognized, rewarded is dead. Now one possesses one's self by grace. God gives one one's life. That self can now give itself away. And Paul says the obligation to love is as unconditional and radical as is the grace that frees and gives new life. One is never through with the obligation to love. To live by law is easier and much neater. If there were a set of legal obligations I must fulfill and thus find favor with God, then it would follow that there would likewise be certain legal obligations incumbent on me in regard to my neighbor. © Grand Valley State University �Free to Care Richard A. Rhem Page 4   We could probably come up with a code of duties to neighbor. But if it is a legal, contractual obligation, then I can check off the list of duties and finally have done with it. But, if I am loved unconditionally, must I not love unconditionally? If my obligation is to love my neighbor, I am never through with it. The radical nature of my obligation to love my neighbor simply follows as a matter of course from the radical grace that flows from the infinite love of God. Galatians 6 deals with the obligation to love in terms of caring for one another in the community of faith and beyond. Life in the community of God's people is quite in contrast to the situation of human society as a whole. Listen to Paul: We must not be conceited, challenging one another to rivalry, jealous of one another. Pride, competitiveness, jealousy - so characteristic of human society – are not to be present. They are the consequences of a society of selves at war. But in the Christian community, self has died. And what if someone falls and really messes up his life? Ostracize? Criticize? Trample? Not so! Rather, ... set him right again very gently. Scott Peck opens The Road Less Traveled with the words, "Life is difficult. Paul would agree. So he counsels: Help one another to carry these heavy loads... Again in verses 9 and 10 he calls us to the radical obligation to care. So let us never tire of doing good… Therefore, as opportunity offers, let us work for the good of all… Do we grow weary of caring? Sure we do. Compassion fatigue is a common experience. Paul knew that, too. What are we tempted to do when we grow weary in well-doing? We are tempted to short-circuit the obligation. We are tempted to say, "Well, I went the extra mile but no one can expect me to do more." Or, "I tried, but I give up.” But we can't get away with that with Paul. We ought to be honest. Let's not kid ourselves. Let's simply admit when the nerve of compassion is cut. Let's withdraw, find some space to be renewed and then go at it again. But, let's not kid ourselves that any amount of effort, of care, of compassionate outreach fulfills the © Grand Valley State University �Free to Care Richard A. Rhem Page 5   obligation. We are never through with loving and caring and we never finally turn away from another human being having completed the claims of love. We are graced - given life as a gift. Therefore we are free of any need to perform to win God's favor. Therefore we are free to love, free to care. And there is no end to it. In humility, with compassion, we serve one another in love. We never miss an opportunity to do good to our neighbor. That word "opportunity" translates the Greek word Kairos, which is the word for time, not in the sense of ongoing time, but in the sense of significant time – the moment filled with opportunity, freighted with eternity. Paul's meaning is that this time of the new age between Jesus' resurrection and His coming again is a time for loving and caring. The call to good to all persons concludes the paragraph that began with the warning about trying to fool God. Paul reminds us that that simply is not possible. God is not fooled. What we are is transparent to God and finally, in God's presence, will be apparent to us ourselves. Within Paul's uncompromising claim of God's radical grace there is as well his insistence that our lives will be reviewed. This is not a threat; it is simply reality. How could it be otherwise? Life is serious. It matters how we live. Grace sets us free from condemnation. It gives peace with God. We are free from the driving compulsion to measure up – we are loved just as we are and declared righteous in Jesus Christ. Precisely that wonderful news changes us, frees us, sets us about responding joyfully to act out what has been enacted in us, for us, in Jesus Christ. There is no fear in judgment. Pain there will be. Regret there will be. Refining fire will be necessary to finish the work in us until we are perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. One day we will be just like him and today is the day of opportunity to walk toward that goal by loving as we have been loved and caring as we have been cared for. I am excited all over again about what Christ Community is all about, about our initial vision and our constant concentration. We are in the business of loving and caring for people – all kinds of people in all sorts of conditions. I was reminded this week of what I personally experienced through this congregation. When I thought it was all over, you invited me back, believed in me, trusted me, healed me, fed me, clothed me. Remember my commitment to this congregation was not to a thriving 3,000member church, but to 678 persons in a village congregation. No vision of grandeur, just a spontaneous response to love and care. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Thanksgiving Sunday Pentecost XXV Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Galatians 6:2, 9-10 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871122 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-11-22 Title A name given to the resource Free to Care Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 22, 1987 entitled "Free to Care", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Thanksgiving Sunday, Pentecost XXV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Galatians 6:2, 9-10. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Faith Freedom Judgment Radical Grace of God Unconditional Love to Others https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ed85b19e431799ecd46ce7caa7f01dfd.mp3 a35a6624e16b5158371bd4f822af9cf2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXIV Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Leviticus 19:18, Galatians 5:1,6 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871115 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-11-15 Title A name given to the resource Free to Love Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 15, 1987 entitled "Free to Love", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Pentecost XXIV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Leviticus 19:18, Galatians 5:1,6. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/067897e013096a16accf55a6c23ba8ec.mp3 9253cfc09f84d851f655d1e87914d38f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXII Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Galatians 3:28b, 29, I Thessalonians 4:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871101 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-11-01 Title A name given to the resource Grace and the Healing of Personality Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on November 1, 1987 entitled "Grace and the Healing of Personality", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Pentecost XXII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Galatians 3:28b, 29, I Thessalonians 4:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b65b24d840554ca0bd080236a2f52dbd.mp3 db0e26e9462ec35c07a8f0d74a23b3ee Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XXI Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Galatians 2:21 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871025 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-10-25 Title A name given to the resource The Lure of Legalism: Fallen from Grace Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 25, 1987 entitled "The Lure of Legalism: Fallen from Grace", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Pentecost XXI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Galatians 2:21. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/fb8c6bec6cd294ef2ff65cc401ae050f.mp3 d62763b3e0846384eb0a3d1a0ed23894 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f22e932b2fed18f1ba8240114ebff78f.pdf 7b529091afad68a7c8811676da181a8d PDF Text Text The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention From the series: The One Covenant of Grace – The Salvation of the World Text: Galatians 1:11-12 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan Music Ministry Sunday, October 18, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon …The gospel you heard me preach is no human invention… I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11-12 As the people of God, we are here to celebrate the radical grace of God. We come here week after week, not simply to fulfill the Sunday obligation; we come here week after week, not simply out of custom, or habit, or out of a sense of duty which has become onerous duty; we come here not begrudging the time or the effort that it takes; we come here week after week to celebrate the radical grace of God. We are a people who celebrate and now for many years we have had it printed on our Order of Worship - Worship is Celebration. Worship is singing and dancing and proclaiming joyfully the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a people who come here week by week in order to focus upon God, in order to have God in our minds and before our hearts. We are a people who come here week after week in order to lose ourselves in wonder, love and praise. We are a people who come here expecting that the pageantry of corporate worship will catch us up so that we will lose ourselves and so that we will be transported into the very presence of God, so that we will leave this place, if not with an intellectual proposition that we can repeat, nonetheless with an experience that we cannot deny. We come here to present our whole being before the being of God, to experience the Word of His grace, to hear again the joyful proclamation that God is for us, and together to lift our voices and to become joined through that union that the Spirit creates so that we know that we are the people of God and that God is for us, God is with us, God is on our side. We are a people for whom worship is celebration, and there are all kinds of worship. Sometimes the experience is one of silence when we are overcome with the sheer beauty of it all; sometimes the experience of worship is one of contemplation as we reflect quietly on the grace of God; and sometimes the experience of worship is one of such exuberance that we simply cannot be silent, © Grand Valley State University   �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 2   that we simply cannot sit still, for we are literally lifted out of ourselves experiencing the joy of the truth of the grace of God. I suppose that it is true that what I have just described is the ideal, and I suppose that the ideal at Christ Community only happens now and again, and I also believe that the ideal happens across the country in the Christian Church rarely, for it is true that the Christian Church has so often become terribly dull and boring and trivial. When you think of the wonder of the Gospel, when you think of the drama of the proclamation, when you think of the fundamental reality to which we point and to which we seek to enter, then for us to be so dull and so drab is a contradiction of the reality we claim. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a Gospel of radical grace and that is the most fundamental truth of all the world. We come here to celebrate the truth. We come here to enter into reality. We come here in order to be in touch with that which is elemental, fundamental, basic reality. We come here to present ourselves in the presence of God and to worship because of that revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ which assures us that God is for us and God is with us and that we are the objects of His radical grace. The Gospel of radical grace is no human invention. Paul says that in so many words. Had I read the scripture lesson in the New English Bible translation, he would have protested against those who were against him. The Gospel you heard me preach is no human invention. I did not take it over from any man. No taught it me. I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. And then a little farther down he says, But then in his good pleasure God, Who had set me apart from my birth and called me through His grace, chose to reveal His Son to me and through me. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, strongly declared that the Gospel of radical grace is not a human invention, but is rather the revelation of God. And it is that Gospel, that good news, that reality that we celebrate when we come together for worship. That is why worship must never be boring, never be dull. It is the experience in which we, the people, together, corporately, lose ourselves in the praise of God, because the face of the matter is that God is gracious, God has reached out to us, God has embraced us. It is the bedrock, fundamental, elemental reality that that with which we have to do is the Gospel of radical grace which is no human invention, but the revelation of God in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in this Letter to the Galatians, as in no other place, rings the changes on the radical grace of God. It has been our theme at Christ Community Church. We have celebrated it over and over again over the years. It is, as I have admitted to you many times, the one string on my banjo and I will be happy to be buried © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 3   with the tombstone saying, "He believed; he lived; he preached radical grace." Because that is the heart of the matter. Over the centuries the Church has encrusted the Gospel with all kinds of subsidiary considerations; over the years, the Church has been tempted to move away from the Gospel of grace, institutionalizing itself, setting up structures and forms, degenerating into a kind of moralism that is nothing more than the Boy Scout motto of being good and kind and always prepared, as fine as those things are. The Church of Jesus Christ has degenerated into simply a social club that has celebrated the fact that we ought to be good people, decent people, moral people, and it has so often fallen off its one dramatic, marvelous proclamation that God is gracious, that He has intervened into our history, that He has penetrated into our lives with a message that transforms and frees us, a message of His grace. And when Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians, he was struggling against that which has proven to be the peril and the temptation of the Church down through the centuries – that is, to move the Gospel of Grace to a religion filled with obligation and duty and structure and form, failing thereby to live constantly in amazement at the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ that has set us free. Everywhere Paul went he proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and those who believed found their lives transformed, and those whose lives were transformed formed a community of faith. Paul would go on to another place and another and another. But every place he went there would be others who would come in and who would not deny that God is gracious, who would not deny that God had revealed Himself in Jesus the Messiah, but who would deny that all one needed was Jesus Christ for salvation, who would suggest to those who had come out of the darkness of paganism in that ancient world that God was gracious, that Jesus had come and died for them, but what they also needed beyond their faith in him was to submit, for example, to the Old Testament rite of circumcision, to follow the Old Testament dietary laws – in a word to add to Jesus, Moses. The critical issue in the first century was whether or not one had to become a Jew in order to become a Christian, whether the vestibule into the sanctuary of the people of God passed through Moses, whether or not all of the Old Testament legislation and ceremony had to be added on to one's faith in Jesus Christ. Paul said, "Absolutely not!" Christ alone. Jesus reveals the grace of God, and by faith in him we are redeemed. And in this letter to the Galatians, he claims in the very beginning that that gospel of radical grace is not a human invention, but was given to him by revelation. If you would go through that first chapter carefully you would find that Paul argued for the authority of his gospel on the basis of his call and the revelation that God gave to him. Paul argued for his authority for the Gospel that he preached on the basis that it came through no human consultation, not by discussing it with the Apostles, not as the result of some church ecclesiastical court, but simply as the revelation of God in Jesus Christ to him. And Paul submitted his Gospel to the Apostles; he met with Peter and he met with the other disciples 14 years later, and he checked the Gospel out with © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 4   them, and they gave him the right hand of fellowship and they confirmed that the Gospel that he preached was indeed the Gospel that they understood through Jesus Christ. The thing that Paul continued to maintain was that that which he preached was not the result of consultation, it was not a human commission, it was not data and information, it was a revelation from God through Jesus Christ himself. In his own experience he said, "Look. Look at me as one who has been changed by the Gospel. In the first place, I persecuted the Church. The record is there. And in the second place, I was zealous for the traditions of my fathers far beyond my contemporaries; I outstripped them all." Sometimes we make out as though Paul was a miserable, guilty, guilt-laden sinner. There's nothing in the New Testament to indicate that. Paul says, "I was zealous for the traditions of the fathers. I was so zealous for the tradition of my fathers, that I even persecuted the Church, but it pleased God to reveal His son to me." It is in that revelation of Jesus Christ that Paul learned the Gospel and experienced his call to proclaim it. The revelation of God in Jesus Christ is the revelation of radical grace, and Paul would have nothing added to it. Down through the centuries the Church has added to the Gospel, encrusted the Gospel with all kinds of secondary matters, domesticated the Gospel, but the reality of the situation is simply this – that God in Jesus Christ had provided for salvation to be received by us by faith, adding nothing to it. And that Gospel, Paul said, is a gospel for which I'll go to the stake. He wouldn't compromise it. It was not that Paul was hardnosed. Paul has gotten bad press, to be sure. Sometimes Paul comes off as not a very nice guy, and maybe he's not the kind of person you'd choose for a roommate, but at least he cared about something. At least he committed his life to something. He wasn't cool. He wasn't laid back. He wasn't nonchalant. But neither was he just another religious bigot and dogmatist for, if we look at his letters and his writing, we'll find, for example, when he wrote to the church at Corinth, he said, "When I deal with people who are under the law, I am as one under the law, and when I deal with people who are without the law, I am as one without the law. I am all things to all people, that by all means I might win some." There were all kinds of things about which Paul did not care. In his letter to the Romans, he deals with the question about which day of rest should be observed. Should it be the Sabbath Day, the seventh day, or should it be the first day, the Lord's Day? And Paul says, "Really, it doesn't matter. Would you like to worship on Monday?" Religious people have gotten all hung up on all kinds of things. Paul says it doesn't matter. The day doesn't matter. When he wrote to the Church at Corinth, there were some people who went to the butcher shop that was connected with the Temple and they bought a pot roast and the pot roast had, first of all, been offered to the pagan idol, and there were other Christians who saw them buying that pot roast that had been offered to the pagan idol and they said, "Oh, you can't eat something that's been offered to an idol." They said, "Well, let's ask Paul." Paul said, "Who cares? The idol isn't anything. Wave it in © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 5   front of the idol as often as you want to. It won't affect the meat. If it's US Prime, it'll be good!" But the point of it all was this – Paul was very flexible, very open; he was not an uptight religious person. Paul was not picayunish. Paul was not small and narrow and mean. Paul didn't go around excluding people from the Kingdom because they parted their hair differently. Paul says the freedom of the Christian person in Christ is grounded in the grace of God. Live it out how you will. Determine how you'll live it out and then do it out of faith, but don't denounce one another and judge one another and condemn one another. Be free in Christ and be of good heart, and then do as you will before the face of God. And so, Paul was not really a bigot, not a dogmatist, not a hard-nose, except on this one thing – he said if you want to turn the grace of God into a religious system full of obligations and duties thereby completing salvation, be accursed. Paul knew that everything was at stake on this pivot point. And this Gospel, he said, is the truth of God. It's not so popular today to talk about the truth. We live in an age in which we have learned to tolerate differences of opinion, and that's good. We live in an age which values tolerance and it is a value. But there are some things, my good friends, that are either true or false, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is either the expression of the radical grace of God Who is for us and in Jesus Christ has redeemed us, or it is something else, but it's not a gospel. Paul says they preach another gospel which is not another gospel because there is no other gospel. This I received by revelation of Jesus Christ. Now you say, well, that's all fine, Paul. If I were to be able to be smitten with a bright light on the way to Damascus, I would book passage tomorrow. But it wasn't just that. Paul didn't learn about Jesus Christ in the Damascus Road experience. First of all, remember he was battling the followers of Jesus. Brilliant as he was, don't you think that Paul learned about Jesus Christ more than those that he was battling? Don't you think that he had gotten himself well-briefed? Don't you think that he understood every fact about Jesus Christ, even when he was battling? The Damascus Road experience convinced him that Jesus was alive, that Jesus was the Son of God. It was the transforming moment. But when he wrote to the Church at Corinth, he said, "The tradition I received I pass along to you...." He also mentions the tradition when he speaks of the institution of the Lord's Supper in his letter to the Corinthians. He says, "I pass along to you the fact that has been passed alone to me." It wasn't as though he was some Lone Ranger that went off to Damascus and had a message in the sky. Paul was, in that sense, not so different from us who have had access to all of the data and all of the information. Do we not know the Gospel? Any one of you could stand up and you could announce the facts, that data of the Gospel. But what is the Gospel? It is more than the tradition. It is more than Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was raised on the third day. It is more than the hard facts that you get out of the book. When Paul © Grand Valley State University �The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Richard A. Rhem Page 6   says “by revelation,” he says that all of that suddenly came into focus. "And in a moment I was transformed and I realized that all the data pointed to the stupendous truth - that God, in His grace, through Jesus Christ, loved me." And that the one solid, bedrock, fundamental, basic, elemental truth is that God is gracious, that God is a Saviour, that God has loved us, that all that has to be done has been done, that salvation is complete, that there is nothing we can do for it, nothing we can do to it, nothing we can do to merit it. There is nothing we can do to warrant it! It has been done! It has been done! It is done! Christ has died. Salvation is ours. We are a people loved and graced and all we can do is sing, "Alleluia!" That's why St. Augustine says that a Christian is a person who says, "Alleluia! from the crown of his head to the sole of his foot." And where do we get off with our dullness, with our boring worship, with our hohum attitude, with a strong song of praise that elicits nothing more than a yawn? Shame on us. Shame on us for living in the light of the one great reality, that which is true, and being so blasé about it! Ah, this, my friends, is a celebration in a world that is filled with claims and counterclaims about what is true and what is important and about what ought to have the priority, in a world that is sated with information and data and newscasts and news analysis. In a world like that, this is true – God is good, God is gracious, God loves us, God is the strong foundation of our life, God holds us in His hand and He'll never let us go. And all of His people said, Amen! © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XX Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Galatians 1:11-12 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871018 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-10-18 Title A name given to the resource The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 18, 1987 entitled "The Gospel of Radical Grace: No Human Invention", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Pentecost XX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Galatians 1:11-12. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Community of Faith Presence of God Radical Grace of God Tradition Transforming Love Worship https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8a4b57dc89fef0ef13311150131aa54d.mp3 3be59cb7e953c49a00c91aa1e464f3ea https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/260aca7a60c16bc29938caf6227ebdf6.pdf cb0ca5e1c15186ac27ed8f145d640bed PDF Text Text Conversion: From Religion to Grace From the series: The One Covenant of Grace – The Salvation of the World Text: Philippians 2:7 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan October 11,, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon But whatever gain I had I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Philippians 2:7 God has determined from all eternity that He will save us, that He will redeem the world. He made a pre-decision. He decided, not only to create, but also that He would redeem, and we noted last week that that pre-decision is spoken of sometimes in the scripture as predestination - simply the determination of God to save, an eternal plan and purpose by which God will become the Saviour of the world. And in the execution of that plan, within the course of human history, He chose a special people, elected a people through whom to execute that plan and purpose, and in binding Himself to that people specially chosen, He entered into covenant relationship. And that covenant relationship with the people specially chosen was in order, again, to execute His eternal plan and purpose, to send that people specially chosen, bound to Him in covenant, to all the world to share good news and to announce the grace and mercy of God for all people. That, in a nutshell, is what the one story of the Bible is all about, and there's one covenant of grace that is witnessed to throughout the whole of the scripture. It is grace in the Old Testament where God called Abraham and bound Himself to him. Abraham believed God and became the recipient of the grace of God. Throughout the whole Old Testament it was a story of a special people, specially graced. God bound Himself to the nation in the event of the Exodus and reiterated the promise that He had spoken to Abraham, "I will be your God, you will be my people." A special people in order that, through that people, all families of the earth might be blessed and the light and the salvation of the eternal God might be witnessed to in the midst of history. Jeremiah the prophet, seeing the dismal results of that mission in the life of Israel and Judah, said, Behold the days are coming when God will bind Himself in new covenant and in that day it will not be a matter of external religion, but it will be © Grand Valley State University   �Conversion: From Religion to Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 2   something of the heart, the law written within the heart when everyone will know the Lord. Jeremiah knew that the whole national scheme of things was falling into shambles, but he also believed that the eternal plan and purpose of God would not fail, that God would continue binding Himself to a people in order that, through a people, there might be light for all people. The choice of a few on behalf of the many. The choice, not simply to salvation, but to mission for the whole world in order that the whole world might come to know that God is gracious, that God is a Saviour. Paul was a son of that old covenant, and the Judaism of that first century had become a religion that had fallen into legalism and moralism as we know all too well from the New Testament witness. And yet, there was still that zeal, that determination and that dedication to God, which we see in the life of a Paul. Paul, as he tells his own story, tells of a life before he met Jesus Christ that was full of religion, that was full of pious practice, that was full of ritual rectitude, that was full of legal morality, that was full of passion, seriousness, dedication and commitment. But the paradox which Paul discovered was that his very religious intensity was the means by which he was cutting himself off from experiencing the love and the grace of God. Paul, writing to the Church at Phillipi, is carrying on a controversy by those who were disturbing those converts that he had brought to Jesus Christ. Those who had come after him said, "Jesus, yes, but also Moses. Jesus, yes, but also the ceremonies of the law, and all of the trappings of religion." Ritual purity, legal rectitude, all of the embroiderment that so easily attaches itself to the relationship of the person to God. Paul had cut through all of that. Paul had had all of that cut through in the moment in which he was confronted by the Risen and Ascended Lord Jesus Christ. You know his story - On his way to throw into prison those who named the name of Jesus, he was overcome with a brilliant light and heard the voice of Jesus. He yielded himself to that voice, becoming the Apostle of Jesus Christ and the great champion of the radical grace of God. Paul was one of the few figures in history who understood the radicality of the grace of God. Paul was converted. Paul was turned around in his tracks. Paul did a 180° twist. Paul's whole existence was transformed in a moment, in the moment that he looked into the face of Jesus Christ, and came to experience the grace - the grace of God in Jesus Christ, his Lord. This morning I want you to see that that one covenant of grace which is the one story of the Bible, which is of cosmic scope and of eternal dimension, that includes the new heaven and the new earth and all God's people, is nonetheless just as individualizing and just as personal as your name. For it is one thing to rejoice in the fact that God is a saviour, that God has determined to renew and to redeem the world, that God has, from all eternity, loved and gives Himself in © Grand Valley State University �Conversion: From Religion to Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 3   love, binding Himself to the creation that He called into being. But finally, what we all need to know is that we are loved, and that He knows our name. The call to turn to God through Jesus Christ comes to us this morning, not as a call to those beyond the bounds of the Church, not to the nonreligious, not to the nonbeliever. We do that. We have a mission to the world. We do proclaim to people everywhere the love and grace of God. But the interesting thing about the call to conversion this morning as it comes to expression through Paul is that it is the call to conversion to people who are religious, for whom religion has become their security project by which they set themselves off from God. That's the interesting thing about religion. Religion walks a narrow line. It can be a blessing, or it can be a burden. It can be freeing and liberating, or it can be binding and depressing. And I'm not sure but I suspect that religion has done more damage in the world than it's done good, and I'm not sure, but I believe that a person is better off with none of it than with a dose of a bad variety of it, because religion can cramp the human spirit. Rather than liberate, it can oppress; rather than inspire, it can dehumanize; it can make a person broken, cowering, crushed. It can be the heaviest burden that one can ever be called upon to bear. Paul understood that. He was deadly serious, deeply committed and passionately involved in the practice of religion. And remember this, too, for Paul this was not some kind of dark, degenerate paganism. Paul was a son of the covenant. Paul lived in the light of the covenant of Israel; he lived in the light of the Torah; he had all of the privilege that was accorded that special people to whom God had specially bound Himself. When we speak of Paul, we're speaking of one who served the true and living God, and what we have to see with Paul was that what he needed was not to believe that there was a God rather than no God; what he had to come to experience was not that he had to turn from his secular life and begin to be serious about spiritual things. The interesting thing about Paul is that he was all tied up in the true religion, in the religion of the true God, in the revelation of the God to Israel. What he had to learn was that all of his religion was his "self-project" by which he was securing himself, justifying himself, seeking to validate himself over against God, to guarantee his life, to secure his existence. That probably is the greatest temptation and the greatest peril to religious people. It's difficult to be the Church. It's difficult to be a society like we are, where religion is practiced, where it has become institutionalized, where it has taken on forms and structures, where it has developed a liturgy, a ritual life, a polity, a form of government; where it has all of the trappings that any human institution has. In such a situation where people are gathered together in the name of God in the religious institution, there comes that subtle temptation to trust the institution, to trust the practice, to trust the exercise of religion and to lose sight of the fact that all of that is only so much scaffolding; all of that is so much instrument or means for the end of coming to experience the grace of God. © Grand Valley State University �Conversion: From Religion to Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Paul came to realize two very important things, which he shares with the congregation at Phillipi. He says that religion, first of all, or the grace of God, the experience of salvation, is not a matter of status. If you want to talk credentials, let me tell you my credentials, he says. He was an Israelite, so he belonged to that special people who had been specially chosen, who had experienced the electing love of God. More than that, he says, I was circumcised on the eighth day; I was ritually proper. Once in a while I sense someone who gets very nervous about being ritually pure. What if we do it this way, or what if we don't do it this way, or what if this is not the process we follow, as though the rituals that we have established have some kind of magic about them. What if the communion is distributed by, God forbid, Deacons rather than Elders? Or if the bread should be broken by an Elder rather than a Minister of the Word or, to be ridiculous, what if the service were at 9 o'clock rather than 9:15? And we may laugh, but religion has that terrifying power of binding people into structures and forms that become absolutized and eternalized, and finally become the things that are trusted, rather than recognizing that all of it could go. All of it could go! We must simply rest in the grace of God, Who needs none of it! And just the time we get so proper and so proud and so arrogant is the time that the Spirit of God needs to shatter all of our forms. Paul was circumcised on the eighth day; so what? His religion was burden, not a means of access to the smile of God. The tribe of Benjamin - that's like saying the family of the Rockefellers, the elite, something a little special. Paul says, No. To be in the grace of God is not a matter of status. But, neither is it a matter of achievement. If it were a matter of achievement, would Paul have needed to find grace in the face of Jesus Christ? No, because there wasn't much that God could do for Paul. He had achieved it all. Hebrew of Hebrew-speaking parents. That means Jews of the dispersion living way off in Tarsus but still speaking Hebrew. That's how serious was Paul's home about the tradition. Still speaking Hebrew. As to the Law, a Pharisee. There were never more than 6,000 of them. There were never many rough and ready religious souls to be able to keep the discipline of the Pharisee. The Pharisee gets bad press in the New Testament and we don't like them very well, but they were serious people. They were the cream of the crop. Not many of us here in Christ Community would qualify, a funny church such as we are! We take anybody. Not many Pharisees could come out of a bunch like you. As to zeal, persecuting the Church. No "live and let live" with Paul. No nonchalance. No easy tolerance. Paul went to haul into prison those who dared to name the name of Jesus whom the likes of Paul had crucified because Jesus put in peril their religion by which they were justifying themselves. And he says as far as the Law is concerned, blameless. Human achievement! Paul was no piker, but he wraps it all up in one little package and tosses it on the dung hill, literally. Translate it more colloquially for yourselves. That's what it was worth as a means of finding peace with God. © Grand Valley State University �Conversion: From Religion to Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 5   A person whose religion is a matter of ought, heavy ought, duty, obligation, onerous grinding out that which has to be done, all the time creating hostility within and repressed anger that can never come out to God and so comes out in ugliness to everybody else - all of that, Paul says, is to no avail. "One day I met Jesus." Paul wasn't converted from darkness to light, from unbelief to belief, from nonreligion to religion. Paul was converted from religion to grace, to the grace of God Who says, "How come you're bustin' your buns, Buddy? I've always loved you. Why don't you relax and let me put my arms around you? And then, incidentally, tell the story." "I considered all of that rubbish for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," says Paul. His whole existence transformed. His life changed. Paul converted, realizing what God intended in the first place with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Israel. And what had happened in Israel happened in the Church over and over again so that a voice like Paul's arises just once in a while and for not very long because the cry of radical grace does not build strong institutions where people are sheep and the religious leaders hold the spigot of grace. Once in a while, through the sham and the ceremony of religious pride and arrogance, a voice is raised, crying, "Radical grace!" and then again the saving God Who revealed Himself in the face of Jesus breaks through and says to people, "Relax. I love you. And there's nothing you can do about it." Amen. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIX Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Philippians 3:7 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871011 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-10-11 Title A name given to the resource Conversion From Religion to Grace Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 11, 1987 entitled "Conversion From Religion to Grace", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of Pentecost XIX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Philippians 3:7. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Covenant of Grace Hebrew Scriptures Nature of Religion Prophets Salvation of all Universal Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/deaeb2e2f2c369864611a6917435fb72.mp3 b90f08f02952113a7ec343840072b3fb https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/de9b125fa5e4f8940966a940737209a5.pdf 770a0af46478c1d54ff7423dada17174 PDF Text Text One Covenant – One World in Christ From the series: The One Covenant of Grace – The Salvation of the World Text: Genesis 17:7; Ephesians 1:1-10; 4: 4-6 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan World Wide Communion Sunday, October 4, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon The story of human salvation begins in the barren womb of a ninety-year-old woman. Hidden in the closing paragraph of Genesis 11 just prior to the call of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 is the seemingly insignificant piece of trivia. There we read, "Sarai was barren; she had no child." The biblical writer did not by accident add that little piece of information. The barrenness of Sarah's womb was an eloquent sign of the barrenness of the human situation - a situation of alienation, guilt, fear and hopelessness - indeed, a situation whose remedy alone could be the intervention of God, Creator, new to become Redeemer, Saviour. Now the story of salvation begins, a story of grace embracing the aged couple, entering into a covenant relationship with Abraham to whom would be born the miracle child, Isaac, the gift of the God Who promised, "Your descendants shall be as numerous as the stars in the sky." Today around the world Christians will gather around the Table of our Lord witnessing to their faith in God through Jesus Christ and, whether in the awesome beauty of St. Peter's in Rome or a gathering in someone's family room, they will be witnessing to their unity in Christ and will thereby be counted as Abraham's seed. As we celebrate Holy Communion with the whole Church throughout the world, I want to introduce a theme we will be discussing for the next few weeks - the theme of "The One Covenant of Grace - The Salvation of the World." It is my purpose to unfold the historical track of God's saving action – from the inauguration of the Covenant of Grace with Abraham through the history of Israel, the event of Jesus Christ to the continuation of that Covenant in the Christian Church – indeed, to the present experience which is ours as Christ Community. There is only one story of the Bible; it is the story of the gracious God working within the stream of history for the salvation of the human family and the realization of His eternal plan and purpose in the realization of God's Kingdom. © Grand Valley State University   �One Covenant – One World in Christ Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Paul witnessed to that eternal plan and purpose in that beautiful statement of God's cosmic purpose in Ephesians 1:9-10. Paul was amazed that he should have been given insight into God's hidden purpose now revealed in Jesus Christ. What was God's long-held secret? The secret was a purpose which He formed in His own mind before time began so that the periods of time should be controlled and administered until they reached their full development, a development in which all things, in heaven and upon earth, are gathered into one in Jesus Christ. That is an amazing claim; there one has a statement of eternal dimension and cosmic scope. Paul understood in the revelation given him by Jesus Christ what God intended eternally and what God was working out historically - a salvation of cosmic scope. How was that eternal plan being effected within history? The answer is the one Covenant of Grace. Beginning in barrenness, God called Abraham to inaugurate the process. Now God would choose one to reach many; now God would make a particular choice with a universal intent. God gave Himself to Abraham in a binding covenantal relationship to which God pledged His faithfulness and steadfastness. The formal covenant statement appears in Genesis 17:7. I will fulfill my covenant between myself and you and your descendants after you, generation after generation, an everlasting covenant, to be your God, yours and your descendants’ after you. That was God's strategy: Covenant relationship, a Covenant of Grace. God began small; one man, one woman, one family. From Abraham and Sarah came Isaac and then Jacob and then the twelve sons of Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. The twelve sons became the twelve tribes, the nation, and from the people of Israel issued Jesus in the wake of whose resurrection and ascension the Spirit of Jesus was given in full measure creating the Church. It is one line, the unfolding of the one Covenant of Grace. Covenant is a rich biblical word. The Hebrew word is berith. The Greek word used to translate it in the Greek Old Testament translation is diatheke. There is a long, much debated discussion on the origin and meaning of these terms, but it is clear that the meaning of berith must be determined by its scriptural usage. That being the case, we are faced with the fact that the Greek and English translations do not in themselves adequately convey the Hebrew usage. Thus to translate berith by covenant is not enough, for this is no ordinary human agreement or contract involving mutuality and reciprocity. As John Milton writes in God’s Covenant of Blessing: The religious berith is in one sense unilateral: it is God alone who initiates the covenant always. It is intended to become a mutual agreement, and © Grand Valley State University �One Covenant – One World in Christ Richard A. Rhem Page 3   does so become, by the response of man to it; but in its origin the berith is unilateral: it is God's covenant with man. (p. 5) He adds, The direction of the covenant is from God to man. The covenant originates with Him; He speaks the words: He lays down the conditions; it is His covenant, which takes on the aspect of mutuality when the people respond by accepting the terms and by promising to be obedient. (p. 6) God takes the initiative; the Covenant is God's binding of Himself to the human person, the human family. It is not a necessary arrangement; it is a gracious arrangement initiated, ratified and guaranteed by the faithfulness of God. The human person is called to respond, to trust, to obey, to act faithfully toward the Covenant God. But God is the ground and guarantor of the relationship. That, then, is God's strategy - to enter into a gracious, personal relationship with a person, a family, a nation, a people, having thereby an instrument by which to reach the whole world. That God makes a covenant with men, whether it be with an individual or with a community of individuals, is the same as to say that he acts in relation to them with gracious purpose; that he seeks fellowship with them and offers fellowship to them; and not least, that he calls them into a holy partnership of service in relation to other men. The covenant is a way of interpreting history which recognizes the presence and activity of God in the historical process; which believes that God has set a goal for human history, and has given to men whom he has called a divine mission relevant to that goal ... God reveals himself in the making and keeping of covenant; the covenant which from the beginning had as its gracious purpose and goal the salvation of the world, a redeemed humanity, a people for God's own possession, a holy nation, (p. 15F) Thus, in the strategy of calling a particular people, God has always had as a goal the salvation of the whole world. Today the Christian Church which through Jesus Christ (Abraham's Seed) has entered into the Covenant Community witnesses to its recognition that it is essentially one body. Paul had no doubt about the oneness of the Church and in his Ephesian letter gives a moving call to Spare no effort to make fast with bonds of peace the unity which the Spirit gives. For, he goes on, © Grand Valley State University �One Covenant – One World in Christ Richard A. Rhem Page 4   There is one body and one Spirit, as there is also one hope held out in God’s call to you; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6) From the one gracious God issues the one covenant of grace, which creates one redeemed people, called to witness to the whole world until God's eternal purpose of salvation is realized. Let me set four fundamental biblical words before you as you gather before this Table of our one Lord. The first is predestination. How many specters does not that heavily freighted word conjure up! But, reflect for a moment; is not that precisely what Paul is pointing to in Ephesians 1:9-10? The secret was a purpose which he formed in his own mind before time began…in which all things, in heaven and upon earth, are gathered into one in Jesus Christ. That is a "Wow!" statement. Predestination points to God's eternal intention to effect salvation on a cosmic scale - a renewed heaven, a renewed earth, a renewed humanity. The second word is election. That word, too, has been so disastrously abused, the source of religious pride and arrogant self-righteousness. But to what does it refer? To God's choice and call of a family, a nation, a people to be His special community for the bringing of light and salvation to all people. Election is not the choice of some to the exclusion of the rest, but the choice of some on behalf of the rest. The third word is covenant. That word speaks of that gracious, personal relationship to which God gives Himself, in which He binds Himself to a people, whom He has called, chosen, to mediate His grace to the world; a people He loves, nurtures and faithfully preserves, having redeemed them and commissioned them to be His special people through which to reach the world. The fourth word is mission. The eternal plan and purpose of God - God's predecision to be gracious, to redeem the world; God's election of a people to be the instrument of that gracious salvation; God's initiation of a binding covenant relationship with that chosen people - all of that has the end and goal in mind that the world might be saved. The salvation of the world is God's intention and the election of a Covenant Community is for the purpose of mission to the world. Again - God chooses some, not to the exclusion of the rest, but on behalf of the rest. © Grand Valley State University �One Covenant – One World in Christ Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Before us is set the Table of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the Table are bread and wine, signs of his body and blood, broken and poured out for the life of the world. In the bread and wine we are reminded, In Eternity God determined to create and redeem the world; in the course of history He called a people upon whom from eternity He had set His love. With that people, He entered into a binding relationship initiated by Himself - a covenant relationship - in order that that people might be the means by which light and salvation will be brought to the world. How ought we respond to such an amazing scenario? Would it not be the only appropriate response to stand before God with wonder and awe? Should not being chosen fill us with amazement, humility and gratitude? And particularly - must we not be in solidarity with all sisters and brothers of the faith - for there is one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, one Lord, one God and Father of us all and in solidarity with the whole world which seeing our unity, will see a sign of the unity of the Father and the Son - the love of God for the whole world? None other than Jesus prayed for such unity that the world may know... ... may they all be one. ... that the world may believe ... Then the, world will learn that thou didst send me, that thou didst love them... John 17:20-23 One day the whole world will know. The universal scope evident with the initial giving of the Covenant to Abraham will be realized. I heard a loud voice proclaiming from the theme: “Now at last God has his dwelling among men! He will dwell among them and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be an end to death, and to mourning and crying and pain; for the old order has passed away! Revelation 21:3-4 Amen and Amen! © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event World Wide Communion Pentecost XVIII Series One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World Scripture Text Genesis 17:7, Ephesians 1:9-10, 4:4-6 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19871004 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-10-04 Title A name given to the resource One Covenant - One World In Christ Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on October 4, 1987 entitled "One Covenant - One World In Christ", as part of the series "One Covenant of Grace - the Salvation of the World", on the occasion of World Wide Communion, Pentecost XVIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 17:7, Ephesians 1:9-10, 4:4-6. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Covenant God of Grace Hebrew Scriptures Salvation of all https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2395d27a15dabdf321db877b530243b9.mp3 7c495a26f09c9d04db10d0620bec547f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XVII Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Jeremiah 18:6-9, Romans 8:28 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870927 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-09-27 Title A name given to the resource The Freedom of the Sovereign God Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 27, 1987 entitled "The Freedom of the Sovereign God", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XVII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Jeremiah 18:6-9, Romans 8:28. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/893ea8e5de8fde98244f589ef7e22323.mp3 ac9a5c3a9a86933861a4efd3906a3e0a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XVI Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Isaiah 6:1, 8, Revelation 1:10 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870920 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-09-20 Title A name given to the resource Worship: The Context of Encounter and Calling Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 20, 1987 entitled "Worship: The Context of Encounter and Calling", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XVI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Isaiah 6:1, 8, Revelation 1:10. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9a501d833b70570c6fa4a5ef1f3fe7b2.mp3 902c1aeaecb8aa407de56046280fefc5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XV Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Genesis 17:7, 21:4, Mark 10:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870913 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-09-13 Title A name given to the resource Let the Children Come Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 13, 1987 entitled "Let the Children Come", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 17:7, 21:4, Mark 10:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6f3ac4624ef7903bcf74df8cc7ebda25.mp3 383eccdaf8f29ca33da240fc9e946558 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/185ea116476724e6281225ad0b24f03f.pdf 9f7bebc6c38294ed1da1505c7bcc13b1 PDF Text Text Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God From the sermon series: The Mystery of God’s Sovereign Grace Text: Nehemiah 1:11; Nehemiah 2:5 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan September 6, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon History is the arena of human decision and action. We speak of some persons as history-makers; their leadership, decisions, actions have moved the course of history along and shaped the future. Who are the candidates for such designation? Each would have a different list. Every period of history would suggest different names. But, whoever is mentioned, we know intuitively that we are speaking of persons who grasped the situation, responded with a plan and acted decisively. The persons themselves were conscious of facing options, making decisions, and acting, sometimes with tremendous struggle – yet acting and thereby determining the course of human events. For example, early in the Second World War, the British secured a machine that gave them access to the German code machine called Heydrich-Enigma. British intelligence was thus able to gain access to Hitler's plans before they were executed. In November 1940, a message was decoded which indicated that the city of Coventry in England was to be bombed. Hitler was determined to devastate non-military targets in an attempt to crush civilian resistance. Within minutes of the order issued, Churchill had it in his hands. If he evacuated the city, he would reveal his knowledge of the German code; if he did not, thousands of civilians would be killed, or suffer. He kept the knowledge to himself. On November 14, the Germans struck. The raid was so devastating that Berlin boasted that every town in England would be "Coventryized." The sacrifice of Coventry guarded the secret of access to the German intelligence, which, it is claimed not without warrant, was what turned the tide of the war in Europe. Perhaps more than what happened on the battlefield, it was the secret war of intelligence that tipped the scale of victory for the Allies. But think of the terror of decision that rested on Churchill. He had to decide; he had to act; and he did - in great anguish. © Grand Valley State University   �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 2   But in this series of messages we have been pointing to another level of intention and action, a transcendent dimension - indeed, the involvement of the sovereign, gracious God. To speak of God in connection with history and human willing, deciding and acting is in no way to take away from the genuineness of the human agent. Queen Esther risked her life in pleading with the King on behalf of the Jewish people. Joseph utilized his every human gift and endowment in administering the Egyptian economy in preparation for the period of famine. Churchill's act was Churchill's act. But, human history is not one-dimensional. There is a sovereign and gracious God Who is working His purposes out in and through, in spite of us at times, and sometimes against the will and decision and action of the human agent. Esther's foster father, Mordecai, said, If you remain silent at such a time as this, relief and deliverance for the Jews will appear from another quarter. Esther 4:14 Joseph said to his fearful, pleading brothers: Do not be afraid… You planned to do me harm; but God planned to bring good out of it… Genesis 50:19-20 Such a conviction is at the heart of biblical faith. The events of history move along a dual track. The purpose of the eternal God is being effected and will finally be realized in and through the decisions and actions of human history. This series title begins with the word "Mystery." Again it must be emphasized: what we are attempting to point to is a mystery; it is not open to human observation, nor is it susceptible to human verification; it is an affirmation of faith; it reflects a fundamental trust in God, in God's sovereignty, in God's gracious purpose to redeem that will not fail. That purpose is revealed in God's election of Israel; it is revealed most fully in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; it is witnessed to in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament; it has always been at the heart of the faith of the people of God. Theologians have argued and debated the question of the will and purpose of God and the relationship of God's will to human will and action. Abstractly one can only affirm the sovereignty of God's purpose at the expense of human freedom or, conversely, affirm the genuineness of human freedom at the expense of God's sovereignty. © Grand Valley State University �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 3   The Bible is not an abstract book of theology; it is the story of God's saving purposing intertwining with human willing and acting – human willing sometimes in revolt and rebellion, sometimes in obedience and commitment, but always genuinely human willing and acting. The Bible is a story - a narrative made up of many stories of happenings over wide centuries. The stories reveal what human reason and the canons of logic can never clarify - We purpose, plan and act; God purposes, plans and acts, and the latter is effected through the former. If there is this two-level development operative throughout history's course, where is the connection? Let me suggest that the connection lies in the prayer and commitment of the person who is available to God. It must be recognized that God's will and purpose meets resistance and opposition, sometimes outright rebellion. I must clarify further that everything that happens in history is not the will of God. There is so much so obviously contrary to that will. Therefore, I have said several times that God's purpose is effected through us, in spite of us, without us, against us. All that is true. Still, God's purpose marches on. He will create a new heaven and a new earth. He will redeem His people. He will save! But let us focus in this message on how God's purpose is effected through the human agent who is available to God to be the instrument of His purpose. And my contention in this message is that it is prayer that links heaven and earth; it is prayer that creates the opening for the thread of God's purpose to be woven into the tapestry of our lives. Perhaps you will respond that I have taken on a large enough task to relate the Divine and human will, the plan of God and human planning without now bringing in the mystery of prayer. One mystery is quite enough; why confuse matters further? I respond that it is not my purpose to dissolve the mystery - as if I could; rather, it is to point to the mystery. And further, to point to the mystery not by reasoned argument, but rather by using the biblical method - telling a story. The story today centers in Nehemiah. It is told in the Old Testament book that bears his name. Nehemiah was a layman. In the period after the Exile, he became the Governor of Jerusalem and with single-minded determination led the inhabitants of Jerusalem in a great effort that rebuilt the city of Jerusalem and restored good order and spiritual vitality to the people. In 587 the Babylonian Empire under the famous Nebuchadnezzar finally destroyed the city of Jerusalem, taking people into exile for a second time and this time burning the city, destroying the Temple and the walls, leaving the city in shambles. In the rise and fall of Empires, Babylon arose to dominance. The © Grand Valley State University �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Persian King, Cyrus, overcame Babylon in 539. This was an important development because the Persians proved a benevolent power supportive of the religions of the empire. Cyrus promulgated an edict that the Jews in exile could return to Jerusalem. The prophet, Second Isaiah, saw Cyrus as an instrument in the hand of God - even called him a shepherd of Israel. He is my shepherd and shall fulfill my purposes. (Isaiah 44:28a) And again: Thus says the Lord to his anointed (messiah), to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped… (45:1) Some Jews, fired by the vision of the dawning Kingdom portrayed by Second Isaiah, returned to Jerusalem but not all, by far, for many of the exiles had prospered well in Babylon. Cyrus issued another decree that the house of God in Jerusalem should be rebuilt and the Temple vessels returned. Between 538 and 522 B.C., when Darius came to the Persian throne, a good number of Jews returned to Jerusalem. Fired by a vision for the restoration of the former glory of Jerusalem, the returned exiles found it was no easy matter to rehabilitate the city. The population was mixed, the Samaritans to the North having filtered down and intermarried. The returnees were a threat to what had become the new order, dismal though it was. There is always resistance to disturbing the status quo, even when it is nothing to speak of. But the work began. In the second year of their return, the foundation of the second Temple was laid. But soon opposition arose. The Samaritan governor refused permission for the work to continue. Friction developed between the people who had remained whom the exiles considered impure because of their mixed marriage and unauthorized worship practices, and the returned exiles who had a great zeal to set up a new community uncompromised by the lax practices of the past. The work of rebuilding remained in abeyance from the time of its cessation until the second year of Darius - the year 520 B.C. Then the prophets Haggai and Zechariah carried on a crusade, which stirred the people to action anew. Opposition surfaced again, but a new decree from Darius set the work in motion again and he even gave royal support and financing. In 515 B.C., the second Temple was completed. But something must have happened to dampen the ardor of the returned community because not much further progress was made in rebuilding the city. The community was poor; leadership seemed to be lacking and there was not the will or vitality to move forward. Poverty of means and poverty of spirit seemed to characterize the Jerusalem community. © Grand Valley State University �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 5   That brings the story up to the time of Nehemiah. Nehemiah had done well in exile. He had risen to prominence in the Persian court, being the cupbearer of the King, a position of great trust. He tasted the wine before the King to ensure that some palace plotter had not poisoned it. He was located in the empirical city of Susa and was visited by his brother, Hanani, who came from Jerusalem. Nehemiah asked his brother about the state of affairs in Jerusalem and was told about the sorry estate of the people and the city itself. He heard a report of the trouble and reproach that had fallen on the people of God, how the walls were still broken down and the gate yet in ruins. Hearing the report, Nehemiah says, I sat down and wept. Then he prayed, confessing the sin of the people, acknowledging their shortcomings and unfaithfulness and that their miserable condition was brought on by themselves. Yet he reminded God of His covenant faithfulness and then prayed, Grant me good success this day, and put it into this man’s heart (the King’s heart) to show me kindness. One day, appearing before the King, his unhappiness and distress must have been obvious and the King asked him what was wrong. He shared his grief at the terrible conditions in Jerusalem and the King responded, "What are you asking of me?" This was the moment, the opening Nehemiah had been looking for. Nehemiah says, I prayed to the God of heaven, and then I answered…send me to Judah, to the city…so that I may rebuild it. The King responds favorably. He sends not only Nehemiah, but also a royal escort and the authority to do what was on his heart. This was probably in the year 445 B.C. The story reads like a thriller. In spite of opposition, threat and peril, Nehemiah rebuilt the walls, installed gates and restored the security and dignity of the city, and in chapter 6:15 we read the task was accomplished in 52 days. That seems almost impossible. The historian Josephus says it took two years and four months. No matter. A monumental accomplishment was achieved. And he did more than build the walls. He became governor and brought renewal to the whole community life and worship. Nehemiah offered superb leadership. He had great strength of character and clarity of vision. His soul was fired by a religious passion for the wellbeing of the people of God and he threw himself into the task with vigor modeling out in his © Grand Valley State University �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 6   own person, his attitude and action, his total commitment to the purpose of God, which fired his soul. Nehemiah was a person of deep religious commitment and faith. His first act upon hearing of the disgrace into which Jerusalem had fallen, was to pray. He prayed for success. He prayed before answering the King. He prayed when the opposition threatened to shut down the work (4:4-5), and in a beautiful balance of prayer and action, we read, So we prayed to our God, and posted a guard day and night against them. (4:9) Ejaculatory prayer punctuates the narrative (5:19, 6:9, 14, 13:14, 31). It is obvious that he was a truly devout person totally caught up in executing the mission he sensed was his and totally dependent for success on the power of God. One commentary summarizes this man thus: He combined in his person the qualities of firmness, love of and zeal for God, land, and people, and a fierce dedication to the proposition that his was the only way to achieve immediate ends to which he committed himself ... (Ezra-Nehemiah, Anchor Bible, p. LXXXIII) The story of Nehemiah is a thrilling tale of a person captivated by a vision, driven by a burning passion, totally committed to the purpose of God. Nehemiah was available to God to be an instrument of his purpose and totally dependent upon God to bring success to his careful planning and energetic action. Nehemiah is a model of how prayer links heaven and earth, Divine purpose and human agent in the carrying out of the sovereign, gracious purpose of God to establish His Kingdom. Reflecting on that story there are several important lessons to be learned about our theme: first, it must be obvious that the ministry of Nehemiah could only flow from a vision of the plan and purpose of God. Nehemiah was a Jew of the Exilic community long separated from Jerusalem if, in fact, he had ever been there, but he was not separated from the vision that has always characterized Israel at its best: its calling to be the concrete demonstration of God's Kingdom within history, its calling to be a light to the nations, a model of human society living under the gracious rule of its redeeming God. Nehemiah was a son of the covenant. He trusted the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He believed that God had a special destiny for this people and that in Abraham's seed all nations would be blessed. That's the reason for his deep anguish when he heard of the despair and disgrace in which Jerusalem was lying. It was that deep sense of calling to the redeeming purpose of God that created the grief of his soul at hearing that Jerusalem - City of God - was in such a state of destitution. © Grand Valley State University �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 7   The point I want to stress is that it was precisely that vision of what God was about in the world that created in Nehemiah first the anguish, but then the burning desire to do something about the tragedy of this people chosen to be the instrument of God's saving purpose. Rather than sitting on his hands, shrugging his shoulders, letting things go on from bad to worse, the vision of the Kingdom drove him to respond, to make himself available to God as an instrument for the effecting of His purpose. Nothing of significance happens apart from a vision, a dream. There are many dreams; there are many good and worthy dreams - some are purely personal, some may be essentially selfish, some may embrace loved family, some may involve a community or larger segment of society, some the nation. But there is one dream that transcends them all, that takes us out of ourselves and saves us from boredom and meaninglessness - it is the dream of God's saving reign; it is to be caught up in that great purpose of the sovereign and gracious God to bring health, healing and salvation to the whole earth for all earth's children. From whence does it come? How is one captivated by such a vision? It cannot be self-generated; we cannot whip ourselves into a froth and manufacture passion out of our own soul. But we can open our minds, our inspirations to the vision of the Kingdom and just maybe God will put it in our hearts to yield ourselves to be the instrument of His purpose. That brings me to a second observation - such a vision lodged in our hearts will drive us to prayer. That seems as natural as breathing. Who has ever caught a glimpse of the cosmic sweep of God's purpose and then set out in his own strength to bring it about? Nehemiah did not rush headlong into frantic action. He heard the report and he wept. He was overcome with deep anguish. Before he made his report to the King for permission to go to Jerusalem to rebuild it, there elapsed a period of four months. It was a time for prayer, meditation and waiting upon the Lord. If it was to be God's mission, it could only be nurtured in communion with God and God must take the initiative, create the opening. And God did! Prayer - communion with God must be the normal, intuitive response of one who senses the vision and begins to feel the calling. Only then will the situation ripen and clarity be achieved. It is God Who must open the doors for service for the one who would be available to Him. Nehemiah's deep concern was registered on his face. The King sensed something going on in the life of his servant. His question provided the opening and Nehemiah's preparation in prayer readied him to take the opportunity to make his request. That must always be the process by which we move from vision to © Grand Valley State University �Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Richard A. Rhem Page 8   action. Prayer links heaven and earth and puts God's servant in the way of serving. But, thirdly, Nehemiah moved on then to exercise his best administrative gifts. He was accompanied by a royal escort, supplied with royal undergirding and he came to Jerusalem. But not with fanfare. He came and remained silent and hidden for three days while he took the situation in. He toured the ruins in the dark of night getting the feel of the situation. He planned his course wisely and carefully and only then called the citizenry together and unfolded his plan. In all of this, of course, he did not cease to pray; but he did not pray and then leave matters to happen as they might. He was praying as he planned and planning as he prayed. And finally he committed himself totally and without reservation to the effecting of the planning, poignantly aware that his was the decision to become involved, to make himself available, to be at God's disposal. He could have shrugged it off. What he was committing to was to be the instrument to effect God's plan, a plan that would finally prevail through him or without him. Did that recognition cut the nerve of his commitment? Did that knowledge sap his creative energy? No! On the contrary, God's plan became the foundation of his planning; God's sovereign purpose became the engine that drove his best efforts and galvanized his creative imagination. Finally, he could be totally committed and totally relaxed. His was the task; he chose it. But all is grace; all is of God. And if that collides in our rational faculties, it nonetheless rests easily in our depths because intuitively we know we are free and responsible – history-makers; but we "know" as well that all is of God, Whose sovereign, gracious purpose will prevail. Heaven and earth are wonderfully linked in prayer and commitment as one opens one's life to become the instrument of God's purpose. And one day the tapestry of history will include the tapestry of our personal histories, and woven through it all will be the thread of the purpose of God and that thread will spell "Grace." Amen. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIV Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Nehemiah 1:11, 2:5 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870906 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-09-06 Title A name given to the resource Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on September 6, 1987 entitled "Commitment and Prayer in the Purpose of God", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XIV, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Nehemiah 1:11, 2:5. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives God's Sovereign Grace Hebrew Scriptures Mystery Prayer Salvation Vision https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b4ac5666fb2e85eba7516ad43d569866.mp3 84ff4108bf05daa48ee15f33a84418ae https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/57f63e6ac921d1c5d2637de9d7caa88a.pdf c17c5a4a42a98cece36a251222954c22 PDF Text Text The Thread of God’s Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives From the sermon series: The Mystery of God’s Sovereign Grace Text: Genesis 50: 19-20 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 30, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon …Fear not, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good… Genesis 50: 19-20 It is the very nature of our human experience that we can live it only one day at a time. The present moment can be understood in the context of the past to the present and such an understanding lends perspective; however, the future is open and unknown. Consequently, while we are living our lives the meaning of the whole is not available to us and because the whole is not available to us, neither is the final meaning of any particular period or event. Thus, not only in regard to our lives as a whole, but even in regard to single events or limited periods, the jury is still out. That may seem unsettling; perhaps we simply don't think about it. Nonetheless, it is true. Yet we are told that critical for our human wellbeing is meaning and purpose. The crisis of Western culture, many believe, is precisely a lack of meaning in human existence. But if we are truly historical creatures and the meaning of the whole and even the parts is not available to us, from whence can we derive a sense of meaningful and purposeful existence? That is the question this series of messages is addressing. We are focusing on the mystery of God's sovereign grace and such a focus is already an affirmation of faith as well as an acknowledgement of our human situation. It is an acknowledgement of our human situation as limited and finite in the fact that we are speaking of mystery. That is, the meaning of our lives in relation to God's gracious purpose is not accessible to our human investigation. Human reason is not competent to unravel the mystery of God's sovereign grace as it embraces our lives and gives them meaning. © Grand Valley State University   �Thread of God’s Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives Richard A. Rhem Page 2   But the very idea of a sovereign gracious purpose of God is already an idea which rests on faith; it is a statement of fundamental trust. It is a faith claim that our lives find meaning and purpose by resting in and being caught up in a plan and purpose of God Who is sovereign and gracious. The specific theme of this message is that the tapestry of our lives is determined by the thread of God's plan woven through it. We are often "spooked" by the phrase, "plan of God." Some speak of it too glibly, too easily as though they are fully informed as to the Divine design. Some speak of it defensively as though any such plan must reduce human freedom and responsibility to insignificance. Some speak of it despairingly wondering how in the world one can ever find it out and fit into it. Because of the difficulties it raises we have too often been silent about the plan of God; knowing not how to deal with it, we have simply not dealt with it. Yet what is more important to our spiritual peace and human wellbeing than a sense that our lives are meaningful as they are caught up in the plan and purpose of God? My contention in this message is that one can trust in, if not discern, the thread of God's plan in the tapestry of our lives. That contention is based on the conviction that God is working His purpose out in spite of, through and against every human effort. God does His own work and executes His own sovereign, gracious purpose at the same time that He fully honors the work of His creatures. This is a mystery and we honor the mystery; we do not attempt to dissolve it or to rationalize it. But the contention is essential if we would let God be God and at the same time reckon with our own freedom and responsibility. Neither the freedom of the creature nor the gracious sovereignty of God is canceled. They are not in conflict nor are they to be equated. God's will makes use of all human action but is domesticated or limited by no human decision or action. Recall the image of the river. Humans blast away at rock and run bulldozers through forests and hills to make a canal. God makes the river which meets resistance and flows another way, but eventually reaches the sea. The purpose of God may be delayed; it may be held in abeyance; it will not be defeated. Through every human action and effort runs a transcendent purpose according to a plan of God, which he will sovereignly effect for salvation and life. We could soon get bogged down in abstract debate were we simply to argue this point. This unfortunately has too often been the case in the history of theological discussion. The Bible does not engage in abstract speculation. Rather, it tells stories. The narrative of God's going with His people through their history is told and retold in order to keep memory alive and stimulate hope. The classic story of God's providence is the narrative of Joseph. It is a familiar story and Joseph is a favorite Bible character. © Grand Valley State University �Thread of God’s Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives Richard A. Rhem Page 3   The story brings to a close the history of the Patriarchs, the history that brings us up to the Exodus and the creation of the nation Israel. Abraham was given the initial covenant promise. It passed to Isaac and then to Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to Israel. He had twelve sons, one of whom was Joseph. He loved Joseph above the others and showed his partiality openly, giving Joseph a long robe with sleeves, a mark of his special favor. This offended the brothers and engendered their hatred. But Jacob's special favor was not all. Joseph further alienated his brothers when he related his dreams. While binding sheaves in the field, Joseph told how his sheaf stood up and the brother's sheaves bowed down to his. It took no special insight to get the meaning. They hated him! In another dream, the sun, moon and eleven stars bowed down to him. This was too much even for Jacob. He reprimanded Joseph. One day Jacob sent Joseph to see how his brothers were doing with the flocks out in the field. The brothers saw him coming and decided to do away with him. Rather than kill him, they sold him to traveling merchants who brought him to Egypt and sold him as a slave. The brothers ripped his beautiful cloak, stained it with blood and took it to their father, claiming a wild animal had killed Joseph. Jacob grieved and would not be comforted. In Egypt Joseph prospered for the story tells us God was with him. He endured many trials, but finally was raised to the rank of Prime Minister over all Egypt because he interpreted a dream of Pharaoh. He said there would be seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine. He suggested that a plan should be put into effect to prepare for the lean years. Pharaoh put Joseph in charge and he proved a wise administrator. When the famine hit, Jacob and his sons, too, were without food. They went to Egypt to secure provisions and to whom did they appeal but to Joseph whom they did not recognize, but who recognized them. In the end, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. They were fearful that now Joseph would get his revenge, but instead he reassured them, saying: Now do not be distressed or take it amiss that you sold me into slavery here; it was God who sent me ahead of you to save men’s lives…God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you will have descendants on earth… So it was not you who sent me here, but God… Genesis 45:5-8 He then sent them back to fetch father Jacob and there was a moving reunion. Joseph settled his family in a district of Egypt where they were preserved and prospered. But then old Jacob died and again the brothers were fearful. Had Joseph only restrained his anger until his father died? Would he now wreak vengeance on his © Grand Valley State University �Thread of God’s Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives Richard A. Rhem Page 4   brothers? So they came to him, pleading forgiveness. The text tells us they bowed down before him. (The dream was realized). But again Joseph proved gracious. In the words of our text he says, Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You meant to do me harm, but God meant to bring good out of it by preserving the lives of many people, as we see today. Do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your dependents. Thus he comforted them and set their minds at rest. The Joseph narrative could better be handled in a series of messages for the richness of teaching that lies embedded therein cannot possibly be handled in the compass of one message. But let me simply point you to some areas for reflection. To begin with, note that Joseph speaks of the contrast between the intention of the genuinely human action of the brothers and the action of God. You meant to do me harm; but God meant to bring good out of it... The word for "meant" in Hebrew is hasab. An alternative translation is "plan." You planned ... God planned... The reality of our human situation is that we make plans; we plan. It cannot be otherwise because we are by our very nature creatures open to the future. Some of us make long-range plans; some of us more or less bump along; still it is a rare individual who does not at some time think, "Someday I will...” The scriptures affirm that God plans, too. God is a purposeful Being. Here we bump into that scary idea of Predestination. Listen to St. Paul. He has made known to us his hidden purpose – such was his will and pleasure determined beforehand in Christ – to be put into effect when the time was ripe; namely, that the universe, all in heaven and on earth, might be brought into a unity in Christ. Ephesians 1:9-10 God is a God with a plan. Created in God's image, we, too, have the capacity, the inevitability of planning. It is in the conjunction of our plan and God's plan that history moves on its way. Now I could give you a whole list of citations from scripture speaking of God's plan and human plans. Let me simply say this: Human planning is a genuinely human action of free and responsible persons. Those plans are not crushed, tossed aside, treated with derision by God. They are our acts; they stand. They create their own reality. God's plan works in, through, in spite of and against our plans. © Grand Valley State University �Thread of God’s Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives Richard A. Rhem Page 5   God's plan will finally have its way; sometimes delayed, sometimes detoured, sometimes held in abeyance; yet God will have God's way. This the Joseph narrative teaches us. We must take care holding this truth, not to claim too much. We must be careful not to picture a God in some ethereal heaven swooping down and rescuing his people when the going gets tough - a God who always intervenes to make things right. That is naive and simplistic and it may create a cozy feeling for some of the time, but it cannot stand up before the tragedy and suffering of human experience. It cannot be maintained in light of the experience of Jesus in crucifixion. God is no "quick fix" for human suffering. not to claim too little, falling into the trap of a humanism that removes God as major actor in the human drama, claiming God "has no hands but our hands." A humanism embarrassed about faith will also miss the point of the biblical teaching and the confidence and comfort that comes from trusting the working out of the sovereign, gracious purpose of God. God's rule is no vacuous sovereignty, the assertion of some absolute but irrelevant power quite removed from the arena of life and history. God has a plan. God is working out that plan; we can be certain of it; we can rely on it. God is working out that plan in and through human willing and planning and action. God's plan will ultimately have its way. The text teaches us further, that God plans for our good. God meant (planned) to bring good out of it. The series title is “The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace.” Not raw sovereignty, not absolute power, not a coercive, crushing, all-mightiness. No, rather a gracious plan and purpose that will prevail - "for good." You recognize that word "good." God surveyed the creation He had fashioned and said, "Very good!" (Genesis 1:31) That is where this book of beginning begins. Now at its ending, once again we have the affirmation of God's purpose for good that reminds us of St. Paul's classic faith statement: God works all things together for the good of those who love him. When the curtain rings down on the whole cosmic drama, the whole human story, God will have only one word to speak: Good. © Grand Valley State University �Thread of God’s Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives Richard A. Rhem Page 6   And we shall be wrapped in the eternal praise of God's sovereign, gracious purpose, finally brought to fruition, and we shall echo the word: Good. Alleluia! Thus in our human existence, caught between a world tending toward death and a God intending life, we live with Realism - about our human place, its fragility, its peril, its pain. There is no Pollyanna view of things. Sometimes it is very dark; sometimes it hurts so bad. Certitude - about the outcome of the whole drama because of the faithfulness of God. Realism alone leads to despair because it focuses only on the danger and peril. Certitude alone leads to romanticism, focusing only on victory and failing to reckon with battle as though one is immune to the tragedy. Biblical faith is unflinching in its realism, undoubting about the outcome. Where does that leave us? Go again to the text; hear Joseph say to his brothers' urgent pleas for mercy, Am I in the place of God? Joseph's faith enabled him to wait on the Lord, to commit his way unto the Lord, to be patient as the drama of his life unfolded. Such a confidence in the overarching purpose of God enabled him to trust in faith and love. It saved him from anger, that dissipating emotion that drains one of energy and creative living, that spoils everything, souring life. How many of us live with unresolved anger - anger at God, anger at others, anger at ourselves? It energized him for meaningful action. His administration in Egypt spared the nation and his own family. God's plan is not the end of human planning, but its foundation. His life had purpose. Joseph trusted God's plan. Joseph worked the plan. As we leave this story, so vivid in its portrayal of God's hidden gracious, sovereign purpose in and through human purposing, let me leave you with Joseph's application for our lives. His first word to his brothers was, "Fear not." That is the word Abraham heard when God called. It is the word Second Isaiah heard when in Exile in Babylon. It was the word Mary heard when encountered by Gabriel. It was the word shepherds heard at the birth of Jesus. It was the word of the resurrected Christ on Easter morning. Dear friends, hear it; it is for you. Fear not. Whatever you are facing - fear not. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XIII Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Genesis 50: 19-20 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870830 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-08-30 Title A name given to the resource The Thread of God's Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 30, 1987 entitled "The Thread of God's Plan in the Tapestry of Our Lives", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XIII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Genesis 50: 19-20. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives God's Sovereign Grace Joseph Meaning Trust https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/da5fcc1cf7affa7689a8acc7c98ff66c.mp3 4508c2163ce6c177f52acbbf713803da https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7beb25a746e130ab88dc98445e3663d6.pdf 6d37b6b917f4beef3c452ea1035f784d PDF Text Text Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose From the sermon series: The Mystery of God’s Sovereign Grace Text: Esther 4:14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 23, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon …if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise…from another quarter, but…who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 To have a sense that one's life is caught up in a larger purpose, a drama of cosmic proportion and eternal significance must be one of life's greatest gifts. To have a sense that one's life makes a difference, has a meaning and purpose, is to be energized, to be fulfilled, to find happiness. To have a sense that one's life plays a role in the gracious purpose of God must be the ultimate satisfaction. It is a source of peace and wellbeing; it conveys a sense of worth and value, enabling one to live with self-esteem and confidence. God's purpose is not accessible to human reason. It may even sound presumptuous to speak of finding our destiny in God's gracious purpose. Yet, the Scriptures are replete with stories of those who had a sense that God had a mission for them to execute through which He would effect His purposes. God does reveal Himself; He does move in and through the structures of history and the circumstances of our lives as He moves the created order toward the realization of His purposes. To believe that is an act of trust. It is trust in God, in God's sovereign, gracious purpose. It is trust in the midst of conflicting evidence and ambiguity. It is trust in the face of mystery. But it is trust which confirms itself in the assurance worked in the hearts of God's children by God's Spirit. Biblical faith affirms that God is active in history, that history will be brought finally to the goal God has established and that God will realize that goal through the free and responsible agency of those who make themselves available to be the instruments of His purpose. That is saying a great deal; it is a statement of faith trust in the providence of God. © Grand Valley State University   �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 2   That providence is not self-evident; it is not easy to trace; it can never be verified with anything like scientific proof. Providence operates in a provisional and guilty world, a world full of capricious events which we call chance and full of determinism, which we call fate. The purpose of God will be effected through the agency of free and responsible persons who can say "no" as well as "yes" to God's purpose; He will not crush nor coerce. Still, our faith affirms, He will accomplish His purpose -a purpose of salvation - working all things together for our good. That is our confidence. In all of life's circumstances, in light and shadow, in success and failure, in heights and depths, we are securely in the hand of God and, whether the way is plain or full of confusion, we trust God's sovereign grace to accomplish His goal; even more, as we open our lives to God we have a sense of destiny, of being a partner in the great drama of redemption. There has been so much argument and debate, so much confusion and conflict over the question of the will and purpose of God and finding God's will for one's life that it may seem futile to try once more to discern that purpose and discover one's destiny. Yet we do so not to engage in speculation, not to play theological games. Our purpose is rather to gain that sense of being in the will of God, of finding our destiny in His gracious purpose. A story is better than philosophical discourse and the Bible is full of narratives from which we gain insight into the trust that has characterized the People of God. Such a story is the Old Testament book of Esther. It was probably the most contested book to enter the Old Testament canon. It has always had its detractors, even among Jewish scholars. Martin Luther disliked it intensely. It has been much debated but finally it is part of the Jewish canon, part of our Old Testament and it witnesses to the theme of our present series, affirming in a powerful way faith in God's sovereign gracious purpose at work in the arena of human history. The story probably has an historical core, although it is probably also an adaptation of a Persian story about the origin of a festival – perhaps a Festival of the New Year. It tells of the origin of the Feast of Purim on the Jewish calendar. Just as the early Christians adapted pagan feasts, which lie behind our Christmas and Easter festivals, but filled them with Christian meaning, so the Jews in the story of Esther gave a "historical" setting for the origin of the Feast of Purim. The story itself is full of drama and intrigue. Carey A. Moore gives a concise resumé of the story in The Anchor Bible Commentary on Esther. He writes, Before going further, we should summarize the story which has raised so much controversy. One day, during one of his lavish drinking parties, King Xerxes was feeling high and ordered Queen Vashti to appear before his guests, so that he © Grand Valley State University �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 3   might show off her much rumored beauty. When she refused, the king deposed her immediately (ch. i). Later he launched a large-scale search throughout the kingdom to find someone suitable to replace her. Among the many attractive candidates taken to his bed - but only after a year of extensive beauty preparations - was the Jewess Esther, the niece and adopted daughter of Mordecai the Jew. A beautiful and shapely girl, Esther was quite popular among all who knew her at the palace, and not surprisingly, the king chose her as his queen. Some time after this Mordecai learned about a court intrigue against the king; he told Esther, who in turn warned the king in Mordecai's name but without revealing that she herself was a Jewess. As it turned out, Moedecai's good deed was officially recorded although he was not rewarded at the time (ch. ii). Later on, Mordecai refused to bow down to the king's prime minister, Hainan, because he was an Amalekite and thus the mortal enemy of all Jews. In revenge for this disrespect, Haman persuaded the king to approve a pogrom against the people who were the principal obstacle to the.success of all his plans for the empire. These "enemies" were, of course, the Jews. Nevertheless, Haman succeeded in getting the pogrom accepted without identifying them by name. Thus an edict was sent throughout the empire, declaring that on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, all Jews, including women and children, were to be wiped out and their possessions plundered. Dictated by Haman but written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet, the edict was irrevocable (ch. iii). As soon as Mordecai heard about the edict, he ordered Esther to intercede for her people. Reluctant to approach the king unsummoned, for fear of being summarily executed, Esther was finally persuaded by Mordecai to take the risk. To improve her chances of success, she insisted that all the Jews in Susa, herself included, observe a strenuous three-day fast, after which she would appear, unsummoned, before the king in her most fetching attire (ch. iv). When Esther approached the throne three days later, the king received her most cordially, assuring her that her request would be granted no matter what it was. But instead of interceding for her people then and there, Esther invited the king and Haman, her greatest enemy, to dinner. At that time the king repeated his sweeping promise to grant her almost any request, but she asked only that the king and Haman come again for dinner the next day; then, she assured him, she would ask her favor. Haman, of course, went away jubilant, flattered that only he had been invited to the queen's dinner with the king. The taste of victory and joy turned to ashes in his mouth, however, when he noticed Mordecai sitting at the gate, acting as if nothing had happened to him or his people, and still refusing to bow down! Haman controlled himself until he got home, © Grand Valley State University �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 4   where. after boasting to his wife Zeresh and friends of all his accomplishments and honors, he admitted to being robbed of any joy and self-respect by Mordecai's continuing contempt for him. When someone suggested he ask the king's permission to hang Mordecai, the idea struck him as perfect; and he ordered a seventy-five-foot gallows constructed outside his home (ch. v). That night, when the king could not sleep, he had his journal read aloud. In this way he was reminded of how Mordecai had saved his life by uncovering the assassination plot against him. Embarrassed to realize that Mordecai had never been rewarded, the king determined to remedy the matter right away and, on learning that his prime minister was waiting in the outer court, asked that he come in. Without indicating the particular person he had in mind, the king asked Haman what should be done for someone he especially wanted to honor. Unable to recognize anyone's merits but his own, Haman assumed that the king wanted to honor him; he therefore advised that a royal robe and horse be given to that man, and that a high-ranking official of the court go before him throughout the city, crying, "This is what is done for the man whom the king especially wants to honor!" One can imagine Haman's surprise and dismay on learning that Mordecai was the man to be so honored and that he, Haman, would be the high-ranking official to wait on Mordecai and walk before him. Returning to his home mortified and seeking solace, Haman was cautioned by his wife and friends that if Mordecai really was Jewish, then Haman would never get the better of him (ch. vi). If Haman left home for the queen's party hoping to forget his humiliating experience and have his ego bolstered, he was rudely disappointed. During the party the king reaffirmed, for the third time in two days, that he would grant Esther virtually any request. Realizing that it was now or never, Esther asked that she and her people be saved from destruction, arguing that she would not have bothered the king if they were only to be made slaves. When the king demanded that she identify her enemy, she pointed to Haman as the one who had abused his position of power and the king's friendship. So surprised and incensed was the king that he bolted from the room. Haman, left behind, begged Esther to intercede with the king on his behalf. As Haman begged Esther for his life, and possibly even touched her as she lay upon her dinner couch, the king returned. For this serious violation of decency and harem etiquette Haman was sentenced to death on the spot. When Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, informed him that Haman had constructed a gallows for Mordecai, the king ordered Haman to be hanged on it himself (ch. vii). As compensation for Esther's suffering, the king awarded her Haman's estate, which she, in turn, gave to Mordecai; the king also appointed Mordecai Haman's successor. Unable to revoke Haman's letter instituting © Grand Valley State University �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 5   the pogrom against the Jews on the thirteenth of Adar, the king did the next best thing: he granted Mordecai full authority to compose a letter, in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet, granting Jews the right to defend themselves that day and, more importantly, encouraging all public officials to aid them. Mordecai hoped that this letter, copies of which were sent throughout the empire, might counteract the potential evil of Haman's letter; but although the letter may have had its intended effect on many, it did not deter all (ch. viii). When the thirteenth of Adar arrived, the enemies of the Jews were still so numerous that the Jews that day killed five hundred men in Susa and seventy-five thousand elsewhere. But although granted specific permission to plunder, the Jews did not do so. Throughout the empire they celebrated their victory on the fourteenth of Adar with feasting and the exchanging of gifts, but their enemies were still sufficiently strong in Susa for Esther to request permission to fight there the next day as well, and to expose the corpses of Haman's ten sons killed the day before. Permission was granted, and so the Jews in Susa fought also on the fourteenth, killing three hundred people but not taking any plunder. Thus they celebrated their victory on the fifteenth of Adar, instead of on the fourteenth with the rest of the Jews throughout the empire (ix 1-19). Mordecai kept a record of these things, and later wrote to all the Jews, commanding them to continue to observe Purim on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar (the holiday being named after the pur, or "lots," which Haman had cast to determine the propitious day for the pogrom) as the days of salvation and deliverance, and to observe them with feasting and gladness. Later on, to re-enforce Mordecai’s command, Esther used her authority as queen and as the people's heroine to write a letter to the Jews throughout the empire, encouraging them to observe forever both days of Purim (ix, 20-32). With Mordecai as his prime minister, the king's fortunes and programs prospered; Mordecai himself grew in power and influence among the Persians and in the affections of the Jews (ch. x). Esther, like Ecclesiastes that provided our text for the first message in this series, is an Old Testament Wisdom book; it is probably neither pure fiction nor pure fact. It may be characterized as an historical novel. It has more in it of nationalistic passion than religious devotion; yet it witnesses to a profoundly held conviction which has always characterized the faith of Israel and thus of the Christian Church - namely - God is working His purpose out in the history of the world and He uses persons open to His call to be the instruments of His purposes. Esther found her destiny in the gracious purposes of God to rescue His people. This conviction is rooted in faith in God's sovereign gracious purpose to redeem the world. We can use the term predestination - God is a God of covenant. He © Grand Valley State University �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 6   wills to be the God of us human persons and He created us to live in covenant community with Him. This is His predestinating will. That term scares us. It has been terribly abused, entangled with speculative philosophical notions that have made God too often a monster and the human person a puppet. Yet, rightly understood, predestination is the source of our confidence and our peace. God is for us - God will redeem the world, renew the whole cosmic order, gather His children, rebellious, guilty, anxious and untrusting though they be, to Himself and we shall dwell in the brightness of God's eternal kingdom. Predestination simply points to God's decision, God's intention that precedes everything. Predestination speaks of pre-decision, not pre-determination, as though everything is mapped out and set in ironclad mechanical fashion ahead of time. Everything that happens is not pre-determined. Everything that happens is not the will of God. God deals with us in a gracious personal relationship. God created us in His image endowing us with freedom and responsibility. He invites us to join in the movement of His Kingdom and the adventure of realizing the world's salvation, but God is not a divine bulldozer cutting a swath through all cosmic, historical and human obstacles; God is not a divine steamroller crushing and squashing all in His path. God invites cooperation, but tolerates opposition. And yet, and here is the mystery, His children who have come to trust Him live in the confidence that finally His purposes of love, of sovereign grace will be realized. All of this is evident in the words of Mordecai to Esther: …deliverance for the Jews will appear… The question in Mordecai's mind was not whether God would come to the aid of His people; it was only when and where and by whom. Mordecai confronted Esther in a calm and deliberate manner. He was confident under pressure. Disaster loomed in the near future; yet there is no panic; he is not biting his fingernails. He simply sets forth the situation inviting Esther to act, to put herself at God's disposal for the salvation of His people. Mordecai is not paralyzed by fear or overcome with anxiety. Nor is Mordecai a superficial optimist who simply whistles in the dark, hoping the evil will be denied by a cheery, if hollow exterior. The crisis is real; the situation is serious; tragedy may well be the outcome. His word to Esther is that if she keeps silence she need not think that her privileged position as Queen will secure her safety; she will be exposed to the same suffering and possible death as are all of her people. Faith in God's redemptive purpose, confidence in God's sovereign grace does not mean insulation from the suffering and tragedy of human existence. There is no safe island free from the ravages of human sin and the scourge of evil. Is it not paradoxical that precisely the Jewish people who have suffered so tragically throughout the centuries are the people who give to the world this faith in the God of history Whose sovereign grace will prevail? © Grand Valley State University �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 7   In Fiddler On The Roof, the closing scene silhouettes the villagers of Anotevka and their wagons piled with their worldly possessions, leaving the village, on the road again seeking some safe oasis in a world that has visited pogroms and persecution on them, driving them from place to place but seldom giving them rest for long. Mordecai is no superficial observer of human existence. He knows he may die. He knows Esther may die. He knows his generation may be wiped out from the Persian empire. But he knows something more. God will not die, nor will His purposes finally be defeated - finally, "deliverance will appear." And then this, too, is so vividly illustrated in the story: God's sovereign grace operates, not apart from but precisely through the human agency of His people. This is the challenge Mordecai puts to Esther: Who knows whether it is not for such a time as this you have come to royal estate? Who knows, Esther, but that your rise to position in the Kingdom might not have been for just such a moment. In the Greek translation of the Esther story, the word for time is not chronos, ordinary time, the succession of moments and minutes and hours and days - the word from which we get chronology. Rather, the word is translated Kairos - the moment weighted with eternal significance, the opportune time. The critical moment, the moment which will shape and determine all succeeding moments of chronological time. The Kairos moment is the moment in history in which is unleashed the sovereign, gracious power of God which moves history along toward the goal of God's determining. It is a "hinge time" on which swings the future. It is the moment of great opportunity for those who would put themselves at God's disposal to be the instruments of His purpose. It may be missed. Jerusalem missed it and Jesus wept over the city, crying, If only you had known, on this great day, the way that leads to peace! But no; it is hidden from your sight…because you did not recognize God’s moment when it came. But it may be captured and one may sense that one's life, one's destiny is caught up in the gracious purpose of God to bring salvation to the world. Such a view of human existence, historical reality and the sovereign purpose of God is far removed from a pagan fatalistic view of things. God is not playing chess with us, moving us about on the board of history. There is genuine human involvement, sometimes yielding to His gracious will, sometimes resisting His © Grand Valley State University �Finding Our Destiny in God’s Gracious Purpose Richard A. Rhem Page 8   sovereign purpose. But through it all – and again – this is the mystery – God is working His purposes out. He has contingency plans. Jesus said to the religious leaders of his day, “Say not we are the children of Abraham” as though only through them could God's purpose come about, for, Jesus said, “God can raise up of these stones children to Abraham.” God will not coerce us. But our stubborn rebellion will never paint God into a corner. All does not depend on us; that would be too heavy. But God will use us if we are willing, and to be caught up in God's great movement to bring about His kingdom is to find life's highest and best; it is to be finally satisfied, fulfilled, happy with a joy that will never fade but only grow through the eons of eternity as we live in the brightness of His eternal presence. Esther made her choice; she captured the moment; she was used of God as an instrument of salvation for God's people. She took the risk, saying, "If I perish, I perish." In total commitment to the purpose of God, she found her destiny. There is no higher privilege or richer gift. Reference: Carey A. Moore, Esther (The Anchor Bible Commentaries). Doubleday, 1971. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XII Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Esther 4:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Carey A. Moore, Esther (Anchor Bible Commentaries), 1971. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870823 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-08-23 Title A name given to the resource Finding Our Destiny in God's Gracious Purpose Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 23, 1987 entitled "Finding Our Destiny in God's Gracious Purpose", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Esther 4:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Divine Intention Hebrew Scriptures Nature of God Providence of God Salvation Sovereign Grace Wisdom Literature https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6c2b106cac0b166771abb3d77699d85a.mp3 a9795bef12c4f5263c624a08fbfadad9 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e3eddcc5f2fc5394e3f2b9435dc647dc.pdf 72ba7e2986c6678df23d30c7497f7483 PDF Text Text No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It (A Believing Agnostic’s View) From the sermon series: The Mystery of God’s Sovereign Grace Text: Ecclesiastes 3: 11, 19 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 16, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 ,RSV For man is a creature of chance and the beasts are creatures of chance, and one mischance awaits them all: death comes to both alike. Ecclesiastes 3:19, NEB I begin today a series of messages that will focus on God's purpose in human history, thus, God's purpose in human life. I entitle the series, "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace," with deliberate intention. I use the word "mystery" because the truth of God's purpose is not accessible to unaided human reason. Great minds have speculated and reflected on the purpose of God; volumes have been written and endless debate has been engaged in. Yet, God's purpose cannot be discovered by human reason. Still, the purpose of God is critically important to us all and we all know those significant junctures in our lives when we have cried out in frustration, "If only I knew what God's purpose is!" And the Bible says much about the will of God and God's purpose, but its truth is available only to those who trust that word, those to whom the Spirit of God addresses the Word. Mystery as I use it does not deny the possibility of knowing the purpose of God and acting within it; it only denies that human reason can master that reality by its own effort. I use the word “Sovereign.” Sovereign means in its adjectival usage, "standing out above others, excelling in some respect, supreme, paramount, principal, greatest or most notable." Sovereignty means “supremacy, pre-eminence in respect to excellence or in respect to power, authority and rule.” © Grand Valley State University   �No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It Richard A. Rhem Page 2   Especially the Reformed tradition has been noted for its stress on the Sovereignty of God – a characterization that has sometimes become a caricature. I do not speak of the sovereignty of God, although I do not deny it, but, rather, I speak of the sovereignty of grace; that word, too, is of critical importance as we discuss the will and purpose of God, because we are speaking not of an absolute Who, by the use of raw power effects His purposes, but of a God Who exercises His power in gracious, personal relationship. God's purpose and will is a mystery; it can be discerned only by revelation, received by faith. God's purposes will be effected; God is God. God's purposes will be effected graciously; God's dealing with us is personal, respecting our personality. One can trace the debate that has raged over the centuries on the relationship of God's will and human will. It is an old theological question and in the terms in which it has been debated, it can never be solved. Theologians on both sides of the issue have refused to leave it where we begin – in mystery. Rather, the mystery has been dissolved one way or the other, either by referring everything to the will of God and reducing the human person to the status of powerlessness, or by asserting human freedom at the expense of God's sovereign rule. The debate always ends unsatisfactorily because the two parties are viewed in such a way that what is gained by one is at the expense of the other. The whole dogmatic edifice has been challenged in the last three centuries. If we begin with the Enlightenment, which revolutionized the thinking of the continent in the 18th century, then we can see how the question has been handled to the present time with a radical shift from the older understanding of the will of God. The older orthodoxy was clearly on the side of God's sovereignty. John Oman writes, A doctrine both of God and of man of the utmost simplicity and definiteness was possible on the old dogmatic basis. God was the absolute and direct might and all He did without error or failure; and man was the creature of His hand, directly fashioned and needing nothing for his making but the word of power. Then to deal with the Omniscient was to have infallible truth, to deal with the Supreme to have absolute legislation, to deal with the Omnipotent to have irresistible succour. Faith was acceptance of infallible truth, justification coming to terms with absolute legislation, regeneration the inpouring of efficacious grace; and the whole dogmatic edifice stood solid and foursquare. (Grace and Personality, p. 19) Oman continues, So long as God's only adequate dealing with man is thought to be by the might of omnipotence directed in an unswerving line by omniscience, we © Grand Valley State University �No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It Richard A. Rhem Page 3   shall be apt to regard the underpinning of the old foundation, at all costs to facts, as a work of piety;... But that conception of God's way of working is precisely the assumption which needs to be challenged. First, we shall never inquire humbly into the actual way of God's dealing with His children, if we commence by laying down regulations for it a priori. Second, the regulations are much more determined by the idea of how an absolute force would act than by any notion of God as Father. Third, either the sphere of direct operation of omnipotence and omniscience is so restricted to special experience of special persons that religion ends where our bitterest need of God begins, or, failing that restriction, is so extended in indifference to good and evil, that God is only another name for the cosmic process. Fourth, could we succeed in restricting its sphere to matters of revelation and personal salvation, we should still be left with the unanswerable question, why, if this is His only adequate method, the Almighty should employ the inferior which admits error and follow so extensively, possibly so exclusively? (p. 24F) Using a beautiful image, Oman suggests that we have misconceived God's manner of working with us, His children. Rather than Omnipotence directed by Omniscience, God deals with us in a gracious personal relationship which takes seriously the freedom and responsibility with which He endowed us. He writes, God does not conduct His rivers like arrows, to the sea. The ruler and compass are only for finite mortals who labour, by taking thought to overcome their limitation, and are not for the Infinite mind. The expedition demanded by man's small power and short day produces the canal, but nature, with a beneficient and picturesque circumambulancy, the work of a more spacious and less precipitate mind, produces the river. Why should we assume that, in all the rest of His ways, He rejoices in the river, but in religion, can use no adequate method save the canal? The defense of the infallible is the defense of the canal against the river, of the channel blasted through the rock against the basin dug by an element which swerves at a pebble or a firmer clay. Then Oman asks the crucial question: And the question is whether God ever does override the human spirit in that direct way, and whether we ought to conceive either of His spirit or of ours after a fashion that could make it possible. Would such irresistible © Grand Valley State University �No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It Richard A. Rhem Page 4   might as would save us from all error and compel us into right action be in accord either with God's personality or with ours? (p. 25F) Again, he declares: All infallibilities presuppose an idea of grace mechanically irresistible. But a direct force controlling persons as things is no personal relation between God and man ... (p. 26) Oman rejects such a mechanically conceived notion of Grace and an idea of God "that poses Him as omnipotence directed by omniscience, thereby overriding the personality of the human person. Rather, he affirms that God and the creature He has fashioned in His own image are bound in a gracious personal relationship. The old argument always started from the wrong conception of the relationship of God and His child. The illuminating fact which makes us persons and not things, is that we are nothing except what we receive, yet we can receive nothing to profit except as our own ... (p. 33) Oman will join an absolute moral independence and an absolute religious dependence. They are not opposites, but necessarily one and indivisible. This is the theme we will be focusing upon as we hear the biblical witness from the Old Testament. We will begin with a rather familiar passage from a rather obscure Old Testament book, the Book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is a somewhat obscure Old Testament writing. We do not know the author and we cannot fully endorse every claim made in these chapters. The writer was a bit of a cynic and he really has no grasp of the grace of God, although he is a keen analyzer of the human condition. I remember my professor of preaching warning us to beware of the uninspired sayings of inspired persons. By that he was pointing out that not every expression from the lips of biblical characters represents God's truth. Ecclesiastes is a fascinating piece, but it is not the Gospel. Ecclesiastes was not soon nor easily accepted into the Jewish canon of scripture. Tradition points to Solomon as the author, but this is doubtful. Yet the connection with his name probably helped gain it acceptance into the canon. The writing ends commending belief in God, obedience to His commandments and the reality of judgment. But throughout it is a vivid picture of the vanity or emptiness of human existence. Judaism reads this work on the fourth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, perhaps on this day of joyous festival, to remind people that life and its joys are fleeting and everything has its season. This work reminds us that to whatever heights of hope and faith the soul may rise, the fact remains, as © Grand Valley State University �No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It Richard A. Rhem Page 5   the writer of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us, that "here have we no continuing city." (Hebrews 13:14) There is an attractiveness about this Old Testament writing for, while it does not share the secret of God's grace as we know it in Jesus and the hope that we have in light of the resurrection, nevertheless there is a kind of clarity of thought, honesty of observation and integrity of mind which we cannot help but admire. His straightforward acknowledgement of the tragic dimension of life is a healthy corrective to shallow optimism and. superficial piety which is at root a denial of reality and thus basically unhealthy and unhelpful. The writer of this book had no doubt about the existence of God, or about His sovereign sway, but he found no comfort in it. God was in control but the human creature had no knowledge as to what He was doing or where things would end. The writer cannot always be believed; he was an agnostic - a person who simply doesn't know. He never takes a position or makes a commitment because he is never certain of anything. Still, he is a "believing agnostic;" he believes in God's power, rule and control, but it's all an enigma to him. To be an agnostic is not very satisfying, but it's not terribly irritating, either. But to be a believing agnostic is to be not satisfied and constantly agitated. To be a believing agnostic is to believe too much to let it rest, and not enough to get anything out of it. To be a believing agnostic is one who surveys life, finds no clue as to its meaning, no sense of its direction, no feeling of grace, no succour, no sustaining or everlasting arm underneath, no kind of peace that the Eternal God is one's refuge, but still with kind of a haunting feeling that God is and God's in charge and God's about something, and God will make it happen, but God only knows what. Now, the writer to the Ecclesiastes is really quite a person. Really, I like him. He is so honest. And when is the last time you ever found any honesty in the Church? The nice thing about the writer to the Ecclesiastes is that he has intellectual integrity. He dares raise the tough questions. He believes that God is and God will get on by Himself all right, without him defending Him, but in the meantime, he's got some real tough questions before the Almighty. He says, in effect, "You know, I believe You are, but if You're so smart and so powerful, how come life is such a mess?" The writer had a candor about him and integrity about him that pious church people too often lack. We mask things over; we rationalize on behalf of God; we make excuses for God. When life is lousy, we don't dare say, “Life is lousy! Where in the world are You?” With the writer to the Ecclesiastes, it comes right out. He says sorrow and joy, tears and laughter, building up, tearing down - all of those marvelous things that he lists in the first eight verses which are so familiar and so popular that people ask them to be read at funerals and at weddings. The poetry is great. But, what is the issue of it all? He says, "God has put eternity in my heart - just enough so that I know there's something going on. But it beats me what it is." © Grand Valley State University �No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It Richard A. Rhem Page 6   He observes life and he says there really ought to be some connection between good conduct and proper reward. If you're a good guy, things ought to come out right, and if you're a bad guy, things ought to come out badly. But, he says, "Not the way I see it. I see good guys with bad things happening to them, and I see bad guys winning the Lotto Jackpot. From what I can observe in human experience, things don't come out right. Faithfulness and loyalty and steadiness and hard work and honesty and integrity and all of those good things you preach saying that things will work out nice - not the way I see it." And he said, "I don't know. I can't really see a lot of advantage of being human rather than a beast. And who knows if the human spirit goes up and the spirit of the beast goes down?" Now, you can read the whole book and you will find a few more positive statements sprinkled throughout, but by and large the conclusion of this writer is that all is vanity. He had no doubt about it - God is and God's at work and God's got a plan and God's got a program - no doubt about it, but no comfort in it, because as far as he's concerned, it escapes him totally. Well, for him, there is a mystery of sovereignty, but no grace. I like him. I like his honesty, and his insight into the human situation is a lot more honest than one generally hears from the pulpit. But, I'm afraid that his observation has left him not just patient with the rhythm of life, but caught in the web of fatalism which has left him weary, living on the edge of cynicism, draining him of energy, leaving him depressed. That is where an awful lot of us are an awful lot of the time. I think there is a whole pack of religion in the land that could be characterized as "No doubt about it, but no comfort in it." There is a lot of our religion that is just going through forms, an automatic response, a sense of obligation and duty - the feeling that maybe there's something in it and if there isn't nothing lost. It probably won't hurt. There is an awful lot of religion that could be characterized as not a doubtful kind of response, but certainly a comfortless kind of issue where God is maybe the center of the great machine, maybe a life force. Perhaps one could simply resign one's self to whatever will be, as the stoic. "Grin and bear it." A kind of noble resignation to the inevitable. But, as far as figuring it out is concerned, it's arbitrary, capricious, chance, no kind of rationale, no movement, no direction, no discernible goal. God? Yes. Mr. Gallup comes and says, "Do you believe in God?" "Yes." What? 95%? Maybe 98%. There aren't many good, red-blooded atheists in the world. Must be something. Takes a lot of faith to believe there's no God, or something like that! Now, that's a dismal way to live. Some supreme power putting me on the pan, testing me to see what's in me. No, thanks. What a dismal kind of Sovereign this is. Totally lacking in any great, any redemptive purpose, any loving embrace. It's a biblical witness, though. Ecclesiastes had a hard time getting in the canon, but © Grand Valley State University �No Doubt About It; No Comfort In It Richard A. Rhem Page 7   it got there. It's there, and there are a lot of us there, too, if we would be honest enough to admit it and to write it down like this writer did. Well, obviously, I can't leave it there. But, neither do I want to leave there too quickly. I can't send you out into the rain that dismally, but I don't want to take you out of it too quickly until you have felt the question, until you have honestly asked yourself, "Does that characterize my religious experience - no doubt about it, but no comfort in it?" How differently one like the Apostle Paul experienced the whole gamut of the human situation. He said, "I've learned how to be abased; I've learned how to abound; I've learned to be content in the whole human situation, with all of its ups and downs." So he shared with the Church at Philippi. That was in the wake of looking into the face of the ascended, reigning Christ, who had also lived in the depths of human darkness, but had been raised by the power of God. The same apostle writing to the Church at Rome said, "I am convinced that nothing can separate us from the love of God, the God Who works all things together for the good of those who love Him." Now, we can't stay with Ecclesiastes in the Christian Church, but it's good for us to hear the questions, to sense his honesty and his agony and to admit that a lot of the time we're weary too, drained of energy, paralyzed by a sense of helplessness and hopelessness, having no doubt about it, but sustaining no comfort in it. I point you, rather, to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus who said, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father," the light of the knowledge of the revelation of God in the face of Jesus Christ. That God, Who has been with us in the depths, is the One Who is persuasively but ever so gently and always graciously moving us toward the heights. Stay tuned in. Stay with it, because there's a lot more to come, and there are a lot more stories here that are filled with light and glory, so that maybe even we might move from having no doubt about it, but no comfort in it, to the place where we can honestly rest in the Lord. Let us pray. God, our Father, we shuffle through life, too often with our shoulders bent and our eyes on the road. We lack the energy; we live without a dream; we're not captivated by a vision; our life is gloomy, at best. God, set us free; encounter us. May there be a rift in the heavens; may a light break through; may a light surprise us, the surprise of Grace, that will enable us to lean and to rest and to praise Thee. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Reference: John Oman. Grace and Personality, 1917. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost XI Series The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace Scripture Text Ecclesiastes 3: 11, 18 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References John Oman, Grace and Personality, 1917. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870816 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-08-16 Title A name given to the resource No Doubt About It, No Comfort In it (A Believing Agnostic's View) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 16, 1987 entitled "No Doubt About It, No Comfort In it (A Believing Agnostic's View)", as part of the series "The Mystery of God's Sovereign Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost XI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Ecclesiastes 3: 11, 18. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Doubt Faith Hebrew Scriptures Mystery Nature of God Sovereign Grace https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/370652d735191c2e3c570dbeafca3eb8.mp3 46bdc358ed9268f184911abc620cc597 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/afebbd0c3125a892e005f456dcf27fa5.pdf f8c583e9588128c29b3f8ada55cc8eb1 PDF Text Text The Insight That Makes Praise Irrepressible A Reflection on the Psalms Text: Psalm 103:13-14 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 9, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14 With this message I will leave the Psalms for a time but, before doing so, I want to conclude with a Psalm of praise and thanks giving. If you want to classify it according to the interpretative framework of the previous messages, it is a psalm of orientation or, perhaps, new orientation, a hymn of praise, "a public song sung with abandonment in praise of God's person or the nature of God's creating and liberating actions." (Brueggemann) One could debate if the praise hymn is response to some surprise of grace or if it issues forth from the heart of one convinced of the goodness of God and the meaningfulness of life. I treat in this message Psalm 103, not to demonstrate one of the three classifications we have been tracing, but rather as one final demonstration of the beautiful way in which genuine human experience is acknowledged, brought into the presence of God and thus how human experience is really affirmed. By that I mean that, according to the best insight of Old Testament faith, it is O.K. to be human. Human is what God made us; for that we need make no apologies. To be human is to be a person on the way, a person in process; it is thus to be incomplete. To be human is to be vulnerable and to be fallible; to be human is to live in tension between the highest idealism and the lowest meanness, between high aspirations and moderate achievement, between soaring dreams and visions and frustrating roadblocks. To be human is to know the good and fail to perform it, to resolve the best and too often produce the worst. That being the truth of our humanness, there is a marvelous statement in Psalm 103 that should mean everything to us. It is an insight that makes praise irrepressible. In a psalm full of insight, it is this insight that makes it impossible to be silent. © Grand Valley State University   �Insight that Makes Praise Irrepressible Richard A. Rhem Page 2   As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:13-14 Is there any greater comfort than that? He knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. He knows our frame - of course, is he not our Creator? He remembers that we are dust - of course, that is the way he made us. And, in contrast, these affirmations are not simply statements of fact; rather, I hear the Psalmist saying, "It is all right to be human." We can be who we are. A more accurate translation of our text is: For he knows our form, mindful that we are clay. That calls to our minds immediately the creation account in Genesis 2. In the profound imagery and symbolism of that creation story we read, Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Genesis 2:7 The word for man is generic in the Hebrew; it is adham from whence we derive Adam. The story, however, is not first of all about a man named Adam, but about a creature, Adham, who is formed from Adhamah, "dust", or better, "clay." One translation of Genesis 2:7 puts it this way: God formed man (Adam) from the clods in the soil (Adama). We will probably never displace "dust" from our minds, yet the meaning is that the stuff of the soil is the stuff of which the human creature is formed. Sometime we speak of a human person as an "earthling" and this would be a comparable play on words - an earthling of the earth. It would be stretching it a bit if we found here the source of that negative label we sometimes put on ourselves when we refer to ourselves or another as a "clod." Yet perhaps precisely that common put-down points up a critical insight; we do put ourselves and others down for being what we are in our clumsy and awkward moments. We feel "cloddy." However, what we must see is that the reality of our identity with the created order is not in the Bible a put-down; it is simply an open recognition, an owning of our very creatureliness - a part of a created whole which the Hebrew writer understood as being pronounced "good" as it came from the Creator's hand. To the extent that the generic name "man" came to be used as a name for a person, it reflects the ancient idea that a name literally "named," that is, it bespoke the essence of the thing named. Adam, then, if you would think of a concrete human creature, was named according to his intimate relationship to the earth. © Grand Valley State University �Insight that Makes Praise Irrepressible Richard A. Rhem Page 3   The image of the Genesis story, which is reflected in our text, is that of God as the potter who takes up the clay and fashions it into the design of His desiring. The human creature is the product, if you will, of the Divine design and initiation. God has created us; God has fashioned us to reflect His own creative purpose. If we back up to Genesis 1, we find that account of Creation speaking of God creating the human person in His own image, which truth is picked up in Psalm 8, the psalm with which this series of messages began, ... Thou hast made him little less than God, ... That idea of the image of God in which we were created speaks of our relationship to God, that which connects us to Him and sets us apart from the rest of the created order. But that is not our concern in this message. Here I would emphasize our earthiness, our connectedness to the created order. And what I want to emphasize is that that is not noted in a negative tone, but in a factual statement of the way it is because that is the way God willed it to be. God knows our form. He remembers that we are clay. This statement follows a statement of God's compassion for His people. The image used is that of a parent; As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. Thus the point the Psalmist is making is that God is compassionate. Four times in this psalm he refers to God's steadfast love, the beautiful Hebrew word hesed we noted last week in the text from Lamentations 3. God can be trusted to be merciful and compassionate just as a good parent naturally feels compassion and mercy for a child. We do not have to apologize for who we are or what we are. The Psalmist points out that we are what we are because God created us to be what we are. That is an insight that makes praise irrepressible. The solid sense of being accepted as we are, being valued for the persons we are, being affirmed in our very humanness is the basis for our own self esteem and self worth. We are God's creation; we are a reflection of the Divine intention. Now, I can hear an objection: "Ah, yes, but we have sinned; we have defaced the image of God; we have forfeited our status as children; certainly you claim too much, you must be soft pedaling the guilt we have brought on ourselves." Let me respond to that. © Grand Valley State University �Insight that Makes Praise Irrepressible Richard A. Rhem Page 4   First of all, we have been far too obsessed with the idea of sin in the Church. That is a bold statement and no doubt sounds strange coming from the Christian pulpit, but stay with me for a moment. I will come to the reality of human sin eventually and there is no need to downplay that in order to lift up the human person. But my point here is that too often in the Church being human has been understood almost as being identical with being sinner. Now from our text I sense that the psalmist is reflecting the feeling that God is easier on being human than many of us human beings are - especially we who make up the Church. What does it mean to be human? To be human is to be created, not creator; it is to be creature, not God. That must be obvious. Yet we do forget it and perhaps it is precisely the power of our sin that we forget we are human and are rather driven by a god-complex. Nonetheless, we are human and, therefore, we are creatures of history. We live in the stream of history; we live one day at a time, moment by moment, with no possibility of jumping out of the stream and surveying it from a perspective beyond it. How we would love to know what lies around the corner. How we would love to know the unfolding drama of history and of our own lives before time, but that is precisely it – to be human is to have no "before time;" it is to have time, the present. To be sure, there is a past and we learn from it if we are wise. There is a future and we prepare for it if we are wise. But the past is written; the future is not yet; we are writing the present - now is the only moment we ever have. Our lives are lived in moments of decision - critical choices we must make time and again - choices of lesser import daily and we must do it with only limited knowledge, limited insight, some measure of wisdom - more or less -and some store of experience. We are fragile, vulnerable creatures. From time to time we hear of someone whose fragile existence hangs on by a thread. An accident brings one to the very brink of death and a life support system keeps life until the body functions once again. A stroke, an aneurism, a coronary. The psalmist of Psalm 139 wrote, "We are fearfully and wonderfully made," and we are! The human body is a marvel to fill us with awe. And it is fragile – a breath, a heartbeat away from being over. Too much thought of life's vulnerability could drive one out of one's mind. We are part of a community and world where free choice and responsible decisions are everyone's. Therefore, we cannot really determine our own destiny as though all critical factors were for our deciding. Beyond our personal decision are the choices and decisions of the whole community, the nation, indeed, the nations. What happens if the fanatical fundamentalism of the Shiite Moslems brings the world into conflagration? © Grand Valley State University �Insight that Makes Praise Irrepressible Richard A. Rhem Page 5   Being part of the whole is God's intention for us – living in community – but that also means we are at the mercy of decisions and choices beyond our own in so many crucial areas that determine our wellbeing. We are mortal; we will all die. I could go on citing the characteristics of our human existence, but let's cite just this one final reality – our mortality. That puts the limit on our dreams, our visions, our designing, our building and acquiring. We are limited by that terminus point which no one knows and no one can predict. Indeed, we do live under the shadow of death. There is so much more one could say, but this is enough to make the point I am trying to make. We are fragile, vulnerable creatures. We are a marvel; we ought to stand in awe of our humanness; yet it is also a threatened existence that is ours. I have a book on my shelf entitled, The Worry and Wonder of Being Human. Indeed! If all the above is true, then we fragile creatures of dust (or clay) are bound to live with some anxiety. We are constantly moving into uncharted waters exposed to a thousand threats having limited knowledge and yet having to make choices for good or ill. And we will make mistakes, wrong choices. And being anxious, we will become defensive and self-protective. And being free and independent (relatively), we will be pushed by self concern and concern for those closest to us. And such self-centered motivation gone awry has written the horror story of human history, but we could not be the creatures we are without that drive for independence and a certain aggressiveness. We feel that tension in the family. We try to socialize our children, teach them the limits of acceptable behavior. Yet we do not want to break their will or crush their spirit and sometimes when our own children plunge and lunge at life we may get nervous and yet, at the same time, feel a little pride at their daring. A great danger of our educational system is that we socialize too successfully and cut the creative nerve of the child. It is only a further development of that when in totalitarian countries the system would undercut all free and independent thinking and produce row after row of socially controlled robots. Now hear the text again. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear him. He knows our form, He remembers we are clay. Was not the psalmist saying that it is precisely in our fragile and vulnerable human existence that we are looked upon with compassion by God Who made us and made us just the way we are? It is on that basis that I began with the assertion that it is O.K. to be human. It is O.K. to be limited, vulnerable, fragile and susceptible to err. © Grand Valley State University �Insight that Makes Praise Irrepressible Richard A. Rhem Page 6   But, my objector persists: "Are we not sinners? Have we not rebelled against God's purpose and do we not set ourselves up against God and our neighbor?" Of course. Let me say again, to make my point I do not need or intend to whitewash the sin of the human person. I could go on now to paint the canvas of the human portrait black and shadowy gray: selfishness, meanness, pettiness, cruelty, violent madness. The picture does not have to be overdrawn to convince us of something in the human creature that is twisted, warped, distorted, and we know it well because there is no sin "out there" that I cannot find "in here," in the secret depths of my own heart. But again, to be honest with all of that is not simply to write off the human creature. In his Christian Faith, Berkhof suggests that the Genesis story of human creation ought to be heard not so much as a story of a perfect state followed by a fallen state, but of a human creature always caught between the tug of the lower and the call of the higher. But even that is not the point. The point is made so beautifully in the Psalms. The God Who, father like, has compassion on us and knows us is the God Who has also provided for us forgiveness. Sometimes I think we have never really heard the declaration of forgiveness. Sometimes I hear it spoken here and still condemn myself. Could the Scripture be any clearer? As far as the East is from the West - as high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His mercy, His steadfast love; He does not deal with us according to our sins. How shamefully we have muffled that message in the Church. How assiduously we have marched over the earth preaching sin in order then to present sin's solution. How much wiser we would have been if only we had preached the solution already in effect and then invited persons to come home to the Father's house because there is no longer any reason to stay away. The Gospel of Jesus Christ which is only the full realization of the grace of which the psalmist sang is the announcement of the radical, unconditional, allencompassing, universal love of the eternal God Who made us and loves us just as we are - human, all too human! That is the biblical message; that is the passionate center of the one story of the Bible. It is a story of a Creator, full of grace, Who fully understands us and unconditionally loves us. God created us human with all the struggle that that entails and God will not let us go 'til we take on the shape of the one who lived a © Grand Valley State University �Insight that Makes Praise Irrepressible Richard A. Rhem Page 7   fully human existence as the faithful human covenant partner of the covenantkeeping God. No wonder the psalmist burst forth in praise as he reviewed what God does for His children - forgives, heals, redeems, crowns, satisfies and renews. Bless the Lord, O my soul! © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost X Scripture Text Psalm 103:13-14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870809 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-08-09 Title A name given to the resource The Insight That Makes Praise Irrepressible Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 9, 1987 entitled "The Insight That Makes Praise Irrepressible", on the occasion of Pentecost X, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 103:13-14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Creator God Divine Intention Forgiveness Human Nature Praise Psalms https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/0d887fd798c231b8bd03b9ce0696094d.mp3 3ef966eaef354aa6e5384c74a82e8c2b https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/74ddf4040d65102b3ed2df7a79bf9f7b.pdf c2a5d28540de685c06d42d80eba10a1c PDF Text Text Surprised by Grace Text: Lamentations 3:22-26 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan August 2, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness… It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26 Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while he sings; It is the Lord, who rises with healing in His wings: When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again A season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain. William Cowper has captured the theme of this message beautifully in these lines. He lived from 1731 to 1800 and was England's most honored poet between Pope and Shelley. He was a frail child and very sensitive. His mother died when he was a child of six and near the end of his life he remarked there had never been a day when he had not mourned her death. His father sent him to law school, but the prospect of appearing for his final exam so frightened him that he suffered a mental breakdown and even attempted suicide. For 18 months he was placed in an insane asylum. He found a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through reading Romans. Having recovered, he was befriended by the family of a clergyman, Morly Urwin, and when Urwin died, John Newton, the converted slave trader become Anglican pastor and author of "Amazing Grace," invited Cowper to come to Olney, England, Newton's parish. For the last two decades of Cowper's life, he was a close personal friend of Newton. With Newton, Cowper cooperated in producing Olney Hymns, a collection of 349 hymns. Cowper's own personal experience finds expression not only in the hymn cited above but, for example, in "O For a Closer Walk With God." Return, O Holy Dove, return, Sweet messenger of rest! I hate the sins that made thee mourn And drove thee from my breast. © Grand Valley State University   �Surprised by Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 2   And in "God Moves In A Mysterious Way." Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. In a word, the one who trusts in the good and gracious God is not spared the troubles and anguish common to humankind; the child of God, however, knows more than the awful darkness; the child of God also knows what it is to be surprised by grace. Sometimes a light surprises a Christian while he sings – or prays, or reflects on the past mercies of God. And the light which scatters the darkness ushers in "a season of clear shining." The experience is one of sheer grace; it comes in the wake of an anguish and despair which seemed beyond resolution; it comes when one has lost all hope and cannot imagine that things will ever come right, that one's heart will ever be mended, that one will ever again know joy and rejoicing. Unpredictably, unexpectedly, light returns, the woundedness heals and grace is experienced. God intervenes; one is assured anew of a mercy that never fails and a steadfast love that never wavers and a faithfulness that remains rocklike. So to experience grace is to find life transformed, reality transformed. One moves from disarray, disorientation to new orientation and all one can do is praise God out of a heart saturated with gratitude. In our study of the Psalms we have traced the rhythm of human experience that is never static but rather dynamic, in motion. Sometimes life is experienced as harmonious and well-ordered. Meaning is secure and purpose in life clear. One trusts in the wise and gracious rule of the Sovereign Creator. But sometimes the roof collapses, the bottom drops out and order turns to chaos. The dark night of the soul knows only anguish - and as noted in our study of Psalm 88, the darkness sometimes settles in with no relief, no resolution. But, thank God, in our common human experience there more often follows a scattering of the darkness, a burst of light, the promise of joy and a new orientation – the surprise of grace. The Psalms are a mirror of Israel's spiritual experience; they are a portrait of the way life is for us all. Life is lived not so much in one state or the other, but in the dynamic movement from orientation through disorientation to new orientation. © Grand Valley State University �Surprised by Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 3   That is the way life is and the Bible is a very honest book and the Old Testament a very wholesome portrayal of human experience before the face of God. This message celebrates the surprising grace of God that effects healing and wholeness, the grace that is not at our disposal, not ours to control or manipulate, not predictable or expected – the grace which is the intervention of the faithful God Who comes to us out of the darkness, Who meets us in the darkness, Who transforms the darkness into light. Although we have been tracing this pattern in the Psalms, and there are many examples of the surprise of grace in the Psalms, I have chosen my text from the Book of Lamentations. The whole book is poetry, five poems, elegies that give expression to the deep anguish of the people of God over the devastation of Jerusalem through the destruction ordered by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar after the seige of 587 was successful and the Holy City was finally taken. The walls were torn down, the Temple burned, the best of the citizenry taken away and the city left a smoldering shambles. The situation, the historical context out of which this grief pours, is given in the book of II Kings 25:8-12: In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon - Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, an official of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. He burned down the house of Yahweh, and the King's house; and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every great man's house, he set on fire and burned. The whole army of the Chaldeans tore down the walls of Jerusalem, all around... The rest of the people who were left in the city, and those who had deserted to the King of Babylon, and the rest of the populace, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took to Babylon as prisoners. The captain of the guard left only some of the poorest in the country to tend the vines and farm the land. Lamentations.supplies the meaning of this historical data. As one commentator says, It is first of all a recital of the horrors and atrocities that came during the long siege and its aftermath, but beyond the tale of physical suffering it tells of the spiritual significance of the fall of the city. For the ancient people chosen by Yahweh it meant the destruction of every cherished symbol of their election by God. In line after line the poet recalls all the precious, sacred things which had been lost or shattered: the city itself, once "The perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth;" the city walls and towers, once the outward sign that "God is in the midst of her," the King, "The anointed of Yahweh, the breath of our nostrils"; the priests, and with them all festive and solemn worship; the prophets, and with them all visions and the living word of God; the land itself, Israel's "inheritance" from Yahweh, now turned over to strangers; the people - dead, exiled, or © Grand Valley State University �Surprised by Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 4   slaves in their own land. Every sign that had once provided assurance and confidence in God was gone. (Anchor Bible, Lamentations, p. XV) To the survivors these poems in Lamentations served as a means by which to bring to expression an almost inexpressible sorrow. Their grief was deep - beyond words; yet these words gave vent to the anguish and as we noted last week, when in the darkness, it is so important to bring to expression the anguish - to bring it into the presence of God Who is experienced as absent, yet present in the absence. So much for the historical context and the deep spiritual malaise the events of 587 created in the experience of Judah. What we are focusing on in this message is not the darkness which provides the backdrop, but rather the surprise of grace, the return of hope. From near total despair, the person described by the poet wins through to confidence that God's mercy is not at an end and that his steadfast love will not fail nor his faithfulness falter. In chapter 3, the first 16 verses portray vividly the terrible suffering the person has experienced; verses 17-20 describe the resulting despair and then, in an amazing turnabout, verses 21-25 speak of renewed hope that rises from the remembrance of the mercy of God. In verses 1-16 the author is saying, "This is what any human being may be called to endure." Verses 17-21 are a transitional bridge which portray the despair and despondency which results from the onslaught of suffering. But even in the darkness of despair, the one who trusts in God will wait. With verse 22 we have the breakthrough, the surprise of grace. And the surprise of grace is a renewed sense of the mercy or the steadfast love of the Lord. The Hebrew word is hesid, "steadfast love" or "loyal love" or "mercy." The remembrance of the steadfast love of the Lord is the basis for renewed hope. Hesid describes God's faithful and merciful love which is promised and may thus be expected even when there is no tangible sign of its presence. Hesid speaks of more than an emotion; it is the loving and merciful action of God which transforms reality. In the darkest hour Israel remembered the steadfast love, the mercy of God. The reality of the God of covenant grace returned to flood the soul of the sufferer; he was surprised by grace and found his hope renewed; he found the grace to wait patiently for the salvation of God. To his surprise, a new and unexpected possibility shows itself. God's mercy is not at an end; God's compassion will not fail. He breaks forth in exclamatory praise, "Great is Thy faithfulness." In the wake of the new realization there is amazement, joy, gratitude and praise. This is an expression of biblical faith at its heart, at its most profound depths. It rests on the sure mercy, the steadfast love of the faithful God. It was when the © Grand Valley State University �Surprised by Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 5   grief had been brought to speech in the presence of God, that the writer was no longer mesmerized by the darkness but once again remembered the true nature of the Covenant God. Suddenly a light surprised him and that light was a prelude to a season of clear shining. This mercy of God was not spent, exhausted; rather, embracing the darkness and permeating the darkness was that mercy which was new every morning. Now the sense of the faithfulness of God returns and hope once again floods the soul. In human experience we find that there are periods of anguish but we find, too, that there is a grace that comes to us from beyond ourselves, that effects healing in the midst of brokenness and creates hope in the most desolate human situations. The movie, "Choices of the Heart," was rerun on TV last week. It is the story of Jean Donovan, one of the four women brutally slain in El Salvador a few years ago. She was narrating her experience showing the terrible poverty, the violence and fear that stalked the lives of the people. But she pointed to the children in tattered rags, playing in the dusty rubble of their poor neighborhood and remarked how amazingly they lived with hope. "They know," she said, "the roses will bloom again." It seems that hope thrives best in the darkness awaiting the light. And it is true there is a positive, healing power that gives buoyancy to the human heart even in the darkness. I re-read M. Scott Peck's The Road Less Traveled, remembering his discussion of grace which he defines as a powerful force originating outside of human consciousness which nurtures the spiritual growth of human beings. As a medical person trained in the natural sciences, he witnesses to a miraculous power which cannot be located as to origin or source nor explained in any scientific fashion, but which he has, nonetheless, experienced for himself and as operative in the patients he has dealt with in his psychiatric practice. He is ready, for himself, to identify the source of grace as God. This, of course, is precisely the witness of the Scriptures. It is not simply that there is a force that is on our side; it is that there is a gracious God Who is for us. It is not that the darkness is not threatening, that the anguish is not real; it is that there is One Who invades the darkness and by the transformation of grace changes the reality of our situation. It is not simply that time heals all wounds; it is that God graciously heals us and brings us toward wholeness, just when it seemed all hope was gone. In the previous message I found the epitome of the experience of Psalm 88 in the crucifixion of Jesus who cried out, "My God, why...?" and died in darkness, alone. Within the framework of history there was, neither for the psalmist nor for Jesus, a resolution. But, we can move beyond history now to the ultimate word, the event of Easter morning. God raised Jesus from the dead. That is the last word, a © Grand Valley State University �Surprised by Grace Richard A. Rhem Page 6   word far too good to limit to Easter. Each Lord's Day is an Easter celebration, a celebration of the bedrock of our confidence; our trust is in the God Who transforms reality, the God Who raises the dead. Sometimes we marvel at the resiliency, the buoyancy, the toughness of the human spirit. It is really amazing and awesome. But that is not so much a characteristic of the human spirit; it is a testimony to the steadfast love of the Lord Whose compassion never fails, Whose mercy is new every morning, Who is great in His faithfulness. Sometimes hope is almost gone. Sometimes despair completely overwhelms. What then? Wait. Why? Because, The Lord is good to those who look for Him, to all who seek Him; It is good to wait in patience and sigh for the deliverance by the Lord. Again, that Hebrew word, "wait," can also be translated "hope," or "wait with expectation," because His mercy is not over. Sometimes a light surprises; Sometimes we are given "a season of clear shining;" Sometimes we are surprised by grace because God is good and gracious. He is our God. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost IX Scripture Text Lamentations 3:22-26 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870802 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-08-02 Title A name given to the resource Surprised by Grace Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on August 2, 1987 entitled "Surprised by Grace", on the occasion of Pentecost IX, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Lamentations 3:22-26. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Hope Psalms Suffering Transforming Grace Trust https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4c3a0555cbdc60d4a64839453c2f668a.mp3 a0f8f573e50fe396088405637be7c27b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost VII Scripture Text Psalm 88:14 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870726 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-07-26 Title A name given to the resource Hanging On In the Darkness Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 26, 1987 entitled "Hanging On In the Darkness", on the occasion of Pentecost VII, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 88:14. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3eab6a43d32514739c6acfc1f0b7b882.mp3 4609fb47b960281d3782bac9d8f94377 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3cc9447ef09b915a2182a5cf3462fe6d.pdf 899b203b548a21fe3c53afcc1c52546f PDF Text Text A Song of Serenity A Reflection on the Psalms Text: Psalm 8:1 Richard A. Rhem Christ Community Church Spring Lake, Michigan July 19, 1987 Transcription of the spoken sermon Human experience is uneven. It may seem that for some it is always Summer, and for others it is always Winter, but it would be more accurate to recognize that for most of us human experience is varied; it is dynamic, in flux, and it contains both light and shadow, good times and difficult times. The Psalms are a beautiful reflection of human experience as it is lived consciously before the face of God and, if we are honest in letting the Psalms speak to us in the full spectrum of these experiences, they will have a word for us in every season of our lives. They will bring to expression the depths of our experience, whether that be of joy or sorrow, of pain or pleasure. Walter Brueggemann in his study of the Psalms suggests that the whole range of human experience, which comes to expression throughout the whole Psalter, can be diagrammed as a movement. There are three life situations which are easily identified in many Psalms and those life situations are true to our common human experience. There are Psalms of orientation which express confident trust in the good order of Creation, reflecting the seasons of wellbeing; there are Psalms of disorientation which reflect the struggle of the person in conflict and confusion, the dark night of the soul; there are Psalms of new orientation which give expression to the joy and gratitude felt because of the surprise of grace which has effected healing and brought wholeness to life again. Most of life is lived in movement from one state or condition to the other. Human experience is uneven; we are always in process; life is fragile and we are vulnerable to the slight tilting of the axis of the heart, which can move us from settled confidence to disarray, and again, from disarray to the healing of grace. Each condition of our human expression finds an echo in the songbook of Israel. Psalm 8 is a song of serenity, singing the confident trust of one who is © Grand Valley State University   �A Song of Serenity Richard A. Rhem Page 2   experiencing reality, the world and life as well ordered, well structured, reliable and harmonious. The Psalm ends as it begins with a paean of praise to the majestic greatness of God, Who has created and Who sustains this well ordered world. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth! The psalmist stands in awe of creation, of the wisdom with which all has been ordered. How great Thy name means how gloriously Thou art manifested in the whole created order. Here is an expression of buoyant faith, of a sense of wonder, of a joyful acknowledgement of God Who has brought about the harmonious symmetry of all of reality. Here we have a confident, serene settlement of the faith questions. The Psalmist has found a place to stand, a place to set his feet. Since God is trustworthy and reliable, there are some things that are simply settled. One can go on to other things because there is a kind of untouchable core of trust that moves one beyond doubt and anxiety. Life is good because God in His goodness has created a good and hospitable space in which one can live and move and have one's being. There is an elemental certitude that forms a solid foundation on which to rest one's life. Such is the conviction of the poet who penned the eighth Psalm. Let us look at the heart of faith's conviction as it comes to expression in this song of serenity. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth! Exclamation point; so the Psalm begins, so it ends. Worship, praise and adoration of the greatness of God form as it were the brackets, the boundaries within which the psalmist contemplates the identity and dignity of the human person. At its heart, the Psalm is an affirmation of human power and authority, which is grounded in and bestowed by the eternal God. In this Psalm, doxology at the beginning and end form the context in which the dominion accorded to the human person is celebrated. There is a proper order and a careful balance in the contemplation of our place in the total scheme of things. And what is that place? We are placed over creation, under God. The prepositions are critically important. We are placed over creation. The psalmist celebrates this fact. In the beginning we find him feeling extremely small and insignificant as on a clear night he contemplates the stars and the moon and the vastness of the deep, dark reaches of outer space. Within him runs the question, © Grand Valley State University �A Song of Serenity Richard A. Rhem Page 3   What is the human person that Thou shouldst remember him, mortal humanity that Thou shouldst care for them? The eternal God Who spoke and brought the worlds into place, Who spoke again and hung the stars in place – that God behind and beyond the vast Creation must be so majestic, so awesome that One can hardly believe that One so mighty and magnificent would bother about the frail and fragile human creature who lives beneath the stars, so vulnerable to the overwhelming might and mystery of the natural world. That is the psalmist's initial reaction as he lies on his back, staring into starry space. But then he contemplates further; he goes on to realize, Yet Thou hast made him little less than a god, crowning him with glory and honour. The psalmist was no doubt familiar with the beautiful first chapter of Genesis, the Song of Creation. There, too, in poetic fashion the wonder of God's creative work is celebrated and the crown of that work, the pinnacle of God's creative genius is the creation of the human person in God's own image. God made us like Himself – that is the daring biblical affirmation, and therein the greatness and the dignity of the human person are proclaimed. The Bible will have nothing to do with the denigrating or scorning of humanity. Rather, it proclaims loudly and clearly the greatness of the human person. God has committed to us rule and authority. Thou makest him master over all Thy creatures; Thou hast put everything under his feet. Again the Creation chapter from Genesis comes to mind. The human person is charged with responsibility for the good Creation; to be the steward of Creation, to care for it, preserve it and make it fruitful. And so, as God is to the whole created cosmos, the human creature is to the good earth. The vastness of cosmic space, which the psalmist could only guess at but we know to be beyond our contemplation, which in the beginning seemed to dwarf him and his sense of significance, is now brought into perspective. Now the very wonder of Creation points to the pinnacle of Creation itself, the human person who, godlike, contemplates the whole and takes responsibility for it. That is what the Psalm celebrates: human dignity, power and authority bounded by the eternal God Who willed it thus and Who grounds the whole structured reality. The human person – over creation, under God, finds thus his dignity, her destiny. © Grand Valley State University �A Song of Serenity Richard A. Rhem Page 4   Professor James Cook of Western Theological Seminary preached on this psalm here some months ago and entitled the message, "The Poem That Puts Us In Our Place," a fine title for the psalm. That is precisely what we have here – a poem that puts us in our place, over creation, under God. We learn who we are and we learn what we are called to do. Identity and destiny are terribly important issues to get settled. To know who I am (and Whose I am) and what I am called to do is to find my place, to get my bearings, to gain a sense of orientation. In the psalms of orientation there are some matters of critical importance that are settled. One can get on with life because the large questions of human existence are settled. The God Who in grace has embraced us is the God Who upholds the world He has created and preserves it in its course and will finally realize His purposes of love, bringing all things to consummation. Is it important, thus, to believe and to live? Yes, without question. You will remember the opening scene of "Fiddler On The Roof." Tevye tells us that life is precarious; it is a delicate balancing act, like playing a fiddle on a peak of a sharply sloped roof. And, he asks, how do we keep our balance? He answers his own question - Tradition. And a great foundation stone of that Tradition would be Psalm 8 with its praise of God's majesty which grounds reality and gives meaning and dignity to human existence, holding out the promise of a final redemption. The story goes on to portray the three daughters who successively test the limits to greater and greater extent – finally to the breaking point. Yet, even the breaking of the traditions gives a definition of human existence because there was a settled order, a tradition against which one struggled. Three years ago I returned from the Netherlands where I had spent much time with my mentor, Professor Berkhof, who spoke of the near impossibility of communicating with the youth of the Netherlands who seemed so lost, so much adrift without any fixed and settled points on the compass of their lives. His comment was that one could not offer answers to their disorientation because they themselves did not even know the Question. And then he said something that struck me and I have shared with you. "The youth of this generation are not the prodigals; they are the children of the prodigals who left home but never returned." The prodigal had a memory of home. The prodigal knew somewhere there was a father, somewhere there was something called home. But those born and raised in the faithless wasteland of the Far Country do not even have a meaning of home. We are told of today's youth as being without orientation in our own country, as well. The reason often cited is the nuclear threat that hangs over our world. The scourge of drug trafficking is attributed to the meaningless malaise that seems to © Grand Valley State University �A Song of Serenity Richard A. Rhem Page 5   characterize the lives of so many. Our culture has in large measure lost its orientation. There are no longer those certainties that can simply be trusted. Life is without definition. How thankful we can be if we have been given the gift of trust in the good and gracious God Who created and Who preserves and Who will bring all things to consummation. That is an affirmation of faith. It cannot be proved by methods of scientific demonstration. It is gift. To have received such a gift is to cry out with the psalmist, O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth! To have received such a gift is to have a place to stand, to sense a solid foundation from which one can get on with life. To have received such a gift is to have some matters settled, some issues put to rest. To have received such a gift is to be moved beyond anxiety, beyond fear. Let me underscore the blessing of such a gift: it speaks of the givenness of life, the world, the order of reality. There is no sense of peace about achieving the world or securing the world; no sense of super importance as though one is responsible for the survival of the world. As Bishop Quail heard God say in the midst of a sleepless, restless night: "You can go to sleep now, Bishop; I will stay up." What a wonderful gift it is so to trust. But, let me point to a serious error to avoid: That does not mean presumptive trust, nor irresponsibility as though we can simply "leave it all to God." He has given us dominion over the works of His hand. He has crowned us with glory and honor and called us to the responsible stewardship of nature and responsible engagement with the course of history. But with trust intact, we are free from paralyzing fear, free to plunge into life exercising our best gifts to further God's purpose in the assurance that finally all things are in His gracious hand. Finally, we must recognize that the Psalm is a song of serenity; it is the expression of calm and confident trust in the great tradition that is ours. But, tradition must never be allowed to degenerate into traditionalism. Jaroslav Pelikan has said that tradition is the living faith of the dead; but traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. And if the Church has in its tradition a very great gift, it has often sinned by allowing that tradition to harden and to die. Failing to recognize that tradition is living and growing and needs always to be translated into contemporary idiom as it is brought into engagement with the present horizon, the Church has too often acted as though its faith were recorded in timeless statements that can never be interpreted anew. Then in a world like © Grand Valley State University �A Song of Serenity Richard A. Rhem Page 6   ours, with the explosion of knowledge, there is no light shed from the tradition on the new discoveries and insights of the present, and to believe becomes adherence to an anachronistic belief system, which no longer illumines human experience. We have too often offended here; we have lost the best and brightest. It is not only those who are offended intellectually. There are also those whose lives are not precisely marked by serenity, but rather by severity, whose lives are in disarray. There are those for whom there seems to be no symmetry, no harmony, no well-ordered cosmos. They, too, have a true insight. For many, there can be no easy orientation. The writer to the Hebrews knew that. Citing Psalm 8, "What is man ...," he concludes the citation with these words: Thou didst put all things in subjection beneath his feet. (2:8) But then goes on quickly to add, But in fact we do not yet see all things in subjection to man. And then he goes on, But we see Jesus… That author knew what some of you know. In this our Father's world there are still many things out of sync. There is yet much to be put in subjection before we exercise our royal rule in the created order of God. But we see Jesus - he lived, died, experienced the darkness of hell from which God raised him up, giving him a Name above every name! Therefore, even when I cannot find the light, I cling to Jesus; I live by hope; I appropriate already that which is promised but is not yet. And thus even in life's confusion I begin to hear the melody of a greater harmony and I know one day all Creation will resound with the song of serenity when all God's purposes are realized in heaven and on earth and He is everything to everyone. Reference: Walter Brueggemann. The Message of the Psalms. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984. © Grand Valley State University � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost VI Scripture Text Psalm 8:1 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI References Walter Brueggeman. The Message of the Psalms, 1984. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870719 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-07-19 Title A name given to the resource A Song of Serenity Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 application/pdf Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 19, 1987 entitled "A Song of Serenity", on the occasion of Pentecost VI, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 8:1. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives Divine Intention Psalms Stewardship Tradition Trust https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/2bbdd4d3e5b0b2d9853ed8345272757c.mp3 90241e847dbc4e9aa3cbcaa49977f288 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard A. Rhem Collection Description An account of the resource Text and sound recordings of the sermons, prayers, services, and articles of Richard Rhem, pastor emeritus of Christ Community Church in Spring Lake, Michigan, where he served for 37 years. Starting in the mid 1980's, Rhem began to question some of the traditional Christian dogma that he had been espousing from the pulpit. That questioning was a first step in a long and interesting spiritual journey, one that he openly shared with his congregation. His journey is important, in part because it is reflective of the questioning, the yearnings, and the gradual revision of beliefs that many persons in this part of the century have experienced and continue to experience. It is important also because of the affirming and inclusive way his questioning was done and his thinking evolved. His sermons and other written and spoken materials together document the steps in his journey as it took a turn in 1985, yet continued to revolve around the framework and liturgies of the Christian calendar. Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Religion Interfaith worship Sermons Sound Recordings Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rhem, Richard A. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/514">Richard A. Rhem papers (KII-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Kaufman Interfaith Institute Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1981-2014 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 text/pdf Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Event Pentecost V Scripture Text Psalm 30:11-12 Location The location of the interview Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context KII-01_RA-0-19870712 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-07-12 Title A name given to the resource A Faith for All Seasons Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Richard A. Rhem Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Clergy--Michigan Reformed Church in America Christ Community Church (Spring Lake, Mich.) Sermons Relation A related resource Richard A. Rhem - An Archive of Sermons, Prayers, Talks and Stories: http://richardrhem.org/ Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Sound Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource audio/mp3 Description An account of the resource A sermon given by Richard A. Rhem (Dick) on July 12, 1987 entitled "A Faith for All Seasons", on the occasion of Pentecost V, at Christ Community Church, Spring Lake, MI. Scripture references: Psalm 30:11-12. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives